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royalnugget42 · 4 years

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SPN is ending

And here’s my take on how it will go down, based on the limited knowledge we have. Please be aware that these are not foolproof predictions. Title analysis can only get you so far, and some of the titles are vague enough that they could mean just about anything. Still I’d like to try my best to predict the narrative based on how I would go about it and based on the vague references.

I’ll go episode by episode, include as many details as I can reasonably add, and try to keep my Destiel shipping goggles off as much as possible. Buckle up.

First one is pretty easy. Episode 14, “Last Holiday” promises to be kind of literal, with a mysterious figure appearing and giving Jack, Sam, and Dean the holidays they missed out on. However, I was curious, since Supernatural has a habit of including obscure or not so obscure references in their titles, if there was any other thing we could correlate this to.

There is actually a movie called “Last Holiday” starting Queen Latifah, whose character is diagnosed with a terminal illness, which results in her making the decision to abandon her boring life and live like a millionaire in Europe.

The idea of the fight with Chuck being a “terminal illness” on the horizon could be why now is the best time for these guys to live it up.

This possible reference coupled with the ‘last’ seems to say that this episode will be a sort of final moment of levity before the endgame. Past this episode there be monsters, lads. I’d also like to point out that since it will be just Jack and the brothers if the promo photos are anything to go by, this will be a good time to get in some forgiveness and family bonding for our characters before things go downhill again.

Looking at promo photos for this episode again, I’m not sure where, but the episode may also carry some development for the plot. I’m not sure whether the photos of Cas, Amara, and Charlie were for this episode or another one (since they are not listed as cast members for the episode on IMDb), but we’ll be seeing all of them again soon it looks like, and I can’t wait for Cas and Jack to go on a hunt together again.

This episode will be the beginning of the descent. We’re standing on the edge and staring into the void, and we’re about to take the plunge. How do I know this?

“Gimme Shelter”, the title for this new episode, seems to have a literal meaning of the characters continuing to try to hide from God. However, as usual, the title is also a reference, this time to a song by The Rolling Stones. The lyrics to said song are nice and foreboding.

Oh, a storm is threat'ning

My very life today

If I don't get some shelter

Oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away

War, children, it's just a shot away

It's just a shot away

War, children, it's just a shot away

It's just a shot away

Ooh, see the fire is sweepin'

Our very street today

Burns like a red coal carpet

Mad bull lost its way

War, children, it's just a shot away

It's just a shot away

War, children, it's just a shot away

It's just a shot away

Rape, murder!

It's just a shot away

It's just a shot away (3X)

The floods is threat'ning

My very life today

Gimme, gimme shelter

Or I'm gonna fade away

War, children, it's just a shot away

It's just a shot away (4X)

I tell you love, sister, it's just a kiss away

It's just a kiss away (5X)

Kiss away, kiss away

Cue nervous anticipation

This is definitely where things are going to really pick up plot wise. Most likely, more will be revealed about Billie’s Plan to Kill God TM. Although, the idea of Death herself leading the Winchesters to victory feels sketchy to me still. She is deliberately withholding all the details, and she’s doing it for a reason.

Something down the line is going to make the Winchesters angry with her, and she’s not going to tell them about it unless it’s absolutely necessary. I have a feeling what it is will get revealed in the next episode.

“Drag Me Away (From You)” has some very clear negative connotations, and on top of everything has a weird format. It could be based on the lyric from Africa by Toto, ‘it’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you’, or a reference to the song “Drag Me Away” by Melissa Etheridge, whose lyrics mention angels, and are about resistance and perseverance, two defining characteristics of the Winchesters. However, I’d like to point out another correlation.

Like I said before, the title has a weird format. The only other episode of Supernatural with a similar title to this one is season 12 episode 12 “Stuck in the Middle (With You)”. That episode was about what seemed like a normal hunt, but was actually a mission for Mary by the British Men of Letters to get the Colt. In that episode, Cas came ridiculously close to dying a painful and slow death, which does not bode well for this episode if it’s correlated in any way.

If what I’m predicting for Billie’s plan is true, this episode will be where the viewers are clued in on the thing she won’t tell the Winchesters about. The brothers might not necessarily get clued in (like how they still hadn’t realized Mary’s involvement with the BMOL at the end of 12x12), but whatever Billie is withholding will have serious consequences.

For this episode, I predict that Cas will come absurdly close to death again, because I believe Billie’s plan involves him dying. Billie doesn’t consider Cas a member of TFW. Multiple times in the most recent episodes, she talks about how important Jack is, how important the Winchesters are, but never Cas, and it feels like a weird oversight.

“Ever since I got this new job, I stand witness to a much larger picture. You know what I see? You. And your brother. You’re important.” 13x05 “Advanced Thanatology”

“I told you Dean, you and your brother have work to do.” 15x12 “Galaxy Brain”

Surely Cas has a part to play, since he’s one of the main characters right? But Billie doesn’t trust Cas, as well she shouldn’t. Cas is a wildcard, an angel who doesn’t do as he’s told. He straight up stabbed her in the back, something that she was completely caught off guard by.

I could make an entire post about how Cas hasn’t played by the rules of the universe since season 4 episode 18 “The Monster at the End of This Book”, but I digress. The point is that this episode is probably going to shed some light on the true threat the team is facing. Which leads us into...

17-18

Here’s where things start to get muddy. The titles from this point on get vague, and without any solid information about the previous episodes, these could be headed anywhere.

“Unity” is the next episode, number 17, and that could mean a lot of things. In my proposed timeline it is after a supposed revelation about Billie’s plan, so maybe they feel more unified after learning it.

In Supernatural‘s usual story structure, though, it feels like this episode will probably be the buildup to what seems like the end of the villain, but will actually be the darkest hour.

The episode following right after this is titled “Despair” and I think that’s telling. Supernatural writers do this often, where the boys make a plan, and inevitably when they follow it something goes wrong. “Unity” is the plan being made and carried out, and “Despair” is either the episode where everything goes wrong, or the aftermath.

[EDIT: The title of episode 18 is actually “The Truth”, which I believe may still narratively serve the same purpose, but now I’m more convinced that this is where the Winchesters learn about Castiel’s deal and/or something that Billie has been keeping from them about the plan to kill God. Thank you to @kingofthecrossroads for the updated information.]

Before I go into detail about this two-episode arc, an obligatory

Warning: Shipping Ahead

To my eyes, “Unity” seems like the perfect place for Castiel’s arc to reach a breaking point. If I’m right, and this is the episode where everything seems to succeed, then what better time for The Empty to snatch Cas away from his happiness.

If I was a writer, and I was in fact planning on making Destiel canon, this is where I’d do it. It makes the most sense to have Dean and Cas finally realizing their love for each other be the catalyst for Cas “finally giving himself permission to be happy” especially if this episode also contains a false climax regarding the Chuck storyline. Cas has said multiple times that he’s “far from happy”, so there has to be something huge happen for Cas to get there. Not to mention, Cas would be a sort of vessel for the audience, simultaneously happier than we’ve ever been because we were finally right, and sadder than ever because Cas is gone.

“Despair” won’t just be despair that the plan failed. It could also be Dean’s despair at losing Cas, our despair at seeing our hopes for them dashed.

[EDIT: Again, the title will NOT be “Despair” it will be “The Truth”, but I still think it’s telling that Despair was a working title for long enough that it’s on the IMDb page, and if “The Truth” contains the truth about how Dean and Cas feel about each other, then this will still be a dark episode.]

Shipping over, let’s continue.

Now we come to another referential episode, “Inherit the Earth”. There’s really not enough information to have anything solid regarding the nitty gritty details, but we can take a look at what this title is most likely referencing. “Inherit the Earth” is just a tiny part of a common phrase. It’s used in media all the time, but we’re interested in the original source.

I’m not sure if the episode will contain references to all the pieces of this passage from the Bible, but “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” seems to build off of the last episode, “Despair”. Another translation for the word meek in this instance may have been “powerless”, and after the negative moments in the previous episode TFW would probably feel pretty powerless. Maybe, in the previous episodes, Jack failed and lost his powers again, and that’s what caused Despair, but now he will inherit the powers that God had, or inherit control of earth.

If the rest of the passage is to be taken into account here, there’s also the “poor in spirit” who will ascend to the “kingdom of heaven”, possibly a reference to Cas being depressed and fighting for Heaven to be maintained. “Those who mourn will be comforted”, and that may actually bode well for Sam and Dean, who constantly mourn for the friends they’ve lost. Maybe in this episode they’ll get some closure on that front, maybe with their friends trapped in Hell going to Heaven (Kevin). The next line after “inherit the earth” refers to “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness”, and if that isn’t Michael/Adam to a T...maybe this will be the episode we see him team up to fight God. I’m not sure who the last line might refer to other than Sam, if you have any ideas feel free to tell me.

And after all this, we have the big one.

“Carry On” is referring to “Carry On My Wayward Son” by Kansas, and I don’t have a clue what it will entail. If the previous episode goes well, then this will be a sort of epilogue, with a (hopefully) happy ending for TFW, maybe we see Eileen and Sam get together, some kind of family dinner with Jody and the girls to resolve that plot line, or potentially, if the writers plan on doing it, a scene confirming Destiel.

It’d be interesting if they showed the brothers going on a normal, run-of-the-mill hunting trip, like a simple salt-and-burn, or even a (different) woman in white. It would be a nice way to bookend the story, to end on a hunt, but instead of the brothers on their own, it’s the brothers with the help of everyone they’ve come to know and care about in their journey, all the lives they’ve touched.

If, however, the conflict is not resolved by the end of the previous episode, this could be the resolution and epilogue all rolled into one, though if it were me I would want as much time as possible to resolve any lingering character questions because, at the end of the day, Supernatural has survived because of the characters. They are what people stay for, what they watch for.

Reminder that all of this is speculation. I do not know what will happen, this is just how I think the story could progress based on what we know so far.

For better or for worse, at this point Supernatural will be over. Will they do a perfect job? Probably not. This is Supernatural, it’s not the most perfect show. However, I’m excited to see where the writers will go with it. They have their work cut out for them.

[EDITED]

#spn #supernatural #supernatural theory #spn theory #spn s15 #spn season 15 #spn 15x14 #spn 15x15 #spn 15x16 #spn 15x17 #spn 15x18 #spn 15x19 #spn 15x20 #saileen #spn 15x12 #destiel #i tried not to let it influence me #hope this is coherant

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duratrans · 4 years

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Satoshi Mizukami Q&A, 3/3

Satoshi Mizukami recently took questions from the editor's desk, and publicly from write-ins, for an interview to celebrate the first volume of Solte going on sale (Jan 9th!). So I translated them all! It’s in three parts, so I’ll post them one by one.

Here is the third and final section, general questions of all kinds.

Q: I heard you were pretty impressed by Masakazu Ishiguro's Hero (note: Debut work in Gekkan Afternoon, 2000), and when you met him you said "You're my rival!" right to his face! Is there anyone that comes to mind you would still consider your professional rival today? A: Oof. I don't think I have that spirit in me any more. But, even while myself and so many of my friends are starting to slow down, when I see them putting out work, I do feel encouraged to stick it out.

Q: I've heard you started working to become a manga artist because you "wanted to live in a fantasy world" yourself. If you really could jump into a fictional world, what kind of work would it be? Who would you be in the story? The main character, or maybe the last boss? A: I want to live in a porno game. Somewhere with no danger or fighting.

Q: From any medium, can you think of one piece that you liked the most or inspired you? And can you explain why? A: There's probably too many to try and pick just one, but in terms of what really influenced me; For manga, late 90's Shonen Sunday and early 2000's Afternoon. Then, 90's new-wave light novels. For anime, Diebuster. In film, La Puta. A handful of Sega Saturn games. Some scifi stories on forums, and a bunch of other works on Shosetsu-ka ni Narou.

Q: What have you seen/read/played more recently that you liked the best? And can you tell us what you liked? A: Manga: Touge Oni. It was the first thing I read in a while that made me jealous. In books, The Three-Body Problem. I liked the second of the trilogy best, but they were just good page-turners. For anime, Karakuri Circus. The manga ended long enough ago that it felt like going in fresh again, so it hit just right. Really liked the OP too. Film: Interstellar. Tenet wasn't great, so I rewatched this again and still good. It's exactly the kind of movie I was wanting. Games: Ring Fit. I had the idea if I got a little bit in shape, I might get some motivation back. I feel like it might be working? Just the teensiest, slightest bit. Light novels: I Am the Only One Who Knows This World Is a Game. It's just the right amount of bonkers.

Q: If you had ultimate freedom to do any kind of manga you wanted, what would it be like? Would you want a long series, or something shorter? -Ruha A: I was going to say I haven’t exactly had any restrictions, but actually a few things did come up with Solte. But even still, I can fit in any ideas I really want to draw, so I think things are pretty good as they are.

Q: If you had to put yourself in a genre, what kind of manga artist do you think you are? Sci-fi? Or maybe romance? -Takeshi A: I'm a little surprised to see "romance", even as an example. If you ask me, you can categorize me however you want.

Q: Which character are you most attached to, out of all of your works? -Habu A: Anima from Biscuit Hammer.

Q: When you're designing your characters, how do you come up with a good balance when it comes to the composition and relationships in the cast? -Yoneko A: Oh, man. I just kinda... Feel it out.

