#Just so thankful this collaboration was started and we can all celebrate their 10th together.

[pierrotsdrawer]

The Wolf that Fell in Love with Little Red Riding Hood (yt/nnd)

My piece for this years 100kagaminecollabo. Happy 10th anniversary! 

[8ofdecember]

The last time I did something like this was 4(?) years ago, but this is just so funny! They’re attending ZIP! from their own houses. Any weirdness is purely on my grasp of what they’re saying. I don’t own the video btw.

Masu pretends to press a button and connect the call: Ah, we’re connected! Good morning everyone!

Everyone wave and say good morning.

Masu: Amazing. This is quite the sight! Ah but I feel that there are people present who are giving out this sense of “who’s this?!” First there’s Naoki.

Kenjiro: Eh? Naoki? Why?

Masu: Probably his hairstyle?

Kenjiro: Recently he’s going for this singed Naoki style.

Naoki: Please allow me to burn you.

Masu: I also feel that Imaichi’s image is a little different?

Ryuji: Oh really?

Naoto: He feels fresher.

Kenjiro: Yeah that’s right. There isn’t that prickly feeling

Someone says he feels softer (more approachable)

Ryuji: I am at home after all.

Voice in the backgroud: The members who are showing a different side of themselves because they are at home.

Masu: There’s something I’m a bit curious about. Are the wallpapers of the homes of the members of Sandaime J soul brothers all matching brick wall patterns?

Iwata: It’s just coincidence that Naoto and I have brick wallpapers:

Masu: You’re not living together, are you?

Kenjiro laughs out loud.

Iwata, Naoto: No.

Masu: And Elly’s house is full of Marilyn Monroe (actually you only see two portraits XD)

Elly: I really like Marilyn Monroe.

Masu: How many Marilyns do you have?

Elly: All in all, 4 Marilyns.

Background voice: And then we go to this request

Masu: Since this a precious opportunity where you’re doing an interview from home, if it’s alright with you, we were wondering if you could share a treasured item with us.

Naoto: This thing (as he brings a big box into view), I’m not sure I should call it a treasure. It’s more like a treasure and a bother. Gun-chan told me, “Naoto-san this is your birthday present.” The bag holding it was really really big. I bought it home and it was really heavy and I was wondering what it was. I opened it with a great deal of excitement and it turned out to be a kayak!

Everyone just starts laughing.

Iwata: Isn’t a kayak great!

Naoto: I wanted to ask the guys: do I look like I go kayaking?

Ryuji: No you don’t.

Meanwhile Tosaka claps gleefully.

Iwata: Naoto-san is the kind who likes hills and rivers (Naoto agrees) and I have this image of him going to these places. I had this thought where maybe he would just happen to go to a river in private and think “AH, there’s a kayak loaded in my car, why don’t I bring it out for a run?”

Tosaka: Do you really expect that kind of miracle to happen?

Background voice: Although the conversation doesn’t stop here, we need to move on to the main theme.

Masu: To the members of sandaime J soul brothers, it’s still a bit early, but this year’s November 10th is the 10th anniversary of your debut. Congratulations! (The members thank him) This is a great opportunity so we would like to look back on ZIP! and sandaime’s history from our first meeting.

Background voice: From the precious archive footage of ZIP!, let’s look back on the 10 year history of sandaime J soul brothers. The first one is from June 2011 at their first album release event.

Footage-Naoto: From the bottom of my heart, I’m really happy.

Tosaka: His face was sharp!

Naoto: My eyebrows were so thin!

Background: Then two years later in April 2013 we have an interview. The members who are watching this footage (Elly and Kenjiro were partnered up: cooking demonstration + beatboxing) 7 years later are curious about-

Naoto: At the back, Naoki’s hairstyle was eyecatching.

Elly: Yes! I noticed too!

Ryuji: I noticed the hair.

Kenjiro: It was a refreshing bob cut.

Naoto: It looks like a bob.

Naoki: It was not a bob. It was an Okappa (おかっぱ, google it :D)!

Background voice: They were curious about the long hair. It’s totally different from what it is now. Then we have footage from December in the same year of their first live performance in the ZIP! studio. After that in March of the next year, Sandaime’s first participation in ZIP!’s spring fest. Here the event that left the most impression on the members was the dance collaboration with Announcer Masu. (They did 君の瞳に恋してる~can’t take my eyes off you)

Elly: For Masu-san to have managed to remembered all of that choreography, it was really quite hard.

Masu: Yes, they gave me a week and so I had the time to turn the steps into words and from there I managed to remember.

Tosaka: Oh yeah you turned them into words

Naoto: You transcribed the dance moves.

Footage-Masu: I transcribed your steps into words. (someone comments that he was all serious business) Macho pose~Macho~macho

Footage-Naoto: This has never been heard of before right? This transcription of dance choreography into words.

The clip switched to Elly rolling across the stage while everyone took turns jumping over him.

Ryuji: Masu jumped over Elly.

Masu: Elly told me, “It’s okay if you step on me”, but there was no mirth in his eyes at all so I was really afraid.

Background voice: Then in June 2014 the release of Ryusei whose dance moves became a social phenomenon. After that the star studded Sandaime J soul brothers also appeared on ZIP! several times. How much of the interview do they remember? Let’s find out! The interview we have prepared is from November 2015, where after appearing on the music special “Best artist”, they were asked about a recent “Best scene”

Naoki: So on November 10th we will celebrate our 5th anniversary, and it is coincidentally also my birthday.

Background voice: That’s right. November 10th is an important anniversary for Sandaime J soul brothers: Debut anniversary and Naoki’s birthday! On that day-

Footage-Naoki: Naoto invited me to go eat very casually, when we got there and I opened the door______

Background voice: To give Naoki a suprise, Naoto prepared a surprise. What kind of surprise did he prepare? Everyone remembers, right?

Tosaka: Eh? What was it? I don’t know.

Iwata: What was it?

Masu: Naoki you yourself remember don’t you?

Naoki: No, I forgot.

Naoto: OI! You cold hearted man!

Background voice: And we start off unexpectedly with Naoki himself not remembering what happened, but what of the other members? We asked, just in case.

Elly: Something like Naoto dressed up as a girl waiting for him?

Naoto: My image in Elly’s mind is that?!

Ryuji: Other members were also present?

Kenjiro: Isn’t that it? That’s it right? November 10th to me is a special day. Since it was a birthday, the surprise was all members gathering together right?

Masu: So if Naoki asked you all to gather together for a surprise you will all gather together?

Kenjiro: If we can gather around on that day we will.

Masu: Ah then let’s go to the video showing the correct answer

Footage-Naoki: Naoto invited me to go eat very casually, when we got there and I opened the door and Gun-chan was waiting there (as a surprise)

Kenjiro: Gun-chan?

Elly covers his face and laughs uncontrollably.

Footage-Naoto: My plan was to have all 6 members waiting for him, but after I informed everyone, only Gun-chan turned up.

Footage-Gun: I was also wondering, “What kind of energy should I be using to welcome him?” “Sorry it’s just me?”

Iwata: We’re so bad at gatherings!

Kenjiro: It’s so bad that we were all asked to go but no one went!

Naoto: And you just said, “If you ask us to go we’ll go”! That was such a huge lie.

Masu: Kenjiro-san, what were you doing on that day?

Kenjiro: I really no longer remember.

Masu: Naoki how do you feel?

Naoki: It’s really lonely. I was thinking that I should always maintain a good relationship with Gun-chan.

Iwata: That’s good. That’s good.

Background voice: A fray in a 10 year bond? and then we go to another interview, this is right before their debut, about the pose that Iwata showed the fans.

Footage-Iwata: At the time I was still an amateur who couldn’t tell left from right, and I was standing on the stage without any clue as to what posing meant. and I ended up doing _____ weird pose. (footage-naoto agreed) They’re still laughing about it today.

Background voice: The weird pose that Iwata did when he was still a newbie, does anyone remember?

Kenjiro: This one, yeah

Ryuji: This I know.

Masu: Does everyone remember?

Tosaka: If you cue us, we can all do it at the same time.

Masu: The pose from Iwata’s newbie days, cue!

They all do the exact same pose

Masu (laughing loudly): That’s right, Let’s go to the answer video.

Footage-Iwata: It was simply a pose where I held my right wrist with my left hand. They’re still laughing about it today.

Masu: Iwata-san, are they still teasing you about this today?

Iwata: 10 years later today it’s still a joke that can be thrown around, that’s conversely quite alright. At the time I couldn’t quite make my hands calm down, and while thinking that I had to do something, I ended up with this pose where I looked like I was holding an injured wrist.

Background voice: We have the actual footage here. among all the members who had cool poses, there was Iwata: holding his right wrist tightly with his left hand.

Masu: Iwata-san, would you mind showing us that pose a second time?

Iwata: Ah it’s our 10th anniversary so I would like to promote this

Naoto: Promote?

Tosaka: I’d like to see that!

Background voice: This strong bond that Sandaime J soul brothers have built up over a 10 year period, another strong bond that goes without saying is their bond with the fans. Although they were supposed to celebrate this important year together with the fans, they faced extraordinary circumstances. However, the members are already prepared for this

Tosaka: The time when we can’t meetup, whether it’s the fans or the members, the frustration that builds up from wanting to “have fun at a live performance”, that’s a good kind frustration. Of course we all hold these feelings of wanting have a live performance, the build up of these feelings clash and lead to the birth of a tremendous amount of anticipation for both us and the fans.

Naoto: After the lifting of this emergency state and we overcome all this with everyone, we hope to be able to bring you all a lot of fun with the power we have accumulated, the ideas that we have thought up in this period. We are doing all these preparations. So let’s look forward to the day when we meet up in a live performance. We hope to continue to have your support.

Lady in the studio: You could really feel their bond in the interview

Masu: I’m sure the viewers at home also have this feeling, when you’re doing meetings remotely there’s usually a clash where everyone tries to speak, but the sandaime members didn’t face this situation and everything was smooth so I felt this was the result of a 10 year bond.

Kenjiro (laughs): Really? I think you’re praising us a little too much. (Masu: no really!) Looking at the footage from when we debuted, you can only feel a sense of wonder realising that that artist has successfully stood on the stage of a dome tour. The 10th year anniversary is a really special year to the sandaime J soul brothers, although it’s shame that we can’t do any live performances, we will fully utilise this time, arrange meetings. so that when this emergency state is lifted, we can deliver unbelievably fun live performances and entertainment. I have the confidence that we will be able to deliver, so please look forward to that.

Masu: Please work hard on that. ZIP! is also in its 10th year so I hope to continue to have your support.

[bangtan-sonyeonddaeng]

Jungkook Scenario| You are a cover artist and get invited to Seoul to collab with him

“Ah hyung y/n is releasing another song! She just announced it on her twitter its coming out later today. I wonder what it will be this time!” Jungkook was practically bouncing in his seat with excitement, much to the displeasure of his makeup artist who keeps having to redo his eyeshadow every time he moves. 

“Ah your girlfriend posted a new song? Is it a cover or a song of her own?”

“It looks like a cov- HEY! She’s not my girlfriend Tae what are you talking about?”

“Jungkook you have such heart eyes for that girl it’s not even funny.”  Jimin chimes in.

“Yeah Jungkookie it’s pretty obvious you have the biggest crush on her. Why haven’t you talked to her yet?”

“What am I supposed to say Tae? ‘Oh hey I’ve been listening to your music for a year now and I have the biggest crush on you date me?’” 

“I mean you don’t have to be so forward but..”

“Shush! Let me just have my crush in peace okay?” He sighs heavily while looking at your post again. He doesn’t know why he suddenly decides to leave a comment underneath your tweet. 

Can’t wait! Is it a cover or an original song? -JK

He’s not expecting an answer back, you get tons of replies on your tweets everyday. So imagine his shock when a notification dings on his phone and he sees that you actually replied back to him. He jumps in the chair again and is scolded by the makeup artist for the 10th time. He blushes in embarrassment.

“Sorry noona.” He offers. He quickly opens up his phone and reads the reply from you.

It’s a cover. A song you should know well :) 

“Jimin?”

“Yeah Jungkook?”

“Am I dreaming right now?” 

“What do you mean?”

“Y/n actually replied to me. Oh my gosh I am fanboying so hard right now.” Jimin gets up from the couch and peers over his shoulder, reading the reply back from you.

“Ah no you aren’t dreaming. I wonder what she meant by a song you should know well..”

“Maybe it’s one of our songs!” 

“Ah you’re probably right. You won’t know until after our concert tonight though.”Jungkook visibly deflates as he sinks down in his chair.

“You’re right. Ugh this sucks.”

“Patience Jungkook. As soon as the show is over you can listen in the car on the way back.”

*****************************

The concert is over and Jungkook quickly runs over to his phone and sees that you posted a link to your cover with a message with it.

Hey everyone! Here is a new cover for you. I hope I did the song justice. I feel kind of intimidated covering Euphoria when Jungkook literally sounds like an angel ;~; but I hope you enjoy it! 

Jungkook nearly drops his phone again when he sees that you did a cover of his song. He immediately clicks on the link and he hears an acoustic guitar starting off playing the melody, the second he hears those opening lines his heart is absolutely melting. He thinks you sound absolutely beautiful and your voice makes him wonder if angels walk among the earth. He replays it at least 5x on the way back to their dorms.

“Jungkook you should invite her to come to to Seoul and do a song with you.”

“I’m sorry what? Are you crazy? Why would I do that?”

“Because clearly she is a fan of you too, and your voices would sound really good together. Look at all the comments on her new song a lot of our fans and her own are wanting a collab between the two of you.” He scrolls through the comments and realizes that Hoseok is right. 

“Should I just DM her or something? How does this work.. I don’t even know what I am doing oh god. Hyung help.” Hoseok laughs before he takes out his phone and messages you from their official account.

Hey, y/n! Your cover of Euphoria was really beautiful. I am pretty sure I have heard it at least 7x now because Jungkook has it on repeat. Anyway he’s way too shy to ask you so I am taking the initiative here to formally ask you to come to Seoul to make a song with him. He’s been a fan of yours for a really long time and he would love the opportunity to sing with you. -Hobi

Hoseok smiles to himself as he sets his phone down,

“Hobi what did you do?” Hoseok says nothing in return, just smirks at the younger. Jungkook opens up their twitter messages and sees what he wrote to you.

“Did you have to expose me like that?!”

****************************

The last thing you were expecting after posting that cover was to be invited to Seoul to collaborate with the man you had idolized since the start of his career. Jungkook was everything you wanted to be and more. He was such a talented vocalist, he could dance, and he had so much love in his heart. Not to mention you had a massive crush on him. You couldn’t help but find his smile endearing, his sense of humor was exactly like yours as well. You screamed into your pillow when you saw the message from Hoseok on your phone. After you allowed yourself some brief moments of fangirling you messaged them back.

I would be honored! I have been a huge fan of you guys for the longest time now. Wow this feels like a dream come true really. When would you want me there?

You wait patiently for a reply, not taking your eyes off your phone until it lights up with a new message.

Hey! It’s Jungkook now. Um honestly if it isn’t too soon we have a break in our schedule in a few days. 

Sounds good to me. I’ll see you soon Jungkook! Can’t wait! 

****************************

You step off the plane a few days later and spot someone holding a sign with your name on it. You walk over to the person who gestures for you to get into the backseat of a rather expensive car. You aren’t expecting to be met with eye crinkles and a bunny smile when you open the door and it catches you off guard.

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to surprise you. I just wanted to get started as soon as possible. I was too anxious to wait.” You can’t help but find him endearing, knowing that he was just as excited to get started as you were made your heart flutter. You told yourself to calm down, that it’s just strictly professional and you needed to get your little crush under control. You sit next to him and offer your hand out and he takes it gladly. 

“I guess we should introduce ourselves first though? I’m y/n as you already know. It’s nice to meet you Jungkook. I would love to get started on our song right away.” He’s still holding onto your hand and when you glance at your hands he quickly pulls away, a blush forming on his cheeks.

“It’s nice to meet you too y/n. We can drop you off at your hotel so you can unpack and then start working on some lyrics?”

“Sounds good to me.” You two spend the rest of the day, sheets of paper and your guitar sat out on the bed as you both come up with ideas for a melody and lyrics to the song. You glance up at the clock and notice that it’s getting quite late. You stretch and it doesn’t slip past Jungkook’s notice when your shirt rides up slightly exposing your stomach. He quickly looks away, willing his heart to calm down. Meeting you has done nothing but strengthen his crush on you and now he was starting to develop real feelings. You were so kind and nice to him, you made him laugh quite a few times as he did for you. He instantly fell in love with the sound of your laughter and realized he would do anything to keep that smile on your face and that scared him. You probably were seeing this as just a friendly collaboration between artists and nothing more. He doesn’t realize he’s zoned out lost in his thoughts until you are waving your hand in front of his face.

“Jungkook? It’s getting late you should probably head back now.” He glances at the clock and realizes it’s 10 at night.”

“Oh.. shoot you’re right I should get going. Umm.. what time did you want to meet up tomorrow?”

“How about you take me out for breakfast?” He stutters at your words unsure how to take them.

“Y-you want to go out with me tomorrow morning?”

“I mean I’ve never been to Seoul before. I want to explore the city but I have no idea where anything is or where all the cool places are. I would love it if you were my tour guide? We worked for hours today it wouldn’t hurt to take some time off and just have fun now would it?” He stares at you blinking rapidly.

“Unless you don’t want to..” 

“No! I mean, I want to. I’d love to take you out.” You smile at that and you both work out the details before he leaves. He rushes home and throws the door open, to find all of the members sitting in the living room waiting for him.

“Ah Jungkook! How did it go?” Jimin jumps off the couch and is immediately walking towards him, eager to hear the details.

“She’s.. amazing. God I think I actually have feelings for her what am I supposed to do. She’s so sweet and funny. And she wants me to take her out tomorrow.” 

“Aww Jungkook looks like a love struck teenager look at the blush on his cheeks!” Taehyung teases him and he can’t even be bothered to feel irritated because he’s just so happy that he’s going out with you tomorrow. 

“I mean you never know what will happen unless you try right? If things go well tomorrow just be honest and tell her how you feel. She’d be an idiot not to like you too.” Namjoon offers. Jungkook thanks him for the advice and then lays down, he tosses and turns for a while, feeling nervous about tomorrow but also excited. It isn’t until he turns on your cover of Euphoria that he instantly drifts off to sleep. 

****************************

The next morning you spend way too long fussing over how you look. You want to make a good impression on Jungkook. You quickly found after spending so much time with him yesterday that your little celebrity crush was developing into something more. He was way cuter in person and his smile sent your heart dropping into your stomach and butterflies fluttering against your rib cage. It worried you. You were uncertain how he felt about you and were afraid if you confessed to him he would just laugh at you. You were mentally scolding yourself for suggesting you two go out this morning, thinking that he probably just saw this as a professional relationship only. You were still scolding yourself when you heard knocking on your hotel room door. You open the door and the sight of him nearly takes your breath away. Even when he’s dressed so casually and has a mask covering half his face he still is breath taking. 

“Um.. y/n you.. you look really pretty.” You blush and smile at him.

“Thanks Jungkook. You look pretty handsome yourself you know?” You can see the tips of his ears turning red as you close the door behind you and you both head out into downtown. You eat breakfast together, chatting happily and getting to know each other better. He takes you out sight seeing, and although he would never admit it out loud he spent more time looking at you and your reactions than the sights he was taking you to see. It’s the end of the night and he’s standing outside your hotel room, neither of you wanting to say goodbye yet. 

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“Yeah, we can keep working on our song tomorrow. It’s coming along really nicely and I think after today I have some new inspiration for lyrics and a melody. I had a really great time Jungkook. Thank you.” You reach out and squeeze his hand before opening your door.

“Goodnight.” The second the door shuts he is snapped out of his daze. Before he can stop himself he knocks on you door. You open it and look at him, confusion on your face.

“Is everything okay Jungkook?”

“I just wanted to ask you something. Just so we’re both on the same page. Was today a date, or just me being a good host and showing you around Seoul? ” You furrow your brows as you think how to answer him, not wanting to give away your feelings.

“Did you want it to be a date?” He rubs the back of his head sheepishly, unable to meet your eyes. 

“I mean.. Um.. Gosh this is going to make things so awkward if you don’t feel the same way.” He’s mumbling and you are barely able to make out what he says. You can tell he’s nervous so you decide to swallow your fears and just be honest with him.

“I mean I was kind of hoping you saw it that way.” His eyes snap up and his gaze meet your own. “I kind of have had a crush on you for a while.. but after meeting you I think it’s developed into something more.” He doesn’t say anything, he’s too shocked to. He never would have expected you felt the same way that he did. 

“Can you say something please? I’m worried that this was just one sided and I just made an idiot of myself.” He doesn’t know where this sudden burst of confidence comes from. But he reaches out and places his finger underneath your chin to turn your gaze up to look at him. He doesn’t hesitate before he leans in and presses a chaste kiss to your lips.

