#but country music seems kinda on its own

[this-doesnt-endd]

Why did we let keith urban be a country artist like thats just some random australian dude

[littlemaple]

honestly i just love how normal käärijä is

he's like, just a normal guy that you could possibly run into at a kioski or the city center or something. before being a fan of his, i have long since been a c-pop and k-pop fan, where looks were almost more important than talent so its really refreshing to see just jere from vantaa out here being absolutely unapologetically himself

[project-sekai-facts]

idk if this has its own comprehensive post on here or not but can you explain in depth how rui is gay coded

yeah okay

i think what you'll see people bring up most often is the fact that he has his right ear pierced (see above). incredibly brief queer history lesson for anyone who is unaware: back in the 70s & 80s when it was still illegal or otherwise heavily looked down on to be gay, wearing a single earring in your right ear became a non-verbal identifier amongst gay men in America. As far as I'm aware, identifiers did actually vary between areas, but it became far more publicly known that the right ear was the gay ear and the left ear was the straight ear. Even today when the stigma has worn away a decent amount, you still hear people bring up the term "gay ear" and the fact that the right ear is the gay ear is fairly common knowledge. This is also a known thing outside america, i'm not sure how far the spread is outside america and other english-speaking countries but it is definitely known in a fair amount of places, including Japan (also it should be noted that a right ear piercing can have different meanings in different cultures that predate this meaning, and nowadays people are more likely to get whatever ear pierced they want regardless of sexuality).

obviously anyone can have any ear pierced that they want but things work a bit differently with character design. the only other MCs who regularly wear earrings are An (left ear) and Akito (both). For both of them, this is definitely done to make them seem more cool, which makes sense given they're in the street music scene and following the fashions. As for NPCs there's Nagi (left), Arata, Ken, Tatsuya, Iori, Saku, and Yuuka (all both), which again is probably just to fit the fashion of those characters. Okay, Yuuka just has regular old earrings but as for the others you've got street and punk rock styles which both incorporate piercings as a big part of the style (especially with Saku's punk look).

so all that considered, Rui's earring just sticks out, I guess? it's not really a fashion thing, it's pretty plain and just kinda there, and very conveniently happens to exactly match up with an old way of signaling in the gay community instead of being in his left ear which is the far more common ear for guys to get pierced if they only have one earring. also he almost always only has the one piercing in his right ear in trained cards, the only exceptions being his cheer squad (earrings in both ears) and his canary card (three piercings but still in his right ear).

like i said though, it doesn't have to mean anything but talking from the perspective of character design, sometimes if you want to communicate something about a character then you put it in there. however, as stated earlier, this is something that originated in America and it doesn't hold nearly as much weight in a Japanese game as it would if this was an American game, especially since piercings are a fairly common fashion accessory for men over in Japan. That said, you will still sometimes see Japanese players or other players in the east asian fanbase bring this up.

this one is more of a matter of perspective, but you're gonna have to sit through it or skip this section because like most other characters in the game some of Rui's queercoding comes through shiptease interactions. Rui has a few interactions with Tsukasa that could definitely be read as flirting. it's kinda ambiguous though, which does make sense given the type of game this is; idol-adjacent games like this very rarely make anything concrete so that people who are fans of a pairing can enjoy the teasing and people who don't like it can simply move on. first thing that comes to mind would be the part where he invites Tsukasa to his house in wonder halloween (above), mainly because his L2D uses his smile expression that has a blush with it and that was a choice that someone on the L2D team had to make but didn't have to - they could've easily just kept his usual teasing expression he had at the start of the interaction there was no need to change it.

There's a couple other interactions but this is probably the most obvious outside of that one scene of Rui volunteering himself to play Juliet so Tsukasa could rehearse the proposal scene of his R&J adaptation, despite the fact that Nene was in the room, in Kamikou Festival!. Also, these scenes I mentioned would have been written before the pairing between the two characters gained massive popularity in the fandom, so they were written just because the writers wanted to rather than because they were intentionally targeting a certain group.

There's more recent interactions too. The section of the Tales of Detective Tenma after live where he spends about 20 seconds imagining what Tsukasa would look like if he were more muscular can definitely fall under this, especially since based on Rui's description, he probably wasn't imagining Tsukasa with a shirt on. However, attraction isn't necessarily implied and this dialogue is played as a joke anyway, being a callback to an earlier gag area conversation where he was teasing Tsukasa. Although you could counter-counter argue that the original area conversation had Rui talking about Tsukasa building muscle for show-related purposes, and in the after live, it was just because Tsukasa exercising more came up in conversation, and the show ideas didn't come up until after all this was said and done.

There's also multiple instances of him accrediting Tsukasa for his enjoyment of things, such as in KAITO's Kamikou Festival card story, Thrilling White Day's after live, and chapter 8 of Pandemonium, but this is a lot more speculative ship talk than I wanted to be on this blog so I'll be leaving this section here and moving on.

(TL by pjsekai eng)

there's also that 1koma that I posted about a while ago. you know, the one where he asks for people to call him the "modern day Hiraga Gennai"? Hiraga Gennai as in the 18th century Japanese inventor who was also gay and wrote multiple works about it. However, Gennai is well renowned for his genius and contributions to science, and is also known for his eccentric satirical writings, and kabuki theatre he wrote under a pseudonym, which fits Rui's personality very well. That said, it is very easy to interpret this 1koma's joke as being about the fact Gennai was gay, considering it's the thing he's most known for after his scientific achievements, and especially considering Tsukasa's comment (even if it's not in the best taste).

The 1komas are played for jokes though, and especially the original ones are quite hard to call canon due to some of the scenarios and character interactions not making sense. But then again, someone on the writing team decided to write a gay joke around Rui for whatever reason that may be and it got passed by higher ups and put in the game (or, 3 versions of the game. the joke didn't make it to EN due to Gennai not being very known amongst the audience and was edited to fit the new context). Definitely one of the strongest pieces of evidence here.

the only other thing i can think of (and arguably like, the biggest bit of evidence for this theory (? Idk if I should call it that)) is that he doesn't really show any interest in women.

First off, the Valentine's Day 2021 vlive. Quick note that in Japan, Valentine's is traditionally a holiday for girls to give chocolates to boys (while white day is the reverse). You can give platonic valentines too, which is what happens in-game... for the most part.

Those chocolates Rui got could easily just be platonic chocolates from other students, but then you have a few factors to filter in. 1) this is very early into the game, back when his only friends were WxS and Mizuki and 2) Those chocolates aren't from WxS, since Emu and Nene give the boys sweets offscreen after the vlive, and Tsukasa is on the receiving end for this holiday. Of course, one box could be friend chocolates from Mizuki, but that leaves more chocolate boxes than friends to give him chocolates.

Immediately after this, Tsukasa gets jealous that Rui got chocolates and tries to brag that he got some too, before saying too much and revealing he got friendzoned by multiple girls, heavily suggesting that Rui's chocolates were given with some sort of romantic intent. I guess you could say that these were chocolates given out to everyone in 2-B, but then why would they leave it anonymously in his locker? The only reason I could think of is that people don't want to associate with him, which is canon admittedly. However I think the romantic intent or at least attraction option is more likely, especially given Tsukasa's jealousy and also just the anonymous valentine romance trope. This is almost word-for-word from that post I made about the in-universe attractiveness of every character so sorry I made you sit through that again.

Getting back on track, Rui seems very neutral about the fact he got given multiple boxes of what was likely confession chocolate. He just briefly mentions that he forgot the holiday was even happening until he found chocolates and then never brings this up again. I think it's worth comparing his reactions to Tsukasa, who seems to care very much about his abilities (or, lack thereof) to attract women. Obviously Tsukasa is the big reactions/brag about a lot of things guy, but Rui does not really seem to care about the fact that multiple women find him attractive, or just the holiday where he’s supposed to get chocolate from girls in general. But this whole interaction is just for jokes anyway so you don’t have to think too much of it if you don’t want to.

Second sub-point: Shizuku. Shizuku can be considered as the most attractive character in-universe given the sheer amount of characters that have been shown to be attracted to her or at least comment on her looks (currently at least 8 MCs if not more and a few named side characters). Admittedly none of those MCs are male, but it isn't like it's impossible for people to be attracted to the opposite gender in this game, like we just established that Tsukasa says he's interested in women, so the point still stands.

