#the change from the og lyrics is intentional!
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a petekey reading of so much (for) stardust
aka you knew i'd do this aka i didnt take four literature classes in college for nothing aka make sure your tinfoil hat is SECURED to your noggin aka dear lord forgive me for committing sins of petekey in the year of 2023
look. i have to do this or i don't deserve this blog. amen
~ love from the other side
okay. yea, immediately the "you were the sunshine of my lifetime" thing is sort of sus, because we all know pete wentz and anytime sun or summer is involved it's Something. this is solidified in "summer falling through our fingers again" in verse 2, but it's interesting that he uses "ours" in this lyric bc i feel like recently most of pete's summer lyrics have been pretty self-inflicted. it's impossible to not note the whole "inscribed like stone and faded by the rain" in the bridge v. "the tombstones were waiting" line in bang the doldrums. i shant even elaborate u can pick up what i'm laying down!
~ heartbreak feels so good
i think this song is pretty light on petekey imagery but "light from a screen of messages unsent" kinda reminds me of "some nights it gets so bad i almost pick up the phone" in ginasfs but i could be reaching for Sure. let's be real that's all i do
~ hold me like a grudge
honestly i think this is one of the worst petekey offenders on the album. this one had me gawking at my screen as i read the lyrics. "thaw out my freezer burn feelings for twenty summers" ??? be SERIOUS pete... "part-time soulmate, full-time problem" yeah I GET IT I GET IT !!! the whole thing reeks of 2005 summertime fling
~ fake out
"do you laugh about me whenever i leave?" bonkers ass line,,this reminds me of pete's lj writing in those years after 2005,,,"my mood board is just pictures of you, but i'm not sad anymore" YEAH. this is SO pete holy fuck. that classic wentz obsession,,"we did for futures that never came and for pasts that we're never gonna change" this line's got me on the fuckin FLOOR. also classic pete!!! his perchance for nostalgia is just insane and he really feels it huh
~ heaven, iowa
i dont even know how to get into this one. "kiss my cheek, baby, please/would you read my eulogy?" SICK and TWISTED evil!!! evil!!! "i will never ask you for anything except to dream sweet of me" jesus h christ the melancholy is off the charts but holy fuck this song is so,,,tender? i dont know wht to say but i know this was written w summer of love intention. i know this in my heart. "scar-crossed lovers, forever" OKAY I KNOW !!! this song is DEVASTATING verse 2 is fucked UP and the bridge is too!!! "closed my eyes inside your darkness and found your glow"???? i cantr og on
~ so good right now
i can't really discern any particularly petekey lyrics in this one right away but the whole "i cut myself down to be whatever you need me to be" is pretty fucking wild
~ i am my own muse
there's some really sad lyrics in this one ab the whole future-not-going-as-planned thing that comes up so frequently in pete's writing but honestly the whole "let's twist the knife again, twist the knife again like we did last summer" thing made my head explode. every lover's got a lil dagger in their hands!!!
~ flu game
im not gonna sit here and type out ths whole fucking song but oh my GOD bro. this song to me is a really nice callback to pete's older style of lyricism but that comes with the self-deprecation and all the other really sad shit. it's beautiful! it's horrible! i love it!!! its about mikey i cant even pul out a few lyrics just LISTEN
~ baby annihilation
another fucked up one that literally anyone else in fob should have vetoed but OKAY?? "time is luck and i wish ours overlapped more or for longer" MAN SHUT UP. "self sabotage at best, under your spell/but you know what they say, if you want a job done right, you gotta do it yourself" ..........dude. if you're like me and you've poured over pete's oooold lj posts from the mid 2000s you already get it, but if you havent,,,go do it and get back to me bc this is TOO MUHC im unwell. "what is there between us if not a little annihilation?" i think i hauve covid
~ the kintsugi kid (ten years)
this song is really fucking sad actually. there's so much fear of being forgotten on this album and it's showcased really beautifully in this song,,,mayhaps not the most obviously petekey song but god damn
~ what a time to be alive
this song's about covid and quarantine n it's pretty easy on the whole suffering from a fling in 2005 thing! good job pete and fob
~ so much (for) stardust
this song is kinda suspicious but there's very few lines that really solidify it as a petekey song,,, altho "i think i've been going through it, and ive been putting your name through it" is a really interesting lyric. and OF COURSE, "in another life, you were my babe/in another life, you were the sunshine of my lifetime" happy xmas war is over
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hi i LOVE your threads that bind series (and all ur other work). i was curious about if you had any more info on arsenios? like, his power seems to be persuasion through song, is it in like a siren kinda way or? and any other tidbits if youd like to share *insert marge simpson 'i just think theyre neat' meme* <3 also every demon ever being 100% done with solomons shit before he even opens his mouth lmao
asldfjkaskldf anon... you have no idea what this means to me lol.
I will be posting the next chapter of The Threads That Bind tonight! It really kinda took on a life of its own when I started writing it, but I actually like how it turned out. It means so much to me that other people are enjoying it!
As for Arsenios, well... I have a lot of info on him lol. It just happened that he fit in with this story so I decided to include him because I am fond of him and I really wanted to write about him more. Being asked about him makes me sooo happy!
So to explain his power a little more, it was initially inspired by the concept of human musicians making a deal with the devil in exchange for musical talent. The ones who come out of nowhere and play amazingly well, but then die young tragic deaths. I figured it made sense that the demon who was making those deals would be good at music themselves and maybe their power was rooted in all things musical.
Arsenios spent a lot of time answering summons from humans that wanted to make deals to gain musical talent. He had to make pacts with them and in that way lent them his power in the form of skill. Of course, these were just regular humans and not immortal sorcerers, so they did inevitably die young, thus releasing Arsenios from whatever pact he had made with them. And of course he got their soul out of the deal.
Something really terrible happened to him, though, and changed his whole life, so he doesn't actually do that anymore. It happened some time after Lucifer and his brothers fell, but before MC showed up in the OG.
Now he mostly spends his time performing at gigs in various places throughout the Devildom. He's not super famous, just kind of a local musician, but he's busy enough that he needs a manager to book things for him. He only goes to RAD sporadically because of this and he only goes at all because Barbatos talked him into it.
