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pocket-lad · 23 days

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CH 12- An Unceremonious Departure

The operations building - it was right there! They’d made it!

A scream from behind them caught their attention, and Ian whipped around, leaving Adelaide clinging to his shirt for dear life.

Her jaw dropped. A raptor had appeared from seemingly nowhere and lunged at Sarah. It had her pinned to the ground, furiously chewing and ripping at her backpack.

“Ian, do something!” Adelaide yelled.

There was nothing they could do but watch. Ian had to keep Kelly and Adelaide back and trust that Sarah could fight her way out of it, but every second they stood there, the horror grew.

Ian was right, though. Sarah pushed the raptor off her and left her backpack behind, hoping it distracted the dinosaur for at least a couple seconds. The group tried to sprint around it toward the operations building, but it was too close to the door. Their movement caught its attention and it suddenly wasn’t very interested in the backpack.

Ian lifted Adelaide higher, and she saw what he was trying to do. “Don’t!” she said forcefully. “We’re sticking together this time. Don’t even try it.” He was going to pass her off to Sarah and tell them to run. For somebody who studied chaos and unpredictability, he sure was predictable. And Adelaide wasn’t having it. Plus, if he had her with him, he was much less likely to run into danger and get himself killed.

There wasn’t any time to argue. Ian set Adelaide on his shoulder and ordered Sarah and Kelly to go inside while he banged on an old car with a stick, calling the dinosaur to him.

“Della-”

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Adelaide said. She slid into his pocket from his shoulder, trying to keep her hand out of the way. She landed softly in the bottom, but as always, needed to see what was going on.

As if it couldn’t get any worse, two more raptors appeared, again out of nowhere. They preoccupied themselves with getting into the building Sarah and Kelly took refuge in, which was deeply concerning, but they were safe for at least a little while longer.

Ian sprinted (as best he could) into an empty building with glass windows and slammed the door behind them, but before they could even think they were safe, the raptor leapt through the window, smashing through the glass like it wasn’t even there. It hissed and bared its sharp teeth, claws raised in an attack position.

Thinking fast, Ian ripped the door off its hinges and used it as a shield between him and the dinosaur. It was probably an old, rusty door, but regardless, Adelaide was speechless at the level of strength that must have taken. Human Beans were strong. Terrifyingly strong. She was lucky to have this one on her side.

Undisturbed by the door, the raptor lunged again, knocking Ian backwards. He crashed through the window behind them, legs catching on the window ledge. He hung upside down for a moment, but it was long enough to send Adelaide tumbling out of the pocket. She fell straight onto the dirt below. It was a long fall - she’d experienced worse, but it hurt all the same. The wind was forced from her lungs and her head and ribs ached from the impact. She groaned and tried to roll over to push herself up, but a tremor shook the ground, forcing her to fall over again.

Adelaide looked up to see Ian also tumble out of the window. He rolled backwards over his shoulder, narrowly missing her. She wouldn’t have been able to get out of the way in time if he’d landed a couple inches to the left.

It was a scary thought, but she didn’t spend much time with it, since Ian’s hand was suddenly in the picture. It scooped her up and deposited her back in the pocket, unconcerned with speed or roughness. Adelaide’s hand was jostled at the movement, and she clenched her jaw to keep from screaming. Gravity forced her to the bottom of the pocket as Ian stood up and ran.

Just as she was able to finally pull herself up again, her vision filled with car door and raptor. Ian took refuge in an old car, but the raptor was close behind. It leapt at them, forcing the door shut and Ian backwards, which also meant Adelaide was forced backwards.

Everything had been a blur so far. A blur of danger and fear and darkness and dinosaurs and it was all too much. It was only when everything stilled did Adelaide register everything that just happened.

“Oh my god,” she breathed.

Ian could only spare her a glance, since the raptor wasn’t done trying to get to them. She didn’t look like she was dying, so his attention returned to the dinosaur.

Together, they watched helplessly as it carved a bigger and bigger hole into the passenger window, the high-pitched sound of its claws against the glass bordering on painful. If they didn’t move soon, it would get to them.

“Ian, we have to move,” Adelaide said.

He didn’t move.

“Ian, look at me!” she said, louder.

“Huh?” He looked down as if he just realized she was talking.

“We have to move. Now.”

Ian glanced between her and the raptor repeatedly, still not moving. Adelaide felt his heart hammering in his chest. He was paralyzed with fear, and while she didn’t blame him, they couldn’t stay here forever.

Twenty feet in front of them was the building Sarah and Kelly hid in. It was as good of an option as any, so Adelaide picked it as their destination. “See that door in front of us? That’s where we’re going. Okay? Just to that door.”

Ian blinked a couple times, slowly processing her words. He looked ahead at the door, figuring out if he could actually make it.

“Hey!” Adelaide called, and he finally, really looked at her. “It’s not far at all. It’ll be easy. Nothing to it. We go on three, okay?”

Ian nodded. “Yeah, yeah, that’s um…”

“One, two-” Adelaide couldn’t even get to three before Ian pushed the car door open and sprinted (again, to the best of his ability) toward the door. He made it inside, and they breathed a sigh of relief together.

“Nice j-” Adelaide started.

“Look out!” Kelly and Sarah called.

Ian turned, and they were faced with a raptor crawling its way toward them from underneath the wall. Truly an unstoppable force.

“Up here!” the girls called again.

Wasting no time, Ian clambered up some equipment to a higher level, hoping it would be far enough away. It wasn’t. The raptor fought its way in, and with its strong hind legs, leapt higher than Adelaide thought possible, right up to their level.

Taking Kelly’s hand, Ian jumped back down while Sarah climbed up to the roof. The raptor chose to follow Sarah.

They ran together outside and waited impatiently. Both Ian and Kelly’s heads were on a swivel, looking out for the other raptors which were certainly lurking close by, camouflaged by the dark greenery. The sound of beating propellers filled their ears and bright lights dotted the landscape. A helicopter arrived. Nick did it.

“Come on,” Ian ushered Kelly toward their rescue, but Kelly pushed back.

“We can’t leave her!” she cried.

Ian sighed. He needed to get Adelaide and Kelly out of here, but Kelly was right. He couldn’t leave Sarah. He wished he didn’t have to be the one to make the call.

Luckily, Sarah came tumbling down out of a window. She crashed to the ground below. Ian and Kelly helped her up, and all four of them moved as fast as they could in their frazzled, injured states toward the helicopter. Nick stood in the doorway, ushering them along and up some stairs.

Adelaide collapsed into the bottom of the pocket and plugged her ears as they got closer, unable to handle that level of noise. She felt Ian shout something overtop of it, but she couldn’t make out what it was.

When the movement stilled and the noise of the engine mostly disappeared, Adelaide unplugged her ears. Her heart thumped in her chest, her head throbbed, and her limbs kept twitching. Her body simply couldn’t comprehend that they were safe now, and her mind wasn’t doing much better. She should probably just go to sleep. She was exhausted. But if she tried to sleep, she’d be left alone with her thoughts, and that certainly wouldn’t do.

Adelaide also didn’t want any Bean interaction right now, but that felt like the lesser of two evils. She resigned herself to getting up. It was difficult without her left hand, but she managed. She doubted she’d be able to make it all the way to Ian’s shoulder, though.

Ian was in the middle of comforting Kelly, who Adelaide belatedly realized was crying.

Oh. She supposed this was all pretty traumatic.

“It’s okay. It’s over now. You’re safe. I’m safe. I’ve got you, alright?” Ian continued spouting a stream of comforting words to his daughter, though he wasn’t sure if it was working.

Adelaide felt tears form as she watched. Why were tears forming? That’s dumb, she didn’t need to cry right now. She wasn’t a child and crying wouldn’t help anything. Ian was right, they were safe. She was being stupid. She willed the tears away, but an inexplicable emptiness overcame her chest and the tears kept coming and eventually they spilled over.