Q: I've been a big fan of your work forever! I really like your drawing style. How do you make your art the way you do? -gum A: I dunno, that's just how it turns out when I draw. I've been telling myself "Wow, I need to work on my art" for 19 years, since the day I was first published.

Q: Has raising a child had any effect on your stories? -Tai A: It means I work less.

Q: I want to draw manga too, but I'm not very confident in my skills. Do you have any advice? -Tai Arima A: First, do you mean you're not satisfied yourself with the quality of your work, or you're just not confident enough to put it out there? Don't worry, this is always a fundamental issue for creators, things rarely come out just how you imagine them. It's like how you can only print out photos at a resolution as sharp as your camera can capture them. I recommend you start by just making something. Sit down, do it, and finish it, and you'll learn a lot from it. It'll be up to you whether you show that around, but when you start, I wouldn't necessarily make a big deal out of it, you can just work on it quietly without making a big announcement. That way, there's no pressure, and if it's not working out, you can still stop or take a break without feeling bad about it. You decide how to use your time the best.

Q: When I went to a promo event for Planet With at Loft, you and Rensuke Oshikiri (Hi Score Girl) both talked about how as you get older, you find it harder and harder to stay motivated. Have you found anything that helps you in that regard? -Tayu A: I listed to some cheerful music for a while last week and actually found it helped my mood a little.

Q: I love how expressive all of your characters are! Is there anything particular in your process for when you are working on faces and expressions? -Arbel A: I have to be careful I don't go overboard making the same expression I'm drawing.

Q: I write for a hobby, but I always have trouble planning out how the story comes together. Do you have any advice or a favorite method for composing a story? -Nigou A: I read and re-read what I've got, and anywhere I think it's getting dull, I change the scene or add some exciting development. Make the last thing you think would happen, happen. And don't worry about how to tidy everything up, that's a problem for tomorrow you. Today you just has to lay it out.

Q: Hello, Sensei. I've read all your works, and I'm a big fan, but what really impresses me is your dialog. I love how it always just flows off the page, it reads so naturally. So, my question is, when you are writing the dialog, do you just hear it unfold naturally in the character's voices, or do you write more deliberately like "oh, here they would probably say this?" That probably sounds weird to people who've never written manga, but I'd like to know about your process. P.S. Good luck with the Ring Fit grind. -Kiki A: First I decide how the dialog needs to play out in order to advance the story in the direction I want. Then, I just let the characters talk among themselves, and if it doesn't turn out right, I go back, shake things up, and try again. And sometimes I get good material, but it just needs to be trimmed or re-arranged just right.

Q: A lot of your stories have some sort of turning point where the back half really kicks it up a notch and things just keep getting more intense. Do you already have these developments planned when you start a manga? -TKO A: I usually have a few ideas but it's always pretty vague. I never know if I'm gonna wind up putting in or cutting certain scenes, so I don't worry about it too much.

Q: Do you have one favorite scene or a particular line from your own work? -yamatozo A: At the beginning of Spirit Circle volume 6, where the bad guy falls down the stairs and goes "I've made a lot of missteps".

Q: Do you have any idea of what genre you'd like to draw next? -Umehoshi A: I won't say no, but I don't want to give anything away (for my next work, or this one).

Q: If you weren't successful as a manga artist, where do you think you would be? -Ayuta A: Jail. But I'd be a model prisoner.

Q: How much longer do you think you'd like to continue as a manga artist? -Ayuta A: If I could pay the bills for the rest of my life with 24 pages a month, that's just what I'd do. At some point maybe I'll get to be unsatisfied with that and start to push myself to work more and more until I get sick of it, but no telling when that might come.

Q: How do you think of your character's names? -Takeshi A: They just come to me. I look at how I designed the characters and just imagine.

Q: I feel like some kind of forgiveness or absolution is something a lot of your characters go through. Does "forgiveness" have a special significance to you? -Bow-wow A: I'm not sure. Maybe it's me who is seeking forgiveness.

Q: Do you have a favorite phrase or motto? A: I like Shigeru Mizuki's (Gegege no Kitaro) 7 Rules of Being Happy. I don't really go around saying them or anything, but it's something I like to remind myself of, and helps me be mindful of other people. Also, I like "fortune favors the bold."

Q: You like frogs enough that you always draw yourself as one. What do you like about frogs? And do you have a favorite species? A: Frogs are cute. I like green tree frogs the best.

Q: You've drawn a lot of different youkai in Sengoku Youko, but out of all the youkai that most people know from stories, which is your favorite? Could it be the Chan Chu (chinese money toad), or possibly the oogama (monstrous giant toad)? A: My favorite youkai is Mizuki Shigeru.

Q: You've been doing Ring Fit, and eating oatmeal, are you doing anything else to help stay in shape? A: I put the Karakuri Circus season one and season two OP on a playlist and listen to it while I walk to work.

Q: If you were stranded all alone on a deserted island, what are the three things you would want to have with you? A: Really? Okay. I would bring two essential tools I can't find on an island, and a map.

Q: Do you have a favorite actor or celebrity? -Umehoshi A: Nope.

Q: What's the best kind of alcohol and snacks you've had? Where did you drink it? -Ikaninjin A: In the middle of a hellish summer and probably suffering from heatstroke at an amusement park with my kid, I had the best beer of my life in an air-conditioned food court. And the delicious spice to top it off was the bright sun knifing through the window that I just knew was tormenting everyone still outside.

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up? -Ayuta A: A youkai.

Q: What does your internal mindscape look like? -Rou A: An empty lot.

Q: Has anything happened recently that you're happy about? -Sanachan A: My son is starting to read and write.

Q: What kind of hotpot are you looking forward to this winter? -Tommy A: I'm not crazy about hotpot.

Q: I'd like to go to another event where we can toast again, would you consider it?

-Uta

A: If current events allow.

Q: How many times have you thought about quitting Ring Fit? -Honyarara A: 2 or 3 times. A week.

Q: I know you call it your "100-day Ring Fit Diary" on twitter, but since you've been taking breaks too, will you be going past 100? Will the illustrations be collected and published anywhere? -The Dieting Gentleman A: I'm going until I clear adventure mode, but it'll probably be finished by the time this article is up. I'll probably do some sets here and there. No plans for the illustrations.

Q: Do you have a favorite panel out of all your works? -Umehoshi A: You guys are really focused on my favorite everything. I have a lot of panels I like, not one in particular.

Q: Hi, I really enjoy all of your works, and there's one thing I think I notice (sorry if I'm wrong), and that's a love of glasses girls. Out of your manga so far, which is your favorite of all your glasses girls? Do you have a particular girl you've become a fan of recently? As for myself, I really like Yoru from Sanjin Sadou, so I'd love to see a story with her and her sister! -Bashi A: Glasses girls aren't particularly a thing for me.

Q: When you're doing authographs or sketches, does it bother you at all if people request characters from your past works? If I get a chance, I would probably ask for Hyou Shimaki from Biscuit Hammer, for instance. -Akasha A: If it's a promo event for a Mag Garden title, and you were to ask for a character from a Gahosha title, for instance, it might technically bump up against merchandising contracts, which makes it a little weird (I'm typically not allowed to to create any merchandise without going through the publisher), but my managing editors are usually cool enough about it. But if it's specifically a Sengoku Youko event, for instance, and I'm constantly getting asked for Biscuit Hammer drawings (let's say more than half), that would probably be an issue and they might make a rule against it for next time. Also, I tend to forget how the older characters actually looked. For personal reasons, I probably won't be doing any in-person events like this for a while, though. There's also the whole "current state of the world" thing, and my profitability and if bookstores actually want to do it, a lot of issues to solve.

Q: You usually draw Anima working out on Twitter, but did you have plans for any other characters to show up doing Ring Fit? (Like from Angel or Sanjin) -RYO A: I did, but forgot.

Q: Will you put together another oneshot collection, like Geko Geko? -Friday A: I don't know.

Q: Question! What is love? -Shirae A: To live is to love.

Q: How about this, do you have any questions you want to ask your readers? -Buriki A: Would you rather have: A. One series a month, from roughs to completion, all done by me B: Two series a month, with roughs by me and final touches by someone else

Q: I know thinking positive is half the battle, but what can I do about people who're determined to get me down? Can I give them a Samidare Punch? -Nondakure A: Your fist, and the choice of how to use it, belongs to you alone.

#mizukami satoshi #satoshi mizukami

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elixir448 · 4 years

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Good Girls 3x06 Thoughts (Will I ever get these up after the episode? Nope)

Good Girls 3x04 and 3x05 Thoughts Here

So lemme tell you.This post was basically finished and then I accidentally deleted it and have spent the last few hours typing it all out again. I’m just...yeah.

Dean and Au Jus

I know that a lot of people feel that Dean talking about cancer and chemotherapy costs would have been the perfect moment for Beth to scathingly bring up his lie about having cancer. While I acknowledge that it could have worked and all of us have been wanting to see this since he blurted out that he had cancer in season 1, there are a few reasons why I wouldn’t have wanted the issue raised in this scene:

1. I think it would have trivialised the depth of such a betrayal.

2. This scene was about Beth’s reaction to Lucy’s death and having to dig up her body, clean her face with baby wipes and then take a photo of it in order to unlock her phone and convince her kind-hearted boyfriend, who she loved, that she is still alive and wants nothing to do with him. This has nothing to do with Dean or his lies and it has everything to do with Lucy and the weight of her death on Beth’s shoulders. Why should it be about Dean? Despite the fact that he is in the scene, it actually has nothing to do with him.

3. I do wonder if the cancer lie will ever be addressed, mainly because I think Beth felt so guilty over Dean being shot by Rio that she essentially let it slide. Even in 2x05, when she finds out that Dean had multiple affairs rather than just one, she pointedly does not raise it. Perhaps it’s because she only found out about it in the lead up to her confrontation with Rio and Dean in 1x10, so bringing it up would essentially force her to think about Dean being shot before she even had a chance to confront him about it personally. I do think that Beth and Dean are going to go their separate ways this season, romantically I mean. There was some unconfirmed information floating about that the show was looking to cast an actor as young Dean and I think, if that’s true, any flashbacks probably would have been as a prelude to these two ending their romantic relationship for good. If it is true, I’m even more annoyed that the last few episodes couldn’t be filmed. Anyway, the way I see it, when Beth and Dean’s romantic relationship ends as a storyline, I think it will be a decision borne of weariness rather than resentment.

Also, I just need to say that I kind of love that Dean is getting so many scenes with Au Jus and kind of love seeing him with the bird. He seems like such a proud father. I’m more invested in this storyline than I am in the four star hot tubs storyline and Gayle tbh. For now anyway.

The Hills

I’m really starting to understand what Manny meant when he said that he was most interested in what the writers are doing with Stan in this season.

As soon as Stan told Ruby that he might be able to become a cop again, I knew that he wouldn’t return. At least not immediately. There are probably two main reasons that will stop Stan from returning to the police force:

1. Disillusionment with law enforcement. In season 2, we saw Stan being confronted by a federal agent (Turner) who was threatening and absolutely willing to use underhanded tactics, such as false testimonies, to get Stan to do what he wanted.

2. Stan views himself as morally compromised and unfit to protect and serve. He knows that he’ll abuse his position and help Ruby if she needs it again.

Beth actually says to Ruby in this episode that Stan can’t be a cop again. Even though he obviously doesn’t know about this, I can really see the entire situation, and everything that has happened since they robbed Fine and Frugal, lead to a pretty tense conversation between Beth and Stan in the next episode:

Lemme tell you, I gasped when I saw this promo image for 3x07, especially given the fact that Reno has said that we’ll get to see a little of Beth and Stan interacting in this season. It’s actually one of my hiatus wishes and I feel like we’re all anticipating their scenes together. I mean, Beth and Ruby have been best friends since they were teens. Stan and Beth have probably known each other for ages and we saw some tension in the last season, stemming from Ruby’s betrayal of Beth to save Stan. Correct me if I’m wrong but I think the last time we saw these two interact was in season 1, so it’s about time we see them talk face to face.

Of course, it’s been a few episodes since we saw Stan as a security guard in the strip club, so I’m really excited to see what happens there, the introduction of Onyx and more scenes with Krystal. I think Onyx may be introduced in the upcoming episode?

It was also so good to see more of Harry again. Danny Boyd Jr is such a talented and cute little actor. Like, he’s so small!

I LOVED the scene where Ruby points out the reasons why Stan is a cop (protect and serve) at his core. He doesn’t want to be involved with their shady stuff but he always gets dragged in. I would give anything to see a scene where Stan defends Ruby so staunchly to someone because I have no doubt that he would and I need it. Grabby hands.

Mick

Give the guy a hot tub!!!!!!!

I’m telling you. I screamed when Beth blurted out “I have herpes!” Oh my god. I died. Yeah, your husband won’t be happy about it. Nor will your crime husband.

I’m also just going to reiterate that I don’t view any of what Mick’s doing as a betrayal of Rio. What Beth was trying to do in this episode was in an attempt to get the cops off their collective backs and, if he gets a free hot tub out of it, good for him.

I guess we’ll have to see where it all goes but I’m not convinced that Mick is going to betray Rio in some profound way. Hell, I’m not even convinved that Rio doesn’t know about all this.

Beth’s character progression

God, Beth did so much in this episode. She really got down in the dirt herself and dug the dirt away from the Lucy’s body, asked for some wet wipes to clean her face, while trying her best not to be sick, and then took a picture of Lucy’s face. Even thought she has gotten her hands dirty, with regards to her role in the crime world, this is the first scene where she physically gets her hand dirty when she’s not gardening.

