#i think learning the names of every single voice actor

[feralnightwing]

why hello there, captain america hyperfixation!! take a seat between the nightwing hyperfixation and the merlin hyperfixation. welcome to the club, there's about 10 members who are all clamouring for attention every 5 minutes

[crazyw3irdo]

what is your opinion on gnomeo and juliet (2011)

they got rid of mercutio 0/10

[ystrike1]

Don't Take Your Eyes Off Me - By Elvechica (8.5/10)

The mask is off. We all know the idol industry is extremely dark and twisted. It's old news. Being an obsessive fan is frighteningly common. So common in fact that it's not hard to believe crazy stories like this one. Maybe somewhere out there a real-life idol is lurking around, obsessing over one of their own group mates. It's such a crazy thought, but this is the painfully realistic version of that crazy scenario.

Please note: The happy ending of this story is extremely twisted and flawed on purpose. I think this should have been a long form story, with about twenty chapters, but there are only six. It looks simple on the surface, but the main character is just as flawed as his stalker.

Jun is a tall, handsome man with rich actor parents. His father now owns a talent company. He was born with literally every single advantage possible in life, and he loves the performing arts. Naturally he tried to debut as a actor. When he failed he tried to become a model....he failed again...he couldn’t hack it. Not even with a famous last name and good looks.

Jun is scum.

Making a boy band under his father's company label is his last shot. His last choice. Becoming an idol is literally his back up plan, because he can't handle failing. He thinks his lofty parents don't respect him....so he doesn't respect himself and he's willing to take advantage of other people to go higher.

His father offers him a gimmick. Writing. Daddy will pay a talented ghostwriter to write AND COMPOSE trendy idol songs...and Jun will get the credit.

Jun accepts, because at this point he thinks he can't succeed without cheating.

The ghostwriter plan works waaaayyyyy too well. The first single is a bop. Their tiny social media accounts blow up. It'll be a one-hit wonder if they don't keep up with this lucky momentum....so the trio of three takes every job they get offered.

Primula is a trio of pretty, hardworking hotties who fit the boy band bill just right.

Jun Sakuma is a *LYRICAL GENIUS WHO COMPOSED EVERY SINGLE THAT MADE PRIMULA THE SUCCESS IT IS. Also, he's buff and tall and a great dancer. (His voice kinda stinks though, which is a major hint. Being in a boy band is just about avoiding failure for Jun. It wasn't his original passion.)

Yuma is a nice guy, and he is a great actor. He accepts television and stage roles to promote the group. He's also a talented singer, and dancer.

Isshin was an up-and-coming model before he joined the group. He had an existing fan base before he started singing, and he has the voice of an angel. He's very talented with instruments too, and he's the ghostwriter. Jun used up his talent to get his backup boy band debut. Jun doesn't know his unstable career involves standing on a friend's back, and HE DOESN’T FEEL REAL REMORSE UNTIL HE LEARNS THE TRUTH.

Daddy also threatened Isshin. Isshin can't take it anymore. He tells Jun everything. He hates Jun's fake innocence. He hates watching someone who hasn't written a single word take credit for his talent.

(He's lying.)

He says he hates Jun.

(He's lying)

Jun is immediately swallowed up by guilt. He can no longer distance himself from the truth. He doesn't want to be propped up by the genius writer lie anymore. He decides to work harder, and pour all of his passion into the career he chose so half-heartedly.

He understands that Isshin is angry and hurting the most.....so he listens to everything Isshin says.

Isshin uses Jun's body. Isshin controls his diet. Isshin controls what he wears. Isshin says they have to live together.

Isshin claims he is doing this because Jun needs to be strictly trained.

Jun believes this...because he is the weakest link in the group and he doesn’t want to ruin everything for everyone.

He keeps his mouth shut about the ghostwriter lie, because Isshin says he wants the group to succeed.

He's willing to make sacrifices.

Jun should be too.

Jun values himself so little that it damages the people around him. Yuma, his parents, and his managers can all see his talent....but Jun has failed too much and he only sees himself as an obstacle.

When a big company says "his" writing talent is wasted in such a small group....Jun feels guilty for stealing Isshin's talent all over again. It's been a year, and Jun is dying to share the truth because he genuinely loves his fans and being an idol now.

Learning from Isshin has been amazing...besides all the abuse I mean...haha...every form of abuse...

Jun wants to tell Yuma and spill the beans.

The convenient secret that allows Isshin to control Jun.

It all feels so obvious, but Jun is the perfect victim. A busy idol with a strict shedule. He's used to being overworked and abused.

He thought Isshin hated him, but no.

Isshin has been too excited to stay sane for the entire year.

All of that brutal training and control was just an excuse.

Isshin wanted to play with his favorite idol, and he loved every second of it.

When Jun flunked acting Isshin was already there...in the background watching.

Waiting for a chance.

After Jun reveals the secret their relationship begins for real three months later. The group re-debutes because they're still popular and Yuma is a decently popular stage actor.

Why does Jun forgive Isshin?

Well, it's because something is deeply wrong with him. Something is broken inside Jun. Something that is hard to describe.

Without Isshin's obsession he would have faded into nothing. Isshin's weird nonsense actually made Jun a better person. By the end he's no longer totally reliant on his daddy. He's surrounded by good friends, who recognize his talents. He's more confident and he doesn’t see himself as an "untalented" extra.

Even though that's all true any normal person would have rejected Isshin and got a restraining order.

When I say this is realistic I mean Jun doesn't "forgive" Isshin. I mean Jun is an adult that recognizes he also did bad things, and he appreciates Isshin. He admires Isshin's talent too, even if his obsessive motives were impure.

It's wrong, but he loves Isshin anyway.

He wants unconditional love and support in his life, because that's what saved him from falling apart.

Jun has actual practical reasons for accepting his yandere partner besides money, and it's good.

[wannabelife]

I love your blog 🙈 I rb from my sideblog @mykpopficblog and I will take anything and everything you have about svt x actress!reader. it's my faaavorite au. i just love the idea of a beautiful entertainment couple.

ofc :D that's a new setting for me, so i'll try my best to make it good

SVT MEMBERS X ACTRESS READER – HEADCANONS

how it would be dating seventeen as an actress

- i dont think he'd like to expose too much, probably would answer questions with just yes or no, because he knows the media and wants to protect you both and the relationship. it'd be easy to catch him staring lovingly at you at public appearance tho, being a point always commented online.

seungcheol

jeonghan

- would loveeeee to tease you, would mention you on interviews just to make a teasy comment. paparazzi pictures of you both laughing and joking around in public would be all over internet, or him annoying you, and people would reply with "couple goals" and such things.

joshua

- a gentleman wbk! open the car door for you when you're arriving in public events, hold your hand to help you pass through the crowd, red carpet pictures together and would leave for solo pictures of you because he thinks you're the most beautiful and would be a waste to have him in the pic.

jun

- i think he would choose to be secretive, once in a while, appear a picture of you both out together, and people always comment in your outfits and style. he would definitely mention you in interviews but without saying directly your name, because he just cant help, you're a big part of his life.

hoshi

- MATCHING CLOTHES!!!!! you always choose matching outfits when you go out in public and its always flawless; or you get each others pieces borrowed and people would notice it. fashion is a big part of your public appearance. clothes and also other matching itens like jewelry, polaroids and so on.

wonwoo

- another one who would get secretive about it, his face wont hide tho when you're mentioned. and that's why, you're like his weak spot, he gets all shy and excited when talking about you so he prefers to make it behind doors. not many paparazzi pictures, but nice ig fancy posts of your dates.

woozi

- are you dating or are you not? is it just rumors? people are curious about your relationship!!! there are public articles and speculations, only pictures of you together but with other friends or of you sneaking to his studio. people are quite sure but they just cant tell. you both choose to be like this, you're not hiding but prefer not to make it as public.

mingyu

- you really inspire him, he had had tried acting before, and you just keep making him want to try it more. he'd love it if one day you two get to act in a movie or drama together and always voice out his interest in interviews, saying how much he can learn from you and how talented you are.

dokyeom

- he's an actor too so it'd be a common scene of you two playing around on little sketchs. he also likes to help you rehearsal your scenes and learn your lines. he's very passionate about your work, makes you confident.

minghao

- likes to tease you about being jealous, a bit sulky and cocky but just for the fun of bothering you. he'd love to walk around holding your hands and the public chaos it'd cause, he just loves that everybody knows you're his. also, post pics of you or of you both together on social media.

seungkwan

- seungkwan is charismatic and known in different entertainment fields, so i sense this tom holland and zendaya type of public relationship. he wouldn't be afraid to praise you in his solo interviews and talk stories about your life together, this type of thing, you know what i mean?

vernon

- you're fucking biggest fan!!! he's known to be a fan of movies already, would watch every single work of yours, and mention it as one of his favorites in any given interview moment. most public appearances are on your premieres that he loves so much to go.

dino

- the type to get a bit jealous and insecure when you have to act as a couple with someone else, but he doesn't want to show it. he's very protective over you, loves to claim you at any given chance and talk about funny anotes of you two.