(TL from Tsukasa's #3 fan on YT)

Specifically I would like to point out a scene in A Once-In-A-Lifetime Pandemonium, when the 2-B trio first meet the Miyajo 2nd years. The three of them immediately recognise Shizuku and Airi and then Ibuki describes Mafuyu as "a beauty". Shizuku gives them her idol smile which in their POV has the same sparkles that often (not always, but definitely in this context) show up when characters are attracted to another character (like how Haruka has this effect on Minori and Kohane, and An has this effect on Kohane). Like it's very, very obvious that Rui's friends are attracted to Shizuku and the other girls and they're pretty surprised that he's hanging around with them.

But Rui never acts like this around Shizuku at all, nor does he ever even address the fact that she's good looking. He doesn't even bring it up in their earlier interactions back in the Picnic event or any events after, when a lot of other characters (e.g: Emu, Ena, and Mizuki) commented on her looks almost immediately after meeting her (they did first meet in a pretty stressful situation if you want to argue that, but it still stands that he's never been attracted to her). Similarly in The Tomorrow we Hope for, he does not have any reaction to meeting Haruka for the first time, unlike how we see other characters who are attracted to women (Kohane/Minori/debatably Nene it’s up to interpretation) act around her at first.

at the end of the day i think you could definitely make a case for it. like it's harder to make a solid argument in comparison to say, Kohane, An, Saki, or Minori who are outright attracted to other girls and say as such on-screen, but there's definitely some more subtle hints and stuff to work with still and it was actually quite fun to compile them (i took the in-depth part to heart as always sorry anon).

[alanisinstone]

so i've had a channing tatum obsession since step up and a magic mike one since the first and i just thought this little shit up so. uh yeah. read at ur own risk mfers

18+ content

so male stripper bakugou who works at the best club there is in Tokyo really, has the hottest guys, the skimpiest outfits, the best liquor, its clean and sexy in there, and the music isnt corny (think the weekend and shit😛). so you come in there because ur girl wanted to do a girls night (she’s crazy) and you didnt really want to go but your therapist has been telling you that you should get out more.

so you go and you feel kinda out place and uncomfy a little because (for the sake of my fantasy) you’re not rlly the party type. ur not like bible thumper but ur just reserved. in general you like reading and picnics and flower arrangements and sunsets. so this isn’t rlly ur scene yk. but the tip of the iceberg of things that people would never suspect about you, is that you are desperately shoving your cute little fingers in your cunt every night searching for release. and you literally want it so bad but your own fingers just never seem to be enough for you. you just wanna get railed like a cheap whore and then loved like a queen.

and there’s like, little nuances to ur personality for example you’re a little bookworm, but like 75% of the books you’re reading are very explicit eroticas. and you like going to the beach at sunset but only because that’s when you can somewhat discreetly strip bare and finger yourself to some good graphic smut or skinny dip (you’re dying to go to a nude beach). and you’re always going to little quirky thrifty markets but partly so you can brush your cute, tight little booty up against the men (married or not... its for scientific purposes) staring at your tits from across the way, innocently urging them to get a peak of your lingerie down the front of your shirt or under your SHORT SHORT skirt (you only dress like that when you’re extra desperate tho, you dress pretty normal on the reg. it’s part of ur unsuspecting hottie thing).

so inside you’re like a little sex kitten, but outside you’re too shyyyy 🥺 to make any moves. then out walks katsuki. you’re sitting pretty on the black velvety half circle couch with ur girls, smack in the middle of it. you have on like a tennis skirt and a no sleeve, collared polo. you’re over there giving country-club-virgin-daughter-of-the-mayor and all ur friends are giving saturday-night-slut. anyways.

kats comes out giving TYLER GAGE but you can see he has like a thong on under his cargo pants. and it’s the first act you guys have really seen since u sat down and settled, all ur friends are hollering like banshees, and ur tryyingg to keep up your “oh my, this is so unsavory, how raunchy!” thing but the way hes LOCKING eyes with you and humping the stage is making you start to loose your composure.

so he’s doing his little moves or whatevah, lookin fine as hell. the crowd is already going crazy and he’s not even been out there for two minutes, so he decides to like spice it up a little. he sees you trying to act all nonchalant and it makes you stand out amongst your friends so he jumps of the stage and gets on top of you grinding and shit and he’s leaning all over you like "hey mama you havin fun" all up in ur ear, and you're like "umm, i mean, this isn't really my scene you know..." bashfully looking away. And you can feel him literally staring into your soul like he is STARING YOU DOWN, and its making you so shy and wet as fuck at the same time.

so the snap-back comes off and all the sudden its on your head and the shirt is coming off (hes still grinding on you and doing his little choreo) and he places your hands on his washboard abs and you are fully like "oh shit. this couch def has a wet spot on it" and hes whispering all low in your ear like "you like that shawty" and you're speachless. so he gets up and does the pants-rip-off thing and he has a literal thong on that is not containing anything. and he jumps up on the couch and grabs your head and pushes it against the back of it and is fully humping your face.

at this point i would have fully been grabbing HANDFULS of his ass and licking his shit fr and i like to think you would be too.

now hes straddling your face and his hand is all up in your hair, looking down at you like the sexy motherfucker he is and hes like "well I think a little fun would do you good, you look like you need to loosen up babe." and his dick is like right in your face, his thighs, his v-line, happy trail, you can literally see his balls, and you're drenched and flushed at this point and he can practically smell you.

so he does a flip off the back of the couch or whatevah.. comes around, grabs your cute hand thats been in your lap since the beginning, tugs you up off the couch and picks you up, legs around him. everyone is cheering and your still wearing his hat as hes walking you to the private room....

AAAAAHHHHHGJVGGHH BARK

likes and reblogs appreciated!

©  alanisinstone 2023 — do not steal, plagiarize, or modify my content.

[borisbubbles]

12. ESTONIA 5Miinust & Puuluup - "(nendest) Narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi" 20th place

Decade Ranking: 40/153 [Above Trenuletul, below Pasha Parfeny]

For those of you who don't speak Estonian.

This is message for those that didn't believe in them.

Guess where they are honey.

They're in the final.

and they're here to stay 💋 :dramatic tallharpa:

YES, I KNOW, they're out this early. Honestly, It feels incorrect to rank 5M&P anywhere other than right above Trenuletul (their spiritual ancestor), and we've already reached them point on the spreadsheet, so... Blame that year for producing 11 better entries.

I don't think Estonia warrants an introduction this year. From the second ANY of us heard :inhales: nendestnarkootikumidesteiteameküllmidagi, :exhales (this may seem difficult to type out, but I speak a language that has words such as meervoudigepersoonlijkheidsstoornis and arbeidsongeschiktheidscommissie. Pity for the five readers I get from countries such as Romania and Portugal). Anyway, from the second any of us heard [LongestTitleEver], we all knew we were going to be in for a WILD ride.

And indeed, if there's anything you can say about Estonia is that their song went HARD in basically every live performance.

THE MEMEDANCE

(symmetrically branching out 😍)

THE TAVERN BRAWL INTO FRATERNIZATION NARRATIVE

OLD FARTS CARRYING ♥ ♥ ♥

(Yeah he does look like VSauce, i knooow...x)

Shenanigans coated by song whose lyrics effectively boil down to "Don't do drugs! Drugs are bad! Allow me to demonstrate all that can go wrong. :demonstrates absolutely nothing wrong: " 😍. This entry is hotter than a stovetop.

Never forget that they qualified, fairly comfortably, from the semi of death, with an absolutely FOUL live performance! 😂 (no wonder that Sofia Coll comparison came naturally...x). Sometimes the song and concept are good enough to carry a televote, take notes countries with no idea what makes a televoter tick (Belgium, Austria, Azer...x).

All in all, it was a really fun ride, so why not higher?

Well... You know I love a good trainwreck and Estonia provided one... but it's the same deal as Raiven and Kaleen in a sense. I think the song's really good on its own. It's a rich composition that masterfully showcases Estonia's musical tradition. No other country in the WORLD could present an entry like (Nendest) Narkootikumidest.

Yet, I found that the lives didn't do it as much justice as I would have liked. (Nendest) Narkootikumidest's first live I saw (the one at Hommik Aniga) remains the best one, largely because they managed to curb the chaos for just the right amount of time before unleashing it into a psychedelic shitstorm. What we got in Malmö was very fun too, but not quite as epic.

