#got a shoutout in a podcast today and it was… weird

[starbuck]

i don’t understand people who get sick pleasure from recounting tragedies, i really don’t

[heartofether]

Season One Q&A - Part One TRANSCRIPT

[You can listen to the show wherever you get your podcasts, or go to our “Listen” page if you’re on desktop.]

VAL

Hey, there. Just wanted to let you all know that after we recorded our season one Q&A, we decided that because it ran so long, it would be a much better listening experience if we cut it into two parts. So, what you are listening to right now is part one. If you asked a question and you don’t hear it in this part, I can guarantee you it will be in the second one. Thank you all so much and enjoy the Q&A!

[MUSIC PLAYS FOR A FEW SECONDS]

LUKA [AS THE MUSIC FADES]

Hello everyone, welcome to My Brother, My Brother, and Me.

[VAL LAUGHS.]

LUKA

[THROUGH LAUGHTER] An advice show for the modern era. I guess, should I just try it and then if it sounds really bad, like, I’ll immediately back out?

VAL

Yeah, you can try.

LUKA

Hello, everyone. Welcome to The Heart of Ether season one Q&A! [THEY HUFF A LAUGH.] How are you feeling today, Val?

VAL

Feeling great. [BEAT] Was that it?

LUKA

That sounded like something.

[THEY BOTH LAUGH.]

LUKA

Should we introduce ourselves? I don’t know.

[PAUSE.] Um. I mean, probably.

VAL

Yeah.

LUKA

That would be good. [BEAT] Do you want to go first? [THEY LAUGH.]

VAL

Yeah. Um, my name is Val. I’m the writer and producer of The Heart of Ether, as well as the voice of Rosemary Quinn.

LUKA

Woo!

VAL

You’ve probably heard me say that several times at the beginning of episodes by now.

LUKA

[SMALLER] Woo!

VAL

So—

LUKA

Cheers.

VAL

Cheers.

LUKA

And— [THEY LAUGH.] Who am I? My name—nope. I’m gonna start that sentence over.

[THEY BOTH LAUGH.]

LUKA

And I’m Luka Miller! I play Irene, and I make music—no, I don’t. Yeah, I do.

[MORE LAUGHTER.]

LUKA

[CONT.] I do the music for the show.

So, we got a lot—I sound so disinterested. I’m not, I promise. I’m just trying to be cohesive.

VAL

[OVERLAPPING, THROUGH LAUGHTER] You’re fine, you’re fine.

LUKA

So we got sent a lot of very good questions. I’m going to moderate, I guess. Moderate is the worst word I could use—

VAL

In quotation marks.

LUKA

“Moderate” in quotation marks. There’s two people here, and I’m asking the questions. Interviewer? Question mark? That’s fine.

VAL

[OVERLAPPING] Wow, that’s so fancy.

LUKA

Okay, so, I was going to save my question for last, but I think it’s actually a good intro question. 

VAL

Okay.

LUKA

So starting right off the bat.

VAL

Okay.

LUKA

This is a question from me. Are you ready?

VAL

[SOMEWHAT NERVOUSLY] Yeah?

LUKA

So you bring this up in an episode, and I felt the need to ask it to where there was an answer. I think it’s Episode 7? If it’s not Episode 7, it’s not—that’s going to look really bad on me.

[VAL LAUGHS.]

VAL

It’s fine, it’s fine.

LUKA

Every time I think something happened, I say it’s in Episode 7.

[THEY BOTH LAUGH.]

LUKA

Um. Who was Irene’s anime crush in middle school?

VAL

See, you’re the one asking me that, but you’re the one who knows her name. ‘Cause I haven’t seen this—’cause we talked about this. We had a discussion about this, but I don’t remember the girl’s name.

LUKA

Okay, ‘cause I was—okay, ‘cause here’s the thing: I know who we kind of agreed on when we first had the conversation, but I was wondering if we had, like, settled on it.

VAL

I hadn’t given it any additional thought. I mean, I guess like...haven’t watched an anime in long enough to like, come up with a cohesive thought about who it would be.

LUKA

Um, the original answer was Bishamon from Noragami. [PAUSE] Because—

VAL

I—

LUKA

[CONT.] Because that was my, uh— [WHEEZE] Uh, can we edit that out?

[VAL LAUGHS.]

LUKA

That’s a joke. You can leave it in, but like— [THEY LAUGH.] I am exposing myself a little bit here. She’s kinda sexy.

VAL

I mean—you know what? I think that’s an acceptable answer.

LUKA

Yeah?

VAL

Like, I think that’s solid.

LUKA

Okay.

VAL

I can’t think of anything better.

LUKA

Okay. I just figured the people needed to know, so I wanted to throw it in there.

VAL

[OVERLAPPING] Now the people know.

LUKA

The people know.

Okay, so, the next ten questions are all from the same person. Shoutout to Jes.

VAL

Truly a homie.

LUKA

Jesse Smith. We love you. The light of my life. I feel like this just sounds like I’m just talking to some random person, uh—Jes is everything. We love Jes.

[THEY BOTH LAUGH.]

VAL

Jes, um—

LUKA

We know Jes personally. It’s not weird, I promise.

VAL

For context of the show, Jes is voice of Dr. Michaels in Episode 7. Kinda forgot that happened, not gonna lie.

LUKA

Yeah, Jes—Jes in the show. Cheers. Good for them.

VAL

Cheers.

LUKA

I wonder if Jes will ever be in the show again.

VAL

Wow!

LUKA

Probably—[DEADPAN] Never. They won’t.

[VAL LAUGHS.]

LUKA

Alright, number one. You’re gonna hate this question.

VAL

Okay.

LUKA

“Do you have an estimation for the season two or season two trailer release date?”

[VAL SIGHS.]

VAL

That’s a great question. [BEAT] No.

[LUKA LAUGHS.]

LUKA

The answer is soon.

VAL

Soon. I don’t have any exact dates or times for you.

LUKA

It’s written.

VAL

Season two trailer is written. The actors have read over it. Will not say who those actors are.

LUKA

It’s been cast, though. Everything is set up to get it recorded.

VAL

Yeah. Also, while trailer is technically very close to being ready, I do not want to give you guys trailer and then you have to wait, like, seven months for season two or something crazy like that. Like, I wanna wait a little bit.

LUKA

Yeah, but we do have a few things that will be going up—

VAL

Yeah, that’s true.

LUKA

[CONT.] —in the few—in the next coming weeks. 

VAL

That’s true.

LUKA

Um, some of which are very exciting. I will not—

VAL

Some of it’s still being planned.

LUKA

Shh. Don’t worry about it. Don’t worry about it. Don’t worry about it. But, exciting things coming before trailer.

VAL

Yeah, so, trailer will be coming hopefully soon, but you will also have plenty of bonus content besides trailer to look forward to. 

LUKA

This one is fun: “If the main cast of characters was in D&D, what class would they be? Additionally, do any of them actually play D&D?”

VAL

[THINKING] This one’s gonna take me a moment.

LUKA

I think—oh, I was gonna say something, but that was gonna be really dumb. Valencia Wizard. 

VAL

I think you’re right about that. I think Valencia Wizard makes a lot of sense. Dorothy, also, I guess in that case.

I think Irene would be a Druid, and that’s primarily just because forestry—

LUKA

[OVERLAPPING] Forest School.

VAL

[THEY CHUCKLE.] Yeah. Forest School.

Carol would be—I think Carol would just be a Fighter. Just like, a basic Fighter. I can’t think of anything better for her. Uh—me forgetting every D&D class.

Hold on, I have one: Aden would be a Bard.

LUKA

Mmhm.

VAL

And he would exclusively play Mitski songs.

LUKA

[THEY CHUCKLE.] Good for him.

VAL

Good for him.

Phoebe, I think—Phoebe might also be a Wizard. But she might—I dunno, she might also be, like, a Sorcerer? I feel like that has an energy, but I’m not sure.

LUKA

I have a suggestion.

VAL

Okay.

LUKA

You can say no.

VAL

Alright.

LUKA

Holly maybe Ranger.

VAL

I was going to say Holly Barbarian, but Holly Ranger makes a lot more sense.

LUKA

Yeah?

VAL

Yeah.

LUKA

This is specifically—[CENSORED BEEP TO HIDE SPOILERS.]

[VAL LAUGHS.]

LUKA

I think makes—I think, uh, it makes sense to me.

VAL

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. So, I—wait, what would Rose be?

Maybe Rose would also be a Bard? I think Rose would either be a Bard or a Monk.

LUKA

Ooh.

VAL

Like I feel like Monk has vibes.

LUKA

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do you think any of them actually play D&D?

VAL

I feel like Irene has at least tried to get into D&D at some point. 

LUKA

I—

VAL

Aden definitely does, um—

[THEY BOTH CHUCKLE.]

LUKA

I think Irene went to, like, one D&D club meeting in college.

VAL

Yeah.

LUKA

Tried to learn it, and then felt bad about herself because she couldn’t remember the rules, and then didn’t go again.

VAL

That makes a lot of sense, yeah.

LUKA

This is not from personal experience, but it’s darn close.

[VAL LAUGHS.]

LUKA

Anyways—[THEY LAUGH.] Um, number three. Well, number four, but number three off of Jes’s list.

VAL

Yeah.

LUKA

“Has Irene had any pets in the past? If so, what were their names?” Other than, um—well, I guess he doesn’t count. Because he’s not her cat.

VAL

Yeah. Sir Griffin the Third was Irene’s cat in spirit. Like, not actually, but it was borderline just co-parenting at a certain point.

I feel like it would make sense if at some point, in like, her initial grieving process, she tried to get some sort of pet for her dorm. So maybe she had, like, a fish? But then she got really upset when the fish died, and like didn’t have the heart to get another one. I feel like that makes sense?

LUKA

That makes sense to me, and it’s very sad.

Okay, so num— [STUTTERING FOR A FEW MOMENTS, THEN] We’ve talked about this question a little bit.

[VAL LAUGHS.]

LUKA

[CONT.] I’ll preface that. This one is not—this one I cannot say Val did not see it before we started it, because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut about it, because it’s really funny to me.

It says, “Irene kin list drop?”

[PAUSE.]

VAL

Okay—

LUKA

And now, we’ve had a bit of a discussion about it, but I think there’s room for a lot more.

VAL

There’s room for a lot of improvement. Um, Moomin from Moominvalley.

LUKA

Mmhm. Abandonment issues.

VAL

Abandonment issues.

I have a really awful thought.

LUKA

What?

VAL

The tenth Doctor.

LUKA

[OVERLAPPING] Now—

VAL

[OVERLAPPING] Reason being, Rose!

LUKA

Abandon—Rose, shaking hands with abandonment issues, tenth Doctor, yeah.

VAL

Yeah. The venn diagram—

[THEY BOTH LAUGH.]

LUKA

[THROUGH LAUGHTER] So, so far, we have Moomin, the tenth Doctor—

[MORE LAUGHTER.]

VAL

Um...we kind of—we kind of talked about this. I feel like—because we all know Irene really doesn’t like Twilight, but I feel like she has consumed Twilight at some point. Like, whether she saw the movies, or read the books out of curiosity, she knows Twilight. She just doesn’t want to admit it. So I feel like some inner part of her does identify with Alice Cullen.

LUKA

Yup.

[MUTTERS] Can I say that? Is that allowed?

VAL

What is it?

LUKA

I was gonna say Duck Newton.

[VAL LAUGHS.]

LUKA

Does that make sense?

[VAL SAYS SOMETHING INDISTINCT IN RESPONSE.]

LUKA

[OVERLAPPING] Alternatively, Juno Devine. 

VAL

That’s also really good.

LUKA

[OVERLAPPING] I think Juno Devine, maybe.

VAL

Juno Devine has an energy.

LUKA

[OVERLAPPING] There’s a fine line between Duck Newton and Juno Devine, and Irene’s treading it.

VAL

Yeah. So, um, Irene Gray kin list: Moomin, tenth Doctor, Alice Cullen, some mix of Duck Newton and Juno Devine. That feels—

LUKA

[OVERLAPPING] That feels pretty answered to me.

VAL

That feels good.

LUKA

Okay, number five: “What was the most fun episode to record?”

Now, this is—personally speaking, we did not sit down—like, at first, it was sitting down and being like, “Oh, we need to record this specific episode.” And then we got ahead on certain episodes that were recorded, and then had to go back in and fill in chunks.

VAL

Yeah.

LUKA

[OVERLAPPING] So I don’t think it’s necessarily, like, what episode—

VAL

Yeah.

LUKA

[CONT.] Because it was not all done at once for any of them.

VAL

Yeah. And that’s difficult for me, because the episodes that I remember recording the most aren’t the ones that were the most fun.

