#i want young actors to succeed and get support

[secretagentsagainstwhatever]

so you’ve all been pirating Percy Jackson right…right ?

[vldkeith]

character bios for my fanfic! 🎥🪩

y'all know how i'm writing a lengthier au fanfic right now right? well i have character bios/intros for it! these basically lay out who everyone is in this au. i just think it's neat and hopefully gets ppl excited 👀

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takashi shirogane - extremely talented actor with a lot of social capital, despite the fact that he is an out gay man. played the adorable, lovable leading man in rom-coms and sitcoms for a while and has recently graduated to more dramatic roles, which he excels in. everyone seems to love and respect him for the most part. picked up keith when he tried to steal his car at a younger age (10?) and hasn’t stopped looking out for him since; they’re like brothers. 

keith kogane - guy who hates celebrity culture but got foisted into it due to his association with shiro. has a reputation for being handsome goodboy shiro’s naughtier younger brother who flips off the camera, punches paparazzi, and has no filter. hates every moment he’s forced to endure hollywood life, but does so to protect and be there for shiro. has been smeared by the tabloids extensively, both for being a delinquent and for being gay. keith did not choose to come out, like shiro had before him, but instead was outed by a member of a gay forum he frequented who figured out his identity (he was 17 at this point). hates society and has a chip on his shoulder.

lance mcclain - starry-eyed hopeful fresh off of his first non-extra role and new darling of the press. gunning for lead man roles in romcoms; knows he’s bisexual but doesn’t want to come out for fear of his family’s reaction and because he believes it will smear his reputation and thus chances to get the roles he wants. this view is understandable and pretty accurate, but it means that he is actively hiding himself and presents intense complications when he and keith start being “a thing.” has a reputation for being charming (if a little sleazy) and flirty with women, which is both natural to him and carefully cultivated so he has the best chance at getting romcom roles. he idolizes shiro–in part because he’s an out gay man, though he’d never admit that–and wants to be mentored by him so badly he’ll make himself a nuisance in shiro (and keith’s) life until he can. 

(more under the cut)

allura altea - orphaned daughter of famous actress mother and professor father who died in a hit-and-run when she was 16. keith’s best friend; they’ve affectionately dubbed themselves the “dead parent’s society,” but the press likes to call them “?????.” allura was being brought up as a future actress by her parents, having starred in many dcom-esque roles as a child, but when they died she quit all of that and kind of just does her own thing now. currently, she’s enrolled in UCLA as a politics major. 

coran wimbleton-smyth - retired acclaimed director who occasionally signs himself on as a producer for works he thinks are particularly meaningful. he’s the producer for shiro’s next film, a sci-fi space opera a la the hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy, and he’s gunning for shiro’s character to be explicitly gay. genuinely good-natured and wants to be involved with his projects; has a reputation for being the kind of director/producer to bring donuts in for everyone and cancel shooting days if the weather gets too hot. would support the current (2023) strikes. wants to see everyone succeed, but especially shiro and his family. 

hunk garrett - lance’s bestie and bisexual-awakening! aspiring personal chef to celebrities, but currently works at a restaurant and attends california institute of technology for engineering, because why not? met lance when lance went to eat at the restaurant he worked at and liked the food so much he asked to personally thank the chef; hunk had changed the dish last-minute as it went out the door, ratatouille-style, and so he gets the credit. they’ve been besties ever since! 

matt holt - lance’s young agent! saw potential in lance because of their shared personality-type, but he can be ruthless when it comes to matters of public opinion and which roles lance should take, which lance both appreciates and dreads. committed to doing what’s best for lance’s career, whatever the cost.  katie “pidge” holt - matt’s younger sibling that is pushed into lance’s orbit unwillingly due to her big brother’s job. hangs around because, whatever he may say, she really does like lance as a friend, and warms up to hunk quickly once they meet due to their shared interest in engineering/computers. has a geocities website dedicated to weird lizards and insects. low-profile enough to get away with things none of the others could manage.

nyma - shiro's ruthless but skilled publicist. knows how to turn public opinion around her finger, all while pretending to be innocent and nice the whole time. this doesn't mean she's uncaring, though; sometimes she'll let slip that she actually cares about shiro and keith's images because she cares about them, not just because it's her job and reputation on the line if she doesn't. isn't afraid to advise them to do painful and sometimes downright demoralizing things, but it's always in the interest of saving their necks, at least from her perspective.

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this isn't an exhaustive list of the voltron characters that will be included btw; i'm going to find a way to put adam & romelle in if i have to die for it. but these are the main cast i have so far :) let me know what you think!

[rainbowdaisy13]

Public Service Announcement!!

DO NOT attempt Performance Art if your execution of it goes like this: giving up your Pride speech; getting in business with organizations like the NFL or the Chiefs; platforming, cheering on harmful behavior and helping men like Travis succeed; promoting toxic heteronormativity by straight washing queer history; getting young people to love and adopt these behaviors; making yourself look like you have no problem with a dictator taking reigns of you country in an election year; hanging out all over people who support him; clean up PR for people who married on a plantation and lied about not knowing it was plantation; bullies; people who use the topic of domestic violence to promote hair products; staying silent on an article that shames your queer fans by picking up on flags that are part of their history, getting a friend to back that article for you (bonus: don't do that when you let slide your fans trashing your real partner for what they perceived, was similar behavior; the only good PR you owe is to your partner - I'm not a Kaylor or LSK, but thought to add that one in case you guys are right). Performance Art can go wrong if: you don't stop the game at the right time, if you do it in a year like this, if you drag it too long.

Comparing this to Joaquin Phoenix's 'I'm still here' performance art is a crime. In no way does Joaquin pretending to want to be a hip hop artist instead of an actor equate to this other monstrosity. If Taylor truly saw this and thought to make her own, but more tone deaf and with higher stakes, where the queer community (that stands to lose many rights next year) is used as pawn in her silly game without consenting, she's an ego maniac who should be paid no attention. If her team and her privileged rich queer friends thought this was a good idea, then she's surrounded by an out of touch army. She should reenact the other part of Reputation: go underground and self reflect. Get in touch with reality. But oh wait, she never actually disappeared for a year if you look at her footprint in 2017. It was an exaggerated ploy to give Reputation an edge. The only time she locked herself in, was when all of us did, during COVID.

Ok I haven’t seen the comparison to Joaquin’s performance art yet and that is WILD on so many levels 😆 It reminds me of the type of high end art dealers who successfully sold that fucking banana taped to the wall for over 120K…..like if you smugly think it’s cool or funny that you believe Taylor is spending millions of dollars making this many years long high brow artistic documentary about the trappings of fame while climate change rages, while we are at the beginning of of the 6th great mass extinction, while world leaders dismantle systems of protection and support for marginalized communities left and right, while potable water becomes more precious than gold, than all I can say is both you and Taylor need a fucking reality check. IF she’s doing that for herself in a fun tee hee aren’t I so clever way, shes legitimately the most out of touch human on the planet

Very The Emperors new clothes vibes

“Each sees that the looms are empty but pretends otherwise to avoid being thought a fool.

Finally, the weavers report that the emperor's suit is finished. They mime dressing him and he sets off in a procession before the whole city. The townsfolk uncomfortably go along with the pretense, not wanting to appear inept or stupid, until a child blurts out that the emperor is wearing nothing at all. The people then realize that everyone has been fooled. Although startled, the emperor continues the procession, walking more proudly than ever.”

[tealtreesthriving-ttt457]

Review: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice; Style over substance.

As an alien man, i have evolved to becoming a movie critic (part-time & no talent).

Anyways; (Spoilers!)

Presentation: 8/10: Special effects and character design do not falter. It is as gory as the first, but somewhat lowered to retain the normal looks of some primary characters.

Pacing: Too quick, 4/10.

Music: Fine.

Actors: (8/10) Justin Theroux as Rory was good and somewhat subtle.

Jenny Ortega as the straight woman in the situation works, second to Winona Ryder as Lydia.

Micheal Keaton as the sleazy but devious Beetleguise/Beetlejuice is a charm to watch, but concerns are in store.

Catherine O' Hara is dramatic and somewhat wholesome in the main family dynamic as a weird but bougie artist.

William Dafoe as an egotistical police actor being in a position of being police supported by a blonde assistant with checks to his ego and cue cards, is a fun character but problems discussed later. Kudos to the blonde actor

Story: (5/10) The Meat, despite being a comedy movie. Will compare to the original and refer to it to establish retrospective points and consistencies if needed.

I like the intro of the movie, and how it hails back to old 90s movie intros, and the first one.

I like the establishment of one of the antagonists, Delores, and how stapling herself back up is oddly wholesome as her parts cooperate to get her back up. The problem is, that Delores is shafted by the story, and is a footnote by the conclusion. She just wanders around, kills the dead, and then meets her wanted victim and dies rather quickly. She didn't even matter. Although the exposition between their relationship was shown kinda funny and quirky, the payoff is poor as hell, even for a comedy.

William Dafoe, while campy and funny with his usage of TV police lines and stroking his own ego, is also shafted by the plot, but works as an agent of the Afterlife as a system. He works to inform Beetlejuice, chase him, be funny, be there for the culmination of the final scenes, and he's packing up, alongside a newly deceased Catherine.

