#the acting ranges from exceptional to lacklustre

[mikimeiko]

Speed Racer | Directed by Lana and Lily Wachowski (2008)

[rosenlily-aka-choconut]

re your most recent post, i do really enjoy the bond between yeon and rang in 1938 but i do think yeon continues to be the most consistently poorly written character. in the first season, we see and acknowledge his shortcomings as the plot unfolds, but by the second season, we expect a little more from him considering what he went through. but he still hasn’t really learned his lessons and continues to inflict harm. he continues to not talk to the people he should (mooyeong in this season). he never really takes the lead in drawing the line for hongjoo (i need to rewatch it but i can’t remember any sincere conversation between them until like episode 11???) and helping her with her feelings. and of course he still lets rang feel neglected; yeohee need to be the one to pull him together. i know yeon is the glue that holds the show together but i consistently find every side character more compelling than him. and it’s not LDW’s fault; he acted really well in this season especially. i think the writers just didn’t know how to write an appropriately flawed hero that still did good by the people around him that he’s supposed to love and protect.

~kbcu anon (hi again!)

Hello again!

Yeah, season 1 Yeon was probably the worst written character in my opinion (Ji-ah comes a close second). And that was probably LDW’s worst acting. Coming into the show as a LDW stan, I was utterly disappointed to see his lacklustre performance. But then KB caught my attention, and the rest is history, as you can see in my blog.

And yeah, I wouldn’t blame LDW. They didn’t give him much to do except going on dates with Jiah and repeating multiple variants of “I’ll protect you” and “I won’t let you die.”

In season 2, he was so much better - both the acting and the character. I don’t actually blame him for the way he handled Hong-ju’s obsession with him. I mean, he repeatedly made it clear to her that he’s married, and that’s all he can do, right? IMO, every single time she tried to throw herself at him, he did draw a line and made sure he pushed her back to the friend zone.

Inspite of her unacceptable behaviour, he was kind to her. Despite her trying to take advantage of him when he was blind (I would call that sexual harassment), he continued to be nice to her. What more can he do if she refuses to accept his rejection and move on? Yeah, a heartfelt talk would’ve probably helped, but I still feel her inability to get over him is not really his responsibility.

What I didn’t get is his treatment of Mu-yeong. The dude tried to kill his brother and yet he tries to resurrect him?

I mean, if that fortune baby’s wish could bring someone back to life, why not go back to 2020 and resurrect Rang? There would be complications and repercussions but then it’s not as if everything in this show is logical.

[gorogues]

Spoilers for this week’s episode of the Flash!

Well.  That was disturbing.  As you may recall last episode, Deon showed up with plans for Wellsobard while Mattobard had seemingly reformed and was in a relationship with Meena.  It turns out that Deon's plans were actually to age and kill Wellsobard, leaving his shrivelled husk on the ground.  Surprise: the avatars of most of the Forces have been taken over by their Negative counterparts, so all of them are evil...except the good Speed Force was somehow sent away by them and is not there.  She may come into play in the finale next week.  The Forces have a convoluted plan that I'll mostly skip over, but they arrange things to get Barry to accidentally kill Iris, and bring back a fully powered Wellsobard by literally tearing away Mattobard's flesh to reveal his evil self underneath.  Yikes.

I'm not sure we can necessarily count out the good Mattobard yet, but it was a pretty clever gambit to get Wellsobard released from prison and re-powered.  And poor Meena is understandably horrified, having perhaps one of the most realistic reactions in the show to seeing a loved one die in particularly gruesome fashion.  It seems likely that the Negative Forces consider Eobard to be the Negative Speed Force avatar, or if not then perhaps they plan to make him it.  I have a faint hope that the good Mattobard will be able to overcome his evil incarnation and the Negative Speed Force by using Meena as his lightning rod (the show potentially hinted at it in this episode via Barry's peptalk when he was getting Meena to share her speed with Eobard), but maybe that's grasping at happy straws which don't exist.  But I hope so.

And we learn that Rosa Dillon was indeed watching Cecile, but she probably wasn't responsible for how Cecile was acting -- for some reason Cecile is growing in strenth and stealing other psionic metas' powers, which leaves them powerless.  Rosa was annoyed about it and followed her.  They go to Iron Heights to see if Cecile can replicate the stunt on the Queen of the Royal Flush Gang, which she does, and she becomes an incredibly powerful telepath.  Rosa disappears after that scene without any fanfare, but I actually rather like her and Cecile as tense frenemies who work together sometimes.  Hopefully their interaction isn't over.

(Still salty that Rosa is solely a psi -- and a very limited one at that -- in the show, but that's an old gripe.  At least she gained one new power last season to give her more range.)

It seems plausible that Cecile will be able to nab Psych's powers in the finale and turn them against the bad guys, though maybe the Forces' avatars aren't as vulnerable to that as normal metas.  We'll see.

Also, Chillblaine and Caitlin's plan to bring back Frost is furthered, as Caitlin finally steps into the machine and they begin the procedure.  Who knows how it'll turn out, but there'll probably be more than a few setbacks.  I kind of get the feeling that Frost won't be quite the same person if they do manage to succeed.

I really liked this episode, and have honestly enjoyed the last two much more than what was overall a pretty lacklustre season.  Obviously finales have more impact than a regular mid-season episode, but I wish they could maintain this level of quality and excitement throughout the season.  Still, I'll take what I can get when it is good.

[childotkw]

34, 35?

34. Copy and paste an excerpt you’re particularly fond of.

His boots hit the ground with a dull thump, a small cloud of dust erupting, disturbing the air that had sat untouched for centuries. 

Harry squinted through the gloom, one gloved hand plucking his flashlight from his pocket and deftly pressing the button to turn it on. The click it made, followed by the blinding stream of light felt wrong here—too alien in a place preserved in time. 

He angled the light around, studying the fairly underwhelming corridor he was in. The large slabs of limestone were smoothed to perfection, and the walls stretched on further than his flashlight could penetrate. 

A small grin curled at the edges of his mouth. Delight—childish, wondrous delight—began to flood him. 

Harry craned his head upwards, one hand reaching out to grasp the rope hanging from the opening above him. “It’s safe!” he shouted, his voice echoing harshly in the darkness. 

A blond head peeked from over the edge of the opening, and Harry moved the beam of light to shine on the other’s face. The man grimaced, one hand coming up to cover his eyes as he ripped himself backwards. 

“Bloody hell, Potter. What are you, five?”

“Maybe.”

Draco clicked his tongue, and Harry kindly moved the light away. “Are you coming down or what, Malfoy? We haven’t got all day.”

He could hear the blond’s muttering as the other attached his harness to the rope, shifting his legs so he could swing himself over the lip of the hole.  

Harry stepped away, smothering a smile. 

They had met barely a year ago—stumbled across each other by chance on the busy streets of Luxor, really—back when Harry had been desperate for a sponsor to keep his dig funded.

Draco, who had too much money to his name and no real interest in using it except to drink his way through Africa and the Middle East, had been a blessing disguised as an annoyance.

Harry had stepped in and rescued the idiot from getting his face caved in when he’d had a few too many and had gotten in trouble.

They had, much to their mutual horror, gotten along splendidly despite the lacklustre meeting. Harry claimed they bonded while he held Draco’s hair back as he puked his guts out over the toilet bowl. Draco claimed it was a strange, fast-acting case of Stockholm syndrome.

Regardless, it was he closest thing to friendship Harry had managed to find out here, and Draco—well, he’d said that Harry starved off his boredom, and that working with Harry was a convenient way to piss of his father was an added bonus.

