#games from kuala lumpur

[linxuelian]

Anime Fest Plus 2024 Convention Experience Log - With Photos!

Hi, hello! As I've recently (as of this post, yesterday morning) attended Anime Fest+ 2024 at Tropicana Gardens Mall, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, I've decided to write an experience log about my day there! While I will be posting a few different cosplays here, since my blog is currently primarily about MDZS, TGCF and SVSSS at the moment, most of the cosplays I'll be sharing will be from these three titles. To add to the fun, I'll also have commentaries on them!

To preface, the largest anime convention in Malaysia is Comic Fiesta, an annual mecca with 70,000 attendees as of the year 2023. Anime, games and comics are popular in this country, so there are smaller cons dotted throughout the months.

Anyway, the crowd wasn't as large as Comic Fiesta. As the structure of Tropicana Gardens Mall is rather narrow, you'd technically have to file through in two to three lines to be able to walk in and out of the place.

The exhibition hall at the fourth floor hosted all performances as well as cosplay booths. You'd have to ride one of the two escalators up to the hall - plebs without a ticket are doomed to be stranded at the bottom of said escalators, unable to sop up the merriment held exclusively above.

Here are some pics though, just in case you were a pleb that day, or just didn't attend the event:

Main hall programs and booths featured mostly Hololive and sexy pretty girl cosplayers and figurines, given the regular, expected fare when it comes to the anime consuming demographic (yes, I'm calling you out, my anime-watching brothers). I didn't take pictures of the doujinshi market out of respect for the art sellers there, but I did buy a beautiful print and got some lovely free stickers from that ONE vendor who sold BL stuff among the throngs of moe girls/Genshin Impact.

Yes, there was only one stall. But that one vendor made my day! Bless your heart, sister!

Now, I'll move on to the highlight - the cosplays. Nothing fills my heart with more joy than seeing happy people wearing colorful costumes and having a blast just being part of the convention scene. To be honest, it's so common to be wearing cosplay outfits nowadays that folk don't even notice you when you're dressed up - and I say this from experience; nobody noticed at all that I was in costume (or they were far too polite to laugh at how shitty I looked LOL, I didn't even dare take pics of myself). These events usually become scavenger hunts for me, to identify the ones from series I know or my tribe (fellow MXTX fans aha!).

First up is an oldie that's a goldie - Mr. Spock from Star Trek (credit: FaceBook user Yasuhiro Orihusay):

Honestly, I did NOT expect to find any Star Trek cosplays there. My dad's a Trekkie, so this was one of the first pics I sent him at the con itself. Live long and prosper, Mr. Spock!

Next, a furry OC:

I wasn't able to get their social media account as they were waiting in line for an autograph by a cosplayer, so unfortunately I'm unable to credit here.

Furries are currently still a new thing in Malaysia - but I'm glad to see them appearing more frequently at our cons, since they do diversify our pop culture scene quite a bit. Furs Upon Malaysia (FURUM) is held annually in Kuala Lumpur. The tickets are always sold out within an hour, so it's definitely growing and also contributing to tourism (Indonesian and Singaporean furries gather there too).

Also, they're fluffy. I love fluffy things. Much thanks, furry fandom, for being fluffy!

Moving on, here's a group cosplay of Jojo's Bizzare Adventure's Six Pistols (Mista from Golden Wind's Stands, if you're wondering which season it's from):

Vibrant and very spot on! I was unable to get their social media account due to the crowd and disorientation on my part. Do try to look them up, though! They were pretty popular, so I'm sure someone would have shared some info if you're interested.

Anyway, here's a White Mage from Final Fantasy (credit: https://www.instagram.com/yari_hayashi/):

Final Fantasy's one of the older franchises, but it's definitely rising again due to the new FFVII remake. I thought he was Garnet until I saw the blond wig. Bless the mages, healing power plus!!

Next in line is one of my all-time favorites, Sailor Moon (credit: https://www.instagram.com/jiahuab0719_cos/):

I'm a Moonie so seeing a Sailor Moon made me pretty excited! I don't see too many Sailor Moon cosplays even in Comic Fiesta - cosplays at our conventions are pretty seasonal and tend to follow trends, from what I've seen. She definitely caught quite a bit of attention with her wings, too. I saw her getting stopped quite a bit, so I'm glad I got a pic before a line formed!

Aaaand! I've saved the best for last! I'll be showcasing the MXTX stuff now. To start off (with a bang), here are two cosplayers of the number one seasonal love interest of the BL world, Hua Cheng a.k.a. San Lang Didi (Grown Up Version):

Credit: https://www.instagram.com/karry.1213/ (donghua version) and https://www.instagram.com/kopiii_cos/ (manhua version)

Remember how I said cosplays at Malaysian conventions tend to be pretty seasonal? Well, the current flavor of the month for the BL world is definitely TGCF - and the hottest flavor is now San Lang didi. You're going to get stopped for photos pretty often for dressing up as this flashy guy, and for good reason too. Donned in striking red, Hua Cheng is the Ferrari of the danmei world.

I overhead Kopiii_cos' friend saying so many people have been asking for photos! Viva Fafa!

Next, we have the ever beautiful WangXian couple cosplays:

Credit: Wei Wuxian (https://www.instagram.com/purple_384/) and Lan Wangji (https://www.instagram.com/anson1510/)

WangXian's a staple when it comes to the MXTX fandom. There's nary a person who doesn't love these two soulmates, and with these elaborate costumes, they've certainly stolen the show! They were the first couple I saw at the entrance of the exhibition hall, which makes sense since there was an OTP contest going on that afternoon.

Moving along, we have the main character of his story, the Crown Prince of Xian Le, Xie Lian (credit: https://www.instagram.com/arkutagwa/):

I gotta admit that this Lian's the sweetest of the Xies so far. Had a field day calling each other cute (what can I say, we both had cute personalities)! Gotta love that charming dimpled cheek, bless!

Speaking of cute, there's also this whole cute pose thing going on with certain attendees (credit: https://www.instagram.com/chzesin/):

I won't lie - I didn't recognize the character at first. But with the dark-gray-to-white ombre, black and red colors to tell you that's a Wei Wuxian, I'm just going to take a gamble here and deduce that yes, that is indeed a Wei Wuxian and include it. Let me know if you don't think it is.

Last but not least, we have our MXTX OTP group:

Credits: https://www.instagram.com/ayafvrvv/ (Luo Binghe) and https://www.instagram.com/close0402/ (Lan Wangji) - the rest didn't share their social media accounts but they did say you can find them through each other's accounts.

Turns out they're a group who'd entered the OTP contest that afternoon. If you're wondering, no, Binghe isn't paired with air (this is Bing-mei, not Bing-ge). There was a large number of attendees that day as it was Sunday, so their Shizun was still looking for parking. I'd gotten lucky since I'd arrived there just as they'd opened up Basement 3 so ZOOM I parked near the escalators with plenty of space to spare. Until today I chalk it up to being last-minute dressed as Xie Lian, the god of good luck for hobos like myself (or, according to popular belief, Hua Cheng's blessed every Xie Lian cosplayer out there no matter how much we look like we've just stepped out of a jungle). I also had plenty of space to sit for a lovely lunch of salad and green tea!

Granted, there were actually a few other Xie Lians there as well (he's the current flavor as well), but I didn't want to chase after them from afar since the flow of human traffic in this particular mall wasn't too conducive for trying to get pictures, unlike KLCC's garden. Usually, more fans are dressed as the two main characters, Wei Wuxian and Xie Lian - or the shous/bottoms in popular danmei. Surprisingly, I actually saw quite a number of gongs/tops this trip round.

So as a bonus, here's a pic with all our dandy gongs/tops together:

A dashing lot, aren't they?

Anyway, this wraps up my experience log as an MXTX cosplay hunter! Hope you enjoyed it! Bless!

[instruth]

I spent four days in Malaysia - from 13 to 16 September 2024, performing a choral concert at Menara KenTTDI, Kuala Lumpur (KL) on Sunday, 15 Sept 2024. We, the VOS Community Chorus of 64, performed two songs in combination with the KL Chorus Group of 30 - 🎼Music Brings Us Together and 🎼Bersatu Senada (Together With One Voice).

Representing the Voices Of Singapore Community Chorus, we also sang three other songs - Life, A Million Dreams & Adiemus.

I’m pleased to share a video of our combined social gathering, including games, rehearsals, chats and dinner, before the grand finale on Sunday.

Enjoy.

Cheers and Blessing.

J. P. Lee

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/WAL1h4bNPjrpHY8o/?mibextid=EIwMfA

[o-uncle-newt]

Cabin Pressure Advent Day 12: Limerick

LIIIIIMMMMEEERRRRIIICCCCKKKK!

OK so full disclosure, I wrote this yesterday. The two reasons are a) I knew I'd be busy today with no time to do it and b) after Kuala Lumpur I needed to get in a listen of my third favorite Cabin Pressure episode to remind myself what I love so much about this show. It was a Good Decision.

I mean, what is there to say that hasn't already been said by so many? It's hilariously funny, beautifully constructed, full of great character moments, and gives us a game of 20 Questions to play alongside of. (Though I WILL admit, the visual of a game of charades to try to convey/guess what's in the box... does definitely tickle me lol.) There are so many different moving pieces and they all slot in together SO WELL.

I said in a previous post that Limerick is the episode I listen to when I'm feeling lonely. (Incidentally, it's also probably the episode I've listened to the most, period. I wish there was a way to figure out how many times, because I wouldn't be surprised if it's 100+.) I decided that while listening this time I'd try to bear that in mind, and see what it is about the episode that just works for those moments. And I think that there are a bunch of different things that all work together-

For one thing, and this almost doesn't need to be said, but it's just... really funny! And listening to funny things is just generally a great way to feel better about things. Pretty self-explanatory.

It's also the episode that, more than any other, is us basically eavesdropping on a bunch of people talking to each other and hanging out. It's in real time, as though we're just listening in on the satcom or whatever, and there's something nice, when you're alone, about listening in on others, especially others who you've come to love, having a nice time.

More than that, loneliness is a bit of a theme in this episode. Martin and Carolyn admit that they're lonely in their personal lives, and Douglas, after initially lying through his teeth about it, admits that he's newly alone as well, after being betrayed by a wife who he loved (I'm still not over the brown sauce thing). For one thing, when you're lonely, hearing other people say they're lonely is always nice; for another, knowing that Martin and Carolyn, at least, will end up meeting people who make them happy is a nice booster.

