#poor guy deserves an updated look for the new album at least

[neon-merrick]

i need to make more updates art of my bandito little shit baby... i have i think 2 drawings of him in this notebook and that's it... he deserves to be redrawn for the current horrors...

[alsoimjaebum]

We Fell In Love

Word count: +3k

Warnings: angst, sorrow, few bad words, suggestive, 16+, female!reader, mentions of alcohol and anxiety

Summary: You and Heochan have been good friends for a while, but you developed feelings towards him and, afraid of having your heart broken again, you might have made a bad choice.

A/n: Hey guys, it's me again! Sorry for not posting, I was lacking in ideas and I like to think twice before posting anything. Anyways, I'm happy to contribute with a writing for Chan. Hope you like this one! I made it with my whole heart and I guess this is my longest one so far! Have a good read!

The story is below the cut!

Feelings were not things you could explain. In fact, for you they were very difficult to demonstrate and you often walked away, trying to avoid them.

They were synonymous to problems.

At least for your old you.

It's not that you haven't had a crush before, of course you’ve had them. The point is about clearing, cutting off the feeling before it grew. It kind of worked. For a person like you, who has had her heart broken hardly before it was easier that way.

Maybe that's why this person was a complete puzzle for you. Heochan. Even his name sounded special. You didn't know what part of him caught you so bad, perhaps his beauty, his laugh, his charisma, his voice, his movements... In fact, there were plenty reasons why you could fall for him even without him trying anything.

Well, you were an idol in Plan M. It was absolutely normal to find some other idols hot and all, but that's not just it with him. It started as a friendship, but your behavior towards him suddenly changed. You constantly found your eyes looking for him in the room, you were always wanting to chat with him, send him messages... wanting to be with him.

This was scary, this was new. You were afraid, afraid of deep diving again in a relationship, afraid of losing yourself in him, afraid of disappointing. Afraid.

And, afraid of getting too involved, you decided to block him from your life. No, you didn't block him on social media or anything. You just didn't pick up, didn't read nor reply his messages, didn't like his photos nor comment. In short, you decided to stop seeing him.

Heochan tried hard, for three days in a row he kept on trying to get in touch with you, but you simply ignored him. Even though it was hard, you didn't want to feel down the same way you felt before. Yes, it was a little selfish, but your mental health was important and, now, you were sure having your heart broken would be an awful idea.

And with that, after these three days, he stopped messaging you. There weren't any updates on the fancafe either. You thought maybe he decided to hang out with someone or take his time to relax and slowly forget you. You felt a mix of relief and regret. You missed him, of course, but having feelings for your best friend is not something you could bare, specially if it was unilateral.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Maybe him?

You felt a tiny, little bit of hope.

Carefully, you decided to look into the peephole to find a bottle of soju covering your view.

-Maybe it is time for a drink? - was what your group member, Suyeon, asked.  You sighed, slightly frustrated, but what did you expect really? That he would crawl to you begging for you to answer him again? Obviously not. You opened the door and welcomed her.

-Wow, Y/n... Your house is a mess... - she commented, looking at the pile of books, clothes and food packages on the floor.

-Yeah, but I don't remember inviting you either - you replied shortly.

-Wow, how cold! Why are you like that? We will be soon preparing for our new album in what seems like an eternity. How long has it been since our last comeback? - She continued talking while sitting on the floor, in front of the coffee table in the room.

-I think seven months.

-You see? This is what happens to senior groups, we can no longer promote. We should be grateful for what we are getting.

-Suyeon, seriously... I'm not in the mood...

-I realized. And, in fact, I got it very well - your eyes went wide at that moment.

-What do you mean?

-Well... maybe if you have a drink I can tell you...

You sighed again. This was your drunk friend. Giving up, you took a cup and she poured you a shot. She touched her cup to yours and smiled.

-Cheers - you both said, but her voice was much happier.

-You know... We have been friends for... seven years...?

-More. It's been about ten.

-Wow, we're getting old - she said and you laughed at her comment - but you know, I spend more time with you than with my mom... you know me better than her and so do I. We are best friends and I know when you're hiding something important from me.

-Su, it's not... - you tried to cut her speech, because you didn't want to hear her talking over and over about how you should deal with your anxiety.

-I know. It’s that... I am always here for you... You can come for advice, to talk about your problems, to have a small talk. I am always here, but why don't you come with me? Hm?

-I don't know... - you muttered, knowing full well that she was right. She was always trying to make you feel lighter and most the times she did - I think it got harder to talk about me as time passed.

-I understand your point, but there’s nothing to be afraid of. You can rely more on me if it’s too much to carry by yourself. I’m always here, we can walk together and share the weight of our problems, okay? – you looked deeply at her eyes, which reflected the light and truth. Smiling softly, you nodded and she returned you with a grin.

-Thank you, thank you for being here – you hugged her tight – I should treasure you more – she laughed at your comment, patting your back – Still... can we not talk about me tonight? – you parted the hug, grabbing your cup for another sip.

-Of course. Then should we talk about him...? - she grabbed your hand that was resting on the cup and looked into your eyes.

-You... - you looked surprised at her, finally understanding that she knew it. - Oh, dear. You are so transparent. I'm pretty sure he is the only one who doesn't know it yet. And, really, he had already visited and asked all members about you - she giggled - It's pretty comic actually, he is all worried and here you are, blaming yourself again. Stop it. Live. Enjoy some.

