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hit-song-showdown · 3 months

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My favorite songs of 2023

I am putting together my favorite songs released in 2023. I started off doing a project where I listened to as many new albums as I could (and recording my findings in a spreadsheet), but that project tapered off around June when my move + school year started. But even though I wasn't able to listen to every album that came out, I still came out of 2023 with some of my favorite musical projects of all time. Also as another disclaimer: I am not a professional music writer.

I am also limiting this list to 1 song per album/project.

1. Scaring the Hoes by JPEGMafia and Danny Brown. I wish I could go back and experience again what happened to my brain when I first heard this track so I could properly convey it with text. When I first saw this project was announced, I knew it would take over my life. When I heard this track before the album was released, I knew I would have to form some kind of religion around it. The reason why I'm limiting this list to one track per album is because Scaring the Hoes has 14 tracks so I wouldn't be able to fit them all (other songs I would have given the number 1 spot include Burfict!, Shut Yo Bitch Ass Up/Muddy Waters, God Loves You, and Kingdom Hearts Key). But the title track is the perfect introduction. It's less of a single and more of a thesis statement for the entire project. The production throughout this album is incredible, but STH hits different. The rhythmic, almost menacing handclaps (fun fact: those aren't handclaps--that's the sound my asscheeks make when this song comes on) and the horn sample which I can only describe as Blood Money era Tom Waitsian, it is by far my favorite beat of 2023. Combined with Danny and JPEG's charisma and the way they bounce back and forth, this song is a shot of adrenaline straight to the heart. Also I saw them live and that experience elevated a 10/10 to a 20/10 for me.

2. Prof. Aronnax' Descent into the Vast Oceans by Ahab. I started seriously listening to German nautical funeral doom metal band, Ahab around early 2022 so this was the first new release I got to experience. Even though I loved what I heard previously, nothing could have prepared me for this. The opening track is everything I want from a doom metal song. It starts out with a frantic onslaught of screaming and inhuman growls before mellowing out into a serene instrumental before the mournful vocals kick in. It really feels like the initial shock of your body slamming into the water, then having to slowly drift among the waves as your muscles give out and you're taken deeper into the depths. That's what I like about doom metal: it's music to decay to. This track (and by extension this album) hooked me from a story-telling perspective right away, which shouldn't be a surprise as it was based on Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. The story presented in this album intrigued me so much that I had to read the book for myself. Then I read it again. Then I read two different translations. Now I'm working on a visual novel adaptation. I know metrics for album rankings are subjective, so I'm willing to give an album an extra bump if it gets me to read a 19th century novel at least five times in less than two months and learn Python coding. (Other tracks I would have included: the album is at its strongest as a single listening experience, but I especially enjoyed Mobilis in Mobili and Ægri Somnia).

3. What A Man by Debby Friday. This is a track off of Nigerian-Canadian electronic musician Debby Friday's first album Good Luck and holy shit, what a debut. This is such a well-formed project I can't believe it. I was already enjoying the album throughout the first few tracks. It brought me back to listening to 2000s club music and thinking "wow I wish I got invited to parties." But then I got to What A Man and the world screeched to a halt. I think I was posting on my main blog at the time, so anyone unfortunate enough to follow me had a chance to see my incoherent screeching in real time. This track is incredible. Debby's warm and sultry voice, the spacey production, THE ELECTRIC GUITAR? The first time the guitar kicks in, that's just a teaser for what ended up being one of my favorite music moments of the year. The electric guitar feels like an oncoming storm and Debby is standing strong before it, taking on the wind and rain as her voice becomes louder and almost yearning. Then the song builds with Debby yelling to the high heavens as the guitars wail around her before fading back down into the low bass and rhythmic breathing motif found throughout the album. This track is an experience, and the music video is gorgeous too (the picture I chose for the banner is from the video itself) and the fact that it has less than 20K views hurts me. (Other tracks I would have included: I Got It, So Hard To Tell, Let U Down)

4. Bite Back by Algiers (ft. billy woods and Backxwash). Speaking of songs that build... This is the sixth track off of Algiers' album, Shook and by this point I was already feeling pretty good about the release. I was already prepared to put the opening track, Everybody Shatter on my top 20, but when Bite Back kicked in, something changed. Here's a recreation of my initial reaction: "this sounds pretty good, I like the way this intro...is that billy woods??") Just to be transparent: billy woods' involvement would have been enough to give this an automatic top slot for me, but it helps that his verse is fantastic. His flow is slower than the introductory verse, but that only makes his lyrics stand out more. From the opening lines "One hand wash the other, they both wash the face / Centrifugal force and inertia keep everything in its place / Slowly, spinning in space, speeding, lead foot on the brakes" I knew I was in for something special. One thing I really appreciate about this track is the production. billy woods has a very steady flow with an almost menacing quality to it depending on the subject matter of the lyrics, and the beat shifts during his verse to reflect that. It sounds like it could be a billy woods beat, but it doesn't sound like one of his beats was carelessly shoved into an Algiers song. It's like the beat ebbs and flows with the artists involved. The production gets gradually more intense as billy picks up more ferocity in his delivery. A detail I really like is when billy says "claws rattling, delicate as roaches' wings," the percussion on the backing track picks up an almost rattling quality, but it doesn't sound corny or too obvious. Then billy continues, the backing track picking up even more intensity until it feels like each noise is blasting at full power...and then the tension releases and settles down with Algiers frontman, Franklin James Fisher, delivering the second verse. His delivery contrasts wonderfully with billy woods' too, with his faster, almost whispered vocals allowing the track to pick up momentum again after the previous release of tension. This track knows when to breathe and it's fantastic. But it also knows when to take the air from your lungs as Fisher goes all out with the vocals in the hook and third verse, reinstating what an absolute powerhouse vocalist he is. And just when the track is at its peak ferocity, in comes Backxwash with the steel chair! If billy and Fisher were allowing the beat to gradually shift under their performances, Backxwash grabs the song by the throat and makes it do whatever she wants. Her verse then trades off into Fisher delivering the outro, operating at full power in his delivery. This song is so well-crafted and none of the artists feel out of place. (Other tracks I would have included: Everybody Shatter, A Good Man, Irreversible Damage)

5. Billions by Caroline Polachek. As of writing this, I haven't been keeping up with other people's year end lists, but I know this album is going to make everyone else's. So I feel a bit intimidated to talk about it, but I will try. The production on this album is so good my brain can't even comprehend how it was crafted. I've seen it described as "maximalist," but that doesn't fully capture how well this album knows when to pull back and let the tracks breathe. Billions is one of the more sparse tracks compared to some of the others, but that only makes each production decision stand out more. The second time Caroline says "give me the closure," you hear a little musical sting in the background (probably some kind of synth, but at first listen I thought it was an electric guitar) which didn't show up after the first time that lyric was sung. It's that attention to detail and letting the production build on itself that makes this project incredible. And it goes without saying that Caroline is an outstanding vocalist. She sounds like a siren. It's ridiculous. (Other tracks I would have included: Welcome to My Island, I Believe, Hopedrunk Everasking)

6. The Black Seminole by Lil Yachty. Opening track off of Lil Yachty's psychedelic rock album, Let's Start Here, and what an opening track on a fantastic project. It should be clear by this point that I love songs that build, and holy shit does this song build. I first listened to this album while I was on a plane, and this track synced up with my takeoff. So while the plane was lifting off the ground and I was being pressed against my seat, Lil Yachty gave the final line before the electric guitars and the female vocalist kicked in, both wailing with equal ferocity. Top 10 music experiences of the year, but even going back to listen to that same track when I'm not on an airplane delivered the same euphoric experience. (Other tracks I would have included: Drive Me Crazy, Should I B, We Saw the Sun)

7. Xena by Skrillex and Nai Barghouti. I debated whether to put this song or Hydrate on the list, but Xena was the first track that made me fall in love with this album. With vocals by Palestinian singer, Nai Barghouti, Skrillex delivers an absolutely outstanding dubstep track. Like Billions, it's the kind of music production that makes me have to step back and fully appreciate the craft. The song is incredible at building intensity, but he also knows when to pull back to let the tension build again. And Barghouti isn't just a feature--she is the heartbeat of this song. Her voice melds with the production so well, but in a way that sounds like she's commanding it. My absolute favorite part of the song is when she starts singing in her lower register as the production turns to more naturalistic instruments. Sometimes I see electronic producers robbing their singers of their voices for the sake of cohesive production, but that isn't the case here. Nai Barghouti's voice is crisp, unique, and perfect. It's a fantastic melding of producer and vocalist that makes way more sense than it should. (Other tracks I would have included: Hydrate, Rumble, Ratata)

8. Babylon by Bus by billy woods and Kenny Segal. I already talked about billy woods, but he was a feature so this still counts. Everything I already said about billy woods' skills applies here as well, especially now that he has full control over the track. billy's flow sounds both effortless, and that he knows the perfect word to use for each line. And he uses interesting words. "Glistening waterbug on clean counter / Plague mask, gave the place a cursory glower / He ran away, I gave chase but gave up and sat on his gate for hours" I love this series of bars. He is a storyteller. And then, the beat pauses after billy's first verse, with low menacing notes, a clattering of naturalistic metallic percussion, and then the switch up??? Seriously the way the beat ramps up for SkrapKnel's verses takes the song to another level. The way the Curly Castro and PremRock pass the mic back and forth to each other is outstanding. This doesn't feel like a guest verse; this is a fully realized project. The shamelessness is even more apparent when billy takes the mic again for the final verse, but now with more ferocity in his delivery as if he's building off of the energy created by SkrapKnel. This song is masterful. "I take care of these words, Munchausen by proxy / Somehow beat the tox screen / God save the queen, but that train doesn't stop here anymore" (Other tracks I would have included: FaceTime, Year Zero, Soft Landing)

9. Drain You Empty by Cannibal Corpse. I listened to this album right around midterms and I needed it. But this was the song I kept coming back to. For one, it's fun. Obviously: it's Cannibal Corpse. But I love the way the song opens with a full minute of just blasting you before the drums, riffs, and screams really kick in. Good god the drumming on this album is so good. I absolutely love Corpsegrinder's delivery on this track. The way he shifts from bellowing growls to shrieks, the way he speeds up his delivery to match the pace of the drums, it's so good. I'm sorry I don't have a better analysis. It's fun. (Other tracks I would have included: Chaos Horrific, Overlords of Violence, Blood Blind)

10. Crossing Guard by Model/Actriz. This is a song that made me wish I went to gay clubs more. Yes, it's a killer dance song, but what draws me in is how chaotic the production is. It starts out slow and quiet, then bam! The production starts screeching at you in a glorious onslaught of noise, held together with a fantastic bassline. I love the vocalist too. He can be monotone and subtle, but he also knows how to raise his voice to match the ferocity of the production. I listened to this song countless times last year (often while crossing the street and trying not to get hit by cars), and the line "Like Germanotta, Stefani / Pull the weight from under me" will be stuck in my head forever. (Other tracks I would have included: Donkey Show, Amaranth)

#music #2023 music #jpegmafia #danny brown #ahab #ahab band #debby friday #algiers band #caroline polachek #lil yachty #skrillex #nai barghouti #billy woods #backxwash #kenny segal #cannibal corpse #model/actriz

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anglaoshi · 2 years

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Lonely Warrior (孤勇者) - Algger - Hello Dance

Power and precision

The music for this work is Lonely Warrior (孤勇者) by Eason Chan (陳奕迅). I’m given to understand that the song has something to do with the League of Legends setting? Or Arcane’s setting specifically? I completely adore Algger, but not enough to watch Arcane @___@. I get the impression that there may be imagery specific to the story of Arcane, or connotations I’m missing because of that, so tell me all about it in the notes! The lyrics tell a mawkish story, addressed to an object of yearning, within a high-stakes world of violent, desperate conflict. The music itself is fine! But it feels a little soulless to me. I just don’t love this song.

Maybe the music doesn’t play to my personal taste, but Algger looks good in melodrama. This composition is theatrical, emotional, and intricate. It explodes by turns with bursts of precision and power in a way that is unique to Algger’s embodied skills. As such, this performance is really excellent, and it deserves more attention.

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From a film production perspective, this video is notable for its significantly boosted contrast, which produces abyssal blacks and emphasizes the bright blue of Algger’s contact lenses. I wonder if the costuming was meant to be reminiscent of Dune, with the eye design, though the high contrast also adds impact to the draping and fluttering movements of the shirt. In such a fraught and theatrical piece, intensity for intensity’s sake is also perfectly acceptable as an aesthetic choice.

For the first cycle, Algger dances alone, which isn’t easy to do on a stage with such a bare, unadorned sensibility. The venue is a ‘black box’ style stage, and the set is mainly lit by a warm white wash, with some depth added by a golden blaze from stage right. Despite the design simplicity, vivid and dense choreography suffuses both the screen and the conceptual arena. The dance is characterized by cyclical rising and falling through vertical space, which gives the impression of struggle, of instability that thwarts even heroic striving. Exhaustion and desiderium are central motifs in this dance.

The piece expresses a superb array of feelings relating to the mood of the music. I admire the unreserved, unselfconscious, unironic performance of this highly emotional work. Though it is somewhat conceptual, the dance feels forthright and earnest. Many of Algger’s other choreographies are wrapped in a bubbly layer of camp that precludes vulnerability such as that on display in Lonely Warrior, so this is an exciting divergence from the norm. I’m continually impressed by Algger’s marvelous range and versatility, and furthermore, his execution here is technically masterful. The emotions flutter together in a bewitching tumble, like individual grains of falling, multicolored sand: despair, determination, pain, doubt, woe, melancholy. Each one receives its own mask and body expression.

The emotional baseline of this work is a kind of stoic despair that magnetizes the viewer toward the character, a hero who struggles valiantly in spite of every defeat. But what really captures my heart about this dance is how dense it is with expert voguing designs. Clean, beautiful, isolated poses that are executed so quickly, entire sequences fly by in an instant. Who can do it like Algger? This is why he’s my favorite. There are several incredibly beautiful moments in this dance that I want to highlight, so let’s get into it.

Backward spin

A lovely and difficult move that occurs a couple of times throughout the two choreography variations is a lyrical reverse spin, or a kind of modified pirouette en dehors. The low, close position of the lifted foot creates a nice contrast with the more angular arm positioning, which flows well out of the sharp, flat, pulling motion that just precedes this spin. To seamlessly integrate a fast reverse spin like this requires a high degree of four core dancing skills: body control, balance, awareness, and timing. All of the dancers in the video do a good job with this very tough move. Algger spins with his characteristic texture, like molten glass. In the context of the surrounding sequence, this move is one of the last of a short series of upright gestures, and it contrasts with the ground roll a few beats later. That repetition speaks to the themes of loss, crumbling, and the corruption of cherished belongings or relationships.

¾ turn with outstretched arms

Another quick and lyrical spin, this is the move that opens the dance. It is a sudden initiation, and its immediacy gives a sense of the story being joined in media res, implying a long history of this unabating quest, which the dance refuses to resolve. This choice quickly pulls the audience into the mood and story, since it lacks self-awareness of narrative that a more gradual introduction would create. There is no rest for the audience, as there is no rest for the hero.

This is a dramatic, sweeping visual to begin the dance, and it is emblematic of the work’s emotional core: a whirling cascade of reversals, dauntlessness in the face of grief. The arms here move quickly in a wide arc, as if to suggest a vortex. The placement of this move is a little less difficult than the other standing spin. Since there’s more bodily stillness at the beginning and end of the turn, it isn’t as challenging as smoothly integrating a fast spin into a high-tempo series of motions. If you watch carefully, you can see Algger make a beautiful little expression with his left forearm as he bends his knees to begin the turn. It’s like an anacrusis in a piece of sheet music. I love it.

Shoulder shake with perfect musicality

I’ll always fall for a move like this, which perfectly magnifies a subtle groove or musical notion. In this case, the motion matches a subtle drum fill that adds tension and anxiety to the music. Algger’s shoulder torque here is symmetrical, consistent, and expertly calibrated. It is a bridging move, not a focal point, but the choreography would be much weaker in its absence. This density of motion and concept is a signature of Algger’s choreographic style. There’s usually very little room to breathe, which amplifies the power and the affronting atmosphere. Of course, to create the full effect, intricate filling moves must be impeccably integrated with their surroundings, and this move is a perfect example of just that.

This ethereal, face-framing hand wave

One of the softest images in the dance, and perhaps my favorite moment overall. This movement has such an entrancing liquidity. Set amongst the hard and turbulent visuals that dominate this choreography, it alludes to reprieve. Here is a fleeting respite from the struggle, barely the length of a breath. Algger’s masterful hand control is in full force here, each individual joint of the digits bending precisely to create an eddying visual, like water dancing on the surface of the mythical river lethe. The hand wave itself is closely followed by the hands and wrists forming a fluttering figure eight around the face. The figure eight move implies disintegration: it resembles a rougher reiteration of the impossibly soft wave, a deforming of the precious thing as it falls apart. This sequence offers a tantalizing vision of oblivion, which slips out of reach before it even fully materializes.

