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fyeah-bangtan7 · 3 years

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Jung Kook: “I think we’d better not ever stop”

We asked Jung Kook to draw anything he wanted for the photoshoot. The photos featured in this article are snapshots while Jung Kook was at work. Even when the photoshoot was finished, he left the studio only when he completed his drawing.

“Butter” has been at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for six weeks straight. (This interview took place on July 12) Jung Kook: I was never attached to rankings, but as good as it is and as happy as I am since we’ve kept setting records since “Dynamite,” it also feels like a burden.

Is it because you’ve been successful beyond anything you could’ve imagined? Jung Kook: Sort of. A huge number of people have given me recognition, so I’ve been going along thinking I have to work harder, but we did even better with “Butter” than with “Dynamite,” so I think I ended up feeling weighed down. That’s what I’m like. BTS is an amazing team, but maybe my problem is that I’m not able to keep up with BTS.

You were the one to set the mood for “Butter” by singing the intro to the song. Didn’t that make you feel good? You were definitely as amazing as the team itself. (laughs) Jung Kook: “Butter” just feels so good. It’s different from our usual style, so it felt different while recording. The song’s great, too. I love that, but it’s separate from that feeling of pressure. I mean, I hope BTS does even better, honestly. Lately I’ve been thinking that that pressure means I need to do better. After “Dynamite” became number one on the Billboard Hot 100, it’s not like we’re being forced to try harder; it’s just my personal ambition. I think I can do better.

Why do you think “Dynamite” wasn’t as satisfying? Jung Kook: Because I couldn’t express everything I wanted the way I wanted to. When I listen to the remixes, I think about how I could’ve sung it differently. Like, “Aw, man! If only I could do it again!” (laughs) I got some things from singing “Dynamite,” like, I’m not quite there yet. So I try to practice singing at least an hour every day, no matter what. Any singer who’s been at number one on Billboard for six weeks had better be really good at singing. That’s what I think.

Something about the way you sang in English probably made you hear your own singing in a new light. Your tone is different from when you sing in Korean. Jung Kook: Sometimes you have to bear down a little on your words to talk in Korean. Plus I’m from Busan, so I speak in a little bit of a low voice. I don’t have that when I use English, though, so it’s like there’s pros and cons. It’s easy to use your head voice when you sing in English as well, but it can be uncomfortable, while in Korean, if you try to sing higher using your head voice, it can sound a bit nasally sometimes. But at the same time, it can be hard to break old habits when I sing in English since I’ve always been singing in Korean.

“Dynamite,” “Butter” and “Permission to Dance” are all English songs and you were in charge of the introduction for all three. It seems like you put some thought into how to create different impressions for each song. Jung Kook: “Butter’s” really bouncy, as you know. It’s a little deep, it’s got a driving beat, it’s rhythmical. And before I record, I listen to a recording with guide vocals, and then when I go to record, I have to keep all these characteristics in mind and mix them together with my own style properly in this subtle way. I think it’s seriously an intuition. (laughs) I had a hard time when we were recording, obviously, and when I first did it, my voice didn’t sound right, so I had to keep looking for the right voice. I think the most important thing is to really nail the voice you want to use first, and so is figuring out how to make it your own. In “Permission to Dance,” for instance, I sang it more the way I wanted than the style the guide vocals had.

How do you come to that kind of conclusion? Jung Kook: Everyone’s voice has to sound different, so it can be overpowering if I copy the guide too much when I sing. So sometimes I follow what I’m thinking of exclusively. I was thinking about how I should sing the first part of “Permission to Dance,” and when I went to record it, even Pdogg, the producer, told me, “It’ll work best if you go with your own voice, your own style.”

What effect does listening to so many other artists’ songs and analyzing them have on you? Jung Kook: The more I listen to music, the more my vocals change. It really changes a lot when we get a song and listen to it and practice it. I guess you could say my vocal cords are always readying themselves for improvement when I practice. (laughs) And improving while I record, and just improving any time I sing. But there’s also times when it suddenly doesn’t sound right when I try it the way I want, so I just give it a try, or I quickly look up other vocalists and listen to their songs or ask some of the older artists. Doing that helps me find a certain voice I’m looking for.

You sang uncannily similar to SUGA when you briefly sang his part in “Life Goes On” over V LIVE, even though your voices are different. You’re quick at picking up on the characteristics of others’ vocals. Jung Kook: I used to rely on that a lot. Like, I can hear [the characteristics in their voices] at least. (laughs) Now, though, it’s like, Oh, [I] guess I shouldn’t do it that way. You can safely assume I’ve heard a countless number of other singers’ songs. Then I would think a lot about how I want to sing, thinking how those other singers would sing, before making my own voice. I carry over those people’s voices and vocal patterns and think about how it would sound if they sang in this room, then I think about how it would sound in my own voice, and then sometimes I can make my voice sound similar if I try to.

It seems like it was important for you to find your own style for the performances as well. Not only were the three English songs different from your earlier work, but there were also a lot of parts in “Butter” that you could only perform through gestures and facial expressions. Jung Kook: Before “Butter,” I just worked really hard, and had fun doing it, in whatever way I wanted but starting with “Butter” I think I managed to do things in a more thought-out way. I was more attentive to my facial expressions and movements and thought through what I should do in each situation in each performance to do it in my own style. And it was kind of a fun process. I don’t feel any pressure about that; I just thought I can create that kind of image if I just try to be a little cool and not cringey (laugh) for people from now on.

What image do you want people to have of you, as an artist? One that says, This is who I am as an artist right now. Jung Kook: I don’t think I’m at the level where I need to worry about that yet. I have a general idea about what kind of singer I want to be and what I want to be really good at, but I don’t think I’ve ever imagined defining myself as a certain type of singer yet. Because it’s an ongoing process, when I can prove myself, then, bam!—I give proof and become a truly influential person, only then can I go around saying, This is the kind of singer I am. For now, I don’t have anything, I guess you could say, “substantial” to show off. I think, Even if I’m part of BTS and tour stadiums, does that automatically make me better than other artists? And then, by thinking so, I center myself again.

Couldn’t you be a little softer on yourself? Jung Kook: No. I have to think about the future many times throughout the day. For example, sometimes I spend a whole day doing whatever, but whenever I do, I regret it severely. So I promise myself that I’ll get this and that done. That’s how I live, because if I don’t think that way, I won’t jump into action to get anything done. It’s like the title of our song, “Life Goes On”: the treadmill just keeps on going, and we’re on it, so I always think, I’d better not ever stop. I can express myself better if I think while I talk, and I can organize my thoughts while reflecting back on what I said. I try to think about everything in that way. I think I need to improve, whether it’s at singing or my hobbies—more than now, better than now.

Are you doing particularly well with any of your hobbies these days? It seems like you got a little better at painting, judging by your vlog. Jung Kook: I think I’m getting better overall, little by little. My vocals are where I’ve definitely improved lately. And bowling! (laughs) I learn how to paint by watching videos on YouTube. I think I’m good at picking up skills by emulating others. I’m actually not good at learning things. (laughs) I just like to do what I like to do and I naturally learn from the people around me, I guess. And I think the things I really want to learn are still the same: singing, English, exercise.

Learning from other people and wanting to do better is a form of recognizing who you can compare yourself against. Are you at all influenced by the other members? You’ve talked a lot about how much you’ve been influenced by the six older members. Jung Kook: I think I started paying attention to people other than myself after I moved to Seoul and met the other members. I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings, but I do notice them now. It’s like I really started to see myself for who I am from that point on.

That makes me think of when you talked about seeing the sights in Seoul for the first time on tvN’s You Quiz on the Block, the way you got to know the feelings the outside world can give. Jung Kook: The first time I saw the streets of Seoul, they were enormous. I was really worried, since I’d just come to Seoul, and I got to know myself because of the change of environment. I think it was the very first time for me to think for myself, and it became the starting point for me to get to know myself.

When you took some candy you liked from the BTS pop-up store, j-hope said you were still the same from when you first met when you were 13 years old. Do you think you haven’t changed at all compared to back then? Jung Kook: In some way I must be better or different on the outside, but I’m sure there’s still things about me that are the same as when I was 13. I learned how to be considerate towards the other members and how to understand them because I fought with them occasionally, but nobody’s going to stop me if I take candy. I take it like I always did. Like when Hobi and I fought over a single banana. (laughs)

But what’s changed about you, then? Being a member of BTS must have had an effect on your view of the world. You sought understanding from your vegetarian viewers when you were eating meat in a salad on V LIVE before. Jung Kook: I thought to ask because I know that many people abroad, and in Korea, too, are vegetarians. It’s one of the things you learn when you tour around many different countries. Obviously I don’t know about every single country’s culture or personal identities or choices, so even though I have a long way to go, I think it’s important to respect them based on what I do know.

I think you must know that you’ve had an influence on a lot of people. Partway into your V LIVE, you talked about how you couldn’t find any of the kombucha you drank before anymore because it was all sold out and you thanked your fans for giving a little help to small business owners. Jung Kook: Restaurants aren’t doing well and there’s a lot of closed-up shops in the markets now, as you know. So if I’ve had an effect on even one person, it’s been worthwhile. And sometimes the people I’ve had an influence on go on to make donations, too. There could always be someone who takes advantage of the things I say or do, but I’m confident a lot of people will use them for good.

This influence is something you’ve crafted with your fandom, ARMY. I imagine you’ve been influenced not only by the other members but also by ARMY since you were young. Jung Kook: There’s a lot going on inside a concert venue: the lighting, the stage, the floor, the stage design, the video projected on the screen. Plus there’s the music, the dancing, and us. Even if they’re all in balance, ARMY has to be there to complete the scene. When it comes to our concerts, ARMY are the ones who bought the tickets and they’re the main characters. I think everything we focus on comes back down to ARMY. We share in each other’s feelings and they’re the source of our strength, and I think they have synergy with us. It’s not enough to just say ARMY and us like each other, or that we love each other. There’s definitely more to it than that. It’s, well—I don’t know. It’s hard to put into words. (laughs)

I think you need ARMY to be there at the concert for you to fully realize the concert you’re aiming for. Jung Kook: Yes, exactly! Even if everything’s set up and we’re in front of the camera, if ARMY’s not there, it’s a completely different concert. Even when ARMY’s there and there’s a live camera broadcasting it, I’m like, There’s a camera? Sure. Obviously I care about it when I have to say hello to ARMY sitting on the other side, in front of their screens. Other than that, I get all my energy from all the ARMY sitting right in front of me. That’s how much they mean to me. It’s completely different.

The concept for BTS 2021 MUSTER SOWOOJOO was similar to being in concert with an audience. It must’ve made you think of ARMY even more. Jung Kook: I’m seriously good as long as I can perform. I can put on more and more concerts in the space of a year if we’re touring. I felt it more profoundly this time since we couldn’t perform with an audience. Wow, I really took things for granted all this time. I should’ve done more.

You must be disappointed. It’s your time to shine as a vocalist and as a performer. Jung Kook: (sighs) I, well, I really need to hurry up and make a mixtape, first of all. (laughs)

How’s your mixtape going? Jung Kook: I was working on it just before I came. But it’s hard! (laughs) I could just make it about myself, and then it would be like, I started as a trainee when I was 13, I worked hard, and found success. But anyone could do that. So I keep thinking I want to make up my own original, complex story and write the songs from there. Billie Eilish’s debut album left a big mark on me when it came out, in that respect. And it’d be nice to have a cohesive flow to the tracklist, but even if it’s all jumbled up, that’s fine, too, as long the good songs keep on coming. That’s sort of what I’m thinking. So these days, rather than focusing on the album’s story as a whole, I’m just going to write whatever it is I want to say in each song. If I get that feeling right after listening to a track, I’ll try and make it. And I’m going to try to make it a little bit light-hearted.

It can’t be easy for you to concentrate on it if you’re making it here and there between all your other work. Jung Kook: It’s fine if it takes a really long time—it’s just hard to work on it in pieces. I mean, if I stay up late working away at it, it’s hard to get through the next day. (laughs) I stayed up all night again last night and slept between appointments today, but I’m still going to keep working like this today and then go work on my mixtape again anyway. I’ll do my best to release it as soon as possible. I want to write and record a lot of material.

s there anything about yourself, other than your work or concerts, that you want to show to ARMY as an individual? Jung Kook: I want to show them, that, umm … Just my real self, Jeon Jung Gook. That I’m fairly easy-going, very honest, and nothing special.

What kind of person do you think you are now? Jung Kook: I’m, I’m a, lazy … person. (laughs).

You’re being very hard on yourself. (laughs) How could you be lazy if you’re a part of BTS? Jung Kook: No, I really am lazy. (laughs) If I were alone I’d probably miss a lot of my appointments. (laughs) But I have to avoid making any mistakes when we function as a group. I’m really lazy, and—oh, I overthink things sometimes. I think more than people might expect, and I do things my way. Plus, even though I don’t care what other people think of me, I kind of still do. (laughs) I have no idea. I’m sort of goofy—? But I’m also trying to live a full life—I’m that kind of person. (laughs).

Thank you for the interview. Oh, by the way, I liked your “Butter” fan cam. Your moves were really agile. Jung Kook: Really? Do you think I’ve gotten better? (laughs).

#bangtan #jungkook #m:weverse magazine #210726

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that-blue-vault-dweller · 3 years

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I just wanted to write how appreciative I am that you write these little drabbles/imagines without focusing on the romantic aspect of the companions. I seriously appreciate you and your work!!

I do have a small idea - how would companions react to the sole survivor explaining to them all about baseball and "the old days" when they visit Diamond City?