35. Ramble about any fic-related thing you want!

Not so much a ramble and more an observation, but one of the things I actually love about fanfiction is the sheer quality of some of the work. Like, you can just sit down, click on a link, and suddenly you’re reading a 110K story (which is usually considered passed ‘novel’ territory and into ‘epic’ range) that has all your favourite characters in fun, dramatic, intense situations, that’s available for free - and the author seems to have a better grasp of the world and mechanics than the original author? It’s just - mindbogglingly that there are so many talented people just writing and producing content for books and movies and shows that they enjoyed. It’s amazing, and I love it so much.

[hyperionswrath--archived]

@onepartbrave

In hindsight, none of his plans thus far worked out the way he predicted. Therefore, why he expected his latest of chasing someone far more sober than himself to work, Squall wasn’t sure. A plethora of obstacles was in the way, the first being his own unbalanced state, but he figured he’d manage. He always managed. From being thrown in the deep end of his very first SeeD mission, to being promoted unorthodoxly to commander not even weeks later, to fearing he’d fight his only steadfast link to the death because of some horrendous events that went down—not now, not this—stop.

Ceasing everything, Squall took a second to regulate his breathing rate that had been creeping back up. Albeit, it was wasted effort when shock forced a startled gasp from him not two seconds later when he was unceremoniously jerked to the side. No, back and around, by the hips. At least it wasn’t a question of his lacklustre equilibrium this time—it was Seifer’s fault; he was the only one close enough to destabilise him. About to cause a fuss and demand release, any heat he sent forth into a withering glare was doused at a dawning realisation. He was perched unabashedly on Seifer’s lap and, with how he was being gripped, the blond had no intent on freeing him soon.  

Confusion floored him, smothering any outrage, both on Seifer’s behalf and at Seifer for interfering, and Squall blinked dumbly after the reason registered to his hectic mind. He… told him to go? Why? Thought the whole reason for being here was that guy and his friends… Simmering down, he wanted to adjust the uncomfortable way he had to twist his neck to view the Glaive properly but was at a loss with the warning he saw flashing in those green, green eyes. When he leaned forward, it took all his will to not lean back. Frowning for the countless time that night, he contemplated decking the insolent blond since he was in perfect range to and still feeling ‘feisty—whatever it was called—but all comparative thoughts froze at an almost tender brush of digits along his jawline. …W-wha?

Essentially flustered, Squall merely nodded in acknowledgment; he wouldn’t pursue the stranger. In fact, something closer to home grabbed his undivided attention. Natural heat rose to his cheeks again, he felt it over his increasing body temperature due to still wearing the overcoat, and he couldn’t… look away. Even when a new song was on, the performer’s enchanting vocals floating around in the background; he, allegedly, was transfixed on something else fascinating. This… this is bad.

Subconscious movement titled his head to lean more into the ghost-like touch and the desire to nudge the hand to continue frightened him. Because he was on Seifer’s lap in an establishment that bulldozed all of his comfort zones and out of his mind on alcohol. So many warning factors protested him staying, but the simple fact he felt fine, he felt right, kept him stationary. He didn’t understand any of it, except the fact he felt incomprehensibly safe. Despite their history and what he knew of the man’s volatile behaviour… the feeling refused to budge. He refused to budge.

Exhaling in a low, controlled manner, he felt the sporadic anxiety within calm slightly. Finally adjusting his position so his neck muscles stopped straining, he unintentionally wiggled until he was sitting sideways on the blond’s thighs, legs hanging off the side of him and the chair. He only broke his (possibly awkward) staring to ensure he didn’t fall during his manoeuvring and simultaneously dislodged the man’s touch. Not for long—his own hand shot out to claim the one that had been disrupted. Pulling it to rest on his thighs, his gaze lowered to inspect his motions as he examined a well-worn limb, callouses and all. One hand held it steady while his other explored the open palm, thumb brushing over every detail he could find.  

“…S’what d’you wanna do?” he asked pleasantly, all traces of the former jealousy gone and, in its place,, simple contentment. “Listen to the music more or…?” he trailed off, flicking an almost coy sidelong glimpse to the man. He waited with unrivalled patience for the reply, because truthfully, he almost didn’t want the night to end.

Amused chuckling rumbling in his broad chest when a startled gasp fled his newly declared prey's throat, hands readjusted their grip to ensure the enforced position on his lap would not cause any unfortunate shifting to the side and land the brunet on the floor. At this point, one had to assume the worst, with Squall having proven that he wriggled around way too much for his own good when under the influence. Thankfully, his act of brashness seemed to have frozen up the other enough to stop him from any flailing about, if only for now.

Would he have come here if it hadn't been for Squall's interference in the pub before? Maybe. Although, part of him had planned to see the stumbling brunet back to his hotel himself, convinced he'd otherwise end up in a ditch and just sleep his drunken state off there. But no matter, they were here and Seifer was far from complaining, having the reassuring, albeit light, weight back close to him. Closer than ever before even. Appeased by a nod, attention went back to his own fingers that had made their way all on their own up to the man's fair face, now again riddled with a most enticing tint of red. He had not expected the porcelain skin to feel so soft? Moreover, he thought he could feel just the slightest tilt of the other's head, leaning into the touch. He should stop this now.

Brow furrowing, he instead watched as fingers spread, partly gracing the side of a lily-white neck, thumb brushing briefly over the chin. There had been a time when his hand would have closed over the exposed throat, fingers tightening to disrupt any breathing if only to make a statement and not necessarily to kill. Right now, however, nothing was further from his mind. Nonetheless seemed the pulse underneath soft skin mesmerizing, though for entirely different reasons. And even though there was no small amount of alcohol rushing through his veins as well, he knew he was more or less in full control over his actions. At least enough to know he should end this now before it went too far.

It couldn't be good that the close proximity to Leonhart made him this soft, right? All his life he had pulled up walls not so different from the brunet's; fire instead of ice, rage instead of indifference, but walls all the same. Why didn't they matter any longer in the man's presence? They felt replaced by something else entirely, a careful daring he usually did not even think of displaying when courting someone. Was he courting the man?

Humming lowly when Squall started moving and expecting him to slip from his lap and back into his seat any moment now, he was once more surprised when he found that all the other did was adjust himself to sit more comfortably, breaking away from his exploring touches in the process. "You gonna behave now?", he murmured, hinting at the constant urge to dart off to wherever like a little child in the supermarket. His arm snaked around the brunet's hips to steady him now, holding him safely which brought another frown onto his face.

Most of his life he had wanted to keep his rival safe, although he would never admit to it. His harsh hand against the boy then only means to harden him for the world outside, for he knew how ugly it could be. Him teaching the younger one how to wield a gunblade for he wanted him to be able to defend himself, especially when faced with foes that did not care if they fought dirty. Him following the just promoted SeeD to when being sent to the abducting mission... The turnings of his mind had always been his own in this regard and the more he kept this part to himself, the better. It was the kind of vulnerability he'd always hated in himself, and which ultimately offered a gateway to a certain sorceresses power to slip in and get a hold on his mind.

Disrupted from dark thoughts worming their way in again, he looked down as he felt a demanding grasp on his hand, it being held by slender fingers doing the exploring now. Was this what he wanted to do? Content tonation to the once indifferent voice combined with careful touches made him shiver briefly, his head leaning down so his forehead could rest against the brunet's shoulder, a deep breath fleeing from his lips. What was he doing to him? Letting his former rival get so close, so under his skin was dangerous and he knew it. Yet he could not lie to himself, having felt this want inside of him for most of his life. Sometimes stronger, sometimes weaker, often combined with a dark coiling inside of him that dared rear it's head right this moment as well. Eyes slowly closing, his hand turned, trying to entangle fingers with each other. He wasn't the type to hold hands. He didn't do guilt, or at least not well. He was no fucking softy who gently approached and courted someone. He saw what he wanted and he took it. And yet here he was, feeling helpless in a completely different way than he ever had before.