-What are you talking about? – you questioned, simply don’t getting the meaning of her words together.

-Stop with this nonsense. I'm talking about Chan, Heochan. He is worried as fuck. He told me you decided to run away from him, not picking up calls nor messages, completely ghosting him. Poor thing. I can say he looked like a mess as well, maybe you two are really meant to be – she joked, poking your arm with her elbow. 

You were out of words. You expected him to be a little worried but not this much to ask all the members, since your group was a five girls group but all of them were living quite far from each other. 

-I know you like him and I know it's not just a shallow feeling. You really treasure him, so why are you worrying about what didn't even happen? Try it, isn't he worth the try? I know you are afraid, but will avoiding him and pretending you don't have feelings for him really fix everything? I don't think so, and you'll regret it in no time. What if He meets a cutie meanwhile and then you finally realize you wanted him? What would you do? Huh, I bet you don’t even want to think about it, but you should. While he still likes you, hold him. 

You gulped silently.

-What is this? – you asked, rubbing the corners of your lips, removing the rest of alcohol from them and getting more sober.

-An advice. No, a warning. It's almost a threat! - she spoke in fake fierce - Okay, but seriously, I worry for you and I want you to be happy. I've noticed that you genuinely smile at him and when he is the topic of our conversations, oh, you can’t hold your laugher and silly grins back. Don't let this happiness slip from your fingers like this. You deserve each other.

You took a deep breath, relieving the weight you had been carrying alone. Her words felt right.

-You're right.

-I'm always right. I know you better than anyone, even yourself.

You both laughed and you hugged her again.

-Should I text him now? - you thought out loud.

-Girl? You should run to him like... now!

You got up right away, running to your bedroom, getting some outfits from your closet, fixing you hair, putting on some makeup and, of course, brushing your teeth because you didn't want them to smell like alcohol.

-It's a date not a fashion fair! - Suyeon shouted to you from the living room.

-My life depends on it! - you shouted back

-It does not. He is already in love with you, don’t worry - she stated, raising the cup one more time and drinking another shot.

You took a last look on the mirror. You looked messy, but you didn't have the time to fix it. You grabbed your keys and were almost closing the door when Suyeon protested.

-Girl, how am I going home if you lock me in here?

-Aish! - you swore, rubbing your head while thinking, but you couldn't think straight at that moment - argh, just stay here, I have no time.

-But will you come back home tonight? - you blushed at her comment.

-You pervert!

-I'm realistic! 

-Ugh. Then, just sleep here today, it's not like you'll be able to drive back home anyways - you said back to her, looking at her drunk state.

-You won! Go, love bird, go! Take my car, but give it back tomorrow - she waved at you and you smiled and closed the door, running as fast as you could. At this point, you thought time was so slow that even running to her car on the other side of the street felt like ages.

When you reached it, you quickly entered and started driving to your company. Heochan always stayed behind to practice some more. He liked the silence of the building in the evening, because it helped him focus and he thought it was relaxing as well. Actually you two thought and did that, maybe that's why you were holding a big smile on your face while thinking about it. 

The green light showed up and you couldn't help but step further on the accelerator. After fifteen long minutes, you could see the so wanted building and some windows lighted. You looked for Victon's dance practice room and you found it on. A big grin on your face as you parked in front of the building, not caring if you'd get fined. You left the car in a hurry, opening the doors as fast as you could, going upstairs because you couldn't wait for the elevator. In fact, you couldn't wait anymore. 

All you wanted was to jump on Heochan and kiss him, you didn't even care if he was going to say he liked you back. Well, of course you were going to respect his decision, but the thing is that you weren’t afraid of being turned down. You felt the urge to see him again. Yet, when you reached the last degree, your stomach started to manifest and a nervous feeling ran down your whole body.

Would he like to see you here? After all the show you’ve put on? Maybe it wasn't a good idea. Maybe you shouldn't have come. Why did you even think you deserved to see him after all you made he go through?

The song was loud, but not enough to disturb people on the hallway. Suddenly, the sound halted and you froze. Still, you had no time to runaway anymore. Heochan had already opened the door and here you were, in front of your loved one after a long week far from each other. 

-What are you doing here? - he asked you. Even though his voice was still as sweet as always, you could sense in his tone that he sounded disappointed.

-I- I- I'm sorry. I'm so sorry - you stuttered at your words, part of it from the alcohol since you've always had low tolerance for it, but most because you broke into tears the moment you saw him and you felt too guilty to look at his face. You kneeled there, crying in front of him as you hid your face on your lap.

- What? What are you talking about? Hey, don't cry...  What happened? - he asked as he kneeled in front of you and patted your back.

-I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm... - you kept saying through your crying, he pressed his lips together, bringing you to his arms again, his warmth giving you the same comforting feeling as before.

-It's okay, you did nothing... - he softly mumbled back, trying to calm you down.

-No, I did... I did... I ghosted on you for... - you sniffed you nose - no reason! Just because I'm a coward person. I am afraid of feeling betrayed again and I can't even... I can't even be honest with you! - you stated. He did nothing but to keep on giving your nape light touches in hope you'd calm down and tell him what was wrong - I'm sorry... Can I be honest with you from now on? - you lifted your head, looking at him. He quickly wiped off your tears and held your cheek with his palm.