Although I don't remember Catherine, I liked her part as this aloof, self-centered, and ambitious artist, and how she messes up and dies rather comedically, but she gets to see her husband again and reconcile with Lydia on more friendly terms despite her eccentricities.

Lydia developing past her brooding and slightly cheered up self into a mentally burdened, pushover with trauma and hauntings of being nearly married to a weird trickster demon at a young age is good development... but....

Lydia in the story is being exploited by two people. Rory, her producer and boyfriend, turned immediate fiance, whose quirks are present, but combined with malicious intent that goes along with his passive and quirky behavior until his malice is revealed, as he is her producer, and wants her to succeed in bringing him money, therefore marriage to gather some media presence and trying to act nice towards her family. It's nice Beetlejuice here gives her the truth and a punch, but.....

Beetlejuice is the other antagonist yet again, and while that's okay, for a sleazy yet powerful and determined goofball, Lydia should be able to confront the other person trying to exploit her. It has been established that he is still yearning for her, despite the age gap of her being 15 since he tried his tricks on her, via marriage for his own gain. And while it is similar to a cartoonish Count Olaf situation, he is still exploiting her, yearning for her, and making her his plaything with all his power. The resolution should have more confrontation since Lydia is burdened by his presence and past of him, so it would be better to talk some shit on him and then destroy him in the same way he went, via the iconic Beetlejuice (*3). Instead, she says basically nothing. Beetlejuice is her plaything, and we know that it's silly, but it's also bad. The victims should have had a word to mouth off to such a sleazy and devious gremlin, who exploited her even at 15 to get his way back to the living.

Although the story focuses on Lydia and Astrid's estranged and now connected relationship, a part of that is being burdened by having the ability to see ghosts and that tool distancing their relationship, which is a twist that Astrid could also see the Ghosts, which connects them further. But for a more healthy bond, she should've addressed the other fractioning factor other than the death of Richard, her husband; That damn Beetlejuice. In the movie, he is a great interference to their relationship and tries to goad Astrid into his scheme with the iconic posters as well as trigger a trauma response from Lydia to try to protect Astrid from his bullshit.

Arthur Conti as Jeremy Frazier works as a conflict driver, and his demise is sweet and short, it's a problem that Beetlejuice persists so much in the story without doing much and doing a lot. We watch him monologue and goof around for some of his scenes before he interacts with the other main cast. He is filler. Original Beetlejuice constantly tries to initially goad the main characters into dealing with him, and he was still being quirky either way.

Lydia's deceased husband, Richard is a mouthpiece. While their union is presented as wholesome, which I like, he immediately just spouts some basic themes of the movie and says words about actions, like "Hold On" or "This will take you back up." For the amount he is established, his existence amounts to not much, and required more story time with their reunion.

Not a lot of casual dead people seen in the living world, just one to establish Lydia's consistency with her sight and her struggles. It's okay if it was a choice of budget. And the Frazier family to set in the twist.

I do not like the resolution of defeating Beetlejuice once again. They just said he violated a rule which nulls his second attempted marriage, and he lets himself be screwed over, all in a rather quick scene. All this fluff should have had Lydia confront Beetlejuice without his magic all over her.

The original Beetlejuice was more structured than this, albeit some parts are aloof. Establishing characters and conflict, explorations of its gimmicks, temptation and hijinks, character-building and fostering relationships, conflict from the main characters and the Juice is loose, and final conflict of Beetlejuice and resolution.

This film, for some reason, feels too loose. Too much Juice is loose, and they go lost in it. It may be presented well and such, but the brain of a story died and remembered itself every now and them. Such a disappointment as a fun but wholesome story that develops the main relationships, but a fun and dumb movie. Doesn't really rely on nostalgia, and that's okay.

Overall: 6/10. Funny, shallow, and Beetlejuice is more nasty than his humor lets on. He persisted in literally fawning over a child up until she was legal, come on! That's a perfect tie to show him who's who and verbally punch him down.

[alarrytale]

Hi Marte. I saw in an interview from last Nov that Andrew Sc*tt said that before he CO he was encouraged to stay in the closet and keep his sexuality a secret. He said that he thinks people had his best interests at heart but he's glad that he didn't listen to them. Out of those who have CO almost all of them have said that they were pressured by people to keep their sexuality a secret and some even had training to hide their gay mannerisms, which no doubt Louis has done. They're taught how to act 'straight'. It's so gross and I hate it. It's good that Andrew didn't get sucked in but many vulnerable people will be easily manipulated, especially young people who don't have much life experience. I hope the industry is exposed for this one day. Many people talk about it but nothing is done about it. It's almost like gay conversion, it should be illegal. I keep hoping for things to change for the better and they seem to be at a really slow pace. I hope more people CO and it isn't so popular to stay in the closet anymore. I hope those who CO get a lot of support and so it will encourage other closeted people to CO. Things are changing so slowly. It seems like it's getting more common for celebrities to want to appeal to the lgbtq+ community. We just need more people actually CO.

Hi, anon!

Celebrity queer men (or up and coming queer men) are always adviced to keep their sexuality secret from the public by their agents and management teams in order to succeed and advance their careers. It's nothing new and it happens to everyone. Even queer people who were publicly out have attempted to put themselves back in the closet because they were adviced to do so by their people. They often need to appeal to straight people to really make it big, and the only way to do that is by closeting themselves.

Straight people will always be the biggest target audience, femininity will aways be seen as something less than masculinity because we live in a patriarchy. Teenagers will always project their romantical and sexual feelings onto celebrities, and live their own life through them. So if you want to really be a superstar you need an image to appeal to what most people want, admire and love. You need to fit the mold.

At the same time, if everyone fits the mold, we wont get progression, there will be no room for minorities and we'd have little creativity and diversity. Someone needs to start breaking the mold and present different views and ways to attract audiences to change majority views. When you're trying to change society's views and majority opinions the change will always be slow. And you always need someone brave enough to start the ball rolling.

There are more and more people that are coming out after being closeted, and more and more people are rejecting being closeted and want to succeed being out and and proud. I think it gets easier and easier to make that choice when you have other out and succeeding celebrities. But there are still so many people who are closeted and choosing to closet themselves to get big. Like women, queer artists and actors, needs to work twice as hard and be twice as talented to make it. I agree that more people need to come out, but shouldering that burden alone is hard. It's a difficult situation and not an easy fix. It would be great if there were a revolution or a queer wave going, where 10, 20, 30 people decided to come out at the same time. We can only hope.

[moviewarfare]

A Review of “The Fabelmans (2022)”

The Fabelmans is a semi-autobiographical based on Steven Spielberg. Funny enough it is also directed by Steven Spielberg. I haven't ever seen a biopic story that is also directed by the person the story is about. That interested me a lot but knowing it was about the legendary director Steven Spielberg is what made me want to watch it. Is the movie an overly self-indulgent semi-biopic, or does Steven continue to show why he is such a great director?

The film is such an interesting piece as the characters themselves are fictional but based on real people. For example, the character that is meant to represent Spielberg is named Samuel "Sammy" Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle). What I appreciate is that Steven doesn't shy away from the flaws of the character representing him. Sammy is very passionate about filmmaking but he loves it so much that he puts it above his own family. His conflict is trying to pursue his passion while his family is tearing apart. On that note, there is a complex family dynamic with the clash of the logical but stern yet loving Dad (Paul Dano) and the artistic but selfish yet encouraging Mother (Michelle Williams). Sammy inherits both qualities from his parents but also some of their worse. Seeing the struggle of chasing a dream and their isolation is such an engaging theme. None of the characters is terrible people. They do wrong things but there is a lot more nuance to them. The story is incredibly warm, funny, gut-wrenching and powerful.

The performance here is terrific and worthy of an Oscar. Michelle Williams gives an unforgettable performance as the mother, Mitzi. She shows how caring yet weird of a mother she is but shows how she is gradually getting more and more broken as the movie progresses. She could have easily made her character incredibly hatable but her performance succeeds in making the audience sympathize with her despite her being the main cause of the rift in the family. Paul Dano is also terrific as the dad, Burt. His performance is less eccentric and more subtle but he perfectly conveys the internal struggle of the character. Gabriel LaBelle plays Sammy and he is great. His character is sort of arrogant and Gabriel manages to convey that without being overly pompous and annoying.  LaBelle is terrific at communicating a young kid whose emotions are on the verge of exploding. He is a very promising young actor. In terms of supporting actors, Judd Hirsch appears for only two scenes yet he gives such a strong performance that takes over the scene. David Lynch also appears in just one scene but his scene might be the most memorable moment in the film.

The music is composed by legendary composer John Williams and he continues to do a great job. Although, the score here isn't his most memorable. The cinematography is done by Janusz Kaminski of Schindler's List fame and he continues to be great here. There are tons of great and memorable shots that capture the essence of filmmaking in The Fabelmans. There is an amazing shot that has Sammy using his hands as a screen with a projector aimed at his palm which is stunning. If I had any issue with the film then it has to be the 2nd act with Sammy in high school. Scenes concerning Sammy's romance and his bullying are a little uninteresting compared to everything else. It doesn't help that his girlfriend feels very over the top and the bullies act like all the generic jocks you have seen over a dozen times. Fortunately, the high school stuff have a strong landing.

