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therealvinelle · 3 years

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You or The Muffin made a post on your dream cast(s), but I’m not really familiar with those references/actors (with the exception of Bowie and Jean Claude Van Damme and Clint Eastwood I think you mentioned). Is there anyone you would choose that’s a little more recent (80s-present)?

Our dream cast.

Our dream voice cast, for those interested.

Fun fact, both those posts were composed together, so yeah we share these opinions. We composed this one together as well.

Keep in mind that this list is... well it's for Twilight as I would make it. Which means that of course we’re casting a Didyme, nevermind that she’s been dead for thousands of years, but Denali who?

And once again we’re disrupting the time-space continuum and casting big name actors you’ve definitely heard about as they were ten, twenty, or thirty years ago.

Alright, so newer and shinier Twilight fancast, this time with a few alternatives because decisions are hard:

Alice: ... Audrey Hepburn.

I'm sorry. I tried. I tried to be modern, but I got to Alice and originally we thought Saoirse Ronan, appearances be damned because Ronan is a great actress, only to realize Ronan should be Renesmée.

So we're back to the dream cast. Audrey Hepburn was a tiny, pixie-like, yet ridiculously beautiful woman. Like Alice, her growth was stunted due to prolonged starvation during the War, so she's the perfect casting in a way no modern Western actress is going to be. She was also an amazing actress, just absolutely magnetic each time she graced the screen. She would be a fantastic Alice.

Aro: A young Tom Cruise.

Cruise is an absurdly beautiful man, and at 173 cm he is the right stature as I could never cast a tall actor for Aro. He's a very good actor, so I'm sure he'd be up for it. Also, he'd look great with chalky petrified vampire makeup on. He'd pull it off. I want to see this.

Optionally: Cate Blanchett

Yes, she's a woman. But that's what acting is all about, you play someone you're not. It's more a thing in theatre than in film that men can play women and women can play men, but I say fuck the rules, we're doing it theatre style. And Blanchett absolutely have that enigmatic, ethereal, otherworldly quality I'd want for Aro.

Bella: A young Sarah Michelle Gellar

Gellar is a petite beauty, she is spunky yet adorable, and very charming, the people of Forks and the Cullens would very believably gravitate towards her. Most importantly she has the acting chops to pull it off. She would portray an amazing Bella.

Caius: Daniel Craig

The man is the right age, he's someone you don't mess with. Craig has perhaps a touch too charismatic, but he's good enough that I'm hopeful he could tune it down.

Carlisle: A young Leonardo DiCaprio

DiCaprio is ridiculously attractive and has a bad case of The Babyface™. Watching him try to convince people that he’s 30 years old and has adult kids would be absolutely hilarious, and very faithful to the books. He’s a talented actor, too, very versatile.

Optionally: David Tennant

Tennant doesn't look the part, he is handsome but handsome in that particular way when flawed features come together handsomely. He does however have the perfect charm, gravitas, and energy for the character, so I think he could make a great Carlisle.

This is where the magic of movie adaptions come in - you’re not going to be able to translate directly from text to screen, that’s impossible. If you embrace that and make some bold choices, you stand to make a truly spectacular adaption. One of the reasons why the Twilight films failed is that they were too faithful to the books while failing to understand the spirit of them, whereas the TV miniseries adaption of His Dark Materials switched a lot of things up and is absolutely amazing for it.

Demetri: Robert Downey Jr.

Ridiculously charismatic and talented actors cast in bit parts and making them shine is a passion of mine.

Didyme: Cate Blanchett

Look, Blanchett had to be in this somehow, and we could think of no one more appropriate. She has too much enigma for Esme, is too womanly for Alice, and once the idea for Didyme was had it was hard to weasel out of.

Cate Blanchett would be convincing as Aro's sister, as a woman who haunts her lover and brother even thousands of years after her passing, an enigmatic and divine woman who can never be forgotten.

Also she's my fancast for her brother, so this works out quite nicely. Why cast someone who merely looks like Aro’s actor when you can just cast the same actor.

Edward: A young Johnny Depp

Very few men are otherworldly beautiful. There are countless handsome men, yes, and many beautiful ones, but Depp has extreme and symmetrical features that come together beautifully. Robert Pattinson does too, for the record, so what makes me prefer Depp is the fact that he is an incredible actor. Pattinson is good, but Depp is the kind of talent who can power through even the worst scripts, give him nothing and he will give you the world. He’s on Al Pacino’s level, this man can salvage anything.

Emmett: Terry Crews

Terry Crews is a mountain of a man, he's massive. He'd nail Emmett's infectious cheer, too. He has a very symmetrical and attractive face that follows the golden ratio beautifully, so I could buy him being a vampire.

Esme: Anne Hathaway ten years ago. Ref one, ref two.

She’s out of this world beautiful and has the perfect Esme aesthetic. Hands down best Esme. The fact that she’s a very good actress helps.

Felix: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

He’s got the physique for the part and would be absolutely menacing.

James: Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt is a character actor who tragically got lost in the blockbuster scene. He’s good, he deserves cool parts. So yeah, Pitt as James. I think he’d be absolutely amazing for the part, it’d be the kind of performance where you can tell the actor was enjoying every second on set.

Jane and Alec: Child Dakota Fanning

Fanning was a good choice for Jane, it's just that she was slightly too old when she was cast (and they made her look even older!) and the screenwriters had written a different character than the one in the books (and not for the better - I’m all for changing things in an adaption! But, well, she was Marvel levels of bad villain). And as Alec is a bit part and supposed to be nearly identical to her, I’d just have Fanning play him as well.

Jasper: Clint Eastwood, every time.

Optionally: feels like blasphemy to even have an “optionally”, but here we are. If you somehow haven’t heard of the guy, then… er. No, sorry, I’ve got nothing. Know that I tried, though.

Marcus: Tom Holland

The man has such babyface, which fits since Marcus is 19.

Just Tom Holland, sitting around, looking young and depressed.

Renata: A young Natalie Portman

Yes, yes, Renata is a bit part, I know that, but this is my Twilight we're casting for so I do what I want.

Portman fits the physical description for Renata, and I find that description to be relevant to her character. She's a teeny tiny woman charged with protecting the most important man in the world, and gifted with intouchability. Portman looks is beautiful enough to fit the bill for a Twilight vampire, and tiny enough to stress the absurdity of this 5′0″ woman being anybody’s bodyguard, nevermind Aro’s.

Renesmée: Child Saoirse Ronan (Though Adult Ronan works too, she’s my cast for the hybrid gremlin period.)

She was an extraordinarily talented child actress, and she’s beautiful while odd-looking. I could absolutely believe I was looking at an otherworldly hybrid when looking at her.

Mostly I think Renesmée is going to be a very hard part for anybody, as the given actor will be portraying one of the most ridiculed characters in recent pop culture. It’ll take major talent to get the audience to care about Renesmée, but I think Ronan, if anybody, could do it.

Rosalie: Margot Robbie ten years ago

She’s out of this world beautiful, and more importantly she’s an incredible actress. She would be incredible for the part.

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elitegymnastics · 3 years

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Q: What is this?

A: It’s a flyer for a virtual fundraiser on June 4th that Elite Gymnastics is playing. You can access the show at quietyear.com

Q: Hasn’t Elite Gymnastics been inactive for like, ten years?

A: Yes. This is the first Elite Gymnastics performance of any kind since November 30th 2012, at the Horn Gallery at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio.

Q: Why did Elite Gymnastics stop playing shows?

A: Elite Gymnastics started out as me (Jaime) and a bunch of my friends agreeing to help me play my songs live back in 2009. I made a lot of weird demos in GarageBand and my friend Dominique Davis from the band Dearling Physique got tired of watching me sit on them. So, he booked me to play at a show he was curating as part of a small local music and arts festival called Clapperclaw. For several months that’s mainly what EG was. At some point the focus shifted to making recordings rather than playing shows, to participate in the emergent culture of new music distributed via MP3 file-sharing. The lineup winnowed to just me and Josh Clancy, who began creating digital EPs that we posted on this Tumblr page as ZIP files full of MP3s accompanied by a PDF of artwork. This is the incarnation of the group that most people are familiar with.

This was before Patreon existed. If Bandcamp was around, we’d never heard of it. Though MP3 file-sharing culture and file transfer sites like MediaFire and MegaUpload allowed anyone to distribute music freely across the world via the internet, it was still pretty difficult to get people to pay you for it. I think it was for this reason that a lot of internet music back then featured a lot of sampling. A lot of artists’ first forays into the world of DAWs and production took the form of mash-ups, bootleg remixes, and DJ mixes. Artists like Animal Collective, MIA, Kanye West, and Daft Punk for whom sampling was a pillar of their creative process were extremely influential. Elite Gymnastics was no exception - the first song of ours to gain traction online was “Is This On Me?” which made no attempt to hide the fact that it heavily sampled Faye Wong’s “Eyes On Me.” The fact that it was so difficult to make money off MP3s pushed people to make different creative decisions than they would have otherwise. It was sort of a free-for-all.

Eventually, all of this started to change. The major labels started getting a lot more aggressive about trying to destroy MP3 file-sharing culture. Platforms like MegaUpload were raided and taken offline. The replacements that sprung up to replace them were increasingly infested with ads and malware. Corporate platforms like YouTube and SoundCloud adopted Content ID filters to prevent the proliferation of copyrighted music there. Blogs and private torrent trackers being taken down meant thousands of hours of labor were wiped out in an instant. Some of the best archives of the history of recorded music ever created were destroyed without hesitation. Even the most devoted participants lost the will to keep repairing and re-making the stuff that cops and record companies kept obliterating.

Josh and I both dreamed of being able to make a living as musicians. We still do. Back then, we were willing to accept a lot of changes in order to make that possible, which seemed necessary. A lot of the stuff that we were great at just didn’t make any money. Once, we were asked to do a remix of a song called “Sa Sa Samoa” by the band Korallreven. I did the remix by myself, which was normal for us, and Josh was so inspired by it that he spent a week working non-stop to create a video for it. People loved it - the day the video dropped, Pitchfork designated the song as a “Best New Track” and New York Magazine wrote about it in their “Approval Matrix.” The video led to a ton of exposure, but from a financial perspective, it just did not make sense to put that much effort into promoting a remix of someone else’s song. The stuff we were personally excited by just seemed to have less and less to do with what actually makes money.

A lot of internet bands during this era began to palpably shapeshift in an effort to succeed in music as a career. Artists who’d first attracted notice for sample-based bangers they made on a laptop started posing with vintage hardware in their press photos and trading in their laptops for live bands and recording studios. It became harder to distribute DJ mixes or mash-ups that contained copyrighted music in them. Influential bloggers either closed up shop or were absorbed into the traditional music industry in some way. Feeds that once touted bizarre songs by laptop-toting weirdos with no industry connections started to become populated mostly by artists with labels and publicists. The bottom rungs of festival lineups started to consist mostly of new major label signings who have lots of money to spend on stage production but not much in the way of grassroots fan enthusiasm or media buzz.

Internet music and what people tend to refer to as “indie music” split off into two separate streams. Today, there’s a pretty intense firewall between internet culture and whatever you want to call the culture of vinyl records, mid-sized indie labels with publicists, and positive reviews from the few remaining websites that still pay people to write about music. I call it “publicist indie,” “lifestyle techno,” or “prestige electronica” depending on whether or not the music features guitars and/or vocals. The recent online kerfuffle about NFTs really emphasized this split. The worlds of digital illustration and game development campaigned aggressively against mass adoption of cryptocurrency - if you saw any Medium posts explaining crypto’s environmental issues, chances are they were written by someone from those fields. Every new announcement by an artist that they had minted an NFT was met with a swift and vocal backlash from fans. Though I’ve never really been much of an Aphex Twin fan, it was still pretty startling to look at the replies under his NFT announcement tweet and see hundreds of furious people announcing that he was now dead to them. That’s an artist who has seemed more or less unimpeachable for most of my life up until this point! All of that seemed to change in an instant.

There is a massive disconnect between the insular world of the industry establishment and the cutting edge of online counterculture. We saw this again a couple of weeks ago with the online response to the crisis in Gaza. We saw passionate advocacy for Palestinians from games journalists and developers much more often than we saw it from musicians. This is a very serious problem for music! I do not believe it is possible to please both sides - that is to say, I do not believe it is possible to be part of internet counterculture and the industry establishment simultaneously. The music industry is too conservative, too compromised, too corrupt. If it weren’t for the ocean of valuable copyrights that labels are sitting on, most of them would be bankrupt within a year. If the industry was forced to live or die based on how they handle what’s happening right now in the present, it would most assuredly die. The only people who don’t realize this are those who are being paid to stay ignorant.

Josh and I did not know this back then. From where we were standing, it looked like internet culture and established media industries were on track to converge. A career in the arts seemed genuinely, tantalizingly possible, right up until the moment that it no longer did.

In my case, I had really been struggling up until that point. My life had been this ongoing sequence of evictions and hospitalizations, and it seemed to be getting worse, not better. I donated plasma twice a week to pay for groceries and while I was sitting there with a giant needle stuck in my left arm for an hour I would see my picture in The Fader or my songs being recommended by one of the Kings of Leon on Twitter or whatever. Music seemed like the only thing the world thought I was any good at. It felt like my only chance at a peaceful, happy life was somewhere out there in a world I could only perceive through a laptop screen.

Gender, for me, was a big factor in all of this. The more invested in the craft of songwriting I became, the harder it was to repress or ignore my gender stuff. At that time I’m not sure I even knew what the word “transgender” meant - I just knew that when I showed up at a venue wearing a skirt, no one would talk to me or look me in the eye, and that reading about people like Anohni or Terre Thaemlitz or on the internet made me feel like if I could get out of Minneapolis maybe I could find a place where people would accept me. The internet was like, a pretty toxic place for someone in my position. When I tried to find people to talk to about what I was feeling, nobody tried to tell me to read Judith Butler or ask me what pronouns I preferred. The internet was just like, overrun with predators who just wanted to fetishize me and exploit me. Music seemed like the only way I’d ever have an actual life as myself. I was desperate for that. I was well and truly desperate.

Between all the big changes that were happening to us individually and the music industry moving farther and farther away of the anarchic free-for-all of MP3 file-sharing culture, the strain on us just got to be too much. We stopped trusting each other. We became the unstoppable force and the immovable object, crashing haphazardly against one another’s resolve in a dazzling display of youthful futility. Our partnership ended, and after finishing out the remaining live shows on the calendar by myself, I retired the name “Elite Gymnastics” and started making music on my own under other names. That was that.

Q: Why is Elite Gymnastics coming back now, then?

A: Over the years, Josh and I eventually started talking again. Though there was a lot we did agree on, and potential future projects were discussed, nothing truly felt right. We haven’t been in the same room since Summer 2012, and we’ve both changed a lot since then. We both have other projects and we’ve both developed other ways of working since we stopped working together. It’s a pretty big commitment to put all of that aside in order to join your fortunes together with someone you haven’t seen in a decade.

Recently, Josh decided to leave Elite Gymnastics. His reasons are his own, and I was very surprised by his decision, but after having had time to adjust, I’m really grateful to him. I had kept these songs at a distance for many years, because it seemed foolish to allow myself to get too attached to songs I didn’t feel like I was allowed to think of as mine, if that makes any sense. The songs felt like casualties of a conflict that I had to bury in the ground and try to forget about. Being able to embrace them again felt like re-growing a severed limb or having a loved one come back to life, almost. Feeling like it was safe to love these songs again made me feel whole in a way I didn’t expect to. I became really excited by the prospect of revisiting them, so that’s what I decided to do.

Q: Does this mean you’re going to put RUIN back on Spotify?

A: No. Taking the record off Spotify was the right thing to do. That record was only ever intended to exist during the era of MP3 piracy. I never envisioned a world where the music industry would be so aggressive about policing the way that copyrighted music is allowed to exist online. If we hadn’t opted to take the record down when we did, someone would inevitably have forced us to. If you want to hear those specific recordings again, you’re going to have to do it the way we originally intended: by downloading MP3 files from the internet. Try SoulSeek.

Q: What’s next for Elite Gymnastics, then?

A: Here’s the situation currently. There is no Elite Gymnastics music available to stream or purchase in an official capacity anywhere on the internet. It wouldn’t really be possible for me to put the old stuff on Spotify or Bandcamp now because of all the samples. Like I said before, it was a different time. Those records were created to thrive on a past version of the internet that no longer exists. They weren’t designed to be compatible with the 2021 internet.

Technically, Elite Gymnastics didn’t ever release a debut album. We had EPs, a compilation, and a remix collection. We didn’t make an album, a record that existed as the distillation of all that experimentation that contained all of the songs that fans of the EPs would want to hear, all in one place. It’s like we did Good Fridays but stopped before we made My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

So, I am currently working on the first Elite Gymnastics album. If you were following my stuff as Default Genders, you may have noticed me posting demos on my SoundCloud page from 2015-2018 that were all eventually reworked into the album Main Pop Girl 2019. The album I am making is taking that approach to all the old EG songs, including some unreleased stuff. I’m collaborating with others on some songs and I honestly feel like it has resulted in some of the best and most exciting music I have ever been involved with. It is a drastic reinvention, but iteration and reinvention have always been a big part of what I do. I want to make something that feels like the culmination of everything that came before, and so far, I think I’m succeeding.

Q: When will I be able to hear this new music?

At a virtual fundraiser on June 4th, 2021, where there is a suggested donation of $10. You can access it at quietyear.com

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overthinkingkdrama · 4 years

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Jona’s Top 10 Dramas of 2019

A couple words about how I do these lists. Firstly, I only count as “2019 dramas” shows that finished airing in 2019, therefore dramas that started airing in 2018 but finished in the early months of 2019 have been included in my process, but dramas that are currently airing and will finish in 2020 have not been included. Secondly, this list is more based on my subjective experience with each of these dramas than my objective assessment on things like acting, writing and production values, though naturally I take the latter into account when forming my opinions.

Also: Yay! This year I managed to write a full review on every drama that wound up in my top ten, so feel free to click the link on each title and check those out if you want to read my detailed thoughts.

10. Hotel Del Luna

I have a somewhat Stockholm Syndrome-y relationship with Hong Sisters dramas. Though a lot of them are not excellent, or stumble a bit in the execution, I can’t seem to stop watching them. And yes, I’ve seen them all. Something about their particular blend of fantasy, romance and camp just works for me. I do think Hotel Del Luna plays to their strengths. Somewhat like if they got to take a second run at Master’s Sun but with their dream budget, and it’s just fun. This drama is gorgeous to look at. However, it is Lee Ji Eun, aka IU, who carries the entire drama on her lovely shoulders with her mesmerizing presence as Jang Man Wol.

Bottom Line: It shouldn’t be this way, but it’s so rare to get a mainstream drama where the female lead is allowed to be truly dark and flawed, or for a drama to fully focus on its heroine’s journey through the whole run.

