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midorichan10 · 5 years

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KnB Stageplay Ultimate Blaze Report (5/5, 5/11, 5/19 Livestream)

Okay I know I said I’d do my report after my second viewing on the 11th but then the finale was on the 19th so I thought I’d wait til then so it’d be easier to remember everything. A 3.5 hour play is super long....

So I watched the play live on the 5th and 11th, and the finale on livestream on the 19th. This is the very last Kurosute ever...Thank you Kurosute for 4 years of wonderful casting and performances. I also want to thank Ono Kensho for once again doing an outstanding job of his role as Kuroko.

FYI, for those who also watched the livestream or plan to purchase the delayed stream, sharing pictures/screenshots or clips in public is prohibited. As such, I will not have any pictures included in this report. Please support the franchise by purchasing the DVD or Blu-Ray.

Major spoilers ahead. Proceed if you only wish to be spoiled. Again, this was a 3.5 hour play so this is VERY, VERY, long.

EDIT: This took me two days to type out ORZ

Before the play starts, Tsuchida’s actor has a voice over on the intercom about stageplay rules and manners. Turn off/mute your phone, no recording, etc. It’s nice that they had him still do his rules even though he wasn’t in the play. ;w;

The play opens up with the Yosen and Seirin scoreboard and Haizaki walking in the audience

Haizaki goes up to a random girl in the audience and flirts with her asking for her phone number.

On the show on the 5th the girl just tried to ignore him lmao

Kagami walks on stage and sees him and calls him out. Haizaki then confronts him saying he beat Mukkun and taunts him until a ball is thrown from the side at him. Kise comes on stage and the whole Haizaki and Kise bickering proceeds.

Haizaki gets REALLY close to Kise like literally breathing down the neck kind of close. How Mario didn’t flinch is beyond me.

Kagami learns that Kise has never beaten Haizaki, and eventually Haizaki leaves. Kise tells Kagami to leave Haizaki up to him.

Kise leaves and Kuroko comes on, using misdirection on Kagami. Kagami asks Kuroko who Haizaki is and that he’s met him. Kuroko explains he’s a former teammate but that he was still a regular so regardless he’s a strong player. Hyuuga and Seirin come telling them off and says they’re going to watch the first quarterfinal match of Kaijou vs Fukuda Sougo.

The opening song for this play’s dance is “Memories.” Personally this is my favorite one so far. I think I have the team order for this correctly...

Opens up with Seirin then switches to Kaijou proceeded by Shuutoku. Then there’s a Kaijou Shuutoku and Haizaki segment.

I just want to say how good Haizaki’s actor is and how his moves were so appropriate as Haizaki....wow

Seirin comes back on for a bit then exits with Aomine and Momoi taking over.

Oh, for the 5th I had Airi (new Momoi) and 11th and 19th were Arisa (original Momoi)

Mukkun does his own dancing segment between Aomine and Momoi

for the 19th finale he danced with a lollipop in his mouth. Isnt’ that dangerous? Lol

Akashi comes out with his jacket on his shoulders to the front of the stage, Then quickly takes it off and runs back. Rakuzan then dances in the front (without Akashi) and Seirin joins back on.

For the instrumental intermission, Kuroko goes to the center and each of the GoM come out and then surround him and do a short dance ending with a dance motion of their signature move/pose.

GoM exit and Kuroko watches Akashi run off (who went directly back) with a pained face, and Ogiwara runs out all smiley (seriously protect this boy he’s so pure) . Ogiwara runs off to the side and Kuroko chases after him. As Kuroko still looks pained, Kagami comes out on the other side and the two walk towards the center and meet in a fist bump.

The last chorus everyone (except Ogiwara) comes out. (Yes, including Mayuzumi). The song ends with each team forming a group pose (Except Rakuzan, Mayuzumi runs off before they form a pose)

All the other teams run off leaving Seirin left, and the senpais then exit leaving only Kuroko and Kagami to do one last running motion as the display title falls on the back. The two of them fist bump again as the title falls.

The play resumes with the match against Kaijou and Fukuda already starting. There are two other members on Fukuda besides Haizaki (apparently they are Ogiwara and Mayuzumi’s actors in black wigs hahahaha)

As always, the match more or less follows the manga/anime so I’ll leave out most of the story details. Most of it is gameplay anyway.

In this play, they’ve really incorporated more ball handling, aka using the real ball.

Seirin is watching in the back. At some point Aomine and Momoi join in to watch. (I can’t remember if Mukkun joins in to watch here or later...I’m almost certain he joins later)

After the match with Kaijou’s victory, Kise limps off with his injured leg. Then Haizaki walks back on stage, looking for Kise. Aomine sees him and tells him Kise hasn’t come out yet from the stadium. The two have their argument and Haizaki tries to punch Aomine but Aomine beats him too it. Aomine always says some sort of variation of “Oops..I did it....Eh, he’ll be fine”

Scene changes to Kagami calling someone, which is revealed to be Kuroko, saying his shoes broke. Kuroko replies how his feet are unnecessarily big (Kagami: OI!!). Kuroko says he’ll have to call ‘that person.’

‘That person’ is revealed to be Momoi as she runs up and gives Kuroko a tight hug. She tells Kagami that Aomine will give him one of his many shoes and that Kagami’s the type that wears by model rather than care for color.

As Aomine and Kagami are playing basketball in the back (Aomine lecturing him) , Momoi tells Kuroko about Aomine punching Haizaki.

Aomine finishes the quick game and convinces Kagami to accept the shoes.

The scene ends with Kagami and Aomine stupidly arguing and Momoi and Kuroko are literally dragging them off the stage.

For the May 5th show, they just literally drag them off

For the May 11th and 19th, Kuroko jabs Kagami in the stomach and pushes him off as Momoi pulls Aomine off.