@captainallthingspurpleme wrote a great short post summarising the girls’ actions in this scene and absolutely nailed it! I don’t want to reiterate because I think it’s worded a thousand times better than I could articulate it.

I think Beth’s breakdown in this episode was so earned. We so rarely see her emotionally lose it, especially not in front of other people. The fact that she’s breaking down in front of Dean of all people, from whom she has been repeatedly proven to be emotionally and intimately removed from, shows how torn up she is over everything that has happened.

Despite this, she somehow manages to process it and file it away and is back to business in her next scene with the girls, where she texts Max, takes charge and tells him to come over in a moment of decisiveness and then deals with him. In the Good Girls 3x02 thoughts post I wrote, I talked a little bit about how ruthlessly pragmatic Beth can be, her ability to process horrible things and compartmentalise and how we see this happen with everyone in her life except for Rio. We’ve seen it after she processed that Dean had cheated on her, when she processed that fact that Mary Pat was extorting them and accepting how similar they were, when she found out about Dean faking cancer and when she processes Turner’s death. She always gets back to business. I think we’ve seen it again in this episode, with regards to Lucy’s death. While I don’t think she’s dealt Lucy’s death mentally, not even a little bit, I do think she has compartmentalised it which is just so Beth, as I point it in that previous post, but it’s underscored as being even more chilling in this episode, particularly with the last shot where she appears to blend into the pitch black behind her:

I’m sure everyone has read it already but @foxmagpie wrote a fab post about the lighting of Beth and Rio throughout the episode and how it relates to Beth’s character development so, instead of reiterating her analysis, I’ll just leave a link to it here.

Beth and Rio

I’ve seen that people are displeased with the screentime that Rio has had, which is a totally valid opinion. I’m personally really happy with what’s been happening with his screentime. @pynkhues wrote an amazing post during hiatus about why she thought Rio would become a POV character and have more scenes in season 3. She hit the nail on the head! I think the writers have really delivered on this front because Rio does have his own POV now, we’ve seen him interact with his family, we’ve seen him operate outwith the girls, his boys have returned and we’ve had a glimpse into how many people he seems to ‘employ’ and, if Manny is to be believed, we are also going to find out more about the people to whome Rio answers / owes debts to. I’ve been wondering who these people are since he mentioned it. Are they larger scale crime bosses or are they corrupt big wigs in political or federal circles? Does he owe them a debt of money, potentially due to his absence while he was under Turner’s thumb, or have people in the crime world put two and two together and realised who was feeding names to the FBI? I don’t imagine that giving such information to law enforcement goes over well amongst criminals.

I’m going to start by discussing the first scene between these two, which is really weighted. It reminded me so much of 2x07, where Beth and Rio’s feelings, both generally and for each other, bubbled to the surface in a rare moment of emotional honesty.

This scene starts with Rio’s car drawing up and Mick approaching Beth. It’s hilarious to me that Rio decided to wait in the car instead of dealing with her drama (petty AF) but also really emphasises the fact that Rio’s doing his best not to give Beth an inch. He’s trying to maintain the faux gulf that has developed between them. He’s also failing because, let’s be honest, Rio didn’t have to come at all; he could have sent Mick or one of his guys just like he did in the last episode but he didn’t and there are potentially a few reasons for this:

1. It’s possible that Rio anticipated that there might be problems and that he would have to step in to handle it because...well, Beth is his problem to deal with. His rotten egg. Not Mick’s.

2. He definitely knew that Beth would be feeling the weight of Lucy’s death on her shoulders, which I’ll discuss later in this section.

3. Maybe he just wanted to see her, even if he didn’t want to / couldn’t justify speaking with her. There’s something so tragic about the fact that, even if the drop had gone smoothly, Rio would have sat in his car and just taken her in because he can’t help himself.

Also, side note here, but I honestly love that Rio was watching from his car as Beth mouthed off to Mick. It’s so funny!

It was only upon rewatching the episode that I realised it’s actually raining in this scene. When Rio approaches Beth to sit down, at the picnic bench and under the tree, they are both protected from the rain and it kind of makes it seem as though they exist in their own personal bubble, even though Mick is stanidng less than a few feet away from them. Rio clearly brought Mick in an attempt to exert a level of control over his interaction with Beth and also to non-verbally remind her, and himself, that this is just business.

I’d also like to take a minute to discuss the significance of the setting, which is a picnic bench that is not Beth’s backyard but in a separate, meaningless location.

This is the last time Beth and Rio were at a picnic bench:

Compared to this:

God, these two messes are such a mess.

The difference between the two scenes is so stark, including the obvious differences in lighting and their comfort levels with one another. Not to mention the fact that in the image from 2x08, Rio sits on the tabletop in a higher position (which makes sense because Rio retained much of the power throughout season 2, even after Beth took the pills and strong-armed him into a 50/50 deal) but they look at each other directly, unafraid, comfortable and happy. In this scene, Beth and Rio sit on more equal footing but look away from one another in opposite directions, sobered, worn and quiet.

It really highlights the fact that, in season 2, the distance between these two was being abolished but now they’re back to trying to hold one another at arm’s length. It’s clear that they’ve been through too much at each other’s hands.

When Rio sits down, there is a long, weighted silence. Rio adjusts himself on the bench and stares at his lap and waits. This is so important. When Beth eventually breaks the silence by saying (about Lucy) “She was a good person” and sniffling quietly, Rio seems completely unsurprised. He knew she was going to bring up Lucy and her death. He knew and he still let her take the lead. He repeatedly says in this scene that it’s just business and yet his actons suggest otherwise. Why sit next to her, why let her bring up Lucy when you knew she was going to? And perhaps more importantly, why not immediately discuss business? He responds by saying “she seemed like a really sweet girl”. Even though he views ordering Mick to shoot Lucy as business, he doesn’t invalidate how Beth feels about it. In fact, he’s almost gentle with her. He’s been gentle with her in this season but always as a manipulation tactic, always to make her more fearful. But in this scene, he’s honestly gentle and patient with her.

He knows she’s crying in this scene. Her voice breaks, she sniffles, she wipes at her face and he can’t look at her. I think, despite everything, Rio struggles and doesn’t know what to do when Beth is in pain.

In fact, he doesn’t look at her at all until he says “I got my own debts to pay aight” and then “Oh, you still think you get a say in this huh? Nah, see that ship sailed when you put three slugs in me”. It’s so clear that, in this scene, Rio has to summon enough anger to be able to look at the tear tracks on Beth’s face. This is followed by Rio saying “You, me, we” while still looking at her but then his eyes deviate downwards before he says “It’s just business” because it’s dishonest. It’s such a callback to the scene in Rio’s car in 2x12. This statement also seems pretty out of place in this scene, almost as though Rio’s been thinking too long and hard about it and had to say it in order to convince himself.

Beth seems genuinely hurt (I need to write a separate post all about this) and her eyes flicker over to Mick, absorbing Rio’s non-verbal reminder of their relationship being a business one. She then looks at Rio again and we have a shot of him looking away from her again, rocking his jaw and he almost seems angrier than when he was raising his voice, probably because he knows that he slipped again, despite everything he was saying.

When the sneak peek came out before the episode aired and Rio said, “so who’s the boyfriend?”, I was really confused. I was momentarily transported to fanfic land where Beth meets someone new and Rio is jealous haha. Seriously though, the word sounds so foreign coming out of Rio’s mouth, as the words boyfriend/girlfriend have never been thrown around in conversations between these two. It made me think, and probably made a lot of other people think, about how these two compare to a conventional romantic relationship.

The music is also incredibly weighted in this scene. Loving all the piano they’re using!

Moving on to their final scene in the episode, I love that Beth knows that Rio’s going to be his usual pissy self and want an invoive and then the way he scrutinises it. Omg, it was so cute.

Also excuse me sir but did you just compare your relationship with Beth to that of a boyfriend and a girlfriend? Again, the word boyfriend sounds so foreign and new coming out of Rio’s mouth. When Beth replied by saying, in a very feminine tone might I add, “he got over it”, I just about died. God, these two messes are using another couple’s relationship to address their own relationship. You bloody messes. I’m shaking my head. And the fact that Rio replies “they always do”, I am shaking my head again. Hahaha. Lol. Imagine these two ever being over each other. They really can’t be compared to other romantic relationships because they’re too stupid.

Also, Beth and Rio are dressed so similarly, all black, in their scenes together but particularly in this last scene.

I think that the way they are positioned is, again, so significant and obviously different to their first scene in the episode. In this final scene, Rio is once again positioned above Beth, standing while she is sitting. In the first scene, he sat down next to her, waited for her to speak and listened but he also lost control, even though Mick was there, and seemed to internally berate himself afterwards for it. Now, Mick is still there but Rio is taking extra precautions by avoiding even sitting down and keeping the interaction as short as possible.

They are also finally facing one another and Beth has regained the power and confidence she didn’t seem to have in the first scene, even thought she isn’t delivering the full amount of money. Like I said, I think she has processed and compartmentalised Lucy’s death and that possibly has something to do with it, as well as the fact that she probably feels powerful knowing that she’s deceiving Rio.

By having Beth and Rio face one another in this scene, while wearing such similar clothing, it really depicts them as two sides of the same coin, as almost but not quite mirror images of each other, as counterparts.

#nbc good girls #beth x rio #gg season 3 #annie marks #ruby hill #stan hill #ruby x stan #dean boland #au jus

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womenofcolor15 · 4 years

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‘Sex and the City’ Is Back For A Reboot - Without Samantha! Here's What SJP Has To Say About Their Beef & Why Folks Are Demanding Diversity

“Sex and the City” is getting the reboot treatment (that some are wondering if we really even need). And one character – Samantha (played by Kim Cattrall) – is notably missing. Lead star Sarah Jessica Parker addresses her former co-star’s absence in the upcoming rival. Find out what she said inside….

Yep. You heard right. One of the biggest television series is making a comeback!

”Sex and the City” is getting the reboot treatment, following the show’s initial run (that wrapped up in 2004) and two movies (2008 & 2010). The 2nd film didn’t do great at the box office, but that’s not stopping a revival of the hit television series.

The reboot of the hit series will return as a limited series titled, “And Just Like That…”

According to THR, the 10-episode, half-hour show will debut on HBO Max. It’ll follow the original ladies Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) navigating life in their 50s. Lord. Charlotte & Miranda will be parents to teen boys, while Carrie should be living in marital bliss with her husband Mr. Big. However, we wouldn't be surprised if they got a divorce in the reboot.

However, Samantha (Kim Cattrall) is NOT involved with the project. No surprise there. In the past, Kim said SJP is a MEAN girl and that she would never work with her again. All of that tea was spilled when SJP reached out to Kim in 2018 following the death of Kim’s brother.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kim Cattrall (@kimcattrall)

”My Mom asked me today 'When will that @sarahjessicaparker, that hypocrite, leave you alone?' Your continuous reaching out is a painful reminder of how cruel you really were then and now," Kim wrote in an Instagram post in 2018. "Let me make this VERY clear. (If I haven’t already) You are not my family. You are not my friend. So I’m writing to tell you one last time to stop exploiting our tragedy in order to restore your ‘nice girl’ persona."

After she unleashed that lashing on SJP, fans KNEW a "SATC" reunion including Samantha never happening.

Despite Kim’s absence, the reboot is still happening:

Sarah, Cynthia and Kristin all posted the same “SATC” reboot promo on their social media accounts:

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A post shared by SJP (@sarahjessicaparker)

In the comments, fans questioned SJP about Kim’s absence and she responded:

"Happy to see you back but will miss Kim/Samantha," one commenter wrote, to which SJP replied, "We will too. We loved her so. X."

”OMG it’s happening. Something is happening. Imma miss Samantha but I’ll take anything right now,” another commenter wrote.

”She will always be there. And we are so excited. X,” SLP responded.

In another response, she addressed the rumors that she doesn't like Kim.

"No. I don't dislike her. I've never said that. Never would," SJP wrote. "Samantha isn't part of this story, but she will always be part of us. No matter where we are or what we do. X."

SJP kept her responses classy and drama-free, which is good because Kim seems like the type that would respond.

“SATC” series creator Darren Star will not be returning as well. Director Michael Patrick King — who won an Emmy for his work directing on the original series — will serve as the reboot’s Executive Producer. Production will kick off in NYC later this year.

Now, the big question is will they DIVERSIFY the reboot? Inclusion has been a huge issue for “Sex and the City,” especially since the show is set in New York City, which is one of the most racially and economically diverse cities in the world. “SATC” hardly had any diversity other than Charlotte’s adopted daughter Lily and Jennifer Hudson when she starred in the first movie as Carrie’s assistant from St. Louis. "My very own Louis Vuitton?!" Chile....

Folks have been sounding off on Twitter about adding some diversity to the cast for the reboot:

why are they doing a sex and the city reboot without Samantha when they could just do a more diverse (non biphobic & transphobic LOL) version of the series with a new cast ? Sex and the City is one of the few shows that SHOULD be redone better

— Shannon (@vsillyanddumb) January 11, 2021

You know I loved sex and the city just as much as any other gay but like can we leave these senior citizens in the 90s/2000s. It’s time for a reboot with a diverse cast.