“I like you too. I have for a while now too. I thought it was just some innocent celebrity crush, but after getting to know you I would really be an idiot for letting a chance with you go.” You smile as your mind is finally set at ease.

“Well I guess we better make the most of my time here in Seoul while we can then huh?”

“Let’s finish the song tomorrow, then we can just spend the rest of the time going out together.” You nod and kiss him again, this time letting your lips linger for a little bit longer.

“That sounds perfect.”

[you-did-well-moon]

|Friendships| Monsta x 8th member AU|

A/N: Thanks to Kiarra @jinjinmyworld​ for helping me with girl group friends since I'm a boy group stan, and I don't know much about girl groups. If you have any questions on these don’t be afraid to ask. I have a seventeen reaction coming up next. Mama awards are here I haven't seen anything on it yet, I'm a bit exited. After this we can finally get to the real stuff, and I'm exited for my exo 10th member series.  Please don't be afraid to talk to me or to request!!!~Moon

D.O (EXO)

These two met when Arslyn was casted on Swing kids as his love interest. Both of them are quiet and don't talk much, but Arslyn actually balances Kyungsoo out well. Although Soo is quite introverted, Arslyn is an ambivert switching between introvert and extrovert depending on her mood. Arslyn had already acted in a few things before Swing Kids, but those projects would be considered small compared to Swing Kids. Arslyn is confident and pretty nonchalant when it comes to her passions, doing what has to be done and not being afraid to take risks, but when it came to this she couldn't help but feel nervous.

Kyungsoo seeing his junior so nervous was a bit conflicted. He usually left people to figure it out on their own, but he couldn't get Arslyn’s anxious face out of his minds. Kyungsoo is known for being quite reserved having a very tight knit circle of people he trusts, so when he took Arslyn under his wing he was quite shocked at how fast she managed to worm her way into his list of priorities. Although both are of few words, they found each other to be complex having elaborate personalities. Even being love interests they didn't mind much having fun with filming and learning how to tap dance. Arslyn could easily say he’s the male idol she’s closest to.

Jinyoung (GOT7)

Monbebe and Aghase know how much these two idols love literature having intricate worlds with thought out details that have you waiting for the turn of the page. Monbebe and Aghase also know that Got7 and Monsta X are close friends, but that's not how these two got close. Although these two exchanged greetings, they got closer when meeting at a book store. Arslyn and Jinyoung are known for being witty and judging their members (all in good fun of course), and while at first their personalities clashed a bit they saw themselves in each other too much to ever dislike each other.

They actually formed a little book club with the two of them where they each choose a book or the same one and talk about it. Sometimes they invite Wonwoo from seventeen to join them. When their relationship was first found out fans were skeptical of the depth their relationship held, but were quickly assured when videos of the two started coming out. People saw how they treated each other and the implication of any romantic feelings were ruled out. Jinyoung treated Arslyn like a bratty teenager he has to take care of, and Arslyn treats him like a step mom that she hates, but in the end these two care for each other deeply wanting to protect each other no matter how many dirty looks one gave the other.

Hwasa (MAMAMOO)

Hwasa and Asrlyn are known for their unique styles, both not being afraid to break female idol norms. These two met when Arslyn reached out to Hwasa for a collaboration, and Hwasa happily agreed. Right after meeting the two immidiately hit it off not really being akward with each other at all. The song broke records since both female artists are well loved and so unique. These composers love working together and Hwasa will literally brag to anyone about Arslyn, and vice versa for Arslyn. They never fail to stand up for each other, and they have endless amounts of support for each other. Arslyn can often be seen visiting Hwasa on the show I live alone, a korean variety show that showcases idols that live alone.

These two could do anything and it would be fun because they’re with each other. They have actaully revealed that they have written many diss tracks but are hesitant in releasing them. Hwasa helps Arslyn a lot with her confidence, and she doesn’t mind defending her at all. Arslyn has promised to never spend time with Hwasa when Loco is in the same room, swearing she’s never felt more like a third wheel. When ever Arslyn brings up Hwasa and Loco acting cute around each other, Hwasa just laughs promising Arslyn that when she finds out who her crush is she’s in for it. All in all, Arslyn and Hwasa know each other in and out, and they have a very strong bond.

Irene (RED VELVET)

Irene had always been someone Arslyn looked up to as a female idol liking her indpedent and strong image. Arslyn had always seen Irene in award shows, but never built up courage to go talk with her or greet her. They officialy met when Kihyun sent Arslyn to the supermarket as punishment for almost making Minhyuk fall down the company building stairs, which was a total accident. Arslyn had been standing in the frozen aisle for about ten minutes pondering whether to buy ice cream or actually buy what Kihyun asked her to buy. She was interrupted by a small “hello”, and she turned around to find Irene.It was a bit akward at first, but as they walked around the supermarket they gradually became closer.

Irene is older than Arslyn, but they’re both so mature that it seems there isn’t much of an age gap. Of course, Arslyn can’t stop her chidish side from making an appearence and Irene can always keep her in check. Sometimes Arslyn is suprised by how much Irene reminds her of Kihyun, exept female and definitely a lot scarier. Irene acts like a mom to Arslyn, usually giving her advice and cooking for her. Irene and Arslyn can often be seen walking around going to cooking classes together, but Irene does most of the cooking with Arslyn watching in fascination as Irene makes something actually edible. Irene and Arslyn have also released some cover videos. Out of all the comapany buidings, Arslyn is at the SM building more than any of them.

Heechul (SUPER JUNIOR)

Heechul is the senior that Arslyn is the closest to. These two idols didn't meet while doing group activities, they met and got closer while filming Knowing Brother, a Korean variety show that has Asian celebrities visit every week. Although the main cast is majorly male, Arslyn acts as the principal of the school only appearing in some episodes but always having fun segements. The two idols knew of eachother, but never got the chance to officially meet. Heechul calmed himself down a bit when first meeting, but as they became closer he revealed his psychotic self acting just as insane as he usually does. It was an unexpected relationship with how different the two are, and although Arslyn usually doesn’t like loud demanding people, she couln’t help but befriend Heechul.

She was a bit alarmed when he revealed his true colors, but managed to get used to it, and actually getting comfortable with him and his odd tendencies. Instead of viewing Heechul as a father figure, she views him more as that crazy uncle that visits once or twice a year harboring his usual weird clothing. Heechul is actually one of the only ones that manages to bring out the crazy side of Arslyn, but no matter how close they are, it never takes Arslyn off his victims list. In fact, it probably puts her at the top of the list, and Heechul doesn’t mind making fun of her usually teaming up with another cast member, Hodong. 

[tigerintokyo]

IDOLiSH7 Producers’ Letter #17 (EN translation)

Below is the translation for the producers’ letter for i7. The original letter in Japanese can be found here: https://idolish7.com/topics/info/2019/8486/

The translation is under the break.

[Game Announcement] Producers’ Letter #17

To all who are supporting IDOLiSH7…

This is the first Producers’ Letter of 2019. Part 4 started to be released from last February. Are you enjoying is so far? We are very happy to be able to spread their story and music.

Again, thank you very much for coming to visit us at the Fan Thank You Festival. It was the first real event since the 1st LIVE, but once again, we are motivated by the overwhelming support.

At last, summer is coming. We hope you are able to enjoy new “Ainana” contents from now on while also taking care of your health.

Today, we would like to tell you about the new contents to come.

[About the project as a whole]

◆About group anniversaries

Up until now, group anniversaries have been as follows: TRIGGER on September 18th, Re:vale on April 15th, and ŹOOĻ on August 31st.

July 7th is the anniversary day of the IDOLiSH7 project as a whole, so we thought we should set a proper anniversary day for the group IDOLiSH7.

After all, June 10th was the day that we introduced everyone to IDOLiSH7 for the first time [1], so from this year, IDOLiSH7’s anniversary will be on June 10th!

This year will be the first time to celebrate IDOLiSH7’s anniversary, so we would like you to celebrate as much as you want with a lot of excitement! We would be happy if you could remember that June 10th is IDOLiSH7’s anniversary.

◆About Part 4 Part 4, which started being released last February, will continue to be updated. We started with the phrase “Wanting the strength to help you pushed me forward.” [2] Following that message, how would the world change after taking one step of courage, for yourself and also for someone else? This is what we would like to express. We hope you can continue until the very end.

◆About Music New Part 4 songs will continue to be released one by one! Please look forward to it. 『RADIO STATION “Twelve Hits!"』singles for the 12 members of IDOLiSH7, TRIGGER, and Re:vale as well as solo songs for ŹOOĻ birthdays are being released. Are you having fun planning for 2019’s birthdays? We are very happy to be able to deliver these songs on special days for each of the members. We hope you can join us all the way to the end of the year.

◆ Anime『IDOLiSH7 Vibrato』Blu-ray & DVD Release! The Vibrato series is currently available on YouTube, and as a whole, the episodes have surpassed 10 million views! We are glad so many people are enjoying it. Blu-ray and DVD sets of all 8 episodes will be released on August 27, 2019. Please check it out!

Episodes 1 and 2 『TRIGGER–before The Radiant Glory–』can be watched on YouTube without a premium membership.

Ep 1「TRIGGER -before The Radiant Glory-」前編 - https://youtu.be/VDFVny2_hzI Ep 2「TRIGGER -before The Radiant Glory-」後編 - https://youtu.be/4sMI8gCxgW0

You can watch the rest of the episodes (6 episodes) with a YouTube Premium membership. Ep 3・4「A Man Involved」 Ep 5・6「PARTY TIME TOGETHER」 Ep 7・8「NATSU☆SHIYOUZE！」

◆ About animated MVs IDOLiSH7：Orange TRIGGER：TRIGGER Re:vale：TROYCA ŹOOĻ：ufotable The above studios are diligently working on the animated MVs for all of our groups! Please wait for the release.

◆ About the Fan Thank You Festival Thank you for joining us for the Fan Thank You Festival Vol. 4『Welcome！Ai na Night！』 We already mentioned this, but we were able to feel the excitement from everyone. We are also grateful to everyone who came to the live viewing. Thank you. Also, Fan Thank You Festival Vol. 5 will be held in on December 14, 2019 in Osaka! It’s a new adventure for our first event in Kansai, and we’re looking forward to seeing everyone.

◆ About IDOLiSH7 2nd LIVE『REUNION』 At the start of this project, 「1st LIVE『Road To Infinity』」was just a dream. After seeing the view from the LIVE, all of the staff wanted to be able to meet that scenery again as soon as possible, and this thought was put into the name 『REUNION』. Thanks to all of you, all four groups, IDOLiSH7, TRIGGER, Re:vale, and ŹOOĻ will be able to meet in one place and hold a LIVE on that big stage. With the cast and staff, we hope we can show you the next scene on the infinite road that was shown at the 1st LIVE. We’ve also expanded the number of live viewing theaters, so we look forward to spending time with many managers, including managers located overseas.

◆ About efforts with other businesses This has already been announced, but the idols from IDOLiSH7 have been recruited for advertising roles for Sanrio, DHC, and JR Tokai Tours. [3] Thanks to everyone’s support, we are grateful to continue to receive various offers. From now on, we will be report to you about their activities in more ad roles, so please look forward to it. As for the OFF Tabi, we will be having an event in the app. We hope that the trip they all take together on their off day will grasp your attention.

◆ About comic & novel adaptations From the trilogy showing the rise and indies period of Re:vale, the regular and special editions of『IDOLiSH7 Re:member』2 will be released on August 5, 2019. The limited special edition will include acrylic stands illustrated by Tanemura Arina.

[About the game]

The total number of managers nationwide has topped 3 million! [4]

We will have five campaigns in the app from May 17th (today) to May 27th to commemorate breaking 3 million people!

1. If you log in during the period, you will receive 30 stellar stones as a special login bonus!

2. A special free 7-round audition (with one guaranteed SR!), including past limited costumes, will be held daily!

3. A limited rare audition to commemorate 3 million downloads will be held! It will include a Nana Colle from which you can choose a limited SSR costume! ※ The audition can only be drawn once with paid stones.

4. Reprint limited rare audition (with one guaranteed SSR!) will be held! ※ The audition can only be drawn with paid stones.

5. Confidence rating UP campaign! The confidence points you receive from lives is tripled, so please put it to good use to read Rabbit Chats and watch RabbiTVs. ※ Please see the in-game announcement for details of the campaign.

[About the game adjustments and additional specifications from now on]

◆ About the big story event set for release in Fall 2019

At the Fan Thank You Festival, the costume designs from the latest in the series including 『MECHANICAL LULLABY』and『Star Tour Observer』was revealed. Were you able to see it?

"Those who have lived for ages - Youkai -”

“A fellowship of humans - Swordsmen -”

“Belonging to neither group - Beast Whisperers -” 

Please look forward to the active story to come.

◆ About the servers After the last long maintenance, the server has settled down now. From now also, we will be conducting maintenance regularly and will be careful to prevent extended maintenance times.

◆ About bugs In May and April, bugs were noticed in the app, and we are sorry for causing worry. With regard to the bugs and to event content, we will be working with G2 Studio to reflect on issues and become more manager-oriented from now on.

◆ About the app The main contents of 『IDOLiSH7』 are the story and the lives. We will continue to apply measures so that both can be enjoyed. The app will soon reach its fourth anniversary Now as well, we will continue to work with everyone in mind.

◆About opinions/suggestions to the game If you have something to tell us, please use the inquiry window from the official homepage. https://idolish7.com/contact/

Thank you for reading thus far.

While looking forward to real events, such as LIVEs and Fan Thank You Festivals, the anime’s 2nd season, animated MVs, and Part 4, we will improve administration, so that the app can connect with your daily life. Also, from here on out, we look forward to your continued support. Let’s AINANA SHIYOUZE ! [5]

T/N

IDOLiSH7 was first announced on June 10, 2015, and started their official website and official twitter account on that day.

This phrase is displayed on splash page of the official webpage for Part 4 of the game’s main story.

This section is actually phrasing it like IDOLiSH7 are talent they are managing as opposed to using the normal language of “collaboration” or “illustration” that’s normally used for these types of things. –> Yes, a very meta move on their part.

Since the game is only available domestically, they use the word “nationwide,” though yes, I think we all know this is “worldwide.”

As in, NASTU SHIYOUZE!

[johnboothus]

EOD Drinks: Ken Austin: Co-Founder of Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey and Teremana Tequila

In this episode of “EOD Drinks,” VinePair’s editorial team sits down with Ken Austin, the co-founder of Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey and Teremana Tequila. Austin explains how he left behind a career as an accountant to enter the spirits world, and details his playbook for successful entrepreneurs. While some consumers have remained skeptical about celebrity spirits brands, Dwayne Johnson’s Teremana and Conor McGregor’s Proper No. Twelve have become two of the most competitive names in the game. Austin discusses what it’s been like to take on major players in the spirits world, and what he expects will happen within the current celebrity tequila “gold rush.”

More than anything, Austin emphasizes that the success of Proper No. Twelve and Teremana have come from the hard work of his celebrity partners. Conor McGregor and Dwayne Johnson are each listed as founders of their spirits, and they remain very involved in the brands. Proper No. Twelve is one of the first celebrity spirits to compete in the world Irish whiskey, but with Conor McGregor’s backing, the brand has seen tremendous results. Similarly, Teremana, founded and backed by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, has set records as one of the fastest new spirit launches — largely thanks to Johnson’s impressive social media following.

Here, Austin dives into the day-to-day of running these brands, and how Johnson and McGregor ensure that their values shine through. He also discusses what it was like to start his first spirit brand, Avión, and how Bob Odenkirk wound up portraying him on “Entourage.”

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Or check out the conversation here

Adam: From VinePair’s New York City headquarters, this is “End of Day Drinks,” where we sit down with the movers and shakers in the beverage industry. So pour yourself a glass, and listen along with us. Let’s start the show. On today’s episode of “EOD Drinks,” we’re talking with serial alcohol entrepreneur Ken Austin. We’ll start the conversation by learning about how he created Avión Tequila and how the hell it wound up as a central character on “Entourage.” We’ll then talk about Austin’s relationship with Conor McGregor and how the two created Proper No. Twelve Irish whiskey. And finally, we’ll talk about Teremana tequila, the tequila taking the alcohol world by storm that Austin created in collaboration with Dwayne Johnson, who most of us know is The Rock. All right Tim, take today’s conversation away.

Tim: Hi there, I’m Tim McKirdy, staff writer at VinePair, and welcome to the “End of the Drinks” podcast. Today, we are joined by Ken Austin, co-founder of Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey and Teremana Tequila. Hi, Ken.

Ken: Hey, how are you Tim?

T: Doing well, thank you. And as always, I am joined by VinePair co-founder and CEO Adam Teeter.

A: What’s up, Tim?

T: VinePair senior editor Cat Wolinski.

Cat: Hello.

T: Hello and VinePair editorial associate Katie Brown. How’s it going?

Katie: Hey, Tim.

T: And before we kick things off, guys, obviously this is the “End of Day Drinks” podcast. Ken has sent some of his products to us to try very kindly. I wanted to find out what’s everyone enjoying as their end-of-day drink? Has it been one of those days? Are you having straight tequila and whiskey, or have you mixed up a cocktail? How’s everyone enjoying it? Adam, we’ll start with you.

A: Yeah, man, taking it straight to the face. No, I’m doing Teremana as a Negroni, so I replaced the Teremana as the gin. And it’s delicious.

T: Oh, very nice. How about you, Katie?

Ka: I’m having the Proper No. Twelve in a spiked hot cider, and it’s very delicious.

T: And very cold where you are as well. Cat what about yourself?

C: So I actually have two drinks in front of me. I made Hot Toddies, one with the Teremana and one with the Proper No. Twelve, and I got to say, I am favoring the Teremana Hot Toddy.

A: Interesting, you and Katie with the warm drinks. What about you, Tim? What are you drinking?

T: So I was trying to figure out a way, how can I incorporate both of these into one drink? And there’s not many whiskey and tequila cocktails out there. So I said, you know what, I’ll try and figure something out myself. Went with a classic, went with an Old Fashioned. So about equal parts Irish whiskey, tequila. I went with a little bit of simple syrup, some Angostura bitters, and I’m going to call this one the Stone-Cold Ken Austin. How about that one?

C: Oh, my God.

T: Sorry, that’s terribly cheesy. Ken, what’s your preference?

A: Super cheesy, Tim.

T: Super cheesy.

K: I love that.

C: What about “The Proper Rock”?.

Ka: Tim, what does tequila do to your Old Fashioned?

T: So actually it gives it this really incredible spice, and it works really well with the bitters. And I think, Irish whiskey being so approachable, the Irish whiskey also kind of gives it this foundation to build off and allows the tequila to shine. I tell you what, the name might not be brilliant, but this is a really nice cocktail.

A: Nice.

T: Ken, before we dive into it, what’s your preference? Are you just a straight-up neat guy, or how do you enjoy these spirits?

K: First of all, I love all of the cocktails that you all made. I’m jealous, and I actually don’t discriminate. I drink spirits all different ways, from neat all the way through, just on the rocks or in a cocktail. I do agree, by the way, a Teremana Reposado Old Fashioned beats a whiskey Old Fashioned in my book any day. But what I will be partaking in as soon as we get done here — I actually probably will while we’re talking here, is typically I’ll drink spirits on a day like today, just either neat or on the rocks.

T: Nice. And obviously, I should point out that this is the afternoon. This is not 11:00 in the morning. So one thing that our listeners, I’m sure, will be aware of are the celebrity associations with Proper No. Twelve and Teremana. But before we dive into that, Ken, I was wondering if you can give us a real quick background on yourself, how you got into the business, and how it is that you end up with two incredibly successful spirits brands and celebrity spirits brands.