He can choose whether or not to weave magic into his song and he rarely does it. But it is kind of like a siren song when he does do it. Depending on the intention, he can persuade people to do things. But it's kind of subtle, he was really going hard in The Threads That Bind lol. More often, he uses it as kind of a suggestion and he only needs a handful of notes. He can use instruments to do it, too, but because he often doesn't need much, he usually just sings.
I had him singing in what I called the "ancient language of demons" because I didn't wanna make up lyrics lol. But the lyrics can have an impact on the power of the song. For instance, if he sings in a language that the person being influenced can understand, it lingers a lot longer in their mind and can be more powerful. He's nervous about doing this to humans because he doesn't want to drive them mad by accident, so he sticks with demonic for them.
Arsenios could write entire songs that weave complex spells if he really wanted to, but he has no such ambitions, so he doesn't bother.
And you know it's so funny because I LOVE Solomon, but Arsenios only barely tolerates him and it is so fun to write. I think they could become friends eventually. Arsenios actually respects his power and he's secretly impressed by it, but good luck getting him to admit it lol.
Anyway, I didn't mean for this to get so long! But I felt like some context was needed about where the idea for his power comes from. And of course I could write about him all day lol.
Thank you so much for asking and I'm so glad you're enjoying the story! <3
#I mean of course I'm fond of my own oc#and I could write so much more about him lol#anyway#I'm thinking about writing him his own story#haven't decided yet#obey me#obey me oc#misc oc arsenios#the threads that bind#anon asks#misc answers
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your maroon fic for the scene writing ask!
ooh thank you!!
this one was honestly less a scene and more of a general feeling i wanted to write? it's obviously inspired by the song maroon bc i was (and still am) just obsessed with it's imagery and the way taylor was able to tell such an interesting story so beautifully and concisely and with such a cool theme.
the burgundy on your tshirt/ when you splashed your wine into me/and how the blood rushed into your cheeks
these lyrics felt so visceral to me so i always knew i wanted a scene where they spill wine on each other. the very first time i listened to the song 'blood rushed into your cheeks' reminded me of cale, of course, haha.
the change in the prechorus from i chose you to i lost you to is such a simply but powerful way to describe being with some one and loving it and then losing it. i loved how intentional 'i chose you' feels. like this relationship wasn't stumbled into, it was a choice, a desire. and then on the flip side 'i lost you' feels the exact opposite. you never intentionally lose something, it's always out of your control. i loved how changing that one word conveyed so much. i wanted that just general feeling to be present in the fic.
And I chose you (i lost you)
The one I was dancin' with
In New York, no shoes
obviously the 'dancin' in new york' was something i wanted to include too, although i twisted it to be in a club rather than at home (which is how i interpret the og song).
this is just a longwinded way of saying i just wanted to generally capture the essence of the song in fic form, even though i definitely didn't follow it exactly. and think there's a lot of ways to interpret the song. my interpretation for the sake of this fic was this idea of finally getting together with someone you've wanted for a long time and it being a whirlwind and feeling great in the moment and then fucking it up and reminiscing on it and wondering how you could fix it.
in my opinion, in the context of the song i don't think the couple got back together but i probably will always write happy endings lol. i also don't necessarily think it was a whirlwind romance like how i (tried to write) wrote it. taylor wrote a certain level of comfort/longevity into the relationship that i didn't include in my fic. i don't even know if it was a healthy romance (see again: lots of different ways to interpret the song). tbh i think i could write another fic inspired by the song and it could be entirely different, lol.
fwiw, this was my original tweet about it and the idea definitely changed from that:
send me a fic title to find out what was THE SCENE i wrote the entire fic around
#sorry again this was long#CLEARLY i could write a whole ass master thesis on this one song#i'm really proud of that fic but if i was a better writer i think it could be better lol#i still think taylor's three minute song has more depth than my 12k fic hahahahah#thank you bre!!#answered#sorry it was so long lol#asks#fallinallincurls
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Climbing Mountains
I never imagined myself hiking a mountain. 4,802ft at that... I never had a desire to spend time walking up a hill to walk back down, just to say I did it.
What I also never knew, was how much that hike would change my self reflection.
I have struggled with so many esteem issues. Weight being my "best handled", self-acceptance, self-worth, personal value, capability... being fully transparent, I didn't think I would ACTUALLY do it. I've never done more than hills, and really avoided those at most costs. I wanted to do this, because I was challenged. I wanted to do this because I said I could... to someone willing to hold me accountable.
I woke up far too early on a Saturday, completely ill-prepared... Ate the wrong breakfast [and regretted it for the rest of the day], drank too much water too fast, and wanted to quit on myself more times than I would ever admit...
I heard a man that has patiently showed me a kind love, a caring compassion, a friendly banter; tell me I could do it. Over and over. "just keep taking the next step, you got this." he was probably sick of saying it... I heard the sincerity in his voice at the trail head as he promised me we could turn back at any point...
we had driven 4 hours in moderately annoying traffic. I insisted on blasting a mystery playlist a zune I had incidently recently found and charged. I sang in my out of tune, doesn't really know all the proper lyrics and makes em up as I go, top of my lungs, 2000s angst voice.
He laughed at me and gently persuaded the skip button through the most annoying songs of our youth. Limewire downloads that digitally decayed over time, only one skip away from finding a vintage CD collection and a discman with the OG skull candy...
I insisted on bug spray, pushing the "i got this" confidence to the max with the deet 40 and fly spray... he spent the entire day helping me acheive goals I didn't know I had...
We got to the top of the moutain in 5 hours, the goal was 4 up 4 down. We made our day in 8. With breaks, and pictures, and a backpackers lunch at the summit. We shared a few moments with other hikers along the way... but what I didn't realize, until now- weeks later... we shared something more- trust.
I trusted this man with my life. Literally. I trusted him to accept my limits, push my boundaries, and accepted his encouragement when I had nothing left in me. We stood together on a 4802ft mountain, but it was the absolute top of the world.
It has been my experience, that people don't invest in people like me. People don't put effort into climbing walls, breaking gates, tending gardens filled with every sign of neglect. It would have been easy for him to quit on me too. To turn back, to act in any manner other than the gentle strength he shared to get me there.