9. Encounter

I was somewhat disappointed by the ending of this drama, and I think that might have made me unduly harsh when I looked back at it earlier in the year. However, I got the chance to rewatch episodes with a friend and was reminded of the soft, romantic escapism of this drama. Ultimately that’s the reason this ended up in the list. I like that it plays the rich woman/poor man, noona-romance tropes entirely straight and I liked the quixotic fairy tale it was unapologetically trying to sell me. Park Bo Gum and Song Hye Gyo are a noona-romance dream team up that I’m glad I got to see at least once in my lifetime.

Bottom Line: If you don’t like your dramas slow-paced and highly sentimental then this might not be the show for you, but I can appreciate a drama that knows exactly what kind of show it is and tries to do one thing well.

8. The Light in Your Eyes

If there’s any common theme to these favorites lists in previous years, it’s that they usually include dramas that took me by surprise and did something I haven’t seen before. The Light In Your Eyes fits that description so well, not just because of oddly dark tone or the quirky premise it presents in the first episodes, but because it’s a drama dedicated to showcasing the talents of the veteran actress, Kim Hye Ja, with whom the lead character shares a name. Of the dramas on the list this one made me cry the hardest.

Bottom Line: The Light In Your Eyes is a drama that has a greater emotional coherence than it does logical sense. In fact, if you think about the plot too hard it falls apart entirely. But it feels true, and that’s why it hit me so hard.

7. Search WWW

In my review I called Search a “female power fantasy” and I still think that’s a good description. It’s also sexy romantic fantasy, twice a noona romance, and a corporate drama focused on the very contemporary issues of powerful search engine companies and how they affect the information we see and the way we view the world. I think any of those is an interesting enough angle to make a drama about, maybe several dramas. If this show has one major flaw, it might be trying to wear too many hats at once. But I salute the creators for trying to make us something different than the typical pretty boy chaebol story, and giving us not one but three female characters filling those typically male roles.

Bottom Line: I do believe this drama deserves more love and respect than it got from a fandom that at least in theory cares about women’s stories. But I also understand why a lot of people didn’t connect with the lead character or the business stuff. But for me there was something about the lead couple that rang true and resonated with me.

6. WATCHER

Every time I watch a thriller, I’m hoping for something like WATCHER. Something with deep, complex, gray characters and a story full of twists and turns that keeps me engaged and guessing from episode one until the finale. Add on top of that a powerful cast who can really do justice to these substantial characters, you’ve got a winning recipe. OCN produces a lot of dramas in this genre, and they seem to be more prone to produce sequels than most other networks. Unfortunately, that also means a lot of the dramas they make feel paint-by-numbers and empty on the inside. WATCHER is one of those shows that reminds me why I keep coming back to this network and this kind of story time and again.

Bottom Line: This is one of those dramas that has you second guessing yourself even when they come right out and give you the answer, keeping you in a perpetual state of distrust along with the characters. But it’s built on the strong backbone of complicated and dynamic character relationships, which is why it is one of this year’s best.

5. Be Melodramatic

The higher I get up this list the harder time I have boiling down my thoughts on these dramas to one pithy paragraph. Often even I don’t know what kind of dramas are going to steal my heart. I have a particular weakness for dramas that can make me both laugh and cry, and then laugh through the tears. Dramas like Go Back Couple and Matrimonial Chaos that have deep heartache folded into the shenanigans. I love a funny drama. I like to laugh, but that doesn’t count for much unless I really care about the characters and their lives at the end of the day. That’s what makes me go from liking a drama to loving it, and that’s ultimately what I’m going to remember about a drama when it’s over. Be Melodramatic is special for the way it deals with heavy subjects in a gentle and lighthearted way, and somehow without losing the emotional impact.

Bottom Line: Be Melodramatic is a drama with tongue firmly planted in cheek, lots of laughs, lots of clever dialogue as well as a meta look at the drama industry from the inside, but the reason it works so well is the vein of heart, love and loss that runs all through the story.

4. One Spring Night

It’s so gratifying when a drama delivers exactly the experience you hoped it would. One Spring Night was a drama that ended up on my radar on the strength of the previews and posters, which promised me understated, romantic slice-of-life. I’d really enjoyed Han Ji Min in The Light in Your Eyes and have been fond of Jung Hae In since While You Were Sleeping. The pairing immediately seemed to have potential, but because the drama was picked up by Netflix, in the US I had to wait until it finished airing before I could give it a shot. A lot of the time when that happens, I see enough of the drama through gifs and screencaps that my interest fades. In this case I was only more intrigued. I’ve still never watched Something In The Rain but watching this drama has made me consider that might have been an oversight on my part. And yet I worry that if I watched it now I wouldn’t be able to help unfavorably comparing it to One Spring Night. This drama is truly something special.

Bottom Line: Because of the restrained, faithful realism of this drama and the two leads who seamlessly embody their characters, this drama has the almost voyeuristic quality of peeking into something intimate and private. It’s a palpable and thoroughly involving love story.

3. Nokdu Flower

I can hardly recommend this underrated gem of a show enough. I know nearly every historical gets compared either favorably or otherwise to Six Flying Dragons, which is kind of the recent high-water mark of sageuks, and I’m going to do that again here because Nokdu Flower is really the first historical drama I’ve watched since SFD that is at the same level of quality. One thing that sticks out about my experience watching both dramas is getting actual shivers watching these charismatic leaders rally their followers around them, and understanding at least in some small part why someone would leave behind everything they knew, pick up arms, and risk their lives for an ideal. Nokdu Flower captures the fearful power of revolutionary ideas in the hands of common people, but doesn’t descend into mere jingoism or sand off the rough edges or try to white wash the dark parts of human nature while it’s at it.

Bottom Line: At its most basic level Nokdu Flower is a story of revolution, and one of flawed characters either finding their humanity or having it burned out of them in the crucible of war. As that description would suggest it’s not an easy watch, but it’s a good and worthwhile one and definitely one any sageuk fan should check out.

2. My Country: The New Age

Compared to the far more traditional and grounded Nokdu Flower, My Country is almost fantastical in tone and at times eschews logic and realism for set pieces, sword fights and close range shotgun blasts of pathos. That’s probably why I love it. The larger-than-life sensationalism of this drama is what pushes it higher on this list than the carefully crafted Nokdu Flower, because this drama appealed to me on a more primal way. It’s so unrestrained and epic in everything from the set design, the soundtrack, the cinematography to the characters themselves and the performances of the actors playing them. Lurid, melodramatic, passionate, intense, suspenseful, romantic, raw, angsty, dark...I’ve basically run out of new adjectives to use while describing this drama elsewhere on this site. Basically, My Country is my id on a plate. Bon appetit.

Bottom Line: While there are definitely misguided and flawed elements to the writing and execution in this drama, somehow all of that is swept away in the sheer pleasure of watching it. If it had been specifically designed to appeal to every narrative kink I have, they couldn’t have made a more perfect drama for my tastes.

1. Children of Nobody

I finished my favorite drama of 2019 back in January, and then got to wait around 11 and a half months to see if anything else I watched last year would knock Children of Nobody from the top spot. It’s a mixed blessing to peak that early in the year. On the one hand, there was nowhere to go but down from here. On the other, I’ve had a lot of time to digest this very heavy show, which is something I definitely needed. I mentioned in my original review of this drama that each of the characters is an iceberg, so much more going on beneath the surface than what we can see. And what I’ve realized over the course of the past year is that the whole drama is like that, in a way. It’s an iceberg of a story, and I was able to pour a lot of myself into it, to try to understand it, and that’s part of the reason it was such an emotional watch for me. I don’t know when or if I’m going to be able to rewatch Children of Nobody, but I hope I can do it some day because I feel certain I would appreciate it even more upon a second viewing. The fact that this is a murder mystery and a thriller is almost incidental to the emotional core of the story, which is deeper and more lingering than that. The secrets, once revealed, do not diminish the story but only turn it slightly so that you can see it from a different angle.

Bottom Line: This drama is certainly not going to be for everyone. I don’t know if I would say it was underrated so much as it’s niche. The difficult subject matter is naturally going to narrow its appeal. But I do think that dramas that require the most from me, mentally and emotionally, are often the ones that stick with me the longest and make me bend and grow as a person.

I sure hope you’ve enjoyed my top 10 list this year and I wish you joy, success and profound wellbeing in 2020. Thank you again--and thank you always--for following me. I’ve got great things planned for us this year.

Jona

#kdramas 2019 #end of year reviews #top 10 #children of nobody #my country #my country: the new age #nokdu flower #one spring night #be melodramatic #melo is my nature #WATCHER #search: www #the light in your eyes #encounter #boyfriend #hotel del luna

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that-shamrock-vibe · 4 years

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Movie Review: Scoob! (Spoilers)

Spoiler Warning: Alright so this isn’t the type of movie that really warrants two separate reviews, but because it was only released recently I feel a spoiler warning is warranted as I will be talking about specific points in the movie. So if you haven’t yet seen Scoob! and don’t want anything ruined before you do, go and watch then come back.

General Reaction:

So, I’m having a hard time really getting to grips with my enjoyment level of this movie. Because while I don’t think this was a bad movie by any means, I always wouldn’t rank it as one of my favourites particularly with this new wave of nostalgia-based movies that seems to be a thing in recent years.

Maybe the problem is I am not an avid Scooby-Doo fan, a lot of people may think that is sacrilege and I did grow up watching the original Scooby-Doo shows and movies, but I wasn’t as into it as I was other Cartoon Network shows or even other Hanna-Barbera properties.

On that note, something that fascinated me about Scoob! in its promo campaign outside of it being a stunning CG-Animation movie was the inclusion of other Hanna-Barbera properties. In the trailer it is simply Dynomutt, Blue Falcon and Dick Dastardly, the former two who I believe were spin-off characters of Scooby-Doo originally and Dick Dastardly who of course is Dick Dastardly. Wacky Races and its spin-off Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines were shows I was an avid fan of, but once you see the movie and you realise that Warner Bros. Animation is really pushing for a Hanna-Barbera cinematic universe to stem from this with the amount of references and cameos of other characters and properties it is fascinating to me.

For instance, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 attempted something similar by effectively shouting about the fact that this movie was supposed to not only set up a third Spider-Man movie but also a Sinister Six movie and a Black Cat movie, then it was revealed Venom and Carnage were supposed to come into play, but then the whole thing got canned because the movie tried doing too much too soon.

Here though, they are subtle references that, unless you know the characters, don’t really register. I mean one or two are really obvious like having this universe’s version of Captain Caveman be somewhat of an antagonist here...I will be talking about him further down...but there are also just simply posters and name references that catch your eye if you know the characters. I don’t know every Hanna-Barbera character but the one that did catch my eye was a cardboard cutout of Hong-Kong Phooey.

As for the actual movie from a storytelling perspective, again I never really thought there was anything that grand about Scooby-Doo in terms of how they told a story. It was one of the first “monster of the week” shows in how formulaic it was and there was almost always a predictable formula in how each character would play their part.

In hindsight to that, I do appreciate both this movie and the first live-action Scooby-Doo movie for actually making that a satirical plot point, but in not having that much of a plot to base the movie on...I mean you can tell this is really an origin story of sorts in that if they are planning a cinematic universe this is that first rock, but unlike Iron Man they never had that hook that made you want to see the story continue.

I guess you could compare it in-house to what the DCEU did with Man of Steel. I didn’t really need more from after seeing that movie but I did want to see what this universe’s versions of some of my favourite DC Characters would be like, in a way this is similar.

It does sound stupid but the plot very much feels like a Scooby-Doo movie plot, in that the movie opens with that classic “monster of the week” unmasking, but the main threat of the movie is a real monster with some type of supernatural mystical twist.

But also, in adding the entire universe of Hanna-Barbera characters to that, you also have the most blatant in-movie Warner Bros. promo campaign with so many of the studio’s other properties being name-dropped it was borderline laughable.

In terms of the actual movie experience, this isn’t the first time I’ve watched a movie for the first time not in the cinema but knowing that the movie should have been released in cinemas rather than me simply not seeing it for any reason was rather surreal and, I do feel that this is the type of movie that warrants an audience viewing rather than just me watching it in my bedroom.

I also feel I would have enjoyed it a lot more with an audience, particularly an audience that doesn’t mind slightly dated, cheesy or somewhat really obvious plot points at times. I kind of predicted every major plot twist in this movie, although a couple of them I feel the audience is supposed to know from the get go otherwise why make it so obviously unless your pandering to a really young audience that don’t have two brain cells to rub together and tell that Fred with a really sinister grin full-naming Scooby is really the main villain in disguise particularly when you just saw him do the same thing ten minutes before.

But anyway, rather then going character by character in this spoilery section I’m going to break it down into what I liked and what I didn’t like. There was nothing I loved but also nothing I hated.

What I Liked:

But in terms of the overall message of the movie, Scoob! really hammers home that old-school notion of Man’s Best Friend, and not just with Shaggy and Scooby which is all I will say on that.

Alright so this movie is obviously called Scoob! and focuses on Scooby as effectively the main character as well as his friendship with Shaggy. The two really are one character in that you can’t really imagine one without the other, and the movie really explores that in both good and bad ways...we’ll get to the bad.

As a dog lover and dog owner myself, this movie really spoke to me on that level and the bond that Shaggy and Scooby share I finally understood. In all other media for me it’s more a case of Scooby and Shaggy just being friends but here that bond goes deeper because you see them meet and you see them essentially become family.

I really didn’t like the plot device of making them fall out only to have them make up later, it just is a very lazy trope at this point particularly as I’ve already seen it in a Scooby-Doo property before.

But they do kind of explain why it is necessary and why it happens because while they do have their friends at Mystery Inc. Shaggy and Scooby had no one before having each other, so when one feels like they’re drifting apart something flips and they get very possessive.

Also that ending, I mentioned this movie has a lot of things thrown in but while Hanna-Barbera and Warner Bros. references are kind of in sync with this movie, how about Greek mythology to the point where they effectively summon the Underworld to Earth!

I’m a massive Greek mythology fan, and seeing the main monster of this movie actually being from Greek mythology and animated so beautifully is why this is in the good section, even if the Underworld actually looked like the Cave of Wonders from Aladdin.

The voice cast for this movie is also unexpectedly brilliant. A lot of people may complain that the original cast who are still all alive, I think, weren’t asked back but outside of Frank Welker as Scooby I don’t think you really need them.

Zac Efron is one of those actors at the moment that can do no wrong for me, he can do comedy, he can do musical, he can do drama, he can do serious gritty drama. I really loved him as Fred here.

Will Forte didn’t fool me into thinking it was Matthew Lillard returning to the role because I feel his voice here wasn’t as squeeky or high as Lillard’s, but he still did a great job, Ian Armitage voicing the kid version was great too.

Gina Rodriguez is a choice for Velma not just because like a lot of these characters the classic Velma’s voice is very distinct and almost iconic but to actively race-bend the character and make her Latina I thought added some much needed diversity to this movie and the Hanna-Barbera universe in general.

Jason Isaacs as Dick Dastardly was really a fantastic choice both for the actor and for the character. There were times particularly towards the start when he made Dick sound like Captain Hook and even his design here is very Captain Hook/Gru esk rather than the lanky Dick Dastardly design, and I was missing his classic hat. But for me Jason Isaacs is at his best when he’s playing a villain.

On that note, Dee Dee Sykes and Dynomutt I thought were absolutely wonderful here, I’d actually say these two and Dick Dastardly were my favourite characters. All the D’s apparently.

Not only was it a teachable moment for me because I had to look up someone I was pretty sure was someone I thought they were in terms of me knowing Dee Dee originated in Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels, but here was on Blue Falcon’s crew with Dynomutt and no reference to Captain Caveman whatsoever I was okay with.

Also, I cannot believe I am saying this but, this movie actually made me like a Ken Jeong performance. I cannot stand this man, I do not find him funny, I do not find him entertaining, yet something about him voicing Dynomutt who originally I swear what meant to have the brain capacity I associate with Ken Jeong, but to make me like the character was impressive.

The final thing on my good list to mention is that opening sequence, after the very heartwarming opening scene of Scooby and Shaggy meeting and a Halloween setting of the team first coming together to battle a monster of the week in a It inspired haunted house, they show a shot-for-shot remake of the opening credits for the OG cartoon which is rather clever.

The only other voice actor to mention in the good section for me is Simon Cowell, not only do they have Simon playing himself in such a brilliant way but also his son Eric also voices a character, very brief and not central to the plot, but really a cute moment. Also I don’t know why but Simon in voice over sounds almost like a parody to Simon in live-action.

What I Didn’t Like:

Alright so these are really knitpicks but I think they’re worth noting in terms of moving this universe forward.

Scooby Doo is a dog, a talking dog yes but a dog none the less...so why the heck does he talk so much. I mean granted this is a universe with a robotic dog and a biped martial arts vigilante dog...but they never genuinely explain how Scooby can talk and while it’s understandable in the original cartoons as it’s mostly groans and the odd mispronounced word...here he was having monologues...also as a puppy he should have had a puppy voice, just saying.

As mentioned, I never really got into this franchise when I was younger so outside of Scooby and Shaggy I don’t really know these characters...but was Fred always so weirdly obsessed with the Mystery Machine? I get being happy with your vehicle but I thought Fred and Daphne were supposed to be the ship of this property...not Fred and the van.

I really really really really really really really really did not like the cop out ending they had, I didn’t let them get away with it in Stitch Has a Glitch and I am not letting them get away with it here. This big dramatic heartstring pulling thing happens, yet it’s almost immediately rectified with no solid explanation other then “we need to wrap things up”.

So to see one of these properties not authentically translate I thought was annoying, by which I mean Captain Caveman. Looks wise he is on point and I am fully aware that Mel Blanc is not going to rise up from the grave to voice him again, but the very essence of him being a caveman in his speech was not there for me here.

It would have been better if they allowed some time to go past and let the heroes stew in their sorrow before somehow discovering a way to fix things, but no it is literally as soon as the bad thing happens we are supposed to believe this was thought out?

My final thing is this. The Hanna-Barbera properties I grew up with are Scooby-Doo which I liked, Top Cat which I loved, Wacky Races which I loved, The Jetsons which I wasn’t as acquainted with as I would have liked to be, The Flinstones which I loved, Hong Kong Phooey which I liked and Captain Cavemani which I liked.

I’m sure Tracy Morgan is a likeable comedian, but then play on the comedy of the character and have him be like he originally was.

Hanna-Barbera Cinematic Universe:

I would love to see The Flinstones, Top Cat and the other Wacky Racers get this movie treatment. In fact if they market it correctly, Warner Bros. Animation could have a different genre movie for each property, be that comedy for Flinstones, action for Hong Kong Phooey, maybe a heist movie for Top Cat, sci-fi for the Jetsons, the list goes on.

As mentioned before, I do not see that groundwork for a cinematic universe here. Rather than it showing signs of being like the MCU I think it does stick more in-house as the DCEU by simply giving me the want to see other Hanna-Barbera characters inhabit this universe.

Do I feel this is the start of something big? No, do I feel there is potential here absolutely.

