#I actually did a book report on it for a project in english lol

[theoakleafpancake]

Javert, the world is not merely black and white.

[Image ID: a drawing split into three vertical diagonal panels. The top and the bottom panels are a shade of dark blue. The top panel, written in white, reads: “He gave me my life/He gave me freedom.” The bottom panel, also written in white, reads: “I should have perished by his hand.” The word “perished” is written in red.

The middle panel shows an up-close drawing of Javert’s eyes. Blood is matted across the corner of his face. His eyes are blue and looking towards the sky with a frantic look. He is crying. His skin is pale, his hair dark. He is engulfed in shadows from the night sky as well as light from the moon above. /End ID]

[aihoshiino]

Rie Takahashi Interview (Oshi no Ko Anime Guidebook: First Report)

In the recently released First Report guidebook, a number of key staff members from the Oshi no Ko anime project were interviewed about their work on the show - so you can imagine my excitement when I saw that not only was Takahashi one of those interviewed, but that she had a lot to say about her performance as Ai and how she interpreted her character. I just had to translate it!

I will say up front that I have no intention of translating the other interviews in the book - this one took me long enough as it was and I fully admit it was pure blorbo bias that kept me going the whole time lol. Given that an English release of Glare x Sparkle is already in the works at YenPress, I imagine an English version of First Report might not be far behind so be sure to support it when it comes out. I'm just impatient lol.

As usual, this TL is a combo of my own comprehension, various online dictionaries such as Jisho.org, some MTL and me collapsing, weeping into smarter people's DMs to beg for their help. If you catch any mistakes, please let me know!

Anyway, enough rambling. Check out the interview behind the cut!

Please tell us about your favourite scene and line from episode 1.

Since Ai only appears in the first episode, I really wanted to make every moment count, so each and every one of her lines are special in their own way. It's hard to choose just one, but as a fan of the original work, the line "lies are an exceptional form of love" was one I was especially particular about. Since it's the line that truly encapsulates everything about Ai, I wanted to make sure that one stuck in people's minds.

You've said in the past you were an 'Oshi no Ko' fan even before being involved in the project.

While I was reading the original work, I actually admired Akane-chan the most. Obviously, I loved Ai as well, but being a voice actress myself, I was particularly interested in how a genius actress like Akane-chan prepared for her roles and what performances she'd go on to give. The chapters where she rises above all the online harassment especially left a huge impression on me. Anyone who's worked as a creative or even just in the public eye probably knows what a pulse-pounding experience it can be when you see slanderous comments about yourself - feeling like all of society has turned its back on you and you have nowhere to belong, and not being able to talk to your parents about it. It was depicted with such care and detail that I ached with her as I read it. But then, seeing her rise back up and declare "I don't want to quit like this" gave me a lot of strength. I wanted to become an actress like Akane-chan, who could come back to acting no matter what struggles I went through.

Since I loved Akane-chan so much, when I heard there were auditions for 'Oshi no Ko', I thought "I want to play her!". I even had the thought of 'Since the original work touches so deeply on what it means to be an actor, if they don't get a good actor for this, I might end up hating Oshi no Ko!' (laughs)

As a result, when I was cast as Ai, I knew I had to step up my game. I told myself, "If I'm going to play Ai, I need to give it my everything. Anything less won't do." I gave it my all with that in mind.

Did you audition for the role of Ai?

Yes, I did. But I couldn't get Akane-chan out of my mind, so I gave her a shot at the table audition. When I was preparing, I went over the manga at home and tried voicing each character and scene and there's a part in episode seven where Akane-chan mimicks Ai as she says "I sure am sleepy. We record way too early". When I tried that scene, I went "Hold on, maybe I really am the best fit for Ai?"

I guess my hunch was right because I didn't even make it through the first screening for Akane (laughs). Because of that experience, I'm deeply grateful to (Iwami) Manaka-chan for playing my beloved Akane-chan. I love both her work and her approach as an actress, so I'm thrilled to be working alongside her. I started off as a troublesome hardcore fan thinking "If they don't cast good actors for 'Oshi no Ko,' I might end up hating it!" but now I'm just like "thank you, voice actors!!" (laughs)

Were there any scenes you thought would be particularly difficult to perform based on the script or the original work?

So, I prepared for the role by going over volume 1 of the manga, the scenes where Akane-chan channels Ai and the short story, but there wasn't much more material at the time (laughs). So just preparing for the role was tough.  During recording, I sometimes checked in with (Akasaka) Aka-sensei about Ai. Now the story has progressed and Ai's character has become more defined, I secretly get a little nervous every time I read a new chapter. "I hope my performance in episode 1 wasn't off... I hope...!" (laughs) Obviously, Aka-sensei and the team were present during recordings, so my portrayal was probably fine but a revelation about her could still catch me out (laughs)

What sort of things did you hear from Akasaka-sensei?

There's a scene where Ai talks to her ex on a public payphone. I had to make sure there was the right amount of distance between them, and whether or not Ai still had any attachment to or fondness for him. I'm the sort of fan who enjoys analyzing the original work so I had mixed feelings about getting told the answer (laughs). But because I knew all the ins and outs of her backstory, I could contextualize her behaviour and the things she says and does.

Another scene was when Ai was scouted off the street and talked about her past, mentioning being abused by her mom. She wasn't saying it with the sense of "it hurts, I can't take it, I want to die" but instead she weaponizes it like "look at what I've been through, poor little me, right?". I tried to make my performance a balance of resilience with her vulnerability.

Also, I was directed to keep the monologue before Ai gets stabbed "emotionless", so I ended up giving a much more detached and matter of fact performance than I'd initially planned.

Were you mindful of the differences between Ai in her private life and Ai on stage when performing?

The tricky part of portraying Idol Ai is that if I make her too distinct, she'll stop being Ai. For example, if I play her as an innocent, optimistic idol, she'd be Ruby, not Ai. I focused less on "what to do as Ai" and more on "what not to do". In "Viewpoint B," Ai says, "The "idol" Ai is pretty much the complete opposite of who I really am, but she's the person I'd like to be." so that was the feeling I used as my reference when portraying Idol Ai. Incidentally, in my work as a performer, I purposely try to avoid drawing a line between my public and private self. So for Ai as well, the switches between the real Ai and the idol Ai feel surprisingly seamless to me. It's not that there are two distinct faces, but that Idol Ai exists inside the real Ai so it's more a question of which side of herself she shows at any given moment.

Ai’s fans in the original story only know the Idol Ai. What do you think draws them to her?

Like in the lyrics of YOASOBI's song "Idol," she's nonchalant, carefree, and easygoing. I could've portrayed Idol Ai as more cutesy, bubbly and flirtatious, but I felt that wouldn't have a convincing appeal to characters in the story like Gorou-sensei and the otaku who support her. I wanted to make sure it was believable that idol otakus in this world end up falling for her. I think it's her more laid back vibe, not the hyper energetic or "look at me!" type, that charms people.

So what would you say is the appeal to fans in the real world who know her full backstory?

Firstly, Ai-chan's overwhelming visual appeal. When you think of shocking pink and purple, you think of Ai! (Yokoyari) Mengo-sensei’s art is so powerful, and the glittering animation is also fantastic. I also find Ai's professionalism in her work really appealing. While she has the cuteness of an idol, she's not just cute—she works with an incredible level of dedication and professionalism. I admire and love her for everything, including her behind-the-scenes efforts. It's impressive, she’s really cool! 

I’ve ended up with a lot more respect for the word ‘idol’ as a result. In the past, when my voice acting involved singing, dancing, and participating in unit activities, being described as an "idol voice actress" didn't quite sit right with me. But now, I realize how honorable and responsible that title is. Idols work hard behind the scenes, constantly smiling while singing and dancing, and performing so brilliantly. If there are moments when I'm called by the same title as those incredible idols, I feel I need to make an effort to match their quality, or it would be disrespectful. It really motivates me to do my best.

There’s a line in Ai's monologue where she says "I wanted to love someone, I wanted someone to love." Why do you think Ai wanted to give love rather than receive it?

It could be that she's looking for somewhere to belong, hoping that "if I can love, I might be loved in return". Ai's history of abuse and mistreatment likely made the love she received feel very different from the love most people experience. I think it all stems from Ai thinking of herself as an abnormal person - she might have believed that to be loved, she needed to become someone who could genuinely love others. It’s a bit of a chicken and egg situation with a lot of complex feelings. That’s just how I interpret it, though.

And in the end, she realizes her love for the twins is not a lie.

I think that Ai loved the twins all along, not just in that last moment. But the word “love” was like a curse for her, so she couldn't actually say it. That feeling only intensified after I watched the anime. There's an anime original bit where Ai kisses the twins on the foreheads and says, “I'm off,” when she leaves for work. That's the kind of thing you can only do with love - she was just too scared to actually put it into words. Though she was able to express her love fully in her final moments, it’s still sad it took such an extremely situation for her to be able to say it. If it’d never happened, or if she’d simply put the door chain on, she might never have said it. She might have always struggled to say those words. But it’s thanks to the twins she learned how to love. Even the love she has for her fans, that she derided as a lie, was always true. And when she told Ryosuke-kun, “I want to love you,” I think she was already loving him even then.

In the audio commentary included on the Blu-ray & DVD bonus disc, I was struck by the mention of Ai being so nervous before she says “I love you” to Ruby and Aqua, that she takes a deep breath. What sort of direction were you given for that line?

There wasn’t any direction, actually. During the recording, my focus was entirely on expressing Ai’s breathing after being stabbed, how much blood she was losing, and the urgency of conveying her final words. It was an intense experience. It’s a rare moment as a voice actor to feel like me and the character I'm playing have our hearts beating in sync, but this was one of those times. I think I was genuinely nervous myself as well. I could feel my heart pounding and my chest clenching like when you’re about to make a confession. That feeling still hasn’t left me.

Additionally, in the last monologue of episode 11, where Aqua reflects on Ai's words after she was stabbed, we couldn't use the original recording from the first episode. The recording from the first episode captured a raw and genuine emotion, as Ai was gasping for breath. So we re-recorded it with the intention that the more it resonated warmly within Aqua, the more unforgettable those words would become for him. I wanted to make sure that Ai’s final words would leave a lasting impact, something Aqua would revisit in his mind over and over again. Personally, I approached the recording with a deep sense of love, like passing the baton and saying, “Thank you, everyone, for your hard work in the first season.” There was a lot of warmth during that session, not just towards the twins, but towards the entire cast, staff, and the "Oshi no Ko" project itself.

What were your thoughts upon reading 45510?

I got to the end and I was like “Don’t delete the blog! I want to know more!” (laughs) The entire story felt like a box that really shouldn't be opened. Everything from the meaning behind the password numbers to the fact that Ai left behind a blog wanting to reconcile made it feel like Ai really, truly wanted to love the other girls in B-Komachi even when they were jealous of her.

In the anime, we only get a brief moment of interaction between Ai and the other members - that moment during dance practice, when one of them says, "You look kinda down, Ai-chan" and Ai replies with a smile, "That’s not it. I didn’t get to eat lunch!" So I was careful that Ai’s response didn't feel sour at all. If the sigh she let out before they spoke to her had even a hint of annoyance, it would’ve been a reason the other girls took offense with her. I felt like Ai’s invincibility should’ve been the main factor for their issues with her.

It’s just a brief interaction in the anime, but ‘45510’ really fleshed out that distance between Ai and the B-Komachi members. I based my understanding of these boundaries in her relationships on ‘45510’ and ‘Viewpoint B’ and I also read ‘Oshi no Ko: Spica, the First Star’ to get a fuller picture. The more I read, the more I understood - Kana Arima’s got the right idea!

YOASOBI’s song ‘IDOL’ closes out episode one.

The music itself was impactful, but the music video that was released after the first episode aired was something else altogether. We watched the first episode together with the cast, and then, after seeing the music video, I felt overcome by Ai’s presence all over again - I was left speechless by how powerful the experience was. "Oshi no Ko" really is an immersive experience. I mean, you willingly open YouTube and relive Ai's death yourself. Even after everything was conveyed in the main story, the music video introduced new layers of emotions and concepts. Seeing how YOASOBI's song "Idol," which was about Ai, resonated with so many people really made me realize all over again just how significant Ai's impact was!

And then you yourself sang IDOL at the Strawberry Productions☆Fan Thanksgiving Festival 2023 (FanFest).

For me, "Idol" is a challenging song to sing even at karaoke. So, when they asked me to sing it at the FanFest my initial reaction was, "Oh, that might be too much!" (laughs). It’s not a song that you can easily perform live (laughs). It's a song that only an incredible artist can pull off, so when I thought about singing it live on stage, I was like, "Really? Me?" But when I saw the setlist for the live part of the FanFest, I started feeling like, "Actually, I think I should give it a shot." As a performer, I had some reservations about whether I could deliver the quality it deserved, but the "Oshi no Ko" fan in me couldn't resist. I was like, "Everyone wants to see Ai's voice actress sing 'Idol'" (laughs). After a lot of back-and-forth, I decided to go for it. I understood how Kana Arima felt when she joined the new B-Komachi. The joy of being relied upon by the team and the desire to meet the expectations of the work won out in the end.

Between “Our Sign is B”, “HEART's♡KISS” and “STAR☆T☆RAIN”, which is your favourite B-Komachi song?

That’s a tough one since they’re all A-side quality! (laughs) It was like, "Wow, B-Komachi is seriously awesome!" You can really feel the passion from the music team, like they were determined to bring the world of "Oshi no Ko" to life through these songs. It was also surprising to see how the series expanded from the manga into this whole new realm of music.

Was there anything specific you focused on while recording the project’s songs?

I tried not to change my tone just because it was a song. My focus was on making sure that when people listened, they could immediately recognize it as Ai's voice. At first, it was really hard to come up with a solid idea of what "Ai singing” sounded like. Usually, she's a pretty laid back and carefree, but she can’t exactly sing like that during a live performance. Ai’s a pro when it comes to entertaining the audience and enjoying the moment with them so I was constantly trying to find the right balance between Ai’s characteristic nonchalance and the high energy of a live idol performance. The first recording I did was for "HEART's♡KISS," and honestly, I ended up putting too much force into the opening line, "I'll send you a cheer." Since the song's theme is about sending everyone good vibes, I got too intense with my delivery. I got an ‘OK’ on that take but when I listened back to it, I felt that it wasn’t quite right, so I asked to redo just that part. If people didn’t immediately sense Ai at the very start, I worried that they wouldn't feel her presence throughout the entire song.

If you were to send a message to Ai, what would you say?

There’s so much I’d love to say to her, it’s hard to pick just one thing. Still, I think Ai was really happy in her life because she got to say "I love you" in the end. Even though her life might seem tragic to others, the feeling that stuck with me from playing her was a sense of incredible contentment. So, I’d probably just want to have a casual chat with her and watch over everyone together. Oh, but I’d definitely tell her to keep that door chain locked!