Midorima walks on stage prepared for the semifinals.

His lucky item is a giant shogi piece

The rest of Shuutoku join him and the senpai question why the shogi piece is so big. Miyaji asks Midorima what rank is Cancer that day and he says 2nd and he gets mad. Takao says Midorima is never wrong with Oha Asa but Miyaji asks for a pineapple from Kimura (off stage) anyway.

Shuutoku is introduced as the first team of the semifinals with Rakuzan following (except Mayuzumi).

Seirin is in the back again and Hyuuga explains how the other Uncrowned Kings are in Rakuzan with Akashi.

The Shuutoku supporters are ‘jacket mob’ actors which are Haizaki and Kaijou

Haizaki’s actor kept dancing around with Mario.....

Ogiwara’s actor is the referee for this match.

Again , more gameplay here. For the actual story read the manga or watch the anime.

For the May 11th show, there were a lot of ball handling errors here.

Otsubo was supposed to pass a ball to Midorima but Nebuya accidentally caught it instead, so he quickly passed it back to Otsubo who passed it to Midorima again.

Midorima ‘shot’ the ball but the ball bounced against a railing and into the audience. It was during the part where he and Takao do the miracle shot. In the script, the senpais pat and hug Midorima and Takao for pulling off the play anyway but for this show they gave Midorima extra hugs and paps for the mistake. How sweet.

One of Reo’s shots also bounced against a railing but it was towards the back so the ball just rolled behind the front fence

Akashi uses a real ball for his Ankle Break. He dribbles the ball around his legs and finishes with the ball going between his legs and catches it. I’ve never seen him mess up nor seen any reports of him doing so.

Mukkun joins Aomine and Momoi in watching the match.

During Hayama’s speed dribble, everyone who is watching ‘shakes’ to the vibration. I don’t know whose idea it was but Mukkun excessively shakes to the point he looks like he’s being electrocuted or something haha. Oh yeah, he’s eating Pocky in this match, real Pocky.

Mayuzumi was out most of the match but occasionally you see him run past between the main fence as he ‘passes’ the ball to Akashi.

When Shuutoku loses, Takao and Midorima are crying real tears. For the finale, everyone was crying...

The scene immediately changes to playing Punky Funky Love and Kaijo senpais practicing. Talk about a mood change. I was still crying over Midorima crying....

It’s a flashback of when Kise joins Kaijou and Kasamatsu explaining how the senpai have worked longer than him.

Just as Kise leaves, Kuroko and Kagami join the stage and they make eye contact with each other.

Of course as usual, before a break there is the Kagami vs Kuroko janken game. Usually involving Kuroko asking for a longer break and him mostly losing. For this break, it was 10 minutes.

May 5th janken- Kuroko tells Kagami that ten minutes is fine, much to Kagami’s surprise. Instead, Kuroko wagers that if he wins, Kagami must treat him to this fancy eel later. Kuroko wins and Onoken posts on Twitter that Yuya did indeed buy him the eel lmao

May 11th janken-Kuroko again tells Kagami that a ten minute break is fine. This time if he wins, he’ll switch to speaking ‘tameguchi’ which is using the casual form of Japanese (like basically everyone else, aka not using ‘desu/masu’). He actually switches to ‘tameguchi’ as he’s talking to Kagami, and Kagami’s trying his best not to laugh. At some point he says it’s annoying haha. Kagami wins so Kuroko’s like ‘well I guess I’m not speaking in ‘tameguchi’

May 19th- it’s their last time to do janken so Kuroko suggests that this time they just play janken for the heck of it. Kagami’s surprised but goes with it. Kuroko wins to his delight, but Kagami being stubborn begs for one more chance. Kuroko allows it, and they have one more match. Kagami wins and Kuroko kneels in defeat.

Other adlibs I’ve heard were Kuroko asking Kagami to buy him boba tea, and the usual longer breaks like 3 hours.

The second chapter opens with one of the ‘jacket mob people’ making sure the audience’s phones are off. The rest of the jacket mobs come out holding various items, such as a camera, cheering horns, towels, and one member has a corndog.......

These are the Shuutoku+Haizaki and Rakuzan actors.

Akashi was the smallest one with the camera on the Rakuzan side. Also he just had Yohchans body structure anyway I mean-no

The corndog guy was on the Shuutoku+Haizaki side, I’m not sure which it was since it was harder to tell who was who (except Takao)

Seirin and Kaijou are introduced and the second semifinal match begins

May 11-Another mistake in this match. Kise jumps to knock a ball out of someone’s hand from Seirin, but the ball hits a railing and bounces back onto the court so Hayakawa quickly picks it up and throws it off stage

May 11- Kise shoots the ball but either doesn’t put enough power into it or shoots in the wrong curtain so the ball ended up going to Kiyoshi who was just coming out from the side.

The jacket mob members act as the ‘fans’ in the stands. Both support Kaijou at first then Rakuzan cheers for Seirin and Shuutoku+Haizaki for Kise.

For Kagami’s line “This is our drama!” Hyuuga and Kuroko had the most outstanding ‘wtf’ faces

When Kagami said it, he puts his hand and fists together. So Izuki repeats him and continuously punches his hand like a bodybuilder.

Hyuuga taunts Kiyoshi with the “Iron Heart” nickname. For the finale he gets everyone in the audience to chant “Iron Heart” with him and Kiyoshi gets mad, “EVEN IF ITS YOU OR THE AUDIENCE I’LL GET MAD AT YOU GUYS!”

When Kaijou loses, Kise cries real tears, every time when he says he wanted to win with everyone.

For the finale, the other members of Kaijou are seen crying too when they lose...

After Kaijou walks off stage with Kise crying, Seirin comment how they made it to the finals and look at the scoreboard which has now changed to Seirin vs Rakuzan.