And for a third thing... well, it plays into what I've been saying about how so much of what I love about this show is how characters become closer through showing vulnerability. Feeling alone can be (almost tautologically) isolating, and admitting it to other people can take a lot of courage, especially when it's tied up in other related insecurities. Martin's loneliness is tied in, in his mind at least, with his not being a "real" paid airline pilot; Carolyn's is admitted to despite her wanting to project that feeling of control and fulfillment that running her own business gives her; and Douglas's... well, it's basically a semi-deconstruction of a mythos. Being left is bad enough, but being cheated on... especially for someone who said back in Fitton that he and Helena were united by a shared belief that he is terrific, this is a pretty big sea change to admit to having happened. And it's a big thing for him to admit he's upset about, and to accept condolences about from Martin; he moves past that part pretty quickly by making jokes about tai chi, but he's much less bitter than he was back in Gdansk, when it was a lot fresher and he felt a lot more unbalanced. An episode where Douglas is vulnerable will always be an interesting episode- and one that really symbolizes that they're becoming inextricably connected.

(I'll also add parenthetically that the flight being one that carries horse sperm from one end of the world to the other is an interesting symbolism for loneliness and lack of connection... and leave it there because, like Arthur, thinking about it too long mildly grosses me out lol.)

Anyway, so much else to say about it but I won't belabor the point- just to say.... this episode, like Gdansk, has been so incredibly important to me for so long that it's almost hard to even try to break it down into elements. And I'll take this moment to thank John Finnemore for having written it.

Tomorrow (so to speak)... Molokai!

[bizarrequazar]

GJ and ZZH Updates — September 10-16

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This is part of a weekly series collecting updates from and relating to Gong Jun and Zhang Zhehan.

This post is not wholly comprehensive and is intended as an overview, links provided lead to further details. Dates are in accordance with China Standard Time, the organization is chronological. My own biases on some things are reflected here. Anything I include that is not concretely known is indicated as such, and you’re welcome to do your own research and draw your own conclusions as you see fit. Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or additions. :)

[Glossary of names and terms] [Masterlist of my posts about the situation with Zhang Zhehan]

09-10 → Gong Jun Outdoor Office posted a photo of him from the Jay Chou concert he had attended on 09-07.

→ 361° posted two photo ads featuring Gong Jun.

→ Tissot posted a promotional video spoken by Gong Jun. (1129 kadian) Caption includes: "Because of love, we keep moving forward and race against time. Those who cherish time will also be loved by time."

→ The Instagram posted seven photos of "Zhang Zhehan" at a river.

→ Zhenguoli posted a promotional video with a voiceover by Gong Jun.

09-11 → Tissot posted four photo ads featuring Gong Jun. (1129 kadian)

→ The Instagram posted ten photos of "Zhang Zhehan" and scenery.

→ Gong Jun Outdoor Office posted a photo of him at the airport. Caption: "Let's go!"

09-12 → Gong Jun arrived at the JFK airport in New York, where he was welcome by quite a large group of fans. Fan Observations: - He turned around for several seconds to look at a pair of wenzhou cosplayers. [video] [stills] He reportedly turned to look at them again as his car was driving away. 🥺 - Throughout the week fans bought a number of screens in Times Square to display videos of Gong Jun, many also including Zhang Zhehan. Videos: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] There were some incidents of solo fans trying to report down CPF-made videos; as far as I've seen none succeeded in anything more than coming across as bitter.

→ The Instagram posted eight photos of "Zhang Zhehan" and scenery.

→ Gong Jun's studio posted a photo ad of him for the Asian Games and 361°. Caption: "The grand event is approaching, let us preface the past events and focus on the future. Let’s walk through the Asian Games time with @ Gong Jun Simon , retrieve the love in our memories, and light up the flames of the Hangzhou Asian Games. Cheer for the Hangzhou Asian Games!"

09-13 → Chriselle Lim, an American influencer, posted several videos to her Instagram story that included Gong Jun, referring to him . The two reportedly were filming something together for Net-A-Porter.

→ Tissot posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun. (1129 kadian)

→ The Instagram posted ten photos of "Zhang Zhehan".

09-14 → Tissot posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun. (1129 kadian)

→ One of the scam gang's body doubles was filmed at airports flying to Kuala Lumpur. MYFM posted several photos from this.

→ #ZhangZhehanKLConcert trended on Twitter and would continue to do so periodically throughout the week.

09-15 → Tissot posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun. (1129 kadian) They later posted a promotional video spoken by him.

→ The Instagram posted eight photos of "Zhang Zhehan".

→ Zhang Sanjian held a livestream on TikTok, which included him acting quite rude on multiple fronts. [clip of an example] The platform allows for "livestreams" to be prerecorded, though this doesn't seem to have been the case here; as has been mentioned numerous times by now, deepfakeing (both faces and voices) can be done in real time. (Photos of ZSJ at the bottom of this post, those with sensitive stomachs avert thine eyes.)

09-16 → Zhenguoli posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ Net-A-Porter posted two photos of Gong Jun in New York.

→ Zhang Sanjian held another livestream, this one on Instagram. Same comments apply as with the TikTok one, except this time he somehow looked even less like Zhang Zhehan than usual (different body double maybe.)

I usually avoid including Zhang Sanjian pictures in these posts, but just to make a point, here are various people the scam has tried to pass off as Zhang Zhehan; far left is from the Instagram livestream. Addition 09-29: Clip from the livestream where you can clearly hear a voice change as the deepfake glitches.

→ The Instagram posted six photos of "Zhang Zhehan" at a stage rehearsal.

→ #ZhangZhehan trended on Twitter.

Additional Reading: → A reminder of the upcoming Mid-Autumn fandom event on 09-29! The deadline for participation in the vlog part is 09-20.

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This post was last edited 2023-09-29.

[dangerousblizzarki]

Some synopses I made for my WT-inspired season with the Reboot Cast.

Like the original WT, the members get to name their teams.

Ripper explains that a team full of powerful men and MK deserves an intimidating and threatening name, and as an alfalfa man, what better name than the term he always uses to describe himself? Team Alfalfa it is.

Axel takes charge of her team and names them Team Survival because she wants what's best for them, even willing to go to great lengths to prove it,

Priya being the hardcore total drama fan that she is, took it upon herself to name their team "Team Venus" as a homage to the Original's Team Amazon, for coincidentally being comprised of four girls and one boy and hopes the team follows in their footsteps concerning challenges.

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Episode #1

Synopsis: 

Sixteen teenagers are invited back to the new season as they compete in brutal and mind-grueling challenges worldwide to win $1,000,000. The new rules, along with their recent living quarters and mode of transportation, are made familiar to the contestants before dropping them off in the middle of the sea where their first challenge awaits. Established bonds have been separated while three teams and new alliances emerge.

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Episode #2: 

Synopsis:

The three teams, now fully geared up, must traverse their way inside the Puerto Princesa Underground River with their various rewards and penalties intact. Once out of the underground cave, teams must go to the island’s local airport with anything they can use. One member of a particular team wants to take the lead due to the familiarity with the place, but will they succeed, or will the other teams beat them to it?

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Episode #3

Synopsis:

Next destination? Seoul, South Korea!! Teams must partake in a three-part challenge wherein they have to indulge in some of South Korea’s most influential pop culture media trends, including an all-out eating challenge, a simultaneous sing-and-dance performance, and a reenactment of one of the country’s most iconic romcoms. The winning team is rewarded with an all-expense paid trip around the city, while something unexpected might happen to the losing team.

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Episode #4

Synopsis:

The three teams are now headed for the Himalayan mountain ranges and are tasked with enduring the rough weather conditions together. Certain members from different teams begin to express their frustration and dismay as they try to overcome the anxiety of not knowing how the other teams are doing. In contrast, the other members tell them to snap out of it and focus on the challenge. Push comes to shove as someone is forced to decide when they find out their friend’s health from the other team is at risk.

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Episode #5

Synopsis:

The three teams head northwest for the Land of Fire and Ice. Teams are tasked with finding treasure hidden within the country’s contrasting active volcanoes and glacier landscapes. However, to make things even, a few must sit out on the challenge in isolation from their teams’ current affairs. Several contestants begin to show concern for their places in the game as alliances begin to solidify with the hope of taking out a common enemy.

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Episode #6

Synopsis:

The first aftermath of the season has premiered with old and familiar faces returning as hosts. Several previous contestants, now grown up, are invited back to comment on the newbies as the peanut gallery. The hosts review the relationship details of the first few eliminated contestants. They express their answers in their particular way, earning the respect and disappointment of the different hosts and peanut gallery members.

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Episode #7

Synopsis:

The remaining contestants are taken to their next challenge in the capital city of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. One contestant becomes skeptical after observing their teammate’s interest in another player in the competition. At the same time, another one grows weary of their teammates’ performances in the challenges, forcing them to enact an operation to boot out who they think is the weakest link.

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Episode #8

Synopsis:

A forty-eight-hour-long challenge awaits the three teams in Switzerland. Teams must bobsled their way down a mountain as they gather materials for the second half of the hospitality challenge. One team ends up in deep trouble as the natives don’t take kindly to a teammate’s refusal to cooperate, while another swiftly courses through the challenge due to a member’s special training. Meanwhile, problems and new friendships arise for one team as they discover secrets and motives amongst themselves.

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Episode #9

Synopsis:

The teams arrive in Milan, Italy. As the teams ramble to search for materials spread across the city for their blindfolded models to use on the runway of traps set up by the host, one contestant is having difficulty keeping up with their team as they begin to show regret for past actions. Another one is torn as they face the struggles of having to choose sides. On the other hand, someone tries their hardest to show their worth in hopes of redemption and a place to stay in the game even further.

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Episode #10

Synopsis:

The contestants are taken to Barcelona, Spain, for their next challenge. One contestant desperately starts making moves to establish connections with certain people to turn into potential allies, which results in a deal with the intent to take down a common threat as they play a twisted game of the country’s national sport set in one of the cities glistering beaches along the coastlines.