Adelaide wanted her parents. She wanted her mom.

Watching Ian comfort his daughter widened the pit in Adelaide’s stomach that had been forming ever since she was fifteen years old. When they were separated.

She was sure Ian would comfort her too, but it wasn’t the same. Ian was her friend, but he was a Bean. He couldn’t relate to her. He couldn’t hug her. God, what she would do for a hug from her mom right now, for her mom to tell her everything would be alright.

Adelaide was on the verge of sobbing at this point. She welcomed the dark, humid depths of the pocket where she could cry in peace. Her fit would only make it warmer, but it was a price she was willing to pay. She wanted to miss her parents in peace.

Ian must have either heard her or felt her shaking, because a moment later, the pocket opened wide and Adelaide’s sight was filled with his eyes.

“Uh…what’s up?” he asked awkwardly.

“Nothing,” Adeaide said, hurriedly wiping the tears away and failing miserably to hide her sniffles. “I’m fine.”

Ian went to reach in because she was not fine, and they’d been through this ‘I’m fine’ / ‘you’re not fine’ dance a million times.

“Don’t!” Adelaide called, voice shaking, not strong enough to face anyone just yet. She knew her face would be visibly red, even from a distance, and she wouldn’t be able to stop sniffling for a while.

“Okay,” Ian placated, withdrawing his hand. “No worries, it’s alright. We’re safe, Della.”

“No,” Adelaide swallowed. “No, it’s not…it’s nothing. It’s not Jurassic Park. Just forget it. Sorry…can you pull me out? I’d climb but…” She showed off her poorly bandaged hand.

Ian reached in again and slowly and gently wrapped his fingers around her, trying to give her as much space as possible without letting her fall. Once Adelaide was on his shoulder, she felt the stares of everyone in their small group.

Deciding the tension needed to be broken, Nick pulled something out of his pocket and let them fall to the floor. Bullets. “Welp. That’s one souvenir they won’t be taking with them.”

Adelaide stared at him in awe. “Did you…” The question hung in the air. Did you steal their bullets ?

Nick nodded smugly.

“That’s awesome,” Adelaide said, forgetting about her worries for now.

“I try,” Nick said, and he casually reached out for a fist bump.

Adelaide screamed and tumbled backwards as Nick’s fist plowed toward her. She would’ve fallen directly off Ian’s shoulder if he wasn’t leaning against the seat. As it was, she had to slowly peel herself off the seat when Nick’s fist hung in the air a couple inches in front of her. Her heart pounded as she stared at it, wondering what to do next.

“It’s a fist bump,” Kelly giggled. Tears stained her face, but the distraction was a welcome one.

“Right…” Adelaide trailed off, still not getting it. She stayed propped up against the seat, not wanting to get any closer.

“You can't leave me hanging,” Nick said.

Adelaide’s eyes were wide as she tried to figure it out. What did they all know that she didn’t? A lot, probably.

“You do it back,” Kelly said, and she held her fist out to Nick, who tapped his against hers. His hand returned to its original position right after.

Was this normal? Why hadn’t Ian done it before? Tentatively, Adelaide stood up straight on Ian’s shoulder, holding her arms out for balance. She slowly approached his fist, having to get really close with how short her arms were. She gave one last wary look to Nick and Kelly, then reached out and tapped her fist against his. Her hand didn’t even cover the width of one knuckle, so she could hardly call it a ‘fist’ bump, but whatever.

The speed with which Nick withdrew his hand created an air vacuum that almost pulled Adelaide with it, her arms pinwheeling. When she was sure she wouldn’t fall, she looked at everyone as if they were aliens. “Beans are weird,” she muttered, which made Kelly giggle again.

“Adelaide, do you know rock, paper, scissors?” Kelly ventured.

“Uh, yes?” Adelaide asked, disoriented by the introduction of all these weird new Bean things when not too long ago they were running for their lives from dinosaurs. She was pretty sure she knew what rocks, papers, and scissors were, but the way Kelly asked had her hesitant.

“Do you wanna play?”

Adelaide blinked. “Play?”

“I don’t think she knows, hon,” Ian said.

“Hey!” Adelaide argued.

“It’s a game,” Kelly said. “Here.” She shifted so that her back was pressed against Nick and she faced Adelaide.

Adelaide steadied herself, refusing to back down.

“Hold out your hands like this,” Kelly explained, and she held out a sideways fist and rested it on the palm of her other hand.

Adelaide flinched again at how fast the girl moved. The bumpiness of the helicopter didn’t help, either. She slowly held her hands out in the same position, unsure where this was going.

Kelly continued. “You tap your hands three times like this, and then on the fourth time, you pick either rock, paper, or scissors.” She demonstrated each of the hand gestures. “Scissors beat paper, paper beats rock, and rock beats scissors. Here. Dad, play with me.” They demonstrated a couple rounds. Adelaide watched intently. “Like that, okay?”

“Okayyy,” Adelaide trailed off. It seemed easy enough.

“Okay, ready? Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!” Kelly held out her hand in the shape of scissors and Adelaide in the shape of rock.

Realizing just how small Adelaide’s hands were, Kelly leaned in for a closer look, which caused Adelaide to fall back into Ian’s neck.

“You win!”

Eyes wide and chest heaving, Adelaide peeled herself off Ian’s neck. “That’s it?”

“Well then we just keep playing.”

“Oh.”

They played round after round. Adelaide didn’t like that Kelly stayed so close, but it wasn’t the girl’s fault. Eventually, she completely forgot about the proximity, and even got pretty competitive about it. She also realized somewhere in the back of her mind that this was a good distraction for them both. Neither wanted to think about what just happened, so they were better off playing a silly game.

Sarah abruptly opened the helicopter’s door, assaulting their ears and letting in a huge gust of constant wind. Ian stood up as she did so and made his way to the open door. Adelaide shouted at him for interrupting their game.

Then she saw what the Beans were looking at. Down below, a massive cage laid on the dirt, and in that cage was a T-Rex.

Nobody could say anything. InGen succeeded. They were taking the dinosaur to the mainland.

Resigned, the Beans sat back down.

“What are we going to do?” Adelaide asked.

“We’re going to stop them,” Ian said.

“Yeah, but how?”

“I haven’t gotten that far yet.”

“Hmmmmm,” Adelaide grumbled. She no longer felt like playing games. After all that time, after all their efforts, all their suffering, they failed. Ludlow won.

Adelaide remained lost in thought until the helicopter landed and they said their goodbyes to Nick. It all felt very unceremonious, despite the life-threatening adventure they all experienced together. That was it. That was the end. Adelaide would probably never see Nick again, and all they exchanged was a polite ‘see ya’.

They decided to stop at Sarah’s while they waited, which wasn’t far away, to drop off Kelly and freshen up. Adelaide was just along for the ride, too tired to ask questions. She hid in the pocket most of the way and only emerged once they reached Sarah’s apartment.

Adelaide wasn’t sure what she expected. She’d never been in another Bean’s house before, but this was vastly different from Ian’s. It was a lot smaller and warmer, and it was definitely more lived-in. Even as Ian fished her out of the pocket and set her on the table, she gazed around, unable to pick something to focus on.

Why couldn’t she have ended up here? Adelaide was grateful Ian was so gentle and patient, and she wouldn’t trade him for the world, but borrowing here would be infinitely easier than borrowing at Ian’s house. She’d never get caught here! There were so many hiding places and so much junk to sort through.

“Sarah, this is amazing,” Adelaide mumbled.

Sarah raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“It’s so messy!”

“Della!” Ian scolded.

Adelaide turned to look at him, wondering what she did wrong. Then she remembered that humans didn’t like mess. That probably came off as offensive. “Oh, sorry…”

Sarah just laughed, though. “No, it’s alright. It is messy. You are not wrong.”

She rummaged through some drawers and threw something at Ian, then carried clothes for herself into another room. Ian went to follow, but stopped and looked at Adelaide. “Don’t get into trouble.”