Kagami walks on stage noticing his necklace is missing. He starts to look for it and Midorima walks on with his giant shogi piece with the necklace. After he gives it back to Kagami, Kuroko walks on with Takao following.

As Kuroko and Takao are talking, Kagami and Midorima are talking (whispering) to each other. Usually it’s about Kagami pointing out Midorima’s shogi piece and for the May 5th show he even tried to take it much to Midorima’s displeasure.

Midorima tells Takao they’re leaving before telling Kagami there’s two Akashi and tells him to ask Kuroko about it.

Here some really dark music plays and I wish they had a soundtrack for this play.....because wow I got chills

Kuroko tells Kagami that he’ll explain what Midorima meant by the ‘two Akashi’s’ by telling everyone about ‘our past’

At this moment, the instrumental for the Teiko ending song, Ambivalence, plays and Ogiwara runs out (Kagami exits and Kuroko moves so he’s behind Ogiwara who’s facing us). Ogiwara then says “Are you alone? I’m Ogiwara Shigehiro! Let’s play basketball together!” and the stage fades into darkness. This marks the end of chapter 2 and a 15 minute break before the last chapter of the play. During the break the instrumental for Ambivalence is still playing so we’re all just preparing ourselves for the feels.

*Note: The Teiko arc is briefly covered in the play, but the actual arc itself is covered in the Teiko Reading screening which was available to stream online and in select theaters before the play, including scenes with Nijimura and Coach Sanada. The Teiko Reading only goes up to right before the match between Teiko and Meiko. The play covers highlights of the Teiko arc and the Teiko vs Meiko match. For those who were unable to watch the Teiko Reading, it’ll be included in the Ultimate Blaze DVD/Blu-Ray.

The third chapter opens up with Ogiwara and Kuroko playing basketball together and Ogiwara confessing that he’ll be moving. The two promise to play against each other in junior high school.

Kuroko explains how by second year, he had moved up to the regulars and he and Ogiwara keep in contact with each other.

Each of the GoM come out in their Teiko practice shirts (and colorful shorts....)

Mukkun had red shorts and Kise had neon green.......

For every other GoM member, they had a dramatic DON! when they appeared. For Kise, he had a super *SPARKLE” effect as he did a double peace sign and smiled. Kuroko comes out last and his is his ‘misdirection’ sound effect that is often used in the play for him.

Oh yeah, Momoi is here too as she watches over them/Aomine.

The Teiko members do some practicing.

Akashi (who is receiving the passes from someone off stage) passes the ball to the rest of the members on stage.

The scene shows how Kuroko and Aomine work well together.

The scene changes and Kuroko narrates how Aomine has started missing practice. They discuss that maybe he had a valid reason and then the stage darkens to just Kuroko who confirms that the reason for Aomine’s absence was that he was ditching. He calls Ogiwara for advice, who said that Aomine is different from Haizaki in which he actually enjoys basketball and the problem is because he likes basketball. He tells Kuroko that since Aomine helped him, Kuroko needs to be there for Aomine.

Aomine comes on in his Teiko jersey, having regained his happiness with Momoi watching. However the other players give up and he in turn gives up playing his hardest. (there’s no players on the stage but you have the image based on the sound effects). Kuroko walks on smiling for a fistbump but Aomine walks away saying his “The only one who can beat me is me’ line.

Kuroko gets a call from Ogiwara later saying that he lost in the first round, and that their promise will have to wait til next year.

For the finale, Ogiwara was almost crying, or he was crying....save this boy please.

Kuroko and Momoi talk about Aomine, making no progress. And Momoi asks him if they’ll always be together, in which Kuroko is hesitant to answer.

Slowly, the other GOM members (minus Akashi) slowly realize their abilities.

Mukkun with his ability to block, Midorima with his ability to shoot.

Kuroko then finds Aomine by the river, and the whole “I don’t remember how to receive your passes” scene plays out.

Aomine’s face looks so pained here /cries.

Back at the gym, the rest of the GOM are wondering about Coach Sanada’s approval of Aomine ditching practice, and Mukkun wants to ditch too. Akashi tells him that’s not allowed and the Mukkun vs. Akashi match starts with Bokushi awakening.

Akashi’s acting was so good, the contrast between Ore and Boku. And the music for Bokushi’s appearance was spine-chilling....I want the soundtrack for this please....

They use a mix of actual ball-handling and using an ‘air’ ball. Even without the ball you can tell Akashi’s actor is really good at basketball.

Akashi declares as long as they win, no one needs to show up for practice, much to Midorima’s shock.

Kuroko returns and asks Akashi who he is, and Akashi responds, “Of course, I’m Akashi Seijuurou.”

Months pass and the GOM are unbeatable and getting bored in matches, so Kise suggests making it a competition of who can score the most, with even Akashi joining in.

Ogiwara happily tells Kuroko they made it to the finals, but Kuroko is unhappy with the current atmosphere of the club. He asks Akashi to let him start out in the semi-finals, which Akashi permits.

Ogiwara is impressed with how much Kuroko has improved.

Kuroko gets hit in the head by the other team and is taken to the nurse.

Ogiwara talks with Akashi about Kuroko, and asks Akashi if basketball is fun. Akashi responds he doesn’t understand such a question.

Kuroko asks to play but Akashi tells him no under doctor’s orders, and tells him Ogiwara’s message about playing each other agian someday. Kuroko asks Akashi to not hold back against Meiko.

Despite losing 111-109, Ogiwara is fighting back against Teiko, telling his teammates to score one basket and losing proudly.

Ogiwara shoots and misses, and Aomine complains how they gave him the chance and tells Mukkun to shoot it.

Ogiwara, on the ground, looks at them in confusion to why they would score on their own basket.

Kise happily announces how they reached their goal and that they’re all matching, and points to the scoreboard to reveal the score of 111-11.