It's a little bit nitpicky, I know, but bear with me. I really like everyone left in the ranking. It's the little details such as "this doesn't reach its full potential" or "these vocals are kinda crooked" (both of which apply to Estonia 💔) that are going to make or break your further survival, alongside my personal whim. (Nendest) Narkootikumidest was good, and I cherish it, but I know it could have been better (case in point: Finland beat them by a handful of points 💀), and that realization sealed their fate for me.

That said, MEGA STOKED Estonia qualified (and some of my friends got to hang out with them during the off-time in Malmö you can imagine how jealous I am), so let's hear the song one last time, with THIS handy format so you have no excuse to misidentify Marko, Ramo, Lancelot, Kölver, North Korea (lol) and Päevakoer ever again!

and um lol yes another year with Lithuania as the top Baltic. Funny how that remains a constant over the years. (#LETTHEMHAVETHEIRFIRSTWINSOON)

THE RANKING

[samadhi-fire-forged]

i talked about this on another account (a non-genshin related account) but the way that culture in genshin is handled is absolutely awful in my opinion.

clearly, the devs for genshin/hoyo do not respect black, indigenous, and west asian cultures. we get this clearly demonstrated with both natlan and sumeru.

natlan has three different ethnic groups (broadly). african (specifically more northern, it seems), polynesian, and latin american. that means it's two completely different countries, as well as one region. technically, it could make sense with polynesia and latin america, but... for the most part... probably not africa included? unless you were interested in exploring like, the complex dynamic of afro-latino culture. which. likely not. (if you want more research on WHY it could make sense to have latin american - polynesian cross, check these sources: x x x x - all of these are relatively about the same content. dna crossing. if you want to ask me about how i, personally, would've wanted to execute natlan in this regard you can shoot me an ask).

sumeru is... well. we do see aspects of zoroastrianism iirc - west asia has a hodgepodge of religions, honestly, with having an incorporation of our very well-known abrahamic religions (judaism, islam, and christianity). but as i said, there's zoroastrianism. yet, most of sumeru's religious references tend towards vedicism, buddhism, so on so forth. which... is interesting. if it had clear influences from a lot of west asian culture (and north african, specifically egyptian), then why didn't it have much focus on zoroastrianism? why would we incorporate south asia for seemingly no reason outside of grouping so so many ethnic groupds together.

this might surprise you all, but inazuma is.. pretty interesting. i've had a few opinions on this, given the fact that i am japanese. inazuma is depicted as a pretty dictator-esque nation, as well as being isolationist. its ruler is horrible and the such - i genuinely believe that this might have been some bias on the devs' parts. given the fact that, well... china has historically had multiple dictatorships and was also isolationist, much like japan. i understand depictions of china given laws in china, so yeah, sure, but... throwing the japanese-based nation under the bus was pretty interesting. they didn't need to do that at all, and there could've been an interesting storyline without this at all.

mondstadt. god, no one thinks about mondstadt in this regard, but mondstadt is the only nation that pretty much has zero places named with the language its culture is based on, other than its own city name. even sumeru has this - albeit some names do come from sanskrit words (kinda... complicated? most of it derives from sanskrit, though, or egyptian in the desert). whispering woods, starfell lake, brightcrown mountains. all of that. even its characters - many of them don't have german names! (jean gunnhildr, diluc ragvindr) i understand that scandinavian and german do have incredibly similar roots, but... still.

like, no matter what hoyo does, it seems that the only culture that they really "respect" is their own. no matter how much research they do - and believe me, there is a lot they've done! listen to a lot of the music, you'll notice they incorporate a lot of traditional musical instruments.

and yet... when executing it? it comes out quite terribly?

and then, even with their liyue characters - there's plenty of characters where it'd make so much more sense if they were dark skin (ex: yaoyao). and yet.... they aren't? some of them are paper pale

i'm just saying. genshin is riddled with flaws.

and don't even get me started on just... their general character design.

[gettinshiggywithit]

hiii!! can u do chuuya x reader who likes painting? fem reader or gn i dont mind! 🫶🏾

!Chuuya With An S/O Who Likes To Paint!

Scenario:- hcs of chuuya with an s/o who loves painting!

Pairing:- chuuya x gn!reader

Genre:- fluff

Type:-headcanons

A/N:-HI ANON AND THANK YOU FOE THE REQUEST!ik its late but I hope you like it!pls feel free to lmk your thoughts on it!

I feel like chuuya definitely appreciates the arts,so if you liked painting he’d totally be supportive!

As a hobby or even if you wanted to do it professionally,he wants you to follow your dream and be happy

I feel like he’d be the perfect reference for like poses and things,if that makes sense????? Like his figure and stature just seem perfect in that way for me!

Wouldn’t mind bein your reference tbh.he loves your art anyway and him bein able to be that much of an integral part in it would probably make him smile internally!

Yall go on lil days out to buy supplies and even he takes a look around the place and falls in just as much love with it as you do(was it because the place elicited so much joy from you that it brightened the entire city???? Maybe~)

If there are lil tools and stuff he wants to know the use of he’ll just ask you straight away.

Eventually you get him to agree to try it!

So that day you pick out an extra canvas or water colour pad and some paints,brushed and the whole shebang for him and you go home with everything gathered in your arms!

I feel like chuuya is definitely a doodler so he starts with that,just doodling on maybe a watercolour pad and painting it in.

Baby steps ofc.

Vent painting sessions!

Like when the both of you cant sleep or are feeling particularly stressed,you’ll go over to your supplies and paint out your feelings!

This is one of the only times he manages to outdo you!

We all know chuuya’s expressive,and he kinda basically wears his heart on his sleeve,in a sense; so naturally, he was great at expressing his emotions.

The colours on his canvas blended perfectly and the aggressive strokes just added to the effect!

He’d effectively depicted his feelings before you, and the result was just as beautiful as he was~

Wine and painting

Like on calmer nights yall just grab ur paints and he pours out glasses of wine for you both(IF YOU ARENT AT THE LEGAL DRINKIN AGE IN YOUR COUNTRY, YOU GET A MOCKTAIL OR NON ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE)

Its a great way to unwind and let loose tbh,maybe you’ll even have some music playing in the background to suit your mood.

Your shared apartment has paintings EVERYWHERE

Like all over the walls,in the toilet , and honestly anywhere it could be displayed tbh!

You make sure to hang his ones up aswell ,and in places where they’ll be completely visible too!

Okay no but like,imagine him in a loose white shirt and his hair in a messy bun???his sleeves rolled up and paint just all over his arms and some on his clothes and face???? And he doesnt even knoe because he’s so concentrated on what he’s doing????

(GODDAMIT WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF NOW I CANT STOP IMAGINING HIM LIKE THAT!)

Painting and personalising plain clothes and tee shirts for eachother!

Oh and havin your own specific clothes for painting sometimes? Like these clothes have random paint splotches on em and stuff!

OH IMAGINE like chuuya gets late to come home or hes on long mission and since you miss him a little you wear his shirt and start painting (if you’re bigger than him,then you wear it as like an overshirt or tie it around your waist{honestly anything to make it feel like hes there})

And then he walks in the door and you go up to hug and welcome him

He notices its his shirt and smirks before leaning into kiss you saying, “Missed me that much huh?”

Ooh little paint fights would be ADORABLE like you put a dot of paint on his cheek and he then puts one on you and it goes back and worth until you’re both just a laughing mess on the floor.

Honestly chuuya with a reader who paints has now blessed my mind so thank you anon!

__________________________________________

Tagging: @kajiyashikiazeru

All rights reserved © 2023 gettinshiggywithit . Please do not repost, modify or claim as yours.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA for asking my flatmate to actually go halves in rent + pay on time and / or asking her to help pay utilities?

(Long one sorry)

So I(25 FTM) live in a 2 bedroom flat with my flatmate (>25F) and my cat (11F). I've been living in the flat for around 3 years with different flatmates, and only my name is on the lease. It's always been a 50/50 split for rent even though the rooms are different sizes (mine is the smaller room) which I rationalised for myself as paying a bit more because I have my cat and myself.

However my current flatmate has not been paying half the rent for the year+ she's lived here, which was annoying but I could manage (was only a $30 difference or so), but recently our rent has gone up a lot (like almost $300 a month) which means I've really had to reassess a lot of my spending (hard cause I don't spend a lot outside of absolute necessities). Now this might be assholey but the last time she paid rent (the new amount) it was a very small amount short of half (like less than a dollar) but I already have a lot of issues with the general living situation so kinda want to have the correct amount even if its barely short of 50%.