That means so, so much to me to hear! 🥺💙💛 I am so glad that you enjoy them! I’ve had a really hard time in some fandoms when writing stuff that focuses on friendship stuff. I either get hardly any reads or people are mad at me for not writing it romantically (in my personal experience, the Uncharted fandom is bad about that, lol). But people like you come along, and make me feel so welcome here in the Fallout fandom. I truly appreciate your kind words, and they mean the world to me 💖

I hope you enjoy! If you have any friendship drabbles you’d like me to write, I am now taking requests for those, too. 😊 I’m probably going to update the rules on that and who I will write the drabbles about later today, but it’s safe to say that I will write about any of the girls listed below. 🥰

Cait - Is honestly and truly disappointed that the game really is not what Moe Cronin says. She had always secretly wondered what it would be like to be in a real baseball game and get to beat people with a bat. She's pretty bummed that the entire thing was not as she thought.

Piper - Is fascinated and honestly quite shocked at how boring the actual truth is. It makes her question many other weird little things that she has just taken for granted, and she takes it upon herself to ask everything about baseball and to get F!Sole to give her a baseball-oriented tour of Diamond City.

Curie - Has some basic understanding of baseball and baseball stadiums. She knows that Moe Cronin does not really know the truth about baseball and "swatters." She greatly appreciates F!Sole taking the time to fully explain the intricate processes of baseball and the mechanics of the sport.

MacCready - Actually is legitimately interested in the original sport. He actually even asks if F!Sole had ever played it before and if she could teach him. He thinks it might be fun to play with Duncan, and he treasures any time that he can spend with his son.

Deacon - Is somewhat surprised, but he rolls with it. It's his job to know about things, and he just considers this to be extra intel. Within F!Sole, he has an inside look at the world around him from a totally upside-down perspective, and he values her view of things.

Codsworth - Already knows a considerable amount about baseball and its workings, but he is very happy to hear her speak about the old days and how baseball operated. She even presents a few facts that he did not know about.

Hancock - Is a little disappointed but not entirely surprised about the whole thing. After all, F!Sole did not really strike him as being someone that came from a time where families went to go watch people getting beaten to death by baseball bats.

Danse - Finds the true history behind it to be quite fascinating, and he asks several questions about it. He tries to picture it the way it used to look before the bombs fell, and he finds it to be very interesting mental image.

Preston - Is amazed at the fact that it is so different from what he originally perceived it to be. He likes hearing about it, but it is such a learning curve for him. He is looking all around the city, trying to picture what it was like before.

Valentine - Knows the truth about baseball, and he likes to reminisce about it with F!Sole. He shares quite a few of his own stories about the old days and baseball with her as well, and they both have quite the time discussing what truly occurred before the bombs.

X6-88 - Is not surprised. What truly surprises him is the fact that people on the surface actually thought that there was that violent of a sport in Pre-War times. He knows that people of that time were non-threatening and relatively harmless compared to the general populace of the current-day. He just doesn't get how Moe Cronin and other Commonwealth people missed that.

Dogmeat - Does not understand what she's saying. However, since she seems so happy with him bringing her an old baseball that he found in some obscure part of the town, he is perfectly satisfied.

Strong - Is somewhat angry when she explains the truth behind it. He thinks that Pre-War humans were stupid for chasing a ball around and he says that they should have beat each other with bats. It would make them stronger!

Maxson - Thinks that it is very interesting, and he just quietly listens and surveys the area as she explains. He asks her if she has any sort of stories about her and her family going to ballgames. He soon gets an earful, and he silently enjoys her happiness in recounting it all.

Sturges - Laughs and thinks that is pretty cool. He has always heard that baseball was about beating people up, but he kind of likes the romanticized manner in which she describes the whole thing. He loves to hear her talk about it and all the passion that she has in her voice as she vehemently explains how Moe Cronin is wrong about all of it.

Glory - Is not really surprised that the truth is something boring, but she cannot deny that she is pretty disappointed about it. When she first heard about baseball as a violent sport, she thought that the Pre-War world was not quite so different from this one after all. But now that she knows the truth behind it, she just accepts it and moves on from her previous misconceptions.

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plounce · 4 years

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my Concepts for aj2

so these are my thoughts and ideas about the game that would follow aa4 in a timeline where we got a coherent apollo trilogy rather than aa5 and aa6. as such, i am discarding aa5 and aa6′s apollo backstories because i find them incoherent as an arc and only slapped onto him for the plots of the games. etc etc. theorizing on squandered potential is me-bait. trucy and klavier get to have THEIR place in the narrative as important characters!! (sorry athena. you will get your own trilogy with good writing and a better design in this timeline too)

this is very stream of consciousness and while i think it’s fairly coherent it is also not chronologically organized as i build on ideas. i am genuinely sorry if the read more doesn’t work on mobile because this thing is stupid long.

containing:

apollo, trucy, and klavier being a firm Trio and getting character development and growing closer :)

themes about found family, letting yourself love/be loved, performance and persona, love giving you strength to do good, you being the one to determine your identity

exploration of the trio’s backstories and the development of their skills

prosecutor franziska chipping away at the corruption within the legal system

klavier being the assistant for a case

kristoph continuing to be a corrupt bastard

buildup to the sibling reveal & canon klapollo in the conclusion of the trilogy

- apollo is the main character

- phoenix is absent for like the entire game besides maybe a couple tiny flashbacks, later revealed to be working with edgeworth on anti-corruption stuff (which is also tied to kristoph & kristoph’s ties within the legal system, “old boys club” etc)

- trucy is assistant for first half of the game

- klavier is assistant for second half of the game. his hair is in a little bun or ponytail :) no drill hair for THIS individual person

- klavier is prosecutor for trucy assistant cases. in the 3rd case klavier was supposed to prosecute against apollo but things keep getting fishier and fishier and things keep reminding them of kristoph. klavier is ordered off the case from on high. mysterious replacement. klavier is too invested in seeing truth & justice come to light so he helps apollo

- franziska prosecutes cases 3 & 4. she has short hair and it’s super sexy and hot.

- kristoph set things up so that klavier is implicated in things. dig into how klavier and apollo feel unable to escape kristoph’s influence - “he’s too foundational”

- 4th case klavier is on trial. oh maybe 3 isn’t about kristoph but it’s just background stuff about the rampup to the 4th case - klavier is put on probation while things are investigated but he doesn’t know WHY, but he’s still committed to his ideals

- trucy is pursuing her magic career, klavier still loves music - has been releasing solo stuff maybe, just some EPs for free/charity, but isn’t touring. focusing on law

- case 4 has a family friend (NOT A WOMAN FOR THE LOVE OF GOD... A MALE DAMSEL PLEASE) get accidentally poisoned through something klavier gave them. that’s the trial itself. kristoph was the source. klavier is arrested. it’s more complicated that this but it gets to this point. day 2 of the trial is when klavier is implicated and he gets yanked into cuffs from the defense bench

- one of case 4′s pillars is a memory from the gavin brothers’ childhood. discuss how kristoph was as a child. klavier has been realizing how... odd certain things were, and trying to pass it off as like “haha yeah kristoph would dissect dead birds and convince our parents that every mess was my fault. i guess that makes sense considering how he ended up haha? I Don’t Feel Strongly About This I Just Think It’s Funny :)”

- apollo’s perceive abilities expanding to be able to perceive general emotional states as well - along with learning to practice more empathy, being considerate. No Klavier And Trucy, You Are Not Fine. this is kind of like athena’s thing actually huh

- trucy, meanwhile, is learning to be more like. emotionally... independent? no. emotionally... self-caring. both independent in that she’s a young adult and also caring in that she is trying not to force herself to take care of everyone all the time and show her less pretty emotions to apollo. take care of herself

- case 1 has to do with something happening at trucy’s show/her career/her school etc. she’s still a real person etc. trucy’s friends mostly being adults, her feeling isolated at school. nah wait this is a slightly absurd world she’s not overly weird for her classmates necessarily. yeah ok it’s about magic

- case 2 has to do with klavier being a rockstar, the pressure of celebrity and public fascination with his persona. stalker fans, music industry, talk shows, etc. someone trying to convince him to come back to music. klavier has to arrest someone he’s fond of again. no big stadium performance in this game

- the trio all dealing with themes of hiding and trying not to feel “bad” emotions: apollo going “im fine” and suppressing his problems & just trying to do his job so he can cope with how overwhelmed & stressed he feels constantly etc etc + trucy hiding the secrets of her magic which is sort of representative of her hiding a lot of her sad/”ugly” feelings because she thinks she needs to because she thinks phoenix depends on her being cheerful all the time + klavier dealing with having a public persona and the pressures of being Himself, trying to be the person others see him as/want him to be, who is klavier when he is not performing? who are all of them when they are not performing? who are they performing for?

- yes i am a “woman” yes i am obsessed with the idea of performance

- trio all dealing with/feeling lonely wrt family: apollo learning more about jove (possibly during the music industry case - someone knew his dad, who refused a big contract), who he was & one of the cases involving someone from his past in the foster system - maybe it’s even clay! - but in general feeling very disconnected from “family” in general esp compared to trucy&klavier’s family troubles being so immediate and raw for them + trucy feeling lonely and kind of abandoned as phoenix is increasingly gone in this game and seeming very distant from her, similar to how zak abandoned her, and also the pains of growing up + klavier’s parents either are dead or are somewhat estranged after he got kristoph imprisoned, klavier feeling very lonely in general after his pursuit of truth&justice has snipped many of his connections from him

- yes i am gay yes i am obsessed with found family

- franziska having a moment of “i get how it is and it sucks” with klavier about Complicated Feelings About Family

- she eventually does realize during case 4 that klavier is guilty but has to hide it in order to push one of kristoph’s allies out into the open. sorry kid uh... what do you like. i will buy you. an ice cream? or something. look do you want a gift card i’ll buy you a gift card

- kristoph’s lawyer shows up near the start of the game to give things to apollo which he is deeply suspicious of but ema tests them and they come up clean. guy shows up here and there throughout the game. maybe tries to bribe apollo or something. apollo gets invited to a Fancy Lunch because he’s the one that bested kristoph gavin and that shows Promise. in a sense. or something. apollo being manipulated by people who refused to hire him when he got kristoph convicted etc

- themes about being young in a world full of secrets and webs of alliance that you feel barred from because you have ideals and won’t compromise them and also either come from nothing or burned all your bridges. just aa protag things <3

- oh maybe there’s a new judge who is also In On Nefarious Plots

- catching these people doesn’t fix everything but - it’s something. they got a couple shitheads

- trucy continues developing her gramarye abilities. more emotional depth. more exploration on complex feelings wrt phoenix and her childhood and her adolescence and how she’s fairly well-adjusted as one can be but also... the shit still hits yk... she’s like 16 years old so she’s maturing

- ema is there. she and apollo get along a bit better. asks after phoenix. provides evidence against klavier, and then evidence for.

- followup on apollo-edgeworth klavier-phoenix parallels - who is the one bringing them further into the light, chaser/chased, the one who wants more/the one who pushes away, etc etc

- follow through on implied gramarye mafia connections

- klavier isn’t super in the first case besides the courtroom and maybe one appearance, but he is like. worried about trucy if there is cause to be worried about her. set up their dynamic beyond trucy just liking the gavinners

- trucy&apollo and klavier&kristoph compares&contrast

- franziska is(/appears to be) very doubting/dismissive of apollo’s belief in klavier bc it’s like... are you pursuing the truth? or trying to shield your friend?

- apollo does end up almost very close believing klavier was in kahoots with kristoph/kristoph’s friends because it just looks. really bad. like it genuinely looks VERY BAD. and he’s like “i have to find truth like prosecutor von karma said”. yknow how with a lot of aa cases it starts out “oh no it looks open and shut” and then is like “NO WAY THEY COULD HAVE DONE IT... BUT HUH”. this one is reverse. and then straightens back out again. dig the hole then climb back out

- yeah the theme is like. “are you trying to find truth or do you want to protect your loved ones. what is your duty as a person, your job or your loved ones.” this carries through on klavier’s thread from aa4 where he has to work against his loved ones. meanwhile apollo, who is a bit more cool-tempered irritable grump, is the one going “oh god, am i biased towards my friends?” so it sort of flips. what kind of stories will you weave to clear your friends of blame? kristoph’s boys club.

- echo back to “evidence is everything” - this line of thinking (in a certain way) is what saves klavier when kristoph is trying to punish him for his betrayal

- since phoenix is away, the gramarye siblings aren’t revealed yet. but more info is dropped to compensate - stuff about jove and apollo’s childhood in the foster system and how that’s shaped him into someone who keeps people at arm’s length to keep himself safe; trucy and apollo getting closer despite that, trucy busting down those barriers because she needs his support and he’s like “oh my god i have to support her.” older sibling stuff.