— Femme Cholo (@mrjld20) January 11, 2021

I won’t be watching the ‘Sex and the City’ reboot unless the casting is much more diverse, they eliminate the stereotypical depiction of gay characters, and present transsexuals with respect and love instead of mocking them and making them targets of jokes. Do better this time.

— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) January 11, 2021

People often forget that Sex and the City 2 was one of the most anti-Arab and islamophobic movies made in recent years so I hope the writer's room of the new series has far more diverse voices this time around. At the very least!

— Hanna Ines Flint (@HannaFlint) January 11, 2021

petition for @hbomax to recreate Sex and the City with a diverse set of main characters instead of the same three white women we’ve seen too many times

— pinksweet (@pinksweet) January 11, 2021

Also, “SATC” fans are NOT here for the reboot without man-eater Samantha!

We have a feeling the reboot will probably be more diverse for the limited series, and not just when it comes to race. Class diversity may be present as well. If it doesn’t, we’re sure cancel culture will kick into overdrive!

Could Samantha be re-cast? Will they add a new friend to the circle? Will she (or he) be of color? We’ll just have to wait and see. Are YOU here for the reboot?

Photo: vipflash/Shutterstock.com

[Read More ...] source http://theybf.com/2021/01/11/%E2%80%98sex-and-the-city%E2%80%99-is-back-for-a-reboot-without-samantha-but-will-it-be-an-all-white-nyc-

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appleflavoredkitkats · 5 years

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sweeney todd manila review

okay, just a heads up, i don’t know much about sweeney todd outside of this production and of what little bits i’ve heard of the other productions, so this won’t be the most professional review. i watched the show on the twentieth of october and i believe the whole cast was there.

btw, this is gonna be really messy bc i still have lots of stuff to do so i’m speed typing this review out KDDLJF.

(hello, @thegirlisuedtobe, this is for you! sorry if this is very late, i was really busy!)

- the set is phenomenal. before the show started, there was the sound of rain while smoke scattered across the stage. it really gave off a very eerie vibe to the show, even if it hasn’t started, and i give huge props to the set designers for setting the tone of the musical!

- here’s what amazed me the most about the set-- FLOATING CARS. there were cars hanging up on strings and just... wow. absolutely breathtaking. there was also an upperstage that was build particularly for this musical which was also well done as well. on stage left, there was this platform in particular that intrigued me because it was slanted and only had a railing that could possibly reach below your thigh. it was risky, i might say, and because of that, huge appreciation to the cast because they were able to maneuver themselves on that platform without slipping or injuring themselves.

- another interesting prop which i’m sure many of you have seen in promos was the red car that both mrs lovett and sweeney todd used. in my opinion, at first glance, the car looked cool, but there were some pros and cons.

- pros of the car: the car gave some kind of edginess to the musical. the main characters rode the car into the stage as their introduction and it really left a good impact! additionally, i loved the way how they moved the car around. all transitions were so smooth and commendable and i praise the designer who thought of all of these up.

- cons of the car: it was awkward when the setting was at the bakery of mrs lovett. the car represented the second floor of the building and the chair of sweeney’s barbershop merely rested on top of the car. it was... kinda confusing at first, especially when it is really up to the audience on how they want to interpret the murders that occurred on the car (more on that later). additionally, the car served as a weird divider to the shop, the bakehouse, and the barbershop, and honestly, they should’ve placed the barbershop on the upperstage instead of on top of the car. (gurl, when i say i was confused, i say i was confused.)

- the keep your cellphone message was really funny to me but... kinda long? like it was so unnecessarily long that i was confused whether the show started or not. i also thought they were checking the set since there was many props littered around. but when they eventually get to the point of things, it was really, really funny, so i commend them for adding this small comedic scene just for audience members to stop taking photos.

- the singing of the cast was phenomenal! these people are just... so great, and it was definitely the highlight of the show.

- now... here’s where i get a little bit iffy-- the costumes. i don’t really know what to say because the costumes seem... laughable. but not in a good way. it seems like they wanted to modernize the costumes which is understandable but at some cases, it kinda fails?

- pros of costume: mrs lovett and pirelli really have the costumes which i loved. lea salonga did not look like herself but my god, did her costume stand out from the rest. and pirelli, on the other hand, had a cape that wooshed around a lot alongside a skirt, and boio, did nyoy volante nail this costume well. the modernizing costume thing didn’t really work with the others besides these two. other modernized costumes that look passable were tobias’ costume and some of the ensemble. (also, jonas fogg wore a denim jacket with a junji ito screencap on the back of it? uh, okay, i love junji ito but why is his manga featured here...)

- cons of costume: oh boy. sweeney todd’s costume was... eh. jeans, really? out of everything they could’ve given to sweeney fucking todd, they gave him a polo under a denim jacket under a blazer and jeans? then there’s the mess that is johanna’s costume design. girl, the designer probably went to an sm sale and decided to just shove anything they found in the department store into their cart. johanna’s dress was. eh. her wig? eh. the costumes didn’t snatch my wig but i’ll let them snatch my wig just so that they can replace whatever the heck johanna has on her head. additionally, not all costumes were modernized... which is like... what? the ensemble who had victorian era-esque costumes looked fine! they even could’ve given sweeney todd one of their costumes because it looked much better than the denim outfit they gave sweeney. it’s just quite... odd to see a mix of modernized costumes and oldstyle costumes mix all together because they lowkey clash with one another.

- okay, let’s move on to the actors themselves. let’s start of with lea salonga-- oh my god, she is a legend. she easily adapted into being mrs lovett and that is so commendable especially when she isn’t used to playing an insane role like that. her mrs lovett had consistent, chaotic energy which i admired and she really was the one to eye whenever you see her in a scene.

- jett pangan was great but he isn’t as consistent as lea when he portrayed his character. sweeney todd was insane, he is angery, he is chaotic but jett pangan portrayed him as stoic and silent in some parts. i really enjoyed his more insane side during little priest but i wished he kept it throughout the whole performance. what i did like about him is his voice is just so, so great. his vibratos were so good y’all, his singing in general makes up for everything. additionally, when sweeney gets emotional, he did a really good job portraying a sadder and more depressed kind of sweeney, almost like he was having some existential crisis on stage. (he really looked like he was regretting life choices during by the sea and the ending, it was actually kind of amusing).

- now, luigi quesada, an underrated actor from this production. god... he was just so consistent and energetic and an absolutely great actor. he really portrayed a pure soft boi through tobias and when he started to become insane, he portrayed that shift of character so fucking well. the shift of character was my absolute favorite thing because, in my opinion, it is the scariest thing that’s happened in sweeney todd. tobias was a pure, innocent child who wanted nothing more but to have a smol job and serve others nicely and then, bam, when he saw the corpses, something snapped in his head and it was so horrific to witness his change. additionally, luigi had such a cheerful singing voice which embodied the character well and accustomed to both the innocent and insane side of tobias.

- nyoy volante was another great treasure in this. he wasn’t as seen since his character died midway through but his stage presence is so great. he was so flamboyant while also being very comedic, using his costume to emphasize the comedy. also, he didn’t die immediately when he got attacked by sweeney, and he did portray the struggling pirelli so, so well.

- gerald santos was... okay. he has a great singing voice, they all do, so i tend to judge how good they are based from their acting. gerald was really good at portraying a panicky anthony who was desperate for johanna. his character was really consistent and i like that! my main issue with gerald is at some times, his diction isn’t too great. i know that some filipinos (even me) would struggle pronouncing words in english, but if you’re an actor who’s worked on many musicals in english, i expect a lot from you. i think he had a really thick filipino/tagalog accent and mixed with a really mediocre british accent, it wasn’t too... understandable. i couldn’t understand most of his dialogue and because he can’t do accents well, his acting becomes affected.

- mikkie volante’s voice is so fucking beautiful, how do you even sing that high and make it look easy? anyways, she portrayed a very frightful johanna very well, and i can’t believe how much the costume and wig really affects my perception of the character. it’s just... i can’t take her seriously if she looks... like that. okay, enough about the costumes-- her johanna felt scared and i felt that, but when she fell in love with anthony, she was desperate, and i fuckin loved it. being isolated for your entire life will leave you desperate for affection and mikkie fucking nailed it!

- andrew fernando was so-so as the judge. he wasn’t... creepy, or disturbing. his character is disgusting and so close-minded but i never felt any eerie vibes from him. i also think the costume he had was restricting him from doing anything because he had layers upon layers of clothing and when he began whipping himself, he looked like he struggled a lot to sing and do the actions (the costumes for this production is just so off in general it’s a bit offensive). there wasn’t much stage presence from him and i just wanted him to act a bit filthier.

- arman ferrer as the beadle was a trip. he portrays the character as so dumb and i loved it, it’s just the idiotic energy really cracks me up. additionally, his singing, oh my word, his singing is so good. he hits high notes like it was no problem and it was jawdropping. there was not much to say besides his fuckin costume was whack why did he wear that-- but overall, he was pretty solid!

- ima castro was good! she portrayed a crazy beggar woman which was so chaotic and funny and just fucking bonkers and i loved the energy she had! the only thing i note is that, at times, her voice would stop and i’m not sure if it was intentional or not? even if it wasn’t, it actually added to her character rather than brought her down.

- ensemble was... phenomenal. ignoring the costumes for the hundredth time, i love the ensemble so much because they don’t get enough credit yet they nail it every time they get into a production. their acting during the asylum scene? iconic. their accents? iconic. everything was so iconic.

- now, imma just say a few points in the show that i remembered which is worthy enough to tell yall of.

- here i’ll explain how the murders work. it’s kinda... weird. the execution was inconsistent and i remembered three ways on how they were able to kill and cook their victims. firstly, the murder with pirelli is the only one of its kind. sweeney sliced his throat and threw him into the driver’s seat of the car which was confusing considering how the other murders took place. the second kind of murder and the more common one is when sweeney sliced someone’s throat, the victim would walk off the car and walk into mrs lovett’s oven by themselves. i’m assuming that with pirelli, they didn’t bake him yet so they just hid him in some kind of box or crate somewhere. the third kind applied to the judge and the beggar woman wherein when they killed them, it was implied that they were brought to the bakehouse and not burnt.

- here’s my interpretation of how the murders go. in the original, the bakehouse was the basement, but here, i assume since they claim it’s a “bakehouse”, there’s a secret compartment in the barbershop that brings dead bodies directly into the oven. i’m guessing that with judge turpin and the beggar woman, the oven was not on so they were just... brought there? it’s really, really confusing and i wished they cleared it up so i won’t keep wondering about what is where and how things work. i do think that the victims walking into the oven is really genius because it was a perfect mix of comedy and eeriness which i really commend.

- i liked the way they portrayed the streets in this. they used the upper stage and it really clears up where each scenery is set! it isn’t like the bakery and barbershop wherein the set is confusing, it was much better than that. when mrs lovett and sweeney walked up to pirelli’s barbershop, the scenery was so interesting because they walk from above and look down at them. i really, really liked it.

- additionally, the sprays tobias advertised were cleaning sprays found in ace hardware store, that’s funny. also, the only time their haggard wigs would be effective is when tobias used it and nothing else. (i’ve seen better wigs in beautiful, where did those wigs go?)

- the way they portrayed johanna’s place was so, so good. johanna’s room would be atop the upper stage and, ugh, it’s just so well put-together. this whole set was the work of god and no one can convince me otherwise.

- the lighting was great but the sound design was a bit off for me. the electrocution noises were smart to use but i thought it was a bit too loud? like it was really off-putting. i wished they added gross sloshing noises when they were handling the body parts just to add give a better effect when mrs lovett was holding actual intestines and organs.

- the opening of act 2 was hilarious and one of the more intriguing parts of this musical. pangan’s voice? spectacular. lea’s look of distress whilst serving pies? hilarious. the ensemble? god’s gift to mankind. it was so comedic because sweeney is calmly singing about johanna whilst he slices throats and the victims, in a daze, just walk into an oven while mrs lovett’s expression just screams, “yea, that’s life.”

- i can’t believe. they used handkerchiefs to express what a wig is during the asylum scene. like............ really. where are the leftover wigs from beautiful???

- also, it was weird to me that johanna was the one who shot jonas fogg. it was kinda badass of her and perhaps portrayed her character to become more brave but i still kinda thought it was ooc? (ALSO DEAN ROSEN IS GREAT I LOVE HIM HE POSTS CAT STUFF ON IG AND THATS ALL HE DOES)

- okay someone clarify with me because i initially thought tobias escaped the bakehouse, hence why they went looking for him, but they said it was locked from the outside and i’m left confused why they left in the first place...?

- btw whenever lea speaks, i become more of a lesbian, thanks lea salonga.

- when the plot twist was revealed and mrs lovett and sweeney were slow dancing, that was a theatrical experience. god, just... mrs lovett with the most fearful look in her face as sweeney slowly moves her into the oven is so iconic and that has to be one of the more chilling scenes in the musical. then, once sweeney kills her off, she holds the beggar lady close to him and he looks absolutely mournful.

- AND THEN TOBIAS FUCKING COMES BACK AND GIVES THE BIGGEST CHILLS EVER. will i ever stop talking about how good tobias was written/how good luigi quesada is? probably not.

- anyways, tldr; sweeney todd was beyond average but wasn’t perfect, the costumes were. eh. the singing was perfect, the SET was amazing, lea salonga, nyoy volante, and luigi quesada own my heart, and philippine theatre really needs better wig suppliers, someone please donate your wigs to them.