K: Thanks, Tim, and my story is very typical to people that are missing chromosomes or some kind of genes, and most people call them entrepreneurs. I really don’t. I think they are very sick people, but in a very good way. Well, my background is that I like to say that I grew up with very little, but it happens to be I had everything. Great family, great upbringing, great parents, great sisters. And that’s probably what led to some of the success that I’ve had today. And I grew up in a very, very humble background. And hopefully, that’s the way I am today and continue to be that way, despite having some success from a monetary perspective. But that said, from my background, I was schooled as an accountant, which is pretty bizarre, since I do know how to count. But I hated accounting. I did it because my father told me you have to do it, and back then, you actually listened to what your parents said, as opposed to today. But after I realized I could not be an accountant for more than a year for one of the — back then it was called the Big Eight accounting firms in the U.S., I went to work for the Gallo winery, where I learned a lot about wine, spirits, but most importantly, about consumers. Consumer behavior. How do they shop? Why do they buy? And really understanding, at the end of the day, the consumer. The customer is really the most important person, the person sitting on the other side of the bar or the person shopping in a liquor store that wants to take it home and create great moments for themselves and for the people around them. After that, I worked for the Seagram company when Seagram was owned by the Bronfman family, and that company was sold. And when it was sold, as a person who grew up in a family where your job was supposed to be womb to tomb, you start there and you die there, that’s the way the job market was. The company was sold, and it forced me — against my father’s best interest to stay there forever — forced me to decide what I was going to do next. And I was fortunate enough to go into the private aviation business at a time that it was a very good time to be in the private aviation business. And we built a brand, the consumer brand that was very successful, grinding, grinding, grinding, which is the key to the name of the game, working our asses off. And during that time, I had a love for spirits and wine and just beverages in general. And when things got good in the jet business, I told my partners I want to go to Mexico and I want to create a tequila because I love tequila. And I created a tequila brand called Avión and built that brand and ultimately sold it to Pernod Ricard, the second-biggest drinks company in the world in 2010. I started it. And my love for tequila really is how this whole thing really opened up. And fast forward, I met Conor McGregor and his manager, Audie Attar, and Conor was looking to do an Irish whiskey, and I was crazy enough to tell them that I think we should do it together. And Proper No. Twelve today is a rousing success, and I’m really glad you like the liquid and that you’re drinking it today in your Toddies or whatever it may be. And most recently, which you were talking about up front, we joined forces with Dwayne Johnson, The Rock, and his business partner, Dany Garcia, and my partner Jenna Fagnan. And we worked for quite a long time to create Teremana tequila, which is now in its 10th month. And the brand has set records like the industry has never seen before. And the product quality is where it all begins and where it all ends. A truly bespoke tequila made the right way — copper pots, brick ovens, the whole deal. But it’s been sort of a fairy tale in a way to doing business with people like Conor and his team and D.J., as we call him, The Rock and his team, which are really, just they are unicorns. And what we do is we really have provided the platform for them and the education for them to be able to lean in and play a role that no one else can play like them. And we try to think that we can play a role that no one else can play like us, if that makes sense. So that’s how I got here. And now we get celebrities calling us every day, “Hey, I want to be the next Dwayne Johnson, Conor McGregor, George Clooney, Ryan Reynolds.” And they don’t understand that it’s not “just add water” and you’re home free. It’s a very difficult, difficult business, as you folks know better than anyone.

T: So I’d love to dive into that in a minute. But I wanted to ask you something briefly, kind of taking it back to the beginning before you started working with celebrities. You had a bit of a star turn with Avión and being featured kind of famously on”Entourage.” I’m not sure whether our listeners are aware of that. That’s something I turned to again during the pandemic, but, you know, apart from launching Bob Odenkirk’s career — who played you in the episode, for those who haven’t seen it — I was wondering, so before working with celebrities, how do you get your tequila brand in a show, and not just like placed in a show, you have like two, three episodes revolving around your brand. How does that happen?

K: You have to have like a horseshoe up your rear end. It’s so funny, I have a tangent for a second. You talk about Bob Odenkirk who played me, Ken Austin, in “Entourage,” because Doug said to me — Doug Ellin, the creator, is a friend. So that’s really how it happened. And I’ll give you the Reader’s Digest version of that so I don’t bore you. Doug called me up, and he goes, Ken, I want to have this story about Avión to be really true to you. And I want you to come in and play yourself in the show. And I said, Doug, I’m not doing that. You know, I’m married. My wife doesn’t want anybody to ever look at me. And I have a face for radio, as they say, or for podcasts. But Doug said to me, I’m going to get somebody to play you. Who should I get? And I go, well, probably Brad Pitt is probably the closest thing. And Doug laughed. And he picked, obviously, an incredible comedic genius, Bob Odenkirk. But the way it really happened was that Doug is a friend of mine and my partner, Kenny Dichter from Marquis Jet. Doug grew up with Kenny and we became really good friends. Doug was looking for the storyline for Turtle, and he said, “I want Turtle to be like an NBA player, where he can be successful and buy his mom a house like an NBA player.” And I said to him and Kenny, my partner Kenny, said, why don’t you just do our tequila? And Doug was like, what do you mean? And I said, “well, why don’t you say he did like 50 Cent and Vitamin Water or something, do a real life story. A celebrity actually tagging on to a brand and making that brand huge.” Which at the time that really wasn’t happening in the real world of celebrities and wine, which is massive with celebrities and spirits. And Doug said, “I love it. Will you give me the brand unencumbered? I can do anything I want?” And we said, “Yeah, you’re our friend. Just, no prostitutes, no drugs, none of that kind of stuff.” Of course, he did. Or sorry, Sasha Grey is not a prostitute, but a porn star. And so it was almost like a trifecta box. Everything we said we didn’t want, he did. And it was out of the gate. You want to talk about rocket fuel? The brand became a household name, and nobody thought it was real. People thought it was a fake tequila. But that’s how it happened.

A: I did. I thought it was fake.

K: Yeah. Everyone, our ad campaign actually changed very quickly. We said, “What are we going to do?” And we started flying planes down South Beach and in New York and in California that said, “Avión. Yes, it’s real.” To answer the question. But people were discovering it and saying, “Holy s***, this is real tequila.” And it then sort of had a little bit of a “hangover” because people said, “Oh, it must be like Bubba Gump Shrimp. It’s not really a good tequila because it was on TV.” And didn’t realize it was a great, phenomenal product, won best in the world. But people thought it couldn’t be good because it was featured on a TV show. So that’s a different set of circumstances. I’ll tell you that story another day when I lay on the couch and tell you my problems. It was really, really phenomenal. And what it did for us was it gave us the ability to raise money one time and one time only and gave us enough runway and we did enough business that we actually didn’t do what most new spirit brands do, which is blow your money and go out of business. So it was that runway, that speed, that velocity, that momentum to then be able to manage a business based on the cash flow and not basically be in the red every day.

T: So Ken, I guess obviously now you have Teremana tequila, and that’s clearly an industry that you know well. But then your next move after Avión was moving into the Irish whiskey business. I wonder, what are some of the things that you took from working in tequila that you could really just easily make a carbon copy or a playbook? And then what were some of the things that you have to learn? Because it’s a completely different market. And it’s also, let’s be honest, it’s a market that even now to most extents, has been dominated by this one brand. I mean, it’s a real tough proposition.

K: Yeah, Tim, it’s a great, great question, and I think that the playbook is always the same in certain ways when you are an “entrepreneur.” And the playbook is hard work, never give up, breathe your own vapor sometimes. You got to believe. Everyone around you is going to tell you why it won’t work. And you have to dismiss it all and say, “I am going to will this to happen,” and put people around you that believe the same thing. So that’s part of the playbook, and it’s very, very hard to keep negativity out of doing new things. I can see the end zone, but the people around you sometimes don’t. And your job is to convince them that the end zone is there and to also not allow that negativity to create a situation where you’re lying in bed at night and you’re sucking your thumb and you’re calling mama. And it’s really, really hard. So that part of the playbook, every one of your listeners here and also you, what you guys have created with what you’re doing, the podcast, how many people said there were so many, it won’t work? How do you cut through? You will your way. And you don’t have to have a 4.0 average. I was a below-average student. If I got an F in one class and A in the other, my mom yelled at me. The next semester I got an F in the class I got the A in, and I got an A in the class I got the F in. I just reversed the grades just to stay afloat. So it’s really about driving it. So that part of the playbook is the same. The part of the playbook that was also similar with Proper No. Twelve and Avión was that when Avión launched, that was 2010, and there were not 500 tequilas. Now every young person is drinking tequila, and frankly, every person, 40s and 50s, is drinking tequila. Right? So that was not happening in 2010, so everyone said, “Oh, my God.” At the time it was only Patron. It was only Cuervo, right? Cuervo at the price point, let’s call it $20 Patron at the price point $40. No clear No. in either one of those categories, consumer price points. And people said to me, you’re crazy. You’ll never be able to take on Patron. So similarly with Proper No. Twelve, people said the same thing. You’re never going to be able to take on Jameson. They’re the 800 pound gorilla. It’s not a category of many. It’s a category of one, just like tequila was a category and ultra-premium of one. So today, you can name on all your fingers and toes the number of ultra-premium tequilas there are. And eventually, in Irish whiskey, I’m not sure if it’ll be the same thing, but we have broken through with Proper No. Twelve in a place that people felt you couldn’t break through because of this David-and-Goliath kind of situation with Jameson and everyone else. So that’s where the playbook is different. But that’s where the playbook is: You have to believe that you can break through and you have to be innovative. You have to be disruptive. You have to believe that you can actually get the market share and you can take down a monster of a brand and you can put a dent in their business, which we have done, and they are still a monster. But talk to Conor McGregor. He will tell you we will be No. 1 eventually. And if you believe that, that is a big component of the formula for success in a space that very few brands become successful.

Ka: So cool.

A: So Ken, what’s it been like to work with Conor and with Dwayne? What are they like as people? Are they both super invested in this, or are you really more dealing with their people when it comes to the spirits? And what made you decide that these were the two people you wanted to work with? As you said, you’ve been approached by tons of different celebrities. Why them?

K: Yeah, that’s an awesome question. And part of it, I would say, is it’s a lie to say that it’s luck. The lucky part is that when you talk to these people, being a guy like Conor and Audie his manager, or D.J. and Dany, his partner, the lucky part is that you connect. The connectivity and the values and the chemistry is really the most important thing. But to your question about these two people, as different as they are, Conor is in his early 30s, D.J. is in his 40s, his mid- to later 40s. As different as they are, they’re very similar. And the similarity is that they are both grinders. They both came from difficult childhoods, financially. Conor was on welfare, social welfare, probably seven years ago. D.J. was evicted out of his home in Hawaii with his mom and his family when he was 14 or 15 years old. And by the way, there’s a pattern here when you think about successful people that are not multi-generational wealth, but people who are first- or second- generation wealth and success. But if you think about the two of them, the interesting thing is they’re both incredible athletes. They’re very gifted. And athletes, people with that mindset are very, very disciplined. And Conor trains every day. D.J. is in the gym every day. So when you think about the personality profile of these “unicorns,” these celebrities, they’re much, much different than — I’ll call it a celebrity that is a celebrity who is just an actor. Right? And they’re geniuses at their craft and their discipline is there. But these two athletes that we’ve been able to link up with are also uber, uber competitive. So in their own ways — by the way. Conor, much more visible, his competitive spirit. D.J. is the most humble person I’ve ever met. He’s the most recognized American in the world. And No. 1 social media guy in America. Two hundred and five million people follow him on Instagram. I mean, I have 60,000 of which I think 59,000 are bots. And the other people are my mother and her friends and my friends from college and whatever. But it’s pretty amazing the similarities and the way we got together. Well, you ask the question are they invested in this thing? Conor is the founder of Proper No. Twelve, and D.J. is the founder of Teremana. That’s not Hollywood bulls***. They truly are the founders, from brand name, to package, to liquid, to the look in the field, to the voice of the brands. Look at those two brands. Proper No. Twelve a little more bada** and very, very much what you think Irish whiskey should be. Teremana a bit more, I’ll call it precise and elegant, from its label to the process that D.J. wanted for the brand. So they very much fit their personalities. But you want to talk about involvement before this call that we’re having right now? I had a call with The Rock and the team, I don’t want to call him The Rock because he’s not The Rock to me, and he’s too mature to call him The Rock anymore. We had a call today with D.J., we’re having a call next week, the 2021 planning meeting. Him and Dany are on every board call. Same thing with Conor. Conor is every day up my rear end every day. Why this? Why that? Where are the numbers? What’s the Nielsen? How are the customers performing? So these two humans are very similar. They are totally, totally leaning in. And that’s respectfully to other “celebrity brands.” A lot of it is Hollywood. These are true stories and the authenticity of both of these people, and when I think about Teremana, it is the authenticity of D.J. You see it in everything that he does because his audience comes first and that’s the key. And other celebrities that come to us that want to be the next Dwayne Johnson, Conor McGregor, George Clooney, Ryan Reynolds, what they don’t really understand is the way you need to lean in and the way you need to work. And I try to scare the hell out of them. And most of them run for the hills when you tell them you’ve got to put in the time, you’ve got to see people, you’ve got to engage. And they’re like, you know what? I’d rather just spend time on my craft, whether it be music, acting, or former athletes, whatever it may be. But it’s not a business for the weary because it’s a door-to-door sales process. This is not technology. This is not putting it into a Target and from Saturday morning, you go into Target, it’s in every single store. This is hand-to-hand combat, not to mention what’s going on with the bars and restaurants, that is a devastation of an industry that, if you don’t cry from it, there’s something mentally wrong with you. And how do we actually create some more momentum when that industry can come back? And D.J. is talking about restaurants and bars and what do we do to help them when they come back? That’s how “in” these two people are. And again, the similarity. But we’re very lucky. And when we turn down other celebrities, we don’t turn them down in an arrogant way. We turn them down and say, “look, this probably isn’t right for you and this is why. And we don’t want you to fail.” Because these people should not fail. They’re so successful. You don’t want them to fail. So long answer as usual from me.

A: Good answer, though.

C: So are there any charitable aspects of either of these brands in the works currently?

K: Yeah, totally. So that’s really important to me and Jenna, as spirits beverage people that you do give back. And I think we’ve always been raised that way from both of our childhoods. And Jenna Fagnan, who’s my partner since Avión started, I begged her to come and run the company and she left LVMH running a big business for them to come join me and take this ride. But on Proper No. Twelve, $5 for every case that we sell goes to first responders. That was something that Conor when we sat and we were having meetings, and this one happened in New York. Actually we’re having dinner in a restaurant called Philippe Chow. And downstairs in the cellar, if you come to New York, you’ve got to go there when this craziness ends. And we were down there, we were talking about the brand, and Conor said, “You know, I really want to do some good with this brand, too. It’s not just about money.” And we started talking about first responders and firefighters and front-line people. At the time, we weren’t talking about front-line workers like nurses and all the people that we’ve seen during the pandemic that have been so, so incredible. And we made a decision to give $5 for every case we sell of Proper No. Twelve to first responders. We’ve done that all over the world. In the U.S, last year, our first year, we gave a million dollars to Tunnel to Towers, which you got to look up. It’s an organization that gives families that lose a first responder, firefighter, police, or EMS worker who dies in the line of duty and has children under the age of 16. They work to pay off their mortgage, so they don’t have the burden of the mortgage. During the pandemic, we’ve raised so far an additional $200,000+ for Tunnel to Towers. We created a T-shirt that we sold, and all the proceeds, not the profits, all the proceeds went to front-line workers that Tunnel to Towers was giving to. So we gave up $1.2 million in our first year. And this year, based on sales, we’ll give another million dollars, we’ll also give $300,000 around the world to front-line and first responders as well. In the case of Teremana, D.J. and Dany are very much about giving back. I mean, they’re incredible humans, and they do a lot of things with Make a Wish and other charities. In fact, their ice cream called Salt and Straw that they are investors in, we just did a Teremana ice cream.

C: Yeah, we wrote about that.

K: I saw that. And it blew out, by the way, it sold out. D.J. was thinking about the sell-out last night. But a dollar for every pint was given by Salt and Straw and D.J. and Dany, and Teremana also matched that dollar for every pint that went to, I’m at a loss right now, but to an organization helping the restaurant and the food industry.

Ka: I was wondering, I think it’d be kind of ignoring an elephant in the room if we didn’t address the fact that we’re in the midst of Covid-19. And I was curious, especially starting a new brand this year. Teremana is relatively new. I was wondering, how that’s been? How is it to start a new tequila brand in the midst of all this craziness and unprecedented closures of bars and everything? So what was your first year like in relation to your expectations?

K: Yeah, and look, this whole thing, I mean, I read today one out of six restaurants and bars are permanently closed. And I’m like, “holy s***.” I mean, I get choked up just thinking about it. Think about your local restaurant, the people that are always just good to you. And your friends that are bartenders and servers and all the s***. It’s just mind-blowing. But for us, we launched in March, so literally, as the world was shutting down, we’re launching a new brand. And it was really, really hard on the on-premise side, the bars and restaurants, we never really got in. So we didn’t experience that. On the liquor store, the off-premise side, I think we all know in America, that part of the business has been massive growth of 20, 30 percent. If you own a liquor store, whether you’re the big guy like a BevMo! or a Total Wine, Spec’s, all the big guys, or a Safeway, Albertsons that sell alcohol in supermarkets across the country, it’s been a boom for them because people have been home, and we’ve been consuming more because we don’t go out and consume. But I think we would have done more business if the restaurants and bars were open. And I really wish they were. And I know we really feel, I can’t express enough how badly, we’ll come back and we’ll help as much as we can. But the first year for Teremana, the one thing that happened was consumers went to liquor stores, and the brands that really suffered were the brands that people didn’t know. Because if you went into a liquor store or you went on to “Mini Bar” or these other apps that you can go on to have delivery, and you would buy the things that you knew, that you trusted, brands you trusted. So the more expensive brands, too, also suffered because a lot of people lost their jobs or were concerned about losing their jobs. So they weren’t buying bourbons that were $60 to $80 the way they were before the pandemic. So the brands that really won were the brands that we all know, that you trust and that are priced reasonably. And so Proper No. Twelve through the roof, and the brand has been around for years, over two years or so, and very well known in that short period of time. Teremana being new, the thing that we did have is the credibility of Mr. Johnson and the fact that people trust him. And his social media, he talked about it and actually created an environment for people where he did Teremana Tuesdays and he made cocktails. He did things that he didn’t plan on doing because his goal was to create an environment, to bring people together and share our isolation together. Whether you had it in a home with a family of four or five, or how many friends I have that were alone in their apartments in a big city, and talk about loneliness. And D.J.’s goal was to sort of make it fun and bring people together and make cocktails together, and share on Teremana Tuesdays other people’s user-generated cocktails at home, to try to make the silver lining of what we were going through, a togetherness. So the brand blew up, truly blew up, and I think a lot of that is attributable to him and his DNA and his positivity and his humility and his message to “let’s all get through this together.” And Teremana became sort of like a clutch for people to say it’s all going to be OK. And as he says, he drinks tequila in good times, bad times, and everything in between. And this was sort of one of those, I’ll call it “in between/bad times.” And we’re still living through that right now. So, again, a long answer from a guy like me, but pretty remarkable. Most new brands during this time, you can’t get off of home plate, because how does anybody discover you? There’s no way.

A: Well, so Ken, I gotta ask you a question, because we’ve got you here and we’ve had this conversation a bunch at the VinePair offices. So what do you think it is about tequila, in general, that is attracting so many celebrities right now? So you don’t see a lot of celebrity bourbon brands. We have a few celebrity gin brands. But really, the most famous is Ryan Reynolds, right? There’s not a ton of vodka anymore. Really, this is the only Irish whiskey. Like, what is it about tequila? Is it just that L.A. drinks so much of it that they all want to make it? And why do you think they all are getting into it? You think if they’re all competitive, they would see there’s so many people in the space now, that there’s going to be a shakeout. So I’m curious what you think is drawing everyone to this one liquid?

K: Yeah. Talk about saturation. And I look at the other spaces and I’m like, “OK.” Look, first authenticity matters. So I assume that these other celebrities getting into the tequila business are truly tequila drinkers. I can tell you one thing, that’s what D.J. drinks. By the way, he likes that, and he also, by the way, drinks whiskey on occasion. Not much anymore now that we’ve launched this brand. He’s madly in love with Teremana. And we are working on some innovation with and for him that’s going to be pretty amazing. But that said, I think that you said it very well when you talked about there’s going to be a shake out. There’s a gold rush. You know, we talk about gold rushes, whether it’s technology back in the day that everybody was jumping in and creating a “dot com” the dot com boom, and then it busted. This tequila space is really hot, and it’s growing. Tequila is the new vodka, in a way, with young people. So I had a party recently at my house. My daughter was engaged. It was as socially distanced as you could get, which means that’s code for we were not good. And I had Teremana, and of course, I had to have vodka there as well. And it was about a ratio of about 30 to one tequila over vodka with a bunch of people that were all in their mid-20s. That tells you something, right? So, you see lightning striking. And I would hope that these other celebrities getting into it are drinking tequila and they’re also business people and they’re saying, “Hey, I’m really famous. Why don’t I get into the tequila business?” Bourbon is tougher, although I think there’s a massive opportunity for authentic celebrities that, again, they must be authentic to what they’re doing, and they must be willing to work and be real. And there are very few of them, by the way. I’ve met with a lot of them. So that’s one reason. I think the other reason is, the fact of somebody like Clooney, or in the case of my guy, Johnson, these people, you know, the celebrities look at them and say, “Man, I want to be the next billionaire, and why can’t I do that?” What they’re going to learn is that’s really hard. And you see there are some celebrities that I will not name that are in the tequila space, and it is an uphill battle, because they either lack authenticity or they lack the star power that they may think they have to actually make the cash register ring outside of their core gift that God gave them — whether that’s music, or acting, or athletics. So it’s a tough one, but I’m never going to judge, because I don’t have a crystal ball. But there’s a gold rush right now. And eventually, there’ll be a shakeout, and there will be some form of consumer fatigue as well, which we’re going to see in celebrity. Authenticity is so important. And also lean-in. You can’t come in and do this thing for three months and then expect it to happen. D.J. knows, and Conor knows, this is a lifelong thing. D.J. wants this to be legacy, Conor wants to do Proper No. Twelve forever. And while we may sell parts of it over time, because there’s nothing wrong with making money, D.J. is like “this is for my children.” The bottom of every bottle of Teremana, there are initials on every bottle. There’s a word that is strange if you ever look at it, if you have it there, look at it, you won’t know what it means. But it’s very personal to D.J. because it’s the first two initials of each one of his three daughters. That is part of his soul, the brand.