“How could I possibly get into trouble here?”

Ian gave her a look and then left. Adelaide threw her arms in the air, exasperated. She was up on a table. There was nothing to do up here but breathe and exist.

She glanced over at Kelly, who laid on the couch watching TV. Adelaide could hardly see it from where she was, so she resigned herself to laying down on the hard, wooden surface and staring at the ceiling, already bored. Despite how tired she was, her body couldn’t rest. It still felt like it was in danger and she felt the need to keep an eye on her surroundings. At the very least, she wanted to explore, but something told her she didn’t have a ton of time to do so. Also, her hand continued to throb.

Adelaide didn’t have to wait too long, though. She heard rhythmic thumping that indicated the humans’ return. When she sat up, she saw that they looked a lot better than they did two minutes ago. Fresh clothes, clean faces, the works. Adelaide was bummed she wouldn’t be able to change until they got back to Texas.

“You uh, you want to stay here?” Ian asked hopefully.

“Not a chance,” Adelaide said as she got to her feet.

“Great.” Ian scooped Adelaide up and placed her in his pocket.

Adelaide was miffed, but at least it was a new, clean jacket. “Give me a warning!”

“Right,” Ian said, mildly in a hurry. “Kelly, behave,” he warned as he gathered his keys. Kelly gave a distracted wave in return, eyes glued to the TV.

With that, Ian, Sarah, and Adelaide left to go on their next adventure. Adelaide wasn’t sure if she missed something, but she didn’t really know what the plan was. Either way, she wouldn’t sit this one out.

They hopped in a red car without a roof. Adelaide wasn’t looking forward to the wind, but it wasn’t a long drive, and beyond the jumpscare of the engine turning on, it was relatively peaceful. When they parked, Adelaide chanced a look. Up ahead was a massive group of people all crowded around a pedestal, so she’d have to stay hidden. She fell back into the pocket as Ian and Sarah approached a gate with a guard behind it.

“Is this the Ludlow affair?” Ian asked.

“It’s private property,” the guard responded.

“We’re on the list. This is Dr. Harding, I’m Dr. Malcolm.”

“We have Mr. Ludlow’s test results,” Sarah chimed in.

Ian continued her train of thought. “We have good news and we have bad news.”

Adelaide heard the sound of a gate shut. So much for that. But before she could ask what the backup plan was, another voice rang out.

“Dr. Harding? Dr. Malcolm? Come with me.”

The gate opened back up again and they were on the move. Despite the circumstances, Adelaide found herself quite bored. It was hard staying in the pocket all the time, missing all the action. That is, until everything suddenly became not boring, like right now.

Ian’s heart picked up pace and his body froze. “We should’ve stayed in the damn car,” was all the warning she got before a massive crash echoed across the harbor. It sounded like the wood of the dock was being torn apart by something massive, and for a short, irrational moment, Adelaide thought it might have been a dinosaur.

Ian was thrown backwards and Adelaide braced for impact. It wasn’t anything too bad, especially compared to the last forty eight hours, but her existing injuries felt exacerbated by the fall.

Ian quickly checked to make sure Adelaide was still in one piece before he stood up and took off. Once Adelaide was able to fight gravity, she looked out to see a gigantic boat taking up most of their field of view. That was the thing that had crashed. But why?

Everyone seemed to have the same question as they made their way onto the boat. An eerie silence filled the air when they saw dead crewmen littered across the floor. Most of them rested in gruesome positions, likely attacked by dinosaurs. One was clutching onto a remote control with two buttons on it, and behind them was a massive cargo hold that could only contain one thing. The T-Rex was here.

Another guard waltzed over to the crewman, curiously lifting the remote control. Seeing that it likely controlled the now malfunctioning cargo hold, he pressed the top button.

Ian, Sarah, and Adelaide all caught this at the same time and in unison screamed at him to stop, but it was too late. The sound of breaking machinery and an angry T-Rex filled their ears. It was loose, and it was headed straight for them.

#jurassic park #ian malcolm #g/t #giant/tiny #jurassic park g/t #gt #size difference

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jules-has-notes · 4 months

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Dayton, OH — VoicePlay live performances

After spending quite a bit of time in Ohio the previous autumn, VoicePlay returned in July 2015 for a night at the Fraze Pavilion. The show was almost cancelled for inclement weather, but luckily the rain held off and the outdoor venue stayed dry.

Their opening act was Eleventh Hour of Kettering Fairmount High School, the host group for the Kettering A Capella Festival that VoicePlay had participated in the year before. These talented kids had also opened for the Sing-Off tour a few months earlier at the Troy, OH show.

[NOTE: The videographer sings along a lot.]

Each performance of this blend of comedy skit and musical medley is always a little different. How much will the driver and passenger poke at each other's buttons? Where will the air freshener go? What song will Layne sing? Have a watch and find out.

Details:

title: Road Trip

original songs / performers: [0:50] "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" by Tiny Tim; [1:08] "Orinoco Flow" by Enya; [1:26] "Cum On Feel the Noize" by Quiet Riot; [2:35] "Big Shot" by Billy Joel; [2:48] "I Wanna Rock" by Twisted Sister; [2:57] "Voices Carry" by ’Til Tuesday; [3:14] "Shout" by Tears For Fears; [3:30] "Why Can't We Be Friends?" by War; [3:40] "That Smell" by Lynyrd Skynyrd; [4:24] "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" by Chicago; [5:43] "We Just Disagree" by Dave Mason; [6:04] "Let It Go" by Idina Menzel as Elsa in Frozen (2013) ** see this dedicated post for original song links

written by: "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" by Al Dubin & Joe Burke; "Orinoco Flow" by Eithne "Enya" Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin & Roma Ryan; "Cum On Feel the Noize" by Noddy Holder & Jim Lea; "Big Shot" by Billy Joel; "I Wanna Rock" by Dee Snider; "Voices Carry" by Robert Holmes, Aimee Mann, Michael Hausman, & Joey Pesce; "Shout" by Roland Orzabal & Ian Stanley; "Why Can't We Be Friends?" by Papa Dee Allen, Harold Ray Brown, B.B. Dickerson, Lonnie Jordan, Charles Miller, Lee Oskar, Howard E. Scott, & Jerry Goldstein; "That Smell" by Allen Collins & Ronnie Van Zant; "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" by Peter Cetera & David Foster; "Let It Go" by Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez

arranged by: Geoff Castellucci

My favorite bits:

road raging Eli

Tony's flickering eye movements at the first iteration of "Cum On Feel the Noize"

♫ "We'll get WILD, wild, wild…" ♫

Layne jolting awake on the beat

Geoff's little twirl as he flees the vehicle

Earl using the pretend aerosol spray as deodorant rather than his usual hairspray motion

Hey, Layne, look up there. ☝

Eli almost laughing at the different interruption

Trivia:

VoicePlay had been performing and tweaking this medley/skit since at least 2010.

They made a professional recording in front of a live audience during the 2014 Sing-Off tour.

Layne usually sings "Royals" by Lorde as his interrupting solo, but sometimes changes it like he does here in an attempt to make the other guys break character.

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As much fun as this medley is to listen to, it's even more entertaining to watch the boys perform it live, bopping around the stage and playing together.

Details:

title: The King Has Returned (Lion King medley)

original songs: "Circle of Life"; [1:51] "I Just Can’t Wait to Be King"; [2:29] "Hakuna Matata"; [3:16] "Be Prepared"; [4:39] "Circle of Life" (reprise)

written by: Elton John & Tim Rice

arranged by: VoicePlay

My favorite bits:

the rhythm section step-touching their way through the "Circle of Life" chorus

Tony and Eli gesture-bickering over which of them "mine" refers to during "I Just Can't Wait to Be King"

Earl's little Elvis groove at the beginning of "Hakuna Matata"

Eli and Earl bouncing across the stage in time with Geoff's little downward riff

Tony and Geoff's alternating Twist moves

the crunchy transition into "Be Prepared", and their emphatic stomping

Layne making a butt-smacking motion toward Geoff to go with the whipcrack in his percussion line

the two beats of silence after "Pay attention!"