She often pays rent late (longest was close to 2 weeks, rent is monthly) , which I wouldn't mind if she gave me a heads up or apologised or something but she hasn't at all.

The other issue is that our utility costs are going up. Currently I cover electricity and internet 100% on my own. I was fine covering the internet cause I work from home and previous flatmates didn't, but I did previously go 50/50 with the electricity bill with other flatmates. I probs wouldn't try to push for her to pay 50/50, but maybe if she could pay the difference with the internet (~$10 /month)

Important context (maybe?):

I did not really know my current flatmate before she moved in so we have no established relationship or anything like that

I was desperate to fill the room after my previous flatmate moved for uni, because of this splitting of utilities was not properly discussed before she moved in

I work minimum wage and can't do a lot of hours because of a variety of health stuff / disabilities so my money situation is not great nor stable

She is an international student doing her PhD but money does not seem to be too big an issue for her eg. travelling overseas (not back to her home country), going to music festivals , buying pricey tech for herself, etc.

(again sorry for length, unfortunately I post too much of my cat on my blog to safely pay the cat tax while still being anon sorry)

So, WIBTA for asking my flatmate to actually go halves in rent + pay on time and / or asking her to help pay utilities?

What are these acronyms?

[hanarchy]

I'm a Chan girlie (derogatory) and I do agree tbh. He seems like a genuinely good guy but I feel like he's got issues and needs therapy tbh with you. But then again, I have a hard time blaming him for that, boy was pushed from a young age by his weird ass parents to be famous, was flown out to a foreign country on his own at like 12 or 13 and immediately put in the worst position a young teen who just likes music could be in. I really like the guy, but a lot of his fans act like he's a lot more than what it is: a musically talented good looking dude who just happened to become famous.

mhm yeah i think like. he’s an interesting case study in terms of kpop and fame in general. i have a feeling this reply is gonna get ridiculously long so i’m sorry in advance.

edit: ok i split it up into parts:

1. teenager and industry in general

2. early career and skz as a group

3. recent position in the company and fans

edit 2: i also put it under a read more. listen i know u never asked me to psychoanalyze bang christopher chan on this beautiful august evening but i, like literally everyone else in this fandom, just cannot resist it 💀

bro i gotta be honest with u idk why i typed all this out and theres certainly no real point but its done now

1. teenager and kpop industry in general

like i think chan is the perfect idol less in how talented he is (please do not misconstrue this as me saying he is not talented that is not what i said) but much much more in this ‘narc energy’ i tried to describe earlier. it is very obvious that companies don’t just look for star quality but also for obedience and what they like to call ‘good nature’ as well as for resilience and the willingness to basically destroy yourself for your career.

and chan certainly has that. like i think about how he speaks about his dad and how deeply uncomfortable it makes me to hear him talk because it reminds me of soso many of my childhood friends who thought they needed to live up to some ideal their parents either picked for them or represented. now most people kind of start developing away from that in their teenage years and form an identity of their own but what kpop companies do really effectively is to intervene in that process and give these teens a new ideal to neatly replace the old one.

on the one hand that’s kind of convenient because it means you have to do much less emotional work, if your parents are supportive of this dream it makes for an easy transition for them, too because you don’t have to fight them for more freedom all the time and honestly apart from the dieting it is a relatively safe way to assert independence. like teenagers are also impulsive and kinda bad at making decisions so i saw a lot of my friends go down a much more self-destructive road than becoming a trainee.

on the other hand though you do have to grow up sometime and if you really take the idol life and that dream seriously that kinda means selling your body and soul to a deeply corrupt capitalist machine and a faceless public that each have the power to make or break you. like you promise so much of your energy, future earnings and also just so much of your time on earth to this career before you’ve ever even had a normal job.

like by all accounts chan was way too young to understand what any of this entailed when he decided to do it (frankly i think its hard to understand even as an adult like i certainly have no fucking idea what it must feel like to have thousands of people on the internet ask you to show them your bedroom)

and like whats especially twisted (i think its mostly post bts but i think as a prototype shinee are a good example as well and i think tbh kpop also learned from the success of one direction and how intensely parasocial that was thanks to a casting show) is that companies figured out that fans form a close emotional bond with idols who are perceived to have struggled and suffered. like it’s a good story for the underdog to make it big, for the guys with a creative vision to do their own thing to make it in a highly regulated industry.

it’s kind of obvious with how many groups get documentaries where they cry and struggle and how few of them get actual psychological help that companies have an incentive to make them suffer (justice for my sweet sakura she needs rest and support and PRIVACY).

now i’m not saying anyone is being tortured or anything and i’m not one of those ‘kpop is trafficking’ truthers like i think its much more mundane in how they use the natural stressors of the job, cultural expectations and the idols’ own perfectionism or traits and just point a camera at them.

for chan its the being the eldest child responsibility, the real need to please his father figures and his perfectionist nature. plus i do think foreign idols (even from korean families) often feel they need to prove that they can be a part of korean society, that they are as respectful and well behaved and understand the norms and customs.

and jyp(e) (both the man and the company) was kind of able to twist their role in his life to be both his torturer and his savior in how they played the stray kids survival show and his trainee career. showering him in praise and at the same time never debuting him, letting him pick his members and then basically publicly tearing all his choices apart over 9 episodes. etc etc

like he was always gonna come out of that mix either really loving the company and authority figures in his life or deeply resenting all of it and i think his ambition and pride (which can keep u from admitting u made a wrong decision) kept him from the latter option.

2. early career and skz as a group

i think early adulthood is kind of the time where you get to test your new identity you created as a teen against the reality of living in the world. are your talents enough? is your self-image correct? do you have the strength and resilience to be who you want to be? did you know how to pick the right people to support you and be friends with?

and i think like this is where chan felt like his choice of sticking with the company was correct because they gave him comebacks, money, creative support, creative freedom, they didnt doubt the group when woojin left and gave chan so many things to make the music he wants to make and also they had the patience to wait out the first win, the first hit, the parasocial fanbase and so on.

so like that probably solidified his impression that he made the right choice and again all the stress and the pressure coupled with that support made this kind of abusive bond between the company and chan even stronger.

and now you have him caring for the whole group, which is both exploiting and playing into his strength which is his sense of responsibility. and i think again he probably felt like a gift was being given to him in the form of a debut and 7 guys who he could care for and who also cared for him enough to take on some of that responsibility.

he’s testing his self perception of being talented, reliable, strong against the reality of being an idol and he feels like he made the right choices, like the identity he picked for himself as a teen is viable and so his love for the company is reinforced and is strengthened by his love for the members.

plus you get this fan layer which is another highly complex relationship to process. its kind of unconditional adoration except its HIGHLY conditional and you dont know what those conditions are. i think his reaction to that random cornrow thing and how he generally seems indignant and mad about being told what to do by fans is soooooo interesting bc like. this is the king of fanservice to a frankly ABSURD degree like no other idol is that bad, again i’m sorry to the chan girls but that bbl vibe is so…. 😬

so it gains another layer and maybe a realer support system and more true friendships that arent transactional. but at the same time he gains this faceless crowd making decisions for him. like thats a tangled psychological web and its obvious why he would be so loyal to the company and the established status quo since they never wavered in their support for him even when he was stupid and more importantly EVEN when he wasnt making them money.