It has been my experience that people I would do anything for, will do so little in return. I have raised children I didn't bear, paid bills that were not my own, funded vacations to places I didn't want to see. I have always only ever gotten what was easy. Effort, rarely at best.
This man... this kind, sweet man- has only ever gotten the most authentic me. the "take me as I am", the hardened shell after abusive heartbreak. He has gotten the reaction to assumed intention, the lash out of familiar behaviors even though he didn't follow the trend, he has gotten the "i'm not running, but I'm not trying either" version of me most of the time...
Not to say I'm reckless. Or that I disregard his feelings. I just- was waiting for the other shoe to drop, for him to fall into fitting the same mold...
This man proves daily, in a thousand consistent ways, he is different.
I don't beg for attention, I don't lack it either. I don't exhaust myself looking for activities, he makes an effort to plan dates too. I don't search for a connection constantly, insecure that it will cease to exist at any time... it just blooms. Like mountain laurel on the appalachain, beautiful. simple. strong, well rooted.
I climbed a mountain, with a man I wanted to spend time with. What I found on top of that mountain, was the insight to a man that was finding ways to show me everything beautiful. To share the moment with me.
The top of that mountain was a moment I hadn't even thought about, taking credit for the work it took to get there. The "don't quit" that was said so gently, screaming echos in my soul... he believed in me, for what seemed impossible to me.
We hiked back down that mountain, my whole body felt different. I appreciated it more. I was capable. I am strong. I walked beside the man that is making me believe I am as beautiful as the sun rising over the peaks... I hiked down that mountain with a confidence, a feeling of overwhelming success. Everyone else has quit on me, fell short of being willing to cheer me on for one more step... I conquer a mountain with a man that didn't quit for either of us. He never lost patience, never lost confidence in making it to the top- and back down- and out. My steps were so much lighter. Recognizing the gift that hike was. For me, believing I could do it. For me, excited to take on more. For me, seeing a man stand beyond every trauma response pre-determined thought process... For me, making it beyond the self imposed limits, walls- that I had so carefully lived behind...
I walked down that mountain leaving behind every insecurity I had let the past burden me with. I walked down the mountain next to a man willing to stand beside me for ALL the mountains, all the ups and downs. A man willing to believe in me, even when it is hard. That keeps rooting for us, when I'm letting me drag us down. That is willing to take ONE.MORE.STEP with me.
We left that trail head, and sat in the car... exhausted. 11.41 miles of pushing my body and mind to its self imposed limits. I looked at him, smiling a big goofy smile. He laughed a little, and asked me what mountain I wanted to do tomorrow.
Do the thing you didn't think you'd ever do. Believe you can do it. Go for the one you always wondered about...
Climb the mountain.
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what would be your characters' email signature? please be creative.
I am unfortunately the most boring person ever with my email signatures, but! a creative attempt shall be made (for my OG kiddos, bc I'll at least make it easy on myself and choose the characters from our world lol)
Will: Jared would set Will's with the intention to poke fun at him, except Will can't figure out how to change it so he's stuck with it. Brain is blanking on what it would be exactly, other than "Wolf Boy" in place of Will's name.
Jared: Changes his at least once a month, usually. Tames it down for school/work stuff, but anything else is signed off like those emails people send to their profs when they're hella sick.
Finn: Boring, most of the time. Signs off emails to Melody with a line from a poem, often something romantic after they start dating. Signs off emails to Jared with some variation of "Don't burn down any buildings."
Melody: The same as Finn, but substitute the poetry for song lyrics.
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2 for Strahd, 8 for Vasily, 30 and 45 for Ibis? (also feel free to swap them round if that works better)
last one i’m answering before i sleep… so glad people want to know abt my little guys…
2. what was your original concept for this character? how did playing them change that concept?
(strahd) oh this is GREAT for my strahd. my first concept for strahd when i decided i was going to jack-o-lantern the curse of strahd module pumpkin was a sort of jonathan sims/og victor frankenstein who went searching for something hidden and was overwhelmed by the discovery. that hasn’t changed, really, but the way i’ve really fleshed him out during the campaign is via the people he’s known and how they know him— as a demon, a cursed vessel, an Unbelievably unlikely friend, or as just. a man before and after barov found him in a deep and endless city.
oh yeah my strahd is also russian. if you watch our vods i forget the accent half the time but i’ve always been a lot more interested in barovia as basically a romanian forest copy-pasted onto the mongolian tundra than just. magic romania. in my mind at one point i thought of the forest barov creates for strahd as a manifestation of one of strahd’s old memories and one that causes him endless pain to see again as his domain. needless to say it has affected the local trout population.
8. what songs remind you of them? if there are specific lyrics or movements, list ‘em!
(vasily) i answered this for vasily but i’ll give you another from her first playlist: is there somebody who can watch you by the 1975. it’s a song about feeling guilt towards your younger sibling after leaving home, because you were supposed to take care of them, and that’s how she’s felt pretty much every second since she left.
30. how do they handle confrontation?
(ibis) with the power of incredible violence. they’re getting better at it, but when you’re raised as the sword in the hand of god, there’s not much else you learn how to do. she still uses incredible violence, but at least now it’s in response to confrontation that threatens the party and not just her.
45. what lies do they tell themselves?
(ibis) for a long time it was that they are a tool and not a person, though in fairness this is mostly god’s fault. now, i think they like to believe that their volatility is just how they are and not lashing out as a result of not understanding things. they also don’t really understand all of their feelings towards yaros (lucretia-type girl best friend), so they deliberately interpret her being distant as an intentional slight against them even though, deep down, they know she probably has their best interests in mind and that they don’t actually mistrust her, even if they maybe should a little bit.
#my three Most Blorbos#love that you have rooted them all out#all mostly charisma casters#all very messed up#weirdly they kind of all have the same haircut now#asks#anonymous#ask meme#vasily#ibis#strahd#should i make a more comprehensive list of these guys w race and class bc. it's not actually super apparent from how i've described them#but every single pc (and strahd) except for fish is a multiclass bc. i'm just like that#and i never envision a class as The Thing a character is#it's what they do and how#anyway#i rest now
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HEYYY!! since you’re a returning larrie, what are the proofs that made you realize they’re still together still going strong ? (see what I did there lol okay bye sorry 😭)
hello! (and yes i did thank you asjfkdkd) sorry this is going to be a bit of a Journey because my time in the fanbase in the og days was pretty isolating and i was going through some Shit for the latter half sooo it might come as a surprise how things turned around for me!