[pietropudge]

Brenton!Dick Grayson is that hot teacher who's gigantic butt is constantly in someone's face whenever he bends over to help students and you look forward to it every day. You find out he's subsidizing his income by doing OnlyPreds in secret.

a/n — something short since I liked the idea (and Brenton is my favorite titan's actor, next to Ryan), may write a part two!

warnings — vore, not done to us. brief in this but lots of talks of preds and prey and a mention of disposal

words — 2.3k

summary — check the ask!

~~~

It was about that time again. Seventh period—your seventh Heaven. The last class of the day and the one that managed to fly by the fastest because you were actually engaged in what the teacher was teaching. Not because the depths of learning criminal justice in high school was anything life-changing, no, it was the teacher himself that held your attention. 

His lesson had yet to start, choosing to do the rounds around everyone’s assigned seat to place their latest essay face down on their desk. You were one of the first to arrive because of how close your previous class was to his classroom, so he handed it to you personally, just as you walked through the door.

“Ah, there you are, the very last one I had,” he said in a way you could listen to on a loop. His hands were now empty, stilted as he almost didn’t know what to do with them. "Nice job."

Your paper had an A-plus and a one-hundred written in red pen at the top. Thumbing through the pages, he hadn’t marked a single thing incorrect with the red ink. “Thanks,” you said, taking your seat. It was in about the center of the class, not too far away from the front but also not off-center in a way that would make looking to the side become annoying. You had to think that, on some level, Mr. Grayson had a soft spot for you by doing all of this. Probably somewhere on the cushiness of his padded ass.

That was the real appeal of his class because he literally put the ass in it. Later on, when everyone filed into his classroom and he was deep into his lecture, he decided to break it off for some individual learning. And low and behold, he was helping the person in front of you who posed a question that must have had a really long answer, because Mr. Grayson bent over, his dark dress pants doing anything but slimming down his figure. His ass was looming over your desk, and while you had your head buried in the worksheet he passed out and the textbook needed to find the answers, you looked up to see what had turned had blocked your peripheral vision like it was the bill of a hat.

Lifting your head, it was his ass, shifting back and forth as he lightly shifted his weight between each foot. His ass swayed as a result, so hypnotic and so close to you. It was almost painful to know how unattainable he was. You wanted him but knew it could never happen. The only issue was that he was unlike the gym coaches, who perved on the teenage girls and even had odd relationships with the star athletes at school. Although, you were glad he didn’t run the risk of getting disbarred from every school within fifty miles of here, because you got to see him every day. Mr. Grayson kept a respectable sense to his actions.

Now, there were some things he did that were simply out of his control. You can't do much about being blessed with an ass as fat as his, so it wasn't really his fault. You were the one staring at it, thinking about getting his attention by grabbing it instead of raising your hand. 

Before you could do anything, the final bell rang and you heard his voice call out a few names to stay behind—probably to discuss grades. Thankfully, your name was kept separate from that list.

Returning home, you can’t shake the thought from your head. His ass was so close to you it was almost like you could have dove into the navy blue depths of it! He had assigned more homework that was due tomorrow—a few online assignments with multiple-choice responses, nothing crazy. But all you could think about was him while doing the work. You needed to find release, fast.

A big fantasy of yours was the predacious nature of humanity. Some people could eat others whole, enough to define them as an entire subspecies in Mr. Logan’s biology course. School rules prevented predators from teaching at a multi-meal school of both prey and developing predators alike, claiming that it would interfere with the natural order of the next generation. By introducing older predators into the pool of newer ones, it would run the risk of diminishing predators too weak to fight back against their own kind and prey from society—where it was anyone’s game. It’s why disappearances at school were common, the occasional high-school sweethearts that surfaced being forever in love as one of them would eat the other during their first kiss.

Regardless of the rules, you still imagined that Mr. Grayson had gotten such a fat ass from doing the work, the hard work of swallowing prey like you. While your imagination could carry the session, you just needed a little video to kickstart the fantasy. Opening a new tab next to Mr. Grayson’s preferred site to manage online assignments, you started a search for amateur vore videos. Gulper, BestBelches, and even PornHub barely had anything new that you hadn’t seen already. It seemed that everyone was getting greedy with their recently documented meals. You went to the last site you could think of—Twitter, home to original amateur vore videos, if you knew where to look, that is. A new video was making the rounds through a few accounts you followed and the video happened to land on your timeline, and it was damn near perfect to what you were looking for. 

The start of the video was nothing special, a man walks into frame, his thick thighs and general figure reminding you of someone that you couldn’t quite think of. It wasn’t until his ass came into the picture, the cheeks thick and coated with a light smattering of hair that acted as the draped curtains to a head sticking up his ass. That’s when it hit you—this guy looked like Mr.Grayson from behind! Down to the tufts of hair peeking out at the top of the video, his head cut off to keep himself anonymous. The narrow torso leading to his wide ass was also of note, a reminder of the way that Mr. Grayson’s dress pants often struggled to contain him in the ways that mattered. He was standing near a balcony, looking out proudly over the city in front of him. The caption read something generic like, “what a great view.” But it clearly wasn’t the original video. 

In the bottom-lefthand corner of the video was a watermark, a link to an OnlyPreds account called TeachingLessons. It didn’t align with the username of whoever posted it, so this must be a teaser for something more. You knew how these things worked and you needed to see the whole video and whatever else was posted on his account. There was a small part of you that hoped that the account didn’t belong to a snack like that guy as you searched for it… you had subscribed to a few too many OnlyPreds that were one-off accounts made to look like they’re run by predators but are actually just posted by the consumer to help the prey out. Whether that money goes to a family member or possibly used to pay back debts, you didn’t know. All you knew was that you got to see one really good video for a steep price without even learning who the predator was, so it was some high-level scam. Hopefully, this was an actual, regular poster that you could imagine as Mr. Grayson in so many different positions. You made the account using your real first and last name but fudging some other details like making your username a combination of random numbers and letters that was unlike your gamertag or social media handles and putting the profile as a random picture from your camera roll that had no recognizable information in it. After going through the painful steps of creating an account and paying for his OnlyPreds, you were free to check out all of his posts.

The most recent post was the video you had seen on Twitter, but it was marked at twenty-six minutes instead of just thirty seconds. You decided to save that for last, taking your dick out and stroking to everything else first, making sure that you had invested in something that was worth it. The rest of the account had videos of him belching, playing with his gut, sucking guys up his ass, and shitting them out in various restrooms and unconventional locations. There was no consistency as the houses all seemed to be the prey’s given how the location changed in each video, so there was an air of mystery that heightened your enjoyment. It made it easy to picture him in your bedroom, leaving you as a pile of shit on your own bed or ruining the carpet, morbidly reminding you and your classmates that you wouldn’t be safe forever.

After scrolling for a while, you ended up at the very last post. It was posted only about a year ago from today, yet there were well over a hundred videos filling this guy’s OnlyPreds. He must have been insanely active, and it made you wonder how much he ate that he didn’t record. You refreshed to save time because you were ready to form the final fantasy in your head. The site reloaded and his most recent video was back on your screen, the clip had sound, unlike the thirty seconds that barely fed your desires. This was much longer and drawn out. The men were both standing in frame at the start of the video, sounds of kissing and their hands roaming around each other, but the former was cropped out due to the anonymity provided. In the background, the window and the city it overlooked were still the same as in the clip you saw—the sun still rising in the early morning when this video was filmed. They slowly shuffled out of view of the camera, some noises of skin on skin and kissing continuing. Then, a deep sputter rang out as if the suction of a seal was broken. That’s where the clip of who you imagined as Mr. Grayson returned into frame, carrying the body of the other man behind him. His head was glued to his ass, a majority of it sucked between his cheeks and encompassing his neck. You almost expected the video to end, but it kept going. The man’s neck disappeared with a few heavy grunts from the man you were calling Mr. Grayson. 

He was going down on the guy as the sun rose, the time elapsed to make it a more watchable experience. For all twenty-six minutes, you watched him fit an entire make into his ass. Well, not his ass, but it looked as such since his back faced the camera, so his swelling gut was nearly invisible until everything was almost inside. He had the feet of the man remaining, and you were at the twenty-four-minute mark. In just two minutes, the feet were going and he did a slow turnaround. His swelling gut was flashed to the camera, shaking violently and making a cavalcade of noise from its own activity and from the guy inside. He wobbled over to the camera, taking it off of its stand and doing a quick pan around his gut before the video ended. 

Even after shooting a load, you couldn’t get it out of your head. There was a bit of hope going into the next day that Mr. Grayson would give your mind more material to work with.

At first, the day seemed to be amiss. Your favorite teacher would usually pass you by on the way from eating his lunch in the faculty room while you were headed to a different class and express some kind of friendliness, but he wasn’t there today. It gave you a bit of worry that there would be a substitute today, or, your worst fear, he was finally snacked on by a predator with an insane appetite. He did share with the class how he was single and still looking for someone, so he could have been eaten in a failed attempt at a date. Thankfully, your worries were put to rest when you walked into class. He was there with some nice khakis that showed off everything in the front and back.

But he never greeted you and never said anything about the online assignments you did last night—which were auto-graded and had a perfect score. In fact, he ignored you for the whole period until the end. He called out one name at the end of class, and you were dreading to hear who it was. Your name and it was only yours. You ceased packing up your things and stayed seated at your desk. A few students leaving let out an “ooh” or “ah” but were nudged out by Mr. Grayson as he moved them towards the door. He shut it and walked over to take a seat on your desk.

“Do you know of the site OnlyPreds?” He asked, looking down at you.

You were quick to spill out an admittance of guilt like he was interrogating you just as he had demonstrated before in mock trials, ”How’d you find out?"

He reached down, patting your shoulder before getting off of your desk. ”Try using a fake name when you subscribe next time."

"Are you going to...?" You could hardly finish the sentence, so he did for you.