C: Oh, my God, I’m looking at it now.

K: Yeah it says “Tijasi,” and those are his three daughters. So he wanted that there because this is legacy. So the gold rush can happen. Some people may get lucky, but luck doesn’t really happen in the spirits business. It’s all hard work. And of course, having a quality product, which I like to think Proper No. Twelve, for its price point, pound for pound against another Irish whiskey blend, you’re not going to find better. And Teremana, the crazy part about Teremana, is it’s ultra-premium tequila, copper-pot distilled, brick oven only, highest-quality process by hand, and it’s 30 bucks. It’s not $40 to $45 a bottle because D.J. wanted it to be accessible to all people. You want to talk about a perfect storm? The best tequila, then paired with a price point that rich people can afford and not so rich people can afford, is really what D.J. wanted. So that’s part of the recipe, and it doesn’t happen by accident.

T: Well, Ken I just wanted to say that it’s been so interesting to hear about this, and I think for me personally, but I’m sure for all of our listeners as well, just hearing about the involvement of guys like D.J., as you call him, and Conor, just because I think there is probably for most folks, there’s a natural assumption that maybe it’s a name or something. But I think hearing some of the stories behind it here shows how kind of personal that is. So really thank you for your time today to telling us about that. And I wanted to say congratulations on the sales of Teremana as well. Anyone can go out and Google it. We’ve covered it at VinePair. It’s one of the fastest launches of any celebrity spirit of all time. Proper No. Twelve in the longer run as well, incredible sales numbers. So, yeah, congrats on that, and I’m excited to see some of those innovations next year, as you mentioned. I’m sure it’s going to be an exciting one for, well, I guess many reasons.

K: I want to say Tim, Cat, Adam, Katie, it was a pleasure talking to you today. And I would just tell you to stay tuned. More to come. We’ll have some more brands down the road, I hope. Maybe with some iconic people, maybe not. And also what I wanted to say to your listeners is that if a guy like me, with the IQ that I have, can make it the way I have so far, anyone listening can. And it’s very cliché, but I really, really mean that. So you’ve got to will it to happen. And that’s what it’s all about. So happy holidays to everyone, and I hope to speak to you again soon.

A: Thanks, Ken.

T: And I’ll say one thing as well. If I see my cocktail on Instagram, D.J.’s Instagram, he better be tagging me, right? If I see the Stone-Cold Ken Austin on the rocks.

A: I knew you were going to say that, Tim. Oh, my gosh, you’re so cheesy.

K: Tim, I got to tell you, besides the fact that that was cheesy, I love it. So post it, make sure I get it, and I will guarantee you. Guarantee you. I know a guy who knows a guy who can get to D.J. I will get him to post that. I promise.

T: OK, well, this is on record. So if this doesn’t happen, you know, we’re calling you out, Ken.

K: Look, D.J. is probably going to kick my a** for saying that. But it’s OK. He’s kicked my a** for a lot worse.

T: Well, thanks again, everyone. And we’ll see you all next week.

Thanks for listening to this week’s episode of EOD Drinks. If you’ve enjoyed this program, please leave us a rating or a review wherever you get your podcasts, it really helps other people discover the show. And tell your friends.

We want as many people as possible listening to this amazing program. And now for the credits and “End of Day Drinks” is recorded live in New York City at VinePair’s headquarters and it is produced, edited, and engineered by VinePair’s tastings director, yes he wears a lot of hats, Keith Beavers. I also want to give a special thanks to VinePair’s co-founder, Josh Malin, to the executive editor Joanna Sciarrino, to our senior editor Cat Wolinski, senior staff writer Tim McKirdy, and our associate editor Katie Brown. And a special shout-out to Danielle Grinberg, VinePair’s art director, who designed the sick logo for this program. The music for “End of Day Drinks” was produced, written, and recorded by Darby Cicci. I’m VinePair co-founder Adam Teeter, and we’ll see you next week. Thanks a lot.

Ed. note: This episode has been edited for length and clarity.

The article EOD Drinks: Ken Austin: Co-Founder of Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey and Teremana Tequila appeared first on VinePair.

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[wineanddinosaur]

EOD Drinks: Ken Austin: Co-Founder of Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey and Teremana Tequila

In this episode of “EOD Drinks,” VinePair’s editorial team sits down with Ken Austin, the co-founder of Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey and Teremana Tequila. Austin explains how he left behind a career as an accountant to enter the spirits world, and details his playbook for successful entrepreneurs. While some consumers have remained skeptical about celebrity spirits brands, Dwayne Johnson’s Teremana and Conor McGregor’s Proper No. Twelve have become two of the most competitive names in the game. Austin discusses what it’s been like to take on major players in the spirits world, and what he expects will happen within the current celebrity tequila “gold rush.”

More than anything, Austin emphasizes that the success of Proper No. Twelve and Teremana have come from the hard work of his celebrity partners. Conor McGregor and Dwayne Johnson are each listed as founders of their spirits, and they remain very involved in the brands. Proper No. Twelve is one of the first celebrity spirits to compete in the world Irish whiskey, but with Conor McGregor’s backing, the brand has seen tremendous results. Similarly, Teremana, founded and backed by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, has set records as one of the fastest new spirit launches — largely thanks to Johnson’s impressive social media following.

Here, Austin dives into the day-to-day of running these brands, and how Johnson and McGregor ensure that their values shine through. He also discusses what it was like to start his first spirit brand, Avión, and how Bob Odenkirk wound up portraying him on “Entourage.”

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Adam: From VinePair’s New York City headquarters, this is “End of Day Drinks,” where we sit down with the movers and shakers in the beverage industry. So pour yourself a glass, and listen along with us. Let’s start the show. On today’s episode of “EOD Drinks,” we’re talking with serial alcohol entrepreneur Ken Austin. We’ll start the conversation by learning about how he created Avión Tequila and how the hell it wound up as a central character on “Entourage.” We’ll then talk about Austin’s relationship with Conor McGregor and how the two created Proper No. Twelve Irish whiskey. And finally, we’ll talk about Teremana tequila, the tequila taking the alcohol world by storm that Austin created in collaboration with Dwayne Johnson, who most of us know is The Rock. All right Tim, take today’s conversation away.

Tim: Hi there, I’m Tim McKirdy, staff writer at VinePair, and welcome to the “End of the Drinks” podcast. Today, we are joined by Ken Austin, co-founder of Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey and Teremana Tequila. Hi, Ken.

Ken: Hey, how are you Tim?

T: Doing well, thank you. And as always, I am joined by VinePair co-founder and CEO Adam Teeter.

A: What’s up, Tim?

T: VinePair senior editor Cat Wolinski.

Cat: Hello.

T: Hello and VinePair editorial associate Katie Brown. How’s it going?

Katie: Hey, Tim.

T: And before we kick things off, guys, obviously this is the “End of Day Drinks” podcast. Ken has sent some of his products to us to try very kindly. I wanted to find out what’s everyone enjoying as their end-of-day drink? Has it been one of those days? Are you having straight tequila and whiskey, or have you mixed up a cocktail? How’s everyone enjoying it? Adam, we’ll start with you.

A: Yeah, man, taking it straight to the face. No, I’m doing Teremana as a Negroni, so I replaced the Teremana as the gin. And it’s delicious.

T: Oh, very nice. How about you, Katie?

Ka: I’m having the Proper No. Twelve in a spiked hot cider, and it’s very delicious.

T: And very cold where you are as well. Cat what about yourself?

C: So I actually have two drinks in front of me. I made Hot Toddies, one with the Teremana and one with the Proper No. Twelve, and I got to say, I am favoring the Teremana Hot Toddy.

A: Interesting, you and Katie with the warm drinks. What about you, Tim? What are you drinking?

T: So I was trying to figure out a way, how can I incorporate both of these into one drink? And there’s not many whiskey and tequila cocktails out there. So I said, you know what, I’ll try and figure something out myself. Went with a classic, went with an Old Fashioned. So about equal parts Irish whiskey, tequila. I went with a little bit of simple syrup, some Angostura bitters, and I’m going to call this one the Stone-Cold Ken Austin. How about that one?

C: Oh, my God.

T: Sorry, that’s terribly cheesy. Ken, what’s your preference?

A: Super cheesy, Tim.

T: Super cheesy.

K: I love that.

C: What about “The Proper Rock”?.

Ka: Tim, what does tequila do to your Old Fashioned?

T: So actually it gives it this really incredible spice, and it works really well with the bitters. And I think, Irish whiskey being so approachable, the Irish whiskey also kind of gives it this foundation to build off and allows the tequila to shine. I tell you what, the name might not be brilliant, but this is a really nice cocktail.

A: Nice.

T: Ken, before we dive into it, what’s your preference? Are you just a straight-up neat guy, or how do you enjoy these spirits?

K: First of all, I love all of the cocktails that you all made. I’m jealous, and I actually don’t discriminate. I drink spirits all different ways, from neat all the way through, just on the rocks or in a cocktail. I do agree, by the way, a Teremana Reposado Old Fashioned beats a whiskey Old Fashioned in my book any day. But what I will be partaking in as soon as we get done here — I actually probably will while we’re talking here, is typically I’ll drink spirits on a day like today, just either neat or on the rocks.

T: Nice. And obviously, I should point out that this is the afternoon. This is not 11:00 in the morning. So one thing that our listeners, I’m sure, will be aware of are the celebrity associations with Proper No. Twelve and Teremana. But before we dive into that, Ken, I was wondering if you can give us a real quick background on yourself, how you got into the business, and how it is that you end up with two incredibly successful spirits brands and celebrity spirits brands.

K: Thanks, Tim, and my story is very typical to people that are missing chromosomes or some kind of genes, and most people call them entrepreneurs. I really don’t. I think they are very sick people, but in a very good way. Well, my background is that I like to say that I grew up with very little, but it happens to be I had everything. Great family, great upbringing, great parents, great sisters. And that’s probably what led to some of the success that I’ve had today. And I grew up in a very, very humble background. And hopefully, that’s the way I am today and continue to be that way, despite having some success from a monetary perspective. But that said, from my background, I was schooled as an accountant, which is pretty bizarre, since I do know how to count. But I hated accounting. I did it because my father told me you have to do it, and back then, you actually listened to what your parents said, as opposed to today. But after I realized I could not be an accountant for more than a year for one of the — back then it was called the Big Eight accounting firms in the U.S., I went to work for the Gallo winery, where I learned a lot about wine, spirits, but most importantly, about consumers. Consumer behavior. How do they shop? Why do they buy? And really understanding, at the end of the day, the consumer. The customer is really the most important person, the person sitting on the other side of the bar or the person shopping in a liquor store that wants to take it home and create great moments for themselves and for the people around them. After that, I worked for the Seagram company when Seagram was owned by the Bronfman family, and that company was sold. And when it was sold, as a person who grew up in a family where your job was supposed to be womb to tomb, you start there and you die there, that’s the way the job market was. The company was sold, and it forced me �� against my father’s best interest to stay there forever — forced me to decide what I was going to do next. And I was fortunate enough to go into the private aviation business at a time that it was a very good time to be in the private aviation business. And we built a brand, the consumer brand that was very successful, grinding, grinding, grinding, which is the key to the name of the game, working our asses off. And during that time, I had a love for spirits and wine and just beverages in general. And when things got good in the jet business, I told my partners I want to go to Mexico and I want to create a tequila because I love tequila. And I created a tequila brand called Avión and built that brand and ultimately sold it to Pernod Ricard, the second-biggest drinks company in the world in 2010. I started it. And my love for tequila really is how this whole thing really opened up. And fast forward, I met Conor McGregor and his manager, Audie Attar, and Conor was looking to do an Irish whiskey, and I was crazy enough to tell them that I think we should do it together. And Proper No. Twelve today is a rousing success, and I’m really glad you like the liquid and that you’re drinking it today in your Toddies or whatever it may be. And most recently, which you were talking about up front, we joined forces with Dwayne Johnson, The Rock, and his business partner, Dany Garcia, and my partner Jenna Fagnan. And we worked for quite a long time to create Teremana tequila, which is now in its 10th month. And the brand has set records like the industry has never seen before. And the product quality is where it all begins and where it all ends. A truly bespoke tequila made the right way — copper pots, brick ovens, the whole deal. But it’s been sort of a fairy tale in a way to doing business with people like Conor and his team and D.J., as we call him, The Rock and his team, which are really, just they are unicorns. And what we do is we really have provided the platform for them and the education for them to be able to lean in and play a role that no one else can play like them. And we try to think that we can play a role that no one else can play like us, if that makes sense. So that’s how I got here. And now we get celebrities calling us every day, “Hey, I want to be the next Dwayne Johnson, Conor McGregor, George Clooney, Ryan Reynolds.” And they don’t understand that it’s not “just add water” and you’re home free. It’s a very difficult, difficult business, as you folks know better than anyone.

T: So I’d love to dive into that in a minute. But I wanted to ask you something briefly, kind of taking it back to the beginning before you started working with celebrities. You had a bit of a star turn with Avión and being featured kind of famously on”Entourage.” I’m not sure whether our listeners are aware of that. That’s something I turned to again during the pandemic, but, you know, apart from launching Bob Odenkirk’s career — who played you in the episode, for those who haven’t seen it — I was wondering, so before working with celebrities, how do you get your tequila brand in a show, and not just like placed in a show, you have like two, three episodes revolving around your brand. How does that happen?

K: You have to have like a horseshoe up your rear end. It’s so funny, I have a tangent for a second. You talk about Bob Odenkirk who played me, Ken Austin, in “Entourage,” because Doug said to me — Doug Ellin, the creator, is a friend. So that’s really how it happened. And I’ll give you the Reader’s Digest version of that so I don’t bore you. Doug called me up, and he goes, Ken, I want to have this story about Avión to be really true to you. And I want you to come in and play yourself in the show. And I said, Doug, I’m not doing that. You know, I’m married. My wife doesn’t want anybody to ever look at me. And I have a face for radio, as they say, or for podcasts. But Doug said to me, I’m going to get somebody to play you. Who should I get? And I go, well, probably Brad Pitt is probably the closest thing. And Doug laughed. And he picked, obviously, an incredible comedic genius, Bob Odenkirk. But the way it really happened was that Doug is a friend of mine and my partner, Kenny Dichter from Marquis Jet. Doug grew up with Kenny and we became really good friends. Doug was looking for the storyline for Turtle, and he said, “I want Turtle to be like an NBA player, where he can be successful and buy his mom a house like an NBA player.” And I said to him and Kenny, my partner Kenny, said, why don’t you just do our tequila? And Doug was like, what do you mean? And I said, “well, why don’t you say he did like 50 Cent and Vitamin Water or something, do a real life story. A celebrity actually tagging on to a brand and making that brand huge.” Which at the time that really wasn’t happening in the real world of celebrities and wine, which is massive with celebrities and spirits. And Doug said, “I love it. Will you give me the brand unencumbered? I can do anything I want?” And we said, “Yeah, you’re our friend. Just, no prostitutes, no drugs, none of that kind of stuff.” Of course, he did. Or sorry, Sasha Grey is not a prostitute, but a porn star. And so it was almost like a trifecta box. Everything we said we didn’t want, he did. And it was out of the gate. You want to talk about rocket fuel? The brand became a household name, and nobody thought it was real. People thought it was a fake tequila. But that’s how it happened.

A: I did. I thought it was fake.

K: Yeah. Everyone, our ad campaign actually changed very quickly. We said, “What are we going to do?” And we started flying planes down South Beach and in New York and in California that said, “Avión. Yes, it’s real.” To answer the question. But people were discovering it and saying, “Holy s***, this is real tequila.” And it then sort of had a little bit of a “hangover” because people said, “Oh, it must be like Bubba Gump Shrimp. It’s not really a good tequila because it was on TV.” And didn’t realize it was a great, phenomenal product, won best in the world. But people thought it couldn’t be good because it was featured on a TV show. So that’s a different set of circumstances. I’ll tell you that story another day when I lay on the couch and tell you my problems. It was really, really phenomenal. And what it did for us was it gave us the ability to raise money one time and one time only and gave us enough runway and we did enough business that we actually didn’t do what most new spirit brands do, which is blow your money and go out of business. So it was that runway, that speed, that velocity, that momentum to then be able to manage a business based on the cash flow and not basically be in the red every day.

T: So Ken, I guess obviously now you have Teremana tequila, and that’s clearly an industry that you know well. But then your next move after Avión was moving into the Irish whiskey business. I wonder, what are some of the things that you took from working in tequila that you could really just easily make a carbon copy or a playbook? And then what were some of the things that you have to learn? Because it’s a completely different market. And it’s also, let’s be honest, it’s a market that even now to most extents, has been dominated by this one brand. I mean, it’s a real tough proposition.

K: Yeah, Tim, it’s a great, great question, and I think that the playbook is always the same in certain ways when you are an “entrepreneur.” And the playbook is hard work, never give up, breathe your own vapor sometimes. You got to believe. Everyone around you is going to tell you why it won’t work. And you have to dismiss it all and say, “I am going to will this to happen,” and put people around you that believe the same thing. So that’s part of the playbook, and it’s very, very hard to keep negativity out of doing new things. I can see the end zone, but the people around you sometimes don’t. And your job is to convince them that the end zone is there and to also not allow that negativity to create a situation where you’re lying in bed at night and you’re sucking your thumb and you’re calling mama. And it’s really, really hard. So that part of the playbook, every one of your listeners here and also you, what you guys have created with what you’re doing, the podcast, how many people said there were so many, it won’t work? How do you cut through? You will your way. And you don’t have to have a 4.0 average. I was a below-average student. If I got an F in one class and A in the other, my mom yelled at me. The next semester I got an F in the class I got the A in, and I got an A in the class I got the F in. I just reversed the grades just to stay afloat. So it’s really about driving it. So that part of the playbook is the same. The part of the playbook that was also similar with Proper No. Twelve and Avión was that when Avión launched, that was 2010, and there were not 500 tequilas. Now every young person is drinking tequila, and frankly, every person, 40s and 50s, is drinking tequila. Right? So that was not happening in 2010, so everyone said, “Oh, my God.” At the time it was only Patron. It was only Cuervo, right? Cuervo at the price point, let’s call it $20 Patron at the price point $40. No clear No. in either one of those categories, consumer price points. And people said to me, you’re crazy. You’ll never be able to take on Patron. So similarly with Proper No. Twelve, people said the same thing. You’re never going to be able to take on Jameson. They’re the 800 pound gorilla. It’s not a category of many. It’s a category of one, just like tequila was a category and ultra-premium of one. So today, you can name on all your fingers and toes the number of ultra-premium tequilas there are. And eventually, in Irish whiskey, I’m not sure if it’ll be the same thing, but we have broken through with Proper No. Twelve in a place that people felt you couldn’t break through because of this David-and-Goliath kind of situation with Jameson and everyone else. So that’s where the playbook is different. But that’s where the playbook is: You have to believe that you can break through and you have to be innovative. You have to be disruptive. You have to believe that you can actually get the market share and you can take down a monster of a brand and you can put a dent in their business, which we have done, and they are still a monster. But talk to Conor McGregor. He will tell you we will be No. 1 eventually. And if you believe that, that is a big component of the formula for success in a space that very few brands become successful.

Ka: So cool.

A: So Ken, what’s it been like to work with Conor and with Dwayne? What are they like as people? Are they both super invested in this, or are you really more dealing with their people when it comes to the spirits? And what made you decide that these were the two people you wanted to work with? As you said, you’ve been approached by tons of different celebrities. Why them?