- maybe the trucy case involves like. a mafia guy trying to collect on debts or smth and tries to ruin trucy, and threatens apollo. there’s a hint that is very obvious to the audience but is like “wow apollo he thought you were my brother!” like the mafia guy calls apollo “the other child” and apollo is like “hey, i’m 24!” which is humorous but also the audience is like Oh My God I Know What That Means

- there isn’t a deliberate withholding of information from phoenix - he literally is not there to withhold it. but there is still tension and stakes and weight to their relation - apollo keenly feeling his absence of family and trucy feeling sort of abandoned by phoenix

- phoenix is like “ok trucy you’re almost an adult so i’m trusting you to stay safe and responsible while i’m away. apollo will technically be in charge but i’m still trusting you” and privately to apollo is like “If Anything Bad Happens To Her. Your Head Is On The Line.” so it is just them making it on their own

- klavier drops the line “watching you two is like what kristoph and i should have had” and then there’s a couple “...” dialogue boxes as the audience is like I KNOW WHAT HE MEANS and then apollo is like “... are you for real comparing me to kristoph.” haha funny but also THERE IT IS

- very carefully walked tightrope. acknowledged enough that there is still tension/suspense around it but not too much as to be slightly infuriating

- before the last case trucy gets mad at apollo for something - trucy is allowed by the narrative to be angry for real. stand up for herself. trucy and apollo come back together to defend klavier. they see each other in the detention center when theyre still mad at each other - trucy was visiting klavier (he wasn’t there for the fight). “you made fraulein trucy very mad, hm?” then during the trial trucy busts in dramatically with important help when things look very bad for klavier

- aj3 has emotional revelations/high points of the trio - siblings reveal and klapollo canon. aj2 is a lot of building of these connections and building suspense and tension. more more more of these relationships before they emerge fully formed in aj3

- the last trial echoes the “im the only one who can save prosecutor gavin” or whatever gay thing apollo says in the last trial of aa4 because he literally is. just a lot of hinting and them getting along. case 3 is very important because that’s when it’s just them and it’s “oh! we work well together! we’re complementary!”

- implement the dual investigation mechanic from dgs so it does feel collaborative

- just build on the fact that klavier is the first friendly, helpful, cooperative prosecutor. he wants to help you. make that a very positive, very important feeling while still making it extremely enjoyable

- resolves in “you can have truth AND the ones you love”. or smth like that but more nuanced. it’s very inspirational and sentimental etc

- you get to meet vongole and it’s a Pet The Dog moment for klavier. look! how nice he is. he truly loves this insanely sweet and lovable dog. trucy is enamored with vongole as well. “it’s strange that she was kristoph’s dog, hm? with how affectionate she is.” “well, i guess being owned by kristoph doesn’t means she’s an equally bad dog ... ER i mean--” “hm, you always struck me as a cat person, herr forehead?” “uh - well yeah, you’re right. but... that doesn’t mean i don’t think vongole is a pretty great dog.” IMPLICATIONS. SUBTEXT. TASTE IT IN THE AIR

- oh there’s definitely a moment in case 2 when you get to examine klavier’s apartment and you can look at a couple albums and for a gavinners album apollo is like “ugh” but then you get one of his solo eps and apollo is like “trucy made me listen to this. it... was okay. not as bad as the gavinners stuff. sounds more honest. or something like that.”

- oh also when you examine the guitar klavier offers to teach apollo some basics. hee hee (BUT ALSO... JOVE!!)

- maybe for case 2 The Industry Suits want klavier to stop releasing his eps for free/total charity so it’s a whole coordinated scheme. his manager, a devoted fan who hates to see him going his own way and being happier for it, etc. “we want you to be the person you were. the one we could possess.” be more like gavinners klavier instead of honest relaxed current klavier. be who we want you to be so we can make you dance like a puppet. music industry kristoph parallels.

- “i’m sick and tired of being a plaything for other people!” >:( face moments

- a fan broke into his house and defaced the solo stuff etc. >:( face.

- who determines who “you” are? what role do your loved ones have in your life? those who truly love you can save you and make you better. loving and being loved sincerely and genuinely and truly have positive effects on your life. letting people love you and letting yourself love them is good.

- ugh but this kind of contrasts with the “the old boys club is controlling and using/shaping the institution of law to amass wealth and power for themselves while throwing others under the bus.” well actually wait

- lunch with apollo = they don’t actually care about each other, would throw each other under the bus for their own benefit

- contrast between sacrificing the weak to protect the strong and protecting the weak to depower the evil strong

- love and bonds can motivate/enable you to chip away at the system and can help you make a difference. les mis etc etc etc

- the old boys club are all putting up fronts of appearing strong and tough and above everything and in control. real love and friendship let you show vulnerability and weakness and help you & your bond come out stronger for it. (tumblr voice) the mortifying ordeal

- additional stakes of “if you are found aiding this criminal and hiding evidence etc etc we will disbar you” or smth. stakes for sticking with klavier, for winning the trial, for demonstrating care. franziska is kind of like “... apologies. but you had nothing to worry about so don’t worry about it.”

- klavier and apollo damned by association with kristoph, especially as a kristoph scheme was just found to happen, and it depended on kristoph being in jail, so maybe they were the ones to enable that part of the plan... it’s a long con...

- it feels like there should be another legal reform here to make aa4′s jury implementation but maybe this one is more about how reform is often very gradual and like chipping away at a mountain

- in aj3 the death penalty gets reformed. (tension there about kristoph being on death row and this game piles on a lot more GOD KRISTOPH SUCKS but then it’s like. no. we have to fight for True Justice and the legal system is extremely imperfect (how many of our clients narrowly avoided a wrongful guilty verdict!) so we have to prioritize protection over punishment)

- “it’s like chopping heads off the hydra. it feels like we’ll never actually change anything.” “yes, but hercules didn’t defeat it by himself. he had a partner that burned the stumps after he sliced off the heads. ... one person to hold the sword, one person to hold the torch.” NARUMITSU KLAPOLLO PARALLELS. HI

- okay i had some really good discussions on twitter w @henriettamarias about this and here’s a couple more things

- trucy’s case involves her inheriting the gramarye secrets and the legacy. the weight of tradition and the burden of what has happened in her family. trucy’s estranged grandmother shows up - it’s kind of similar to the feys kind of. the grandmother is a complex maternal figure who doesn’t know trucy and trucy doesn’t know her and it’s sort of the idea of... even if your “new” family is related by blood, you still have to choose them. and trucy’s like !!! because she’s openhearted but the grandmother disappears - doesn’t choose trucy. it’s not a Villainous Action it’s just... it’s complicated. maybe it’s to protect trucy or something. it wasn’t done to hurt trucy is what i’m getting at, but it still hurts

- one of the music industry people in klavier’s case is a gavin uncle/aunt/cousin who is pressuring him to go back to being an Extremely Profitable Rockstar. and klavier has to deal with more disappointment from a family that values extreme success and is sort of cold (this contrasts with the warmth of the WAA found family). they liked klavier when he was very successful and famous on two fronts but now he’s opened the door and invited in shame on their family’s name so everyone’s kind of mad at him. trucy and apollo get to be really defensive of him

- apollo’s case is one i’m still thinking on what it’ll be about because i’m deeply uninterested in his aa5+aa6 backstories but there’s not A Concept to go deeper into like trucy magic and klavier music... it does involve his past from being the foster system. i think maybe there’s a teen who he was kind of the older brother of for a while before the kid got adopted who contacts him for help defending himself.

- while trucy and klavier’s stories are about rejection from their blood family, apollo’s is about warmth with a boy who he met and made a familial bond with

- at the end of this case there’s some piece of evidence that mentions kristoph and this is never resolved within that case but it sort of leads into the next kristoph-focused case

- trucy doesn’t get angry at apollo over being like jealous there’s something else that happens in this case... it doesn’t end super satisfyingly and tidily wrapped up in a neat bow. there are a lot of lingering questions and it makes everyone uneasy

- in case 3 apollo gets injured and is feeling really defensive and kind of scared and trucy is upset with him for putting himself in harm’s way to save her and they have a fight and they’re both kind of hiding their true feelings with anger to cover up how scared they were (gramarye secrets) and it just. boils over. klavier tries to mediate but it’s... a lot. they both say some things they don’t mean. :(

- oh my god. the person who got poisoned in case 4 was apollo’s foster brother from case 3. and it HURTS because we’ve spent a whole case getting to know him and working so hard to save him from a guilty verdict and it’s like :D yay he’s ok! and then he just. dies. and it’s so fucking sad

- he got poisoned because kristoph looked through papers and found that him and apollo were close so he’s like “oh i can use that ^_^” because he’s a bastard. but klavier was the one in constant contact with him recently so it’s like UH OH! UH OH! plus other aa level complications etc

- the tightrope of trucy being mad at apollo and the tragedy of apollo’s foster brother dying is one that will have to be very carefully walked bc we don’t want trucy to look like an asshole because above all she does love apollo

- i guess it’s also apollo pushing her away because I’M FINE. STOP TRYING TO MAKE ME CONFRONT MY TRAUMA. IF I THINK ABOUT MY PROBLEMS I WILL GO INSANE. yeah that works

- OH and also she’s mad at him for not telling them about the lunch with kristoph’s lawyer friends. klavier is kind of mad about that too so apollo is like STOP GANGING UP ON ME

- so the setup of case 4 is: day 1: apollo and klavier investigating, in court klavier is implicated and is put in detention, day 2: apollo investigating by himself and missing his friends :(, franziska being like “where is your sister” and apollo being like “ok first she’s not my sister. second IM FINE I CAN BE ALONE, I CAN’T TRUST ANYBODY ANYWAY” and franziska is like “... yeah being betrayed sucks, i get it, but like. are you sure about that. fine whatever you idiot be a fool”, but then in court trucy busts in at a dramatic moment and narrowly saves klavier from getting a guilty verdict, day 3: trucy and apollo investigating and Saving The Day!!!!!

- for franziska in case 4 there’s this tension between her belief that klavier is guilty (because shit looks BAD and also kristoph sort of sent shockwaves through things etc) and franziska being older (she has short hair and it’s hot) and more emotionally mature and being like “baby lawyer. it’s okay to chill. it’s fine. you’ll be okay”. but also being extremely wary and hating the corruption and collusion within the law community because MvF dealt with a lot of that and she will be BETTER than that, she has to work hard to erase the harm that her father did. she’s kind of a superhero in terms of tackling a lot of corrupt-lawyer/cop cases - it’s her specialty now. god she is hot

- aw in case 4 ema is like. kind of reluctant to help implicate klavier. because while she thinks he’s annoying she doesn’t think he’s a bad guy. she feels really conflicted :( like she blusters to cover it up but she does say to apollo at one point “hey... you better do your job right. don’t slack. defend your client.” awww she care him

- kristoph gets brought out from prison as a witness in case 4. this really negatively affects klavier (and apollo too kind of but less so), but the strength of Found Family helps him be strong :) yay

- there’s mention made of kristoph having Secrets, but since apollo doesn’t have a magatama and phoenix isn’t there, the black psyche-locks aren’t explored. it gets revealed in aj3

- apollo does have a conundrum similar to the aa5 stuff where his perceive ability is going haywire at klavier’s entire emotional state because BOY is it screwy (suppressed memories from childhood??) so he just has to rely on plain old logic

- (cw animal death) god what if one of those childhood memories is kristoph poisoning klavier’s pet - experimenting, doing trials. klavier realizes that during the trial. jesus christ. evil bastard kristoph i hate his guts. at least klavier gets to go home and pet vongole so so much

- OH on a happier note we get to meet mikeko... mikeko loves trucy and klavier so much. it’s like a big gooey hint that LOOK APOLLO LOVES THESE PEOPLE - HIS CAT IS PURRING AND CUDDLING ALL OVER THEM :) Express Your Feelings, Apollo

- i think for aj3 it’s apollo & co having their own schemes and plans sort of. bc in this setup, klavier and apollo (and trucy too) are being yanked around by the machinations and plots of the older generation like in aa4. i think in aj3 is when they finally get a leg up and have control over things for once. good for them! good for them

- oh also in aj3, it’s revealed that thalassa has been held hostage by some bad guys, which is why she didn’t come back after some time away to figure herself out to tell them. and then apollo and trucy get to know they’re siblings :)

- okay that’s it. maybe i’ll add more if i think of more. hope u enjoyed :~)

#ace attorney #apollo justice #aj2 #klapollo #trucy wright #klavier gavin #i had a lot of fun writing this post :)#chirps #aa #aa4

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cartoonfangirl1218 · 3 years

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Why Reggie Mantle and Alexandra Cabot should date

Now I know the comics usually like to pair Reggie with Veronica or Cheryl (yes with Cheryl. It's a rather adorably funny story called Love is Nasty and I actually really like them together most of the time as sort of an evil power couple because they bring out the worst in each other but I digress).

But now, I suggest Reggie and Alexandra now because they have so much in common.

1. They both feel second best

Reggie's main thing is because he wants to the top dog, school president, lead in plays, get the girls and of course, scheme to make the Archies, the Reggies. When the comics try to show Reggie's sympathetic side, they show how he hates that the town loves Archie's nice guy attitude so he plays up his bad boy prankster side. Why join them, when you can prank them. Meanwhile, Alexandra loves to be the star of every occasion and schemes to make Josie and the Pussycats be Alexandra's Cool Cat Band with her as the lead singer of course (despite being gone deaf). Not to mention scheme to steal Alan M. from Josie just so she can be number one. Also very very subtly implied that she does it because she's lonely. But that's very rare. Like Reggie, she prefers to hype up her rich beauty vibe to show why she's better than Josie.

2. They both love the expensive, flashy things in life Reggie's known for his awesome, speed racing cars, nice threads and flashing concert tickets and the like he can get with his money. Though sometimes he's cheap, he will use them to beat other men to get the girl. And Alexandra Cabot is just the same, only richer with mad inventions and castles and in one story, their own kingdom Cabotopia. So together, they would have such lavish dates in Reggie's Mercedes and dining on gold plates.

3. They will respect the other's nasty streak

Like I said before, the two can get into pretty nasty tricks to get what they wanted. As a result they've been cast as the town villain. While they mostly embrace the role, they're also lonely. So it would be nice for them to have someone who wouldn't judge them automatically for such bad actions. Hell, they'd probably add suggestions.