Overall, Steven Spielberg continues to show that he is still one of the best directors out there. Despite the film being a semi-biographic on him, he doesn't shy away from the flaws of him and his parents. He shows the struggle of chasing your passion which might resonate with a lot of people. If Spielberg decided this was his last film then this would've been a great final outing. However, from this film alone, I know he loves making films and he won't stop here. I can't wait to see his next work.

For more reviews like this visit:

https://moviewarfarereviews.blogspot.com/

[bubbleonice]

lol this is so cute and funny at the same time that once san and jungkook are requested once on someones blog the blog gets so many more asks about the same two mainly popular members. I wonder if in their respective groups the conflict can often be about whos getting more opportunies than other members. I guess each members have their own reactions and feelings, also may you do reading on mingi? mainly just an energy check up or something of the sorts, thanks v much!

lastly do you think kpop is as bad / evil as west ent industry? I tend to find myself reading a lot maybe too much into things and then I look at how young these idols start off then they go off to america :c do you think some of the things said abt illuminati, cult or even escorting is accurate info? or is it just smoke and mirrors to get people talking about it regardless, others have said no when I ask this question before but like theres still so many similiarities between kpop and other music industries so no doubt theyre still in a heavily controlled / watched environment.

Mainly concerned because I dont want another sotuation like sulli or jonghyun or another moonbin and even then people still speculate and make theories abt so the internert seems a bit insensitive bc we dont know the half of what really go on. But yh when groups go to america i do worry a bit for them, mainly just bc theyre so young and a bit naive / gullible when they first start out with their groups. I have other suspicions but idk I think they put things relating it to music groups so that people will bith become unhealthily obsessed with idol members but also even those who dont actively follow or support these group still end up discussing them some way or other. im somewhere in between neither deluded nor fussed what idols do in their downtime but yh some videos I seen make me question things whilst others seem to disaprove such theories. So basically will further truths about kpop groups ever come about? and I mean real truth not just some theatre act like hybe x ador.

If you’re asking for my personal opinion, I think in every industry that involves so much money and status and fame, there will always be a dark side. Meaning there is a level of escort/ prositution involved. Abuse. Drugs. Alcohol. Sex addictions. Blackmailing. Money laundry. Criminal acts. A side we normies will never be able to understand.

I see a huge difference between American actors versus British actors for example, where British actors most of the time remain dedicated actors and live for the art, whilst american actors become celebrities, who live for being in the spotlight, paprazzies, so clearly America/ Hollywood do have a culture where I believe you need to be in a certain way to succeed. European actors/ musicians are more scorned from exposure when living in their resepctive countries.

And that goes for the music industry as well. There are a lot of manipulators, a lot of people working in the shadows making money of these artists. These artists who seemingly have it all, money, looks, fame, they are just puppets. The music industry, the record companies own you. Your music, your lyrics, your voice. You don’t own anything. Meaning you need to do certain things, act certian ways, etc… to keep your career intact. That is if you meet the wrong people, or if you’re scooped up by the wrong team. You become their money machine, and you are just a tool for them.

Kpop stars can have their challenges as well not just being in America, but also in their respective countries. Where culture can play a part. Strict rules dues to practices, rules to whom you can date. Lots of the asian music and film industry are ruled by the Mafias. I dare to say, fame might seem fun and great, but you also sacrifice a lot. You are most likely not free to do what you want no matter you’re in Korea or the States. But of course there are different levels of what you become involved into. You need to be extremely smart to not be dragged into unfortunate circumstances. I guess those who are able to keep their feet on the ground and not get too aroused by fame and be blinded by materialistic things are most probably to stay in touch with themselves. While those who are tempted by money, exposure and always be the spotlight will more likely have struggles one way or the other sooner or later.

But this is only an opinion.

[levok]

I mean it's fine and probably the best for yourself to be private and not share everything with fans, but this industry is so tough, you need every chance you got to promote yourself and that people talk about you.

I really don't get why have they been so quiet today at Pride, like when Heartstopper cast was at Pride every news, portals and everyone shared that, it gain them so much publicity, and also Omar not sharing perfect photoshoot for really big magazine. Like can they fucking get some managers because this all is so strange, they are like this for months and i really want them to succeed and be popular but they are only sabotage themselves 😢

Omar very much needs a social media manager, THAT I heavily agree on. No one knew about the recent radio interview, and it seems like he generally has given up on social media (I’m sure he will post the photo shoot one of the following days because he is busy today, but he should have someone else do it TODAY). His management is shit and we all know that.

But I would honestly hate if they pulled a heartstopper and used pride as a promo event - that is not what pride is about. And pride might actually mean something to some of the actors that doesn’t involve young royals. I love that so many of them went there because they wanted to be there, and not to do publicly for a show. I don’t need them in the news or their day to become a meet and greet. Would I have loved more content of them full of rainbows? Yes - because I love their faces. But it is more important that they celebrate pride how they want to and with the people they want to spend it with. We all know they were there. We know they support pride. We don’t need a big media show.

[spade-riddles]

I have been super busy lately, and that is primarily why I have been on here so little of late. But, today is an off day, and I realized that I was struggling to want to get on Tumblr. Not because of you guys, but because I am so tired of their PR games.

I am up to speed enough on the generalities of what has been going the past couple of weeks. Here are a few of my thoughts:

The child that Karlie is parading around in her pap walks and the latest IG posts (the one that Jerk is holding) is not her child. I suspect it is either Mikey's child with his beard, or that Jerk and Mikey had another child via an unknown surrogate. If they did have a child then his name is likely Levi.

"Every bait and switch was a work of art"

There is no way Taylor is letting 'him' anywhere near her child.

One thing I used to really respect about Karlie years ago is how she would avoid outright lying. She never wanted to talk about Jerk, and she would do her best to deflect questions. The past couple of years she has become brazen, and, candidly, after four years of non-stop lies coming from the orange idiot in the White House, can she just not publicly lie for a single week?! Seriously? Are the contract(s) really worth her soul?

I completely sympathize with bearding. Our society sucks in so many ways. But, what Karlie and Taylor are doing right now is so far beyond creating a heterosexual image for themselves.

PSA to the young people out there: It is OK to be gay. If you want to follow two amazing women, follow Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger ... and their adorable baby, Sloane Phillips. I started following them on Instagram and they put a smile on my face every day.

I am resigned to the fact that Taylor has long valued her Toe and/or heterosexual narrative supporting fans over us. It is a business decision. She thinks that there are more of them than us, so that is where the money is to be made. Although, I truly wonder if that is how it would actually play out if she had come out. I was personally drawn to Taylor for the first time with the release of 1989 (I loved the 80's pop sound). Within weeks I heard the Kaylor rumors, and I was like, 'oh. She is more interesting than I realized.' I started to research this Taylor Swift, who I previously had given little thought to besides listening to her songs on the radio. I saw how smart and savvy she was. I loved her independent, girl power 1989 era. I strongly suspect I would never have dove down the rabbit hole if she had been parading around with some male actor when 1989 was released. But, I do understand her financial fear. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Speaking of money ... can someone explain how Karlie thinks it is financially beneficial to her Adidas sales to parade Jerk around during promotion time? Her primary fans are Kaylor fans and KWK participants at this point. Does she really think his presence is going to help? And, is she so tone deaf about what his family has done to our country that she thinks her target market will want to support someone associated with Kushners??? The minute I saw him, I said, 'no free promo from me.' I also saw social media posts say, 'there goes a sale from me'. Karlie, friendly reminder that over 500,000 Americans have died from Covid due to your 'brother-in-law's' intentional cruelty.

Also ... I said to a mutual yesterday ... 'imagine Karlie's sales numbers if Taylor and Karlie never pushed the feud narrative.' Like I said, I understand Taylor's calculations from a business perspective, but Karlie's seem like self-sabotage.

The false credit that Taylor gave to Toe on evermore and folklore, as well as the ridiculous fake Grammy award, has also taken the wind out of my sails. No girl power here whatsoever ... just caving to outdated societal norms that women need men to succeed. I think of the respect that she had garnered from the music industry with her fight for her music and for artist rights, how so many top artists joined her on stage during the 1989 era .... and, I shake my head. I cannot imagine the cringe (and anger) that legitimate artists felt toward her when they saw her lie about his contributions, and let those lies earn him a fake Grammy. Seriously ... who is this Taylor? Clearly I am missing something, but I do not recognize her as the person I fell for.

Several of you have sent in asks about ♠️. I am as perplexed as you are as to why they led us to believe that good things were coming for us, when the exact opposite happened. Yes, they are legit. I can vouch for that over and over. But, I do not understand the false hope.

tl;dr: I am tired.

[hopetofantasy]

Translated interview with Willem De Schryver

Also on my website: Behind wtFOCK - link in comments

The young stars of Streamz series 'Déjà-vu': 'You learn more on the internet than at school'

‘Déjà-vu’ is the name of the latest Flemish fiction series that’s rolling off the production line of ‘Streamz’. In addition to the traditional list of actors' names, Xenia Borremans (21) and Willem De Schryver (19) are featured as fresh blood in the credits. Two newcomers who shamelessly rival the established values.

Calling Willem De Schryver a newcomer is really failing the truth. He has more than 50,000 followers on Instagram and cannot cross the Ghent Korenmarkt without posing for a selfie. It’s the fault of ‘wtFOCK’, a youth series that mainly takes place online and is extremely popular with all those who saw the light of day after 2000. The chance that you’ve seen Xenia Borremans in action, is much smaller. Her only claim to fame for time being, is the horror short ‘De vijver’. And ofcourse, there’s her family name. Xenia is the only daughter of artist Michaël Borremans, but really wants to make a name for herself now.