#sweeney todd #sweeney todd manila #i know i will get backlash but whatevs #mrs lovett #lea salonga #jett pangan

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thebestplltheories · 6 years

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PLL The Perfectionists - 1x01 Pilot LIVE REACTION

WE ARE BACK!!!!

Ok I’m gonna do what I was doing for PLL where I react as I watch. But before I copy and paste the live reaction, I want to give my quick overview. That was by far a 10/10. That achieved everything a pilot should achieve. It introduced us to the characters, each of their stories, and the relationships each character has with one another. It set the overall tone, that this is a murder mystery with twists and turns to come. It established what the show is about. And it had occasional small shocks (I say small because there’s only so much that can be shocking in a pilot when everything is brand new). This was exponentially darker than the PLL pilot and for that I’m so grateful. We are cutting the high school airy-fairy (is that word used outside of Australia?) drama and going straight to scandals and a murder. I’m scared to see the ratings tomorrow because I want it to do well but hey it was trending worldwide on Twitter so that’s a good sign!? The show looks SO promising. I think I’m already in love with the cast. I just want to know more about everything and everyone and omg we are back!

LIVE THOUGHTS:

Love this intro! It sets the scene very well about the whole theme of perfectionism.

WAIT IS DYLAN PLAYING POKERFACE BY LADY GAGA HAHAHAHAHA

Okay sorry but that song ain’t it (“two can keep a secret if one of them is dead”). Why does it sound like an auto tuned choir? I’m happy for change. I actually don’t want the exact same version as the original series. But this one ain’t it. Is it too late to change it???

Wait, why is Alison walking around her new apartment like she’s walking around Jenna’s school for the blind in 710? If she lived 2 years of happiness and freedom of A, there’s no need to be so sceptical of danger every time you walk into a room. Anyway, doesn’t really matter.

Just the backing music throughout the scene is very PLL-esque! Yes, there is such thing as PLL backing music. And this is it.

Mona making a grand entrance!

I feel like Ali’s reaction to seeing Mona was a bit... underwhelming? If they haven’t seen each other in 2 years I expected a bit more of an “OMG”, and a “how did you get in my apartment”, etc. But they go straight to the point and cut the fluff so I don’t mind overall.

Mona recruited Ali. I knew it. And she works at BHU, we already knew that.

Emison is having trust issues. But she wants to do this for the kids. Ok I expected more detail there to satisfy the Emison shippers but whatever, I won’t cry at night.

Ok so Mary and Alex escaped Mona’s “dungeon”. That’s fine by me. Maybe that’ll be the storyline for a PLL movie later, who knows. It’s quite a vague answer but what did we expect... Mona to ADMIT to Ali that she captured her aunt? No. Mona could never explicitly say to Ali what she did. Hence the subtle pause before “... escaped me”. Only us the audience know the true meaning of that and I love how subtle yet meaningful it is.

Why do I feel like this security system is gonna play a massive toll throughout the entire series?

Loved the little Easter egg of seeing Mona, and Mona in the mirror (2 Mona’s). A subtle symbol/reference to her split personality in PLL.

I LOVED the scene of Ali teaching in the classroom! I got How To Get Away With Murder vibes...

Remember when we all thought Taylor’s death would be the main death of the show because of that memorial with her name on it... lol. Okay I’m calling it now... come back to this in the apparently mind blowing season 1 finale... Taylor isn’t really dead WE HAVENT TECHNICALLY SEEN A BODY

Love the complicated friendships going on between Dylan, Nolan, Ava, Caitlin! There’s a lot going on about faking being friends and faking tasks to uphold the image of being perfect. I love this theme and I feel like it’s super relevant to today’s world. Like especially social media. Everyone’s instagrams are always filled of their highs. And they’re mostly edited. No one ever posts/shares their low moments.

So no one knows of Ali’s past. Hmmm. We’ve had this discussion before, I don’t think it’s realistic that no one knows the name Alison DiLaurentis - surely that was on national news when “dead girl isn’t dead anymore” made headlines. But anyway. If they wanna pretend no one watches the news, it wouldn’t be the most unrealistic thing PLL has done.

Is Dylan the gay male character Marlene said she was going to introduce in PLL season 5B? Lmao about time.

WOW that flashback of Caitlin and Nolan just gave me PLL season 1 Alison flashback vibes! Nolan plays the bad manipulative guy so well just like Ali played the bully so well in flashbacks!

Two moms don’t make a right hahahaha who wrote that

Sofia looks FLAWLESS in the pool scene OH MY GODDD. AND her voice is so soothing what the hell

Love how the first scene of Nolan’s mother shows her standing on top of the staircase and the camera panning up. Great directing there. Showing she’ll be like a supreme leader. And then the camera being over her shoulders looking down on Nolan. Again great camera work which conveys the message that she is the boss of this town. I think she’ll be our new Jessica DiLaurentis lol

“I’d like some time for myself” ... “to do what?” OUCH why is that so iconic

Eli is... doing great. He comes across very confident. A star in the making?

Love the cinematography period. And Portland is beautiful!! Better than the Warner Bros lot.

Omg Nolan’s mother gathering “attractive” people for her photo op. Lol, they really are big on presenting a perfect image.

“You saw somebody else” NO CAITLIN, ALISON SAW YOU wow these kids will adamantly lie to uphold perfectionism. I keep saying that but I just love this theme!!!

“I know a little bit about manipulation” hahahahaha Ali

Omg Ali is so good at learning their lies. Of course she is, she’s had years of practice

The woods, Nolan? Nothing good ever happens in the woods.

Lol when Nolan tells Dylan to “kiss me” and Dylan actually contemplates it (and does it). That’s the type of power Nolan has over people.

I love how Ali is trying to help them! I can see a bond eventually forming here.

This scene where Nolan cheats on Ava isn’t shocking since they unfortunately shared it in the promos but hey a douche is a douche.

WHAT THE FUCKITY FUCKING FUCK IT’S TAYLOR WHAT DID I JUST SAY ABOVE

OK I KNOW I GUESSED ALEX DRAKE BUT THIS IS A NEW RECORD FOR FASTEST THEORY TO COME TRUE

Well it wasn’t really a theory I was just joking that she’s not really dead because we didn’t see a body but still do I get a point? Lmao

Nonetheless that shocked me! I love that they’re trying to take down their own family, that’s so dark and it’s only episode 1!

Yes Alison is already getting suspicious. Solve this one please Ali

Sorry I put my phone down during that scene in the woods. I just knew it would be juicy and I wanted to immerse in it properly. I frickin adore this scene. It’s creepy in tone, set in the woods like classic PLL, they’re referring to Ali like a friend and my PLL heart is content, and this is the first time they’re all bonding over one thing: wanting Nolan dead. This is probably my favourite scene in the whole episode.

So I’m guessing the vibes are that they were being recorded in the woods about how they want Nolan to be killed? But didn’t Nolan turn off the security?

Mona gets in her car and chucks a big bag in the back seat. Where was she and what was in the baggggg

Ok that was a bit dramatic Ali (“why am I really here”)

Lol I had to rewatch that for a sec. I thought Ali said “and his dead sister who I just saw pick him up” and I was like wait what Ali knows Taylor’s alive??? No, “dead sister who I just saw a picture of”.

OH MY GOD WHAT A MISSED OPPORTUNITY!!!! THAT SCENE WHERE THE 3 OF THEM ARE WALKING AWAY FROM EACH OTHER... NOLAN’S BODY SHOULD’VE FALLEN TO THE GROUND IN THE MIDDLE OF THEM RIGHT THERE! That would’ve been iconic. Like “oh well we were just kidding about all that, good night xx” then nope bam dead body. But I guess he had to die with poles through his chest as Caitlin said.

Oh Marlene. That’s a LOT of dialogue for a death scene. I hope you can back up and explain what Nolan is talking about before he died. Don’t you dare tell me that was an interpretative dream. Again that’s a lot of dialogue for a death scene. You better know who that killer is Marlene! Don’t make it up the day you write the finale!

I don’t like how we didn’t see Nolan ACTUALLY be killed. They play it safe because they don’t want to show us the killer in action. they basically copied the format of Mona’s “death”. Just change the scene to a flashing ambulance with a lame transition lol.

Another missed opportunity. Mona should’ve said to Ali “they found a body”! That would’ve been iconic in every way possible. First it was Ali’s body now Ali is finding a body and hearing the news and ugh oh well

My god that’s a violent death. And pretty early in the series for a Noel-Khan-level death. Too bad the photos leaked online and we knew that Nolan would not only die, but die like THAT. Those extras/fillers on set really should get charged for having their phones on them and leaking shit. Isn’t there copyright laws or something???? idk

Ummmmmm what? What kind of sci-fi, dollhouse level bullshit is that? That’s kinda over the top. Ehhhh. We’ll see where that goes.

My brain right now instantly got to thinking if Nolan’s murderer will be the “A” of the series or if the killer will just be the main mystery for season 1? Is “who killed Nolan” going to be the overarching story of the entire show or will they answer that sooner rather than later and then start a new mystery? I wonder what the format of this show will be. That’s where my mind is right now as the credits play.

#PLL #pretty little liars #pll the perfectionists #the perfectionists #pll theories #plltp #tp #alison dilaurentis #pretty little liars theories

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thedeaditeslayer · 7 years

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TDS Exclusive: Interview with Ash vs. Evil Dead actor Ray Santiago

Below is a transcribed interview done by phone with actor Ray Santiago. Other than playing Pablo in Ash vs. Evil Dead, Ray has an impressive array of films and TV appearances under his belt such as Suburban Gothic, Trash Fire, In Time, Girlfight, and Meet the Fockers.

Ray Santiago as Pablo Simon Bolivar with the Kandarian Dagger in a still from Ash vs. Evil Dead season 3. (Courtesy of Starz)

Q: First off, what sparked your desire to become an actor and what was your first big break to make it in the industry?

A: As a kid I was really uncomfortable with myself and I always wanted to be other people. In the pursuit of trying to become an actor and playing other people and studying acting I discovered facets of myself and my personality which ultimately lead me into being more comfortable with who I am today. Along with that I knew that as a young kid that grew up in the South Bronx that I was put in this universe to be something special, to be something more. Also, as a kid I didn’t find that any of the people in television that looks like me and I didn’t think consciously I but subconsciously that TV is identity building. I wanted more people out there to see me as an example. I wanted to help that in the future. That was sort of what I discovered in my journey. You have to be who you are and there’s power in that.

My first big break came when I was twelve. I was in a movie called Girlfight with Michelle Rodriguez. It went to Sundance and it won best picture and best director. After that I went to the High School for Performing Arts in New York City. When I was nineteen I played Ben Stiller’s illegitimate son in Meet the Fockers so that was probably the other big break. I then moved to L.A. and jumped from show to show and played different roles like different gang bangers and drug dealers in every interrogation room that existed in Los Angeles. Then I found my way onto Ash vs. Evil Dead.

Ray Santiago as Tiny Guzman (left) in Girlfight. (source)

Q: What learning experiences has working on Ash vs. Evil Dead taught you and how has it molded you as an actor over these three seasons on the show?

A: From Bruce I learned to hit my mark. I think that I was terrified of Bruce until the second episode just because I wanted to make him happy and not let him down. I was sort of all new to what we were doing on the show. He said to me that I was killing it but I need to hit my mark. I was like “Oh, I’m starting to get it now” and he was like “You’re doing all of this great stuff but you’re missing your mark by two inches so note the camera was not picking up on it.” So, I learned that. I think that I learned it in every sense of the word. Show up to your job and hit your mark. Show up prepared and show up ready to do it in one take because sometimes that’s all you might get.

I’ve learned to trust myself and to trust myself as an actor. I’ve learned that I’m better at stunts and co-ordination. I’ve learned to enjoy being alone. When you’re alone in Los Angeles trying to get a job then it’s not so great. When you’re alone in New Zealand and you’ve only had forty minutes or twenty minutes alone because people have been touching you all day because you’ve been having prosthetics all over your face since 4AM being alone can be a beautiful thing. I’ve learned to enjoy what both of those things have to offer. I’ve learned to enjoy the journey because really that’s the beautiful part. It’s not about the money, the accolades, the success or the fame. It’s about how much you work to get where you want to go to and how you enjoy it. It’s from everything in between from when you’re born and you die. You learn to enjoy it.

Ray Santiago as Pablo Simon Bolivar alongside Bruce Campbell as Ash in the episode The Killer of Killers from Ash vs. Evil Dead. (Courtesy of Starz)

Q: Throughout all three seasons of the show, you got to work with many different writers and directors. What is it like working with a diverse team and the diverse cast on each season?

A: TV and film are a collaborative art. We each put a piece of our soul in the pot and we make something together. You learn to appreciate what everyone has to bring to the table. Like I said, as a kid I was really inspired by television. It was my escape and it was my way of seeing the dream. All of those details like from a costume designer put into a show or a writer put into the show or a producer who decided to produce something that other people didn’t want to produce, it all goes into the pot and it all makes a beautiful canvas look beautiful. You learn to enjoy and trust everyone’s color. Everyone brings something to the table and it’s worth looking at and understanding. I love working with Kiwis. I love working with icons like Lucy who are just so sophisticated and so elegant and not a diva at all. She’s so driven by family and her thirst for knowledge of different languages. You learn that there is more to life out there outside of what we do and it ain’t the be all end all.

Q: What kind of trouble does Pablo find himself in season 3?