LUKA

[WITH DREAD] Yeah.

VAL

They were the ones that were the worst to record. Cough cough, Episode 12, cough cough. [THEY LAUGH.]

LUKA

[STRETCHED OUT] Yeah.

Um—I mean, I can talk about something I think was fun—

VAL

Yeah.

LUKA

[CONT.] —but was simultaneously bad.

VAL

Yeah?

LUKA

Um. You had this realization after the fact, but that every single scene in Episode 12, by the time we finished it, had to have been re-recorded at least once. 

VAL

Some of them several times.

LUKA

However, on the first take of—I think we ended up—no, we didn’t re-do Episode 11.

VAL

I don't—

LUKA

Like, I re-recorded “howdy, motherfucker” a decent amount of times, but other than that—

VAL

[OVERLAPPING] Yeah, and I’m sure—yeah, sorry, sidenote to that: you guys will at some point receive a compilation of just Irene saying “howdy, motherfucker” a bunch of times.

LUKA

It was not my highest moment, I will say that.

[THEY BOTH GIGGLE.]

LUKA

But Episode 11, the—when we went to record it, I had had surgery about two, three days before?

[MORE LAUGHTER.]

LUKA

[CONT.] Not, not on like, my arm or like, even like, my internal organs, but on my mouth. Like, in my gums.

VAL

Yeah.

LUKA

And so that was a whole process. Um, like obviously, we’ve left the question.

[THEY BOTH LAUGH.]

LUKA

We’ve left what was the most fun to record. But the entire time we were recording Episode 11, I was holding half of my cheek down, because if I laughed, I was going to tear my stitches. Could we have waited? Yes.

VAL

Did we?

LUKA

[OVERLAPPING] Don’t be like us. [THEY LAUGH.]

VAL

Learn your lesson now.

LUKA

Um, I’m trying to think of, like, my most fun.

VAL

I guess...I don’t know. 

LUKA

For me, it was probably recording with either Ayla or Cass. So maybe, either, what, 3 or 4?

VAL

Yeah.

LUKA

[OVERLAPPING] That feels like it happened six years ago.

VAL

Yeah.

LUKA

I don’t remember. Um, recording with Cass was a lot of fun.

VAL

Yeah.

LUKA

I’ll say that. So, what, Episode 3?

VAL

That makes sense, yeah.

LUKA

If that’s the wrong number, I’m gonna get dragged. [THEY LAUGH]

VAL

No. You’re right, you’re right.

LUKA

Okay. Um, I think Mitski scene—

VAL

Yeah.

LUKA

—and Cass and I trying to record while her cat scratched at the door, which, that’s Frank.

VAL

Yeah.

LUKA

Um, we—when there’s pause in the bloopers of me going, “Frank?” It’s ‘cause he was scratching at the door, trying to get in.

VAL

Yeah.

LUKA

Good for him. Alright. Uh, “what was your favorite line of the season?” Well-

VAL

This one feels pretty easy. Are we thinking of the same line?

LUKA

I mean probably.

VAL

Yeah, it’s probably “Howdy Motherfucker.”

LUKA

Yeah. I personally already, and you can cut this out too. I’m sorry I’m giving you more work but it popped into my head—

VAL

It’s okay—

LUKA

It popped into my head—actually you know what would be funny? If, um, I give this whole lead up to it and then you leave it in, and then you bleep out when I say the line.

VAL

Yeah?

LUKA

That would be really funny.

VAL

Okay, yeah.

LUKA

Um, I was gonna say this and then I realized that it’s not, um, in season one. But because you sent me first drafts for season two, my favorite is [BLEEPED OUT SPOILERS]

[LAUGHTER]

VAL

That is really good.

LUKA

So that’s actually my favorite line.

VAL

Yeah.

LUKA 

And it’s just bleeped out, I think that would be funny.  Anyways.

VAL

Yeah.

LUKA

“Howdy motherfucker.”

VAL

“Howdy motherfucker” is probably the highlight of the season.

LUKA

My alternate one is, “Well damn, Carol I don’t wanna die here.”

VAL

Yeah. [LAUGHING]

LUKA

Because of the meme that someone made edited over That 70s Show. “Damn Carol—”

VAL

I think about that—I think about that a lot.

LUKA

It’s actually one of my favorite things. [TAKES A BREATH] Um, “what are you most excited for in the future of the show?”

VAL

Um, I’m really excited to get to make merch for the show. Which, you know, we don’t really have anything officially to tell you guys yet, but we are, we are working on stuff. So generally for the show-

LUKA

Teehee.

VAL

I’m really excited for that. But also there are some very exciting moments in season two that I am super looking forward to people getting to hear.

LUKA

I’m really excited to start recording for season two.

VAL

Yeah.

LUKA

I think also specifically because there’s a lot of new, like, actors.

VAL

Yeah.

LUKA

And just having read, like, the first drafts of the first two episodes, the difference in like Irene interacting with Aden and Carol versus the characters that she’s, like, interacting with in the first two episodes of season two is, um, wildly different. Um, very excited to get bullied by other actors, I guess.

VAL

Season two just: Irene bully club.

LUKA

It is. Actually, you know what, you don’t have to listen to season two that’s it. [BEAT] Moving on.

“What is Carol’s favorite band?” I was—I don’t know why but it popped into my head Mumford and Sons.

[LAUGHTER]

VAL

See—hmm.

LUKA

Or like, Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood.

VAL

Kelly Clarkson’s an artist. Am I allowed to answer an artist instead of like—

LUKA That makes, yeah, yeah. I don’t think Jes is gonna drag you—

VAL

Am I allowed to say Jimmy Buffet?

LUKA

Yes?

[LAUGHTER]

LUKA

Yeah you can I guess.  I mean if you really want to. If you wanna commit to that—

VAL

I don’t think I can, actually, hold on, I’ll edit this out, I genuinely can’t think of anything. I’m trying to think of something that’s like borderline southern but like not all the way southern.

LUKA

Florida Georgia Line.

VAL

I almost said The Mountain Goats but that feels too queer for Carol.

LUKA

Mmhmm. I feel like maybe she listens to Keith Urban.

VAL

That makes sense.

LUKA

Like I know you said borderline country and that’s straight up country, or maybe like- oh my roots are showing- um Dierks Bentley, Keith Urban.

VAL

Yeah

LUKA

Uh, what’s his name, Luke Bryan… One off naming all the country men my mother used to listen to- aw what if my mom listens to the QnA?

[LAUGHTER]

LUKA

I’m sorry, mom! Does that—

VAL

I can’t think of a better answer. I feel like, okay. Honorary answer, outside of all of the country stuff, I do feel like Carol would like Elton John.

LUKA

Yeah.

VAL

Like, just a little bit at least. Vibes. Yeah.

LUKA

Yeah. Give her credit, give her credit.

VAL

I’ll give her some credit.

LUKA

Okay. Now this one is prefaced with “This is by far the most important question.”

VAL

Okay?

LUKA

“Does Carol have horses?”

VAL

She lives in an apartment.

[LAUGHING]

LUKA

Jes, Jes is very dedicated to horse girl Carol.

VAL

Where would she put them? No Jes? Jes message me after this comes out and tell me where would Carol put them?

LUKA

I, I think you can really tell um the difference between this list of ten questions from someone that we talk to every day, versus probably the way the tables are gonna turn as soon as we move on from this chunk of questions. But, no, Jes, please explain.

VAL

Yeah. No, my messages are open.

LUKA

Okay, number ten, from Jes. Last one.

VAL

Okay.

LUKA

“How long has Aden collected knitted cats, and does he have a favorite?”

VAL

I think he’s been doing it for a couple of years. I think it’s a combination of cats that he has tried to knit himself and cats that he has found at thrift stores, yard sales, wherever he can get his hands on them.

And I think his favorite is one that he made with an eye that’s, like a little bit lopsided? Like it’s a little bit off, but he’s so attached to it because it took him so long and it was like the first he ever made, and that’s his favorite. Yeah.

LUKA

Yeah, that sounds right.

VAL

And its name?

LUKA

Oh, you’re really, you’re putting pressure on yourself. I thought we were gonna move on, but no please, tell us the name.

VAL

Its name is Pearl. That’s not a funny name, that’s just a name.

LUKA

I mean that’s good enough.

VAL

That’s good enough!

LUKA

It’s funny if you let it be.

VAL

Someone will make a joke about it.

LUKA 

Alright, we’re moving on from Jes question, we can’t be mean to the question askers.

Okay. So this is from megnotmargaret on tiktok. Now, the first question on here, I remember looking at it, and I was like, oh, well this question’s gonna be answered by the time this comes out, however there are a few things that I wanna bring up in regards to it. So the question was, “Will we be getting any bloopers?”

So the answer is obviously yes. But. I felt there were a few things that needed to be brought up. There are bloopers that we can’t find. There are specific bits of bloopers that we know exist, and when we were looking through the audio to get our bloopers out, we could not find them. So—

VAL

Also, due to like remote recording, we had some really funny excellent bits in there, like some really excellent inside jokes from recording, i.e. “vegan garlic,” that just couldn’t make it in because we didn’t record the conversation happening.

LUKA

One of my favorite ones is the clip of you in the bloopers going “uh—hello?” But you can’t hear the other end of it.

VAL

Cause—let me give the context for that. Basically, we were recording episode twelve. It was Cass and I on the call, doing Rose’s part. And while I was recording this really serious Rose monologue, Cass started singing to herself on the other end of the call, and I got really confused.

LUKA

Cass said: I’ve never seen the mute button in my life. Don’t know her.

Um, also one more thing that I wanted to say about the bloopers before we move on, because I think at some point we had it in our heads that we were gonna clarify, like at the beginning of the bloopers, but we didn’t, the clip of me saying “blah blah blah blah blah, next time I cry, I’m gonna get Helen out.” Helen is the name of my microphone. I felt the need to give a little bit of context.

VAL

Yeah.

LUKA

I do have a new microphone, it is no longer Helen, but she lives on in spirit.

VAL

Rest in peace, Helen.

LUKA

Rest in peace, love. You never got to—no I’m not gonna try and do the joke. There’s nothing in my head. The joke is—I was gonna explain the joke but… we’re recording this on Michael right now, so that’s the joke.

VAL

Yeah.

VAL [ANNOUNCEMENT, OUTSIDE OF THE CONVERSATION]

Look forward to part two coming out in two weeks. Thank you for listening!

[letterboxd]

How I Letterboxd #5: Will Slater.

Talking mullets and other manes with the man behind the internet’s definitive ‘exploding helicopters in movies’ catalog.

“Man cannot live on helicopter explosions alone. Even I need some occasional intellectual nourishment.”

A London-based PR man by day, by night Will Slater has a thing (and a podcast, blog and Twitter account) for movies that feature exploding helicopters. According to his Letterboxd bio, it’s “the world’s only podcast and blog dedicated to celebrating the art of exploding helicopters in films… as well as shaming those directors who dishonor the helicopter explosion genre”. As Will tells Jack Moulton, he also loves film noir, Wakaliwood, masala movies and much more. Just don’t get him started on the one action movie cliché that never fails to disappoint.

Sylvester Stallone takes aim in ‘Rambo III’ (1988).

First things first, have you ever had a ride in a helicopter? Will Slater: What, do you think I’m mad? Of course I’ve never flown in a helicopter! If I’ve learned anything from watching hundreds of films where helicopters spectacularly explode, it’s that they are a singularly dangerous form of transport. You never know when Sylvester Stallone is going to pop up with an explosive-tipped arrow and blow you out of the sky.

I’m going to say the words ‘the definitive action hero/heroine’. Who pops into your head first? No runners-up. Go. Snake Plissken, no question, for a number of good reasons. First, there’s the look: that eye-patch, the beaten-to-hell leather jacket and Kurt Russell’s lustrous mane of hair. Second, there’s the attitude: his contempt for authority, the drawled sarcasm and all-round bad-assery. And I also like that he doesn’t have any special abilities. Action heroes generally tend to be either musclebound slabs of beef—Arnold Schwarzenegger, Stallone—or martial arts specialists—Jean-Claude van Damme, Jackie Chan—Plissken is just a pissed-off, angry dude who’s trying to stay alive. He’s very relatable. Plus, I’d argue he pretty much invented the whole anti-hero formula that rules our screens today.

Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken in John Carpenter’s ‘Escape from New York’ (1981).

When did you start your podcast and which film got you into looking deeper into the topic? It was while watching the cheesily bad Cyborg Cop that I first had an epiphany about the weird and wonderful ways in which helicopters seemed to continually explode in movies. But the film that convinced me to start documenting the phenomenon was Stone Cold. If you’re not familiar with the film, it was an attempt to turn former gridiron star and mullet-king Brian Bosworth into the next big action star. It goes without saying that Stone Cold did not transform ‘The Boz’ into the next Arnold Schwarzenegger, but the film wasn’t a total failure as it features a helicopter explosion that is as brilliant as it is gloriously stupid.