The effect of gaze is also very powerful and striking in this image. Algger’s gaze follows the mesmerizing flow of the hand wave. It then turns forward for the briefest moment, gentle– almost dazed– and fluttering. As the peaceful moment breaks down completely, angular hands entrap the face, and the eye contact is lost as the dancers fall backwards, almost as if they were pushed by an invisible enemy (the viewer?). This abrupt dislocation again refers to the motif of impermanent progress, the inescapable clawing of antagonizing forces that allow no true rest or growth. This artistic choice deftly heightens the mood of impermanence and loss, as the sumptuous moment of serenity disappears before it can be savored. Moreover, there is an acceleration to the sequence that hauntingly evokes irresistible corruption.

This move appears only once in the two cycles, and is the more successful variant. In the first cycle, these beats are occupied by mincing, reaching movements, more characterized by turning of the wrists and arms than the hands themselves. As in the second cycle, Algger’s gaze intently follows the arcs of movement, which give a miasmatic impression of weightless motes. This variant of the sequence lacks the pathos of denied yearning, since the next move, a grasping and running action, flows naturally from the concept, imagery, and physical direction. It is an elegant, mature choice to vary the choreography of this story beat: The diaphanous hand wave in the second cycle is all the more impactful for its rarity and surprise.

Winged hand swish

Just before that gorgeous hand wave is this sparkling little gem of an image. In the sequence, it is in opposition to a straight, sharp thrust of the hands toward the neck, and it serves as a contrasting energetic reaction. It occurs in both cycles, and is just a delightful little moment demonstrating what unusual visuals can be generated by perfect hands control, with the digits appearing to curve impossibly upward like a bird’s wings in flight. Indeed the shape gives the impression of tiny wings, or perhaps feathers–or embers– floating through the air. This choreography is full of such minute, thoughtful additions.

Cascading forearm pivots

This is the last fantastic detail I want to discuss before addressing some of the broader themes and patterns of the work. Here, the veil between the story of the dance and the reality of dance as an art form becomes thin. There’s something so heartbreaking about the impermanence of dance. This pose exists only for an instant; I wish I could encase it in amber, hold it in my hand. But of course, its short-lived nature is the very foundation of a charming move like this. Pose is an essential feature of voguing dance, and poses like this that exist contiguously within the flow of a broader motion are the mark of truly exceptional voguing dance. Notice how the static image of the hand extending toward the shoulder exists as a distinct moment, though it lasts only fractions of a second. As the moment dissipates, it leaves behind an impression of the melancholy that fuels the emotional drive of the choreography.

Conceptually, this move echoes the larger picture of Algger’s body dropping to the floor. It is an early depiction of the concept of thwarted stability. The hand that moves here initially begins as the highest point of the body, as if spared from collapse. But this moment of durability is short, and the hand soon comes tumbling down as well. As an echo, it has less weight than the larger motion, but contains more steps, boundaries, reverberations. It also provides the momentum logic for the next movement, a lateral swing that allows the character to rise again. Unlike some of the other difficult moves in this choreography, Algger is really the only dancer depicted here who is able to fully articulate this extremely fine detail.

All of this in the span of one second

Mastery over detail is my absolute favorite feature of Algger, and this choreography is bursting with it. Moreover, these moments all have excellent musicality; GIFs don’t do them justice. Algger creates works that are full with intricate designs and layers of connotation; this is his signature as a choreographer. Each piece is a near-endless cornucopia of form, velocity, mood, and concept.

The primary narrative or conceptual beats in this dance depict a warrior’s difficult path, and often include expressions of defeat, pain, or exhaustion. One of the most striking things about Algger as a dancer is his powerful mask, his ability to never express any emotion unintentionally. The more I notice his exhaustion, the more I believe that I’m meant to notice it, to feel it. Then again, this is undoubtedly a highly demanding and exhausting dance. There’s the tantalizing possibility of a hybrid expression, where Algger could be intentionally lessening his own powers of illusion to elevate the connotations of the dance. A lonely warrior, after too much struggle, drops the facade just slightly, in hopes that his effort will be witnessed. It’s an elegant portrayal of the ideas contained within this song, which describes a longing for connection, a wish for validation of a hero’s tenacity amidst loss.

Many of the exhaustion images in this piece come from larger, drawn out moments. They tend to focus more on emotion than technique, though there is no lack of lavish execution.

For example, this lovely hand shape here

In a few instances, especially in the second cycle, however, there do seem to be genuine slips. Here and there, Algger’s reach or rotation becomes attenuated, and his characteristically thoughtful phrasing seems rushed. I won’t immortalize those instances here because it seems rude to give excessive focus to a few moments of imperfection. Moreover, I appreciate such meta-textual aspects, which blur the line between the fantastical, melodramatic story concept and the physical story of the literal performance itself. Certainly, the performance would be weaker if it didn’t attain such a risky, demanding level of difficulty.

Algger’s ‘Lonely Warrior’ choreography perfectly blends stylized cathexis and ardent vulnerability. Broad sweeps frame magnificent, sharp details. The mood is completely enthralling and Algger’s technical mastery is overflowing. Like all of the best Algger compositions, this dance assaults the viewer with its powerful atmosphere. Allow yourself to be swept up in the vibrant, poignant details painted out in effervescent moments on the canvas of Algger’s physicality.

Bonus thought: In the group dance, I really enjoyed the dancer in the green pants and white shirt! They had sumptuously smooth texture and graceful expression– it was really an excellent performance from that person too.

Next installment: An iconic performance with overwhelming power. Can you guess which choreography I'm thinking of?

#algger #angang #昂昂 #hello dance #voguing #jazz dance #choreography #lonely warrior #details #criticism #analysis #someone tell me who the dancer in the green pants is because I am horrendously face blind but I need to see more of them

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engekihaikyuu · 3 years

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View from the Top 2 - Review

Check out the Read More if you’d like to hear about this show! Askbox is open as well if you’d like me to elaborate on anything out of this.

Before I begin my review of the final show, I do want to start with some caveats:

So as I mentioned previously, the production once again went with PIA for their live streaming platform, which means that live streaming this show is very inaccessible for anyone living outside of Japan.

PIA is a ticketing platform that requires a working Japanese phone number in order to finish activating/registering a new account because you must call the number provided to finish account verification. So without a Japanese contact or a Japanese phone number, this platform is basically impossible.

I have a generous friend in Japan who was willing to share her account information with me, which is how I was able to pay for a show and use her log-in to watch the stream. I did not see this show in-person; I do not live in Japan and obviously travel is off-limits. Even if I did live in Japan, I would have qualms about going to the theater.

There are some logistical issues with this show because of the current pandemic, with the most visually obvious one being the small face shields the actors wear on-stage. They basically serve as protection against direct spittle, but obviously they do nothing to guard against aerosol spread; putting on the play is still an incredible risk to the performers and staff. Another difficulty they face is the fact that Tokyo is still continuing to maintain a nightly curfew. Every evening Tokyo performance needed to be bumped earlier so that spectators can leave the theater in time to make it home for that curfew. Keeping that in mind, the show is a surprisingly condensed 2.5 hours long, where I would have expected 3 hours given the amount of content it covered. This does affect the pacing in Act 2 noticeably, and I get the feeling that were it not for covid and the current curfew restrictions, it would feel a little less rushed at the end.

So, with all that said, here are my thoughts on Engeki Haikyuu’s final play, The View from the Top 2!!! This is absolutely not spoiler-free, for both the play’s content and everything that happened in the manga finale, so if you have not finished the series, this is your last chance to turn back.

Now that I think about it, I haven’t written a full review on a show since Fly High, so I’m a bit rusty at this, and I’ll probably leave out a lot so as always, my askbox is open for people’s additional questions!

The absolute main theme of this play (and really of the entire Haikyuu story) is the friendship and rivalry between Hinata and Kageyama, and the theme: I’m not alone. Engeki really did right by our dual protagonists by framing the final show as showing both of their journeys from beginning to end. Act 1 begins with that familiar sequence from the very first show: Hinata seeing the little giant on TV, being inspired to start playing volleyball, his struggle to find a team in middle school, losing to Kageyama in his one and only middle school tournament, and finding him again at Karasuno. They repeated the scene almost exactly as it was in the first show, and I think it was very smart of them to show us Daigo’s version of it, so to speak. That way we have a more cohesive vision of Hinata from the beginning of his journey to the end. Then they absolutely FLOOD the stage with a montage of projections with footage from all of the shows from the past five-and-a-half years. So already it’s pretty emotional for me, seeing how far the play had come as well as how far Hinata had come in the story.

To parallel this, the beginning of Act 2 actually begins with baby Kageyama. Yes, the baby Kageyama flashback with his sister and grandfather and how he started volleyball. We see Kageyama’s volleyball journey from childhood (for this they used a small doll similar to the dolls they used for young Kuroo and Kenma from Revival) to playing at Kitagawa Daiichi, to losing his grandfather, to being labeled the King of the Court, to defeating Hinata, and then having Hinata find him at Karasuno. And then they once again, they flood the stage with projections with past show footage, but this time they are more Kageyama-centric in the way that the previous ones were often Hinata-centric. And it just really highlights how much these two are meant to share the stage as the two main characters.

To see this framework and to know what’s going to come at the end, with the two of them reuniting in the pro-volleyball arena… just the beginning of Act 2 alone had me in tears. Another way they paralleled their respective journeys was to show us who have influenced them. In Act 1, there’s a dance with Hinata, Hoshiumi, and Udai (all little giants… well, Tsukishima’s in there too because he’s feeling a particular competitiveness with Hinata in this part of the match). In Act 2, there’s a dance with Kageyama, Atsumu, and Oikawa, because Atsumu and Oikawa are the setters who have had the most influence on Kageyama, and he’s drawing on what he’s learned from them for this match. They are not alone in their journeys, they have had people inspire them and be inspired by them in addition to having the support of their teammates.

The Karasuno vs Kamomedai match is interspersed with bits of action from the Fukurodani vs Mujinazaka match, so the stage was pretty busy for basically the entire time. The wires are back for some sequences so that both Hinata and Hoshiumi have a chance to fly, and there are plenty of acrobatics and lifts, and the same incredible soundtrack we love. Ryuu’s Hoshiumi is the obvious standout on Kamomedai for how many lifts he had, and they definitely tried to have him running around on the stage about as much as Hinata. It was notable how much they drew on past techniques and music for various parts of this match, since this is meant to be Karasuno at their peak. When Asahi was feeling particularly stuck/trapped against Kamomedai’s defense, they incorporated the tying-up visual they had previously used in Winners and Losers, with Kamomedai basically tying up and holding Asahi in place with ribbon. There was Summer of Evolution music when Karasuno does a great synchro attack, and the extras-wearing-Hinata-masks reappeared to show us Hinata’s “afterimage” as he flashes around the stage. If you’ve seen all the plays, you can’t miss these call-backs.

The flow of the match was fast. They hit the highlight plays and the highlight emotional moments, but we are clearly past the point where they need to narrate the actual volleyball to us. There was more dancing/acrobatics than attempting to place the two teams on either sides of a physical net with more overt volleyball moves. Everything was more intertwined and fluid than that. And actually now that I think about it, they have been sparse with their usage of a physical net in the past few shows, because everything has been a little more fast-paced overall.

They definitely wanted to highlight Karasuno’s rise throughout the game, to show that they were absolutely a formidable team, that they deserved to be at Nationals, and to show us all the ways that Hinata and Kageyama had grown. For most of Act 2 leading up to Hinata’s collapse, it really feels like they could win this. And I think it makes it that much harder for Hinata to accept being benched, because the team is riding this high and doing so well, and even Kageyama’s more visibly having fun. I think Takeda-sensei easily has a third of the best lines in the series. His speech to Hinata during the Kamomedai match is one that was really gut-wrenching to read when those chapters came out, and it was great to hear it said aloud.

And here is something I’ve never been able to point out because I didn’t do reviews for the past two tours, but I think Daigo’s voice is one of the strongest aspects of his Hinata. I’m sure a lot of that has to do with the work he’s done as a voice actor, but when he cries or whimpers, it is genuinely the most pitiful noise. A lot of Kenta’s portrayal of Hinata’s frustrations throughout the story had an undercurrent of anger and frustration. He’s upset, but there’s always something behind it that says, “well next time, it’ll be different.” And I think Daigo replaces most of that with pure sadness, especially for this scene. After Takeda-sensei lectures him good and proper, and he accepts that he needs to leave, he just sounds so broken. It doesn’t have that anger and drive underneath, he’s just in despair. And why wouldn’t he be? A part of him understands this is the last match he’ll ever play with this team, his first real team.

We then see Hinata bundled up in a coat and scarf, watching the rest of the match from the tablet that Kenma gives him. Snow begins to fall on the stage as he slowly wanders through it, with Karasuno and Kamomedai finishing out the rest of the match around him. Engeki Haikyuu has always allowed for the losing team in a match to line up at the edge of the stage, say thank you to the audience, bow, and take their leave. It’s so symbolic, and it’s so emotional for the actors and for the audience who are in the theater. It’s a moment that just barely breaks the fourth wall, when they turn to us, the spectators, to say, “Thank you for your support.” And they mean it both in and out of character. And I was so so so sad when I realized that Karasuno would take their final bow as a team without Hinata in the lineup. He’s in the back of the stage, separated from his team, and he does take a bow, but it’s very lonely.

Now, I’m sure people are very curious about the timeskip material, and mostly I just have to preface with: it’s fast. It does not take up as much of Act 2 as you might think. It’s boom, boom, boom, cameo here, pre-recorded projections there, patissier Tendou interview, Kuroo in a suit doing a promotional commercial for the V-League, Kageyama’s curry commercial, a projected Osamu selling his rice balls, get the old team together, fateful encounters in front of the bathroom, GO! The only thing we see of the Brazil arc is Hinata having a brief flashback to tell Kageyama that he met Oikawa while he was in Brazil. It’s very short, and that’s all we get for his time in Brazil. Basically, the play is not the place to see Hinata’s journey and growth from those chapters because he goes through so much of it alone, and there’s just no time. The Brazil arc also brings back a lot of technical details about volleyball itself, especially as Hinata is learning the beach version, and that’s an area where the manga is the best medium to examine the finer details of the sport. I can see why a play version would gloss over the technical details to focus on the emotional arc, which is in this case, Hinata and Kageyama.

Because of how fast the ending is, it definitely feels made for the people who already read the manga; Previous Engeki Haikyuu shows have always presented the story in a way that was very friendly to those who may not have read the manga or watched the anime. You could watch just Engeki Haikyuu and not feel like you were missing out on references/jokes for the most part, but this ending would be way harder to follow for those not familiar with what’s already happened.

It’s difficult because I do feel like Act 2 was overly condensed to wrap up this story, but I also don’t think the timeskip material is enough for a whole play on its own. If we had stopped at the end of the Kamomedai match, and had a whole separate play to cover Brazil and the Jackals vs Adlers match… the pacing would’ve been slow and low energy especially in the first half, and it would be an odd choice for the final show of a series like this. My preference would have been for this play to have been three acts, three hours, so that we could linger on some of those timeskip moments a little more, slow it down, and let them land emotionally. But clearly the covid situation prevents that in this case. That being said, I don’t think any of those timeskip moments could really hit as hard as when I first read them in the manga. Narratively, that Haikyuu timeskip was so unexpected and so outside the normal sports anime formula, that the initial shock is extremely hard to top. It was fun to see how they presented everyone in the future (seeing Noya on that boat catching a giant swordfish, or seeing Ennoshita almost break a patient’s back) in stage form, but it’s unreasonable to expect them to give us the same feeling of ?!?!?!? when we first read that Noya was in Italy of all places after waiting weeks and weeks for him to show up.

I still cried in several places, it’s still a great ending to one of the best 2.5D franchises in existence, and it still feels like the culmination of their legacy. I don’t know how it would be possible for anyone to watch that ending sequence with all of the team flags and the chanting of their names, and NOT cry.

There are no more live streams until they complete the rest of their tour and then there will be a live-stream of the very last show, which I will be watching with a towel in hand for my tears. Feel free to send in any questions if you’d like, and if you would like some Strongest Challengers or Trash Heap merch, I have a sales post that I recently made.

#Haisute #Engeki Haikyuu #Hyper Projection Engeki Haikyuu #Final Show #View from the Top 2 #review #reviews #2300 word vomit for any who are interested

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marilearnsmandarin · 2 years

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November report (or “where tf did the month go?”)

Okay. Let me start by saying that this month I finished the Chinese for HSK 1 course on Coursera (sure, I could have finished it a month or two before but let’s focus on the positives) and got to diamond league on Duolingo, so it’s not like I haven’t done anything... but yeah, Duolingo + watching cdrama (Nirvana in Fire) was pretty much all I did this month.