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Episode #11

Synopsis:

Off to Arizona and into the Grand Canyon!! The host tells the teams to hike their way to their designated landmarks. An argument emerges about the current and future state of the team and wants to change how the team is being led. Meanwhile, two people express intense emotions over the problems they face in the competition. After an incident, both have time to properly overcome their current predicaments and make amends before the elimination ceremony. 

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Episode #12

Synopsis

The second installment of the season’s Aftermath show returns with new guests after their time on the show has been cut short. One person compiles some of the guests’ most controversial and humiliating moments on the show to boost ratings. Someone manages to reflect upon the behavior they showed. At the same time, another person expresses much disdain and vengeance upon a particular contestant left in the running, much to the agreement of their fellow former competitors.

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Episode #13

Synopsis:

The host takes the remaining contestants to California, USA, where their challenge is split into five parts with varying amounts of players eligible to participate per section. However, due to unfavorable circumstances, one lucky contestant must only do one challenge to win it all for their team. Meanwhile, one person manages to get a hold of something important that may affect certain contestants in the long run.

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Episode #14

Chris, Chef, and the teens travel to Kruger Park, one of South Africa's National parks, where teams must find an animal and plant with their team logo before taking the blue train to Chris for a place in the following episode. But please be sure to search carefully. One contestant's crucial information managed to cause tension between three people after a seemingly unlikely friendship began to flourish. At the elimination ceremony, two contestants are on the verge of elimination. However, can one's planning cause the votes to shift in their favor?

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Episode #15

Synopsis:

Feeling betrayed by a so-called friend, a vengeful contestant will stop at nothing to achieve their sole goal of erasing another's status in the game. The contestants dropped on one of the most radioactive places on the planet, Chornobyl. The teams must find their way out of the area; does that sounds simple enough? Not when you're on a timer while being chased down. Two contestants got to have a moment to themselves, coming to terms with what must be done to improve their stay in the game. Meanwhile, someone also comes to terms with how they view a fellow competitor as a result of their desire to win back their attention and trust, and thus, does something completely out of the blue.

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Episode #16

Synopsis:

The teams travel to Cluj, Romania. Each team must gather clues hidden within the forest to solve a mystery around the show's history. With the numbers dwindling even more by the end of this elimination round, one person thinks ahead and devises a strategy to weaken their enemies while ensuring a place in the impending merging of the teams. Still, they must seek assistance first for this plan to bear fruit. On the other hand, another person is having difficulty managing the series of events they just witnessed beforehand.

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Episode #17 

Synopsis:

All emotions are in the air, and most aren't pretty. The remaining players land in Auckland, New Zealand, for a two-part challenge. First, they must go up the Sky Tower on foot while dining on the country's fine cuisine. Once they reach the top, every team member must sky jump off the Sky Tower one at a time while ensuring the stuff they ate going up doesn't go out. One expresses great exhilaration and confidence after doing so well. and another expresses a mix of resentment and respect directed at an opposing player. Lastly, someone didn't take the most recent elimination too kindly, which didn't go unnoticed by another contestant who knew what or who caused it.

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Episode #18

Synopsis:

New, unhappy guests join the peanut gallery, and what do they all have in common other than getting outplayed? Nothing. Five lucky losers get the opportunity to rejoin the competition. One unexpected player wins, now driven by the thirst for vengeance.

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Episode #19

Synopsis:

The teams arrive in Singapore for their next challenge. It is revealed that one person winning a second chance challenge on the Aftermath is debuting onto the show with the teams finally merging, much to everyone's excitement except for one previously hopeful contender. The host tells people to work in pairs, adding tension and unlikely mileage for some and a joyous experience for others. Considering one's connections in the game into consideration, three people coordinate a plan to ensure a better placement further down the line.

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Episode #20

Synopsis:

On to Uganda to visit the country's mountains for their next challenge. Tension arises between certain contestants after the previous episode's events make one of them seem untrustworthy. One contestant manages to win immunity as a way of redemption for their past performances, while another, unfortunately, left the show in more ways than they could have foreseen. 

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Episode #21

Synopsis:

Arriving in Antarctica for their next challenge, the teens must conduct research as they go to Chris and actual researchers by kayaking over frozen seas and snowshoeing across polar landscapes. Someone’s drive for vengeance against another goes out of hand while the relationship between two others is continuously placed under mixed signals.  Ultimately, the winner’s victory earned them respect and a massive target on their back moving forward.

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Episode #22

Synopsis:

The remaining contestants are going to the Caribbean islands to compete in a water-themed challenge. Two contestants attempt to rope in another person to join their alliance for a closer place to the finale. In contrast, one contestant helps another gain immunity to protect them. In the end, tension occurs as unwanted information is spread loose, and two contestants are forced to go up against each other due to one’s dishonesty.

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Episode #23

Synopsis:

The last few contestants head to Vancouver, Canada, to participate in a challenge revolving around the Arts & Culture of the City. One contestant berates themselves over losing track of the game for selfish reasons. Meanwhile, a different contestant desperately attempts to fix whatever is left of their relationship with another due to someone’s plan to attain their preferred set of opponents. However, one underestimation over another led to a change in plans.

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Episode #24:

Synopsis:

The Aftermath Show reveals the location of the finale, back to where it all started. The batch of the most recently eliminated contestants is brought out. The eliminated contestants are split into teams showing support for the person they choose who’s still running for the million-dollar prize. A representative of each team has to compete in a challenge to give an advantage to the person they are supporting. Certain contestants express their reasons as to who among those left in the game deserves to win, earning a variety of reactions. 

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Episode #25

Synopsis:

The final four are left alone as they engage in a full-out race to Ontario, utilizing anything they can use on the way there. One contestant takes another under their wing, hoping for an easier time in the finale. Meanwhile, two rivals finally confront each other about each other’s actions up to this point in the game. Ultimately, while two contestants successfully guarantee their spots in the final 3, the last spot is fought by two harsh competitors, each with a strong ambition that led them to this moment.

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Episode #26

Synopsis:

The season has reached its final episode, where one of the final three will win the one million dollar prize. The host announces that the last challenge of the season involves three parts which will test the finalists’ brightness, boldness, and bravery, coupled with assistance from the previously eliminated contestants. Ultimately, only one contestant will emerge as the world’s latest millionaire. But does the other one go as empty-handed as they thought?

[a-spell-a-rebel-yell]

July

hello friends!!! i am sorry (again) for the late post (again) this time i'm distracted by making sure i watch all of my favorite sport branches in the Olympics 😂 i swear i had like, a draft for July and had been thinking about it on the last ten days of July but then boom the Olympics took my attention away! literally writing this as i watch the men's sports climbing qualifying and wait for artistic gymnastics to start 😂😂😂

so... for a starter... July might be... a start of something new? :) not going to elaborate further but i'm glad i get to experience again something i haven't felt for so long, wherever this will end up as. i don't mean it to be cryptic but: life can hold its mysteries only to reveal it at the most specific time? 😂 it's all casual fun still, but what is life if it's not to enjoy every chance you seize to the fullest!? 😉

went to Bandung again at the first weekend of July, always a good time in one of my fav cities. i'd say Bandung can be my favorite city if only the local govt devised a proper integrated public transportation system, Jakarta still superior with MRT-Transjakarta-Jaklingko-KRL combo. attended a wedding, had a superb time, got to see my fav person too... :) had my routine that is trying new restaurants (Gormeteria, a good 85/100 from me and Lao Ban with 80/100) and of course a bit of refreshing morning walk! anyways i left my heart in Bandung and i will always be so excited to visit :)

also Penang story is due now! spent 6 days in Malaysia for the very first time and it was not even in Kuala Lumpur 😂 so there's this orthodontics seminar there, held by the Malaysian Association of Orthodontists at Georgetown, Penang and me along with five others were accompanying our profs. to save money, the six of us rented an apartment ten minutes away from the venue (which is a 5-star hotel we couldn't afford lol) actually had lots of fun, and i'm so glad all of us have the same personality that spending 24x6 hours together was just an experience full of laughter! tried some of local foods, visited and took pics at the Penang Street Art, the rest was just us exchanging stories at our apartment 😂

July is the first out of two months (summer-like) break and i love i get to do nothing most of the time... i can catch up on films, dramas, series, Olympics games, f1, motogp, and reading while just relaxing. IAO dance rehearsals also going smoothly, a nice weekly exercise for me who don't do workouts much (unless you count house chores???) i just love day-offs i can do whatever i want hehehe

next month on August it'll still be 2nd semester break and i'm kinda nervous now because i heard 3rd semester i'll start handling patients, excited but yeah, nervous!!! good news about August is that my Brisbane based cousin will move back to Indonesia next week! can't wait to be reunited with her 😁

i suppose that's all for July, praying for more good things to come. see you in August post!

[randomingoftherandomness]

Ello there! Due to the release of the Chk Chk Boom music video, I have fallen down the rabbit hole of things Stray Kids and I know you're a fan. Was wondering if you might have a primer on who they are/an overview of their history to get me started maybe? *side eye emoji*

Oh, wow, err. Okay, this is the rudimentary outline of who Stray Kids are. I'm rushing so I'm probably gonna get some things a little mixed up here, so many apologies to Stayville.

Members (by age): Bang Christopher Chan, Lee Minho (Lee Know), Seo Changbin, Hwang Hyunjin, Han Jisung (HAN), Lee Felix Yongbok, Kim Seungmin, Yang Jeongin (I.N) [Former Member: Kim Woojin]

Sub-units: 3RACHA (for the producing trio of Chan, Han and Changbin), DanceRacha (Lee Know, Hyunjin, Felix), VocalRacha (Seungmin and I.N)

Member Nationalities: Australian (Chan and Felix), South Korean (Minho, Changbin, Hyunjin, Jisung, Seungmin, Jeongin)

Debut Date: 25.03.2018

Fandom: STAY (Fanniversary date; 01.08.2018)

Official Channels: https://www.youtube.com/@StrayKids (Youtube) https://x.com/Stray_Kids (main) https://x.com/Stray_Kids_JP (Japan Official) (X formerly Twitter) https://www.instagram.com/realstraykids/?hl=en (main) Instagram

Members Instagram: @/3racha (for the producing unit), @/gnabnahc (Bang Chan), @/t.leeknowsaurus (Lee Know), @/jutdwae (Changbin), @/hyunjinnnn (Hyunjin), @/_doolsetnet (Han), @/yong.lixx (Felix), @/miniverse.___ (Seungmin), @/i.2.n.8 (I.N.)