[its-chelisey-stuff]

I watched “Imitation” and it was surprising (... okay, I loved it!)

Full disclosure: If you haven’t the slightest interest in kpop, not even in the drama or juicy gossip that produces, this won’t be your thing. I know it’s not a drama for everyone. Stop reading. Just know that OTP (and most characters) had a happy ending but there was a bunch of drama to achieve it. Typical. And a death may or may not have been in the mix.  

Well well well... I'm pleasantly surprised, that's the perfect three word review for this drama. It would seem that when those little projects that come out of nowhere and you have no expectations about, turn out to be even a little big good, they made the strongest impression. And this drama is up there in my top 3 of favorite dramas of the year, it has my heart.

Yes, it was about kpop idols and 90% of the cast was made of idols (even one from the very first kpop gen hahaha), yet the acting was decent (and from some, truly great), yes sometimes it got a bit cheesy and silly and yes, there was a ton of drama concerning fans, reporters, dating scandals and bad and greedy CEOs of entertainment agencies BUT it was also sweet, really romantic, funny, lively, full of music (I'm OBSESSED with the last OST which was sung by the whole cast, it makes me FEEL things) and dancing, it had lots friendship and found family AND at times, it was heartbreakingly tragic.

I think this drama tried to tell the audience two important lessons, worthy of mention: the first, work hard for your dreams, don't give up on them but also, you never know what opportunities might come your way that could end up changing your direction and perhaps make you chase something that you never thought you would, so persevere, breathe and hang in there just a bit more; the second, one that we all know if you have a little bit of sense and even if you are mildly informed about the k entertainment which is that idols are just people(most of them teens when they debut some not even 18) who want to and deserve to have a pretty f-ing normal life, so f-ing let them! the consequences of putting these youngsters over a pedestal are catastrophic and there are real life, heartbreaking, examples of this.

Main characters

Ryok: the Golden Boy of kpop, from the most popular boy group, also a an actor (a decent one? Idk they never said). Perfect in every single aspect, except when he is nice to girls who aren't his fans, then they will crucify him. SUPER clumsy whenever his crush is nearby and does something he finds cute, otherwise super cool and chill. Also great at pining for his crush. A romantic, which means he chose the worst career path. My favorite character.

Maha: A bright and optimistic girl with a strong might of perseverance in going after her dreams. Loves dancing. Very sweet and very tiny. Despite appearances, she's not a pushover or weak FL. And that's why I loved her.

Yujin: Second ML by the book. Became an idol because he was pursuing FL (who in turn was pursuing ML). The only reason why I never hated him is because he was a great friend, knew he wasn't doing anything healthy and decided to end his one sided love and opened his eyes. Two words: Character development *chef's kiss*

LaRiMa: A soloist. A Queen. At the start, it looked like she was the typical and mean second FL. But she wasn't, and I adored her for that. She had a heart of gold. She deserved the world, and she knew that so she made decisions accordingly (a Queen chases no one, least of all a man!) lol best character in the drama and my second favorite character (sorry Maha!)

Also starring: The members of SHAX (the leader, SF9′s Hwiyoung, the maknae from Ateez and the funny guy who spoke random english) the group of Golden Boy. Tea Party members (bffs with FL, Riah and HyunJi), Maha’s group. Sparkling members (the very angry and frustrated leader and two members of Ateez whose names I don’t know), second ML group. AND in the longest and most important cameo (ala Go Kyung Pyo in My roommate is a Gumiho) SF9′s Chani, a former member of SHAX, who disappeared into thin air one day.

The story

On paper it doesn't sound like anything groundbreaking (and tbh it really wasn't lol): a story about idols who willingly chose their career path, trained for years while underage, got treated like products by ugly men in suits and realized it kinda sucked, especially when you don't become a hit group and have to protect your personal life like it's a dirty secret that could damage your image and maybe end your career this is why I said it’s not a show for everyone. But this drama is what Dream High 2 (2012) wanted to be and never could in the aspect of actually making you feel something for these idols and the situations they were facing while loving the musical side of the show and making it all believable.

Even if it's not exactly about teens in high school sort of thing, it does give you the same hopeful and uplifting feeling of a coming of age story, especially because the characters are still youngsters trying to be happy and realize their dreams for the future.

You can just stop reading here if you want to go watch the drama with no spoilers. And if I haven’t convinced you despite not being appalled by kpop themed dramas, then I guess you should keep reading lol or trust in my taste and judgement when I say the story is worth it (but to be fair the first two eps are a bit slow).

The romance (super spoilery!)

At the core, this show was a love story. What started the plot is the fact that main couple reunite in the same work field as idols, and they actually met and befriended each other years ago; so being older and able to spent more time together brings them closer to finally accept and give into their feelings, but soon enough their relationship becomes a ticking bomb threatening their careers and then this big mystery of how and why SF9' Chani disappeared and abandoned the group becomes really important in the last third of the drama

Because once upon a time, Chani had a gf but she was still a trainee so once their love was exposed (the truth of who exposed him is devastating) and their respective companies threatened them, it all becomes too much too fast and with seemingly no other way out, the girl makes a terrible decision, that ends up changing the lives of most of the characters.

I’m sure this is from a bts but their chemistry was really good and sweet. Also, height difference to die for!!

Yet, there is a happy ending for main couple but it's only achieved after certain people learn from their mistakes and support Ryok and Maha, which makes it clear that no matter how in love and willing you are to face adversities for and with your loved one, you still need a support system (and maybe the right people in a position of power) because sometimes two against the world isn't as romantic as it sounds, but sad and lonely.

And the main reason why I loved this is because of the way the show drew a parallel between the two most important couples in the story and tells the audience “had it been even a year before, under different circumstances and less luck, had they had no friends and no people to support them, main couple would’ve ended in the same tragic way” and I think that is a haunting realization. That also makes you appreciate things.

*cries* they were adorable

The bad (spoilers!)

I do wish this drama would’ve elaborated on some bits that were really worth diving into, or that it would’ve shown how some things came intro fruition instead of just skipping it and showing rigth away the outcome of conversations that were never had or reunions never shown. It is clear to me that they wanted to make the drama longer and could have told a better story had it been a 16 ep show. 

Basically yes, the main story, main romance and side couples' arcs got resolved but ugh a list of plot holes:

Why was LaRiMa so obsessed with Ryok for half the drama? The minute the girl knew he was dating someone he truly liked, she gave up right away, so I gotta believe the only reason she didn’t quit on him before, is because he did gave her a reason to hold onto him. Perphaps they dated before? Or maybe they like each other at one point? I can only do fanfiction in my head to explain this.

Why was the angry leader of Sparkling such a bitter bitch? How did he end up in another company?

I wanted to see SF9′s Chani reunion with his ex-members from SHAX.  It NEEDED to happen. At least they showed Chani with Ryok (which was really emotional) but arrgh.

Also, Chani deserved a kneeling apology from SHAX leader, I mean, come on!!

If everyone knew about Maha and Ryeok at some point, they needed to use that. You can’t just have a bomb like that in your drama and not use it. Is a principle of storytelling. You can’t just have the thing that your main characters fear the most, in your hands, and do nothing about it. But I guess it was not done because of lack of time.

Also, they never showed how they announced their relationship. Instagram post? Company statement? An exclusive to Dispatch? And how did the fans took it?? Answers, drama! Damn it!!

Final thoughts

Despite its many flaws, I loved it. It had heart. It seemed low budget and even more so due to the fact that it was done in the middle of the pandemic and a big part of kpop are the fans and concerts, you know what makes it all the more big and shinier. But the drama people and the actors put effort into it, and you could tell (and the fact that there were also original songs and choreographies made for this drama amazes me, and that they chose to promote the drama by having some of these fake groups perform on actual music shows). So there you go, I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Before I finish, let me just say that the actor who played Ryok is a REVELATION in my eyes.This boy needs to stay in dramaland and get more main roles (and after some research I’m happy to say that he is thriving!!). Also, he has great timing for comedy. The actress who played Maha elevated the quality of every scene she was in. (Not for nothing she was God in DAYS). Jiyeon (LaRiMa) was excellent. It really showed at times that she’s not only an experienced idol but also an experienced actress. The contrast with most of the cast was noticeable, sadly. The drama wouldn’t have been the same without these three.

Also, watch AND listen to the last OST sung by the whole cast here. Beautiful song that just makes you cry if you’ve seen the drama.

[flyingcookierambles]

sadness over a3! eng i guess

oof just on my 700th day.....

kinda sad because of the announcement about A3! ENG server shutting down soon due to financial difficulties at LIBER/CYBIRD in the past two years (covid-19 related, etc.). according to a rather in depth reddit comment that had links to LIBER's publicly available financial reports + some financial reports from LIBER's parent company, Aeria, in english, covid-19 really hit LIBER hard since they had to cancel many money making events, from pop-up shops for the typical anime merch trinkets (keychains, plushes, pins, etc.) to the huge in-person events (voice actor meetups, the stage plays of MANKAI LIVE, etc.). due to shrinking player base on the ENG server + major loss of profits on both JPN and ENG servers, LIBER had to choose one or the other and they chose the JPN one, which i totally understand since it's way bigger there and the JPN fanbase will continue to give the franchise money more often. also, another person found a financial report/estimate from the google play store or something, and A3! ENG only made ~$20K to ~$10K in the past few months, which i guess is not enough to keep a server and localization company afloat. 

i got pretty attached to the characters and it was a great game to help get by during college. and honestly, while i am very sad about this, again, i understand why LIBER did this, looking at their financial report from 2020. I would LIBER save the entire franchise rather than shut all the servers down, making us all unable to see our favorite actors ever again, even if it means that we ENG fans will have to go thru the extra steps of finding/reading fan translations, wikis, etc., to read any further stories from where A3! ENG left off. still, A3! ENG's localization was something special. i'm saying this as a TKRB JPN player who read the wiki for all the character voice lines and then had to see the official TKRB ENG localization make Yamabushi Kunihiro a rapper for some reason? lol. it was....weird.... meanwhile, all the memes and slang in A3! ENG didn't seem out of place and all fit their personalities because 3/4 of the troupes were all high school to college age and 3 of them were ~Gamers~. Out of all the gachas i've played, i feel like the only other F2P gacha game that had this incredibly smooth, all cultural jokes/puns translated in a way that still makes sense/fits the character/doesn't require a galaxy brain and some TL note to understand, is probably dragalia lost and that's only because it has frickin Nintendo localizing/publishing it globally for CyGames. Nintendo. i'll eventually read the fan translations of A3!'s Act 3 on the wiki, but it won't be the same without Kazunari's super high-energy influencer slang of "'whoa fam! that's totes 'blammable, gotta take a pic!" or Itaru's gremlin Gamer speak of "lol get rekt noobs" or Tsuzuru's tired dying breath of "that ain't it chief." the appropriate slang and relatable meme speak of the localization really helped humanize these characters as people of their respective ages, rather than just a typical formal speak or some directly translated JPN slang -> ENG that turns out super awkward that can be found in bad localizations.

going back to the reddit comment too, the death of A3! ENG servers could have bad repercussions in the future for other joseimuke games. josei, if you for some reason have been in the anime fandom but still don't know this term, is basically the genre of stories/video games/media/etc aimed at women. it's the mature adult counterpart to seinen, media aimed at adult men. basically shoujo/shonen = elementary/middle school/high school aimed while josei/seinen = high school/college/adult aimed if that helps. Joseimuke is a part of josei that is not specifically romance. while some josei/joseimuke can overlap with otome, aka female aimed dating sims/romance media, they have many things about them that make these all separate genres. one of the official A3! ENG translators and a known fan translator of another joseimuke gacha, Mahou Yaku/Wizard’s Promise, minami, goes more in depth with this in a twitter thread. 

A3! was an actor raising game, and a big part of it was found family and relationships that were platonic. yet it got advertised as an otome, which has more connotations with dating sims and brings to mind other shoujo/otome games and anime where the cast is all high schoolers and the setting is most often in a high school. but, other than some characters making flirty jokes or implied to have crushes on Izumi/player character, many character relationships with Izumi are platonic and not romantic at all. Spring Troupe in the game also jokingly calls themself a family. the entire Mankai Company is basically found family. plus, since the game actually has time passing in story and the characters age with each year, half of the characters aren’t even in high school anymore. a large majority of them are in college or are graduated by now, with only a few still in high school. i’m not surprised if a reason that some people left the game was due to feeling bored with the slice of life/not romantic story, feeling that they were lied to about it being an otome, which was falsely advertised since it is a game meant for the older teens/adults demographic of josei/joseimuke.

i’m worried that other japanese companies will look at this shut down as a “josei/joseimuke doesn’t work well in the west” and never localize other josei/joseimuke gacha games like Mahou Yaku, EnStars, Twisted Wonderland, Helios, etc.

while i like otome and shoujo, i, as a 23/soon to be 24 year old college graduate and now tax paying adult, want more stories that have more mature themes and characters that are more my age so i don’t have to feel awkward when i’m playing some dating sim and i, a literal 23 year old adult, and trying to woo a 16 year old. it’s...a little awkward to say the least. i would gladly welcome more mature media that is categorized as josei/joseimuke.

sorry if this is all over the place, but overall im just sad that A3! ENG is shutting down. i don’t know if i’ll join the JPN server yet. i’m def going to read the Act 3 story via fan translators on the wiki, but A3! gameplay was...boring lmao. as much as i love A3!, im sure that the constant event grind/burnout and boring rng gameplay turned people off too and i dont blame them. i felt the burnout bad since i participated in basically every event since day 1. it. is. rough. i’m not joining the hellish thunderdome that is the JPN server and im not ranking anymore as a F2P player lmao. literally had to play almost every waking free moment to get into the 30%-20% bracket as a F2P person and i never got to top 20%-10%, much less top 1% lmao. i’m don’t whale enough lol. 

i feel like i should probably just. crack open my genki 2 textbook and uhhh totally legal pdf copy of tobira. so i can just. get the JPN version of games in the first place so i don’t have to worry about getting shafted since overseas fans are often considered expendable. 

i wish that, when any games that are online end, gacha or mmo or anything, anything online, companies will let fans archive things. or like. release a book that is just the story text or something. like. CYBIRD is letting us still technically play the game and have the story and all, but what if they eventually later shut everything down? why not just release a pdf/ebook that’s just the text of the eng localization for some money? i’d buy it. for nostalgia and rereads and all and also archiving purposes. i think i’ll try to help with any english localization archive projects if i can so that the hilarious and incredible localization that was a work of love from the translation team doesn’t just disappear forever.

well.

that’s it for now. as i said, guess i’ll head to the app for one of the last times to read the last unread stories and mini stories i have left, then the wiki for Act 3, and then i guess i’ll crack open genki 2 and bunpo.....

some fun random links for you to think about!

random ffxi article that came to mind (if ffxiv ever shuts down in the next 20 years or whatever i’d be cool to get a statue of my character at the end)

and death of a game playlist by NerdSlayer Studios on Youtube that has me thinking a lot about game preservation and losing MMOs and games

the lost media wiki  and blameitonjorge’s lost media iceberg

other gacha games i’ve played that have shut down that i think about sometimes because the loss of A3! ENG isn’t my first rodeo:

terra battle & terra battle 2 (1)

AFTERL!FE

(related kitsu post link for archive reasons)

[imanativeofswlondondahling]

Becoming A Stark (14)- Peter Parker x Stark! femReader

Word Count: 1869

Warning: Swearing

Author’s Note: So we’ve hit the half way point I think (I think I did my math right lol). Also I loved doing the field trip chapters! I wanted to do something more fun before we get into the Spider-Man Homecoming Chapters which will start next! Let me know what you think and if you want to be added to the tag list!