Keep reading for full report + December tracker.

Last month I said I expected to be more productive in November because I would be less busy, compared to October. I was less busy, but being aware of that means I allowed myself to waste time with other stuff. So this has been my least productive month so far.

I felt the month went by incredibly fast.

There were a couple more days when I did Rosetta Stone and forgot to put it on the tracker... which just goes to show how much my Chinese journal has been neglected. November 6 was when I finished the HSK 1 course.

Regarding music, I’ve been listening a lot to my playlist with 老王樂隊, Wang Feng (汪峰), WoH soundtrack (that hasn’t been deleted anyway) and some Disney songs, among other stuff. Nothing new compared to the past 2 months or so, that’s why I didn’t write anything.

I also started listening to a podcast called Takeaway Chinese, sporadically, but my brain hasn’t been very focused on it though.

I do want to finish “My Summer in China” in December and also practice my writing more often. Next week will be really super busy (end of the semester!), but a lot of my students will be doing final exams and I have to sit there to help them out and make sure they aren’t cheating and I intend to read while they do the exams. The week after that will be less busy but I will have to correct exams and write report cards, which is my least favorite thing in my job, so I will probably spend a lot of time procrastinating. Maybe I’ll procrastinate studying Chinese, we’ll see. And on the 18th, summer vacation starts. I’m not going to travel or anything (no $) so maybe I’ll study more, like I did on my winter vacation back in July.

Have a great December everyone!

#personal #my honest studyblr #tracker #journal #studyblr #mandarinblr #langblr #language learning #accountability #self-study #chinese language #chinese langblr

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redrosesartcabin · 3 years

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Self indulgent series: Part 2.1

Life: Part 1

(Kenji x female reader, authors perspective) (the reader is a singer) (also: Some angst in here. I dunno why, but I just love writing some angst with fluff endings xD)

“So, let me get this straight”, the interviewer said, bewildered by the story the singer and songwriter Red Rose had brought up, “you met your now husband, Kenji Kon no less, on Jurassic World as one of the kids who got stranded for five months?”

“That’s correct”, she said. She had answered that very question a million times, but she couldn’t fault them for it: It was an unbelievable story (though she started to wonder how not everyone was aware by now that she was one of the teens back than).

“It was in December of 2015. I was thirteen years old and exited to be one of the first teens to visit Camp Cretaceous. I have to admit, I wasn’t and still am not, maybe even less than before, the biggest fan of dinosaurs. I’m not particularly interested in facts about them, but I definitely was interested in seeing some Dino action! So when I won first place at the talent show of my school-“

“Unsurprisingly”, the interviewer interluded at which the audience gave a collective chuckle.

“-I was still very excited about going to Jurassic World. My parents never wanted to go and in retrospect I can understand why. But you know: I was a naïve thirteen-year-old and didn’t think much about the consequences of the past. What happened at Jurassic Park you know? I was convinced Jurassic World was different and all worked out. Boy was I wrong! We all know it now! But at least I can say that I got, besides trauma, lifelong friends and my amazing husband out of it”

“That definitely can’t be disputed”, the interviewer agreed. Red Rose found him quite pleasant. Although he was a chatterbox, he was still very respectful and didn’t poke too much into the Jurassic World story: Although she was, for the most part, over the trauma, it was still a work in progress and it’s not a time she always remembers fondly. On most days she remembers the good moments she had with her newfound friends there, but sometimes she could feel the adrenaline rush through her as she thought of dinosaurs trying to eat her and her fellow campers. She saw flashes of sharp teeth and could feel hot, stinking breath and hear growls drawing shivers down her spine. Red Rose liked to focus on the human part of the experience, so she preferred being able to tell the tale of Jurassic World the way she wanted without being asked too much…

“So, Kon helped you reach fame if I remember correctly?”, he asked.

“Definitely! Though, I mean: I was able to do most of what I’m doing. Teaching myself how to use certain programs. I taught myself how to sing and I’ve always written my own stuff…But I certainly wasn’t good at marketing myself or making myself grow.

Kenji and I became boyfriend and girlfriend when I was sixteen and he was eighteen. That same year we went on vacations for three weeks in the Caribbean’s. And “, she let out a laugh. The camera closed up on her and caught a smile and a glance that looked so touched by love anyone could feel how much she adored her spouse, “I remember how we went on the private part of the beach Kenjis father had purchased. I sat down on a hammock and a guitar and just started improvising and singing. Little did I know my boyfriend -gosh that sounds weird to say now- was filming me. He put it up on Instagram, and he already had quite a following back then, so it gained quite some attention. Though not necessarily because it was a nice scenery or any of that: But because people genuinely liked how I sing and the melody I had come up with. And well… it got wild from there. People soon requested I make my own Instagram page for making music.

A year later I was asked if I would like to produce some music and well… then my career started”

“That’s honestly such a cool and sweet story. Though how about an even sweeter reunion? Please welcome: Kenji Kon”

Red Rose got up from her seat with a wild jump, not as the eccentric, elegant yet kind of crazy minded artist, but as y/n Kon. As the wife who hadn’t seen her husband in person for a month because of the production of yet another movie starring him as the protagonist.

The crowd clapped in awe of him, as fans. She wanted to clap because her heart was clapping too. Her heart was dancing a tango inside of chest as though she was seeing her middle school crush in the hallway. His dark eyes, ridden with depth met her y/e.c. ones and all they could read in each other’s eyes was happiness and love.

This happened within miliseconds, but it passed by in slow motion for her, so she perceived herself running towards him with calm. For the rest of the world however she was perceived as looking like a golden retriever who had missed his owner whilst they were at work and were ready to play.

It was adorable. It was downright touching how the couple met each other halfway and gave each other a long, passionate yet gentle kiss (so that it wouldn’t be too inappropriate for life TV).

“Not to be giddy, but you really are a couple to die for”, the interviewer said. The audience half chuckled half yelled in agreement. She felt her cheeks blush in a deep dark shade of red and heard her husband chuckle in embarrassment. She looked down to her and whispered “Hello love”

Kenji had, unsurprisingly, had found joy in being actor. Being dramatic and showing his face on camera all the time? Perfect!

And he honest to god was a great actor. Though it did get annoying from time to time that he was casted as either the pretty faced villain or the charming, perfect love interest. Sometimes he was even both.

Y/n didn’t like to admit it, but she was quite jealous at the beginning when she saw him kiss other men and women on screen. It took a big fight for her to admit that.

She wasn’t proud of that fight at all. She had been, without wanting to, been very critical of her then fiancé (it was about six months before they got married). She would call him several times a day when he was on set of a particularly spicy rom com and observe his socials every couple of minutes. Y/n remembers her friends teasing her about it in the beginning and then eventually scold her. “Don’t you trust him?”, they had asked and she had answered, “I do….”, and they knew she was telling the truth, yet there was more behind it.

Kenji soon caught up and noticed her strange clinginess.

“What is up with you, Y/N? You know I have work to do! You can’t call me that often on set!”, he had yelled when the topic came up. He had been visiting for the weekend before he would go back on set.

“Why not? Can a girl not talk to her fiancé?”, she had asked with a sharp undertone

“Of course, you can darling. But twenty times a day is simply too much!”, he argued, yet he tried keeping his tone softer.

“I don’t call that often”, she pouted

“Oh YES you do!”, he put his phone out and showed her the times she had called just the other day. She counted about thirty, “I was nice with that number!”

“And? So what? You can just put your phone on silent”

“Yes, of course I can. This isn’t about solving the notification issue it’s about solving your trust issues towards me. Why don’t you trust me?”, as he asked the question his anger had subsided and genuine hurt showed in his eyes in his voice, “you monitor me like I’m an inmate”

“I…”, she was only able to say, her throat suddenly seemed dry, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… I…”, she couldn’t find the right words to explain it. It hurt too much to admit. She thought she had been over that thought pattern a long time ago, but it had returned to her.

“What? What have I done to deserve this?”, he asked, “Why are you even with me, if who I am disturbs you so much?”

And that… that sentence had hurt her more than that ugly thing inside of her she hadn’t wanted to face.

“You fool!”, she screamed in fury as the sentence he had uttered stung, her eyes filling with endless tears, “How could you ever think you disturb me? You are the most beautiful, wonderful human being I know, inside and out. And on top of that you are incredibly kindhearted. And that’s why I’m like this… I don’t want to lose you. And it’s not that I don’t trust you: I highly doubt you’d ever cheat on anyone. You are too kind for that. But I fear… I feared when you are together with all these good-looking actors you might not find me enough anymore. I know it’s stupid, but you see: The past haunted me again. When I was called fat. When I was called not-good-enough. When I read social media comments saying you’re out of my league and I don’t deserve you. Ugly words that ate me up inside when I was a child and young teen. I thought I was past that but I…I…”, now the tears were too many and her words died with hiccups. She felt his form surround her in a hug that felt so warm and yet sharp as knifes. She loved his touch but felt guilty for not opening up about this sooner. She had never wanted to be like this, but alas she had been too much of a coward to burden him or herself with this.

“Love”, he whispered after comforting her for a couple of minutes, “Look at me”

She lifted her head. Her eyes were red and puffy, her lips were dark pink, and tears had run streaks across her cheeks. It broke Kenji to have hurt her so deeply, yet he also knew that it wasn’t his fault. It was however his responsibility, to clear this up once and for all.

“Love listen”, he started, “I completely understand your jealousy. But we’ve been together for almost ten years and in all that time, I’ve never encountered a woman more incredible, deeply fascinating and intrinsically beautiful as you. No acted kiss could bring me away from you, no sexy actor could keep my mind from ever wishing for more than to be by your side. I’ve been by your side for almost six years: What should change now?

The monster from your past is, as already stated: Past. Their words were untrue. These people were in pain themselves when they caused you pain. You were a target to unleash the inner turmoil of others. It’s no excuse but it is the explanation. Those who feel they must hurt others are those who seek the most attention and power because they’d be devoid of having a self. I should know: I used to be similar to that. And I had my phase of jealousy as well, you know?”

“Really?”, y/n managed to ask

“Oh yes! I was in rage every time I heard you talk about any of your guy friends back in high school. Difference is I could hide it better because we were apart a lot of the time. I feared you would find someone who had more of a personality than me. I was no longer sure looks would cut it”

“Gosh love”, she answered, her voice love drunken, “you burst of personality. You aren’t just a pretty boy or well… pretty man. You have so much spirit and energy to give to the world. You are the definition of happiness and sunshine. And on top of that you are an incredibly talented man with so much to show. You wield the human mind and emotions so well you can convert yourself to be something other than yourself convincingly-”

“See?”, he asked, “and just like you love me like that and see all that good I sometimes don’t recognize, I see it in you… I always love you”

“I love you too. I’m sorry”

“Don’t be sorry. I’m so happy we had this talk. It was much needed”

“Yeah”, she hummed as her lips almost touched his and within seconds the couple found themselves passionately kissing

Ever since then they hadn’t had any of these kinds of self-worth problems. They’d say I love you on a daily basis and gave each other compliments whenever they could.

One thing the fans found especially cute was that, without fail, Red Rose would comment on each of Kenji’s selfies and comment “hey gorgeous, you single?” and he’d answer every single time, “Sure Sugar. Meet me at seven on your favorite street-corner”

One time they took a picture of each other on a nice-looking street corner. Kenji had called the picture “finally found the street corner. Been waiting to meet this lady for a while, apparently her name is ‘your wife’, which is peculiar but otherwise she seems nice”.

The picture even went viral and became one of the all-time favorite celebrity pictures of 2026.

After the talk-show they flew back in his helicopter.

They were in New York city and y/n looked at the city landscape with a fascinated gaze as she observed the flickering lights of the big apple.

Kenji looked at her with eyes shining almost as bright. He loved her love for everything new she sees. He had noticed that the first time she had seen the watering hole. He wasn’t really interested in her that way yet. He was fifteen and she thirteen, that makes quite a difference at this age. But still he couldn’t but smile as she looked at the dinosaurs with big eyes. And he loved that she hadn’t lost that spark, even as she got older, even as they came together and grew and changed together.

Y/n noticed his gaze and shifted hers to look at him.

‘What a beautiful man. I’ve missed him so’ she thought to herself.

“I missed you”, he said as though he had read her mind just now. Maybe he had. They had been together for so long they were often able to read each other’s subtle shifts in expression. Quite a beautiful thing.

“I missed you too”, she simply answered, “did you plan this talk show surprise?”

“Yes and no”, he admitted, “I was meeting up with Donavan O’Connor, the director of the ‘Elaine, the one?’ series. When calling Donavan, he told me had been to talking to Ray (the interviewer) and he was casually pointing out the funny coincidence you were meeting up for and mention the funny coincidence, that you’d have an interview with him that same day I come to the city and well… needless to say I called Ray and arranged things... I just had to. Couldn’t miss the opportunity to surprise my beautiful wife”

She smiled at that. A shy and flattered smile that reminded Kenji of when they were teens.

They landed on the roof of a nice-looking hotel. They had decided to stay the night here in New York before travelling back to Ireland… yes: Yes Ireland.

Most celebrities lived in L.A., but Kenji and y/n had preferred living a bit apart in an old mansion near the coast of south Ireland, close to the northern border. Although Kenji was a people person, he didn’t like the dishonesty and lying in the industry and wanted to get away from that with his wife who thought the same.

Besides: It was a beautiful country.

As they entered the room, they felt peace and happiness as well as a certain kind of tension arise.

Needless to say, there was another kind of reuinion going on that night...

(Sorry about that short ending, I had to heavily edit that ‘cause it originally was a... well... non Pg scene xD)

#kenji camp cretaceous #kenji x reader #kenji kon #kenji kon x reader #camp cretaceous #camp cretaceous fanfiction #jw cc #jurassic world camp cretaceous #self indulgent #self indulgent af

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voldiebuns · 4 years

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Horror Movie a Day 2020

The past couple of years I’ve done a challenge of trying to watch a horror movie a day through the month of October. Last year didn’t go well since I was so busy travelling, so I’m hoping for better this time around!

Under the cut you'll find my list of watched movies, plus rating and some thoughts about them. I’ll also be posting every day at my film twitter. Lemme know if you have any suggestions for what I should watch this month!

Hereditary (2018) | ★★★☆☆ This movie was... not at all what I was expecting from trailers and such. The devil worshiping angle was definitely a surprise, which I didn't entirely mind, but the first and second halves of the movie felt very disjointed from one another because of it. There were some good moments, but all in all, not entirely sure I liked the movie.

Parasite (2019) | ★★★★☆ More a thriller than horror, but I make the rules! I enjoyed this one a lot for the sense of tension it achieves even when not a whole lot of “action” was going on until close to the end. And of course how well it depicts class differences and how deeply affecting poverty is. Very good.

Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959) | ★★☆☆☆ Granted, this is over 60 years old now, but it’s still very bad. And not even in a particularly fun way. It’s honestly pretty boring and not scary at all... But at least it was short!

Piranha (1972) | ★☆☆☆☆ So 70s it hurts lol And also so boring it hurts. I spent most of the movie wondering when something was actually going to happen. But the real thing I wonder now is why this was in my sharks, piranhas, and monsters movie pack because there’s approximately two seconds of actual piranhas in this and they’re not even really attacking anyone?? I think they may have included the wrong Piranha because the picture on the cover is... not this movie lol

Them! (1954) | ★★☆☆☆ I actually thought it seemed pretty well made for the time, but it was definitely very slow. Interesting as a reflection of US nuclear fears, which I don’t think gets seen as much in movies, though!

Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus (2009) | ★★☆☆☆ This is... so bad. I’m pretty sure their budget had to be like $5 and half a gig of stock footage, but even aside from the godawful CGI, the cinematography is almost unbelievably awful and the acting is often cringeworthy. It also wasn’t particularly fun? But the romance was actually kind of cute.

Mega Piranha (2010) | ★☆☆☆☆ I honestly can’t even count the ways this was a terrible movie lol And still, not even in a particularly fun way! More cringe than cheese, which was really just disappointing.

Beneath Loch Ness (2001) | ★★★☆☆ This was actually really not bad. The graphics were incredibly 2001, but it came off as very heartfelt and the characters and their relationships felt real in a way they tend not to in these kinds of movies. I enjoyed it!

30,000 Leagues Under the Sea (2007) | ★★☆☆☆ Not really a horror movie, but in a pack with my other sea creature horror movies so it'll do. Production value was terrible and the plot was sketchy, but it had some interesting bits. Overall a pretty hearty meh for this one.

Tremors (1990) | ★★★★☆ First rewatch of the year! It's been years, though, and I needed a refresher before watching the rest. This movie is basically the floor is lava with killer worms and I love it lol A really fun movie!

Tremors II: Aftershocks (1996) | ★★★☆☆ Earl without Val was not quite so much fun, but they did some cool things with the graboids. Plus many more explosions! Biggest complaint is the puppets and CGI didn't always mesh well.