4. The egoism These two are the most self obsessed, egotistical people in the Archieuniverse. Mirrors are one their best friends. Imagine them goading each other with "The most gorgeou boyfriend in all Riverdale," "You're right, you should be the star of the Pussycats." Ugh, they wouldn't fit their heads through the door. Or more likely, they start fighting over whose richer? More beautiful? More mirror time etc.

5. Power couple Do I really need to explain this one?

More ship ideas underneath including CherylxAlexander and JasonxVeronica.

Alexander Cabot III and Cheryl Blossom: Cheryl wants to be a star. Alexander wants to manage a star. Ya see what I'm getting at here?

I mean Alexander's infamous for all the stunts he tries to get the Pussycats roped into like million dollars stadium tours across the world with high rise podiums, special effects and back up dancers that eventually the Pussycats quit because they prefer to be lowkey rockstars. Or when he tries to make them wear dresses made up of CD discs to boost sales.

Or when Archie and Valerie got married, trying to hire a reality show to boost popularity. He’s all about the flash and publicity and of course, money. He can be scheming and lowdown in his pursuit of fame, really representative of the sleazy Hollywood manager.

And Cheryl.. the MTV house renting, temporary Sugar Girls member, burlesque dressing, reality tv show hanger on, she will do anything to get the attention on her. Even making the Cherry Blossom Festival to the Cheryl Blossom Festival. The girl's outrageous and can be as lowdown sneaky as anyone whether it comes to attracting boys or screwing with Betty and Veronica.Cheryl would have no problem fulfilling Alexander's ideas, in fact she'd encourage it. Together, I have no doubt they'd get their wish for fame and fortune.

Jason Blossom and Veronica Lodge: Even though Veronica is usually paired with Reggie or Alexander, she's rarely been paired with the the third bad boy of Riverdale. But why not once more for old times sake?

I can imagine the drama already that at first with Archie and Betty paired off with Valerie and Trey so Veronica pairs up with Alexander Cabot.

But this may not be the last affair as many might think, not only because Veronica has some amount of class and won't go for all of Alex's crazy schemes even if they will get publicity. Veronica has shown to be snobby and actually reject Alex (for laughs of course) by saying he was poorer than the Lodges. See here.

But much more likely, Cheryl, looking for a challenge, steals Alexander away from Veronica and Veronica in revenge, decides to date Cheryl's brother. Of course, this all starts as revenge and a prank which Jason plays along with because it drives his sister crazy. But slowly they become the mask as they fall in love.

In the comics, Jason has a mega crush on Betty who doesn't reciprocate because of the Archie factor and because Jason can be as mean and nasty as Reggie. Though for Betty, Jason seems willing to change into a teddy bear if he could be with her.

What I'm basically getting at is that Jason has a soft side for the girl he loves so when he falls for Veronica he falls hard, and I think Ron would appreciate this sweetness only shown to her. Plus the devotion compared to Archie's wishy washiness. Not to mention, Ron would like a man who easily fulfills his whims and has the money to match hers. Also he has Betty trunks, I bet she’d want Jason to have a whole outfit with her face on it.

Also just imagine the drama! Cheryl and Veronica as sisters in law! Alexandra and Cheryl teaming up as BFFs again! The money, the fame, it would be ridiculously fun.

#alexandra cabot #reggie mantle #archie comics #my thoughts #reggiexalexandra #alexander cabot iii #cheryl blossom #jason blossom #veronica lodge

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bantan · 5 years

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190622 CanCam - Member Interview

Raws by @takejun20522_ at Twitter

“I get really nervous on large stages, but the feeling of “I have to do it” makes me that much stronger.”

When it comes to memories of America, it has to be the BBMAs. It was our first live performance with Halsey, so it really left an impression on me. I also met Drake, who I’ve always admired, and he said “You guys are the most famous in America right now”. I found it funny to have the person who I consider to be the best in America say that to us.

Being on an incredibly big stage makes me nervous, but when we’re in America my feelings of “I have to do this” grow even stronger to make up for the members. It can’t be helped, since the others can’t say that much. I think I’m cooler than usual when I’m in America. (laughs)

Speaking of cool, personally I find JK to be really cool recently. He’s pretty much always working out. I haven’t been able to exercise much lately, but JK is always building his muscles. There’s something mesmerising about his body, even from a man’s perspective. (laughs)

The other thing that left an impression in America was the second concert in LA, when I looked at the audience during the encore. There’s a performance where they illuminate us with their phone flashlights, and it was just so beautiful. The Japanese original song “Lights” this time is exactly that. In a dark space or dark time, look at that light and keep walking. In a way, it’s the light that ARMY have shown us, and also ARMY themselves… I made the song with those kinds of feelings. That’s why, when I close my eyes now, what comes to mind is… Huh? It’s V. Because I saw him sleeping over there just now. (laughs)

Q. Was your legendary Rose Bowl comment an adlib?

I prepared a comment for the encore, but the audience’s lights were so pretty they blew it all away. It was so beautiful, some words about the galaxy just came out.

Q. What’s your recommended point of the new song?

Boy with Luv’s dance that looks like hitchhiking. I want to try it for real, but I don’t think anyone would stop for me because I’m scary. (laughs)

Q. How do you refresh yourself lately?

I like looking at art. In terms of Japan, I like Senju Hiroshi’s “Taki”. I’ve heard Senju-sensei has an art gallery, so I’d like to visit one day.

Q. Do you have any plans to write a book in the future?

It was my dream to be an author when I was in primary school. But after meeting music and having my dreams fulfilled as BTS right now, I’d like to continue working hard with BTS. (laughs) Once I’m 40-50 years old, it’d be nice to write novels and essays.

JIN

“Even in the smallest moments of our daily lives, we show consideration for each other. That’s part of what makes us BTS.”

I’m the eldest of our team, but I’m the type to approach others with no regard for age hierarchies. I’ve never really been overly conscious about those things, but recently I’ve started to believe that “the culture of changing attitudes or the way you treat others based on an older or younger age isn’t good”, and it also makes the relationship seem lifeless. The fact that not only me, but the other members also think this way is part of what makes BTS BTS. Showing consideration for each other over everything, no matter how small, can be felt in the smallest moments of our daily lives. If there’s something that another member wouldn’t like, another member would speak up and say “You should probably stop that” first.

Apart from that, the members charms that only I know… I think ARMY would know better than me. Since I’m not watching the others that closely… (laughs) Ah, but it’s funny if you pay attention to RM during the American interviews. He’s fluent in English and leads the interviews with his answers, but he also makes sure to direct some questions to us. Whenever he does that, he makes sure to give us the chance to answer with one or two easy words instead of a difficult sentence, so that we’re able to answer them too. Like how RM excels in language, and the others excel in dance and singing… Our team’s strength is in how we each have our own speciality, which I think is very cool.

Q. What’s a “small happiness” you felt yesterday or today?

I’ve been into the TV show “Walking Dead” recently. There was a character I didn’t really like that I would have preferred to be gone. Then a zombie solved the issue for me. (laughs)

Q. What do you see when you close your eyes right now?

(While closing eyes) A zombie. (laughs) They keep appearing when I close my eyes.

Q. What’s something cute about the members?

When they meet celebrities they’ve always wanted to meet at Billboard, they get really happy.

Q. What choreography do you like from BTS songs?

The part where we hit the table in Dionysus.

Q. How do you refresh yourself lately?

…Zombies. (laughs) I’ve only talked about zombies today, is that okay?!

JUNGKOOK

“Personally I wish I had a single talent that I excelled in”

There’s a lyric in the new song “Lights” that goes like “Nobody’s perfect”. I really love this part. It’s like I’m being consoled that it’s fine not to be perfect. People often praise me saying that my dance and singing is perfect, but that’s not true at all. I wish I had a single talent that I excelled in. I’ve tried many things in search of that, but right now I’m focusing on doing my best in the things I need to do. While doing that, listening to this song makes me realise I don’t have to be perfect, which is comforting. Ah, I don’t have anything I’m particularly good at, but there is something that I’m bad at. Using my head! I’m really bad at that. (laughs) Speaking of new songs, Boy with Luv is also a really good song. After all, its choreography is rather simple out of all of BTS’ songs. That’s a happy point for me. (laughs)

It’s really difficult to completely recover your stamina while standing on the stage. Even I unconsciously try to squeeze out the last of my energy as the concert nears its end. There have been times where I’ve been unable to move from muscle pain the day after a concert. That’s why right now my top priority is to not get hurt. I want to be able to build myself up and manage my body more… Huh, what part of myself am I most confident in? Ah… (shy smile) Hmm, I wonder. I don’t know myself. I’ll do my best to build my body up more!

Q. What’s your honest opinion of the current world tour?

There’s a song called Mikrokosmos on our album, but it’s like seeing that for real. It’s so inspiring and makes my heart burn sharply. I really think of it as a happy moment to me.

Q. What do you see when you close your eyes right now?

Lots of things come to mind, but none are very clear. They’re all a vague blur… Like I can nearly see it, but can’t. (laughs)

Q. What part of the members do you think is adorable?

Jimin. You can tell he really loves the stage from the bottom of his heart. We really understand each other in that way.

Q. What’s a method of relaxing that you’re into?

Recently I went to Ariana Grande’s concert and had a lot of fun. I was encouraged as an artist and I was able to enjoy the music a lot, so it was great.

Q. What are the conditions for you to think that someone is wonderful?

Someone who has a lot to teach others, someone I can understand. And someone who is cool!

SUGA

“The nerves at Billboard, the choreography of a new song. I always enjoy doing new things.”

We barely have the chance to do these sorts of interviews anymore, so being able to send our words to the readers and ARMY like this makes me happy.

When we make original songs in Japanese, we take a lot of things into consideration when creating it. What I noticed in doing that is that there’s a certain sensitivity that can be found only in the original Japanese songs. Like with the song’s melody and style, the lyrics are just as sensitive. With all the emotional parts, I think the new song “Lights” has especially brought out those emotions well.

I’d also like you to pay attention to the choreography of Boy with Luv! There’s something new about it compared to our style until now. I always enjoy doing new things. Even at Billboard, that feeling of elation seeing our group name during the Top Duo/Group award. The feeling of tension entering the Rose Bowl like we’re participating in the finals of the World Cup... They’re all memories I’ll have forever, and it was all so much fun.

When I want to switch over from that exciting space and relax, I often listen to lo-fi hip-hop. It’s mentally comforting. My favourite is Nujabes. I’ve always liked him in the past, but I’ve been listening to him more again lately. As for recent changes, I’ve gotten into a game. I wasn’t a person who played games, but now I’m really into a certain game. As long as I have the chance, I’ll be playing it. I’m the type to continuously do something once I become obsessed with it—and not only with music. Everyone says I’ve become more talkative since I started playing games? That’s not true. They just feel that way because we’re together 24 hours a day, surely. (laughs)

Q. What’s a small happiness you felt yesterday/today?

Yesterday… I didn’t do anything… The time I spent lying in the hotel bed was my happiness. (laughs)

Q. What comes to mind when you close your eyes right now?

(Closes eyes) The feeling of being in the stadium and looking at roughly 70,000 people in the audience from the stage. It was really like looking at a galaxy of stars.

Q. Did you buy anything during this American tour?

Every time I come to America I buy another piece of music equipment. This time I bought a mic.

Q. What’s your recommended song for when you feel down?

Dionysus. It’s Latin, so it energises you.

Q. What kind of person do you think is “wonderful”?

Someone who can do their job well. No matter their employment or gender, people who do things properly are cool.

“ARMY’s cheers are my reward. It feels like everything paid off!”

We’re right in the middle of our world tour right now, but I really felt that the fans are a huge source of energy to us once more. Every time we have a concert and so many people send us their cheers, it feels like I’ve been rewarded for all my efforts until now. The scenery at America’s Rose Bowl was truly beautiful. When I saw that picturesque scenery, it felt like everything had paid off. At the same time, because every member individually stands out, the whole group can stand out. I really thought everyone looked so cool.

In the free time during our tour, I’ve been into visiting art galleries and finding new works of art. Recently I’ve really been liking the works of Fernando Botero and Edward Hopper. Of course there’s a charm with famous works, but there are lots of less famous works that are just as lovely. That’s why I’ve been having a lot of fun recently looking for works that aren’t really well known by other people but shine in my eyes when I look at them. As for other ways to relax… I feel happy when I look at clothes and furniture that I like. I can understand why clothes, but I’m not sure why I feel calm when I look at nice furniture. (laughs) Speaking of clothes, I splurged on a brand I love the other day! I bought a dress shirt and jacket and knitwear and T-shirts, and that made me really happy. As for other things I got excited about recently, the Korean catering just now was really good. I never imagined I’d be able to eat that in America, so I was really happy. <3

Q. What do you see when you close your eyes?

Birds. I don’t know if they’re beautiful or not, but they’re flying in a flock. (laughs)

Q. V seems to have a lot of friends, what are some tricks to making friends?

If I think someone matches me in personality, I’ll approach them as myself and talk to them. When I think we think the same way, I’ll often get closer to them myself.

Q. Which BTS song would you recommend to cheer someone up?

Mikrokosmos. I listen to this song a lot myself recently.

Q. What makes you think someone is wonderful?

Someone who has a clear mind and can express themselves clearly. Someone who makes you think “I want to follow this person” just by hearing them talk. Don’t you think that’s wonderful too? Someone exactly like RM.