-Of course... - he said, his voice sweet, so sweet you thought your diabetes could react.

-I like you. No, I love you. And... I want you. I'm sorry for being selfish - you confessed. He looked surprised, you could tell by the way his brows went up and he stayed there with no reaction for long three seconds - It's totally okay if you don't like me back - you wiped away some tears, shifting the way you sat as you talked nervously - I'm okay, I just wanted to be real with you this time and...

-Wait, wait, wait - he cut you off, almost like he had woken up from his daydream - Are you telling me you avoided me this week because you had a crush on me? - he asked in disbelief.

-That's exactly what I told you. But really, it's okay if you don't like me back... – you kept on saying, not realizing that he had just understood what you said at that moment.

-No, no. Y/n. Are you serious? I was... I was so worried about you! I can't believe it... I thought you hated me.

-No, it's not that...

-Geez. If I didn't like you back, I would be the one who wouldn't be okay with this - he held you from your back and closed the gap between your lips. 

At first, you were so shocked, not expecting him to suddenly kiss you, but then you relaxed and gave in the kiss. His lips felt like magic, the one you’ve always wanted to try. Yours lips together felt like pieces of a puzzle, completing each other. The kiss, which started pure and passionate, quickly changed into a more sensual and hotter one.

It was long, like you wanted to feel through it the time you were apart. You separated to get a breath. Two big smiles adorning both of your faces as well as his dimples clear on both sides of his face.

-I love you. I love you. I love you - he confessed back, holding you into an embrace.

-I'm really sorry, Chan...

-Shhh, it’s okay. You don't need to. All I wanted was you here - he said, running his fingers through your hair - I missed you. 

-I missed you too... - you sighed, relieving the stress from before.

-Did you miss me that much to drink soju? - he questioned, broking the hug to stare at your eyes.

You blushed hard, covering your mouth with your hand.

-Could you taste it?

-Of course, it was strong - he laughed and you almost became a tomato.

-I'm sorry... Suyeon showed up with some bottles of soju and I...

-Oh... so you are blaming her now...?

-NO! - you protested, but then gave up - Aish. I hate you.

-Wow, feelings really change fast. You’ve just said you loved me.

-I'm taking that back - you put out your tongue, acting like you meant it.

-How stubborn! - he commented - Will my patience be enough to bare you?

-Will it?

You two laughed loud.

-I really love you - he hugged you again, but this time you thought you could take a revenge on his words.

-You are all sweaty! - you pretended to complain.

-Yeah... I was practicing when my baby just decided to show up and confess to me.

-Still... you are sweaty – you insisted, even though him calling you his ‘baby’ affected you.

-Well... don't you think it is sexy? - he suggested, smirking at you.

This was the second time you got red as a tomato. That's it. You couldn't win against him. He was too much, too much and your braincells weren’t keeping up with him.

-You're red as hell. Does that mean you really find it sexy? - he got closer to you, smirk still there.

-Ahh! Stop it! - you touched your cheeks in hope they'd go back to normal - Pervert!

-The one with wild imagination here is you - he said back and laughed at your reaction. Your ears becoming red like your face.

-You are mean.

-I'm sorry, but it's just too funny to tease you - he giggled.

-If you think you really know what turns me on, then why don't you do it instead of talking? Less words, more action - you demanded, pushing him back and sitting on his lap.

-Can I? – his tone got serious, but the stupid grin was still there.

-You ask? - You said back, wrapping your arms around his shoulders and kissing him again.

You didn't even know where you got so much confidence to say that to him, but maybe Suyeon was right, you wouldn't be going home that night.

[sierrabinondo]

woodland creatures - day 4 (orlando pt. 2)

was i excited to be on tour? yes. was i also super nervous about going on tour before leaving? also yes.

was i excited to go to disney springs? Y E S. was it the one thing i knew i could look forward to even if i sucked at every fucking show??? 

B I G  Y E S. 

my poor bandmates. i said the night before, “hey, i just realized, we never actually really discussed going to disney springs.” and they were like, “yeah.”

but! we went anyway!!! bless their hearts!!!

the morning after staying up and partying was rough. i had the NASTIEST hangover. my headache was so severe that i couldn’t even fall back asleep following 5 hours of rest. i popped some advil and tried to get a couple more hours in but it was impossible, so i just got up and showered. the guys brought back panera for lunch, and then once everyone was ready we were off to disney springs. i could tell everyone was worried it was gonna be lame, i felt it in the air lmao. i was also worried i was leading them to a miserable afternoon in the hot florida weather. but i figured if they hated it we could always leave.

we pull up to disney springs and there is some semblance of what i remembered from the last time i was there but also a lot that i DID NOT recognize. the parking garages were definitely new. they had sensors over each parking spot that could indicate whether or not a car was in the spot, and it would update an LED screen outside the entrance with how many spots were available on each floor. i thought that was really cool. there were gardens on the sides of the garages too. we then go up some stairs and down an escalator to get in, and hooooly shit i was blown away. there was a brand new area that had a fountain and all of the shops looked reminiscent of spanish architecture. it was so beautiful. 

we got group pictures in front of the fountain, and then i decided to get a happy birthday pin from guest relations lmfao. i wanted to see if i could get any free shit by just waltzing around with a birthday pin on. i was unsuccessful but i had never been in or near disney on my birthday anyways so i just rolled with it. we started to the right and went to world of disney, marketplace co-op, the lego store and the pin trading shop. 