Overall I rate the movie a solid 7/10, it’s enjoyable, it’s cute, it’s family-friendly and I believe that’s its USP. It’s not a groundbreaking movie but it does have that cinematic universe potential and, as mentioned, I do look forward to see if more Hanna-Barbera properties get the same treatment.

So that’s my review of Scoob! What did you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Movie Reviews and other posts.

#scoob #scoob!#scooby-doo #scooby doo #warner bros.#hanna-barbera #hong kong phooey #dick dastardly #wacky races #blue falcon #dynomutt #zac efron #jason isaacs #gina rodriguez #amanda seyfried #frank welker #muttley #captain caveman

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toyahinterviews · 4 years

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TOYAH TALKS SHEP FARMING IN BARNET WITH PHIL MARRIOTT 13.11.2020

PHIL: I'm so thrilled to be with Toyah Willcox on zoom! How are you? TOYAH: Woooo! I'm OK. It's really good to see you. I haven't seen many people in the last seven months so it's so good to see you! PHIL: I was just going to say – likewise. The last time I saw you was at Wise Buddha, a studio just off Oxford Street in Central London and we could see each other face to face TOYAH: That was about 18 months ago PHIL: I know! How have you been? TOYAH: I'm really good. Well, I'm really confused because I live in a market town, on a square, one High Street and I'm bang in the middle of all of this. I have a chemist next door, we did have a bank next door but we bought it and that's now our offices. So I'm looking outside my window and there is all normality. There's no sign of any kind of lockdown and I'm wondering if I'm being lied to because I've got people on park benches, drinking coffee, talking to everyone, eating and I'm thinking “I thought this was a lockdown!” I'm so confused! PHIL: It's crazy, isn't it? I went past a bar yesterday and they were walking in and out and my partner said "hang on a minute! It's meant to be lockdown!" I think it was take-away, it just felt like normality, it just felt normal. It's weird TOYAH: This feels normal. None of that terror of last April. Everyone's just having a lovely time out there and I'm thinking someone's played a joke on me because I've been indoors for so long PHIL: We do need it though, don't we … By the way I've been loving your lockdown shows every Saturday. It's been a real ritual. I've been pottering around and then I've been switching onto your Toyah At Home show on Saturday morning TOYAH: Oh, thank you PHIL: It's been fantastic, really enjoyed those. And they've been really honest as well because you've been talking about your life and feeling nostalgic and talking about what's happening at the moment and we don't normally get to see that – you walking around your house, showing things in your house, your books. It's been brilliant

TOYAH: I'm going to keep it up because normally on my working year I'm running an office. I run the band, I run the record side of things, I run the gigs – booking them and I never get time for any of that so it's been fantastic for me and for my husband Robert. We've been kind of been able to address what fans need

That might sound silly because fans just need to see you live and (to) do your music – well, lockdown has proven much more than that. I'm going to try and keep it going and try and prioritise the connection we've made with the fans and stop prioritising the ridiculous amount of bureaucracy we both have to deal with. So it's been great on that level it's been a fantastic year! PHIL: It's been really good for the fans as well like you say because they really appreciate it because they're feeling a bit lonely and isolated and it's good to have that company as well, isn't it? TOYAH: It's been shocking. We do a lot of celebrity messaging. We were a bit doubtful about it at first. We thought "oh gosh is this a step too far?" It's been a absolute joy and occasionally you get the odd message from someone saying "I'm so desperate, I'm so alone, can you just say something to help shake this blackness off me" We've really really loved every minute of doing these messages and also realising that our broadcasts have a deeper meaning than just us going "look at us". It's all become so much deeper and that is beautiful. It's affected my writing. The new album Posh Pop is really deep, it's really passionate and it really rocks and that could only have happened because of this exceptional year PHIL: We have to talk about Sheep Farming In Barnet. I can't believe it's 40 years TOYAH: Look what I've got! (Waves the box set about) PHIL: I know! I can't wait to see that TOYAH: This is an exclusive! PHIL: Amazing! TOYAH: It only arrived two days ago

PHIL: It's new images as well isn't it, like you've shown there, new photographs that we've not seen before. This is an album that was released in 1979 as an AP – an Alternative Play (above) and then it was released as an album in 1980 so you're obviously celebrating the 40th anniversary. What are you memories of this though because obviously a lot of stuff gets forgotten about. You've got a very good memory I have to say, watching your Toyah At Home videos. You seem to remember a lot of detail. Do you remember detail of that period? TOYAH: It's shockingly bad. My wonderful archive manager and he designed this, Craig Ashley, designed with Alan Sawyers – he writes a essay about each project. We're already onto Blue Meaning and then we're onto Anthem so we're 12 months ahead. We put this (Sheep) to bed three months ago. My memories were jogged by an essay that Craig had to send me. He knows more about my life than I do. He prompted my memory with this astonishing essay that's in here (shows the boxset) I thought "I did that?! I did that ?! Oh my God!" This is a long time ago this album but what I will say about it – I've always remembered that I think it's the one of the most relevant, one of the most original, ingenious albums of that period and it's never had that credit. Cherry Red (the record company) have really taken this on board and they are giving it the 100%. It's a beautiful album. There's a beautiful innocence but there's also so many pathways we opened for other people with this album. It's a fun album. It's a real danceable album. It's about youthful energy. It's beautiful and it's a side of punk that isn't that well known. It's great. I adore this album

PHIL: So this album was recorded – correct me if I'm wrong – Chappel Studios, New Bond Street wasn't it, in Central London - TOYAH: Yes! PHIL: Which is now the Mulberry store. There's something about quite poignant about that – it should always be that studio I guess but what are your memories of recording there? Do you have many memories of you actually recording it? TOYAH: Next door was Chanel and Hermes and I just pooh pooed them “Who wants to spend that on a handbag?” I don't want to spend half a million quid on a silk scarf. If only I knew, hindsight is a beautiful thing. The studio was upstairs, very very traditional. Almost old fashioned because the studio was a song writer's studio. There was quite a few studios in the corridor I was in. We were one of the first punk acts to go in. I found the whole recording process in this particular instance very difficult because we now know I sing without headphones on. I cannot do that (puts hands over ears) It just affects me emotionally. So this took about four albums to discover that. Steve James, our producer, realised that he was going to get the best performance out of me if he just put speakers in the room and I performed as live. That was a learning curve - it was a big learning curve. So the first songs we recorded - for me – were emotionally quite tough because I was just trying to learn how to work within this dead space. Recording studios – if you haven't been in one – have no sound reflection.

So we've got sound reflection here, I'm surrounded by mirrors, I can hear myself speak but in a studio it's a dead sound. It's really difficult to form notes in that kind of sound so … You asked me what was the experience like? It was a major learning curve of dealing with working within dead sound. Now, if I'm acting and I'm in a studio there's nothing more beautiful than dead sound because it makes you forget about the camera. So it was very very enlightening, it was energetic, we were an energetic team I think it was challenging for the whole band because Keith Hale was brought in as an arranger and that was frustrating for Pete Bush who is the main keyboard player on this album and he felt very threatened by that. But all this rather glorious usurp thing and power play is the result of this album. That and the fact that we honed every song in front of a live audience, which is such a privileged thing to so. We would do these incredible long encores that were as along as the actual show because the audience would never let us go We would run out of songs so we'd start to play them stuff we were formulating in soundcheck and this is how we came up with these glorious arrangements because we knew what affected the audience before we went into the recording studio. That is something that all young writers should have the privilege to do today because to watch an audience affected by a bridge or a chorus – you just know what you need to do as a songwriter. So much of today happens away from a live audience and this is all about live audience work. It was magnificent PHIL: The album title itself – it still raises eyebrows today, doesn't it? Sheep Farming In Barnet. It's one of those really distinctive album titles that really stand out -

TOYAH: I know! Well, I lived in Barnet and bang in the middle of this urban kind of chaos with the A406 was a field with sheep in it and I just thought "sheep farming in Barnet?" So I wanted to call the album something that didn't relate to an emotion and didn't relate to another song. I wanted something completely out there. This is me (show the album cover) having broken in to Fylingdales - the early warning system - where they had sheep grazing and when we broke in we found an awful lot of dead sheep and we were arrested ten minutes after that was taken Bill Smith the art director was with me as was Gem, my boyfriend at the time and we had to hide the film down my pants. We knew we would not be body searched. We were literally just marched off the premises so we got the film out. So that whole "sheep farming in Barnet" was just a big question mark of what is our reality? PHIL: Is that something you do today? Stuff the - TOYAH: Guerilla filming? PHIL: Just stuff the evidence? TOYAH: Everything? Yeah, everything goes down my pants. As I get older it it's one of my things I do with my personal dementia – everything goes down my pants (Phil laughs) PHIL: I remember NME did a review – I think it was a three star review, it should've been more obviously but for the NME that was pretty good. At the time they called you a "post punk Grace Slick" - TOYAH: I have no problems with being the punk Grace Slick. My goodness that woman was a great voice PHIL: It's a nice comparison. Now, the album was split into two parts – much like Kate Bush's Hounds Of Love which had the Ninth wave as the 2nd part - TOYAH: Yeah! This was 1979! (waves the box set about)

PHIL: I was going to say – you did that before her. Both brilliant albums obviously but this had Heaven and it had Hell and there is a lot of darkness in this album because there's a lot of vivid imagery when you listen to those lyrics. I suppose it's the horror and sci-fi fan in you, is it? TOYAH: It's very dark poetry. I mean Neon Womb is quite innocent. I was making a movie with Katherine Hepburn called The Corn Is Green. I had to get on the tube train. The first tube train of the morning in Battersea which was six in the morning and I had to walk over to Victoria to get the train. And I just remember being alone in this tube that was neon lit and I thought "this is like a neon womb."

So that's where that name came from. Indecision I wrote in my home in Birmingham, the lyrics came there and I was doing lots of TV promotion for the film Jubilee and I just couldn't make up my mind what to wear so Indecision came out of that. And then Waiting is very dark Waiting is about if we looked at the planet and it only had burn layers and every burn layer was a war and you'd cut through them you'd see a very different planet. We wouldn't see a green planet. So Waiting is about layer upon layer upon layer of wars that we've had in the past … Let's say – let's be brave about this – 50 000 years? It's an endless theme on this planet. So that's what that one is about. Danced is about a second coming because I was brought up in extreme religious education by parents who weren't religious So because I was a rebel and because I was really out there as a child and I've always been a bit like this - they thought to cleanse my soul I should go into extreme religious education which I had from the age of about 10 ten right through to 14. So that has affected the poetry of my life a lot and that's what Danced is about.

Danced is saying the 2nd coming is coming – this is fantasy – but it ain't going to be a human being! It's someone coming from up there so that's what Danced is about. I'm always questioning the metaphor of what I've been taught and there's so many metaphor's in this (shows the box set). But I think that's what the fans like is that I use the imagery of metaphors to question things

PHIL: And there are so many anthems on this as well, particularly for fans that have been with you from day one. You know, Danced. You mentioned Neon Womb as well. These are real live favourites. There's a couple of of tracks I've never seen you perform live, Computer being one of those. Is that something that you would think about playing? TOYAH: Yeah! In lockdown we had to do the DVD filming (for the disc in the box set). Nigel Clark of Dodgy, my neighbour, came round and we performed Computer. He performed it beautifully, he even did backing vocals and that's on the DVD version of this (shows the box set). It's gorgeous so we could put that in live now but there's so much material, my whole back catalogue, I have to capture in shows today, an hour and half shows I have to capture about 28 albums. And remember 14 of those songs are hit singles. So we chop and change and we try and fit everything in. Computer might come into the show but then we'll get people complaining we can't fit in Neon Womb, Danced and everything else PHIL: Too many songs to play TOYAH: There's just too many songs to play. You got Our Movie as well. I get a big call for Victims Of The Riddle but that is impossible to sing live. It's in an octave higher register than I normally sing in today and also it's one of those songs once you've done the first two lines everyone goes to the bar or starts talking. So we've decided if the fans demand a song and they don't listen to it – we don't do it!

PHIL: I want to talk about the digipak that you have in your hands of this album because it's a real treat isn't it, for fans because there's a lot of versions they've never heard before. We mentioned Computer just then. That sounds quite different in its demo form. Are you quite happy to release these demos because obviously these have never been released before. It's so great to hear these now after so long TOYAH: This is the first album released where Joel Bogen (the original Toyah band guitarist and composer) and myself have actually been corresponded with about having permission of them going on the album. So one of my top selling albums in the world now is an album called Mayhem which is demos that Joel and I never wanted to be heard and ironically that is the world top selling Toyah album

So this time around now Cherry Red own the whole back catalogue they have agreed that will never happen again so we're even re-vamping Mayhem for its re-release. So there are 30 additional tracks, most of them unheard going onto this. It's a double LP and a live DVD and there's even DVD footage that's never been seen before PHIL: It's a real Christmas present, isn't it? TOYAH: It's perfect! PHIL: Yeah! TOYAH: When we do demos they're pre-producer arrangements so obviously when you get into the studio and having heard the demo and hopefully played the song live in front of an audience you can then re-work it. So doing a demo is like trying out a recipe for a cake and if you feel that you can improve – then you improve and most of the time that's what people do do PHIL: So Victims Of The Riddle is your debut single which is featured on this album. There was another version on the single B-side which was called Vivisection. To me that seems like a kind of outspoken view of your hate for animal experiments. Was that the case? Was it that obvious? TOYAH: Yeah PHIL: It was?

Above: Toyah with her rabbit WillyFred in 2016

TOYAH: Yeah. I like to think it's not so awful today and I think a lot of people, a lot of human beings stepped forwards and said "you can test that on us." So stop breeding animals to test on. So I put my hand up here – I'm against vivisection but I've had hip replacement, I've had life saving surgery for cancer. Animals have paid so that I can live. So it's not as if I've even avoided every aspect of the results of vivisection.

Where my argument is and if the make-up industry - which has something like a £6 billion fund for testing - keeps testing on animals they're never going to change the world and protect and do good husbandry to animals. Now at the time we were making this … '79 … this was … I mean it was rampant. Animals were just being treated so badly I was a very experimental singer in the beginning, I use my voiced as an instrument thus the stylisation on Vivisection. And I wanted to use this as a wake up call to those who didn't know about the cruelty to animals but also the amount of people who were willing to be human test people.

And it was just – if you don't bring that into your audience's intelligence then no-one could do anything about it and I think the greatest revolution we have had in the 40 years is we've stopped buying things unless they adhere to an ethic we believe in.

So good husbandry, non-cruelty to animals, respect for animals, understanding that animals do have souls, they do have an emotional life, they feel pain as much as they feel joy and this was what that was about PHIL: I'm glad you answered that question that way because I certainly saw it as very influential at the time – like you say it was a different time back then, in the 70's and the late 70's. There was a lot more of that nastiness going on and as a result more people have become vegetarian and vegan as well over the years, particularly the last five years people have become vegan which is great. So it's a good shift, isn't it?

TOYAH: It's very good. I think in a year's time when we have a vaccine for Covid and there has been human guinea pigs involved here ... I think one of the biggest outcomes of Covid and Covid history we probably, worldwide, will become vegetarian. What I mean by that is the easiness within Covid is mutating within the animal circuit and if we keep consuming animal flesh we are probably going to help Covid mutate even more. I'd like to think that one of the kind of strange blessings of this exceptional year is that the majority of the planet will become vegetarian PHIL: Siouxsie and The Banshees did the Kaleidoscope album a few years ago which I saw at South Bank, I know you're a fan as well, of Siouxsie - TOYAH: Yes! PHIL: Is that something that you (want to) do with Sheep Farming? Do it as a whole? TOYAH: (I'll) do it with any album but people want Siouxsie. I've had to - this is my career “Let me in! Let me in! (bangs the air with her fist) “Give me a fucking job!” Siouxsie, you know, gets invited because people absolutely adore her. I'm not on Siouxsie's level but I think what will change for me because in the last 40 years my catalogue has been with a record label that has actively allowed it to die and now Cherry Red- as soon as they announce these releases – I mean this went number one in the pre-order charts across the board and Cherry Red have released the demand is huge But if you don't have the record company behind you and the PR behind you and the team behind you … I don't get invited to play whole albums at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. So I now think this is going to change quite radically and hopefully my work will get the respect it deserves. But it has to be out there for that to happen and in the last 40 years it's just been buried

PHIL: Last Goodbye, another track on this album, last time we spoke we talked about your love of horror TOYAH: Yeah PHIL: And you told me watch The House That Jack Built, which I saw after your recommendation and yeah – it disturbed me very much (laughs) TOYAH: That's an astonishing film. There's another one I'll recommend to you and it's very gentle. It's a love story but it also it also tiptoes into the surreal and horror and it's called Border. I just adore this film - PHIL: I've seen it, it's amazing. It really gets under your skin, doesn't it? TOYAH: It's gorgeous. That is like reading a really good book. It translates beautifully PHIL: Absolutely, a very atmospheric film. But Last Goodbye on Sheep Farming – it's quite an evocative lyric. Again quite a dark lyric. There is lightness as well, obviously, on Sheep Farming but I'm just going to read the lyric here : “He points the knife between her eyes. Its light reflects on the one he despises. Here's one for the pain, here's one for the lies. When flood flows out I watch her say goodbye” That is quite - TOYAH: It's a revenge song but I mean this is about the vulnerability of men and men are vulnerable and this is the ultimate revenge. He can take on someone who is more powerful than him and it's a woman. So I always like to kind of invert what people see as normal. I think woman are just as easily aggressive as men are and devious and plotting so it's revenge on someone who has psychologically destroyed someone else.

And I think historically – I need to place it in context – 40 years ago and even 50 years ago you never heard about women's prisons, you never heard about female criminals. It was always men. There were only three that we heard about when I was young that were serial killers. I'm not going to name them, let's not give them the publicity but what you didn't hear was about was petty female criminals, female prisons and female aggression. It was never reported 50-40 years ago as it is today. You know you've got Piers Morgan doing “Female Serial Killers” today so here we were in the punk movement, '79, and it was such an opportunity to be one of the first women in this movement that I could invert everything I'd been taught And one of them is about women being psychologically cruel which kind of covers a lot of the early work. So I was just inverting stories and turning them into myth really. And another thing that was emerging at this time … computers were being programmed at this time on a mass level. So a lot of people we worked with, our roadies would disappear at night to go and do binary programming into computers and this was going on 24/7 to get computers how they are today. So there was this kind of secret technology going on that fascinated us but we didn't understand I mean if we ever knew we would have a phone in our hand (shows her mobile) or we'd be able to talk like this (on Zoom) … that was science fiction. And another thing that science fiction back then … was … oh, it's going out of my head … ah yes! Was how games were developed. So Dungeons and Dragons was very much a fantasy game then and it was the only fantasy game as was – Lord Of The Rings was a book, you never realised it would be made into a really brilliant digitally composed film. So fantasy for me was very very important. It was escapism from a normality that could be not only boring but could also be dangerous so all of that reflects in my work as well

PHIL: I could sit and talk to you Toyah for hours. I know you've got other interviews to do because you've got so much to do in the coming weeks before this re-release, this re-vamp of Sheep Farming In Barnet. It's out on the 4th of December but I have got one last question which I invited people to send in and this is a question from Darren Anthony and he's asked which 3 things, if there are 3 things, would you change about your debut album if you could? TOYAH: Ohhh! Do you know, Darren, this is such a good question and the only thing I would change – because there's a beautiful innocence about this album – I would change nothing about the music. I would've changed immediately the technique I use for singing because I've only in the last ten years really gleaned my 100% technique. And I would … just … how can I put this? If you're a singer you understand “opening the throat”. I would open the throat more, I would've had more confidence as a singer Instead I'd get into the studio and lack of confidence would make me go (pulls shoulders in and head behind hands) I would just close up like that and the voice became quite small. So that's one thing I would change but I can only answer that in hindsight. Elusive Stranger is an incredibly popular song and I would've just not sung the intro in that octave. I would bring that down an octave which would make it far easier to sing live today.