Chapter One || Previous Chapter || Master List

“So is this what you do every day?” You ask Pepper as you sit in the chair next to her desk. Your hand fidgets with the medical alert bracelet on your right wrist, needing to fiddle with something.

“Goodness no. Every day changes. But it’s a lot of meetings and lunches, paperwork, press conferences, things like that. And about 90% of it is redirecting your dad when he gets on a tangent.” Pepper says with a smile. 

“What…” You let your sentence drift off, not wanting to voice your question.

“What….?” She prods slightly, but doesn’t push like your dad would.

“What if I decide I don’t want to run the company? Like everyone keeps telling me it’s my name on the building and stuff but what if I don’t want to ascend to my birth right or whatever?”

“I’m not a Stark.” Pepper states.

“Yeah but you and my dad are basically going to get married one day and then you will be.” It’s not that much of a secret that your dad wants to marry Pepper, he just hasn’t asked yet.

“Well... yes, but that’s not the point I was trying to make. The point is that you don’t have to be a Stark to run the company. When you turn twenty one, should you decide that running the company is not for you, you would just pick another CEO, or I can keep running the company if that is where we are depending on what happens seven years from now.”

“Would my dad hate it if I didn’t step into it?”

“You know your dad chose to step away from running the company right?” You nod. It was big news when Tony Stark had stepped down from CEO. Nana and Pops had talked about it for like a week when it happened. “He wouldn’t judge you or love you any less for choosing to do the same thing. He wants you to be happy. First and foremost. He’s already looking towards which schools have the best English Lit programs because he knows that his pull at MIT is going to have nothing for you. He doesn’t expect you to be him. He wants you to be better than him.”

“But he’s Tony Stark. He’s Iron Man. How can I be better than that?” You ask.

“Quite easily actually. Tony Stark, Iron Man, psshh. They’ve let a lot of people down.” Tony’s voice enters the room. “Honestly there’s probably even one of those Buzzfeed articles about the top ten ways that Tony Stark has let down people.”

“Tony.” Pepper’s voice alone tells you she disagrees, but Tony ignores it and continues.

“But you, Y/N Stark, you have the chance to do anything in the world. And you will make me a proud dad by doing that. You don’t have to do anything with the company if you don’t want to and I will be completely happy with that you know why? Because you are my daughter. And that’s the only thing I need to make me happy.” He places a kiss on the top of your head. “That and doing whatever it takes to keep Pep here happy.” He smiles at her across the desk.

“What would keep me happy is if you actually met your deadlines.” She teases. 

“I’m right on schedule. Ahead some might even say.”

“Some might, but would I?” She raises an eyebrow as she pushes some papers onto a different pile.

“I’d rather not sleep on the couch tonight so I’m going to go with I’m on schedule today.” Pepper rolls her eyes at that. 

“So then, what made you come all the way up to the office that you despise?”

“Other than the fact that my two favorite people are here?”

“You sound like you’re just trying to distract Pepper, Dad.” You tease him, knowing he had to have some motive, because Pepper was right. Dad hated the CEO office, even if the two of you were in it.

“I was making sure the two of you take a break for lunch. Especially since your class is heading down for lunch and I figured since your friends are there, you might want to join them.”

“And because my friends are there, you want to join them and embarrass me.”

“I’m just making sure you eat lunch.” He throws his hands up, trying to show you he comes in peace.

“You hardly ever eat lunch when you’re supposed to.” Pepper points out, but she knows that keeping you on a schedule is important with keeping your basals on a good schedule. “But Tony does make a good point that we should get some lunch for you. And how often do we get to have lunch as a family?”

“You don’t have like a lunch meeting or something?” You ask, surprised that Pepper isn’t running off to some fancy luncheon.

“Not today. Today I can take an actual lunch with my two favorite Starks.” She smiles standing up and walking to the other side of her desk. Tony’s arm wraps around her waist, pulling her in close. He places a kiss on her cheek.

“Lunch is my treat.” Tony teases. “Let’s go!”

“Lunch is free for any employees or family of the employees.” Pepper explains rolling her eyes as the three of you walk towards the elevator. 

“FRI take us to the cafeteria.”

“Sure thing boss.” The elevator takes you down the twenty floors and as you walk out the doors you see your friends sitting at tables.

“I’ll get you food. Go sit with your friends.” Tony kisses the top of your head as he walks over to get food with Pepper. You make your way over to where Astrid, Betty, Liz, Ned, Peter, and a girl that you think her name is Michelle sit. There’s still a couple open seats at the table so your dad and Pepper will be able to join too.

“Y/N!” Betty and Astrid call your name out as you sit down.

“Are you ok?” Betty’s concern is voiced quickly.

“I’m fine, I came back into range before Peter joined back up with the group.” You explain taking the empty seat next to Peter, who already knew all of this.

“Then why didn’t you come back to the group? Your dad told Mr. Shah there were important Stark matters.”

“I’m spending the rest of the field trip with Pepper. Dad thinks it makes more sense for me to learn about what she does since I’m supposed to take over the company one day then to learn the public tour side of things.” You shrug. “Although I’m not sure how much of Pepper’s job is public knowledge so I’m not sure what my report about what I learned at SI will be about.”

“Just take a page out of your dad’s twitter and write you know who I am. Short, sweet and to the point.” Michelle says not even looking up from her book.

“I think that would be hilarious but I don't think I’d pass with that. And I need a passing grade so I don’t have to take biology over again.” You explain. “I’m Y/N by the way.”

“My friends call me MJ.” The dark haired girl explains.

“I thought you didn’t have any friends?” Ned questions.

“She has at least one.” You defend quickly, sensing something about this girl that you like. MJ and Ned both look up at you, but Peter just shakes his head like he should have seen this coming. What he didn’t see coming, was Tony and Pepper coming to sit with a group of teens. 

Tony sits in the seat next to you, placing a tray of food in front of you, before acknowledging the silence that has fallen over the table. “Yes yes I know it is shocking. Pepper Potts, CEO. She is just as amazing in person and you think she would be.” He flashes a smile at the table and you roll your eyes.

“I think you all probably know my obnoxious dad. And this, as he mentioned is Pepper. She is amazing.” You can’t help but agree with your dad on that one. “Dad, Pepper, you know Betty, Astrid, and Peter of course. Then we have Liz, Ned, and MJ.” You gesture around the table before finally looking at the food in front of you. Pasta with spinach and cheese, some fruit, a brownie, and… “Another green juice?” You look at your dad.

“Chef Louis makes the best green juice.” You dad says taking a sip of his own.

“Good for him. I already had my one for the day.”

“Think of it as balancing out the soda from earlier.”

“It wasn’t like I went out of my way to have a soda. I was dying.”

“And now we’re going to give your body something better.” You roll your eyes. 

“Pepper help me out?” You plead.

“He’s pretty set on this one.” Peppe says as she lifts her own glass from the other side of Tony. “This one tastes different than the ones he makes in the mornings though.”

“You know I thought the paparazzi was the worst part of being a Stark. But it’s the fucking green juice obsession in this family.” There’s a burst of laughter from next to you. “Something funny Parker?” 

“Absolutely nothing funny Y/N.” He says lifting a soda to his own lips.

“You not going to make your intern get on the green juice trend?” You ask your dad.

“He’s not my kid. You are.”

“I’ll trade you.” You offer the glass to Peter.

“If you give her the glass that has as much sugar as a Snicker’s, I’ll ban you from all labs for a week.” Tony’s voice drops an octave.

“You not going to just blast him with your gauntlet?” You tease.

“That’s saved for bad guys and boyfriends.” Betty and Astrid look at you with a look that you can read to see that they understand what you meant about trying to get a Homecoming date now.

“See if I tell you when I get a boyfriend then.”

“Remind me to tell FRIDAY to lock you in the brownstone until you're 25 then.” Tony teases back.

“Pepper’ll save me.” You say, sure that Pepper will reign him in before he could even get this far. 

“I got your back.” She responds with a smile. As you put the carbs into Queenie, the conversation picks up around you. Your dad starts talking to Peter about some missing part of a calculation for one of the many projects they were working on. Betty and Astrid are talking to Pepper about what it’s like to be CEO and you’ve fallen into listening to your two worlds falling back into one. You even take a sip of the green juice and shouldn’t be surprised that it’s not that bad. To be honest, it’s even better than the one you get in the mornings. But you won’t let your dad know that. But of course he notices anyway.

“Told you it was good.”

“Never said it was good. It just didn’t kill me.”

“Sure kiddo. Whatever you say.”

Becoming A Stark Tag list: @persephonehemingway  @iamaunicorn4704  @furiouspockettoad  @daughter-of-stark  @eternalharry  @huntective-kyeo @riiis-stuff @sunnyoongles @cosmicqueenieb @sovereignparker @bbarnestan @teenwishes08 @iamthescarlettwitch

Permanent tag list: @wormonastringonastick

[izcana]

Character Traits of You

Prompt (from Anonymous on AO3):

"You make me feel like I'm not good enough."

Any fandom welcome. Bonus points for BL, though. lol

Credits to "I am Malala", by Malala Yousafzai, I used a quote from her book. All the explanations (theme analysis) are valid, by the way. I actually did all of it as a project for my English class, though, of course, this wasn't how my discussions went (since what I wrote here was all individual work) and the names below are not the names of the people in my book club : ) You all should read "I am Malala", by the way. It's very interesting and there are many valuable themes.

The story is written in Tommy's perspective.

***

"What do you think we should put in this column?" Malia asks.

"There's a quote in the book that says 'I am very proud to be a Pashtun but sometimes I think our code of conduct has a lot to answer for, particularly where the treatment of women is concerned.' I think that'd work well for our theme." Aura says, pointing out the reading passage.

"Sure," Malia mumbles, quickly typing it.

"Wait, hang on, huh? What does that have to do with the theme?" Tommy asks, rubbing his cheek with his palms. "I don't understand."

"This quote is repeated in the story in different words and it shows that Malala was really trying to imprint this in our mind when she wrote the book. She didn’t like it and wanted to make a change," Aura explains. "Basically, what I think the theme is here is 'all humans should have the same rights even if they're different from you'."

"Yeah...that makes so much more sense now, thanks, Aura," Tommy mutters, his cheeks turning a vivid red quickly. Aura had to explain that to him! Ouch. He thought they were all on the same level and that's why they're in the same book club. But, maybe they're just the three highest in the class (and they're obviously the three highest since Aura's in their group and she's definitely the smartest. No question.) but they're very far from each other. All Tommy knew was that Malia and Aura were obviously smarter than he is. And he's also (admittingly) has a crush on Aura. Great.

"Now we just need to find something to put for character traits and then we're done!" Aura announces, looking fairly proud of the work they'd put in so far. "Mrs Biaden will definitely be happy with this...perhaps we can get an A+ on it!" Tommy glances shyly at the girl, his heart fluttering at the smile. A+ was (and Aura could agree with this too) basically the only thing Aura got on her report card, though she was modest about it.

"You always get A+, Aura," Malia drawls, picking at her nails. "Don't get your knickers in a twist. Also, you're the only person who even says 'perhaps', anymore."

Aura sighs and wordlessly flips through the worn dog-eared book. "Character traits...Oh, here! 'Unlike my father, I took precautions. At night, I would wait until everyone is asleep – my mother, my father, my brothers, the other family in our house and any guests we had from our village – then I’d check every single door and window. I’d go outside and make sure the front gate was locked.' Ziauddin refused to do this. However, Malala knew when to be independent and get something done by herself if she believed that it was going to benefit and no one was doing it. Here, their safety was in danger, and even though Ziauddin disagreed, saying it was fine, Malala still put the effort in to make sure everything was locked and bolted, as mentioned in the previous quote," Aura says, flipping back and forth between the pages again.

"You literally talk like you're reciting an essay," Malia says with a snort.

"What a great friend you are," Aura flicks back at Malia, snickering.

"Anyways..." Tommy interrupts. He didn't really want to get between their banter, but they were really pressed for time. "So what? What does that prove?" That's the third-to-last column and then they're done.

Predictably, Aura has an answer. Somehow she always has an answer on hand? "It proves that Malala is independent."

"Great," Malia says, typing that, too. "Two more to go. I think one way the setting influences the character [Malala] is the fact that she's raised in Swat, which made her very open to everyone and she also values family very much, because of the way she was raised and the people she was raised by and with."

"That's a valid point," Tommy agrees, wanting to sound at least educated in front of Aura.

"True, true," the said girl comments, giving a shrug. "We should put that in, Malia."

Soon, the spreadsheet was all filled out and it was almost time that English class ended. "I think we did a pretty good job," Malia declares, stretching. She gets up slowly. "I'll go print it."

"You make me feel like I'm not good enough," Tommy says, finally plucking up the courage.

"Excuse me?" Aura blinked.

"You're so amazing at everything, and I guess I'm just...insecure?"

"You'll get the hang of it, eventually," Aura says, laying her pale hand gently on top of Tommy's outstretched and tanner one. "You'll be fine. I'll help you."

"Thank you, Aura."

***

I've never watched BL before, sorry! I do hope this was worth your time...

If you liked it, please leave kudos or a comment – it would make my day! Thanks for reading!

[purplesurveys]

694

What song are you listening to right now? I’m not listening to anything but the last song I played was Violet by Daniel Caesar; I don’t actually know the song but it was part of a playlist on Spotify. Admit it -- you want a Snuggie. What design/color? I don’t even know what that is, but if it came in pink I’d want one. Do you prefer movies at home or movies at the theatre? Home is cozier and costs much less, haha. How many songs does your iTunes have? Ooh, I haven’t used my iTunes in like half a decade buuuut I think it peaked with around 400-500 songs? Idk, I didn’t explore much as a kid and I liked to stick with my favorite singers/bands. Do you take a shower in the morning or the night before? When I’m off school I like to shower at night - much more comfy that way, and I fall asleep faster. But when I have to leave the house whether to go to school, the mall, to crash at someone’s place, etc. I always bathe a few hours before. Always. I hateeeeee not feeling fresh when I go outside.