Brief overview:

Debut in South Korea, under JYP Entertainment as an experimental group

Bang Chan, the leader was allowed to pick his own members to debut with

Really blew up around the time of their participation in the Kingdom: Legendary War programme in 2021

this was also where they did the Deadpool-inspired performance stage for the remixed "God's Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" - a mix of Stray Kids' God's Menu and Blackpink's Ddu-Du Ddu-Du - that caught Ryan Reynold's eye [Watch it Here because Mnet has removed the official version like the complete crapshows they are]

They don't have an official rapper, main vocalist, etc. as all of them are very well-rounded in each aspect, though you can tell that each of them have certain "roles" in songs [if it's not clear, you will be able to pick up on it once you listen enough]

They also do not have an official "sound". It's noise music for the most parts and that's their unique selling point

They're allowed quite a lot of flexibility in their production and songs because 3RACHA writes and produces their music {fun fact: JYP himself said that he is nervous about bringing any tracks to them since they do have a lot of control of what goes out under them)

Multiple members are multi-lingual or bi-lingual

They are currently the faces of Tommy Hilfiger and it was under the label that they became the first K-pop group to walk the 2024 MET Gala red carpet as a whole group

Fun Facts (my fave):

Han used to live in the Ampang area of Kuala Lumpur [which wasn't too far away from where I used to live!]

Bang Chan and Felix grew up in suburbs very near each other in Sydney, Australia but only met in South Korea when they were training

Lee Know once appeared on a NatGeo programme doing a Michael Jackson dance (I think it was)

Changbin is a wickedly fast rapper but Seungmin beat him once at his own game

Seungmin wanted to be a baseball player growing up

Seungmin is also a huge Day6 fan

Jeongin wanted to be a priest... which... :D

Hyunjin almost got roped into a cult once

Bang Chan can't handle spicy food

Changbin is quite possibly the secret member to every girl group out there

Changbin and Lee Know used to fight a bit during the early days

Han fought with everyone during the early days

Of the top of my head, Lee Know has been tapped by Gucci, Chan has been tapped by Fendi, Felix by Louis Vuitton, Hyunjin by Versace

I... am running out of time to type this out so, yeah, you can check out their wikipedia page, or watch any of the introduction videos as those will cover things about them pretty well. I hope this was good enough to get you started!

[welcometololaland]

Your turn, babygirl 💖

The scenario: A 24-hr Amazing Race-style challenge which includes booking travel and actually travelling from Tokyo to Kuala Lunpur which is approx 7.5 hours (why those cities? idk, they just popped into my head), with tasks to complete in each city

The prize: Something fabulous.

The players:

1. Nancy Gillian & Hunter Huntington III

2. Alex CD & Nora Holleran

3. TK Strand & Pez Okonojo

4. Zahra Bankston & Owen Strand

5. Henry FCMW & Marjan Marwani

6. Pearce Risher & Grace Ryder

7. Carlos Reyes & Andrea Reyes

8. June Claremont-Diaz & Tommy Vega

Notes: players cannot utilise their personal wealth to assist them, game provided budgets only. Assume there are several flights per day between Tokyo and Kuala Lumpur

Who wins? Who loses? What are their final rankings?

Oh fuck. I got hit with one of my own insane questions!!! Uno reverse has got me!!! Thanks to my beloved Rae and thank you to everyone who has amused me with answers to these I fucking love sending them 💕

The rankings: Tommy and June, Henry and Marjan, Owen and Zahra, Pearce and Grace, AGCD and Nora, Andrea and Carlos, TK and Pez, Nancy and Hunter.

The rationale:

1. Nancy and Hunter

A complete disaster. Nancy is fucking hilarious and very smart, but her sarcasm would go completely over Hunter's head. He would annoy the absolute shit out of her by talking about his personal wealth (which is absolutely worthless in this situation) and bring no practical skills to the table. Nancy would do her best, but she'd quickly find out that the only way she can help this idiot is by stitching him up when he pisses a fellow passenger / member of the airline staff off so significantly that they fight him.

2. AGCD and Nora

2 x very competitive, chaos bisexuals fighting it out. They are a naturally a formidable duo. Alex is very smart, but by his own admission, Nora is even smarter. They definitely have the brains and the physical prowess to take out the top spot but they're both prone to a hyperfixation and my suspicion is they would misread clues and go down a fucking rabbit hole OR forget to eat for days on end and pass out from lack of sustenance (I suspect the latter).

3. TK and Pez

How much fucking fun would these two have? Seriously, I would voluntarily elect to follow them around! Their great strength is that Pez is very well travelled and also super chill, and TK obviously has some pretty handy paramedic skills. I think their downfall is twofold: TK will (without a doubt) get into some kind of accident, and Pez will have no fucking clue how to deal with that except to maybe stick some glitter to him. Secondly, they would both get easily distracted (TK by any and all animals, Pez by anything eclectic or vaguely amusing - which may or may not be TK himself).

4. Z and Owen

If Zahra manages to avoid having an aneurysm from having to deal with Owen's fondness for a date and / or a meaningless side quest, I think they're on the money. Let's be real, Z is fucking scary. There would be an initial power struggle and there's a 87% chance Owen would try to hook up with her (which would be very quickly and viciously shut down), but once Owen accepts defeat, they are a good showing. Zahra is very organised, takes no shit and is very smart. Owen is very competitive and great in any and all stressful situations. Wouldn't count them out.

5. Henry and Marjan

Platonic power couple. Henry would almost immediately relinquish all power and control to Marjan, who would absolutely slay this challenge. She's smart, resourceful and physically capable. Henry is cluey, painfully polite, a fucking prince and...let's be honest he's just very hot. I feel like he could easily schmooze their way into the last two seats on the first flight out of Tokyo, even when the booking clerk initially said the flight was full. Plus, Henry is always seen as the more docile one, but I reckon he'd get a huge kick out of seeing Alex's pouty little face when he beats him. Their only hold back would be Henry getting recognised and being asked for an autograph.

6. Pearce and Grace

God, they're both very smart and capable people, but I just think the initial power struggle would complicate things. Pearce would be too much about reading (and then reciting) the rule book, and Grace would get very frustrated with him when he (initially) refuses to listen to her. They'd definitely work their way around it, but the initial speed bump would cost them.

7. Carlos and Andrea

Look, they'd work perfectly together. We know Andrea can be savage when she needs to be, and Carlos is very intelligent and resourceful. The problem is, he's only left Texas twice, so he's hamstrung by that. Andrea would be a little caught up making sure he eats properly, and when you eat 6 meals a day that's gonna cost you. Plus, Carlos would be acutely aware that TK is likely getting himself into some kind of NDE at any given moment, so that would be weighing heavily on his mind.

8. June and Tommy

The dark horses. They might not have some of the credentials of other players, but that's their strength. Tommy is fantastic at giving directions, June is a superb listener. They (like Andrea and Carlos) have the capabilities of communicating in two languages. Tommy is hyper competitive, June has incredible intuition. To me, they're the ones to watch. Girl power 🙌

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 2.13 (after 1940)

1945 – World War II: The siege of Budapest concludes with the unconditional surrender of German and Hungarian forces to the Red Army. 1945 – World War II: Royal Air Force bombers are dispatched to Dresden, Germany to attack the city with a massive aerial bombardment. 1951 – Korean War: Battle of Chipyong-ni, which represented the "high-water mark" of the Chinese incursion into South Korea, commences. 1954 – Frank Selvy becomes the only NCAA Division I basketball player ever to score 100 points in a single game. 1955 – Israel obtains four of the seven Dead Sea Scrolls. 1955 – Twenty-nine people are killed when Sabena Flight 503 crashes into Monte Terminillo near Rieti, Italy. 1960 – With the success of a nuclear test codenamed "Gerboise Bleue", France becomes the fourth country to possess nuclear weapons. 1960 – Black college students stage the first of the Nashville sit-ins at three lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee. 1961 – An allegedly 500,000-year-old rock is discovered near Olancha, California, US, that appears to anachronistically encase a spark plug. 1967 – American researchers discover the Madrid Codices by Leonardo da Vinci in the National Library of Spain. 1975 – Fire at One World Trade Center (North Tower) of the World Trade Center in New York. 1978 – Hilton bombing: A bomb explodes in a refuse truck outside the Hilton Hotel in Sydney, Australia, killing two refuse collectors and a policeman. 1979 – An intense windstorm strikes western Washington and sinks a 0.5-mile (0.80 km) long section of the Hood Canal Bridge. 1981 – A series of sewer explosions destroys more than two miles of streets in Louisville, Kentucky. 1983 – A cinema fire in Turin, Italy, kills 64 people. 1984 – Konstantin Chernenko succeeds the late Yuri Andropov as general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. 1990 – German reunification: An agreement is reached on a two-stage plan to reunite Germany. 1991 – Gulf War: Two laser-guided "smart bombs" destroy the Amiriyah shelter in Baghdad. Allied forces said the bunker was being used as a military communications outpost, but over 400 Iraqi civilians inside were killed. 1996 – The Nepalese Civil War is initiated in the Kingdom of Nepal by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist-Centre). 2001 – An earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter magnitude scale hits El Salvador, killing at least 944. 2004 – The Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics announces the discovery of the universe's largest known diamond, white dwarf star BPM 37093. Astronomers named this star "Lucy" after The Beatles' song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". 2007 – Taiwan opposition leader Ma Ying-jeou resigns as the chairman of the Kuomintang party after being indicted on charges of embezzlement during his tenure as the mayor of Taipei; Ma also announces his candidacy for the 2008 presidential election. 2008 – Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd makes a historic apology to the Indigenous Australians and the Stolen Generations. 2010 – A bomb explodes in the city of Pune, Maharashtra, India, killing 17 and injuring 60 more. 2011 – For the first time in more than 100 years the Umatilla, an American Indian tribe, are able to hunt and harvest a bison just outside Yellowstone National Park, restoring a centuries-old tradition guaranteed by a treaty signed in 1855. 2012 – The European Space Agency (ESA) conducted the first launch of the European Vega rocket from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. 2017 – Kim Jong-nam, brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, is assassinated at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. 2021 – Former U.S. President Donald Trump is acquitted in his second impeachment trial. 2021 – A major winter storm causes blackouts and kills at least 82 people in Texas and northern Mexico.