And I can't find a third thing I would've changed. Perhaps the one thing I would've changed about the whole of the beginning of my career – I was very against my natural femininity where women who are hugely successful not only exhibit their femininity but they control their femininity and I saw my femininity as a barrier that I needed to either kind of break down or walk away from. So I probably would exploit it - in the right way, in the Madonna way – my femininity PHIL: I should say it's also out on white vinyl which I've ordered and I can't wait to see that either! TOYAH: Wahey! PHIL: To represent the golf balls on the sleeve TOYAH: Oh, I know! It's a clever design. It's clever. Phil - thank you so much and I hope see you sooner than the 18 months - PHIL: Yes, me too. Good luck and stay safe. Thank you, Toyah TOYAH: Good luck everybody!

You can watch the interview HERE

#toyah #toyah willcox #toyahwillcox #the toyah willcox interview archive #thetoyahwillcoxinterviewarchive #toyah interview #toyahinterview #toyah2020 #toyah 2020

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mashitandsmashit · 4 years

Text

America’s Got Talent: Season 15 - Judge Cuts

Well, this pandemic's making a mess out of everything, isn't it?

I guess Simon wasn't a fan of the format for this round from the previous seasons...But whatever format it's going to be in the future, let's...NOT go with this one...As it is, we only know the fate of, like, HALF the acts...And I'm still processing some of them! (Though I can tell that I spoke too soon on some of the acts we didn't see much of before...)

As usual in this round, some decisions I agree with, and others...Well, Thomas Day and Kameron Ross both made it, among other singers that didn't excite me before, so this may not bode well for some of my favorites...But I should still give them credit for sending ALMOST all of my favorites from the auditions through...Some are still pending, and others...well...We can only hope for some good wildcards this year...

Anyway, only ten acts actually performed, so let's rank them...

10: Simon and Maria. Look, these kids are perfectly passable, but you seriously expect me to believe they deserved to advance over some of the other acts!? That said, I guess they have a yearly quota, and part of that quota is a child dance duo...

9: Ryan Tricks. You know, while watching the show, I actually found Ryan to be the superior magician BY FAR, but taking a second look, I do see the staged nature of it all...Where are these magicians making all these connections!? Alesha Dixon, David Hasselhoff, Shin Lim, freaking Tape Face!? This guy definitely has the advantage in charisma, but I do feel like he's being held back from his full potential, by circumstances beyond his, or anyone else's control...

8: Max Major. So everything said...There was nothing from this trick I haven't seen before...But unlike Ryan, he did his trick live with the judges, which scores him some points...THAT being said, Shin Lim Effect is in full swing with this guy! He's gonna need to give us something original for future rounds if this act is to really work out...

7: Craig Reid. Fun...But not enough to stand out...

6: The Ninja Twins. Two annoying schmucks performing one of the most annoying songs in recent years by one of the most unlikable pop musicians? That sounds like something I would reject on the spot! ...And yet these two managed to find their groove through a REALLY creative homemade set and fun choreography! The out-of-breath vocals only added to the appeal...That said, I am glad they didn't go through, because even if you look past the immense backlash such a decision would garner, I don't see myself liking them in the long run...(PS, I missed a perfectly good chance with their previous appearance to make a reference to the “Ninja Rap” by the legendary Vanilla Ice from the cinematic masterpiece, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze”, and for that I apologize!)

5: Ty Barnett. I guess the comedian category WAS getting a little crowded, and I have no real arguments with their selections...But I dunno...I still like this guy, even if the set wasn't quite as funny as before...

4: Brothers Gage. Make these guys a wildcard, NOW! Yes, I won't argue that this wasn't as good as their last appearance, but it's still so much fun! And I'm all for them mixing in some other instruments and even vocals...But the harmonicas are still the heart and soul of the act, and they must never forget that! It's hard to say what's next for them, especially if they DO come back...But I wish them the best!

3: Shaquira McGrath. I guess she abandoned a bit of her unique identity by dropping the country from the act...But “Wake Me Up” is one of my favorite songs, and her rendition of the song really “made it her own” as they say...We'll see if she goes back to country in the next round...

2: Nolan Neal. I would have loved to hear another original song, but I don't see why singers can't mix it up between originals and covers on this show...Still one of the best vocalists of the season, if not THE best! He's got the love!

1: Jonathan Goodwin. Well, all we saw of this guy before was catching an arrow...But he looked badass when he did it, and he continues to be a badass tonight! Not much else to say...This guy's just a badass!

I guess things could have gone better...But...Yeah...

So next week is gonna be another special...I GUESS we'll be going live the week after, but we'll wait and see...

Until then, let's partake in the yearly tradition of choosing our own Golden Buzzer acts! While they haven't revealed all of the live acts yet, I feel I don't need to wait, as none of the TBD acts quite measure up for me. (Actually, Wesley Williams was one of my favorites, but he doesn't rank quite as high as who I'm selecting...)

I almost wanted to select Nolan Neal, but I think I'd rather pick another variety act this year...

So my Golden Buzzer selection this season is...

(Drumroll...)

The Spyros Bros!

It's hard to say how well they'll do in this game, but I think if they play their cards right, they could go very far! They have the story, the personality, and the coolness to potentially do well!

(I also considered Malik, but I felt it would get repetitive if I kept picking the innovative instrumentalists every year...)

Once again, FrankDoc is allowed to make a selection as well! Just remember, it has to be an act that has made the live shows, isn't a wildcard, and isn't anybody else's GB...(Also, you can wait for them to announce the other live acts if you want...)

I'll see if I have anything to say next week with the...I guess compilation of AGT winners...But I doubt it...Otherwise...Well, life has been pretty crazy for me lately...Honestly, I'm not even sure if I can continue posting these blogs for a while...But I'll keep going as long as I can, and will continue to watch this show regardless!

...So much for that livestream idea though...

RIP, Regis: The original AGT emcee!

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mediaeval-muse · 4 years

Text

Book Review

A Choir of Lies by Alexandra Rowland. Saga Press. 2019.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Genre: fantasy

Part of a Series? Yes, A Conspiracy of Truths #2

Summary: Three years ago, Ylfing watched his master-Chant tear a nation apart with nothing but the words on his tongue. Now Ylfing is all alone in a new realm, brokenhearted and grieving—but a Chant in his own right, employed as a translator to a wealthy merchant of luxury goods, Sterre de Waeyer. But Ylfing has been struggling to come to terms with what his master did, with the audiences he’s been alienated from, and with the stories he can no longer trust himself to tell. That is, until Ylfing’s employer finds out what he is, what he does, and what he knows. At Sterre’s command, Ylfing begins telling stories once more, fanning the city into a mania for a few shipments of an exotic flower. The prices skyrocket, but when disaster looms, Ylfing must face what he has done and decide who he wants to be: a man who walks away and lets the city shatter, as his master did? Or will he embrace the power of story to save ten thousand lives?

***Full review under the cut.***

Trigger Warnings: honestly, none that I would consider obvious (other than maybe strong language)

Overview: I adored A Conspiracy of Truths, so of course, I was going to pick up A Choir of Lies as soon as I could. I was so engrossed that it only took me two days to read (I’m preparing for my dissertation defense, so that should tell you something), and I enjoyed every moment of the experience.

Writing: Alexandra Rowland remains one of the few authors that can write a story in first person POV and I’ll gobble it up. Something about the way both this book and A Conspiracy of Truths take up the subject of storytelling and are self consciously concerned about the construction of stories makes the first person more palatable to me - when first person is treated more as a window into a character’s inner thoughts, the narration feels unnatural to me. But with this book, our narrator, Ylfing, is claiming to be crafting a story and writing it down to be read, so of course it would feel constructed or performative. Because Rowland’s books are about just that, I think she uses first person to her advantage.

I also really like that Rowland knows how to balance action and emotion, what's happening in the story and what’s happening in the narrator’s mind. She strikes a good balance, and I always felt like I was getting equal parts plot development and character development as I read. The only criticism I have in this regard is that the pacing at the beginning was a bit slow - the main conflict of the novel doesn’t really start until 100 pages in, so most of the beginning is exposition and character setup.

Something different about A Choir of Lies is that it makes use of footnotes. A Conspiracy of Truths was self-consciously about oral storytelling, while this book is self-consciously about written storytelling. The footnotes, made by an initially mysterious reader of Ylfing’s account, introduced an interactive element to the way the story unfolded, reminded the real reader (us) that Ylfing is not unbiased, that stories are told through a particular lens that is not objective. I loved the two tones of the main account and the footnotes, which made me feel like I was reading two different voices.

Plot: The main plot of this book isn’t too complicated. Three years after A Conspiracy of Truths, Ylfing finds himself working for a merchant, hawking exotic flowers using his storytelling abilities to make them seem rare and special. Thanks to his efforts, the flowers are in such high demand that people start paying extravagant prices for them, and sell “future bulbs” which haven’t even sprout yet. As you may see, there’s a lot that can go wrong with this setup, and when economic disaster finally does strike, it’s not necessarily something that is unforeseen.

What makes the narrative engaging, however, is Ylfing’s personal development within and alongside this economic plot. The economic narrative is all about people using Ylfing, and how Ylfing is still trying to find his place in the world after being abandoned by his Master Chant. I really enjoyed the parallels between what Ylfing was uncovering about the flowers, his boss, and his social circle and what he was uncovering about himself and Chanting. There were also some nice musings on the power of stories and the human inclination to help one another selflessly, which were woven into the plot skillfully.

Characters: I loved Ylfing in the first book, and I continued to love him in this book. The poor boy is an extremely sensitive soul who is so earnest in everything he does, and I loved that he developed into someone who can reflect on his own actions and flaws. The first part of this book follows Ylfing through a major bout of depression, which caused me some concern since he was full of life and joy in the previous installment. His depression, however, is very understandable, and when he eventually returns to his old self (or close to his old self), I found the development quite satisfying.

Mistress Chant, our footnote-writer and major supporting character in the novel, was a great foil for Ylfing. Though she is a Chant, her opinions about Chanting are very different, and she pushes and challenges Ylfing on his ideas, refusing to let him wash his hands of his involvement in the economic crisis, even when he is depressed. Every time they interacted on the page, I was delighted by their quasi-philosophical conversations, and I loved that they simultaneously found companionship in one another and were constantly angry with the other’s outlook.

Most of the supporting characters were likewise well-developed in a way that made them feel unique and real. Sterre, Ylfing’s boss, is greedy in a subtle way, and Ylfing’s initial defense of her really highlights his naivete. Orfeo, Ylfing’s love interest, is charismatic and by all appearances a very tender, considerate lover. I loved the interactions between them, as Orfeo seemed to bring Ylfing the comfort and understanding he needed to find himself. I also appreciated that Rowland was able to write their relationship in a non-problematic way, creating drama without resorting to death or problematic behaviors.

Other: Rowland’s worldbuilding makes every location in her books feel like it has its own history and culture. Ylfing carefully describes to the reader how languages vary not just in terms of grammar, but in context; Spraacht, for example, has six grammatical genders, which matches the six genders in Heyrland society. Heyrland is also unique in its location by the water, and the extensive system of canals and dikes affect the way characters behave, how they speak, and how their trades develop. I love these little anchors that Rowland creates because it makes it seem like she put thought into how a society would function, rather than just cobbling together some names and calling it a day.

I also appreciated that Rowland writes LGBT+ and gender non-forming characters as commonplace in her world. There aren’t any locations (I don’t think) in which LGBT+ people are discriminated against - their existence, as well as queer marriages, are ubiquitous and not at all treated as something “different” or a “special case” in a world of normative relationships.

Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in fantasy (especially fantasy featuring an LGBT+ character), storytelling, economic plots, and characters finding themselves.

#book reviews

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gwentoryfics · 5 years

Text

all the time in the world (yanan fluff)

Genre | Soulmates AU

Pairing | Yanan x Reader

Words | 3.5k

Summary | Ever since you were little, you’d heard about soulmates. You’d been told that there was one person, just a single soul out of the seven billion on the planet, that was meant to join with yours. But how long would it take for you to Connect?

Warnings | None. Just cute stuff. 😊

Note | Wrote this for a request! Also sorry this is not quite up to my usual standards, I blew through it kind of fast lol.

You would never forget the day it happened.

You were tucked away in the library, hunched over the table that sat next to the big window, trying desperately to complete your math homework. But your best friend, Jamie, wouldn’t stop laughing to herself.

“What’s so funny?” You tried not to sound irritated, but her giggles made it really hard for you to focus.

“Sorry,” she spoke quietly, trying to hide her smile. She pointed to her temple, indicating that she was Connecting with her soulmate. “Marcus is being inappropriate.”

“Could you ask him to leave you alone so we can study?”

“Yeah, of course.” She closed her eyes for a second as she concentrated on her telepathic message, and then she nodded. “Done. I told him I’d talk more later.”

“Thank you.” You returned to your math problem, trying not to make it obvious how much you’re struggling with algebra.

“Have you heard anything from your soulmate yet?” Jamie pried. “Do you still try to Connect with them?”

Disheartened, you frown. “Of course I do, but nothing yet. I don’t know if it’ll ever happen.” You send out messages every morning and every night, but you still haven’t managed to Connect.

No one really knows how it works, only that one day the Connection is formed between you and your soulmate, and you’re able to communicate telepathically for the rest of your lives together. Most people start to connect around the time they hit puberty, but on rare occasions the Connection might not happen until you’re both in your thirties or forties.

After your sixteenth birthday a few months ago, you started to think you might be one of those rare cases. You absolutely hated the thought of having to wait that long to find your soulmate, but you didn’t really get a say in the matter. You just had to stay patient.

You wanted to start dating, but everyone around you was already madly in love with their soulmate, which made it impossible to date casually. People thought dating was a waste of time, anyway, since you’d really just be killing time until your soulmate came around.

“Of course it’ll happen. It always does.” Jamie sounded so confident as she comforted you. “Just stay positive.”

With a curt nod, you tried to return to your homework. But now that she’s got you thinking about soulmates...

Are you any good at algebra? You try to Connect. If you are, I could really use your help.

And then you heard it. For the first time in your life, you heard a voice respond:

你在哪?

You completely froze up when you heard him. It was the most beautiful, melancholy voice you had ever heard. What did he just say? What language was that? Everyone always remembers their soulmate’s first words, but how could you ever remember the foreign sounds you just heard?

“Oh my God…” You couldn’t believe it. “Oh my God I just- he just…”

“What?” Jamie looked up from her homework, wide-eyed. “What just happened?”

“I heard him!” You tried to keep your voice down, but that proved to be difficult when you were so full of such raw adrenaline. “There was a voice! He talked to me!”

“Oh my God, _____! What did he say?” Jamie completely lit up, just as ecstatic as you at the good news.

And then your heart sank. “I have no idea. It wasn’t English.”

“Oh,” she breathed, perplexed. “Well that’s… uncommon, but not unheard of. Do you know what it was? What did it sound like?”

“I don’t know… it might have been an Asian language? I’m not really sure. He sounded… sweet. He has a gentle voice.” You smiled just thinking about it. You needed to hear it again.

Hello? You feebly tried to respond. Can you hear me?

A few moments passed, and you were greeted with nothing but silence in return.

“I don’t think he can hear me. I think it was a fluke,” you confess.

“That’s okay! This is still great news!”

She was right. Your smile returned. “It is. It’s fantastic news!”

***

You started hearing from your soulmate multiple times a day. Most of the time it would be just a short phrase, but sometimes the sound of his voice could go on for minutes at a time. You wondered if he was venting to you, and you wished that you could be there for him. You came to love every message you received, even when it interfered with your school work.

Every time you heard him, you tried to respond. Sometimes it felt like you were having a conversation, but more often than not it was obvious that your Connection was one-sided. One-sided Connections were the most common way that Connections started, so you weren’t concerned about that part of it. Sometimes it could be months or years before your Connection fully formed, and that’s what bothered you most.

After taking some time to research Asian languages, you eventually decided that your soulmate must be communicating in Mandarin. Not exactly the easiest language for you to learn, unfortunately, but you’d gladly take on the challenge for your him. You didn’t even hesitate in deciding to learn the language.

Your parents were more than happy to enroll you in an online Mandarin language class, and you studied harder than you ever had in your life to learn your soulmate’s way of speaking. And little by little, you’re able to understand fragments of his messages.

...waiting patiently.

Today… got worse. …better soon.

Where are you?

When it was time to prepare for university, you easily decided to major in Mandarin with the goal of becoming a translator. Learning the language had become your whole life, and you found genuine joy in it.

Fragments became sentences, and you’d lay awake at night just listening to his messages. He obviously had no idea that you lived in a different time zone, but you didn’t mind the late-night broadcasts.

Sometimes they were sweet…

I thought about you a lot today. I wonder if you can hear me. I want so badly to talk to you, but I’ll be patient. I wonder what you’re like, what makes you happy, what passions and interests you have. Recently I’ve been training to sing well. Maybe one day we’ll meet and I can sing for you.

Sometimes they were heartbreaking…

I miss my family. I knew that moving away would be hard, but I’m too busy to ever visit and all I want is to see my parents. I love them so much. I hope this message isn’t a burden for you.

And every night you tried to respond. You tried to tell him that you thought about him too, that you hoped he was doing alright. But he never seemed to hear.

Although you’d come to love the sound of his voice and every single message he sent, you couldn’t help but be frustrated by the lack of personal information he shared. He’d been communicating with you for years, but hadn’t so much as hinted at his name. You asked him for it constantly, even though he couldn’t hear you, and you hoped that one day he would tell you.

***

One morning, you were startled awake by his incredibly ecstatic voice. You couldn’t remember ever being forcefully woken up by him, but his voice was so loud, like he was shouting in your ear.

We did it! We debuted! I just performed my first stage with my members and I am so proud of how far we’ve come! And it was so much fun. I can’t believe we finally made it! Even though we just started, we already have fans. I’m so happy and I just want to perform again!

It was as if the energy he gained from performing had transferred to you, and you suddenly felt wide awake. You jumped out of bed and tore into your roommate’s bedroom, excitedly shouting at her in Mandarin.