K: Yeah, that’s an awesome question. And part of it, I would say, is it’s a lie to say that it’s luck. The lucky part is that when you talk to these people, being a guy like Conor and Audie his manager, or D.J. and Dany, his partner, the lucky part is that you connect. The connectivity and the values and the chemistry is really the most important thing. But to your question about these two people, as different as they are, Conor is in his early 30s, D.J. is in his 40s, his mid- to later 40s. As different as they are, they’re very similar. And the similarity is that they are both grinders. They both came from difficult childhoods, financially. Conor was on welfare, social welfare, probably seven years ago. D.J. was evicted out of his home in Hawaii with his mom and his family when he was 14 or 15 years old. And by the way, there’s a pattern here when you think about successful people that are not multi-generational wealth, but people who are first- or second- generation wealth and success. But if you think about the two of them, the interesting thing is they’re both incredible athletes. They’re very gifted. And athletes, people with that mindset are very, very disciplined. And Conor trains every day. D.J. is in the gym every day. So when you think about the personality profile of these “unicorns,” these celebrities, they’re much, much different than — I’ll call it a celebrity that is a celebrity who is just an actor. Right? And they’re geniuses at their craft and their discipline is there. But these two athletes that we’ve been able to link up with are also uber, uber competitive. So in their own ways — by the way. Conor, much more visible, his competitive spirit. D.J. is the most humble person I’ve ever met. He’s the most recognized American in the world. And No. 1 social media guy in America. Two hundred and five million people follow him on Instagram. I mean, I have 60,000 of which I think 59,000 are bots. And the other people are my mother and her friends and my friends from college and whatever. But it’s pretty amazing the similarities and the way we got together. Well, you ask the question are they invested in this thing? Conor is the founder of Proper No. Twelve, and D.J. is the founder of Teremana. That’s not Hollywood bulls***. They truly are the founders, from brand name, to package, to liquid, to the look in the field, to the voice of the brands. Look at those two brands. Proper No. Twelve a little more bada** and very, very much what you think Irish whiskey should be. Teremana a bit more, I’ll call it precise and elegant, from its label to the process that D.J. wanted for the brand. So they very much fit their personalities. But you want to talk about involvement before this call that we’re having right now? I had a call with The Rock and the team, I don’t want to call him The Rock because he’s not The Rock to me, and he’s too mature to call him The Rock anymore. We had a call today with D.J., we’re having a call next week, the 2021 planning meeting. Him and Dany are on every board call. Same thing with Conor. Conor is every day up my rear end every day. Why this? Why that? Where are the numbers? What’s the Nielsen? How are the customers performing? So these two humans are very similar. They are totally, totally leaning in. And that’s respectfully to other “celebrity brands.” A lot of it is Hollywood. These are true stories and the authenticity of both of these people, and when I think about Teremana, it is the authenticity of D.J. You see it in everything that he does because his audience comes first and that’s the key. And other celebrities that come to us that want to be the next Dwayne Johnson, Conor McGregor, George Clooney, Ryan Reynolds, what they don’t really understand is the way you need to lean in and the way you need to work. And I try to scare the hell out of them. And most of them run for the hills when you tell them you’ve got to put in the time, you’ve got to see people, you’ve got to engage. And they’re like, you know what? I’d rather just spend time on my craft, whether it be music, acting, or former athletes, whatever it may be. But it’s not a business for the weary because it’s a door-to-door sales process. This is not technology. This is not putting it into a Target and from Saturday morning, you go into Target, it’s in every single store. This is hand-to-hand combat, not to mention what’s going on with the bars and restaurants, that is a devastation of an industry that, if you don’t cry from it, there’s something mentally wrong with you. And how do we actually create some more momentum when that industry can come back? And D.J. is talking about restaurants and bars and what do we do to help them when they come back? That’s how “in” these two people are. And again, the similarity. But we’re very lucky. And when we turn down other celebrities, we don’t turn them down in an arrogant way. We turn them down and say, “look, this probably isn’t right for you and this is why. And we don’t want you to fail.” Because these people should not fail. They’re so successful. You don’t want them to fail. So long answer as usual from me.

A: Good answer, though.

C: So are there any charitable aspects of either of these brands in the works currently?

K: Yeah, totally. So that’s really important to me and Jenna, as spirits beverage people that you do give back. And I think we’ve always been raised that way from both of our childhoods. And Jenna Fagnan, who’s my partner since Avión started, I begged her to come and run the company and she left LVMH running a big business for them to come join me and take this ride. But on Proper No. Twelve, $5 for every case that we sell goes to first responders. That was something that Conor when we sat and we were having meetings, and this one happened in New York. Actually we’re having dinner in a restaurant called Philippe Chow. And downstairs in the cellar, if you come to New York, you’ve got to go there when this craziness ends. And we were down there, we were talking about the brand, and Conor said, “You know, I really want to do some good with this brand, too. It’s not just about money.” And we started talking about first responders and firefighters and front-line people. At the time, we weren’t talking about front-line workers like nurses and all the people that we’ve seen during the pandemic that have been so, so incredible. And we made a decision to give $5 for every case we sell of Proper No. Twelve to first responders. We’ve done that all over the world. In the U.S, last year, our first year, we gave a million dollars to Tunnel to Towers, which you got to look up. It’s an organization that gives families that lose a first responder, firefighter, police, or EMS worker who dies in the line of duty and has children under the age of 16. They work to pay off their mortgage, so they don’t have the burden of the mortgage. During the pandemic, we’ve raised so far an additional $200,000+ for Tunnel to Towers. We created a T-shirt that we sold, and all the proceeds, not the profits, all the proceeds went to front-line workers that Tunnel to Towers was giving to. So we gave up $1.2 million in our first year. And this year, based on sales, we’ll give another million dollars, we’ll also give $300,000 around the world to front-line and first responders as well. In the case of Teremana, D.J. and Dany are very much about giving back. I mean, they’re incredible humans, and they do a lot of things with Make a Wish and other charities. In fact, their ice cream called Salt and Straw that they are investors in, we just did a Teremana ice cream.

C: Yeah, we wrote about that.

K: I saw that. And it blew out, by the way, it sold out. D.J. was thinking about the sell-out last night. But a dollar for every pint was given by Salt and Straw and D.J. and Dany, and Teremana also matched that dollar for every pint that went to, I’m at a loss right now, but to an organization helping the restaurant and the food industry.

Ka: I was wondering, I think it’d be kind of ignoring an elephant in the room if we didn’t address the fact that we’re in the midst of Covid-19. And I was curious, especially starting a new brand this year. Teremana is relatively new. I was wondering, how that’s been? How is it to start a new tequila brand in the midst of all this craziness and unprecedented closures of bars and everything? So what was your first year like in relation to your expectations?

K: Yeah, and look, this whole thing, I mean, I read today one out of six restaurants and bars are permanently closed. And I’m like, “holy s***.” I mean, I get choked up just thinking about it. Think about your local restaurant, the people that are always just good to you. And your friends that are bartenders and servers and all the s***. It’s just mind-blowing. But for us, we launched in March, so literally, as the world was shutting down, we’re launching a new brand. And it was really, really hard on the on-premise side, the bars and restaurants, we never really got in. So we didn’t experience that. On the liquor store, the off-premise side, I think we all know in America, that part of the business has been massive growth of 20, 30 percent. If you own a liquor store, whether you’re the big guy like a BevMo! or a Total Wine, Spec’s, all the big guys, or a Safeway, Albertsons that sell alcohol in supermarkets across the country, it’s been a boom for them because people have been home, and we’ve been consuming more because we don’t go out and consume. But I think we would have done more business if the restaurants and bars were open. And I really wish they were. And I know we really feel, I can’t express enough how badly, we’ll come back and we’ll help as much as we can. But the first year for Teremana, the one thing that happened was consumers went to liquor stores, and the brands that really suffered were the brands that people didn’t know. Because if you went into a liquor store or you went on to “Mini Bar” or these other apps that you can go on to have delivery, and you would buy the things that you knew, that you trusted, brands you trusted. So the more expensive brands, too, also suffered because a lot of people lost their jobs or were concerned about losing their jobs. So they weren’t buying bourbons that were $60 to $80 the way they were before the pandemic. So the brands that really won were the brands that we all know, that you trust and that are priced reasonably. And so Proper No. Twelve through the roof, and the brand has been around for years, over two years or so, and very well known in that short period of time. Teremana being new, the thing that we did have is the credibility of Mr. Johnson and the fact that people trust him. And his social media, he talked about it and actually created an environment for people where he did Teremana Tuesdays and he made cocktails. He did things that he didn’t plan on doing because his goal was to create an environment, to bring people together and share our isolation together. Whether you had it in a home with a family of four or five, or how many friends I have that were alone in their apartments in a big city, and talk about loneliness. And D.J.’s goal was to sort of make it fun and bring people together and make cocktails together, and share on Teremana Tuesdays other people’s user-generated cocktails at home, to try to make the silver lining of what we were going through, a togetherness. So the brand blew up, truly blew up, and I think a lot of that is attributable to him and his DNA and his positivity and his humility and his message to “let’s all get through this together.” And Teremana became sort of like a clutch for people to say it’s all going to be OK. And as he says, he drinks tequila in good times, bad times, and everything in between. And this was sort of one of those, I’ll call it “in between/bad times.” And we’re still living through that right now. So, again, a long answer from a guy like me, but pretty remarkable. Most new brands during this time, you can’t get off of home plate, because how does anybody discover you? There’s no way.

A: Well, so Ken, I gotta ask you a question, because we’ve got you here and we’ve had this conversation a bunch at the VinePair offices. So what do you think it is about tequila, in general, that is attracting so many celebrities right now? So you don’t see a lot of celebrity bourbon brands. We have a few celebrity gin brands. But really, the most famous is Ryan Reynolds, right? There’s not a ton of vodka anymore. Really, this is the only Irish whiskey. Like, what is it about tequila? Is it just that L.A. drinks so much of it that they all want to make it? And why do you think they all are getting into it? You think if they’re all competitive, they would see there’s so many people in the space now, that there’s going to be a shakeout. So I’m curious what you think is drawing everyone to this one liquid?

K: Yeah. Talk about saturation. And I look at the other spaces and I’m like, “OK.” Look, first authenticity matters. So I assume that these other celebrities getting into the tequila business are truly tequila drinkers. I can tell you one thing, that’s what D.J. drinks. By the way, he likes that, and he also, by the way, drinks whiskey on occasion. Not much anymore now that we’ve launched this brand. He’s madly in love with Teremana. And we are working on some innovation with and for him that’s going to be pretty amazing. But that said, I think that you said it very well when you talked about there’s going to be a shake out. There’s a gold rush. You know, we talk about gold rushes, whether it’s technology back in the day that everybody was jumping in and creating a “dot com” the dot com boom, and then it busted. This tequila space is really hot, and it’s growing. Tequila is the new vodka, in a way, with young people. So I had a party recently at my house. My daughter was engaged. It was as socially distanced as you could get, which means that’s code for we were not good. And I had Teremana, and of course, I had to have vodka there as well. And it was about a ratio of about 30 to one tequila over vodka with a bunch of people that were all in their mid-20s. That tells you something, right? So, you see lightning striking. And I would hope that these other celebrities getting into it are drinking tequila and they’re also business people and they’re saying, “Hey, I’m really famous. Why don’t I get into the tequila business?” Bourbon is tougher, although I think there’s a massive opportunity for authentic celebrities that, again, they must be authentic to what they’re doing, and they must be willing to work and be real. And there are very few of them, by the way. I’ve met with a lot of them. So that’s one reason. I think the other reason is, the fact of somebody like Clooney, or in the case of my guy, Johnson, these people, you know, the celebrities look at them and say, “Man, I want to be the next billionaire, and why can’t I do that?” What they’re going to learn is that’s really hard. And you see there are some celebrities that I will not name that are in the tequila space, and it is an uphill battle, because they either lack authenticity or they lack the star power that they may think they have to actually make the cash register ring outside of their core gift that God gave them — whether that’s music, or acting, or athletics. So it’s a tough one, but I’m never going to judge, because I don’t have a crystal ball. But there’s a gold rush right now. And eventually, there’ll be a shakeout, and there will be some form of consumer fatigue as well, which we’re going to see in celebrity. Authenticity is so important. And also lean-in. You can’t come in and do this thing for three months and then expect it to happen. D.J. knows, and Conor knows, this is a lifelong thing. D.J. wants this to be legacy, Conor wants to do Proper No. Twelve forever. And while we may sell parts of it over time, because there’s nothing wrong with making money, D.J. is like “this is for my children.” The bottom of every bottle of Teremana, there are initials on every bottle. There’s a word that is strange if you ever look at it, if you have it there, look at it, you won’t know what it means. But it’s very personal to D.J. because it’s the first two initials of each one of his three daughters. That is part of his soul, the brand.

C: Oh, my God, I’m looking at it now.

K: Yeah it says “Tijasi,” and those are his three daughters. So he wanted that there because this is legacy. So the gold rush can happen. Some people may get lucky, but luck doesn’t really happen in the spirits business. It’s all hard work. And of course, having a quality product, which I like to think Proper No. Twelve, for its price point, pound for pound against another Irish whiskey blend, you’re not going to find better. And Teremana, the crazy part about Teremana, is it’s ultra-premium tequila, copper-pot distilled, brick oven only, highest-quality process by hand, and it’s 30 bucks. It’s not $40 to $45 a bottle because D.J. wanted it to be accessible to all people. You want to talk about a perfect storm? The best tequila, then paired with a price point that rich people can afford and not so rich people can afford, is really what D.J. wanted. So that’s part of the recipe, and it doesn’t happen by accident.

T: Well, Ken I just wanted to say that it’s been so interesting to hear about this, and I think for me personally, but I’m sure for all of our listeners as well, just hearing about the involvement of guys like D.J., as you call him, and Conor, just because I think there is probably for most folks, there’s a natural assumption that maybe it’s a name or something. But I think hearing some of the stories behind it here shows how kind of personal that is. So really thank you for your time today to telling us about that. And I wanted to say congratulations on the sales of Teremana as well. Anyone can go out and Google it. We’ve covered it at VinePair. It’s one of the fastest launches of any celebrity spirit of all time. Proper No. Twelve in the longer run as well, incredible sales numbers. So, yeah, congrats on that, and I’m excited to see some of those innovations next year, as you mentioned. I’m sure it’s going to be an exciting one for, well, I guess many reasons.

K: I want to say Tim, Cat, Adam, Katie, it was a pleasure talking to you today. And I would just tell you to stay tuned. More to come. We’ll have some more brands down the road, I hope. Maybe with some iconic people, maybe not. And also what I wanted to say to your listeners is that if a guy like me, with the IQ that I have, can make it the way I have so far, anyone listening can. And it’s very cliché, but I really, really mean that. So you’ve got to will it to happen. And that’s what it’s all about. So happy holidays to everyone, and I hope to speak to you again soon.

A: Thanks, Ken.

T: And I’ll say one thing as well. If I see my cocktail on Instagram, D.J.’s Instagram, he better be tagging me, right? If I see the Stone-Cold Ken Austin on the rocks.

A: I knew you were going to say that, Tim. Oh, my gosh, you’re so cheesy.

K: Tim, I got to tell you, besides the fact that that was cheesy, I love it. So post it, make sure I get it, and I will guarantee you. Guarantee you. I know a guy who knows a guy who can get to D.J. I will get him to post that. I promise.

T: OK, well, this is on record. So if this doesn’t happen, you know, we’re calling you out, Ken.

K: Look, D.J. is probably going to kick my a** for saying that. But it’s OK. He’s kicked my a** for a lot worse.

T: Well, thanks again, everyone. And we’ll see you all next week.

Thanks for listening to this week’s episode of EOD Drinks. If you’ve enjoyed this program, please leave us a rating or a review wherever you get your podcasts, it really helps other people discover the show. And tell your friends.

We want as many people as possible listening to this amazing program. And now for the credits and “End of Day Drinks” is recorded live in New York City at VinePair’s headquarters and it is produced, edited, and engineered by VinePair’s tastings director, yes he wears a lot of hats, Keith Beavers. I also want to give a special thanks to VinePair’s co-founder, Josh Malin, to the executive editor Joanna Sciarrino, to our senior editor Cat Wolinski, senior staff writer Tim McKirdy, and our associate editor Katie Brown. And a special shout-out to Danielle Grinberg, VinePair’s art director, who designed the sick logo for this program. The music for “End of Day Drinks” was produced, written, and recorded by Darby Cicci. I’m VinePair co-founder Adam Teeter, and we’ll see you next week. Thanks a lot.

Ed. note: This episode has been edited for length and clarity.

The article EOD Drinks: Ken Austin: Co-Founder of Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey and Teremana Tequila appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/ken-austin-proper-twelve-irish-whiskey-teremana-tequila/

[floralicious]

(I’m just gonna keep on waiting) Underneath the Mistletoe

Cross posted on ao3 

Summary:  In which Lucy hangs some mistletoe with the hopes of kissing her dream girl, and Alfendi pretends not to help her.

Relationships: Lucy Baker/Katrielle Layton

Rating: General Audiences (I think there’s one curse word but not like a super bad one)

A/N:  Guys I wrote this at four in the morning on December 23rd so I could make some quick edits and get it out on Christmas so my deepest apologies for the incohesive and slightly out-of-character writing. I know it's not the best but I really wanted to get this out while Christmas was still here! My school didn't get out until December 22nd (!!! I'm angery !!!) so I have had uuhhh zero time to write this idea which has been bouncing around my head for the whole month. Anyway hope you enjoy!

Happy holidays!!!

-

If anyone asked, he would swear he tried to discourage her.

Technically, he did. But alas, there was no stopping Lucy when she got it in her head that the Mystery Room should feature mistletoe for the duration of December.

She already had the stepladder out to hang it in the doorframe when he walked into work on the second day of the month.

“Oh, hey, Prof! Look at this,” Lucy said. She waved a bunch of mistletoe around. “Some bloke on the street was selling it. Isn’t it a perfect decoration?”

“Sorry, Baker, but the Mystery Room is a strictly mistletoe-free zone,” Alfendi replied. Lucy made some sort of sputtering noise in protest. She opened her mouth to speak, but Alfendi put up a finger.

“Before you say anything,” he said, “Let me explain. Reason one: we really have enough decorations.” At this he pointed to the rather obtrusive plastic tree on Lucy’s desk.

“Reason two,” he continued. “Life is awkward enough without the possibility of being caught under mistletoe with your coworkers. And finally, reason three: last time I tried hanging mistletoe in here, there were some really scarring experiences for everyone involved.”

“Oh.” Lucy took her foot off of the stepladder. “But… it really completes the decorations! And we can make new memories with it!” She gestured to the generous amounts of tinsel and lights strung around almost every object in the room. “Look how well it would go with my tree!”

At that moment, Alfendi realized what Lucy’s true motive was. Or at least suspected. At the time he was about 93.7 percent sure that Lucy wanted to get caught with Katrielle under the mistletoe.

Contrary to Katrielle’s belief, he knew it wasn’t just platonic interest when she asked him for Lucy’s mobile number. Or when they went to dinner together- without him as a middleman. Nonetheless, both women denied that anything was going on whenever he broached the subject.

“You know what? Let’s do it,” he said. Would it be so bad to help a friend out? “What’s the worst that can happen?”

Lucy jumped right back on the stepladder. “Thanks, Prof! This will be the best December ever!”

In the end, the mistletoe really caused more problems than he expected. Cut to December 10th. Over a week had passed without any mistletoe incidents, though it had hung over every person to pass through the Mystery Room door.

He supposed he had been in a bit of a rush that morning. He overslept, his own coffee machine was broken, the local coffee shop was crowded, and to top it all off, traffic was hell.

So when Alfendi ran into the Mystery Room that morning, he didn’t realize Lucy was crossing the threshold at the same time he was.

The two hit each other and stumbled to the floor. Alfendi sat up, and saw that Lucy was just laying facedown on the floor.

“Lucy? Are you alright?” he asked. “Uh, sorry- here.” He stood and offered her his hand. Lucy looked up at him. Her eyes were bright with mischief. She took his hand and planted a kiss on the palm.

He raised his eyebrows. “Why, Lucy. I hardly think-”

“Look, Prof!” She quickly stood up before he could say anything more. “Mistletoe, remember?”

“...Ah.”

“Nothing like that, silly. You miss your alarm this morning too?”

And the day continued. That was the first time the mistletoe had caused a problem, albeit a minor one, but it wasn’t to be the last.

The next mishap happened only two days later. Alfendi was showing Emiliana Perfetti from her division to his own in preparation for a case they would be collaborating on. Emiliana was a rather fast walker for her height, and he struggled to keep up as she breezed through the halls. He managed to get through the door at the same time she did, not realizing his mistake.

“Caught you!” said Lucy from her desk. She crossed her arms. “Another person at last!”

“What?” Emiliana said, in that disturbingly calm voice of hers. “I don’t understa- oh.” Her gaze followed Alfendi’s to the mistletoe above them. “Ms. Baker, if you think I’m going to go along with your scheme, I am afraid that you’re sorely mistaken.”

Alfendi took her hand. “Don’t worry, Perfetti. It’s nothing personal. If I may?”

She nodded reluctantly. “If only because you have been competent so far on this case of ours… And I suppose I could do with a bit of Christmas spirit.”

Alfendi ducked down to quickly peck the back of her hand. “There. Now, Lucy, if you’ll allow us to work..”

He thought that was that. The first true bout of awkwardness the mistletoe had caused was over, and hopefully no more would occur. He was proven wrong, however, when the very person Lucy was hoping for came through the door two hours later with her assistant.

“Hey, Al!” Katrielle said. “Why are you looking at me and Ernest like that? You’re sort of… glaring above our heads?”