Trivia:

This medley originally appeared on VoicePlay's 2012 album "Once Upon an Ever After"

"Hakuna Matata" was also included in the "aca-Disney" mashup they created for the 20th anniversary of Disney On Broadway, as well as in their "Aca Top 10 — Disney Sidekicks" countdown.

"Be Prepared" later appeared in their "Aca Top 10 — Disney Villains" countdown.

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[NOTE: The videographer sings along a lot.]

VoicePlay isn't exactly a boy band, but they certainly sound good singing these hit pop songs from across the decades. And they've got a few moves to go with those talented voices.

Details:

title: Boy Bands medley

original songs / performers: "ABC" by The Jackson 5; [0:36] "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles; [1:19] "My Girl" by The Temptations; [2:08] "Sherry" by The Four Seasons; [3:04] "YMCA" by The Village People; [3:37] "(You Got It) The Right Stuff" by New Kids on the Block; [4:00] "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys; [4:40] "Bye Bye Bye" by *NSYNC

written by: "ABC" by Berry Gordy, Freddie Perren, Alphonzo Mizell, & Deke Richards; "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" by John Lennon & Paul McCartney; "My Girl" by Smokey Robinson & Ronald White; "Sherry" by Bob Gaudio; "YMCA" by Jacques Morali & Victor Willis; "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" by Maurice Starr; "I Want It That Way" by Andreas Carlsson & Max Martin; "Bye Bye Bye" by Kristian Lundin, Jake Schulze, & Andreas Carlsson

arranged by: VoicePlay

My favorite bits:

Geoff's slow realization that his mic is dying

the other four carrying on through "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" just fine, but knowing that the next transition could be borked

return of the bass right on time, but a third too low (Good recovery, dudes.)

Eli's little head tilt in the back during the chorus of "YMCA"

the crunchy transition from "Right Stuff" to "That Way"

Tony's fabulous pop timbre on the lead for the last two songs

"Everybody watch him drink that water." VoicePlay, modelling healthy hydration habits.

Trivia:

VoicePlay revised this medley and finally recorded a video for it in 2019 as the result of a Patreon poll.

This piece usually ended with "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction, but The Fraze didn't have a screen to project the visual gag that goes along with it, so the guys omited that part entirely for this performance.

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[NOTE: The videographer and her daughter sing along and yell a LOT.]

This video contains three separate numbers — Layne's drum solo, the "A Crimpella" medley of phonations, and an encore of "Don't Stop Believin'".

Details:

title: Layne's drum solo

written & arranged by: Layne Stein

Look at him go!!! 🥁

title: A Crimpella

original songs / performers: [2:12] "Walk the Dinosaur" by Was (Not Was); [2:25] "Witch Doctor" by Alvin & the Chipmunks; [2:32] "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; [2:37] "We Go Together" from Grease!; [2:44] "Motownphilly" by Boyz II Men; [2:53] "Imma Be" by the Black Eyed Peas; [3:01] "Tutti Frutti" by Little Richard; [3:03] "Shoop" by Salt N Pepa; [3:10] "Jock-A-Mo" (aka "Iko Iko") by James "Sugar Boy" Crawford; [3:18] "Mahna Mahna" from The Muppet Show; [3:30] "Lovin, Touchin, Squeezin" by Journey; [3:51] "Goofy Goober Rock" from The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie; [3:55] "MMMBop" by Hanson; [4:08] "Hooked on a Feeling" by Blue Swede; [4:10] "Bawitdaba" by Kid Rock; [4:16] "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" by Neil Sedaka; [4:25] "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen; [4:42] "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga; [4:46] "Can't Get You Outta My Head" by Kylie Minogue; [4:52] "Limbo La La" by James Lloyd; [4:56] "All Night Long" by Lionel Richie; [5:13] "Wanna Be Starting Something" by Michael Jackson; [5:20] "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" by Steam ** see this dedicated post for original song links

arranged by: VoicePlay

My favorite bits:

the stomp sending Eli flying

everyone "watching" the UFO flyby and waving to it

the big wind-up before the others join Tony in rocking out

Earl's little chugging motions during Geoff's "ooga chaka" solo, that Layne then picks up for the next section

using the ♫ "goo-ood-byyye" ♫ as an actual exit line

Trivia:

This medley was part of their setlist for several years, including during the 2014 Sing-Off tour.

title: Don't Stop Believin'

original songs / performers: [8:00] "Don't Stop Believin'"; [10:38] "Open Arms"; and [10:47] "Any Way You Want It" by Journey; [10:31] "Oh Sherrie" by Steve Perry

written by: all songs written by Steve Perry in collaboration – "Don't Stop Believin'" with Jonathan Cain & Neal Schon; "Oh Sherrie" with Randy Goodrum, Craig Krampf, & Bill Cuomo; "Open Arms" with Jonathan Cain; "Any Way You Want It" with Neal Schon

arranged by: Layne Stein & Geoff Castellucci

My favorite bits:

the rare pairing up of Geoff and Tony & Eli and Layne during the first set of harmonies

Earl giving the camera a pointed look

Geoff's growl note as everyone but Earl drops out

the stacking of the polyphony section

Trivia:

Contrary to the cameraperson's assertion, Earl did not "mess up" the melody. That's how VoicePlay's arrangement goes. It's intentionally different from the original Journey version that she was probably expecting.

VoicePlay had been performing this arrangement since at least 2009, when they were still going by 4:2:Five.

In 2016, they were the featured guests at Camp A Cappella, and recorded a video for this song with the campers.

They later recorded a full version of "Any Way You Want It" during the second round of their PartWork series.

For a couple years, Eli also sang with a Journey cover band called Raised On Radio in between VoicePlay gigs.

#VoicePlay #live performance #a cappella #music #video #long post

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spenceluvsurmomsblog · 1 year

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Master list!

Here’s what/who I currently write smut/fluff for!

Huge disclaimer: if you know a character is a minor then you should know I will not write smut for them. Ty loves!

Full / fuller house

Jesse Katsopolis

Joey Gladstone

Danny Tanner

(Older) DJ Tanner

(Older) Stephanie Tanner

(Older) Kimmy Kibbler

Matt Harmon

Heart stopper

Nick Nelson (fluff)

Charlie Spring (fluff)

Tara Jones (fluff)

Darcy (fluff)

Issac (fluff)

Tori Spring (depends on what’s requested)

Aled (fluff)

Tou Xu (fluff)

Elle (fluff)

The summer I turned pretty

Conrad Fisher (smut/fluff)

Jeremiah Fisher (smut/fluff)

Steven Conklin (smut/fluff)

Isabell Conklin (fluff)

Susannah Fisher (fluff)

Laurel Conklin (fluff)

The Black Phone

Finney Blake (fluff)

Robin Arellano (fluff)

Bruce Yamada (fluff)

Vance Hopper (fluff)

Griffin Stagg (fluff any one who requests smut is blocked)

Billy Showalter (fluff)

Metal Lords

Hunter Sylvester (smut/fluff)

Kevin (smut/fluff)

Emily (smut/fluff)

That 70s show

Steven Hyde (smut/fluff)

Eric Forman (smut/fluff)

Jackie Burkheart (smut/fluff)

Michael Kelso (smut/fluff)

Fez (probably just fluff)

Donna Pincioti (smut/fluff)

Divergent

Tris Prior (smut/fluff)

Caleb Prior (smut/fluff)

Tobias Eaton (four) (smut/fluff)

Christina (smut/fluff)

Eric (smut/fluff)

Chucky (the series)

Junior Wheeler (fluff)

Jake Wheeler (fluffy malexmale only)