And that was the prompt to start the Exploding Helicopter. I launched the website in 2009, and the podcast followed 2015. Since we started, our aim has been a simple one: to celebrate the strange and inventive ways that helicopters explode in films.

Motorcycle crashes into helicopter in mid-air, ‘Stone Cold’ (1991).

When did you join Letterboxd? What are your favorite features here? I’ve been around since 2013. As for the features, the stats are very cool. When you dig into your viewing history, you can learn some very revealing things about yourself. For example, I generally like to think I have a commendably broad taste in film, and watch only the most important and influential works from every decade, genre and country. But then you look at the data and find you’ve watched Thunderball nine times in the last five years, so maybe you’re not as cool as you thought.

We noticed that your profile faves are low-key and explosion-free, given your theme of choice. Why these four and not Die Hard four times? Man cannot live on helicopter explosions alone. Even I need some occasional intellectual nourishment, between watching whirlybird conflagrations. There’s a little bit of nostalgia tied up in The Ipcress File. I first saw it as a kid, and it made a big impression on me. It’s very stylishly directed, has a great John Barry score and a star-making turn from Michael Caine. I’m a big film noir fan and Sweet Smell Of Success is a beautifully sour tale of cynicism and manipulation. To borrow the words of Burt Lancaster in the film, it’s a “cookie full of arsenic”.

Jean-Pierre Melville is my favorite director and Le Samouraï was the first of his films that I saw. What Melville does so masterfully in this, and his other crime films, is distil the elements of film noir. Basically, he takes the genre’s iconography—the gun, the trenchcoat, the fedora—and familiar plot tropes—the betrayed assassin, the heist gone wrong, the criminal doing one last job—then elevates them above cliché into something almost mythic. And what do I really need to say about Taxi Driver, other than it’s a masterpiece?

Now you say you shame directors who dishonor the art of helicopter explosions? Which directors did you dirty? Well, one of the biggest names in our hall of shame is Tony Scott. For a man who specialized in hyper-stylized, pyrotechnic-filled action movies, he flunked every helicopter explosion he filmed. In our eyes, one of the most egregious offences you can commit is failing to show the helicopter explosion. And in both Spy Game and Domino, old Tony cheats the viewer by having the chopper fly out of sight before it explodes. Now, I can accept such visual chicanery in a low-budget film, where they presumably don’t have the money to stage the scene, but what’s Tony’s excuse? If you look at his filmography, at one time or another he’s wrecked trains, planes and automobiles in spectacular fashion. But for some reason, he repeatedly couldn’t be bothered to give us a satisfying chopper conflagration. At a certain point, it starts to feel like a personal slight. Tony, what did I ever do to you?

In your immortal words, “a film is always improved by a helicopter explosion.” When has this been especially true? When you see lists of worst-ever directors, Uwe Boll is a name that always seems to turn up. And, according to the internet, one of his worst-ever films is the video game adaptation, Far Cry. Now, I’m not going to try [to] convince you that the film is a neglected classic, but it does have a very imaginatively staged exploding helicopter scene. It’s too convoluted to explain here, but take my word that it wouldn’t be out of place in a Fast and Furious movie.

What about the unsung heroes; the stunt artists, the pilots, the pyrotechnicians, the VFX wizards who have worked on numerous iconic action moments, all of whom deserve a shoutout? Personally, I don’t understand why the Academy doesn’t have a stunts category. But if they did, I’d be lobbying hard for Spiro Razatos to get the first award. These days, he works as a stunt coordinator on the Fast and Furious and Marvel films, but I’d like to draw people’s attention to some of his early work. Back in the nineties, he did a lot of work with PM Entertainment films, an independent company that made low-budget action films for the home video market.

They might not have had much money, but they put every cent on the screen with glorious, raucously inventive set pieces that were often more spectacular than big-budget Hollywood offerings. And remember: this was in pre-CGI times, so every death-defying detail was absolutely ‘real’. Go back and watch films like The Sweeper or Rage, and you’ll can see why Super Spiro has now graduated to these more prestigious gigs.

Narrow this list down for us: which is the ultimate most spine-tingly epic “we got company” movie moment? As you may have gathered, I do like an action movie cliché. When you encounter one in a film, it’s like meeting an old friend. And one of my favorites is when someone uses this classic line of dialog to signal that a car chase or a gun battle is about to start. I’ve heard people deliver the line in all sorts of ways–funny, scared, angrily and often just badly. But if you want spine-tingly, then you can’t beat Harrison Ford in Star Wars. He drops the line during the detention-block scene after failing to bluff an imperial officer. As soon as he says it, John Williams’ iconic score kicks in. It gives you the ‘feels’ every time.

“Boring conversation anyway.” Han Solo and Chewbacca in ‘Star Wars’ (1977).

And which action movie cliché can you simply not stand? Stop it: my hackles are raising just thinking about it. For me, the trope that never fails to disappoint is the ‘reluctant’ hero being convinced to take up arms and join the fight. You know the scene. Invariably, the hero has hung up their spurs and is living a bucolic existence ‘off the grid’, when a gruff buddy shows up asking them to risk almost certain death by taking on ‘one last job’. Now, dialog is rarely an action film’s greatest strength, and these beefcake actors generally are not cast for their dramatic chops. Which means we get subjected to the same perfunctory and uninteresting scene over and over again: “I told you, I’m out the game”, “Goddamnit, we need you”, “OK, I’ll do it”. These scenes just never work and are never less than painful to watch.

Which up-and-coming action director are you most excited about? In terms of up-and-coming action talent, I’d pick the director Stefano Sollima. I first noticed his work on a couple of TV series: the fantastic Italian crime dramas, Romanzo Criminale and Gomorrah. The way he composed shots really stood out, and it was clear he had a very cinematic eye. He rather reminds me of Michael Mann. He’s now on Hollywood’s radar and got to direct Sicario: Day of the Soldado the other year. And he’s lined up to make a Tom Clancy adaptation with Michael B. Jordan. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with.

Have you witnessed the glory that is Wakaliwood—Ugandan DIY action filmmaking—three of which make Letterboxd’s official top ten films by black directors? Which international films do you feel out-match Hollywood? I love the Wakaliwood films I’ve seen. It’s fascinating to watch action films from around the world and see their different styles and flavors. Recently, I’ve been trying to investigate Indian cinema and, in particular, what are known as ‘masala movies’. These mix action, comedy, drama, romance and dance numbers into one big, crazy, entertaining mess. They’re a unique experience. If you want to check one out, I’d suggest Dhoom 2. It’s bananas.

Can you believe there are only two female directors represented in your exploding helicopter list? Do you believe that’s due to systemic or thematic reasons? You have to say it’s systemic. Men have dominated filmmaking for more than a century. Until women have the same opportunities to direct and make films as men, it’s impossible to know what their interest may or may not be in blowing up helicopters. [Will has previously written about the search for “true gender equality in the world of exploding helicopters”.]

To address the elephant in the room, how has Kobe Bryant’s unfortunate death earlier this year changed the way you look at these scenes? Obviously, I appreciate that Kobe Bryant’s death was very shocking and a tragedy for his family and fans. But basketball really is not a thing on these grim shores, so it didn’t register with us unenlightened Brits other than [as] a sad headline about a US sports star.

What was your most anticipated movie event of 2020 before Covid-19 pushed every tentpole back? That’s easy: No Time To Die. I’m a huge Bond fan and as soon as tickets were available, I booked myself in to see it on opening day at an IMAX. But if the Daniel Craig era is synonymous with anything, it’s lengthy delays between films.

Freerunner Sébastien Foucan in the opening scene from ‘Casino Royale’ (2006).

What’s a fond memory you have in theaters related to the Bond franchise? I remember going to see Casino Royale. I was excited, but also nervous to see it. The Brosnan era had ended with the risible Die Another Day: invisible cars, kitesurfing and, worst of all, John Cleese’s awful Q. Since that had come out, we’d had Mission: Impossible, Bourne and the Triple X films, so it wasn’t beyond the realms of possibility that Bond might be finished. Then the first ten minutes of Casino Royale happened. And while that outstanding parkour-inspired chase was terrifically exciting, it also hit me like cinematic Valium. I suddenly realised I could sit back and relax, safe in the knowledge that 007 was going to be just fine.

Are you planning on returning to theaters as soon as you can? When would you feel comfortable? I’m taking a wait-and-see approach. I’d love to see films back on the big screen again, but I want to know more about how cinemas are going to maintain social distancing inside.

Finally, what three Letterboxd accounts should we all be following? Why not give Todd Gaines, Jayson Kennedy or Fred Andersson a follow? If you’re interested in genre films that are a little off the beaten trail, they’ll likely all steer you towards some hidden gems.

[rorykillmore]

turning this back on you but are there any totally new things you've really enjoyed this year?

okay as a screenwriting major i am cONSTANTLY driven to consume new content so let me try and think what i’ve really enjoyed this year. i’ll probably forget a lot of stuff

well obviously you already know i’ve gotten into spop! after ages of just avoiding it because i didn’t want to deal with the seemingly voltron-esque fandom. and i’m glad i eventually got around to it because i ended up really really enjoying the characters and the worldbuilding and it’s honestly so COOL to see a kids fantasy show done by an lgbt creator and just… how that influences so many small things i might’ve taken for granted

i also recently watched the boys on amazon prime. it’s kind of like this gritty… superhero deconstruction, i guess?? in a period of time where i kind of feel that superheroes… need to be deconstructed. anyway it is EXTREMELY edgy but, again, i really liked the worldbuilding and what it was trying to do and it pretty much gripped me from start to finish

oh aaaand over the course of the summer i did finally get around to checking out the killing eve novels!  which was a really fun experience just, comparing and contrasting them to the show. they don’t have like… the show’s effortless charm and humor but they are REALLY fun spy thrillers with a very interesting, different interpretation of eve and villanelle as characters. the author wrote them eventually running away together and apparently frequently posts on twitter about how they’d probably own cats instead of having children. and he gave eve two pet pygmy goats, thelma and louise (collectively known as “the girls”). so really luke jennings is my kind of guy. 

oh speaking of, i also checked out fleabag, which is phoebe waller-bridge’s other most beloved show. it was… god, i feel like i cannot do fleabag justice by pitching it in only a few lines, but i feel like it’s something everyone should watch. it’s just… so funny and unapologetic in that way pwb is so good at, but also incredibly poignant and bittersweet and intelligent. like just. QUALITY quality television. fleabag is so good. and it’s a very short watch

i also (gasp) watched rwby this year! which i probably never would have done on my own (and no, @ everyone you’re still not allowed to rec me anime just because i liked it.) but i have some rp friends who are big into it and a couple of their portrayals just… really made me fall in love with the characters, so i decided i wanted to see them in canon! as you know im the kind of person who like, TOTALLY glazes over during extended fight scenes, and it has a lot of those, but i ended up being fond of it anyway just cause it has so much… heart and lots of COOL LADIES with focus on their relationships

movie wise i think my favorite thing that’s come out this year was midsommar, which is by the same guy who did hereditary. it’s sort of this… folk horror/fairy tale/break up movie/revenge fantasy combo and i don’t really know how to rec it because ari aster’s movies are SO intense on so many different levels, but is a GORGEOUS, visceral film that i really connected with and also just drooled over a lot from a filmmaker’s perspective,

then my favorite new thing to come out of hbo this year was chernobyl, which… hoh boy, chernobyl. what can i even say. it’s such a well made, respectful, NECESSARY retelling of a very important event in human history that’s still… very relevant in so many ways today. it’s just harrowing to watch at times but it’s also one of those things where i’m like, in awe of how good it is, and i LOVE just… idk, learning about history, so i was big into it

brief shoutout to slasher solstice which i just remembered existed. i guess i’ll count it as a new thing because slasher is like, an anthology series, so totally new story. it was some dumb campy bullshit but i had so much fun watching it

oh my god. and that reminds me i have to include. DEMONS.  sorry for putting that in all caps and bold, i realize that looks kind of threatening. i was just gonna mention “yeah josh and i have been watching some more dario argento movies lately” but no i need to mention demons specifically, which is like, one of the funniest, campiest, gory horror franchises from the 80′s i have ever fucking seen in my life. these movies are so. SO weird. and silly. but i’ve been like fucking obsessed with them ever since we sat down and watched the first one

uhh what else… i started luther and enjoyed what i saw of it a lot, i should watch more of that…

oh to include a podcast, i’ve been listening to this podcast will kill you on and off! it’s done by two med students and each episode is about a different infectious disease and i know that SOUNDS weird but listen i am learning SO much. did you know that wwii was in part indirectly caused by the spanish influenza pandemic? did you know that werewolf and vampire lore was largely drawn from people’s fear of rabies? did you know that the smallpox vaccine was the first one ever created and before that, people didn’t think vaccinations worked? NOW YOU DO. it’s kind of morbid but i’m like, SO interested in the history of disease and how it affected human society and it goes into a lot of that kind of stuff

[lolgen792]

Beginning the journey

  I started journaling in 2015, kind of on a whim. I’m not even sure why I started. I just remember that my aunt took me to the store and I saw this notebook I liked with “Trust in the Lord” on it. Although I went to church with my parents and attended Sunday school, I don’t think I believed in God. But I picked up that notebook, and my journey started.