Kuroko comes out to see a heartbroken Ogiwara, who looks at him before leaving the stage.

Kuroko talks how painful it is, and what is victory. Onoken’s acting here was emotional, as expected from already portraying Kuroko in the anime.

The GOM come out and line up behind Kuroko similar to the panel in the manga.

Kuroko announces his resignation.

Kuroko narrates how Ogiwara has transferred, and Ogiwara comes out on stage saying how the GOM had such cold eyes, but Kuroko can melt that coldness.

Kagami then comes out, and scolds Kuroko along with the rest of Seirin.

Hyuuga gets mad at both of them and sends Izuki and Koganei to drag Kuroko off and give him a tickle attack. Riko follows.

Kiyoshi and Hyuuga comment how it was a sad story and that Kuroko never talks about himself like that, so now they must win.

The next day is the Kaijou vs Shuutoku match for third place and the finals.

Mukkun meets up with Aomine and Momoi, who talk about who would win. They say third place is decided but the finals could be anyone.

Kise is on the bench due to his injury, and Shuutoku easily wins the third place match.

Midorima tells Kise their match is ‘postponed’ for now.

Kise gets annoyed saying, “WELL OF COURSE. IF I WAS IN THERE I’D WIN”

Kise and Midorima continue to bicker.

Kasamatsu and Otsubo just look at each other and let their kouhais fight it out.

Towards the second half of the runs, when Midorima points his finger at Kise, Kise actually bites his finger. No, I mean it. He actually bites it. Midorima gets grossed out by it.

Midorima: EW SO GROSS NANODAYO Kise: I’M NOT GROSS. I’M PRETTY.

^yes, those were actual lines.

Now it’s time for Seirin vs Rakuzan.

Haizaki’s actor is the referee.

For the tip-off, Nebuya gets upset that Kiyoshi isn’t the one jumping.

Seirin declares Mayuzumi not a threat since there’s little information on him, so Aomine asks Momoi about it. This is an adlib scene and varies per show.

May 5- Aomine asks Momoi to get ‘that’ (her notebook) from her bag. Instead she pulls out one of his gravure photobooks. She proceeds to put it back but Aomine hastily takes it away. Momoi asks Mukkun if it’s in his potato chip bag. He looks in it and pulls out..................a chip. Turns out the notebook was in her bag after all, much to Aomine’s annoyance.

May 11- Instead of her notebook, Momoi kept pulling out Mukkun’s empty potato chip bags. Aomine gets mad, but Mukkun only responds, “They were yummy~.” The notebook again was in her bag after all.

May 19- similar to the May 5 adlib.

When Hayama does his dribbling, Mukkun agains shakes vigorously on the side. This time, since he has chips, he sometimes dropped them on stage. So afterwards, you would see him picking them off the ground.

Both Reo and Mayu admit how loudly annoying Hayama is (they were running across stage too )

When Nebuya gets upset that Kiyoshi doesn’t remember what he told him 2 years ago, he literally throws a tantrum on the ground.

Everyone in both Rakuzan and Seirn:.............

When Akashi goes into the Zone, he actually dribbles around everyone with the ball across the stage. Talk about coordination!

Akashi’s shocked face as he’s starting to lose was perfect too. Sorry I have a lot of Akashi notes....

As he’s starting to lose, Akashi starts switching between Oreshi and Bokushi. Oreshi’s voice has like an echo/autotune effect but it’s not a recording or anything.

Thus, the monologue between Oreshi and Bokushi was amazing. The actor constantly switches between both sides very smoothly. Give this guy an Oscar please.

When Oreshi talks about his mother, a ball falls from the sky and he hugs the ball close to him as he mentions it’s what he has left of her.

You can actually visually see the difference between Oreshi and Bokushi in face expression.

As Seirin admits defeat, they’re all collapsed on the ground, even Riko, until Ogiwara comes out and cheers for them.

Aomine shouts out from the side of the stage. In the finale he was even crying.

Kaijou and Shuutoku go in the audience and cheer for Seirin from there.

For the May 11th show I had Kaijou right behind me. Literally -screams

Aomine was crying real tears when he says “So it was you all along, Tetsu...”

For the finale was sobbing more

For the final shot, the stage goes all dark as Kuroko says “I’m a shadow.” Then Kagami comes out from behind and makes the final dunk.

Lantana then begins to play as Kagami declares Seirin the winners of Winter Cup.

In the final performance, Akashi cried as he admits his loss and even when he shook hands with Kuroko.

After Kuroko shakes hands with Akashi, and says that they can play basketball at anytime, Seirin and Rakuzan make a quick bow and run off stage.

Final Scenes

The remaining GOM come out in their uniforms, each with a basketball, and happily dribbling around the stage.

Kise sees Haizaki walking out with his shoes, about to throw them away, but Haizaki hesitates and instead hugs them close to him. He sees Kise was watching him and Kise smiles knowing Haizaki didnt’ really hate basketball after all.

The different teams come out taking a stand in front of the stage and then having a fun match against each other.

Kaijou vs Shuutoku

Seirin vs Rakuzan

The players even go up against other players that we didn’t see during the matches. Everything was so emotional and happy.

The last scene ends with Kuroko and Kagami fistbumping each other and Kagami poses as he’s about to dunk and Kuroko kneels below him fistbumping towards us as all the other players are reaching out towards Kagami.

Curtain Calls

May 5th Aichi Finale - Akashi and Reo

Reo mentions how in high school he was the only one in his group who didn’t read KnB. And now he’s IN KnB.

May 11-Kiyoshi and Koganei

They got Hyuuga to go to the center and do a big “KUROSUTE FIGHT O” cheer with the cast and audience.

May 19th-Kuroko and Kagami

This one was really emotional as it was the final performance ever. Yuya starts crying over his talk over Kagami, and he even deeply bows to Onoken to thank him.