Lexy Cross (fluff)

Devon Evans (fluff)

Tiffany / Jennifer Tilly (smut/fluff)

The sandlot

Benny Rodriguez (fluff)

Scott Smalls (fluff)

Michael Palledorous (fluff)

Hamilton Porter (fluff)

Alan “yeah-yeah” Mcclean (fluff)

Bertram Grover Weeks (fluff)

Wendy Peffercorn (fluff)

Kenny Denunez (fluff)

Fear Street

Simon Kalivoda (smut/fluff)

Deena (smut/fluff femalexfemale only)

Kate Schmidt (smut/fluff)

Josh (fluff)

Heather (smut/fluff)

Cindy Berman (smut/fluff)

Ziggy Berman (fluff)

Tommy Slater (smut/fluff)

Nick Goode (smut/fluff)

Descendents

Harry Hook (smut/fluff)

Mal (fluff)

Evie (fluff)

Jay (fluff)

Carlos (fluff)

Ben (fluff)

Uma (fluff)

Gil Gaston (fluff)

Jane (fluff)

Audrey (fluff)

The Breakfast Club

John Bender (smut/fluffish)

Andrew Clark (smut/fluff)

Brian Johnson (smut/fluff)

Claire Standish (smut/fluff)

Allison Reynolds (smut/fluff)

Mean Girls

Karen Smith (smut/fluff)

Gretchen Weiners (smut/fluff)

Regina George (smut/fluff)

Janis Ian (smut/fluff)

Kady Heron (smut/fluff)

The Hunger Games

Peeta Mellark (smut/fluff)

Gale Hawthorn (smut/fluff)

Finnick Odair (smut/fluff)

Cinna (smut/fluff)

Katniss Everdeen (smut/fluff)

Glimmer (smut/fluff)

Clove (fluff)

Cato (smut)

Finch (fox face) (smut/fluff)

Any others ask and I’ll tell you what I write

Shameless

Fiona Gallagher (smut/fluff)

Lip Gallagher (smut/fluff)

Ian Gallagher (smut/fluff)

Carl Gallagher (smut/fluff)

Debbie Gallagher (smut/fluff)

Mickey Milkovitch /(smut/fluff)

Mandy Milkovitch (smut /fluff)

Kevin Ball (smut/fluff)

Veronica Fisher (smut/fluff)

Scream

Billy Loomis (smut/fluff)

Stu Macher (smut/fluff)

Sydney Prescott (smut/fluff)

Tatum Riley (smut/fluff)

Randy Meeks (smut/fluff)

Dewy Riley (smut/fluff)

Gale Weathers (smut/fluff)

Charlie Walker (smut/fluff)

Jill Roberts (smut/fluff)

Amber (smut/fluff)

Chad Minks (smut/fluff)

Mindy Minks (smut/fluff)

Sam Loomis ? (smut/fluff)

Outerbanks

JJ Maybank (smut/fluff)

Pope Hayward (smut/fluff)

Sarah Cameron (smut/fluff)

Kiera (smut/fluff)

John B (smut/fluff)

Rafe Camron

Twilight

Edward Cullen (smut/fluff)

Jasper Hale (smut/fluff)

Emmet Cullen (smut/fluff)

Carlisle Cullen (smut/fluff)

Jacob Black (smut/fluff)

Seth Clearwater (fluff)

Charlie Swan (smut/fluff)

Bella Swan (smut/fluff)

Rosalie Hale (smut/fluff)

Alice Cullen (smut/fluff)

Esme Cullen (smut/fluff)

Lea Clearwater (smut/fluff)

Mauraders

Regulus Black (smut/fluff)

Sirius Black (smut/fluff)

James Potter (smut/fluff)

Lily Evans (smut/fluff)

Severus Snape (smut/fluff)

Remus Lupin (smut/fluff)

Peter Petigrew (smut/fluff)

Narcissa Black (smut/fluff)

Bellatrix Black (smut/fluff)

Pandora Lovegood (smut/fluff)

Barty Crouch JR (smut/fluff)

Evan Rosier (smut/fluff)

Marlene Mckenny (smut/fluff)

Riverdale

Cheryl Blossom (smut/fluff) femalexfemale only

Jughead Jones (smut/fluff)

Betty Cooper (smut/fluff)

Veronica Lodge (smut/fluff)

Archie Andrews (smut/fluff)

Tony Topaz (smut/fluff)

Sweet pea (smut/fluff)

Fangs Fogurty (smut/fluff)

I am not ok with this

Sydney (fluff)

Deena (fluff)

Stanley Barber (fluff)

That’s about it.

Cobra Kai

Eli Moskiwitz (hawke) (aged up smut/fluff)

Demetri (fluff)

Samatha Larusso (aged up smut/fluff)

Moon (aged up smut/fluff)

Yasmine (aged up smut/fluff)

Anthony Larusso (aged up smut/fluff)

Daniel Larusso (smut/fluff)

Johnny Lawrence (smut/fluff)

Tori (aged up smut/fluff)

Robby Keene (aged up smut/fluff)

The outsiders

Darry Curtis (smut/fluff)

Two-bit Matthews (smut/fluff)

Sodapop Curtis (smut/fluff)

Steve Randle (smut/fluff)

Dallas Winston (smut/fluff)

Johnny Cade (fluff)

Ponyboy Curtis (fluff)

Tim Shepheard (smut/fluff)

Curly Shepheard (smut/fluff)

Angela Shepheard (smut/fluff)

Criminal Minds

Aaron Hotchner (smut/fluff)

Spencer Reid (smut/fluff)

Derek Morgan (smut/fluff)

David Rossi (smut/fluff)

Emily Prentiss (smut/fluff)

Jennifer Jaroue (smut/fluff)

Elle Greenaway (smut/fluff)

Penelope Garcia (smut/fluff)

The Originals

Klaus Mikaelson (smut/fluff)

Elijah Mikaelson (smut/fluff)

Kol Mikaelson (smut/fluff)

Rebekah Mikaelson (smut/fluff)

Freya Mikaelson (smut/fluff)

Hayley Marshall (smut/fluff)

Jackson (smut/fluff)

The Vampire Diaries

Elena Gilbert (smut/fluff)

Damon Salvatore (smut/fluff)

Bonnie Bennett (smut/fluff)

Stefan Salvatore (smut/fluff)

Caroline Forbes (smut/fluff)

Enzo St.John (smut/fluff)

Vicki Donovan (smut/fluff)

Matt Donovan (smut/fluff)

Katherine Pierce (smut/fluff)

Tyler Lockwood (smut/fluff)

Anyone else requested I’ll tell you what I write for! XX

Henry Bowers (smut/fluff)

Belch Huggins (smut/fluff)

Patrick Hockstetter (smut/fluff)

Victor Criss (smut/fluff)

(Older) Richie Tozier (smut/fluff)

(Older) Eddie Kaspbrak (smut/fluff)

(Older) Bill Debrough (smut/fluff)

(Older) Stanley Uris (smut/fluff)

(Older) Beverly Marsh (smut/fluff)

(Older) Ben Hanscome (smut/fluff)

(Older) Mike Hanlon (smut/fluff)

Friends

Chandler Bing (smut/fluff)

Rachel Green (smut/fluff)

Joey Tribiani (smut/fluff)

Monica Geller Bing (smut/fluff)

Ross Geller (smut/fluff)

Phoebe Buffay (smut/fluff)

Stranger Things

Steve Harrington (smut/fluff)

Eddie Munson (smut/fluff)

Jonathan Byers (smut/fluff)

Argyle (smut/fluff)

Billy Hargrove (smut/fluff)

Nancy Wheeler (smut/fluff)

Robin Buckley (smut/fluff)

Chrissy Cunningham (smut/fluff)

Anyone else will be fluff !