How did you get into acting? Borremans: “Ever since I was a child, I wanted to act. There are piles of videos at home in which I try to recreate scenes from old films like ‘Some Like it Hot’. I also acted for ten years at ‘Kopergietery’ (children's theater company in Ghent). Acting was a dream, but I didn't dare to hope for that too much. There was always that little voice in the back of my mind that said, "You don’t only need talent but a lot of luck to make it." That was evident when I started to participate in castings. I often cried when I didn’t get a role.

I didn't dare to hope too much for ‘Déjà-vu’ either. Actually, I had no intention of auditioning at all. For fear of being rejected again. In the end, it’s my mom who pushed me to try. When they called me to say I had the part, it came as a complete surprise.”

De Schryver: “I can recognize myself in that story. I too was always performing plays at home. I did ‘Diction’ on Wednesday afternoons, but that wasn’t more than a hobby. When I no longer felt at home at school in secondary school, I took the step to go to the ‘Lemmensinstuut’ in Leuven. That was a revelation. Suddenly, I was allowed to be involved in theater day in, day out. I was happy to get up in the morning, when before, I often came home crying because I really didn't want to go to school anymore. It was obvious that after secondary school I would take the step to theater education at the ‘KASK’.” Borremans: “I also took the entrance exam at the ‘KASK’, but I wasn’t admitted. Maybe I'll try again next year. But maybe not. I’m not convinced that such an education is necessary. There are plenty of examples of actors and actresses who also made it without a diploma.” De Schryver: “In the classes I’m taking now, there isn’t only attention for acting, but also for making plays. I get building blocks to get started in the future. But, just like Xenia, I’m convinced that it can also be done without it.”

In ‘Déjà-vu’ you play the ideal son and the rebellious adolescent daughter, respectively. How deep did you have to dig for that role? De Schryver: “The role of Max is pretty close to my own personality, so that wasn’t too bad. I only had to practice playing hockey. (laughs) Although as far as I’m concerned, a role does not necessarily have to be written for me. For example, in ‘wtFOCK’ I play a bipolar, gay boy. That’s difficult and I had to do a lot of research for it. But when - like recently - you’re approached on the street by a boy who tells me that through my role he had learned to live with his own bipolarity, then the satisfaction is all the greater. ” Borremans: “I recognized myself super hard in Louise's character. I have done quite a lot of rebellion in my puberty years and just like Louise - who has a mother who makes a living as a radio host - I can be bothered too by the fact that one of my parents is famous.”

In what sense? Borremans: “I’m very proud of my dad, that's not the point. We have a very good relationship. He's my best friend. For real. But my family name isn’t always a gift. Many times in the past people have tried to contact me with the sole intention of getting closer to him. Even people I thought were friends, turned out to be solely interested in me because they were fans of my father's work. I also noticed that some teachers marked my grades more strictly just because I was ‘the daughter of’.” Did that influence you to choose acting and not, for example, drawing? Borremans: “I did drawing. In ‘Sint-Lucas’, just like my father. He did push me a bit in that direction. But I stopped when all the lessons suddenly had to be online due to corona. Dad thinks it's important to get a diploma. I attach less importance to that. I prefer to figure things out on my own. If you have the discipline to do self-study, then that’s in my opinion as valuable as any education. I’ve already learned a lot more on the internet than in school. My mom is part of that story, daddy still has some work to do in that aspect.”

You both had a supporting role on the set of ‘Déjà-vu’. How much pressure did it cause? De Schryver: “I did lie awake at night. Although it had a lot to do with the beginning of the shooting period, when I overslept. I cried when I arrived on the set. Such a gigantic production and it gets delayed, because a rookie like me, is late. In the end we hardly lost any time, but the nights after, I was wide awake in my bed waiting for the alarm to go off.” Borremans: “Willem arrived on the set, crying, but was professional enough to put himself in the shoes of Max a few minutes later. Pretty impressive.” De Schryver: “There really was no time to lose. The makeup artist just had about enough time to get rid of my red eyes, but that was it.” Borremans: “I’ve experienced something similar. During the shooting period, I met with a friend who turned out to have corona. Panic, of course. In the end, the shooting stopped for a week as a precaution. There were some tears then. You have a first major role and then something like that happens. Fortunately, it was handled very well on the set. Everyone came to tell me that it could’ve happened to them too.”

The corona crisis has been defining our lives for over a year now. How do you deal with this? De Schryver: “The first weeks, I didn't mind the lockdown. It gave me a chance to catch my breath. By the way, I still don't miss going out that much. Although that also has to do with ‘wtFOCK’. That show has a very fanatic fan base. And you notice. In any case, going out to a bar with friends was no longer possible without being approached or posing for selfies. When people have been drinking, a number of inhibitions also disappear. As soon as they recognize you, they’ll immediately hang onto you. It made me prefer to stay in the room even before the lockdown.” Borremans: “I’m now 21 years old. This may sound strange, but I’m kinda done with nightlife. Of course, I also want to be able to go out again and see people, but I notice that it’s more difficult for those who are younger. I get bored sometimes. But that also has its positive sides. It makes you do creative things. For example, I started to design and make clothes. Without the lockdown, that would’ve never occurred to me. I never read books either, now I do. Although, I would like for it to gradually return to normal. " De Schryver: “I mainly suffer from touch starvation. Actually hug people. I really miss that. But just like Xenia, I also think this is an interesting period. It makes you think. About yourself, about where you want to go in life.”

The Covid crisis also makes painfully clear how vulnerable creative professions are. Did that change your plans for the future? Borremans: “I was already looking for a plan B before this whole situation. Acting is and remains the big dream. But there are no guarantees. I’ll continue to go for it anyway, but I realize that I cannot assume that I’ll succeed in making acting my livelihood.” De Schryver: “We shouldn't be shy about that: the acting world is a tough world with a lot of competition. It’ll not be easy to make it and I know that there are still difficult moments to come. But I do not intend to suddenly follow other classes just to have something as a back-up. The corona crisis has made me realize even more how important acting is to me. I could never completely push it aside. This’s what I was made for. I just feel that.” Déjà-vu can be seen on Streamz. The series will be released on Play4 later this year.

[impalementation]

What are the ten most controversial opinions you have heard about the characters of Buffy the vampire slayer? What do you think about them?

oof. you know, i don’t know that i’ve that kept track of all that many controversial btvs character opinions. the btvs fandom is so big and has been around for such a long time that it seems like even more controversial opinions have a respectably large camp of defenders. (say “riley/kennedy/dawn is actually fine”). so i don’t have ten, but these were what came to mind. probably the character opinion that grates on me the most is the claim that buffy is the weakest or most unlikeable character, or doesn’t grow. i don’t have it in me to write a big defense of buffy at the moment, but you could probably just read any of my posts about her to get a picture of how complicated, dynamic and well-drawn i think she is. so that’s one opinion that i think is controversial for good reason. the claim that the scoobies are bad friends is also sort of strange to me. i mean sometimes they are, but on the whole the conflicts in their group dynamic strike me as pretty standard young-people-growing-up stuff. the writing has them fight, and sometimes hurt each other, and grow apart on purpose—because that’s just what people do. it doesn’t mean they’re not also friends. i think it would be weirder and less interesting if they were perfectly supportive and solved all their problems in therapy-approved ways. there wouldn’t be a show. (which isn’t to say that one can’t criticize moments in which, perhaps, the show doesn’t earn something heartwarming it wants to earn, or doesn’t deal with some issue between characters that would make more sense for it to deal with. the thing i think is misplaced is the idea that the scoobies are supposed to be ideal friends, and that the times they aren’t either (a) were automatically bad or unintentional writing, or (b) inherently contradicts all the lovely moments they have.)

in that vein though, maybe the controversial opinion i do agree with is that people talk up giles as a perfect father figure a bit too much. he is, obviously, a father figure. frequently movingly so. but he’s also flawed, and often fails at his father figure role—long before seasons six and seven—and i think it doesn’t quite do credit to his character, or what the writing was doing with him, to claim otherwise. season one, for example, features him learning to care about buffy in a more personal way, so you get the shift from him admonishing her about her duty in “welcome to the hellmouth”, like a complete non-father watcher, to his stubbled desperation over the prospect of her death in “prophecy girl”. or you have that lovely support he gives buffy in “innocence”, or the way he searches for her all summer in “anne”, or his kindness over buffy’s breakup with angel in “the prom”. but it’s contrasted with things like him rushing after angel in “passion”, or “helpless”. and there’s his stabs at thinking buffy should go it alone in seasons four and five, well before he eventually leaves in season six. i think the point of giles being a father figure is not for him to be an ideal, but in fact for him to be someone buffy can lose her innocence about, to some degree. as she says in “the dark age”: “It was scary. I'm so used to you being a grownup, and then I find out that you're a person.” it’s important that giles be lovely and good, to establish him as a father in the first place, but also someone that makes mistakes—so that buffy can see him as someone who makes mistakes. because seeing your parents as human is part of growing up.

in general, i’m not really into the type of opinion that is basically “here is why X character is actually bad and you shouldn’t like them.” and that seems to be the most common type of  “controversial” opinion i see these days, when i see them. frankly, i’m just plain not interested in the idea that fictional characters are supposed to be tools of moral instruction, and when they fail to be that, that people should “call it out” like they’re real. fictional characters exist to tell stories, to get at truths, to explore ideas. when they do good or bad things, the main questions that really interest me have to do with why the writing chose to have them do those things. what was it trying to convey, did it succeed? and sometimes the writing is indeed trying to convey a moral point, or it’s informed by a moral attitude, but i’m more interested in talking about that than talking about the characters as if they themselves are moral actors.