i was completely overwhelmed by how big all of the stores were. there was so much cool shit. i really thought i would have an easy time abstaining from spending money, since my sister was literally just there and got me the one thing i wanted, but i did NOT. at world of disney i bought ANOTHER pair of minnie ears, the rose gold sparkly ones lmfao. not usually my style, but there weren’t any others i was crazy about. joe got a shirt and ryan bought some stuff for his girlfriend christina. i wanted clothes but i decided to wait to see if there might be better merchandise elsewhere.

we moved on to marketplace co-op and i immediately found a disney world long sleeve shirt i loved so i grabbed that. i alsoooo balled out and got a print of the most beautiful mulan painting i have ever seen. it was a depiction of one of my favorite parts in the movie, when she is singing reflection and chops off her fuckin hair, but in the garden instead of the shrine. that movie means very very much to me as an asian american!!! besides that i got emperor’s new groove patches later on in the afternoon and that was all i spent my money on. $138 later. yeesh.

my friends eton and jeri who came to the show the night before wanted to meet up for food and drinks, so i walked over to frontera cucina. i thought maybe my bandmates might join us but they weren’t hungry and it was more of a sit down place, so we parted ways for an hour. i hadn’t seen eton and jeri since they moved down to orlando in january, holy shit. it was so good to hang out with them. we caught up and enjoyed some really good lunch. i ordered a gin and tonic that had a whole ass cucumber peel wrapped around the glass and pork belly tacos. i bugged out bad because eton wouldn’t let me pay nor could i get his venmo from jeremiah to cover my portion. it was so sweet of them to treat me. i met them through jeremiah, i always tell him how much i love his friends and how they’ve become my friends the more we all hang out together. it sucks our time was so damn brief but i’m just glad i got to see them.

after late lunch i met back up with everyone and we walked around a little longer, but i mistakenly let us stay a little later and lost track of time. it was just about time to start heading over to hail the sun. i felt really bad because people mentioned wanting to go swimming or take a nap and i effectively robbed everyone of any allotted leisure activity time by wanting to gallavant around more. i was definitely just as wiped as everyone, but i hadn’t been back to disney in forever. we hurried back to the van and drove back to kissimmee. 

pulses. had been grilling and chillin at the airbnb all day, so they were ready for the gig when we got back. we got back just in time to leave when they did, like 15 minutes before. we both hopped in our respective vehicles and we were off. they always dropped snails in the tour chat and called us with snails ahead because we were slow with the van lmfao but it’s not MY FAULT the shit is SO HUGE damnit. i drove the van to the gig with josef, jaime and kris while ryan and santino stayed home. 

it’s interesting to go to a show in another state, it does feel pretty weird to go somewhere unfamiliar, but it really does feel the same as attending a show at home. people really are pretty much the same everywhere else, just different geographical locations and climates. the gig was really good but the venue was SO SMALL. too small. i like the soundbar but i might like it better if you didn’t have to wade your way through a crowd of swamp ass to get to the bathrooms alllll the way on the other side of the venue opposite of the entrance. plus, it got so packed that it was really difficult to be near the stage, let alone inside the building. for most of the show the 10 of us camped out in a really great spot near the bathrooms that wasn’t getting too much traffic and had its own bar so we stayed there.

we were at the show where sergio broke his headstock. i don’t think i’ve ever seen a show where sergio stands still the entire time, in the dozens of times i’ve seen him play. he was so close to that monitor/the ceiling but i didn’t suspect his guitar was going to break. i completely missed it because i was looking down at my phone (womp) but i heard everyone audibly gasp. that sucks dude. i think that was the only bummer the whole show though besides the heat and some sloppy drunks. pulses. are friends with zach garren so he was hanging out near us here and there throughout the night. daisy came to the gig so she came and found us, we hung out for a good portion of the show, too! it was a really good chance to talk more too after the gig the night before. she told us a lot about what the florida scene is like. we told her it’s infinitely better than the tri-state area LMAO. at least like, people show up to shows and STAY on a monday night which is insane. and then joseph arrington is a friend of ours so he said hi a couple times during the gig, afterwards him and i talked more when it was quieter. 

it is one of the greatest honors in my entire life that joseph arrington sees me as a homie. writing this under the presumption he’s never gonna see this lmao, but i have to pinch myself sometimes. we’ve been friends since we played the last ALLB tour september 2017. i introduced myself and mentioned that we had opened for sianvar’s 2016 tour at webster hall and he actually remembered us. ryan also introduced himself as one of his patreon donors and they talked for like 45 minutes. that show he asked for a CD (and it was years in waiting our older album too yikes lol there’s bangers on there but it doesn’t sound like us anymore) and he messaged me later that night like, “we’re listening in the van right now, you’re a great singer”. we’ve hung out at gigs a couple more times, whether we played together or either ryan or i went to go see him play. the fact he considers us peers is one of the most validating things i have. i’ve learned a lot of helpful insight from him. i have tremendous respect for him and couldn’t be more grateful that he actually likes us as musicians and as people. 

all of the bands of course were awesome, i couldn’t stand the heat enough to be inside for every single hail the sun song but i caught most of their set. it’s pretty insane to see them blow up like they have. they deserve it. and i think donovan is one of the best vocalists i’ve ever heard. that whole camp of blue swan musicians are just so talented. 