A: In season three we get to see Pablo sort of finally fulfill his destiny as his own hero. He goes from being just a loyal sidekick to embracing his lineage of a family of brujos. He becomes his own hero and also maybe his worst enemy. There’s an undeniable relationship with the Necronomicon that he has. He’s been tortured by it. It lives within him. In this season we get to see him teeter between both sides of good and evil and try to hone in on the good and evil within himself. Can he use it for the greater of the team or can he use it against the team? We’ve got something very particular this season going on with Pablo. We’d like to call it something very especiale. We’re calling him Brujo Especiale.

Ray Santiago poses as Pablo Simon Bolivar in this promo photo for Ash vs. Evil Dead season 3. (Courtesy of Starz)

Q: If you existed in the Evil Dead world as yourself, what kind of person would you be?

A: I would have probably just have…..ran. That being said, Pablo does get in some pretty good fight scenes this season. He may also lock lips with a certain female character….or maybe even two!

TDS: Oh, that’s like scandalous! *laughs*

A: Oh yeah.

Q: So, did you feel like you were passing the torch to the new cast members and did you give them any advice for season 3?

A: I don’t know if I’m passing the torch but I was definitely sharing it and it was nice to I guess feel alleviated from having so much pressure put on us work wise and schedule wise. I will say this. Arielle has really brought everything that she got to the table. I was really impressed with her. She never complained. She really has a difficult feat of taking on the role of Ash’s daughter but she really does deliver. She’s really beautiful. She’s really humble. We love having her around.

From left to right: Ray Santiago, Arielle Carver-O’Neill, Bruce Campbell, and Dana DeLorenzo as their Ash vs. Evil Dead characters in season 3. (Courtesy of Starz)

Q: In the season 3 trailer Pablo mentions the final test to Ash. Is this really the mettle of man to end all or is there more to it?

A: It might be the end of what we know in this universe but of course in this franchise there could be multiple universes and we can do whatever we want. One thing is for sure. I promise you a jaw dropping finale where everybody will be shocked. A lot of the cast members were really emotionally triggered and drained from shooting this. We didn’t even have to really act. It was so emotional to see what was happening and we were just all living through it truthfully. You never know what’s going to happen on this season. We may be passing torches onto a whole other level or maybe more people than you think may not survive. We’re all going to down with a good fight so you really all need to check it out and I really encourage the viewers to check it out because it’s one of the best seasons that we filmed so far.

TDS: Oh yes, the fans are all about that. I’m sure that you know about #BringBackBoomstick right?

A: Oh yeah, I know about #BringBackBoomstick and if it works then I’ll love you guys forever!

Q: Do you have any fun stories from behind the scenes for this season that you’d like to share with us?

A: I’m probably the one that runs around the most naked out of the group. I definitely like to flash Dana. I’m known for leaving weird body parts and prosthetics in people’s trailers. We just like to have a good time. We’re always dancing in the trailer.

One time we were shooting a scene where we were driving from one location to another in a car and I was covered in blood. I was ducking down in the back seat because I didn’t want anyone in the streets of New Zealand to see me but I peaked up to see where we were drenched in blood. There was a little Asian man in his car and I turned over to him and pulled down the window and was like “Help me!” and he just like drove off.

TDS: That story is very interesting because something very similar happened to Bruce Campbell during the shoot of The Evil Dead. There was a point where he was drenched in blood and he was on the back of a truck and people were horrified when they saw him! So that is very similar to something that has already happened in this franchise.

A: Yeah, it’s so surprising how people just look at you and react and then they go. Hey listen, I did say that if I was in the Evil Dead world and I wasn’t Pablo I would do the same thing!

Q: Thank you so much for taking your time to speak with us! Do you have anything that you would like to share with TDS followers?

A: Probably my social media handles? No, I’m kidding. *laughs* I think that I’ve pretty much shared it all. Pablo is a dreamer and he wants to be a hero and I think that you’ll get to see the full cycle of that this season. Also, just because I died once doesn’t mean that I won’t die again. If they want to see some more heroes being made or destroyed then they should tune in.

From left to right: Lindsay Farris, Dana DeLorenzo, Ray Santiago and Arielle Carver-O’Neill pose for a photo at the Hulu New York Comic Con After Party. (source)

Thank you greatly to Starz and Ray Santiago for the wonderful interview!

Visit the Starz Ash vs. Evil Dead official website here.

Visit Ray Santiago on IMDb I Twitter I Facebook I Instagram

#Ray Santiago #Ash vs. Evil Dead #Ash vs Evil Dead #Starz #Lionsgate

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ifonlyyouandi · 7 years

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Random Casting-REQUESTED

You had met Dylan awhile ago. You had a guy friend that was friends with Britt who obviously was dating Dylan at the time. You all hung out a few times together, you always had a sneaking suspicion that your friend liked you but you weren’t interested in him like that. As some point you all exchanged contact information but you never really talked to Britt or Dylan without the inclusion of your friend.

At some point you were hanging out with another group of people who were throwing a small party. To your surprise, Dylan was there. You went over to talk to him, he looked relieved to see you there.

“Oh my god, I’m so glad that I know more than one person here,” he said to you.

You laughed and talked to him for awhile. It was just small pleasantries and soon enough you were pulled away by one of your other friends.

You found him again later that night, he looked slightly uncomfortable, probably because of his lack of acquaintances there. You felt bad so you started talking to him again, getting to know him a little better outside of being with Britt-that was how you associated him. He came off as slightly shy but very funny and sweet.

You were surprised at how easy it was to talk to him, how much you had in common, and how much you guys could talk about. By the end of the evening you both were talking about having to hangout sometime.

Your friendship with each other started small. You’d text each other about something interesting you saw or something that happened to you. Then it turned into sending funny videos or pictures or memes. You both loved a good meme.

You started hanging out, grabbing coffee or lunch or just meeting at one another’s house. You moved from acquaintances to friends.

You would talk about how cute a new person that you met. He would talk, albeit sparingly, about things that were happening with him and Britt. You talked about your days, your friends, your families, your jobs, your experiences, your histories, your opinions.

You continued to grow into close friends. You saw each other through the ups and downs. Your miscellaneous relationships, his fights and eventual breakup with Britt.

Funnily enough, you didn’t realize that you had both gone out to audition for the same movie. You didn’t realize until you were doing a scene test together.

“How did we not realize before?” you asked.

The casting director was pleased that you two already knew each other and ecstatic that you were good friends. Your chemistry test went well and you each ended up with your desired roles.

Dylan was the leading role. You weren’t the leading lady though. You were the sidekick best friend that Dylan’s character ended up falling for after realizing the main female character wasn’t who he thought she was and what he thought he wanted. It was a cute, dorky, typical rom-com but you both really liked the script and felt that it had an important message for teenagers and young adults.

You were in the middle of filming the movie and the producers set up a photoshoot with the main characters. You each had shots that were for your characters. You also had shots with all three of you. Then they took shots of Dylan and the other girl. There were also shots of both of you girls. They decided to make your shots with Dylan the last ones of the day.

The photographers were really pushing to make the promo photos have a high sex appeal. They had all of you wearing skimpier clothes and be all over each other. It was easy for Dylan and your costar to look lustful with each other. It was easy for you and her to get the sexy-heated fight pictures.

It was hard to decide on how to label your turn with Dylan. You hadn’t started filming any of the more intimate scenes of the movie yet so you hadn’t needed to worry about. The photographer was getting annoyed with your awkwardness at the situation. You decided to just get out of your thoughts and just go for it.

You were amazed at how easy it became to just give what the photographer wanted and be all over Dylan. The photographer even suggested about kissing. At first Dylan did a sweet kiss on the forehead. When that didn’t go well you just went for it and kissed him, and then he was kissing you back. And then suddenly the photographer was telling you that you were done.

You blushed now that it was over.

“Well,” Dylan said awkwardly, “I think we gave them what they wanted.”

“Yeah,” you agreed, “I just don’t get why they want shots of us all over each other. I feel like that’s just spoiling the movie.”

“I agree but they probably won’t even use them. I think the ones with all three of us would be the best.”

You didn’t talk about it again. It was just business and you were just friends, but it was a little strange when you saw each other for the first time after that. You both acknowledged the weirdness and laughed about it, saying that you were both acting bizarre and that everything was the same.

“Jeez we couldn’t even do one kiss for a photo without bugging out, how are we going to be after we do those scenes?” you teased.

“I’m not going to think about that right now,” Dylan laughed.

A few weeks passed and the scenes were almost completed. You had finally filmed the scenes that were about you and Dylan’s characters getting together. It was intense, passionate, and lovely. And still incredibly awkward afterwards.

You and Dylan had become good friends with some of the cast that were around your ages and you all decided that you all deserved a night out.

The girls all put on their sexiest (but still somewhat modest) going out outfits and did their hair and makeup. The guys cleaned up pretty well too.

Everyone agreed that barhopping sounded like the best idea, so that’s what you did.

A cute guy sought you out and you followed him to the dance floor, leaving Dylan behind.

One of your cast mates pulls you aside, “Hey what’s up with you and Dylan?”

“What?”

“Dylan can’t keep his eyes off of you,” she says.

“What? No,” you laugh, “We’re just friends.”

“Honey, he isn’t looking at you like he wants to be your friend.”

Startled you peer over at Dylan, he quickly avoids averts his eyes.

“N-no. No way. No, we’re just friends.”

“That’s what they all say,” she sings, giving you a knowing look before sauntering off.

#requests #imagine #dylan o'brien #dylan o'brien fanfic #dylan o'brien fanfiction #dylan o'brien imagine #teen wolf #teen wolf fanfiction #teen wolf imagines #the maze runner

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hawthornewhisperer · 7 years

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On Tumblr’s “safe” mode

So I’ve been watching tumblr’s “won’t someone think of the children” feature roll out warily, because their improvements rarely go well and I was not surprised to discover that they were celebrating pride on the one hand and categorizing LGBT blogs as “unsuitable for children.”

And then last night I posted a photoset and an excerpt of a fic I’m posting on Ao3. The original post is here but if you’re too lazy to click/don’t care that much, just know that it’s six photos: three faces/headshots, a set of books, a coffee cup with a blanket behind it, and a backpack. That’s it.

And tumblr marked it “sensitive.” Which, okay, they made this post last week explaining that it’s a computer that searches photosets and it might make a mistake here and there, so fine, technology isn’t perfect and they had a “request review” option so I chose that and figured by the time I woke up it would all be solved.

But it’s not. And really, it’s just a post about a fic, nothing life changing, but in tumblr’s “we screwed up” apology post they made it sound like they were sincerely working on fixing things and I wanted to call attention to the fact that their new system is severely broken in several ways:

1) I wasn’t alerted that my post was marked sensitive when I posted it-- I only discovered that accidentally when I mistakenly brought my own blog up in my sidebar and noticed that the top post had a small black banner on it that said it had been marked sensitive. I guess I should be obsessively checking my posts that way to make sure tumblr didn’t screw up?

2) In their explanatory post they made it sound like most of the mistakes with the safe mode were because blogs had marked themselves nsfw, and last night someone suggested that perhaps I’d posted or reblogged something nsfw recently and had been accidentally categorized that way. Except my blog is not marked nsfw/explicit and I don’t generally reblog nsfw photos on this blog-- I do post fairly explicit fic, but tumblr’s main objection appears to be images, not words. (Plus I feel like there’s a huge difference between having a giant erect penis pop up on your dash and some smut. One is easily scrolled past, the other feels visible from SPACE when you are in a public place, so I sort of get it. SORT OF.) But clearly their algorithm needs some work.

3) I requested a review of my post around 10pm last night and as of 3pm today, it’s *still* categorized as NSFW. I’m going to hazard a guess that this means tumblr’s staff members tasked with reviewing posts are completely overwhelmed with requests because this post shouldn’t take more than 2 seconds to review. (There’s not even porn in the written part! Which admittedly is a possibility with me.) I would not be surprised if I’m wayyyyyy down the list and this isn’t cleared up for some time still. But that also means tumblr’s algorithm is still casting far too wide a net and I’m sure a lot of other posts have been caught up in this nonsense too.

And look, guys, I don’t actually care about this that much because I’m sure whenever this post pops up on the review screen it’ll be approved and it’s just a fic promo so in the grand scheme of things, it’s nbd.

BUT.

If tumblr’s algorithm is doing this to LGBT blogs, that means LGBT blogs are probably stuck in this backlog too. That means that LGBT kids are being denied access to information by a community that professes to support them on the one hand and then deems them “dangerous” on the other. It means that six days after tumblr apologized for this fuck up they still haven’t actually fixed it. And that’s not fucking okay.

#I'm sure other blogs are way more on top of this #but I was surprised and I figure that means other people might be too

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3dnygma · 7 years

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I went to the German Comic Con in Frankfurt yesterday and got to meet Robin Lord Taylor, Sean Pertwee, Drew Powell and Erin Richards! I also got an autograph from Robin, got to talk to all four of them (gave them tiny presents!) and visited a Q&A panel with them. The amazing @robinllordtaylor was there too - and we spent almost the whole day together!! (with an irl friend of mine joining us)

As I have a lot to tell about this wonderful experience, you can read more under the cut! But to summarise: I had a great time and the Gotham cast is precious, as always.

The first event to take place was the picture with Robin. Julia (robinllordtaylor) and I met about half an hour before that. The photoshoot turned out to happen earlier than expected (because they changed the schedule) but we managed to get there in time! I asked Robin if I could “arrest” him on the picture and if he could make a shocked expression....well, this is how it turned out to be! Really happy with the result.