BUT when i came back last year, i started looking into everything from the very beginning because when i left, i completely left. like, didn’t check up on anything or anyone, was super embittered and unhappy and basically believed all the stuff i thought about harry and louis’ relationship was an illusion. so, i wanted to see if everything really was just something i believed because other people said they did, or there was actually something there.
like i won’t lie, i was already drifting in and out of the fanbase in early 2015 and then babygate took me super off-guard—somehow—and was kinda my last straw? so coming back i was thinking, “okay was i actually delusional for four years, or did i let something that was most definitely a stunt coupled with some feelings of resentment undo everything i believed?” because over the four or so years even as i’d randomly listen to some solo music and the old jams i’d get back to thinking about larry and well, after my re-education and some reading into the post-hiatus stunts? it was definitely the latter.
i guess coming back i was kinda on the fence about them still being together without ever having a hard break though, but only because i was still trying to make sense of the big stunt timelines—at least just for a little while—but it didn’t take long for me to make up my mind like “oh nah these bitches have been in love for a whole ass decade”. really, looking into everything from their music released post-1d hiatus to when they’d both seemingly disappear and then reappear around the same time (like i see you, jamaican holidays, and maybe italy too), anon receipts taken with both a grain of salt and a lot of wishful thinking, collectively told me they were together?
if i had to pick some key moments though, i’d definitely go for:
— harry’s “i fell in love to this song” before performing wmyb on tour and straight up not singing louis’ parts in some 1d songs
— louis back pedaling on his stories about listening to abba with his ‘best friend’ and jamming along to 1d on a drive with the same ‘best friend’....like you cannot expect me to believe when he hastily added in the OH AND ME GIRLFRIEND ELEANOR WAS THERE TOO with the latter that that wasn’t damage control, or that ollie was the one who was the supposed best friend in these contexts
— b-stage my beloved....i think about harry looking up in the stands with that special smile and blowing kisses and i know we don’t see him all the time or wholly know him like a friend but i have never seen him give anyone that kind of look before except for louis :’)
— “‘i went to amsterdam without you’ is about going to amsterdam with me girlfriend.....” bro why are you missing her if she’s right there....is it because you ditched her on her birthday to chill with some fellow homosexuals on the gay strip?? and/or because your real beloved actually wasn’t with you??
— ‘come so far since princess park’ aka is there a nonspecific heterosexual explanation for this because i will never believe his intention with that line was to showcase how much has happened to him personally since then, when he and harry were gushing over living together there years after the fact
— harry and kasey musgraves performing shania twain’s iconic love song and kasey changing the lyrics to ‘they’re still together’ to fit a third person narrative instead of just satisfying the role in the duet and harry’s knowing smile when she sang that line like....i guess i love to weep??
— aaaand the interview in which clifford—like audio ‘proofs’ are kinda hard for me to follow because i’m hoh but my ass definitely heard harry hissing something that sounded like ‘clifford’ so i’m counting it—totally gave harry away by barking like a maniac in the background before (presumably) louis yanked him into another room...i definitely think they’ve done video call interviews while the other one has been in the room watching the whole thing (i swear harry was in the room during louis’ hits radio interview for example)
there really are a lot of convincing moments when i really think about it buuut i’ll stop there, because it really was a combination of everything from delving into how some post-hiatus stunts were/are so obvious—louis clearly loathing danielle, eleanor following or preceding every louis post with a hashtag spon, holivia being dead obvious pr fodder while hamille was pointedly formulaic, the entire nonsense that is babygate—to very surface-level lyric analysis, rather than one or two specific events. some may speak louder or not require as much analyzing or investigating as others but all-in-all i think the collective is more reliable than one or two particular moments!
but yeah. there’s just so MUCH that while it’s not as obvious as the old days where we got to see them showcase their love even when they couldn’t sit next to each other in an interview or change lyrics to make their love songs more personal in front of thousands of fans—ie just being in the same vicinity and getting to watch them interact, really—the hinting is nowhere close to non-existent. it’s there, just less obvious and maybe better planned.
tldr; i came back, did some digging, and i’m still:
every god damn day of my life
#when i came back i was gonna do a three part analysis as to why i was back in their lane too but it seemed kinda redundant?#anon#answered#HL#1d#text#alex talks#pics#fave#long post
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i like to think jack gives his friends ‘custom’ ringtones in his phone that he probably stole bc he’s not gonna pay like $2 for a fucking jingle with small-ass royalties that do shit all for the og artists. little shithead.
For Hiccup he has The Dropkick Murphys song abt loosing ur leg. Because. yknow. He’s tasteful. I guarantee you Hiccup didn’t think anything of it at first for like up to three months bc he just wasn’t paying attention to the lyrics then one day he’s like. “Wait. Wait a Minute. You asshole.” (it’s literally an old wound, but like. Still. Dude.)
For Merida it's the theme song of Braveheart since its the Scottish Movie. She hits him upside the head every time she hears it bc she knows he did it specifically with the intent to annoy and it WORKS and that makes her even more mad than just the ringtone itself.
Sandy gets Mr. Sandman bc of COURSE there’s no other option.
Rapunzel gets walking on Sunshine bc she’s just an angel and like who could argue with that? C’mon now, its Rapunzel. Both Merida and Hiccup are like "why cant we get cute ones too" and Jack is like urs are u just refuse to see the inherent genius behind it.
Bunny wouldn’t allow Jack to have his number(willingly) but in my heart Jack would set his ringtone as ‘anything you could do’ from annie get ur gun bc its very reminiscent of his and Bunny’s rivalry, no?
North gets Rasputin bc again Jack thinks he’s funny. It backfires because North gets excited every time he hears it, he’s like “Rasputin?! Was family friend long time ago! Delight!” and Jack still can’t figure out if North’s fucking with him. Please. it’s been five plus years. Did your family know or not know Rasputin. That’s life-changing information. North please. Sir-
honestly I'm blanking on specifics for Tooth but i think Jack would pick something really silly but still sentimental, bc he’ll still bully Tooth but a little more lightly.