“I would suggest that you both look up.” Oh, this was bad. Bad for Lucy, anyway. Maybe good for that assistant of Kat’s. At least Lucy was out on business at that moment.

Katrielle and Ernest looked up at the same time. Katrielle grinned and kissed Ernest on the cheek before he could comprehend what was happening.

“Oh… Miss Layton…” Ernest said as a blush rose to his cheeks. He looked oddly similar to a tomato in that moment, Alfendi thought.

He directed his glare at his sister. In the space of a few seconds, they had a silent exchange.

Alfendi twisted his face into an expression that inexplicably said “Stop leading him on.”

Now Katrielled raised her own eyebrows. “I’m really not,” the face said.

“Oh, really? What about the fact that you’re very much not interested in men, yet just kissed the one hopelessly in love with you?” was the silent reply. Or something along those lines. It was a difficult thing to convey without words, but Katrielle got the message.

She looked away. Now she was blushing.

“Anyway,” Alfendi said with a pointed look at Katrielle, “What’re you here for?”

“Um, a- a c-c-ase,” Katrielle stuttered. “Definitely not a specific person or anything! Nope! Just a detective and her trusty very platonic assistant!”

“Alright, fill me in.”

In retrospect, maybe Alfendi shouldn’t have let his little sister off the hook so easily. Maybe he should’ve called her later to get her to confess her feelings. But he figured it was for her and Ernest and Lucy to work out, not him.

The next time it happened was the 21st day of December.

Lucy and Alfendi were working in silence, finishing up some paperwork that needed doing. The door creaked and Lucy looked up, presumably hoping to see Katrielle.

“Hi, Hilda,” she said. Alfendi looked up. Indeed, Hilda Pertinax stood in front of him, intimidating as ever.

“Ah, Ms. Pertinax. I’ve been expecting you,” he said.

“Alfendi Layton. Don’t tell me you forgot today was the solstice, you prick.” She was wearing her signature coat properly today, accompanied by what Alfendi assumed was a fashionable scarf wrapped around her neck. She looked almost like the angel on top of Lucy's tacky tree, golden hair floating around her shoulders.

“I resent that! I did not forget, thank you! Or did you not hear me say I’ve been expecting you?” Alfendi replied.

“Hmph. Oh, and Lucy. Merry Christmas, dear. Or whatever.” Hilda rooted around in her purse and drew out a gift card to a popular cafe chain. She gave it to Lucy.

“Thanks much, Hilda. You really didn’t have to do anything for me, y’know…” Lucy said. “What’s this about then?”

“Al and Justin and I have always celebrated the winter solstice together. It became a tradition- one Al always forgets about, might I add- since our first year of uni. The snow was awful that year, no trains going anywhere, so we had to stay at school. And now, well, we get lunch and give each other cheap gifts,” Hilda said.

“I actually spent more than ten pounds on your present this year, so mine better be good. Anyway, the lunch hour is ticking away, so let’s get out of here,” Alfendi said. He stood up and went to put on his coat. “Any interest in tagging along, Lucy?”

“Work awaits, as per th’ usual, Prof,” she replied.

“Alright, well, see you later.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Lucy twirled her pen in her fingers as Hilda and Alfendi started to leave. He really wasn’t expecting it when Lucy yelled “Wait!” It was an extremely loud yell- one she usually reserved for when she solved cases.

“Godamnit, Lucy!” he said. “What was that for?”

She silently pointed to the top of the doorway. The odd couple looked up.

“Of course,” Hilda said. “And here I thought you learned your lesson about mistletoe.”

“I have learned. It was Lucy’s idea,” Alfendi grumbled.

“Rules are rules, Prof,” Lucy said. “Two people end up under the mistletoe, they hafta kiss.”

Hilda put on a dry smile. “Shall we? For old times sake?”

“Hmph. Back when you thought you liked men and I thought I didn’t. Come here, then,” he said. And they kissed. Rather too passionately for friends, Lucy thought, but she supposed they did have a history. She watched as they walked away, both laughing as Alfendi tried to get Hilda’s lipstick off of his face.

After the solstice incident, Alfendi was genuinely worried that Lucy’s plan would never come to fruition. Every time Kat had come into their workplace that month had been a bad one, and he knew how much the two needed to resolve their obvious sexual tension.

Eventually, he took matters into his own hands and dialed up his sister.

“Alfendi, can this wait?” said Katrielle’s voice, tinny through his phone.

“I know you aren’t busy, shut it. You’re probably just waiting around for a case and playing with Sherl. Am I correct?”

“100 percent,” Kat sighed. “So what can I do for you?”

“I’m also 99 percent sure you won’t be doing anything at the time of the holiday party at the Yard tomorrow. Which you are expected to be at, as usual, and I also need you to be in my office ten minutes early. If you value your safety, don’t ask questions. Just be there,” Alfendi said.

“Al, I really don’t see why-”

“Nope! No questions!” he cut her off. “Be there. You’ll thank me later, I promise.” And Alfendi hung up.

The next day was Christmas Eve. Most of the Yard worked right up until or even on Christmas Day, so the party was always held the day before.

Fifteen minutes before, Alfendi set his trap.

“Lucy, would you do me a favor and stand under the mistletoe? It’s for a case. ‘The Merry Murderer,’ they’re calling it.”

“I s’pose?” Lucy did as he asked. She looked exceedingly confused.

“Thank you. Just… stay there. You’ll see.” Alfendi backed away slowly. He pretended to inspect the case file, being very careful not to look at the open door.

He didn’t have to pretend for long, though. Not five minutes later, Katrielle walked in and stopped next to Lucy.

“Oh! Kat! Good to- er- good to see you!” Lucy said, blushing.

“Alfendi, what is all this about? You better have a good reason for this! I’m actually on time for once.” Katrielle was unusually composed for someone wearing a hat with a puffball on it.

Alfendi turned around and tried to look surprised. “Oh, you’re here. Well. Kat. Kitty. Sister. Katrielle. Look up,” he said, smiling mischievously.

Lucy realized before Kat did. She turned a rather worrying shade of red, not unlike Ernest had.

“Prof! You didn’t- you couldn’t have-”

“Whatever you’re thinking, I didn’t do it. I really did need you there for a case,” Alfendi said, holding up the case file.

Kat glared at him. “You dirty-”

“Ah ah ah. Mistletoe first!”

Alfendi technically discouraged the kissing. He did avert his eyes when Lucy and Katrielle kissed, and shoved them out of the doorway, so if anyone asked, he had no idea what was happening while he was at the party.

And when he got a text from Katrielle the next morning with numerous heart emojis, he knew the mistletoe was probably worth all of the trouble it caused.

end

Thanks for reading! Please like/reblog!

[swanqueenweek]

SQW 9: #TeamMOM

Day 1, July 9th is Sharing A(nother) Child; through adoption, foster system, normal pregnancy, surrogate mother, or magic!baby. (They can be a couple or one of them as a single parent and the other offers to help her raise the kid.). Suggested by sultrysweet, queenssaviour, Anna L. and one anon.

Day 2, July 10th is MILF; because, have you seen your mother(s), Henry? (Includes both being called MILF, one getting jealous and protective over the other one being called MILF, etc.). Suggested by sultrysweet and one anon.

Day 3, July 11th is GRANDmothers; babysitting and/or spoiling Henry’s child(ren). (Doesn’t have to comply with canon.) Suggested by sultrysweet and queenssaviour.

Day 4, July 12th is Family Vacation; to which they agree willingly or for Henry’s sake (Includes family trips or just staying in Storybrooke and having fun). Suggested by sultrysweet, @bellatrixobsessed1, Carla and Anna L. 

Day 5, July 13th is Divorced Mommies; stories where Emma or Regina are divorced, either to each other or to other people. (Includes stepmother, 3rd parent, lawyer/custody battles, etc.) Suggested by Anna L. and one anon.

Day 6, July 14th is Mommy in love; Henry’s mother falls in love with Henry’s nanny, teacher, doctor, a mother of one of henry’s friend, etc. Suggested by Anna M. and two anons.

Day 7, July 15th is Parent Trap; because every kid wants their parents together. Suggested by queenssaviour and one anon.

You are now welcome to start working on your creations! Please remember that while you are welcome to work on/finish them early, you may not post until the appropriate day. 

These gifsets were made by the lovely @coalitiongirl. Thank you for your time and dedication - big hugs! 

If you are interested in participating in the event at all, please read the text below the cut, which contains more information.

Like previous SQWs, we will be making a masterlist of entries at the beginning of the week and updating it as the week progresses (generally at the end of the night). The official tag to track is #swanqueenweek, so if you would like to see things as they are posted (as we queue the entries to be reblogged), please track that tag.

Participation will also run similarly to past events, and you can read the FAQ for some of the general questions (or send us an ask/IM). Now that the prompts have been posted, you may begin working on your fanworks as soon as you’d like. While you can make them as early as today, please do not post until the appropriate day in your timezone (i.e., don’t post for day 1 until July 9th in your timezone). If you want/need to work on your creations early because you won’t be able to post them yourself, or you want them housed on the SQW blog, feel free to submit them. You can do this at any time, and we will hold on to your creation until it is time to post.

If you are interested in or planning to create some form of fanwork for the 9th SQW, please note the following guidelines on how to participate.

Anyone is eligible to participate in SQW. You don’t need to have declared participation or registered in any way. You do not need to be on tumblr, and if you post off-site, please just drop a link in the submission box (or send a fanmail message).

This blog goes by EST, so no posts will be reblogged until midnight EST of each day.

If you post your creation to your blog to be reblogged here, please tag it with “swanqueenweek” in the first five tags. (We’ve seen posts that say the first five tag rule is no longer applicable, however we haven’t verified this, so to be safe please still use the main #swanqueenweek tag in the first five.)

We will make periodic announcements when the queue is full/empty so that you have an idea of if your post was seen, but you can always submit a link to the submission box to make sure we see it (if we’ve already queued your post I’ll just ignore the submission), or send us an ask/IM checking on if yours is queued. We will respond as soon as possible to let you know.

You do not have to participate in all seven days, you can pick and choose the prompts you like/are inspired by, one for each of the eight, or multiple creations for each day. Go crazy!

There are no minimums/maximums for participation.

You may make late creations and post them any time after the day of the prompt has passed (e.g., post a Day 1 creation on day 3, or a day 4 creation three days after the event has ended, etc.). We will be reblogging late submissions as late as one week after the event is done.

Creations can be stand-alone, or they can be connected, either by content or by post (e.g., you can make it a multi-chapter fic with each chapter being a prompt, or you can make a post that just collates all content).

There is no content restriction, but please tag your submissions with any necessary warnings/ratings/etc. to keep this a healthy environment for all!

This time, our prompts are pretty general, but as always feel free to interpret the prompt however you see fit.

You are welcome to collaborate with others. This event isn’t strictly for collaboration the way the Swan Queen Big Bang was/Supernova will be, but you are more than welcome to buddy up with someone else if you’d like.

Creations must be made specifically for this event. You may not add on to a pre-posted fic/art/etc. to fit it to the prompt. However, if there is a project you’ve been working on and it has not been posted prior to July 9th, you may use that work.

There is an AO3 collection for all Swan Queen Week creations and one specifically for the 9th SQW is being made. When you post, please feel free to add yours to this collection, which is linked in the sidebar of the main blog.

If you would like to participate, but don’t want to make a fanwork or don’t know how, there are plenty of other things you can do to be a part of the 9th bi-annual SQW. Below are a few suggestions:

Betaing: If you are interested in volunteering to be a beta between now and the end of the event, please let me know and I will add you to this resource list. When you send me a message (ask/IM/submit) please give a little bit of info about what you will/won’t beta, and an estimated turn-around time.

Consultants: If you are interested in helping others either learn a new skill, or possibly serve as a sounding board for ideas, let me know and I will add you to this resource list. When you send me a message (ask/IM/submit) please give a little bit of info about what kinds of stuff you can help with (e.g., photoshop, music suggestions, video editing, etc.).

Creating Tutorials: SQW is obviously for celebrating our favorite ladies, but it can also be an awesome catalyst to learn a new skill or pick up some new tips. If you’re feeling uninspired by the prompts but still want to participate, tutorials can be a really helpful thing for those wanting to get their toes wet.

Pimping: It seems a bit obvious, but people need to know the event is happening to be able to participate! SWEN is an ever-growing family, and our newbies need to know this is going on. Pimping out the event to other sites or on your own blog will help spread the word and let all those new to SWEN about SQW.

Excitement Posts: Are you just so excited for SQW you can’t stand it?! I don’t blame you, because our shippers definitely know how to celebrate. So, fanperson it out in a post!

Further Prompting: Maybe you have a plot bunny but no time to write it. Or you see a screencap that is just perfect, but don’t like making graphics. Send them in, and for those creators that are just a bit stuck, maybe your specific prompt will get their juices flowing. Please also feel free to send in suggestions for types of creations people could make that maybe are less obvious (e.g., fake facebook threads, fake trailers, poetry, etc.).

Just as a reminder, SQW is meant to be a fun event to flood our dashboards with Swan Queen, but it can also be a great opportunity to put yourself out there and try something new. If you don’t know how to make something, or are nervous to post, I hope you feel comfortable enough to give it a shot. (Participating in SQW is a great way to pick up some lovely SWEN followers, hint hint!)

As always, if you have any questions or comments, you can always contact us. Have fun planning your creations, and we can’t wait to see them!

[reubenhernandez]

2019 A Decade in Review

One of the single most defining moments of the past decade was when I quit my job, started my own company, and moved to NYC. It was one of the most difficult and best decisions I have ever made. That was nearly 10 years ago, and it has led me to numerous opportunities that I had only dreamed of such as landing in Antarctica, photographing great white sharks breach, and seeing the aurora borealis dance above me and light up the Arctic sky. That decision also led me to meeting my wife Lisa in my Brooklyn neighborhood and to becoming a father to Leuca last year, which has been a wonderful and beautiful journey.

It’s difficult to summarize an entire decade, so I will share some of my favorite experiences and work over the last ten years.

Landing in Antarctica was a really big deal for me. I had dreamed of visiting Antarctica ever since I was in fourth grade and Antarctica also marked my seventh and final continent. It is transcendent and truly like no place on earth. This is one of many images I photographed as photographer in residence onboard an expedition ship. Dreams do come true. That’s what I would tell my childhood self.

This photograph was taken in False Bay, South Africa and speaks for itself. This happened in about a split second so you can imagine how challenging of a photograph this was to capture. The is one of the images I am most proud of and I still can’t believe I got the shot. I was freaking out afterwards. Sharks are awesome creatures and I’ve always wanted to see a great white shark breach.

In 2014 I had the opportunity to be a photographer in residence onboard an expedition ship in Svalbard, Arctic Norway. We spotted these polar bears from our ship from about 300 meters and our expedition leader decided that we would jump in zodiacs to get a closer look. The seawater was torrential and we were getting absolutely soaked by the waves smashing against the front of our zodiacs as we raced towards the polar bears. Luckily the bears remained and we got to observe them closer from our zodiacs. This was also a challenging photograph to capture with a long lens on a zodiac that was rocking up and down. I have a print of this photograph in my daughter Leuca’s room, and it definitely has a new meaning for me being a parent.

On my way to Antarctica I spent some time in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile in hopes of photographing the Milky Way. It was quite an adventure to say the least. I spent a few weeks waiting for the rain and full moon to pass as I foolishly didn’t check the phases of the moon beforehand. The Atacama Desert is supposed to be one of the driest places on earth so I was surprised by the rain. I woke up each morning at about 3 am and rode my bike alone out into the desert. It was a bit unnerving and extremely desolate and dark. It was also humbling and peaceful to see so many stars and stand beneath billions of galaxies. This is a self portrait I captured underneath the Milky Way.

Last year I was commissioned by BBC Travel to do a photo and video story for their To the Ends of the Earth series. I had the opportunity to visit Supai, the only US town that receives its mail by mule train and is only accessible by hiking eight miles into the Grand Canyon or by helicopter. I hiked more than 20 miles off the grid carrying 40 - 50 lbs of photo and video gear, food, and camping supplies for this story. It was an adventure to say the least, and the Havasupai Falls are one of the most beautiful natural wonders I have ever seen. Check out the full story and interview with tribal elder Rex Tilusi here.

I directed Bono in the above Red Nose Day celebrity PSA. Spike Jonze showed up and thanked me for allowing him to help out. It was pretty wild meeting Bono and Spike, two creative forces I have looked up to.

Maddie, my narrative directorial debut, had its online premiere earlier this year on Film Shortage after screening at several film festivals and winning a few awards. You can watch the film above (TRT: 11 min). I love the collaborative process of making films and have had the pleasure of working with some incredibly talented casts and crews. I’ve since directed two other narrative short films and joined the Filmshop collective, where we workshop works in progress, foster collaboration, and help bring each other’s projects to life.

I’m grateful to be in my 10th year of business, creating work that I believe is meaningful both personally and professionally. This year I’m proud to be certified as a NYC minority-owned business enterprise. 2020 and beyond will be a new and exciting chapter for Reuben Hernandez Studios. Thank you to all of my clients, friends, family, and collaborators that have supported and believed in me over the last decade. I wouldn’t be here without you. My daughter Leuca is growing up so fast I can hardly believe it. Yesterday she turned 15 months old. She brings us so much love and joy and is an absolute beast. She’s been doing baby parkour and ran laps around the airplane last week. She keeps us on our toes and never ceases to amaze us. Leuca has given me a new purpose.

A year ago I wrote “Going forward I'll have to live a more structured life to prioritize my time between family, work, personal projects, and exercise/dance/self-care.” I think I did a pretty good job over the past year. I’ve come a long way and I know there’s always room for improvement. We had a family vacation planned earlier this year that I had to cut short for a job in LA. I know it was the right decision and I’m learning how to make sacrifices and that often times things just do not go as planned. I’m relearning how important family is. My dad hasn’t been doing very well and I’m happy that Leuca got a chance to meet him and see him a few times this year. It’s important for Leuca to know her family history and where she came from. My dad’s illness has brought my family closer together in unexpected ways. I want to continue to cherish each moment I spend with Leuca and my family and love them as much as I can. It’s past 1 am and I actually have to film a job on NYE so I best be going. If you made it this far, thanks for following along. Wishing you love, peace, and Happy New Year. See you in 2020! All My Best, Reuben

[lakkimi]

[TRANS] Excite Music - FTISLAND’s 10th Debut Anniversary “There is the feeling that everything will definitely be okay as long as there is the 5 of us” / Interview 1

■ FTISLAND / Single "Paradise" Interview (1/2)

This year, FTISLAND who has just celebrated their 10th debut anniversary in Korea, is releasing their 17th single, “Paradise”. A song that Hongki composed and wrote while imagining the sea, Paradise is a love song with a grand atmosphere. On that Hongki, ”It is a song that I hope you can listen to while imagining the face of that someone that you want to listen to it together with. Regardless of my intention while making it, I want everyone to listen to it freely.” Furthermore, they also talked about their new song, Paradise, and the secret of FTISLAND’s good relationship in this 10th debut anniversary of theirs.

For Paradise, regardless of my intention as I made it, I want you to listen to it freely.

――Paradise. a song that Hongki composed and wrote, is a love song with a grand atmosphere, can you tell us about the theme?

Hongki: The first theme that came into my head when I just started making the song was paradise, so I decided to have it as the title. From there, as I pictured sea in my head, I think that’s why the song turned out to be grand.

Seunghyun: I think it is a perfect song for summer. It is a relaxing song, it would be nice to listen to it before sleeping.

Jaejin: We have been trying out various rock style lately, but rather than straight and hard rock, a rock that has various genres mixed in it is more popular all over the world. Paradise seems to fit such trend for now. Honestly, as it is not a hard song, at first, I thought that it might not be so FTISLAND. But as I listened more to it, I thought of.. “ahh.. it is a nice song”. I think it is a nice-to-listen-to song.

Choi Jonghoon (Guitar, Keyboard)

――Paradise is a song that is the result of a collaboration with overseas writers, which usual from the usual Hongki team. 

Hongki: That’s right. I did the recording in Japan, but I thought that working together with professionals from overseas will be an opportunity to study too, so everyone in my team went. It was amazing! They understood what I was talking about right away, and even gave me ideas on what to do next. So fast!

――What kind of things that you studied?

Hongki: The first thing that I really felt was so different was the selection of timbre. I learned to use something that I usually wouldn’t use in the past, be it snare, kick, or synth effect. So I feel like I have broadened the way I see myself too. 

――So with this, are you planning to do something new too with your team?

Hongki: Well, my team is my team, so we will do whatever we like (laughs). But it was fun.

――I thought you meant Primadonnas with the word “you” in the song, but did you write it for some certain person?

Hongki: This is not a song that I made thinking of someone specific, or that I made intentionally for someone. I want you to listen to it while thinking of someone that you would like to listen to it together with, it is all up to the listeners. Regardless of the intention that I had while making this song, I want you to listen to it freely.