His head lifting again, tilting slightly so emerald eyes could find pale blues, he tried to read them. What exactly was the guy suggesting now? And why was his breath coming so short it made his chest ache? Swallowing hard, his other hand ghosted over the other's side, meandering up and finally finding silky brown strands of hair, fingers tangling. "...or?", he heard himself echo, eyes still searching, observing light blue depths. He wasn't hearing any damn music, the only thing he seemed able to pick up on was the rushing in his ears, almost like it did when anticipating a fight for life and death. "What do you want?", another thing he never really cared to ask in honest, only in his usual provoking manner. But all his arrogance and anger failed him in the presence of this man right now. And truly, as much as he might be able to read the micro-reactions Squall was sending out to the world, he would have given Hyperion to know what was going on in this stubborn head right this moment.

[xenosgirlvents]

The Way Out - Review

Synopsis: A ship becalmed in space needs repairs. Fortunately, a nearby watch station offers refuge… Surely nothing can go wrong for the crew of the Fortune's Favour?

Plot: This is a fairly good one, definitely the best of Warhammer Horror I’ve come across so far. In many ways the setup is a classical horror and scifi trope which serves it well. A group of spacefarers come across an eerie station and board it...then things start to go bad.

Have you ever watched Event Horizon? In many ways there are similarities between the plots. You have some sort of spacecraft, a spacestation in this case named most ironically Refuge, a group of unlucky victims board it and begin to experience an escalating series of horror phenomena linked to their own personal experiences.

The horror aspect is executed excellently in this one, throughout, playing to the subtle, personal rather than the visceral or gory. The horror strikes at the things the cast regret or feel guilt for, or whatever personal foible they have, dragging it out before them and forcing them to face it. Even till the end there isn’t much in the way of mindless action scenes and the horror remains largely subtle which I enjoy a lot.

In what, I feel, will become a repetitive section when discussing Warhammer Horror is that the ending is once more completely bleak and hopeless. I know Horror loves this as a genre but in my opinion the best horror stories don’t just use the hopeless ending. Regardless though the ending is lacklustre to me the overall plot is still good, develops well and has several good moments. 

Characters: This is one of the most successful juggling of a large cast I have ever seen in a Warhammer audio drama. I’m honestly impressed. Most audio dramas can manage a single protagonist and a single antagonist if they are good, with other characters being very exogenous, but this story manages 5! The character dynamics and interactions are strong here, working together well, in many ways like Corsair: Face of the Void, which also has a very good character interaction web.

Our characters are the command crew of the vessel; Captain Karina, Security Officer Halitz, Techpriestess Sumer (my love) and Navigator Dhovar.

Sumer is my favourite character of the story and is lovingly portrayed. She is by far the greatest source of comedy and such a ray of proverbial sunshine that, although she has no depth to her, she helps prevent the story from lapsing into the common ‘overly dark’ tone by giving it some levity. She’s clearly a character mostly serving the role of tension breaker with no real arc or depth to her but she has a vibrant personality and, most importantly, is simply an immensely likeable character.

Dhovar, obvious bad guy, is the obvious bad guy. For most of the audio drama he is a weak character simply written as the obvious problem. He’s arrogant, likes no-one, constantly hears voices whispering to him and decides he wants to follow the mysterious voices (surely not a bad idea at all!) and tell no-one about them. I’d overall say he’s just a stock bad villain except...the final moments of the story do redeem him somewhat. They give a very personal, human, motive to his recklessness which, though not saving him from being the stock idiot of a horror story who reads the necronomicon, does make him easier to understand.

Halitz is honestly an interesting character. But there is a...a soured aspect to it. You see in many ways Halitz is clearly the stealth protagonist, not Karina. Although the story begins presenting Karina as the protagonist much of the mid and end focuses purely on Halitz and his dark past fighting Tyranids as a member of the Astra Militarum. Halitz has a nuanced depiction; initially a generic military tough guy but then as we see into his mind he’s actually a deeply damaged man, grappling guilt and PTSD and who suffers from the well-fleshed out character flaw that he simply cannot take responsibility for himself, he always, always, needs to find a way to shift his actions, the consequences of them, on to someone else. All this makes for an interesting character who highlights human weaknesses well but...at the expense of very much turning this from a story about Captain Karina’s experience into a story of Halitz’s weaknesses. Part of the problem, I fear, is that as a horror story it needs a character who can feel fear and be affected by the horror inside but Karina is, mostly, depicted as so impossible to scare or intimidate that she doesn’t serve well as a viewpoint character once the horror begins. Still it leaves a bad taste in my mouth as Halitz largely becomes the protagonist and Karina ends up shunted aside.

Karina herself is a fun and engaging character who’s only weakness is that, inside a horror story, she is perhaps to unflappable, able to simply bulldoze her way through the horror with apparent ease, the only member of the core cast who isn’t overcome by some manifestation of her own weaknesses. Atlhough this makes her very fun and enjoyable the result is that I feel the narrative never spends to much time on her since it wants to focus on the other characters who are affected by the horror. I’m already beginning to fear these Warhammer Horror stories will have a trend of female ‘badass’ characters who are ‘important’ and do complete actions in the plot but end up having little substance or agency as Captain Brandon is somewhat similar in Perdition’s Flame. 

Beyond this there is then also Kosch, a lone survivour found aboard the station. There is little to say of Kosch. She does an adequate job of providing exposition in an organic manner, conveying the fear of the horror before it becomes persistent, but she has little character beyond that to discuss. 

Sound Design: The sound work on this one is very good! Sumer’s voice, in particular, I want to praise as conveying both a distinctly human and emotive voice with synthetic and mechanical aspects interwoven which make it actually really pleasant to listen too.

Beyond that the use of accompanying background noises are used well, the voice acting is good for the most part...though I’d note Black Library’s somewhat limited pool of Voice Actors and Actresses is noticeable in a production with a large cast like this because Crewwoman Kosch sounds almost identical to Captain Brandon from Perdition’s Flame. 

A small complaint though: like Perdition’s Flame the ‘supernatural’ voices used are very much of the ‘deep and rumbling’ variety that echo. This isn’t on its own bad or concerning but...if every single ‘spooky’ voice ends up being this same deep, bass, rumble it will soon move from ‘intimidating’ to just boring. I hope we get more range on the spooky voices in the future.

Themes: The story’s focus is rather obviously on the weaknesses of people, things which motivate them. Every member of the core cast has a weakness which rears itself in the story:

Halitz is wracked with guilt over his treatment of a comrade in the past, this manifests in a seemingly compulsive inability to ever accept the consequences for his own actions as part of an extended denial, Sumer is consumed with curiosity and the need to understand the unknown even when she places herself in danger to do so, Dhovar’s issue is the crux of the story so I shan’t go into it in detail, save to say that he misses his home and would do anything to get back there and Karina exemplifies hurting people you care for when they are threatening you and others through their actions. Of all of these only Karina ‘overcomes’ her foible, confronts it and owns it, not as something she must repent for, but as something she accepts about herself. Halitz falls into complete denial, so desperate to never accept blame that he will do anything to escape it, Sumer risks herself to satiate her curiosity and Dhovar makes a terrible bargain even knowing he shouldn’t before he finally sacrifices himself at the end to undo his mistake. 

Conclusion: The best of Warhammer Horror by far yet and honestly just an enjoyable little piece of work. I’d recommend it for anyone who wants to get into Warhammer Horror as I don’t think it holds much for someone looking for a normal Warhammer adventure. 

