#my gosh the quality looks so bad in the editor-

[escapizm]

"그 누구도 항해한 적이 없었대

깊고 어두운 바다 위"

"No one has ever sailed

Above the deep, dark sea" 

- Stray Kids, "Mixtape #4/ Broken Compass"

[unlikelyempathpruneauthor]

Tour without You

Summary: fans saw the video of cal singing ghost of you and people think you two broke up.

a/n: SO YALL KNOW WHICH VIDEO I'M TALKING ABOUT RIGHT? Idk if he was actually crying, but a part of me tells me he was, but idk who knows, but i hope he was okay and is doing okay now.

You were currently home watching duke at yours and cal’s place. You couldn't go on tour with cal because of work, so being alone was a norm you had grown into. Whenever you didn't go on tour you and cal would spend time calling one another whenever a show was over, so he could see you and if you needed to comfort him for anything. He hated when he had to leave you alone, but you would reassure him you had someone that was a part of him. Duke would usually stay with the dog sitter, but when you stayed back home you watched duke. You two would have some quality time together as usual so the small pup can use his energy throughout the day.

For Cal though today, just wasn't his day. Their bus tour had taken a re-route, they got to the venue late, he couldn't focus during rehearsal since it was cut short, from them arriving late. Usually when stress came he was able to handle it well, but you usually were there to comfort him right there and then, which also added to his stress as well, not being able to be with you in moments like these. Fans in the audience and online had seen his expression and worried for him, especially when singing Ghost of you. He hated that his stress would reflect how he acts during shows, but today was really bad for him. Cal doesn't really notice when fans are recording, but a video had gone viral during the concert within minutes and fans skepulating about you and cal. You had no idea of this hence you not being near your phone all day and having a nice day out with duke. Your phone had been blasting all night and once you got home with duke you checked it once seeing all the notifications on all of your socials.You were slightly confused as to why there were so many so you checked it out.

@5SOSUPDATES: is it possible cal and y/n broke up? Could be because they haven been posting with one another. Also today’s performance he seemed sad, especially during Ghost of you.

“What the hell?” you said as the puppy barked at you as you continued to look for something that gave you some sort of idea that was going on. Then MTV also made a topic off of it.

SPECULATING BREAK UP RUMOURS: POPSTAR CALUM HOOD AND GIRLFRIEND Y/N L/N POSSIBLY BROKE UP BEFORE A SHOW DURING TOUR

You were quick to find the resources they were using to claim these speculations and there was a video of cal singing ghost of you, at first it was all good, he was singing good, you saw no sad emotions, but when it got to him harmonizing, with the ghost of you, that's when his expression changed. At first you thought that it was just the way he was singing. But you looked over and yeah you were convinced he was crying.

You tried to first go over anything you might have said to make him upset, but there was nothing, you texted when you could and he seemed fine the night before, so you didn't know what was wrong. Unless he lied to you, which he would do when he was away from you. He didn't want to bother you, but you always told him to talk to you when he was feeling down and not himself. You were always going to be there to talk to him always. Just then you got a call from mali, you were quick to answer as she probably has seen these as well.

“Mali, hey.” you said as she spoke, “hey super weried, but have you been on your socials and possibly MTV?” she asked as you sighed, “yes i have.” you said as she contuned, “okay, is it ture?? Did you two break up? Omg did cal do something because i swear-” she said as you giggled and cut her off, “no we didn't, well at least i think so, but uh, no i called him before this show and he seemed fine, but you know how he is, he doesn't tell the full truth until you get it out of him.” you said as she hummed, “thats true, well are you talking to him tonight?” she asked as you hummed back, “yeah i should be getting a call in about an hour, i dont think he has checked his phone yet, so i'll call you first thing alright?” you said as she hummed and you two said your goodbyes. As your phone was still blowing up, more and more rumours were being made, but you didn't expect to be getting attacked.

5SOSWILDFLOWER: Yall, there are some photos of y/n with another guy before cal had gone to tour, guess cal has a reason.

|

Caly/n_stan: i don't think she would cheat though, they've been together for years.

|

Lukehemmingsstan: i mean yeah but people change especially when dating a celeb, and it wouldn't be the first time a 5sos member would be cheated on.

|

@mikeycliff5sos: i mean you can tell she was just in it for the money and the fame, she never spoke about her job.

You were at first confused as to what pictures you were talking about, but then you clearly remember you were with the dog sitter, who happens to be a guy. He was one of Cal's best friends and he always took care of duke when you were away. You were there before cal had gone to tour, to tell him personally that you were staying with duke, since you knew him and it would be nice to catch up on duke’s behavior. Of course the fans didn't know that, but that didn't mean they should attack you. You were kinda stressed about this situation, especially with the things being said, fans even started to question your real intentions with cal and wondered if you were just after cal for his money and fame questioning your line of work as well, which wasnt public because you line of work was importnatn, you were a visual editor at entertainment company and well you kept it private and you didn't want any problems.

On cal’s side of things, he hadnt checked his phone at all wanting to handle one side of stress at a time. After teh show he realxed before calling you, making sure he looked good and fine. But once he lifted his phone he had seen so many notifications, at first he thought it was about the show from tonight but when he clicked he saw everything that was being said about you and him that you two had broken up and the means things being said about you. He was quick to call you as you answered quickly hoping he was okay.

“Hey” you both said quite rapidly, “sorry you go first.” cal said as you sighed and spoke, “are you okay? But i want to know the full truth cal, you know you can talk to me.” you said as he rubebd his head and wished he had spoken to you before anything, he knew if he talked to you hten these rumours wouldnt be made. “Fuck love, im sorry, we had to reroute the show for tonight we got there late, and rehearsal was rushed and, today i didn't do my best to hide my stressed emotions, i tried, but i couldnt, all i wnated to do was talk to you before the show, but i wasnt able to,” he said as his voice was cracking and you felt bad for him, you knew he handled stress well, but you knew today was one of those days, “bub its okay, just talk to me about this kind of stress to help you when you can, no matter what time it may be. I know im not htere, but remeber im a phone call away, always. No matter waht okay, you call me when youre feeling like this.” you said as he smiled a little missing you so much more than he should be able to.

“Youre too good for me you know that? Im sorry for waht the fans are saying, i'll straighten it out babe, they shouldnt be saying this stuff about you,” he said as you giggled, “its fine, it hurt at first, but i mean this all happend beucase i was out with dukes dogsitter,” you said as he laughed a little, “gosh the fans are really out of hand, i love you so much, youre there for me more than many times i could even count, you know youre it for me,” he said as you blushed hearing his words, he would tell you this all the time. It was true, you were it for him and he was it for you. “And youre it for me too, and i'll happily be there for you, always you know that.” you said as he smiled and jsut couldnt wait to get home to you. After talking for about 2 hours, you said your goodbyes and you had gone with the rest of your day as cal had straighten out with the fans about his citation.

He posted a picture on his story of you and captioned it:

To clear out the rumours from today, me and y/n are happily together. y/n has not and has never cheated on me, for those who know she is everything to me and i will do anything to not lose her. There is no anger towards this situation jsut please, be careful with what you say on the interent, even if y/n and i dont post about us everyday its not htat wer are not together, we like to live in the present with one another since i go away for tour. Usually shes here with me, but sadly she isnt. So again please just be aware with what you are posting, we are human and things that were said towards her will hurt anyone.

[gintamatranslations]

Gintama Extra Volume 25 - Toyako Summit #2

(I scanned the page as best as I could without destroying the manga. I translated it from german into english, so deviations from original japanese texts might happen.)

Oishi: Yes, I have returned there. It feels like when I first started drawing manga.

Onishi (laughs): Then maybe you should go back to your parents first, Sorachi-Kun. Go back to a time when you were young and innocent and drew your manga with a glow in your eyes.

Saito: Exactly! To a time when you were still thinking, "Dirty jokes?!" "What's that?"

Sorachi: I wondered back then what my parents thought about dirty jokes.

Saito: And I, as the editor of this series, wonder if it wouldn't be better to have me replaced and return Gintama to Onishi-san's editorial care.

Onishi: No, I'm finished with Gintama. I won't put up with such a small number anymore. Anything that doesn't have a circulation of at least two million per volume doesn't interest me.

Oishi: Two million?

Onishi: That's right, two million. Then we can talk about it again.

All: ...

Onishi: At the end of the day, uninspired drawings also affect the overall quality of a manga.

Oishi: People buy a manga just because of a nicely drawn cover. That's also why gag manga usually sell so poorly.

Onishi: While we're at it... the cover of Gintama volume 23 was so bad... The guy with the cannon for an arm looked like Cobra: The Space Pirate.

Sorachi: You mean Kanemaru? I didn't have any other chara for the cover.

Oishi: Or the cover with Prince Hata. I also wondered why you put him on the cover.

Sorachi: Because there were no other characters in that volume that I could have used!

(Text under image: Posing in front of the lake of Inokashira Park! A (at least in theory) successful souvenir for the participants who had heated debates!)