As a 16 year old, I started journaling, and for me, it’s always been a way to process. I have all these thoughts and questions, and I didn’t really have anyone super close to me at the time to ask or tell these things to. Being an avid reader, I know the power of words, and so, it’s become a special thing to have these words for my future self. 

From trust to hope to white to Van Gogh

My first journal starts off on August 19, 2015. At this point, I had recently turned 15 and the school year was just upon me. I was entering my 10th grade year. It lasts until August 7, 2016, my birthday next year. I wrote about what I wanted to be when I grow up (which I still don’t know), God, music, just reminding myself to live this one life with everything that I’ve got.

  I started a structure that I don’t think I really thought through, but it has stuck with me. I start off with a song of the day. Music is so important to me, plus it’s a great way to record your favorites. I write the day and the time and the date. Then I just write a page a day. A page isn’t too much, and depending on the notebook, it isn’t too little. 

With my first journal, I doodled all over it. But it died as I went along. My second journal, I started way later. I think I finished my first one, and by the end of it, I wasn’t as consistent. My second journal began on September 7, 2017, and it ended on August 4, 2018, after I graduated high school. The cool thing with each journal was that I utilized the inside of the cover for quotes I love or song lyrics – mostly song lyrics.

My third journal (the white journal) is one I’m proud because I really forced myself to be consistent and not miss random days, and so I wrote in this journal, every day of freshman year of college. I started on August 5, 2018, and it ended on May 9, 2019. 

Things I learned about myself

I’m constantly worried about the future

Since I was 15, I’ve been telling myself I need to get my life together

Since I was 15, I’ve wanted to start a blog

I still listen to the same core music genres

I redefined my future so many times and still what I wanted came true

I fell in love with podcasts in 2018

Quotes from me

September 19, 2015

“Don’t allow yourself wasted worries over small things you don’t love.”

Me trying to write poetry (Shoutout to The Maine for inspiration)

April 27, 2016

“Some things amplify their absence by what’s present, defining all the lines by all the nonexistent shapes, I cannot see the bigger part of this plan, but I can feel the energy of all that’s happening around me…”

October 13, 2017

“The personal statement is like the initiation before joining a society, it really makes you regret the decision.”

June 8, 2018 – Six Flags trip

“The best part was hanging out with friends, laughing, crying, chatting, yelling, running, just being plain weird at strangers. Never forget that friendship is something special.”

July 22, 2018

“I could be happier and more appreciative of where I am in life than rushing each thing because I want the next. We are so good at seeking that we forget to be right where we are.”

March 14, 2019

“While we do have a sense of agency, life happens. The world amplifies the idea that we are to make it in spite of life. But what if life’s just leading us to where we’re really meant to be?”

May 9, 2019

“But I live for the moments of laughter for those people whose presence makes me smile. A conversation with a friend. Honestly, add some good music – and the world seems a little brighter.”

Journal prompts

Write down 10 things you want to do in 10 years

Write down things you’re grateful for

Write some criteria for your dream job, future spouse, or ideal lifestyle

Write out your ideal day with all the details

Write about something that made you smile

Write about what makes you wake up everyday

Write down things that are going well

Write down some areas of your life you need to give attention to

Write down some short/long term goals

Write down some habits you want + how you will get them

Write out your fears

Write a letter to your future self

Write a letter from your future self

Write what you’ve learned today, this month, or this year

Write about your favorite song

Write about what you believe

Write about your good and bad decisions

Write about how you feel + why you feel that way

  I journal because it’s a great way to process my emotions, I record my memories, and it’s a gift to my future self. I hope you find a good notebook, pick up a cool pen, and start journaling!

  Signing off, 

Gigi

  Do you journal? Why? What do you write about? Comment below and follow the blog!

Why I Journal + Journaling Prompts Beginning the journey I started journaling in 2015, kind of on a whim. I’m not even sure why I started.

[annamaba-blog]

Where the wind takes me...

I don’t know what this will be yet. I haven’t felt very inspired today. Shoutout to my coworker Rachel who suggested I write about her. She is such a delight and definitely one of my favorite people I’ve ever met. So glad our paths have crossed.

Sitting at a Starbucks drinking an iced coffee before rehearsal tonight. After my hour rehearsal I’ll be heading on over to Crystal’s to record for her podcast. I’m a little nervous but I’m hoping it will help someone who needs to hear it.

There are certain people in this world I speak to every day and I am so lucky to have them in my life. They lift me up when I am down. They calm me when I am anxious. They help me talk through things and give me different perspectives. But I’m trying not to rely on them and instead rely on myself. I really need to learn to trust myself. Add that to the list of things to work on.

Recently I posted on facebook and asked what I should do to celebrate my upcoming 100 pound weight loss milestone. I got some good answers, but one of my friends that I speak to every day asked me why I ask for opinions when I know what I want to do. It surprised me a little but it was weird because I had been thinking about it earlier in the day. I do that. I need to be validated. That’s so silly. Yes, it’s nice to hear that you’re talented from other people. Or that you had a great idea or you’re so smart. But that shouldn’t be the focus. 

Needing validation from others was brought up to me by a friend a couple of years ago. I remember being really hurt and upset at the time. I just didn’t understand. I also remember thinking I was so on top of my shit and how dare he criticize me when he also had stuff he needed to work on. Looking back, I was nowhere close to being on top of my shit. I had so much to learn and so much growing to do. Don’t we all. 

I’m not who I once was. Yes, I’m still hilarious and have many of the same wonderful qualities I used to have... But I’m not as needy and I don’t need that attention like I used to ...probably because I’m giving more to myself...instead of focusing on others.

I focus on others a lot. I just care. I can’t help it. But sometimes I care too much and I get pushy and want to fix everything. I can’t fix anyone. I can’t always make their problems better. Sometimes they aren’t open to receiving advice or help or love and I have to learn to be okay with that. And I am. I’m getting better! 

I didn’t know what this blog would be and now I feel like I’m jumping all over the place. But this past year has probably been the biggest year of growth in my life. And I know not everyone cares about all of this... but if one person does and I can inspire them or help them (if they are open to it...without fixing them) then it’s worth it. I just want to help! and I just want to love! 

Speaking of love. I’m going to corgis and cupcakes this weekend and I want to cuddle all of the puppies especially because I won’t be eating any of the cupcakes. But truly, as a corgi enthusiast and cupcake decorator, I feel as though this event was made for me. So excited. Let me know if you’d like to join. 

Also. Another thought. It’s no surprise that I would like to enter into a romantic relationship as it’s been a minute since a gentleman has laid his eyes on me. HOWEVER. I don’t need it anymore. I want it. But I am not dependent on it. I’m living my best life as a single 32 year old and I will continue to do so until someone is like “hey” and I’m like “hey” and we’re like “let’s grow together.” He’s out there. Maybe he’s still cooking. Maybe I’m still cooking. 

I have to go to rehearsal now. Be kind to others. Be kind to yourselves. 

[aftermathdb]

Death Battle Review: Raven vs. Twilight Sparkle.

Season 5, Episode 2 (or Battle 89) is starting off with a battle between two characters with mystical abilities, powerful empaths, warriors who originally rejected friendship but eventually found out that it was the key to defeating evil, and Tara Strong voicing them in their respective animated series.

As per usual, spoilers under the cut.

So… Tara Strong vs. Tara Strong, I guess. I honestly was not expecting this. I was expecting something more like… Mortal Kombat’s Blaze vs. Killer Instinct’s Cinder. Regardless, this is a bound to be a strong matchup… Sorry about that.

Elephant in the room that I feel needs to be addressed. Yeah… Twilight Sparkle. Given how… divisive Starscream vs. Rainbow Dash was, and how… zany Deadpool vs. Pinkie Pie was, I can understand the concerns. MLP has yet to suffer a loss, and given how weirdly they seem to treat the show, it can be understood that this isn’t something to be overly excited about. But I don’t understand why people are groaning “Another Pony episode?” - Because only Rainbow Dash and Pinkie have entered the fray. And now that I think about it, there’s never been two pony fights twice in a row in a season. By which I mean there’s never been two seasons in a row that feature a pony fight.

With those out of the way, let’s move on to the review.

Raven’s Preview.

Overall, the math presented here is very impressive. And by utilizing the various form of media that Raven has been present in, the best stats are used. In addition, the pop-up information cards makes their comeback. Quick shoutout to Gerardo (the editor of this particular episode) for making math look cool. It’s kinda hard to make something as mundane as math look interesting, so by using the various graphics, it made me excited to learn about the force that these characters can output.

Going over Raven’s backstory is actually pretty daunting. And the little “Take That” towards the constant retcons is actually a pretty good one. Because seriously! - These writers need to work with what they have.

The fact that there was barely any reference towards TTG seems like a good call here. That show is very polarizing, and I think that it’s a smart call not to open up any old wounds. The only reference being used as a quick joke.

The math seems fairly solid, and the various small jokes do work to the advantage. For example, the line of “As the crow - or the raven in this case,” is a little thing that works exceptionally well. It’s the little details that make the episode shine.

While I would have rather used that badass speech that Raven had for dear old dad in the original Teen Titans cartoon, the line that they used here is actually pretty impressive.

Twilight Sparkle’s preview.

The elephant in the room is tackled immediately here. Overall, instead of dreading the preview, the jokes and math that are used are pretty interesting.

Going over her backstory proves that there’s a lot more to her than meets the eye. 

You can even really go nuts trying to comprehend the crazy spells that Twilight has. From the gravity thing, to the “apple to egg” thing. The commentary points out that she’s got a myriad of spells that could have won the fight.

Actually, the bit about math is a bit misleading. Outside of the mystical shield durability, speed, and telekinetic lift, there’s not really much to work with. The focus seems to be more on the mystical abilities rather than the physical prowess. Appropriate, considering that Twilight doesn’t have a whole lot of physical feats of note to work with from what I recall.

Cheesy end line, but considering the source material… appropriate enough.

The Battle itself.

Similar to how both characters’ most recognized roles are both by Tara Strong, both characters in the fight will be voiced by Kira “Rinachan” Buckland. Animation is being done by Luis Cruz, animator of such impressive battles as Shredder vs. Silver Samurai, Metal Sonic vs. Zero, and Zoro vs. Erza. Music is done by Brandon Yates, and is called Titans of Magic. Sprites are done by Chris Bastin, and the background is made by the talented BonesWolbach from deviantart. And finally, the audio is done by three separate people.

Thanks to our rather talented voice actress, we can actually get a story reason as to why the fight starts, and it’s… weird. Like, I thought that the reason for Yang starting the fight with Tifa was petty, but this just takes it to a whole ‘nother level.

The animation does do a good job of showcasing the mystical destructive capabilities that both combatants have. Though, it feels like it’s a bit lowballed in the beginning.

But then the fight is taken to the field, and we get to see a lot more of the destructive force that can be doled out by these two. And the mystical prowess is actually pretty interesting and astounding. You can see the struggle between versatility and sheer power going head to head.

Then the finishing blow happens.

OH! Before I get into that, you will WANT to have already seen the episode beforehand. Because spoilers comes in 5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

Raven’s soul self annihilates Twilight by ramming her at Mach 36! Yeah, a pony lost. Go figure, huh?

Verdict + Explanation.

Clearly, they think that Luna is the best princess… And before you ask, no. I actually typed that out before watching the commentary. Though, it is making me crave a Luna vs… whatever fight. Moons are awesome.

Joking aside, they have a quick card explaining that the number of “Instant-Win” abilities that they had were equal. That’s something I appreciate. I’m not a fan of “Instant-Win” buttons. It just feels… wrong to pull them out to justify a win for a single character.

Overall, it’s apparent that Twilight is outmatched in several ways. She often relies on her friends to get the job done, and it’s obvious that her durability isn’t that strong to endure any killing blow from Raven.