Next came the picture with Erin. I made the same pose with her but sadly blinked on the first picture. The photograph allowed me to take a second one (in which I didn’t blink!) but the person that was responsible for the digital version of the pictures put the wrong one on my USB stick. Still salty about that but, well, mistakes happen.

Then, we took our pictures with Sean. I made that certain pose with him because Alfred is a good character (so there’s no need to arrest him, haha)! The photoshoots were pretty rushed by the way, so I didn’t really get the chance to talk to them.

However, that all changed when we decided to get an autograph by Robin in-between Sean’s and Drew’s photoshoot! The line was pretty long and Robin was on lunch break while we joined the line - but the wait was worth it. I’m from Austria and prepared Mozartkugeln (a famous sweet over here) for all four of them. But I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to give them to the actors without buying an autograph, so I decided to gave all four of them to Robin.

Well, I got my autograph (you can see it here), told him how much I love Gotham and explained that I came to Germany from Austria. But, as I wanted to give him the sweets, he made a shocked expression and said “Why don’t you give it to them by yourself??” He then pointed at Drew (who was sitting right next to him) and went “Drew is so nice, he won’t harm you! You don’t have to be scared!! And Erin loves chocolate - go give it to them now!!” I swear, it was sooo funny and sweet of him to say that!

(My friend, who has seen the first episode of Gotham a few days ago, also got an autograph from him - and Julia did, too! Her interaction with him was absolutely beautiful, I really hope that she’s going to talk about that one on her own blog soon. It was so great to see her, and Robin’s, reaction! He also said “Tschüss!” (”bye” in german) after the autographs!)

After he was done with writing the autograph, I quickly followed his advice and went right to Drew, as there was currently no one getting an autograph from him. I explained that I had a tiny present for him, from my country, and he confessed that he really wants to go to Austria someday. “Do you live in Salzburg?” - “No, but I only live one hour away from it!” He was really happy about the sweets.

Erin’s line was a bit longer. She loved the sweets and already knew them - and she told me that she has already been in Salzburg! I asked her whether she visited Mozart’s birthplace to which she said yes! I also talked about Gotham with her and told her how awesome her white fur coat in the new promo looks. I was pretty shocked when she told me that the show had originally rented that coat, as it was worth “20 grand”. Sadly, Erin accidentally burned some of it - and they had to pay for the whole coat! I feel pretty sorry for her, despite it being a very interesting story.

I also gave Sean some Mozartkugeln. He knew them already and told me that he loves them! He also mentioned that his aunt and cousin live in Germany and that he visits them sometimes. It was wonderful getting the chance to talk to all of them and I’m very thankful for the staff for letting me do so without buying an autograph (the autographs are pretty expensive). One staff member even said “aww that’s so cute!

After the autographs session, we got our pictures with Drew. He was in another photo booth, that’s why the background of his picture is a bit different! His expression on that picture was amazing. Afterwards, I got the USB stick with the digital versions of the photos.

The last event was the Q&A panel. We arrived about 20 minutes earlier and got pretty normal seats (they were pretty narrow, though!). The panel was about half an hour long and they answered questions by the fans. I was the second one to ask a question! “What did you enjoy most about working with Ben McKenzie as a director?”, as I read that he directed one of the upcoming episodes and figured that it was a question that they would enjoy answering. A professional was filming the panel, so I really hope that it will be uploaded to YouTube soon, which is why I won’t state all of their answers here. The short version: They loved it because Ben, playing the main character on Gotham, knows that show better than anyone else and because he got the fellow actors well and gave them a lot of freedom for that episode! He will probably direct more episodes in the future.

I also met great cosplayers at that convention - Arkham!Ed and Arkham!Oswald were my faves - and bought some merch and comics. Here’s a list of what I bought:

Batgirl Vol. 1: The Batgirl of Burnside (for my cousin, she loves Batgirl but hasn’t read any comics so far)

LEGO figures of the Joker and Superman (for my other cousin, he’s four years old and obsessed with LEGO Batman)

Gotham City Sirens Vol. 9 and Vol. 10 (because they seem to have the Riddler in it - also: Harley, Selina and Ivy!!!)

a black t-shirt with the Riddler on it

Batman-themed badges (Batman, Catwoman, the Riddler and a question mark)

japanese pocky sticks (always wanted to try this snack)

a plush Ryuk and L keychain (they were in a Death Note happy bag)

Overall, I am so thankful for this experience! This was the first comic con that I ever went to and I’m so glad that it turned out to be a wonderful day. Julia was so nice and sweet irl, it was so cool having someone to talk about Gotham and the cast with irl! She is also going to meet the cast again in May (at the Heroes and Villains convention in Londn!) - including Cory, my favourite cast member. Weeks before the con, she offered me to give him a letter from me, so I wrote that one a few days ago and gave it to her yesterday!! She’ll deliver it to Cory and I’m so thankful for that!

The only criticism that I have with the convention is Frankfurt’s convention area itself. It was very hard to find the entrance to the con because everything there is so big and confusing (worse than any airport I’ve ever been to). Otherwise, I really enjoyed it! (sorry for writing so much about this!!)

#robin lord taylor #sean pertwee #drew po #erin richards #german comic con #robinllordtaylor #personal #gotham cast #gotham #frankfurt #german comic con frankfurt

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staytheb · 6 years

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Stay

Genre: idol!au, slice of life, slight fluff Word Count: 4,412 Summary: Sisters, Melanie and Serena get snowed in in their apartment building. SKZ also live in the same apartment complex and on the same floor and all eleven end up hanging out to pass time. Only because SKZ locked themselves out of their dorm.

Warning: none... i think. maybe swear words. i honestly forgot. lol

so yeah, this came up because this user was doing a writing contest for winter stories with the snowed in prompt and this happened. other than that yeah. also the title STAY is a double meaning with the fandom name as well as a place to be. happy reading and kthxbai, Admin Lia~

revised. 9.10.20

"Hey, it's seven." Melanie said to her sister, Serena.

Serena jerked awake after hearing Melanie's words and reached out for her phone to check the time. It was only six-fifty-two.

"Seven my ass." Serena groaned while stretching before getting out of bed.

Serena exited her room while passing Melanie's to see her sister do her make-up before going to the bathroom for her morning routine. Less than fifteen minutes later and all bundle up for the cold weather, the sisters left their apartment, down the elevators, and were met with the building staff informing them that they were unable to leave the premises due to the heavy snow causing them to be snowed in.

"All of that for nothing. Thanks." Serena stated with sarcasm as she and her sister rode the elevator back to their apartment.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault. The weather person said it wouldn't snow that much and we'll be able to do some last minute Christmas shopping." Melanie defended herself while letting out a sigh. "I was supposed to get Nayoung's gift for tomorrow."

"Then why did you need me again?"

"Because you were supposed to buy all the other smaller gifts for the kids at your work next week."

"Oh, right. I forgot."

"Mmhmm."

The elevator doors opened, the pair stepped out, and made their way back home while passing by a group of boys. The sisters turned their head to face them while informing them that they couldn't leave the building due to the snow. Not really paying attention to the who the group of boys were, the sisters continued on their way while starting a new conversation.

"Hey, you know what group I've been listening to on repeat now?" Serena asked Melanie as she already knew the answer. "Stray Kids."

"Yeah. How's you know?"

"Don't think I don't hear Dope Flamingo in the morning or the part in I Am You from Felix to the end over and over late at night. I may be selective hearing, Rina, but I can still hear that, too."

"My bad, my bad. But yeah, I'm actually listening to their stuff."

"Wow, seriously? Like nine months later?"

"Hey, technically I did listen to Stray Kids, but I was just not paying attention to them at those times. In my defense, Mel, I was way more focused with Idol Producer and all of the boys' activities once the show ended." Serena defended herself. "Plus, Jeffrey's 9 to 5 has been on repeat, too, still."

"Mmhmm."

"Whatever. The life of a multi-fandom fangirl is tough."

"Basically."

"Oh, by the way, My Pace actually grew on me, but I Am You is still like their best promo song for now."

"Okay." Melanie scoffed. "What made you changed your mind, huh?"

"Well, after you played that one performance of theirs for their comeback, I actually really like the beat and message of I Am You once I focused on it more. Honestly though actually all of their songs have really good messages and you can relate with it on a more personal level of oneself."

The sisters finally reached their apartment door with Melanie searching for her keys as Serena left it behind.

"Oh, yeah?" Melanie mused. "Who's your bias?"

"Uh, well you probably already know this knowing how you always know who's my bias, but it's C-" Serena paused in mid-sentence upon glancing up and recognizing the group of males that had passed by them earlier.

"Oh, shit."

"What?" Melanie cast her a confused look before following her line of sight and Melanie's eyes widened upon recognizing the males. "Whoa. It's Stray Kids."

"Oh, wait. We're fine since they don't speak English." Serena said with a relieved breath not really thinking clearly due to lack of sleep as Melanie shot her a look with a smirk. "Did you really forget that two of them are fluent while the rest can more or less understand and speak it?"

"Ah, fuck." Serena swore in English before switching to Korean and apologizing. "Sorry, my bad."

She nudged her sister. "Can you like open the doof\r now so that I can scream into a pillow of my complete embarrassment of this moment?"

"No." Melanie deadpanned with a laugh.

She then turned towards the idols while ignoring her sister who let out a soft groan as Serena had turned away from the people.

"Hi." She greeted them while speaking in Korean. "What can we do for you guys?"

"Um, we wanted to ask if you knew for how long we'll be snowed in for?" Chan asked as the leader of Stray Kids.

"The guy up front said something about all morning and that it may be all day if the snow continues like this well into the night."

The other boys let out concerns amongst them about not being able to head to the company for practice and lessons. They wondered what they should do as a few of them tried to call their manager about not being to work. At this time, Serena was sneakily trying to grab Melanie's keys which got her sister's attention.

"What are you doing?" Melanie asked glancing at her keys before looking up at Serena.

"I'm trying to go inside where my warm bed is calling me back to sleep in it." Serena remarked with a roll of her eyes. "Can we?"

"Let me basked in Stray Kids' presence right now."

"I'm surprised you haven't asked for a photo yet."

"I gotta show them respect and space. Duh. They're just like the rest of us, but more noticeable."

"Ah, true. Okay, whatever. Do your thing and I'll just sulk over here quietly until your done."

"Stop being a loner and acting like a baby."

"I can do whatever I want. You're not my mom."

The sisters' usual bantering were interrupted with a few coughs that drew their attention back onto the nine males.

"So, uh, this might be a bit weird," Chan began before Jisung cut to the chase. "Can we hang out with you guys since we locked ourselves out of our dorm and our manager is unable to return since he's also stuck at the company because of the snow."

"Seriously?" Melanie and Serena chorused while shooting the other a look before facing the boys again.

"You're not worried that we might be crazy fans or something like that?" Serena asked cautiously.

"Well, you guys would have crowded us by now if you were." Minho reasoned as Serena laughed. "You do know that there are fans who are just as crazy as regular crazy fans, but aren't as brash as others and attacked in a different way, right?"

Melanie elbowed her sister before explaining what Serena meant as her sister cast her an annoyed look, but didn't say anything.

"What my sister means is that are you sure that you trust us to actually hang out?" Melanie asked with a kind expression. "Because you don't really know us and we're practically strangers."

"Oh yeah, sure, Mel, that's totally what I meant." Serena mumbled in a sulking tone.

"You're STAYs and we're Stray Kids. We're not strangers at all." Felix reasoned while using English as Chan shot the sisters a sheepish look while letting out a sheepish laugh, but spoke in Korean. "We might've overheard your conversation earlier."

"Oh, great. Another thing to add to my already overflowing list of embarrassments especially that they heard and understood me." Serena muttered once more to herself as Melanie elbowed her with a chuckle. "What else is new?"

"Shut up."

"We're not interrupting anything are we?" Seungmin suddenly asked upon seeing the way the sisters were interacting and one of them being not as lively as the other.

"Oh, no, we're fine." Melanie smiled at them. "She's just cranky because she hasn't slept much."

"Yeah, just tired, but peachy. Sorry." Serena mustered up a sincere smile, but Melanie knew her sister wanted to throttle her right then and there.

"Anyways, we've been standing out here a bit too long so let's go inside and get warmed up, yeah?" Melanie suggested while pointing behind her. "I can make you guys hot cocoa and we can just watch some Christmas movie or something like that."

"Yeah, you play hostess and I'll get sleep." Serena mused in English. "Definitely sounds like a great plan."

It definitely wasn't. Serena ended up playing co-hostess with Melanie and was unable to returned back to sleep. For the next three hours the siblings served the idols hot cocoa, some snacks and food, and watched Nightmare High instead of a Christmas movie because that's where Serena had left off on last night. While the boys were in the middle of the last few episodes as they actually got time to just relax and be normal young adults, Serena went to annoy Melanie in the kitchen.

"You know, Mel, it's still kinda weird that we have idols in our home just chilling and relaxing yet it seems like they're our actual brothers who I might add are kinda needy now that I think about it." Serena commented with a chuckle as Melanie agreed.

"Me, too, Rina. Kinda makes me miss our actual ones back home."

"Yeah, right. That's a lie. You don't miss them that much."

"True. Anyways, you think the snow lightened up by now?"

"Not really. I looked out the window earlier and there's no one in the streets. No car or people, well, except the workers trying to get everything in order I guess."