Tremors 3: Back to Perfection (2001) | ★★★☆☆ Wish they'd stop ruining things with worse and worse CGI lol This one got a bit goofy even compared to the others, but it was overall still fun!

Tremors 4: The Legend Begins (2004) | ★★★★☆ This one was really fun! I loved that they went back to the beginning of the town, especially since it was easy to see how it became Perfection in the end. I think it's the best one, tied with the original.

Tremors 5: Bloodlines (2015) | ★★★☆☆ The cinematography on this one was sometimes very weird. And the Jurassic Park homages went a bit past "homage" at point imo. But still a pretty fun watch.

Poltergeist (1982) | ★★★★☆ I think I'd seen this before, but I really couldn't remember. Either way, it holds up pretty well! Very engaging and creepy weird, with some good gross moments too.

Sleepy Hollow (1999) | ★★★★☆ Very enjoyable! Tim Burton's style meshed very well with the story, and of course the cast was full of wonderful actors. Unfortunate that Depp stars in it, but what can you do?

Underworld (2003) | ★★★★☆ Not horror exactly, but definitely adjacent enough. Great aesthetic and very enjoyable (re)watch! Also I super appreciated the soundtrack lol

Lake Placid (1999) | ★★★★☆ After I started watching, I realize I think I've seen this before. Still enjoyed it! The characters are definitely the draw more than the croc, though. Would have liked to see a bit more of it

Ghost Town (2009) | ★★☆☆☆ Holy bad acting and shaky cam Batman! Terrible movie with the barest hint of an interesting one beneath, but I think my biggest complaint is there was a Wiccan ritual being done... in the 1800s lol

The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976) | ★★★☆☆ There were really no horror elements in this to speak of, which I found a bit disappointing, and I also didn't feel like it had a very satisfactory ending. But I did enjoy the movie for the most part. I guess I just wanted more.

The Witches (1990) | ★★★☆☆ Mostly just pretty goofy, but a fun watch and it felt very seasonal. Anjelica Huston was, of course, the best part! Though I'm always happy to see Jim Henson puppetry as well.

The Silence of the Lambs (1991) | ★★★★☆ This was uh dated in several ways that make it a bit of an uncomfortable watch. But I really did enjoy it! The Clarice/Hannibal dynamic was even better than I'd been expecting.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) | ★★★☆☆ Wow, that was something else lol Something absolutely ridiculous and incredibly weird, but also very fun! I really enjoyed the main three characters and the music too.

Insidious (2010) | ★★★★☆ Such a good sense of tension in this! A lot of that was thanks to the music tbh, but I do think James Wan just has a really good feel for horror. Also, a very good ending, I'm definitely excited to see 2!

Malevolent (2018) | ★★★☆☆ A fairly enjoyable movie, but it just felt a little lacking and it seemed like the end came up really quickly. To be honest it wasn't quite what I was expecting. I wish there would have been a bit more with the ghosts.

The Conjuring (2013) | ★★★★☆ A rewatch since it's been a few years since I watched it. Very enjoyable movie with good music, great tension, and some actually good jump scares. The Annabelle stuff seems disconnected to the rest, though, I wish that had been more tied in.

Annabelle (2014) | ★★★☆☆ This movie dragged quite a bit and I feel like things could have been compressed quite a bit and it would have been better. The cult connection also could have been explored a lot more imo, because it felt a bit slapped

The Last House on the Left (2009) | ★★☆☆☆ Way too much sexualized violence for my tastes tbh, but I liked the concept and the cast was very good. I think I'll try the original sometime and see how it compares.

The Amityville Horror (2005) | ★★★☆☆ I feel like I may have seen this before? Not really worth the rewatch lol Like this movie is fine I guess, it just felt a bit empty and was overall unsatisfying to me.

The Crazies (2010) | ★★★★★ I was a little iffy going into this bc I thought it might be zombie-esque, and it was, but I really enjoyed it! I liked what they did with the government satellite especially.

Midsommar (2019) | ★★★★★ I was expecting this to be good since I’d heard good things about it, and it so was! The sense of strangeness and building tension was excellent. And it was just such a beautiful movie tbh.

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rebeccalouisaferguson · 4 years

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Rebecca Ferguson interview for CRASH Magazine (September 2020) - translation from French

AB: You'll be starring in Dune which comes out at the end of this year. Everyone is eager to find out. How did you join this project?

RF: I had a meeting with Denis Villeneuve, the director. I find his work amazing and it was a dream to work with him. His films are always a feast for the eyes.

AB: This film is eagerly awaited, especially by the many fans of the books and the entire Dune universe. Do you feel a certain pressure not to disappoint the audience?

RF: I never feel pressure from the fans. It’s not my job. I have a lot of respect for them and want them to enjoy our work, but I can't please all the people who will go see the film and form their opinions. I remember Tom Cruise saying that everything he does, he does for the fans. I love it when people validate our work but to be honest I love what I do. I love creating a character, the incredible costumes, the make-up. And then work with the best in the world. If the film falters, at least I would have appreciated it. And then I like having conversations with people who don't necessarily agree with the film, it's interesting.

AB: I imagine you must have done a lot of research to prepare for this role.

RF: Oh my god, the whole universe of Dune is so hard to understand. I still barely understand it, even after the shoot. Why are we doing this? Where should I go? Who should I trust? (laughs) So yeah, I did a lot of research. Denis also did all of his own research that I could lean on. The make-up artist was a veritable well of knowledge and stories. And then Jacqueline West, the costume designer, compared our clothes to paintings, from the Renaissance, to Cubism, etc. I barely knew what she was talking about. I just smile. I was working with the experts from the experts. So I hope that at least some things have been achieved.

AB: You are going to shoot additional scenes soon?

RF: Yes, we're going on the set in August...

AB: How long have you lived in Sweden?

RF: I was born in Sweden and have lived there all my life. Then I moved to England a year and a half ago but I divide my time between my small fishing village and London.

AB: Is it important for you to have a foothold in Sweden?

RF: Yes, I have a thirteen year old son who lives there with his father. We're all very close so it's important for me to be where he is. We all travel together, we are a bit like a circus family. (laughs) My son goes to school and it was important not to break his habits and his circle of friends. Thirteen is an important age. With his father and his mother-in-law, we travel together as much as possible and we meet for the holidays. We make it work.

AB: What was your first encounter with cinema?

RF: I don't know how old I was anymore but I remember that when Beauty and the Beast came out in the cinema, I was scared but I still went to see it. I was upset because I was in love with the Beast and when he transformed into what everyone considered to be the perfect man, I found his new face not as alluring as his monster appearance. I wanted him to stay the Beast.

AB: When did you first consider being an actress?

RF: The funny thing is when I was young I never thought I would be an actress. I was fifteen or sixteen when I was taken to play in a series in Sweden. Before, I didn't like being on stage; I never took acting lessons in school. I was in a music school. I didn't have a lot of dreams or career plans. I was one of those kids who did what they were told to do. You have to go to school, do this, do that. You know the song; we call it the school system. Then when I was asked to do this casting for this show, I was terrified. I got the part and that's when my interest in acting started. I realized there was a world in which to hide. I could play characters without having to take responsibility for their actions... and apparently people thought I was good. Good enough to continue anyway.

AB: How did you find yourself participating in this casting?

RF: My mother had decided that I was going to model, even though I don't have the size or the body you would expect from a model. I ended up in a file called “normal people”. (laughs) I didn’t get a single job; it didn't suit me. My sister is a catwalk model so she knows how to do it. Me? Not at all. So I was on their file and I was constantly turning down jobs, I didn't want to do it. Then a casting agency was looking for an actress for this series having already selected the actors who would play her father and her mother. They flipped through model portfolios and then they found me.

AB: How did this first experience go? I saw that you had to act in several episodes a day.

RF: Yes, two and a half episodes a day. It was intense but I was thrown into a world I knew nothing about. I was a blank canvas. I had no expectations and didn't question how it worked. It made me realize that I love to work hard with imposed deadlines. I like to be thrown into difficult situations. It all happened naturally and I took this route.

AB: What was it like seeing yourself for the first time on TV?

RF: There is nothing natural about it. I remember that for the first episode in the series, my mother decided to have a big party with lots of guests. I was more excited about the evening than the rest and when the countdown to the screening started I remember feeling nauseous. I hid behind the sofa. It was very embarrassing. But on the other hand, I thought it was cool. It was a whole new situation, a new world open to me.

AB: After your debut in this Nya Tider series, did you take a break or did you continue to work non-stop?

RF: We actually shot for six months and then we had six months free. My stepfather at the time had the good idea to ask the production to hire me for the remaining six months. As I had left school, that meant I was employed full time, as an actress but also set manager, publicity assistant and everything the production needed when we weren't shooting. I learned everything behind the scenes, I was able to help with the script and the media part. It was the best job I had and it helped me understand the process better when I got back to shooting.

AB: What project did you work on next?

RF: Nothing happened for quite a while because it was a local show - I played a character that everyone associated me with. People recognized me and it was hard for some directors to see me in another role. Then a director called Richard Hobert offered me the lead role in his film “A One Way to Antibes”. It was my first role in the movies and from there I was able to meet agents. It was my gateway to the big screen.

AB: You then got the lead role in the BBC series “The White Queen”. Were you a fan of British television?

RF: Yes, my mother is English so I grew up watching UK programs. Yes Minister, Cracker ... there has been so much British TV in my life that this BBC production was perfect for my entry into the big leagues. This casting process has been probably the most exhilarating of my career. The racing heart, the hope, the doubt, the disappointment ... an emotional lift that I finally won.

AB: What doors have “The White Queen” opened to you?

RF: A lot. First of all, I was nominated for a Golden Globe in the “Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film” category which is crazy. I remember being nominated alongside Helen Mirren, Helena Bonham Carter, Elisabeth Moss, who won for her role in Top of the Lake. I was in the same room with people I admired a lot. I always felt like the little Swede who had no place in this extraordinary world. But “The White Queen” has caused meetings and a lot of castings. “A One-Way Trip to Antibes” gave me the opportunity to find an agent in London and the first casting I tried was for “The White Queen”. It was lucky but I also worked hard for this role.

AB: How do you manage the castings in general? Are you still anxious?

RF: At the beginning, everything revolves around castings and meetings. In fact no, before that there are the videos that you make yourself. You have to find monologues, film yourself with your best friend, your boyfriend or your mother. After that, it's the castings. We do so much and it goes very quickly. Sometimes there is a big blockbuster and they are looking for an actress at the last minute. There you are at the restaurant and you have to run to the toilet, grab your phone and do something. You have to prove yourself by putting forward a certain trait of your personality to stand out among the four hundred thousand people who try their luck. I've always liked going to castings. A lot of people I met there were great and understood the horror of the situation. They made me feel relaxed. Again, I would throw myself into situations without giving it much thought and hoping someone would notice me. If that doesn't work, you have to move on.

AB: Are there any mentors that you have met throughout your career?

RF: Yes, Veronica St Clair was my coach in Sweden. After playing on the show, I missed the end of my schooling so I couldn't go to college. I would have started from scratch. But I had worked for two years in nurseries, restaurants, supermarkets, etc. I had left home and was living an adult life at a young age. I saved some money to pay for my personal development classes which helped me better express myself and improvise. I also contacted film schools who still needed free actors for their end of year films. I've done a lot, I don't know how many student films. I took what I could take. Veronica was unbelievable, she did so much for me. She has prepared me for many challenges. But at one point, we have the chance to stop casting. We make appointments. The dynamics are changing. It's not just about pleasing a director anymore, we have to like the project too, that it brings us something.

AB: It becomes a conversation.

RF: Yes. Can this film stimulate me? Is the project right for me?

AB: At what point in your career have you felt your opinion was as important as pleasing a director?

RF: After Mission Impossible.

AB: How did the casting go for this film?

RF: I was filming a miniseries called “The Red Tent” for Lifetime. Tom told me he noticed me on “The White Queen”. It's a funny story from their side because they had auditioned a lot of women without being able to find the right one. They had already considered me for the role, but I didn’t make a good enough impression for them to stop casting. (laughs) Then they had to do it again because the chosen person didn't suit. They are very careful and don't say too much when they tell these stories. I always wanted to know who the other woman was. (laughs) Finally, resuming the auditions, they decided to give me my chance. I was in Morocco, sitting on the camel Nicole Kidman had used for the movie “Queen of the Desert”. They called me to tell me that Tom Cruise wanted to meet me. They wanted to see if I could fight. It was quite surreal. They brought in the stunt teams who created the choreography. I realized I loved it. I could use my dance knowledge, which I have been practicing from a young age. They were very good martial arts trainers. And then I ended up getting the part.

AB: How did you appropriate the character of Ilsa Faust?

RF: I don't feel like I appropriated it honestly. There are certain characters that I personalize. But when it comes to Mission Impossible, Christopher McQuarrie is such a great writer that I focused on physical training and being part of an already formed team. As an actress, you have to bring something personal, the way I walk, I talk, I frown, I think, will be reflected in the character. I'm not going too far into the secrets or shadows of the director. There is a precise technique in the creation of these films. You have to have confidence, know your text and arrive on time.

AB: Was it the first time that you had to have such great physical preparation and stunts to do?

RF: I had never had so much need to train and be in good shape. Like I said, I love challenges and working hard to achieve a goal. I remember Chris telling me in an interview, “Tom is a movie star. Simon Pegg isn't just his sidekick, he's smart, funny. Luther Stickell also brings something. All of these male characters add something to Mission Impossible. Who are you? What are you bringing?”. I remember thinking about it, telling myself that Ilsa's character had to fill a void, that the film would miss her if we took her away. I had to find meaning in it. It's a balance between following something that has been created and leaving an imprint. This is something Tom and Chris have done very well. Ilsa has a real mission, she saves Tom. She is his equal. This is not a vase. But she's also vulnerable, she's scared ... she feels things. There was a lot to do on this project, to live up to what already existed.

AB: You've been in a lot of action and science fiction movies. What attracts you to this kind of cinema?

RF: I think I am drawn to all genres of cinema. What happened was, I played in Mission Impossible and people loved Ilsa. I proved that I could act out the fight scenes myself and I loved it. I think these kinds of films came naturally to me. But I try to vary the genres. My dream is to shoot in independent films. I want to go where I have never been. And I haven't made an independent film yet. A lot of people fight to shoot in big Hollywood studio movies and I was lucky to have had those experiences.

#interview #dune interview #photoshoot #josefine seifert shoot #twq interview #nya tider #mi5 interview

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keiscait · 3 years

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Hi! I just wanted to say from the match-ups I have seen that you are such a great writer! If it’s not too much I was wondering if I could get a living room and bedroom matchup for a male character. If both are too much, feel free to do one whichever one you feel like you can write better. I wanna do this anon so the emoji you can use for me is: <33

Info:

Pronouns: She/Hers

Personality: I am a very goal orientated person and I can become very hard on myself sometimes if I don’t achieve things as well as I wanted to. I tend to be quiet but not shy per say. I do not have trouble talking to people and making friends and I can become very outgoing but in the friend group itself I usually keep to myself. If I am comfortable with you I will make witty remarks and make fun of you in a playful friend banter kinda way but I would like to say I am a good listener so I can get serious real quick. I am really big on trust and I used to trust too easily and now I am a bit more closed off where it is a bit harder for me to trust others.

Relationships: When it comes to relationships, I believe in communication and I haven’t had a big problem with it in the past. I wouldn’t mind a small pda such as hand holding or a small kiss here and there but nothing over the top because you gotta keep the important stuff private ya know. My love language is quality time because I tend to be really busy once school starts and so making effort to see each other even through our busy schedules is really important to keep the relationship healthy.

Hobbies: I believe that you need a good balance between work and play though so some other hobbies I have are painting (acrylic and watercolor), baking, and skateboarding. I also listen to music everyday and watch like an episode before I go to sleep if I have school but binge watch on break. I also try to game a bit too like league, minecraft, and my switch. I also like hiking and runs in the mornings before class because it really clears my head and I used to be on the swim team but I don’t competitively do it anymore.

Bedroom: I believe I would be a switch that leans more submissive. However, I am really cautious to do anything because I need to trust them to be submissive. I would consider myself very open to different kinks and what not and aftercare is a must. I’m not super into degrading because I’m sensitive af. I just would want someone who is observant with me and my body as well as someone who helps me with my insecurities. Once I’m comfortable though I definitely become a brat. Just want someone who would manhandle but still tell me i’m the prettiest girl they’ve ever met hahaha.

Zodiac: Pisces (sun), Cancer (rising), and Leo (moon)

Hogwarts house: Ravenclaw

Future Plans/ Dreams: I am working to become a biomedical engineer one day to help make medical devices to help people. Right now I am leaning towards possibly doing physical therapy and making prosthetics.