Saito: At least what Gin-san on the sleeve, that distracted people from the cover. However, with Hedoro, I also wondered why he was on the cover.

Onishi: We put him on because he was a key character... But we still got hit on the head for that. Our deputy editor-in-chief just said, "Gosh! Think about it!"

All: (laughing)

Gintama lacks eroticism!

Onishi: Well, I guess that brings us to the crux of the matter. It's about time a new character joined the main characters. It's a breath of fresh air for the title.

Saito: And what role should she play? Name any other series as an example.

Sorachi: Gin Tama lacks eroticism?

Onishi: She could take a role similar to Lala in Love Trouble.

(Translator Note: Lala is the protagonist's love interest in "To LOVE-Ru", so basically they suggest Sorachi should introduce a love interest for Gintoki)

Oishi: That would make Gin-san and the others smaller ...

Saito: Small enough to fit in her cleavage?

Oishi: Yes, exactly!

Onishi: Because the female characters in Gin Tama don't exactly sparkle with eroticism.

All: !

Sorachi: And what's the best way to go about it?

Saito: It would be great if she looked like the actress Mikako Tabe.

Sorachi: What kind of chara would be good?

Saito: Didn't I just say a character that looks like Mikako Tabe?

Sorachi: Somehow I get the feeling that you're not concerned with the readers' wishes, but with your own.

Onishi: There's something really wrong with you.

Saito: I have Mikako Tabe as a desktop image on my computer at the office!

Onishi: Mikako Tabe? Well... it's okay.

Saito: Excuse me?! She's insanely pretty!

Oishi: Let's ask what Sorachi-san's ideal female character looks like. And that is purely from the appearance.

Sorachi: Purely by appearance? Well... actually I like all girls who are pretty.

Onishi: That's the worst!

All: (laughing)

Sorachi: When I was walking to Inokashira-Park, I noticed that the girls at Kichijoji are all really pretty.

Saito: Yes, that's right.

Sorachi: Isn't that right?!

Onishi: How come you're both on one wave length at once?! (Laughs) Well, you really can't say that ALL the girls here are pretty.

Sorachi: Yes, pretty much all the girls here are pretty.

Oishi: That's just because pretty girls automatically attract your gaze, while you just overlook not-so-pretty girls.

Onishi: Just saying "all" doesn't count! You must have some visual preferences after all. For example, big eyes, or long hair, short hair....

Oishi: Or big breasts, small breasts...

Sorachi: Well, I like big breasts better.

Onishi: What?!

Sorachi: What "what"?! (laughs)

Oishi: There are no characters with big breasts in Gintama.

Onishi: That's right! In fact, not a single character with big breasts appears in your manga...!

Sorachi: Yeah, because I'd be kind of embarrassed.

Saito: Ah, I see.

Sorachi: Yes. There's just nothing I can do about that. But maybe I would manage to jump over my shadow ...

Saito: Good. Then do it.

Sorachi: You might think I have a Lolita complex because I only ever draw charas with small breasts.

Dishi: Kagura is also your female protagonist.

Onishi: Yes. All of your charas have small breasts. That looks an awful lot like a Lolita complex.

[stranger-who-writes-fiction]

Ya know what these self-indulgent Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow posts need? Self-indulgent banner art, that’s what.

Spoilers for issue #4!

Let’s start this off right with CREATOR CREDITS. Issue 4 of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is titled “Restraint, Endurance, and Passion.” Written by Tom King, Art by Bilquis Evely, Colors by Matheus Lopes, Letters by Clayton Cowles, and Edited by Brittany Holzherr. (w/ Assist. Editor: Bixie Mathieu & Senior Editor Mike Cotton)

THE STORY: 

Right, so this? This issue? Best one yet.

Also the bleakest of the bunch thus far; even though we don’t always see the brutality of the space pirates that Kara and Ruthye are following, there’s...the suggestion of it. The aftermath. And how Kara responds to it.

Okay, getting a little ahead of myself. BASIC PLOT SUMMARY: Ruthye and Kara continue their pursuit of Krem, who has taken up with Barbond’s Brigands.

The Brigands basically just. Murder and terrorize people, for profit.

Each planet they visit brings new horrors, as well as people who need Supergirl’s help.

And help she does.

KARA-CTERIZATION:

I yell a lot about the art on this book, and have, in fact, openly admitted that I’m primarily here for Evely and Lopes.

Well, that wily son-of-a-gun King went and wrote some of the best ‘Super’ stuff I’ve ever read and dang it, dang it, now I gotta yell about the words too. XD

Specifically, I wanna yell (in a good way!) about some words that occur towards the very end of the book.

Kara and Ruthye have Seen Some Things; things like genocide and mass grave sites and horrible violence, and upon reaching a planet where peaceful monks were slaughtered, Kara’s had enough, and needs to leave because if she screams, she’ll destroy what little is left of the monks’ monastery.

Here’s the text in full, because my gosh. It’s so good:

“What I write next I write based on my observations in those long-ago days at the side of the greatest warrior in the history of this august reality we all call home. It is important to note that my assertions do not rely on anything Supergirl said. It was not a subject we ever discussed or even approached, but nonetheless I believe it to be as true as the turning of worlds. You see, what is not well understood about the daughter of Krypton is that her power was not one of action but one of restraint, endurance, and passion. She did not choose to fire a beam from her eyes, or have breath of ice, or run faster than a speeding bullet. Or any of her other well-documented miracles. No, she held back her heat vision to look you in the face. She warmed her breath to converse with you. She slowed herself to walk by your side. Ever moment of every day, she suppressed the forces churning inside of her. All of the energy of a dead world that strained against her many barriers, eternally demanded to be released. I believe this effort hurt her. I believe she lived her life in pain. But I reiterate again, for I think it important enough to repeat--These beliefs are based on my time at her side, watching her as she moved through strife and sorrow. If you were to have asked her, I have little doubt she would have claimed that such as assertion was absurd. She would say she felt fine and well and then she’d as you if you needed any help.”

A long chunk of words, I know (this comic is DENSE!) but like. This is it. This is one of the defining attributes of the Supers--all that raw power at their disposal and they choose to help people, to be kind, to suppress that power for the benefit and safety of others.

HNNNNNNNG.

Hope, Help, and Compassion for All.

Whole lotta folks claimed at the outset of this book that King did not understand Kara, that he was a bad fit. And that may be so, I suppose--there’s a whole other discussion about like. The violence and swearing and ‘does that belong in a Supergirl book?’ But the characterization? Getting that Kara and Clark are just good people? 

King gets it. He got it in Superman: Up in the Sky and he gets it here, in Woman of Tomorrow.

Other things King gets! Kara is stubborn! Kara is passionate! Kara is going to fix things, even if the effort of doing so hurts her, physically, emotionally, and mentally!

(Fuuuuuuun fact for the crowd saying that Woman of Tomorrow is vastly superior to the CW show: TV Kara is ALSO all of those things! King isn’t pulling this stuff out of thin air. It’s almost like...gosh. I don’t know! Both the show and Tom King are pulling from the character’s comic history, or something!!!! HOW NOVEL.) 

Like, seriously. There’s a lot of overlap. Stop pitting Karas against each other!

Anyways!

I promised art, so here is art!

Oh, right, forgot to mention, Kara literally THROWS HERSELF INTO THE SUN to express her grief and anger, so as to not cause that unnecessary destruction. She gives new meaning to the phrase: Set yourself on fire to keep someone else warm. 

More art yelling: GOTTDAMN, the way Evely draws Kara just colliding with the surface of the sun and then the way Kara’s hair like...becomes the flames...

I am FEELING FEELINGS. HOW DARE.

Also, props to King and Cowles; King for deciding to have that initial scream, Cowles for the way the letters burst forth from the point of impact on the sun, and then back to King who decided that it would just be...devastating silent screaming from Kara, for the remainder of the scene. 

Back to the characterization, I just wanted to highlight something I mentioned...earlier on, I think? In these posts? But haven’t brought up recently, and that is how this book has not once brought up Zor-El, and I think Superman only got a quick mention in issue 2.

Honestly, I think that’s gotta be some kind of record.

It’s so refreshing. Not because I think there should never be mentions of Clark, or anything--I love that boy--but because so much of modern Supergirl comic drama is mined from the same like, angsting over her place compared to Clark, or her crazy sometimes-a-supervillain dad. 

There is no Clark and Kara drama here, no manufactured friction, because it’s just. A cool Supergirl story! 

Gonna keep going, but let’s do it with some more...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTT!!!!

Once again, Mat Lopes is all over the dang place with his palettes, it’s marvelous.

Each new planet gives Evely the opportunity to go hog wild on the worldbuilding and design, and similarly! Each new locale is an opportunity for Lopes to set the tone with colors. Like, here, towards the beginning of the book, we’ve got a planet bathed in this warm, pale yellow/orange light. 

(Quick note: “Sure, yeah, I get it. We all have our duties. And it’s mine as a neighbor to do what I can to help you with yours. Please.” A+ Kara content. We love to see it. And then locating the remains of the alien’s daughter, so that they can go visit the grave site and have some emotional closure???? It’s just. So. Touching.)