[piracytheorist]

Ok a quick little (or not) summary (only for the second part, though)

As they continue from talking about Anthony Hopkins being a team player and wanting smaller actors to succeed, Colin goes on to talk about how there are actors who want themselves to be the star. He contrasts that to Hopkins' personality, which is why he still is supportive of smaller actors, also due to his theater background, theater is a place where everyone needs to be at the same level to work. He says how Hopkins wanted to impart his knowledge on him, and Colin feels very lucky and blessed that he had the chance for that. He says Hopkins is the biggest influence he's ever had, and probably will ever have.

Jarlath then talks about how in such a presence, you can't feel cozy, like you've figured it out, but instead you feel that you have something to live up to. Colin says he was terrified in the start, because he was in most of the scenes in The Rite, with only a few scenes with Hopkins that Colin wasn't in. He says it's terrifying to step into the set of a film with such a big budget, and other big actors like Ciarán Hinds and Toby Jones, people he admired so much and he wanted to do well in the film.

On his first scene with Hopkins, Hopkins told Colin, "Listen, it's just acting. Enjoy it." And that helped him ease into the job.

Then he talks about how he prepared himself as a mortician/exorcist for the film. He read a lot of literature about exorcists, he went to a morgue and dressed an actual dead body, all of it stuff he never thought he'd do.

Jarlath picks up on that and asks him for more about it. And boy, did Colin talk about it. He says how even having the film The Exorcist in your house, when they were young, felt like it was an invitation for bad things to happen (he says it was banned in Ireland too). He says he asked the real-life priest that Michael Kovak was inspired from, if he thinks that he (Colin) is inviting in something bad by doing this, playing in this film. The priest said "Yeah, maybe. But if you believe in it, then you believe that God is there to protect you" and Colin was like "I shouldn't have asked". He says that of all exorcists he spoke to, none of them tried to make him believe, they just shared their experience without trying to convince him.

He then talks about an exorcism he attended, where a young woman who was going for the ritual, she didn't want him in the same room but they did meet outside of it, and she looked at him in such a cold way, that he thought if someone was skinning him alive in front of her she would just stand and watch. He says he hadn't seen anyone look at him like that before, hasn't since, and doesn't want to. Then she went inside the room, and after she was done she came out, smiled at him and then left. He stood to listen from outside the room as the exorcism happened, and he talked to the exorcist about it later, and overall it felt very real and scary to him.

Jarlath asks Colin about the auditions he did before Once Upon a Time. Colin says he got very close to some “very big things”. He says how even though The Rite was very widely known and at the top during its premiere, it got mixed reviews and that affected him, because he put a lot of pressure for it to be amazing, but that a film's success doesn't depend on the actors alone.

Colin mentions the pilot he did for Identity, with Angela Bassett, whom he praised, and that between the film and this pilot he got close to something big... Jarlath simply says what he heard involved wearing a cape. Colin says "That's one of them... or it might not be, I don't know, I can't tell."  

Jarlath asks him if he has the thinking of "I don't want to be in a film where they don't want me," for when he doesn't get a role. Colin says that before The Rite, where he wasn't getting many jobs, he was feeling that he was right for the thing that he didn't get, that it was the one shot he had. But he just said he had to believe in himself and keep going at it. He says that like a vampire craves blood, he craves the work, he loves pretending to be someone else.

He talks about how Helen supported him, and how lucky he's been to have her by her side, as well as his brother and parents. He says that there were times he was ready to give up, but with having someone to say he believes in him, it meant so much to him.

Jarlath asks him about what was his big realization moment for Once Upon a Time, Colin replies with the scene he had on the Lady Washington, dressed in leather, and working with Robert Carlyle, that he really went "What the hell am I doing". He says that more than anything it was Carlyle's presence, it was like working with Hopkins. Carlyle was one of Colin's favourite actors, he would watch any film he was in, so it was a huge thing for Colin to work with him.

Then he's asked about how working in Once Upon a Time was for him, and if he felt any pressure on it at all. He says he felt a little stressed because the introduction of the character was a big and important thing for the show. He says that in every season, they didn't know if the show was gonna be picked up for a new season until at the very last minute. He says he feels very lucky that he had his wife and kids in Vancouver, so he could still be with them while working. He loved living in Vancouver, he could go there at any time if it was closer to his home. It was important for him to have his kids grow up near family, so even though he loved Vancouver and made some really great friends there, he wanted to go back to Ireland.

Then Jarlath mentions the fandom of OUAT, about how there are people in it that wanted certain things to happen, and that they directed things towards him. Colin says that he's very protective of his family, and that he doesn't want people taking pictures of his children, and that he can't allow people to be disrespectful of his wife. He's been with Helen for 22 years, she's the love of his life, and he doesn't tolerate anyone telling him anything about his own family. They talk about how some people have a feeling of ownership with the characters they watch, and they can't make the distinction between character and actor, how those lives are different.

Jarlath asks him about how it felt when OUAT ended, if there was a feeling of liberation and expanding his horizons after so many years of being dedicated to it. Colin says he adored working in OUAT, and felt very lucky to get to portray a character for such a long period of time. He was, in part, upset when they were finishing and he had to leave a place that he had made such good friends at, but he was excited for what would come next. He wants to play as many different characters as he can.

They then talk about Dolly Parton. Colin says that when he first met Dolly, she was talking about the world and all and as he was listening to her he was thinking "I can now understand how people join cults." He says she has amazing charisma and energy. When the offer came for him to play in a Western, and working with Dolly, he knew he just couldn't say no. She's got so many stories, and when working with Colin she told him about the stories behind some of her songs, like Jolene. He says she's exactly as you see her, she doesn't put on a performance or a persona in interviews and such.

"JJ Sneed. It's a bit of fun," Colin says.

Then Jarlath jumps to how the relationship was behind the scenes of The Right Stuff. Colin says they were living close to each other for five months, so they had a lot of fun together, despite how serious the show was. They became very close, and he says that the real astronauts as well that they portray came to be very close with each other. He mentions the time he and the rest of the cast went to Disneyworld and basically became ten-year-olds. He says that when filming such a serious show, having some craic is needed to balance it out.

He says choosing to film something now is complicated, as he has a family and he doesn’t want to quarantine for two weeks, go and film for a few days, then come back and quarantine for another two weeks before he's with family again. He feels glad that in this difficult time he had the chance to be with his family. He mentions that his dad was having health issues, but he's good now, and again he felt lucky he didn't have to be away during all that.

~

And that’s what I got! I probably missed a few things, but hearing Colin talk about all that stuff, especially his experiences with the exorcisms and stuff, is so interesting! If you want to listen to it yourself, you can become a patreon for Jarlath right here.

[thegreymoon]

LMAO, Twitter is a cesspool! 😂😂 

I have just been exposed to the most ridiculous fandom drama to end all ridiculous fandom drama! It seems like some YiZhan “fans” are mad at Luo Yunxi and Chen Feiyu for... idk? Interacting with each other (???) at the Tencent awards ceremony? According to them, by doing so, they are imitating BJYX, because, apparently, Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo invented promotion of the shows they are starring in and.. I guess, amicable conversation? 🤔 Also, they are allegedly “suppressing” BJYX by being all smiley and friendly with each other and getting a lot of attention for it. They are “stealing their thing”, you see, because, as we all know, Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo have copyrighted being cute and friendly with one’s costar while promoting a major project that they both have so much riding on. 

So, a couple of thoughts about this nonsense.

1. First of all, why is this even a fanwar?? None of these people are in any way related to each other except for working in the same industry and apparently having the audacity to star in a show of the same genre?? Both can exist at the same time, ffs!! Also, the more the merrier! Please give me all the danmei adaptations!! 

2. Second, toxic clowns like these are the reason why their faves can no longer be seen so much as saying a word to each other out in the open. The only reason Luo Yunxi and Chen Feiyu still get to smile at each other and openly enjoy each other’s company while Wang Yibo and Xiao Zhan look stressed and miserable during their rare joint appearances is because they still haven’t had crazies like these almost succeed in ruining their career. Chen Feiyu comes from acting royalty, though, so I am hoping this will shield him from at least some of the nonsense coming his way, but Luo Yunxi already has assholes on his tail because he dared to star in shows with whoever toxic shippers were shipping with other people at the time. (Okay, I don’t have the full story on this because reading the whole thread and its related links got super exhausting very quickly, so forgive me if I got something wrong, but a couple of weeks back I ran across this ridiculous drama on Twitter (again) with people hating on him because he starred in Love is Sweet with Bai Lu, and get this, they are mad because she is no longer doing shows with another actor who got sidelined because he was accused of and admitted to domestic violence.) 