What's your academic niche? (History, math, science, etc.) History for sure, but there are some science topics I’m also okay in. Who's your youngest teacher? They’re all already pretty seasoned lol I can’t actually tell. I think it’s Ma’am Cai; welp, at least among my current professors, she’s the one that acts the youngest. Have you ever had the samples people offer you at Costco? I’ve never been in a Costco but I typically don’t get samples from our local groceries because idk, they just look nasty :/ The only samples I get are the free ones they hand over at Starbucks and Coffee Bean, haha. If you had to name your kid after a food, what would his/her name be? I’d take olives and turn it to Olivia, which was always my choice for a girl anyway. But if it really had to be food-inspired I’d go with... Brie for a girl, or Sage for a boy. Miley Cyrus: Inspirational role model or a ho? Get with the times, 2009 survey. This question won’t get away with that word today. Anyway, Miley is a badass. I never changed my mind about her, maybe except for that time she did that performance with Robin Thicke. Are you stressed about anything? Right now no. I’m on a six-week break, I wanna enjoy it without thinking about the stuff that would typically stress me out. When's the last time you had a rock, paper, scissors match? It’s been a few months. What's your favorite anime? I don’t watch anime... the only show I got into was Pokemon. Did you cry when Ash let his Butterfree go with the other Butterfrees? I vaguely remember that but I probably got sad over it when I was younger. Don't you hate it when Facebook auto-corrects your smiley faces and hearts? I don’t mind it. Skinny, flared, ripped, or faded jeans? Ugh I hate all of these. I have a lot of skinny jeans in my closet but they’re always a last resort - my go-to these days is mom jeans. What are you excited for? Meh, nothing in particular. I wanna say my birthday? but who knows what the world is gonna come to be by then. Are you part of the Farmville cult? No I never played. I wasn’t allowed to make a Facebook account at the time when games like that and Petville and Plants vs. Zombies were big. What were you for Halloween? Last year I went as Dora. AND IT WAS SO ANNOYING because the party we were invited to prohibited shorts??? And 1) Dora wore shorts and 2) I searched far and wide for a pair of orange shorts? It was the first time I heard of a dress code that strict for a college party lmao I couldn’t believe it. Thankfully Rita had just bought a pair of orange jeans so she let me borrow those. Have you ever had braces? Back in high school. What year of high school are you in? I am not. What's your favorite flower? Peonies. Would you ever bleach your hair? Probably not. My hair has faced enough damage. Have you ever stood on a frozen solid body of water? No. That sounds scary though. I’ve heard and watched people fall through ice :/ Would you ever take up smoking or drinking? I’m already doing both. Thanks, college and peer pressure! Do those girls with 1,000 friends on Facebook REALLY have that many? I dunno, who knows? It’s always possible. I have a bigger problem with the fact that this question just singled out girls lmao. What holiday is your birthday closest to? Uhh Earth Hour, if it counts? If not, we have Araw ng Kagitingan on April 9 which commemorates the Fall of Bataan during WWII. Are you cyberdyslexic? Is this even a thing? I’ve never heard of this until today. Are you regular dyslexic? No. Is there irregular dyslexia? :((( What would your name be if you were a boy? I don’t know. My parents didn’t think about this either I think. Which person from way back when would you love to hang out with? My great grandpa. Either him or his cousin who wrote a book on history. What color are your eyes? Dark brownnnnnnn ugh this will FOREVER be in surveys won’t it. The forever on-going question: Is Twilight stupid or actually brilliant? It’s so stupid. BUT I LOVE IT ok.  Did you carve pumpkins for Halloween this year? No. We don’t do that here. Does your family use a real pine tree or a plastic one for Christmas? I think most households here use artificial trees. I was already a little old when I found out other countries would use real trees. Do you know anyone with a play-on name? (Chris P. Bacon, Justin Case, etc.) Not personally but super recently someone named their kid COVID BRYANT and it was all over social media for a few days. Covid Bryant. Let that shit sink in. Only Filipinos, man. Do you have any foreign exchange students at your school? Yeah, mostly Koreans and Japanese people. If you had a week to live, what would you do? I don’t have much of a choice, do I... I’m gonna be stuck at home and do the stuff I’ve already been doing in the last three weeks, and just hope I had fun.

Are you good at brain teasers? Some, but I don’t enjoy doing them in general. Is your handwriting nice? I can handle a pen pretty well, if I do say so myself. I have a neater penmanship than most people I know. What's your second language? English.  Is it uncomfortable for you to take showers in glass stalls w/out curtains? Not really but the door has to be locked. Finish the sentence: Remember, remember... The fifth of November? I dunno why I know about that though. Did you understand Shakespeare? No. I always bought the No Fear Shakespeare editions cos I had absolutely no patience to try and understand the original text. What do you want to be when you're older? Rich. What's your favorite dog breed? Golden retriever or pitbull. Are you one of those people who take like, 50 Facebook quizzes at a time? I’ve never taken a Facebook quiz. What was the last shot you got? It was at the roof of my mouth, back when I had a tooth extraction. Ever gotten cavities? A few times. Can you differentiate between the words "your" and "you're?" Yes. Do you use hair ties as bracelets? Lmao always. Don’t most girls do this? What was the last school project you did that you couldn't wait to turn in? My book report for my business journalism class. After I proofread it like 6 times and triple-checked the word count, I couldn’t waitttt to get rid of it. Have you ever graded papers? Sure. I’ve said it in past surveys, but my org hosts journalism workshops to interested schools, whether they’re in elementary, high school, or college. At the end of the day they have to come up with their own articles, and then we check each of them, correct the mistakes, grade them, and give it back to them with our comments. What was your favorite year of school up to this point? Third year of high school. I don’t really have a favorite year of college... I had lows in each of them. What's the latest you've ever woken up? 11 AM. Can you recite the alphabet backwards? For a time I did cos Angela taught me. Then I just never sang it again so I ended up forgetting. If you could master one language in thirty minutes, what would it be? Korean. Are you a sucker for foreign accents? No. Sometimes I find it hard to understand. Where were you born? Is it the same place you live currently? I was born somewhere in Manila, and I live faaar away from there now. How often do you remember your dreams? What did you last dream about? Only if I note them down on my phone. The last dream I remember having was too lengthy for me to want to type it all down, but it involved me and Gabie being exes, and she had her own kid hahaha. When did you learn the ninja turtles were named after Renaissance artists? Pretty early, I guess. I’ve never seen the show though. Do you do yoga? Nope.

[peterstanslizzie]

Re-watching Lizzie Mcguire: Episode 1.25 (Facts of Life)

We should give this trio a group name. I mean, Andi Mack has the ‘Good Hair Crew’, which comprises of Andi, Buffy and Cyrus. So, it’s only fitting that we give this group a name. Any ideas?

- Gordo has too many eggs in one basket; On top of having to finish three book reports and a science project, he decided to burden himself even more by joining glee club. This is so he can diversity his school resume with non-academic activities. 

- Side note: It’s cool that the writers acknowledged that Miranda had joined glee club back in episode 1.14 since it was kinda randomly thrown into that episode. 

- Mr. Escobar clearly isn’t impressed with his students’ singing chops and urges them to practice at home. After their glee club session, Lizzie suggests to her friends they should try out for the ‘Fact-athlon’. They don’t think it’s a great idea since Gordo is already under a lot of stress.

Getting a reward is always good motivation

- But when Lizzie brings up the fact that the winners will get a free trip to Miami, the tone suddenly shifts from nay to yay. Plus. this would be a nice addition to Gordo’s already packed resume. 

Bring it on ‘Fact-athlon’!

Preparation

- Lizzie and Miranda are busy studying and quizzing each other History facts in Lizzie’s living room. Gordo arrives and is supposed to bring donuts for his friends but he ate them on the way. That’s literally me lol. 

- Gordo mentions to them that they need to get a faculty advisor for their team. Lizzie suggests a teacher who has a huge head but apparently, Kate has already snatched him; So I guess Kate’s also competiting in the ‘Fact-athlon’. Luckily, Gordo says they have Mrs. Trimmer as their back-up. 

“What does a cannibal call a phonebook? A menu”. I don’t think jokes are Lizzie’s thing lmao.

- The next day in school, Gordo draws up a study plan that recommends 4 hours of studying each day in preparation for the upcoming competition. I have a lot of respect for those who are willing to put themselves through these kind of things, even if it’s all for a prize. 

- We come to find out that Mrs. Trimmer has left the country (for no stated reason...) and Mr. Dig will be replacing her as their advisor for the ‘Fact-athlon’. I think Mr. Dig is great and all but good luck to them lol. I will still give him the benefit of the doubt though. 

Team Lizzie vs Team Kate

- We come to find out later that ‘Team Kate’ comprises of her, Claire and Larry; Smart strategy to rope in Larry. Team Lizzie is about to start their study session with Mr. Dig and they brought in with them every math book they can get their hands on from the school library. 

- But with Mr. Dig, you can’t expect to have a conventional study session with him; The only study tool he’ll be using to teach math is a deck of cards. This doesn’t sit well with Gordo because he feels that they should be studying from books and not from playing blackjack. Gordo and I share the same sentiment on this. 

- But after getting teased by Miranda for being an “old man at 13″, Gordo decides to go along with Mr. Dig’s creative way of teaching Math, Science, English and History. And we then get to see a montage of him doing just that. 

No shade but Team Lizzie is just clowning around whilst Team Kate is actually doing the proper preparation for the ‘Fact-athlon’. Don’t get me wrong, Mr. Dig’s method of teaching by showing is definitely effective but when it comes to a trivia competition, cramming facts into your brain as much as you can in a short period of time is the best strategy. 

Day of the Fact-athlon

Team Kate is getting down to business but as you can see, 2 of the 3 members are a nervous-wreck

VS

Team Lizzie seems confident but maybe a little too confident

- The competition then kicks off with English History and Team Kate is owning Team Lizzie from the get-go. As expected, Team Lizzie doesn’t know all the black and white facts like the dates and names when it comes to historic events. 

- As Team Lizzie continues to get creamed in the ‘Fact-athlon’, Lizzie comes up with a plan to get out of the competition without forfeiting by telling Gordo to fake being sick and asking Miranda to trigger the water sprinklers. They follow the plan accordingly and manage to get themselves out of the embarrassing situation they were in. If I were them, I would be worried about getting punished for doing all of that lol.

I love how Gordo committed to his fake heart-attack though 

- After the whole fainting and water-sprinklers fiasco, Team Lizzie are sitting on the stairwell suffering from their epic defeat. Team Kate rubs in their faces that they’ve lost so badly that Mr. Dig is quitting as a teacher. Yikes! Now things are getting serious.

- The find Mr. Dig packing his things from the classroom and they plead with him not to quit. They tell him that they’ve learned a lot from him and he has shown them that learning can be fun and how seemingly boring subjects like World History can be interesting. Now that’s the ultimate goal of a teacher; To inspire his/her students.

- Also, it turns out that going to Miami wasn’t the best prize for Team Kate:

Kate got bit by sand fleas, Claire stepped on a sea urchin and Larry got extreme sunburn. Wow, they were really unlucky over there.

B-Plot: Matt and Lanny are Starting A Band

- In the kitchen, Matt asks his parents if they have any musical instruments lying around the house that they can borrow. Sam suggests his old guitar he had used when he was in his own band with his cousin and his friend called “Midnight Sam and the Love Patrol”. Matt, Lanny and even Jo don’t seem impressed with this and they even laughed at the idea that he was in a band. 

The song they were playing in this video was actually pretty good. I wonder if it’s an actual song in real life?

- Before I continue, I have always wondered why isn’t Matt in school for majority of these episodes whilst Lizzie is? I know this is a fictional show but it’s a funny pattern I’ve been noticing for quite some time now. 

- Anyways, they are holding auditions to find a third band member in the backyard and Matt’s parents seem to be okay with the idea; They are such chill parents, I can’t. After viewing a bunch of ‘meh’ performances (well I thought that the oboe player was pretty good), they finally get a good audition...from a grown man by the name of Rick Marotta.

This is an adult who wants to be in a band with a couple of kids....I have questions

- I looked up Rick Marotta and he’s legit a big-time drummer in real life! His credits include playing with Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Steely Dan, John Lennon (as mentioned in the show) plus Carly Simon, Stevie Nicks and Randy Newman. Woah, impressive! But anyways, he is the best one so far and he gets the gig! Later, they start playing together for the first time and let’s just say, they don’t sound too good.

- It then escalates to the point where Sam and Jo can’t even stand the sound of them playing anymore. It’s cute how they don’t want to disappoint Matt by telling what he can or can’t do but if I were them, I would definitely put my foot down and ask them to stop the ruckus. Like please.

- We fast forward two days later on Sunday and Matt’s band is holding their first ever live performance and I must say; They look stylin’:

And they gave an incredible performance. Bravo! Of course it’s unrealistic for them to get so good after a short period of time but hey, I can definitely let this slide. 

- In the end, however, Matt and Lanny want to move on to another hobby instead of continuing on with their band *facepalms

Overall Thoughts

- I really enjoyed re-watching this episode. They did a great job making an episode that centers around a ‘Fact-athlon’ quite entertaining. Plus, the writing and the dialog used in this episode was really witty. Kudos to Douglas Tuber & Tim Maile for writing this episode. 

- I also like how they showcased the contrast between traditional ways of studying versus interactive/non-conventional ways of studying. Obviously, the former is more effective when it comes to trivia contests/quizzes but the latter makes students enjoy and really soak up what they’re learning. I also have to give props to Arvie Lowe Jr. for doing a great job as Mr. Dig in this particular episode. I loved seeing the bond between him and Lizzie, Gordo and Miranda. Teachers like him are absolutely gold.

- As for Matt and Lanny’s storyline, it was pretty good. I obviously don’t care about it as much as I do with the A-storyline but I definitely have to give them credit for their performance towards the end of the episode; It was great and I also like how Matt/Lanny didn’t annoy me as much as usual lol. 

[quxntumvandyne]

Hi Lena!! ☀️I was thinking of Michelle and reader,,,where reader keeps catching MJ drawing her lmao (ily btw)

doodle

words: 880 (sorry, i just kept typing LOL)

warnings: not a ton of dialogue so sorry if you like a lot of dialogue :/// and this is a platonic friendship, no romance bc it was requested that way :))

a/n: okay i love this idea way too much and loved writing it, your a queen gaby and i hope you enjoy your first blurb

MASTERLIST

.  .  .  .  .

You hated English class.

For many different reasons, not just to hate it or because you didn’t like the teacher. It was just boring, but the one nice thing about it was seeing your new friend who actually enjoyed English.

MJ was unlike anyone you’d ever met before with such a love for books and reading. She always had her nose in a book and for you, that was never the case.