Onoken didn’t cry but he was on the verge of doing so, his voice was shaking.

I lost count of how many curtain calls there were for the finale, but there was a lot.

Highlights

Every show Rakuzan would high-five Akashi as they left the stage

For the finale Mayuzumi even hugged Akashi, and then for another curtain call afterwards all of Rakuzan group-hugged Akashi

Kuroko and Kagami asked if the director was around, apparently he wasn’t so they asked someone to say “Thank you” in his place instead. The cast chose Akashi to say it.

Momoi ran up to Aomine and Kise and walked off together.

On one of the last curtain calls, Aomine and Kise decided to have OnoKen thrown up in the air and got everyone to join in.

Every curtain call ends with Kagami and Kuroko fistbumping each other and leaving. For the very last curtain call, it was all of Seirin together.

Kiyoshi lifts Riko up in the air for a few seconds to celebrate.

And thus concludes my last Kurosute report....please consider buying the DVD or Blu-Ray when it comes out, you won’t regret it.

Once again, thank you for four years Kurosute. Thank you cast members for doing a wonderful job portraying our beloved characters. Thank you Fujimaki-sensei for creating such a beloved series.

#kuroko no basuke #kuroko no basket #knb stageplay #kurosute

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robinskey · 5 years

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RULES; ANSWER 21 QUESTIONS AND TAG 21 PEOPLE

tagged by: @ronance-dingus (Thanks bb! I love a good tag game. Sorry it took me all day to actually post this. 😬)

NICKNAMES: Nat, NJ (no one calls me that now, but I tried to make it happen in 8th grade)

ZODIAC: Leo :)

HEIGHT: 5′3.5″-ish

HOGWARTS HOUSE: Hufflepuff

LAST THING I GOOGLED: Joe Keery (wow really on brand)

SONG STUCK IN MY HEAD: Dead Girl in the Pool by Girl in Red

FAVORITE MUSICIANS: TS, Maya Hawke (yes she has two songs out rn but I LOVE THEM OKAY), and ofc my boy Djo

FOLLOWING: 471

FOLLOWERS: 363

DO YOU GET ASKS: Sometimes! I absolutely love when I do, though. :)

AMOUNT OF SLEEP: Last night I got 10 hours by some miracle

WHAT ARE YOU WEARING: A t-shirt and athletic shorts-v exciting

DREAM JOB: Author/poet-I just wanna WRITE man

DREAM TRIP: Definitely somewhere in Europe-probably Spain, France, or England

INSTRUMENTS YOU PLAY: Flute, a bit of piano, my vocal chords

LANGUAGES YOU SPEAK: English, conversational Spanish

FAVORITE SONG: This constantly changes, but right now, it’s probably something from the Lover soundtrack-maybe The Man?

RANDOM FACT: I once drove a toy tractor down the stairs in my house and managed to make it out unscathed.

CATS OR DOGS: I love both, but I’m definitely more of a cat person.

AESTHETIC: Chaos. But like,,,soft

TAGGING: @naomiiiiiiiiiii04 @rachelhenderson95 @love-yourbeloved and anyone else who wants to!! I just think I’ve seen those three post tag game things before, and I know that everyone likes tag games. But if anyone ever wants me to tag them in these, lmk!!

#tag game #tag games #personal #ronance-dingus

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is6621 · 6 years

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Being a Youtube Creator is not for the Weak-Hearted by Mark Laub

Ever thought about why people or how people make a living on Youtube? Is it worth it? Do many creators actually make enough money to have it be their full-time job? The short answer to these last two questions is: It depends. In this blog, I will seek to share some information about creating content on youtube and if the whole content creation is worth it in the end.

You see famous Youtube creators like Pewdiepie or Smosh or KSI and you may say to yourself that this job isn’t that hard and that anyone can be like that and be the next big thing, but this is an incredibly wrong assumption when it comes to making Youtube videos as a living. To actually be one of the greatest and most successful, not only will it requires years of hard work and creativity, but also you have to post pretty much daily and keep up with the constant trends to keep your subscribers happy. This leads to burnout or mental and physical health effects which a lot of Youtubers have come out in some videos to share these struggles and then take a break as a result. Take the below example and watch if you want about the detrimental effects dedication to Youtube can have.

Some people are able to live their dream on Youtube but then why are they still unhappy? It’s partly because of the pressure. The pressure to satisfy all your subscribers and building your fanbase and making sure you don’t lose any. The pressure to put out good content that is creative, unique and likable. The pressure to do all the above because you need to in order to make enough money and continue to live a good life.

Now I want to get into a more financial POV of what it takes to be a Youtuber and how they make money. The majority of the money they make from Youtube is from AdSense. AdSense in Youtube terms is essentially being paid between $1-$5 for every 1000 impressions on an ad that is played per video. So of course the more subscribers you have, the more viewers you will have and thus the more people who will actually watch and/or click on an ad that is played on your video. However, Youtube takes a big chunk out of this ad revenue they receive. Only about 50%, according a Youtuber by the name of Evan Edinger, goes to the Youtube creator. There are other smaller ways to make money but those are really only able to be accessed and/or profitable if the Youtuber already has a large enough fanbase (usually around 1,000,000 subscribers).

But how easy is it to be someone with a million subscribers or be successful and make a living on Youtube? Let’s admire the gif below to answer that question.

It’s simply a struggle bus.

The top 3.5% of Youtube, which means having about 1,000,000 views per month, will make only between $12,000 and $16,000 a year in advertising revenue. This is way less than enough to afford rent, food and other necessities to live on a yearly basis. Although this stat is specific to advertising revenue and they could make money off merchandise or other small things, it’s telling when this is how much only the top 3.5% make.

These stats for content creators is only getting worse if you are getting into the game now. In 2006, the top 3% of Youtube garnered just 64% of viewers (a lot but workable). Today, that number has risen to 90%. The top 3% of Youtube garners 90% of all Youtube viewers.