And we also get a look in how DC just basically tosses physics out the window for the sake of “Rule of Cool.” Going over each of their stats, the only real edge that Twilight had was mystical versatility. And that alone isn’t enough to win the day if Mega Man’s fight with Astro Boy is to be believed.

And when they lowball statistics like how they’re doing with Raven’s soul-self, you know that the lowest possible stat far exceeds the opponent. The same applies when highballing a stat (Examples include Batman Beyond vs. Spider-Man 2099 and Naruto vs. Ichigo). When they go for the lowest possible stat that can be calculated for a certain character, it’s a good sign that that character basically stomps. And when doing the opposite, it’s clear that the other character doesn’t stand a chance.

Overall impression.

A very nice 8.3/10. While the verdict and the fight are really great, a lot of jokes can easily fly over someone’s head. Plus, I don’t want to incur any fan’s wrath by giving this a higher score. Maybe in the future, I can give it a higher one, but not today. Not now. The fight is spectacular though, and it’s hard to say that this is a bad fight, but it’s simply one that is not expected to be this good. That expectation is certainly a good one. The fight is fun. But I also feel as if Raven transporting the fight to her own little dimension could have been utilized in the battle. Regardless, the fight is a good one.

Major kudos for making Raven’s soul-self from scratch. Custom sprites are always a major plus, and it’s always fun to see how they mesh with the environment/characters. And when it’s a well-made sprite? - That’s when it becomes spectacular.

I want to also take the time here in the impression section to comment on the meshing of vector art and sprite art. The custom animations are great, and the aesthetics are great. Kudos to Luis, that is some pretty great animation techniques. It certainly shows why he’s one of the best sprite animators that the show has. Sprite battles like these are ones that make a lot of fights look spectacular, and it can even have visuals on par with some 3D animations as well.

Next time…

Well, they did say on the podcast that the next combatants were going to be ones who haven’t appeared before… I just wasn’t expecting this. It’s another Anime vs. Anime fight, and I’d say that’s… interesting. I don’t know a whole lot about these characters, so I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do.

Is there a fight that you want me to review? - Send an ask/request, and I’ll look into it!

Do you want to read my fanfic based around DEATH BATTLE itself? click here!

Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you next time for…

Uh… I don’t have a clever name or quip for this one.

[eulaliasims]

5 Things Meme

@aondaneedles tagged me for this one! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ ✧ﾟ･: *ヽ(◕ヮ◕ヽ)

5 things you’ll find in my bag:

chewing gum

earbuds

a button that fell off my coat at the theater yesterday that I need to sew on (it’s constantly dropping buttons :/)

mini hairbrush

I think there's a packet of tea in there somewhere

(I got a tiny crossbody bag to battle my natural urge to carry absolutely E V E R Y T H I N G in my purse, hence the boring list. It's backfired somewhat because now I can't fit things I actually need into it.)

5 things you’ll find in my room:

some Funko Pop figurines (I resisted the trend but I CAVED, THEY'RE CUTE NOW, I ADMIT IT)

lots of books (I just donated about thirty books and there's still too many ~_~)

a yoga mat

at least one cat usually, currently two

perfume

5 things that make me happy:

kitties

my ~*~beautiful~*~ christmas tree

I have a bunch of delicious food to eat today and tomorrow I’ll be going to an auntie’s house and eating even MORE delicious food, mmmmm

sleeeeeep so tired time for napz

clementines (gotta eat them all before the weird, sour-tasting ones show up in stores next month :p)

5 things I’m currently into:

makeup

true crime (listening to Thin Air even as I type this)

coffee loaded up with vanilla almond milk

fantasy novels (shoutout @ The City of Brass)

podcasts

5 things on my to-do list:

finish cleaning/redoing my clothing downloads. I stupidly started doing this while in the middle of playing a household and now I can't start playing again until all the files are where they belong.

wrap one last thing for my mother

return some real clothing to amazon

actually write something instead of just opening documents and staring at them  -_-

laundry~

[head-and-heart]

My Calgary Expo Experience

Okay guys so I’m still kind of dying. Today (probably yesterday by the time this goes up) was kind of amazing and I can’t believe that I met Bob Morley BUT I’M GOING TO ATTEMPT TO SHARE THE AWESOMENESS WITH YOU ALL.

Apparently recap posts about cons are a thing and I still can’t believe that I actually have reason to write one!!

I only decided to go on the Sunday because I could fit in the photo op, autograph signing, and panel all in one day so I felt that it was a good option, so I don’t know much about anything that happened on any of the other days.

It was sooo incredible. Bob is just ... wow. 

He just has the most adorable personality. And we all probably know this because you don’t need to meet him to be able to tell but he really does. As my friend who was with me likes to say, he’s all “soft and squish” hahahaha.

I was so so so nervous when we first walked into the autograph line (which was not very long at all because we came on the last day, and we also came early) and we were, like, two feet away from him because the line looped around. It was so weird. I still can’t believe that I was that close to him, let alone actually TALKED to him, and TOUCHED him. 

Also I’m about 99% sure that I saw Robyn from the Afictionados podcast in the line ahead of me because she has a very distinctive voice and I heard her mention Unity Days but I was too shy to talk to her and I wasn’t 100% it was her until later but anyway SHOUTOUT TO ROBYN IF YOU’RE READING THIS WHICH YOU PROBABLY AREN’T BUT IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT YOU ARE JUST KNOW THAT I REALLY LIKE YOUR PODCAST AND I'M REALLY AWKWARD SO I DIDN’T TELL YOU IN PERSON

anyway ..

Bob is just amazing because he was out in front of his table instead of behind it like basically all the other guests. It was really neat, he’s very interactive with the fans and likes to be very personal with everyone. He shook everyone’s hand that came to get an autograph and introduced himself (AS IF I DON’T KNOW WHO YOU ARE) and asked how we were doing and he was just so polite and cute and ugghh. I’ve never been to a con before but my friend was telling me how usually the autograph signing is very quick and they get you in and out of there very fast but Bob was so sweet and generous and took his time with everyone, actually attempting to have a real conversation with the fans. 

The people before us were taking a video of him which is prohibited apparently and the security guy there was getting mad at them but Bob was like “oh, I don’t mind ...” and he looked kind of uncomfortable (about the security guy, not the fans). 

He shaved his beard the night before and my friend was hEARTBROKEN because she LOVED it, haha. I think he looks nice either way, but I kind of prefer him cleanshaven so I was happy. HE PLAYS WITH HIS HAIR SO MUCH. And I swear that boy has an entire closet dedicated just to his various hats, its like every time I saw him he was wearing a different one.

My friend was a little starstruck so I ended up doing a lot of the conversation, but honestly I barely processed most of what he was saying. I mentioned that Zach talked about filming a movie with him at a recent con and asked him if he could share a little bit about it. He laughed and said that he was surprised Zach had said anything because they were supposed to be secretive about it so he didn’t really say anything more than what I already knew. He talked about how he was going to be filming in Malaysia pretty soon (which I already knew cause i’m extra lol) and how he hadn’t spent a whole lot of time prepping for the role so he needed to do some of that beforehand. It was fine that he couldn’t say much about it though because I was mostly just trying to keep the conversation going so I didn’t spontaneously combust and/or faint in his arms ... you know, the usual.

My friend was dressed up as Season 2 Octavia (with the warpaint) and I had a really crappy cosplay of Season 1 Clarke going on hahahaha. Basically I couldn’t find a jacket (and i have no idea how to make one) so I just had like the shirt and the watch and the hair and stuff so it wasn’t anything special. Most people probably thought I wasn’t dressed up at all. When I walked up to Bob he went “WOW that’s a big watch” cause my wrists are really tiny I guess haha. I don’t really know if he knew if I was Clarke or not. 

He started both of our autographs with “Dearest [name]” instead of just “Dear” or writing only our names, which I thought was adorable. It’s such a Bob thing to do - or at least something I would expect from him. He also put two x’s at the end.

I didn’t end up getting anything special signed because I couldn’t think of anything super creative, so I just chose one of their prints instead. They were nice though. 

When he saw my friend’s print that she’d chosen he went “wow I was so tan” and I kind of laughed because he’s still really tan and his skin is so nice haha, but meanwhile I’m white as hell and can’t tan for the life of me

Then we both took photos with him. I always see people talking about Bob smelling really nice and I was like “okay” because I don’t tend to talk about how people smell BUT HE ACTUALLY DOES OKAY. lol I know that seems weird, I don’t know how to describe the smell but its a thing, guys, all right?

Afterwards we looked around a bit at the convention and waited to head to Bob’s panel at 12:00. I ran into a few friends who I haven’t seen in awhile which was kind of nice. It was super packed. There were a lot more people who showed up to see Bob than I was expecting, but it was nice to see so many people coming together. :) The panel was 45 minutes but it went by soooooooo fast. The moderator kept asking Bob to expand on his questions basically, which ended up eating up a lot of time so I didn’t get to ask the question about Jasper and Bellamy that I wanted to, which was kind of disappointing. 

I was being so extra though, waving my hand in the hair and everything, trying to get her attention. I made eye contact with Bob because he saw me but then the woman picked someone else and it was really sad lol. I raised my hand EVERY SINGLE TIME. But I was ignored. 

*sigh*

NEXT TIME.

They were really strict about there being no videos so I couldn’t really get any, which is unfortunate, and I wasn’t close enough to get very good quality photos so I won’t post any of them here. If you have any questions about some things people are spreading about the panel or want confirmation about some stuff Bob said, just hit me up and I’ll hopefully clear some things for you because I know that the truth often gets skewed a little at conventions. Its like the fandom is playing a little game of telephone, except online.

Bob is soooo cute and endearing and funny, so I really enjoyed the panel. I know a lot of people have been posting about stuff that Bob but I’ll point out the stuff I remember anyway

Someone asked Bob was his favourite episode/scene was and Bob said that his favourite episode is yet to air, and that it really delves into Bellamy’s “psyche”, which he liked, so I’m super excited to see that. I do wonder if he’s referring to 4x10, actually, since the promo seems pretty Bellamy heavy and it’s written by Aaron who tends to write Bellamy pretty well, I think. We’ll see!

There’s a video of the Bellarke question going around which, to be perfectly honest, isn’t much different from anything else that he’s said. He apparently ~ doesn’t know ~ if they’ll go the romantic path but he believes that they have a very “special relationship” that is deeper than any romance. It’s not in the video that I’ve seen going around but he also said that Bellamy and Clarke have a certain understanding and honesty which he believes is definitely a good place to start to build a relationship on, if they were planning on going that route.

He said something that I really haven’t seen talked about at all, but both I and my friend thought was a little odd when we heard it. I think the question was asking what scenes with Bellamy were most difficult or something like that but he said "the romantic side I find very hard to play”, which I thought was kind of interesting because Bellamy hasn’t really had any romantic partners besides Gina very very briefly. Idk if that’s who he was referring to? *side eyes emoji* Take it with a grain of salt in any case.

Bob joked about how Bellamy gets beat up so often because he’s “been told that [Bob] sells hits really well” lol. He also said that he maybe takes punches a little too well because when Octavia was beating him up in 3x10 he got too into it and accidentally fell through the wall of the set and broke it.

The moderator pointed out that it’s remarkable how well some characters have recovered from being impaled and he made a cheeky little comment about how “it’s science guys!” because we all know just how accurate the science on this show is hahaha

Someone asked Bob how he and Bellamy are similar and he responded by saying that he was loyal to his family and that the similarities “start and finish there”. He talked about how Bellamy is so much more aggressive than he is and how he wouldn’t go around killing people. The moderator then asked him if he thought he would ever be capable of doing something like that and Bob went “NOOOOOOOO! I don’t have that in me, its ACTING!”. He sounded so offended, it was really funny, especially since Bob is so cute and pure so it just sounded bizarre when she asked that.

Apparently during the scene where Pike sentences Kane to death Mike Beach and Henry Ian Cusick had a solid 15 minute argument about whose side Bellamy should be on and Bob just decided to leave the room after awhile. Bob was just like “okay I’m just going to walk out and you two can decide which one of you is my dad”.

Bob enjoys doing fight scenes “because its always kind of exciting to feel like you’re tough, even though you’re not” (he laughed after he said that) and he also enjoyed doing the Bellamy speeches because he thought that they felt cool and kind of empowering to feel like you have the power to actually influence someone else, since there aren’t many opportunities for that in real life.

Since he likes fight scenes, he joked about how he always would ask “can’t I at least try and put up a fight”  and he also said that Bellamy tends to take more beatings than he gives now because Bellamy feels like he deserves to be beaten up for what he’s done.

In the scene where he found out that Octavia “died” apparently Bob went full out and was banging his head against the bars and actually got a cut all along his forehead because he was so into it.