Similar to Merida, Jack has selected Baby It’s Cold Outside for Elsa because it’s her least favorite song in the world. When her and Anna were kids, Anna would watch the original Neptune’s Daughter relentlessly. Like. Nearly daily. You know how little girls are with their favorite movie?(like how little girls are w/Frozen?) Baby it’s Cold outside was like Do You Wanna Build A Snowman but for Anna specifically. Elsa looks like she wants to commit murder every time she hears even the first note. Jack thinks it’s hilarious bc it’s like OF COURSE that’s like one of the only things that makes Elsa break her calm. Siblings know what i’m talkin abt.
I don’t have one in mind for Anna bc there’s so many possibilities for bullying in Jack’s eyes. Idk.
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My own personal issue personally with Les Contes d'Hoffmann in my personal opinion
This started off as me taking about how much I love Jessye Norman as Giulietta in this recording but not anymore anyways here's me being annoyed at the Keyes edition of Les Contes d'Hoffmann and other things also.
I had never experienced love until I begun listening to Oeser's edition of the tales of Hoffmann. I really stan Offenbach, but I have to say that, imo, the changes that Oeser presents for Giulietta's act are just superior. His version, simply put, takes the hideously cut up story that the Choudens provided us and music from Offenbach's failed opera Die Rheinnixen. With that, he adds two game changers: Hoffmann losing to Schlemiel in cards and Giulietta tricking Hoffmann.
There's more obvi but these are the changes that I think are the most important.
Giulietta's aria (linked above) proves her character to be more intelligent and clever than in the other two versions. I mean, in those ones the entire process of Giulietta getting Hoffmann is like:
she says "ily so u gotta leave" Hoffmann is like "no because I love u lalala o dieu de quelle ivresse" and she's like "chile ok give me ur reflection " and he's like "aight heart eyes cat emoji"
I have to give the Micheal Keyes edition (the one most accurate to og intentions) some credit, because Giulietta's couplets (below) in it do include a process of tempting Hoffmann. However, I find that the whole act flows weirdly and is quite convoluted.
eThe aforementioned couplets were composed by Offenbach on my birthday! It's really ironic that I don't like them.
Anyways, here are the lyrics for Giulietta's aria in Oesers edition. (english translation beneath)
Nº 20. Air
Giulietta [elle s'asseoit sur le divan, près du miroir]
Qui connaît donc la souffrance
dont mon âme est affligée!
Chacun fuit ce malheur immense
d'une existence enchainée!
Comme les vagues du rivage
rongent les madriers usés,
je ronge les barreaux de ma cage,
mais malgré tout mon courage,
l'espoir ne m'est pas donné...
Ah, si seulement de cet outrage,
je me libérais!
Ah! si une fois seulement
une fois quelqu'un me secourait! Ah!
Ah, si cet homme m'accordait grâce,
à moi, un être infame!
Bonheur de marcher sur ses traces,
moi, sienne de corps et âme!
-
Who then knows of the suffering
which my soul is afflicted by?
Everyone flees from the immense misfortune
of an enchained existence!
Like how the waves on a shore
eat away at worn planks,
I gnaw at the bars of my cage,
but despite all my courage,
I'm not given hope...
Ah, if only from this outrage,
I could be free!
Ah, if just once,
just once somebody could save me,
Ah, if this man could grant me mercy,
to me, an infamous being!
Happiness to follow in this footsteps,
me, to be his in body and soul.
-
full libretto: http://opera.stanford.edu/Offenbach/Hoffmann/acte4.html
In this aria Giulietta describes how, despite her best efforts to escape this cage, (whatever that means) only a man can save her. Woe is she, as no other man has been courageous enough.
For context, Hoffmann just faced his devastating loss to Schlemiel. You can expect that when Giulietta gives him the chance to redeem himself and earn her love, Hoffmann desperately agrees.
I'm gonna go off a little but, but I find that the major flaw in every production of Les Contes d'Hoffmann that I've seen is that the story feels fake. I think directors spend so much time trying to make the 3 main acts fantastical and cool and crazy that they forget that they are supposed to be based off of a reality. The stories don't connect, there are no signs of anything affecting anything else. The most I've seen is the metropolitan opera bringing the pink dolls back in the end of Giulietta's act.
They miss a crucial part of the story; how do these three women connect to one another? How do they come together to become Stella?
Some believe that these are three entirely separate women, but I won't indulge in that as I am not of that perspective :D
Like at the end of each of these acts, all the characters press reset and I feel like I get whiplash. Nothing that just happened even matters, because we're onto the next lady. There's the barest reference to previous events in the text, but the effects of those events are rarely ever shown. How could being objectified as Olympia affect Antonia's behaviour? What about Giulietta's? How does Spalanzani and the obsession with physics change Hoffmann's perspective on love throughout the opera? These are questions that should be asked when creating anything with a narrative; how does x interact with y?
With that, I come back to why I love this version of Les Contes d'Hoffmann. The superficial, shallow and misogynistic values of the society in Olympia's act taught Hoffmann that women are but an object at the will of men. In this aria, Giulietta weaponizes the ideologies that previously oppressed her against one of her main oppressors (edit: not in a violent way. but he does have a pattern of generally not treating her like a a complex human being). She proves herself to not only be a ruthless manipulator, but intrinsically linked to her past self. It gives the existence of Olympia's act a reason to be within the story.
Individually, sure, Olympia's act is effective as a satire of our society. But making it essentially inconsequential is robbing this opera of the nuance and complexity that it holds.
This little rant doesn't even begin to cover my interpretations of this story, because this recording that I base them on is three and a half hours long and the tales of Hoffmann is one of the most vague operas out there. However, I hope that it was useful to you in whatever way that may be!
Also mind that I haven't watched every single production of Les Contes d'Hoffmann, and that I do have ones that I love dearly despite the flaws I describe here.
Please let me know what you think! please! :D
(If you got here, thank you for reading this!)
#my friends dont like opera :(#les contes d'hoffmann#stan offenbach#offenbach#the tales of hoffmann#opera#operablr#opera tag#i could talk about this forever#one day..... one day ill be a theatre director......