It was always difficult to focus on reading, especially a book you didn’t like. MJ and you were paired together for a project recently and this week was presentations, which basically meant English would only be even more boring this next week. It was difficult to not fall asleep, the only reason you weren't being that Peter and Ned were loud as hella behind you not paying attention what so ever.

You had your chin resting on your hand, tapping your fingers on the side of your face and tapping your foot as two kids in the class went on about their book report on a book of choice. MJ picked out the book you two would write about and basically read it overnight, while you fell asleep during chapter two. It was honestly a miracle that you even made it through chapter one but you had to write this book report that was a huge part of your grade.

You were lucky to get MJ as your partner. You two had never really talked much before you were paired together, mainly because of how different you were from one another but also because MJ usually kept to herself.

She was such an interesting person to get to know once you really talked to her and she always made you laugh. She’s always honest and blunter than anyone else in the whole school, making it one of the reasons why you liked her so much.

Little did you know that MJ appreciated your friendship so much that recently during class she’d been doodling pictures of you. She did this frequently with other people like teachers and classmates but she made this one look nice. It was easy since you were in the same boring position every day with the same facial expression of ‘I’d rather be doing anything else but this’ look.

You have caught her a couple of times glancing in your direction and scribbling on a notebook but you thought nothing off it, knowing it was most likely her just looking around the room bored during presentations.

To her, you were very easy to draw, having a beautiful facial structure that she has told you that you have before but you denied it. You two had been growing closer and closer but neither could accept compliments from each other. No wonder you were such good friends now.

That day she had finally gotten to finishing it as soon as the bell rang so she decided to give it to you at lunch. She ripped it out of her notebook and folded it nicely in her bag to join you outside that day.

“I cannot wait for presentations to be over but I just don’t want to have to do ours,” you complained, your favorite thing to do at lunch after English. Food tasted better when you were angry at English class for some reason, much to the hilarity of MJ.

“It’ll be fine, I’m just pumped to see Peter and Ned get up there and present. They tried to get a comic book passed to do their report on and that went over well.” You both laughed while eating your lunches, knowing they hated having to do an actual book for their report.

MJ pulled the picture out of her bookbag and unfolded it, looking it over. She looked at you and folded it back, up sliding it across the table like it was an important document.

“What is it?” you asked curiously.

“Listen, don’t make a big deal out of it because I doodle all the time but I made you something,” she replied, acting like it was nothing.

You cocked an eyebrow at her as you unfolded it slightly. “Is this why I keep catching you in English looking at me and pretending your not?” You knew that would catch her off guard and she would pretend that she never did such a thing, but you wanted to see her reaction.

“Uh, no I-I wasn’t looking at you, um yeah I guess maybe?” she said very quickly, shoving chips in her mouth as you laughed. You looked at the picture and almost cried.

Your new best friend had such amazing skills that she never appreciated enough. It was so lifelike and there were multiple little doodles of you doing different facial expressions but one big one in the middle of you focusing on something very intently with your tongue sticking out a little bit. YOu admired every bit of the drawing and looked at MJ who was awaiting a response.

“I love it, thank you so much Michelle.”

“Oh thank god, I was afraid you hated it.” You both laughed as you continued to eat, taking that doodle home with you that night and keeping it as a reminder of your best friend.

.  .  .  .  .

[immabewriting]

Five Teachers Walk Into A Bar... -Chapter 8

A/N: Holy crap on a catapult!!! I updated again!!! Ah!!!! LOL anyway heres another update, as always read and review and let me know what you think! And for those of you wondering when we’ll see Henry and Penelope again don’t worry, they’ll come next chapter! ;) Anyway heres the next chap!!

Mahira sighed as she cataloged the findings into the computer. It was a slow day, she had finished her analysis of the findings, ate lunch, cleaned a storage closet that was slightly dusty, and now she was cataloging everything. And it was only 1:30! She groaned and slumped in her chair. What else was she going to do? She was here till 4 and there was nothing left to do!

“Bored?” a voice asked her. She turned to see Dr. Cho standing behind her smiling.

“A little sorry,” she apologizes. He laughs and shakes his head, “Don’t worry I like my job and I still get bored sometimes.” He pulls out a chair and sits next to her, “I actually wanted to talk to you about something.”

“What is it Dr. Cho?” she asks sitting up.

“I told you, call me John. Dr. Cho is what my students call me.”

“Right sorry! What was it you wanted to talk about?”

“Well, I wanted to know if you were interested in a project I’ve been working on.” He tells her.

“What is it about?”

“Well, the department wants to do a sort of cultural exchange thing especially considering what’s going on in the world today. And I thought well we already have a cultural festival every year so why not do something different right? And I thought maybe if we all brought a stranger or someone we didn’t know as well into our lives and showed them our cultures and kind of broadened their horizons it would be a cool, academic way of getting to know one another.” He explains.

“That sounds really cool! It would be interesting not only for white people but people of other ethnicities to experience other cultures. I sort of feel we all are in our separate bubbles and need to sometimes expand our reach and our view.” She tells him.

“So, would you want to do help me with it?” he asks.

“Yea I’d love to! But um, what exactly do I have to do?” She questions.

“Oh right! Well first, you need to find a subject or someone to share this experience with. Next, I wanted to debut this whole project in September, when we usually hold our historic seminars with the museums and important people so this project will span a couple of months. But I think six months is a good enough time for immersive experience. What do you think?” he says.

“Six months sounds good, It’s kind of perfect because my sister is getting married and Ramadan is happening soon too.

“Perfect! Now all you need is someone to take to these things.” He says. “And I don’t count.” He adds.

Her smile fell. Crap, how was she supposed find someone so quickly? Sana couldn’t help because she was Indian and while they had different religions, they had been friends for years. She knew everything about Mahira’s life. She couldn’t ask anyone at work because she hated everyone at work and she was going to quit. Wait! The guy who always came to the bar! What was his name? Tom!

“Mahira? Did you hear what I said?” John asks snapping her back to reality.

“Huh?”

“I said I just want weekly reports/interviews about what you guys do. You can’t be just taking them to these things and not write anything down got it?”

“Oh! Yea of course! Um, would other teachers count?” she asks.

“I don’t see why not, you’re not a student.”

“Great! I think this project will be fun!” she gushes. They chatted about a few quick things like deadlines and reports before she headed over to the English department to find Mr. Hiddleston.

“Alright Andy take care, and don’t forget to indent your paragraphs please!” Tom called as the student rushed out of his office. He sighed and went back in to grade papers. It seemed all he did was grade papers and they weren’t even the good ones by his Classics students no he was grading the English 100 papers. The terribly written English 100 papers. Why were they so bad? Why didn’t these kids know how to spell? And why did Bridget feel the need to turn in everything a day late with the excuse of getting sick? He was a college student once, getting sick meant being drunk or hung over! And he still turned in his essays on time! There was a knock on his door interrupting him from his thoughts.

“Come in,” he murmurs. The door opens and—oh my god. It was her. Mahira was here. In his office! Was this a mistake? No, it couldn’t have been! Right? “Mahira?” he says befuddled.

“Hi, um is this a bad time?” she asks.

“No no! What is it?” he asks. She closes the door behind her and takes a seat. Taking the extra few seconds to figure out what to say to him.

“Um, so uh,” she stutters out. “So, Dr. Cho is doing this project and I wanted to know if you’d like to help?” she explains.

“What is it about?” he inquires. She explained the project in full detail as Dr. Cho—John—had told her. At the end of her spiel she looked at him and asked, “Would you be interested in being my partner for this?”

“It sounds amazing, I would love to be your partner. But, I thought you hated me.” He says.

“I don’t hate you! I just… I think you have some interesting qualities.” She said. That was a stretch.

“Interesting qualities?”

“You’re a serial womanizer who hits on women half your age and doesn’t stop talking.” She confesses.

“Serial womanizer?!” he exclaims.

“You hit on a different girl every week with the same ‘Ooh look at me I’m a suave British man! I’m so interesting!’ when really all you do is talk with your hands to make it seem like you’re interesting.” She retorts.

“Do you have something against British men?” he asked confused.

“Your people took over half the world and then left it in shambles when we rebelled against you, I have a bit of resentment.” She quips.

“Okay so you do hate me.” He states.

“No no! I—“ she sighs. “I don’t hate you, I just haven’t gotten to know you that well. And that’s what this project is about isn’t it?” she responds.  

“Yea, I guess you’re right.” He replies. He smiles at her, “Okay, I’ll do the project with you.”

“Really?” she says amazed that even after that attack on his character he’d still want to work with her for six months.

“Yea, it sounds really cool and I’d love to learn how to belly dance.” He adds jokingly. Oh god, he was doing so well up until now.

“We don’t belly dance. That’s Morocco.” She says.

“Oh right sorry.” Goddammit Tom.

“Um, its fine I’ll come back tomorrow for our first interview and then we can talk after that. Sound good?” she asks. He nods and she stands up. “Well see you tomorrow Tom.”

“See you tomorrow Mahira.” He says. “Oh and Mahira?”  

She turns around and looks at him, “Yes?”

“Don’t fall in love with me.” He replies cheekily with a grin. She rolls her eyes and mutters, “Bewakoof.” Under her breath and leaves. Tom sits back in his chair and sighs. He was going to be spending six months with her. God, it was going to be a trip.

Nancy looked at Chris from her spot across the table where he was reading book reports at her home. She was editing a draft or trying to when he asked her, “So, what is this?”

“What’s what?” she asked back.

“You know this,” he says gesturing to them both. “What are we?”

“Well I’m pretty sure we’re human unless you have something you want to tell me.” She jokes. He laughs, “No no I mean our relationship.”

She paused and looked at him, “Oh that.”

“Yea.”

“Yea,” she agreed. She closed her laptop, editing would have to wait. “Well um, we’ve been going out a lot these past few weeks.” She replies. 10 dates to be exact according to her calendar, every free lunch, every free after school afternoon, they spent together it was kind of insane how in such little time they had been together for ten dates. 10 dates! In 10 dates she learned about his family—two sisters and a brother—he learned about hers—no siblings, just her mom, Kaylee who they kind of adopted after she came out as bisexual and little May—she found out they both liked Disney movies, he found out she liked to plan out everything and making lists, planning out her weekly schedule, she even taught him to meal prep and he was forever thankful for that. She also found out he was a great kisser.

She had kissed men before mind you and they were all great. But either it had been a long time or Chris was some kind of god of kissing in another life because holy crap he was a good kisser. The way he leaned in and paused just before kissing her, as if he was planning out how he was going tease and torment her with the way he’d kiss her. And it wasn’t just his lips that tormented; oh no no it was the way his hands travelled her body, exploring every inch of her skin. His beard rough against her neck but it was rough and wonderful and she wondered what his beard would feel like against more sensitive parts of her body and then she had to bring her thoughts back because oh god she was thinking about him doing very dirty things to her and he was staring at her wondering what this relationship meant to them both and great she was probably drooling. Dammit.

“I’m sorry you were saying something?” she says coming back to reality.

“Um, well I was just saying that I really like you.” He answers.

“I really like you too.” She responds.

“I was um thinking that maybe I could um call you my—“

“Wait!” she interrupts. He looks at her, dammit Chris moving too fast.

“S-Sorry sorry I just, I thought this was going somewhere and I wanted to be sure.” He apologizes.

“What? No Chris I…” she sighs and gets up and walks over closer to him, sits in his lap. “I really like you too.”

“Then what is it? What’s stopping you?”

“…You’re May’s teacher.” She whispers.

“What?”

“You’re May’s teacher! I mean some of the moms know and they haven’t been mean but I’m scared if more of them know and they find out and they might make May’s life miserable and I just don’t want that for her.” She confesses. He looks at her for a moment and then bursts out laughing. “What’s so funny?!” she asks confused and slightly frustrated.

“The moms are stopping you? Nancy this is kindergarten.” He says.

“It’s more political than you think! PTA moms are scary.” She retorts.

“If the school doesn’t have a problem with it, the moms shouldn’t. Nance I really like you. I like your lists, and your meal preps and how you talk about books and movies.” He says. She smiles a little and he continues, “I like how wonderful of a mother you are to May. I like your laugh; I like the way you gasp when I kiss that spot on your neck.” She blushes and scrunches her nose. He laughs, “I like how you scrunch your nose when you’re nervous or embarrassed. I like you a lot. And I really can’t wait to see where this goes.” He finishes. She smiles and kisses his cheek. “I can’t wait to see either… Boyfriend.” She replies. He grins, “Oh so I’m your boyfriend?”

“Yes. And I guess I’m your girlfriend.”

“Mmm, maybe.” He says. She makes a face and he laughs, “Of course you’re my girlfriend! I’m the one who brought up the conversation didn’t I?”

She giggles and kisses him. And they kissed again, and again, and again…

A/N: What did you think??? Let me know!!

Tag List: @notsomolly, @linzinator, @boxfullofcats, @blown-transistor, @seattlite09, @shhiminmybluecastle, @emarich7, @othersideofforty, @laughing-baubo, @nerdmom42, @lilydale-chicken, @theshortbuthappyone, @survivingstudentlife, @pretty-sexy-silly-mismash, @toc1985, @lokilockedcougar,  @reblogiwill, @msblofled, @ladyvic3, @barnes21cz, @big-bad-wolf

[thesecondmate]

reading: week 49

this is my 3rd week of my obs&gynae rotation, so i rotated onto the gynae side having spent 2 weeks on obstetrics and absolutely loved my time there. am i converted to obstetrics? no, but i love the environment and the team. am i converted to anaesthesia? ...maybe. gynae is less my thing - my entire internal monologue all day every day is that quote about "all women do is bleed and suffer”.

spent a lot of time considering communication and how we as doctors speak to patients this week. spent a lot of time discussing how, actually, we forget that we are two people having a conversation - one side knows more about medicine, one side knows more about their life and how this condition impacts them. i think that too many doctors get caught up in ‘this is how to break bad news’ or ‘this is what i need to tell them’, forgetting that we are all humans having conversations. and also some doctors forget that their patients have feelings, and the docs and i had a good bitch about that too lol, comparing our experiences of being patients whilst also being doctors/med students.

~ under the cut ~

op-ed/essays clearing out some of my articles in my saved-for-later folder on fb, as i dislike reading on my phone; hence, some of these are kinda out of date.

✩ Oliver Burkeman's last column: the eight secrets to a (fairly) fulfilled life - Oliver Burkeman, The Guardian

✩ Glastonbury fence-jumpers: 'It was girls underneath, boys over the top!' - BBC this was just cute + i miss festivals

✩ How Germany remembers the world wars - BBC News

✩ The rape of Berlin - Lucy Ash, BBC News tw: rape

medicine

✩ Researchers say blood test can detect cancer years before symptoms - Nicola Davis, The Guardian research paper below - highly! exciting!