Looks: I’m 5’6/5’7 and have a medium build. I am tan kinda like a honey color with black wavy/slightly curly hair that is about at my breast length. My eyes are hazel but mainly light brown and I have pretty big doe like eyes.

Sorry if it’s too much or too little but thank you so much! and I have such respect for writers so keep being you :) HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND STAY SAFE

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Hello and welcome, my darling! So sorry for the long wait, and thank you SO MUCH for your kind words! (⌒‿⌒)❤️ Let’s get right to it then! ٩(◕‿◕｡)۶

I was reading your description, and I think the person I had in mind for you also fits your bedroom matchup!

Our lovely guest keeping us company in both rooms is...

(Runner up: Ushijima Wakatoshi)

Kageyama is a very complex character. He’s one of the few characters ever who we actually see slips back into his old bad habits every now and then, but is immediately remorseful and shows signs of him knowing better. He’s always striving for progress, and he understands more than others what it’s like to dislike your past self.

- Tobio here is somehow both incredibly observant yet so fricking DENSE

- I imagine that however it is that you two meet, he’ll be super formal at first. It’ll take a little while for a romance to build because he’s not used to opening up, and he’ll need to really trust the person for him to let his walls down

- however, as soon as you guys establish a friendship, he’d be drawn to you and how goal-oriented you are, especially since he is, too

- He’d take interest in you, notice all your little quirks, and would even find himself blushing whenever you playfully tease him

- Problem is, he has no fucking clue why HAHAH

- I love him sm but boy doesn’t know what it is to like someone

- Hinata would try to explain it to him and he’d just be like cr- cru--... c-CRUSH?? ...what is that?

- Man is in desperate need of wingman someone help him

- Anyway, once his friends get Operation: Get Tobio A Girlfriend in motion, he just turns into his pouty blushy self whenever he sees you

- The other boys will probably go overboard that he’ll be forced to take matters into his own hands

- The confession would be a damn mess but in an adorable way

- He’d 100% yell his feelings at you while pouting/blushing

- You’d have to shush him TBH

- shush him with a kiss maybe? that’s a great way to shut him up ( 　･ิω･ิ)

- Kageyama_Tobio.exe stopped responding

- anyway I think he’d just be such a soft, protective boyfriend, especially since you’re kind of quiet

- You two would understand each other so well. He’d protect you and your quiet side, while you would help him be more relatable in order to make friends. It’s also perfect that you two are both goal-oriented, because then you’d be on the same page when it comes to co-dependence/independence. One would understand the other when it comes to pressure, deadlines, and hard work, and you’d just be super supportive of each other all the time

- I think you’re better at communicating than he is, so you may have to inform him a bit on how it should work between the two of you. He’d pick up on this really fast tho so no need to worry! Kags has got you ;)

- Dates would be really productive ones. Study dates, work dates, workout dates; anything that would be beneficial to your improvement

- Early morning hikes with Kags :’( beautiful

- He really appreciates that you’re not big on PDA because that puts a lot less pressure on himself to be someone he’s not. PLUS I imagine he’s the same as you, who really treasures the private moments between the two of you because you’re both so busy

- Once you guys have some private time, he’d take it as an opportunity to release all his pent up energy and emotions. He’d be so needy and clingy when he knows others can’t see

- ( 　･ิω･ิ) ( 　･ิω･ิ) ( 　･ิω･ิ) also u kno whassup when you guys finally get some private time ( 　･ิω･ิ) ( 　･ิω･ิ)( 　･ิω･ิ)

- I don’t think Kags is the very kinky type. He’d be a dom, but I don’t think the freaky stuff would really appeal to him, especially if it’s degradation, since the man worships you?? He’s just like... why tho

- He may get into some stuff that emphasizes his strength, mostly how he grabs you and handles your body

- Picks up on your sweet spots really quick, and I imagine he can even deduce which parts are sensitive without you having to tell him

- Apologizes if he ever makes you uncomfortable :’( he’d just be SO tender and protective

- I don’t think he knows what aftercare is, or like the specifics of it, but I think despite that, he’d just naturally want to take care of you and check in on you afterwards. He’d ask if you’re okay, if you need anything, if you’re feeling any kind of pain, if there’s anything he can improve on. And he’d definitely scan your body for any bruises.

You were walking home from an exhausting day at work.

There were more than a few setbacks today - an annoying coworker took credit for your hard work, your precisely detailed schedule wasn’t honored by others, and because of this, you weren’t able to have lunch. It was now 6:30PM. The rain poured as you waited at the bus stop. You were famished, soaked, and, quite frankly, so done with this day.

You sighed for what felt like the hundredth time. You were so out of it today that you haven’t had the chance to check on your unread messages. Your boyfriend, Tobio, had left a few missed calls over the past hour, causing some worry. He didn’t usually call, given how busy he was all the time. You texted him first to check in.

You: Everything okay, bub?

K: Yes. Sorry about all the missed calls. Where are you right now?

Y: At the bus stop near my building. Why?

K: Which one?

K: Never mind. I see you

What? You whipped your head left and right, then saw your boyfriend’s figure standing a few meters away, umbrella in hand. He was truly a sight for sore eyes right now - he wasn’t wearing anything special, juts his usual tracksuit, but he was wrapped in a scarf and held a soft expression on his face. It was just the warmth you needed right now. He jogged over to you, closing the umbrella as he made it under the roof.

“Hi love,” you started, “what on earth are you doing here?” A huge weight seems to have been lifted off of you.

He didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around you, rubbing your body to give extra warmth. Pulling back, he took off his scarf so that he could wrap it around your neck.

“It’s been raining all day but I noticed you left your umbrella at home. I was hoping to catch you before you left work so that you don’t have to walk in the rain.” You couldn’t help the smile that was erupting through the exhaustion. This felt like an all new Tobio. “I guess I was a little too late, I’m sorry.”

You shook your head. “No, don’t worry about it. Thank you for thinking of me, bub.” You allowed yourself to slump onto him, wrapping your arms around his waist. You felt him loosen up, strong arms making their way around your form. You looked up at him without pulling away. Your big doe eyes stared into his blue ones, totally sinking into each other’s gaze. He planted a small kiss onto your nose. It wasn’t normal for you to be so affectionate outdoors, but right now, it seemed apt. You scrunched up your nose in response.

Had it not been for the honking of the bus, the two of you could’ve cuddled in the rain for much longer, ridding each other of the lousiness of the day.

I hope that was alright with you, darling! Thank you so much for trusting me with your matchup. Hope you’re having a wonderful new year so far!! Please don’t hesitate to sit and have a chat with me anytime ❤️

Thanks for stopping by! (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ

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saiilorstars · 3 years

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Better With You (One shot)

// Seren’s Masterlist //

Fandom: MCU

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC

Chapter Summary: With no Valentine, Seren agrees to go on a date with an old friend, unknowingly setting herself up for disaster. When Steve answers hers call for help, he does everything he can to lift her spirits that evening. Being alone in the compound might help them finally be honest with each other.

Taglist: @ocfairygodmother @anotherunreadblog @maaaaarveeeeel @stareyedplanet @perfectlystiles

[If you’d like to be added to this specific OC’s stories/edits, send me a message!]

It started out as a game. It wasn't a game he wanted to play; it wasn't even a game he incited. No, that was what his "friends" were for.

Steve really considered for a good day or so about changing friends because the ones he had turned out to be very mean. To him.

"Oh c'mon," Natasha trailed after him one morning, "Valentine's Day is this Friday. You still have a couple days to get something together for Seren."

It was simply too early to deal with this. Steve headed for the kitchen for something to drink all while Natasha continued to make her point.

"A simple dinner would do it. Hell, a homemade dinner would be just as fine. We all know you like Seren, so just go and ask her out." Natasha leaned on the kitchen aisle, sending him a very wide smirk.

"Okay, that's not fair. Everybody likes Seren." Steve was fairly sure that there wasn't a single person who didn't like Seren Soul. She was an absolute sweetheart. Who could hate her?

Seren was always kind, a natural leader for the newest recruits. She took people under her wing, cared for and helped them. Plus, she was a bit of a sneak. Given her small statue and her big shiny eyes, it was always funny how people underestimated her only to get their asses handed to them. Steve himself had made that mistake a couple times and ended up on the ground, defeated while Seren smirked proudly. There was just something about her that drew people in, made them like her, love her.

He was guilty of the latter.

Natasha knew it, which was why she easily retorted: "Yeah, but nobody likes her more than you."

"Natasha."

"Sorry," she raised a hand then added, "Loves." Steve deadpanned her and her smug smile. "A date. A Valentine's date. Wouldn't that be nice?"

Of course but...me and Seren? That would never happen." And Steve deeply lamented it. Seren was way out of his league, a line that followed him through the decades it seemed.

"Who says?" challenged Natasha, half amused and the other half kind of irritated this was the reason those two idiots weren't together already. "You?" she presumed. "You know it's kind of last century to make the choice for you and the woman."

Steve rolled his eyes. "I'm not making any choice for Seren, I'm just reading the room."

"Well you're reading it all wrong!"

"I am not!"

Sam walked in on them before they could go further. "What's going on?" He asked slowly, now thinking twice about that glass he came in for.

"Nothing," Steve answered at the same time Natasha said "I want to get him a date!" Needless to say, the death glare Steve sent her way was well expected.

Sam, however, relaxed once he got the jist of the situation. "With Seren?" Natasha smirked smugly while Steve groaned. "Go for it," Sam snapped his fingers. "She'd say yes in a heartbeat."

"I am not!"

"Steve's in denial," Natasha said, rolling her eyes.

"That's rich," scoffed Sam. He came up to the aisle, planting an arm down. "You gave me the stink eye when I happened to flirt with Seren. It was all playful too and I still got the hint you were thinking of throwing me off the rooftop without the wings."

Natasha snorted into a laugh.

Steve did his best to stay stoic. He hadn't meant to make his disdain that obvious but when Seren had laughed at Sam, things turned red. Fast.

"Just ask her out this Friday. It's Valentine's day," Sam shrugged. "Flowers wouldn't hurt. She looks the type to go ga-ga over them."

"She is," Natasha was quick to confirm.

"As productive as this conversation has been, I'm going to go now," Steve announced. He couldn't bear the conversation and the tease anymore.

But it wasn't like simply leaving the room would afford him the peace he desperately wanted. As Friday approached, the suggestions and teases only got worse. He had to be extra careful not to let Seren hear anything. He was able to seclude her from the others whenever they happened to be together.

"Hey there, soldier," she surprised him on Wednesday when he walked into the kitchen for a quick breakfast. She was dressed in pajamas, her pixie ginger hair somehow messy, sitting on the aisle with a bowl of something that smelled pretty good.

"What are you doing?" He asked her in bemusement. "And what are you eating?"

She waved her spoon in the air with a joyful smile. "Wanda decided to make me a Sokovian breakfast. Isn't that nice of her?"

Steve smiled. "She's being thankful, Seren. You've helped her so much in these past months."

Seren shrugged her shoulders. "Just trying to be helpful," she said.

"You always are." Steve walked over to her, peering down to the bowl on her lap.

"Want some? It's pretty good!"

"I'll let you have your gift, thanks."

"So, do you have your plans for the weekend?" She seemed to ask casually though there was a little twinkle in her green eyes when he turned for the fridge.

"Not really, probably just stay in. You?"

"Don't know yet," she shrugged. "I know for a fact that everyone else has plans. Tony's going out with Pepper, obviously." They both paused to smile at each other. "Sam and Natasha are bar hopping."

"Bar what?" Steve paused again, if only to process the odd name.

Seren giggled. "Ask Sam later. Even Wanda and Vision are doing something. They're close, those two. So, it seems like you and I are the last ones."

"...we are..." Steve wondered of this coincidence was, in fact, a master plan of Natasha's but even she wasn't that good to set up something like this.

"Soo...you really don't have anything to do Friday?" Seren suddenly found her breakfast incredibly interesting. She wanted to control her heartbeat and keep it from reaching Steve's ears. At least try to be subtle!

"...no," Steve answered a minute later. He could've been a little brave and asked her to do something with him but the fear of her rejection or worse, her taking it as a platonic night, got the best of him.

He completely missed the disappointment marking her face.

"Oh," she swallowed hard. Don't you dare get upset. Of course he wouldn't ask you to do anything with him. She always did this to herself. She got hopeful that maybe things between her and Steve could go further than friendship. He was just too sweet to tell her 'no' to her face.

She just had to face the music. There was no way in hell Steve Rogers would ever look at her twice. She was too weird for his taste. After all, not many people could get over her unique origins. It was one thing to he friends with an alien, and a completely different thing to date one.

~0~

I have a date.

Four words. All it took were four words to puncture his heart so deeply. Steve didn't even know that was possible.

Seren had gotten a date. He shouldn't even be surprised. She was gorgeous beyond belief. It would take just one of her dimple smiles to get any man to ask her out, a man with courage anyways.

"It wasn't me!" Natasha was quick to say later on that day. She strode into the training room, intending on clarifying things before he made any assumptions. "If it was up to me, I would have set you up with her but you told me no."

Steve had found solace in a punching bag. Tale as old as time. "I know!" He grunted with one punch, then another. "Who's the guy?"

Natasha set her hands on her hips. "I don't know, some ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. The ironic part is, years ago he asked her out and she said no. Wonder why he would try again..."

Steve could care less. All he knew was that Seren was going out on a date on Valentine's day. That was enough to sour his mood for the rest of the day into Friday.

Seren didn't seem to notice. She was focused on looking her best for the evening, covering up any of her hesitance to go out.

"I am confused," she heard Wanda's remark. She turned to see the young girl at her bedroom doorway, head tilted with eyes sparkling red. "Why do you say 'yes' to an agent you rejected when you would rather him be Steve?"

Seren sighed heavily. "Can you please get out of my head?"

"I tried," Wanda raised her hands in front of her. "But you're so loud tonight."

"Shouldn't you be out with Vision already?"

"In a bit," Wanda nodded. "Why don't you just tell him the truth? I read his mind too sometimes—"

"Stop!" Seren exclaimed. "I don't want to hear anything from his head. Violation of privacy! You only get away with it because you're young. And he likes you."

Wanda smiled. "But nowhere near as much as he likes you. Think about that when you go out tonight."

Seren would rather not because it just made her hopeful again.

~0~

The last thing Steve expected that evening was to get a call from Seren during what was supposed to be her date.

What was more is that she sounded lile she was crying.

"I'm so sorry, I tried calling somebody else but nobody picked up," she explained rapidly, her words almost sounded meshed.

"It's fine but what's going on? Are you hurt?" He asked her, anxiously waiting for her response.

"Sort of, yeah," she sniffed. "The guy, he never showed up. The place is crowded and I tripped and I think my ankle got sprained. I'll heal in a couple of hours but I can't walk that well and the cabs are—"

"Seren, breathe," he had to cut her off or else she really would run out of air. "I'll be there quick, I promise." As soon as he had the place, he left the compound.

Rage coursed through his body at the idea that this man had left Seren in a restaurant as a trick. Who the hell did that? Who would do that to Seren of all people!?

He had to calm down even more when he found her leaning against the wall with her bad ankle. She had incredible healing but it still took time. She needed to put the ankle to rest!

Seren was overtly grateful that he'd come for her. She still apologized profusely for interrupting his night.

"I wasn't doing anything," Steve helped her from the wall.

"I should've just stayed at home," she sniffed. "I would've avoided the humiliation. He didn't show up as revenge."

"What?" Steve must have heard her wrong. There was no way someone would—

"I got his text. I turned him down, he turns me down...on Valentine's day." Seren leaned on him when he pulled her into a hobble of a walk. "Crazy world."

"Seren, I'm so sorry." Steve had to control his voice, make sure the strain of it wasn't so obvious because all he wanted to do right now was find the damn guy and, well, kill him.

"I think you're my favorite person right now—no, I'm sure of it. Can we please go home?"

"Of course." Steve wrapped an arm around her waist and helped her walk. On the way home, she explained the story of how exactly things happened and what led her to her sprained ankle. The more Steve heard, the more inclined he was to change course from home to wherever the hell this guy lived. The only thing keeping him from doing it was Seren. She was feeling terrible after such a night and the only thing she wanted now was to go home.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your night," she apologized yet again when they were in the compound. Steve helped her make her way to the couch.

"It's fine, I already told you that I wasn't doing anything anyways." He slipped a cushion under her ankle, ignoring (or at least trying) the heat in his cheeks when he touched her bare ankle. Despite spending a good amount of time outside in the chilly air, her skin was warm.

"You really didn't have anything planned?" Seren stared at him oddly.

He was surprised to see her calculating him. "You think I was lying?" he asked in surprise.

"Well not 'lying' but, I don't know, I thought maybe you just didn't want to say anything." Seren had gone about it at least a dozen times since she asked him about his plans yesterday. Maybe he was just trying to be polite and keep some of his life a secret from her. He was completely allowed to...