J-HOPE

“I don’t need to worry about the other members when we’re on the stage anymore.”

The members have been together for such a long time, we understand each other as easily as breathing when we’re on the stage. After spending over 7-8 years with each other, we can tell what each other is thinking just by meeting eyes. Because we all know what our role is and what we need to do, we don’t need to worry as much about what the others are doing on the stage anymore--in a good way. But in our hearts, we’re constantly making sure no one gets hurt or sick. Since every member is a precious, irreplaceable piece of a whole.

In order to make the stage a better place, I personally endeavor in image training. I’m always thinking about how I can make the same concert contents into something fresh every time. As for things I do for my own sake... let’s see. Lately, I've been drinking onion juice (玉ねぎ汁) every morning. I also take a variety of healthy things, like herbal medicine and vitamins. (laughs) I believe that a healthy heart is not only connected to food and drink, but also to maintaining a clean state of mind. When I’m in a good mood, I think I naturally feel better, and smiling more also leads to having a better condition. The secret to my smiling face? Thank you for the praise! (laughs) This is how I am every day! When I live every moment in gratitude, I naturally end up expressing my feelings on my face. Even in this moment, when I think about how we’re appearing on the front cover of CanCam, I end up smiling out of gratitude.

Q. What was a small happiness you felt yesterday or today?

It really is a small thing, but breathing the air here in LA. Being able to work outside in locations like this both yesterday and today and feel the atmosphere of the area makes me happy.

Q. What comes to mind when you close your eyes right now?

I wonder what... “If only I could fall asleep like this”, I guess? I’m a little sleepy right now. (laughs)

Q. What part do you like from the new song?

I love my part in “Lights”. Though I’m sure everyone loves their own part! (laughs)

Q. What makes you think someone is wonderful?

Someone who does their work properly, a person who can clearly tell the difference between public and private, someone with high professional sense. And someone who smiles a lot! Yes, I’m talking about me! (laughs)

Q. What made your heart skip a beat recently?

When I bought something I liked. I did a lot of shopping in LA... like art and things.

JIMIN

“Seeing all the members’ sincere selves made me want to change too.”

I’ve been with the members every day for 8 years, so I really can’t find anything unexpected about them. Despite that, during the current world tour I felt once again that each and every member treats their job with a sincere sense of responsibility. In the rehearsal the day before the concert, each member checks every detail of their solo songs so it takes roughly 13 hours. It made me realise how much they treasured the stage. Even being beside them made me think about many things.

Since coming to America, I’ve started sleeping and waking up early. I’ve started to get up early and listen to songs, open my computer and click around with my mouse. (laughs) The fact I can wake up by myself instead of having a manager wake me up for the first time in a while makes me want to be praised. (laughs)

What I look for in a wonderful person? Let’s see, I’ve made a new friend recently, but when I see that person I think “How wonderful”. They’re responsible and treasure what they’re doing with gratitude. I think attitudes like that are cool. Also, people who know what makes them happy are cool too. A recent moment where I’ve felt gratitude and happiness is when we sang Mikrokosmos at the stadium. The audience all held their lights and illuminated us. That situation and the lyrics really resonated within my chest. By the way, the lyric was “It might even be that the expression of this night is again so beautiful” [lyric credit: wisha]. They’re the words that RM wrote for me. (laugh)

Q. What’s a small happiness you felt yesterday or today?

The scenery here (the studio of a house in LA) is very pretty, so just looking outside makes me happy.

Q. What moment comes to mind when you close your eyes?

(With eyes closed) Hmm... I haven’t eaten yet today. So I’m thinking of going to eat after this.

Q. What song do you recommend for when you’re feeling down?

Boy with Luv and Jamais Vu. Jamais Vu is a song between J-Hope, Jin, and Jungkook. It’s healing to me too.

Q. What made your heart skip a beat recently?

The biggest moment was when we received an award at Billboard! Also, my heart beats faster when I look at Cancam. (laughs)

Q. Is there anything you fuss over with hair care?

I’ve been struggling with hair care lately, so my hair’s getting shorter even if I don’t cut it. I wanted to be a little kinder to my hair, so I’m making it black for a while.

#mine #bts

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dojae-huh · 4 years

Note

ATEEZUD/status/1210523407441219584?s=19 not to support the argument but Ateez is really rising fast internationally especially in USA. They are already picked 2nd most popular group in US twice this year by popular surveys. Also i heard that they already sold out their 2020 world tour at arenas with 20k capacity both in US and Europe. I dont understand why Sm dont give 127 big venues, but Ateez a 1 year old group already got 20k arenas eveywhere? Does Sm not trust them yet or what is the reason?

Link

It’s not 20000 (AccorHotels Arena in France has this capacity, but the stadiums are often segmented, we’ll know in the future). Mostly it’s 10000-12000. The venues are still bigger than the ones NCT had.

And I say, good for them. They had pre-debut in LA? Working with the West from the beginning?

Multifandom fans exist. People interested in k-pop in general exist. Many attended NCT’s concerts just to go to a k-pop concert, without being an NCTzen. A group normally gives one concert per year in an area, people have time to save and go on several concerts. Popularity of one group is not always detrimental to another.

I mentioned before. It’s not only about SM, it’s about the companies that invite acts to perform in their countries. They pay to the singer’s/band’s company a set price, their profit is whatever is left. The risks are on the concert promoter. SM can say “hey, give us a 20000 arena” and will get in reply “how can you guarantee us, that we will sell all the tickets?”. Another thing, the price the company asks. SM is well known for demanding huge sums, that many promoters run away from.

Ateez is closer in concept to BTS, it’s very teenager friendly. Cool boys, energetic music. In the past some k-pop artists couldn’t sell venues in Europe, so the European promoters stopped inviting them. Now, after BTS, Blackpink, NCT, USA’s interest and k-pop becoming something more, than a subculture (and it has been a subculture like goth in the West for a long time), they are happy to promote k-pop groups again.

And it’s Ateez’s second world tour. They visited Russia in April 2019, the concert was in 2000 seat hall. In Sweden it was 3500. Bigger venues in USA, but the group didn’t start from big venues right away like EXO in the past.

Larger venues doesn’t always mean bigger profit. For example, you can sell all tickets for a high price in a hall. A 4500 can give more profit, than a 6000 venue.

You think you compare the two groups equally, no. You compare a first tour with a second tour. 127 is older than Ateez, but not when it comes to the West market. They came to USA, Russia in 2018. Both promoters and the idol companies don’t know how big is the demand in a given country. They can guess, estimate based on album sales and popularity polls. There are exceptions like BTS, but normally a group needs to court fans first, appear on local TV, have drinks with promoters and distributors. Take Japan and 127. Life in Japan, Chain showcases, hall tour, variety shows and now arena tour.

Important thing is that 127 gets additional venues and is in demand for performances in concerts/awards (they are paid). No, they weren’t catapulted to the stardom, but they steadily progress. How well the promoters think 127 did we will see during the second world tour.

And a side note. Do you remember NCT during Fire Truck and Limitless? Were they ready for a global tour? No, not vocally, not mentally. Several members left EXO during the first couple of years, saying they were overworked. Taeyong was a mess, nowhere near the captivating leader he is now. Mark was a weeb, he wouldn’t be able to give such good interviews, be the voice of the group in English.

Fans want their group to have the biggest venues, the members to have solo albums as soon as possible. Do they think about the idols themselves?

Taeil went under pressure to KoMS. He lost. Now he thinks he can’t sing everything, that he has limitations, his self-esteem was damaged.

Jae had to learn how to relax and enjoy a concert during Neo City tour. Do discovered he can be very emotional and cried a lot after the shows. Jungwoo got sick after the tour. Tae, Mark, Hyuk have to switch from one group to another.

I repeat again, a jump to stardom is not healthy. The brain is not ready for drastic changes. There is also a high chance of the success to be short-lived. A steady progress, a solid dedicated fanbase instead of easily-swayed fans are better in a long run.

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winnipegpatty · 5 years

Text

We’re Fatally Flawed | one | s.m. series

a/n: thanks to @fourtristattoos for helping me with some conceptual things. ily boo you are so good!

warnings: language

if you’re interested in the music

“Hey man, my name’s Travis Clark. I sing for We the Kings? I hear you have a band in Toronto?”

“That, uh, yeah that’s right,” Shawn stuttered.

“We want you to play with us on tour.”

Shawn stuttered on his side of the phone. He hadn’t heard that right, clearly. “You what?” He said like a fucking idiot.

Is this what a big break felt like?

At the young age of twenty-three, Shawn Mendes hadn’t don’t much with his life. After graduating high school, Shawn had done what a good kid does, and went to college. He came out two years later, with an associates degree in business. Since, he’s done very little that would make his parents proud. He only went to college to oblige them in the first place, but now, three years out of college, he had nothing to show for it. Shawn wasn’t lazy or anything. He wasn’t one of those kids that came home from college and then moved into their parents basement and did nothing with their life. Shawn just didn’t love business. He didn’t love school. He loved music. And music was the only thing he could imagine doing, no matter how unrealistic or unlikely it seemed.

Shawn wasn’t completely ungrateful for college though. If it hadn’t been for those two years he would have never met Mandy Stein. A beautifully tender hearted person that he now could call his own. They’d been dating for almost four years now. Mandy was starting her first year as a kindergarten teacher this year. She was so excited, and Shawn knew she was made for teaching. Her kind heart and her caring demeanor was perfect for molding young minds.

So while Mandy was preparing her first lesson plans and decorating her classroom, Shawn was in the garage of his and Mandy’s small home practicing with his band, Terminal. The band was Shawn’s entire life. He’d somehow managed to find some of the most incredible people who were willing to go on the journey alongside him. Mike, Zubin, Eddy, and Dave all made up the band along with Shawn, and aside from Mandy they were the most important people in his life right now. Terminal had been doing good lately, after two years of playing to nothing but empty rooms or friends, they’d finally seemed to hit some momentum.

They’d most recently been asked to been asked to open for a handful of bands that were big in Toronto. It was good exposure, for a band so unknown. Punk music wasn’t exactly the most popular in Canada either, but Shawn couldn’t find it in himself to make the music people would want to hear. He had to make what he wanted to hear. What he was inspired to make. Even if it meant that he wasn’t going to have the fame and success that he truly craved. Even if it meant he never got to play in front of a full stadium.

Tonight they had a show at the Scotiabank arena. It was the first of a three night run in front of the band We the Kings. When Travis Clark had personally contacted Shawn a couple months ago, Shawn hadn’t believed him. Thought the phone call was some cruel prank, but Travis was in fact very serious. He’d heard Terminal’s debut EP through a friend, and he wanted their band to open for them. It was insane, and the craziest thing the band had ever had the opportunity to do by a long shot. Tonight they’d be playing in front of over 15,000 people. The band was collectively losing their shit.

It was the opportunity of a lifetime. Over the next five days, Terminal would have exposure to over 40,000 new people who had most likely never heard their music before. People who had no idea that they were still practicing in a soundproof garage. In the past few weeks, Shawn had been doing everything he could to up their social media game with the hopes of attracting new fans after the upcoming shows. His sister Aaliyah had helped him with some special instagram layout or something that she said would catch people’s eyes. He didn’t know much about that, but he trusted her.

“You’re coming tonight, right?” Shawn asked Mandy through the phone, voice filled with excitement.

The band was at the arena now, getting ready for soundcheck. Shawn couldn’t even think, it was so surreal.

“Babe, you know I’ve got to get my classroom ready tonight.”

Shawn bit his lip, minding the thin black ring on his lip. “Oh yeah, but you’ll make it to one of the other shows right?”

“I’m not sure yet,” Mandy’s voice came through.

Shawn tried not to feel the little pings of disappointment that were coming for his heart.

“I’m just so busy, Shawn,” Mandy added. “School starts in a week and a half. And I’m nowhere near ready.”

Shawn nodded, “Yeah that’s okay. Get lots of work done tonight. I’ll see you at home?”

Mandy smiled into the phone, “We can celebrate.”

Shawn flicked his tongue over his lips, “Yeah okay. I gotta go now, we’re gonna sound check.” Shawn sucked in a breath, “Fuck...we’re gonna soundcheck. I think I’m going to cry, Mandy. I’m a fucking pansy.”

“No, you’re just living your dream. It’s okay to be emotional about it.” She smiled, “I love you, Shawn. You’re gonna kill it.”

“Love you too.”

___

“FUCKKKK!” Zubin yelled from backstage. “This is really fucking happening isn’t it?” He looked too Shawn hopefully.

Shawn nodded, “It is. Fuck, I don’t think I can breathe. I’ve never been this nervous before.”

Zubin clapped Shawn on the back, laughing maniacally. “We’re gonna tear the stage up. Toronto isn’t gonna know what hit ‘em.”

“Exactly!” Eddy piped in.

“Okay, I just...let’s go over it again okay?” Shawn nervously twirled the thin band on his right ring finger. “Opening with Mess of Me, then Voices. I’ll introduce the band. Then we’ll sing Native Tongue. Terminal, Take My Fire, and then we’ll close with Bullet Soul.”

“We got it man,” Mike hollered. “We’ve been practicing for weeks. Stop worrying. Let’s just enjoy it, yeah?”

Shawn wasn’t sure if he could actually stop worrying, but he did his best to just breathe.

A man with a headset came up to them, “You guys are on. The lights will come up as soon as the video fades out.”