[detroittodayficrec]

HankCon Fic Recs 8/8/18

These are all soooo sappy, but so sweet <3 (except for one)

Lovebox by AmberSpirit; G (H/C) - post canon; Hank finds Connor's treasured memories.  morally ambiguous but ends very sweet

ultimatum by Daughter_of_the_Stars; T (H&C) - canon divergent; - At Kamski's residence, with Chloe at his mercy, Connor makes a different choice. - A really interesting reimagining of the confrontation with Kamski.

you overwhelm me (and I'm okay with that) by @imyaslavie; T (H/C) - post canon;  - Connor goes over everything that has transpired from the moment of his first activation up to today. He gathers up any piece of information he can: patterns, links, ways his numerous databases and memory storages connect, readings of his pump regulator and firewalls' activity. He rakes through billions of lines of code with as much precision as he can master. No viruses. Nothing out of order. This is a relief. But that doesn’t answer Connor’s question. How and when did he fall in love?

a 'date.' by stardustdreaming; T (H/C) - post canon; Hank and Connor go skating for their first date. I feel like this fic personally attacked me!  They go figure skating!!!  Ugh my heart <3

if we're still alive my regrets are few by @serenity-fails; T (H/C) - post canon, sick fic; Hank is injured at a crime scene.   Connor makes sure he's okay.  <33  I know I keep saying all of these are so sweet, but they really are!!

for how long can you look at a painting by ophin; T (H/C) - post canon; - This entire experience had made him feel, well, lacklustre next to Hank. Hank liked such a wide range of things earnestly, and most of the things Connor found he liked - he had formed through Hank. Sometimes he worried he was still lying to himself, still pretending to like the things he liked to blend in, to act human. - Connor learns how to like things.  T-T So good, so sweet <3

[natsthinkitythinkthinkthonk]

30 Questions Challenge About Seiyuu

Inspired by @akaskira post.

Here’s my quick abridged version. I kept my answers as short as possible. I am planning on making an in-depth version of this challenge though where I’ll take each individual question and make a post about it! That includes updating my top ten seiyuu lists from before! I’ll also be including additional answers and more information, so stay tuned!

1. Your favourite male seiyuu?

Nobuhiko Okamoto and Yoshimasa Hosoya

2. Your least favourite male seiyuu?

I don’t have any “least favourites”, but I have a lot of “I definitely don’t like them as much as these people do”.

3. Your favourite female seiyuu?

Miyuki Sawashiro and Maaya Sakamoto

4. Your least favourite female seiyuu?

Since anime seems to be a bit lacking in terms of diverse archetypes of female characters, I end up not liking the voices behind the lacklustre characters.

5. A seiyuu you’d watch in anything?

Any of my favourites (female or male). That’s a wide range, so I usually go with whatever show’s plot is interesting. Those go on higher priority.

6. A seiyuu that always makes you laugh?

Tomokazu Sugita, Yuuichi Nakamura, Mamoru Miyano, the cast of Boku no Hero Academia

7. The seiyuu you recognize the easiest?

Hiroshi Kamiya, Yuuki Kaji, Noriaki Sugiyama, Mamoru Miyano,  Akira Ishida (sometimes), Saori Hayami (most of the time), Rie Kugimiya (sometimes)

8. The seiyuu you recognize the hardest?

Haruka Tomatsu, Aoi Yuuki, Akira Ishida (sometimes), Sakurai Takahiro (sometimes)

Akira Ishida has such a large range that sometimes it’s easy and sometimes it’s not.

9. A seiyuu you’d rather not watch in anything?

There isn’t a single seiyuu that I openly avoid.

10. A seiyuu that creeps you out?

Because of some of their roles - Yuuichi Nakamura - Yoshitsugu Matsuoka

11. The seiyuu with the best singing voice?

MAAYA SAKAMOTO and YOSHIMASA HOSOYA

12. A seiyuu you have a crush on?

Uh... no one? I don’t know. I don’t develop crushes easily.

Seiyuu that I think are attractive? Miyuki Sawashiro, Maaya Sakamoto, Sora Amamiya, Sakurai Takahiro, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Yoshimasa Hosoya, and a few others. The guys are most likely just for their voice and/or personality (that they show) though.

13. The seiyuu you’d pick to play you?

Yoshitsugu Matsuoka

14. Your favourite role from your favourite male seiyuu?

Nobuhiko Okamoto - Katsuki “Kacchan” Bakugou  Yoshimasa Hosoya - Sentarou

15. Your favourite role from your favourite female seiyuu?

Maaya Sakamoto - Haruhi Fujioka Miyuki Sawashiro - Bishamon

16. The seiyuu with the worst singing voice?

Hiroshi Kamiya

17. The series with the best cast overall?

Boku no Hero Academia

18. A series you would not have watched had a seiyuu you liked played a role in it?

Inobato

19. The first seiyuu you remember liking?

Yuuki Kaji

20. A seiyuu you don’t like as much as others do?

Nao Toyama, Daisuke Hirakawa, Morikubo Showtaro, Takuya Eguchi

21. The seiyuu with the most acting range?

Akira Ishida, Mitsuki Saiga, Ogata Megumi

22. The seiyuu with the least acting range?

Kouki Uchiyama

23. Cool dude seiyuu

Suzuki Tatsuhisa

24. A seiyuu you make fun of?

All of them

25. A seiyuu that makes you like any character they portray?

Nobuhiko Okamoto WITH EXCEPTIONS

26. A seiyuu you’d hang out with?

Nobuhiko Okamoto.

27. Best seiyuu match-ups

Nobuhiko Okamoto x Yoshimasa Hosoya Hiroshi Kamiya x Yuuki Kaji Hiroshi Kamiya x Daisuke Ono Nobuhiko Okamoto x Ryouhei Kimura Yoshimasa Hosoya x Mamoru Miyano Mamoru Miyano x Yuuki Kaji Yuuichi Nakamura x Tomokazu Sugita Yuuichi Nakamura x Mai Nakahara Miyuki Sawashiro x Mamoru Miyano

28. Best seiyuu match-ups, romance edition?

Kenichi Suzumura x Maaya Sakamoto Satomi Sato x Takuma Terashima

29. Seiyuu, who surprised you with their non-voice acting skills?

Of course, the fact that most seiyuu can sing/hold a tune

The number of seiyuu that can play instruments [source]

The fact that Nobuhiko Okamoto can bake automatically makes him awesome. [source]

The fact that Mamo plays the harmonica and harp [source]

Nobuhiko’s ability to play shogi [source]

30. A newly known seiyuu who impressed you?

Sumire Morohoshi - Her roles in Bungou Stray Dogs and Welcome to the Ballroom have definitely left an impression on me as a viewer.

[blacknovelist]

Excuse me while I word dump for a minute. Talk to me about Ageswap-AU!ToshInko. Talk to me about how awkward and terrified Toshinori is when he realizes he has a crush on what basically amounts to his adoptive sister. Talk to me about how he waits for it to go away but oh god it doesn't it just gets stronger! Talk to me about how everyone in class realizes something is Up WAY before Inko does. About how practically the whole school knows Toshinori has it bad for her except Inko is Clueless. (c)

Talk to me about how sometime near the beginning of second year Toshinori FINALLY gets the courage to ask her out and he nearly faints on the spot when she just smiles and agrees like nothing is wrong. About his disappointment when he shows up at the movies and realizes she had brought half of their friends and she had misunderstood him. Talk to me about how it just. keeps. happening. How he keeps asking her out and she's so sweet and oblivious she just keeps treating it like a friend thing. (c)

About how eventually their friends figure out what's going on and start turning down Inko's well-meaning invitations to 'hang out with her and Toshinori!' About how bets are placed and sympathy abounds because it's so obvious to everyone that Toshinori is Miserable but much too shy to say anything about it. Talk to me about how this goes on for literal YEARS. About how it isn't until they're all a week from graduation that Toshinori finally can't take it anymore. (c)

And he just marches right up to Inko in the hallway and says in front of God and Deku and everybody that he likes her, like a LOT, and would she like to maybe go out with him sometime alone? Not as friends not as a group but on a date-date? And everyone is shocked (mostly that it took him so long) but Inko is the Most Shocked and it takes her a long time to respond. So long that Toshinori who was already A Nervous Wreck starts to deflate and fidget and turn red and stutter. (c)

Because she doesn't HAVE to go out with him of course not, she can totally turn him down and that would be Fine and he's so sorry he put her on the spot like this and and and. About how he's freaking out so bad he almost doesn't hear her answer. Which is yes. Yes she would like to go out with him. On a date-date. And then they're both blushing and the hallway just ERUPTS with noise; with yelling and cheering and backslapping and groaning from people who have to pay the winner of the bet. (c)

I'm sorry this got so long winded but oh my gosh I love Dad Might and Mama Inko so MUCH I just want them to be happy in at least ONE universe! (Also in my mind Todoroki is totally the winner of the teacher betting pool much to the shock of everyone except Izuku).