"Eat you? Not as long as you keep your mouth shut. Those videos are secret, but they're proof, and if you have been paying attention in class... you'll know what they can do to me if they get out. Do you really want to see that happen to your favorite teacher?” He paced around, and even though he had threatened to silence you with his enormous ass, you couldn’t take your eyes away from it. 

“No..." You softly let out.

He smiled at your obedience, "Good boy, you were always my favorite for a reason.”

[texankat]

A Enjoyable Night 🎃

warnings: None <3

word count: 1.3K

summary: Drinking game gone right?

A/N: HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY JENNA AND HAPPY EARLY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!

———————————————���———————

Jenna walked into the party- hoping she got the right place, She had been invited by a old time friend and finally got around to actually getting her ass over to the place. She knew she had a habit of flanking out but this time she wanted it to be different, it was your classic Halloween party. The Lights from the DJ’s little table blaring all around the large apartment room, people dancing all around, the faint smell of weed and alcohol. She didn’t expect to be coming all by herself but she didn’t really mind either, meeting new people that weren’t going to immediately fangirl over her would be pretty nice.

She had picked out an old costume from a few years ago, considering she had decided to go the day before the party, giving her barely anytime to go out and get a costume. But it would do for this one night, it’s not like she had anyone to get extremely fancy for anyways. She had made her way into the main room, tons of people walking around and yelling,talking,dancing,drinking, you name it. She took herself a single cup and poured herself a small drink as she looked around to the many people in the room- though she saw someone that particularly stuck out per say…

A woman around her age, possibly a bit older- around 20-24, she was wearing a pretty good looking cowboy outfit, the hat,the boots, the belt, the jeans… even a wife beater. She stared at her for a few moments, just watching with complete awe before someone bumped into her, knocking her back into reality with a shock- almost spilling her drink. She walked over to and tapped her lightly on her shoulder, as she turned around quickly.

“Howdy!” You chuckled with that natural Southern accent that you’ve gained over the years, Jenna just looking at you with complete surprise at how clean your accent was. “Is that accent an act or?-“ “Nope! Genuine cowgirl right here!~” You softly snickered to yourself as you smiled at her with a bit of a toothy grin, Jenna returning the smile with one of her own. “I’ve gotta say it’s pretty cool, I’ve only met voice actors that could do one on purpose.” “Well it’s my pleasure to be your first real accent.” You replied with a dip of your hat and a light chuckle. You both talked for a good long while, learning more about each other as time passed by, Jenna telling you all about the various Movies she had worked on, you telling her what it was like back at your hometown in the one and only Texas. 

“We don’t even see a ton of livestock or anything like that, you actually have to go looking for those places, horses and those things.” You replied, taking a sip of your beer as Jenna nodded her head. “I would’ve never guessed, you assume every time someone says they’re from Texas they’re a full country person.” She chuckled softly as you laughed, setting your beer down on a nearby stool. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you how many people assumed I grew up riding horses and on a farm.” You both laughed for a bit before you heard someone calling out to the crowd about a game, you looked back over to Jenna with a sweet smile. “Wanna go play with everyone else?” Jenna gave a soft Hum in response as she swallowed her drink down, wiping her lips afterwards. “sure, I assume you’re getting a bit bored with just talking to me?” She gave you a small smirk as you chuckled shaking your head. “I don’t think I could get bored of you, in any way.” Your words sounded almost too genuine to her, like you met it with your life- but she quickly shook off the feeling and followed you to the apartment’s deck.

There was a ton of people, talking amongst each other and singing to the current songs playing, you both turn to look at each other with the same confused yet amused expression. You both walk over to were most, if not everyone else was and stared into the middle. The host of the party stood in the middle of the small circle the other guests had made and claps their hands in a way to get everyone’s attention “EVERYONE, EVERYONE- OKAY THE RULES ARE SIMPLE!-“ their words were slurred together, which was to be least expected but they were luckily not too drunk- “ITS LIKE TRUTH OR DARE BUT THE PERSON ON THE OPPOSITE OF THE BOTTLE ASKS AND IF YOU DONT TAKE THE DARE YOU TAKE A DRINK!” They pointed to an empty beer bottle in their hand as everyone nodded, they set the bottle down and gave it a spin. This went on for a few minutes, people arguing over the dares and lots of beer’s being passed about.

You were honestly getting bored of standing there and waiting but Jenna was stood right next to you, waiting as well so you tried to be a patient as possible. Finally the bottle landed on you and some random party goer, after doing a round of rock paper scissors (which you embarrassingly lost at) they talked with their friends and finally looked back over to you. They had a huge smirk on their face as they leaned closer so you could hear them. “Alright- Kiss Somebody within a foot of you- OR- Take a Drink…! If you take the dare the other person has to drink!” They stared at you, seemingly proud of their dare- thinking they had you cornered. You just rolled your eyes and glanced over to Jenna- who was confused on why they would dare you to do something like that considering you were with a ton of strangers. But you just softly chuckled and gently grabbed her chin tempting her to look up to you, turning her to look at you as her eyes got a bit wide before you planted a soft kiss on her lips. 

Jenna sat there in a bit of shock after you pulled away, adjusting your hat as you smirked back to the party goer- grabbing a nearby bottle and tossing it to them as they fumbled and caught it. “Drink up.” You chuckled with that smirk you wore proudly, causing Jenna to look over at you- her cheeks stained with a red hue from the kiss you both had only shared moments ago. You watched as your opponent took a large sip as they glared at you, then you glanced over to Jenna noticing her blushing cheeks. “You okay doll?-“ You chuckled awkwardly, having a bit of a worried expression on your face before it was knocked clean off as Jenna pulled you into a passionate kiss causing you to jump a bit before leaning into the kiss. You both held the kiss for a few seconds before she pulled away, leaving you with slightly flushed cheeks as you chuckled softly “woah-“ 

“I’m so sorry!- I shouldn’t have done that!-“ she whimpered, feeling bad for kissing you so suddenly as without your consent either. You just shrugged lightly with a small smile “Who’s saying I didn’t like it?” You snickered in a teasing tone, cause Jenna to feel a bit embarrassed by your not so subtle tease. You smiled gently at her as you put on of your hands top of one of her skirt covered thighs. “Could I- Take you out on a date?” You asked sheepishly with a nervous smile, Jenna nodding happily as she took your hand off of her thigh and held it softly. “I’d love nothing more, let’s get outta here though… I haven’t been able to really understand a word you’ve said because of the loud music-“ she admitted as you both laughed. “You’re not the only one, Doll, let’s head out- I’m not sure both of us have had enough to drink…” You gently squeezed her hand as she squeezed it back with a soft smile, both of you walking out of the party side by side. Leaving Jenna and you with each others thoughts.

Maybe it was worth not flanking out on this party after all…

[eldritchqueerture]

hi niki. should i listen to malevolent is it good what’s it about are there gay men 👁️

well hello there. i don't know how you could look at my blog and be unsure whether I think malevolent is good but i am always happy to tell you exactly why i think it is SO STRAP IN

it is a podcast about an investigator from Arkham, Massachusets named Arthur Lester, set in 1934. Think Lovecraftian settings, or even more accurately something akin to Call of Cthulhu games. Arthur opens a book and gets possessed by an Entity that was trapped there. The Entity steals his eyesight and has to describe everything he is seeing so they can function somewhat properly and learn what the book was and why and who/what the Entity is and what it wants.

the plot evolves A Lot across seasons (there is four at the moment with the fifth having just started; the podcast will end with the sixth) and it is structured brilliantly (in my opinion) even though it might feel at times like things kinda happen without rhyme or reason. There is a reason. That being said I think you will easily understand what is going on without any excessive notetaking as I think things are usually quite well explained

without spoiling any plot points but trying to convey the essence of the podcast: it explores the themes of grief and dealing with past mistakes in depth, as well as the meaning of being human, of finding meaning in life and finding perseverance to keep going despite the horrors (both metaphorical and literal ones in this case). to me, this story is primarily a story of hope - of seeing the worst things the world and humanity have to offer and still being able to notice and spread good

if it comes to gay men - none explicitly though let me tell you the undertones Are there. plenty of em on ao3 (no surprises there). and while that is entirely my own opinion, this story reads a lot better and more impactful as a story about friendship than about romance because you just don't hear stories with such deep bond and devotion to a friend rather than to a lover. i believe that is what harlan intended for the show, but that is not for me to say and everyone is entitled to their own headcanons

as a side note - the podcast is an incredible showcasing of harlan's talent not only as a voice actor (he voices every single character in the show and there are a lot) but also as a writer, editor, hell even a composer! he notably does all of the work on the podcast and it blows my mind every time i remember that

last thing! the story is something of a choose your own adventure over on the Patreon - the show releases there in small chapters on a weekly basis, with a choice that we as the audience make for Arthur at the end of most of them. They have a real impact on the story and it's awesome (and all the other emotions associated with it). Public releases are usually comprised of five chapters and all the past choices are available on the malevolent wiki

[talenlee]

Story Pile: Ronin

The first time I watched Ronin I was sitting on a friend’s sofa down the road from where I was living with my parents. It was the early 00s. I was learning about movies from a fan of movies, seeing things I’d never seen before from someone I wasn’t good at being friends with. The second time I watched Ronin was last night.

1998 was a long, long time ago. 1998 was a time when people who grew up with the cold war in their lives were realising that maybe it was definitely over, and now, four years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, they had to come up with something else to do to justify all that spy stuff that was done. You know, all those listening programs and the manipulations and the lies and the counterprogramming and the language skills and peeing in weird places, like, that had to be for something, right?

Right?

Ronin is a 1998 sorta-spy movie, sorta-crime movie, mostly action movie made by people whose work I cannot meaningfully put in a good context but also had a script written by a guy people recognise called David Mamet. He wasn’t credited because, the trivia goes, there was a fight about it, and that makes it a thing to know about this movie, to show that you have done your time in the trivia mines.

The movie centres on a character named Sam, and is framed around the imagined story of the Samurai tradition of the Ronin. Sam is a former spy (maybe) doing crime work (maybe) for a non-state actor (maybe). He has to retrieve a case (or not) and it’s for this purpose or another. To describe the plot is to deflate it because this isn’t really a movie built around a plot as much as it is a movie built around a sequence of very tightly controlled events. Every single scene is setting up something for the next scene and there are very few times where something is set up in scene A only to fail to pay out until scene D.