They all hustled onto stage and Shawn could feel his entire body vibrating as he placed his hands on his guitar, ready to strike his first chord. Thirty seconds later, the lights rise and the arena erupts in a chorus of screams. Shawn starts the riffs of Mess of Me and on the second go around Zubin joins in. “I am my own affliction,” Shawn’s voice comes through the speakers like smooth honey, and the crowd screams for them. “I am my own disease.”

The chorus crashes in and the boys come behind him singing a chorus of oh’s before Shawn voice goes raspy, and he starts singing the chorus at the top of his lungs. He’s never felt more alive than he does in this moment. He thinks back to his happiest memories, and there is nothing that compares to this moment in time. He thinks he finally knows what it means to be alive. Nerves a thing of the past, Shawn jumps on the stage, guitar in hand, and owns the performance like he was born to do exactly this.

Mess of Me segways easily into Voices, and it all just feels so right. The rush of adrenaline Shawn gets as he walks down the catwalk with his microphone was unreal. People, who minutes ago had no idea who he was, are reaching for him like he holds the fucking world in his hands. It’s addictive. Shawn bends down reaching out to touch a girls hand who screams at him as he sings, “And I’ve got a army of voices in my head.”

He looks towards the other side of the catwalk and catches eyes with a person who’s actually singing the words like they know who they are. And if Shawn thought performing to a hyped up crowd was cool before, he knew now had just a sliver of what it could feel like with a stadium full of people singing back to you. He needed to know what that felt like.

Voices came to a head when Zubin shouted the last few words and the music cut out. Shawn ran back up the catwalk back to his mic stand.

“Hello Toronto!” Shawn screamed into the microphone. The crowd explodes with screams and shouts and clapping. “You’re looking extra beautiful tonight. It is amazing to finally meet all of you lovely people. My name is Shawn. Zubin is here on guitar,” Zubin played a sick guitar riff that had Shawn’s ears humming. “Give it up for Eddy on the keys,” Eddy followed Zubin in a similar fashion. “And Mike is smashing it on the drums tonight, eh?” Mike killed a drum beat before Shawn screamed into the microphone, “And we are Terminal, this next song is Native Tongue.”

___

“Celebratory drinks?” Zubin asked as the boys packed up their guitars and packing them into the van they’d come in.

“Hell yes!” Shawn roared.

Piling into the van, they headed to a nearby bar. It was already past midnight, but fuck it. When the opportunity of a lifetime presents itself, you fucking celebrate.

We the Kings had killed it on stage, and the concert was just amazing. Coming off stage had been disorienting to say the least. Shawn was covered in sweat, his heart pounding, his ears ringing, and his entire body vibrating from adrenaline. The first step into back stage was like being hit by a wall of silence. The ringing in his ears intensified and his body suddenly felt like it was in an overwhelming overdrive with no real output. After sometime, the feeling eventually subsided and Shawn was able to return to life. But he’d definitely never experienced an adrenaline rush quite like that before. He was willing to bet it was addictive.

At the bar they each got a round of shots before picking their drinks of choice. They sat at a high top table, discussing the feelings the night had induced in all of the. Each member going over things they’d never forget. Moments that were worth reliving over and over again. Somewhere in the early hours of the morning, a girl walked over to the group, drink in hand.

“Hey, you’re the guys from Terminal right?” She slurred slightly. “Just saw you tonight.”

Shawn smiled, “Yeah that’s us.”

Fuck they were already being recognized? This is what dreams feel like, right?

“You guys, were so amazing tonight.”

The blonde girl leaned heavily against the table, coming closer to Shawn. She smelled like coconut.

“Well, thanks.” Shawn smiled. “Glad you liked it.”

She pressed into Shawn’s side and whispered, “I loved it.”

Shawn felt a rush heat run up his neck and onto his cheeks as he looked at the other boys who were just staring at the spectacle.

“Well it was nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, it was,” she looked at each of the band members before turning back to Shawn, looking like she wanted to completely devour him.

She stumbled away, and Zubin whistled at Shawn. “Dude Mandy’s got some competition.”

Shawn rolled his eyes, “You know there isn’t anyone but Mandy. Not for me anyway.”

Zubin looked at Eddy making a special kind of eye contact before Eddy laughed. Shawn ignored them in favor of grabbing another bear from the bar.

It wasn’t until after three that Shawn stumbled into their home. He slammed the door a little too loud, cringing at the loud echo in his skull. Tomorrow morning wasn’t going to be fun. He walked into the kitchen, cursing when he stubbed his toe against the island. He shuffled around looking for the light, before finally finding it, illuminating the room in a warm glow. He quickly grabbed a glass, filling it with water, and swallowing down some pain killers. Turning off the light, he stumbled down the hallway, into the bedroom.

Shawn pulled off his shirt and jeans before falling into his bed with a huff.

“Shawn?” Mandy whispered, rolling over. “What time is it?”

“It’s almost 4 babe, go back to sleep.”

“How was the concert?” She mumbled instead.

“It was good, babe. Now go back to sleep.”

She turned away from him in the bed, and Shawn pushed himself up against her back, arms wrapping around her torso.

“We were supposed to celebrate,” was the last thing Shawn heard before he slipped into a deep sleep.

tagging: @fourtristattoos @peacedolantwins2 @rosecth @unhealthyobsessionwithmarvel

consider supporting me on ko-fi

#shawn mendes fic #shawn mendes imagine #shawn mendes #shawn mendes x reader #imagine #fic #fanfic #shawn mendes fanfic #shawn mendes writing #my writing #mine #writing

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susannaprouse · 5 years

Text

Twenty three - Guayaquil & Lima

The alarm woke us up at 4.45 and it wasn't nice. We quickly got dressed and got an uber to the airport. After checking in we used our remaining Ecuadorian change on very expensive but nice looking chocolate. Mike had a sleep (having had a bad night's sleep) before we boarded to travel to our next country!

We tried to sleep on the flight, which was a on surprisingly nice LATAM plane. Mike, as always surprised even himself with his ability to sleep on transport and before we knew it we were in Lima. As we got off the flight I noticed a lot of people wearing athletic uniforms. Looking closer I saw the Olympic symbols; we were travelling with Olympians! If I was up on my sports maybe I'd have known who they were but lots of people were taking their photos when we landed.

We got a taxi to our hostel, in the perpetually cloudy desert city (it never rains!), through terrible traffic jams before emerging onto a highway along the seafront. On the way we saw temporary stadiums and stands for Lima 2019, the Pan-American Games! Suddenly the Olympians on the flight made sense! After 45 minutes we reached the hostel and had the quickest check-in and sort out turnaround so far. We were worried if we stopped we'd fall asleep. Instead we walked from the hostel through the Barranco suburb and the along the Malècon to the Milaflores district. Barranco had a real Bristol feeling to it with lots of street art and hipster cafes. Milaflores was definitely the upmarket part of town with fancy sea view apartments and a shopping mall on the cliff front.

As Lima is such a foodie city we really wanted to do a food tour but tickets are so pricey, $100 each!! So instead we took ourselves on a food tour. With a bit of research and Mike navigating the tour began. Before leaving Barranco we had to have what every good food tour starts with, an ice cream! The gelateria looked good and very hipster. It used local produce and flavours to create exotic and delicious ice creams. After trying a few flavours I decided you just can't go wrong with chocolate, especially when it's from South America. So we opted to share a scoop of chocolate nibs and it was absolutely delicious; Swoon in Bristol has a clear rival.

After the fairly long Malècon walk to work up an appetite the second stop was a ceviche place but as we neared we saw long queues outside. By this point it was getting later and we were getting hungry so decided to move on to the next stop, thinking we could come back another time when we'd booked. So the next stop was next to Park Kennedy, a park where all the stray cats live because they're treated so well! The cats are vaccinated, fed, watered and put up for adoption when they can be. There are loads in the park sunbathing and being stroked. Of course I couldn't resist so immediately looking for the nicest looking for a cuddle.

While in the park we spotted a churros seller which was another stop so quickly bought a couple to have. I think this was mainly as a distraction for Mike so he didn't get annoyed with me and the cats. The churros were filled with caramel, crunchy and sweet mmmm! And only 75p each!

After the churros we found a restaurant as our next stop. We ordered our first pisco sour (spirit made from grapes, lime juice, egg white, bitters), an Inca Kola, and a rocoto rellenos to share. The drinks arrived and the pisco sour was strong! Considering we hadn't eaten much it went to both of our heads immediately. The Inca Kola was bizzare, it wasn't like cola which is what I was expecting but was more like bubblegum panda pop. The more we drank the more we liked it.

The food came next and I'm salivating at the thought of it. Rocoto rellenos is a slightly spicy red pepper stuffed with mince, vegetables and cheese. I don't know exactly what else went into it but it was absolutely delicious. And what made it even better were the dauphinoise potatoes that accompanied it. They were creamy and cheesy and delicious. We were very happy. It was supposed to be a starter but was massive!

Slightly wobbly after the pisco sour we headed to the next destination but quickly realised we were flagging from our lack of sleep. We popped into a hipster coffee/book shop for a Peruvian espresso and to use their WiFi to do a quick bit of organising. A perpetual task, but the best coffee we've had on the trip!

After coffee the next stop was a Chifa restaurant. Peru is heavily influenced by the Chinese that came here as cheap labour after they abolished slavery. Chifa restaurants are everywhere and Peruvian cuisine is influenced by Chinese flavours. We sat down and ordered a lomo saltado to share. It turns out you could only order that as part of a set menu so we had to order spring rolls too. It was basically a beef stir fry, but with chips in the gravy style sauce, served with fried rice. Mike loved it as it was basically two of his favourite things combined, chips in gravy and fried rice! It was great but after the rocoto rellenos I think anything would struggle to compare.

The next stop was a stall back in Kennedy Square. It served a Peruvian delicacy, pork buns. We shared one, and putting on our snooty food critique hats compared it to the one we had in Guayaquil. This had salty pork in delicious bread with a slice of sweet potato in that provided sweetness and moisture, while the one in Guayaquil was juicier (covered in gravy) but plain.

Our final stop was to try and find another stall selling picarones, a ring donut, but made with sweet potato! We walked around the park three times looking but unfortunately didn't find one. We had to make do with another churro and stroking some more cats!

Feeling stuffed and completely exhausted (we'd been wandering around for 6 hours!) we sneakily reused the WiFi at the coffee shop to get an uber back to the hostel.

When we got in we realised tonight was the opening ceremony for the Pan American Olympic games, happening just round the corner! We both sat down and watched the ceremony while organising some more.

The ceremony was amazing and I felt so excited and weirdly proud. I don't know what the Olympics does to me (maybe I was remembering the London Olympics?) but I felt like I was going to cry! The Peruvians put on an amazing show with a huge mountain in the middle of the stage which lit up with projections. The performers were all in traditional dress and took us through the story of Peru. It was cool to see all the things we'd come to Peru for encapsulated in the show and made me excited for the rest of our travels!

We went to be very early that night and luckily we had nice dorm mates that didn't seem to mind, but did find it funny that we were sleeping in a bunk bed in a dorm on our honeymoon. I call it a good night's sleep!

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lovetheplayers · 5 years

Conversation

Taylor's interview on Karen's Night From 8 | Energy NRJ (May 2, 2019)

Karen: Since the snake we all knew from reputation transformed into a bunch of pastel colored butterflies in the brand new video to ME! is there a new Taylor on track again? Tell us about that.

Taylor: Well, I always tried to make my music a reflection of how I'm feeling, and a lot of the times you'll see that reflected in the color tones and sort of the imagery that I use with my music videos. So yeah, I think that if you're a musician, a lot of the times you can see how we're feeling based on what our music is doing. You know, I definitely am in a very good place in my life and really excited about making new music and excited about the new album I've made, so I think that is very reflective in the new video. Thank you for watching it, by the way.

Karen: You're very welcome. Well, you broke the records already. Like, it went, like, wow! The video is completely insane; like, so colorful and beautiful. I love it, by the way.

Taylor: Thank you!

Karen: So, yeah, tell us a little more about the new song ME! What is the message behind it?

Taylor: The message behind the song ME! is basically trying to celebrate and own your individuality and what makes you different from everyone else because I think so often in this age of social media and everyone comparing each other, I think that we can feel really, really low and really insecure and down about ourselves and think that there must be a better version of us out there somewhere and I think that we really just need to remind ourselves that we're completely irreplaceable. And I think that with a song like this, it's very catchy and it can get stuck in your head and so I really wanted that to be a message of, kind of, self love and positivity because I think we all could use that because I think we all have really bad days sometimes when it comes to trying to accept who we are and appreciate who we are.

Karen: I absolutely, completely agree. So do you have a secret for self confidence then?

Taylor: Well, I'm just—I'm just like everybody else in that I have really, really bad days with self-confidence too where you feel like you can't pull yourself out of it and I don't think there's any way to to say, "Oh, this is how you feel good about yourself." It's not that easy, is it? Like, but I think one thing that does help me is if there's a happy song that I can listen to that kind of makes me—makes me feel a little bit better. That can be helpful gradually, but you know obviously there's no pressure for anyone to feel good all the time. That's—that's completely—it's unattainable; that's never going to happen. But I just, you know, I was writing this song and I was, like, imagining, like, little kids dancing to it and feeling good about themselves and feeling like they're special and, you know, ever since it come out some people have told me, like, if this song makes them happy or if it makes them kind of forget about what they're stressed about and it's that—that's a really nice thing to hear. Like, that's all we can really hope for if we're making music, is to try to make things easier for other people or make things better.

Karen: This is a wonderful kind of thought you just have while listening to the song, which is completely an ear worm in all of our heads right now; so completely in love with it.

Taylor: Thank you!