This is honestly the best thing I've ever read or gotten in my inbox ever. Absolute perfection. I'm​ so glad. Thank you anon.

This is EXACTLY how Toshinko goes during Ageswap though!! A lot of it is honestly just Toshinori having a crush/being in denial that he has a crush on Inko and Inko acting really oblivious about it (in reality, she also has a crush, but is worried that Toshinori won't return it and doesn't want to make things weird between them by acting on it).

The first time 1-A figures out Toshinori's crush, they're split between people who think he should tell her now and people who think he should wait. Which is just a really nice way of saying that almost the whole class is arguing with Hizashi about it, while Toshinori sinks against the wall dying inside and Aizawa gives a lacklustre argument about leaving the issue alone because Toshi is gonna die later during their quiz anyway, so this is entirely unnecessary.

That's also how Deku finds out; they're arguing rather loudly when he's coming down the hall, and as an act of mercy on poor Toshinori he slams the door open and pretends he didn't hear a thing. Todoroki, as their homeroom teacher and the second dad of 1-A, finds out when Toshinori goes to him for vague hypothetical advice. He doesn't have that advice, but he does have sympathy for the poor kid along with and half a dozen school stories about how useless Deku is when it comes to romance (i.e his crush on Uraraka/Uravity back when they went to UA)

Which makes things a little awkward when Deku tries to ask Toshinori about the crush later, because Toshinori ends up blurting it out and they're both sidetracked by "where'd you hear that??" and "oh god I can't believe I just said that" respectively.

Once it's realized that Inko is ASTONISHINGLY OBLIVIOUS even after Toshinori asks her out, though, the unofficial pact of silence is broken. Nana tries to tell Inko about it as their mutual friend, and is met with disbelief. Torino tries too, and also is not believed. Several variations of "Operation: Hook Them Up" are initiated by the power trio of Hizashi, Naomasa and a reluctant but inevitably helpful Aizawa. Sometimes they're joined by other people too. Plans range from subtle to painfully in-your-face and everything in-between.

None of it works, of course.

But none of that really matters, because when Toshinori finally pops the question and Inko is processing it and he's busy trying to remind himself that this is Inko, she's not going to reject him without a thought, they'll still be friends even if she doesn't return his feelings, this is fine, and Inko just runs those thoughts over and says yes, well,

I don't think there's a person within a block of the school who doesn't hear it.

(Enji, Tensei and Hizashi are having fun heckling the two while everyone else congratulates (and somewhat teases) them. Deku is too busy crying and hugging to realize how embarrassed his kids are at the attention. All the people who bet on them are groaning about Todoroki's victory, but they're too happy to really mean it when they complain)

[realrhythmskrp]

DISPATCH, (05/03/17): Kaleidoscope Records has officially released information about soloist, Han Sebin, on the official website! Sebin is a ‘91 liner and has been beloved by fans since her soloist debut in 2015. Find out more about Sebin below!

I, Han Sebin, have read and understand the terms and conditions as my position of soloist and agree to honor the standards that are to be expected of me as an employee of Kaleidoscope Records.

OOC INFORMATION

Preferred name: Yachi.

Pronouns: She/her.

Timezone: GMT.

Other muses: None.

IC INFORMATION

Faceclaim: Song Ji Eun ( Secret ).

Name: Han Sebin.

Stage name (if applicable): N/A.

Idol concept: Under BKB, Sebin was pushed to embrace a cute concept alongside her fellow silverBEAT members, which she had no issue with initially. She didn’t object to maintaining a bright, cheery demeanour until the idol life wore her down and she found it increasingly difficult to act accordingly. However, it was at Kaleidoscope that Sebin could finally have a say in what she wanted to do, and is now commonly known for her mature yet youthful image; a stark contrast to her debut.

Birth date and age: May 10, 1991 (25).

Company name: Kaleidoscope Records.

Group Name (if applicable): N/A.

Group Position (if applicable): Soloist.

Strengths:

VOCAL RANGE / natural talent, in addition to the endless lessons during her youth, sebin is well known for her vocal technique, especially when it comes to reaching high notes. in fact, it’s quite rare for her to falter due to the amount of control she exerts upon hitting the high notes. in pop music, sebin’s power is most noticeable, meanwhile in ballads, her ability to convey emotion receives praise from both critics and the public. she does admittedly enjoy singing songs that she’s comfortable with, but has demonstrated a willingness to challenge herself across various musical genres and continuing to improve on her skills.

PROFESSIONAL / having been part of the entertainment industry for a long period of time, sebin is very much aware as to what’s expected of her. politeness is key; words and gestures are chosen carefully, while any concerns are masked beneath bright smiles and high pitched laughter. she’s quick to greet seniors, never failing to use the appropriate honorific during brief conversations, and staff are individually thanked at the end of a long shoot. image is everything; a single slip up is capable of ruining a career in an instant, and sebin knows better than to reveal her true thoughts to the world, at least in the public eye.

VARIETY / any opportunity to poke fun at herself is taken up almost immediately, mostly to temporarily ruin her image. sebin quickly picks up on the cues to laugh at a joke before responding with a clever quip of her own. upon debut, she did struggle in joining in on the fun and would rely on her group members to help cover for her, particularly on shows where she wasn’t familiar with the concept. but, she’s since mastered the art of saying enough to contribute to a lively atmosphere, yet not enough to be caught up in a far fetched rumour or scandal.

Weaknesses:

DANCE / by no means is sebin a horrible dancer; she can follow choreography relatively well without making a mistake, but in comparison to her former group mates, she wasn’t a stand out. her movements might’ve been fluid, yet it lacked the sharpness and power to truly “own the stage”, so to speak. as a soloist, sebin is dedicating plenty of time towards perfecting her abilities now that she no longer shares the stage with other proficient dancers— and it hasn’t been easy when she has no one to hide behind.

PERFECTIONIST / there’s no such thing as a half-assed attempt at mastering a particular task — either go hard or go home. sebin doesn’t hesitate in pushing herself to the brink time and time again in order to achieve a flawless result. whether it regards practicing a dance routine or tweaking a song prior to release, it’s no surprise to find her holed up in the studio until dawn, refusing to leave until she’s certain everything is of a high standard. reassurances by others that it doesn’t require further adjustments usually falls on deaf ears.  

POOR HEALTH / after years of unhealthy eating habits and inadequate rest, it’s to be expected that sebin’s health has suffered as a consequence. gastrointestinal issues often interfere with her schedules, and strong medication is sought to overcome the pain in the lead up to performances. though she tries to hide her discomfort in the public, there has been times when she’s been photographed looking a little worse for wear, sometimes avoiding interactions in an attempt to return home and rest, which gives anti fans further reason to bombard her with hate.

Positive traits: Humble, determined, sociable.

Negative traits: Lonely, insecure, secretive.