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My yearly list of Eurovision songs after the first impression (I mean, for like, half of them. I heard snippets of some songs.). Judged on music videos, because...if I only listen to the songs on Spotify, my eyes get bored. :’)
(oh, and don’t talk to me about iceland’s placement, I know this might be unpopular)
X. Belarus
Fuck Belarus, all my homies hate Belarus. Not even going to grace them with a rating.
Norway (TIX – Fallen Angel)
...no. :( And it’s not even because Keiino didn’t win, I just wholeheartetly hate this song. And I’m kinda sorry to TIX, because he seems like a cool dude and his stage outfit is absolutely hilarious, but oh my god do I hate this song with an absolute burning passion.
Poland (RAFAL – The Ride)
eye emoji mouth emoji eye emoji – well, this is a non-qualifier if I’ve ever seen one. Can we just...skip this?
Belgium (Hooverphonic – The Wrong Place)
Nap time! This song annoys me. I cannot explain it, but it gives me a headache and my whole body is revolting against this song. I am not kidding. Objectively, I don’t even hate it, but there’s just something about it...that makes me go...hnghgng…
North Macedonia (Vasil – Here I Stand)
eye emoji mouth emoji eye emoji ver. 2 – I am not trying to sound mean, but does North Macedonia do any music that is not dramatic power ballads? I’m serious. (And I don’t like it, sorry. :((...except for the high notes, I like them. When he can hit them live.)
Estonia (Uku Suviste – The Lucky One)
This (the music video)...is soft porn. I am slightly scared of Uku. I don’t know why. But, uh...this is better than last year’s song? Still, it wouldn’t qualify under my watch, whoops.
Georgia (Tornike Kipiani – You)
He stopped yelling angrily at the microphone. :((( Nah, but this isn’t my thing. It’s great that they are doing their own thing, it’s just not really my thing...it also reminds me of a song I know, damn.
Austria (Vincent Bueno - Amen)
He looks like a german youtuber. I don’t know hich one, but he looks like one. I also canot tell if he’s 18 or 38, lol. (For some reason he also reminds me of Alex Albon, which is even weirder.)...oh, uh, the song? Idk, I don’t care for I. It’s fine.
Spain (Blas Cantó – Voy A Querdarme)
Confession: I’m probably the only person who actually doesn’t like the sound of Spanish all that much. Whoops. Apart from that though, I’m not the biggest fan of this song. Can’t really say more about that. Meh.
The Netherlands (Jeangu Macrooy – Birth Of A New Age)
Listen: I really like the tone of this voice. It’s great. I am not a fan of the song. There’s something just very off about the loud percussions (?) in the background that make me go absolutely crazy when listening to this. My sensory-overload-prone ears hate it, and I’m sorry...the part before the last chorus on the other hand I love. The whole song could have sounded like that and I would have loved it. (...and I can’t unhear “You are my broccoli – You know my broccoli!” ;-;)
Azerbaijan (Efendi – Mata Hari)
Whenever I see Efendi, my brain still goes “Cleopatrrrrra!”, oof. This song sounds like a song I know. Which...is super unprecice, but I genuinely don’t know which one. I do like that they kept the weird pre-chorus thing from Cleopatra (and reference the song later on), but I must say that I liked Cleopatra more...but it’s a party song, so I think it will be fun on stage!
Romania (ROXEN - Amnesia)
I didn’t like her song last year, I don’t enjoy this all too much and I’m kinda sorry but also...I don’t want to apologize for my taste in music, lmao. I want her hair though. Give me her hair.
Denkmark (Fyr & Flamme – Ove Os Pa Hinanden)
Ring ding ding, native language bonus. This is also way more fun than I thought it would be, hah. VERY retro, but I don’t hate that? :D (this and sweden really aren’t any different in terms of how much I like them)
Portugal (The Black Mama – Love Is On My Side)
I can appreciate this. I just wish it was in Portuguese, honestly. I don’t really know if I like the English for this song. That being said, I don’t know if you can make these very specific tones (you know what I mean) in portuguese without it sounding super off, so…
Ireland (Lesley Roy – Maps)
Okay, you do you Ireland. :D
Israel (Eden Alene – Set Me Free)
This exists. :D
Cyprus (Elena Tsagrinou – El Diablo)
Cyprus came to party, and I can’t be mad at that. I just don’t know why everybody in the YouTube comments loves this SO MUCH that they are sure that it will win if it gets the jury votes. I don’t think it’s as good as Fuego or She Got Me were, but maybe I just have no taste in party music. I don’t party. (Only if you got a 2000s playlist and some iced tea.)
France (Barbara Pravi – Voilà)
FRANCE sending a BALLAD? In MY Eurovision? It’s more likely than you think. It’s good, objectively. Personally, I don’t really care for it all that much and feel like I already know it.
United Kingdom (Embers – James Newman)
A good, modern song? In my british eurovision song? What happened on the Isles over quarantine? Are you guys okay? Did you find yourself? Have you taken your last breath (breath!) and looked at your past results? I’m impressed enough to put this relatively high, wow.
Serbia (Hurricane – LOCO LOCO)
*adore delano voice* party! Oh, and native language bonus...for a party song! I’m...impressed, actually. I cannot decide wheter I prefer this or Hasta La Vista, but I think it’s this one? The flows smoother, if that means literally anything.
Bulgaria (VICTORIA – Growing Up Is Getting Old)
*shrugs* I think a lot of people will like this. And I get that. I think I even understand it...yeah. I didn’t like her song last year either. It’s just personal preference, I think. I just want to have fun during Eurovision, hah.
Finland (Blind Channel – Dark Side)
Finland: FUCK YOU!!!
Germany: Fuck you. <3
That’s all I’ll say, we know how the Finnish are, this is not surprising, lmao. (And I’m one of those children that grew up on Rammstein, so I legally cannot dislike this.)
Croatia (Albina - Tick-Tock)
Tick-tock, can you hear me go tick-tock? My heart is like a clock, I'm steady like a rock-...oh wait, wrong tick-tock! Still, really enjoy this song’s chorus – I actually enjoy it so much that it makes up for the utter loss of interest I experience once it’s over, chrm.