Karen: You're so welcome. Can you give us a little hint about the new album yet? I know it's completely, like, you know, you don't talk about it and stuff like that, but can you give us a little hint. What can we expect?

Taylor: Well, definitely. I really want to tell the fans everything there is to know about the album probably pretty soon. I definitely want to be able to tell them directly from me everything that I've been working on, but I just really wanted to not do that as soon as the song came out because I feel like that's information overload. It's just so much information coming at them all at once. Like, "Here's a new song, here's a new video, here's a bunch of clues in the video." Like, "What does it all mean?", "And here's the information about the album." Like, I wanted to kind of give everyone a moment to decompress and kind of—and then tell them everything that there is to know about the new album. But I'm so happy and flattered that you're curious about it.

Karen: Absolutely completely curious, and the thing is that I just read about these—these hidden hints in the video and just watched it five times now and was like, "Okay, where could all these hints be?" Like, you know? We're completely in love with it.

Taylor: Thank you! That's awesome.

Karen: One short last question: since the Reputation Tour unfortunately didn't reach us here in Germany do you—do you know yet when you'll be back together with us?

Taylor: I definitely, definitely want to come back to Germany because the fans have been so incredible and that's on my list of things I want to do, especially with this new album, and so I really, really hope I get to, like, come there and see you and see all the fans because they have been so supportive of me and I'm really appreciative.

Karen: Cool, very looking forward. I just had the honour to see the Reputation Stadium Tour in Dublin. I went all the way to Dublin to just see it and I cannot imagine it to be and to get any bigger, so I'm completely, completely in love with all what's coming up for us.

Taylor: That is so amazing of you to go all the way to Dublin for the tour! Thank you so much.

Karen: Thank you for taking time for us! Thank you, Taylor.

Taylor: Thank you! Hopefully I'll get to meet you soon. Taylor.

Karen: You too! Thank you so much. Have fun. Bye, bye!

#taylor swift #me! radio promo

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thedailyrindblog-blog · 5 years

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Ten Minutes with NoEXIT

In case you missed the memo, boy bands are back. Left and right, boy bands have been reuniting, and this doesn’t exclude British boy band, NoEXIT aka Derek Mcnally, Mark Jeremy Barry and Stephen Adel Burns.

We had a chance to catch up with them after a 15 year hiatus and asked the trio a few questions about their careers, families, and upcoming album.

NoEXIT will be touring across the US in the upcoming months, so make sure to grab your tickets and check out their new album Powerstation coming October 11 via Topanga Creek Records.

Tell us about how you became NoEXIT and your first few years as a group.

We got together in 1996, a long time ago now. We were just playing with different bands. It was more of a hobby at the time. We met in Liverpool, you know, going to different shows. One thing lead to another and we decided to start our own band together and that was the beginning of it, really. We said, “Alright, let’s take it seriously” and we all just quit what we were doing at the time and said “Let’s just get together and lets do this,” and we took it completely serious and we locked ourselves in a bedroom for about six months, just writing and singing everyday full time, all day and that’s how we did it. I remember being in college at the time and having a bunch of exams to do and just walking out.

What made you take that leap of faith?

We were in it, we were gonna give it 100% and we all committed. We moved to Liverpool and lived in a house together and we just wrote songs. We believed in what we were doing as well. We thought we were doing something different, something unique to us and we believed in it. We thought, “if we’re gonna do this, we gotta give it everything, even if it’s for a year or two.”

What does fan engagement look like now compared to when you first started out?

Well fan engagement back then was in person, there was no social media. We were on MySpace and everything, but now it’s great because now it’s a touch of a button you can engage with potentially millions of people. It’s great for us, especially because we don’t have to be together; one of us is at home, or LA or wherever. We try to post and share and interact with fans as much as we can. It’s important because the fans that were there for us back then are still with us now and we massively appreciate the support we’re getting up to this day. It’s a direct line of communication for all kinds of reasons, you know: picking singles, albums, we can post questions like ‘what’s your favorite song?’ You can get a lot out of social media. We wish we would’ve had it back in the day. Back then you had to go to every city to do TV promo.

In the 2000s, I was saying in an interview I did that I had a diary in which I wrote everyday and I found out we did a total of 180 flights that year; it was like every corner of America. We’d get up in the morning and be in one state then another state doing a photoshoot then we’d be on the tour bus overnight driving through the desert, it was surreal. It was constant, it was just nonstop for 3 years.

Would you change anything from those early days?

No, no. It was amazing! It was just a different time. But you know social media and the way people interact with fans has changed. You had to be on the road and physically go to each state. It was living out of a suitcase for months.

If you could give your younger selves advice, what would you say?

“Don’t have that last drink on the road!”

“Get some sleep.” I think it’s crazy because back then we were going out, we were making the most of it, enjoying it, but we were still sensible to a point.

I’d say to my younger self, “just take it all in.” Last time around everything was moving so quickly and we didn’t really get to absorb it. It was the airports, the venue, then the airport again, we didn’t have enough time to process everything. It was like ‘where’s next, where’s next, where’s next, let’s get it done.’ Ticking every box that we had. I’d say to my younger self, don’t take it for granted because one minute it’ll be here, the next minute it won’t.

I’d say to my younger self, don’t take it for granted because one minute it’ll be here, the next minute it won’t.

Do you feel like you did take it for granted?

You know what, I did to a point, I mean I appreciated it but I was 22 years old. What an amazing experience to have in the world. Now cause I’m older, we got kids, you know it’s weird. It seems like a dream because we’ve had that amount of time away from it. There was a focus on other things: family life, kids, and al. It wasn’t quite the right time to get back together with the lads. Now it’s like we’re enjoying it more because we appreciate it more. We’re getting that second chance that not many bands get. We did vanish for 15 years, so to come back and do shows and to have Good Morning America want us on there, it’s amazing.

During those 15 years, were you still playing music? What did you need during that time in order to come back?

We all did different things, fitness, music, one of us was in a band, did our own thing, family and stuff, and before you realize it 15 years had gone by. We got offered some cool reunion shows previously, but it just didn’t feel right at the time. It felt like we were forcing it. We decided to get back together and do it all ourselves, have full control, have our own team. Instead of someone saying ‘You’re gonna get back together, you’re gonna have a full itinerary and full schedule.’ That was important this time, especially with family. We wanted to be in control, it’s not like we were mistreated before or anything, but we were out there for three or four years non-stop and this time we wanted to be in control of the tour, schedules, and stuff like that.

We decided to get back together and do it all ourselves, have full control, have our own team.

Musically, how would you say you transitioned over the years?

I think we’ve all transitioned. We’re definitely better musicians, better singers, better songwriters. We’ve all transitioned lyrically especially. We’ve always had really catchy songs and melodies, but lyrically it’s matured a bit. We’ve obviously experienced a lot more in the past 20 years, so we have a lot to write about.

So what does the future hold for NoEXIT?

Were always gonna continue to write music and perform. We’re not gonna be taking a break anymore. We’re just gonna give it our all, perform, write music, record great songs, create a bigger fanbase and reach out to the people that still don’t know we’re back together yet. There’s so many people that aren’t aware that we’re back together so we’re just gonna continue doing what we’re doing. We’ll write an album every year if we can, and do bigger tours, and if any songs become a hit… (which we do want, I mean what band doesn’t?). We’re really enjoying it, not that we didn’t enjoy it last time but we’re really enjoying it this time. That’s the main thing, as long as we’re enjoying it, doing it together, we’ll be around for a long time.

How about your families? Do you talk with them about the origins of NoEXIT?

I’ve told the guys this story: my oldest son, got an Ipad. He says to me, ‘Dad, what was that band you were in?’ I said to him, “NoEXIT” and didn’t think anything of it. Then I was walking past his bedroom and I hear our song playing and I hear him singing. He got a guitar for Christmas and I showed him a few chords and then again I walk past his bedroom and I hear him playing my song.

For me, I have a two year old son and a seven year old son as well. I’m never going to force music on them, but I’m always playing music around them. When we’re in the car I’ll play them stuff from NoEXIT. I hope they do follow my footsteps because they can sing, they actually can sing, and I’m not being a biased dad, but (the seven year old) he really can sing. There’s something there. Knowing what music has done for me, it’d be great for them to do it as well. I’m hoping to be a great role model for my kids. The seven year old is taking it in but not as much as he would in the next three or four years, but he’s happy; he’s proud. All our families have been supportive. I play the new songs in the car all the time and my son goes, “Daddy put “Bullet Train” on!” Now they love “Wolves,” and they’re singing, they know the words. They sing the songs to their mum. It’s a great feeling.

What does your creative process look like? Do you write together or individually?

We all write individually and write together, and co-write. For this album, we did some of it in Los Angeles and some of it in England, in Yorkshire and Liverpool. We just do whatever we need to do to get it done. We swap and send ideas back and forth from Los Angeles and England. The great thing now is with the internet, you can collaborate with anyone around the world, at anytime. We just shot videos the other day, one of us filmed our bit in LA, the other in another place. We put the files together and many thought we had filmed the whole video together.

Walking down memory lane, what was it like to perform songs like “Back Here” and “Out of My Heart” to million and millions of screaming fans?

It was amazing, it was a different time. You can see things working correctly when you go to a show and everyone’s singing along. We have nothing but great memories; like the tours we did with Britney Spears and NSYNC at the height of their career. Giant stadiums doing two or three nights in a row. It was just surreal. We were then able to do our own and sell out a House of Blues tour. Just looking back, it was pretty mental but so enjoyable.

Just looking back, it was pretty mental but so enjoyable.

How do you get over those nerves when you walk out to face a stadium-sized crowd?

I remember we did our first show in London, I was sweating and dropping picks. When it’s smaller crowds it’s harder because it’s so intimate. When it’s a sea of people, you’re not really connecting with anybody. The first few shows we were all nervous. It comes with experience. Even now, we’re not going out on stage totally relaxed. We still get nervous. We still get butterflies. When we just did Good Morning America, we felt the adrenaline.

Were you at all nervous to come back after all that time?

Well, we’ve still been singing and performing. Stephen was doing shows with Train and if anything, the feeling that we get now instead of back then is different. We really take it in. When you’re on stage and the fans are connecting with you and you can see that they’re really getting into the performance; I’m getting a better feeling of that now than I used to. I can’t describe it. You get lost in it on stage. You get lost in the music, in your own world. It’s a great feeling.

I can’t describe it. You get lost in it on stage. You get lost in the music, in your own world. It’s a great feeling.

What does it mean to you to be independent?

We need to be independent now and have that control, especially with a family. We [Mark and Steve] couldn’t do this the way we could back then. If someone said ‘get back together’ and we had to do that same level of work like before, I wouldn’t have done it. Family is our priority, family is number one.We can still do the work, but we don’t have to be out [on the road] all the time. Social media frees us up a lot and allows us to be present everywhere. It’s a good feeling. Before social media, all you could do was go on TV or do interviews for magazines. That’s what we were worried about when thinking about getting back together — our control being taken out of our hands. This time we’re going to do it ourselves and we got a great team around us. You guys (The Orchard), a manager, a great tour promotion company working with us…we got a great team. When you do it independently there are obstacles but it’s just about getting the right people. There’s pros and cons. We’re not signed, and we got on Good Morning America and to be able to say that while not being signed… hopefully it will snow ball and that’ll create more interest.

What can we expect from the new album?

It definitely has that NoEXIT sound in the guitars, vocals, and harmonies, but it’s very contemporary in the production. I’d say there’s elements of the first and second album on there, and other elements that no one’s heard yet. The three voices make it sound like NoEXIT. We were a bit worried in the studio, thinking, ‘It doesn’t sound like anything NoEXIT’ then we put the vocals down. Lyrically, we’ve moved forward in the right direction with catchy songs. The old NoEXIT fans won’t be disappointed.

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charlesandmartine · 5 years

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Thursday 31st January 2019

The prediction from the BBC for today was cool, ie about 20 degrees or 17 less than yesterday. With this in mind, we headed for the big city on the 109 tram. The plan was to have a tour around the Melbourne Cricket Ground, MCG or just 'G' for short. First, there were no concessions for non Australians. Because state pensions are means tested, its only poor pensioners that get the deal. So 50 bucks later in we go for an hour and a quarter guided tour. This stadium is like Trigger's broom. It's still a cricket ground, but its had all the bits changed over the years. Fascinating fact 1 is that they first played cricket on that site in 1838. Now this is only 3 years after the start of the colony! The first proper cricket ground built was in 1853 and over the years the site has developed into what we saw today. The comparison with the WACA in Perth was irresistible, but there were few things in which the WACA compared favourably with the MCG. The G is huge; 100,000 seating capacity compared to just 15,000. Staggeringly they also play Australian rules football here as well as test cricket. Can you imagine the MCC allowing football matches at Lords? Where would it end, ploughing contests at Wimbledon? The wicket is grown across the road and lifted in one piece into place, ensuring there is always a green wicket at the start of the series. The whole of the pitch is fully drained and water run-off is recycled for toilet flushing etc. Football matches regularly fill the stadium whereas cricket gates may only sell 85,000. The facilities for players are impressive with physio rooms, water treatment baths, drug testing suites (4 random players to be tested each match). As we toured, it was clear that Don Bradshaw was their all time favourite, although Bill Ponsford came a close second. In a stand there is one beige seat which marks the 122m 6 hit by Simon O'Donnell in 1993. An unbroken record to this day. Our guide was an MCG member, a privilege which costs $700 per annum. However, you need to get your name down at birth, literally, to get the opportunity to become a member. Our guide's son's application went in as he left the delivery suite and there is a chance he will get his ticket in a year or so. He is 27 now. Great morning, very tiring, so we headed towards the Queen Victoria Market in town to get a bit of lunch.