“Mingzhu! He’s a singer! That’s what he does! He’s a professional singer!”

Mingzhu screamed in fear at your loud entrance. “_____, I was sleeping! What the hell?”

You fell onto her bed. “This is great news! We can finally figure out who my soulmate is!”

You had met Mingzhu through your university’s Chinese Language and Culture Club, which you joined to help deepen your understanding of Mandarin. Mingzhu grew up in China and fluently spoke Mandarin, and it was hugely helpful to have someone she could practice speaking with. Plus, the two of you had a lot in common and you genuinely enjoyed her friendship.

She was still very connected to her Chinese roots and remained in tune with Asian pop culture. Because of that, you knew she’d be able to help you track down your soulmate, now that you had learned something important about him.

“I’m going to start doing some research to see who just debuted today. Can you help?” You held her hand tightly, hoping to all that is holy that she might agree.

With a sleepy roll of her eyes, she nodded. “Fine. Get me my laptop.”

***

It didn’t take long. You definitely started off on the wrong path by researching Chinese debuts - you didn’t realize that when he talked about moving away from his family, he meant that he moved out of the country. But with Mingzhu’s help, you finally found his group.

They were a ten person Korean boy group named Pentagon. And he was the only Chinese member, Yanan.

And he. Was. Beautiful.

The moment you saw his photo, your heart was overcome with love. He looked just as sweet as he always sounded in your head, with his dark hair, warm eyes, small nose, and gentle smile.

You found their debut performance online and you lost count of how many times you watched it. You were disappointed by Yanan’s lack of screentime, but whenever your gaze latched onto him, your smile could not be contained.

How could you have gotten so lucky?

Of course, there was just a small shred of doubt that it could really be him. It was kind of a guess, after all. But too much of Yanan’s story lined up with what your soulmate has told you, and it just felt so right when you looked at him.

You spent the whole day watching any video content of him you could find, drowning yourself in the reality show that led to Pentagon’s debut. Of course, everything was in Korean instead of Mandarin, and you weren’t always able to find English subtitles, but it didn’t matter. You were in love.

At least, you were as in love as you could be with someone that you’ve never actually met. With someone who still doesn’t know you exist.

Well… there’s only one way to change that.

***

You took your seat in the middle of the crowd, anxious for Pentagon to come on stage for their Runaway comeback recording for Show Champion. It had been over a year since you discovered your soulmate’s identity, and in that time you managed to finish your schooling and save up enough money to fly to Korea. So there you were, in a completely new country, surrounded by people speaking a language that you barely understood, entirely unsure of how you’d get Yanan to notice you… You had no plan, but at the very least you were there. That’s the most you could do, since your Connection still hadn’t formed.

Maybe you could hang around Cube Entertainment’s building to see if you crossed paths? Or maybe you could find a way to sneak backstage?

No, all of those options would make you seem like a total creep, and that’s not the impression you want to make on your soulmate.

The more you thought about it, the more impossible it seemed that you could ever get to him without your Connection.

Yanan, I’m here. You tried desperately to Connect. Yanan, please hear me. Please. I’m here.

There was no response.

Maybe it was dumb of you to come the whole way to Korea before your Connection was complete.

But no matter - all of your worries get wiped away as soon as the boys step on stage.

Suddenly he’s there. He’s right there in front of you. Yanan, your pretty blonde boy, was right there, wearing his hoodie and ripped jeans and looking like a total boyfriend.

Your whole body got hot from head to toe, your fingertips started tingling, and you had the distinct feeling of completely losing your breath. In that moment, you didn’t know if you were feeling something magical because of your Connection or if you were just having a panic attack because everything was suddenly so real.

And then Yanan shook his hand at his side, as if he felt something too.

Yanan, I’m here! You tried again.

No reaction.

The music started. The boys performed. Yanan still didn’t get enough lines, but the ones he got were the most perfect lines in the whole song. His voice was beautiful as ever and he killed the choreography. As the song ended, you were on the verge of tears because of how overwhelmingly happy you felt.

You knew he wouldn’t hear you, but you just had to tell him. Yanan, you did amazingly! You danced so well and you sang beautifully. I am so proud of you and I LOVE YOU! Yanan, I love you!

All of the sudden, Yanan broke out of his ending pose, his calm, confident expression turning into one of total shock.

And then he responded.

Soulmate? Are you there?

You couldn’t control the loud gasp that left your lungs. You can hear me? Yanan, I’m here! I’m in the audience, I’m here!

Yanan looked out over the crowd as if he could find you in the sea of people. Before he could spot you, they were ushered off stage and he was gone, but his voice remained inside your head. I’ll find you. Don’t leave. Please, don’t leave. I need to see you.

You responded. I won’t leave, Yanan. I’m here. Tell me where to find you.

I’ll get my manager to help. I can’t believe this! He sounded so excited. How did you know it was me? How long have you known?

I’ve known you for years, Yanan. You’ve been with me, talking to me for years without even knowing it.

He was quiet for a while, but you stayed patient. You had waited for this long, you can wait another few minutes. When he Connected again, he asked for your name and row number and said that a staff member would come to get you.

It was so unreal to think that it was actually happening. You were really Connected, and you were about to meet the man you’ve grown to love since you first heard his voice six years ago.

Just as he promised, a staff member came to collect you and bring you back to the waiting room. It was no secret that idols had soulmates too, and more often than not their soulmates were just regular people. Most of Pentagon had already publicly Connected, with only Yanan and Wooseok still waiting for their Connections to happen. You knew the fact that Yanan finally Connected would be reason for the rest of the group to celebrate, and you’d be more than welcome to come see all of them.

You were brought back to a small room that was far too full of people. The members were scattered throughout, carrying on while the makeup artists blotted their foreheads and noses.

The staff member that ushered you in pointed off to the left and said something in Korean that you didn’t quite understand, but you didn’t need to know her words. You followed her gesture and your gaze fell on your tall blonde soulmate, who had been watching you from the moment you entered the room.

“Yanan,” you breathed.

Your body grew warm and your fingers tingled again. He was so far away, and yet he was the closest he’d ever been. Your whole body was electric in his presence and you knew he felt the same way.

Is it you? His voice sounded in your head, his eyes widening as they fixated on you.

It’s me. Why were you frozen in place? Why couldn’t you seem to move when every cell in your body ached to touch him?

Yanan broke out of the spell first, a sudden smile coming to his lips as he approached you, laughing. And then he spoke to you out loud for the very first time. “I thought you’d be Chinese. Your Mandarin is very impressive.”

“Thank you.” You felt lightheaded as he reached a hand out for you, and you intertwined your fingers with his, the heat of your Connection flashing up your arm as you finally touched. “I learned it just for you.”

“Really?”

“Of course. All of the sudden I had this Chinese kid talking in my head. I had to figure out what he was saying.” You laughed, and Yanan’s sweet laughter mingled with yours.

With his free hand, he touched your hair, your cheek bones, your jaw, your shoulder. Discovering you and cherishing you. Ingraining the image of his soulmate into the depths of his mind.

“You said you loved me. Is that true?” Yanan’s thumb swept across your cheek, his eyes searching your face.

“I love you with all of my heart, Yanan. I’ve loved you for years.” It was way too easy for you to confess. Being with him just felt so right. You had nothing to hide. “But don’t worry, I don’t expect you to love me right away. We’re soulmates, but love still takes time.”

By that point, the others in the room had started to notice what was going on, and they all stood in giddy anticipation. Kino shouted something in Korean, and Hui smacked his arm, lecturing him for whatever he said. Yanan’s face grew red and he responded in a flustered way.

“What did he say?” you asked. “I don’t know Korean.”

“You don’t?” He frowned, realizing that you really were as foreign as you appeared. “You’re not from here, are you.”

You shook your head. “I came from the other side of the world to see you. This is my first time in Korea.”

“How long will you be here?”

“I can only stay for another week and a half. But we’ll work something out until I can move here.”

“You’d move here for me?” Yanan seemed a little bewildered yet concerned that you were so ready to uproot your life for him.

Sternly, you responded, “Of course! You’re my soulmate! I’d do anything for you.”

Hongseok spoke up just then, and the other members laughed at his comment, Yanan included.

“What are they saying?” You smiled and squeezed his hand. “Tell me!”

“Hongseok said ‘They’re already bickering, they must really be soulmates.’” Yanan pulled you into an unexpected hug as he chuckled, and you eagerly wrapped your arms around his waist.

You listened to the gentle beating of his heart and truly felt like you were home. “And Kino? What did he say?”

You could feel Yanan’s hesitance to respond, but he translates eventually. “He said, ‘Just kiss her already!’”

Your heart fluttered at the words, and you pulled away to look up at him. “Yeah, that would be nice.”

“You’re a little spitfire, aren’t you.” He cupped your face with a wild grin. “I like that.”

“You better.” You grinned, too. “You’re stuck with me, after all.”

With a chuckle, he leaned down and pressed his lips to yours, officially sealing your Connection. Warmth flowed through you and peaceful energy radiated from you, bathing the room in a calm aura.

When you parted, he murmured, “I’m sorry that you had to wait for me for so long. I can’t wait to learn everything about you.”

“We’re in no rush. We have all the time in the world.”

#yanan #yanan fluff #yanan scenario #yanan fanfic #yanan fanfiction #yanan scenarios #yanan fanfics #yanan fanfictions #yanan oneshot #yanan soulmate #soulmate!yanan

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cilldaracailin · 4 years

Text

Another One Bites The Dust

Hello all my lovely Tumblr’s. I am back with the next part of the series of Robyn and Taron. It’s just a little one shot and follows on from where A Kind Of Magic left.

Hope you all enjoy :)

“Sometimes you meet a person and you just click--you're comfortable with them, like you've known them your whole life and you don't have to pretend to be anyone or anything.”

Two days after Taron had arrived home, with help from Lyndsey, he had made his press release from the comfort of his own sitting room in his home in Aberystwyth without his hat, all of his injuries on full show. Lyndsey had asked him to do so, showing that his slight disappearance had actually been for a reason, letting everyone see that he had actually been seriously injured. He read Robyn’s words along with his own, explaining briefly what had happened in the 7/11 and how his life had been saved by the quick thinking of Robyn, who selfishly came to his aid. He clarified that he would be fine and was under strict medical instructions to rest and take care of himself.

He also mentioned how filming for Kingman had been halted but would pick up when he had returned to full health and was able to film. Mathew had explained to Taron that the delay in filming shouldn’t push back the release date and he would make sure the film was released as planned as the end of April, meaning none of Taron’s press schedule had to be changed either and Taron had mentioned that in his statement too, as he knew it would be a question that would be hanging in the air if he didn’t address it. Taron had only filled everyone in on the necessary details of the last three weeks, not including anything about where he had been or who he had been with, keeping his secret getaway with Robyn completely undisclosed. Taron then asked for his privacy to be respected as well as Richard’s and Robyn’s and for everyone to understand that what they had experienced was still very raw and fresh for them and they were both still coming to terms with the whole ordeal.

He knew the story of the truth of what happened to him was going to be a headliner but he had not expected the newspapers to actually run with the truth and not try to twist the story too much. ‘Egerton on the edge of life’ and ‘Taron’s still standing’ were some of Robyn’s favourite’s and she had to find the articles online to actually read them as Taron refused to send her the English newspapers. The Irish equivalent of the tabloids weren’t as interested in Taron as the English ones and she wasn’t travelling into Dublin to get them from the big bookstore so had to find other ways to read the articles and stories that appeared after Taron’s statement. She was relieved to see that they were factual and used quotes directly from Taron’s own press release and of course her words too and her name was written right beside his, as the woman who had performed the CPR that saved his life.

Robyn had been incredibly proud of how Taron had handled his press statement and called him once he had made it, to reassure him that he had done the right thing and talk him off a ledge he was teetering on. She was worried about the backlash from the media for Taron’s sake as he had been almost making himself sick with the apprehension after his video was circulated but he was taking the attention really well and twenty four hours after he had made his statement, he wasn’t as stressed as she thought he was going to be about it and with constant support from his family, friends and Robyn herself, Taron was relieved with the positive outcome from the story

One paper tried to run with a version of how Robyn was stalking Taron and followed him from the set in New York to Florida, while another said she only did what she did to try and get into his pants. Robyn had calmed Taron down when he called her to vent by explaining to him that technically he did end up in her bed and his laughter filled the air as she pacified his annoyance and once the next edition of the paper was printed, those stories were long forgotten.

After meeting some reporters outside his home for the first few days, the news quickly changed to some other celebrity gossip and he had peace from hidden photographers and immoral journalists who snooped around his mams house too. Taron was delighted to hear that Robyn had very little fallout from the news too other than her family and friends wanting to know if the story that filtered across the ocean to her was true. Taron was so thankful that Robyn’s home country newspapers and magazines were not concerned with gossip and stories of the nonsense that came with his job and he felt slightly foolish for panicking so much in her bedroom three weeks ago and was so appreciative that everyone was extremely supportive of her in her work too.

Robyn had encountered two reporters at her gate who had travelled from the UK to try and track her down but she had actually stood at her gates and had a conversation with them and the story printed just confirmed Taron’s words and appeal for their privacy. Taron was furious with her at first for talking to the reporters but she had angrily shouted at him down the phone that turning them away was only going to ruin the hard work Lyndsey had already done to appease the media and it had done no harm to either of them. She was so angry with him, she had hung up the phone, Taron ringing back immediately with an apology. She accepted it but firmly told him she was a grown woman who could handle herself and if he didn’t realise that after what they had been through then he needed to get it through his thick skull very quickly. A bunch of flowers had been delivered to her work the next day with a card that read ‘I am sorry chicken’ along with a picture he had drawn of a rocket with stick man inside.

What had really helped Taron and Robyn with their luck was the fact that the video footage from what happened in the 7/11 had been leaked onto the internet four days after Taron’s statement and although it terrified Taron at first, it had only worked further in their favour as the media and fans actually got to see a first-hand real account of Taron being shot and knocked unconscious by the shelf as well as Robyn administer CPR on him. Taron hadn’t been able to watch that part of the video feed at first and it had really upset him mam when she saw it and then he had to watch it back for himself. Once the footage showed the seriousness of their situation, the media had almost backed off realising that Taron Egerton had nearly lost his life but was saved thanks to a stranger who was now a firm friend of his. It completely changed the emotional charge of the story and those journalists who had cheapened the story, wrote a more suited article about the footage, praising Robyn, Taron and Richard for their endurance and strength through it all.

The three had managed to get two quick skype calls together but with Richards work commitments in Chicago and the time difference, they had lasted only about ten minutes each. It was just enough time for them to talk over the lack of fall out from the media and ensure they weren’t frazzled by the papers and online platforms. Another promise had been made between them to meet up properly in person once they could arrange it to suit all of them. With Richard in the middle of filming, he had very little free time and it was unlikely their meeting would be before the year was out, especially with Taron going to back his own filming in the near future. Robyn was just as busy as them, her work schedule filling up fast and it only got busier for her the closer it got to the end of the year. They had to be satisfied with the few quick chats they had as a trio and were happy to have them rather than no contact at all.

Taron’s words and video had spread over social media initially like wild fire and Robyn took to twitter to inspect the damage the news has caused despite Taron’s desperate protests but with an ocean between them he couldn’t stop her. She had scrolled through many threads, posts and comments reading with delight, shock and horror at the words written. While the replies under his Instagram pictures he had posted of the rainbow cake and him posing with the stuffed dinosaur were positive and welcoming, once Taron’s name had been associated with her, a female woman, the attitude of some of the fans had changed and they tried to call Robyn out on stalking Taron, using the happenings in the 7/11 as a way to only get closer to him. However, despite the few negative comments, the majority of the fans had been supportive and grateful and even more so when the video recordings had leaked, most who had made a little fun of what had happened, quickly editing or adding a new comment to thank Robyn for what she did for him. However of course there was the one percent who had to be extremely nasty. After a while, Taron caved and skimmed through the judgements people had made about them and what had happened and had called Robyn every time to apologise each time he read one he found that was particularly upsetting for him.

“I am sorry about that comment Robyn.”

“If you say I am sorry once more Taron, I am going to catch a flight over to you and hold my hands so tight over your mouth to stop you from apologising to me, you won’t even be able to lick me.”

“I am sorry!”

“Funny and nice try.”

“So, when are you coming to visit me then?” He asked after Robyn had scolded him and he smiled when he heard her sigh. “Ok don’t cut me off. I just want to make sure you haven’t been reading every comment on Twitter and everywhere else. You really don’t need to be doing that.”

“Of course I have. I am making a list of who I am going to get you to write a strongly worded letter to.”

“Robyn!” Taron wished she was beside him so he could scowl at her.

“Taron you need to stop worrying about it all.”

“I know you are big girl and you can look after yourself but I do worry and I will worry and I always will worry about you.”

“If you think one little foul comment about me giving you the breathes being compared to kissing and used as an excuse just to kiss you, which by the way we actually have done, twice, is going to make me run away from what happened and our friendship, then your fans are going to have to come at me with something a little more imaginative.”

“Don’t even tempt them Robyn.”

She laughed and could imagine him frowning at her. “Maybe I should post the picture we took together at the piano on my Instagram.”

“Don’t you even dare.”

“But if it is a private one…”

“It will take about two minutes before it goes viral. I am just glad that footage in the 7/11 couldn’t be zoomed in.”

“They already know what I look like Taron.”

“Yeah I know.”

“And don’t get pissed off about it. I am not having this conversation again and again and again. It is what it is and it has been supportive and positive. Now what you need to do seeing as how it has been a week since the statement release and it has already completely mellowed out, is get into bed with a cup of tea and get some proper sleep.”

“My mam has been talking to you.”

“Of course she has.” Once Tina was able to compose herself after she watched the video footage, she was on the phone to the Robyn, thanking her once more for what she did for her son. “She has been telling me all about your time at home. I think I need to send cwtch to you to help you sleep.”

She could hear him smile on the other end of the phone but the tone of his voice was down. “It’s just been a bit stressful Robyn.”

“I know Taron but like I said, a week has passed and everything has calmed down. You can actually put your head down and get some sleep, some decent sleep.”

“Cosy in the duvet sleep?”

“Yeah that kind of sleep. You need to make sure you keep resting Taron.”

“I will and don’t raise that one eyebrow at me.” Taron might not have been able to her, but he knew her left eyebrow was raised in a perfect unapproving look. “I promise. Tonight, I will do my best to try and get a decent night’s sleep.”

“That’s all I can ask for Taron.”

It was Robyn who phoned him when he posted the picture two weeks later on his Instagram of the key lime pie he had made. ‘Learning new skills while I rest up’ was the caption he had written under the photo along with a love heart and chicken emoji.

“A chicken?”