Sam and Colby

Sam Golbach (smut/fluff)

Colby Brock (smut/fluff)

Jake Webber (smut/fluff)

Reggie Webber (smut/fluff)

Kevin Langue (smut/fluff)

MIKE (smut/fluff)

Ariya (smut/fluff)

Corey schere (smut/fluff)

Katrina Stuart (smut/fluff)

Tara Yummy (smut/fluff)

Zephyr Wolf (smut/fluff)

Devyn Lundy (smut/fluff)

Cassie (smut/fluff)

The walking dead

Glenn Rhee (smut/fluff)

Rick Grimes (smut/fluff)

Daryl Dixion (smut/fluff)

Negan Smith (smut/fluff)

Maggie Rhee (smut/fluff)

Michonne (smut/fluff)

Carl Grimes (some smut aged up ofc/fluff )

South Park (all aged up ofc)

Kenny McCormick (fluff/smut)

Stan marsh (fluff/smut)

Kyle Broflovski (smut/fluff)

Eric Cartman (ig I’ll do smut or fluff)

Michael (the goth kid) (anything)

Basically anyone as long as it’s not them as children for smut

And I’ll do anything for euphoria (minus Nate) and Harry Potter (mostly fluff) and I will do anything for the walking dead !! :))

(Please no incest, zoophilia stuff)

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catesartworks · 1 year

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Answering Asks about Isekai Maid

I received a lot of asks about Isekai Maid in my inbox, so I will post them here under the cut! They are from November to now, so check and see if yours is down there!

Cw: Discussions of abuse, xenophobia, and assault.

This is gonna be long, so buckle up!

I get what you’re saying, I don’t think that every webtoon author has these same opinions on classism and racism in these stories, certainly not. Everyone is different, not everyone is going to make the same story and their views are based on their personal ideals and upbringing.

I can’t comment knowledgeably on East Asian nobility politics in fiction, or their dynamics and the tropes used in that setting, though I can recognize the tropes being used. When a webtoon takes place in an East Asian court, it’s harder for me to get the greater scope and the cultural context because it is not the culture I was born in, so I have to do research and think about how those translate. It’s part of the fun! I get to learn something new.

But the implications come with the setting they choose. And many authors choose European/western settings and thus carry all of the issues that come with it regardless of intention.

In fact, when it comes to Otome Isekai webtoons and novels that I am criticizing, the majority I’ve read have the settings, character names, costumes, etc. are inspired by European aesthetics and nobility titles, western historical figures, artwork, etc. My “maid slapping” master post is pretty much exclusively western inspired settings.

I’ve read stories that I really love (Beware the Villainess) and ones I really dislike (Abandoned Empress), and they all to an extent use Western Aesthetic with some East Asian Nobility tropes that you mentioned at some points.

For example, the fact that Ian from Beware the Villainess and Ruve from Abandoned Empress become the Emperor when they’re illegitimate children and not born from the Empress wouldn’t happen in Europe, but I accept it nonetheless because it doesn’t really hinder the story and it’s interesting. It’s a different perspective.

I can make concessions on certain things, but not slapping maids, no matter how justified it is in the story. It just doesn’t work in European/western settings, and it makes me uncomfortable.

I think the idea of being ignorance does a disservice to those who DO take the time and effort to do their research. The internet is there, and so are books, reference material, websites that many artists and writers draw from. And there are authors who do amazing amounts of research, and care into the dynamics of the setting they’re in, even when taking liberties.

One such example is Monster Princess and Contract Duchess. It’s one of my favorite webtoons ever, I even own the physical edition. The author took great care in depicting black people and how they are drawn. The politics and power dynamics in that story are also very good and show how corrupt a system can be to children who need help the most. There is an acknowledgement of Leslie being sheltered, and going past her preconceived notions of others, being taken aback by people who do not look like her and embracing the diversity of the world around her.

Which is why is pains me when authors, no matter who, use the aesthetic of European nobility and insert dynamics that romanticize social ills (like classism) that Europe and western countries struggle with historically. If you can do extensive research on historical costume and art, then the cultural information surrounding it was always a click away.

Maids historically in the west have been people who are lower status socioeconomically, and at the mercy of their employers especially in a western setting where they are often immigrants. There are Romance Fantasy comics that acknowledge that the noble is of higher standing than a maid (who are commoners) and has more power than them, would be free to fire them and yet, still indulge in maid slapping (Duchess 50 Tea Recipes, The Lady Needs a Break, Just Leave Me Be).

And when a western inspired story is exported into a western market, it’s going to be looked at from a historical lens by people who grew up in that culture. I’m sorry, but it can’t be avoided. The author’s chose to do this and it is inevitable.

Saint Soo is a woman who was accidentally Isekai’d into Teffrah. She had healing powers and was at odds with the Empress, Christina. Empress Christina, who herself had gone back in time after being killed by the Emperor over his love for Lady Soo, already met Lady Soo and assumed that she would be just like her previous timeline self and try to win the Emperor’s affections.

But Lady Soo, in this timeline, had no memory of the previous timeline and acted differently. She became disillusioned with the emperor and the noble court after witnessing them beating a servant to death for a minor mistake. The Emperor, no longer interested in Lady Soo, went back to the Christina, who was certain that he was a different man in this timeline and deserves a second chance.

She didn’t afford this mindset to Lady Soo, who she saw as ignorant for supporting the abolishment of slavery and supporting the people of Teffrah’s constitution. Lady Soo didn’t do that in the previous timeline, so the Empress thought that she was only doing this to look good for commoners.

She had Lady Soo accused of trying to start a coup because of her involvement with supporting the constitution, and had her executed. This nearly caused a civil war and the emperor later went back to his old ways and began mistreating Christina. She was later imprisoned and executed. Lady Soo was then made a posthumous saint.

Nora Williams is transgender. She was assigned male at birth, so that is why she was wearing boy’s clothes as a child.

There are spells for transportation, time and space, sound, purification, temperature, and mind altering. Each spell has a time limit, but depending on your skill level, it can be extended from seconds, to minutes, to days to years.

The general populace tend to use things like stones and wands because they are most accessible, but with sufficient training one can use their hands to use magic. There are also laws strictly forbidding certain types of magic falling under the “time and space” and “mind altering” types of magic (though there are some grey areas because transportation magic also falls under it).

It’s a combination of a transportation spell and a sound spell. They look for key words like “reincarnator” and words relating to it, such as names of figures in history. What happens if it’s triggered is that Imperial Knights are sent an alert to arrest the person who set the spell off.

There is also a dust that covers the person in question so they are easily identified. It’s not a perfect spell though, it kind of relies on the only people who know about reincarnators being educated in that specific academy, so people who do know about reincarnators who don’t attend the academy won’t be prosecuted (like Linus)

Shellie was a bit of a troublemaker growing up, and hates the Imperial Knights with a passion. This is due to the fact that out of most of her family, she passes as a Teffrah citizen due to her light skin color. When she was a child, Imperial Knights arrested her and her mother and threw them both in prison overnight.

They didn’t believe that her mother, who was darker in skin tone than Shellie, was biologically related to Shellie and assumed she stole her. When it was confirmed that she was Shellie’s biological mother, they gave no apology whatsoever.

Shellie often got into trouble, and had a fiery personality until her parents got laid off from their work. For a long time, Shellie and her siblings had to be the breadwinners of her family, so she read hand me down books and as a result idealized the noble lifestyle to get away from the chaos.

In the original timeline, this resulted in Shellie being a people pleaser who isolated herself and had an unbalanced relationship with Anette. But in this timeline, Bridgette became someone Shellie could vent all her frustrations with, and developed a good relationship with her.

Marina has autism, she is sensitive to certain sounds and noises. Her knowing magic contributes to her using her hearing sensitivity to track when people are using spells, but it can also be painful for her.

Yep. What happened with Nahla (Lord Demeter’s birth mother) was very infamous throughout the Limpette community in Teffrah, and the nobility as well. The maids who were employed by the Demeter household were all let go, and forced to sign agreements not to talk about what happened in that household.