Tram 35 does a circular tour of Melbourne City centre for free with a bit of a recorded commentary. Good value. Sitting opposite us was an older couple from Geelong which is a train ride out of town. They were here primarily to see Phil Collins in concert. I didn't know he was still going! Martine mentioned that the last time she had seen PC was in Birmingham in 1973: 46 years ago! Apparently he has just turned 68 and most likely still doing the same songs. Well they were looking forward to it. All this was quite tiring, so we switched the 35 tram for a 109 and went home via Coles.

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tugboatringo · 6 years

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i saw arctic monkeys last night and now i have to write an essay about how amazing it was

arctic monkeys are my favorite contemporary band (and possibly my favorite band in general but i like too many to easily choose a top contender), and i knew they were a great live band because i’d always heard that and also watched live videos of them several times before, but it still exceeded my expectations by far. and i’m biased obviously, but my sister and i also went with our brother too, who isn’t a huge fan of them but even he was absolutely blown out of the water by them. and i was thinking the entire time they were playing “i have to tell everyone about [x point i realized watching them]” because i was such a wide-eyed baby all the way up on the balcony. i have to tell you this shit.

i’m gonna start with their opening act mini mansions. now i’ll admit i’d heard of them because i know alex turner worked with them over the hiatus but i’d never really listened to them before. and i just have to say, they were really good. do check them out. i ended up buying their shirt when the merch place had run out of the tour shirt that i wanted (i’ll get into them, i’m listening to them on spotify as i type this). the last few songs they performed especially kicked ass, they really got more and more into it as their set list went on, and it was smart the way they did that. so, i recommend them. they were a good opening act and you should check them out. “honey i’m home” was my favorite i’d heard live (that i’ve figured out the name of yet jgfidhu the last song they did was still a little more kickass).

but as good as those guys were, when arctic monkeys came on they immediately blew every other band i’d seen before right out of the water. all the instrumentalists killed it, never missed a beat, alex’s vocals were unwaveringly as good in person as they are on the studio version (except for in some cases on tbhc where his low singing was sometimes kind of noticeably harder for him and came out breathy, but he actually had no problem with any of that live) - and not just that. as much as i feel like listening to an arctic monkeys album is an experience, and that many of their songs feel like they surround you..... at the concert, it was so different from listening to the studio version. it really was better, it was stronger, it not only surrounded you but closed in on you. it was so engaging yet it didn’t seem like it tried to be at all. i’ve seen a good amount of bands in person - 4/6 concerts i’ve been to featured a total of four bands - but no band i’d seen before was that entertaining. it had never felt miles more than listening to the cd before. i don’t know how they did it, but it was incredible. it was constantly surprising. like i said, i’d really never seen a live band that surprised me more than that. no gimmics either (unless you count the cool ass lights but plenty of concerts do that), they didn’t tell any jokes or anything, and they were serious in their execution, they didn’t appear to be half as stoked as the entire crowd seemed to be yet.... they just blew you away. not just the songs, but each one of them.

as i’ve stated before my favorite arctic monkeys album is humbug all day any day, and like a lot of big fans of arctic monkeys i don’t think am is their best album even though i absolutely understand why that was the album that attracted so much of their fan base and gave em a second peak. but i gained a new appreciation for it after seeing those songs performed live, in person. i’d never seen it captured in live videos of them before (again, it really does feel unimaginably different really being there) but most of the am songs they performed live were some of the most entertaining songs they’d performed live, especially knee socks, r u mine? and do i wanna know (in that order). it made me think... i think the only way they could have written and produced that album, was after years of touring and playing for crowds and getting better and better at getting the audience into it. i swear those songs were made first and foremost for the purpose of playing it for an audience, whether or not all the members had that in mind during its production. of course brianstorm and crying lightning and pretty visitors and the view from the afternoon and even four out of five kicked ass live too, comparably as much to those, but... i don’t think those were made for the audience as much as the studio version. i don’t think those were as much more entertaining live as the am tracks.

and you know the fuck what???/ do you KNOW the fuck what???? i absolutely adore nick o’malley. i adore all of marctic onkeys as musicians and people unconditionally, but nick o’malley made my autistic lesbian heart stop. i just wanted to pat him on the head and give him a hug he’s the cutest person and i love him. and he wore this really nice ;_____; long sleeved white dress shirt that looked ;______; so darn handsome on him this is nick’s era before it is anyone else’s fite me i just *crushes rock w my fist* *crunches on remains* I LOVE NICK O’MALLEY

and one last anecdote...... i didn’t think anything hilarious was going to happen that night. and for most people in that stadium to my knowledge, nothing did. but..... well, so i was sitting on the balcony, right? there was a row below me, and the people’s heads in that row were at the same level as people’s knees in mine. and in front of me was this dad-looking guy. probably in his late 50s like my parents. there was a fair amount of dad-lookin guys i noticed. and at some point during songs mostly on fwn and humbug, for a couple of songs, he just... laid his head against my knees, and fell asleep. and he was really pushing his head on them, i don’t know???? what he thought my knees were???? did he realize that they were a person’s knees??? did he think it was the seat???? did he not wonder was he was resting his head on before he fell asleep???? he stayed asleep for at least two full length songs and then during “r u mine?” he was fully awake and JAMMING along this bastard was doing air guitar like sHE’s a SiLVeR LiNIn LOnE rANgEr riDIn THrOuGH aN OpEN sPAcE IN MY MIND WHEN SHE’S NOT RIGHT THERE BESIDE MEE I GO CRAaAZY and it was all ??????? so fucking WEIRD so for all the “true fans” of arctic monkeys (or whatever they think of themselves as) who bitch about 15 year olds who only know do i wanna know and r u mine getting better seats at a concert than they got i’ll have you know..... the only one of those i saw all night was a 50 year old man who - rather than not recognizing earlier monkeys material - literally fell asleep during it. what point am i making with these???? i don’t even know exactly. but uh, i guess it isn’t fifteen year olds who are the least.... true(?) fans of arctic monkeys at the concert. and it shouldn’t be surprising be young fans to be engaged either now that i think of it - young people are all over this band, they’re the ones who are most obsessed. it’s the 50-something dads who only know the am hits i guess.... i guess.

that’s all i can think that i wanted to say last night. basically, i just wanted to get seeing my favorite modern band live off my bucket list in my youth and while i still had the chance, and it still managed to be way better than i expected it. if you like this band to any degree, if you have a chance, see them live for yourself. i really can’t believe how different it was from watching live videos of them all these years - for most bands it doesn’t feel that much better in person. but i genuinely hope i see arctic monkeys at least once more in the future. i’m sure my twin sister diana does. heck, my brother dan said he does too, and he’s seen a lot of concerts. i can’t recommend it enough. but you know now more important i have hugging nick o’malley to cross off next on my list of arctic monkeys-related life goals. i’m not sure how i’m going to execute that one, but. i have time.

#arctic monkeys #boston #7/27/2018 #td garden #arctic monkeys boston #am #arctic monkeys td garden #mini mansions #personal #kaily rambles #nick o'malley #i sorta have to include him in my tag he was the only one i went tf off about #this has to go in his tag on my blog #it has to

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edsmysterygirl · 6 years

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Ed Sheeran - Part 1

Wembley, June 15 & Amsterdam, June 28

As many of you know, I was fortunate enough to see Ed twice during this Divide World Tour.

Click here for Part 2. Click here for Part 3.

It all began almost a year ago. On July 8, 2017, tickets went on sale for both shows. I put my boyfriend — who lives close to London — on Wembley duty, and I bought the Amsterdam tickets myself. I went for seats in the sections closer to the middle of the stadium. I figured you wouldn’t be as close as when you picked the sections to the side of the stage, but I wanted to be able to experience the screens properly and from a good angle. We ended up sitting where the red cross is for Wembley (section 122, row 25):

And we ended up sitting here in Amsterdam (section 121, row 2):

I think it’s really cool that I got to experience the show from both sides! I went to see Ed with my boyfriend at Wembley and with a friend from my previous job in Amsterdam.

Click on the Keep Reading link below for more! :-) Please keep in mind that I was quite far away and don’t really have the proper recording devices. And to be honest, I just wanted to enjoy the show and not live it through a camera/phone. So there’s only a couple of my own (bad quality) pictures and short videos in this post, but I just really wanted to share my experience!

Wembley, June 15 We arrived in London around noon. First, we went to have lunch at our favorite Byron Proper Hamburgers restaurant located on The Cut. Around 1pm we travelled up to our hotel, which was a Premier Inn hotel near Wembley. We arrived there at 2pm, checked in and sat in our room for a while. The room was clean, spacious and at the hotel they even had printed out explanations ready of how to get to Wembley. So no complaints there! We arrived at Wembley around 4 pm:

Before entering the premises, they checked your ticket. However, the Wembley tickets had no names on them, and they didn’t ask about any of the resale-related stuff either. We went to our designated entrance and sat around on the floor for a bit. I guess you are supposed to queue at the turnstiles, but because it was so quiet still and because we had seats anyway we didn’t start queuing until 4:45pm. The turnstiles opened at 5pm and we went in and had our bags checked. Again, no resale check here... It’s a bit strange to me how there were all these strict rules and all these documents you needed to bring, but in the end the tickets had no names on them, my booking confirmation didn’t even have a card number on it and no one asked anything. From what I understand someone went around some of the queues, but we didn’t see anyone. If you put such a strict system in place, please enforce it. After we went in we had some pizza and a drink. Even though the food was very expensive (as expected), I was really surprised about the quality. That was some good pizza!

First up was Jamie! I really enjoyed his set and his energy. He’s such a lovely guy. He even went out to the merch stand on the pitch to meet fans at the end of his set. The only thing I have to say is that the sound quality wasn’t great for his set. I don’t know if he uses a different mic, or if the band uses different instruments, or if it’s because people are rude and half the stadium is empty during the gig, but it’s very hard to hear him because of the echo. The sound levels seem fine, his voice is loud enough compared to the band, but it’s so hard to understand a word of what he’s singing/saying. I thought that was such a shame because he’s such a good performer and his songs are great! Below a video of the sing-along part of (I think) the last song of his set, Ahead of Myself:

dailymotion

Then came Anne-Marie! It was only during her set that I realized where I was and what I was doing there: it was almost time for Ed!!! But first it was time to enjoy Anne-Marie.

I’ve listened quite a lot to her album recently and Ciao Adios and Friends are played regularly on the radio over here so I knew all her songs. I was quietly singing along at this point, still a bit unsure... But I was really enjoying myself so far.

dailymotion

Now it was finally time for Ed... But first it was time for a break. And time for a toilet break. Apparently more people had the same idea. The queue was soooo long. I was so worried I wouldn’t make it back in time. But I did!!

It was surreal to see him walk on stage. He. Was. Actually. There. RIGHT. THERE. He played the standard setlist he’s been playing lately. First of course, Castle on the Hill. He was SO smiley. And the crowd went wild. Everyone got up when he came on and no one ever sat down again.

Then was Eraser. Even though Castle on The Hill does have some elements of layering, I feel like the layering towards the end of Eraser was the first time I properly experienced the loop station live. When you listen to live recordings you can make out every single loop fragment if you listen closely, but there is no such thing when you’re there live. It all just blends together into one big ball of awesomeness. Here’s the start of Eraser:

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Next was The A Team. It was incredibly to finally hear that song live after hearing it for so many years on the radio. Because yes, in the Netherlands The A Team still gets regular radio play for some reason. Not that I mind! Not at all! After watching Glastonbury I was expecting a sea of lights during this song. But for some reason, Wembley missed the memo. 😂 I guess it also was because it was still so light out!

I don’t know when exactly the speeches were. But I think it was before Don’t/New Man that he told the story about how much of a boring concertgoer he is because he tends to not move much. And that it’s okay to sing and dance and go nuts and that you don’t have to be embarrassed because everyone is looking at him anyway. And if someone is looking at you, they might just join in because they see you having a good time. And I’m SO glad he told that story. Because, even though I have heard it about a dozen times online, actually being there and feeling a bit awkward and not sure, hearing that? It’s amazing and it’s what allowed me to relax and finally get into the show. :-) Don’t/New Man is the only complete recording I have, so enjoy:

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Next was Dive, but not before we participated in the who’s-the-loudest-crowd competition. I don’t think we broke any records, but IT WAS LOUD. Dive was absolutely amazing. I know a few people are disappointed Dive was never brought out as a single, but I think it makes it extra special. It’s amazing to see it live and hear the whole crowd singing along. I think Dive is a song that works best like that, and not necessarily as a radio single.

And then Bloodstream!!! Holy shit. The bounce thing. I always assumed it was kinda awkward to do. But it wasn’t at all. And it was so cool to see the whole pitch doing it in front of us. And don’t get me started on the ending! The “all the voices in my mind” part is hypnotizing. Absolutely amazing. You can just FEEL the music in your body.

Happier was up next. It’s such a beautiful song. You know what’s funny? The first time Ed sings “you’re happier,” you can hear the audience echo back “aren’t you?” even though that line is not supposed to be there. But we’re so used to singing it in the rest of the song that apparently we automatically do it the first time! Lol. Here’s the start of Happier:

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Unfortunately, Tumblr only allows 5 videos per post, sooo...

Click here for Part 2. Click here for Part 3.

#ed sheeran #teddy sheeran #divide world tour #wembley #amsterdam #first concert experience

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