“Well I had to get the nod to you in there somehow!” He laughed as he sat on his mam’s couch, with his sisters either side of him. He had wanted to bake something for his mam as even though he had insisted he stayed at his own home, she visited him every day and had made him many dinners he could freeze and re-heat. Once all the craziness of the media relaxed and he was able to catch up on much needed sleep, he wanted to repay his mam for all her kindness. Her hug had hurt him dreadfully when he got home but he didn’t dare let go and it was an extremely tearful reunion, his step-dad hugging him just as tight and Tina had been almost hounding him lovingly every day making sure he was resting, sleeping and eating. Taron brought the book Robyn had made with him over to his mam’s house and used the recipe she had wrote out for him for the key lime pie to make one in his childhood kitchen much to the amusement of his family. Tina was very interested in the book he was given as a present, and had hugged her son hard around his waist with one arm as she looked through it, laughing at the pictures of his and Robyn’s antic’s and giving him a kiss on his forehead when she got to the picture near the end where Robyn was leaning on his chest with her hand on his heart. Mari and Rosie had insisted that they sat together with him so he could talk to them about the book too and he had answered Robyn’s call as they drooled over the pictures of the rainbow cake. “My mam liked the pie by the way.”

“You do realise that if you keep posting chicken emoji’s someone is going to see a pattern of chicken emoji’s and wonder what on earth they mean.”

“They are just chicken emoji’s.”

“Who uses a bloody chicken emoji Taron?”

“I do and my mam loved how I baked a whole pie by myself.”

“Ok so let’s avoid the subject and I see my thorough instructions worked in your favour.”

“Very helpful.” He agreed. “Robyn I am going to put you on speaker. My sisters want to talk to you.” Taron’s sisters had hugged him tight when he arrived home and even though their arms squeezed his ribs painfully hard, he couldn’t ask them to let go. The arms were warm and comforting around him. They had questioned why his head had a big cut on it and both placed a kiss on his forehead to help make it better, Taron cuddling them both into him for a long time as he knelt on the doorstep of his mam’s house.

“Hey Robyn!” The girls called.

“Hello girls.”

“Robyn did Taron really make that cake in the book you gave him?” Asked Mari.

“He sure did.”

“And he really did throw flour at you.” Confirmed Rosie.

Robyn laughed. “I told you he was being a little bit naughty Rosie.” After speaking with his young siblings a few times on the phone over the past few weeks, she could easily tell their voices apart from each other now.

“We love the book you made for him.” She said. “You had a lot fun with Taron.”

“We did have a lot of fun.” Agreed Robyn.

“The girls want to know if cwtch can come and visit us.” Taron chipped in. “But I told them that he didn’t have a passport.”

“Taron teddy bears don’t need passports.” Laughed Rosie.

“Rosie cwtch is not a bear. He is a dinosaur.” Corrected her younger sister.

“Well dinosaurs don’t need passports either.” Rosie replied.

“Cwtch doesn’t really like airplanes.” Said Robyn.

“Told you.” Replied Taron as he watched the girls flick through the book to try and find the pictures of the plush Robyn had stuck in.

“Yes you did.” Robyn replied knowing Taron’s words were for her. She had wanted him to bring cwtch home with him but he had refused saying that his sisters would want him and how right he was.

“Taron you really loved cuddling him.” Said Rosie as she found the picture where Taron was asleep on Robyn’s bed with the dinosaur in his arms. “Robyn did you really let Taron sleep in your bed?” She asked.

“Should I not have?” Robyn asked back.

“No I am glad you let him. Mam said that we have to let Taron sleep just like you did. It is what the doctor says he had to do. Mari and I gave him one of our bears to cuddle but I think he just needs cwtch to help him sleep.”

“Oh, he does, does he? Rosie has Taron been sleeping in his bed?”

“In our house no. In his house sometimes. Mam has been telling him he needs to stop drinking coffee and sleep.”

“Taron…”

“Robyn, I need to go chicken. My mam is looking for me.”

“No she’s not Taron!”

“Love you!” He called and ended the phone call.

Robyn sent him a text with an angry smiley face followed by a bed, a rocket and a man and Taron’s reply of a love heart, chicken, sheep and a cloud made her grin.

A week later it was Taron who called her to first scold her from commenting on his latest Instagram picture and second to thank her once more for giving him CPR in the 7/11.

It had been over a month since he had left Robyn and he could finally feel his ribs starting to heal and movements that had once stung him and caused him to stop and groan, were much easier for him and he could sit and stand with an ease he had taken for granted before he was hurt. The bruises on his face had completely faded away and his forehead was finally looking healed and only a small thin scab was left as the wound fixed itself. His arm had repaired itself too and again only a skinny scab that he didn’t need to cover was left on his skin. It was taking every ounce of his restrain to not pick at the healing wounds. He didn’t want to be left with a significant scar compared to the small one he would have.

One of the first things he knew he wanted to do once he could move more freely was contact the British Red Cross and enquire about a CPR course that he could take part in and he did so during the first week of October. He had already spoken to his agent about it as well as Lyndsey, his parents and Robyn, who though were concerned with his willingness to throw himself into a course that taught the technique that saved his life so soon, they could see how much it meant to him and supported him with his choice and his need to follow through with his decision to do so.

When he explained who he was and why he wanted to learn such a vital skill to the lady on the phone, it only took three days for his team to work with the British Red Cross in Wales and organise for Taron to take a two day first aid course at home in Aberystwyth. He was extremely happy to share his experience on video for the Red Cross to use in their training, making sure it was ok with Robyn too before he donned the t-shirt with the Red Cross logo to explain how important CPR was and how it had saved his life. It was a campaign that he was proud to be a part of and the two days of training although had been very important for him, were extremely hard and he had to leave the room twice during the first day to compose himself before the instructor could actually show him and those taking the course, how to properly perform CPR. His hands shook and his breathing quickened as he took to his knees in front of the mannequin and he nearly didn’t do it but pushed himself and even when tears started to form in his eyes, he continued to push the compressions up and down. He was glad when the instructor let them take a break before they introduced the breathes as he needed to leave the room and get some air.

He quickly pulled out his phone and called Robyn needing his confident to sort his head out before he went back in.

“I am so proud of you Taron.”

“First off, I don’t know how you did that to me. I was working on a mannequin and my hands were shaking. Your hands were on a real person, on me and you did that. Second, Jesus Robyn, it takes so much energy. I am knackered and I have only done it a few times without the breathes. Thirdly, I can’t believe how hard you have to push down on a chest to ensure you do it properly and fourthly, could you have made it any more obvious on my Instagram that you are the Robyn who helped me? We are supposed to be avoiding social media contact.”

“Oh, how I am missed my rambling numbering things Taron.” Robyn wished she was there with him so she could give him a hug that she was sure he desperately needed. She thought he was crazy when he had called her to tell him what he was organising and only because it was so soon after he had been given CPR. She fully supported him and the campaign he wanted to be a part of and couldn’t encourage him enough for what he wated to do and learn. However, she really felt that learning the new skill would only bring unwanted memoires and pain back to him but he had been so insistent on learning it and she couldn’t talk him into waiting until the new year. “I am giving you a virtual hug now, rocketman.”

“Thank you because I need one.”

“Let go sort through those numbers for you. Firstly, I did it to you because I had to. Believe me, when you are faced with an unresponsive body in real life, it is a very different feeling than sitting in front of a mannequin. Adrenaline automatically runs through you when there is someone’s life depending on you and you do everything within your power that you can to help them. Second, yes it takes a lot of energy but again your adrenaline and instincts kick in and you will be doing lots of rounds Taron when you practise so you get used to the feel of it. I only did one on you but then it is good to understand how much energy it takes. You can tag team with someone else if they know how to do it too.”

“Yeah the instructor had said that.”

“Third, it’s a fair push down on a someone’s chest. You really have to put a lot of strength into those straight arms and thrust the compressions down.”

“And you didn’t break anything.” When speaking about his experience of receiving CPR from Robyn, the instructor was baffled by the fact that Robyn hadn’t broken any of his ribs.

“Still haven’t figured that one out yet Taron and thankful that I didn’t. It would have been a completely different story if I had of broken your ribs.”

“Something else I have to be thanking you for.” Agreed Taron. “The instructor told us to sing Baby Shark in our heads to help keep the beat so each compression is even and solid.”

Robyn laughed a little. “I actually did that.”

“No you didn’t.”

“Yeah I did. It’s what I was told too and it’s a great tip. Really helps you with the rhythm.”

“Everyone laughed when he said it but I think I might go back and tell them that little tip works.”

“And fourthly, you expected me not to comment on the photo you posted of the campaign? I am extremely proud of you for doing this Taron and I am going to say so.”

“You have completely offered yourself up to the world now.”

“The world already knows who I am.”

“You read the comments?” He asked as he walked up and down the car park.

“Naturally.”

“And?”

“All good Taron. You have done such a wonderful thing with this campaign.”

“Well it’s very close to my heart.”

“Nice pun.”

“Wasn’t actually a pun, Robyn.”

“You ok though? This cannot be easy for you.”

She heard him take a breath. “It has been hard. Really hard but I need to do it and I need to it now rather than later when I will chicken out or don’t have the time and I am actually enjoying it, even though it scares me shitless. We are working on the breathes next.”

“Just take your time with it Taron. Everyone understands that this is a very unusual situation for you and won’t mind how long it takes you to get comfortable. I know I am going to find my next first aid training very difficult. At least you don’t remember the CPR.”

“Ugh Robyn what a fucking mess.”

“And here we go again.” Robyn smiled as Taron used his go to phrase when things got a little hard for him and he started to get frustrated when he couldn’t figure his problem out quickly. “Not a mess Taron. Hard and emotionally horrible but needed for healing for you. Seeing the video footage from the 7/11 and watching it makes it harder for you too. Now you have seen the actual CPR, it makes it so much more real for you.”

“Even with an ocean between us you can still read my mind.”

“I told you it was my gift to you.”

Taron looked at the instructor came out and gave him a wave. “Robyn, I have got to go. We are ready to start again.”

“Just breath and take your time. Concentrate on the reasons why you would have to learn this and call me when you are done.”

“I will. Thank you Robyn.”

“Anytime.”

“Before you go, can I ask you something?”

“You know you can ask me anything.”

“Have you thought any more about coming to Elton’s charity benefit with me? And remember it wasn’t me who invited you but Elton himself and you know you can’t turn Mr Elton John down.”

“Taron…”

“I don’t want to put you under pressure but I would really love for you to come.”

“I know Taron. You have already said that to me the last four times you asked me this question over the last week.”

“You would get to wear a fancy fancy dress.”

“You said that too.”

“Please think about it. It is only two weeks away and it’s on a Saturday so you won’t have to miss work.”

“And again, you have told me this already.”

“And it was Elton who invited you, not me.”

“And yes, I know this too. I got the invite in the post.”

Robyn had been confused when the gold envelope arrived in her letter box and opened it, shocked to see that she had been invited to the auction for Elton’s AIDS foundation at his home. Taron had sworn blind that he had nothing to do with the fancy invite when she called him and that Elton had only asked for her address.

“Robyn?” He asked when he heard her go quiet on the end of the phone. He heard his name called and turned to look at the instructor and he gave him a two-minute sign with his left hand. “Hey, look, I don’t want to pressure you into it. I know it is a huge ask for you.”

“It’s only one of the most important charity events of the year being held in Elton John’s home with an array of celebrity faces. Meant to be the soirée of the year. Full of press and media.”

“It’ll be my first event since Florida.” He said quietly.

“Taron…”

“I am not guilting you into it Robyn. I promise I am not and I honestly had nothing to do with the invite. Elton wanted to invite you himself. He knows how much you mean to me and he thought it would have been a nice ‘treat’ as he called it for you.”

“You know I believe you. I just need to think about it Taron. It’s a lot and I thought we were keeping me away from the media.”

“We are and I just miss you. Today has been hard and it’s just bringing some emotions back.”

“I miss you too. I just need some more time to think about it ok and I am always here if you need to vent some emotions.”

Taron hoped Robyn hadn’t heard his sigh into the phone. “I really need to get going Robyn. They are waiting for me.”

“I don’t think you should go back to that course with your mind set the way it is.”

“I will be ok.”

“Yes you will be but you need another ten or fifteen minutes to clear your head.”

“Always looking out for me.”

“And always will be.”

“I should go.”

“Yeah I know. Please call me when you are finished ok?”

“I will.”

“I am still stupidly proud of you Taron.” She enjoyed the small laugh he gave her. “Just remember to breathe and it’s ok to stop if it gets too much for you.”

The call ended and Taron wandered slowly back towards the building where the training was taking place. He had slipped his phone into his pocket but pulled it back out when he felt it ding against his thigh. He was confused when he saw a message from Robyn and unlocked the phone, sliding the screen to open the message.

‘I will be there.’

Four little words brought the biggest grin to his face and he replied quickly with his most used emojis lately: a chicken and a heart.

#Taron Egerton #Taron Egerton Fanfiction #Taron Egerton Fanfic #Taron Fanfic #love #Friendship #Being There For Each Other #Proud #Family #Phonecalls #CPR Training #First Aid Skills #Friends for Life

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asterinjapan · 5 years

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KOKIA at billboard live Osaka [2019.10.19], first stage review

Good evening! I just back from Osaka, with the main reason being KOKIA’s performance ‘Go back in time’ at billboard live Osaka! I was lucky enough to be able to attend the first out of two performances today, so below follows my review.

Before the link, here’s the set list:

Tsugi au toki wa (‘next time we meet’) give & take dandelion Fever Family Tree Lacrima Sekai no owari ni (‘at the end of the world’) Remember the kiss Everytime we say goodbye

Piano: Souta Seta Guitar: Daisuke Takagi

Also, I’m a big KOKIA fan, so the review below probably just reads as gushing, sorry (not sorry) about that.

Billboard live Osaka seats you at a table, at which you can order food and drinks, so the atmosphere is a little more casual. I mention this because KOKIA did too, haha. Anyway, once Seta and Takagi had seated themselves, KOKIA came in herself, starting right away with some very long notes that I didn’t immediately recognize. She explained the theme of tonight: Go back in time, so going back to songs from five, ten, fifteen or twenty years ago. As such, she branched into asking the audience in which age category they belonged. I think I saw hands rising from every category from teens to above 60, just to show that KOKIA does have fans of all ages, haha.

She then continued into the song she had already started: Tsugi au toki wa (‘next time we meet’), which is indeed from way back, appearing on her 2002 album ‘trip trip’. Now she has actually sung this live back in 2015 too, but it was great to hear it again, coming in with a lot of force and longer tones that definitely weren’t in the original. It really showed how much her voice has matured and evolved.

Next up was a song I did actually recognize right away: give & take. I realized I could sing along to most of the lyrics actually, even though this song is from 2004. I’ve always thought it was a cute song, and that’s also how KOKIA sang it today: cute, sweet, and the lights moved along to set the mood. At times, when her voice was almost a capella, the lights dimmed almost all the way; and at the bridge, suddenly a silver disco ball lit up and span through the room, haha. What a nice surprise this song was! I had really no idea what to expect, since she could have easily gone back to the old favourites, but no, she did in fact pick songs that haven’t shown up in a while.

She had a little chat in between, asking who came here from Osaka today and who came from, ehm, elsewhere. Yeah, elsewhere covers it in my case, haha. She then referred back to the question about ages, mentioning how she herself took some major steps in her twenties, eventually going independent and traveling the whole country. She refers to this tour as ‘spreading the seeds of her music’, kind of like when you blow a dandelion and send its seeds flying. And what a coincidence, she has a song called dandelion! I was really happy, because when I first became a fan of KOKIA, there wasn’t a lot of footage going around and she didn’t have as many albums out yet. But there was an unplugged version of dandelion, which I watched many, many times. I have never heard this song live before though, as the single is from 2005 (when KOKIA was indeed in her late 20s). It’s so cheerful and fun, I was tempted to sing along, and we actually could! She made us practice and then sing the same line along with Takagi so often that he was starting to end the song before KOKIA let him, so she whirled her finger to get the music back up in volume, haha. KOKIA’s ‘lalala’s in this song were sweet and gentle, but the rest of the song had a lot of power.

After this, KOKIA mentioned how it was still rather hot in here, in which she did have a point. She then mentioned that billboard had a bit of a jazz feeling, and that she just had her new cover album out (‘Watching from Above vol. 2) with jazz covers, so naturally…

That all came together in Fever, a cover song, which I definitely know because my parents are huge Elvis Presley fans, but KOKIA gave it her own twists. I swear she meowed like a cat in the beginning, and she added some really long notes that I certainly didn’t recognize from either version of the song I was familiar to (Elvis or Peggy Lee). She’d slowed the song down a little and made the fever feel rather languid, aaaand then Seta started uh, meowing? A very interesting version for sure, haha. I wonder if this is the way it sounds on the album… I do own it now, but I have no means of playing it yet. Soon!

After that fun surprise, KOKIA launched into a song that was fairly recent, from 2015, but no less impressive: Family tree, from her album I Found You. She sung it before when she was promoting the album in 2015, but whoa, this was so powerful I was almost starting to fear the sound boxes would collapse. KOKIA’s voice filled the entire room, and the lights started to glow brighter and brighter, with behind her the vague outlines of a tree forming. This was amazing, I really loved it. In between songs, I took quick notes about every song on a napkin since I’d forgotten my notebook, and all I have here is ‘POWER’ scribbled furiously in all caps, haha.

After chatting for a bit about the relaxed atmosphere here and getting hungry and thirsty from the meals going around, KOKIA sat down on a stool and turned serious. She mentioned how, in preparing today’s setlist, she went back in time to songs from happy times, but also tough times. She was audibly getting emotional here (and she has indeed been through quite a lot over the years she’s been in the spotlights), but she held herself together beautifully as she started a song that she hoped would gently blow towards anyone who needs it: Lacrima. This song came out in 2008, when I was a recent fan and her album ‘the VOICE’ was the first I could count down to. It’s not a song I’ve put on often by itself, but I suspect that might change, because this version hit me really hard. KOKIA sang it softly, tenderly, keeping it small except once or twice when the song called for it, and mostly harmonized with just the piano. What a wonderful sweet song it was, wow.

After that, KOKIA got up and launched into the next song: Sekai no owari ni (‘at the end of the world’). If that title sounds dramatic, well, this performance was dramatically amazing. It was so heartfelt, it really felt like KOKIA was just letting everything out now that had led to Lacrima, giving this song power and a slight rawness that had me swallowing quite a bit. Wow. I already really love this song and I was very happy to have heard it live before, but this performance just blew me away.

We were nearing the end already, but not before KOKIA sang one of her personal favourites: Remember the kiss. It was a song she had shared with everyone over the world, letting them sing along to the lines ‘these lips were meant to sing a song of love’. One performance immediately comes to mind; the 2007 Bataclan performance, which was the only live registration of KOKIA I could find online back when I first became a fan, and I had immediately latched onto this song. So in a lot of ways, today’s concert was going back in time for me too, hence the personal notes in this report. KOKIA had given it a new intro, repeating the line ‘remember the kiss’ followed by a long note, and here my notes just melted into an incoherent ‘aaaaa’, haha. I was very, very happy to hear this song, it was absolutely wonderful and I was getting rather emotional here.