3. Third, the way Luo Yunxi and Chen Feiyu interacted couldn’t be more innocuous. It’s just what you would expect from two people who worked closely together for several months and also happen to like each other’s company. With that said, of course Tencent put them together on the red carpet and during their performance so that they can be cute as a pair! They have a show that they have sunk major money in to promote! Of course Tencent wants the hype! How is this even controversial and idek, somehow dishonest?? Also, Luo Yunxi and Chen Feiyu are dead ringers for the characters they are portraying, so please let the book fans enjoy seeing them together in peace! Nobody really thinks they are together, ffs! 

Anyway, was this post strictly necessary? Of course not, I’m just baffled and annoyed. I was so sad for Wang Yibo and Xiao Zhan and how awkward they had to be with each other the entire night. Ship them or not, it’s just insane to me that these two young people launched an international hit show together and now can’t be seen talking to each other because their fandom got so toxic and awful. In addition to that, I am low-key worried and scared for Luo Yunxi and Chen Feiyu because even without this RP shipping nonsense, they have this massive target on their backs because of the nature of 2ha. And lastly, I simply hate antis of all kinds. You don’t like someone or something? Nobody is forcing you to watch, you absolute asshat! Click out and go watch something else, ffs, but don’t go around spearheading hate campaigns against real people and shitting on everyone else’s fun! This kind of garbage supports no one and only does damage to everyone involved. 

[genshin-impact-updates]

Developer Insight #4: Character Stories (I) - "Vigilant Yaksha" Xiao (Part II)

3. Vanquishing Demons: Animating & Debugging

Greetings, Travelers. This is Xiaolong from the Genshin Impact Animation department.

When work on Genshin Impact first began, we in the Animation team set ourselves a rather challenging objective — to provide players with an animation experience as smooth as you would see when watching an animated film. To achieve this goal, we invested a significant amount of time and resources into making character movements as natural and polished as possible. Our hope was that players could view these animations many times without tiring of them.

When we received the character profile and concept art, the whole Animation team got very excited. "Conqueror of Demons," "Vigilant Yaksha," "mighty and illuminated adeptus"... As the image of Liyue's sworn protector emerged before our eyes, equally devastating in looks as in combat, everyone in the team wanted to be a part of it. We felt that in a sense, Creative Concept & Writing and Concept Art had created his soul, and our job as animators was to place his soul inside his body.

As a Liyue character, Xiao's movements naturally had to incorporate some Eastern elements. The notion of a classic martial arts hero instantly came to mind, and a thought took hold in my mind: "I have to capture something of this iconic Eastern aesthetic to show to players around the world, even if only a tiny glimpse of it."

In terms of how to combine polearm combat with Eastern elements, naturally we had plenty of martial arts tradition to draw on. But as an adeptus who has fought countless battles in his past, Xiao could hardly be limited to the physical techniques themselves. So, the way we animated him had to include Eastern elements as well as capture the swift and decisive combat style of a guardian yaksha who has honed his skills over thousands of years.

In the third phase of Xiao's Normal Attack, he performs a sidewards somersault. Typically, after performing a movement like this, one would expect to see further movement of the body to release the momentum. But to show Xiao's quick and nimble physical ability, we drew on the Chinese martial arts trope of the body being as "light as a leaf" as well as skills from parkour to have Xiao come to a soft and steady landing after his mid-air roll.

Clip from Flying Swords of Dragon Gate

Xiao's elemental affiliation is Anemo, and he was stated in his profile as having strong self-propulsion skills. After some brainstorming, we decided that we wanted the visual effect of Xiao's Elemental Skill to be like an arrow flying in a straight line through the air. When the skill ends, we have him slide along the ground as he slowly turns around, making the movement appear effortless and graceful.

Clip from Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon

As mentioned earlier, we wanted to make everything look as polished as possible. This meant ironing out a lot of details. Every flap of clothing and every strand of hair has undergone an animator's repeated scrutiny. After reviewing countless motion effects produced with dynamic simulation, we would select the one we were happiest with and polish the key frames further to finally produce the heroic Vigilant Yaksha we were happy with, whose every movement was filled with explosive energy and speed, and whose every posture in every frame was picture perfect.

We couldn't discuss Xiao without mentioning his mask, a key element which appears both in his Elemental Burst as well as his idle animations. Over the millennia, Xiao has fought constantly with the remnants of defeated gods and with all manner of monsters; at the same time, the burden of karmic debt has constantly been accumulating within him. When he dons his mask, this karmic debt manifests itself, greatly enhancing both his combat abilities as well as the suffering he must endure. And yet, time after time, he dons his mask to protect Liyue; time after time, he stays true to his contract.

According to Xiao's profile, his deepest, most hidden element is gentleness. When all identities and labels are cast aside, Xiao has a gentle side, shown in his curiosity towards phenomena in the human world, but he is very reticent to show this side of himself to others. This aspect was very difficult to capture in his animations, so in the end we created an idle animation that tells a short story: a spark of light that seems to be alive draws near; Xiao stretches out his hand to try to make contact with it, but because of his karma-ravaged constitution, he succeeds only in causing the spirit to fly away. He knew this would be the inevitable conclusion, but feels dejected all the same.

It took this kind of conflict between complex emotions to convey this character's richness and breathe life into his soul.

To perfect how Xiao is presented, our Technical Animation team used optical motion capture technology, which captures high-precision data to accurately recreate the finer details of the actor's limb movements. Meanwhile, more complex combat movements that could not be easily recreated in real life required the animator to go through and fine-tune the position of each bone and the movement of each streamer. On the foundation of smooth and natural animation, this added an additional element of exaggeration and novelty.

We are currently in the process of researching and developing character animation styles for several future world regions. Our dream has always been to create fresh, dynamic characters, build a vibrant fantasy world, and fully develop the various cultures across the different regions of Teyvat. Although plenty of challenges await us on the road ahead, we feel that the chance to bring you a product that is a true labor of love is something worth striving for.

---

Thanks to all our colleagues who worked on this article. We hope everyone reading it feels they got to understand something new about how we develop characters for Genshin Impact.

Please leave a comment if there is any aspect of Genshin Impact's research and development that you are interested in. We will continue to get colleagues from different departments to share their experiences and reflections with everyone.

Finally, thanks once again to all Travelers for your ongoing interest and support. See you again soon!

[trvelyans-archive]

There’s something about the detective’s apartment that’s been bothering Nate, but he couldn’t put a finger on it until today:

It lacks... character.

Celandine has enough character already, of course, but her home doesn’t feel much like a home, with the blank walls, the empty shelves, and the bare windowsills. It’s not a home that Nate feels settled in, anyway, and he suspects the rest of the unit feels the same – even Felix sits uncharacteristically stiff on the couch, like Adam who sits the same way on a chair across the room. Tonight, Nate has taken up position standing beside the wardrobe near the window, running his fingers along the polished cherry wood like he has the past several days and searching for something to say.

He’d truly take anything, but he has no idea where to start.

Even in the weeks that they’ve known and worked alongside the detective, she still remains a mystery to them. For the most part, at least, and in the ways that matter. It doesn’t help that Adam continues to butt heads with her whenever he has the chance – he lacks the sensitivity and care that it takes to get to know such a reserved person. Nate, on the other hand, is making a fair bit of headway in that department…

(He thinks so, anyway. He can’t really tell.)

Somewhere in the room, a clock is ticking. Very, very slowly. It’s probably setting Adam on edge – Nate can practically hear him grinding his teeth from across the room – but he can’t blame Adam for that. After all, there’s little else to do to distract themselves from the sound. But surely, surely, there must be something noteworthy in this apartment, Nate thinks – and if he finds it, or when he finds it, he hopes that she’ll be awake so he can ask her about it. (He supposes that it can wait until tomorrow, but he’d rather not. He’s incredibly bored.)

In a stroke of luck, he looks up to try and find the clock so he can reach for it in the event that Adam launches himself at it and tries to snap it in half, and his gaze is drawn to the top of her bookshelf, where he sees a line of shiny gold and silver trophies. He has no idea how he missed them before - they’ve been keeping guard in the living room of her apartment for days - but on closer inspection, they seem pushed back far onto the shelf, almost like she was trying to hide them. 

Nate can’t imagine she’ll be happy to find out she didn’t succeed.

“Detective,” he calls out anyway, “what are these trophies for?”

Celandine pokes her head through the kitchen doorway, frowning. She’s been making dinner for the past little while, and the idea of Adam’s disapproving stare is the only thing that’s stopped Nate from joining her. (Human food sounds good right about now – or like a good distraction, at least.) “Lots of things,” she answers absently. “Why?”

“Just curious,” he says, trying to sound pleasant. “Would you mind elaborating? I’m quite interested in them.”

She sighs, returning to the kitchen for a brief moment before emerging again and joining the rest of the unit in the living room while she wipes her hands on her shoulders. Over her shoulder, Nate swears he can see Adam watching her, but he doesn’t have time to dwell on it before she’s standing beside him with her arms crossed over her chest. “They’re nothing special,” she says, squinting as she tries to read the labels. She’s half a foot shorter than Nate, so he can imagine how difficult it is for her to see them considering how difficult it was for him. “The first one – the smallest one – was for ballet.”

“Ballet?” Felix stands up from the couch and ambles over to them. “You were a ballerina?”