Servants from other households also warned young Limpette women not to accept jobs there, so there was a massive decrease in maid applications as well. While the Demeter household attempted to spin it into “Nahla fell in love with Lord Demeter and killed him” while omitting that she was assaulted and forced to have his child, they also imposed a ban on female servants before the fact that female servants were too afraid to work there came to light.

There are timelines where Marinus was rescued by his family, and Nahla survived, but they wouldn’t go to Limpette. Nahla’s family escaped Limpette because of Teffrah’s brutal occupation and military invasion. They couldn’t go back to Limpette because it’s not safe to live there.

The timeline where Marinus lives with his mother’s family would be because Lady Demeter successfully gave birth to a male heir around the same time that Marinus was born. Marinus couldn’t pass as a Teffrah child, so he and Nahla would be expelled from the household.

Nahla, no matter what timeline, wouldn’t be able to bring herself to raise him (now named Seasalt) because of the trauma surrounding how he was born. He would be raised by his aunt Talia (Marina’s mother), his grandparents, and with his cousins. his relationship with his mother is distant, but she cares about him.

Seasalt would grow up to be haughty, and very charismatic but selfish. Overall a decent person, if a bit overdramatic. He can’t handle money and always has to ask Marina for it since she handles the family's finances. He would also constantly threaten to run away and never return, but always comes back home after a few days because he blows through his savings.

Gregory’s family belongs to a fundamentalist sect of Teffrah nobility. They don’t believe in medical intervention, and are strongly opposed to things that they consider “outside of the laws of the divine will.”

To them, getting sick is just nature weeding out the weak, and if someone is weak enough to die, then they deserve to.

However, it should also be noted that this apparently doesn’t apply to the leader of their sect, or his inner circle and their families, who are allowed to have as much access to medicine as they want or need. They are deemed “socially superior” due to their wealth, and must stay alive to keep the population of Teffrah “pure” from “foreign blood.”

When Gregory fell into a coma from the poison, his parents did ask for permission to give him medical attention, but their request was denied and he died as a result.

She finds them on the ground, puts magic in them, and when they’re done they turn back into rocks.

Thank you for reading! I haven’t read Ascendance of a Bookworm yet, but I’ll check it out!

OG!Delilah would probably be very quiet but ashamed. She doesn’t like getting attention and her reincarnator is an extrovert.

OG!Anette would probably be over the moon at first that Marinus finally loves her, then get very shocked when finding out his true nature and try to run away. She would probably be at odds with her reincarnator, they are very different people and would probably argue a lot.

OG! Phoebe wanted to be more assertive, but she didn’t want what her reincarnator wanted. She is horrified by the way she treats people and can’t stand Dimitri (who she thinks is creepy).

Yes, Caravaggio’s mom is from the same town as Eriadne, though a little in the boonies.

Demons are manifestations of the magic within people that is not properly contained. Nobles who aren’t interested in magic and neglect understanding it, and commoners who lack access to education to harness it are the main victims. Magic can manifest through trauma, and if someone is too scared to die, they have a high chance of becoming a demon or spirit.

Spirits can latch onto demons and do their bidding in exchange for more power, which is what led to the problems at Eriadne’s manor. Her demon stepfather had a whole bunch of evil spirits that followed him around and resorted to eating people/possessing them in order to try and become human again.

#this isekai maid is forming a union

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sillyname30 · 1 month

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I just listened to the latest episode of and that's what you really missed on Glee.

Kevin said the recap at the beginnging of the episode was the longest recap in the series. And the main focus is on the neglect of Tina in the past 3 seasons. Jenna said they finally acknowledge they underused Tina. Kevin said it felt like an apology. (One of the guests said the recap was so long, because the episode was a little too short)

Jenna fell into the fountain many time although they had 2 stunt doubles. (I don't understand the logic of that. Jenna had to get wet as Tina and Rachel, but why did she had to fall so many times when they had stunt doubles?)

Kevin felt that (Tina storming out) was all very targeted in a way. Where it's like what happened in real life to Jenna during Michael. Many scenes felt very familiar. Jenna said it felt mirrored. It felt projected.

Ian helped Jenna prepare to be Rachel. She felt like they saw enough of it, that the base was already there. Ian helped her with the song. He gave her a couple of distinctive things that she does.

Jenna had a lot of fun doing the scenes with Lea.

Cringe moment: the way Sue referred to Unique + little people

best dance move: welding + Vocal Adrelanine

best song: Because You Loved Me

performance mvp: Jenna (Kevin), Mark and everybody brought it in (Jenna)

The didn’t mention the body swap of Finn and Kurt. Chris was so good as Finn.

#and that's what you really missed on glee #props

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rockifresa · 3 months

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Entrevista en español:

Hayden Christensen reflexiona sobre las precuelas de Star Wars: 'Esas películas se han mantenido bien' - Exclusivo

Habla de presión. Hay pocos villanos en el cine tan icónicos como Darth Vader, reconocibles por el más breve vistazo de su distintivo casco o el más mínimo silbido mecánico de su respirador. Entonces, cuando Hayden Christensen firmó para interpretar a Anakin Skywalker en las precuelas de Star Wars , asumió una tarea formidable: presentar al hombre detrás de la máscara. A lo largo del Episodio II – El ataque de los clones y el Episodio III – La venganza de los Sith , Christensen nos mostró exactamente cómo la esperanza más brillante de la galaxia se alejó de la luz y se sumergió en la oscuridad total, y durante ese tiempo, su propia experiencia de Star Wars fue una mezcla. de luz y oscuridad también. Después de soportar años de críticas, ahora el fandom lo ha acogido de todo corazón.

En declaraciones a Empire en una importante nueva entrevista (y sesión de fotos original) para la celebración del 25 aniversario de la trilogía precuela , Christensen habló sobre su tiempo en la galaxia muy, muy lejana. “Ha sido una experiencia extraordinaria. Y muy conmovedor”, le dice a Empire . "El viaje que he emprendido con Star Wars durante los últimos 20 años o más... ha sido un viaje salvaje, y el lugar en el que nos encontramos ahora es realmente significativo para mí". Si bien la reacción contra las precuelas fue difícil de soportar, le complace ver cuán queridas son las tres películas hoy en día. "Creo que esas películas se han mantenido bien con el tiempo", dice. “Se siente como una reivindicación del trabajo que hicimos. Todos los que trabajaron en esas películas pensaron que éramos parte de algo especial. Todos queríamos hacer nuestro mejor trabajo y nos preocupamos mucho por ello. Y ver la respuesta de los fans ahora es genial”.

Esa respuesta incluye el entusiasmo de los fanáticos más jóvenes, quienes siempre están emocionados de conocer al hombre que... bueno, asesinó a todos los jóvenes Jedi en La venganza de los Sith . “Se habló mucho de que hiciéramos esa escena y me encanta que George la hiciera. Fue un movimiento audaz. Y es impactante”, dice el actor. “¡Los niños parecen olvidarse de esa escena cuando me conocen! No hay miedo ni intimidación. Simplemente están emocionados de conocer a Anakin”.

Después de haber superado la tormentosa recepción de las precuelas y haber regresado a la galaxia de Star Wars en los últimos años para aparecer en Obi-Wan Kenobi y Ahsoka , Christensen reflexionó sobre los consejos que le daría a su yo más joven antes de entrar en El ataque de los clones. . “Aunque estaba un poco abrumado, también era un joven confiado y quería dejar mi huella. Pero supongo que si tuviera algún consejo para mí durante ese momento general de mi vida, sería: 'Paciencia'”, decide. “Porque mi viaje con el personaje y con Star Wars ha sido a veces lleno de obstáculos... pero ahora estoy en un buen lugar con eso. Y por eso digo paciencia”. En 2024, sin duda habrá equilibrio en la Fuerza.