Steve smiled at her. "Seren, you should know by now my night life isn't all that, uh, active."

"I don't know, someone like you? Hard to believe, that's all."

"What?" Steve laughed.

Seren flushed and decided to look at her lap and keep quiet before she said something else. The night was already terrible, there was no point in making it worse by saying something that would out her.

Steve misinterpreted her silence for what he was sure had to be one of the worst experiences in her life. He hated seeing her like that. She looked incredible in her white dress and bright red coat. He could smell her sweet perfume too. He would've loved to have been the one to take her out.

"Seren?" He gently called her name.

Her eyes picked up from her lap. "Hmm? Sorry, I'm not very good company right now. You should just go do something else."

"The only thing I'm going to do is go into the kitchen and bring you some ice." Steve pointed her to stay in her spot, earning a small chuckle because, really, how would she go anywhere right now? He left her for a moment to retrieve the ice. He went through the drawers to look for a rag to wrap around the ice when he came across a few things that he thought might help raise Seren's spirits. After all, it was just them for the night. It definitely wasn't a date but he could pretend that it was something similar to it.

Seren had taken her coat off when he returned and, to his surprise, her legs were no longer on the couch.

"You got up," he accused her and had all the evidence in front of him to make the case.

She smiled innocently at him. "I just wanted you to sit with me." She'd gotten a stool in front of her and placed the cushion over it to then rest her ankle.

Well, she was making things easier for him that was for sure. Steve gave her a look for the little stunt but still handed her the ice pack. A second later she heard the microwave ding.

"Are you making something?" she asked. She sniffed the air a couple times before she realized what it was. "Popcorn!"

"I just thought you'd like to watch a movie or something..." Steve weakly explained. The idea was suddenly worse than he remembered it earlier. "If you don't want to—"

"I want to!" Seren was quick to say. She felt her cheeks blush when she thought that maybe she'd answered too fast. She endeavored to calm herself so Steve wouldn't notice. "I mean...that'll be nice."

"Great, I'll go get the popcorn!" Steve made a quick trip back to the kitchen. He had to stop himself getting so excited before he had to go back. It wasn't a date, it wasn't anything!

But it was also Valentine's day and it was just them. He couldn't help but just dream a little.

~ 0 ~

Seren convinced him that a movie called Groundhog Day would be good to watch. It came out in the early 90s so he missed out by a long shot. They sat together on the couch and in no time Seren had snuggled up to Steve. It was hard remembering how to breathe when she was practically on him. Only her sprained ankle kept her slightly away.

"What did you guys used to do for Valentine's back then?" She suddenly asked midway through the movie. Steve didn't hear her at first—he'd been trying to focus just on the movie and not the soft rhythm of her heartbeat against him. She tilted her head up to him, lips pulled into a soft smile for him. "I'm curious."

"When aren't you?" he countered, earning a chuckle from her. "You know I didn't do much for the day. I always helped Bucky pull some stunt for whatever girl he had around those days. But it was pretty much like what everyone does today. Dinner. Flowers. The cards. Those big bears seem to be just as expensive as they were back then."

Seren laughed. "They're ridiculous. Some of them are bigger than me."

"To be fair, many things are bigger than you," Steve quipped, smirking at her when she gasped incredulously.

"I expect that type of comment from Tony, not you!" She huffed and looked away, crossing her arms to complete the look.

"I'm sorry." He tried pulling her back to him but she swatted his hands away from her. He caught one of her wrists and realized her skin had gone cold. "You want a blanket?"

"What?" She blinked. They were in the middle of what promised to be a good banter.

"I'll go get one," Steve decided and got up before she could say anything.

She smiled after him. He was always so thoughtful. Stop! You can't get carried away!

"Ah, still troubled," she heard Wanda say, startling the hell out of her in the process. By the time Vision went through the couch, Seren was over the shock.

"You two are supposed to be gone for longer!"

"I thought it was too cold for Wanda," Vision said, motioning to the dress Wanda was in.

The ginger moved around the couch, revealing a plastic box full of heart-shaped cookies. "You should definitely let yourself get carried away."

Seren's face was flat. "Stop reading my mind!"

Wanda smiled and merely deposited the box of cookies on Seren's lap. "We'll get out of your hair. Come on, Vis."

"What is this movie?" Vision cocked his head at the screen.

"We can watch it another day," Wanda dragged him by the arm. "Hi Steve," she greeted the man on the way into the hallway.

"Wanda? Aren't you—"

"Don't worry, we won't disturb you!" Wanda winked at him, leaving him quite red.

Stop reading my mind! He shouted inside, hoping that Wanda heard him loud and clear. He returned to the living room and saw Seren chowing down on a heart-shaped cookie. She stopped when she saw him, her crumb-filled lips smiling at him. "Let me guess, Wanda and Vision?"

"Mhm!" Seren nodded, swallowing down before she spoke. "They're sugar cookies with the red sprinkles! They're so good!"

Steve laughed. "Right. Here." He draped the blanket over her lap.

"Take a cookie!" She offered him the box when he sat down. "I always remember having these when I was a kid."

"Really?" Steve mused. "Were they your favorite?" Something to jot down for the next year.

"Here!" Seren offered him a bite out of her own cookie.

Steve raised an eyebrow at her. It wasn't often they shared food and even then it was always simple things like candy in a bag or something he could just easily pick from. Still, Seren didn't seem to be thinking much of it so why should he? He leaned closer and took a bite like she offered. His eyes never left hers which helped her get away with her blush.

"How is it?" she asked quietly. Breathing became hard again. Even her eyes started flickering down to his lips. They had to be even sweeter now with the sugar from the cookie. Just one little movement and she could press a little kiss on him.

"Really good," he answered after swallowing. "I can see why they're your favorite."

"Mhm." She bit her bottom lip and turned her attention to the ongoing movie. She couldn't trust herself right now. "Let's, uh, watch the movie..."

"Sure," he nodded and made himself comfortable again.

Within the half hour, the cookies had finished and the box was discarded to the floor. Seren had found her spot with him, head resting on is chest with her arm splayed over his stomach. Steve felt the exact moment when she fell asleep. Her breathing changed and her weight resting on him increased. She was completely comfortable with him and that had his heart swelling. She didn't do this with anybody else, he knew for sure. It was hard not to be a little hopeful when things like this happened.

He couldn't bring himself to disturb her sleep to take her into her room. It wasn't hard to admit to himself that he wanted to keep her with him either. The movie had finished but he switched channels. What was he watching? He had no idea. He didn't care. He moved an arm over Seren's body and pulled the blanket higher over her shoulder. Her dress was beautiful but she deserved to be warm too. He even dropped a kiss to her bright ginger hair. Who would know?

It was only when she started shifting later on that he decided it was time to call it a night. As much as he wanted to keep her with him, she was getting to the point where she needed her bed instead. He began untangling his arm from her and her body from him but she groaned at him.

"Don't move," she murmured.

His eyebrows raised in surprise. "You need to rest," he said, presuming she was way more asleep than awake.

"I am." She brought her arm from his stomach to his shoulder.

"I think your bed would be more comfortable," he chuckled.

"You don't have a clue of what I want," she retorted with a slight edge in her tone. He paused. Now that sounded more awake. "How could you be this smart and yet so clueless?"

Definitely more awake. Steve pulled her arm from his shoulder, gently forcing her to sit more up at least to look at her. "Seren, are you alright?"

"I was," she shrugged. "And then I had a quick dream." She yawned and pulled the blanket tighter around her. "You were there..."

"I was?"

"Mhm. My date tonight was you. I wasn't stood up because you would never do that to me. And then you bought me a heart-shaped cinnamon roll. We shared it."

"W-we did?" Steve stuttered, flush blooming over his face. His heart was starting to race under his chest. "Uh, well, that..."

Seren chewed on her bottom lip. She was completely awake now and with lucidness came the fear of what she'd done. Her dream had been so sweet, so much better than reality. Everything would be better if she was with him. She would want nothing more than to have it be her reality. "I know what I said," she whispered, "I know it's weird—I'm weird being, you know, not human and all. You don't like me that way, I know."

"Wait a second," Steve pointed at her, eyes wide yet there was a little more hope coming to him. "You don't know what I want either."

"Huh?"

"You're pretty smart too, Seren. Connect the dots, won't you?" He encouraged her with a smile to just think. It was suddenly so easy and he couldn't stop the excitement that was crawling over him—he wouldn't stop it this time!

"You would...actually want...?" Seren shook her head. Unlike him, it being this easy was too hard to believe. "No, you don't have to play along."

"I will never play you, Seren. Do you know how much I get from everyone else for not telling you the truth?"

"If this is real then I'm pretty sure no more than me," she admitted. "Wanda won't stop reading my thoughts."

"And Natasha won't leave me alone!"

Seren brought her hand to her cheek. "So...you...we've been going insane for no reason?"

Steve nodded his head. "It would seem so." Maybe he owed Natasha an apology here and there.

Seren couldn't believe her ears. "Maybe this Valentine's day wasn't all that terrible then..."

Steve chuckled. "Maybe not," he agreed. He leaned down pretty quick but he caught himself and stopped, startling her with the actions. "Can I—can I kiss you?"

Seren's heart fluttered. Her lips pulled into a soft smile. "Yeah." Steve leaned closer again but was surprised when Seren placed a finger against his lips. He blinked in surprise, and a slight fear that things were wrong. "Happy Valentine's day," she whispered, pulling her finger off his lips.

"Happy Valentine's day," he murmured in return, finally kissing her afterwards.

#ocappreciation #marvelocsdaily #mcu #marvel #steve rogers #fd: mcu #mcu imagines #steve rogers imagines #marvel imagines #mcu fics #steve rogers fics #marvel fics #oc: seren soul

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weirdcanucks · 4 years

Audio

Highlighting Canucks Podcasts #2 - Area 51 Hockey Podcast

Here is an excerpt from Area 51 Hockey Podcast in which guest Brock McGillis discussed in length about the concrete steps to change hockey culture. I transcribed this powerful message. Listen to the full episode where McGillis shared his journey from closeted goaltender in OHL, to the verge of suicide, to becoming an influential advocate for the LGBTQ+ community here 🎧[x]

Sam If Hockey Canada or any one of those leagues were to, say, hire you in the role that Kim Davis kind of has in the NHL, but with more concrete actions than I think Davis has been able to do in the NHL, what what are kind of the first things you would do in that role?

Brock McGillis I would recognize all the issues. I think that is the first step. You need to recognize all the issues. And in terms of social issues and why they exist. And I've already thought this all through, and I know them all. Hockey is incredibly insular, arguably of all sports, maybe the most insular. And let's keep it to male team sports for now. Most sports are played at schools. Hockey is not. Even school teams don't play at school. Hockey is played when you sent off to arenas, when you're isolated in arenas. And then if we take like elite hockey, let's say you're matched up based off your age group. So from the age of 7, through the age of 15, you're with essentially the same kids six nights a week for eight or nine months of the year. And with the same coaches in a room who came from the same culture. And you're together there more than you are with your family, than anywhere else besides maybe school. And even at school, most of them go to school together and hang out with hockey players at school. So you have this insular environment and the way the culture is set up right now, they tend to majority come from similar socioeconomic backgrounds, are predominantly white. They are presumed to be straight and all these things. So let's just take that. So from the age of seven, you start talking the same walking, the same dressing, same because you're around each other so much. And we've known society people become products of their environment.

So you grew up, then by the time you hit 16, you moved away from home. I don't know any other sports where that happens. You are that young. So you move away from home or as consistently as in hockey. You move to this new community with 22 other hockey players who have moved away from home into this community and each other essentially. And now you're together seven days a week and you're out the arena even longer. And then you're traveling around the province or whatnot, northern the United States or in the WHL across multiple provinces. And you're together all the time. So once again, that culture of the language you use, the way you talk, the way you dress, the way you act... you're going to start to mimic each other. It's normal and it influences the older players, influences the younger players, just like in minor hockey. The culture is continuously copied and the cycle is vicious. And they're also influenced by the coaches who came from the same culture and management who talk the same way, dress the same way, act the same way, etc. Then once they hit like Junior and whatnot, they go home in their off season. And who are they going to hang out with? Their buddies they grew up with. And the only people they really spent time with are the hockey players they've hung out with since they were seven. And they're going to train for hockey, then go back and do it again the next year. And it's over and over and over. That's the reason why they're not exposed to anything else. And they're taught put your head down, worry about hockey. You're not allowed to have hobbies. It's very conformist. You're not allowed to enjoy anything else besides hockey. And in locker rooms, all you can talk about are partying girls and hockey when you're a teenager. So you have that aspect. OK. So that's kind of the root reason why this exists. And then you see the social issues are the biggest problems and hurdles in hockey culture.

OK, to recognize each one. And then what do you do? In my opinion, you start off by humanizing them. We're seeing society right now through the Black Lives Matter movement that even hockey players are speaking out publicly. Something that they kind of knew existed but didn't know because players probably didn't say how racist the sport and culture is to them, because they have either conformed or afraid to, in a sense don't really speak out on matters because then they are "the other" and they are seen as different. So they kind of have to fly under the radar. Same as being gay. But we're seeing in society that when things have been humanized for these players, they've spoken on it. So you need to humanize it, and I think the easiest way to humanize these things are taking hockey people who have the lived experience within the sport to humanize it. I'm very fortunate that I am masculine presenting, I am cis gender, I am a white man who happens to be gay that grew up in hockey culture and also worked in hockey culture afterwards. So I can infiltrate that culture very easily. And so when I go into a room and speak to players, it may have and it's sad to say, but it's just reality, a little more impact than somebody who's never been in the culture trying to talk about being gay in hockey, and the impact of being gay in society and the language we use and and whatnot. So we need people with the lived experience within it, who understand it, to humanize the issues for the masses within the sport and for the parents and for the coaches. Because then once it's humanized, hockey people are softies. They act like these tough, rugged, hypermasculine men, but they're actually real soft. And you can tug at their heartstrings and you can pull at them a little bit. And when you do, they become more engaged. They'll be willing to learn. You just got to teach them why they need to learn.

And we haven't done that, so that would be my first step. And then from there and take educators like Courtney, educators like Cheryl MacDonald, like, there's so many out there who study the different areas within the sport of hockey. And they're not utilized. They're not utilized by the culture. And it's so foolish to me that we have people in Canada who study this stuff for a living and are the best in their fields. And hockey isn't utilizing them? So from there, after you humanize the issue, you have academics that can put the programs together in a manner because they've been in the culture that people will relate to it, want to learn it and be a part of it, instead these stupid videos.

Then once we've done that, we have to break the conformity of the sport. So one exercise I do when I go into locker room after humanized through my story, my struggle and how I empowered myself, et cetera. I do a little breakout where I will try and break the conformity by saying, "OK, you tell me that you're going to fight together and you're there for each other. They're your bros. Yet all you're allowed to talk about are women, partying and sports. Share something with me you wouldn't typically tell a teammate that you enjoy." So I started thinking about it and I did a podcast with Ben Fanelli and Ben's really insightful guy. You should read his story sometime, if you don't know. It's pretty fascinating. And I said "Ben could imagine being in a locker room and reading a book for fun?" He's like, "oh my God, you'd be harassed." And like, “yeah, you'd be the fag.” He goes, "Yeah." And I start thinking about Dougie Hamilton. Dougie Hamilton is a six foot five defenseman who can skate, and he's a right handed shot, that should be every team's dream. He is a point per game defenseman in the NHL. He's been traded twice because he can't fit into the culture, because instead of going for beers and drinking and partying and all that, he enjoys reading. He enjoys museums. He loves history and art. Like when did knowledge and the pursuit of knowledge become a bad thing? But it is in this culture, which is one of the issues, which is why everyone's so fearful of allowing people like myself in, allowing the academics in, or allowing anyone else in to shift it. Because then where's their place? Right? So you need to break down those barriers of culture. So one time I went into, I had a player, say, a major junior team, a tough guy, stood up and said, "I love writing poetry." Then another kid stood up and said, "if I don't make the NHL, I want to be a zoologist." Then a first year player literally jumped out of his seat and said, "I love animal documentaries." And the coach stood up and said, "I love Broadway musicals. And my wife and I go to them every summer." Now they're bonding on a deeper level. Now, hopefully, if that continues, at some point, they can stand up and proudly talk about being Muslim in a locker room. Then the gay kid could stand up and say, I have a boyfriend, and we stop judging people for their differences and recognize we're all different. But we've conformed to a culture, because I know, personally, I can walk into any mall in Canada and I will tell you which kids play hockey. I go to school, as part of my speaking is going to schools because I am passionate about shifting culture within youth, because I think it's the only way we're going to ever fix things. And we saw it with the zoomers in Trump's rally the other day. It's phenomenal. But I think they're the ones who are going to fix humanity. And I actually ask questions. And when I do, I intentionally pick out the kids I know are hockey players, because I can tell looking at them and I go "you play hockey, right?” And they say, "yeah."