He was asked if it ever hurt his vocal cords to talk so low in Bellamy’s voice and he joked that it’s painful when he has to scream all the time at such a low octave. He also talked about why Bellamy’s voice was so low, because he was really hungover when they shot the Pilot and when he saw the video he went back and was really surprised and he just kind of had to roll with it from there on out. I’ve heard that story before but it was cool to hear Bob talk about it in person.

I know we all love to talk about the drastic difference in pitch between Bellamy and Bob’s voice but I’m telling you that its something else to hear it in person instead of just in a video. The change is SO dramatic.

One time when Bellamy had to do a big speech in Season 1, Bob had a really bad cold and he couldn’t speak properly so he was kind of screeching and messing up and he said it was really “embarassing” and so frustrating that he actually started to cry. The whole crowd went “aWWWWWwwwWWWWW” when he said that and he was like “yeah, yeah, I know, I know” all bashful and it was really cute.

He talked about how he would rather be judged for his “content” versus his physique and he said “maybe its not even me to feel that way” which made me sad, and then he said that he now recognizes that being judged for his appearance comes with the job sometimes.

Bob says that he likes polarizing the audience but that some people on social media can’t seem to separate him from Bellamy and he joked about all these people who meet him and are just like “I hate your character but, you know, you’re okay” and I was honestly like WHO DO I HAVE TO FIGHT COME AT ME

If he could bring back anyone he said he would bring back Pike and someone yelled “WHYYYY????” and Bob talked about how he caused lots of chaos and whatnot which was interesting, to which the mod was like “they already have enough chaos” and then Bob responded with “what’s wrong with a little chaos?” and I died. nOT like that’s one of the most iconic lines of Season 1 or anything ..

He also said he thought bringing Finn back would be interesting because “his moral compass is very different from Clarke and Bellamy’s” 

When he was a kid he wanted to be a stuntman and he would bite into ceramic plates because he thought that’s what they did, lol. Bob just went, “SO stupid” after he described it haha

I CAN’T BELIEVE I FORGOT. He joked a ton about his hair and how the apocalypse is great for the characters’ hair. He talked about how the hair team is great and how Bellamy has “great hair game” in Season 4, but that all seems to change after Bob finishes filming and he doesn’t really do anything with it. He's very self-deprecating

Bob says that when he struggles in getting into Bellamy’s headspace a lot of the time he just starts thinking about lunch because that’s what Mike Beach told him to do, hahahahaha. He also talked about how there’s “a lot of stupid stuff” going around in Bellamy’s head a lot of the time.

He said that he likes to do rock climbing, but a lot of the time he just ends up playing video games instead.

He finds Octavia and Bellamy’s storyline together this season “heartbreaking”.

He says his scenes with Eliza are “always really great” because they’re very “emotional” and he gets to cry lol

Apparently Bob is like one of two people who actually knows how to drive the rover because its stick shift and its “impossible”.

One girl that was picked said “sorry” and Bob was like “what are you apologizing for?” and the moderator was like “it’s the Canadian way” or something along those lines but the girl was just like “cause I’m so awkward” and the whole time i was thinking girl SAME i feel you

Bob says playing Bellamy has changed his real voice. He thinks his voice has “dropped down because of it” even when he’s not playing Bellamy.

Bob said that one of his friends tried to get him to compete in a smashbrothers competition and he went but he said it was really intense so he was like “no, no, no, I’m going to stay home and be the king of my own house”

Bob doesn’t like sitting behind the table when signing autographs because he “feels weird” about it and enjoys interacting with fans because he feels that social media is really “devoid of connection” and he’s “just a normal person” like the rest of us, which was sweet. <3

Bob says that “I’m very loving but I’m very pragmatic” when referring to Bellamy (not himself)

Bob loves Bellamy soo much and he is super protective of him (like us!). He says that when people don’t like Bellamy sometimes he’s just like “oh well let’s talk about this, maybe I can talk you around” but it doesn’t usually work haha

He said that he went to a play in Australia because William Mcinnes, who he really loves, was in it but he didn’t know what it was about and it turned out be about IVF treatment lol and he was like “yeah that was kinda weird [...] maybe I should have read the plot first ...”

After the panel we looked around at all the merchandise but there was barely anything for The 100, which wasn’t all that surprising. I honestly didn’t expect to find anything, but we stumbled completely by accident onto this jewelry stand and we saw one necklace for The 100 and started freaking out because we couldn’t find any The 100 merch ANYWHERE and the lady heard us and told us that she sold stuff at Unity Days so she’d designed an entire jewelry line for The 100 and showed us her collection.

It was so awesome. She makes all these neat little themed charm bracelets for all shows, so there was one for Lost, and OUAT and Supernatural and all that, which was nice but she had a whole COLLECTION for The 100, with themed bracelets for almost all the individual characters. I remember seeing something similar online, maybe even the same ones, and had told my friend earlier that I thought they were cool.

I DEFINITELY wasn’t expecting to actually find them. 

My friend bought the Bellamy one and I bought the Raven one, because I personally thought that the Raven one was more true to the character than the other one (but they were both really cute!). I’m not one for fandom merch so it was kind of exciting for me to buy something. 

Here’s a pic of my Raven bracelet: 

And here’s my friends Bellamy bracelet:

Later we went to go get our photo ops with Bob, which we did individually. It was very fast-paced so we didn’t get to spend much time with him or anything but I was actually surprisingly relaxed and calm the second time I saw him? Idk he’s just so humble and down-to-earth and he really makes you feel comfortable around him, so I wasn’t nearly as nervous as I was earlier. 

When he saw my friend and I he was just like “hello again” and I thought it was cute that he remembered us, after meeting hundreds of individual people!

I just took a regular photo with him, no special poses or anything, because I felt weird asking for anything different. But to be honest I wish that I asked him for a hug, because I saw a girl go before us who did and her photo ended up looking REALLY good and now I’m super jealous, dammit. 

NEXT TIME. 

(I feel like I’m making a lot of promises to myself in this post, hmmmmmm)

Anyways, after we got the photo he turned to me and said “thank you!” and I was just thinking WHY ARE YOU THANKING ME??? YOU JUST MADE MY ENTIRE EXISTENCE, THANK YOU!

So that was my experience seeing Bob. I’m so far from over it and just looking at the pictures makes me feel all light and happy. He’s such a great person and you can tell that he’s not just putting an act or a show for the benefit of his fans, he’s truly genuine! 

Now I know what people mean when they talk about how after they meet some of the cast, they just want to do it again the next day. I’ve got the con fever, I want to go to another one so bad (but of course I’m infinitely grateful that I got to see him in person at all, because it was such an incredible experience)! Bob is so sweet and adorable and KIND (like I’ve reiterated half a million times) and deserves everything amazing in the world, I don’t know make the rules, k?

And there’s just something so ... amazing about cons. No one there is judging you, everyone there is a shameless nerd as well, haha, and its such a safe space for fans to go and meet celebrities, guests, and each other. Whenever my friend and I saw anyone wearing The 100 merch or cosplaying as someone from The 100, we always got so excited. Because there are ACTUAL REAL PHYSICAL people in front of us who are just as obsessed as we are, and you don’t get that connection through TV. Everyone is so friendly and accepting, complimenting each other’s costumes and whatnot. The community is just amazing. 

Here’s hoping that I get to experience this again, and that any of you who haven’t yet get to as well! Everyone deserves to go to a con and have as much fun as I did. :)

Not sure if I’m going to post my photos with him because I’m really weird about posting photos of myself on the internet. I guess I’m just paranoid that someone I know will stumble across it, or my fandom days will come back to haunt me in twenty years or so and someone will pull up my photograph and my account with my dramatic ass screaming about Bellarke and Bellamy Blake and all that and judge me for the rest of my life. We’ll see. Maybe BFSN??

I’ll consider it. ;)

[blackcoffeeandblankpagess]

Tar Heel 10 Miler Race Recap Pre-race: Woke up at 6:15 naturally and got ready. The race didn't start until 7:45 and the starting line was a 5 minute walk from my dorm so there wasn't any rush. Ate half a clif bar, drank some water, out the door. Ran into a friend from my floor on my way out of my building who was also running it. We talked for a few and then split up so I could meet up with my marathon club people. It was nice to see everyone but also kinda weird since I haven't been to practice basically this entire semester due to injury/I have class at night 3 days a week aka the same time as practice. Miles 1&2: Started out way too fast and ran sub-8s which wouldn't have been a big deal a few months ago but was definitely a bad idea today. It's much harder to slow it down when everyone around you is moving fast. Also tried to start listening to S-Town but wasn't getting into it, probably because too much was happening for me to really devote attention to it. Mile 3: Realized I was fucked. Decided I definitely needed to try to slow it down or the next 7 miles were going to be looooooong. Also switched to the Runner's World podcast which was a much better idea. Miles 4-8: Not much to say here. Just kept pushing on. Mile 8.5: About a mile before this I started to feel like I had to go to the bathroom and given my previous history with races and this feeling (re: shitting my pants during my first half marathon) I decided to look for a porta potty. I wasn't running this race to break records, just to run 10 miles so I was okay with pausing for a few seconds even if that would mess up my "official" time. Mile 8.5-9.5: Laurel. Hill. If you are someone familiar to chapel hill (hi @musingsoflulu) you know this hill suuuucks. Again, in the fall I could run it no problem and was killing it, hills are actually one of my strengths, but today it was just not happening. I did something I never do (and never need to do) in a race and I walked. It was really brief, probably 15 seconds total, but I was okay with it. I went out there with the goal of doing the best I could and I knew in that brief moment walking was the best that I could do. That's okay. Also- just to give you guys an idea of how impressive this hill is they literally set up a separate split for the mile that the hill encompasses and give out awards for just that portion of the race because getting up it fast is so impressive. Mile 9.5-10 Finished it out. Felt strong. Glad it was over. All in all it was tough. My pace was forty seconds slower than what I ran my (second) half at in the fall and at the time that felt easy whereas in this race I was feeling it. I kept thinking of what laura (you're getting a lot of shoutouts in this post) said in response to a question yesterday about getting back into running post injury "be easy on yourself and bask in the wonder of running again for the first time in awhile." I was out there and I was running. That is good enough.

[tuckinpodcast-blog]

EPISODE 0: PROBLEMATIC HOLLYWOOD

LISTEN:  SOUNDCLOUD

SOURCES: listed at end of transcript

NOTES: We’re waiting on validation from the iTunes store and Stitcher is down, but everything will be available on other platforms soon!

TRANSCRIPT:

Hi, I’m Jack, and this is the first episode of “Tuck In: We’re Rolling: Queer Hollywood Stories”. Kind of. It’s more of an Episode Zero. I wanted to have a little bit of a conversation, if you will, about why I decided to make this podcast and and, you know, some other important tidbits and facts.

So, I decided to make this podcast a couple of weeks ago after I had finished reading a book called The Whole Equation by an author named David Thomson. It’s a really good book, but it kinda became apparent about halfway through reading reading it that the author kind of has a low opinion of stars that had been been rumored to be gay or lesbians, and even really just women in general. 

So I was reading this book and, you know, I feel like he -- he crossed a line with me, at least, when he went on to say something about Monty Clift, and sort of disparaging Montgomery Clift. And, so, I -- I had a few drinks and I logged onto my tumblr -- my personal tumblr -- and I went on a rant. I went on a rant, and it started with my talking about Cary Grant. And I had been listening to You Must Remember This, a podcast by Karina Longworth which is an absolutely amazing podcast and I definitely suggest you should read it -- listen to it, I mean. So it’s kind of a widely agreed upon fact from several biographers that Cary Grant was gay. And I had never known that. You know, I’ve loved Cary Grant for a really solid portion of my life, um, you know, I wanted to be Cary Grant when I saw Arsenic and Old Lace, only slightly less than I wanted to be Marlon Brando when I saw Streetcar Named Desire. So I started off by talking about how angry I was that no one knew this. Or if they did, it wasn’t really widely known and I felt like it was sort of queer erasure in Hollywood. And you know, my rant went on and on and I talked about Marlon Brando and I talked a little bit  about Monty Clift and I invoked the great names of Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich and Katherine Hepburn. Um -- but, you know, after all was said and done, uh, somebody kinda popular reblogged it and I got a reply from someone and they said, “Well, Cary Grant wasn’t gay. Cary Grant was bisexual.”