[mariana-oconnor]

Fanfiction Deep Cuts

Tagged by @drgrlfriend Thank you!

tag a writer if you’d like them to share a never-before-seen playlist/moodboard/bit of background lore from one of their fics!

I don't do playlists or moodboards, so what we're looking at here is deleted scenes. So, hey, guys, guys, guys. Did you know that once upon a time there was a whole extra chapter to Silhouette?

Hell, I have a lot of deleted scenes from Silhouette and I've managed to dig out my external hard drive to find them. So here, have the original Chapter 4 of Silhouette, that both I and my beta agreed was unneeded and also stretched the suspension of disbelief a bit too far, even for an unapologetic identity porn fic. (I was so tempted to put the Tony & Bucky scene instead because I love it so much, but this one won out because Dog Cops).

Tagging anyone who wants to play because I never know who to tag for these things.

Silhouette Chapter 3.5: 30,000 feet

(under a cut to save your dash because it's almost 3k)

It’s weird, but since they’ve been chasing the world’s greatest assassination double act around, Bucky and Steve have wandered into some of the worst recesses and cesspools humanity has to offer: People trafficking in Barcelona, arms dealers in Alexandria, the cult leader and his brainwashing victims in Ottawa. Well, maybe that’s not the weird part. When you follow criminals, you’ve got to expect them to associate with criminals. The weird thing is that Hawkeye and Black Widow are taking half of these people down.

Bucky supposes that there’s no love lost between members of the criminal fraternity, but it feels different somehow. Even the marks that seem squeaky clean on the surface (the civil rights lawyer) turn out to be in the middle of some hideous act or three, and the evidence is always right there, like the pair of them plan their kills for the most incriminating times. All of which means that Bucky and Steve are getting a reputation for uncovering massive crimes and they’re doing very little of the legwork.

Not that they’re not doing any legwork. SHIELD hasn’t given them a jet yet, but the expenses they’re racking up on international flights have got to be raising some flags.

Take this one, for example. They’ve just been to Kuala Lumpur and now they’re following a lead to Rio de Janeiro. Coulson’s probably going to raise an eyebrow at that, but they’re pretty sure it’s a good tip. With the more they know about the pair, it’s got easier to tell what’s true and what’s not. It feels sort of like they’re getting to know them.

It’s been almost 6 months now. From what Coulson says, no one’s ever lasted this long before. Bucky knows that Hawkeye and the Widow must know about him and Steve, but he has no idea what they think of it. The small moments of communication they’ve had with them – the napkin, the tool dropped off at the hotel – indicate that they’re not angry about it. It seems more like a game to them and it’s starting to feel a bit like that to Bucky as well. He’s lost the anger at being led around, and he… maybe, slightly, is enjoying the challenge of it.

He shakes his head. This is one of the many reasons he hates long haul flights, even if this is one of the double decker planes that feels like something out of science fiction. Nothing to do but think, or watch whatever terrible TV or film is available.

Dog Cops, for crying out loud. Who watches Dog Cops?

The guy next to him, apparently. He’s been laughing for the past hour or so at what the animals on the screen are doing. Bucky doesn’t know what they’re saying, but he can’t imagine that it’s as funny as the guy seems to think it is.

It should be annoying, the constant chuckles and gasps, but it’s not. It’s not like Bucky’s going to sleep any time soon - sleeping sitting up is a surefire way to have nightmares since Afghanistan – and the guy’s got a nice laugh. Bucky’s the only one who thinks so, it seems, because the lady across the aisle is glaring every time the man opens his mouth. Not that it does any good. The guy in C62 is oblivious to everything but the antics of the four-legged detectives on the screen.

“Officer Wagsalot, no!” he says at what must be a crucial dramatic moment. It just looks like a dog licking another dog to Bucky.

“Shhh,” the woman across the way hisses. Bucky just looks at her. He’s got a very effective look. The only people it doesn’t work on are Steve, Hill, Coulson, and his family.

She shuts up.

The guy laughs again. At least someone’s having fun.

Steve’s got the window seat and Bucky’s trapped between him and the Dog Cops fan, which isn’t ideal, but he can endure it.

An hour later and Bucky’s given up on his book for the second time. He doesn’t know why he thought a thriller would be a good idea, given his day job, but it had been a choice between the latest adventures of Jack Montgomery, super spy, or one of those romantic novels with the soft pastel cover and the wishy-washy title. ’13 Minutes to Death’ had seemed more Bucky’s style.

Steve’s snoring isn’t helping matters either. Apparently the disapproving woman has run out of disapproval, though, because she doesn’t spare one of her judgemental looks for Steve, even though he sounds like a chainsaw. That’s the one thing the super soldier serum made worse, if anything. His old lungs couldn’t have held enough air to make this much noise.

Bucky takes a video just so he can guilt trip Steve later, and maybe to prove a point because Steve always complains that Bucky’s snoring keeps him up all night when they share a room – which is often because SHIELD are cheapskates.

“Friend of yours?”

It seems Dog Cops has finished because the guy has the headphones off and is looking right at Bucky. He’s got a weird beard that doesn’t suit his face at all, and wire rimmed glasses.

“Yeah,” Bucky says. “Not that I need more blackmail material, but why not?” C62 chuckles.

“He does sound like a machine gun.” Bucky laughs.

“So you ran out of dogs to watch, huh?” he asks. He wouldn’t normally start a conversation with a stranger these days, but what the hell else is there to do at 30,000 feet? And the guy’s attractive in an academic sort of way.

“I’m all caught up,” the guy says. “I’m away on business a lot, so I miss it half the time. Had to catch up on what’s going on with Officer Wagsalot and Mongrel Malone.” He looks at Bucky expectantly, as though he thinks that what he just says makes sense.

“Sorry, I don’t watch it,” Bucky admits. He feels a little guilty when the man’s face drops.

“What?! It’s a seminal work of American television!”

“I’m sure it is,” Bucky assures him. “But I travel a lot too. Not sure I’d be able to keep up.”

“You should try it. Only philistines don’t appreciate the greatness that is Dog Cops.” Bucky grins and nods past the guy at Ms Judgemental on the other side of the aisle.

“Some of our fellow passengers wouldn’t agree with you.” 63C follows the line of his gaze to give the woman a quick once over. She notices them looking and gives a very dismissive sniff as Bucky waves at her.

“She was probably worried about spoilers,” the guy tells him. At Bucky’s huff of disbelieve he holds up a hand. “That, my friend, is a true Dog Cops fan. We can tell our own. It’s like a secret society.”

“Right,” Bucky says. “Not sure she looked like a fan when she was shushing you.”

“She shushed me?” the guy asks. His face falls again. “I wasn’t really being that loud, was I? I’m terrible at judging volumes. My best friend’s always telling me to keep it down.”

“It was fine,” Bucky says. “I didn’t mind.”

“Yeah, well,” the man scrabs a hand across the back of his neck, then brings it round to scratch at his beard. “Sorry if I kept you awake or something.”

“Not like I was going to get any sleep anyway,” Bucky tells him with a shrug. “I can’t really sleep on airplanes.”

“Tell me about it.”

They both glance over at Steve, who is way too big to fit comfortably in airplane seating these days and looks a lot like human spaghetti. But he’s still fast asleep.

“He can sleep anywhere,” Bucky says. “Always, since we were kids.” Bucky doesn’t mention that it had been out of necessity for all the trips to hospital and all the pills he was on that made him drowsy.

“Tell you what I like to do,” the guy says, distracting Bucky from his weird thoughts. “People watch.”

“Yeah.” Bucky looks around. “Hate to break it to ya, but no one’s really doing a whole lot.” The guy shakes his head.

“Nah, not like that. I mean, everyone’s just sitting down, that’s dull. But like, there’s a word – sonder, it means that moment when you remember that everyone’s got their own lives, even if they’re just extras in yours.”

Bucky frowns, looking around.

“So I like to try to work out what those lives are. I mean, the woman we were talking about before, clearly she’s an archaeologist on her way to uncover a mythical lost city.” Bucky looks at her and tries to imagine it.

“I think she’s more likely a drugs mule,” he says. That startles a laugh from the other man.

“Dark. I like it,” he says. He looks over at the woman again and nods sagely. “You know, I think you might be right,” he says. “What about the skinny guy over there, with the headphones?” Bucky turns to look and considers the man for a second. His first instinct is student, but that’s obviously not the aim of this game.

“Alien,” he says finally. “He’s just here to observe us.”

They make up progressively weirder stories for each of the passengers. The old man two rows ahead is a retired dinosaur wrestler and the young girl behind them’s a time-travelling student from the future. Bucky almost chokes when the guy declares that a red-haired flight attendant is an international assassin.

“She’s a flight attendant,” Bucky points out.

“That’s what she wants you to think. Perfect cover. You get to travel all over the world and no one really notices you.”

Bucky considers the woman for a moment. She’s pretty in the polished way all flight attendants are pretty and she smiles her plastic smile as she serves the drunk man at the front another drink. She’s just another flight attendant.

“Nah… I don’t think you’re right about that one.” 62C smiles enigmatically. “So what did you think about me?” Bucky asks and the guy freezes.

“I… uh… I didn’t,” he says and Bucky smirks at the look on his face because he definitely did.

“Fine, then. What about now?”

“That would be cheating.”

“I didn’t know there were rules.”

“I already spoke to you. It’s supposed to be based entirely on looking at the person,” the guy says quickly. This is clearly going to be good.

“Well, I won’t say anything if you don’t.”

The man shifts uncomfortably and scratches his beard again.

“Go ahead. I swear I won’t get mad if you call me a lizard person.” Bucky sits back and gestures for the man to continue. It’s amusing watching him trip over his own tongue. 62C looks conflicted for a minute before shifting in his seat to face Bucky properly. He looks him up and down and it’s not a flirtatious glance or a joking one. Bucky tenses a little as he notices the sudden switch to serious.

“You’re American, New York from your accent,” the guy starts slowly. “I’d say ex-military – the way you sit and the way you look around a room. You prefer not to be noticed most of the time. You and your friend are very close, practically brothers.” He pauses, words hesitating on his tongue and Bucky takes a moment to draw in a quick, settling breath. The man looks him in the eye and shrugs. “And you’ve seen some shit.”