It’s a movie that’s very well made, in that nothing feels to me like it’s out of place or weird or inappropriate. It is full of real-seeming things to me, creating a very tangible sense of excitement when you see a car plowing another card off the road. It even has a whole lady character in it, and her name isn’t something ridiculous like Vaginas O’Clock, which means that in the genre of spy action stories of the time, she’s doing okay!

Despite the way the movie feels really cool and like it’s perfectly put together, there’s something about it that nags at me. It’s that the opening uses title cards to explain what a Ronin is, in a German style script, and then the ending is narration, offered by a specific actor in their specific voice, relating to the experience of spending their time with another character in that movie. And… like, I can see why there’d be a challenge in making those two bookends the same, but not that hard of a challenge? As it is, it’s a movie introduced by one thing and concluded by another, for some reason I don’t understand. It’s a seam, it makes me think about why they couldn’t do this a better way.

Ronin is a type of movie that I used to think of as a Dad Movie in that it was the kind of movie a Dad would sit down to watch with glee knowing that broadly, sure, okay, there was violence in it if a kid walked in and saw it but it wasn’t going to involve having to explain anything to the kid that wasn’t a matter of degrees. If I was thirteen and my dad was watching this movie, I could probably (?) watch it with him, and he wouldn’t have to come up with an explanation for anything that made him uncomfortable to see me around.

It means that Ronin is a movie that largely is made up of sequences of people kicking ass and being cool, split into two halves where the first is a team coming together for an exciting heist and then the second half is where it’s all gone a bit wrong. Just describing what’s in Ronin is a kind of analysis itself; what someone notices in how they outline the movie versus what they choose to leave out presents something because this is a movie that is deliberately dense with information and sparse with explanation. Characters have relationships and backstory that are never explained because to the story that you’re getting here, in Ronin, it doesn’t matter at all.

And the whole thing is centrally about a bromance between two cool guys doing spy stuff! That’s fun!

I didn’t find anything in Ronin of a greater message, I think. It’s more like it’s archetypal; this is a movie about dudes, and rocking, and the way that dudes rocked, in that particular period of space and time. I mean it’s a well-made tersely directed movie created by people who are really good at making movies. You see, I say, waving my hand as if holding a vape, When Jean Reno, holds a gun, and he is sad, that, that is cinema.

Saying it like that feels as if it is to say that there’s nothing to Ronin is to imply that somehow what’s here is insubstantial. It’s not. It’s really cool, it’s extremely interesting and unmoored from most of its parameters, it’s got all these scenes of characters being really good at their jobs doing things that are cool, with style. If you’re familiar with the time and the space and the metaphor, you might be able to appreciate some subtly inferred and cleverly constructed meaning. To me, the meaning that’s there is the fantasy of an American spy successfully doing the thing that they supposedly do because they’re good at their jobs and they can get the results they want through the actions they commit.

All spy movies are fantasy movies.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

[eddieredmayneargentinablog]

New article & video!

Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne’s ‘Cabaret’ training includes weekly bouts of ‘torture’

By Social Links forNicki Gostin, for New York Post. Published April 22, 2024.

Eddie Redmayne is doing all he can to keep in shape for his role as the Emcee in “Cabaret” — which includes weekly bouts of “torture.”

“It’s quite full-on,” he told The Post exclusively at the show’s opening Sunday.

“There is this amazing man named Greg, who is kind of a genius, body-work human being who punishes me once a week,” the actor, 42, explained. “My wife [Hannah Bagshawe] thinks it’s massage, but it’s actually a kind of borderline torture. But it’s keeping me upright!”

The Oscar winner confessed that he also gobbles down “every single sort of lozenge or tea or Chinese medicine.”

He added: “Or anything that anyone tells me is good for your singing voice.”

Redmayne has had plenty of experience playing the legendary role, originated by Joel Grey and then played by Alan Cumming.

He won an Olivier Award in 2022 for taking on the part in a West End revival, which has now transferred to Broadway.

The “Fantastic Beasts” star also played the role as a teen, and he joked that his mother has a video of his performance locked away.

“She’s holding me ransom to it,” he quipped.

“She cannot show anyone,” he went on, adding that taking the role to Broadway has always been “my dream as a kid, to do this, in this city.”

The Kander & Ebb musical, which is set against the rise of the Nazi party in 1930s Berlin, clearly has resonance in the current climate of antisemitism and fascism.

“What’s extraordinary about ‘Cabaret,’ it was written in the ’60s, 20 years after the end of the Second World War,” the Tony winner said. “It was relevant then, and now it couldn’t be more relevant.

“Yet what’s extraordinary about the piece is that it’s very specific to the moment in history that it happened, so you can read it in that way or watch these ripples across generations. Sadly it always seems relevant, and that is a testament to the fact that people perhaps are not learning from their mistakes.”

This production, which also stars “Glow” actress Gayle Rankin and Broadway vet Bebe Neuwirth, is not shy about portraying the decadence of the era.

Redmayne chooses to call it “hedonistic and celebratory.”

“It was an amazing moment,” he marveled. “There is a wonderful museum in New York, the Neue [Galerie] that I go to quite often, with all the Egon Schiele paintings and Klimt paintings. That’s a wonderful way to get seduced back into this world.”

[oneatlatime]

The King of Omashu

I confess I've already taken to skipping through the intro. I wonder what I'll do with the whole 45 seconds that saves me.

Why wear one tie when you could wear three? Actually I learned a couple of days ago (thanks to *gasp* a follower! Never thought I'd have those!) that Katara's hairstyle is an authentically Inuit thing, so maybe Sokka's triple tie is too? Then again, boomerang isn't.

Not subtle. Still gorgeous.

The cart! Maybe the cabbages were rotten, but the cart was fine!

This guard has absolutely massive hands. Also props to Katara for getting that mouthful of a cover name out on the first try. Do you think they rehearsed?

Nice to see bending used for something other than fighting. Also, I would have ridden the hell out of those slides.

It does not take a mad genius to figure out that slides are for sliding.

Are we sure that's the most efficient way to package spears?

Oh my god these poor kids have no tailbones left. Their spines!

This guy restocked fast.

This whole set piece with the slides is really fun. I love the music, and the timing on the jokes is great.

SPINES!

"Malicious destruction of cabbages." The throwaway lines in this show are great. How did they determine intent?

Look, none of you have room to talk. Maybe the king is weird, but you all just went on a city-wide destruction spree. You're lucky his crown is crooked.

I like whoever is the King's voice actor. He reminds me of Dudley Moore. Dating myself a bit there. Also this is totally Aang's friend but old. And I'm not even going to try to spell his name until I've seen the credits, given my previous track record with spelling.

I like the guards' hats. They look cozy.

And the king gets it first try too! Pippinpadolopsicopoulos? My best guess.

I think he can keep you here Katara. You're not the one with spears. And he's also the king.

This king is living his best life. Feasts, mindgames, renovations. And fashion!

All of Momo's noises in this whole sequence are so expressive.

Never before have I seen a butt convey such disappointment and resignation.

So did they leave Momo in the wall?

Creeping crystal is a nifty maguffin.

Does the king just have these challenge chambers for whenever he's bored enough to mess with people? So, daily?

You're right Aang - sabre tooth mega rabbits are way more on brand than fluffy bunnies.

Earthbenders get airbender levels of air when they jump. I guess they make the ground kick them up into the air?

This episode is really a showcase for earthbending.

The king is so unbothered. He also seems to be anticipating every single one of Aang's strategies. Almost like he knows what to expect from an airbender.

This is neat. Turning solid rock to sand or dust. It's like waterbenders and freezing stuff.

Can we call this a tie?

Earthbenders are mole people.

Or maybe you figured out who he was because you talked about him twice at the beginning of this episode and his mannerisms haven't changed in a century.

Every time Sokka or the king make jokes that don't land in this episode, there's this disembodied coughing off screen. But they're all pretty funny! That being said, if you lived in this city with that guy as a ruler you'd probably develop humourlessness as a defence mechanism.

The first part of Aang's world (apart from Appa) that still exists. That's sweet.

Creeping crystal must be seriously light if you can walk around while encased in it. Also, rock candy is indeed delicious. But you can't bite into it like that without losing a few teeth.

"First of all, it's pretty fun messing with people." Perfect one sentence summary of this guy's entire personality! Also, points for self-awareness.

Some nifty exposition, reassurance & guidance, and a reminder that Aang doesn't have to do it alone. The king knows his stuff.

Poor cabbage man. This is going to become a thing like Sokka getting ragdolled isn't it?

It is spelled BUMI.

Final thoughts

I don't really have much to say about this episode. I think it's for introducing the audience to earthbending. Also for wacky hijinks, of which I am always a fan.

Sokka's voice actor, who has been consistently excellent for me, got his first meh line reading this episode, with the laugh after the kangaroo island joke. It didn't work for me.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the guard who talks to Bumi about the good and bad prisons is the same voice actor as Bumi himself. Just a guess, but I love it when that happens. Both because I get to hear a talent showcase and because I get to picture some random guy in a sound booth somewhere having a whole conversation with himself. I don't know how voice acting works, it's just a funny visual.

There's some serious angst potential in Aang and Bumi meeting again, but I am not feeling angsty today, so that potential will go unexplored. Which is also why I'm happy there was no Zuko this episode.

This episode wasn't as pretty as the Southern Air temple, but it was mostly indoors, so there wasn't a chance to have sweeping clouds and sunsets. And the Southern Air Temple did set a really high bar.

This episode was consistently fun and goofy. I liked it. Would have been nice to have more Appa.

[mitochondriaandbunnies]

Miami Vice S1E14: Golden Triangle, Part 1

A rash of violence against sex workers raises Castillo's suspicions.

And we learn that Castillo is... I don't know? A martial arts wizard?? We'll later learn he is also a fucking samurai, but this is really the first "let's give Castillo depth" episode, and they really fucking go for it

An absolutely useless bit of trivia: some of the opening credits in this episode are in the wrong font.

This is not the Miami Vice font. It switches back to the Miami Vice font like two names later.

Love Castillo downing a cafecito from what is absolutely not a heat-safe plastic glass, and Rico and Sonny following him as he walks away like he's a beautiful girl in a bikini

Also love that Crockett's "nerd" disguise involves going over dot matrix printouts by hand by the pool. A normal vacation activity. Love less that he is just blatantly doing an entrapment.

When Sonny and Rico take Candy in, we cut to a currently-in-progress conversation in which she asks Sonny, "well, am I right or what?" Then pauses, while neither Sonny or Rico look her in the eye, but they both smile in the most hollow and awkward way possible, and then Candy nods and says, "Yeah, I'm right." I really want to know what she thinks she's right about that both Sonny and Rico basically are like 'please stop talking' about.

Candy is great-- she's very savvy about the police (and rightly does not trust them), very intense, and has no issues telling Sonny off.

Rico finds all of this hilarious.

The drug dealer who wants a safety deposit box is John Snyder, who will always be "extremely annoying Joey in the Mafia Wars arc of Wiseguy" to me, except that recently Dan and I watched an episode of Star Trek in which he was a eugenicist from the eugenicist planet. Man sure plays some roles. He's also apparently a long-time anime voice actor??