Alas, it was time to part ways already! And so KOKIA appropriately sang Everytime we say goodbye, a jazz song she covered on her previous Watching from Above album. She was accompanied by piano and started small, but wow, this song also got the power treatment, it was lovely. She couldn’t resist waving a cute little ‘goodbye’ every time the title came up, haha.

And unfortunately, that was indeed the end of the performance! Of course, KOKIA would have to perform again later in the evening, but time had really flown by.

Luckily, the venue was small enough to allow for an autograph session, so I quickly lined up to get my copy of Watching from Above volume 2 signed. KOKIA seemed very surprised but happy to see me here, and we exchanged thank yous as she signed my copy. To the question whether she might come to Europe again, she answered it might be difficult, but Paris might be an option. So no promises, but who knows!

And that concludes my absolutely subjective but very happy review of KOKIA’s performance today. It’s always a blessing to be able to experience her live, as even the live recorded album came out this year can’t quite convey the power she exhales live, wow. She truly is amazing, and I’m glad she’s had so many years to look back on already. KOKIA, here’s to many more in good health and happiness, and thank you so much for this wonderful experience!

#report #japan 2019 #report: japan 2019 #report: KOKIA concert

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teenybeanielinguine · 5 years

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Outlander Season 5 - A Girl Can Dream

It’s been a little over two weeks since the Season 4 finale... and DAMN, the withdrawal is hitting me hard. I’ve rewatched all my favorite scenes, re-read all my favorite passages, and scoured Tumblr for every piece of fanfiction available. But nothing seems capable of filling the Outlander-shaped void in my heart.

Since I clearly have nothing better to do (not true; there are A LOT of other things I should be doing), I’ve decided to grace you all with my unsolicited thoughts (no need to thank me). Season 5 has no announced release date, but I’m not known for my patience, so I’m hopping on the crazy train a little early. Destination: The Fiery Cross. (Spoilers ahead.)

About The Fiery Cross

I’ve read quite a few posts that label Drums of Autumn as the pivotal point in the series. I respectfully disagree.

DoA felt like the next step in a gradual evolution. It’s true that Bree and Roger gained their independence from the J/C plotline in DoA, but DG had been prepping us for this divergence for quite a while. Claire was our only narrator in Outlander, and while she remains the only 1st person POV, other characters have been quietly adding their voices to hers. Roger joined her in Dragonfly in Amber, followed by Jamie and John Grey in Voyager, and we finally get Brianna in Drums of Autumn (that’s RIGHT: in the main books, we hear Roger’s POV before we ever hear Jamie’s). Because of these constantly expanding POVs, DoA just felt like a natural progression, rather than a huge departure from the status quo.

The Fiery Cross, on the other hand, feels like a turning point. Not only is it the first book to not get a newly added POV, but the story starts to get a little... unpredictable.

All of the books have a fair amount of twistiness and unpredictability, but our characters have pretty clear goals in each installation so far: get back to the stones, save Jamie from Black Jack, prevent the Rising, prevent Culloden, make Brianna believe the truth, find Jamie after 20 years, rescue Young Ian, establish the Ridge, warn Jamie and Claire about the fire, rescue Roger... I know I’m generalizing here, but you get the point. Our heroes all have clearly defined end goals, and they’re putting all their energy into achieving them, despite the twists and turns that DG throws their way. The characters may not always succeed, but you, the reader, always know where the story is headed.

By the start of The Fiery Cross, the goals are a little broader, more nebulous. There may be unrest in North Carolina, the American Revolution may be looming in the distance, but basically the Fraser family just wants to live in peace on the Ridge. That’s it. No daring rescues, no dramatic reunions; they just want some peace and quiet. Of course, they aren’t going to get it, because this is Outlander-verse, where Murphy’s Law is on steroids.

So the Frasers play it by ear, taking on every new challenge as it comes. There is no clear path forward, they just have to react as best they can to the events around them. In consequence, the reader gets a series of smaller meandering stories, with the distinct feeling that something bigger is happening in the background. I personally love this, because I have no clue what’s going to happen next, so when something big happens, it takes me completely by surprise. And you get to see the characters just exist in day-to-day life, which is the best. Some of the characters still have personal goals (spoiler alert: Stephen Bonnet definitely did NOT die in that explosion), but the pursuit of those goals isn’t driving the story nearly as much as in past installments.

This is all to say that, while Season 5 is going to have to hit some major plot points, there is (in my opinion) a fair amount of breathing room for interpretation, and lots of fun to be had. I’m fascinated to see the show tackle this new challenge.

My Wish List for Season 5

When I say “wish list”, I don’t mean to imply a series of demands. I have no creative control over the adaptation, and I’m not listing these wishes in the vain hope that someone on the production team will notice. This is just for fun, and I will be perfectly content if none of these make it into the show. Also, not all of these are pulled from the book; some of them are just things I would love to see.

So here are my top ten wishes, in no particular order:

Roger the Fangirl. In the midst of all the Roger-hate this past season, the OL fandom has forgotten one crucial fact: Roger is the ultimate J/C shipper. This romantic idiot is the whole reason that Claire went back in time to find Jamie! You’d think Jamie’s fists would have beaten the ship right out of Roger, but if last season proves anything, it’s that Roger doesn’t give up easily. He’s gonna keep shipping like his life depends on it, and there are some really cute moments in TFC where he fangirls over how adorable Jamie and Claire are together (also, Jamie is going to become his new idol). I suppose it would be unrealistic to hope that he and Murtagh form a fan club next season...?

Brothers and Sisters. Am I the only one who wanted to scream when Brianna and Fergus were right next to each other in the Wilmington jail and they didn’t acknowledge each other? By the end of S4, we don’t even know whether Fergus and Marsali know about Bree’s existence (I mean, Fergus helped capture Bonnet, but he and Marsali didn’t say a word about Bree), and that frustrates me to no end. The books skipped over the getting-to-know-you stuff too, which is crazy considering that they are siblings (adopted or not)! I would kill for a scene where Jamie and Claire are struggling to explain why they have a fully-grown daughter, as well as some bonding time between siblings. Bree and Marsali are definitely going to get along, cause badass women stick together.

The Snake Bite. The snake bite incident (aftermath included) is one of my favorite sequences in TFC. It brings Roger and Jamie closer together, it shows the courage of the Fraser women in a crisis, and it rallies the entire Ridge community in their worry for Jamie. I suppose it’s sadistic of me, but I loved watching everyone freak out when they thought Jamie was going to die or lose a leg. And then the 20th century women come to the rescue! An entire episode dedicated to that whole plotline would be amazing.

Grannie and Grand-da. Claire and Jamie are not only adorable as grandparents, they’re relatable AF. They might love their new grandson to pieces, but that’s not going to stop them from being honest about the realities of childcare. Jamie in particular is hilarious; he builds an entire house at top speed to get away from the screeching baby (and his newly reunited parents), and then he compares Bree unflatteringly to the white sow (not to her face, of course; see Chapter 30 for a good laugh). I’d love to see that side of Jamie and Claire next season.

Wolf’s Brother. We might have said a tearful goodbye to Young Ian in the S4 finale, but we haven’t seen the last of him. My guess is that he’s going to make a dramatic reappearance in the S5 finale, but I really hope we see him before then. Showing Young Ian’s time among the Mohawk would give Outlander a chance to showcase the amazing First Nations actors that appeared in S4 (Braeden Clarke, anyone?) as well as explore how Ian slowly blends his Highland upbringing with Mohawk customs.

Claire the Science Nerd. So far all of Claire’s medical expertise has been utilized in life-or-death situations, but establishing a medical practice on the Ridge gives her the opportunity to geek out over plants and experiment in reproducing 20th century medicine in the 18th century. Over the course of TFC, she gives genetics lessons, performs two tonsillectomies, and produces penicillin (among other things). This passion for her craft is one of the reasons I love Claire so much. And her nerd moments aren’t always serious: one of my favorite scenes in the book features Claire and her microscope giving Jamie a hilarious lesson in reproductive biology.

Fraser’s Ridge. We didn’t get to see much of the Ridge community in S4, although Jamie did allude to the farmers who contributed the grain to make whisky. The community is comprised of a growing array of Scottish immigrants, and the drama they bring to Claire and Jamie’s lives wavers between amusing and disastrous. I don’t think the show will have time to explore the entire cast of characters, but I’m hoping to see Thomas Christie and his children introduced, at least. I’ve always found Tom Christie a strangely compelling character; his children, on the other hand, are nothing more than a necessary evil. I also really hope we meet the twins, Josiah and Keziah Beardsley (Lizzie’s story is about to get really interesting).

The MacKenzie Bloodline. Despite all the time-traveling she’s been doing, Claire has yet to meet any of her ancestors (that we know of... DG might be holding out on us). Roger, on the other hand, is not going to be so lucky (if you’ve read all eight books, you’ll know that Roger runs into his ancestors A LOT). By the end of S4, I’m not sure Jamie is aware that his daughter is married to Geillis Duncan and Dougal MacKenzie’s descendant, but I wanna be there when he and Murtagh find out (a perfect opportunity for some good dialogue and tension). And while Roger may be able to explain his ancestry to Jamie and Murtagh (both of whom are fully aware of the existence of time travel), he’s not going to be able to give the same explanation to Jocasta. In the beginning of TFC, there’s a really great conversation between Jocasta and Roger where Jocasta is kinda fishing around for clues about Roger’s family. Roger, of course, can’t tell her that he’s actually her great-great-grandnephew (give or take a few ‘great’s). My hope is that the show includes some version of this conversation and continues to play around with Roger’s MacKenzie heritage (and all its implications).

Future Talk. With three time-travelers in the family, there’s bound to be some discussion of the future. Especially with the tension mounting in North Carolina and Murtagh aligning himself with the Regulators. I am yearning for some deep discussion between Jamie, Murtagh, and the travelers about the events to come. I have a hunch that either Claire or Bree has already informed Murtagh about the American Revolution, based on a comment he made to Jocasta about a “different ending”, but I want to see it actually played out on screen. The interplay between the characters who know the future and those who don’t is fascinating to me, and I want more of it.

Jamie the Protector. Jamie’s protective instincts have had some disastrous consequences this past season, but he is going to redeem himself next season. Early on in TFC, Jamie claims Roger as the “son of his house”, and he proceeds to stand by that claim throughout the book, especially in the aftermath of Roger’s wrongful hanging at the hands of Governor Tryon. This time, Jamie’s protective feelings aren’t going to result in a beating, though it’s a close call. I love this shift, from Jamie beating Roger to Jamie protecting/avenging Roger; it’s a very satisfying development.

Bonus: Geese. Brianna and Roger may have a child together, but they have never lived together as a married couple. They also don’t have very much experience being in a serious relationship (S4 showed us that they really don’t know how to argue properly). However, they have both grown up quite a bit since their hand fasting, and you get to see them learning how to coexist in Chapter 33 of TFC. It’s a great scene, where Roger’s just come back with the militia, and he and Bree have a meaningless fight because she hasn’t had it easy since the militia left. But they resolve their argument peacefully as Bree vents her frustrations to Roger and gives him a drawing of some geese as a Christmas present. A really wonderful everyday moment.

There are, of course, more things I’d like to see, but these are my favorites. I thought I’d list them out now, since this is going to be a LONG Droughtlander, and I am sure to get obsessed with something else eventually (the new A Discovery of Witches show looks promising). Also, I’m going to temporarily forget about Season 5 if Bees comes out first.

What are your wishes for Season 5? If you choose to respond, please be kind and respectful.

#a few wishes #so bored #outlander #outlander season 5 #the fiery cross

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letterboxd · 5 years

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Endgame.

“I think audiences are so smart now, so they require to not be fed the same drivel as even 20 minutes ago.” —Robert Downey Jr.

The cast and filmmakers behind the most anticipated release of the year talk to Letterboxd, without actually saying anything specific about the film. (But we don’t mind.) This article contains mild Infinity War spoilers.

Although there are going to be many, many more of them, Avengers: Endgame can’t help but feel like the climax of the grand Marvel movie experiment; the culmination of the shared universe first suggested by a delightful post-credits teaser in 2008’s Iron Man.

Since then, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has come to dominate the modern blockbuster with hit after hit, year after year. Then came last year’s Avengers: Infinity War, with its devastating cliffhanger in which many Marvel protagonists evaporated into dust. That epic act of character disintegration built an anticipation for the follow-up that allowed the filmmakers to apply incredible restraint in the film’s marketing. Indeed, all we really know about Avengers: Endgame is that we don’t know anything.

Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige announced that there would be nothing in the trailers from beyond the first twenty minutes of the film. That is unprecedented in modern blockbusters, which center their campaigns around the major action set-pieces, usually dutifully showcased in teasers and trailers to the point where we complain we’ve already seen the film.

In the modern marketing-saturated film-going environment, to go into a film of this size and not be aware of which direction the story is heading, or what the major action scenes will be, is an almost impossible task.

Feige and co-directors Joe and Anthony Russo are to be commended for using their accumulated powers for good in this regard—not since Gone Girl has a major studio film shown such restraint. Heck, they didn’t even let press see the movie before we sat down with Feige, both Russos and the (currently officially alive) cast members of the film (pretty much the original Avengers team) in downtown Los Angeles this week.

Read on for the low-down on the Avengers’ best Boggle player, Natasha Romanoff’s evolution from “sexy secretary”, and the scene that had Robert Downey Jr. “more shredded than a julienne salad”.

Front row, left to right: Danai Gurira, Jeremy Renner, co-director Anthony Russo, Chris Evans, co-director Joe Russo, Brie Larson and Mark Ruffalo. Back row, left to right: Karen Gillan, Paul Rudd, Scarlett Johansson, Marvel Studios president/producer Kevin Feige, Robert Downey Jr., Don Cheadle and Chris Hemsworth during Marvel Studios’ ‘Avengers: Endgame’ press conference in Los Angeles.

Letterboxd: Filmmakers are known to tinker with blockbusters until the very last minute, honing in on what audiences respond to in the teaser material. That’s obviously not the case here, since you held back so much in the film’s trailers. How did this lack of advance audience feedback impact the filmmaking process, if at all? Anthony Russo (co-director, the taller brother): Look, at the end of the day, my brother and I, we came to this material because we’re fans. We grew up loving the comics. We came to the MCU already fans of the MCU. So the energy we move on is our own passion and our own excitement, and that’s how we tell stories. We learned long ago that you have to tell stories for yourself. You can’t be thinking about how others might receive them.

So for Joe and me, because we have such an intimate relationship with the material, because we have so many amazing collaborators—starting with Kevin [Feige, producer]—we are able to really fashion the story around what we want to see as fans. How do we surprise ourselves. How do we excite ourselves? How do we challenge ourselves? How do we force ourselves to keep digging deeper and keep exploring this narrative and these characters in ways we never imagined? That’s sort of how we guide ourselves through the process.

And once the film is complete and we put it out into the world, we really have no idea how it is going to be received. Once that complete film is experienced and digested and responded to, I think that’s the moment where we are then filled up with a reaction. But as we’re executing, once we conceive the film and start executing, we’re not really second-guessing what we’re doing. We’re really focused on chasing the initial vision that we had for it.

On how the Russo brothers are feeling now that they are near the end of the journey: Joe Russo (co-director): This is, I think, a really unique experiment in movies, this grand mosaic. Depending on how you count it up, eleven franchises… have been interwoven into one big narrative, and I think a lot of people have invested a lot of heart and soul into the characters. When we take these movies around the world, it’s really heartwarming to see people come up to you and say “hey, I started watching this with my classmates when I was ten years old—now we’re all 21 and we’re all going to go see this together” or “my parents have taken me to every movie” or “my grandfather has taken me to every film”. It’s a real sense of community and sharing in these stories and believing in them. And I think with Endgame, we get the opportunity to finish off one of the grandest experiments in movie history and bring it to, as Kevin said, an epic conclusion. So what we’re hoping for is that people feel satisfied with the conclusion.

‘Avengers: Endgame’ co-directors Joe Russo and Anthony Russo.

On what it’s like to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe at this critical moment: Brie Larson (Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel): I mean, stressful, now that you put it like that. I’ve felt kind of chill. But now I’m scared. So I hope you guys did a good job. I came at just the most magical time I think. To come exactly at this ten-year anniversary, and really, my first introduction to everyone was the ten-year photo, which was a really remarkable and special day. And super surreal and also like not allowed to [be talked about]. So the whole thing has always felt like a dream.

This film will always be personally dear to me because it was my first time playing Captain Marvel. We shot this first. So I had to stumble and try to figure out who this character was with no script for this and no script for Captain Marvel either—and perform for the first time in front of legends. But it was incredible.

As big as it is, it still feels like a bunch of kids. Just like what I was doing over summer break, making movies in my garage. There is still this sense of wonder and play and encouragement—and of course this film deals with some heavy subject matter. So you’re bouncing in between things that feel very deep and serious, and then we’re going off and playing Boggle. Which I am very good at. Just to be clear.

There is no other word I can describe it as other than surreal. And I’m super excited for this to come out. Mostly just so that I can talk about it. I want to be able to talk about my experience, which I haven’t been able to do for a very long time.

On connection to his fellow Avengers: Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/Hulk): It doesn’t feel like family to me because we all really get along well. There’s not that much drama. It does feel like family. It’s a family that you wish you had in a way. I don’t know if you could tell, but it’s a little bit different press conference than the last time. It has a little bit sort of sadness to it. We’re all talking about like we’re dead. I loved working with these guys. It was great knowing them. They were great Boggle players.

There is something very bittersweet about this moment, because as actors, we’re like vagabonds. We kind of bounce around. We have these intense relationships. And then you don’t see anybody until you get nominated for something or you’re nominated in something and you end up in an award ceremony.

Chris Evans (Steve Rogers/Captain America): What’s that like? Speak for yourself.

MR: Well. But like, this is the closest thing that any of us really have to—unless you’re in several franchises—it’s the closest thing you have to continuity and friendships and watching people grow up and have children and get married and then get divorced and then get remarried.

On how Captain America’s leadership role is affected by the presence of other leaders like Black Panther and Captain Marvel: CE: I think he tends to lean on those people who are of like mind and nature, who kind of are intrinsically selfless. I mean, all the heroes up here have their baked-in-the-cake flaws. And I think a lot of that makes for really good conflict in storytelling. That’s why my favorite stuff in this arc has been my stuff with Downey, because [there is] such a dichotomy between how we approach things. But at the end of the day, our hearts are both in the right places. It provides a lot of great friction. By introducing characters like Captain Marvel and Black Panther, people who also align very similarly to Cap’s nature, it reinforces Cap’s sense of purpose and home. It’s an environment that… feels more natural for him. It’s nice to see the certain pockets where he feels at peace and the certain pockets where he feels his buttons might be getting pushed.

On the evolution of the franchise’s female roles: Scarlett Johansson (Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow): Initially, the character really started as a sort of sexy secretary with a skill-set on the side. Posing as. And we didn’t know, or I certainly didn’t know how the audience would react to the character, my interpretation of the character. And obviously a very beloved character for a long time. Then the next time that we saw her in Avengers, she was sort of one of the boys for better or worse. And that made sense then.