3. recent position in the company and fans

now like. ive been talking about him kind of as if he doesnt know that his relationship with the company is transactional but i think he has always been aware of it but that he was just ok with what he got out of it. because i think he also has a veryyyyy healthy self confidence and his ambition is BIG like.

i always say that the only thing abt skz’s personalities that i am actually certain of is their ambition. they want to be the biggest group in the company, in the industry, they want to be the biggest group in the world. I think chan has wanted that for a long time. and i think he understands why the company built the narratives they did.

like i actually kind of disagree with you a little bc i think he very very deliberately got famous and he also deliberately did it in this company. because as hard to navigate as this whole web is emotionally, for a man in a kpop company (and yes, gender is EXTREMELY important in this context) theres also a fixed set of rules and steps to influence and power (there are some exceptions like got7 but even they were eventually able to leave with their group name and trademarks which is entirely unheard of for girl groups). he followed the steps laid out by jype and he has what he wanted now. and i think bang chan today has a lot of agency, he has a lot of power over the group but also in the company so in many ways he did actually make the right decisions when he was very young and i think this position in the company is good for his pride as well.

now you mentioned his fans and how weird some of them are about him and i think tbh it’s somewhat normal and expected that they are this weird abt him given the entire strange and complex relationship i just explained. like he himself does not know how to handle his fans in a way thats healthy for him. i think channies room was the biggest proof of that and the way his confidence seems to have skyrocketed since that ended is kind of interesting to me.

like ok heres my last mean statement about him: he does not care about his fans more than any other idol. he does not mean to ‘protect’ all of us. he is appreciative and grateful. and i think something unique about him and skz is that there seem to be very many kpop (male) groups who dont like being known for kpop or as idols. they want credit as artists and singers and musicians in other genres. i think hes unique in that he has real respect for idol music and idol work and the kind of fans that come along with it (young women).

i also think he means it when he says skz aims to be a safe place for their fans and a fun place but i think he had to find out what that means for himself. he genuinely seems to want good things for people but he used to pretend he had a personal relationship with every single fan and that’s bound to lead to a fucked reaction from fans. like him pretending to be your boyfriend on bbl or him yelling at that seoul concert or the strangely intimate nature of chans room all kind were his own doing and i do think its a bit of his own fault that fans are this weird abt him.

and i think he probably thought he had to do all that because of how much responsibility he took on in the company and EVERYTHING i mentioned above so like. his own perception is also fucked. but i think realizing that he is allowed boundaries and that he can have a relationship with fans on his own terms has been very good for him. theres a real sense of separation these days, he seems to volunteer information or photos/content rather than having it forced out of him.

unfortunately the damage is done and chan stans are already… like that. like i have NEVER met a chan bias who doesnt on some level believe they know him better than everyone else, even the most level headed ones. hell i kinda think i understand him better than everyone else (look at this stupidly long post). and the recent distance that is perceived as new and unusual from him has left a lot of fans feeling rejected. and because they put him up on such a high pedestal and believe all of his declarations of love they cant stand the idea that it was his doing/decision and look for some other thing to blame (the company, other fans, the members… the list goes on)

[henrysglock]

Hi can you plz help me to understand. My feed is mainly talking about Palestine, showing the atrocities happening, wanting Palestine to be free and I agree the Palestinian civilians should be safe and the bombings and attacks should stop. But I’m failing to see why people aren’t caring about the Israeli civilians as much? They are also being killed, many innocently at a music festival only to never return home again. But it’s like no one cares about them bc they’re they enemy! But they’re not they’re innocent people. Just like the Palestinian people are. And I kinda get the war between both but also what happened was over 70 years ago most of the people living there now weren’t there 70 years ago so why should they still be talked about as though they’re the enemy when living in Israel is all they’ve known? It shouldn’t be just swept under the rug no and I know everyone isn’t just going to stop and make up and hold hands singing songs but It’s 100% the governments problem I just don’t understand why people now are failing to sympathise with the Israeli victims? And why some Jewish people/celebs are being made out to be bad people just bc they speak up on what’s being done to their fellow Jews? Not sure if you’ve seen Brett’s ig but he’s been very vocal and if I’m honest does seem quite extreme but ppl like Noah just seem like he’s upset and worried and doesn’t want harm to come to either side but ofc he’s going to show support to Israel when he’s been there to learn more about his religion? Idk what to believe in terms of news anymore bc some seem very pro-Palestine and others pro-Israel and some switch between both every other day. It’s just all very confusing but it has made me a little sad to see not many people talking about the innocent Israelis who have lost their lives and are still in the middle of all this too… sorry if this is too much I just needed to say it to someone :/

Okay, anon, I think I know where the disconnect lies: scale.

1,400 were killed in the attack on Israel, and that’s a horrible thing. Loss of civilian life is never a good thing.

However. Over 5,000 and counting Palestinians have been killed by the Israelis just since the Hamas attack. That’s not including the 70+ consecutive years of occupation and mistreatment continued mistreatment enacted on them by the Israeli government (It’s not something that “happened 70 years ago”, anon. It has been constant). They have been and are being driven out of their homes; their lives, livelihoods, and land are being stolen out from under them. 70 years’ worth of children have been and are being murdered or left as orphans.

Here are some numbers just since 2000:

And there is no “both sides”, here. There is no “war”, Anon, because Palestine has no army, while Israel is backed by the governments of most western countries, the US army included. They have the backing of the most powerful army in the world…against a people with no army. Palestinians, anon, are defenseless. Israel is bombing their hospitals and schools. It’s an unceasing massacre. Gaza is an open-air prison. The Palestinians cannot escape the violence.

So yes, it’s deeply unfortunate that Israeli civilians were killed, and I sympathize with those who were hurt by that attack, emotionally and/or physically…but they are not victims of genocide, here.

Palestinians are.

That is why we’re more vocal about Palestine, anon. The scales aren’t even close to the same.

This isn’t even going into the fact that Hamas was founded and funded to destabilize Palestine. To quote Avner Cohen, an ex Israeli official: “Hamas, regrettably was Israel’s creation”. Meanwhile, the current PM of Israel, Netanyahu, has said “Anyone who wants to thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state has to support bolstering hamas and transferring money to hamas. This is part of our strategy—to isolate Palestinians in gaza from Palestinians in the west bank.”

Israel’s blood is on its own hands.

[bluhjeans]

songs i associate with dbh characters / what i think their fav songs would be

pleasee share ur own thoughts & opinions id love to hear them!! and I need to ramble abt my dbh opinions to people (+templates if u wanna make ur own)

explaining my reasoning here if anyones curious

gavin: couldn't decide between rehab and in my feelings because theyre both just so him (and by that i mean fanon him cuz there really wasnt much to work on) 'in my feelings' because I can just imagine him to all' of the lyrics ('Sobbin' in my cup of coffee 'cause I fell for another loser' and 'Who's doper than this bitch, who's free-er than me' in particular) and rehab is a little looser of a connection, it stems from this story that ive been sorta writing that focuses on gavins relationship with alcohol aswell as his friendship with tina, and I just feel like rehab really captures his reluctance to give up the many different problems he has in the story like drinking, smoking & drugs rk900/nines: i dont really imagine he listens to music but but i kinda associate him with the pre-chorus in 'In my feelings' by LDR with the 'get that cigarette smoke out of my face' and the bridge with 'got me feeling so blue, making no sense at all, gotta leave right now' sooo duet with gavin...? 'shades of cool' (u may have noticed i like lana songs by now!!) also really matches nines IMO, the song is about her own pain and disappointment but but it also centers around this flawed love interest she wants to fix and understand, but ultimately can't, which to me just feels like nines and gavin, atleast in my own hc's (can you guess my fav ship yet) connor: whilst this song (a human's touch) could generally apply to all androids in dbh I connect it most with connor, especially in the second verse; "We were still going strong I never did you wrong Until the new me came along It was just you and me We were such a good team But now I’m alone on the boulevard of broken screens" Listening to this, I can really imagine him talking to Amanda after being introduced to his successor, the RK900 ('the new me') - I also can imagine the boulevard of broken screens being in reference to the graves of his previous bodies and I just think thattt hits yk, + whilst the second verse applies to machine connor more, the craving for human touch (connection in general) feels rather apt as by becoming deviant he has severed ties with Cyberlife, causing him to be pretty alone so yeah kara: I can just imagine her, alice and luther all singing country roads together in a car during the summer and it just warms my heart sm like its just sooo cuteee <3 I can also imagine her being a fan of Adele's music in general, I can't really explain why but she just seems like the type of person to be reaalllyyy into adele (me too) (+ i know age as a concept isnt a thing for androids really but adeles music appeals to a large age range making her music appealing 2 families so maybe im connecting adele n kara because of that) markus: I feel like I don't even need to explain history has its eyes on you... i mean come on.. but ohhh emmm geee!! I can not stress how PERFECT 'as the world caves in' is for markus atleast in my opinion, when I listen to it I can really picture this song over markus either choosing to sacrifice himself in BfD when surrounded, but generally I can just imagine this song over him doing anything really. 'run boy run' also feels like it needs little explanation, just listen to the song/look at the lyrics and youll see the connection north: I don't actually have any meaningful reasons for these songs but I just feel like north would like them but I guess 'breakin' dishes' is the one I thought about most because I can imagine her acting similarly in the same situation soo yeah chloe: Chloe doesn't really have a lot to work on with her extremely limited appearance in-game so this is completely based off a fic i read lol, where chloe was in a relationship with kamski but only in private because of his concern for his image anyways, in 'a loving feeling' mitski sings about feelings of loneliness in a relationship where her partner only shows affection alone and yeah that just feels like chloe n kamski to me!