Sweden (Tusse – Voices)
I mean...let’s be honest, it’s a generic swedish pop song. It sounds like every other Swedish entry, and I think that bothers me. I know, that sounds kind of...weird, looking at my choices higher up in the list, but...meh. I think this will easily qualify for the Final and place high, and I am totally okay with that. It’s just not...what I wanted, I guess? :D (and i’m sorry but as a german-speaker I cannot get over the name “tusse”) (oh, and tusse seems to be super cool)
Albania (Anxhela Peristeri - Karma)
Oh, we’re going to war in 130 A.D.? Fine, let me just pack my spear and- oh, Albania has already sent a singer? Ah, well, might as well give up and just vibe.
Czech Republic (Benny Cristo - omaga)
This sounds fun. Not a winner or anything, but fun. I’ll probably still be on Twitter when he’s performing, whoops.
Slovenia (Ana Sklic - Amen)
Wait, there’s TWO songs called Amen? And why do I actually kinda like this? Oh well, might as well just accept it. (Her voice though...mhmmhmhm…yes please)
Iceland (Dadi og Gagnamagnid – 10 Years)
We just vibin’. I liked Think About Things more, but I’m very much biased here...because I’ve known that song for a year now. But this is still very good, and very on brand. (And I understand like...half of the lyrics, but I am okay with that.)
Australia (Montaigne - Technicolour)
not australia flexing at all of europe that they can hold big gatherings! D: oh, but I like this way more than last years song. I feel like Montaigne can show her GREAT voice way better in this song. (Even though her outfit and the sound of the song reminds me of the UK song that had...a dude run on the stage. I can’t think of the word for it right now.)
Malta (Destiny – Je Me Casse)
Destiny’s voice is just….wow. This is very different than All My Love, but it’s fun. The topic of the lyrics kinda remind me of Toy, and I like that…..I don’t really like the music video (especially the dancers in the colorful dresses? idk), but I’ll just ignore that.
Germany (I Don’t Feel Hate - Germany)
Confession time: I actually actively enjoy this song. Everybod is shitting on it, but it’s FUN and it has a good message, and Jendrik seems like the nicest dude ever and...it doesn’t deserve all the hate it’s getting? It’s completely self-produced and just fun. Stop being mean. :(
(...also someone on youtube said “pewdiepie” and I can’t unsee that now so fuck you >:((...no, no I don’t feel hate, just rethink your life choices)
Moldova (Natalia Gordienko - SUGAR)
What in the “Eis.de ist in der Kiste” is this music video? And I thought I would absolutely hate this song, but I actually don’t mind it all that much. It’s actually fun. Oh no, I’m splipping, someone catch me, aaaaaahhhhh….(and that poor cake dude. Is this song about cannibalism? Does she want to eat him?)
San Marino (Senhit – Adrenalina)
Catch me hum the chorus of this song at least once a day...but honestly, without any malicious intent: what the actual FUCK san marino? This is so much better than Freaky, and even though I do not believe for one second that this will win, the simple outragiousness of bringing Flo Rida to Eurovision deserves attention. (Bringing someone like Flo Rida to ESC sounds more like Scandinavia/Bulgaria, doesn’t it?)
Russia (Manizha – Russian Woman)
Not gonna lie, I miss Little Big, but at least they are sending something that’s at least as weird. I love that. Russian Rap is cool as fuck anyway, so I’m fully here for this...but I’m glas this song doesn’t have a music video, this just has to be a live performance. (Oh, and another strong woman!)
Ukraine (Go_A – SHUM)
I’m SO glad Go_A are back. But, let me be completely honest: I know why they had to change the lyrics, but I still liked the first version better. BUT I feel like the new one will grow and me and it will climb one or two places, because the Instrumental just slaps SO HARD. (Makes me feel like putting on a Cybergoth outfit and start dancing at a German industrial park, lmao.)
Latvia (Samanta Tina – The Moon Is Rising)
Does this count as my guilty pleasure this year? I loved her song last year, and this sounds similar, so...I like this too. It sounds modern as fuck (well, for Europe, you know) and I can definitely...”vibe” with that. I genuinely really enjoy this, and I don’t know why. (Even though I prefer last years drop.) A lot of “strong, independent women”-songs this year, and I’m not complaining.
Switzerland (Gjon’s Tears – Tout l’Univers)
Just so we’re clear, this and Italy share the exact same spot. I just cannot compare them at all. Gjon’s voice just takes me hostage throughout this whole song and won’t let me go. And everything that isn’t english/is in the countries offical language immediately gets plus points from me. As if this song needed them anyway.
Lithuania (The Roop – Discoteque)
Aaaaaand...dance break! Good, I just love them so much, it’s not even funny anymore. And I’ve been singing this song randomly since it came out. I can’t stop. It has burned itself into my brain. Let’s dis-co-teque right at my home! *waves arms around with no sign of coordination*
(and does anyone else feel like he’s serhat, just with a different alignment? Like, they are both chaotic, but serhat is chaotic neutral and he’s either chaotic good or chaotic bad, it really depends on the way he looks at the camera)
Italy (Maneskin – Zitti E Buoni)
Italy delivers, as they do every year. Not only do I really like this song (it is very much my genre), THIS is an aesthetic I can get behind! Knowing Eurovision, I doubt it will win, but damn if it won’t be super fun! (I am so glad this won Sanremo, hah.)
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literally nothing is gonna change my mind about this- rant
I feel like I can meet half-way with people on pretty much any interpretation they have concerning A&C’s scenes or T&C’s scenes because they are (as I’ve said before) as close to the mark without actually hitting it type of vague (imo)
BUT
I am drawing the line on Hollow. That song is definitely about Aerith. I might bend a bit with the idea that this song is about Aerith and Zack but only slightly. The song being about Tifa is an interpretation that, although you can make, is only slightly convincing for portions of the song.
The lyric-“I would be lost, drifting alone. Floating up high, time after time. And there you'd be, shining brightly. Your smiling face, to guide my way” is perhaps the only line I could see attributing to Tifa and her later role in the lifestream but I believe the rest of the song doesn’t hold up that conclusion or it does so poorly.