Okay, Cary Grant was bisexual. Or was he gay? Well, we -- we really don’t have any way of knowing. Because, and this is the important part here, a lot of queer history in Hollywood has been erased. And a lot of the people I’m gonna talk about, at least in the first half of the season, uh, we don’t know. They’re dead, and maybe, you know, things happened after they had died and someone came forward and said, “No, I had a relationship with this person” or there were rumors or it -- it -- you know, things like that. So there’s really no way of knowing, and the stories that I’m going to bringing to you are a lot of secondhand rumors and a lot of heresay. You know, you type in ‘gay Hollywood’ in Google, and at least three articles come up, you know, listicles come up that say, “Well, this peson was gay, and this person was gay, and this person was gay.“

So, you know, getting back to Marlon Brando, I just finished a biography of him called Brando’s Smile*, uh, I can’t remember the name of the author right now, uh, and it, uh, you know -- it’s mostly about her talking about his work and his good deeds and his life, um, a little about his personal life about his son’s murder trial and things like that. Um, and it, it mentions that he met James Dean. And James Dean just had stars in his eyes, and just, was so excited to meet him, and after he had passed away, Brando said it was such a shame. And, on one of these listicles that I, of course, clicked on, because I’m -- of course, I’m gonna click on clickbait, the very first entry was about Marlon Brando and James Dean having an affair. And again, there’s really no way of knowing, but in my journeys of researching this podcast, I did come across at least one time that Marlon Brando said, “Yeah, I’ve hooked up with a guy, it’s not a big deal. Everybody does it.”**

So, this gets to my second point, which is [that] a lot of Hollywood history has been erased simply by people who don’t want to admit it. People who are just really loyal fans and they’re like, “No, there’s no way that they were gay, there’s no way that they were a lesbian, you know, they were -- they were married, they had kids, they did all this stuff.” And you know, it’s true, Marlon Brando had six kids, at least six kids biologically, and he adopted another six and you know, he -- he was -- he had a lot of lovers, as it were. Um, but he did admit, that one time. “I totally made it with a dude”. So what I’m trying to say here is that’s really no indicator of sexuality. People even today, gay people, get married to people of the opposite sex and they have kids and, you know, they do all these things. So I wanna address that, and then, kind of, push it to the side.

A lot of the other reasons that gay Hollywood history has been erased -- it comes down to, you know, Hollywood fixers. If someone is caught hooking up with someone of the same sex, you know, the old studios hired people to to come in and grease some palms and make it all go away, and that did happen quite a bit. And sometimes it backfired like with Billy Haines, when he was outed by the police and the newspapers and then subsequently booted out of Hollywood. And we’ll talk a little bit about him later in the season. And, you know, it also happened because maybe some people were out openly in Hollywood but not necessarily public about their relationships. So, what it comes down to is, this information is lost, which kind of gets back to my second point.

Hollywood has -- Hollywood has a really history of sort of nurturing this weird, queer, artistic vibe, but then denying these same queer people their right to exist in history. So this season, we’re gonna kind of go ahead and start digging through all of the wreckage of queer Hollywood history. Uh -- I’m gonna start back in the silent era, with a little bit about Rudolph Valentino, who wasn’t gay, but we’ll get to that, and I’m gonna go all the way through the 60′s, with the Civil Rights movement, and with people starting to market towards a gay audience, and we’re gonna come all the way up to present day with  a little episode about American Gods and its awesome sex scene and great diversity. We’re gonna do some collaborative episodes, some roundtable episodes, with my roommates and creative collaborators who are also working on their own podcast and hopefully that’ll be out soon. Um, it’s gonna be a really great season and I hope you’re here for the entire ride.

Uh, but before I leave you, uh, I wanted to mention a little bit of uh, kind of a disclaimer about gendered language. I’m gonna try and use non-gendered language as much as possible, but uh, obviously it’s a pretty well-agreed upon fact that uh, unless I’m talking about a transgender person, that most of the old Hollywood stars were cisgender. Um, I’m also going to be referring to the LGBT community as ‘queer people’ as a collective. I think it’s just a little bit easier to say than ‘LGBT community’ every ten seconds. Uh, and I’m also going to probably be referring to groups of actors and actresses as ‘actors’, not to disparage actresses and all the shit they that they had to put up with, but it’s just once again a little bit easier in a spoken word format.

So, thank you for listening to the very first episode Tuck In, We’re Rolling: Queer Hollywood Stories. This episode was recorded and edited by me, Jack Segreto. You can find a trasncript of this episode, along with our sources and some other fun facts and photos on our tumblr, tuckinpodcast.tumblr.com. You can also give us a like on Facebook at facebook.com/tuckinpodcast. Our ask box is open on tumblr for comments and suggestions, and you can also message us on Fcaebook. And uh, special thanks today for -- to my roommates Vanessa and Anissa for dealing with talking about this podcast for forever and forcing them to sit through a ton of old black and white movies that they’re not really sure if they like. Also special thanks to my friends Nicole and CJ all the way out in L.A. for giving me the name of the -- this series. Um, special thanks to my friends for listening to me, uh, talk about all this stuff. Shoutout to Kale for calling Lauren Bacall’s eyebrows ahead of their time. So thank you for listening! We’ll see you next time.

*Brando’s Smile, written by Susan L. Mizruchi (2014) **Full quote: “Homosexuality is so much in fashion that it no longer makes news. Like a large number of men, I, too, have had homosexual experiences and I am not ashamed.” (Celebrities in Hell, written by Warren Allen Smith)

[pixelatedlenses]

So it’s the 20th in Japan, but the 19th in America, and that means that this still counts. I hope I can accurately convey my feelings. Please understand the meaning of this, and honestly, if you have any statements of the “But Japan bombed Pearl Harbor!” or “But Japan was a colonialist country” variety, don’t comment at all. Japanese-Americans and their Diaspora are significantly different from Japan and the actions of the former Imperial Army. Japanese-Americans often fought against Japan and the former Imperial Army and definitely fought against the Axis Powers. Do not discredit that history by saying, “But all Japanese!” anywhere on my blog. Today, and this blog, are not the place to have that very important conversation concerning Japanese imperialism in China, Korea, and Southeast Asian, which yes, is very important. As a historian who focused on that very thing for their thesis, I will tell you it is necessary to engage in that conversation. There’s a lot to unpack and discuss, especially considering recent dialogue between both countries and rising tensions that stem from the 1906-1910 forced colonization of the Korean peninsula. That is something that we must discuss.

But not today, and not in this moment of remembrance.

Today is about Japanese-Americans and their respective diaspora specifically, about interment, and remembering why we cannot let another people become a scapegoat and captive in America again.

If you didn’t come here with that intent, please accept this blessing in the form it comes. Also, forgive me: this is a five page blessing that goes into a lot of discussion. The blessing’s still there, it’s just tucked between a bit of a reflection.

Some articles to read:

From the LA Times, an article about survivor and member of the 42nd Regimental Combat Team Tokuji Yoshihashi, age 94.

From CNN, an article by George Takei talking about Japanese-American interment from a personal point of view. I recommend also reading up on his play Allegiance which focuses on Japanese-interment.

From The Japan times, a general article discussing current measures to establish designated, government recognized days, and additional measures, for Day of Remembrance.

Note: These are only a few resources, but I encourage you to seek information and open dialogue to learn. We remember because we don’t want to forget horrible grievances, and learning allows us to keep from treading that ground again. Find your local Japan-America society, go to universities or Japanese Community centers, and respectfully allow yourself to be taught about this part of American history so that you can become an ally and understand a bigger picture.

Today is Day of Remembrance in memory of the thousands –tens of thousands, to the sad tune of 120,000 American citizens– . It’s the 75th anniversary, and many who lived in the camps still are alive, living testaments to racism in America that is currently seeing an ugly revival. It comes in the form of White Nationalists calling for persons of Muslim faith to be put away in camps, in anti-Semitism, in the school-to-prison pipeline that steals away innocence. It comes in racism blocking change.

As I made my commute from Minami Fukushima to the station this morning, I listened to the final chapter of Book 1 of Harry Potter on Harry Potter and the Sacred Text. It’s become something I really enjoy lately –shoutout to @hpsacredtext for such a quality product, all the way from Fukushima City, Japan– and have felt has revived my spirituality through the use of a pop culture medium being used to reflect on ourselves through religious practices.

The focus of the podcast was love, in many different forms.

I had to pause it before they got to the type of reflective practice they were going to use, and before they give a blessing to a character: both are parts of the show I rather like, and almost look forward to each listen. However, in the spirit of HP and the Sacred Text, I want to offer a blessing, in my own, small way, of love to Japanese-Americans on this day.

It is, of course, a blessing of love.

I want to start with the fact that it is, in its own right, interesting that this day comes during Black History Month. I don’t think I ever noticed this growing up because honestly, my education about Japanese persons was limited to social media and what I understood from poorly written textbooks: it wasn’t until college that I got a Big Picture education. Black persons have often been imagined to be composed of grief: a grief of a lost heritage, of a lost land, of being taken, used, called chattel, then ignorant, then colored, and now thugs, of being continuously beaten down by society so that we will settle into “our place” and one day, ascend to become good persons, productive members of society, but always remember that we’re still Black, and therefore less. It’s a quite privileged image to see a people as constantly overcoming and therefore strong: it kind of excludes the fact that many Black persons feel incredibly deep pain from that forced rhetoric.

In the words of many Black persons greater than I that have come before me, that’s some mess if I’ve ever heard it.

But above all else –above a fetishized image of the sexualize image of Black persons, above self-serving guilt about our pasts, above a month where we’re barely the spotlight– we are made of love, and that is a fact I’ll take to my grave. It is writ into the fine lines and creases on a grandmother’s face, put into her cooking and the warm hugs she offers. It is in the smiles of the multitudes of black women who are living their lives, lights up in the eyes of black men facing adversity. It is in our children who are the future, in a black child’s victory for the entire community, in a president that made it possible to have a 2nd, 3rd, 20th, 50th Black President, in a light that shines through a national community of brown and black bodies, eyes looking ahead towards an even brighter future.

I feel that the same light, the same pervasive brightness and power, is in Japanese-Americans also, because it wasn’t so long ago that we were cut from the same cloth: dangers to society, hated, and forced into captivity, made to be scapegoats for a war that wasn’t there, and forced to atone when they were American citizens. For a long time, persons of Asian Descent –Chinese persons in the 1800s, Japanese persons in early part of the 1900s, then Korean and Vietnamese persons in the latter part of the century, and now, persons in the Middle Eastern regions – have been the target of hate. This has always been alongside Black hatred: I’d dare say that the hatred of Asian-descending persons and African-descending persons almost always occurs alongside one another.

This has not changed, of course, since 1942. As my grandmother would say, the shackle’s just aren’t visible anymore, but just because you can’t see something don’t mean it doesn’t exist.

75 years may seem long, but my grandmother is 94: she saw this, and many other acts of hatred, exacted upon Japanese-Americans. She saw the One Drop Rule be extended to Japanese persons: one drop of Japanese blood, and you were suddenly the enemy. One Drop, and you needed to be contained.

(I should add that I came to realize, shortly before I left for Japan, that my grandmother is first generation also: first generation born free. Perhaps that why this day of remembering persons of captivity is so important: I’m only the third generation, and just recently –only since really, the late 1980s, but more the 1990s – got to experience what freedom with all rights attached feels like, and it’s still an ongoing struggle to keep those rights. My hope is many generations will continue to experience rights and that one day, they will be a part of their being and no blood will be shed to protect them. I will most definitely fight for that future knowing I won’t see it: it’s worth it to me.)

Sadly, she and I and many people around the world are both seeing the return of that sickening thought as it’s exacted upon persons of Muslin faith, primarily from the Middle Eastern regions. Once more, the One Drop rule is coming into play. One Drop, and you’re suddenly a terror that needs to be contained. One Drop, and you lose the right to exist as a free person, as an American. You’re labeled a threat. One Drop is enough to damn you to being exclusively bad: it’s a hideous truth that has made a return, notable especially during last year’s political race, and with the ascension of a transparent, White racist businessman bent on excluding as many “bad people” as he can.

(I even live near a former site where German-American persons were held: two places actually, one of which is a beautiful lake, the other of which held Japanese-Americans exclusively. You’d never guess that thousands of Japanese-Americans waited there, assumedly wondering why they were there and where they’d go. Texas, being a state of big empty places, is of course, riddled with former camps and forts that hold the memories of Japanese-Americans alongside German-Americans. Regretfully, little to nothing is taught in Texas schools, though with its vicious desire to repress anything that’s not family friendly, it should come as no surprise that Texas Education administrators want little to do with its continuously ugly history.)

So I want to give you a blessing.

I give a blessing to all the Japanese-Americans that will get asked, “But yeah, how much Japanese are you?” today, to the people that will get asked to read Chinese fortunes, write their friends name in kanji, read a stranger’s tattoo, or otherwise be pushed into a racist box. I give a blessing to people who are white-passing and are told it’s “cool” you’re Japanese, to Japanese-Americans who are called Chinese, to Japanese-Americans who have ever been told their lunch smelled weird, have been policed by others about how much of their own culture is theirs, have been told that they have no right to it because they’re not Japanese enough. I give a blessing to Japanese-Americans with parents from Japan who have heard teasing remarks, to Japanese-Americans who feel distance for being American and Japanese. I can’t imagine that struggle: I’ve never had to have it. But I’d imagine that it aches sometimes.