Anyways, back to colors.

Like!!!! LOOK AT THAT JUMP. From the soft, almost pastoral feel of the delicate oranges and yellows to HARD GREEN, PINK, AND PURPLE. (Difficult colors to pull off in print, I might add.) 

(This is also an interesting scene, character-wise, because I think it helps re-contextualize some earlier stuff with Kara. Like, I’m mostly thinking that incident on the bus, where she was swearing at the passengers as the space dragon was about to destroy them. Here, we see Kara kind of...goad this alien woman into releasing her pent up emotions by yelling at her/getting her to fight, and you can clearly see at the end of it that Kara did not mean the things she said, because check this out:

She goes and gives her a hug once the woman is able to finally cry.

It’s not ‘Kara is being mean, Kara is swearing at her’, it’s, ‘Kara has an unorthodox solution to a problem, and she’s gonna FIX that problem, NO MATTER WHAT.’

Circling back to the bus thing--again, that could be an instance of ‘unorthodox approach to a weird situation that Kara is going to handle because lives are at stake.’)

But also, DIG THAT KIRBY KRACKLE, BAY-BEEEEE!

And a little Strange Adventures easter egg! The Pykkts! 

(I think those guys are unique to the Black Label series, rather than deep Adam Strange lore, but don’t quote me on that.)

Moving on to YET ANOTHER PALETTE, one I’ve dubbed, ‘Treasure Planet Purple/Grey’

Love Ruthye’s snoozing against the door, waiting for Kara.

Also, just as striking as the colors of the environment, are the colors used on Kara. 

If you compare this page with the previous one, Kara’s eyes are a paler shade of blue, and the red-rimmed look on her eyes here is not as intense as the red-rimmed look we saw back in issue one, when she was confronting Krem. 

All of which to say! There’s a pale, haunted quality to both the linework and the colors. Like. We know Kara has Seen Some Things. But she’s shoving all that stuff down to protect Ruthye, to save Krypto, and to stop these monsters, and you get all of that WITH COLORS AND LINES ON A PAGE.

I love it, I love it so much.

OTHER BOOKS WISH THEY HAD THIS LEVEL OF CHARACTER ACTING, I TELL YA! THEY WISH THEY HAD THIS BEAUTIFUL ALCHEMY OF INKER, COLORIST, AND WRITER WORKING IN SUCH TIGHT TANDEM!

Ahem. XD

Alright, last bit of art, lest I just. Post the whole issue in here. (Which I’m honestly always tempted to do but Strong Feelings about Piracy hold me back.)

JUST HECKIN’ LOOK AT THAT BLUE, MAN. JUST LOOK AT IT. S’BEAUTIFUL.

And more stunning character acting from Evely. Like. Bottom middle panel. The expression, the tilt of her head and the shadows on her eyes...

*insert silent flailing here*

Oh, also, KRYPTO LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVESSSS (for now). 

I’m never right about these things, so I’m glad the one time I’ve correctly read a thing is when it involves Krypto not, ya know. Being dead. XD

Also absolutely love that Kara’s instinct is to send Ruthye home to protect her--once more leaning into that whole, ‘I’m going to protect you, even at great cost to myself’, though of course we know that she can’t send her home, not here, not now, just halfway through our journey. 

ERRRRRRGH, so mad we’re not getting twelve issues of this! CURSE YOU, POOR SUPERGIRL TRADE SALES! CURSE YOOOOOOU!

That said, King’s pacing? Has been phenomenal. I feel like Strange Adventures and even Mr. Miracle kinda...I’m not gonna say dragged, that’s not quite right. But it is more build up, I guess. Takes a while to get to the payoff.

Here, I think King is pushing things steadily along as he doesn’t have the benefit of an additional four issues, so he has to get to the point, so to speak. Keeps everything moving.

SOME FINAL, MISC. STUFF:

I’ve sort of glossed over the darker stuff from this issue, and I just wanna note that like. This is a book that features a bad guy getting stoned (in the death sentence way, not the drug way) on panel. Like. I can’t recommend this to children.

I can’t even really recommend it to some other Supergirl fans, because I know that the King elements will be too off-putting. 

It never feels like the book is going too far, though. At least in like an...exploitative way? If that makes sense?

The violence is handled with discretion, I guess is what I’m trying to convey. This could very easily tip over into like, gross shock factor territory, if not handled well, but I think the creative team pulls it off.

...Still wouldn’t hand this book to kids, though. XD

As mentioned, we’re halfway through this series! Can’t wait to see where it goes--every time I think I have this book figured out, it surprises me. So, like. Bring on the Dinosaur planet! With no sunlight! I wanna see how Lopes handles THAT. XD

(But Oh, OooooOOooh, we gotta wait until NOVEMBER.)

(Hhhnnnnng!)

(Then again, maybe that’s good; we’ve got the TV show in the meantime, and then once it ends we can pick right up with new Supergirl content just a few weeks later.)

(...Aw. Made myself a little sad, thinking about the TV show coming to an end.)

:C

So as not to end on that sad note, here once again is tiny, smushed Kara:

Give ‘em the ol razzle dazzle.

[tvobsessed96]

The Finale

Gosh, that was a beautiful hour of television. Finales are notoriously hard to do, but I can honestly say I have a hard time imagining a more perfect conclusion to the first season of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. Want more of my thoughts? Look below the cut! This is very long, but hopefully someone with read it.

I want to start by saying that the entire cast and crew should be extremely proud of themselves. So much heart and soul, not to mention hard work, went into this season and it shows!

- Let’s start with a relatively minor point and then get to the heavy stuff, shall we? Lauren Graham is gonna be busy with The Mighty Ducks, which makes her involvement in a potential season 2 up in the air. I was a little nervous how the writers were going to work around that potential problem, but this episode set everything up perfectly! Joan getting (temporarily?) promoted while DMD is in trouble with the law is brilliant. It’s the perfect excuse for her not to be around the office as much, while leaving plenty of room for as many guest appearances as Lauren can manage. I’m really psyched about it!

- Another super tiny thing that made me happy! EMILY HAS A LAST NAME! AND IT’S NOT HER HUSBAND’S! You don’t see that a whole lot in TV and movies, and I like it a lot. It’s so perfectly in character that Emily chose not to take David’s name!

- Now, the love triangle. I’ve been leaning towards Team Max pretty much all season, but that loyalty has certainly been tested. Both by Max’s behavior and the lovely relationship between Zoey and Simon. This episode was the most I’ve enjoyed this love triangle all season! The fact that this episode managed to move the needle forward on the Zoey/Max ship while not sidelining or overshadowing the relationship Zoey has built with Simon!? That’s some fantastic writing right there. And can we talk about what a FANTASTIC move it was on Max’s part to call Simon and tell him about Zoey’s dad? I loved that moment so much! I’m absolutely here for this brotp! Max could have been selfish and kept Zoey all to himself, but that’s not who he chose to be. He prioritized Zoey and made sure she knew to prioritize herself. Wonderful stuff! Speaking of Zomax, let’s talk about the kiss. Did Zoey kissing Max come a little bit out of nowhere? Maybe so. But I think I kind of like it that way? Something about that moment where a switch flips and you suddenly see someone in a whole new light felt very true to life and yet also very romantic. But even with that huge moment to deal with, this episode still gave us plenty of quality Zimon shipper content, too. THE T-SHRIT!! The fact that I will be genuinely happy with wherever this love triangle ultimately ends up is a very good sign. Such a refreshing take on the love triangle trope.

- I have no words for Mitch’s storyline this season other than that it was perfect, and heartbreaking, and beautiful. I obviously can’t speak to the accuracy of it, because I’ve never had to watch a loved one suffer from PSP. But given that Austin Winsberg actually lost his own father to this disease, I think it’s safe to assume this was pretty true to life. I can see him maybe fudging a few details for the sake of TV, but not much. Also, ending the episode with the dedication to his father!? And the website where you can get more information about PSP!? This show has brought awareness to an obscure but very important issue while also being a genuinely amazing show. We love to see it! In general, this has been one the best portrayals of grief I’ve ever seen on screen. It might not beat Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s “The Body,” but to be fair that is an impossibly high bar. This is still dang good.

- THAT!!! LONG!!! TAKE!!! THOUGH!! Maybe it’s just because I’m feeling all the feelings right now, but I think that might be the best long take I’ve ever seen. Austin Winsberg said in an interview leading up to the finale that the only song they wanted but couldn’t get the rights to was “See You Again.” I’m guessing it would have been used in place of “American Pie” during this long take. Don’t get me wrong, “See You Again” would have been amazing. I’ve had a few ideas about how that could’ve gone myself. That said, “American Pie” was beyond perfect. I’m not sure I’ve heard it before. Taken by itself, the lyrics are very strange and a bit nonsensical. I’m not sure I would have particularly cared about it if it hadn’t been used in this episode. That final scene took what is essentially a meaningless novelty song and imbued it with so much meaning! (Editor’s Note: I’m leaving this in for transparency, but in retrospect I should not have said this.) The way they managed to make the lyrics fit perfectly with each character was amazing! It was a breathtaking sequence from beginning to end.