[pikatrainer99]

Branch mental health character analysis part 2: Trolls World Tour (SPOILERS FOR A FOUR YEAR OLD MOVIE BUT JUST IN CASE 😅)

(Part 1 is right here in case you missed it or need a refresher)

Hey everyone! I'm back with the second part of my Branch character analysis! This time, we're gonna go over his character in the second film, Trolls World Tour, so without further ado, let's get started!

This time around, Branch still lives in his bunker, but he's got more color to him now and he is able to enjoy singing and dancing with Poppy and the others, which is good character development for him. He also wants to confess his love for Poppy, but really struggles to do so. After hearing about the history of the different Troll tribes from King Peppy, as well as Queen Barb of the Hard Rock Trolls' world tour, Poppy decides to set out to unite the other Trolls and prove that differences don't matter. Branch tries to talk some sense into her with his logical thinking as well as his trauma-induced anxiety and trust issues, but to no avail, and he ends up joining Poppy on her quest…but not without sneaking some weapons on board the balloon they're traveling in…because his need to be over-prepared is still clearly there, especially when facing something new. He is clearly anxious, he doesn't know anything about the other Trolls and he feels the need to be hyper-vigilant just like in the first film, never letting his guard down. Poppy kicks the weapons overboard, and Branch is clearly upset by this, saying that he "whittled those for hours", referring to the sharp stick spears among the weapons he had brought.

When they reach Symphonyville, where the Classical Trolls lived, Branch, while feeling empathy for them, is still on guard upon hearing Pennywhistle the flute's voice in the destroyed town. Upon being asked if they're nice or mean, Poppy says they're nice, and Branch says, "Yeah, but not too nice…so don't even try it!" This, to me, is Branch's anxiety and fear of the unknown mixing in with his already established issues, particularly his paranoia. After their talk with Pennywhistle, Poppy finally realizes that Barb and the Hard Rock Trolls want to destroy all music except for Rock, and Branch panics and says that they need to make sure their string is safe, to which Poppy says it is as she pulls it out of her hair, causing Branch to freak out more at the fact that she BROUGHT IT WITH HER. He then says they need to go back home to Pop Village and get everyone in his bunker where they'll be safe (again, his bunker is HIS safe space, but his character development has led to him actually wanting to protect the rest of the Pop Trolls by keeping them safe in there…good job Branch!), but Poppy says that they need to keep going, completely invalidating Branch's concerns and worries (Poppy WHY…?!) and they head off towards the Country Music Trolls' territory.

When they reach Lonesome Flats, where the Country Trolls live, the Country Trolls' leader, Delta Dawn, is singing a sad song called "Born to Die" which Poppy dislikes because of how sad it is. Branch, however, seems a bit conflicted on how he feels about it, saying that he agrees that it's really sad, but then pointing out that life is sad sometimes…so he kinda likes it. This makes sense as Branch has been through so much in his life up to this point that he is depressed and traumatized. I didn't used to like sad songs either until I started really struggling with my own depression and trauma as a teenager (I've had these issues since I was a very young child but it really took over my life as a teen), and then I started finding a weird sense of comfort in them...which I was also confused about at the time, just like Branch seems to be here. After getting thrown in jail by Delta Dawn after performing an impromptu pop medley planned by Poppy to "cheer the Country Trolls up", Branch is once again, prepared for anything as he already has a plan and a shovel in his hair which he starts to dig them out of the jail so they can escape, but then they're rescued by Hickory, who Branch immediately is suspicious of and doesn't trust. His guard is up for a good portion of the time they spend traveling with Hickory, and when he says something about it to Poppy, she twists his words around saying that it's not Hickory Branch doesn't trust, but her. Branch immediately denies that (and rightfully so, he didn't say anything like that at all), and tries to get Poppy to understand that that wasn't what he meant, but she doesn't listen to him.

It's not until after the incident in Vibe City where the Funk Trolls live, that Poppy and Branch have a big fight. Poppy is so one-track-minded, so focused on being a good queen that she can't bring herself to focus on anything else, and Branch is desperately trying to get her to listen to reason. Poppy wants to continue their journey to help the other Trolls but Branch wants to go back home and protect their friends and family. Poppy accuses Branch of giving up and Branch is frustrated that all of this is all because Poppy feels the need to prove herself as a good queen, he tells her that good queens actually LISTEN, which she is not doing. They talk about how different they are and how they're too different to get along, causing Branch to leave, incredibly upset by it as he loves Poppy and cares about her more than anyone else, as his depression hits again (seriously, look at his face, he looks so sad the entire time while he sings "Perfect For Me"…he actually looks like he's close to tears at times in that scene too). When he gets captured by the K-Pop gang (who btw, actually call him "crybaby" before saying anything else to him) and the Reggaeton Trolls, he declares that all music should be saved, opening up to and accepting the two groups of Trolls in front of him even though they're bounty hunters trying to capture him and Poppy and bring them to Barb. They do end up working together as at the end, as Barb prepares to play the ultimate power chord, they show up in the balloon to help stop all music from being destroyed. This is a BIG step for Branch, as his trust issues were on alert 24/7 in only just a few scenes prior!

Branch jumps in front of Poppy, taking the hit from the ultimate power chord for her, getting turned into a rock zombie in the process. This shows how much Branch really loves her, as he didn't even HESITATE to sacrifice himself (he gets turned into a zombie controlled by Barb…I'm counting that as a self-sacrifice) to protect her, which is really sweet but also kinda sad…that kind of self-sacrificial behavior usually means (from what I've seen anyway) that the character puts others' lives way above their own, usually it's a self-worth issue, they don't care what happens to them, as long as their friends and loved ones are okay. We know that Branch has been through A LOT, so this kind of mentality actually makes sense…it's heartbreaking but it makes sense that he'd struggle with self-worth issues and low self-esteem (spoiler alert: we'll definitely get more into that when we get to the third movie). The guitar is soon smashed by Poppy, destroying the strings, but they all realize that music really comes from them, and they sing "Just Sing" (my personal favorite song in the film). Branch finally confesses his love for Poppy, she reciprocates, they high-five, and that's pretty much it for Trolls World Tour.

I hope you all enjoyed the second part of my Branch character analysis! I didn't put images or GIFs in this one because finding them takes a lot out of me, and since I'm struggling mentally right now, I didn't wanna put anymore stress on myself. Again, if you think I missed anything, please feel free to let me know what I missed in the comments below! This isn't the end of Branch's journey though! There's still one more movie to cover, so I'll see you guys hopefully soon for part 3: Trolls Band Together! Catch ya later! 👋

[scarred-serafina-fan]

Willa TV Project – Robert Beatty Books

I was avoiding posting about this until I saw something a little more official but it's a whole page on his official website so I guess that's as official as it gets

But basically they are finally adapting his books to the screen the company that he is teamed up is surprisingly entertainment one not disney who owns the rights also it's just willa that's being adapted not serafina for reasons I'm not very clear on

Anyways this whole thing is just odd even beyond the whole serafina is not being adapted they're straight cutting to book four of the series and disney doesn't seem to have much if anything to do with it

For a little context in the south within a certain vicinity of ashville (like reaching into other states) the serafina series was marketed HARD everyone knew about it and was supporting it this whole tv show deal tho has been very quiet I've only really seen rumblings of it from the far corners of the internet

They also said in that link above filming locations are not determined yet and this is just me speculating but it does not sound like they are planning on filming it in the smoky mountains again odd that whole area is pretty popular for film projects even hunger games filmed in the Appalachian Mountains so I hope they're gonna film there but idk again I haven't heard ANYTHING

But finally I want to talk about the group that's making it Entertainment One with Amy Adam's Bond Group Entertainment