Bucky’s laugh is a little broken.

“I’ve seen some shit,” he agrees. His left hand curls into a fist. He sees the man look at it. It’s not a stare, not a question, just a glance and Bucky sort of wants to tell him, about the cave and HYDRA and the first arm, the one that was half rust and sent jolts of pain through him. He wants to talk about being strapped into the chair and knocked out with not enough anaesthetic. About coming to with someone drilling into his shoulder. His hand is shaking.

“Sorry,” 62C says quickly, holding up his hands in the universal non-threatening gesture. “I didn’t mean to…”

“No,” Bucky says. “It was a while ago. I… You were right about the army. I lost my arm in combat.” The truth fades into the civilian-friendly lie. “They didn’t have a lot of medical facilities where I was so…”

“But at least you got a cool cyborg arm,” the guy counters. It’s not the sympathy or pity Bucky was expecting and it makes him laugh again. 62C takes that as permission to continue. “I mean, that thing’s snazzy. Bet it comes in really useful when you need to punch through walls.”

“Which is something I do a lot,” Bucky concedes. It hasn’t come up, but he supposes it might. “So what do you do? Psychic?”

“Nah. Can’t you tell? I’m in a Mariachi band.”

The red-headed flight attendant comes over to offer them another drink and the conversation ends naturally. It’s only a few minutes before the pilot announces that they’re arriving in Dubai for their overnight layover.

As the man, and Bucky hadn’t even got his name, stands up to grab his bag from the overhead locker their eyes meet and they both chuckle.

“Thanks for the company,” 62C offers, holding out his hand. Bucky shakes it gratefully, feeling warm calluses.

“I should be thanking you,” Bucky tells him. “Otherwise I would have just been stuck with this one and his snoring.” To his left, Steve is blinking awake. “Don’t suppose you’re heading to Rio?”

“Nah. Dubai’s my home for the next few days,” 62C replies.

“Strange that we just spent seven hours together and now we’ll never meet again,” Bucky says. He tries not to be sad at the prospect.

“Maybe not,” the guy shrugs. “Maybe we already did and we just don’t remember it – in a bar, or at a café. Or maybe you drove right past me in the street. Who knows? The world is full of weird coincidences.”

The doors are opened and everyone starts shuffling off. Bucky loses sight of 62C in the crowd.

“Make a friend.” Steve asks, grinning like the little shit that he is. Bucky elbows him.

“Yeah, we bonded over your terrible snoring!”

“I don’t snore,” Steve protests, and Bucky just pulls out his phone and presses play. Steve listens for a few seconds before cringing.

“Separate rooms tonight?”

“You read my mind.”

*

When Clint gets to the rendezvous point in the back corridors of the airport, Nat is waiting for him, peeling off her flight attendant gear to get into her new outfit, and wrapping the head scarf over her hair. A change in her make-up and she’ll be a completely new person.

Clint can’t get the stupid beard off his face quick enough.

“This stuff itches,” he tells her. He’s sure he spent half his conversation with Bucky scratching at it. The man must have thought he had some sort of skin disease. “And I think it’s given me a rash. Next time I want the old glue again.”

“I don’t complain about the wigs,” she points out.

“You’re not allergic to the wigs!”

She hasn’t mentioned his conversation with Barnes, and she probably won’t. He knows she doesn’t approve. She thinks he’s getting too involved and he is. When she’d seen that he’d deliberately arranged it so that his seat on the flight was next to Barnes and Rogers she’d given him her most piercing look, and she does keep glancing at him like she’s worried. It had been a risk, a huge stupid risk, but he hadn’t quite been able to resist. And it had been worth it. The flight had been ten times more interesting with Barnes to talk to, even with Rogers’ ridiculous snoring.

She huffs and grasps his face to examine it.

“You’re not allergic. It’s only red because you’ve been scratching at it. Now get changed. We’ve got a job to do and a time limit.”

Clint glares at her, but takes the duffle bag she holds out and starts stripping. He’s going from travelling academic to wealthy business man. It’s an easier change than Nat’s.

It is disturbingly easy to get out of the airport without going through security when you know what you’re doing.

“I still can’t believe you got us a job on the way to another job.” He hops into the new trousers. They are apparently very expensive, going by the label, which Clint’s actually heard of, but they don’t look it. “This is not what overnight layovers are for, Nat. They are for sleeping. I need to sleep!”

“If you hadn’t been busy flirting with Barnes then you could have been asleep on the flight,” Nat points out. Clint doesn’t really have a witty comeback for that, so he just pouts until she throws his shirt into his face.

“Put your shirt on. I don’t want to be arrested for indecent exposure.” He rolls his eyes, but does as she says. They tuck away their usual arsenal of weaponry. With the less revealing clothes, Nat gets to hide more than usual. With what she’s wearing today, she could hide pretty much anything, which could be useful as they’re gate-crashing an evil international business man convention today. Good times.

[rockislandadultreads]

Notable First Novels of 2023

Bellies by Nicola Dinan

I wore a dress on the night I first met Ming.

It begins as your typical boy meets boy. While out with friends at their local university drag night, Tom buys Ming a drink. Confident and witty, a magnetic young playwright, Ming is the perfect antidote to Tom’s awkward energy, and their connection is instant. Tom finds himself deeply and desperately drawn into Ming’s orbit, and on the cusp of graduation, he’s already mapped out their future together. But shortly after they move to London to start their next chapter, Ming announces her intention to transition.

From London to Kuala Lumpur, New York to Cologne, we follow Tom and Ming as they face tectonic shifts in their relationship and friend circle in the wake of Ming’s transition. Through a spiral of unforeseen crises—some personal, some professional, some life-altering—Tom and Ming are forced to confront the vastly different shapes their lives have taken since graduating, and each must answer the essential question: Is it worth losing a part of yourself to become who you are?

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

Loretta Thurwar and Hamara "Hurricane Staxxx" Stacker are the stars of Chain-Gang All-Stars, the cornerstone of CAPE, or Criminal Action Penal Entertainment, a highly-popular, highly-controversial, profit-raising program in America's increasingly dominant private prison industry. It's the return of the gladiators and prisoners are competing for the ultimate prize: their freedom.

In CAPE, prisoners travel as Links in Chain-Gangs, competing in death-matches for packed arenas with righteous protestors at the gates. Thurwar and Staxxx, both teammates and lovers, are the fan favorites. And if all goes well, Thurwar will be free in just a few matches, a fact she carries as heavily as her lethal hammer. As she prepares to leave her fellow Links, she considers how she might help preserve their humanity, in defiance of these so-called games, but CAPE's corporate owners will stop at nothing to protect their status quo and the obstacles they lay in Thurwar's path have devastating consequences.

Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang

Our narrator produces a sound from the piano no one else at the Conservatory can. She employs a technique she learned from her parents—also talented musicians—who fled China in the wake of the Cultural Revolution. But when an accident leaves her parents debilitated, she abandons her future for a job at a high-end beauty and wellness store in New York City.

Holistik is known for its remarkable products and procedures—from remoras that suck out cheap Botox to eyelash extensions made of spider silk—and her new job affords her entry into a world of privilege and a long-awaited sense of belonging. She becomes transfixed by Helen, the niece of Holistik’s charismatic owner, and the two strike up a friendship that hazily veers into more. All the while, our narrator is plied with products that slim her thighs, smooth her skin, and lighten her hair. But beneath these creams and tinctures lies something sinister.

The Unfortunates by J.K. Chukwu

Sahara is Not Okay. Entering her sophomore year at Elite University, she feels like a failure: her body is too curvy, her love life is nonexistent, her family is disappointed in her, her grades are terrible, and, well, the few Black classmates she has just keep dying. Sahara is close to giving up, herself: her depression is, as she says, her only “Life Partner.”

And this narrative—taking the form of an irreverent, piercing “thesis” to the university committee that will judge her—is meant to be a final unfurling of her singular, unforgettable voice before her own inevitable disappearance and death. But over the course of this wild sophomore year, and supported by her eccentric community of BIPOC women, Sahara will eventually find hope, answers, and an unexpected redemption.

[thescepticalfedora]

What Is Magnum 4D?

Magnum 4D is a Malaysian-based 4D administrator that offers the exemplary 4D game alongside different versions of the standard format for added tomfoolery and fervor. The platform is the most established and the primary lawfully licensed lotto administrator in the nation and is one of Malaysia's top 4D lottery platforms.

As per verifiable references, 4D games started in Kedah, Malaysia, in 1951. As the trend got on, there was a requirement for a business lottery administrator, which was taken special care of by the foundation of Magnum, trailed by different administrators.

Magnum 4D is the essential licensed lottery business of Magnum Company, a multi-reason combination. The organization was consolidated as Magnum Property in 1968. It was the main private organization to get a license from Malaysia's government to present and work a 4-digit forecast betting platform in Malaysia.

The business was changed over into a public organization in 1970 and recorded on the Kuala Lumpur stock trade. In 2008, the organization was de-recorded after privatization was accomplished. Following this achievement, the organization got back to a private-recorded organization status. Around then, Magnum Holding possessed 51% of the business, while CVC Asia Pacific Limited claimed 49% of the business. In 2013, after a demerger, the organization sold its non-gaming business, and today it is essentially zeroing in on its gaming business as it were.

While the organization at first sent off an exemplary 4D game, it spread out in 2009 and sent off expansions of the exemplary variant, remembering consolidating a pari-mutuel component for the game. Magnum got the game through copyrights, and this game additionally dominated the best match grant.

[mibeau]

[People] From Penang with Love: Practice Tolerance and Be Proud.

Disclaimer: This is based on Irma’s experience with snippets of my observations.

Greetings all!

Today I’m going to share the story of my dear cousin, Irma. Her father is my late mother’s elder brother. This probably seems nothing, but, the most memorable memory I had with her was when she slept over at my place back when my family first moved to Johor Bahru, in 2002. The conversations we had felt more intimate, as that was also the first time I had my own bedroom. The first time I learnt that she is 5 years older than I am. I clearly remember all my maternal girl cousins were big fans of Backstreet Boys, we were influenced by Kak Nat and Kak Shima a lot! So, we actually spent the night discussing about the boys, haha. It was memorable probably because it was the first time I had a “girls only” sleepover ever! Because, even though I visited my grandmothers’ homes quite frequently growing up, and did sleepovers with my cousins there, most of them of my age were boys and we played games outdoors a lot. I love those days as well, but I’ve never actually had any girls' night up till then. So, that is why, the night Kak Irma came all over from Pulau Pinang(Penang) and slept over at my place is memorable.