Sonny complains about the system being broken and Tubbs kind of sighs and says "the system. Want a cold one?" #1 reason Tubbs isn't as broken by the end of the show is that he comes in from day one knowing that Everything Sucks Forever, while Crockett takes it personally every single time

Alligator Nail Filing

Alligator

Nail

Filing

"We're getting too good at playing bad guys" sure is the understatement of the whole series

It's not actually clear until around the 3/4 mark that this is the first Castillo Episode, but he makes a wonderful little suspicious face when Sonny starts telling him about Szarbo-- he knows something is amiss.

There's an exchange with the cop who has been working part time as a pimp where Sonny no-true-Scotsmans him-- he states that the man isn't a "real" cop for what he's done. I think Sonny still genuinely believes this at this point in the series. He will not by the end.

Castillo finds out that one of the dead people is Thai and just absolutely flips out and is like I NEED TO SEE THE CORPSE. I get what the actual intention here is-- that Castillo has put together enough things about the case based on similarities to things that happened during his own years in Thailand-- but we don't know that yet as an audience, so it just kind of seems like Castillo is totally paranoid and thinks any deceased person of Thai descent MUST be involved in crime, which is not a good look.

I adore the sequence in which it is implied Tubbs and Castillo go to like eight Thai restaurants together, partially because I appreciate when they work together, and partially because I love seeing restaurants from bygone days.

To the tune of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

Awkward dinner naked waiter

Awkward dinner naked waiter

Awkward dinner naked waiter

Marty n' Rico having supper

It is awkward!

(but seriously why does that waiter not have a shirt)

And we learn, finally, that Castillo is a master of every martial art, as he gets in a wild action movie fist fight with the naked waiter in the parking lot. It's stupid and fantastic in equal measures, and we'll learn even more about Castillo's exciting fisticuffs adventures next time.

[rueitae]

Season 2, Episode 8: the Stockholm Syndrome Caper

Liveblog for @csweekly

I’m so normal about this episode.

WE MADE IT TO THE ANGST. My serotonin is on full blast right now. I apologize right off the bat I might be so taken with this episode that I may not pull together all of my thoughts. This is the episode that made me go from “oh this is a fun iteration of CS!” To me sitting up wide eyed and going “the French Connection Caper was not a one off you have my full undivided attention CS 2019”

Since we are on my favorite episode, I want to stop at the title sequence for a moment and point out one of my favorite things I forgot to mention in week 1. It’s so neat that on the title card with the silhouette of Carmen with her voice actor credit, that she literally tips her hat to Player when they show his credits. Bestie moment, and homage to all of the players that came before this one.

Maelstrom is Done 24/7. He just wants to be evil and they have to make such mundane decisions such as MOVING and blowing up their current home 😕 I love how fierce Brunt and Cleo are about staying they are the definition of stubborn in the looks on their faces. Bellum doesn’t care she’s got a state of the art facility in the Himalayas.

Okay but Bellum is right about relocation being invigorating. After a change of scenery I’m always reinvigorated to write fic.

“Only a matter of time before invading forces come rowing to our shore” knowing what Devineaux is about to do makes this so funny.

Look at Julia being assertive at the beginning here! The Fashionista caper really gave her the confidence she needed after what happened at the end of s1. It…stings knowing how quickly it’s about to go down the drain.

Love that Chief’s obsession with catching VILE is her early downfall. Her single mindedness prevents her from patience and seeing the whole picture as Julia suggests. It’s her undoing in the s2 finale.

The way Carmen shows up at the perfect time. And she is NOT pleased.

“Those suits” the way Ivy is so smug about leading ACME on when she literally joins them at the very end. May you and Zack never change.

Okay, so Zack says that this is Carmen’s actual coat? This means that Zack and Ivy have their own haha. And I really love how Ivy responds “little tight in the shoulders, but powerful” please the way Ivy looks up to Carmen literally slays me.

Zack: does a bad imitation of Player info dumping

Player: laughs dryly, rolls his eyes, and then proceeds to do said info dump

Me: this will never get old

Honestly, it’s stated so many times that Player chats with the sibs during capers almost as much as Carmen. If this conversation is any indication, I’d have loved more. Just to hear how they fill the time. Talking about software and hardware updates for red drone maybe? Where are the forbidden video game nights?

“That’s a ton of bridges for trolls to hide under!” The best troll comes in s3.

Also good time to point out that the geography brief in every episode foreshadows future events and dialogue in the episode.

Lol Carmen has the pen. Also! She learns Chief’s name!

I love Julia this entire scene. She’s trying to be SO coy, playing to what she remembers of Carmen, that is a confident and witty thief, with her own wit and lighthearted banter. It’s the first time she’s had an opportunity to speak with Carmen sorta on her own terms with enough information. But Carmen for once isn’t having it because of the nature of this particular caper. It’s like, one of the few times Carmen is not excited about a caper. For good reason considering they’re NUCLEAR LAUNCH CODES. This screams Dr Bellum, though I see Maelstrom enjoying the psychological power play that he could work with, once again coming in clutch for heists that endanger literally everyone on the planet. Go big or go home.

And then Chief spoils everything. Again. And it’s literally right after Julia says trust me. I think she and Devineaux both have bad luck, but in different ways. Neither can catch a break when it comes to Carmen. The difference is that Julia can’t control hers where Chase’s is one of his own making.

The move Carmen pulls off the wall and over the agent and the agent knocks themselves out with their own gas. One of my favorites.

Zari right at the top, coolly giving Carmen a dose. *chefs kiss* revenge for Milan. Zari as an agent character is so cool.

It begins it begins it begins IT BEGINS. Carmen is drowsy and Cornered at the top of the bell tower. The PERSPECTIVE from Carmen, showing how heavy her eyes are, jumping from scene to scene as she takes each desperate step. That’s the kind of imagery writers dream of.

PLAYER’S MUDDLED and INCREASINGLY concerned voice from Carmen’s perspective. She can’t concentrate on anything.

Whump/Angst Tally:

Carmen: 2 (gassed/falling unconscious and chased/“betrayed”)

Player: 1

The way Ivy invites trouble by staying in character is delightful. Do it again.

Moose Boy and Otter Man are such underrated VILE operatives. TASER

Whump/Angst Tally:

Carmen: 2

Player: 1

Ivy: 2 (tased and kidnapped)

MORE ANGRY JULIA. You tell her.

Carmen unconscious in the snow.

THE SCENE

Quite possibly my favorite scene in the whole show.

“But if Carm’s MIA, too, who do I support?”

***Anguished silence***

“Go get your sister, Red knows how to fend for herself in a pickle”

This scene kills me so much. Player speaks with confidence and sureness but that brief silence and anguish on his face tells us all we need to know about his feelings. He lost his best friend for a whole semester while she was Black Sheep having to retake her classes. And now he’s faced with potentially losing her for good. He knows how serious the situation is. He knows she’s probably unconscious in the cold and he’s sitting at home in his room in front of the computer instead of being there physically. He could have told Zack to go after Carmen, but he knows he can’t. Ivy is the most important person in the world to Zack. And of the two, Carmen has the better chance of rescuing herself. He knows what decision he needs to make, but he can be sad about it. He takes the guilt and gives Zack his marching orders quickly and confidently, so that he can’t question Player’s pause or true feelings. Player, who has been ultra protective of Carmen since she left VILE island, is faced with the prospect that he might have failed her.

Whump/Angst Tally:

Carmen: 3

Player: 2

Ivy: 2

Zack: 1

The shot of Carmen banged up and lying in the snow unconscious. Super dangerous. Super amazing shot. The pen is intact but the communicator that was in her ear isn’t. So. Possible head injury/concussion then if she landed head first.

First thing she does is reach out to Player for help. 😭 “it isn’t getting any warmer” disconnected from her friends, cold, injured.

Whump/Angst Tally:

Carmen: 6

Player: 2

Ivy: 2

Zack: 1

This entire scene with Ivy is great. She really comes in clutch despite her situation. She’s cold and tied up and found out exactly what VILE is about to sell. And she is rightfully terrified.

She’s so clever though to figure out exactly how to manipulate Moose Boy and Otter Man both! And tease them! Either these two are fresh from VILE academy or they never hung out in the commons. This scene is simultaneously a comedy and so serious. Otter Man thinks he’s so smart but Ivy has him completely fooled. Where Moose Boy simply takes orders he’s willing to take Ivy at face value. It’s amazing to watch.

Also Ottoman LOL nicely done Ivy. "Sweden's coolest resort” idk Ivy, you kinda SOUND like Carmen. And very quick thinking to ask for the coat! Ivy knows the tools are there she made (assumingly) all of them.

Whump/Angst Tally:

Carmen: 6

Player: 2

Ivy: 4

Zack: 1

Carmen. Almost makes it to the top. : D and falls! :D immaculate. Counting that as two because not only is there the angst of almost making it, she adds to her injuries with the fall.

Whump/Angst Tally:

Carmen: 8

Player: 2

Ivy: 4

Zack: 1

And the geography brief comes in handy. Ivy uses the knowledge that Player gave her to earn rapport with Moose Boy. The great part about Otter Man is that he’s so focused on stopping Moose Boy from spilling the means, that he doesn’t realize that he can use that as his advantage. He’s basically confirming everything right now. But what if he were to give Ivy a lie? Then she’d be wondering which is true. It’s a great VILE character flaw. Otter Man does not see Moose Boy as a partner, just a lackey. They’d be terrifying otherwise.

Carmen realizing her choices are get arrrested or die. “Either way, VILE wins”. Absolutely screaming I love this stuff.

The horror on Ivy’s face when she finds out what the data crystal holds. Excellent dramatic effect.

LOL the chair does NOTHING

Literally ivy through the show:

Ivy: Carmen would do this.

Also Ivy: I am terrified

Also also Ivy: it’s the right thing to do *does the thing*

I love her for it so much.

The cool thing about Ivy’s part here is that she does it all her way. She took notes from Carmen but she ultimately succeeded because she’s herself!

Cool donning the red montage. Immediately slips and falls. Ivy ily

Whump/Angst Tally:

Carmen: 8

Player: 2

Ivy: 5

Zack: 1

Dgfggg the resigned and heartbroken look on Carmen’s face as she activates the pen. And she’s back in character as soon as Chief pops up.

Interesting to note that Chief must have reflected on Julia’s anger, because she is far softer on Carmen here than i expected the first time I watched this episode. Yes she’s professional, but she attempts a half hearted apology, which eventually devolves into genuine worry. Maybe it’s the cynic in me, but I wonder how much of that is caring about Carmen as a young person in trouble, or Chief’s ticket to finally catching VILE.

On Carmen’s side. It is interesting that she doesn’t trust ACME can take on VILE. I wonder how much of that is knowing Roundabout exists and just plain not trusting them to do it right after all the attempts to capture her. And then of course how much of it is Carmen putting it on her shoulders as her personal responsibility. Because it is telling that Carmen gives Chief the NASTIEST look when she points out that it need not be Carmen’s burden alone. She’s not even as angry at being chased that Chief is actually apologizing for.

In any case, Carmen waits until the last possible moment to contact Chief. Not only does it show her stubbornness and how much she values her freedom, but just how aware of her own body she is. She has just enough time to get information from Chief about how close they are to finding her…and then she can’t anymore. As soon as she knows they are coming, she gives out. Carmen plays her intel close, knowing now that’s her bargaining chip to stay alive, even if it’s in prison.