Entertainment One is kinda interesting when I started looking into them they have things like Peppa Pig dungeons and dragons and insidious they apparently started as a music distributing company that made the switch to movie distribution a few years later and in 2016 a British tv broadcaster ITV plc offered to buy them out for $1.3 bill which they rejected because it was "fundamentally undervalued" the whole time they are pretty much acquiring different other smaller companies left and right and they have a large investment in Quibi I guess? But in mid 2019 Hasbro brought announced that they were apparently acquiring Entertainment one for $4 bill (according to Wikipedia) when hasbro obtained them tho it seems they started making plenty of cuts like laying 10% of it's film and television staff (again number is from Wikipedia) and many branches of the company were straight up closed and by 2022 has brought announced they were planning on selling the company to lionsgate but by the time deal closed last December Entertainment one had already closed its distributing branches in most countries including England and lionsgate bought their assets for $500 mill so safe to say is a dying company that probably won't even last long enough for this project to happen (they were also split into three different separate companies)

Amy Adam's Bond Group Entertainment on the other hand is interesting in a different way according to deadline the company will work mostly with best selling book ip yeah "WILL" seems like this company has not done a whole lot yet the company was only even first launched in 2019 deadline also lists off willa of the wood as one of the things they have in development yeah the show that has basically no buzz is named as one of the biggest things they have in development the company has also very obvious been relying on the name of Amy Adam's so far I mean there's a whole paragraph about her specifically in link to Robert beattys website above

Idk just seems like they have these two companies one that's standing on its last leg and another that's just starting and they're starting halfway through the series it's just odd I'm not letting my hopes up yet because honestly I'll just be happy if it ever even comes out I first heard about this thing a WHILE ago and it's been pretty quite so who knows

[anthraxplus]

ok so like im gonna soapbox a bit because this thing kinda got to me. i read both the consequence of sound article about billie eilish and the rolling stone article about beyoncé and i think both of them offer something to say about how music is discussed by people.

firstly, it seems like the "cohesive body of work" comment comes from the press release for billie's new album, so i think we need to approach that language from the perspective of someone writing that release. clearly the implication (and the reality, as we know) is that people don't tend to listen to albums, they listen to singles. this is also why she isn't releasing any singles before the drop. props to her for being a big artist that's doing this, but honestly its noteworthiness just upsets me. it's a symptom of a larger issue, namely music being treated as a product and not art. she's not gonna change the industry by doing this, it's not going to make people value music more (at least not on a large scale).

secondly, beyoncé's inclusion in the post is a bit more dubious because the content of the article is more about how she paid homage to country artists and the genre as a whole. incidentally, i think they realized the language in the original tweet was a bit misleading, so they updated it:

the original tweet made it sound like the article was doing some fandom decoding of references, when really it was much more than that (the subtitle is unchanged, though):

the subtitle still irks me because it draws attention to the album art and tracklist, when the article's focus is really visual details in music videos/teasers and the lyrical content of her songs. saying "the album art and tracklist were meticulously planned" still implies the opposite is the norm, even though those things aren't discussed with that much attention.

and frankly it just makes me sad. the fact that the way these authors (or their editors) planned to get our attention was by putting it front and center that the albums are "cohesive" or "meticulously crafted" still speaks to the state of music, regardless of the contents of the articles. as a musician, the idea that albums are anything less than their own work of art really upsets me. not every album is (or has to be) some grand conceptual piece of work, but i think a failure to see an album as a piece of art is just disrespectful.

but to be clear, this isn't even saying that if you're a "bad music listener" if you only like half the songs on an album. plenty of my favorite artists have albums where i skip songs. you're not going to connect with every song, and there's no problem with that. and i'm also not anti-playlist like some people in the notes of that post are. my issue is just with people who view songs as content to consume, not art to engage with. that's why i make my albums the way i do. i'm going to force you to listen to my whole work, and then if you so desire you can snip the tracks in audacity to your liking, but you're still going to do so with context.

but also, like, this whole thing is just a spiraling/cascading mess of the intersection of art and capitalism, right? do i really have anything more to say that hasn't been said hundreds of times before? probably not. so, i dunno. respect artists. respect art. i love you.

[stillness138]

can i ask for two characters: gezras of leyda and thaler? if not you can choose one of them xD

oooh nice, thanks! gonna do both

and cut it because it's gonna get long :D

Thaler

first impression:

i think i first saw him in gwent actually, and that was when 'silver spies' were still a thing. he was a pretty good card back then. only learned about his character once i watched a witcher 3 playthrough on youtube though. i don't recall it that well, but if i thought anything particular, it was probably "i hope he'll wash his hands at some point soon" because he's literally peeing at the start of the cutscene.

impression now:

he's cool! questionable hygiene aside, i love characters that have like, a thing? as in, a simple but fun premise or at least a surface reading. he's a spy, but very dedicated to the shoemaker cover, and that's how he manages to get by in an occupied land. i like that there's a little throughline with him about appearances often being deceiving. the shoes are one thing, but even further, he seems like a crude, self-serving bum, yet his loyality to Temeria is something so integral it's not even a question. This country really lucked out on devoted spies. Foltest was just that charismatic.

favorite thing about him:

willingness to do anything, no matter how uncomfortable, for the country. i think i like it because it's different from Roche's brand of servitude. again, cdpr is pretty good at writing ocs.

thinking about it now, he reminds me of a few guys i know. rural Temeria is, from an outside view, a cold, wet, kinda bleak bumfuck middle of nowhere, yet Thaler has this air of loving the physical country for what it is - he even mentions that he prefers the travelling more than a different cover like being an innkeep. like it doesn't bother him that it's cold, it seems he finds comfort in it in his own way. i find that kinda sweet.

least favorite thing:

seriously mate wash your hands 😭

i'd also rather cdpr didn't make him a vessel for racist jokes in the first game. (i swear i was looking for the exact clip where he talks about Azar and couldn't find it, i need to play the first game properly...)

favorite line/scene:

[how are you doing?] "A bit like a potato beetle. I keep quiet, stay outta trouble, and live on fucking potatoes."

i saw only a few scenes from witcher 1 and they were dubbed in czech, which adds to the hilarity of it to me, but his voice actor probably had a field day with it. "Nedělej si ze mě kurva srandu, seš zasranej amatér." [Geralt: will you play poker with me? Thaler: Don't fucking bullshit me, you're a goddamn amateur.]

favorite interaction he has with another character:

befriending and handling the three trolls. game Lambert has something to learn from him in that regard.

a character that I wish he would interact with more (or at all):

imagine if he appeared in the second game in any capacity, that would've been fun. in wild hunt, it's the same as with Roche: i wish the entire politics plotline was better. if i had to pick one character, it'd be Letho. there would be a lot of profanities but i actually believe Thaler would have more to say than even Roche at Kaer Morhen.

another character from another fandom that reminds me of him:

again i only know 5 things, and the only method acting spy in elder scrolls is Caius Cosades from Morrowind, whose similarities to Thaler pretty much end at taking a cover story too seriously.

as a side note though, i went to tv tropes to look at character lists in case i forgot about someone i actually do know, and in "sir swears-a-lot" subpage for videogame characters i found Thaler twice; gwent has its own separate mention. legends only.

a headcanon about him:

if Roche likes architecture, i think Thaler really enjoys music. maybe he even plays the lute. i'm also really curious about his youth and how he ended up a spy, but i do think it's quite different than Roche's background. i imagine he had a lot of friends as a kid and a comparably normal home life, but always showed talent for remembering what people say and for getting them to say even more.

a song that reminds me of him:

it's more vibes based than anything, but this czech song, most known from a movie. zmrzlinář means ice cream seller. it's all kinda... reminiscing, nostalgia and trying to find something nice or poetic in ordinary things (and in the case of the movie, in a shitty political regime). short movie version isn't on youtube, so i gotta upload it here.

an unpopular opinion about him:

this is less about the text and more meta, but i genuinely think he has a load of potential for exploring loyality, northern politics, motivation, and tropes or trope subversion (like the appearance thing i mentioned), but people sleep on him because Roche is right there. that's not to say dissecting Roche doesn't have merit - like i said, they're similar, but each has a different approach to what they do and what they believe.

favorite picture:

probably the gwent card. it says what it needs to and is surprisingly fun or even whimsical for a character most known for swearing on every third word. i think that's a neat choice though.