- I’ll be honest, I’m a bit apprehensive for what a hypothetical season 2 might bring. Mitch’s storyline is more or less wrapped up, and it’s hard to imagine what the show will look like without him. My guess would be that even more focus will be going to the love triangle, which I’m still not sure I’m entirely thrilled about. But if what we get moving forward is even HALF as well-written as what we got in this finale, it might not be so bad.

- THINGS I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO IN A HYPOTHETICAL SECOND SEASON: More beautiful exploration of the Clarke family’s grief! More well-written love triangle! Joan being the HBIC we all deserve! More adorkable Tobin and Leif content! Emily having her baby and Zoey being the amazing aunt we know she will be! And of course, MORE AMAZING MUSIC!

Thank you for reading this very long post! Cheers to a wonderful first season! Here’s hoping we get the renewal news very soon!

[corin77-blog]

Wrote this the Friday I watched TROS:

Hello guys! I just got back from watching the movie about an hour ago and I am completely heartbroken. When Rey and Kylo kissed I was so happy and almost screaming in the theater but when he died I just went numb. It’s going to take me a while to accept his fate but he still will always be my favorite Star Wars character and my space prince. The only thing I’m telling myself is I’ve always routed for him since TFA and always wanted him happy. When I saw him smile to see the love of his life alive and knowing she loved him back melted my heart. Ben was redeemed! And saved the women he loved through his ultimate sacrifice. Overall what made this movie great was Reylo, the ship that all started after a space prince aligned with the First Order encountered a scavenger and little did they know would fall madly in love with eachother. I’ll never forget the bridal carry scene, the interrogation scene, the hand touching scene, the elevator scene, even Kylo shirtless scene. This is what created depth for this ship that reylos analyzed and predicted reylo being canon. I actually became a fan from you fellow Reylos theorizing, making fanfics, making memes, making fan art, or just discussing the love we have for these two characters. This started on the reylo forum and I would for hours look through everyone’s post and was fancinated with the potential these characters had. That’s what brought me here, Tumblr where I met the best community of Star Wars fans. We were told we were crazy and we were seeing things that weren’t there. But look at us despite everything that happened we were never wrong and what we said would happen happened. Ben did get redeemed and Reylo did happen. You guys made my experience with the sequel trilogy amazing and I’m blessed to be a part of this fandom. I just want to say @pandacapuccino and @elithien you both made incredible reylo artwork that literally enriched this fandom. @pandacapuccino I also found a lot of fanfics from incredible writers that you did commissions for. I also want to say thank you @perrydowning for creating incredible reylo fanfics I will never forget. Thwarted seriously was my destressor from my intense school work when I was in High School. He Knows He Needs To Stop was just a beautiful story from beginning to finish as well. I also wanted to thank dustoftheancients for creating “A Collision of Stars” which is still one of my favorite reylo fanfics. Additionally, “What The Hell is Wrong With Kylo Ren?” by Tuli_Azzameen was well written and made me laugh more than any reylo fanfic I read. I wish I could list them all but the last one I would like to mention is Lies and Lightsabers by Terapid. My gosh was this fanfic well done and made me want reylo to have children so bad 😭. Additionally, shout out to my favorite video editors on YouTube for Reylo @iiamendless , Alexa Lexi, DannyVids, kenobisbens, and ohmystars. I also wanted to say a special thanks to @gwendy85 @these-are-the-first-steps @theboywhocan11 @starwarsnonsense your guy’s theorizing and quality content kept this fandom community so engaged. @gwendy85 your art that you made of Ben to match Rey’s Issue 4 TFA comic adaptation was the essential piece in the album cover for my reylo playlist on Spotify. This motivated me to expand the playlist to where it is today. I grew a passion for creating a playlist for these two individuals but it wasn’t formed without all the love and support from the Reylo community. This fandom even helped me find a newfound passion in photo editing and to get sims 4 to create Rey and Kylo edits. It almost brings me to tears thinking how much this fandom has impacted me over the years and I’m sure you all feel the same. Even with the trilogy over, I’ll still be here and more active like I used to. I’m actually working on the Reylo playlists to help me feel a little better about the ending and waiting for the new reylo fanfics to be made. Love you Reylo fam! And if you have any song requests or reylo sim edits you want me to make in the future let me know! -Sierra

[mrsmess]

Meta season 4 - part 1

This season ranks second on my list (number one just has to be season 2), partly because of Rory’s in between-ness, which highlights the reasonable flaws in the character, and Lorelai’s bold innkeeper journey, and basically every other character having really interesting and plausible arcs.

Ballrooms and Biscotti - Such a great episode, I’m laughing constantly AND finding out that Stars Hollow does celebrate Groundhog Day! (obviously)

The Lorelais’ first day at Yale - Copper boom. Need that on a t-shirt. Such an iconic episode. I remember watching it when it first broadcasted thinking, this is me and mý mother, me and my family. It could have, should have, been a defining moment for Rory; it’s going to be very difficult being Christine Amanpour broadcasting from Tehran with her mommy. You only get one life, and there are so many interesting paths for you to choose, just, you can’t possibly do them all, and sometimes, loving and needing your family is a gift, not something to overcome, but something to build your life around. To invest in the fact that you are a better, richer, person with them around. That’s what I realized at that same point in my life, anyhow. And poor Luke. His pain is so entertaining though.

The Hobbit, the sofa and Digger Stiles - An interesting episode.

Rory Gilmore subscribes to the Stars Hollow Gazette! Having her become Chief Editor in AYITL might have been one of the brightest decisions for the revival, at least if they had bothered exploring it for a bit. (They could’ve cut the inexplicable With a Little Help From My Friends-scene - copied right out of Across the Universe, if anyone has missed that - and given me more Rory Gilmore gets The Gazette up and running instead.)

And Emily and Paris being two peas in a pot! “Don’t you want people to owe you?” Until Paris decides she hates the party persona she’s trying on anyway.

Rory has to defend her staying in her room with a book; she’s not hiding, she’s actually enjoying it. I’m torn on this. Lorelai is great for reminding our girl to stay in the moment, but I also think that Rory has a point, and that she should be allowed to take on the world in her own pace and her own way, me and my mother have a similar dynamic. But sometimes I think Lorelai is a bit stuck on Rory experiencing all these big absurd things (biker parties, barn burnings) while she is real uptight about her experiencing more plausible things for her age; love, sex, more realistic and ultimately necessary adventures. And then it struck me that Lorelai herself didn’t really get to have those adventures, since she got pregnant so early.

Tana is adorable.

Jason is really interesting and actually my second favorite love interest for Lorelai, but more on that later. He’s like a combination of Logan and Christopher with some actual guts, not that it works out for him but it doesn’t for the other boys playing it passive either. And Emily recognizes the danger entering into business with him.

Rory puts off telling Emily what she really thinks about her buying stuff for the dorm room, adopting Lorelai’s way of dealing with her.

Chicken or beef - Rory has cut her hair. Like everything monumental on this show it doesn’t happen on screen.

Dean is getting married, which I do not need to mock, right? Repetitive and redundant.

I love the Zack and Brian dynamic. Also, them referring to Dave going off to California - Hilarious! And Rory schooling them on schooled rock ’n rollers - priceless!

Gosh darnit I have a weak spot for Dean, or more specifically: I’m really into the character arc. It’s so elegant and sh*tty. How he starts out a pretty decent guy and could’ve gotten to think that about himself that way his whole life if he just hadn’t fallen for our girl. He’s the perfect example of how love can wreck a person, and not even in an epic- but totally mundane and kind of icky way. I dig that (his happy ending in the revival was sort of a cop out). Jess actually has the opposite arc, which of course I dig even more.

Oh goodness! It’s Dean with crappy friends. Now, see, that’s plausible, him having stupid friends, quantity over quality, kind of like Logan (yes, I have issues with Finn and whatever the other guy’s name is, can’t believe they made it to the revival! With a little help from someone else’s friends... *smh*). One of the things that gets to me the most from Swan Song is how Jess can get away with his lie about the football with a buddy. He does not have friends outside of fictional characters and it always makes me sad that Rory buys into his bogus explanation when her obvious reaction should be: “What buddy?”

Oh, and that’s Leo, and Schmidt!

And Luke is the best. I’m getting teary thinking about how he’s a real mensch to just everyone and so rarely get credit for it. Love Luke.

“Why didn’t she love me?” I feel so bad for him, but then he marries Lindsey without dealing with anything.

And Rory just takes Luke’s word and doesn’t go to the wedding. A level of trust, or maybe she was looking for an excuse.

[helpingmehelpmyself]

Things I Used to Enjoy- March 29, 2021

Gosh, I have so many things going through my head. I miss the days I was able to daydream, read fanfiction, and watch television. I remember the day would go by and I would question where the time went. But it felt like self care to me then and I enjoyed it. Now it feels like a useless distraction that no longer serves its purpose. 