PERSONAL HISTORY

i. )

the household is calm and void of drama, where she’s constantly showered with love and affection, apart from the times she’s chastised for taking her older sister’s dress without asking for permission. both parents instil the importance of hard work from an early age; laziness is frowned upon, meanwhile self improvement and contributing to society is praised. in comparison to her sister who’s fixated on a career in science, she decides the arts, specifically music, is the area which she intends to explore, and informs anyone and everyone of her goals for the future: a singer. her mother is admittedly a little worried about her career choice, and although she offers to cover the cost of singing classes as a belated birthday present, she believes this is a phase that’ll pass soon enough.

ii. )

singing lessons are conducted every sunday afternoon in a building opposite her father’s dental clinic, and every sunday afternoon she appears right on the dot, ready to hone her skills. which isn’t easy, even with natural talent. the lower notes are problem free, yet striving for those higher notes rattles her to the core, prompting the teacher to suggest she stay within her range if she wishes, sticking to something she’s more comfortable with. perhaps it’s the assumption she can’t do more, combined with the dogged determination to improve that pushes her to practice over and over again, until going up several octaves is nothing. she isn’t paying fees to be deemed a mediocre student, she wants to be the best of the best.

iii. )

the audition for bkb eventually overtakes planning for her upcoming thirteenth birthday. she switches between songs, unable to fully make up her mind when she stresses over the possibility of humiliating herself and ruining her chances. the indecisiveness ceases to disappear on the train ride to the venue, before being overcome by nerves when she’s confronted by the long queue of potential stars, kids like her eager for a taste of stardom. she spends a good portion of her time bouncing around to maintain her cool, then overhears the velvety voice of a stranger and immediately begins to lose said cool. what her parents expect is for her to arrive home to share bad news, what they don’t expect is for her to arrive home with bkb’s coveted card in hand.

iv. )

reality strips her of her innocence. training is harsh, and if she hasn’t cried in the female bathrooms following a long, exhausting dance practice, then she clearly hasn’t pushed herself hard enough. compliments are difficult to come by when everything she seems to do isn’t up to par. she’s either too slow or too fast, too awkward or too meek in her movements. even her singing voice, the one thing that has led her here in the first place goes unnoticed by staff who prefer to criticise her appearance than utter a few kind words. except it’s the shared suffering alongside the other trainees, her future group mates, which stops her from deciding to catch the next train home and encourages her to stay.

v. )

in her opinion, debut couldn’t have come at a better time. standing on stage in front of a screaming audience distracts her from the hardships she’s experienced to get this far; the tiring practices, strict dieting, homesickness. the group rises up the ranks in a short amount of time, and it would be a lie to claim she doesn’t become addicted to life under the spotlight, completely oblivious to the issues set to plague the rest of the girls, herself included. the packed schedules do slowly get to her, along with the lack of consideration towards sleeping properly and visiting family members. she can barely recall when she’d last seen her parents face to face, but she knows better than to complain when the company has already done so much for her.

vi. )

silverBEAT’s popularity soars— and unfortunately, so does her intentions to leave. of course, such a thought hasn’t stemmed from any discord with her members, all of whom she’s grown attached to over the years together. fears instead linger on how long the group is meant to carry on when they’re falling apart, bit by bit. she desperately tries to hold on; smearing layer upon layer of concealer beneath her eyes to hide the lack of sleep, forcing another smile during another late recording for a variety show she’s forgotten the name of, gritting her teeth when she’s berated for her supposedly “lacklustre” performance. but she too has her limits, and after her mother tearily begs her to eat more during a phone call home, enough is enough.

vii. )

the contract termination becomes one of the trending news stories for the next few weeks. is she surprised by the various articles more focused on addressing rumours than fact? no, she isn’t. nor is she caught off guard by the barrage of hate comments left behind on her social media posts, labelling her a “traitor” and a string of other names unacceptable for everyday conversation. though it’s not to say she isn’t hurt. these same people who were cheering for her, supporting her only years earlier, are the same people cursing her existence. alone and despised, she turns her attention to what her new company has to offer, as if to convince herself that what she’s doing is for the best— even if it doesn’t feel like it.

viii. )

step by step, day by day, she adjusts to being a soloist. a new EP on the agenda allows her to channel her energy into establishing a brand new beginning, rather than wallowing in self pity over a harsh anonymous comment. for once, she can safely say she’s finally happy with the opportunity to look over the material she intends to release; something she thinks would never have happened at bkb, not unless she wanted a stern talking to behind closed doors. despite taking it in her stride, there are occasions when she finds herself missing her members, especially when she stands on stage for promotions. she’s singing a song she loves, but without the people she loves. it’s all bittersweet.

ix. )

the concerns suggesting impending failure has disappeared, or at least is drowned out by the determination to capitalise further on her success. pessimism is replaced by optimism, the fresh faced former silverBEAT member is making an appearance once more—to the delight of her parents and fans. the passion for performing has returned, and she vows to strive forward, if not to pen her many life experiences through music, then to assure the public that she has no intentions of going anywhere anytime soon. nevertheless, she realises her situation isn’t shared by those she’s left back in bkb, and is very active in following up on both their individual and group activities, fully supporting their endeavours from a far.

x. )

han sebin is back— and about time too.

[pyreo]

Yesterday was my final session of computer tutoring with the worst student I’ve ever had

She was... incorrigible. In her 70s, long bleached hair. She would literally arrive 15 minutes late with Starbucks to the sessions, only it wasn’t Starbucks, it was Greggs coffee and a sausage roll.

In the first session she talked, uninterruptable, for a further 10 minutes about how her daughter was losing her home and she needed to contact solicitors. She then spent a further 10 minutes wandering off to take calls from said solicitors. 

All I ask students to do is a light mouse movement exercise - hand-eye coordination, double-clicking, clicking and dragging, etc. She got locked into a cycle of being sent several pages back for clicking the wrong numbers. When I asked her what the instructions said, she claimed she didn’t have time to read them because she had to hurry up and finish to get to an appointment after the class.

In the second session I ask students to copy out two sentences of text to practice using a keyboard. She was able to do this, but not without explaining to me that her daughter’s possessions had all been moved to storage that morning, that her son’s fiance wasn’t talking to him because he’d beaten her, in fact he’d beaten herself too, in the past, but he’d been doing really well recently and had been out of prison for a year - nothing could stop her from typing two letters and pausing again to explain to me how the government was refusing to help her family and provide them proper housing

The third session is showing people what they can find online and how to access the internet. I tried to explain how to install broadband at home but was talked over every sentence, and also she called wifi “wi-fire”. Showing her how to look up online news was a mistake. Instantly distracted by current affairs she ignored me completely and ran commentary on everything on the screen - she was emphatic that “Trisha May” needed to be a strong leader “like old Maddie was”, and that “Trisha” had been forced into a difficult position “between Thump and Brenpit”.

I had to take a moment to flinch because I was recovering from another eye issue and apologised. She insisted that I come to her church, because she was an evangelical born-again christian (looking for a good, christian man), and that if I did they could heal me. She’s seen real, honest healings done there, she said. I politely declined. She then complained that something needed to be done about “ISIT”, which I questioned in confusion, and she explained by doing the ‘finger across neck dead’ motion. She didn’t trust any Muslims, she explained, and how could she? She’d seen a nearby mosque which displayed words for peace and against hatred, and proclaimed it untrustworthy. “They all think people hate them!” she said. “Why do they act like everyone hates them if it’s not from the ISIT people killing everyone?”

She finished that day by pointing to a Brexit article and explaining, with some distress, that we needed to distance ourselves from the EU because there were activist groups there dedicated to bringing back “hannins”. “what?” “hannins! we can’t stand for it, because you know, they got the wrong person sometimes, they hanned innocent people!” “Hangings?” “people over there!” I tried to very seriously, genuinely, slowly, say “Look. Nobody, nobody anywhere, is actually going to bring back hanging.” She remained convinced.