Lea la entrevista completa de Empire con Hayden Christensen (y vea más imágenes del rodaje) en la edición del 25 aniversario de las precuelas de Star Wars . También dentro de la revista, hablamos con Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Liam Neeson, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, Brian Blessed y más sobre protagonizar las películas; revisamos secuencias icónicas con el productor Rick McCallum, el coordinador de especialistas Nick Gillard y el diseñador conceptual Iain McCaig, analizando la Podrace, la batalla en la arena de Geonosis y el duelo de Mustafar; vemos más de cerca el arte conceptual rara vez visto de toda la trilogía; Hablamos con la diseñadora Ellen Lee Moon sobre la historia detrás de su legendario póster de La amenaza fantasma y mucho, mucho más. Es la última mirada retrospectiva a la trilogía que lo cambió todo.

#hayden christensen

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eastern-lights · 11 months

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Dune and the Ian Malcolm Rule of Writing Prequels

The Dune prequels have irked me for some time. I read them and immediately felt that there was something iffy about them, something that goes beyond quality of writing. Finally, I have concluded that they are a prime example of what happens if you break what I like to call “The Ian Malcolm Rule of Writing Prequels”, which basically says that just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should do it.

Part 1 - Victor Atreides or “Surely they would have mentioned something like this”

The trouble with prequels is that you can’t make the events too impactful if they aren’t mentioned and elaborated on in the original text. That would cause a dissonance between the importance of the event and the characters’ apparent obliviousness of it. This can be avoided to a degree if you go the Clone Wars route and base a prequel around a throwaway line like “You fought in the Clone Wars?” that isn’t the primary focus of the conversation. Obi-Wan not elaborating on all the misadventures he had during the Clone Wars feels natural, because him and Luke have more important things to talk about at the moment.

The Prelude to Dune Trilogy is a different story, though. There are many examples of events that by all rights should be important enough to get a mention out of the characters by the time of the original Dune, but I would like to focus on the most glaring one: Victor Atreides, Leto’s firstborn son by his first concubine, a son that tragically died before Paul was born. There is nothing in Dune that outright says that Leto did not have another partner and another son before Jessica and Paul. But that doesn’t mean it makes sense. In House Harkonnen, Leto watches his son Victor die in an explosion that was meant for him. Come Dune, an assassination attempt is made on Paul, and we get a vivid description of Leto’s feelings on the matter, no less than 4 pages. Surely, if he had lived through a similar experience before, if he had lost a son before in such a similar fashion, he would have remembered Victor at that moment. He would have cursed himself for allowing such a tragedy to almost happen again. But he does not, because he did not lose a son before. Because Frank Herbert clearly meant for Paul to be his first and only son. Victor’s very existence feels weird, because it feels unnatural that Leto wouldn’t have given a single thought to his dead son even as he almost lost another.

Part 2 - Death of the Old Duke or “Watch Out for That Symbolism”

All that we know about Leto’s father from the original Dune is that he raised his son to be cold and ruthless, and that he died while fighting a bull. The manner of his death is deeply symbolic and way more important than it may seem. Paulus Atreides (the name was given in the prequels, but I’m gonna use it anyway, because the alternative is Dune Encyclopaedia’s ‘Minotauros’ and I sure as hell ain’t calling him that) died completely unnecessarily, while showing off his strength. He did not have to fight bulls. That we know, because Leto never did, so it clearly wasn’t some super important unbreakable tradition. Paulus risked his life because he was proud and he wanted to keep up appearances. Now, why does Leto come to Arrakis, knowing full well what danger awaits him there, rather than take his family into exile? He is too proud to admit defeat. He would rather risk his life and fight against all odds than lose face before the Landsraad by refusing the Emperor’s order. And he suffers the same fate as his father. Arrakis was Leto’s bull. Denis Villeneuve understood this, and that is why in the 2021 movie, Leto dies underneath the head of the very bull that killed his father.

The prequels throw all that symbolism out the window by having the bull be drugged into a killing frenzy by an assassin, and implying that if it weren’t for the assassin, Paulus would have won. That takes away from the moral lesson about pride and risk-taking that Leto failed to learn until it was too late.

Now, I understand that there needed to be some drama and conflict in the prequels. The way they’re written, that conflict comes from Paulus having been killed on the orders of Leto’s mother Helena, something that Leto knows but has to ignore, because otherwise he would have to order his own mother’s execution, something that a) he can’t bring himself to do and b) would make him incredibly unpopular with the people. To preserve the bull’s head symbolism, why not have the conflict come instead from Helena becoming protective of her son, terrified to lose him as she had her husband, and Leto clashing with her because he feels that as the new Duke, he needs to show the same strength and bravery as his father? Maybe he would also have inner conflict, because he realizes that his father risking his life in an arena was stupid, but he also admires Paulus, and wants to match him? It is already hinted at in Dune that Paulus’ shadow still looms over Leto. There is so much conflict to be had even without uprooting the themes of the original.

Part 3 - Mistrusting Jessica or “There is such a thing as too much of a good thing”

Many fans would probably agree that one of the most beautiful and most tragic aspects of Dune is the strain that is put on Leto and Jessica’s relationship, how all of us could merely watch in horror as the two drifted further and further apart, even as we, who as the readers knew all their inner thoughts, were completely aware of just how much they loved each other. I suspect the authors of the prequels tried to evoke the same emotions by having them drift apart to the point of divorce not once, but twice, and each time because Leto suspected her of treachery. At one point, he even holds a knife to her throat (!) (#NotMyLeto, #MyLetoHasAngerIssuesButNotThisMuchFfs). Again, there is nothing in the original that outright states that they haven’t had problems in the past, but consider Leto’s reaction when Thufir Hawat suggests that Jessica might be the traitor they are looking for:

(abridged) “I see.” Leto shook his head, thinking: There can’t be anything to it. I know my woman. “My lord, if-” “No!” the Duke barked, “There is a mistake here that-” “We cannot ignore it, my Lord.” “She’s been with me for sixteen years! There’ve been countless opportunities for-- It’s impossible, I tell you!” The Duke’s shoulders slumped. He closed his eyes, looking old and tired. It cannot be. She has opened her heart to me.

These are not the thoughts of a man who had such suspicions of his lover before. He goes through all the stages of grief, except for acceptance, because despite everything Thufir brings forth as evidence, in the end, he still trusts Jessica more than himself. I find it very hard to believe that he would be this hurt and deny the very idea of betrayal so vehemently if he had been through something like that before. He sounds exactly how you would expect him to sound if he really did not have a single reason to doubt Jessica throughout their entire relationship.

The romantic plotline of the prequels should have focused on them slowly building this incredible bond of trust, instead of breaking it over and over again. Instead of creating arbitrary conflict between Leto and Jessica in every single book, the prequel authors should have shown us their love at its peak, so that its deterioration in Dune would hit us that much harder.

Conclusion (Finally)

Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson somehow managed to make their prequels both too similar to the original (by recycling plot points, thereby diluting the original) and too different (by straight up inserting characters and events that don’t fit in with the original). I have mentioned before on this blog that few things upset me more than wasted potential in a book, and I stand by this. Leto Atreides and Jessica are very popular characters in the fandom, and many people would love to read more books with them as the protagonists. But the authors simply tried to make the prequels too big, too dramatic and packed to the brim with events that are seem too impactful not to be mentioned in the original. Prelude to Dune and the Caladan Trilogy should have been smaller, more personal stories. The story of a young man struggling to rule a planet after his father died for nothing is compelling enough. So is the story of a woman caught between her loyalty to an order that raised her and her love for a man who was perhaps the first person in her life to show her genuine kindness. We did not need a great tragedy like Victor’s death, nor a great betrayal like Helena’s plot. It would have been enough to depict what has been hinted at in the original, no more and no less.

#dune #frank herbert's dune #analysis i guess #text post #yeah sorry for the rant #jessica atreides #leto atreides

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