I want to enjoy the things I used to enjoy. I love fanfiction (particularly, Teen Wolf sterek fanfiction. I can also ship steter, starrish, and stackson. I believe they can all compliment Stiles well). I would squeel while reading and get excited every time I found a new fanfiction that fits my criteria. Sometimes I have good days in which I can read fanfiction and fall into the story.

I used to love daydreaming. My imagination is basically a fanfiction with ten or so fandoms running around with some cannon and non-cannon storylines. I liked falling asleep to my daydreams or staring at the wall while I daydreamed. I considered writing my daydreams down and turning them into a fanfiction for Ao3, but part of it feels personal. This is a world I have written and rewritten so many times since I was... 16, maybe? It’s easier to rewrite or follow through a storyline in my head than it is to write it down and focus on details that I never really focused on before. If your curious, my daydream fanfictions include the following fandoms: Teen Wolf, Scandal, Glee, Twilight, The Gentlemen, and Crazy Rich Asians. Occasionally, Beyonce’s Homecoming special and other things will make an appearance. I include most characters from these programs and create some OC’s in my head that have nothing to do with the other fandoms. Sometimes I’ll pluck someone from another place, like Carrie from Sex & The City but combine her with Isabel from Glee and mix up her storyline, or create a character with the appearance of a famous actor, like the original Mr. Fantastic actor.

I loved music. I could listen to music all day and enjoy myself. Sometimes it was the soundtrack to my imagination or I’d have some of my characters sing the songs I was listening to. I would listen to the same songs on repeat and create scenes with them and sometimes I’ll be able to add new music to the mix. If I wanted to listen to an album, I’d sit/lay down in my room and focus on nothing but the album. If there was an artist I liked and wanted to explore more of, I would go through their entire Spotify history and listen to every song at least once. I’d add it to my Liked Songs playlist because I am crap at creating playlists (minus the Boudoir playlist I made last year for my photoshoot, but that’s another story). Almost every song I have ever liked is on my Liked Songs. I think I have over a thousand songs on there, which is pretty decent. I kind of know where every song is located when it’s organized by Recently Added. Minus screamo, heavy metal, gangsta rap, underground music or electronic music, I listened to a little of everything. I loved Glee, Hamilton, Meg the Stalion, Kendrick Lamarr, the Civil Wars, early Taylor Swift, American Authors, Secondhand Serenade, G-Eazy, Mulatto, Into the Heights, Moana, Victorious, I could go on. Every song plays a part of my history and I love expanding it.

I can’t really do those things the same anymore and I wish I could. Writing fanfiction sounds like it could be a possibility for me because most of my life, I wanted to be a writer or be an editor. The fear of financial security made me switch to a business major and it didn’t make things any easier I find. I guess more approving nods from other adults about my choice in degree was a plus.

I can’t focus on my own daydreams anymore. It used to give me so much joy but it also reflected my emotions: horny, sad, in love, etc. The fact that I was able to create worlds that don’t exist to anyone but me made me happy. Sometimes when I wanted to be closer to God, I’d even deepen the relationship of some of my characters with God. 

Music doesn’t sound the same anymore. I can’t focus to the point of slipping into happiness often.

I did have a good day the day before yesterday. I decided that maybe listening to the song that always lifted my spirits in the past, whether they needed lifting or not, would help. My song is “Do You Believe in Magic” by Aly & AJ. I don’t know what it is about that song but when I first heard it on Disney Channel when I was little for the movie, Now You See It. Something about that song was and still is special. I was able to sing horribly to the song. I was watching Freaky Friday that day and remembered how much Ultimate by Lindsey Lohan rocked. I was able to listen to that song and daydream a totally new scenario for my mental fanfiction characters. There was so much happiness and positivity in the scene.

That same day, when night fell, I felt so sad I made myself sick and was gagging in the toilet. I convinced myself not to make myself throw up because I don’t want that to become a habit. I don’t want to mentally make myself sick and think that throwing up every time will fix me. I felt like shit for hours later, but I was glad that I didn’t throw up. I knew I was in a bad enough position that I needed company. 2/3 of my best friends and one of their boyfriends showed up at my place, late at night and stayed with me for hours. We’d talk about the issues that were plaguing my mind and about 2 of them moving into a new apartment together. 

I went back and forth from lying in the bathroom and lying in my bed. I don’t know why but whenever I was sick growing up, laying on the bathroom floor made me feel better. I know it is unsanitary and gross, but you get to a point that you don’t care. The bathroom has always felt safe for me. I still remember the first time I did it. My mom, brother, and I lived in an apartment about 20-30 minutes away from where we live now. I was getting ready for school one day and I guess I didn’t feel good. I laid down on the bathroom floor and that’s how my mom found me. She knew that this little 5 or 6 year old that never complained about school wasn’t faking anything. I think after that point, my mom became pretty trusting of me whenever I said I can’t go to school. Whether I was physically sick or needed a mental health day, she let it happen. I didn’t practice this often until I was junior high and high school, but it helped knowing my mom would let me take care of myself however I saw fit. I think she also didn’t want to have to keep taking off of work to pick me up from school.

The issues that brought me to tears were my boyfriend, the love of my life. I have only dated one boy before him. That was back in high school and I liked that I had a boyfriend more than I actually liked my boyfriend. We had been friends for years and were in speech and debate together. I asked him to my prom and, due to a misunderstanding, he never replied. When we realized the misunderstanding, he asked me to his prom (We went to two different schools) which was fun. It was at a country club, his parents had dinner catered to their house for us (very successful accountants) and we got some cute pictures from that night. I found myself bored with the relationship and knew ending it wouldn’t affect my quality of life within that moment. So I did. Now he is happily out as gay with his partner of 3 years and starting Harvard Law in the fall. I kind of like that fact and it made it easier to be friends with him on Facebook and Instagram again.

But back to my current boyfriend, the boy I didn’t think that I would fall for. To make our love story short (I’ll probably go into more in another post), we met on Tinder 2.5 years ago when the guy I was talking to/dating previously decided to go back to his toxic/abusive ex-girlfriend. I was talking to my soon-to-be boyfriend and another guy at the time and my boyfriend was the one that lasted. I remember that I would message every Tinder match with “Aye” because everyone wants the other person to start the conversation or else there won’t be a conversation. He responded with “I love your smile. It’s so positive” and that was my downward spiral. We’re pretty good at communication and we are a good match for each other. We both come from mostly different backgrounds, racially and socially. Sometimes there are things about me he’ll never understand, but making strong friends with people who weren’t racially the same as me kind of prepared me for that. 

Anyways, he wants to be a doctor of osteopathic medicine (still don’t know what that is) and go to med school for it a year after our undergrad. I don’t plan on starting grad school right now because I am not fully sure what I want to do with my career just yet. I’m not going to put myself in more debt or spend more time in school without a reason. Anyways, not many medical schools in our state offer the certification he’d need so he’s even looking at schools out of state. I have always wanted to go with him and support him through it while I start my career, but as that time draws closer, I find myself unsure of myself.

I need a lot of attention and am very sociable. I know when he goes to med school, he won’t be able to give me as much attention and he can’t really be faulted for that. It probably won’t get any easier once he does his residency and beyond. Despite being sociable, I have created a support network of my family and friends (we’ve been together for like 10 years). It’s to a point that I can socialize with other people with the idea that they are going to be acquaintances or somewhat distant friends. I usually know what kind of friend I want people to be before or during meeting them. But my dependency on my support network is so... strong that it kind of messed up a very big job opportunity for me a few years ago. I am afraid of having to make new connections again once we move away. Regardless if he choses a school in our state or not, we’d have to move. I don’t want him to be my only social connection, but am also afraid of making new ones. 

I made a list of all the things that scared me with possible solutions in which moving away with him was on it. I wrote that I would try to connect with coworkers (I can’t imagine and kind of don’t want to be best friends with a coworker. You never know when play ends and work begins) and neighbors. I don’t even talk to my neighbors now. I thought I could bake my famous browned butter salted chocolate chip cookies and share them with people, hoping that it would be the start of something. I’ve picked up random conversations with random people before so hopefully I can still do that (I stopped the whole “don’t talk to strangers” thing when I was like 19). 

These solutions made sense to me and I hoped that by writing it down, I could move on with my life. That wasn’t the case. I became so focused on would by current boyfriend be able to meet my needs in the future and whether I’d be strong enough to let him go if it was impossible. I found myself loving him more than I loved myself and make decisions on bettering myself for him. Covid Vaccine? For him. Finding a good job? For him. I don’t want to love someone else more than I love myself. I don’t want these decisions to be based on another person. I want to chose what is right for me for me and not someone else.  

I wasn’t this way before my boyfriend. I actually avoided being in a relationship for a few years because I didn’t think I’d enter one for the right reason. Usually, I put myself and my happiness first. When I decided I was ready to care for another person, my boyfriend wasn’t the first guy I chose. I didn’t know he’d become the love of my life. I didn’t know that we’d want the same exact thing from our relationship and have active, open communication about or wants and needs from the other person. I craved his attention, always wanted to be around him, and didn’t even stop talking about him our first year together. I am better now, but he still finds way into my conversations because he’s what makes me happy. 