VULNERABILITY. : D in front of a not-ally (yet) Carmen can’t hold on she drops to the snow. And again it’s a bit hard to tell if Chief is legitimately concerned about Carmen or just the intel she has, but staying with her, talking to her, until help arrives most likely saved her life.

Whump/Angst Tally:

Carmen: 10

Ivy: 4

Player: 2

Zack: 1

That bartender is totally watching Ivy fall and not reacting at all like it’s a daily occurrence for guests to do that.

IVY DUBBING THE SALE PLEASE YOU ARE ALREADY PERFECT IVY you DID NOT have to go so hard so EASILY

LOL the lady just scoots away as Ivy crashes into the back of the chair 😂😂😂😂

SHE MISSED. And Carmen would be proud she covers it up.

Ivy has such a keen eye! She finds that data crystal so quickly. I think it’s because she’s used to working on small parts, like Carmen’s gadgets, and also the literal car she built from scratch.

Ivy: I need to summon courage

Ivy: SCREAMS as she does the thing

Moose is so great. The second Otter needs him he stops struggling and is like “okay I’ll just take the infrastructure with me”

“This is not what Carmen would do!” You’re right. It’s not. And for all you know, that’s why the caper succeeded. Because Ivy did it Ivy’s way.

And because Player told Zack to get his sister, he’s right there to pick her up and get away so she isn’t recaptured.

THE SIBLING HUG. One of the greatest scenes ever. Zack’s hopefulness and Ivy’s joy.

Ahhh and Zack is so focused he’s ready to go after Carmen. Look at Ivy’s increasingly horrified face. She had nO idea that Carmen was missing. The GUILT as she’s about to find out is so delicious

Angst/Whump Tally:

Carmen: 10

Player: 2

Ivy: 6

Zack: 1

Fhghcb Carmen’s resigned and peaceful face as the helicopter finds her.😭

And you think the siblings get there just in time but no.

It takes 44 minutes to drive from the airport in the northern end of Stockholm to the forested area to the south with water on both sides. Carmen is probably fortunate she didn’t glide long enough to get to the ocean. So, from picking up Ivy, estimate 45 minutes to get to Carmen. Add in half that time for Zack to get from the city center to north Stockholm. That’s the fastest, not counting traffic. Carmen was unconscious and alone in the cold for perhaps a little over an hour, as the sun is going down. That is PLENTY of time to get severe frostbite not wearing appropriate clothing for the weather, as she does.

Zari please she’s down 😭

Carmen can barely speak let alone put on any defensive airs. She tries to sound angry but she’s clearly not well it doesn’t work. She’s steeling herself to never be happy again. And at this point, it’s very possible Roundabout can pull the strings and get her to VILE. Gets my hurt/comfort loving blood boiling.

And things turn for the better. That’s a lovely last look that Carmen has as she looks Julia’s way. It’s not hateful or angry, it’s very reflective. As if Carmen is realizing ‘okay, Julia was actually trying to help. There is some merit here. I understood why she did what she did. This was not her fault’ after Chief offers to let her go. It’s a far more peaceful look than Carmen had just a bit before.

Ivy wraps Carmen up in her coat and holds her to keep her warm and talk to her I’m emotional here’s the comfort part! She and Zack are so worried for her I’m eating it up.

“What, by who?”

Ivy’s tears and smile as she says “Carmen Sandiego who else”

Carmen does nothing this caper. She successfully leads ACME off of VILE I guess so that Ivy can work but that was NoT the plan. This episode is all character development for Carmen. Slowly opening her eyes that she CAN trust more people. Ivy and Zack (building off of their two parter), Julia, and maybe Chief. And this trend continues in s3 and s4. There are even more civilians of the day, and Carmen leans on their help more than in s1 and s2.

And Ivy is so sweet. She’s letting Carmen know that even if she wasn’t there, her team completed the caper. “What would Carmen do” was Ivy’s single motivation. And it saw her through. Carmen wasn’t on screen at the caper but her presence was felt. That’s my takeaway anyway. It’s building on the ‘anyone can be Carmen Sandiego’ message that the finale comes to.

Whump/Angst Tally:

Carmen: 12

Player: 2

Ivy: 6

Zack: 2

These are completely arbitrary numbers I’d love to see how you all scored it.

And the end with VILE announcing their decision. It’s a good thing they decided to burn the Academy, I don’t think Le Chevre would be comfortable in burning the goat lol. I love the lightning effects though! A good thunderstorm always makes the mood.

Such a good episode. Excited to follow up on the comfort part next episode.

[lok-repository]

The Avatar Wiki newsletter has some Q & A with Korra's VA.

Questions after the cut.

Q: You have immense skill for improv work and always stand out in your performances. Is this something that you practice and plan? Or do you see an opening or an opportunity in your scene, and jump on it?

A: What a lovely thing to say! So first of all, thank you!! The question depends on which kind of performance you’re talking about. If it’s Korra, I really didn’t improvise on LOK at all, because I was so devoted to the scripts (and it wasn’t really something that was being strongly encouraged, which was fine with me!). In other stuff, esp. on-camera stuff, it’s always only after being told by the director that improv is encouraged for that particular take, etc. Nobody wants the class clown disrupting the “class” unless clownery has been encouraged! ;)

Q: How was the relationship between you and the other voice actors similar or different to Team Avatar's?

A: I think that like Team Avatar in the OG series, we really didn’t know how whether the show would be big or not. It’s true that we knew (and in some cases were big fans of) the original series, but in this industry, you’re really taught quickly that nothing is certain and not to have expectations. So PJ and I always joke that I kept waiting to be fired, not because anyone was upset with my performance, but just because it was all such a dream come true, I was afraid to believe it was really happening! So like the first cast, we didn’t know how big the response would be. And there’s a lot of love between us, as there was/is with Team Avatar!

Q: How does it feel to know that Korra has made such an impact on people and even the cartoon industry at large?

A: It’s the best thing about my entire career so far. Truly. I’ve said this elsewhere, but both my parents were teachers, and I grew up in households where having a positive impact on people out in the world was the best gift to receive of all time. So getting to do a show that was so brilliant and that affected people on multiple levels (and then getting to hear from people about their experience with it) is profoundly wonderful. And that’s not even taking into account the impact Korra’s sexuality had in the continuum of animation and representation! Which is a whole other gift I can’t ever be thankful enough for.

Q: What do you think is the most important lesson people can learn from Korra's journey? A: I think there’s maybe not just one most important lesson, honestly, since people are so different, their journeys are so different, and they come to Korra at so many different points in their lives. But to name a couple biggies for me, I would say having a healthy relationship to patience; not trying to do things alone when there are amazing support systems offering up their help and love; not believing everything you think — as in the stories we tell ourselves, or that others tell us about who we are. And to forgive ourselves and not turn ourselves into our own worst enemy.

Q: What is the most valuable lesson that you personally learned from working on The Legend of Korra?

A: Wow, good question! Always be a student, maybe? Working on that show was so incredible because I always felt like I was learning something new from every single actor, writer, producer, tech, etc. I worked with on the series. If you stay open to what others can teach you, it’s amazing how much that enriches your life!

Q: You have to spend a day hanging out with Korra; what do the two of you do? A: Oh boy! Well, I would love to do a little pro-bending. Then maybe a big old noodle lunch with Bolin? … I just realized I’m not sure if this means I’m in the Avatarverse or if Korra’s in MY reality!! So let’s keep going on me being there, since I can cheat and involve every other character, hee hee! A ride with Naga somewhere snowy and beautiful… of course taking Asami along as well… and then just sitting around someone’s living room with the gang and Tenzin and his family, laughing and telling stories.

Q: With Fandom’s celebration of Women’s History Month, do you think that The Legend of Korra has changed the representation of women in the animation industry?

A: I think it’s been part of a wave of amazing female characters and I’m so honored to have been even a small part of that! I love how buff Korra is, and that she doesn’t have to fit into a stereotypical “video game ‘hot girl’” animation style, if that makes sense. And of course, Korra’s background, family, culture (the inspiration, love and respect Mike and Bryan have for native cultures) definitely has had an impact. I have been fortunate enough to get to be at conventions where I meet FANTASTIC people of color of all ages, genders, shapes and sizes who feel inspired and motivated by Korra. And met lots of future voice actors!!

Q: Were there any scenes with female characters that you felt were underrated? A: Hmmm, good question. I’m so deeply embedded in ATLA because of the Braving the Elements podcast, I’m not pulling up any specific scenes in Korra that I felt were underrated. In fact it’s been awesome to talk to people about how fierce and fascinating characters like Kuvira were, and how that dynamic was so well-written.

Q: What scenes did you, as the voice actor of Korra, find the funniest, the easiest and the hardest to do?

A: Funniest is probably having to pretend to be falling from a great distance, which is also the hardest. Turns out that’s a really hard thing for me to fake! But nobody was going to push me off a cliff in the studio to get the “authenticity” of that performance, so I had to learn from my brilliant peers and Andrea Romano how to sound like you’re falling when you’re standing still! Easiest… basically just any and all of the dialogue, because it was so great, it just jumped off the page and felt so natural.

Q: Do you have one scene that had a major impact on you personally?

A: Probably Korra’s letter to Asami in Ep 1 of Book Four, or the last moment of the show with Korra and Asami.

Q: Did you have any inspirations when voicing Korra, whether that be voice actors or other franchises?

A: Oh gosh, there are so many actors I love and was/am inspired by! I’ve said before that when I verrrrrry first started auditioning for Korra, I actually had Christina Ricci in my mind, because she’s so amazing at playing these kind of aloof characters who are at the same time very emotionally vulnerable underneath. And of course I love the Cate Blanchetts, Viola Davises, Kate Winslets, Indira Varmas of the world. In VO, naturally I bow to the talents of folks like Grey DeLisle, Jennifer Hale… the list goes on forever!

[maggiezw]

How to fall for thai BL series in 3 acts (my experience):

Act 1: I'm so bored so I start looking for drama recommendations (enemies to lovers) in YouTube

Act 2: Found a thai series that catches my attention mostly because one of the leads kinda resembles japanese idol Shigeoka Daiki. Evidence here:

Left: an embarrassed First Kanaphan. Right: an embarrassed Shigeoka Daiki. XD (god, they could be twins :ppp)

Act 3: Become obsessed with First Kanaphan and Khaotung Thanawat, watch their other series, meet other gmmtv actors, also become obsessed with them, also watch their other series and it becomes a neverending cycle and I still can't get out of it (not that I want to, though)

Anyway, the series that had left me quite an impression until now are these (in non particular order):

The Eclipse: obviously, but not only because of Khaotung and First insane chemistry but akkayan wholesome relationship and the sutile way the characters start to grow right in front of our eyes since episode one. There's something in the way Ayan and Akk hate each other at first because of their different ideals and values, but as they start to know each other (through their confrontations) something clicks within them and start to recognize themselves in the other one. The way Akk starts to question his beliefs and the way Ayan start to soften himself, the way he is so patient with Akk and the way they care about each other, "You are allowed to be weak, at least with me" will be forever engraved within me... who would have imagined they used to hate each other? They both have so much to learn from each other and both have the same patience to wait for the other. They are literally the cutest couple I've seen and have become my safe place. Btw, this is the series I rewatch the most lol