Wow is right.

To make matters worse for new creators, the Washington Post states that, “[Youtube] recently said channels need to have reached 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time over the past 12 months before they can earn money from ads.” So even if you have ads on your channel, there is a good chance you won’t make any money from it un til you reach a certain threshold.

So is it worth it to start a Youtube channel and grow your own content? My answer remains: It depends. If you think you have what it takes, you are passionate, you have an idea that no one has done yet, then by all means shoot your shot. Anyone can be a creator on Youtube and that’s special but it’s becoming increasingly harder to start fresh. It’s a long steep hill you’re climbing up and it is simply not for the weak-hearted.

P.S. My presentation on Monday is about why I love Youtube and Twitch and why I watch it. I chose to write this blog from a creator POV since my presentation is from a viewer POV to add both sides to it. Hope you enjoy both!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/03/02/why-almost-no-one-is-making-a-living-on-youtube/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.f94b853eabab

https://www.polygon.com/2018/6/1/17413542/burnout-mental-health-awareness-youtube-elle-mills-el-rubius-bobby-burns-pewdiepie

https://influencermarketinghub.com/how-much-do-youtubers-make/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/42395224/evan-edinger-the-five-ways-youtubers-make-money

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cover2covermom · 5 years

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Goodbye January & hello February!

I managed to read 12 books in January, all of which were on my January TBR. It’s been a few months since I’ve actually followed my TBR, so it feels good to kick off 2020 on a positive note.

Let’s see what I read this month…

My highlight of January 2020 was that we went on a family vacation! Want to guess where we went?!?

My family visited The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. This was our first time visiting Universal Studios, and it definitely lived up to our expectations!

I’ve been dying to go to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter since it opened back in 2010, BUT the timing was never right. Basically we were waiting until our kids were older, mainly our youngest, to fully be able to appreciate the trip.

As you can see, I had a marvelous time 🙂

My favorite Harry Potter ride was Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Ride. Since this ride only opened this past summer, it is obviously a popular ride. We really lucked out and only waited about an hour, and it was definitely worth the wait! I also really loved riding the Hogwarts Express. My inner 10-year-old heart was bursting!

Can we also talk about the highly underrated butterbeer ice cream?! I tried the cold drink and the ice cream, but definitely preferred it in ice cream form.

» The Guinevere Deception (Camelot Rising #1) by Kiersten White

I struggled with my rating for this one. On one hand, I really enjoyed the retelling aspect of this story, but on the other hand there I definitely had a few issues with this book. Despite my various issues, I still enjoyed the story.

» The Ruins of Gorlan (Ranger’s Apprentice #1) by John Flanagan

*4.5 Stars*

My mother-in-law actually recommended this book for my son. After reading it for myself, I agree that this book would definitely appeal to boys. There are some wonderful themes like hard work, courage, friendship, etc. I would also consider this a wonderful gateway book into fantasy.

» Compass South (Four Points #1) by Hope Larson

I selected this graphic novel for my middle school book club. This was a lovely historic adventure story about a set of twins. Compass South will appeal to both boys & girls and was filled with gangs, schemes, pirates, travels, etc.

» Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds

*3.5 Stars*

Opposite of Always is a YA fantasy that reads more like a contemporary. There was a lot that I enjoyed about this story, themes included friendship, chronic illness, grief, second chances, etc. I also liked the focus on maintaining friendships despite being in a new romantic relationship.

» The Gentleman’s Guide to Getting Lucky (Montague Siblings #1.5) by Mackenzi Lee

It’s no secret that The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue is a total guilty pleasure of mine. I adored seeing Monty & Percy again in this short novella.

» Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in American by Ibi Zoboi

Black Enough was a game changer for me. I don’t tend to read anthologies because I find that I tend to struggle to connect to short stories, but I loved this collection! What an excellent book to incorporate during #BlackHistoryMonth in February!

» Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton

How to find the words for this book… This book was a super unique take on post apocalyptic fiction. During the first half of this book, I honestly thought it was going to be a 5-star read. Hollow Kingdom is probably one of the funniest books I’ve read in a while. I loved the humor, the characters, and the uniqueness of the story, however things fell apart for me in the second half of the book.

» Watch Us Rise by Renée Watson & Ellen Hagan

*3.5 Stars*

I LOVED the overall feminist theme in Watch Us Rise. I think this book addresses some hot button issues like sexism, sexual harassment, racism, body shaming, etc. in a very thought provoking way. While I appreciated what the authors were trying to do here, this book was a bit over the top. I also don’t think the voices in this dual perspective novel were distinct enough. In fact, I had a hard time remembering which character’s perspective I was reading.

» We Set the Dark on Fire (We Set the Dark on Fire #1) by Tehlor Kay Mejia

This book should have been the second book in the series. Had we started earlier in Daniela’s life with her early years & life at the Media School for Girls, I think I would have connected more with this story & the characters.

» Girls Like Us by Randi Pink

Wow! A book about teen pregnancy set in the 70s? Yes! I flew through this book. I was very invested in this story & the characters.

» How to Raise a Reader by Pamela Paul & Maria Russo

This was a wonderful book with realistic & practical tips and tricks on how to instill the love for reading in children.

» The Lightning Thief(Percy Jackson and the Olypians #1) by Rick Riordan

I can definitely see why this series is so beloved by so many. Riordan wrote a compelling adventure story filled with Mythology and humor that will appeal to even reluctant readers. I also adored that this features a main character with learning disabilities! Being a mother to a son that has a visual processing disorder and ADHD, I appreciate the representation. Why not 5 stars? I felt parts of the book didn’t have great flow and we jumped around a bit.