josef, jaime and kris graciously waited outside for me to finish talking to joe arrington, and during that time josef actually caught will swan outside. he said he had the chance to tell will swan deathstar is the reason he plays music and it made him very happy to do so. it had happened like a little bit before i came back outside. we then got lost trying to find the van and hilariously passed the actual entrance to the parking garage like 3 times. it was literally across the street and i led them around the block twice. 

we went back to the airbnb for one more swim and we almost had another super late night legit just talking to pulses. kris sat outside editing photos while some of the guys swam, some of us just sat with our feet in the pool. when we got back ryan and santino had been sleeping and i think i maybe saw santino get up once to go to the bathroom. i did really want to go to sleep but ughhhhh i also thought to myself, i can sleep when i get home from tour. i get really bad FOMO every day of my life. so we stayed up and we talked about all things dance gavin dance, blue swan, our local scene, and bein in a band. it’s insane how alike we all are in our way of thinking. i also find it hard to open up to other bands though because it seems like no one else sees playing music and trying to grow a band the way we do. i just wanted to eat up any time i could bonding with pulses., taylor and tyler. thankfully we weren’t up until 4 am again but legit any time up spending time with all of my friends was worth it.

[zoetekohana]

I finally watched “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows” and I wrote down all my reactions:

Here it goes... COWABUNGA MY TURTLE DUDES.

Ooooh I love the use of ninja throwing stars for the Paramount stars.

I’m also digging the music.

TURTLE FORMATION

Omg, Mickey, no squirrel formation. (I don’t want to see those creepy squirrels from the 2012 series.)

Honestly, even though the plot of the 2014 film wasn’t great (hopefully this one will be better), they had the personalities down to a tee, and it’s great to see that’s still the case.

The way they depict the sibling relationship between Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mickey is so awesome to watch. Not to forget: the fact that they actually act like teenagers is such a plus.

Case in point: Donnie repeatedly telling Raph to “do it do it do it do it do it [the shellskateboarding thing]”. I love it.

Hahahaah, Kevin the pizza guy. Such a nice Kevin Eastmann cameo!

Donnie: “When I say Knicks you say Go.” I’m reminded of the failed “When I say Vol you say Tron.” speech. But at least the bros got it right.

Vern The Falcon? Oh no....

Hahaha, shooting the little spit balls at Vern and then mimicking his falcon. See, such teenagers.

APRIL IS CALLING DONNIE.

I REPEAT APRIL IS CALLING DONNIE.

Yes, I ship them. Shush.

Also, that blonde wig + glasses look really good on Megan Fox? 

Baxter Stockmann... He’d go with a FLY FORMATION.

Donnie to April: “Do you need us there?”  Awwww.

April to Donnie: “That birthday present that you made for me?” AWWW.

Yes, April, explain Baxter the difference between geek and nerd.

Omg, Baxter, that laugh.

Ofc there needs to be some Megan Fox fanservice... /eyeroll (She was pretty badass going undercover, but still that was unnecessary.)

HAHAHA I LOVE THE DONNIE SMILEY FACE ON HER WATCH WHEN THE DOWNLOAD OF THE FILES IS COMPLETE!

Oh no, the pizza slice on the basketball court....

Poor Mikey, he just want to “LIVE UP THERRRREEE. Up there where flowers bloom.” (And now I have that South Park song stuck in my head.) 

Also, a Transformers reference, really?

Wait;;; How are the copied files on April’s watch being deleted? She downloaded them? She wasn’t streaming them....

But good on her for discovering that Baxter is working with Shredder (where did that hunch come from though?) and that he + the Foot Clan plan on breaking him out when he’s being transferred.

Casey Jones as a law enforcer? That’s new? 

Ngl, I don’t really like that detail. It doesn’t suit him.

BEBOP AND ROCKSTEADY!!!!! :D

It’s not a Michael Bay production without car explosions. /eyeroll (again)

Also, NYC believes that Vern stopped the Shredder. Why didn’t the NY police ask him to accompany this super important transfer?

Hahaha, that tmnt theme’d honk. I LOVE.

Great updates on the Turtle Shell, Donnie.

Raph when taking out the last of three foot bikers: “That’s how I roll. That’s how you roll.”

Why didn’t Raph stay on the bike? He could cover more ground that way.

Soooo, Baxter knows of the Turtles. 

I love how personalised the Turtle Shell is.

Hi there, Krang! 

So, lemme get this straight: Krang needs the three teleport devices he sent to Earth to join them into an arch capacitor to teleport the Technodrome to Earth to conquer it. But he was able to teleport Shredder to where he was. Something does not add up there... 

So many plotholes.

But whatever, I’m still enjoying this. :) 

Donnie and April make such a great team.

But how is she going to get to the TCRI’s mainframe? (Also, how is she going undercover everywhere? Isn’t she recognised as a television reporter?)

Chief: “Manhole covers?”

That was some nice exposition on Jones wanting to become a detective. Like really? It was so odd to tell your superior who’s clearly mad at you that.

The casting for Bebop and Rocksteady is so spot on.

It’s still weird not to have the Shredder vs Splinter backstory. It feels like Splinter is just there now? He’s more important than that. :(

Is that barkeep the Vulture from b99? 