I think the fans and the audiences have really pushed, certainly Marvel, but pushed all the studios and filmmakers to really throw up on the screen what represents what’s going on in the zeitgeist and wanting to see diverse films and casts that represent their own aspirations and how they feel. I feel the character has sort of grown in reaction to that. And the movies have really grown in reaction to that kind of fan encouragement.

I remember when Lizzie [Olsen, Scarlet Witch] signed on. Cobie [Smulders, Agent Maria Hill] was there. We were all clinging to each other… I felt like I had been in this testosterone fest for such a long time, it was so nice to see other female cast members. And then with Brie [Larson] coming on and Karen [Gillan, Nebula from Guardians of the Galaxy] and Danai [Gurira, Okoye from Black Panther]. I’m amongst so many wonderful actors, so many strong actors, and it’s just grown beyond my wildest dreams. I could never have imagined where this would take us. And all of us. It’s been quite a journey.

On how Robert Downey Jr. felt while filming the now-iconic scene in which Spider-Man (Tom Holland) fades away at the end of Infinity War (“Mr Stark, I don’t feel so good”): Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark/Iron Man): I just love the lighting in that scene. I look so shredded. I was more shredded than a julienne salad, man. No. I make a lot of faces. I need some help in the editing. It was one of those moments. “This is the most serious thing that’s happened since you were nine. Now don’t F this up.” And I remember the brothers were there. I think we re-staged it once or twice. Anyway. It was crazy to shoot it. But it was just another day. But then I think seeing it—I happened to see it with this amazing kid, this Scottish kid who couldn’t go to a theater—I saw it with him and his reaction really f’ed me up.

So I think what a lot of us are looking forward to—like Kevin always says—is that it’s a surprising, delightful experience with Endgame. It’s one of those things where you go “Wow, I think we just made a pretty serious choice here”. But I think audiences liked that. I think audiences are so smart now so they require to not be fed the same drivel as even 20 minutes ago. It’s like we need novelty. And I think that what the Russos and Kevin have been able to do that is provide that in spades.

On what’s been special about Chris Hemsworth’s journey with these films: Chris Hemsworth (Thor): Well, just to echo something you were saying before, Anthony, about the first time that the Marvel Universe came into my universe back in Australia: I was sitting there, and I would have been just straight out of high school and watching Iron Man and thinking the same thing. Thinking “Oh my god, imagine. I wish I could be a part of that world”. And then a few years on, getting cast in it as Thor and having the opportunity to embark on this thing, and at the time I thought, was this film even going to make it past DVD? Or make to the cinemas? Or was I going to be re-cast and all those sort of questions.

I think the answer to the question, what made it so special for me was just the different people I was able to work with. From Kenneth Brannagh—that first film was really sort of completely in his hands, and he was basically willing to do whatever it takes and wherever he needed me to go for the character—and then through the films with each director and each different cast member, I would learn something different from them.

And by Ragnarok, I felt like I finally had enough sort of confidence to go “Okay, what is it that I could possibly bring to this?” And then have this great collaboration with Taika [Waititi, director]. We really decided to do something different to see how we could make it unexpected and unique. And then I had been calling Joe and Anthony and saying look, I’ve got this new version of Thor that we’ve just shot. And I want to continue that version. I don’t want to do the old version. And they said we’ve got an even newer version for you.

It’s just about the people that’s made it so special and I think unique each time with any of our characters. The fact that we’re all willing to be open to what new possibilities lie ahead of these franchises and these characters. It’s been a pretty remarkable journey.

‘Avengers: Endgame’ opens in Australia and New Zealand on 24 April, and in UK, US and other regions from 25 April. Reporting by Letterboxd West Coast editor Dominic Corry.

#avengers #mcu #Marvel Studios #ironman #avengers endgame #avengers infinity war #thor #black widow #natasha romanoff #scarlett johansson #letterboxd

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beingallelite · 5 years

Link

On January 1, 2019, the rumors and rumblings that had been seizing wrestling fandom for months were confirmed. The Young Bucks and Cody Rhodes had teamed with investor Tony Khan to found All Elite Wrestling. The new organization was designed to be the first major professional wrestling league to take on the monster monopoly that is WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. Hype for the new organization soon took the wrestling world by storm and “AEW!” became a preferred chant for WWE fans disgruntled by lackluster matches.

But in a landscape that’s been dominated for decades by the leviathan nature of WWE, can All Elite Wrestling make any sort of impact on the sport? Where does the team behind the venture — President and CEO Tony Khan and EVPs Matt and Nick Jackson (aka the Young Bucks), Cody Rhodes, and Kenny Omega — see the core audience? And will AEW be able to truly allot wrestlers the creative freedom and professional support they’ve been craving?

So far, AEW has been testing the waters with a number of pay-per-view events like Double or Nothing, Fyter Fest, and Fight for the Fallen. While Double or Nothing sold out all of its approximately 11,000 tickets in about 30 minutes, the company decided to stream the latter two for free on B/R Live. It was a risky choice, but one AEW President and CEO Tony Khan stands by.

“In terms of putting shows out there for free, we took a bath financially on that and I took a big hit, and I was willing to do it as a company because I believed in our brand of wrestling,” Khan told Decider during a sit-down interview following All Elite Wrestling’s very first presentation at TCA press tour. Cody Rhodes, Chief Brand Officer Brandi Rhodes, and a number of in-ring talent were on hand that day to treat journalists to their first look at AEW’s upcoming weekly TNT show. Khan explained that his “dream” was to get AEW to the level “where WCW was.”

“There hasn’t been a legitimate other company [besides WWE] presenting weekly, high quality wrestling, and never before was HD available,” Khan said, explaining he had every confidence that once AEW’s weekly show premieres on TNT on October 2, “the revenue streams are going to be huge.”

Right now WWE produces two weekly live primetime shows, RAW and Smackdown, that combined amount to five hours of wrestling per week. That’s not counting other WWE weekly offerings such as NXT, 205 Live, off-screen house shows, or their near-monthly pay-per-view events. In contrast, AEW is only going to be crafting one two-hour-long show a week for TNT, and Khan said this is by design.

“We’re basing the company to be way more wrestler-friendly and in terms of the scheduling, because we’re not going to have a constant touring of five nights a week or anything like that, six nights a week never,” Khan said. “And really focusing on that and building the big events, big pay-per-views and streaming specials.”

In addition to allowing wrestlers time to physically rest up and mentally relax, The Young Bucks (aka Nick and Matt Jackson) argued that this far-less grueling schedule gives AEW a creative edge.

“Our characters won’t be over-saturated. That’s a problem for the current product for mainstream wrestling right now. You see wrestlers way too often, way too many times, and you become fatigued with that character and that superstar, and they lose that superstardom,” Nick Jackson said.

“[There’s] just time for things to breathe,” Matt Jackson said. “Everything is so overexposed right now.”

“It’s not about forcing everybody into the show to do one dumb segment just to show them in the show. We’re not going to drag people in and make them travel,” Khan said.

Matt Jackson concurred. “I don’t think everybody has to be on the show every week, necessarily. Like if they’re not needed like Tony said, maybe they stay home that week. Or we just give them a little bit in the back. Sometimes it’s just too much. But if we give them a little bit of flavor every week or every other week I think it would be fine. I really do.”

“We already have a lot of wrestlers in our contracts, so we don’t need to have them weekly. So some wrestlers might not even be on them every single week of the year,” Nick Jackson said. “So a lot of people are going to have great schedules that are way better than any wrestling company in the world.”

During AEW’s panel that day, Brandi Rhodes touted the diversity of talent on the roster, noting that more than half of the panelists they’d assembled that day were women. Khan wouldn’t confirm that AEW’s female roster would be given equal air-time to their male counterparts — “It depends on the week” — but he did say he thought AEW had some of the best female wrestlers in the world. In particular, he touted New Japan Pro-Wrestling alum Kenny Omega’s talent in scouting new joshi talent for AEW.

“It’s a different style,” Omega said, of joshi, a type of women’s wrestling from Japan. “It’s more artistic. It’s more beautiful, but yet it’s still strong, and yet it’s still very diverse.”

“I really think the joshi that Kenny scouted out could our be our generation’s luchadores because the luchadores and the lucha style became very prevalent through wrestling on TNT weekly in the 90s,” Khan said. “And now, almost twenty-five years later, the joshi could come in and just blow people away. I mean they have on our shows and it’s happening.”

Already AEW has begun pushing joshi talent like Aja Kong and Hikaru Shida. The two star were featured a six-woman tag team match on Double or Nothing. While Shida is officially signed to the AEW roster, Omega teased that there were still some stars he hadn’t introduced yet. “I haven’t shown all my cards yet,” he said with a smile.

“Person-by-person we’re developing a roster that can do everything the guys can do, and in a lot of cases, they’re doing a lot of things that the guys can’t do, or aren’t doing,” Omega said. “That’s why, for me, even though I’m proud of my own career and I’m still looking to do big things in my own career, but I’m most proud of that division and I’m most prideful.”

Khan, Omega, and the Young Bucks told Decider that they’re also committed to making sure that all the wrestlers have the opportunity to perform their best, while also being as safe as possible. When asked if wrestlers would be told that specific moves would be reserved for stars, Khan said that the bigger concern was safety.

“I feel very strongly that I want to take care of the talent and I want to protect these guys and girls and everybody,” Khan said.

“That being said, we’re not going to tell the talent like, ‘Don’t do this cool dive just because we don’t want you to do it.’ We’re going to say, ‘Hey, do the coolest things you can do.’ You’re very limited in other places,” Nick Jackson said. “All of our wrestlers are going to do a ton of stuff and we’re not going to limit them for what they can do and their abilities to do.”

Omega even added that they’ve been also studying their pay-per-views to make sure the talent isn’t leaning too hard on the same moves again and again. “For the first three shows or whatever, we had a couple of oversights where guys were doing too much of one thing or another or whatever, but now after the show we’ll always sit down and watch the show back and we’ll see, ‘Ah, I got to catch that next time. And oh, I got to catch that this time,'” Omega said. “Even last time, the Fight for the Fallen, we were more on top of our game.”

Fight for the Fallen was the last pay-per-view event AEW produced and it was one of the two events fans can still stream for free on B/R Live. So far, Khan couldn’t confirm if the weekly TNT shows would be available to stream for free, nor could he comment on the possibility that TNT’s parent company WarnerMedia might fold AEW content into its upcoming streaming service HBO Max. However, everyone could confirm that they see the Young Bucks’ YouTube channel, Being the Elite, as a key pillar of the company.

“What Nick does putting Being the Elite together every week and what Matt does both on and off the camera it’s so huge,” Khan said. “With Being the Elite you’ll see some of the most innovative stuff, but it’s going to be very different then the weekly TV show. But that’s by design and I want to keep it that way so you’ll have outlets to see different things.”

“I think the reason why Nick and I have had big successes is because we’re very self aware and we have that meta style. We’re in on the joke, right? If someone’s talking about us, we know they’re talking about it. We survey everything. We know everything. If people are talking, we’ve heard the talk. We’ve heard the chatter. And it’s better not to ignore the things. It’s better to at least address the elephant in the room and talk about it,” Matt Jackson said, adding he prefers to address fans via Being the Elite rather than Twitter.

“I think that’s the best way to comment on something like that is to do it through art like that, though,” he said. “Whereas so many people just take to a tweet. You could just look at a tweet and you could turn it and twist it ten different ways, right?”

The next two big dates for AEW will be August 31 and October 2. At the end of the month, the organization will put on All Out, its last pay-per-view event before they begin airing nationally. “I know we are committed to doing pay-per-views, but not doing too many, doing the right amount,” Khan said. “Again we’re trying to follow up Double or Nothing with a great show on August 31st and live up to our pay-per-views being worth the money.” Then October 2, 2019 marks AEW’s big debut on TNT. Details about that inaugural show are still being hashed out, but it’s already been announced that the very first AEW Women’s Worlds Championship will be crowned then, confirming that AEW’s team are indeed betting big on their ladies. In fact, All Elite Wrestling is betting big all around and hoping that there’s space in the market for a weekly wrestling show that’s designed to be wrestler-friendly and wrestling fan-worthy.

#all elite wrestling #aew #article #decider #posted on: 8.5.19

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chocafe · 5 years

Text

— ygtb ep. 9 reaction

hi there! i decided to write my reactions and thoughts on episode nine as i watched it. the way i wrote everything was pretty messy, so just click “keep reading” if you would like to continue on since i wrote quite a lot! if you haven’t seen episode nine, then this is my warning for you to not continue ahead since this contains spoilers.

i got a batch of cookies and the video is on 1080p i think i am ready

but i’m not mentally ready

i love it how ygtb gets straight to the point within one minute, but produce 101 is over here taking fifteen minutes to even get the episode started

ya’ll think i can find the fansite i bought my junkyu slogan from in the audience?

IM SICK AND TIRED OF SEEING THE ADIDAS LOGO WE GET IT YOU GET MORE SCREEN TIME THAN THE ACTUAL TRAINEES DO

omg the voting system its giving me produce 101/48 flashbacks i don’t deserve this

˗ˏˋ boomerang team ˎˊ˗

hyunsuk’s new hair color looks so nice on him ♡____♡ im still a blonde!hyunsuk supremacist though

out of all wanna one songs they chose boomerang

there’s burn it up, beautiful, light, and literally every wanna one song

but they chose boomerang with their whole chest

Wannables We Attack

HUH SLEEVELESS HYUNSUK

oh my god hyunsuk’s roots are overgrown now i know why they needed to dye his hair

jihoon cant say he’s fine when he just messed up his knee im really going to (softly) punch him :(((

HIS WING WING WING WING WAS SO SOFT

perhaps yoshinori is a rap god

yeongue gives me <major> daehwi vibes in this performance

i know i’m supposed to take him serious in this, but uwu my son

jihoon singing seongwoo’s part? huuuuuuuuuuuuuuh my mf heart has just crumbled into a million of pieces!

it’s a win for me tonight #Haylees1stWin

SHUT UPPPP I DONT WHAT THE FUCK HYUNSUK IS RAPPING ABOUT BUT I LOVE HIS RAPPING SO MUCH

dohwan needed more “shinning parts” in the performance (╥﹏╥)

i feel bad because everyone was given a part to stand out, but dohwan really wasn’t given one to showcase his abilities (unless the editors cut it out since they don’t show us the whole performance)

imagine if i was in this crowd and i just bribe everyone around me with money to vote for my favorite trainee

˗ˏˋ growl team ˎˊ˗

this is like when you play dodge ball and people choose their teammates, but you’re the last one to get chosen

except, that’s everyone in the growl team

:-(

they got stuck with the “left over song” but growl is a TIMELESS BOP. PERIOD.

jaehyuk keeps on burdening himself and that truly makes me upset because i’ve been in his position before

it’s okay to cry and it’s okay to be where he’s at because he has time to improve himself and prove everyone wrong

they really made this stage their own red carpet

i really liked how the camera followed them on stage since that’s exactly how exo used to perform growl

the performance was good because you have to take into account that they have all only been trainees for a few months

˗ˏˋ dumb and dumber team ˎˊ˗

dumb and dumber team is here to take the #1 spot

BYOUNGGON WITH HIS HUGE ASS BEANIE IS SO FREAKING CUTE I LOVE THIS MAN

bex made his appearance again- we stan!

“i don’t understand what’s happening” me when my teacher chooses me to answer a question in front of the whole class

the dumb and dumber team was so good??? like i was really immersed in the performance??

they especially did a great job when they came down to perform RIGHT in front of the fans because i know a majority of fans love it when idols come down in the middle of a performance/concert and interact with them in some way or another

it was like a concert where everyone’s favorite parts are when the idols disperse and just have fun on stage and feel the same energy as the hyped up fans

no wonder they got #1

oh yeah and btw i spoiled everything by reading kfan tweets last week so i know all of the team ranks, who got eliminated, ect.

my friend texted me just now telling me that we predicted everything except for the last ten minutes so i guess i wont be surprised until the ending

anyways . . . let’s get it

˗ˏˋ dna team ˎˊ˗

wait what? weren’t they supposed to show us winner mentoring the dna team

that’s it?

okay

THEY MADE HARUTO SING TAEHYUNG’S PART BECAUSE THEY HAVE A SIMILAR LOW VOCAL RANGE ARGHHHDHSSH I APPROVE

haruto: TAKE IT

keita: ᵗᵃᵏᵉ ᶦᵗ

THE RODENT IN MY ATTIC IS FINALLY COMPLIMENTING SEUNGHUN

IT IS WHAT HE DESERVES WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG TO YOU HAG

it took yg two years to finally notice seunghun’s potential while it took me one minute

petition to have me as the new ceo

they literally said hey everyone in the audience hold up for like 10 minutes we need to bring out these light up podiums

hmmmmmmm

hmmmamamama

hhhyyayyyuahajs

im going to start cryinfdds

HSJFLSJFLSKSFL

THIS IS BITTERSWEET BECAUSE DUMB&DUMBER ARE HAPPY THAT THEY WON BUT THAT MEANS THE TRAINEES THEY’VE TRAINED WITH HAVE THE HIGHEST POTENTIAL OF BEING ELIMINATED REALLY MY HEART HURTS

I DONT LIKE THIS FEELING MARTY IM SCARED

im screaming “dont cry” at my laptop screen but why am i crying at the same time

“CHAIRMAN YANG PLEASE LOOK THIS WAY”

me in the crowd: *throws an egg at him and runs off*

WE RIOT

LADIES AND HATED HUMAN BEINGS WE RIOT

ALL MY HATERS GON RIOT WE GON MOB YG

yg use your card

yg bring seunghun and keita back

I SAW RUMORS SAYING HE BRINGS ONE OR BOTH OF THEM BACK SO YG PLEASE JUST BRING THEM BACK

keita telling seunghun that they did well because he’s always seen as the positive/happy kid, but he’s also on the verge of tearing up :(((((

keita sweetie its okay to cry too

and seunghun being mostly disappointed that he’s failing his mother like sweetie ITS ALRIGHT YOUR MOTHER IS PROUD OF YOU NO MATTER WHAT

i hate survival shows why do i still watch these stuff

hi i actually stopped writing my reactions after this because i was a little bitch and couldnt type anymore so i just went to go spam my friends with audio messages of me yelling

maybe i can upload my audios i sent my friends if they’re not too annoying (trust me, they’re annoying)

anyways thanks for coming to my ted talk

seunghun will rise again

the editors are trying to make it a surprise when seunghun is the only trainee wearing a grey(?) sweater, with a red font, black undershirt and light washed blue jeans

SEUNGHUN NATION MAKE SOME NOISE

SEUNGHUN!!!! WHEN!! YOU!!! SMILE!!! IT!! MAKES!!! ME!!! HAPPY!!!!!!!!

#lee.txt #yg treasure box #ygtb #i sent a video of me crying over ygtb to my cousin and she sent me a video from a while back of me explaining to her how it's okay to cry #and she goes - you're such an cancer sjsksjsjs #cancer cry babies unite!

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