Lee Hongki (Vocal)

――Speaking of FTISLAND’s paradise, as expected, it would be live performances, right? As FTISLAND AUTUMN TOUR 2017 -Here is Paradise- will start in Toyosu Pit on September 7, in what moment during lives that you feel the most happiness?

Jonghoon: Indeed, lives are our paradise. I only wear one ear-monitor, so that, I can still hear everyone’s voices in the hall. Listening to everyone’s cheers, I feel energized, and it feels like there is this power that comes into my performance. More than anything else, I think I feel the happiest when I see fans’ smile.

――Talking about lives, it has now become a custom for Jaejin to shout “Everyone, thank you!!” in the end of every concert without any mic. What mad you start doing it?

Jaejin: During lives, situations might come up that hinder us from giving our best performance. So, I thought of what I can do so I can convey to the fans that I feel sorry about it. When I first did it, I got goosebumps. It became a “scene” for a moment, so I felt that it was nice. I feel alive when I do it, so I started doing it every time.

Interview 2

Trying to be translated by Lu / My usual disclaimer applies, not 100% accurate, feedback is always appreciated! 

[pantryplanet65-blog]

Happy Birthday to Us

My Dear Readers,

A decade ago I started this blog and you all showed up. You are, by a mile, the best thing to come out of this hobby of mine. Some of you have been here with me for the entire decade, some of you have become my real-life friends and collaborators, all of you have made the site the wonderful place that it is. Ten years is a long time for us to be in a relationship so I am celebrating our perseverance with a very special Lottie + Doof 10th Anniversary Dinner.

Three of the greatest (and my favorite) Midwestern chefs will be in the kitchen:

Sandra Holl, pastry genius and owner of Floriole Bakery and Cafe SLASH longtime bestie of L + D, will be making all of our pastry dreams come true.

Abra Berens, chef at Granor Farm and author of forthcoming cookbook Ruffage, will provide dad jokes and the best vegetables you’ve ever had.

Jonny Hunter, Culinary Director of Underground Food Collective, and unofficial mayor of Madison, WI, will make a rare Chicago appearance and bring the meat (too much?).

Together these three superstars will cook a meal that celebrates the wonders of autumn in the Midwest. It will probably include things like relish trays and jello molds. It will not include lemon zest. It will definitely be a little witchy because it is late October and I am me.

The details: Floriole Bakery & Cafe. Sunday, October 28th, 6-8pm. Tickets are $75 (available HERE and very limited) and include food and drink and gratuity as well as some very special surprises (Trick or Treat Style! Imagine an episode of Oprah where she gives away a lot of cool stuff but I am Oprah and none of the things are cars).

Finally, it would be weird to just celebrate ourselves, so the other important thing to know is that all of the profits from the dinner will be going to support Planned Parenthood in their tireless and moral work to provide safe and affordable healthcare.

Please join me for what will surely be a night to remember (and post about on Instagram).

Love, Tim

Fine print:

*We’re not able to accommodate special diets at this dinner. There will be gluten. There will be dairy. There will be some animals. (Though a casual vegetarian/pescatarian can probably skip a course or two and still be happy—let me know and we can discuss.)

*The only way to be guaranteed the super cool tote bag pictured up top is to come to the dinner. It was designed by my friend Jenny Volvoski and is inspired by Judy Chicago’s Dinner Party. An homage to some of the women who have inspired me.

*For those of you not in Chicago, I will be sure to share things like photos and recipes from the dinner, so it will be like we were all there together. And we’ll find other ways to celebrate in the next couple of months. Don’t worry.

UPDATE 9/10/18 1pm: SO sorry everyone, but this sold out super fast. Tickets are all gone. Will keep you posted if we have cancellations or if anything changes. Thanks to everyone who bought a ticket and sorry we can’t all be together. xo

Source: http://www.lottieanddoof.com/2018/09/happy-birthday-to-us/

[ktaebwi]

[TRANS] 170516 BTS - SportsKhan Interview

Source: 1, 2, 3 KRN - ENG © ktaebwi

- Nice to meet you. ‘The Wings Tour’ has passed its halfway point. How you do feel? 

RAP MONSTER: “Already…! Physically it’s tiring but mentally I feel good. Whenever I hear the cheering of fans all over the world, I feel an unspeakable joy and delight. Thank you for letting me experience these feelings, and I hope the members and I will all be healthy for the rest of the tour.” 

JUNGKOOK: “While touring, I get to make eye contact with a lot of fans, but the more I perform, the more I feel ‘I need to work really hard to become one with the fans’. And of course the fun is still forever the same. I have to develop my skills as well to show a more improved side of myself.”

- This is your second tour, seems like you have relaxed a little bit more. Any newly-found joy of touring worldwide? 

SUGA: “As the venue and the audience number gets bigger, I often think about the flow of the performance. Finding that flow is really fun.” 

JIMIN: “The first tour went by too hectically so it left a lot of regrets. But this time I’m getting the feeling of ‘Concerts are fun’.” 

- Compared to the first tour, the tour schedule has expanded drastically. Every country seems bring a distinctive vibe and feeling. 

JIN: “There are people who just quietly listen to the songs and there are those who sing along too. But all the audience regardless of country enjoy our music and performances.” 

J-HOPE: “Since North and South America fans can’t see us frequently, they reacted very passionately. They sing and dance along with us, we even receive more energy thanks to their excitement. We’re currently performing in South East Asia and the reactions are indeed very enthusiastic too. 

- Is there any interesting episode during the tour? 

J-HOPE: “I start enjoy eating local food in each country. But some are quite sensitive towards food so seems like I’m the only one eating it too deliciously, I feel sorry for that.” 

V: “There will be soon. I’m thinking of making some funny episodes with the members. Please look forward to it!”  

- In less than 4 years, many things have come true. How would you put it in short? 

RAP MONSTER: “I worked really hard. It was such a spectacular 4 years that I seem to forget everything in the previous 20 years.” 

SUGA: “It was 4 years of only looking forward and running. I worked so hard mindlessly.”

- What does A.R.M.Y mean to BTS? 

JIN: “A part of us. We can exist because there’s ARMY. We are nothing without ARMY.” 

SUGA: “I’m happy that we give and receive positive influence from each other. As much as they gain strength from looking at us, we also gain strength by looking at them. Thank you for influencing us whenever we’re tired and exhausted.” 

V: “ARMY is the reason why we can go perform around the world, the reason we work harder to show you guys everything of us.” 

- Foreign artists that you want to collaborate with, or any artist you admire? 

RAP MONSTER: “Drake, Nas, Tablo-hyungnim, Yoonha-noona, Lee Sora-sunbaenim.” 

JIN: “I really like Coldplay. They’re so awesome, I don’t think to the extent of collaborating with them, I’m just supporting them from afar.” 

SUGA: “I have many favorite artists. These days I listen to Flume quite a lot. It’d be fun if we collaborate.” 

J-HOPE: “I want to try making a fun song with Tinashe.” 

V: “I really like John Legend-sunbaenim. I’m an absolute, total, real fan. I like all of his songs but ‘Start’ is my ultimate favorite!” 

JIMIN: “I’ll pick Ariana Grande.” 

JUNGKOOK: “I want to try composing together with Justin Bieber and Charlie Puth. I also want to try making a song with the vibes of Radwimps’ ‘Date’.” 

- BTS has a lot of songs with difficult choreography. What’s the song with the hardest choreography? 

JIMIN: “My solo song ‘Lie’ is the hardest.” 

JUNGKOOK: “For me it’s ‘Danger’.” 

- If Bangtan Boys are no longer ‘boys’, what will your group name be? 

JIN: “We’re always boys at heart, so we won’t change the group name.” 

- If BTS members are not part of BTS right now, what would you be? And how will you be in 10 years? 

RAP MONSTER: I would probably be a Business & Economics student. 10 years later when the waves* go by, I hope I can make music and perform with a more relaxed mind.” 

(T/N: can be understood as ups and downs, or the surge of immaturity of the youth.) 

SUGA: “If I weren’t part of BTS, I would be composing right now. 10 years later I’ll still be active as BTS.” 

- We’ll be asking individual questions. Rap Monster, what is the hardest moment as a leader? 

RAP MONSTER: “I think it’s when I need to work hard and take care of the parts that other members can’t see.” 

- Suga, what’s your favorite hair color? 

SUGA: “Black.” 

- Jin, this has been a rising topic among fans, how do you manage your appearance? 

JIN: “Using facial masks frequently, eating a lot of fruits, drinking water, also the self-esteem and confidence in my appearance and overall just handsomeness. These are the secrets to my perfect skin and appearance. Haha.” 

- V, can you give some advice to timid and shy people on how to raise confidence? 

V: “I want to tell them to think ahead of what will happen next and not be scared of it. I learned that if you continue to be timid and shy, then even things that are supposed to go well will not too. Fighting.” 

- J-hope, why did you start dancing? 

J-HOPE: “I started dancing because I simply just like music and expressing the music with my body. The decisive reason was that performance I had at my elementary school retreat’s talent show. It was when I felt the fun of music.” 

- Jungkook, you always carry a big backpack whenever going on tour, what do you put in there? 

JUNGKOOK: “I have to bring my bluetooth speaker.” 

- Jimin, you have the potential to be a rapper, do you want to join the rapper line? 

JIMIN: “Thank you but I have never thought of joining the rapper line. I think it’s impossible.” 

- Let’s head back to common questions. I heard you release a new Japanese music video and album on the 10th. What’s your plan for the rest of the year? 

J-HOPE: “My ultimate goal is to wrap up the tour successfully and show a cool side of myself.” 

JIMIN: “We will not only be promoting the new album in Japan but also performing in several cities.” 

- I remember you once said in an interview that you have been including “our stories” in your songs, but now you “want to include other people’s stories” as well. You mainly captured the emotions of the youth in their early 20s. Is there any emotion or song’s vibe that you want to try? 

RAP MONSTER: “I haven’t been able to tell the stories about parents properly, hope one day I can write a song about that topic.” 

V: “I want to personally compose and write lyrics for a song of my style that everyone can enjoy and have fun listening . I’m practicing diligently right now, please look forward to it.” 

- A word to global fans and also readers of ‘SportsKhan’ for our 12th anniversary. 

RAP MONSTER: “Thank you for always accompanying us. The glory we get belongs to everyone. We will move forward with a modest and grateful mindset. To all readers and ‘SportsKhan’ who are celebrating their 12th year anniversary, congratulations to everyone. Thank you and I love you.” 

JIN: “Thank you for always staying with us. Like how your love makes us shine, we want to make you shine too. We’ll love you endlessly. Thank you.”

SUGA: “Congratulations to ‘SportsKhan’ on your 12th anniversary. will wrap up successfully so please look forward to it.” 

J-HOPE: “Please love BTS a lot and to readers of ‘SportsKhan’, please keep an eyes on us in the future as well.” 

V: “Thank you ARMY for adoring us, saying ‘I love you’ a lot to us, thank you for coming with us all the way here. We will work harder to show you cooler songs and performances. I love you too. Readers, if you eat too many ice creams because it’s hot, you’ll catch a cold. Please be careful of the fine dust. Have a great day everyone!” 

JIMIN: “ARMYs, please always avoid catching a cold and take care of your health. Thank you for giving us the chance to deliver our news through an interview like this. I’m always grateful for your interest towards us. I hope all readers will be healthy and we’ll do our best in the future too.” 

JUNGKOOK: “We’re working really hard right now. We’ll work even harder to give you strength even if it’s just a little bit. And to all readers, please love BTS a lot. You will have a lot of fun listening to our music!”

[deutscheshausnyu]

Interview with Regula Rüegg

Regula Rüegg is the curator of Deutsches Haus at NYU’s summer exhibition, “Art & Friends.” The exhibition features works by Therese Balduzzi, Jon Dee, Doug Eisenstark, Alexander Hahn, Kay Hines, Bruno Jakob, Silvelin von Scanzoni, Hans Witschi, and Regula Rüegg. The exhibition will be on view through September 14, 2019. In addition to her artistic work, Regula Rüegg is an adjunct instructor of German for Deutsches Haus at NYU’s language program.

© Stefan Falke

For many years you’ve curated the annual summer show “Art & Friends” at Deutsches Haus at NYU. Which edition of the exhibition is this for you?

This is the 10th edition of the summer show that I am participating in, but there were two editions before I started teaching at DH.

I first participated in 2009. At that point, the team put the show on together as a group. The following year Katrin Roos and I took over as curators. In 2011, we changed the name to  “Art&Friends” because some of the teachers left Deutsches Haus, others joined , and we also wanted to have more variation in the art works. The name changed allowed us to be more flexible with the artists we could support. From 2016 to 2018, I got support from Maila Akerberg, and this year I curated the show alone.

Do you focus on a specific theme or pattern in curating the show and selecting the included images and artists? What inspired you for this edition of “Art & Friends?”

In the beginning we just brought our works and arranged them according to the space. Together with Katrin, I started to look for other interesting artists. It was always a mix of art we liked and people we liked. In 2017 and 2018, we had a theme because of the collaboration with the Chelsea Music Festival, which turned out to be a great combination with our previous approach. 

I enjoyed the studio visits immensely, even if I had to take a 4 hour bus ride. Going to studios and looking at art work and talking to artists got my brain going. The previous experience helped me find the “guiding thread” of this year’s curation faster than all the other years.

This year I wanted to show works mainly from some of my friends, but as the work came together, it became clear that this show was going to focus on portraiture – portraits of people, of trees, of objects, of cities, of landscapes and cityscapes.

How do each of the artists’ works compliment each other? Does one work inform another? Is there a dialogue to be had between some of these pieces? If not, then is each artist’s work meant to be viewed as separate mini-exhibitions in celebration of each artist’s unique style, expression, and accomplishments?

I chose the artworks in part because they seemed to naturally be “talking” to each other, in part because they were portraits of people, landscapes or cityscapes. I like to arrange the works in a (sometimes) loose narrative. Doug Eisenstark’s paintings of himself are about the self and the forces that are constantly sculpting us. Alexander Hahn shows an entire narrative about a real person in a real scene but then turns it into a fictitious scene. It is up to the viewer to decipher the flow of pictures – who is that person? What is happening?

Painted portraits are presented through Silvelin von Scanzoni with “Alice,” a very recent work, the model of which was present for the opening- how wonderful!- and a portrait of her mother, very ethereal, almost otherworldly. Those then lead to the “Invisible paintings” by Bruno Jakob. Here we enter a special sphere, the energy emanating from the painting process still lingering. From there it is a short step to Hans Witschi’s “friendly ghosts,” happily talking to the visitor of other worlds, or to the images coming out of the brush. The feelings they evoke then carry the viewer over to the portraits of ethereally lit cherry trees by Jon Dee. 

But yes, every group can be seen as a little cosmos in itself, like the narrative of Alexander Hahn’s  “RR enters a Gallery and .. a likeness of herself”, where facts meet fiction, or Kay Hines’ Video about Rome.

What stands out to you in this edition of “Art & Friends?” Do you have any pieces (either yours or your colleagues’) that you would like to contextualize or discuss further?

I have no favorites, each artist is unique in his or her work. About context: on the ground floor, Kay Hines’ video shows a very intense and multilayered portrait to the city of Rome, of art history, all in combination with personal impressions. Therese Balduzzi’s photos are very different from the video, but they also tell a story about a cityscape. We get a wide range of city impressions in this exhibit.

Could you explain why photography is your preferred medium? What do you want to express with your photographs? What do you feel when you look at them in the context of your curation?

Photography works for me – I love details, special atmospheres, signs of the past or the passing of time. I am not creating new visions in photoshop. I am more intrigued by forgotten and overlooked things i.e. metal scraps or the details of a damaged AC.  They are part of this metropolitan lifestyle of using things and then throwing them away. There is beauty found in everyday objects, in the normal, the hidden, or the faded things like old, barely visible ads painted on walls.

This year’s turnout was truly incredible. What were some of the feelings you had during the opening?

I was overwhelmed and incredibly happy, especially for all the artists. It is so rewarding when an exhibition draws an audience! It was also very touching to see a lot of friends coming together for each other, especially since it was my last exhibition! Mostly, I felt very grateful for getting this opportunity from Deutsches Haus, putting up shows without conditions. I learned a lot in these past 10 years. I didn’t know in the beginning that curating was in the stars for me ;) – and I really love it! Thanks to Deutsches Haus, I discovered a new side to my art as well as a new connection to art in general.

Would you like to talk about any upcoming projects (either yours or your colleague’s)?

All I know is that I will be continuing with photography. For now, I don’t have a specific project. I have to stumble upon something because I am not good with project work – I feel too confined, boxed in. I will go out, walk around the city, take photos of everything that catches my eye, and then see what happens!

[funface2]

30 Funny & Inspirational Ricky Gervais Quotes – Wealthy Gorilla

Ricky Gervais is an English comedian, actor, director, producer, and singer.

He has acted as the manager of the newly formed band, Suede.

Eventually, he turned to comedy, joining the new radio station Xfm as head of speech, where he met his long-time collaborator, Stephen Merchant.

The duo first came to the limelight with the mockumentary, ‘The Office’, winning several prizes for it. It was followed by the equally successful ‘The Ricky Gervais Show’ on Xfm and ‘Extras’ on BBC Two.

As his fame spread internationally, he began to receive offers from Hollywood, starring in films like ‘Ghost Town’ and ‘Muppets Most Wanted’. He also wrote, directed and starred in films like ‘The Invention of Lying’, ‘Cemetery Junction’ and ‘Special Correspondents’.

He was a host at the Golden Globe Awards ceremony numerous times and was named on the Time 100 list of the world’s most influential people in 2010.

Here are 35 of the best quotes from Ricky Gervais:

30 Ricky Gervais Quotes 

1. “Telling someone with depression to pull themselves together is about as useful as telling someone with cancer to just stop having cancer” – Ricky Gervais

2. “The world is bigger than all the parts. That’s the important thing, and one thing can throw everything off kilter. And you must never let yourself off. You’ll let yourself off by mistake. So you shouldn’t do it consciously. You have to be above it all and just be very disciplined with it. Just be very disciplined with it.” – Ricky Gervais

3. “I’ve never been insulted by hateful Satanists for not believing in their devil. Only by loving Christians for not believing in their God.” – Ricky Gervais

4. “Famous people are above the law.” – Ricky Gervais

5. “I get so sick of people asking: “What’s your demographic?” Or: “Oh we’ve got to aim this at…” No, you have to aim it at you. You do the thing you would love… make the thing you would love and be proud of. There are enough people in the world that, if you do that and do it well as a single vision, they’ll go: “That’s my favorite thing ever!” – Ricky Gervais

6. “Comedy and drama are different sides of the same coin. And the thing about comedy and drama is about likability. It’s about character first. It’s about the story. And for me, it’s about empathy, and I think the more real someone is, the further you can go either way with them.” – Ricky Gervais

7. “Mondays are fine. It’s your life that sucks” – Ricky Gervais

8. “I’ve got three friends that you’d call famous, but I’m sure after 20 years, most of my friends will be famous or work in television because that’s the nature of what your work is. When I was working in an office, most of my friends worked in offices.” – Ricky Gervais

9. “Take a picture, not a trophy This is how real men shoot animals” – Ricky Gervais

10th of 30 Ricky Gervais Quotes 

10. “Sometimes I’ll be confident and go into a shop and say, “Hello, yeah, all right,” and then the next day, if someone looks at me or talks to me, I just don’t know what to do. If you’re walking down the street with a baseball cap, you might be fine. But if you’re in a pub and you see someone look at you, you think the worst thing in the world now is if they come over. It’s a really weird feeling.” – Ricky Gervais

11. “Same-sex marriage isn’t a gay privilege, it’s equal rights. Privilege would be something like gay people not paying taxes. Like churches don’t.” – Ricky Gervais

12. “I think doing something creative is the most important thing to me, and I think it’s probably just good for the soul for anyone, whatever it is. You don’t have to be a film director – you can do gardening or something – but I think everyone needs to create something.” – Ricky Gervais

13. “Dear Religion, This week I safely dropped a man from space while you shot a child in the head for wanting to go to school. Yours, Science.” – Ricky Gervais

14. “I think sometimes you get given a good pile of goodwill, and it’s whether you use it up in the first six months or spread it out over a career.” – Ricky Gervais

15. “Why buy a book when you can join a library?” – Ricky Gervais

16. “It’s a privilege to be in such a great category of people and… I don’t believe in God, so I’d like to thank dogs. Dogs have given me everything.” – Ricky Gervais

17. “Unlike religious people, I look at all religions equally.” – Ricky Gervais

18. “I think everyone has the ability to be loved.” – Ricky Gervais

19. “If there is a God, why did he make me an atheist?” – Ricky Gervais

20th of 30 Ricky Gervais Quotes 

20. “I’ve probably done the odd thing. I’ve probably done more than I would have done and some things you don’t say no to. You don’t say no to working with “The Simpsons”… the greatest comedy show on television. You mustn’t. Even though going to my bad judgment, I remember saying that all I can do is make this show slightly worse.” – Ricky Gervais

21. “Opinions don’t affect facts. But facts should affect opinions, and do if you’re rational” – Ricky Gervais

22. “We only do what we think is good and what we’re happy with. I’d rather have something that’s completely mine fail than something succeed that I’m not proud of.” – Ricky Gervais

23. “Being an atheist makes someone a clearer thinking, fairer person. They [atheists] are not doing things to be rewarded in heaven; they’re doing things because they’re right because they live by a moral code.” – Ricky Gervais

24. “Someone asked me what three things I would save if my house was on fire. I said my cat, my salamander and one of the twins.” – Ricky Gervais

25. “I never think of myself as a celebrity – or even an actor, actually. I think of myself as a writer-director.” – Ricky Gervais

26th of 30 Ricky Gervais Quotes 

26. “Next time someone tells me they believe in God, I’ll say ‘Oh which one? Zeus? Hades? Jupiter? Mars? Odin? Thor? Krishna? Vishnu? Ra?…’ If they say ‘Just God. I only believe in the one God,’ I’ll point out that they are nearly as atheistic as me. I don’t believe in 2,870 gods, and they don’t believe in 2,869.” – Ricky Gervais

27. “People confuse the subject of the joke with the target of the joke, and they’re very rarely the same.” – Ricky Gervais

28. “You won’t burn in hell. But be nice anyway.” – Ricky Gervais

29. “People have let me down in the past. I’ve loved something, and it’s become a disgrace. I’d rather start again.” – Ricky Gervais

30. “Enjoy life. Have fun. Be kind. Have worth. Have friends. Be honest. Laugh. Die with dignity. Make the most of it. It’s all we’ve got.” – Ricky Gervais

Summary

Thanks for checking out this collection of Ricky Gervais quotes!