Quickly looked it up, yep, that’s Dean Winters. :D

It’s not a Turtles movie without some Vanilla Ice. ;)

Reporter thing aside... Why go on this important undercover mission on high heels? Everyone can hear you. That’s not stealthy there, April. 

I get that the purple ooze is different (iirc from the 1987 series) - although I’m not a fan of a different kind of mutagen -, but why not mention the green ooze? They have the green mutagen from the previous film that mutated the Turtles and Splinter? Or am I completely remembering the 2014 film wrong?

Also, how did Shredder shoot two darts into two different directions? 

Yes, that gun has two barrels, but he shot both darts practically at the same time?

Also, how are they mutating into a warthog and a rhinoceros without the DNA from those animals? 

The way they transformed, that sequence, was pretty cool, though.

Hmm, so we all have a dormant animal gen. It’s an explanation for not needing the animal DNA, I guess.

YES TO HBIC APRIL O’NEIL!

So Casey wants to be a detective, but then suits up as the Hockey Vigilante we know and love. That really doesn’t make much sense.

April to Casey: “Stacey Moans?”

Stacey’s mom has got it going on.... And now I’ve got that song stuck in my head, haha.

Amell physically makes a good Casey Jones. But I’m sorry to say, he’s so stiff and mainly has two faces: this :| or this :D. I’m not a big fan of this casting. I’m okay with it, but idk.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

And Koteas is forever my favourite Casey Jones. 

Casey to the turtles: “Do not eat us humans.” Are we really going with that joke?

I love Mickey’s introduction of the Turtles to Casey. :D

DONNIE’S POSE . <3

Haha, Mikey and Raph keeping Casey out of the huddle.

Leo about Casey: “Raph, grab Friday the 13th.” Great reference.

Casey: “And have the most pretentious names ever.” 

”Is it me you’re looking for?” ♫ Omg, Splinter listening to pop ballads. I love. xD

Of course Donnie could turn the ooze so they could become humans.

Don’t keep secrets from your brothers, Leo. 

Awww, Mickey. The one who wants to be among humans the most. :(

A Turtle Christmas album?? I WANT!

Leo: “There’s only one vote that counts in this family: Mine!” Harsh, bro.

Awww, ofc Donnie loves museums. :)

Casey to Vern: “See you there.” Mikey to Vern: “See you there.” Vern: “He already said that.” That made me laugh more than it should have.

I love how Leo and Donnie are riding the subway like that.

They’re not monsters. :’(

I want to give Mickey a big hug.

Leo to Splinter: “I can’t get them all on the same page, to think with one mind.” Splinter to Leo: “You shouldn’t want them all to think the same. It’s their different points-of-view that makes the team strong. A good leader understands this. A good brother accepts it.” I love this. 

Seriously, the personalities and the interactions are so on point.

Where did Beebs and Rock get a tank???

So many fistbumps in this film, omg.

I forgot to mention this before, but I like that Donnie isn’t as muscle-y as the others. I do like these different personal designs.

Also, Donnie easily jumping to go to the other plane. That was great.

Raph: “What would Vin Diesel do? No regrets, no fear.” Hahahaha.

Whoa, really, shooting from a tank inside a plan? “Dude seriously” is the right reaction.

Also, how is Donnie able to stay inside that open cockpit??? 

Lbr, Donnie is the mvp in this film.

“THIS PIG IS FLYING!” Hahahahahaha.

Raph seeing that turtle. A reference to Spike, maybe? :D

Okay, that entire river sequence was AWESOME!!! 

I wouldn’t change one things about it: from seeing the turtles swim under water, to Raph saving Donnie from the tank missile, to the four of them hiding in their shell (along with that “ploemp” sound effect) when going down the water fall.

Leo (sarcastically): “Thanks, guys. Real time effort.” Wow, way to be a dick there. :/

”Justice comes in all shapes and sizes.” That explains Casey Jones suiting up in his hockey vigilante get-up, I guess. But idk, that little plot could have been written better.

Come on, Vern, you can step up. :)

Oh no, Vern missing the obvious there with the location of the data storage of that hidden camera. hashtag relatable

Leo: “We may be brothers, but we’re not a team.”  That hurts....

But that portal technically isn’t your science, Baxter, it’s Krang’s. The names you mentioned might become footnotes, but so would you.

Donnie gathered all that information rather quickly? Unbelievable quickly?

But again, he’s the mvp!

I love that old video console on Donnie’s wrist.

They’re turtles forever. :)

I really thought Shredder was going to say that Baxter would always the same, aka “a fly on the wall” instead of “a footnote”.

Vern: “When something bad happens, you want to be with the turtles.” That is true.

Haha, oh u Shredder. You betrayed Baxter to have all the glory, but you didn’t consider Krang would betray you?

KRANG DOESN’T SHARE FOOD.

Oh, I noticed that Triceration next to Shredder! :D

Wow, Jade spoke for once. :o

I like the way the police protected the Turtles from being seen by the public.

Raph: “SURF’S UP, NY!”

Again with the heels, O’Neil?

I love that shot with the four turtles standing on the edge of the almost finished Technodrome.

Mikey calling Krang “a chewed up piece of gum” and then Leo continuing with “Bubblicious”, haha.

Mickey: “I’m vertical.”

Mickey is the second mvp this film.

I really really love that Donnie and Mickey get most screentime this film.

Great how Casey tricked Beebs and Rock like that. :)

TEAM EFFORT, BB!