Gezras

first impression:

the cat school is, beside manticore, my favourite, so when the witcher expansion dropped i was curious who the leader will be next to Erland or Ivar. i wasn't disappointed. pretty sure i thought he's cute.

impression now:

*gently holds*

where Erland continued performing the trials to create a knightly order, Gezras and the growing cat school did it to protect themselves. it's the witcher dissected towards its core; a cycle of abuse maintained as something deemed necessary despite its harmfulness, out of desperation, out of a sense of belonging, out of losing touch with what's enough and what's too much.

and all that in pursuit of autonomy. Gezras; sold, experimented on, discarded, hunted. the fact the formula used on him was meant to suppress emotion yet ended up doing the opposite is a testament to that - this is about being treated as human. the trials are literally reclaimed, to strengthen other abandoned and thrown-out stray kids. to enact revenge. it's no wonder then that they'd seek refuge with the elves. the cat school was the one that took systemic oppression the most personally.

favorite thing about him:

that he's a unique exploration of the things i just mentioned. i find this very compelling and him relatable on that level, as an abuse survivor myself.

also his gwent card art and the bags under his eyes. that's relatable too.

least favorite thing:

it's meta again because i'm near incapable of judging the character without judging the writer: the little bit there is in gwent leans too much towards the edgy. he does have one voiceline about elven sages which i find especially interesting, but given that his trial ended up enhancing all emotions, if you want to show that somehow, give me rapid mood swings or something like that. gimme nuance!

this is me wanting every minor character to have dimensions.

favorite line/scene:

his flavor text; "Take a contract from Aen Seidhe over a dh'oine any day, as you’re far less likely to receive a knife between the ribs in place of coin."

favorite interaction he has with another character:

i think he actually has no lines or scenes with any named characters apart from the expansion key art where all the founders are together, because unlike the other three, he wasn't in the tabletop rpg books. i do however like his card's interaction with the bronze that happens to have my most favourite card art. there's awesome fanart about it too!

a character that I wish he would interact with more (or at all):

any named elf of his era, naturally, and especially the sages, but i am actually curious how he'd react to all of the other founders. Erland, i think i can imagine, but given both Arnaghad and Ivar ended up opposing Erland, that'd be more interesting. and even Iwan, the founder of manticore school as per the trpg, maybe he'd be the one Gezras would find most common ground with actually. If only for leaving the other three to their squabbles and seeking work and protection in a more equal society.

another character from another fandom that reminds me of him:

this is weird and i'm going to bring it up again, but Gezras reminds me of Allinall's work. weird because these are takes or adaptations of other media - particularly elder scrolls and berserk - but he specifically brings forth similar themes; conflicts of humans and elves, othering and otherness, cyclical abuse, coping mechanisms. the concrete characters i'm thinking of are Allinall's oc from the elder scrolls project and Rosine (and by extension the in-world fairytale character Peekaf) from the berserk project.

the nameless oc, mostly referred to as "One-Ear", had mixed parents, their human father cut their ear off in an attempt to hide their identity, even though their yellow sclera is undeniably elven. they join (or rather, their vulnerable state of trauma is exploited and they're indoctrinated by) a regime that aims to end material existence. Rosine is also a domestic abuse survivor, a village girl who comes across a promise of power in the form of an evil artifact that turns her into a moth-like elf monster. she starts devolving into bloodthirst and allows for horrible stuff to happen in order to maintain a fantasy of comfort and freedom.

a headcanon about him:

i didn't come up with it, but i love the idea that him and the saber-tooth tiger were buddies.

i think it's safe to assume that he's not actually from Leyda. if he was mutated at Stygga, he more likely was a local kid from Ebbing. I do also think he stayed in Dol Blathanna at some point when the school was wandering around, though.

and maybe that's too shallow, but i like to imagine he did genuinely enjoy being in nature. and if he ever conducted any trials by his own, he might've been notably good at herbology.

a song that reminds me of him:

'To Die' by Allinall (relating to One-Ear), and Peekaf Song (to Rosine).

as for more personal picks, my forever favourite, Nihilist Blues by Bring Me The Horizon (and Grimes); "do you mind if i'm exhumed?"

and Unraveled by Lorn, which is kinda ambient, but i like the harsher noises and associate it with my own search-for-identity oc.

an unpopular opinion about him:

Gezras is more interesting to me personally because of that focus on abuse, autonomy and revenge, and he's already a bit on the side because Erland and Arnaghad's conflict is at the forefront when this era of witchers comes up, but i think Ivar Evil-Eye needs even more love. despite being in the trpg, no one talks about him (he has that in common with Thaler i guess) and that's a disservice to the viper school as a whole, i think it's just as fascinating and has just as much unique and profound stuff to say as the cat school's story.

favorite picture:

his gwent card is in my top 20, but i especially like his reward tree portrait; it's the most detailed likeness we have. the mega tired eyes just draw me in.

[randomvarious]

The Flatmates - "On My Mind" Whole Wide World, Volume 2 Song released in 1988. Compilation released in 1994 Indie Pop / Power Pop / Noise Pop

Plays: 23.2K+ on Spotify // 2K+ on YouTube The Flatmates are really a prime example of one of those many 'what-could-have-been' bands. Originally comprised of two men and two women, they never ended up releasing a studio album, but nevertheless, they still played an integral role in the dawning and shaping of indie pop as we know it.

Now, if you don't know where indie pop is originally from, it's the UK. Basically, overly serious and brooding post-punk Gothic darkness had been managing to capture much of the country's indie charts for years, and all that pallor got a bit tiresome and needed some sunshine. So here was this cheery, lighthearted, and youthfully optimistic brand of jangly power pop to come and help change things🌞.

The formation of any inkling of an indie pop scene ended up being crystallized by the release of a now-iconic V/A cassette tape called C86, which was compiled by widely read and respected UK music publication NME in 1986. Funnily enough, prior to this, NME had released C81 in 1981 too, which was an eclectic collection of UK indie music that happened to contain some post-punk stuff on it. C81 definitely wasn't nearly as seminal or focused as C86 was, but with the release of C86, you can maybe kinda view it as an attempted course correction being undertaken by NME themselves, hoping that they could help shape the second half of the UK indie 80s into something significantly brighter.

And The Flatmates themselves didn't actually appear on C86, but the group's guitarist, Martin Whitehead, ran a label called Subway Organisation that would end up having two bands on its roster at one point who did appear on that cassette: Shop Assistants and Soup Dragons, both of whom were Scottish. And because of those groups' inclusions, Subway Organisation would end up playing a significant part in the growth, development, and spread of the indie pop / C86 scene writ large, securing its spot as one of the movement's top labels.

So The Flatmates ended up with a slice of some of that good fortune too. As Bristol's only real representative indie pop band, every one of their singles managed to reach the UK indie chart. It's up for debate what that meant exactly because some people allege that those indie charts weren't genuinely reflective of anything like record sales and were actually entirely fabricated, but nevertheless, having their name on a chart definitely helped to sell records anyway. They'd also recorded a couple sessions for beloved UK tastemaker John Peel too, who I feel the duty to say every time his name comes up was later revealed to have been a nonce.

But anyway, let's get to the song I'm posting. "On My Mind" served as the quality and peppy b-side kickoff on the group's highest-charting single, 1988's "Shimmer," which Whitehead's own biography of the band says "went to number one in the indie charts," but is sourcelessly shown on Wikipedia to have peaked at #2 🤷‍♂️. Either way, this single came about as a way for the band to ramp up to an eventual major label debut album. They'd felt that they were already primed to release one, but their new management who they'd decided to trust thought differently and insisted that they release another single to get labels interested instead. And management was proven right, as "Shimmer" managed to generate a whole lot of indie buzz, but after its release, the group suffered some discord and lead singer Debby Haynes left, and any aspirations about a potential debut album immediately fell through because of her departure.

"On My Mind" really was great, though. The group had been performing it in some form or fashion pretty much since they'd started in 1985, so it wasn't too much to write it with some tweaks and then officially release it. Whitehead seems to have been especially fond of the idea of having your positively jangling chords contrasted with an ample amount of noisy fuzz, and here, his undergirding layer of constant grinding gives the song a bit of a nice and sinister bite 😈. Add Joel O'Bierne's prominent drum mashing on the chorus and then you've really got quite a catchy 80s indie bop on your hands 🙌.

So a nice, underrated gem here from this important indie pop band who in the grand scheme of things aren't remembered as much as they should be because they ultimately failed to put out a proper full-length. But had they managed to get an album under their belt, seriously, who knows what could have been??

Read a very lengthy, entertaining, and thoughtful chronicle of the history of The Flatmates that was written by Martin Whitehead here.