Celandine glances over at him. “Taking a ballet class doesn’t make someone a ballerina,” she says. “I was young, four or five. After...” She trails off and clears her throat, reaching up to smooth her hair against her scalp. “Rebecca enrolled me. I was the best at the recital.”

“Is that what the trophy is for?” Nate asks, smiling good-naturedly.

“No,” she says, completely serious. “They gave everyone trophies.”

He smiles a little wider.

Her hazel eyes move down the line to the next trophy. “That one… Hm. I believe I got the highest mark on mock exams in school. They started doing mock exams when we were young to prepare us for the real thing, which didn’t help most kids because they never studied, anyway. The next one was for a spelling bee that I won when I was around ten or eleven. The next…” She frowns. “I can’t remember.”

“Must not be that important, then,” Mason comments. He’s smoking a cigarette again, even though the detective asked him not to do that in her apartment. Nate shoots him a glare.

Thankfully, she ignores him. She used to challenge Mason in return whenever he tried to pick a fight, but Nate thinks she realized - like everyone does eventually - that it’s a lost cause. Instead, she continues, “The one after that, the larger one, was for the debate team that I was in.” She points to it, and Nate tilts his head so he can see it. (Felix pushes himself up onto his toes and holds onto Nate’s shoulder for support so he can see it, too.) “I was in it all throughout school. We traveled to France for the finals, one year, in Paris. And I was the captain.”

“Unsurprising,” Adam says from behind them. Nate turns around, ready to admonish him, but he’s surprised to find Adam standing up and slowly approaching the three of them, looking on in what seems to be genuine interest.

That’s certainly a new development.

Celandine turns around at the his comment, too, and her look is cool and unchallenging like she’s daring Adam to continue with a criticism before adding, “Well, it might surprise you to know that I played Lady Macbeth in my final year of school.” She turns around and points to the final trophy on the shelf. “I was given an award for it from my directors. I was, supposedly, the best addition to the drama club that year.”

“I never pegged you for an actor, either,” Felix says as he looks at the trophy, still hanging onto Nate’s shoulder for dear life as he purses his lips in thought.

“I wasn’t,” Celandine answers, smiling a little. “I’m just good at telling people what they want to hear. When I want to.”

“Did you like school?” Felix asks, amber eyes wide. It’s becoming clearer and clearer to Nate how much the lack of stimulation in the detective’s apartment has affected the younger vampire. “Do you have any crazy stories?”

“Felix,” Adam says in warning.

“What? I’m just asking!”

“Not any stories that you would find interesting, I’m sure,” Celandine says, crossing her arms over her chest. “Our trip to France was surprisingly uneventful. Besides the man who followed me back to our hotel one night, but I dealt with him without much issue.”

Felix’s eyes are as wide as saucers. Nate feels similarly fascinated and also concerned, considering the fact that the detective was probably very young at that time. He swears he can see Adam’s jaw clench out of the corner of his eye.

“Dealt with him how?” Felix asks.

She smirks, her eyes wandering across the line of trophies again as she loses herself in thought. “I asked him for his phone, pretending that I would give him my number, and instead I called his mother,” she says. “She deserved to know that her son was preying on teenagers, and one on a school trip, no less. We had a very long phone call, and at one point she requested I put it on speaker so she could scold him for everyone around to hear. He cried like a baby, and I doubt he ever tried it again.”

The three of them look at the detective in stunned silence. She raises her chin a little, and in that moment, Nate thinks she looks so much like her mother. “He deserved no sympathy,” she says somewhat defensively.

“I can’t disagree with that,” he replies, clearing his throat. “And I’m not surprised that you kept such a cool head in such… difficult circumstances.”

“Yeah,” Felix chimes. “You’re kind of a badass.”

“I like to think so,” Celandine agrees. She doesn’t thank either of them for the praise, but Nate can tell she appreciates it, if only a little. “Anyway, those are those trophies. I’ve been thinking of throwing them away.”

“You shouldn’t,” Adam says, staring at the trophies. “It’s good to be reminded of your accomplishments.”

Nate can see the hint of a smile on the detective’s lips before Adam glances down at her, the dim light of the apartment twinkling in his eyes, and continues, “It helps to remember that you can succeed whenever you fail.”

Nate sees a flash of something softer cross Celandine’s face – perhaps hurt – before she blinks. “Sounds like you know that from experience,” she responds calmly.

In an instant, Nate can see Adam’s hackles start to raise, so he pushes himself in between them. His job would be a lot easier if he didn’t have to keep the team’s personalities in check like a babysitter, but he knows that everyone – including the detective – have a lot to acclimate to right now, so he’s trying to keep it together as best as he can. “Thank you for indulging me, Detective,” he says, smiling. “It certainly seems like you have accomplished a lot in your life so far, and I think I speak for everyone when I say that we’re honored to have you as a part of our team. Perhaps you’ll be able to use all the things you’ve learned against Murphy, when the time comes.”

She seems taken aback by his kindness, especially after Adam’s previous statement, but before Nate can dwell on it, she replaces her smile with a blank, disinterested expression. “I should get back to dinner,” she says, brushing past him with a quick glance in Adam’s direction that the blonde man returns once she’s turned her back.

And then he snarls under his breath and stalks towards his position on the other side of the room once more, leaving Nate to lean against the wall and look after him with a curious eye. Though the conversation with the detective didn’t last as long as he would’ve liked it to, it seems that perhaps he’d learned more about her than he thought.

[nissakii]

What do Mystic Messenger characters represent in society? [MysMe]

Mystic Messenger which is a game filled with a lot of action, drama and some sort of romance is still really close to our reality.

Especially the characters represent a lot of us and the many different situations people can be in and suffer from, as every and each of them offers us a route in which we can see more of the character and help them to achieve their ending (or not if you are curious to get the bad endings).

Yet what do those characters represent in our usual lives?

Where do we see each and every one of these characters in our society?

In the following blog post, we will see that every character shows us a certain place and piece of our reality that Cheritz put in their game.

Yoosung Kim

Starting with the youngest member of RFA let’s take the one who hasn't experienced the world of work yet.

As an uni student Yoosung is the very representation of someone who isn’t sure where life could lead him after achieving one big goal: getting into university.

Because despite the fact that standing on one’s own feet starts at that phase in life it is mostly the time where many feel lost as they see themselves stuck in their current life.

And Yoosung is one of those many cases that represent those people in Mystic Messenger.

Living alone for the first time and suddenly feeling the overwhelming force of being responsible for his own mistakes, he sees the sudden challenges of life that come with it.

On top of that with the death of his cousin Rika which he loved so dearly, nobody is very considerate of his feelings, depression and sadness that still lingers inside of him despite that they all claim it is understandable.

His dream job as a vet that was closely tied to the death of Rika’s dog is the more unattainable and painful to think about after the events as he requestions the morals and standards of society.

Being in the age of constantly being expected to give good results and succeed in order to become valuable to society’s standards, he starts to realize how unfair the chances in life are as he compares himself to Jumin Han who was born rich and with his future already set.

We already discussed a lot about Yoosung’s insecurities and general character in another blogpost, but referring to it Yoosung constantly sees no value in whatever he does beside in helping the RFA which as well due to the death of Rika became inactive until MC appeared.

When someone stops to value what he does or sees no merit in it, there are always the questions:

Why did I start this anyway?

What is the whole purpose of this?

Maybe it’s not for me?

And with those questions, with the heavy burden of a private life and social circles that also have a place in one’s life, sometimes there is a need to escape them all.

As a student just running away or taking holidays is not that easy leaving a bunch of responsibilities behind, so the next best way to stop thinking about the life around you is, immersing into another life- gaming.

Gaming may be a good coping mechanism but also a big threat for those who want to constantly flee from their reality slowly developing a game addiction without realizing, just like Yoosung slowly started to lose himself in LOLOL.

Studying, sorrow, wanting to flee but also wanting to become someone standing on stable footing.

They are all parts of finding oneself in the process, going through the harsh times of slowly diving into the world of adults and that is what Yoosung represents - the start of a new phase in life, probably one of the harshest.

Jaehee Kang 

Close, but still more experienced would be Jaehee Kang the only female of the RFA next to the MC, a chief secretary at C&R and  also the assistant of Jumin Han.

Jaehee is someone seen as a prime example and role-model, being a stable career woman who achieved a lot in her life and has a fairly high income to support herself.

In society’s eyes she is someone who contributes to success and as she is even an early top university graduate for which she got a scholarship in highschool making her extremely diligent and intelligent since her childhood.

Yet Jaehee gave up a lot to be in the position she is right now, she even cut her long hair and wears glasses despite her good vision since it is part of the demands Jumin made for the job as his secretary.

As she said herself her work contains a lot of tasks which some of them she isn’t even supposed to do and go beyond her ordinary secretary job, yet she does them and doesn’t complain since she gets paid for it.

In Zen’s DVD she tried to find a bit of happiness in her daily monotone routine as she works day in and day out, where she even eats out a lot and until late hours, having to take care of her boss’s cat when asked to.

In one of the chats in which Jaehee and Yoosung are talking about how successful and stable Jaehee is unlike Yoosung who is still feeling lost and doesn’t have that stability in life which she wouldn’t understand.

Jaehee on the other hand responds that despite having a job it’s not really that what she wanted to do and that she is still wondering what it is that she actually wants to do as she mentions that she used to go hiking a lot as her hobby, showing that despite being in a good position in society Jaehee still doesn’t feel fulfilled and rather a bit trapped in her monotone working routine which she basically devoted her life to.