I’m not upset that I love him. I wouldn’t take that back. I just wish that I was enough for myself again in which I could make decisions for me and stand by them. I want to create the life I want and I want him a part of it. But if that’s not God’s Plan, can I let go of him? In all honesty, I’d rather be miserable with him with occasional happiness than miserable without him. Maybe that’s too strong of a statement so don’t take that at full face value.

I want to be able to figure this out while we are still together, but mentally I keep thinking I have a time frame to “fix myself”. At the same time, I know I don’t because I know mental health doesn’t work that way. I have the ability to take the time I need to take care of myself again which I am grateful for. It’s like having an adult and child in my mind. The child is crying all of my fears and anxieties while the adult is trying to calm them down with reasoning. I am thankful that I am at least this aware of my mental state. I can understand when something is anxiety or depression, name it, and although I am stuck with it, I try not to fall too deep in it.  

I still have hope things will get better and I won’t always feel this way. Hope and faith is all I have some days and that’s okay. I am one day closer to being the me I want to be.

[politickworms]

Ink

26 June 2017, Almeida Theatre

Preface to this post: Charlie Cox was there the night we went, saw him having a chat with Richard Coyle beforehand, turns out they did some Pinter shorts together back in the day, Charlie was bi, Richard was married to Gina McKee, it was a beautiful time.

I was really really excited for this production. I think it was my first time seeing a James Graham play? His work has always sounded really interesting from what I’ve read about it, and gosh that cast- Bertie Carvel has to be one of the most exciting actors working in British theatre right now, and Richard Coyle was the prince in Don Carlos way back in 2005, which was one of Those Formative Theatre Experiences for me. Obviously, having said “I was really really excited”, the show did not live up to the hype I (maybe unfairly?) placed on it. Small disclaimer: we went on the final preview, so maybe Rupert Goold notesed the shit out of it and what the critics saw and seemed to really appreciate the day after was very different. 

Basically, it felt like a mess. There’s a sort of framing device with Rupert Murdoch and Larry Lamb at the beginning discussing what makes a good story; this segues into a dinner scene, which is repeated at various points throughout (different dinners, at different points in the story of the Sun). It works to some extent, but it isn’t really hugely elegant, and I could not get on with Carvel’s Rupert Murdoch off the back of it. I’ll just do this bit now, and get it out of the way- I don’t understand how this performance works in the production as a whole, and I do think my friend’s comment that the play would be stronger without Murdoch appearing at all is pretty on the money. It’s not a bad performance at all; he’s a great actor, and to me it seems as though it’s working to do what it’s trying to do. It’s this weird kind of caricature thing, all composed of strange body language and peculiar vocal qualities, but then it looks like they’ve gone to the lengths of coloured contact lenses? That really confuses me, because there’s such broadness to it coupled with a very small detail like that? “Faustian” is the adjective that seems to be making the rounds in the reviews, and it’s definitely an angle, but then Graham introduces some humanising elements (Murdoch doesn’t want to look at Page 3, for example). Compared with the performances everyone else is giving (at least in the scenes, there are musical-type interludes which are obviously non-naturalistic), Carvel is doing something that’s way out there. 

Richard Coyle holds the whole thing together, and is very much the lead. It’s definitely not the sexy role, and it would have been nice to see him get to go to greater emotional extremes, but it’s a solid (that’s a really unhelpful adjective, he’s better than that) and very interesting performance. Would definitely recommend the Stage review purely for the selection of pictures of him smearing ink on himself (cos that’s the title of the play, innit). Of the rest of the ensemble, Tim Steed absolutely nails every comic moment he gets, even if a lot of them involve punctuation jokes, and Sophie Stanton is a welcome female voice amongst the editorial team. Pearl Chanda plays the first Page 3 girl, Stephanie Rahn, and has probably the longest scene with Coyle and Carvel towards the end of the play where Lamb asks her whether she’d be willing to do the Page 3 thing, and then they deal with the fallout from that along with Murdoch. I’d say that’s the best scene in the whole show; the actors get to stretch themselves a bit, and play something that has some emotional weight. This is another strange element of the play, which comes from (ironically) the difficulty Graham seems to have deciding which parts of the Sun story to stage. 

The first half of the production deals with Lamb and Murdoch getting together, Lamb abandoning the Mirror and setting up his editorial team, and that group of people constructing the Sun’s style and emphasis. The second half then chooses two episodes in the history of the paper, which (pretty uncomfortably) deal with female trauma, and its impact on the largely male-run Sun. This is obviously quite tricky, and I may mis-step when writing about it but I’ll give it a go. The first incident Graham chooses to focus on is the kidnapping of the deputy editor’s wife, Muriel McKay, and the ethical debates around reporting on a scoop of this nature when it’s happening to the Sun itself. The climax of the play is then the introduction of Page 3. As you’re watching, you realise that you’re going, seemingly as an escalation, from kidnapping and death to Page 3, which is a whole kettle of fish in itself. It’s kind of hard, certainly with the kidnapping plotline, to work out who on stage you’re meant to be feeling sorry for; Mrs McKay is obviously absent, so you’re watching Murdoch and McKay deal with the emotion of the situation and Lamb struggle (sort of? Not really) with how to present the story for the paper. Pearl Chanda is at least onstage, and does a really great job with the material she’s given, so we at least get a female perspective on the trauma that is enacted there, but it feels too slight. It feels silly to be getting angry about how feminist a show about the Sun and about Page 3 can be, but I think surely if you’re going to present that story, which is fucked up, you have to make more of an effort to be nuanced and critical in your presentation of it. If anyone has seen Ink and has things to say about this, I’d love it if you dropped me a message- I’m still trying to work out what I think exactly!

I have other stuff to say about this production, but I’ve annoyed myself quite a lot trying to delve into the ethics/gender politics of the thing, so I’m going to stick this up and perhaps come back to it. 

Side note, again: Rupert Goold has most definitely not regained my trust after Richard III with Ink. Many kettles, many fishes, but wow that R3 was not a thing. Might try to write something further on this at some point.

[marcythewerewolf]

Some Lord of Shadows Thoughts, In No Particular Order

I think Jace’s name is in this book more than Kieran’s which is obnoxious. Also every appearance of his was prefaced by a multi-sentence description of how gorgeous he was. This did not stop even when he showed up purely to be a dick to Kit. I officially hate book Jace now. He’s drunk the Kool Aid and he’s part of the Shadowhunter establishment and he’s insufferable so thanks for that book. ‘

Shadowhunters are a cult. Full stop. Sometimes it seems like the book has started to recognize this but then it backtracks and goes back to glorifying them. They’re so rich, they’re so pretty! Like, yeah, but they’re also super racist and hugely regressive and directly responsible for the suffering of thousands. Sure, they do some good along the way but so does Salvation Army, they’re still BAD. Look past all the glitter and propaganda and they’re just magical thugs who haven’t gotten past the middle ages and at this rate never will. The Blackthorn kids are better off without them. 

Kit is probably the most sympathetic person in the entire book and I do want him to run away and set up a pawn shop in Ohio? Save him from everyone but especially Jace. 

At one point his face was described as angular though, which makes me wonder if CC has seen a fifteen year old ever. You do it once, it’s justifiable, but most teenagers have a bad case of the baby face and saying other wise is ridiculous. This cheekbone addiction is getting out of hand. 

This book was so ridiculously heterosexual. Like, just such a pervasive case of unfortunate and tragic heterosexuality. So casual. So pointless. Magnus first gets brought up as “glittery”. One character thinks in all seriousness that you only get one dad. Gwyn is painfully straight for no apparent reason when faeries should and previously have been all sorts of flexible. It’s just... bad. 

The centurions are all kind of awful and I didn’t bother to learn their names. 

That being said, I did like the focus on Diana. She’s beautiful and amazing and brave and I love her. 

This is just blatant apologism for what happened to Anselm Nightshade. You set up a situation like that, you deal with the consequences of it, you don’t wimp out. 

The kids went to Faerie together and I am glad for that. They did just kill of Iarlath with no fanfare, but now his headcanon bf are chilling together and we got some follow up on Malcolm’s faerie ties so I’m not too mad about that. 

“Her old tutor, Katerina.” God, where’s my  Katerina spinoff. She has gotten no lines ever and because of that I love her. 

I do like anything with faeries very much but it could afford to be a little less fantasy and a little less chaos theory. The rest is just an issue of misplaced expectation. Obviously I like some of my interpretations better (killing girls is so stupid and outdated, an actual curse dooming him to have fifty sons all the time is maybe a twist) but other than that, nice worldbuilding, solid writing. 

Faeries! Gosh, I just love them so much. Faeries all the time, that what I want. 

The Unseelie King is super interesting. His kids are more trite, but hey, I love them anyways. 