✩ Non-invasive early detection of cancer four years before conventional diagnosis using a blood test - Chen et al., Nature Communications nb: i know v little about genomics or cancer, as they are 2 of my least favourite things in medicine. that said!! this was super interesting!! v exciting - they can’t differentiate btwn cancers but honestly they used machine learning to achieve rly high sensitivity & specificity up to 4y before diagnosis, which is often v much too late - so exciting if they can apply this to a) differentiate different types of cancer and b) extend it to a screening programme that allows patients to be treated. vvv cool, but not without drawbacks of the potential of over-treating, etc!! but still so cool.

✩ NHS blood unit systemically racist, internal report finds - Amelia Gentleman & Denis Campbell, The Guardian

✩ Covid: Russia begins vaccinations in Moscow - BBC News

✩ Covid: Boris Johnson urges MPs to back tough tiers for England - BBC News

✩ Covid-19: No plans for 'vaccine passport' - Michael Gove - BBC News lots of chat about vaccines, trials, plans for roll-out amongst doctors & med students alike this week. many tweets consumed on the topic.

✩ Puberty blockers: Under-16s 'unlikely to be able to give informed consent' - BBC News absolutely furious about this. how on EARTH do we allow contraceptives to be given out - with much more serious potential consequences! - under Gillick competency (this is where under-18s can give their own consent for taking medications w/o need for parental consent, which is ordinarily required to treat under-18s in the UK) and NOT puberty blockers! which simply STOP puberty - it’s not hormone replacement therapy, which yes does have risks! and it’s much easier for people to transition, or continue with their biologically-determined puberty, after puberty blockers than to medically/surgically transition after allowing non-gender-affirming puberty to take place. oh my god i’m so furious about this.

✩ Essure: Women in England take legal action against sterilising-device maker - Sophie Hutchinson, BBC News netflix’s documentary the bleeding edge covers essure very well - highly recommend.

refugee issues

✩ E.U. Border Agency Accused of Covering Up Migrant Pushback in Greece - Matina Stevis-Gridneff, The New York Times

✩ Missing Migrants Project - Mediterranean focus - IOM this is a truly excellent resource for anyone looking to grasp the hard numbers of the refugee crisis + also great reference for anyone doing research.

✩ November summary - Aegean Boat Report ABR is a Norwegian non-profit dedicated to monitoring boat traffic in the Aegean Sea + upholding human rights, documenting injustices, and presenting these. they are running a fundraiser atm so please do donate if you can - their work is invaluable and really must continue!

environment

✩ Britain goes coal free as renewables edge out fossil fuels - Justin Rowlatt, BBC a few months old but so exciting!

culture

✩ To Understand Us, Pay Attention to the Outfits - Tanisha C Ford, The Atlantic the woman who did the costume design for ‘us’ also did it for THE MATRIX?!

books

✩ Kafka on the Shore - Murakami finished over the weekend! i love murakami’s style - describing each action the character takes, lists be damned, and the surrealism with light touches of comic relief. i still dislike kafka as i did the first time i read it - for someone supposedly so “introverted” and “introspective”, he really had a lot of misogyny to unpack, which i know is like tied up in the whole oedipus prophecy thing, but it didn’t quite sit right. i still loved oshima, though, and the setting of komura memorial library - my mental image is the same as last time and i just want to live there...also really appreciated hoshino this time! he brings so much levity to the book, even if his ~ epiphany ~ over the archduke’s trio feels a little rushed. overall: enjoyable re-read but will take my time before re-reading a third time.

✩ One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich - Solzhenitsyn another re-read from sixth form, finished! this book is really incredible - so short yet so evocative and transporting. solzhenitsyn does an excellent job of humanising the story, not simply making it trauma porn, which is the power of this book imo. other thematic analysis: non-existent as i am not an english student!!

✩ Obstetrics & Gynaecology - Impey & Child woo the joy!!!

tv/video

✩ The Source - documentary on ultrarunner Courtney Dauwalter

[huffeldooduffle]

Hi, beautiful people! 🙂 Honestly, there are times when I feel like I have no right to write, that my words don’t matter to the universe. That these frail sentences won’t matter to anyone but myself, as a way of letting go of the feelings that pent up inside my heart or as a way to express the things I can’t control or put in order. Yet, I promised someone important that I will write more regularly. So, dear reader, despite the doubt, I will do just that. Starting with… a recap of January!

A.

School has been pulling me in like the tides of the sea that draw in sand–eroding the land ever so slightly until one day there’s no land left. But don’t worry, I won’t drown! Once I told you about the subjects I’m taking, right? Well, I forgot to mention how I changed a lot of things. The subjects I’ll permanently take over these two years are Biology HL, Economics HL, English A Literature HL, ESS (Environmental Systems and Societies), Math SL, and Chinese ab initio. HL  means higher level, meaning there are more class hours dedicated for it, hence it’s more rigorous. IB is… demanding. It feels like a never-ending stack of homework or that pile of laundry that you keep putting off. It’s manageable though, don’t worry. And as much as people talk about how little they sleep or how stressed they are, I believe that if you can discipline yourself you’ll do fine…kinda. Hehe.

Anyway, in Biology, I’ve already learned most things we’re learning right now, since I was in jurusan IPA (science major). However, it’s still challenging, because I always have to study and memorize things before a test, otherwise I’ll probably fail. Reviewing and taking notes everyday is crucial, otherwise you’ll get left behind… unless you’re a genius that is.

All my life, Economics has been my weak spot. I never could understand when I read something in the news about it, or when someone started discussing it. So I thought that if I actually wanted to learn something new I’d better take it. It was the best decision ever. Economics is my favorite subject right now, maybe because I have an amazing teacher, or maybe because I it’s so relevant and important to understanding the world. After all, “you can’t always get what you want”–no one can–and it’s that allocation of resources that we study. During the holidays I read Poor Economics, which I recommend everyone to read, because it taught me so much about effective and non-effective ways of helping the poor. It’s quite easy to understand the concepts of Economics, and satisfying as well.

Literature… gahhh!!! This is the class that worries me the most. I took it thinking I’ll be okay, ready to face the risk of challenge, or whatever. How disenchanted I was upon the realization of it being the epitome of technical difficulty! It’s true that I love reading. That is not an issue. I read all the books and understood them easily. I loved the class discussions about the characters, plot, themes, similes, metaphors, backgrounds, and so on. However, believe me when I say that analyzing literature is not fun. Especially when you have to do it in a certain structure, at a certain depth, with an abstract and subjective marking scheme to judge your work upon. I hate how my grade hinges on how well I write the analytical essays. I dislike how the IB turned something I love into a seemingly insurmountable burden. I just pray that it’ll be worth it in the end…that there will come something out of it. However, dear reader, if you don’t want to torture yourself, it’s better to take English A Language and Literature, which is relatively easier. It doesn’t dive so much into one area but instead skims a broader range of texts, such as advertisements, news, novels, and so on.

ESS was the other subject that brought my grades quite low. In comparison to the others, it’s almost the easiest. It has a lot of overlap with both Biology and Geography. So, if you come from any of the two majors (science or social sciences), you’ll do fine in this class…kinda. 😀 However, I don’t really understand how we’re to be graded because I try the best I can with this class, the way I do with all the others, yet the teacher says I’m not thinking critically enough or that I’m not engaged enough. He actually gave me a 1 out of 4 for thinking skill on my report card. LOL. So my solution was to stop asking or asserting stupid things, in other words, to filter my words more–and to show 10 times the engagement and enthusiasm as I did in the first semester. Wish me luck!

Math SL is absolutely incredible. It’s easier than ESS for me, because I already took two years of high school math as a science student back home, and we were already beginning calculus at the point that I left. During first semester I barely studied but this semester we’re getting into trigonometry, so I think I’d better change that habit quickly. 😛

Last but not least… Chinese. Although I’m taking this at the most amateur stage, it’s another favorite subject. The teacher is funny and wholesome and he makes us enjoy learning the language. It’s taxing, but I believe it’ll be worth it in the end. My goal is to be able to speak with Chinese locals by the end of two years. 😉

Besides regular subjects, we’re being introduced for the first time ever to Extended Essay and Internal Assessment. My topic for EE is how socioeconomic factors affect the prevalence of dengue fever in a region of Tangerang Selatan, Indonesia. But please…let’s have no more talk of academics! :”)

B.

This month, on the 22nd of January, was my birthday. It was the most heartwarming thing anyone’d ever done for me. My best friend, Karol, planned most of it. I swear, it’s times like these that I feel Allah has blessed me with more than I deserve.

I don’t think you’ll be very interested in the story, so I’ll try to make it as short as possible. I was sitting there, trying to study Economics, but failing to concentrate because I was 97% sure that my friends were going to do something. Then Eesaa from Bangladesh came in and asked me to come outside. I forgot what he said because at that moment I was already grinning ear to ear and unfocused. The moment I stepped outside Kiki from China blindfolded me and put me in a chair. Then, she, Eesaa, and Amjed from Yemen pushed me to the playground, where a sweet drawing awaited upon a swing. After taking it, they blindfolded and pushed me again to the glasshouse. Along the way there a handsome tall stranger or something constantly talked about his presence, and how he’d replaced Eesaa, haha. ^_^ At the glasshouse, Karol opened my blindfold and there were about 12 or more people there, gathered in a circle around me. It was a clock. Each person said something nice about me or their favorite memory, and some brought a gift. My heart died. Karol also cooked Indomie for us all. They’d bought me a small fruity cake which was delicious. Fairy lights gave a warm ambiance to the room. I hugged everyone who came, because I truly appreciate them all. And Karol, if you’re reading this, I just wanted to remind you that you’re one of the best humans I’ve ever met. I’m not even exaggerating.

What’s interesting is that two times in a row during my birthday I’ve been reminded of time. Someone said the moral of the surprise was to cherish each second, and on my 17th birthday my parents gave me a watch so I’d inget waktu (remember time). It makes me think strange things, haha. Like how my life might end soon…? You never know.

C.

CCE stands for Chinese Cultural Evening. In this part, I’ll let the pictures and video do the talking.

Here is the video of the performances!

Anyways… besides that some other things that happened so far was:

Kak Rafa’s visit. She’s an alumni of UWCCSC who’s now attending the University of St. Olaf

Joining Creative Writing Zhixing and Choir Zhixing. This is the blog for Creative Writing Zhixing.

Trying to run for College Assembly, with the help of my good friend Eesaa, but failing because on stage my voice shakes and any trace of charisma is lost

Organizing Bravery Buddies with Abigail, which is a project that partners people up from campus to motivate each other to complete something you’re scared of doing

Trying to get to the bottom of what happens to trash and food waste at UWCCSC

Organizing a World Hijab Day (which is on February 1st) workshop with the two other hijabis, or as Karol calls it, swagijabis, on campus–Neha and Coumba. B) I’ll add pics of this later.

That’s all, folks. Have an amazing day!! ❤

Starting with ABC (Academics, Birthday, CCE 2019) Hi, beautiful people! 🙂 Honestly, there are times when I feel like I have no right to write, that my words don't matter to the universe.

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Nancy Meyers Comes Home Again

It’s that time again.  About every few years a new movie by Nancy Meyers comes out and it soon becomes my “all-time favorite movie EVER!!!”

Nancy Meyers at home.

In 1980, when I was a young, single, twenty-six year old, I went to see “Private Benjamin” with my best friend.  We spent the entire movie elbowing each other, saying “this movie is so us!!!!”  Of course we were never in the armed forces, but, we were Jewish American Princesses and we only wished we could find a gorgeous Frenchman to marry, like Goldie Hawn did in “Private Benjamin.”

Nancy Meyers wrote Private Benjamin with her then husband Charlie Shyer (above.)  Since she is about five years older than me, Nancy’s movies often mirrored my own life and yours too, I’m sure.   She either wrote, directed or produced Father of the Bride, Baby Boom, The Parent Trap and more.   And then came her juggernauts:  Something’s Gotta Give, The Holiday, It’s Complicated and The Intern.

The Juggernaut Kitchens

Those last four movies together, as a set, are incredibly perfect.  One is better than the next one – it’s impossible to pick a favorite out of the four.  Whenever one of those films turns up on cable, it hooks me in and I’ll sit and watch it, yet again.

Nancy Meyers is the voice of a certain age of woman.  But there is more.  While her scripts are always wonderful, her movies might be more well known for their sets.

Her houses are so well designed and so integral to the movie, it’s obvious that Meyers must be into interior design.  Her own house in California was shown in “In Style” and it confirmed that Meyers loves to be surrounded by beauty.   In an interview, she said that her mother was an interior designer and growing up she was surrounded by antiques and pretty interiors.  It’s that background and basic love of design that makes her movies so attractive to other devotees of interior design.

 Nancy’s Pacific Palisade’s charming dining room.  Blue & white Bennison fabric, shades of things to come? 

The Hamptons beach house in “Something’s Gotta Give” is still considered one of the prettiest movie houses, ever.  Thousands of houses were inspired by that movie set. 

At that time, it was thought that Nancy could never top that beach house.  But, with “The Holiday,” she proved us all wrong: 

In “The Holiday,” Meyers showed us not one, but two beauties – a cottage in the English countryside and the Wallace Neff house in the middle of LaLa-land.   For her next two movies – “It’s Complicated” and “The Intern,” it seemed like Meyers was toning it down a notch.  Was she worried her movie houses were the stars and she wanted to change that perception?  The house in “It’s Complicated” was pretty enough but it wasn’t The Hamptons beach house.  “The Intern’s” sets were in filmed in Brooklyn and with that movie Meyers went in a completely new direction:  it was all industrial millennium chic. 

About interior design, Nancy said  "It’s my thing. It’s something I like, though I think it overshadows the work a little bit sometimes."

Well, I’m here to say, let it overshadow the work!!!

Enter Mark Sikes.  And Reese Witherspoon.    Add a sprinkling of Nancy Meyers movie making. 

Expect magic!

When uber-designer/blogger Mark Sikes book “Beautiful” came out, the surprise was that Nancy Meyers had written the foreword.  She told the story of going shopping with her newly married daughter, Annie, when they were busy furnishing Annie’s new house.  They ended up on La Cienega watching a young, handsome man dressing the windows.  They noticed he was using some of the same fabrics they had just chosen.  That man was design’s superstar Mark Sikes.  He walked outside and helped them with their fabric collection and he and Nancy bonded (this“meet-cute” scene needs to be in a movie!)

Sikes was hired to redo Nancy’s house and Nancy hired Mark to help on The Intern’s sets.  He even had a cameo part, along with One Kings Lane honcho, Susan Feldman.  After the movie shoot was over, One Kings Lane sold the props from The Intern’s set.

Wait a minute.  Back up.    

Did I just say that Mark Sikes is doing Nancy’s house?  Is it in his book?