Then from there we have to put in better systems to evaluate coaches. Teachers have to go to school for how long to become a teacher to work with children. But these coaches spend as much, if not more time, and they take a little course online, like really? And they're influencing society and future generations? We have to invest more in the system we put in place or evaluating them. We should have people that are third party on each team, to ensure that nothing is done out of line with the coaches and we have to continue engaging with them and teaching them, because this can be more difficult for them because they're older. And they've been ingrained in this culture. Or, in this culture longer, it's ingrained in them.

Then after that, put rules in. After that, put punishments in. And suspension or fine is not gonna do anything. All you're doing is telling them just shut up so it won't be as obvert. But it's still going to exist. The problems will still exist. At that point, they should have to sit down with people either within the culture or the academics and do deeper dives into why this is happening and sit down with the parents and find out why they're making comments like this. Like I saw a video recently of Tony DeAngelo and and how his father said, "yeah, I said the same stuff." Well, we should sit down and help educate them so this doesn't exist any longer, instead of just a five games suspension and then they're back, and all of a sudden they're saying worse things. Or, for that matter, most of the time the suspensions aren't even called because referees and officials don't want to ruin kid's career and don't want to get this kid labeled or they may be homophobic, racist, sexist themselves. So they don't call it.

And so the whole culture has to be reformed. And I think those are the steps in reforming it. And if you do punishment first, which has been done or any leagues will argue they do. It doesn't work. It doesn't work! I've been looking at this every day for four years. And this is the only path I see the shifting in it. And it seems it's doable. Why wouldn't it be? They charge thousands and thousands of dollars. You can't put money towards this? And investing in people's futures?

#nhl #hockey #hockey culture #lgbtq #brock mcgillis #canucks podcasts

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shanethvarosa · 3 years

Text

Music Review: 2020

My blog has been a lot of things over the years, but it did originate as something I used to publicly review music; especially in the Visual Kei scene. Since I began the blog so many years ago, I had actually been hired to review Visual Kei and J-Rock music for an actual website: VKH-Press.com, work I am very, very proud of to this day. However, with not much news to comment on or work to critique, I haven’t been as active. Plus, personal issues always seem to stand in my way. However, I always take the time to discuss my passions at the end of the year. There were so many incredible releases, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, and so I wanted to take the time time to discuss my favorite releases and, maybe, the not-so-favorites as well. Quick shout out to Bastille’s Goosebumps EP and Megan Thee Stallion’s Good News LP as I did not get to listen to them before I wrote up my lists, but were still excellent releases. See my thoughts below!

Overall, there were about 75 albums or groupings of albums I listened to this year and split them between various tiers. Starting with the bad tier, there were actually only ten albums listed here and mostly just because they were seemingly unnecessary collection albums. For example, another Satsuki collection? Rides in ReVellion releasing two greatest hits LPs after only five years of work? Beyonce releasing The Lion King: The Gift again? None of those felt like necessary releases. There weren’t many albums that really screamed bad to me this year, but I really could not stand Vanessa Carlton’s “Love is an Art” or Justin Bieber’s “Changes.” The only other albums on this tier were just underwhelming compared to what I know the artist is capable of, but the “best bad tier album,” in my view, was The 1975′s “Notes on a Conditional Form.”

The mid-tier albums had all sorts of reasons for being only mid-tier. They weren’t quite bad or outright unnecessary, but are mostly by artists who put out work that was nowhere near the caliber of their usual work or were re-releases or other collection albums. For example, Tove Lo’s “Sunshine Kitty: Pawprint Edition” or Man With A Mission’s remixes/b-sides/covers albums. Nice to have with good quality music, but I wish we’d just have had brand new EPs or LPs.

The good-tier albums were all really excellent releases, but didn’t hit home the way anything on the “God-Tier” list did. Here, I’d like to share a quick top ten:

10. Taeyeon’s “Purpose: Repackage” & Japanese EP, “#GirlsSpkOut” 9. Charli XCX’s “How I’m Feeling Now” 8. Miyavi’s “Holy Nights” & “Holy Nights: 2020 Lockdown” 7. TK’s “Sainou” 6. PVRIS’s “Use Me” 5. Buck-Tick’s “Abracadabra” 4. Katy Perry’s “Smile” 3. Alicia Keys’ “Alicia” 2. Dua Lipa’s “Future Nostalgia” & “Club Future Nostalgia” 1. Ava Max’s “Heaven & Hell

Without furhter ado, though, the God Tier Top 25:

25. Acme’s We Are Visual Kei: Essentially a collection album of several songs that were b-sides that never made a full-blown album. This LP was loaded with some of Acme’s best work and shows that they are going to be here for a long time, despite Div not quite working out. Recommended tracks: Mononoke Requiem, Gekiyama Celluloid, Houkago no Shiiku

24. Alanis Morisette’s Such Pretty Forks in the Road: Admittedly, a huge fan in the 90′s and loved her cover of Seal’s Crazy. However, before this album I didn’t really listen to much of her body of work and I can see why today’s youth might not listen to this album. It is very “adult” insofar as it deals with her struggles in marriage, parenting, religion, etc. Her vocal performance is exceptional and her song writing remains some of the best in the business. Recommended tracks: Smiling, Nemesis, Reasons I Drink.

23. Niall Horan’s Heartbreak Weather: Not my usual cup of tea, but for some reason Niall’s music makes me feel softer than normal. He’s very cute and charming and his words are always so romantic. It feels more genuine than the music made by other members of One Direction and kind-of reminds me of earlier Taylor Swift writing, but from a male perspective. Recommended Tracks: Put A Little Love On Me, Arms of a Stranger, Still.

22. K/DA’s All Out: I don’t even really understand what this is, but I love it. There’s something to do with League of Legends? Cartoons? International pop stars? Whatever it is, I’m totally obsessed. These songs just completely slap. Recommended Tracks: The Baddest, More, Drum Go Dum.

21. Darrell’s Brilliant Death: This might even “officially” be a single, but there’s enough content to market it as an album. Darrell is a band formed from the ashes of Deathgaze and Ai’s solo project. Who knows why Ai didn’t just continue after his solo album, Confusion, but he decided to go back to the band-format with confusingly-named Darrell. This album is then, incidentally, mostly Deathgaze covers. It brings the production into the new era and gives you a lot of nostalgic love for old hits. Recommended Tracks: Brilliant Death, Evoke the World, Abyss.

20. Alice Nine’s Fuyajou Eden & Kuro to Wonderland: Neither album was particularly long, in fact these were glorified EPs that could’ve been merged to one two-sided LP, but in either case... Both albums had something really special to offer and felt like a true comeback after years of name changes and finally going back to their original, kanji-styled name. Recommended Tracks: Kakumei Kaika -Revolutionary Blooming-, Testament, Replica, Glow.

19. Mucc’s Aku: This album felt very long in the making after a series of weird singles that didn’t feel like they were going anywhere. Ultimately, a lot of those singles did not make the album including my favorite one: Taboo. The resulting album, though, did feel very cohesive and thematic and even featured one of this year’s heavy hitters: Hazuki. Recommended Tracks: Aku -Justice-, Memai, Ameria.

18. Miley Cyrus’s Plastic Hearts: This person is absolutely one of my favorite people in music. I’m pretty sure they have comeout as genderfluid/non-binary, so I want to stick with safe pronouns, just in case. However, they’ve always been a favorite and as they’ve come out as such a champion for the LGBT, I love them even more. The album though gave me a lot of hype for something very 80′s rock, but didn’t quite give me what I expected. All in all, the music was fantastic, just a little off-beat from expectations. Recommended Tracks: Gimme What I Want, Angels Like You, WTF Do I Know.

17. Rina Sawayama’s Sawayama: I didn’t expect to fall in love with this girl the way I did. My boyfriend recommended “STFU” to me as kind of a joke because the song discusses a lot of Asian racism that I’m always criticizing people in my life for falling into, but then the song was so bad ass I checked out the album. There were so many different types of music on it and she really did a good job with all of them. Then, with the deluxe edition coming out and the hardcore club banger “Lucid” being involved... Just really brought it all home. Recommended Tracks: Tokyo Love Hotel, Lucid, Fuck This World.

16. Amber Liu’s X: This was just an EP, but every song on it was great. Amber Liu was from f(x), a K-Pop Icon Group, but she always seemed like the odd one out. She was such a tomboy, so silly and funny all the time, and didn’t really behave like other Korean idols. I mean, really, she isn’t actually even Korean. I believe she’s Chinese American. In either case, the EP really noted some of her own personal strugles in the business and also remaining pretty fun at parts too. I saw her live in Philly before COVID-19 and she was truly excellent. Recommended Tracks: Numb, Stay Calm, Other People.

15. Blackpink’s The Album: Not much of an album at only 8 tracks, but that’s K-Pop for you. I bet next year I’ll be putting “Blackpink’s The Album: Repackage” on my top 25 list. The quality of the music was pretty dope though, all things considered. It was a very solid debut effort with all of their previous songs being somewhere in the same lane as this one. I still kind of believe they are a reminder of what 2NE1 could have been, but they’re doing well enough on their own. Recommended Tracks: Ice Cream, Lovesick Girls, Pretty Savage.

14. Hazuki’s Year Over All: Kind of a weird way to word it, but Hazuki basically released two albums this year in different formats. His work with his band, Lynch., was pretty magnificent. I’m not one to usually dwell on a Lynch. album. Their singles or featured tracks are what I usually get into, but the actual album (Ultima) really did a good job of showing how versatile Hazuki can be. His solo album, Souen -Funeral-, was an entirely stripped down, gothic orchestral album of Lynch. covers and other J-Hard Rock artists. Hearing it done like this was almost transcendental. Recommended Tracks: Xero, Idol, Ray, D.A.R.K.

13. Sam Smith’s Love Goes: They had me scared that their album wasn’t coming this year once they pushed it back, back in May. Then again, at the time, an album called “To Die For” was probably super tone deaf. In any case, literally every single released for this album had me in love. So, when they all got included in the final version, I was thrilled. Sam gave us a bonus song after the album as well, but I can see why that one didn’t get on. In any case, this is a huge step up from “The Thrill of it All,” which I didn’t really care for. Recommended Tracks: Another One, Dance (’Til You Love Someone Else), Forgive Myself.

12. Troye Sivan’s In A Dream: I love this kid. He’s so gay and so not shy about it and it really makes me smile. The EP comes after his last LP, Bloom, where the title track basically talks about bottoming for the first time and this new EP deals with a few other queer issues over weirdly produced beats that just... make sense. Recommended tracks: Stud, In A Dream, Easy.

11. Matenrou Opera’s Chronos: Unfortunately, this band just lost their guitarist again. Their original, Anzi, was basically the most consummate guitarist in the visual kei scene that wasn’t Hizaki and he left them. Their sound wasn’t quite right since and they seemed to just get it back with Chronos when Jay left them. I guess we’ll see what they do next, but I think Chronos could be their last great release. Recommended Tracks: Chronos, Silence, Reminiscence.

10. BoA’s Better: A very recent release that hasn’t had much time for me to digest. This is strange for me to put it so high on my list for that reason, but BoA is one of my all time favorites. She never disappoints me. This album was no different. It wasn’t exactly up to par with “Woman” or “Watashi Kono Mama de Ii no Kana,” but it definitely gave us some new and very iconic Queen BoA bangers. Recommended Tracks: Cut Me Off, Start Over, Temptations.

9. Kesha’s High Road: A semi-step down from Rainbow, only because a lot of the same melodic elements and, sometimes, even beats were used on this album too. However, her vocal performance was outstanding and she even gave us a new dirty-pop song with some interesting indie-pop tracks to go with it. Plus, who doesn’t love a Big Freedia feature? Recommended Tracks: Resentment, Raising Hell, Tonight.

8. Lady Gaga’s Chromatica: Anyone who knows me knows I don’t really love Gaga anymore. After all the drama with Madonna and her experimentation with “Joanne” I didn’t think I’d ever like her music again. However, she definitely won back big points for me on Chromatica. It was finally fun, weird, dancey, and then simultaneously emotional and I was really able to get back into it. She’s always had the voice, but on this one it also showed us that she still has what made us love her. Recommended Tracks: Rain On Me, Plastic Doll, Enigma.

7. Koda Kumi’s My Name Is... Angel + Monster: She is, very likely, my Japanese Pop Queen. She always makes these absolutely outlandish bangers of dance tracks that have such a great attitude and beat and when she released re(CORD)... last year? 2018? Who can remember... I thought she could never outdo herself. Then she released “Lucky Star” and I was floored. I was a bit disappointed when they were only to promote a “My Name Is...” collection album, but then, to my surprise, a full set of new tracks came out just after that just blew me entirely away. Guess the last 6 albums must be pretty great, huh? Recommended tracks: Killer Monster, Work It!, Alarm.

6. Grimes’ Miss Anthropocene: I’ve never been a big fan of Grimes, but when Violence came out I was really looking forward to whatever album this was going to end up promoting. The song is actual fire, but then the LP ended up being some kind of experimental Gothic Pop with Asian Pop influences I never expected. I doubt I’ll ever find something she does this good ever again, but it was really a musical light in the darkness of this year. Recommended tracks: Darkseid, Delete Forever, Violence.

5. Kylie Minogue’s Disco: Admittedly, my draw to Kylie has always been that she is like some kind of Australian Madonna. Madonna being one of my all time favorite artists... In fact, number 2 for all women I listen to, Kylie has some big shoes to fill with her sometimes generic pop that she puts out. However, I haven’t really truly loved a Kylie song since “Get Outta My Way” and then this album comes out filled with tracks to love for the rest of time. Recommended Tracks: Miss A Thing, Till You Love Somebody, Magic.

4. Chanmina’s Notebook/Angel: I don’t have really any way of knowing how popular Chanmina is in Japan or if she is as popular in the Japanese Queer Scene as she should be, but god damn does she know what she’s doing. Her music is raunchy, bitchy, and condescending at it’s highest and deeply personal at it’s most mellow. There is no “lowest.” “Notebook” was a two-sided album and “Angel” a strong follow up EP, but all the recommended tracks are from “Notebook.” If you have not listened to “Picky”.... go do it now, I’ll wait. Recommended tracks: Picky, Baby, Lucy.

3. The Weeknd’s After Hours: Incidentally, I got into The Weeknd after someone said something shitty about him here on Tumblr! I took their likely-valid criticism and went to check him out for myself and I gotta say, I love his work. The beats are literally always on point and his voice is like silk. This album provided more than a few iconic songs and I always can’t wait to see what he does next. Recommended Tracks: Alone Again, Heartless, Blinding Lights.

2. Halsey’s Manic: The singles and features she did between Hopeless Fountain Kingdom and Manic gave me such insanely high hopes and I was not disappointed. HFK was a strong album of course, but this was near perfection for me. I think the production of this alt-pop album was the star of the show because it wasn’t all one way, there were heavy-bass songs, interesting piano riffs, striaght up punk rock, all of it. She really made an album quite like it’s namesake. Recommended Tracks: Ashley, Killing Boys, Still Learning.

1. Dexcore’s Metempsychosis: A newcomer to the visual kei and death metal scene, they’ve been putting out single after single for years in preparation for their extemeley long and multidaceted debut album. With a total of about 33 songs, the entire second disc was rerecorded singles from their early days and some even got new lyrical treatment. The main series of songs were, of course, also totally flooring and all of the recommended tracks are the new ones. If you haven’t checked them out by now, you have to! Recommended tracks: Cibus, Scribble, Period.

#personal #music #2020 #visual kei #k-pop #dexcore #halsey #the weeknd #chanmina #kylie minogue #grimes #koda kumi #lady gaga #kesha #BoA

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blaster-aichi · 4 years

Text

Cardfight!! Vanguard Extra Story IF 17—19 things

feat some overdue screaming

IF 17

said overdue screaming

Without the context of epi 19, Kourin’s reference to original memories stands out as incredibly peculiar. Miwa’s response, while fitting for anyone else, could have an entirely new meaning after the revelation at 19′s conclusion, we’ll get there in theoryland.

Never knew needed Kai-kun working part-time jobs but it has become a huge need, thanks writers.

That’s gay. But it does suggest that the possible ruptures in IF’s reality aren’t isolated to Shin and Kamui in the previous episode. It would be nice to see any other instances from the possible ripple effect.

pre-19: “oh this face is a mood”. post-19: “different character but hmmmmm”

With all the Legion Mate comparisons floating around from the get-go, Naoki’s method in tackling his regret is an intriguing choice against his past efforts. In Link Joker, Legion Mate and the second half of the manga/Reboot, Naoki’s objective was to make for his inaction going forward and earn Aichi’s forgiveness. If given the opportunity to go back and redo things, he may have taken it, though having heard from Aichi personally that he’s thankful for everything and everyone that he’s connected with as a result of how events played out, Naoki may not have had the heart to do so. Without that talk, it’s natural that, instead of looking ahead and atoning, Naoki’s turning backwards, it’s a neat contrast.