Which are your favorite Ricky Gervais quotes? Leave a comment below.

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[theconservativebrief]

Nicki Minaj and Cardi B.’s feud has everything: a physical altercation in couture gowns; the alleged leaking of private phone numbers on the internet; a 10-part Instagram saga; an odd call for a truce. The only thing missing from this clash of rap titans is an actual rap song, but that’s hardly necessary in our current era of social media-driven feuds.

The latest chapter in the now year-old squabble began on October 28 when news broke that Cardi’s sister, Hennessy Carolina, had accused Nicki of leaking Cardi’s phone number to fan clubs devoted to Nicki, leading members of those fan clubs to harass Cardi.

Nicki denied the accusation.

“You [Cardi] can’t control your sister, but you want me to control millions of fans,” she said on the 10th episode of her radio show on Apple’s Beats 1, Queen Radio, released this past week. “I’ve never leaked a number in my life … y’all continue to lie on me to make me look like a bad person.”

It seems fair to say that Nicki’s comments struck a nerve. In response, Cardi posted 10 different Instagram videos addressing Nicki and covering such topics as what kind of narrative Nicki is constructing; whether Nicki’s role in their feud is that of a victim, an aggressor, or the Street Fighter character Chun Li (a reference to Nicki’s latest album); how Cardi has turned down advertising deals that Nicki subsequently picked up (she specifically mentioned the denim brand Diesel); and how jealous Nicki is of Cardi’s success. All together, the videos ran for about eight minutes total; Cardi would later delete them, but not before someone compiled them on YouTube for posterity:

[embedded content]

Cardi’s posts made it seem like she had hit Nicki with her full arsenal of truth, feelings, and meme-worthy phrases. The videos immediately went viral.

And while they may have been prompted by an alleged doxxing, they also seemed to confirm that bad blood has been brewing between Cardi and Nicki for some time. Among other things, Cardi specifically accused Nicki of lying “so much you can’t keep up with your fucking lies” and threatening other artists and telling them not to work with Cardi.

Over the past year, the two rappers have gone from denying ill-will toward one another to slyly shading each other to allegedly brawling at a party during New York Fashion Week. Their feud is supposedly rooted in a disagreement over how a track came together, and though it’s gone through distinct periods of dormancy — Jezebel has a full timeline — Cardi’s Instagram videos undoubtedly escalated it.

Eventually, Nicki tweeted an oblique call for a truce. But it’s unclear if that truce will actually happen, or simply smooth things over temporarily.

Regardless, while Nicki and Cardi’s feud might seem superficially entertaining, there’s also something deeper and instructive embedded within it. By looking at the two rappers’ latest clash in the relative comfort of its aftermath, we can see how they have maintained a tense relationship that speaks to both women’s understanding of their fans and fandom, and the roles they play in pop culture and the music industry. What’s more, it reveals some unsavory things about what it means to be a rap fan today.

Nicki Minaj is no stranger to very public fights. From clashing with Taylor Swift over who gets nominated for the MTV Video Music Awards, to bickering with Miley Cyrus over taking sides in her dispute with Swift, to what is now an eight-year-long feud with Lil’ Kim over rap industry dominance, the Google results of “Nicki Minaj” and “feud” read like a yearbook of music titans, dating back to when Nicki released her first mixtape in 2007.

It’s always possible that there are genuine disagreements or disfavor within these squabbles. However, it’s important to know that when it comes to the mainstream consumption of female-driven hip-hop, there seems to exist an irrational paradigm that reads like a crooked fairytale: There can only ever be one dominant female rapper of the moment.

Cardi discussed this idea as it pertains to herself and Nicki in an interview with Complex in October 2017. “I feel like people wouldn’t even be satisfied if me and [Nicki] was making out on a freaking photo,” she said. “I feel like people just want that drama because it’s entertaining.”

This “only one” theory doesn’t seem to apply to male rappers, or to female artists in other music genres. (In the latter category, while you could point to Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera in the 2000s or Madonna and Cyndi Lauper in the ‘80s, both of the artists in each of those respective pairs were able to coexist and be successful, without being pulled into a narrative about dominance and reigning supreme.)

But as Kiana Fitzgerald argued at Complex in April 2018, there was a decline in the number of prominent female rappers in early 2000s, and “once the leading cast of female rappers dwindled, the space for women in rap restricted by default—if there are fewer women rapping at a prominent level, there’s less room needed for them. That tightened space in the rap landscape was the perfect breeding ground for competition.”

That’s how the idea of a reigning queen of rap likely originated. And as Tyler Lewis wrote for the Atlantic in 2010:

What the hip-hop community wanted in female emcees is simply different than what the mainstream record-buying public wants in a female emcee. And the message that the mainstream record-buying public has sent to the industry is that it doesn’t much care about female emcees unless they are larger-than-life caricatures that tragically reinforce and celebrate white beauty standards and cartoonish, one-dimensional sexuality that fronts like it is all about female sexual agency when it isn’t. And there is only room for one.

When Lewis was writing in 2010, Nicki had recently released her first album “Pink Friday,” after three mixtapes. And Lewis was explaining that, while the very public fight between Nicki and Lil’ Kim that spanned that same year could have been the result of a genuine dislike between the two, it was also a byproduct of Nicki and Kim adhering to what the music industry seemed to want from them.

“The truth is that it serves the interest of a music industry that does not want to (or doesn’t know how to) support and promote a variety of female emcees to continue to perpetuate the notion that female emcees are volatile and won’t allow for other female emcees to get any shine,” Lewis wrote.

So both women repeatedly asserted their supremacy over one another and over the genre. Their posturing made headlines, drawing attention toward the battle between the “reigning queen” and “the new voice of hip-hop,” and becoming a fight for fandom.

That was eight years ago. But a similar pattern and narrative were in effect during Cardi’s breakout year in 2017.

As Complex recently pointed out, there’s actually a debate over whether the beef between Nicki and Cardi started in March 2017 or June 2017. The mere fact that a debate exists signals that there is interest in said fight. And though there were some perceived slights between Cardi and Nicki in the summer of 2017 — over who Cardi was performing with and whether those people had beef with Nicki — it’s worth noting that Nicki warmly congratulated Cardi that September on her success with “Bodak Yellow”:

Congratulations to a fellow NEW YAWKA on a RECORD BREAKING achievement. Bardi, this is the only thing that matters!!! Enjoy it @iamcardib

— QUEEN (@NICKIMINAJ) September 25, 2017

It’s not until November 2017 that we can find the first real hint of blood in the water, with Nicki subweeting that Cardi was ungrateful after Cardi gave an interview about Nicki and Cardi’s then-recent collaboration with Migos on “MotorSport.”

During the interview, Cardi said that when she recorded her verse on “Motorsport,” she had heard Nicki perform a different verse than what ended up on the final track — in effect calling into question a previous account from Nicki about how she had actually approved Cardi’s inclusion on the song.

The corniest thing you can be is ungrateful. Give thanks.

— QUEEN (@NICKIMINAJ) November 30, 2017

Then, in April 2018, as Nicki released two singles, “Chun-Li” and “Barbie Tingz,” she started to talk about how Cardi had hurt her feelings and damaged her reputation because of what she said in the “Motorsport” interview.

In a interview with Beats 1, Nicki said Cardi’s comments had hurt her because they made her look dishonest.

“The only thing she kept saying was, ‘I didn’t hear that verse. [Nicki] changed her verse,’” Nicki said.

Nicki also went on to say that Cardi had played into the idea of a feud, by not speaking up when rumors emerged after the “Motorsport” video was released. Though Nicki and Cardi both appear in the video, they weren’t on the set at the same time, which some fans took to mean that they disliked one another.

According to Nicki, the reason they didn’t shoot together was a conflict with her hairstylist’s schedule. Nicki alleged that Cardi never set the record straight in interviews, and made it look like they were fighting when they weren’t.

The most significant apparent blowup between the two came shortly after Nicki released her latest album, Queen, in August 2018 (more on this in a bit). Nicki and Cardi reportedly got into a fight at the Harper’s Bazaar Icons party during New York Fashion Week on September 7, and there were pictures afterward of Cardi sporting a giant knot on her forehead and being escorted out by security. Cardi said that security had hit her, while Nicki maintains it was someone in Nicki’s entourage).

Cardi devoted an Instagram post to Nicki on September 8, seemingly to explain why she and Nicki had fought. She called Nicki a “pussy” and accused her of trying to mess with Cardi’s reputation, music career, and income. “I let you sneak diss me, I let you lie to me, I let you attempt to stop my bags, fuck up the way I eat! You’ve threaten other artists in the industry, told them if they work with me you’ll stop fucking with them,” Cardi wrote.

View this post on Instagram

PERIOD.

A post shared by CARDIVENOM (@iamcardib) on Sep 7, 2018 at 9:21pm PDT

She also said that Nicki had finally crossed the line by insulted Cardi’s parenting skills — the latter being one of the reasons fought with Nicki at the New York Fashion Week party.

Almost two months later, Nicki shared her own account of that night. On October 29, she bragged to the audience of Queen Radio that her friend Rah Ali had hit Cardi — so bad that Nicki (sarcastically) felt sorry for her. But not so sorry that she didn’t offer $100,000 to anyone who could provide surveillance video of Cardi’s forehead getting pulped:

Rah really, really beat Cardi’s ass bad. Rah beat you so bad that I was mad at Rah. You went home and told people security hit you, and we let that ride for legal reasons. Anybody that wanna pull up the surveillance footage, I will give you $100,000. The minute Rah let your head up, I saw the knot on your head.

That account from Nicki, along with the Nicki’s denial that she had leaked Cardi’s number to her fans, spurred the eight-minute Instagram diatribe from Cardi where she called Nicki out.

“Do you wanna be the victim, or do you wanna be the gangster?” Cardi asked in one of her videos.

Cardi’s question is a pertinent one that perhaps unwittingly confirms the female rapper paradigm that Lewis was writing about when he suggested that female rappers have to be willing to fight to be successful. Adopting and embodying one of these narratives — victim or gangster — is part of the formula for success.

What’s just as unfortunate as this paradigm, however, is the gnarled picture it paints of those who hang on every new development of Nicki and Cardi’s feud. It’s easy to recognize that whatever they’re fighting about is petty. It’s harder to recognize our own role in the proceedings, and how our interest in whatever feud is in the headlines encourages its participants to fight with each other for our entertainment.

To fully understand the Nicki Minaj and Cardi B. dynamic, you have to understand what mainstream music fandom looks like today. The term that comes to mind is “Stan,” a word derived from the 2000 Eminem song of the same name. The song is about a deranged fan, and its title has evolved into a label that describes a celebrity’s most devoted followers.

The word can refer to a member of a celebrity’s fervent fandom, like Rihanna’s Navy or Beyoncé’s Beyhive or Nicki’s Barbz (also stylized as Barbs or Barbiez). For example, Beyoncé stans will declare their loyalty to the Beyhive, and constantly remind you that your fave could never (do what Beyoncé does on stage).

It can also signal derision; for example, many people have condemned the Mac Miller stans who blamed Miller’s ex-girlfriend, Ariana Grande, for the rapper’s death and drug abuse.

Reflexively, saying that you “stan” someone you admire has become a popular mode of self-deprecation and identification. It shows that you acknowledge someone’s greatness, even though their “greatness” is especially subjective. This often comes into play when someone admits they stan celebrities or fictional characters who display abhorrent or petty behavior.

omg i’ve finally caught up with ahs and holy fucking SHIT

also madison montgomery really is THAT bitch i fucking STAN

— ᴋɪᴀʀᴀ | 2 (@alrightkiara) October 4, 2018

For true stans, the objects of their stan affections can do no wrong. True stans are also willing to do whatever they can to ensure their chosen celebrity/actor/musician/artist is seen as the best. For some stans, it’s not just about believing that someone you’re a fan of is superior to all comers, it’s about proving and quantifying that superiority in any way possible, whether it’s in terms of box office earnings and album sales or fan-voted honors like the People’s Choice Awards.

A pertinent example: Earlier this year, a number of of fervent DC Comics stans fervently demanded that Warner Bros. release Zack Snyder’s director’s cut of Justice League, despite not knowing if such a thing actually existed. Snyder left the movie during its production to deal with a family matter, and director Joss Whedon finished the film, which then received negative reviews. But Snyder’s fans were adamant that a movie he’d had a hand in couldn’t have been bad, so any critical thrashings were either Whedon or Warner Bros.’s fault.

Nicki has occasionally weaponized this loyalty by courting her fanbase, her Barbz, her stans to combat any criticism made against her. In June, for example, a freelance writer named Wanna Thompson criticized Nicki in a (now-deleted) tweet to her then 14,000 or so Twitter followers (Thompson’s follower count is now over 20,000).

“You know how dope it would be if Nicki put out mature content?” Thompson wrote. “Just reflecting on past relationships, being a boss, hardships, etc. She’s touching 40 soon, a new direction is needed.”

In response, Nicki tweeted a selection of her songs; the implication was that Nicki viewed them as examples of “mature” work, and that she was responding to Thompson, even though her tweet didn’t directly reference Thompson or Thompson’s comment.

Pills n POTIONS. Bed of Lies. I’m gettin ready. Nobody. Save me. Autobiography. The Crying game. I lied. All things go. Buy a heart. GRAND Piano.

— QUEEN (@NICKIMINAJ) June 30, 2018

But later, Nicki (or someone with access to Nicki’s account) sent Thompson a direct message, insulting her. Thompson published the comments.

Nicki Minaj exhibited #Queen behaviour when she hopped in my DMs and insulted me numerous times over an innocent music opinion while her fans continue to harass me and DM me death threats. This is NOT okay. pic.twitter.com/bJI9TVvJV7

— Chocolate Drop’s Mama (@WannasWorld) July 1, 2018

And the New York Times reported that after Thompson made the response public, Nicki’s Barbz began a relentless assault on her various social media pages and phone lines:

In the week since publicizing the acidic messages she received directly from Ms. Minaj, whose next album, “Queen,” is scheduled for release in August, Ms. Thompson said she has received thousands of vicious, derogatory missives across Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, email and even her personal cellphone, calling her every variation of stupid and ugly, or worse. Some of the anonymous horde included pictures Ms. Thompson once posted on Instagram of her 4-year-old daughter, while others told her to kill herself.

A similar incident occurred during the promotional period around the release of Nicki’s most recent album, Queen, in August.

To promote the album, Nicki debuted Queen Radio on Beats 1, using the show to share her thoughts about the album, the music industry, and whatever else crossed her mind. When Queen didn’t debut as the No. 1 album in America during its release week, she spent an episode of Queen Radio making some NSFW declarations about Travis Scott, the artist who had edged her for the top spot, and his girlfriend, Kylie Jenner.

She named Scott the “Ho N*gga of the Week” and accused him of bundling tour tickets with his new album to inflate his sales numbers and bump Queen down to No. 2. Nicki also accused Scott of asking Jenner to mobilize her massive social media following to get get people to buy his tour tickets and album:

When [Scott] realized that Queen was about to [be] the Number One album in America, he and his label decided to have Kylie and baby Stormi put up a tour pass … He had her post and say, ‘Hey, me and Stormi can’t wait to see y’all.’ How are you selling something that does not have anything to do with your album but it is being counted on Billboard as album sales?”

To some extent, with Scott and Cardi, Nicki’s actions qualify as playing the game and creating entertainment. But with Thompson, Nicki was punching down and encouraging her fans to attack a critic who didn’t have anywhere near the clout or resources that Nicki has.

Regardless, because Nicki’s stans are so devoted, whenever Nicki attacks someone — no matter who it is — she’s simultaneously re-energizing her fanbase and asserting that she’s the fighter they believe her to be. And they respond by brigading the message that she’s the undisputed best. It’s like shaking a tree, except instead of leaves you get adoration.

While Queen didn’t become the No. 1 album in America upon its release, Nicki’s attack on Travis Scott most likely resulted in more streams and more purchases from her stans. Before that, in responding to Thompson, Nicki showed that she will never back down to criticism, no matter who is saying it.

And now, even though Nicki insists that she did not leak Cardi’s number, Cardi has said that she received death threats from Nicki’s fans. But, insane though it may sound, such threats are the natural outgrowth of the way Nicki operates. In continuing to fight (or “fight”) with Cardi for the past year, even as both she and Cardi have frequently said there’s no beef between them, Nicki has been gesturing that the rap crown is still hers to bear. And her loyal fans have internalized that message and amplified it.

To judge who “won” Minaj and Cardi’s latest spat is to look at who’s dominated the conversation that has surrounded it. Cardi’s 10-chapter Instagram novela is the thing people can’t seem to stop talking about.

“Nicki is more popular (based on Instagram followers) and more powerful (at least by tenure), but if you’re lured onto unfamiliar ground, you run the risk of being beaten with experience,” The Ringer’s Micah Peters wrote. “As evidenced by the hastily uploaded selfie videos, each a haymaker in its own right, social media is Cardi’s battlefield. She was born in it, molded by it.”

While Nicki is extremely aware of how powerful fandom can be, Cardi is perhaps even more so. Her fame is the product of virality and Instagram audacity: She is an artist who used Instagram to land a spot on a reality television show and then to launch a music career — there was one point where she had 10 million Instagram followers without even releasing an album.

It seems that Nicki may have realized that, in this case, weaponizing her fans won’t be enough to take the upper hand away from Cardi, who intuitively understands how to use social media to sway public opinion in her favor. After Cardi posted her Instagram diatribes, Nicki tweeted a plea for a truce — which Cardi then appeared to accept by amplifying it on her own Instagram:

There’s something somber about Nicki’s tweet, in that it seems to reveal her frustration with that irksome “one female rapper” concept.

“I know this stuff is entertaining & funny to a lot of people but I won’t be discussing this nonsense anymore,” she writes, as if she understands that to “win” her fight with Cardi would mean getting messier, more candid, more raw. She appears to be nodding to the idea that conflict between Nicki Minaj and Cardi B. is what fans want, and not how Nicki actually feels.

Mainstream hip hop fans, stans, the music industry, and the media have rewarded a Nicki Minaj who reinforces the paradigm that there can only be one dominant female rapper at any given moment, and that she must be perpetually aggressive and combative about her place in the industry hierarchy. We can’t be surprised by Nicki wanting to be that rapper, or leaning into that image to achieve success.

What’s more difficult is answering the question of why we find it so entertaining when Nicki Minaj, or Cardi B., or any other female rapper acts in this way.

The “one female rapper” idea ensures that no matter how hard Nicki or Cardi or any other female rapper has worked or how successful she’s become, she will constantly be doubted, because her success can only exist until someone better comes along to challenge it. So she must be grateful for that success — and to show her gratitude, she must defend it at all costs.

As fans, we could easily stop this cycle. Nicki’s plea to focus on the positive feels like the closest she can come to saying that the way female rappers are encouraged to behave is cripplingly frustrating. But the ghoulish way that so many of us clearly cherish feuds and fighting, and love to demand that our idols prove they are the unrivaled best, suggests there’s no end in sight.

Original Source -> Nicki Minaj, Cardi B., and the sexist female rapper paradigm behind their feud, explained

via The Conservative Brief