"Does that mean we're gonna have a sleepover with Stray Kids?"

"Please, don't. It's crowded as it is with everyone awake. I don't even wanna think about how it'll be like when they're all asleep."

"Well, if the snow doesn't clear soon, then the boys won't be able to get back into their place since they don't have the key and their manager is still stuck at the company. The boys might end up staying the night for sure."

"I'm just surprised that they haven't asked their other label-mates though. I thought they would all live in the same building."

"Who knows. I don't keep up to date about that stuff. Oh well, more time to bask in their presence."

"You love this, don't cha?"

"Love what? That one of the groups I like is hanging out in my home just chilling? Yeah, it's pretty cool. Don't you?"

"I don't know what to think. I'm not cool like you."

"Well you better 'Get Cool', then." Melanie mused as Serena shot her a look. "Did you really have to say that?"

"It just came." Melanie shrugged. "If it happens, then it happens."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Serena dismissed before catching two red colored boxes. "Do you think the boys would mind decorating some ugly sweaters?"

"I dunno. Why do you ask?"

Serena pointed at the two ugly sweater cookie box set on their fridge.

"Isn't that supposed to be for the kids?"

"No. They can do something else. I wanna see what the boys would design and see how chaotic they would be in decorating cookies before one of them turn it into a competition or some shit like that."

"Wow. You would."

"Mmhmm." Serena hummed.

Melanie made her way towards the refrigerator to grab the two boxes and brought them down and handed it over to Serena. The duo headed back to the living room to announced the small yet fun activity to the idols. In less than five minutes when everything was out of its package and the nine idols each all got a sweater cookie in front of them did they started sabotaging one another. Melanie looked over at Serena while informing her that she would be the one cleaning up the mess since it was her idea. Serena regretfully nodded thinking they wouldn't have been this chaotic in simple cookie decorating while making her way to go get the vacuum.

"If you don't mind me asking, but why do you have a lot of men's clothing?" Jeongin asked once Serena also handed him a pair of tops and bottoms as he was the last one to received them and none of the other boys dared to do so.

"I like baggy clothing and some times our brothers visits over during the holidays and we keep extra clothes for them here." Serena answered before shooting him an apologetic smile. "Sorry if they're kinda big on you."

"No, no, it's fine. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Again, sorry about the whole mess and-"

"It's fine. Don't worry about it. Now, go check-in with Melanie and see if the line has shortened yet."

"Will do!"

Jeongin rushed off to check-in with Melanie as Serena crashed onto the couch tiredly. It took them about an hour to clean up the mess and then some more time to find clothes and have the boys used both of their bathrooms to clean off the frosting and candies. Serena felt like she just finished baby-sitting her niece, but times that by nine. Just as she was about to close her eyes she heard Melanie called for her.

"This is what I get for sleeping late and assuming that I'll be fine with a few hours of sleep. Ugh." Serena grumbled and groaned while lifting herself from the couch and slowly headed towards her sister.

"Hmm?" She hummed once she met with Melanie.

"Do you have more towels? I can't find any in the storage." Melanie asked as Serena nodded. "Yeah, I think I have some in my room. Hold on."

Serena went to go check and grabbed the three she saw first and brought them over. She held up a Hello Kitty, a Pikachu, and a Poppy towel towards her sister.

"Aww you have a Pikachu one? I would have totally used that instead of this one." Changbin said as he held up a damp coral towel after drying his hair.

Melanie laughed. "Sorry, Changbin, I forgot that Rina had other towels."

"He's really Baby Changbin, huh?" Serena mused with a chuckle as Changbin turned shy upon hearing the nickname.

"He is, but I think all of them are Stray Babies, anyways." Melanie stated as Serena nodded in agreement with a laugh. "OMG, true."

"You make us sound like we're puppies and kittens." Seungmin commented upon hearing the pair's words.

"You kinda are at the moment since we took you in as you're locked out of your dorm." Serena reasoned as Melanie laughed. "Dude, that's kinda true."

"Usually we're the ones that trash talk each other. It's kind of different hearing it from our fans when we're around." Hyunjin said with a small smile. "Of course we do hear some similar things, but they're more in the sweet and lovable sort of way."

"Yeah, that's not really our thing." Melanie stated. "We mainly cheer from afar and just support while making fun and silly comments about those that we like."

Melanie pointed at Serena. "Well, that's me. Serena likes to deny a lot of things and pretends she doesn't care, but she does."

"Thanks for exposing me." Serena muttered as Melanie grinned. "You're welcome."

"By the way," Felix interjected, "Who won the ugly sweater thing?"

"Were we supposed to judge that?" Melanie pointed at herself and Serena. "Because I didn't do anything."

"I didn't either. You guys can judge that." Serena informed them while walking back to the living room. "I'm gonna watch my Youtube."

"Oh, yeah, just throw your clothes in the pile and we'll wash it so you guys can gave it back." Melanie said while pointing at the floor before walking off. "I'll be with Rina if ya need me or us."

By the time Stray Kids cleaned themselves up, changed into the clothes the girls gave them, and entered the living room did they see that lots of blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals had been laid out all over the living room and that a fake mini Christmas tree had been set up in the corner of the apartment.

"What's going on?" Minho asked first.

"Oh, this is just in case the snow continues the way it is." Melanie answered while continuing to decorate the last pieces of her fake tree.

"Yeah, you guys can choose to sleep wherever you want." Serena explained after having laid out the last blanket. "We just laid it out like whatever, but you can move and set it however you like, especially the stuffed animals."

"But it's barely like one in the afternoon." Jisung stated having checked his phone.

"Then that means it's nap time." Serena mused with a tired expression, but Melanie disagreed. "No, Rina. It's lunch time."

"Well, then you can make lunch for the kids while I have a meeting with my bed."

"You're such a kid."

"Always and forever."

Serena began making her way towards her room while pointing at things behind her while speaking to the idols.

"Have fun. Enjoy yourself and try not to make that much of a mess. Okay, good night!"

She bid them farewell with a small laugh and escaping to her room before Melanie could ask her to do anything else.

"Um, if you want us to leave, we can." Chan said just as Melanie finished decorating her trees before turning to face the boys. "No, you guys are fine. I'm sure you don't have any where else to go unless your other label-mates live in the same building or something then yeah, it's up to you."

Melanie then thought of her sister and cast them a reassuring smile. "Don't mind, Serena. She's just weird and acts like that to distance herself and what not. Still, if y'all wanna leave, then you can. If not, then you're more than welcome to stay."

Stray Kids ended up staying as their label-mates were actually either at the company or overseas doing their own activities. They really didn't have anywhere else to go unless they asked the front for a key, but neither of them wanted to ask since their manager had to replace their keys twice this month already. He was not thrilled about it and it actually came out of their pockets that time around.

"What's your guys' apartment number?" Serena suddenly asked upon entering the living room again while dressed in warmly and putting on a bigger jacket.

"Um, where are you going?" Melanie asked her sister.

"Gonna get the kids a key so they can get inside their apartment."

"Are you kicking us out?" Changbin asked with a frown.

"Yeah, did we do something wrong?" Jisung added.

Serena shook her head as she answered them. "No, it's not like that. I just don't want my sister and I to get in trouble or you guys to get in trouble or anything like that if your manager and maybe your company finds out you've been hanging out with fans."

"Oh." The idols chorused.

"So what's your number?"

"It's seven-twenty-four." Chan informed Serena.

"Okay, cool. Meet me at the lobby in like five minutes and act like how you actually act towards your actual manager."

"What exactly are you gonna do?"

"I have to appear like I walked my ass all the way from the company and pretend to be a JYP staff and Stray Kids' new second manager." She cast a glance at the boys. "Okay, it's easy. Just act like you've been waiting and all that. Five minutes."

Soon enough Serena exited the apartment with the idols looking over at Melanie.

"Hey, just go with it. She's really not trying to kick you out, but she is looking out for your guys' well-being." Melanie stated with a shrug. "I would've done the same."

It was more like another five minutes wait as the boys waited for Serena to appear at the front desk since they didn't see her around the lobby. Melanie stayed back since she didn't want to ruin anything to whatever Serena was planning. A moment later, the door burst opened letting in the cold air and some snow before revealing Serena shaking off the excess white specks off of her.

"Noona!" Stray Kids exclaimed as they ran towards her and enveloped her in a group hug.

Serena was about to push them away, but remember that she told them to act like how they would to their actual manager. She was surprised that they were like this and wondered how overwhelmed their actual manager must get because of them and managing them.

"Okay, okay. Calm down and let me get through so we can get warm up." Serena told them as each boy finally released her before ordering them to stand off to the side so she could take care of the situation."

"I need a key to apartment number seven-two-four, please." Serena said to the male staff at the front desk.

"And may I asked who's asking?" He asked with a cautious look.

"A JYP staff and their second manager." Serena answered while pointing behind her with a neutral expression. "Now the key, please."

"What happened with Mr. Min Taesuk?"

"Oppa had other things to take care and I was left to deal with this. May I have the key, please."

"Didn't we already made copies for that apartment a few months ago?"

"Yes, you did and unfortunately these boys keep losing and forgetting them."

The male staff was hesitant and Serena's patience was growing thin.

"If I need to make an unnecessary call to Boss JYP for you to even get this handle I won't mind doing so and explain that a small matter had to interrupt his important ones." Serena slightly reasoned and threatened while bringing out her mobile phone.

"No, no. It's okay. Seven-two-four, correct?" The staff turned polite upon hearing JYP and listened to Serena.

"Yes."

The male staff went to input the information before hurrying to the back for something. He returned with a spare and handed it over to Serena.

"Luckily, we have one always on hand so here you go." He smiled as politely as possible. "Sorry about that, ma'am. No charge for your convenience."

"It's fine and thank you. I appreciate the convenience. Have a nice day."

Serena curtly turned around and walked by the boys while motioning at them to follow her. "Let's go."

"Thank you so much noona!" The boys cheered as they all entered the elevator back to their floor.

Once the elevator doors closed did Serena let out a breath.

"I can't believe that work!" Jeongin exclaimed with excitement.

"Noona you're so cool!" Minho complimented as she gave him a thumbs up.

Chan patted her back in thanks. "Sorry for troubling you, but thank you."

Serena gave him a small smile while offering him the the card. Chan took it with a grateful look.

"Did you actually go outside?" Hyunjin asked with a curious gaze. "How did they not noticed you?"

"I scaled the walls." Serena answered with a neutral expression.

"Really?" They let out with widened eyes.

"No." She deadpanned before explaining. " I took the stairs and exited out the back and basically rounded the building, but had to wait because of the traffic and the whole re-directing bit. It was longer than expected."

"Thank you." Chan thanked her once again with a sincere look. "We really do appreciate this."

"You're welcome."

The doors opened and Melanie was waiting outside their own apartment. The group of eleven crowded around apartment 722.

"How'd it go?" Melanie asked.

"Peachy. The boys can actually go back home." Serena replied with a smile.

Melanie slightly frowned. "Aww, so soon?"

The idols also looked a bit sad to go, but Chan mustered up a smile. "We thank you for your hospitality and for taking care of us, but we've imposed enough and-"

"It's fine. You guys can stay as long as you like. You don't have to go just yet, I guess." Serena reluctantly told them as everyone cheered.

"I'm so glad you said that because Melanie told us we'll watch Frozen and get to make gingerbread houses." Felix stated happily.

"Oh, she did, did she?"

Serena eyed her sister who just smiled at her with a huge smirk.

"Whatever. Just try not to get frosting in each other's hair again, okay?"

"Okay!" The idols cheered as they rushed inside the girls' apartment while leaving the sisters behind.

"I hate you." Serena said with a glare at Melanie while using English.

"No you don't." Melanie countered with a laugh also using English. "Hey, at least you can hang out with Bang Chan more."

"I hate that you know who my bias is already. Not cool."

"Your favorite member is our leader, Serena?" Felix asked to confirm having coming up to the girls to ask them something which wasn't the first question he asked.

"No." "Yes." Serena and Melanie answered differently causing Felix to grinned mischievously. "I heard the conversation and I can't wait to tell him."

"No you don't or I'm throwing you outside and you can become an actual snowman." Serena threatened as Melanie dismissed her threat. "No she won't because she's lazy and doesn't wanna die by the other STAYs."

"I'll buy you vegimite and butter for your toasts for as long as we both shall live if you don't say anything." Serena pleaded as Melanie shook her head with a laugh. "No, don't do it Felix."

"Don't listen to her, Felix."

"I'll think about it." Felix smiled mischievously until Serena looked at him while speaking in a firm tone as she enunciated his name. "Lee. Yong. Bok."

Felix froze upon hearing his Korean name and felt a shiver run down his spine. "Okay. I won't do it."

"Do what?" Chan suddenly appeared while gazing at all three of them.

"You're Serena's bias." Melanie revealed with a chuckle while pushing Felix inside the apartment and then pushing Chan out of it before slamming the door closed.

Chan looked at Serena questioningly with an awkward smile while Serena just shook her head in disbelief.

"Can you get one of your kids to open the door and I'll shall make you home-cooked food for as long as we both shall live?" Serena asked in a calm tone as Chan let out a laugh with a nod. "Sure, but don't you forget this deal."

"How can I?" Serena let out in a defeated tone with a wry smile. "It's been added to my already overflowing pile of embarrassments."

#staytheb #stray kids scenarios

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