Leo: “We got something nobody else has.” Leo, Donnie and Mickey: “Turtle power!” while Raph: “Garbage truck!” Hahahaha.

But seriously: TURTLE POWER!

Finally, April being a reporter again.

Chief to the turtles: “Last name?”  Hamato immediately came to mind, tbh.

Some Capril flirting. ;)

HEROES IN A HALF SHELL! ♫

I love the comic style in the end credits. 

But see: Splinter’s actor isn’t even mentioned in the special part of the end credits. He deserves better and more.

All in all, despite its flaws (too many expositions or Krang being the main villain with hardly any screentime f.e.), I really enjoyed watching this. It’s so much better than the 2014 one. 

(I do hope for actual one on one friendship between Donnie and Mickey next time, though. I love the turtles most together, but separate friendships I love them the most.) (And on that note: Where was my Raph&Casey romance friendship?)

[ahamortenusa2015]

                                                Take on This!

                                     ----A Journey Like No Other----

                 First off, welcome back!

I know it’s been forever and a day since I last did an installment of Take on This, and I apologize.  My life went into overdrive over the last year-ish—some really great things took an incredible amount of my time; some not-so-great-things threw a monkey wrench into daily life.  To the not-so-great things, I say: I dealt with you, conquered you, and came out a stronger person on the other end.  Also, I learned that I didn’t have time for drama in my life and acted accordingly. It was liberating.

But, enough about that, because…

…a-ha is FINALLY COMING TO THE UNITED STATES!  

I’ll just be over here for a moment while that sinks in.

//whistles while she waits//

Let’s get in the time machine, shall we?  Our story begins in 2014, with two ladies meeting each other over a mutual love of Morten Harket and his music.  Becoming fast friends, they soon found themselves planning a trip to Norway to see him in concert—a dream come true.  Those two gals were none other than Debbie and Clara.  One incredible chance-of-a-lifetime meeting later, they had expressed their desire—right to the man himself—to see him on American shores. Upon returning home, they decided to take it one step further: why not try and get Morten *and* a-ha over here? Now, they knew a-ha had gracefully left us in 2010, but there was always hope in the back of their minds, just as we all had hope.  So, they set up a Facebook page (this very one!) and started a petition (the one we have almost 1,500 names on now!), and decided to see where it took them.

People began to take notice.  Visitors from the page signed the petition and shared with friends.  People enjoyed the photos of a-ha and Morten they posted on Facebook.  One of those people was me, LA.  What started as me probably making a sassy comment about Morten’s choice of pants in that one photo we all know and love turned into something much more.

In March 2015, I got a message from Clara telling me that she and Debbie had talked and they both had a “gut feeling” that I was a pretty cool gal.  (They’re right, BTW //tooting my own horn//). They asked me to join the fold and maybe write some blog pieces for fun, and I immediately took the reins on our social media front.  We set up Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram and updated the Facebook page, and started the Take on This! blog, all with one purpose: get attention to our petition (and entertain you all in the process!)

And guess what?  People noticed even more.  The number of signatures began to rise.  More guests liked our Facebook page, and began following us on the other platforms. So, we set up a website, and lo and behold, people visited there, too!  By the end of March 2015, Cast in Steel had been announced, and we wanted nothing more than to have them come to our shores and play for all their adorning fans here that couldn’t make it to Europe for shows.  Tour dates were announced…and they didn’t include us.  So guess what?  We threw ourselves into “work our asses off” mode.  Late nights, early mornings, neglecting of family duties—all on our own time, no pay from anyone, mind you—to get our (and your) voices heard.  Facing adversity from certain sources only made us a stronger team, and more determined bring attention to our campaign.  Because when it’s all said and done, all a-ha fans deserve the opportunity to see the guys in concert, no matter what certain people think.

And on we pressed.  We contacted the Original MTV VJ’s on Twitter: Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, Martha Quinn, and Nina Blackwood.  All were eager to help our grass-roots effort get some attention, as they remembered those Norwegian angels and how much influence they had on pop culture.  Mark and Nina both gave us ON AIR shout outs on Sirius XM, and all four tweeted about us on their own accounts.  Nina in particular has been an incredible help, as she is always willing to post our links, talk about us and Debbie on-air and give a-ha a little love during her airtime.  

And guess what?  The petition numbers kept rising.  

By this time it was June 2015, and we weren’t even close to being done.  We were sitting on the precipice of 500 signatures, no small feat.  But we wanted more.   We wanted a-ha and their management to know that the fans here in the USA wanted them back. Time was ticking by, and we knew the USA was running out of time to secure tour dates.  So we worked our tails off even more, sometimes resorting to asking random people if they liked a-ha, all in order to reach that magic number. (I may or may not have been guilty of asking the service technician at my car dealership to sign during an oil change. He signed—and I regret nothing.)

June 16, 2015.  “500 Day.”

The number glared at us, we screeched and cried happy tears, then…

…immediately started planning on how we were going to get to 1,000.

We did giveaways for certain number milestones, we circulated flyers around our hometowns, we contacted radio stations nationwide, deejays and anyone we could think of in the entertainment business who might listen.  To quote a previous entry of Take on This: Perfect strangers?  No problem, A-ha is great icebreaker.  Family vacation?  Pssshhh.  Hawaii loves A-ha too, right? Local restaurants?  State Fairs?  Kid’s music lessons?  Check, check and double check.