Jaehee represents those of who seem like they have achieved a lot and do have a place in society job-wise but are still not sure what it is what they really want to do as they live in and out of their secure routine which they maintain and people expect them to be satisfied with.

Zen

Zen or how he is called by his real name, Hyun Ryu is one of the few characters that actually went through and made his dream his actual job.

Despite his looks he did not become a model but an actor depicting many emotions and roles in which he loses himself in while giving his best to show the audience the true nature of the persona he is currently playing.

We see Zen being a bit more on the easy-going side and encouraging Yoosung for example to follow his heart and dreams like he did, since it worked out for Zen. Yoosung encounters that Zen has the looks to follow the way he wants to which he won’t deny yet it’s not the only quality Zen bears.

He is a very hard-working person, strict on himself when it comes to working out or dieting and also tends to be a workaholic engrossing himself in constant development to fulfill his dream, which is not tied to his looks. Quite contrary Zen despises the fact that some people choose him a role only fitting for his looks and even worse asking him only to model instead of acting, as he mentions that it is acting that he wants to do and not modelling.

In that way his wishes often get disrespected or disregarded due to his looks, also he is being seen as shallow which may lead to people jumping to conclusions.

We see in Zen’s route what a harsh path he had to take in order to pursue his dream, it took him a lot of sacrifice, patience and work to be where he is and it’s only the start for him.

He ran away from home since his parents did not approve of his dreams, he was not the best at school and also dropped out renting an apartment for himself struggling through hard times to survive.

But despite that he never gave up since his dream was his passion and something he did with much eagerness and seriousness, even though many may call it foolish or risky.

Zen is the best representation of the people in our society who choose to derive from the usual path striving for a stable job and take many risks to achieve their dreams.

Because of those dreams life may get a bit harder and the chances are not high, yet Zen is the best example that it takes time, sacrifices and sometimes harsh circumstances to reach that what you want to do.

He is the hard reality of chasing your dreams.

Jumin Han

More or less in our category of society, Jumin Han is a less common case of working hard to achieve a high status and standard in that sense which doesn’t make him lazy or given everything for nothing, but makes his life sure easier from a materialistic perspective.

Cue materialism the first thing that not only RFA mentions when MC enters the chatrooms in the first days but also a misunderstanding from the start is that Jumin only sees numbers and facts, wielding his money to obtain whatever he desires and living an easy life.

Sure enough, money is one of the most fundamental problems that make life much harsher when it's lacking, also it’s the main cause of many stress factors since education, work and status are all basically tied to money. 

If the world is not about money in a certain sense why are we struggling that much anyways to get amazing jobs and maybe in some cases like Jaehee give up part of our life and identity?

But Jumin is the perfect example that the rich people who exist out there or at least some of them do not rely solely on their privilege of being born rich, yet still work hard to prove their position in society as Jumin still graduated as a top student, being part of MENSA which requires high IQ to become a member of and has a policy of working as efficiently as possible.

In that sense Jumin is a talented, intelligent young man who doesn’t want to simply rely on his background but also showcase his skills as he always strives to get the best results in the company to make sure he deserves the place as the CEO in line.

Since Yoosung constantly nags and complains about Jumin’s background being a bliss and that he had a comfortable and easy life, Jumin does not tell him he might be wrong but that he simply did not decide to be born that way and still encourages Yoosung that he has good qualities which Jumin finds appealing enough to hire him as an intern, showing him that it’s still important which skills someone hones.

Yoosung is just one example of people viewing him as someone who is just lucky enough to be born rich or the unfairness of status by birth, but they do not see the the dark side of Jumin’s life as he never had any stable relationships beside V that he cherishes so much also that people only put light on his status but not the work that he himself put into, visiting lessons since childhood not growing up like a usual kid playing freely without fearing to be kidnapped.

Therefore the concept of love is quite strange for him and beside in the good ending of his own route where he finally starts to learn about it, the box of emotions Jumin holds is always hidden deep within him projecting his own weaknesses on Elizabeth the 3rd who gives him the secure form of love and loyalty.

In any other situation love is not needed in the world he grew up in since facts and cold logic represented as results of success is what the people need to see from him, mistakes are a sign of weakness and incompetence especially him who everyone is constantly watching.

Jumin represents those in society who may seem to have high status, wealth and cozy life yet struggle due to the things that cannot be merely achieved by money alone, highlighting the importance of interpersonal relationships.

Saeyoung Choi/707/Luciel

That the world is not an easy place that can be seen only as black and white shows us the next character who suffered a lot through the dark and hidden secrets that society often tries to brush under the carpet.

Saeyoung Choi and his twin brother who we will examine later, show us the cruelty hidden in a small apartment living with an abusive mother who used to beat them up, verbally abuse them as a consequence of them being the illegitimate child of the prime minister.

Since Saeyoung was the more skilled one from a young age, he was treated badly but not as worse as his brother Saeran, which left him with no choice than using his talent to save his brother.

In order to that there was only one option and it was to leave his brother behind leaving him in the hands of V and Rika to protect him while Saeyoung would study to make sure when comes back he and Saeran could run away together.

And he took that option instead of fearing to be killed by his father one day or even by his mother.

In the end Saeyoung landed in an agency which stripped him of any identity and made him work like a machine even before he turned legal due to his level of skill and intellect.

With no place to escape anymore and the only light thinking that Saeran is safe and protected from some floppy disks he has with some pictures of him, he gave into corruption but not turning bad since his intentions kept him pure.

The RFA were a little safespace for him yet Seven never had the right as he claims for that since he doesn’t even have an identity anymore being neither Saeyoung nor any other person as his jobs demands for him to constantly change names and places if needed, therefore he doesn’t even have personal data anywhere.

He even forgot who he is at some point if it wasn’t for V and the floppy disks leaving him in an identical crisis and no hope to be understood by anyone as he constantly wears a mask and never is his true self.

In his eyes his is constantly extorted by his agency and even in some routes he claims that RFA puts a heavy load of work on his back which he likes to do but there are some endings in which Seven finds out that Saeran is under bad circumstances and even worse the hacker who infiltrated RFA and wanted to get rid of him, leaving him to lose trust in the last person he had, V.

Saeyoung Choi represents those who are mistreated, used and extorted in society, forced to live a life in which they cannot decide for themselves and were left to make choices that led them to an unfavorable position instead of helping them.

He is the one showing us that the shadows exist and fear of losing existence due to being nuisance and eyesore for people who have a more favorable place in the eyes of the government.

Saeran Choi/Unknown/Ray

Last but not least the other part of the shadows, Saeran Choi also known as either Ray or Unknown.

Unlike his brother he is at first not shown to have any special talent and since childhood he was a very fragile and kind boy who was seen as weak due to his nature.

A trait that made him prone to being attacked and mistreated not only by his mother but many other people.

But starting with his mother as he was less free than Saeyoung and even tied him up to avoid that he would roam around freely, his mother used to call him weak, useless and of no value as his brother is far better than him and skilled, at least making him worth to be kept alive.

She even deprived him of food and water at times, beat him up and made sure he would know his place in the world as she describes people like us comparing him to her.

Yet Saeran always looked up and trusted his brother since he was a good-natured person despite the fact that he started to manifest the idea that he himself is useless and a burden.

Even when Saeyoung left he was sure that he had a good reason and blamed himself for being useless, but due to certain circumstances and manipulation he was told that Saeyoung ran away from him.

It took a lot of torture and brainwashing to make Saeran finally give up the idea that Saeyoung will keep his promise and never ran away from him. which he later fueled his grudge with.

Rika who used him for mint-eyes plans made sure to keep him as Ray, the one who knew that he was of no merit or value to the outside world, and the moment he would leave the place he now belonged to would be the moment people would trample him, the weak down to the ground.

She also made sure to make him believe that there is no other place for him since he is someone unstable, someone who can only bloom if he worked for mint-eye and that his skills are not needed beside in here the place that would never betray him.

As we notice in Ray’s chats, the same exact words are used when he speaks to MC as he tells her if he doesn’t succeed he would be thrown away and that the world outside is an unprotected place full of people who are cruel.

Weirdly enough in one of the chats Ray shows MC a photo of two plants that sprouted in the from the same ground, but one was almost dying while the other one bloomed as he referred to Saeyoung and himself,  noticing that the stronger one used the weaker to survive therefore he cut the stronger one and used it as a fertilizer rejecting the idea that in any kind of way the stronger could win over the weaker one even in nature’s way.

MC who can be as nice to Ray/Saeran as she wants to be, he will always bring up the fear of being left behind as he has the stigma of being unstable by himself or unusable if not finishing the job as it’s the only thing he can bring any profit in and that he is no use if he doesn’t fulfill his role as a puppet.

Saeran Choi represents the undermined and discarded people of society who were not give a chance nor an option to show their ability, but were stigmatised or manipulated to act as puppets as they are only of worth when they can fulfill the needed tasks as their weakness is something unsightly and doesn’t have a place in this world.

The weak never survives, it’s the survival of the fittest… which means if there is no merit in what he does there is no need to keep him.

Are there any other characters which you see in society that are also part of the mystic messenger cast?

Do you feel especially tied to one of the characters in one of these aspects?

Until then - I just got a message

Makii

Original Source