Irma was born in Kuala Lumpur, raised in Penang, and then moved to Kuala Lumpur(KL) for tertiary education and work. Now, after 16 years in KL, she is back in Penang.

There are four members in her family unit. Her father is Malay, originally from Johor, and her mother is a Thai-Chinese(local Siam in NRIC) mualaf(Muslim Revert) from Penang. She has one younger brother and she is the eldest. Her parents were national athletes. They met during the SEA Games back in 1973. Her father was a High Jump athlete and her mother was a sprinter as well as a hurdler.

At home, although she’s fluent in Malay, regardless of Johor or Penang dialects, the family mainly used English, as her mother’s vocabulary in Malay was not as strong as in English. It was also due to the fact that the Malay dialects spoken by northern and southern Malaysia are different made her parents choose English in most family conversations. She used to learn Padsa Thai(Thai Language) when she was a young girl. But, the lack of practice leads her to lose that language skill. Yet, she is still able to understand whenever her Thai relatives speak during gatherings.

As a kid, we rarely define or categorise ourselves by race and whatnot.

We thought we were supposed to be just like everyone else. We want to fit in and feel belong. When we were not, then we began to question our identity. Irma said,

“When I was younger, I didn’t feel like I was a local. I was confused. Am I really a Malay? Or who am I really? I was raised in a Muslim household, yet, when I visit my maternal grandparents' home, there are other gods, why? Why there were differences in the way they worship God(comparing relatives from both parents)?”

She further added,

“So, when we first moved back to Penang and frequently visited my mother’s kampung, I felt awkward chatting with my relatives and cousins due to language barriers. My mother tongue is Malay-English, and theirs is Thai-Hokkien. Since I do not practice my Thai at home, it was difficult for me to mingle and joke around. I was unable to carry on conversations freely. I used to question myself, “Why am I even here? I am nothing like my cousins.” But, as time passed by, I understood situations better and accepted myself as it is. Thanks to my dear mother who patiently reminds me to accept myself and address my confusions, especially things involving religions and culture.”

Most probably inherited from her father’s Dutch ancestry, Irma and her brother have bigger frames than average Malaysians. As an adult, they are both over 180cm. In addition to that, her looks are not exactly like a Malay or Chinese either. Let’s just say that, she looks Thai but her build is like a European. So, growing up, among her peers, not many opened their hands and invited her to play together. She was very thankful for a few friends who accepted her as she was back then. Oftentimes, it was because she was taller and bigger than others. They appeared to be intimidated by her. Even outside of school, strangers thought she was at least 15 years old when at that time she was only about 11 or 12 years old. It was a bit disheartening to be misunderstood often because her heart and mind were still like other children her age. Also due to her background, her views on things were not aligned much with others, thus, sometimes, she felt misfitted. She also shared,

“As I reach adulthood, I am proud of my identity as a Muslim Malay. Yet, especially whenever I go to new places, people tend to treat me differently. They often assumed I was a foreigner. Only after I started to put on my hijab, that I feel a warm welcome from the Muslim community.”

In her honest view, growing up in a mixed background was not much different culture-wise, Thai and Malay are very similar. From how we behave, the way we eat, cooking styles and others. The best thing about being a mixed race would be food, language and lifestyle. Food, Irma gets to enjoy Chinese, Malay and Thai mouth-watering cuisines in the comfort of her home.  Her favourite dishes are anything Masak Lemak Cili Padi(Spicy turmeric coconut milk curry) and her mom’s homemade Thai Laksa(a delicious spicy coconut broth served with noodles, a protein and a handful of other fresh, crunchy toppings), chef’s kiss! There were no clashes in upbringing values from her parents. Irma said,

“My mother is a mualaf, and since my father also was not a pure Malay, he was not so strict about the traditional Malay culture either. Still, our household is a practising Muslim Family. So, I would say, I might experience differences whenever I visit Kampung Siam. My mother’s family is actually a religious practising Thai Buddhist. Her late father was a Menora performer. So, often, there are so many ceremonies happening. I used to sit next to the stage and watch. That is why I feel that when you’re already exposed to this tolerance from a young, your mindset will be different from those raised in a single-race household. You will be more understanding and we are all at its core, Malaysians. Takde beza sangat lah! (not much different indeed!)”

She gets to celebrate many festivals and observes people of different races effortlessly. She was exposed to language practices firsthand without attending classes. It was all up to her how she was able to absorb and manoeuvre all the good things. That is why she regretted not embracing her Siamese heritage properly and practising the language regularly. Her mother rarely uses Thai at home. Irma usually used and listened to it only when she visited Kampung Siam in George Town, Penang. She said, “Tu lah, bila balik kampung dengar uncle semua cakap, kita paham. Tapi keras lidah ni nak cakap.” (Hmm… I understood everything my uncles chatted away back in our village, but it was difficult for my tongue to articulate any responses in Thai) Her maternal grandparents do not speak English and are more comfortable using the local Malay dialect. Thus, that is the language she used when conversing with them. Her late grandfather, Wandee Aroonratana, better known as Noo Wan, was probably the

last Menora performer in Penang Island. Marking George Town’s 13th Anniversary as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, he was awarded with Lifetime Achievement Award as one of the “Tokoh Warisan Pulau Pinang” for his dedication to Knowledge Transmission back in 2021. He was one of the backbones that actively conserve, preserve and promote the Siamese heritage locally. Indeed, being a public figure, he is fluent in Malay and Thai languages.

Except for her late maternal grandfather who had only Thai blood, her parents and grandparents were of mixed ethnicities. That is why she sees herself as the embodiment of the 1Malaysia concept. Regardless what is her stated race in NRIC, she proudly identifies herself as a Malaysian. In her words,

“Honestly, we Malaysians are so unique. We live together in a multiracial AND multi-religious society. We have the privilege to easily learn about another race, another culture, literally every other minute. Unlike people from mono-race countries, Malaysians are relatively able to adapt to other cultures more easily. We are “trained” since young of the importance of tolerance and understanding different cultures and their lifestyles.”

We often hear that people with mixed backgrounds are less impacted by culture shocks and have better tolerance in facing situations.

In Irma’s opinion, it must be due to our constant exposure to cultural differences closely, since birth. So, whenever we face a new lifestyle of surrounding, our first response will always be to observe and respect. We may be surprised but we rarely judge or feel weird by anything that is out of our comfort zones and existing knowledge. We learn to accept and understand that people can have different ways of approaching matters and values in life. Nurturing tolerance in the community will create a beautiful harmonised living.

“That is why, when you asked me what was the major differences in our ways of living, honestly, I couldn’t think on the spot. But, as I paused, yes, the biggest differences are the way we worship and practice our beliefs. As an adult, mixing around be it with my mother’s side or my father’s side, feels natural, no awkwardness at all.”

But, yes, the difference was only significant when she visited her non-Muslim family members. She clarifies that due to different belief systems, shifting mentality is inevitable. Of course, in her father’s side homes, not much changes since everyone is Muslim and speaks fluent Malay and English. Our mindsets are similar, too. However, when visiting her mother’s side homes, especially when chatting with the elders, she would need to mix languages with her broken Thai, like “I want to Apna.” Apna means “to shower or to bath” in Penang's Siam dialect. And use simple words or short sentences when chatting. Because she learnt from experience, whenever she was excitedly explaining things back then, in the end, her stories were not properly conveyed. Especially jokes. In gist, whenever visiting her mother’s side, she will be more conscious of her choice of words.

When it comes to food spread during family gatherings, if there happens to be non-halal food presence, her mother’s family will notify them whenever they come over. She appreciates this about her mother’s family. She said,

“Because, as a growing Muslim child, we may not be sure of what we can and cannot consume. So they are always there to advise me. If events were going on at Kampung Siam, they would inform me whether I could participate or not. If it was a religious thing, they would make sure to ask me to step aside and watch only. To observe and understand their culture and conduct. I love my family. All these enriched my views in life.”

Reminiscing her good memories in Kampung Siam, Pulau Tikus, Penang.

“Perhaps, it is the last Kampung Siam in Penang, God knows when it will last. My mother’s kampung used to be the main place in Malaysia for Thai Buddhists to come and study the religion, especially to be Monks. Like a Madrasah. As far as I remember, on most days, the vicinity is very quiet, and serene. Basically, we can say that the whole kampung is a Thai Buddhist Centre. There are worship places, graveyards, cremation places and a few Wats. There are non-Thai Buddhist temples nearby, too. But, you can differentiate them by the colour of their gates. The gate Thai Buddhist Temple or Wat, will always be blue. So, the little me with my brothers and cousins all, used to play everywhere within the compound of Wat Chaiya Mangalaram. Although I don’t speak Thai, no one actually realised that I am Malay. No one cared, I was treated like any other Thai kid in the village. It was fun and free, haha, good days.”

Due to the large Siam community there, whenever there are holy ceremonies or Thai celebrations like Songkran, it is a huge event! It seems like we were in Thailand itself. She adds, “So yeah, when it comes to religious celebration, it was really a different exposure. Otherwise, mannerisms, food, as long as halal, we are all the same.”

Irma encourages fellow Malaysians to venture out and try to mingle with others outside of our racial circles as well. Especially, those in the suburbs, please do not be dictated by ideas that divide our beloved racial harmony. Take part in community events. At least, enough for us to respectfully understand others' way of living and perspective of life. From her own experience, once upon a time, she had a friend who hailed from a rural place and used to hang out only with her “own kind”. When her friend first moved to Singapore, the friend experienced major culture shock and developed anxiety issues. It took the friend a long time to adapt to the changes.

Therefore, being Malaysians, we must not be one-track-minded. Seize the opportunity, to explore the country and our rich culture. InshaAllah, if we can adapt to every state in Malaysia, we can make ourselves at home anywhere in this world!