December 2019 Reading & Blogging Wrap-Up

Books I Read in 2019

Favorite Books of 2019

January 2020 TBR

Mini Book Reviews: January 2020 – Part 1

Mini Book Reviews: January 2020 – Part 2

Goodreads Challenge Update: 12 books in 2020

Which books did you read this month?

Have you read any of the books I read or hauled this month? If so, what did you think?

Did you buy any books? If so, which ones?

Comment below & let me know 🙂

January 2020 Reading & Blogging Wrap-Up #BookBlogger #Books #Reading #Bookworm #Bibliophile Goodbye January & hello February! I managed to read 12 books in January, all of which were on my…

#Am Reading #Bibliophile #book blog #book blogger #Book Nerd #Book Talk #Book Worm #Bookish #Books #Bookworm #Reading #TBR #Wrap Up

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jesusvasser · 7 years

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First Drive: 2018 Lexus LS

SAN FRANCISCO, California — I wasn’t supposed to drive a Cadillac CT6 to the launch of the all-new 2018 Lexus LS, but I did. Automobile’s Four Seasons Genesis G90 was my intended ride, but Murphy and his law had other plans for that car, so the Cadillac it was.

Turns out it was a happy accident, but I didn’t know it at the time. I just thought I’d sacrificed a fair amount of the ride comfort that I’d want over the next two days and 14 hours of driving for a healthy dollop of sport-tuned control that I most certainly wouldn’t have a chance to enjoy on Interstate 5. Bum trade.

Fortunately, what the Cadillac gives up in ride comfort it takes back not just in sporty handling, but also with a brilliant adaptive cruise control system that handles the gas better than most humans. The only thing the CT6 was missing as a road tripper, besides a slightly comfier ride (or perhaps softer seats), is a genuine self-steering system that works at highway speeds.

But the CT6 wasn’t my goal, after all, merely a means to the end: time behind the wheel of the newest version of the car that launched the Lexus brand. Surely this “definitive new-generation luxury car embodying Japanese tradition and culture” would cover all the bases.

Chief engineer Toshio Asahi’s bold claims in the quotation above lay out the LS’s mission: swinging for the fences. Grandiose references to the 1990 LS like this one litter the car’s announcement:

“It is possible that no single automobile has, upon introduction, upended its category as decisively as the first Lexus LS did when it launched the luxury brand 28 years ago.”

It’s uncharacteristically clear that Lexus is throwing some real passion behind its latest projects, including not just the 2018 LS, but also the LC coupe, which shares aspirations as well as architecture with the much larger sedan. That passion shows through most vividly in the LS’s cabin, not only through the design, but through the steering wheel.

The design is unquestionably the first stop with the LS. For many, it’ll be the last, too—both lovers and haters. In person, the exterior comes off well-finished and neatly seamed—this may also be the first truly successful use of the spindle grille—but otherwise the LS feels a bit confused. It’s almost like looking at a superposition of two or three possible designs. As our own resident design critic Robert Cumberford put it, “I see this design as an aesthetic mess, but it’s a carefully executed purposeful mess that achieves almost exactly what I suspect was desired. So despite my misgivings about its beauty (or, rather, its lack thereof), I predict this car will sell well and satisfy its owners.” Fortunately the interior of the 2018 LS has more universal appeal.

Who, after all, doesn’t love fine leather lovingly stitched into rail-straight seams, floating layered door accents, and a myriad of subtle textures woven through a cabin dominated by organic shapes, assembled with care, and designed around the principle of omotenashi, the Japanese concept of hospitality? It’s a treat for the eyes, but, thankfully, the design flourishes never seem to get in the way of functionality. If there’s one complaint about the new Lexus’ cabin, it’s that there’s more wind and road noise than there ought to be—it’s noisier than the already noisy CT6, and markedly noisier than the Genesis G90.

With a 415-horsepower, 442-pound-foot twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 engine behind that funky grille, the 2018 LS 500 never feels underpowered. If anything, it’s a bit more than some will want to handle—and more than they’ll likely ever use, even for that freeway merge between the bingo parlor and the buffet. Lexus says efficiency is up, too, with estimated figures of 19 mpg city, 29 mpg highway, and 23 mpg combined for rear-drive models; with AWD, the numbers slide to 18/27/21 mpg. Lexus says the LS 500 can hit 60 mph in 4.6 seconds with rear-wheel drive—no estimate is offered for all-wheel-drive models.

A hybrid model is also available, badged LS 500h, with 359 combined horsepower from its 3.5-liter V-6 and electric motor system. Lexus claims 5.1-second (RWD) or 5.2-second (AWD) 0-60-mph times for the hybrid, while still estimating gas mileage at 25/33/28 mpg with RWD or 23/31/26 mpg with AWD. Like the gasoline-only model, the hybrid is also plenty quick to move about, though you’ll want to twist the instrument-cowl-mounted stalk to engage Sport or Sport+ modes to liven up the transmission so you’re not caught waiting, perpendicular to fast-moving traffic, for the car to accelerate.

The steering of the new LS is more informative than in any Lexus of recent make except the LC, which is to say it treads a line somewhere between slightly numb and slightly nervous in normal use. Pushed harder, feedback builds and signal strength grows. Computers perform near-quantum magic, balancing dynamic electric-assist steering with four-wheel steering to provide something startlingly close to a natural feel—in a luxury executive sedan that tips the scales at up to 5,093 lb (or 5,225 in hybrid form). The suspension is largely aluminum and has been redesigned for better road feel, the unibody structure is built on Lexus’ stiffest platform ever, and extensive engineering effort was put into lowering the center of gravity and widening the track for even better dynamics. They really went for it.