Week four. The final lesson (yesterday). Having learned to be pushy if I wanted to get anything done, I opened gmail to try and log in to her long-lost account and by an ACTUAL MIRACLE we succeeded the account recovery. Only after doing a mobile-text check, which she didn’t understand and kept instead pointing at the screen and the ‘Done’ button before I had put in anything in the required fields, chuckling as if I were a moron for not noticing it. She had hundreds of emails from a dating website from “christian connection”. She felt it necessary to explain to me, several dozen times, why she needed to keep them.

Imagine the words “Christian Connection is for me to meet a good, born-again Christian man. Because I need to meet a good, Christian man, they’re going to help me - (points as if I don’t quite follow this) - Christian Connection” over and over for an hour, and that’s about the size of it, except the word ‘connection’ was pronounced slightly wrong each time.

Further down there were about 200 older emails from Facebook which I cleaned up. On seeing these she started ranting about how Facebook sent her dating messages from - WOMEN - as if this was the most amusingly ridiculous thing that could possibly happen

I heard about her dating events, how she didn’t have to pay the membership fee to Christian Connection yet, but she would as it was only £50 a month. “Wait, what?” I interjected, “you’re actually going to spend £50 a month on this?” I was then told, with rolled eyes, that doing this was actually SAVING money, because the alternative was to sign up on “First Friends” and they would charge £400 or more for membership, so clearly the first option was saving her money. While gobsmacked at the very idea of wasting that much money she continued to explain - as if to a slow learner - that she knew God had told her to join “Friends First” or “First Friends” (not sure which was correct), because one time, while praying, she had looked up and seen a wedding limosine outside! Then, another time, while finding her future wedding dress (can I repeat: while looking into getting a wedding dress) the phone rang and as if by grand design, it was Tim from “Friends First”, asking if she was ready to send through her first payment to start membership, and if that wasn’t a clear sign from God, she didn’t know what was.

Time for our session was up by that point so I just replied quite bluntly “Those things just happened. You’re connecting them in ways you just made up”, but no. It was God’s will, and she as a born-again Christian would follow his advice to spend as much money as it took to get her a Good Christian Husband. (We don’t allow dating websites or some kinds of payments on the public computers in our library though, which annoyed her and she demanded to know how she could pay by phone somehow.)

I got out. Said the goodbyes and lacklustre thank yous and all that. She thanked me too and said “goodbye Claire”, which is not my name.

It’s not that I don’t get paid enough for this, I’m just volunteering to help the elderly an hour a week, I don’t get paid at all

[singaporeanarmchair]

Discussion: Press Freedom in SG

I recently watched a play about press freedom in Singapore. A friend who watched it with me asked, “what would you do if you were a civil servant and had the ability to employ tactics to pressure the press into avoiding sensitive topics? Would you do it?”

My answer was yes, I would. And I don’t say so lightly and here’s my reasoning.

The overarching duty of all civil servants is to impartially proffer the necessary expertise and take the requisite steps in order to support the government of the day. On a personal level, each civil servant is assigned particular duties that he/she has a professional responsibility to carry out to the fullest extent. Should any civil servant feel that the duties assigned are so contrary and offensive to his/her own moral beliefs or ideology, then that civil servant should first bring this up to a superior and seek to convince that the ordered course of action is incorrect. If the superior rejects the protest, the options are to resign or request to be transferred. Should he/she feel a strong need to protest the duties publicly, then he/she must resign and then do so in a personal capacity. So with regard to whether I would avoid pressure tactics despite it being what my duty entails -- the answer is no. There is no such option. The options are either to exercise such tactics or leave. There is no third option of, “I will do my job, albeit not in the most effective manner because of my personal beliefs.”

The next question, of course, is why would I be so willing to exercise such tactics rather than choose to leave? Does it not run so counter to my beliefs that I should choose to resign? Again, the answer is no. For me, moral beliefs lie on a spectrum ranging from apathy to my strongest moral convictions. And as you might imagine, press freedom lies more to the former than the latter. 

To me, journalists aren’t vulnerable people, in that they aren’t uneducated or unprepared for the artificial obstacles they would face upon entering the industry. Certainly, the environment can never be characterised as permissive, but they are not absolutely curtailed in their freedom to report. At the end of the day, the choice to publish (or not) lies with them. One could say that the oppressive environment makes this a false choice; that the multitude of laws and informal pressure points render the press choiceless in their capitulation. I disagree. Save for exceptional pieces of legislation that allow the government to directly put a stoppage to publishing certain content (which the government will not be able to invoke at every slightest instance without rousing discontent amongst the citizenry), all other forms of pressure are informal or come in the form of ‘traps’ such as through the Sedition Act or defamation laws if the writer is foolhardy enough to spring them. 

I’m not saying it’s easy to be a journalist who wishes to report the whole truth about every events. In fact, it’s frighteningly difficult and I could not imagine myself doing it. But much as the civil servant has his duties, so does the journalist. And any journalist who decides that her life’s goal is to report the whole truth must find the means to do so no matter how difficult. This applies now more so than ever with the advent of social media. Lone journalists who are out on a mission are more well-equipped than ever to complete it. Sure, this isn’t a license to shoot from the hip; one can envision the bureaucracy coming after these people with all its might. Sure, it’s going to be a bumpy and uncomfortable ride. But if every journalist in history wallowed in self-pity and despair at each juncture that their government attempts to stonewall them, there wouldn’t be much of the fourth estate left today. 

Everyone wants to be in a lax and permissive environment. Everyone wants to do as they please. It is only when interests of different parties clash that an equilibrium is reached. Will that equilibrium always result in a satisfactory result? No. But it is dissatisfaction with the status quo coupled with the conviction and ability to outwit and outplay that help to shift that equilibrium. And for now, I only see the former. The oppressive environment is insufficient to explain the lacklustre efforts of those who claim to act in the interests of truth and freedom of expression. One can continue to bemoan and claim, “we shouldn’t even have to fight for these things” but the moral high horse is dead and flogging it won’t bring us anywhere. 

It is not from the benevolence of the system that we expect a free press. Step up or go home.

[hedgarmusictech-blog]

My blog on mixing and mastering techniques by Harry Edgar:

 Mixing and mastering are necessities in the creation, production and distribution of music that can drastically alter how the end product (usually an album) can sound.  There are may components that go into making a track sound perfect to the ears listening to it, the techniques I shall be talking about today include:

·         Mixing with EQ

·         Balance/Depth

·         Compressors/advanced compressing techniques

·         Using a noisegate

·         Using effects processing (reverbs, delays, modulations etc)

·         Mastering EQ techniques

·         Using a brick-wall limiter

·         Master bus/multi band compression

·         Enhancing stereo width.

 Mixing with EQ:

 EQ is a vital tool in mixing, this is because when you’ve recorded all the instruments for the composition that you’re working on, in almost all circumstances there will be instruments competing for certain frequency ranges. For example, instruments such as guitars, vocals and piano may all be competing for mid range frequencies; therefore equalisation is necessary to ensure all instruments have a pocket to sit in so to speak, so that they all can be heard clearly in the mix.

 Although there are no rules in mixing, and sound is purely subjective, there are frequencies believed to be specific to certain instruments that can be boost or cut. For example, when equalising a bass drum, it is widely recommend to put a low pass filter on to cut out any sub-bass frequencies below 50Hz (unless these are required such as in a dance track) and to boost the region of around 60-80hz to emphasise the bass of the kick. Also, boosting around 3KHz is recommended in this day and age for a kick drum, as this will boost the sound of the beater, therefore giving the kick definition even in small speakers such as Apple earphones. EQ is vital in removing any unwanted frequencies that an instrument may produce, for example it’s widely recommended to cut around 200Hz on an acoustic guitar, as there’s often a persistent ringing that is unpleasant to the ear.