---

Photos not tagged are taken from: Thai Laksa, Ayam Masak Lemak Cili Padi

[patricefi]

Travel from Singapore to Malaysia like a Pro

Heading from Singapore to Malaysia can be a thrilling adventure, but it's essential to do it like a pro to make the most of your trip. As an avid traveler, I've picked up a few tips along the way, and I'm excited to share them with you! So, here's how you can travel from Singapore to Malaysia like a pro, and trust me, it's a game-changer!

Say Goodbye to Hassles:

Navigating the border can be a bit overwhelming, especially with crowded buses and transfers. But fear not! The best way to avoid all the stress is by using SGMYVIPTransport's private car services. Seriously, it's like a breath of fresh air! You get to travel in comfort and style, without worrying about the logistics. It's a pro move for sure!

Personalized Bliss:

What I love about SGMYVIPTransport is their personalized touch. The drivers are not only friendly but also real experts. They know all the best routes and hidden gems, so you can sit back, relax, and let them take care of everything. It's like having your own local tour guide!

Endless Possibilities:

Malaysia has so much to offer, and with SGMYVIPTransport, you get to explore it all. From the vibrant city life of Kuala Lumpur to the picturesque Genting Highlands and the tranquil beaches of Desaru, the options are limitless. Whatever your adventure style, SGMYVIPTransport has got you covered!

A Pro Move on a Budget:

Traveling like a pro doesn't have to be expensive. The best part about SGMYVIPTransport is that they offer all these perks at competitive prices. You get to experience luxury without breaking the bank. It's a win-win!

So, there you have it - the secret to traveling from Singapore to Malaysia like a pro. Embrace the comfort and convenience of SGMYVIPTransport's private car services, enjoy a personalized experience with expert drivers, and explore all the beautiful destinations Malaysia has to offer. And the best part? You can do it all without blowing your budget. So, why wait? Make your journey like a pro with SGMYVIPTransport and create memories that will last a lifetime! Happy travels!

[bizarrequazar]

GJ and ZZH Updates — August 20-26

<<< previous week || all posts || following week >>>

This is part of a weekly series collecting updates from and relating to Gong Jun and Zhang Zhehan.

This post is not wholly comprehensive and is intended as an overview, links provided lead to further details. Dates are in accordance with China Standard Time, the organization is chronological. My own biases on some things are reflected here. Anything I include that is not concretely known is indicated as such, and you’re welcome to do your own research and draw your own conclusions as you see fit. Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or additions. :)

[Glossary of names and terms] [Masterlist of my posts about the situation with Zhang Zhehan]

08-20 → The Instagram posted three photos of “Zhang Zhehan” in Tibet and six scenery photos.

08-21 → The Zhang Sanjian TikTok account posted a video where “Zhang Zhehan” did the haizhe hand signal wrong and distinctly had breasts rather than pecs.

→ Hogan posted nine behind the scenes photos (1129 kadian) and a video from their recent shoot with Gong Jun.

→ Fresh posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun. Caption: “Love is a romantic surge day and night, and it is also a brave rush across mountains and seas. In the days when we can't see each other, I subconsciously want to put everything about the other party higher, including their address. This year's Qixi festival, Fresh joins hands with the spokesperson @ Gong Jun Simon to wish all long-distance couples a happy delivery and a harvest of love.”

→ Madame Tussauds posted a promotional video spoken by Gong Jun for Qixi. [subbed video]

08-22 → 361° posted two photo ads featuring Gong Jun.

→ A special episode of Hello Saturday was released for Qixi featuring Gong Jun and several other actors from Legend of Anle. (Filmed 07-22, the same day as the other episode.) (Not on YouTube yet, a link will be added here once it is.)

→ The Instagram posted two photos of “Zhang Zhehan” and seven scenery photos.

→ Gong Jun’s studio posted ten photos of him from the Hello Saturday episode. Caption: “His Royal Highness the Prince (Qixi Edition) @ Gong Jun Simon is back for a limited time, adding a little sweetness to your Qixi Festival~”

→ Rare posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ Gong Jun Outdoor Office posted a video of him learning a Douyin dance. Caption: “Dancing miracle”

→ Ranyi Music announced another Zhang Sanjian concert, this time in Kuala Lumpur. As a reminder, [here] is my post collecting information about how the Bangkok concerts were sketchy as fuck. The venue for this one is inside a mall that is largely empty aside from the concert hall itself and adult-oriented stores.

→ Fresh posted a promotional video spoken by Gong Jun.

08-23 → Gong Jun’s studio posted a promotional image for Fox Spirit Matchmaker to celebrate 2 million users setting notifications for its airing. Caption: “It’s hard to cool down with a passion in the blood, and he is unrestrained between heaven and earth. The number of reservations on the site has exceeded 2 million! Dongfang Yuechu @ Gong Jun Simon will see you soon!” Gong Jun Outdoor Office posted the same image without the text overlay, caption: “Posted the original picture!“

→ The Fox Spirit Matchmaker Weibo posted a promotional image of Gong Jun and his costar Yang Mi to celebrate the same milestone.

08-24 → Gong Jun’s studio posted a promotional video for 361° and the Asian Games spoken by him. 

→ The Instagram posted ten photos of “Zhang Zhehan”, a dog, and scenery. The caption included 🐶😺 and ⛰️ and reeked of desperation.

08-25 → Rare posted two photo ads featuring Gong Jun. (1129 kadian)

08-26 → The Instagram posted a video promoting their money laundering concert.

→ Da Zhangwei, one of the other regulars from Go Fighting!, posted a video Gong Jun filmed sending him a support message.

Additional Reading: → Flora finished translating the article on money laundering that she started last week. [follow up on how this potentially relates to the situation]

<<< previous week || all posts || following week >>>

[freifraufischer]

1998 Goodwill Games All Around [Philippines TV]

Gymnastics Classics:  The 1998 Goodwill Games

One of my favorite gymnastics meets of all times is one that can get a little overlooked by modern gymnastics fans because it is an event that no longer exists.  

The Forgotten Games

The Goodwill Games were organized by Ted Turner in the wake of the 1980 and 1984 Olympic boycotts to foster literal goodwill between cold war opponents.  Some say that it was a vanity project, an attempt to rival the Olympics, and even an attempt by Turner to get himself a Nobel Peace Prize.  They were held every four years starting in 1986 in an off year cycle from the Olympic Games.   

 From a gymnastics point of view the quality of the field depended greatly and as a rule of thumb the better events were held in years that there was no competing FIG World Championship that year (1986, 1990, and 1998).  Without a world championship the 1998 international elite gymnastics calendar was relatively light.  The only other large events that year were the European championships had been held three months prior in Saint Petersburg, Russia and was won by Svetlana Khorkina and the Commonwealth Games held in  Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia two months later and won by Australian Zeena McLaughlin.  

As a consequence the field for the Goodwill Games was probably the best it would ever be here.  It’s worth at this point talking about the format of the meet.  There was no qualifying round (and the Goodwill Games as a made for television event had never used compulsories which were by this point a thing of the past).  The first days were an all around, followed by two days of event finals, and then two days of mixed pairs.  

The women’s all around field was amazing:  

Reigning world champion Svetlana Khorkina was already one of the most dominant gymnasts of her age.  

Simona Amanar had won 4 medals in Atlanta (including a bronze in the AA and a gold on vault) and had taken silver at in the 1997 worlds behind Khorkina as well as being the default winner of the 2000 Olympic all around.

Meng Fei had 3 world medals at this point and was China’s most decorated gymnast actively competing at the time. 

Maria Olaru would be the world all around champion the next year and the default Olympic silver medalist in the 2000 all around.  

Elena Produnova had had an injury riddled career at this point but she was the 1997 world bronze medalist behind Khorkina and Amanar.  

The Australian entry, Zeena McLaughlin would take the commonwealth games later that year.  

And none of them won it.

Dominique Moceanu was already almost a faded star or cautionary tale by this point in her career.  She had rocketed to the top of US gymnastics in 1995 as “the next Nadia” as the youngest national champion ever, her outgoing personality and cheerful disposition was made for television fluff pieces.  Her talent is sometimes under rated by American fans who grew to dislike her and a gymnastics community that saw her as a threat because of her willingness to speak out against it’s abuses.  In 1995 she had come in 5th in the world all around (behind Podkopayeva, Khorkina, Milosovici, and Amanar) and only .2 out of the medals.  She had taken a silver medal on beam at 1995 worlds (behind notoriously terrible gymnast Mo Huilan and tied with Lilia Podkopayeva).

Going into Atlanta there was every reason to see her as a true contender for the all around title (if you ignored that Lilia doing Lilia things would always win if she hit).  She was in third after compulsories and would win a gold medal with her team.  But her olympic performances were hampered by a 4 cm stress fracture in her leg and limited training before it.  Today we look back on her falling on her head in the beam final as a story of a sport that cared little for it’s athletes, and we rarely talk about her performance in the floor final less than an hour later being hampered by the likely concussion.  

But by 1998 Moceanu was no longer a star in the American program.  She had grown five inches (how dare she) and her body had matured.  There were starting to be stories about her spending frivolously the money she had made post Atlanta but the details of her father stealing that money to invest in his own businesses was not yet public.  “Out of shape” she came in 14th in the 1997 Worlds AA, a performance that was characterized as disappointing.  Kristin  Maloney, one of the new favored stars of the American program finished in 13th less than .1 ahead of her.

And by the the time she was set to compete in the Goodwill Games she had already begun the legal process that would emancipate her from her parents just three months later.  She was broke.  Her parents had betrayed her.  Her sport had dismissed her.  And she was competing in a field of some of the greatest names the sport would ever know.

Watching this meet...

The version at the top of this post is I think the best one to watch for the competition.  It has the same Bart Conner/Kathy Johnson commentary as the American coverage but while the American version has (slightly) better video quality, the American version also cuts many routines as well as most of the entire second rotation.

If you don’t want to watch the entire thing I urge you to watch Moceanu’s floor.

I’m not actually a fan of the famous “Devil Went Down to Georgia” routine.  She sold it well but I thought the choreography made a teenager look like a child.  This is a woman’s performance.

Unfortunately for Moceanu injuries and her family nightmare would start to catch up to her.  A knee injury hampered her performance at the US Championships only a few weeks after this, and her father would fire her coach without telling her before trying to hire a hitman to have the coach murdered.  Some of the news coverage at the time implied that this was overblown or fanciful but I would suggest watching this piece from the January 1999 Reese’s Cup to get the best sense of the situation.