Not Me: a friend of mine recommended this one to me because I told her I liked First in The Eclipse so of course while watching it I started looking up for First but A SAVAGE GUN ATTHAPHAN appeared on my screen. That person really amazed me with his portraying of the twins, and become an instant favorite. The way he changed his voice, the manerisms, everything 👌. Of course this drama is 10/10 not only acting wise but plot wise and the way they manage certain social and political issues. I loved every single one of the characters of the gang, their camadery, their drive, even their individual matters were realistic and valid and we can easily relate. And yes one more time I have to mention First because here's when realized how good actor he is, this series was way before the eclipse where he was a highschool student but in not me he looked older, more confident and an entire new persona. I love him.

Theory of Love: I do not remember if I saw this one right after Not Me but oh how I suffered with Third and Khai story. From a person who loves angst, tears, hearbreaks, drama and rom-coms, Theory of Love is perfect. Starting with how the first half it's form Third's perspective and the second half from Khai's perspective, a reference from "Flipped" (Third's favorite movie) and how each one of the episodes are named after a popular rom-com movie (they're film students). I admit I saw myself a little in Third since I was in his same situation when I was in highschool (in love with our best friend) so it was SO frustrating seeing him suffering for someone who doesn't deserve a single tear and only hurts you but at least Khai proves us wrong (???) One more time I fell for Gun Atthaphan acting skills (my boy cried his tears out in this one) and Off Jumpol made me hate Khai so much until the second half. I really, reeeally love how this series is delievered and would like to buy the DVD lol.

Tonhon Chonlatee: YESSS THE INFAMOUS ONE LMAO 🙉🙈, I think it's really not necessary to mention the second hand embarrassement this series gave me at some points (the very first scene lmao and the ones that came after) and how bad some issues were handled but I would like to thank Tonhon Chonlatee for giving me a whole new perspective of the kind of actor Khaotung Thanawat is. He's so versatile. I think this was his first main role in a series ??? Chonlatee is a very shy and sweet hometown boy in love with his neighbor since childhood he has a pure heart but also knows how to stand up for himself. The contrast between Chon and confident troublemaker Ayan in The Eclipse still amazes me really. Another thing I loved about this series were the girls in Chonlatee life: his mom who always gives the best advices to his son, Pang, his best friend who deserves the title of best best friend and Miriam his roomate who was there to support him. Love them.

Moonlight Chicken: The earthmix is earthmixing (lmao I had to say that xd) Anyway, this one is love in different stages of life and we love that. Earthmix chemistry is no joke, their scenes together in ep 1 some made me melt of cuteness, other some made me 🙉🙈 There's something about them idk how to explain, they give a "mature" vibe which made them perfect for Uncle Jim and Wen. Funny how I started hating Wen because I thought he was cheating his boyfriend Alan (First my beloved again) but ended up being my fav character. About Gemini and Fourth this was also my introduction to them AND THEY WERE THE CUTEST in charge of the youth, the pure love between a deaf rich boy and a poor boy. they really are the cutest 😩💕. As for my beloved Khaotung and his character Gaipa in here, what can I say? Again he surprised me with his acting skills, he's just too good at delievering emotions. Of course First my beloved was super serious and grumpy here and I really missed his smile but he did a good job portrying alan. Love them.

[thelladonna]

After watching fionna and cake, I was inspired....

(This is consistently updated)

I made it on my own for my entire childhood,

And I can do it again

Living off of the dreams of love

Although It’s hope that never ends

Not love

Its hope

Not love

And others give us hope

And we call it love

But its hope.

Or faith 

Its continuing on

And having something to believe in

Moving on

For me,

I will hold onto those dreams of love

Knowing deep down what the truth is

But the secret of eternal life

Is in the imagination

Its all the imagination

And dreams

Dreams of what people can do

What people can be

Ive seen how and what people believe

And their reasons

My own are what ive stated

Like prince bubblegum (Gary) and Marshall lee

My OTP

It’s in their example, I believe.

If a character

A creation can do it

So can we

For what are we but creations of god?

With the will to choose

Who will you be?

Will you listen to another

Take on their pains as your own

Will you cry out in your strife

As if its something you’ve always known

Will you hold onto your memories

Never moving another step

Live the life of a child

The preservation of innocence

Will you climb to the heavens

Search for knowledge at the peak

Will you cower in timidity

When you find the truth of what you seek?

Will you love all around you

Inspire those who don’t know peace

Will you cry out when you’re dying

Why has my god forsaken me?

Will you then be resurrected

With peoples power of belief?

Will you cover yourself

To protect yourself from being perceived

I don’t want be worshipped

I don’t need my spirit tugged around for all of eternity

Will you ignore your spirit

and tell the world there's not a single thing to believe.

Letting the world burn as you sit back and live delusionally.

will you steal others energy

and claim it as your own

just to re-shape history?

for what?

this doesn't heal or change a single goddamn thing.

It just keeps people dumb as distracted

So you can claim a throne

How much do we need to hurt to learn

how much must we learn to heal

and what will we learn then

once our minds start to congeal?

"lets be real" I said

the most genuine thing I can be

knowing as much as I can know

and feeling every feeling

introspecting

and understanding what it means to be a human being.

It is in these simple archetypes

That we learn what this currently means.

A victim, a scholar, a teacher, a jester, a healer, a boss/king/master, a fighter, a painter, a kneeler, a hero, a rebel, a trickster, a stealer, an actor, a liar, a lover, a feeler.

A bit redundant in some, I know

I'm sure theres more to come.

It's all relative in the name of experience, that which we are products of.

We rationalize our choice

Whether the actions of our ancestors

Or the fear of our own voice

We may simply just adapt

Because we had no other choice

I’m not one to even claim these words as my own

Its from my family

The best lovers

Born from their mistakes

From their endeavors 

From the slaves that built this country and gave them a place to be free.

Holding all those possible faces

I only now fear one thing

Collective vengeance

Please,

Heed my warning

There is power in the control of conscience

And in this era its plain to see

Give way to love with your anger

Or at least until we find equal footing

Or else there will be a war much greater than one on the spiritual plane

For our pleasure brings us together

And our pain gives us our name

It’s spiritually fascist, I know

But people will take their dues, and justify it karmically

After all, we are just leaning in and acting upon our feelings

something we apparently can move beyond once balance has been made

But there will never be equal footing

as long as powers in the hand.

whats your plan?

to then heal your subjects

taste your victory like a king

do you think you have all the answers?

did Constantinople know universal peace?

So this is why love is the answer

and not Christianity

existing only by taking

the breath from humbled and the weak.

for those who're oppressed and kept silent

who need a voice for them to speak.

Heed my warning

Please

Give in to this race

The majority of us never even belonged here on this land in the first place.

the weakest with the most powerful weapons snuffed out TWO authentic earthly connections

or were these civilizations .... what the idealistic assumption to appease the wrestled feelings today, and what is the truth?

And it’s evident as the planet dies

We never knew what we were doing

Whether breath carrying disease

Or a gunshot from threatened belief

Intention doesn’t matter

It's the results that disrupt the peace

Yet we keep on propagating it

We keep on watering it

Because of how it touches out hearts and feelings

Defined by generations of pleasures and pain

Driven by our love and fear

Or anger as a different name

again, we want our revenge, and we'll take it karmically.

this doesn't have to be...

When will we run out of things to blame?

When will we look in the mirror and say

Its just us + the pleasures and pains deeper than my name

Do you lean into chaos,

or do you lean into peace?

If we are to make this world whole again,

We must undo all of these unspoken things

Undo all of the collective traumas 

Engage in collective healing

Not in vengeance

Not in spite

But simple humility

Peace love respect and unity

#PLUR hunny!

In respect of collective feeling, I understand it all

The desire for revenge

The desire to end it all

The desire to keep the enemy ignorant

While you continue to grow tall

What will be left for you

But power and zombies of human beings

It’s all just power

Can we ever trust it’s in good hands?

Or will we succumb to greed as every great civilization has

Look what the ability to control eventually does to the mind of a human

Exploiting others in the name progress

Well who else was gonna do it?

most certainly not me!

I'm too smart! :: I've seen too much!

I'm entitled to my peace.

So what other place did the weak have then in my collective dream? So what other place did the weak have then in my personal dream?

Let's enslave the zombies in the most passive secretive way!

Then I'm sure to be happy, in my complete hypocrisy.

Who changed the standard of what it means to be a human being?

Who had power in the name of God,

Who was made weak, and had nothing else but their belief.

in each-other

in their voice

and what they were told to believe.

even today

go to any house of the weak

whether the homeless shelter, the nursing home, the hospital,

wherever people need something to believe.

When in a reality

what universal truth is reliant on other beings?

what of the man who has no one

about to die in his sleep

how does he keep going?

where is the will that he could seek?

When he believed he always loved

but others just thought him mean

a slave to their feelings

defined entirely by society.

healed with all the powers of the heavens and the deep,

but then what of this boy whom we speak?

His language was treated poorly

so he decided not to speak

and even then, in giving his most honest frequencies

they called him crazy

said you’re a freak...

thank GOD they learned from before

didn't chain him up

and think he needed some kind of healing.

dancing around and laughing with a tambourine.

The village elders feared his power, they were not ready to grow from their security.

They wanted to rest.

They wanted to die comfortably.

They liked his energy, but couldn't handle the realities that which he would speak.

So they stayed for safety in ignorance, and shut him out from the community.

So what kept him surviving?

every possible imagination

every possible dream

the same energy that the first humans used

to come up with this whole monstrosity.

definitions of good and evil based on our own lack of responsibility.

running around like college boys

unlimited, undisciplined freedom is a disease

acting like this planet was ours to own,

disregarding every other species.

shoving them to the side, giving them a space to grow inorganically.

do you think nature will act different than when we neglected people?

its much more ferocious,

no moral compass to suppress

heed my warning humanity

it will come after you next.

Just like we did with Native Americans

Knowledge kept silent with lock and key...

secluded out west in the desert

it's in them that I believe.

The most genuine connections to the earth

devoid of indoctrinations

only them and their belief

think of every group of people

who had to make up their own belief

and survived.

Because it was based in natural reality

the physics

the frequencies

the energy authentic between you and me

and now we're fighting religions born beyond our sensualities

all the oppression

all the pain

all the control

in the name of personal or collective agendas

never once considering the whole or complete.