I don’t think so.  I’m not sure he is actually through with the project.  But, come on – this is a partnership made in heaven.  Imagine Mark Sikes watching “Something’s Gotta Give” for the first time – all those blue and white stripes?  Mark must have thought he had died and gone to interior design heaven!!  I can’t imagine anyone better than Mark to decorate Nancy’s house. 

Nancy showed these two images on Instagram that seem to imply the decor work might still be ongoing.  

This past March, Nancy Instagrammed this photo showing what Sikes brought to their meeting.  OK.  Isn’t this the best idea – having a separate LL Bean bag for each client?!? Monogrammed no less?   Why didn’t I ever think of this?!?!  Hmmm.  Probably because I was too cheap???  lol.  Someone left a comment on this Instagram photo reporting that Gil Schafer Architects used the same LL Bean bags for their clients.   I feel like such a loser!!  Do ALL successful big-time designers use personalized LL Bean bags?!?!?!

P.S. I recognize that rug in her bag!

 AND…

Then there was this photo that Nancy Instagrammed:

Here, she posted a classic white paint choice test.   So, I’m going to assume Nancy’s newly decorated house by Mark Sikes is not finished and is not in his book….yet.    Maybe the next one?

BTW, which white paint sample is your favorite?  I vote for the first sample of the bunch.

And then there is Mark and Reese Witherspoon, the fresh faced actress from Tennessee.  Reese hired Mark to design her new stores – Draper James -  in Nashville and Dallas and Lexington – so far.   Mark is also designing her large colonial house in Nashville.  The Draper James stores are gorgeous due to Mark’s designs, of course. 

Is there anything this man can’t do!???!!

I mean, how darling is this?  Glossy navy blue doors with a scalloped blue and white striped awning with a lantern mixed in?

Inside Draper James  - Reese Witherspoon’s shop, designed by Mark Sikes.  Hmmm.  Does this remind you of “Something’s Gotta Give?!?”

Draper James by Mark Sikes.

It’s a triad of blue and white and stripes – Reese and Mark and Nancy. 

While Mark is busy designing Reese and Nancy’s houses and businesses, Reese and Nancy are busy making a new movie about an interior designer, newly single.

“Home Again”

Nancy Meyers is the Producer of the film.

The director AND writer is her daughter Hallie Meyers-Shyer.

Hallie and her mother and partner Nancy

“Home Again” stars Reese Witherspoon as a new divorcee and Candace Bergen plays her mother.  Three very young men move into Reese’s guest house and hijinks ensue, especially when Reese’s ex husband, Michael Sheen, shows up.  Mix in Reese’s two young daughters and a few friends – and it sounds like a great Nancy Meyers movie!

Hallie as the cute, little flower girl in “Father of the Bride” along with her older sister Annie.

Hallie grew up on her parents movie sets.  She had cameos and small parts in many of their films but this is her first big splash and the pressure on her to succeed must be intense.  It looks like Nancy was a very involved producer – on the set every day.  But who can blame her?  She must feel terrible anxiety as a mother, wanting her daughter to be successful in the field that she has soared in. 

Nancy with Hallie in their kitchen, shown in InStyle Magazine.

Hallie is young.  Very young to be directing a major motion picture.  But, making a movie is a formula and Hallie seems to have it down pat.  It must be in her superior genes (how lucky is she to have such a cool mother?)

The trailers for “Home Again” look adorable, the movie looks funny and sweet, and beautiful – exactly like a Nancy Meyer movie should be, even if it really isn’t Nancy’s. 

Let’s face it.  I’m rooting for Hallie BIG TIME.  And I bet all of Hollywood is too.  Nancy is very well liked in a town that finds fault with everyone and I can’t imagine anyone not wanting this movie to be successful.   I want this to be the start of a new dynasty like the Barrymores and  I’m hoping that one day soon, people will be saying “Nancy who?  Oh, you mean Hallie’s mom?”

OK.  Enough of all that. 

What about THE house?

I have a big scoop about THE house.  A BIG scoop!

But first….

Why DOES Nancy care so much about the décor of her sets?

She said:  "If you’ve spent a chunk of your life writing a character and someone puts them in the wrong clothes or in a bed with sheets you know she would never own … it’s like somebody has added dialogue into the scene. Sometimes you pick up more from what you’re seeing than hearing.”

Oh, is that it?

On the studio lot, Nancy, Reese and Hallie – looking too adorable in their Mark Sikes inspired blue & white stripes and jeans!!!  Seriously, which one is the movie star here?  Do YOU have your blue and white striped shirt yet?

  Go:  HERE

And while Nancy’s movie houses are all so beautiful,  what many people don’t realize is that it’s all a façade.  The famous movie houses are not all that they seemed.

For instance….

The fabulous dining room from Something’s Gotta Give.  Those slips were to die for.  I had a client who called me from the movie and said – “I want my house to look exactly like this movie I just saw.  Especially my dining room.”  I asked her what movie she had seen.  It was the opening weekend of the film and I had never heard of it.”

Movie Magic:  Here is what the dining room really looked like – on a sound stage.  The circular tract allowed the camera to move effortlessly around the table. 

While the houses looked so real in the movies, they were just a façade.  The Something’s Gotta Give Hampton’s house was located in the Hamptons, but all the interiors were filmed on a sound stage far away from the Hamptons.   Nancy has said that she looked at over 50 houses in the Hamptons trying to find one where she could film the interiors, but no one would give them their permission – so she built the house on a sound stage.

All the interior sets were filmed on a sound stage, including its courtyard where they built the swimming pool.   Meyers said that crew and visitors used to want to hang out at the swimming  pool.

The Holiday featured not one, but two of the best movie houses ever.  The charming and tiny English cottage was actually built in a field just for the movie.  All the interiors were built on a separate sound stage.  The Los Angeles house was an original Wallace Neff  house in L.A. , while the interiors were, again, built on a sound stage.

Here the English cottage is being built – it took only two weeks to erect the façade.

The “stone” wall around the house was also built for the movie. I wonder if the house still stands today?

Photos thanks to:  Hooked on Houses HERE.

For  the movie “It’s Complicated,” the exterior was a charming house in Thousand Oaks but the beautiful flower/vegetable garden was created just for the movie, and all the interiors were built on a sound stage.

The entire front façade of the house was recreated on a sound stage in New York.  You can see the trees on the right were actually a mural.  This seems such a huge expense that only a mega hit like a Nancy Meyers movie could afford.

The Intern was filmed in Brooklyn – in a townhouse (!) where people truly lived;  the loft office was created on at Brooklyn stage.

Which brings us to today’s topic, “Home Again.”

I would assume that filming on a sound stage can get very expensive.  You have to build a house – that can’t be cheap.   Is it less expensive to film the interiors and exteriors at the same location instead of having an actual, real façade and a separate sound stage set for the interiors?

  While Nancy is a well-seasoned and proven movie-maker, Hallie is new to the game and “Home Again” is her first movie. Would the studio give Hallie as much money to spend on sets as they would if Nancy was also the director/writer and not just the producer? I don’t know the answer.  But, I assume budgetary concerns were an issue, as they always are with films.

Judging by the trailers, the sets do look like as expensive as a Nancy Meyers movie.  They even hired A list stars for the top three roles:  Reese Witherspoon, Michael Sheen, and Candace Bergen.   

In an ironical twist, Reese was originally set to star in “The Intern,” a role that eventually went to Anne Hathaway instead, which freed up Reese to star in “Home Again.”

Even the poster says – “first class.”  Just recently released, the movie’s poster is all pink and red, shades taken directly from the color palette mood board created for the movie.  Reese wears this red dress in an important scene in the movie.  I love the poster!!!

Reese’s role was originally to be played by Rose Byrne.  She is a great comedic actress too, but I think Reese looks perfect for the part.

Here is the mood board created for the movie’s color palette.  It shows the colors and decorative style for “Home Again.”  Notice the blue and white tiles.  You will see those again – AND also notice the bedroom.  That, too, shows up again, later.

Production Design:  Ellen Brill

Art Direction:  Brianna Gorton

Set Decoration:  Nicole Cates

This photo is from the set – the family room where Reese/Alice has an office.

Can you guess her profession? 

Notice the cute curtains and chair.

And from the movie, Alice hard at work. 

Yes, she looks like an interior designer working on her board!!!

OMG – now I REALLY can’t wait to see the movie!!!!!

A Nancy Meyers moving starring an Interior Designer!!!!!

And here, Alice leaves her house holding what appears to be a mood board created for her interior design client.  Seriously y’all.  I’m about to burst!!!

A Nancy Meyers’ movie about an interior designer!!!!!

The House

The house where Reese/Alice lives is very reminiscent of the “It’s Complicated” house – a one story, Spanish styled, stucco vision.  In fact, at first glance you might even think it was the same house...

But it’s not.

Here is the “It’s Complicated” house where Meryl Streep lived.  Nancy altered the façade by adding new landscape to soften if up.  Read my story about the actual house in “It’s  Complicated” HERE.

And here is the house where “Home Again” was filmed.  It has the same Spanish Californian look that the “It’s Complicated” house had.  Look how pretty this house is.  It is actually much prettier than the “It’s Complicated” house. 

And, this house has a much more important pedigree.  

It is significant that the interiors for “Home Again” were filmed in the house itself, as opposed to on a sound stage.  It will be interesting to see if the feel of the movie will be more realistic because of that – or will it not matter?

So far, two trailers for “Home Again” have been released, along with a host of Instagram photos.

Here’s another view.  Past the gravel driveway is the courtyard with a fountain.

Here is the gravel driveway that leads up to the courtyard.  The crew is getting set for the day’s filming, so they put down plywood to make it easier to move equipment on the gravel drive (I suppose!)

Here’s an aerial view of the house.  A gate closes off the driveway to the street, while a stucco wall completely encloses the entire property.  Past the gravel driveway is the courtyard and to the right is the sweeping front lawn that leads up to the house with its tall chimney.  At the left rear, there is an outdoor fireplace and terrace and along the back is the swimming pool.

Now, what every photo doesn’t show is the guest house – which drove me a little crazy trying to find it. But I finally found it!!

There!  The same view, just larger.  The guest house is right off the street, on the front lawn facing the main house where the tall white chimney is.

The view from the back of the estate, which is over an acre.   Each garden is separated from the others which make them all very private.  In this view, you again can’t see the guest house.  The master bedroom is where the tall white chimney is.  The guest house is across the front lawn and faces the house where the master bedroom is.   To the right of this photo, where the white umbrella is, is the kitchen/family room terrace with its own outside fireplace.  And in the middle of this photo is the large living room terrace that shares the space with the guest room.

Here is the same view from the back that shows the guest house, which is right next to the street.  It shares the front lawn with the master bedroom.

Why is the guest house so important?

Because,  the entire premise of the movie revolves around the guest house.  In “Home Again,” Reese aka Alice turns 40 and has just moved to L.A., newly divorced with 2 daughters.  She meets three young filmmakers who end up living in her guest house while they work on their movie. 

So, Nancy and Hallie had to find a house to film in which also had a guest house.  That detail must have made the search all that much harder, but it looks like they chose a great house!

This aerial view shows the gravel driveway with the white stucco wall with a wood gate that separates the front driveway from the yard.   And again,  the guest house is cut off in the photograph.  But it is at the very right of this photo, on the front lawn.

OK. NOW.

Does the house look familiar to you at all?

The house was on the market a few years ago and by sheer luck, we have the real estate photos.  Here is the view from the gravel driveway leading up to the courtyard and house.

You can see that on the right, the white stucco wall is now covered by ivy.

Real Estate:   photos of the house before it became the set of “Home Again”

“HOME AGAIN:”   Notice the pretty lantern high in the tree and the fruit on the trees!!   Isn’t this charming?!?!   The movie was filmed in winter, but this California and it is always blooming.

During filming, the courtyard fountain was dressed up with lily pads and flowering plants and everyone posed around for Instagram. 

From the movie’s trailer – Reese takes a call out in the courtyard.  From the trailer, it looks like a lot of the action takes place outside the house – by the fireplace terrace, the courtyard,  and the pool.  Inside,  a lot of action takes place in the kitchen and dining room.

In the courtyard, during filming: the producer Nancy Meyers with the director/writer, her daughter Hallie Meyers-Shyer.   The cutest!  Notice the winter coats.

REAL ESTATE:  The walkway from the driveway to the main house.

Reese with Nancy and Hallie and two of the younger men who star in the movie.  The two little girls play Alice’s daughters.   The gentleman on the right is the cinematographer – the highly respected Dean Cundey.  Dean was nominated for an Oscar for “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” and he won two Baftas for Roger Rabbit AND “Apollo 13.”

Dean also has worked with Nancy before - on The Holiday, The Parent Trap, and What Women Want!!

So, what’s my scoop? 

Does the house look familiar to any of you? 

Remember this décor book?

“Elements of Style” by Diane Doreen Saeks – the book showcased the work of Michael S. Smith, the decorator of the Obamas.  Sigh. 

This book was written some years ago, in 2005, and it featured a house owned by Cindy Crawford and her husband Rande Gerber, which Michael had decorated.  That house is the same one in “Home Again.”   Additionally, Elle Décor did a story on the house. 

Cindy Crawford, one of the original owners of the house in “Home Again” standing in the front courtyard, surrounded by mounds of lavender!!  I wonder what happened to all the lavender?

But Cindy isn’t the only celebrity to have lived here.

Right after Cindy and Rande moved out, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner moved in.  Shown here in 2005 – around the time they moved in.  The couple later moved into the famous Cliff May ranch house that Brian Grazer once owned.   Look how happy and in love the now divorced couple once were.

The house where “Home Again” was filmed is only 3,850 sq. ft.  It’s original to Brentwood – built in 1929.  It has 5 bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms and 14 rooms in total.  In 1936, the house was renovated.

Also, Cindy Crawford added on a new kitchen and the fireplace/terrace outside the kitchen. 

After filming was completed 3 building permits were issued for the house: 

1. Convert garage to habitable and build a carport.  (I wonder where?)

2.  Add:  1,152 sf of new living quarters and deck  (Again, I wonder WHERE?)

3.  General remodeling.

I’d love to see the finish project!! 

  On the one acre property, the house is surrounded by groves of olive trees, many of which were planted under Cindy’s direction.

Perhaps the new 1,152 new sq. footage will be added onto the front lawn?

THE KITCHEN/FAMILY ROOM GARDEN:

2002:   The prettiest aspect of the house is all of its private gardens.  Here is the outside fireplace with terrace as it looked in Elle Décor when Cindy Crawford lived there.  This is what Cindy and Rande built.

REAL ESTATE:   And here it is when it was sold a few years ago.

HOME AGAIN:  How the house was found, before it was decorated for the movie.

HOME AGAIN:  The décor for the movie is starting to come together.  Outdoor table and chairs, umbrella, pillows and votives were added.

HOME AGAIN:  A dinner party on the terrace off the family room.