The problem with passion is that it eventually runs up against reality: jilted love, a crooked partner, the screen-door squeal of understeer. The underlying reality of the Lexus LS is that it’s a large luxury sedan, loaded to the gills with creature-coddling features. The laws of physics declare such a car will never be all that sporty, and their corollaries ensure that every step taken toward sporty handling is one away from the butter-smooth ride that’s almost impossible to find on the market these days (almost, but not quite: ride hounds should take a spin in the Volvo S90 and Genesis G90).

That said, the 2018 Lexus LS does an admirable job of trying to find the balance. Ride quality is on par with the Cadillac CT6. Unfortunately, steering and handling come up a bit short of the Cadillac’s benchmark—no doubt a symptom of the Lexus carrying around about 800 lb more than a similarly equipped CT6. Does it hustle like the Mercedes-AMG S63 or even the not-quite-an-M BMW M760i? No, and it used to be that the LS didn’t try to. Now it seems like it is, and that’s the real rub.

Where the first-generation LS swooped in and capitalized on a market ripe for improvement, the fifth-generation LS finds itself facing some of the best vehicles ever built as competition. Instead of tracing its own path through the competitive scene, leading by example, it feels like Lexus is playing catch-up. To be fair, after the fourth-generation LS, there’s a lot of catching up to do.

So sporty driving is a bit less of a chore in the new LS, but still not anything approaching a genuinely sporting experience. That’s not why you bought the car anyway. What about the tech, safety, convenience, and entertainment features? You know, the stuff you’ll actually use every day? That stuff’s pretty impressive, for the most part.

First you’ll have to learn to love Lexus’ infotainment system. It’s pretty easy to figure out and use, but it’s not the quickest, most beautiful, or most intuitive system around, especially in this class of sedan. Some will love the touchpad controller, others will find it frustrating and difficult to use at speed.

Those who’ll have frequent high-value rear-seat passengers will want the executive package, which brings with it a Shiatsu massage function, right-rear passenger seat recline of up to 48 degrees (and an ottoman!), and, when equipped with the optional air suspension, the car will even raise itself from its low-slung cruising height for easier entry and exit. Lexus also claims the largest (virtual) head-up display on the market, with an apparent projected size of 24”x6”. It does seem large, but it’s neither more feature-rich nor more beautiful than those of its competitors.

When it comes to self-driving tech, however, Lexus seems to have deliberately chosen not to lead the fray. The adaptive cruise control works well enough, but it seems a generation behind: in stop-and-go traffic, the system waits too long to accelerate, does so too gently, then waits too long to apply the brakes, and does so too harshly. The end result, for a traffic-laden commute, is that the LS leaves plenty of room for lane-hoppers to jump in front of you, then tries to induce panic and/or whiplash to prevent a collision.

Self-steering is even less committed to lightening the load on the driver. Like driver-assist systems past, the LS’s lane-keeping assistance plays a game of Ping-Pong between the lane markers, straying more and more from a straight trajectory until the system alerts the driver to return their hands to the wheel or it simply loses sight of the lane markers. Unlike the systems of the past, however, the LS’s game of Ping-Pong happens within virtual walls about a foot inside the lane markers rather than directly on top of them.

That’s about what the Cadillac CT6’s system manages, though, again, it’s hard to exaggerate just how good the Caddy’s adaptive cruise control is. But unlike the just-launched LS, the first 2018 models of the CT6 with Super Cruise are being delivered this week.

A word of caution is required here, however: luxury sedans are tough to evaluate over short periods of time. Why? Because so much attention and thought has been put into their design that it takes time and experience behind the wheel to fully appreciate them. I look forward to a more in-depth test of the LS over the coming months, to learn if the LS might be a car that slowly grows on you rather than wowing you at the first corner.

To put it plainly: the 2018 Lexus LS is an excellent car in just about every way. It’s a worthy entry to the flagship battle royale, though not a dominant one, and a remarkable successor to the pablum of the fourth-generation LS. What this isn’t, however, is what Lexus called the original LS in the announcement for the 2018 model: a “luxury disruptor” that will “astonish customers.” Rather, Cumberford’s words about the design can be borrowed to sum the entire car, at least on first impression: Despite my misgivings, I predict this car will sell well and satisfy its owners.

2018 Lexus LS 500 Specifications

ON SALE Late 2017 PRICE $75,000 (base, est) ENGINE 3.5L twin-turbo DOHC 24-valve V-6/415 hp @ 6,000 rpm,

442 lb-ft @ 1,600-4,800 rpm

TRANSMISSION 10-speed automatic LAYOUT 4-door, 5-passenger, front-engine, RWD/AWD sedan EPA MILEAGE 18-19/27-29 mpg (city/hwy) L x W x H 206.1 x 74.8 x 57.1-57.9 in WHEELBASE 123.0 in WEIGHT 4,707-5,093 lb 0-60 MPH 4.6-4.7 sec (est)

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jonathanbelloblog · 7 years

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First Drive: 2018 Lexus LS

“It is possible that no single automobile has, upon introduction, upended its category as decisively as the first Lexus LS did when it launched the luxury brand 28 years ago.”

2018 Lexus LS 500 Specifications

ON SALE Late 2017 PRICE $75,000 (base, est) ENGINE 3.5L twin-turbo DOHC 24-valve V-6/415 hp @ 6,000 rpm,

442 lb-ft @ 1,600-4,800 rpm

IFTTT

#IFTTT #Performance Junk Blogger Feed 4

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eddiejpoplar · 7 years

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First Drive: 2018 Lexus LS

“It is possible that no single automobile has, upon introduction, upended its category as decisively as the first Lexus LS did when it launched the luxury brand 28 years ago.”

2018 Lexus LS 500 Specifications

ON SALE Late 2017 PRICE $75,000 (base, est) ENGINE 3.5L twin-turbo DOHC 24-valve V-6/415 hp @ 6,000 rpm,

442 lb-ft @ 1,600-4,800 rpm

IFTTT

#IFTTT #Performance Junk Blogger 6

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