On a related note, have I mentioned how much Gwyn just wants his big dumb teenagers to be safe and happy? Kieran and Mark aren’t even twenty and they need to take care of each other and not die. What a quality Faerie Dad. 

Some times these kids act dumb but i do not begrudge them it on account of them being children. 

The book got good about halfway through, which I appreciated. Kieran my sweet bratty boy, Nene the enigma, the courts, this is some good stuff I appreciate. 

What I did not appreciate was the killing off of Arthur. Like, come on. You’ve already done a disservice by magicking up your mental illness, you don’t have to kill him off too. A much more straight forward solution would have used the fact that Malcolm and Annabel were technically married, have his death revive her, then have confused Annabel and her angry zombie husband coming after the Institute, then Annabel realizing what was really going on and turning on Malcolm. Less in between steps. Failing that, ancient aunt they mentioned last book. 

Mark, Miach, darling, in fairness, the Seelie Queen’s lover very much did kidnap you. She was kidnap complicit. Don’t be trusting her. She absolutely had Sebastian’s baby. 

Memory loss plots are rather boring, but I recognize they do something for some people, so it might just be a cup of tea situation. Enjoy your memory loss then, friends. 

The Kieran/Mark/Cristina plot is juicy and I do like that but I want More Diana and Helen and Aline back and Answers first, you know?

One of the downsides of these books being about Shadowhunters is that it always comes down to the Shadowhunter heroes fighting and killing the irrational villainous Downworlder hordes which is Unfortunate. That conflict with Barnabas could have gone so much better. 

People need to stop trying to brainwash Kit with this Herondale stuff. People don’t go around calling me by my great-great great grandmother’s name and expect me to sit down and take it. Sure, we’re technically related, but that’s not how convention or basic politeness works. Your name is what you are raised with and more importantly it’s what you choose. His name is Kit and he’s a Rook until he decides, on his own without the constant pressure of adults, to be something else. 

As an extension of that? All these callbacks to the other book? They’re getting old and frankly more than a little annoying. 

Jessamine died in 1878. Edgar Allan Poe died in 1849. I’m telling you guys, the timeline just doesn’t line up. She wasn’t even born when Malcolm was young and building his house.

Kieran is a very impulsive boy who is already too invested in his Shadowhunter bf and gf. I don’t make the rules. 

I tried not to read too much into the Disaster Children literally burning down a church and having a weird intimate moment but they really are a mess. No laws, no holy lands, nothing but family, and nothing comes before family. I’m much more invested in them when they’re tearing down the establishment and making terrible toxic Wicked Powers choices. 

AIRMED WAS THE DAUGHTER OF MANNAN. This is basic people. Do your research. 

See, the memory loss plots always backfire unless you come clean. Lying never pays, kids. 

My Diana theories are more or less confirmed which I appreciate, thank you very much. 

I do very much wish they’d at least had the decency to leave bby Morgenstern a bby, that or go all the way and age him a few decades so you had a fifty something year old claiming to be Clary’s nephew. Much better than this cliche storm. 

I recognize that Annabel got a short shift in life, but so did Malcolm, frankly. The fact that he gets a life of torment and a horrible death at the hands of one he loved while she gets to wander off and live happily is a little concerning to me. Why do Downworlders not get to be happy? Downworlders, and Arthur Blackthorn, apparently, aren’t allowed to live nice, non-tragic lives, but pretty young Shadowhunters can get away with anything. At this point I would have preferred a disappointing end for Annabel. Get that good tragedy going. The Blackthorn’s clearly have a bad case of the Gothics they need to fulfill. 

Oh. OH. There we go. There’s the Blackthorn drama I crave. 

My sweet girl, my sweet girl Livvy. She’s coming back as a ghost, isn’t she?

So that’s about five hours. My record holds. The book wasn’t bad, it was just sooooo long. I feel like it could have used a ruthless editor with a really good grasp of the classics to clean things up a bit. Didn’t make me laugh as much, but that might just be a result of my evolving sense of humour. Drama got good nearer the last half of the book. There was some nice stuff in there. Overall, not a waste of five hours, and I’m not mad. Just please, someone de-brainwash these Shadowhunter children. They’re in a cult. Someone needs to tell them that they’re in a cult. Save Kit, he’s getting pulled in as well.  

[gabrielcollignon]

How to Train a Journalist in Content Marketing

How to Train a Journalist in Content Marketing

You’ve decided to hire a journalist for your content marketing team – congratulations!

All the evidence says you’ve got yourself a hard-working individual used to delivering high-quality editorial on tight deadlines. Those are some darned useful qualities.

But not all journos will hit the ground running. Making the switch to content marketing can take a bit of adjustment. And reporters who can’t get their head around the differences are going to struggle.

Journalists switching to #contentmarketing can require some adjustment time, says @daniel_hatch. Click To Tweet

I know because I spent 17 years as a newspaper and radio reporter before being wooed to content marketing. I know because, as a managing editor for a content agency, I’ve employed and then unemployed several members of my old profession.

What follows is my list of areas where reporters can struggle when they make the switch and my suggestions for helping them adjust. Or, as I like to call it: How to Train Your Journalist.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: The New Media Marketing: How to Manage a Media Arm Within Your Company

1. The ‘holier-than-thou’ problem

Journalism is a vocation. From the first day of university through to the last day of a newsroom career, it is relentlessly competitive. To succeed, a journalist must really want it. It’s also a profession that has a special place in democracy – holding governments, corporations, and individuals accountable.

Gosh, but that can give you an ego. For some reporters, that can be hard to let go. And what you, as the person employing them, end up with are writers who think they’re too good to be writing the content you’re commissioning.

The first sign they’re not effectively making the gear switch to content marketing is turning in what feels like lazy copy. When you read it, you can tell they’ve not really made an effort. This is a problem of attitude and I’ve reluctantly had to let writers go because they couldn’t get past it. (It’s one reason to try reporters on a freelance basis before you bring them on staff.)

Before they start writing, get them excited about your product and services, and what you’re trying to achieve (or what your client is trying to achieve). Get them out of the office. Send them into the factory, onto the shop floor, or out in the trucks. Get them talking to your most passionate employees. Put them through the more entertaining elements of your staff training. Let them soak up the enthusiasm you and your team have for what you do.

If, after all that, they won’t “get with the program,” consider letting them go.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: Ready to ‘Fire’ Your Content Team?

2. Help them chill out about journalistic-first principles

There are certain things reporters freak out about. Not providing balance (getting two or more sides of a story) is one. Allowing people you’re writing about to see what you’re writing before you publish is another. And – heaven forbid – letting sources change their quotes so they sound better.

For obvious reasons, some of these first principles of journalism don’t really translate to content marketing. Hey, if you’re writing content for Burger King you don’t give Ronald McDonald the right of reply.

If you're writing content for @BurgerKing, you don't give Ronald McDonald the right of reply. @daniel_hatch Click To Tweet

The key mental gear-shift is to help former journalists understand that their job isn’t to write news in the traditional sense but to write excellent, engaging, and – importantly – truthful and accurate copy. (After all, you don’t want to give your audience bad information.)

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: How Hiring a Journalist Can Improve Your Content Marketing

3. Teach the subtle sell and call to action

Writing copy that sells without bludgeoning the reader over the head with a hard-sell message is an art. It’s not generally one in journalists’ arsenal because they mostly have spent their careers deliberately avoiding and removing anything that looks like a plug.

Writing copy that sells w/o bludgeoning reader over the head with a hard-sell message is an art. @daniel_hatch Click To Tweet

Provide them with examples of articles that have achieved the subtle sell well. It’s easier to pick up good technique from example. And show them what a call to action is because if they’re anything like me when I first started they’ll have no idea.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: 4 Ways to Shift Your Thinking to Truly Focus on Your Audience

4. Help them adjust to the power dynamic

Journalists are used to being the ones in the power seat. They call sources and demand answers to their questions – and then publish whether that person answers or not. Journalists say jump, and people ask, “how high?” I’m exaggerating, but you get my meaning. And this really is the single biggest adjustment that I had to make when I made the switch.

Think about it. The person journalists are writing about is now more than likely the person paying their wages (or paying a big retainer to the person paying their wages). It feels like the subjects of the article are now calling the shots; that they will be telling the reporter what to write. That’s not necessarily the case – not if the relationship is set up right. Ideally, journalists-turned-content marketers should feel like the client values their expertise and integrity, and wants them to get on with the job of writing high-quality copy.

However, tricky clients and requests will happen from time to time. When I think back to my days in the newsroom there were plenty of times when I didn’t agree with the angle an editor asked me to take or I thought the story didn’t warrant coverage. And I did what everyone does: I said “aye, aye” to the boss, had a little grumble to myself, and got on with it – because it was my job. If your journalists are struggling with a difficult client, encourage them to think about things through this prism.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: Inside the Mind of a Journalist in the Business of Content Marketing

5. Reiterate the approvals process

Further, clients often have to approve the former journalists’ work before it’s published. Sometimes they insist on changes. Sometimes you really won’t like those changes. Sometimes you want to bang your head against the desk while shouting, “These people are idiots.” Well, these people are in charge now.