And guess what?  THE NUMBERS KEPT RISING.  We imposed a deadline on ourselves to get to that next magic number—August 31st. Before we knew it, August was upon us. And August 9th brought 1,000 names.  In just over five months, we had gone from 300-ish signatures to over a thousand.  Within a day, hundreds of dollars our own money went towards postage for sending hard copies of the petition to Norway.  We knew it needed to be there RIGHT NOW if the USA were to have any chance of getting tour dates.  We ensured it was in the right hands, no matter how hard or expensive it was.  How’s that for working our butts off day and night?

And still we pressed on.  1,000 wasn’t enough.  Time was of the essence, because we knew the window to achieve gigs for the USA was quickly closing.  So again, we kicked into overdrive.  Working through the autumn, we blasted the information about our petition far and wide, hoping against hope that it would garner even more attention.  

December 8, 2015.

The day our hearts collectively broke.  I remember I woke up like any other day, wrangled my son out of bed on a below-zero morning to get to school on time, and checked my phone while making oatmeal. The message I never wanted to see greeted me.  

They weren’t coming.  All tour dates had been announced.

I’ll admit, I cried.  Hard.  I tried to keep my composure and got my dude into school like a trooper.  When I returned to my car, I called Debbie and sobbed—and swore.  Profusely.  (Poor Debbie, did she get an earful from that parking lot…) Everything we had worked for. Everything we had HOPED for.  For nothing.

We took a week or so to wallow in our misery, and also decide what to do next. Yes, they weren’t coming—THIS TIME. You see, that hope, that drive, that made us strive to succeed the first time, was still there.  Maybe even burning hotter than before.

Debbie and Clara at least had Norwegian concerts to look forward to, and I vicariously lived through them during their whirlwind tour of that beautiful Scandinavian country to see a-ha for the very first time in May 2016.  And all the while, even though the end of the tour had arrived by then and there was no concrete evidence that a-ha would come back again, we kept on.  Armed with flyers, cards and a few more hard copies of our petition, they put feet to the ground in Norway and got back to business in-between shows.

Because we’re nothing if not persistent.

The petition made it into the hands of an executive from Norsk Hydro who knew the band, and promised to share it with them.  She was thrilled to hear that there was such a fan base in the USA and was eager to tell the guys.  When the gals were fortunate enough to talk to each of the lads, they always made sure to tell them how much they were wanted here, and that all our hard work was for the fans that have never had the chance to see them on our shores.  We crossed our collective fingers.  Debbie and Clara returned to the United States with a renewed love of Norway and a smattering of cautious optimism that our efforts would somehow still not be in vain.

We kept on updating our little corner of a-ha land, all the while working for the Norwegian band KELNER doing promo in the USA.  We were busy, that’s for sure.  But all the while, we always had that glimmer of hope that a-ha would return yet again.  We kept the petition open and continued to get support, with the numbers continuing to rise.  

2017 brought new hope—and renewed vigor in us—in the form of the acoustic tour announcement.  Once again, we flew into action, blasted our petition with louder voices than we had ever had before.  Nina Blackwood, once again, supported us by talking about our campaign on-air and posting our links on her Facebook page.  She even gave a shout-out to Debbie before she left for the acoustic shows last month.  

This time, we would not be left out.  The sting of disappointment was still raw from last time, the wound still aching. And then again, when all the acoustic gigs were announced—the USA was not part of the deal.

Dammit.

But, we persisted.  Because we could just feel it.  Maybe it was the way the guys seemed to have so much fun during the Cast in Steel tour, or the announcement of the acoustic album and DVD for autumn.  We knew there had to be something more.

The MTV Unplugged concerts at Giske were a success.  There had been a huge contingent of American fans there, and it had to have been noticed.  Debbie and Clara screamed it from the rooftops again, to anyone who would listen, that we desperately wanted to be included in another tour—if it ever came to fruition.  They came home, and we waited.  Again.

July 7, 2017

One article, posted on a very reputable site, said the words we were all waiting to hear for so very, very long.

A-ha was finally coming back to the USA.

A world tour announcement, including America.

I cried again.  But this time, it was most definitely happy tears.

All our work, all our sacrifices—had finally paid off.  Sacrifices, you ask?  Yes.  Our families sometimes got the shaft when we were hard at work making the collective voice of the USA fans be heard.  We spent a lot, and I mean A LOT, of our time campaigning for everyone to get their fair change.  No one paid us.  We did what we did because, for every a-ha fan that has seen them in concert, there are ten who haven’t.  Those of us who live in the USA have had a mere sliver of the opportunities others have been given to see them over the past thirty-plus years.  We worked so very hard—and we did it for the fans.

So, here’s to the upcoming Summer 2018 World Tour.

We finally did it guys, we're so thankful that everyone appreciated our hard work, and here's to seeing a-ha on our shores!

Team AHaMortenUSA thanks each and every one of you for your support and encouragement over these last three years.  And don’t worry, we’re not going anywhere just because there are finally tour announcements!  We’re here to stay!

 Keep up with us on social media!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ahaUSA2015/

Twitter:   https://twitter.com/AHaMortenUS2015

Tumblr: https://ahamortenusa2015.tumblr.com/

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/scoundrel_days/

Website: https://www.ahamortenharketusa.com/

Petition: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/134/144/390/a-ha-morten-harket-usa-2015/