 Balance/Depth:

 Leading on from EQ, balance and depth are two very important procedures in making sure each track has space to be heard in a song. Balance simply refers to monitoring audio and reducing gain or volume accordingly, ensuring that others aren’t overpowering certain tracks. Depth on the other hand is reference to the perception of the listener of how close a certain instrument feels to them, if every track were at the same depth then it would be hard to distinguish each track from each other. There are a few ways altering depth can be achieved, through reverb (which I will go through in more detail later), through balancing (as a louder track seems closer to the listener, and a quitter track seems further away) and through EQ. Depth is affected by the EQ of the track, as a warmer (more bass heavy) track seems further away to the listener, and a brighter (more treble/mid range boosted track) seems to be closer. Tracks altering in depth help to isolate them more in a mix, therefore making them easier to hear.

 Compressors/advanced compression techniques:

 Compressors are vital in mixing and mastering; the function of a compressor is to reduce the dynamic range of the track you are using it on. The result of this is a more consistent sound, and a situation where this can be useful is for instance on an acoustic guitar being played by a player with lacklustre picking consistency, to avoid heavier picking resulting in harsh string snap, a compressor gives the guitar track a very consistent sound which counteracts the picking inconsistencies.

 These are the main parameters of a compressor:

  Attack:

This dictates how fast the compressor kicks in after the volume of the track goes over the threshold.

Ratio:

This dictates by how much your original sound is decreased by, the higher the ratio the higher decrease in volume.

Release:

This dictates how quickly the compressor ceases to function after compression the sound.

Threshold:

This dictates what volume you set as the cut of point before the compressor has to kick in.

Gain:

This compensates for the volume lost when compressing, so the track stays at the same volume as before, but keeps it’s shortened dynamic range.

 Examples of advanced compressing techniques include side chaining and parallel compression. Parallel compression is where you send your original track (usually drums and bass for this technique) to a bus in your DAW, this therefore essentially creates two identical copies of the track that are blended together. On the bus, you must then proceed to heavily compress the signal, to an extent that you would normally consider excessive, and then turn the volume on the bus down so that it creates an audible difference when removed, but cannot be outright heard. The effect this creates is the two tracks blending together to create a bigger sound that is compressed, but still retains the natural dynamics of a very dynamic instrument such as drums.

 Sidechaining on the other hand, is the act of compressing a track in accord to another track, most commonly used in EDM music to create a pulse effect. To do this, you may create a drone using a synth pad, and then recording a MIDI kick drum doing 4 beats a bar, you’d then utilise the sidechaining option on the compressor of the kick drum and sidechain the kick to your synth. Then, after muting the kick drum, whenever the kick drum would be played, the sound of the synth ducks out, creating the desired pulse. Here is a youtube video further explaining this concept:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mhdw-r9YYE

 Using a noisegate:

 Noisegates are extremely effective when mixing tracks that contain loud instruments that create feedback such as an electric guitar. The function of a noisegate is to set a threshold of sound in decibels that it will let through, and any sound quieter than said threshold is not allowed through and therefore the signal is shut off. This is useful for getting rid of any feedback that a guitarist may get from their amp between playing their parts. The parameters of a noisegate obviously includes the threshold, the time it takes the gate to kick in (attack), and the time it takes the gate to open (release).

 Using effects processing:

 Effects processing is an umbrella term covering many aspects of mixing. First, there’s reverb, which as I mentioned earlier is useful in creating depth within your tracks. As the function of reverb is to emulate the natural decay that playing in large rooms would give an instrument, the more reverb added to a track therefore, the further away that track is perceived and vice versa. An application of this that is a personal favourite of mine is the reverb used on the vocal track of Lou Reed on the Velvet Underground’s track “Sunday Morning”, as the track develops, more reverb is added to the vocal making it seem as if it’s progressively moving further away from the listener. Here’s a link to this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qK82JvRY5s

 Another common example of effects processing is the use of delays, a delay simply repeats the signal of a track and can be manipulated as to how many times it does this, how often it does this, and how loudly the repeats are. Delay can be utilised to create more stereo width (which I shall talk about in more detail later), and to create intricate rhythms on simple tracks to enhance them. An example of this can be seen in David Bowie’s track “Let’s Dance” as Nile Rodgers’ guitar track has been subject of a delay during mixing. A link to the track is hear for you to have a listen for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4d7Wp9kKjA

 Other common effects processors include modulation, this includes effects such as chorus, flangers, vibes and phasers. These are commonly used for guitars and can be bought in physical form of an effects pedal, however in some instances have been used on whole tracks, an example of this being on the latter half of the Jimi Hendrix Experience song “Bold as Love”, as the whole track has had a phaser added to it. You can listen for yourself on Spotify, Apple music, Itunes or any alternative streaming site, as unfortunately there’s no studio version of the song on Youtube.

 Mastering EQ techniques:

 Equalising a whole song demands a different approach than just a singular recorded track. For example, a main difference is that when using EQ whilst mastering, it is advised very strongly that no extreme changes are made to the EQ of the track, as the mix should already be close to what the artist required. Professionals advise that the Master EQ band should contain anywhere from 5-12 minor alterations to the EQ o the song, with nothing boosted or dipped by more than 2db. There are additional techniques that can be used, for example it is common to make an exception to the above rule regarding decibels as removing any frequencies under 50hz (aka the “sub-bass) as these frequencies are only useful for dance tracks and not much else. In addition, mastering engineers are also known to put a shelf on any frequencies in the range of 10k or above of about 2-4db, as this is known as “adding air” to the track.

   Using a brick-wall limiter:

 A brick-wall limiter is a more extreme form of compression. Much like a compressor, a threshold is set that no sound can go over without being reduced, the difference with a limiter is that the effect is much more immediate than a compressor, and the ratio used to reduce the sound is usually a lot higher. This is useful for removing any clipping or digital distortion in a track, however misuse can result in the destruction of the dynamic range of a song, and therefore a brick-limiter must be used carefully. Examples of albums that have been over limited to the point of removing dynamics include Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Californication” and Metallica’s “Death Magnetic”.

 Master bus/multi band compression:

 Master bus compression takes place during the mastering stage and is the compression of the whole song and much like master EQ, is a very subtle process. No dramatic changes are usually made at this stage, as to preserve hat dynamics that the mix has provided you with. Therefore, when utilising master bus compression, mastering engineers advise that a small ratio is used, and a slow attack is also dialled in, this will therefore give the song a consistent sound, without it then becoming lifeless and undynamic.

 Multi band compression on the other hand, are compressors that work to specific frequency ranges. This may be useful for example in making basslines and kickdrum hits more consistent, as these are two examples of instruments that we don’t necessarily want varying dynamics. The specificity of multi band compressors means that when mastering, you don’t have to sacrifice the whole track to fix a very specific problem.

 Enhancing stereo width:

 There are two very common ways to achieve the enhancement of stereo width. Firstly, there’s the method of panning tracks, which is simply the act of placing tracks on different points of the stereo spectrum, all the way from the right speaker to the left. This is used in every stereo mix ever produced, as this is a way to ensure that all of the instruments recorded have their own space in the mix and can be heard clearly. Commonly, instruments such as vocals, drums and bass aren’t panned and are kept central however, but as there’s exceptions to every rule, a lot of 60’s recordings pan vocals and drums. This technique has since been left behind, but panning is still rife in mixing to enhance the stereo width.

 Another method commonly used is a ping pong delay. To do this, you send the signal of whatever track it is you wish to enhance to a stereo bus, and then add the stereo delay plug-in to the bus. On this delay, you will dial in a very short delay time (perhaps a quaver on one side, and a semi-quaver on the other) and make other subtle differences to each speaker using the other parameters on the delay. Next, you must EQ the bus, adding both a high pass and low pass filter. Finally, you must add the bus into the mix so that in can be very subtly heard, this gives the original signal the effect of being double tracked. This therefore enhances the width of the track.