I give a blessing to older Japanese-Americans that may still struggle to love America when it betrayed the trust of its citizens.  I give a blessing to all Japanese persons who lived in those camps and still say the pledge, who sing the anthem and feel pride for their country, who want to make America a place for all. I give a blessing to first generation, second generation, ongoing generations of Japanese descending persons who struggle to be mixed in a world that wants things Black and White. I give a blessing to all who are a part of the Japanese Diaspora and are proud, who need representation and work to create it, who can’t create and wish for it.

Most of all, I offer a blessing of protection in these dark times when a percentage of America wants a return to internment, wants to see groups of people labeled and placed away, partitioned off from society. I offer all Japanese persons a blessing that they never see that day again, whether for Japanese persons or for Jewish persons: for Black persons, persons of the Muslim faith, or anybody who is marginalized, brown, black, and different. I pray that your children, your families, your friends keep strong hearts and know that we will not let that happen. I do not want another Executive Order to take us back to fear mongering and scares.

We cannot let that happen again.

I give a blessing from the bottom of my heart that you’ll find what you need and feel that American is Your America through and through. I hope that you will let love in its many forms guide you, and let that keep you and let your head lay peaceful at night.

Love is what will get us through these dark times, when racism, White Nationalists, White Terrorism, and fear by all is so prevalent. Love from white allies, from Persons of Color, and for a future where Our America is a colorful tapestry of heritage, languages, culture, and representation will help to enact the change to break down racism and open up dialogue.

God be with you, and also with you. Lift your hands up and rejoice because we will all rise together.  This is my blessing to you, Japanese-Americans. I see you, I hear you, and I proudly stand with you. Go forth in glory, for you’re Our America. You make up My America, a Land for All. Hate will not win when we band together. Hate cannot prevail in the face of rightful justice. Hate cannot prevail when peoples –formerly oppressed– do not let hate rise up.

Hate will not be the victor.

That is my blessing as we go forth.

Amen.

[mannatea]

hhhhhhhhhhhfggngmbmbnhgg

i’m just ranting to rant, so please ignore this or read it and enjoy the salty flavor of my nonsense. up to you! sometimes a bitch just gotta let it out.

i’m in kind of a weird place. it’s hard to explain? i think i have too many hobbies again but god forbid i focus on anything for more than two seconds. i started streaming today so that’s good! i streamed for fIVE hours! FIVE. HOURS! but then the video that twitch recorded was uhhhhh how u say laGGy. if i would have known i would have tried to fix it first!! (i had one viewer the whole time...no idea who was so kind as to even keep it up muted lmfao. maybe they were just watching it for the catcam. shoutout to my 1 viewer i love u.)

anyway i really don’t think my computer can handle streaming the current wow expansion. i turned the fps down to 30 to compensate and the second stream (just five minutes, to test it) turned out better, but 1) i wasn’t in a new zone when i re-tested, and 2) better doesn’t mean lag-free. the quality isn’t very good and it’s depressing because literally no one is going to watch a stream that lags and/or doesn’t look good. already streaming in 720 cause i can’t do 1080....... boo tech limits... something something spending more money for a hobby... seems like a bad idea. i do this shit too often. already bought a webcam just so i can turn it on the cats lol.

anYWAy i did some art for my twitch channel and everything so somehow i picked art back up again (though only for this project...) and uhh i dunno i was so depressed to find out five hours of streaming was five hours of me embarrassing myself publicly lol.

i recorded two podcast episodes this afternoon. i should probably call them “podcast episodes” cause publishing them on my site after bare minimum editing probably doesn’t count. i stopped putting music in them too because adding it cost me like an hour of my time and i was just sick as hell of spending it on something nobody cares about. nobody cares if it has music or not. i have NO clue why people listen to the podcast but the last time i checked my stats weren’t terrible (for such a niche thing).

i mean also since it’s like 99% about literary criticism kinda shit you know the fandom doesn’t agree with me like AT ALL so it’s even more wild that people listen to it.

i kind of want to write The Longfic but fandom participation is sooo goddamn low these days... and if you think it’s bad in your fandom, try being in one where the average fan is 40+ years old...lol. i dunno, i wrote one fic so far this year and the year’s half over and part of me is like WRITE THE LONG ONE!!!!!! and the rest of me is like DON’T DO IT. i think if i posted the first chapter and got no comments (or just the one obligatory comment from sara) i’d have to delete it in shame.  i honestly don’t know if i’d be able to ever write again after that. i remember all the time i put into the fe7 novelization i worked on for literal months that i don’t think anyone has ever seen in full, and take that but multiply it by a lot more and you’d get THIS novelization...but a way smaller potential audience.

i did start the first chapter but i’m not happy with it so anyway i dunno obviously i just stressed about it and didn’t write because it felt like a waste of time and then i got paranoid nobody would read it anyway and then it was too late to write SO.

i literally had a dream that i made a new twitter account just to tweet @ hallmark and ask them if i could write this fanfic (it’s a novelization, technically), but in the dream i randomly changed my mind and tweeted them to ask if i could novelize a movie series i follow instead, and woke up vaguely panicked like WHAT IF THEY SAY YES I DON’T HAVE TIME TO COMMIT TO THAT!!!!

(also me: WoW Classic is coming out i don’t want to write a novel i want to plAY gaEM!!!!)

anyway idk where this streamer shit came from. i’m just a lonely bitch playin a game i’ve played for literal years alone and i’m tired of playing alone so streaming is like you’re playing with friends right? or something. anyway iiiiii’m not thinking i’ll get ~famous~ off of playing on twitch because god knows i legitimately fucking suck at games. it just seems fun. i dunno. 

too bad i’m too embarrassed to do it in front of other people irl. i don’t even like people listening to my phone conversations. i only record podcasts when neal isn’t home. it’s bad. 

mayyyybe i should just stick to writing??? but then 0 comments is too depressing a fate...  i can live with 0 viewers... 0 comments is The Worst Fate.

i don’t know how yall keep writing with 0 comments sitting there. i put too much of myself in my writing to put up with that kind of rejection, especially when the hit count is really high...tho lately my hit count sits at about 50.

hhhhhhhhhhh

i wish i didn’t waffle so much. nothing gets done when i’m like this. >:[

[blondeandbubblyent-blog]

blonde & bubbly : 12/13

in this episode: it’s all about relationships. whose in one? who might be in one soon? with a very special guest host today.

sabine: hello and welcome back beautiful listeners to blonde and bubbly. i’m sabine and al-masri and with me is the always beautiful madison ware. and we also have our beautiful guest host sabrina castillo here.

madi: hiiii! it is so exciting to be back for a new episode with you guys! 

sabine: before we start, let’s open our bottle of the day which is a 2006 louis roederer cristal brut. so we had more than one request to talk about the relationships on the hills so that’s what we’ll do today. but first i want to just talk about relationships in general. madi, sabrina, what are your dating and relationship tips?

madi: oh i love this champagne so much! as for a dating and relatonship tips, i’d say is to stay true to yourself. don’t try to be someone you arent to please your partner. know yourself and your limits. i feel like, being in a relationship can be very exhausting? i dont know.. im not the best one to give advice so im gonna let sabrina go and take notes!

sabrina: be honest. if you aren’t happy, say it. if something’s bothering you, say it. for me, from personal experience, all of my relationships have ended because one of us wasn’t being honest about what we wanted. just be honest and let your significant other in. don’t hide things from them because you’ll never truly be with them if you can’t trust them enough to be honest with how you feel. 

sabine: and i would say that my top tip would be to say what you need to say when you need to see it. i have missed out on a relationship here because i didn’t say how i felt when i felt it and i have had breakups here because of that. wether it’s someone you are interested in or someone who you already seeing, you have to, have to speak up. 

madi: this is all so interesting, i’ve actually taken notes guys, and you should too! sabine wanna present the next subject?

sabine: yes, now onto relationships on the hills. so let’s talk about the oldest ones that are still going strong first. also shoutout to elijah for the amazing thread keeping track of relationships here, we appreciate it. now first we have kazi and mia who got together december of last year. we have q, sonny, and noemi who have been together since january too. belated congratulations to those three on the birth of beautiful baby winnie. we love her and you very much. ladies what are your favorite things about these pairs?

madi: i dont really know things about people’s relationships? i think they’re happy and that’s what i like. it’s weird for me to analyze my friend’s private things like that in details, i try to stay away from it. from what i can i see they’re all happy and complete each others so that would have to be my favorite things about all of them!

sabrina: i love mia and kazi. kazi and mia. mazi. kia. i know they’ve had their issues but they always seem to come out stronger after them if that makes sense. i feel like whenever i start dating someone new, i always hope to be like them. not just like them, but to have a bond and love like theirs, i guess. like i want to be as in love with someone as they are and have someone make me smile and laugh like they make each other do so. 

sabine: we also have atlas & jinyoung, asher & jae, ace & larkin, thorne, elsa & kana, and xavier & karlie that have been going strong since the summer. in all of these relationships you can see how much love is present and you’re like “well this is a forever couple here.” 

madi: aren’t we a little obligated to say ‘’this is a forever couple’’ tho? because if we dont then we look like a jerk? and what even is a forever couple, we all die at one point or another so.. nothing really last forever.. i think i consider them more like old couples. grandparents couples. does that make sense?

sabine: now potential couples, one i want to get off my chest right away is cori and calvin. i think that’s going to happen soon. also mika and danny? are they dating or not, i have no clue. if they are, it’s not official yet because it’s not in the thread. damien and reina or damien and chanel? 

sabrina: i really like danny and mika together. mika is such a cool person and i think danny complements her really well because he’s equally as awesome. they both have such great senses of humor and they fit together really well. plus, they seem super happy with their relationship which is always an amazing thing to watch! and i haven’t really noticed any couples possibly forming except for flint and atlee. i KNOW they say they’re just best friends, but come on. that chemistry? hate to break it to you, but that’s not just friendship. luca and chanel seem like something might be happening there too. they’d be cute, they’re both super funny

madi: oh i thought mika and danny were dating already? im so behind in all this. potential couples.. hmm.. luca and chanel would be cute i guess.. i really think damien and reina would be good together, flint and atlee i’m not sure.. i dont see it. i see how people say they have feelings for each others but to me it just seems like flint is obsessed with her but in a friendly way? friend crush. they’ll probably date tho, everyone on this show who had a friendcrush dated them. 

sabine: now sabrina, couples we never got to see?

sabrina: there are so many couples i thought were going to happen and then didn’t. xavier and rowan, xavier and me, adrian and toni, antigone and jd, sawyer and thomas... i mean, so many! i know that, like, two of them happened for maybe two days, so i don’t really count those as actually happening. that probably sounds so mean, but. oh well. 

sabine: well sabrina we have a few questions for you but first, jesse says hi. 

sabrina: hi jesse whats up are you excited for vendettas?

 madi: Next one is for sabine and i and says ‘’ annoying and cliquey ‘’ ooh...

sabine: i can't apologize if you find us or the podcast annoying, that's your issue. no one is forcing you to listen to this. when we ask for feedback we mean stuff we can actually build off of. as for the cliquey part, we are going to try our very best to be inclusive of everyone on the cast. and if we're still navigating our way through this so please be patient with us.

madi: i’d like to add that if any of you guys would like to be part of this show all you have to do is dm sabine or me and we’d love to schedule an interview or something with you! next question: ‘’Sabrina! what has been your favorite moment on the show?

sabrina: i loved the press tour & kazi and mia’s wedding!

madi: two amazing moments! last but not least, can you talk to us about the time thomas thought you were sabine?

sabrina:  oh my god. ok so he tweeted something like “i like someone”, right? so i dmed him and was like omg who!! and we dmed for a bit like me convincing him to tell me, and so he was like ok fine... and he said he liked ME and i was like uhhhh okay. why? CUZ I WAS CONFUSED LIKE WE BARELY TALKED?? and he was like what do you mean why ?? and i said we barely talk and he was like “omg. wait. is this not sabine.” and i keysmashed and was screaming

madi: thank you so much sabrina for accepting to come on this episode of Blonde and Bubbly! i’d like to remind you guys that our bottle of the day  is a 2006 louis roederer cristal brut, it is amazing and a rec from me! we are madison & sabine from the hills, as well as sabrina, we’re all blonde and had too much bubbly so it’s time to say goodbye and we’ll see you next time!