After years of copy subs, layout subs, and editors slicing and dicing their work, no journalist should ever be precious about their copy. They will adjust, I promise. But they might find this uncomfortable to start with – after all, someone who likely isn’t a writer is telling them how to write.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: 7 Ways to Accelerate Your Content Review and Approval

6. Give them a style guide

Your journos come preloaded with writing skills. That’s what’s so great about them. But don’t forget to give them a style guide. If you’re an agency, this could be different for every client. But journalists are used to learning them and following them. Supply them at the outset and you’ll make life easier for all concerned.

Supply your journalist with a style guide at the outset & you'll make their life easier. @daniel_hatch Click To Tweet

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: How to Write a Style Guide for Your Brand

7. Outline tone of voice and audience

Most journalists who have been around the traps are used to writing for different audiences and in different tones. Writing for the arts pages is different than for the news pages, a court report reads differently than a sports report, and so on.

Journalists are good at adapting style for audience and tone. But if you don’t tell them, they’re likely to pitch for whatever style they are most familiar with – which may not suit your purpose.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: 5 Easy Steps to Define and Use Your Brand Voice

8. Don’t forget to challenge them

Journalists can suffer terribly with boredom. If they’ve come from a busy newsroom they can find the pace elsewhere (especially anywhere bureaucratic, like government departments and agencies) incredibly slow.

Journalists-turned-content marketers can suffer from boredom. Challenge them, says @daniel_hatch. Click To Tweet

Do not let your journalists get bored. Challenge them. Keep them interested with a variety of assignments. Give them extra responsibilities. Train them in new skills. Above all, keep them busy.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: How the World’s Best Journalists Bring Interviews to Life

A version of this article originally appeared in the February issue of  Chief Content Officer. Sign up to receive your free subscription to our bimonthly, print magazine.

Want to expand and strengthen your content strategy? Attend the Intelligent Content Conference March 20-22 in Las Vegas. Register today and use code BLOG100 to save $100.

Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute

The post How to Train a Journalist in Content Marketing appeared first on Content Marketing Institute.

[lucyariablog]

How to Train a Journalist in Content Marketing

You’ve decided to hire a journalist for your content marketing team – congratulations!

All the evidence says you’ve got yourself a hard-working individual used to delivering high-quality editorial on tight deadlines. Those are some darned useful qualities.

But not all journos will hit the ground running. Making the switch to content marketing can take a bit of adjustment. And reporters who can’t get their head around the differences are going to struggle.

Journalists switching to #contentmarketing can require some adjustment time, says @daniel_hatch. Click To Tweet

I know because I spent 17 years as a newspaper and radio reporter before being wooed to content marketing. I know because, as a managing editor for a content agency, I’ve employed and then unemployed several members of my old profession.

What follows is my list of areas where reporters can struggle when they make the switch and my suggestions for helping them adjust. Or, as I like to call it: How to Train Your Journalist.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: The New Media Marketing: How to Manage a Media Arm Within Your Company

1. The ‘holier-than-thou’ problem

Journalism is a vocation. From the first day of university through to the last day of a newsroom career, it is relentlessly competitive. To succeed, a journalist must really want it. It’s also a profession that has a special place in democracy – holding governments, corporations, and individuals accountable.

Gosh, but that can give you an ego. For some reporters, that can be hard to let go. And what you, as the person employing them, end up with are writers who think they’re too good to be writing the content you’re commissioning.

The first sign they’re not effectively making the gear switch to content marketing is turning in what feels like lazy copy. When you read it, you can tell they’ve not really made an effort. This is a problem of attitude and I’ve reluctantly had to let writers go because they couldn’t get past it. (It’s one reason to try reporters on a freelance basis before you bring them on staff.)

Before they start writing, get them excited about your product and services, and what you’re trying to achieve (or what your client is trying to achieve). Get them out of the office. Send them into the factory, onto the shop floor, or out in the trucks. Get them talking to your most passionate employees. Put them through the more entertaining elements of your staff training. Let them soak up the enthusiasm you and your team have for what you do.

If, after all that, they won’t “get with the program,” consider letting them go.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: Ready to ‘Fire’ Your Content Team?

2. Help them chill out about journalistic-first principles

There are certain things reporters freak out about. Not providing balance (getting two or more sides of a story) is one. Allowing people you’re writing about to see what you’re writing before you publish is another. And – heaven forbid – letting sources change their quotes so they sound better.

For obvious reasons, some of these first principles of journalism don’t really translate to content marketing. Hey, if you’re writing content for Burger King you don’t give Ronald McDonald the right of reply.

If you're writing content for @BurgerKing, you don't give Ronald McDonald the right of reply. @daniel_hatch Click To Tweet

The key mental gear-shift is to help former journalists understand that their job isn’t to write news in the traditional sense but to write excellent, engaging, and – importantly – truthful and accurate copy. (After all, you don’t want to give your audience bad information.)

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: How Hiring a Journalist Can Improve Your Content Marketing

3. Teach the subtle sell and call to action

Writing copy that sells without bludgeoning the reader over the head with a hard-sell message is an art. It’s not generally one in journalists’ arsenal because they mostly have spent their careers deliberately avoiding and removing anything that looks like a plug.

Writing copy that sells w/o bludgeoning reader over the head with a hard-sell message is an art. @daniel_hatch Click To Tweet

Provide them with examples of articles that have achieved the subtle sell well. It’s easier to pick up good technique from example. And show them what a call to action is because if they’re anything like me when I first started they’ll have no idea.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: 4 Ways to Shift Your Thinking to Truly Focus on Your Audience

4. Help them adjust to the power dynamic

Journalists are used to being the ones in the power seat. They call sources and demand answers to their questions – and then publish whether that person answers or not. Journalists say jump, and people ask, “how high?” I’m exaggerating, but you get my meaning. And this really is the single biggest adjustment that I had to make when I made the switch.

Think about it. The person journalists are writing about is now more than likely the person paying their wages (or paying a big retainer to the person paying their wages). It feels like the subjects of the article are now calling the shots; that they will be telling the reporter what to write. That’s not necessarily the case – not if the relationship is set up right. Ideally, journalists-turned-content marketers should feel like the client values their expertise and integrity, and wants them to get on with the job of writing high-quality copy.

However, tricky clients and requests will happen from time to time. When I think back to my days in the newsroom there were plenty of times when I didn’t agree with the angle an editor asked me to take or I thought the story didn’t warrant coverage. And I did what everyone does: I said “aye, aye” to the boss, had a little grumble to myself, and got on with it – because it was my job. If your journalists are struggling with a difficult client, encourage them to think about things through this prism.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: Inside the Mind of a Journalist in the Business of Content Marketing

5. Reiterate the approvals process

Further, clients often have to approve the former journalists’ work before it’s published. Sometimes they insist on changes. Sometimes you really won’t like those changes. Sometimes you want to bang your head against the desk while shouting, “These people are idiots.” Well, these people are in charge now.

After years of copy subs, layout subs, and editors slicing and dicing their work, no journalist should ever be precious about their copy. They will adjust, I promise. But they might find this uncomfortable to start with – after all, someone who likely isn’t a writer is telling them how to write.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: 7 Ways to Accelerate Your Content Review and Approval

6. Give them a style guide

Your journos come preloaded with writing skills. That’s what’s so great about them. But don’t forget to give them a style guide. If you’re an agency, this could be different for every client. But journalists are used to learning them and following them. Supply them at the outset and you’ll make life easier for all concerned.

Supply your journalist with a style guide at the outset & you'll make their life easier. @daniel_hatch Click To Tweet

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: How to Write a Style Guide for Your Brand

7. Outline tone of voice and audience

Most journalists who have been around the traps are used to writing for different audiences and in different tones. Writing for the arts pages is different than for the news pages, a court report reads differently than a sports report, and so on.

Journalists are good at adapting style for audience and tone. But if you don’t tell them, they’re likely to pitch for whatever style they are most familiar with – which may not suit your purpose.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: 5 Easy Steps to Define and Use Your Brand Voice

8. Don’t forget to challenge them

Journalists can suffer terribly with boredom. If they’ve come from a busy newsroom they can find the pace elsewhere (especially anywhere bureaucratic, like government departments and agencies) incredibly slow.

Journalists-turned-content marketers can suffer from boredom. Challenge them, says @daniel_hatch. Click To Tweet

Do not let your journalists get bored. Challenge them. Keep them interested with a variety of assignments. Give them extra responsibilities. Train them in new skills. Above all, keep them busy.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: How the World’s Best Journalists Bring Interviews to Life

A version of this article originally appeared in the February issue of  Chief Content Officer. Sign up to receive your free subscription to our bimonthly, print magazine.

Want to expand and strengthen your content strategy? Attend the Intelligent Content Conference March 20-22 in Las Vegas. Register today and use code BLOG100 to save $100.

Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute

The post How to Train a Journalist in Content Marketing appeared first on Content Marketing Institute.

from http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2018/02/train-journalist-marketing/