Notice the blue and white vases with red and pink roses – just as was presented on the color palette-mood board.  Shades of the Something’s Gotta Give infamous dinner!  This looks like a great scene!!

HOME AGAIN:   Reese/Alice at her dinner party. 

HOME AGAIN:  Filming at night on the kitchen terrace.

And turning night into day.  Or vice – versa?!!

HOME AGAIN:  The three young filmmakers are living in Alice’s guest house.  They obviously grow very close to the two little girls.

Reese as Alice Kinney

Michael Sheen plays her husband

Pico Alexander – next to Sheen – plays Reese’s handsome love interest, in his 20s.   Hey – it’s good enough for the President of  France!!! 

Pico is going to be the breakout star of the movie.  He is GORGEOUS!!!

THE SWIMMING POOL GARDEN:

Real Estate Photos.  The living room overlooks the swimming pool and there is another stone terrace off the living room and guest bedroom.

I hate to say this but the neighbor’s roof looks so unattractive next to Cindy’s beautiful Spanish tiles.    Thankfully there is the tall stucco fence that separates the properties, along with lots of lush landscaping.

2002:   Elle Magazine, Cindy Crawford’s swimming pool.   The scalloped umbrella is darling!  The colors in this styling for the magazine are the exact same ones used in the film – reds, pinks, and blues.

Real Estate Photos.  A view of the living room window and the swimming pool.

Real Estate photos of the pool.

“HOME AGAIN” A view of the pool set for the movie.  Notice the large olive jars in the background and the lantern.  At least the swing set is gone…I think!

HOME AGAIN.  From inside the living room, showing the pink daybed – looking out the window to the swimming pool. 

The pink repeats the color palette-mood board for the design of the film.

THE LIVING ROOM/GUEST BEDROOM TERRACE:

Real Estate:  Photos from the living room/guest bedroom terrace overlooking the swimming pool.

Real Estate:  Photo from the living room/guest bedroom – overlooking the terrace.

THE FRONT LAWN GARDEN:

And we are now back to the front of the house – with the master bedroom terrace looking over the front lawn.  Steps lead from the terrace down to the lawn.   You can barely see the blue from the spa at the left of the terrace.  I do wonder if this bedroom was added on to the house at some later date – its stone roof looks a little newer.  And of course you can’t see the guest house in this photo.  But it’s at the end of the front lawn.

BEFORE:  From Elle Décor & Elements of Style:  Cindy Crawford’s master bedroom  leading down to the front lawn.  The hidden spa is off to the left of the terrace.  Beautiful.  In an interview, Cindy said she loved driving up to the house, closing the gates and feeling like she was in a European countryside.  Eventually, she and her family moved completely to Malibu. 

HOME AGAIN:  Yoga classes on the front lawn, off the terrace.  Large rattan chairs were used to decorate the terrace.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      REAL ESTATE PHOTOS:  Here is the guest house with its arches and terrace.  It leads to the front lawn and faces the master bedroom.  The swing set is between the guest house and the master bedroom for some odd reason.  It’s probably been removed now.  I hope!!

                                                                                             HOME AGAIN:  Night-time outdoor movies shown by the guest house.

The bright blankets pick up the mood board color palette’s orange and pink and blues.

HOME AGAIN:  Nancy relaxes on the outside “set.”

HOME AGAIN.  Uh-oh.  Who’s waiting at home on the gravel courtyard?  The ex-husband!! 

Ready to go inside the house?

THE ENTRY:

2002:  Cindy Crawford.  The front door with the peep-door and beautiful Spanish tile floor.   That lantern is still in the house today.  Notice the air grate.  So beautiful!   What a pretty entry.

HOME AGAIN.  The front entry with the same paneled door.   Decorative baskets hang on the wall instead of an antique mirror like Cindy had.

THE LIVING ROOM:

2002:  Cindy Crawford decorated by Michael S.  Smith.  The sofas are covered in Bennison.  The large window overlooks the pool, the doors on the right open to the terrace.  The family room is to the left, on the other side of the fireplace.

I love the way Smith decorated the house, but this is my least favorite room of the lot for some reason.  I’ve never cared that much for what he did here, but the other rooms are wonderful. 

Maybe it’s those leather chairs I don’t care for?

The cover of the Elle Décor from 2002.  Do you remember this story?  The living room looks prettier in this photo.

2002:  Cindy Crawford.  Tramp art mirror over the fireplace.

Here the family posed in their living room.  Cindy actually gave birth to both her children at home, right here in this very house!!!  Presley is absolutely gorgeous and her daughter is now her doppelganger!!

REAL ESTATE:   The wood ceiling is now painted stark white as are all the beams.  These curtains remain in the house today.

HOME AGAIN:  The curtains are from the previous owners.  They used simple slip covered furniture with seagrass and a pink rug layered over it.  At the window is a Moroccan rug and the hottest item of the year – the rattan day bed.

Candace Bergen!!  I can’t wait to see her!!!!

Candace dressed in soft pinks from the color palette mood board.  Doesn’t she look wonderful?!?!

THE daybed.  No sitting allowed except for during filming.

This daybed at Serena and Lily is the must-have décor item of the year.  Of course it would be in a Nancy Meyers movie!  HERE.

The pinks pick up the color from the mood board.  Darling pillows.

I’m sure they will take professional photographs of the rooms, neatly styled for all the magazines, web sites and blogs.  Speaking of blogs, Nancy told Elle Decor that her favorite decor blogs are Habitually Chic, Remodelista and Belgian Pearls!

Oh, to be named on that list!!! 

The movie is due out Labor Day weekend, so it’s still a few months away for all the PR press.

Movie props!  That clock is darling!!

THE FAMILY ROOM:

2002:  Cowtan and Tout fabric on the sofa with Brunschwig and Fils on the shades.  Stone floors.  This room is on the opposite side of the living room.  I love the décor in the family room – this is so classic Michael S. Smith.

HOME AGAIN:  The Family Room.  I love the curtains used on this set.  

Alice talks with her ex-husband played by Michael Sheen.   Alice doesn’t look too thrilled her husband is back.   And I just noticed he has a band-aid on his forehead!  He gets in a fight with one of the three young men!

                                                                                                                                                      The door leading to the kitchen is off the front courtyard.  The little one’s cute face!!

The door to the kitchen is right next to the dining room.   The sconces are from Cindy’s day.

One note.  These iron framed doors/window are so “on trend” today.  But, these have been used in older houses forever.  Remember, this house was built in 1929!!  I would paint them black though – I’m not crazy about the rust colored paint.

Another view of the kitchen next to the dining room.  The wooden double doors leading into the dining room are Spanish. 

THE DINING ROOM:

2002:  The original Michael S. Smith décor for the dining room as seen in Elle Décor and Elements of Style.  I absolutely love this room as  Smith designed it.  He used Bennison’s Dragon Flower fabric for the curtains.  And notice the classic chandelier that Smith chose for Cindy, it is still in the house today.  

Through the opening is the breakfast room.

           REAL ESTATE:  The dining room today.  You can see the wood Spanish double doors leading to the kitchen.  To the right is the breakfast room.  And notice Cindy’s chandelier and sconces remain today.

HOME AGAIN:  The view from the courtyard walkway, looking into the dining room and through to the breakfast room beyond it. 

  THE KITCHEN:

2002:  Cindy Crawford’s kitchen as seen in the Elements of Style and Elle Décor.  Cindy and her husband Rande added on the kitchen and the outside fireplace.   I’m sure a new kitchen was needed since the house was built in the 1920s.   Today, the kitchen is painted white, not cream.  AND, it looks like there are new blue and white tiles in the movie.  Not sure if they are permanent or if it’s slight of hand.    Cindy’s open cabinets were later closed in by a former owner.

REAL ESTATE:  It looks like the only change was the kitchen was painted white and a new textured shade was added.  Across from the kitchen is the dining area with the wonderful light fixture placed by Michael Smith for Cindy. 

HOME AGAIN:  The main change is the new blue and white tiles that are much more vibrant than the previous ones.  Also, there are new Mark Sikes-type of blue and white striped linen shades at the windows.  

Maybe the darker blue and white shows up better on film than the mostly white tile with some blue that was there before.

The view of the new blue and white striped linen shades.  In the adjoining room – the cute breakfast room, it looks like the original shades were retained.

The gang congregates around the kitchen island.

Food for filming.

The dining room looking into the kitchen – the blue and white china matches that on the color palette mood board.   And, I love how Michael Sheen is wearing a blue and white striped shirt ala Mark Sikes.

Notice how the art on the wall really matches the mood board with its orange and pink stripes – it all coordinated.

The other side of the dining room, with the painted cabinet. 

I have to say that I do prefer Michael S. Smith’s décor in this room.  It seems more fitting with the house’s architecture:

                I know the table and chairs used in the movie are “on trend” – I just prefer a more traditional approach like these antique French chairs and table.   I think Michael Smith’s décor here is so classic and will be beautiful for the ages.

By the way, the small breakfast room is really cute, but there aren’t many photos of it!!  There is a marble top table, like a Saarinen, along with a linen striped fabric, a banquette, and rattan chairs.  Here’s a peek at it:

It looks like a Saarinen table with rattan chairs and striped cushions. 

And past the kitchen – is this tiny peek into the breakfast room – it shows a banquette with linen fabric and rattan chair(s.)  I think!  It’s hard to tell.

And one more tiny peek at the breakfast room from the dining room – I wish we could see more!  Oh well, September will be here soon enough.

The Master Bedroom:

In 2002:  In Elle Décor and  Elements of Style.  The master bedroom with a beautiful raised ceiling and a hanging Moroccan styled lantern.   The gorgeous antique screen is a focal point.  On the bed is a suzani, once the textile du jour for Michael Smith.  Two French doors flank the fireplace, which lead to a terrace and the front lawn.

OK. 

This reminds me of why we all have loved Michael S. Smith so much over all these years.  I love how he thought to put a screen against the long wall!  I love that lantern and wonder if it is still there now?  We might have to wait for the movie to find out.

Real Estate:  The master bedroom today.  Looks a bit different!  Not nearly as pretty as when Cindy lived there!   The two French doors lead out to the terrace and the front lawn.  At the end of the large lawn you can just barely see the guest house where in the movie Alice puts up the three young filmmakers. 

AND…notice there is a door on the left wall.  So…THIS is the reason why Michael Smith had the brilliant idea to put the screen there – he was hiding something!!  LOL

HOME AGAIN.  And here is the bedroom as seen in the movie.  There is a sort of foyer into the room as you can see to the right of Reese.

And as the room was decorated for the movie.   The colorful headboard follows the color palette mood board.  In fact, that headboard looks exactly like the one that was shown on the board:

The color palette mood board.  Notice the photograph of the bedroom that was source for the movie.

Here is that exact photo:

This photo from a magazine was pinned and then put on the color palette mood board for the movie “Home Again.”  It appears the Production Design found a bed very similar to it, but without the canopy.

The master bedroom headboard, which is very similar to the one on the mood board. 

And from Instagram, the director Hallie Meyers-Shyer goes over lines with the star, Pico Alexander.   I think Pico is going to be a huge heart throb after this movie.

REAL ESTATE:  The bathroom is quite attractive with a standing sink and with a marble & paneled wood surround on the tub.  A large window opens to the garden.  I love the old fashioned medicine chest.

HOME AGAIN:  Reese has a crying scene in the bathroom where there is now a shade at the window, but otherwise it looks very much the same.

Here she cries in the medicine chest’s mirror.

The Guest Room:

2002:  From Elle Décor and Elements of Style.  The guest room is quite fantastic with a canopy bed, Oriental rug, antique chair, chest, and porcelain lamp.   Another suzani is placed on the bed.  Beautiful and classic Michael Smith.  This door opens to the back terrace that it shares with the living room.  Beautiful, full, striped curtains – classic Michael S. Smith.

Another photo from the guest room shows the opposite side of the room, with a desk and antique mirror.

REAL ESTATE:  This shows the guest room and how it shares the same terrace with the living room and the swimming pool beyond it.

SECOND GUEST ROOM:

REAL ESTATE:  This photo shows the second guest room. 

HOME AGAIN:  And here is the second guest room used for the younger daughter’s bedroom.  It looks like they didn’t even have to repaint the room.

THE GUEST HOUSE:

REAL ESTATE:  As mentioned before, the guest house is located at the front of the property, right off the street.  It faces the front lawn and the master bedroom.  Here is how it looked when the real estate photos were taken a few years ago.

HOME AGAIN:  And here it is, shown during a movie night.  So cute!

HOME AGAIN:  Inside, the guest room is furnished in creams and white with touches of deep blue.  I only see one bed, not sure where all three slept?  It looks like there is either a laundry room or kitchenette included in the guest house.

I guess the three boys are happy just to have a place to stay! 

Here they have a fight over Alice  –  you can see the terrace that overlooks the front lawn.

In this scene, it looks like perhaps Alice Kinney was once in a movie.  You can see the actor’s chair with the name Kinney written on it.  And there is a poster for a movie “Lola In Between” which Hallie Meyers-Shyer actually wrote the screenplay for when she was still in high school.  It looks like she resurrected that screenplay to be a part of this, her first motion picture.  Since the boys are filmmakers, is Alice sharing her cache of film reels and scripts with them?  Notice the actress starring in “Lola in Between”  is Lillian Stewart.  Candace’s name in “Home Again” is Lillian Stewart, so there is some connection between Lillian and Alice and movies and the three boys.  

There also seems to be another sub plot involving Alice’s oldest daughter acting in a play and the boys coaching her?

Who knows?  It’s hard to tell an entire script from a 2 minute trailer, but I tried.

All I know is I can’t wait to see Home Again!!

And finally:

For everything you need to know about the “Home Again,” go HERE.

My friend Linda Merrill has a story on her blog about “Home Again” if you want to read more!  HERE.

AND…..

Since Hallie, Nancy and Reese are all connected to Mark Sikes with his love of blue and white stripes..

here are a few things I found that can give you that fresh blue and white look:

LOVE THIS CHAIR!  It comes in a lot of different fabrics, but the check is fabulous!!!  HERE

Have a white Slipcovered sofa?  Add some blue & white striped pillows for an immediate change HERE.

Bar cart:  HERE

OK, how cute is this???  Blue & white striped headboard.  HERE

Great bench HERE.

Bench – so cute in red & white check.  I love to mix in red or pink with the blues.  HERE

How about just a touch of Mark?  Cutest dog bed!!  HERE

And magazine bins, plant boxes, whatever you need:  HERE

and finally, this throw, which can be used to place over a sofa back cushion, be used on a bed,  tossed over a chair, cover a table – any way you want to bring stripes to the décor.  Plus there are many different colors and patterns.  HERE.

See you at the movies!

from COTE DE TEXAS http://cotedetexas.blogspot.com/2017/07/nancy-meyers-comes-home-again.html