The series has always built up the relationship between Aichi and Blaster Blade but the relationship between Kai-kun and Dragonic Overlord is so precious, it’s a shame that it wasn’t delved into prior to the past couple of years. The notion of evolving circling the both of them is incredibly fitting, with the history they’ve had in both continuities and the duality of their approaches. (It might have been occupying thoughts a lot since, the scene was so poignant).

Between his soldiers attacking during their first (onscreen) attempt to reach the root of the problem and Emi’s subsequent admission, props to Aichi for isolating it and cutting it off to anyone that tries to interfere, hoping it’s a part of any explanation to his reality warping (assuming it was him, until today, it seemed the only viable reason).

The comparison between Naoki and Kai-kun had me believe the former might join up with the main party as a nod to being there by the latter from beginning to end of Legion Mate, being both characters harbouring regrets (if Kai-kun were to regret that his IF life takes away from the happiness of the Outside World characters).

I just really, really, really love this scene. That is all.

Bless for highlighting the irony in the KaiAi units being adversaries.

Did I mention this is joint-favourite IF epi with epi 7? It’s not, it is and here’s one of many reasons why.

Reason #57 why: the battle choreography.

“Aichi Sendou isn’t the one you want to save”. Makes you wonder who was out to save the object of their regret and who was out to save themselves.

For a moment, had believed Naoki was not-dying (Retiring?) and being returned to the Outside World, somewhat surprised it hasn’t been utilized more beyond the Ultra Rare teams diving into the Akashic Book from.

Very Soft Cardfight. That is all.

Somewhere, original continity Naoki is screaming.

Tell this to your Link Joker self, please.

IF 18

On the one hand, Kai-kun walking around in Miyaji (with or without the context of IF), on the other hand, Bushi Eats.

Probably due to cracks coming from him getting a glimpse of the original reality, but Shingo cares an enormous amount for someone who, just a couple of episodes ago, said all the products in Card Capital were going to make him lose his mind.

“Awful big brother”. Laughs with shovel. (Comparatively, he’s brother of the year.)

PEDAL FASTER.

Love how Masaki and Shinji are named to overlap with their brothers’.

He’s going to fucking murder you.

[Kourin voice] Aichi is tired. [Me voice] As am I of your bullshit.

Wingal took so much time to train that it was only on his third appearance that he didn’t attack anyone. Also soft? So very soft.

NO THAT’S SO CUTE DAMN IT.

I have so much to say about Aichi missing Emi but also she’s barged in twice and you blasted out our of the castle on both occasions. Bullshit.

Do not pull the Legion Mate with me, boy.

Is he super dissociated because how do you even in the face of this?

It’s not just that he shouted her name, but the tone of his voice shouting at her. Thinking about just how extreme it is in comparison to the Aichi she knows and has kept company is pretty chilling.

Just how aggressive Aichi has become within the IF World is alarming; on only two occasions has he let anger get the better of him and one of those two wasn’t so bad. If this is to play on how warped he was going into the fight with Ibuki, good play on the writers’ part.

Semi-related to the above; with exception of three characters (Emi, Rati and Voidkuto), Aichi’s always used honorifics, and attached one to Kourin’s name, so to hear him address her without one is jarring, for lack of a better word.

THE BIG RED FLAG: Aichi’s expression in seeing Kourin having acted of her own accord (and potentially disobey him) smacks of two things: — his perceived crumbling control over the Sanctuary Knights, coupled with Naoki and Shingo’s desertion (his lack of reaction to the latter is bizarre, as it lends itself to and could bolster his hatred of Vanguard) — insinuates he never had control, but was allowed to think that he did. There’ll be a section beneath 19, which itself does a lot to fuel the flames of this suspicion, that will consolidate thoughts and the theory that’s been brewing since this episode last week.

On the subject of 19, Miwa being so nonchalant and passive about everything makes a lot more sense.

Let the girls fight physically more.

UBW Archer Class Meme-y Dialogue tingles.

Naoki and Shingo holding down the fort is very sweet, particularly when Shingo was alone in that task last time.

IF 19

Alarm bells rings first thing in the morning.

The irony in past Ibuki preventing Kai-kun going to Aichi after the past dozen episodes, there are no words.

Odd that the caveat of meeting yourself from another point in time presents itself when it didn’t occur in the first two episodes, unless, at least in this case, it applies only to past events.

There’s trying not to yell FGO at things and then there’s brain yelling “Lostbelt!” at Ibuki.

Rekka and Ren’s appearances gives me hope they’ll resurface; the main characters and audience know where their target is, so would like to think word will somehow get to them. (Speaking of. Nome? Where the fuck are you during all this?)

Episode loves playing with unsettling sights, very fitting for messing Ibuki’s head around, but simultaneously, making it apparent just how much of a threat Kourin specifically is. — On a related note: Kourin beats out Ren, Leon, Sera, Voidkuto and IF Aichi to have the most nightmarish face and I Am Afraid. Give Aichi a face like that al you’ll irreparably wound my psyche.

Intense Vibrating. They’re setting up Ibuki’s Deleting Aichi is relevant, it was the only one Kourin didn’t touch on in the episode and I am burning.

How dare you montage their time together with that music and then cut to this!

Did everyone else forget Jammers were a thing or was it just me being dumb?

Everyday I relate to Kai Toshiki.

Just going to appreciate Kai-kun gushing over giant robots in the middle of battle.

Kai-kun!Blaster Blade vs Greion giving me intense flashbacks to Aichi watching Kai-kun’s image in Blaster Blade sacrificing himself to try and fend off Greion just before he got Deleted and SCREAMS. — Once that fight is brought up directly, if you listen, you’ll hear Rena screaming in the distance.

If there’s anyone who has no room to talk it’s Miss This Thirsty For Aichi. Also when did you two switch places of tease and teased?

“Oh shit, he’s going to Delete Kai-kun”. “Oh okay, false alarm, thank G—” “OH NO SHIT HE’S ACTUALLY GOING TO DO IT!” — On an actual note, seeing the three regrets prominent in this season all take separate routes is interesting; Shuka working to correct her wrongs in the present and moving ahead, Naoki trying to travel back and alter things from the point of origin and Ibuki being twisted to no longer feel regret, seek repentence and rather to repeat his actions. — Ibuki vs Aichi flashbacks intensify. — Also, mid-fall dab.

Double Agent Miwa is a blessing, who knew his acting skills were so good? Although the begs the question (if he was flat-out planted as a mole) how he earned Kourin and/or Aichi’s trust to become a Sanctuary Knight in the first place

IF 20 preview: HYPE! HYPE! HYPE!

Theoryland (Screaming):

Miwa being Takuto or Nome’s Outside World partner:

In both Rekka and Suiko’s cases, there was a companion venturing in alongside them, both of whom are friends of Kai-kun and the same age. Perhaps, Miwa may have been in league with one of the Tatsunagi brothers (having determined Aichi’s motivation and Kai-kun’s position in all this, calling on his closest friend to match the girls’ partners) through whom he gained insight into the situation and moved in order to protect Kai-kun; working from the inside to weasel information out of the others, understand how they operate, monitor their activities to keep Kai-kun out of their sights, (find Takuto, if with Nome) and maybe (find a means to or actively make an effort himself to) drag Aichi out of his current state. It may be that, instead of Sanctuary, his abduction of Kai-kun had the destination of a rendezvous with Nome until the girls’ interference and the entire incident went off the rails.

Aichi as a puppet king and Kourin the true human antagonist:

Since his expression in seeing Kourin on the offensive without his say-so, it’s been on my mind that Aichi hasn’t actually been in a position of power whatsoever throughout IF, but he’s been led to believe he is, and the act might be withering. As "original" memories factor into it and Ultra Rare’s were lost at the end of the main Reboot continuity plot, it’s possible they may be on the line as they were in Link Joker/Legion Mate. — As she’s aware there are such memories, it’s possible that they were triggered into resurfacing when Takuto appeared within IF World and encountered her and Aichi, leading to his capture and confinement, so as not to cause any further damage to the world fabricated. — Alternatively, she might be acting in order to keep the force (a Brandt remnant remains my personal suspicion) that has Aichi in his current state at bay. Her unease in seeing him hanging above the scene outside Sanctuary as she attacked the others might suggest that she was worried it could break loose, as she’s never been one to be rattled. This is why “human” was specified above, because whatever the case, any corruption in Aichi is evidently the overarching antagonist force.

Additionally, throughout the season, Kourin has been fiercely territorial around Aichi, speaking and acting on his behalf, while keeping the other Sanctuary Knights at an arm’s distance. She alone enters his private quarters, sees him in pain, and (no, haven’t given up entirely on the right eye thing, there have been other people around when he’s outside his Alfred form and it was visible) privy to any secret circulating him (as well as IF’s true nature), while keeping the others in teh dark. Her reasoning may be wanting to keep him under he thumb or prevent whatever’s inside/in control of him from running rampant.

And in regards to Ibuki, Aichi made the declaration about casting him elsewhere, but Kourin was the one who enacted it, and the sole player in manipulating him to switch sides. There’s no certainty that Aichi is even aware, much like he might not be conscious of Naoki’s betrayal. — Her being responsible for recruiting might also explain why Misaki was never a Sanctuary Knight: Kourin desired she have an ordinary, happy life, not unlike Aichi’s wish for Kai-kun.

In a truly ironic turnabout, it looks to be that Kourin is IF’s Sera.

#Cardfight!! Vanguard #Cardfight!! Vanguard IF #cfv spoilers #long post

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shippostshitpost · 4 years

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“Boyfriend” does my make up challenge part one.

“I need a boyfriend….” Izumi Midoriya mutters more so to herself. The greenette was normally content with her life as it was, but she had made the mistake of looking at the tending makeup challenges. She, like any streamer, wanted to make sure she kept up with what was trending. It just so happened that with Valentine's Day coming up everyone was doing the “my boyfriend does my makeup videos and streams.”

She never really considered dating. Growing up she was the quirkless kid on the playground, the living punching bag. Kaachan may have backed off but that didn’t mean everyone did. So dating never crossed her mind. Then when Kaachan gave her the idea to start her own makeup channel and talk about heroes her life became busy. She would pick a hero, work on a basic analysis or break down a singular fight. She would spend days making sure she had the look planned out and enough allowance if she needed to pick up something. Then one for all entered her life, crash training had dissolved any free time she had left. Attending UA it was only that much worse. No, she never had the time and she didn’t have the time now. She scolded herself for even thinking about it. It couldn’t happen.

And even as she told herself that, she found herself drifting away in her own mind as she watched what had to be her 20th video in a row. Her favorite are the videos with the shy boyfriends. They always seemed anxious and worried, like they truly valued how important make up was to their girlfriend. They would apologize and fidget, even going against the rules of the challenge to check with the product was for. She also enjoyed the joker ones she called them jokers because they seem to make a joke out of everything. They openly admitted it they knew absolutely nothing about makeup and we’re just winging it. She thought it hilarious the ways they would use some of the products. Sometimes it be brow powder as an eyeshadow, and then they would be confused as to why it wasn’t super pigmented. One guy, and she wasn’t sure how this happened, tried to use liquid liner and lipstick. It was the only time his girlfriend said absolutely not. She couldn’t help but imagine if she had a boyfriend like either of those. Given that she herself was pretty shy, she wasn’t sure A shy boyfriend would be a good idea. But she did like the idea of a bold boyfriend with a good sense of humor. She could imagine herself pushing him away as he tried to insist that a product was for one thing when it was for another. The two of them laughing as he reminded her that he knew nothing about makeup. The third category a boyfriend she came across were the ones that seem to know how to do make up. In one video it was a Gothic boyfriend, he was amazing with the eyeliner. She was almost jealous of how well he did, she still couldn’t get her eyeliner to be a sharp as his was.

“...Or a girlfriend…” she sighed, letting her mind jump. Her favorites included, the shy bashful girlfriend who is good at Sweet looks, lots of pinks and soft blues maybe a little bit of purple here in there and a lot of white. And maybe some face jewels, the kind that were stickers you could get at your local crest store. Not the glue on ones, never the glue on ones! She had tried that once and regretted it. She also loved the challenges we’re both girls were doing the others makeup. They will do matching looks based on famous couples or even TV shows they liked. She also had a soft spot for the girlfriend that just couldn’t do makeup. The one who had the more natural look that wore the red flannel, and combat boots. The lumberjack girlfriend. Izumi giggled at the idea but swooned all the same.

She pulled at her bottom lip muttering at several hundred words per minute. Her thin bows were pulled tight together while freckled cheeks were dusted pink, her green hair slightly messy as the curls broke away to do as they pleased. She was completely oblivious to the world around her, and the fact she was in the common room.

1-A was in utter shock. Had she really just said that? Izumi Midoriya wanted a boyfriend? Or girlfriend? She wanted to date? They could hardly believe what they were hearing! It would be a lie to say that none of them had tried. Bless her heart, the green haired girl was a bit dense. She was incredibly intelligent in matters pertaining to heroism. She excelled in strategy, went above and beyond when it came to quirk history, she could tell you anything you wanted to know about any quirk including her own, using this knowledge to try and dominate the battlefield. But when it came to other people, and subsequently romantic interests? She seemed to know nothing or maybe she was just ignoring them? They found it hard to believe that she would brush off their feelings without acknowledging them. And she always seemed worried about hurting people's feelings, no they had decided that she was just oblivious.

But now? This was a complete game changer. The poor girl didn’t realize what silent competition she had set for her classmates. And there wasn’t a single one that wasn’t taking it seriously. While she scrolled away day dreaming the class seemed to be planning.

Tenya Iida of course began devising a strategy. Being that they were close he knew her schedule, her common interests, and when she had free time. After all regardless of romantic attraction he didn’t want to intervene with her personal schedule. And certainly not with her school or training schedule! Though he did have the advantage of being a class representative, meaning he could easily ask for her help on something. What exactly? He wasn’t sure. He also began scrolling through her social media trying to find things she might be excited about they could make great conversational topics. As well as sending a text to his older brother. Izumi was a woman not a girl, he couldn’t expect her to swoon over any position he held nor his family name. No, he would simply have to show her that he was a superior option to the rest of his competition.

Ochaco radiate confidence. Izumi was her best friend, and have been since they started at the prestigious hero school. If anyone knew her it wa Ochaco! She knew it would be effortless to get her attention, she could simply ask for a little help in a class here or there. If there was one thing she knew about the mumbling angel, it was that just by being her friend she could gain the attention she wanted.

Tokoyami began conversing with dark shadow. The two were trying to figure out a strategy to show their little ray of light that the darkness was a safe place to be. Tokoyami was always a little anxious about his power, but he wasn’t about to pass up an opportunity to win the girl of his dreams. He could already see them strolling in the moonlight, him dressed in a dark cloak and her in a pure white kimono. The thought alone was enough to motivate him. He would write her poetry, letters, and pay her compliments. Traditional love languages were the most effective.

Mina was already working on a playlist. She and Midoriya enjoy the same music, and it just so happened that a new album had dropped. They could listen to it together Mina would have the opportunity to show her that she could be the fun girlfriend. The girlfriend that she could let loose with.

Momo wondered if she even stood a chance against the others. She was more shy, and really lacked the confidence that Midoriya seem to carry. Then again that wasn’t always a bad thing, after all Momo could be the shy one, and Midoriya could be the outgoing one who had all the confidence. She began to daydream about that dynamic, they would surely be the cutest couple on campus.

Kaminari and Sero had decided to work together. After all, they were both very aware that she was out of their league. But maybe if they could both get her laughing she would choose one of them. They also didn’t mind if she chose both.

Shouto didn’t even bother to think about it. He didn’t want to think of the how, he only thought of what would happen after they got together. Surely if they got married he would take her last name. And they would be the power couple of UA. He would show her how deep his love was, using both of his powers to rise to the top with her. He would be a good husband unlike his father.

Kirishima, well his plan was simple. He was aware of how strong she was, and the fact that she didn’t really need a man to complete her. She wasn’t weak or fragile and had more than once kicked his ass. No his strategy was to show her how well they work together. That they could be an unstoppable team.

While the class plotted, and Izumi watched her video, Katsuki had a moment to reflect. He wasn’t unaware of the intentions of his classmates. He had always known that half-and-half bastard had a thing for her. And it wasn’t hard to figure out that almost everyone else did too. But where did that leave him? He was under no illusions, he had put her through hell and made her life miserable. She didn’t owe him forgiveness and he wasn’t going to ask for it. he wasn’t sure how he felt about her, she was his childhood friend. And he did truly believe that. Regardless of how he felt, he wasn’t going to let anyone in that room just try and waltz into her life. They would have to get through him first.

“Game on extras, may the best man or woman win…” He thought with a smirk. This was going to be fun.

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