Its always about whats winning,

and what power will win today?

Others skepticism of your belief lowers its power.

what of when its expressed by simply existing?

So what of this boy?

The man grew stronger than the entire collectivity.

Because he believed in himself, and in the earths physical reality.

Think of the beauty that comes from spiritual diversity.

It's democracy, the people, and their ignorance to blame.

We weren't ready for that power

and today it's still the same.

all their archaic feelings, validated and propagated by christianity.

Theres the difference

in the power of individual or collective pain

if you ignore enough people

they'll ignore you back just the same.

We could’ve taught them,

reached out a helping hand

set our pride aside

and leveled with our fellow man

opened up our hearts

the only thing we cannot fake

feelings are conditioned

emotions are innate.

But instead we wanted to be the greatest in all the land

And so we stole

We cheated

We killed

We lied

When collective power was always at our side

You may say, "but what of those who don’t want to be taught?

Well then I'd say "I don’t want to hear you complain"

The ignorant fear knowledge, and the power hungry run to it.

what happens when you learn enough to strike fear in everybody?

It's the forbidden fruit for a reason.

whether as an individual or a community.

Who always knew what they were doing?

Who on their land first knew peace?

It’s hope for peace that keeps me going

And when I lose it all to grief

I turn on my television

To dream of Prince B, and Marshall Lee.

Then what can we do after this? we've matured ourselves in the name of our missteps, and the world now finally knows peace. we can stop paying attention to other peoples feelings. we can grow individually, and promote spiritual diversity. heal our own damage, in with our knowledge of the earth, no money to control us, no spirit behind birth. a generation of healers, what problems could come from this? the bolstering of ego, and the death of innocence. complete independence. will we all need to learn to love each-other once again? will it be called something different? yes, our icons will not just be one man, but every human. I wonder what decisions and directions we will choose to take? love will be pure again. not a way to control other humans, not a way to remain ignorant and innocent, but the truth of what is is, our most natural fuel we can receive. and we will give it to eachother universally. achieving our most amazing of dreams. there is danger in this yes, and it would make sense there would be a rift then in who wants what and what we believe. I wonder...

[hologramcowboy]

Let's begin with this GIF that so beautifully displays Danneel's Marlon Brando level mastery of the craft. Pssst. If you want the short version just skip to the conclusions. ;) Reading the podcast description before listening in…

Apparently this podcast is about regurgitating every single thing that happened on the show episode by episode while desperately clinging to the glory days. Snoooooze fest!

In the episode description, the fact that Danneel was a "Beauty Queen" is repeated once more showing how ignorant she is when it comes to her branding and her own business. If winning a pageant in a town where it's just you and 5 other people counts, then I guess she was a Beauty Queen for said town only lol - also this happened eons ago and needs to be removed from her "resume" as it's no longer relevant to her performer attributes nowadays. She's trying to emphasize her Beauty when her beauty is fully plastic AND trying to emphasize that dilutes the brand that Casting Agents call her in for. Yet again she thinks she's the femme fatale ScarJo and other women beautifully represent.

So, before even pressing play, I already know these are three ignorant amateurs about to have a common, boring, brand sabotaging conversation.

Pressing play leads to my ears being confused by a radio jingle that sounds OTT cheezy. It's basically about women refusing to grow up. Ohhhh, this tracks with the theme of the podcast. lol

"They were like we like Hot Ass and so to join us for this… you know, selling boys body episode is our wonderful friend Danneel Harris Ackles" - Even Hilarie doesn't know what to call Danneel these days so to stay safe she uses both her old stage name as well as her acquired last name.

Hilarie proceeds to describe the episode after which suddenly a female Gollum-like voice can be heard saying "It is…it's a bit intense". I get shivers down my spine and not the good kind. Apparently calling Danneel back was a good curve-ball for their show. lol They proceed by talking about her cheer-leading audition even though it's not related to the current episode they were set to talk about.

Danneel proceeds to tell everyone she auditioned for the part but didn't have to do the dance back then. Then, she informs she was a base back when she was a cheerleader and she was terrible at learning the steps, she was always in the back. Rachel's introduction was about learning a dance and when she got to set she realized they expected her to learn the dance in a day but she needed more like a month - In other words she lied on her resume about being a skilled cheerleader in order to look good and get called in for the part but did not have the actual expertise to do so - amateur actors do this all the time.

"Whisper" song is gross - fully agree.

Turn out Danneel originally auditioned for Brooke originally or so she thinks (didn't get the part and not surprised she doesn't have leading lady energy) and later got called in to audition against 10 other girls for Rachel. Then she goes on to talk about how the first time she met the others she was wearing red pleather and how that was "nerve-racking". After which the girls proceed to say they had no problem with that encounter and they stared at her calves and thought she was amazing. Conveniently mentioning calves because they know she is into them. The "girls" (I call them so because they clearly refuse to grow up) begin speaking about how Rachel is actually nice during the episode but Brooke fails to tell her that's her boyfriend so Rachel has some fun playing around with how bothered Brooke is. Danneel blurts out that she was really into Ivana Chubbuck - I had to pause and re-listen because Ivana is one of the greatest acting coaches of our time and it's very rare for an actor to train with her and not be the top of the crop, so right from the start I know Danneel never trained with her. Then she blurts out "She was like a famous acting coach…I think she's passed away now…" and I burst out laughing.

Not only is Ivana still alive, she's now running an empire around the world. Teachers from all over the world study her method to pass it on because it's that effective.

So we can clearly deduce Danneel studied nothing and knows nothing. She supposedly only read Ivana's book and went back for the audition and used some of the techniques but, if that were true, she would know Ivana is more than alive, she is thriving. I'm embarrassed for Danneel. She goes on to say she realized she needed to portray Rachel without delivering every line as bitchy because the lines were bad enough and needed to be delivered differently so she gave Rachel the backstory of being moved from school to school and wanting to get out of Tree Hill. It's funny she claims she read Ivana's book but in the book Ivana explains the complexities of playing a villain in such a way that allows someone to play the villain without playing the idea of one and without being a cliche. Danneel does the exact opposite in One Tree Hill so it's clear she merely means to attach herself to Chubbuck's name to be counted among the brilliant actors who studied this method but without doing any work at all, not even a basic Google Search on Chubbuck. Danneel mentions she wasn't supposed to be a Series Regular but a recurring guest star.

I feel the need to mention that for an actress at her level to suddenly reach guest star tier is highly suspicious in and of itself, let alone for her to get boosted to Series Regular…especially given her poor performances…I'll let you all reach your own conclusions about that.

Danneel explains that she approached every line from the POV of Rachel only being there temporarily and so she chose to make her flippant.

The "drama queens proceed to ask her about her high school days immediately bringing up the Beauty Pageants. She did one pageant, "Cajun Culture Queen" and won. -I have some scans related to this and will post them tomorrow.

In senior year, she switched from a small high school to a big one and got to reinvent herself as much as she could in a town with three red lights. People rejected her reinvention.

Danneel then proceeds to say her high school didn't have good-looking men like One Tree Hill did.

Mentions she went to the premiere of Friday the 13th and recognized Julianna Guill OTH guest star.

In high-school she dated people other people dated due to the small nature of the town.

Immediately after graduating high-school her boyfriend was 29 and she was 18…

She goes on to speak about how Shania Twain's husband started cheating on her with the couple they were best friends (Danneel's words not mine) and then Shania bonded with the partner of the woman he had cheated on her with so they basically switched.

Danneel makes it clear she views Instagram posts about her OTH scenes online as she mentions how some were so catchy people are posting them all the time. lol

Not gonna lie, about 15 minutes in I was already falling asleep from boredom but now this is so boring it's exhausting. lol

Cupcakes - Danneel has children so she knows the blue filling doesn't come off the teeth.

They all theorize this episode was a spec script.

As they begin talking about passing notes, Danneel says she got in big trouble because she left a note in her pants and her mom washed them and pulled it out and found it and it was all about a party when she had snuck out. It kinda sounds like a made up story due to all the supposed details that were in said note.

She says she loves to journal but is paranoid about keeping the journal so she always shreds it. Yikes. But she does text a lot of crazy stuff and leaves a digital footprint.

Danneel always felt older than everybody else on OTH. She kept a card she got from one of the OTH girls when she was 26 and promises to bring it if she will get invited next time.

As the girls begin to speak about a trash talking notebook they used to pass to each other on set Danneel remarks "There needs to be another podcast" basically inviting herself once more.

Arrow has a picture of a little boy she keeps in a ballerina jewelry box.

JJ had a blindfolded make-up slumber party and none of the girls mentioned boys.

The Drama Queens and Danneel are terrible at geography. lol

Rachel is defined as very smart, Danneel says her character probably burried herself in her studies as her parents weren't present. Hilarie says Danneel is so smart in real life too. During the Maxim cover shoot, they were being asked questions and knew the magazine was angling for a bimbo kind of interview and Hilarie kept thinking Danneel was the smarter one because she was on the honor roll and also graduated college.

Danneel jokes about going to get her booze bottles at some point. That is so On Brand for her!

She also mentions how she used to get so paranoid about forgetting her lines that she did end up forgetting and got screamed at.

During the Q&A she mentions it was so fun being mean to her co-stars. Wow, shocker!

Apparently, Danneel loves singing but doesn't love letting other people hear. Joy is going to help her with that.

Oklahoma was her favorite first musical and she sang it in her head this weekend. Okay then...

Drama Queens go on to say that Danneel would be perfect as a lead in "Little Shop of Horrors" as Audrey so she says she will begin by practicing those songs.

Conclusions

First and foremost, I gotta say, Danneel's voice is creepy. Sorry not sorry. It's clear during this podcast they were quenching rumors and trying to fix Elta's image from bimbo to smart woman. From bimbo to femme fatale. I would say my takeaways are Danneel is extremely unprofessional, not only did she clearly lie on her resume but she also declared one of the world's best acting coaches dead. LOL Sorry, but that's beyond embarassing. Ivana doesn't even know who D is and wouldn't care for her acting, I'm sure she won't even learn about the podcast though that's too bad because Elta deserves to be called out for her crass lies and disrespect. I deeply wish this review was more entertaining but my neurons burned out about 10 minutes into the podcast, just horribly boring and I can't believe people actually tune it for these ladies and their glory days "stories", they are Actresses but wow, just not gifted in relating stories. I give this podcast a 4(just for the effort) out of 10.