I’ll even give them the second stanza but no more. The “reach out to me” in another time would have rang out clearly towards Aerith (as hand reaching imagery is a Cloud and Aerith motif- as paid homage to in AC when Aerith suddenly appears to Cloud in battle) but seeing as SE is intent on subverting our expectations when it comes to these two pairings (drawing parallels with both couples through the use of imagery that’s a conversation to be had another time I can see how reach out to me can also apply to both girls but the remainder of the song really doesn’t uphold a Tifa perspective.
The next part of the song is blatantly most telling.��
Was it all a dream? Will I never know? Foolish and blind, to everything. Had I realized, had I thought it through, would you be here, in my embrace?
I think most people seem to gloss over how retrospective this song is and how it doesn’t make sense for Cloud to say “had he done things differently, would you still be here?” for Tifa because Tifa is ALIVE after all is said and done. Whatever Cloud could have done differently, Tifa is still around for Cloud to embrace if he wants to.
The song uses this type of retrospective language throughout the rest of the lyrics
“once more” “this time” “this time for sure”
It’s not language I see being about Tifa because again, she still smiling at him in AC, still by his side, still around to answer questions that Cloud might still have about his broken past, about the time in the lifestream, about his trauma.
And Cloud ends the song by admitting that he will never know- the truth behind their tears or their sad smile- because that person is gone.
What really nailed the whole thing for me was that
“Was is all a dream” uses a leitmotif taken from the song that plays when you visit the Temple of the Ancients in the OG game. The Temple of The Ancients is the last dungeon/place of interest Aerith participates with the team before she dies. It’s an important part of the game I think and the part I believe Cloud laments the most- had he been stronger perhaps Aerith wouldn’t have felt the need to go stop Sephiroth on her own. On a more surface level, dreams/apparitions/visions what have you, have now more than ever, been confirmed to be particular Cloud and Aerith imagery.
I’m just really not convinced nor impressed with the interpretation that this song is about Tifa and this is after trying really hard to see it in a C&T perspective and feeling like it wasn’t holding up. It also doesn’t really hold up for Zack (but it only slightly does cuz he’s dead but I have a hard time seeing Zack smile and cry mysteriously at Cloud and Cloud wondering if he had done things differently-but like he was knocked out cold for most of the time he was with Zack so what could he have done exactly- Zack would still be around in Cloud’s embrace lol )
BONUS: The fact that this song plays with Cloud and Aerith are on screen and practically no one else is really telling but you don’t even need that EXTRA confirmation because it’s probably the most obvious/easy to understand thing SE has put out in years.
RANT: I don’t get how so many C&T shippers are like “well whatever! Cloud might have loved Aerith but she’s dead so Tifa it is” and then we get a song about a person clearly no longer being with us and everyone is like OMG TIFA. *sigh*
#clerith#if interpreting this song was an English assignment I would give everyone an F#spoilers I guess#I just needed to get this off my chest lol
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Interview: Louis Tomlinson Opens Up About ‘Walls’ & Tour Plans
It’s go time for Louis Tomlinson. After years of building anticipation, the 28-year-old unveils his debut solo album Walls today (January 31). And the 12-song collection (featuring familiar titles like “Two Of Us” and “Kill My Mind”) was well-worth the wait. On it, he reintroduces himself to fans after taking over the world as one-fifth of One Direction. And the crooner does so by placing the focus on his powerful pen to provide a glimpse into his heart and soul. Whether he is overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles on the title track or embracing a youthful sense of adventure on “Fearless,” every song offers a chance to engage with him on a new level.
But dropping Walls was just a warm-up. Now he turns his attention to the accompanying world tour. It all starts with a March 9 set in Barcelona. Then the hitmaker spends the next several months making stops across the globe. That includes a string of North American dates in June and July. And it’s the moment he’s been waiting for. Last week I had the opportunity to chat with Louis about the rest of his action-packed 2020. He opened up about how he mentally prepared for the arrival of the album and his goals. After that he spilled some tea about the show. That includes a little insight into the setlist selection process.
OG fans will be happy to know that they’ll definitely hear a couple One Direction staples in a live setting again this year. Even better, Louis plans to play every song off Walls. Keep an eye peeled for our official album review in the coming days. In the meantime, dive into our interview below to learn more.
You’ve been working towards Walls for a couple years now. How does it feel to be so close to releasing it?
I think just a big sense of relief. I’m excited to release it and to have the fans hear it. And to go out there and tour it. So I’m just excited to get into this stage. It feels like it’s been a long time coming.
Obviously you’ve done a couple album releases before, but it was always as part of One Direction. Do you feel like this being a solo project changes your perception at all?
Yeah, I think there was a slightly different goal. Naturally with the One Direction albums versus with my own solo album. I think I actually kind of review once I’d come out of the band… I had to almost redefine the word success really. Because the experience I had in One Direction wasn’t really real life. So in terms of what I want to get out of this album and what I’ve for starters learned a lot along the premises. But what I want to get out of it is that hopefully my fans think I’m a good songwriter. So really it’s almost less pressure in a way.
I think lyrically your writing is coming across so well.
Thank you.
Speaking of the songs you’ve released, it’s interesting looking at the tracklist. Some of the songs made the final cut, but there are a couple older singles that didn’t. How did you decide what would live as a stand-alone moment in time versus what would make the final album?
I think when I looked at the older singles that I’d done it was hard sonically for them to sit on the album. On the vinyl I did a version of the Steve Aoki song “Just Hold On.” But it’s a completely new production. We reworked that. But with the other singles, it was kind of difficult to imagine them on that record. I feel like my songwriting kind of matured a little bit since then.
Can you talk about why you settled on Walls as the overarching title for the album?
To be honest it’s my favorite song on the album. I think it’s the best song on the album. It’s the song I’m most proud of. So I’d been thinking about what title I was going to have for the album for a while. And then I kind of just thought let’s not overthink it. What’s my favorite song? I love the concept behind the single so I kind of just went with my gut and went with that.
It’s interesting too because as I’m listening to the album I notice that you obviously reference walls in the title track. But you also talk about fences on “Defenseless.” It seems like there was a theme emerging of overcoming barriers or putting yourself out there without barriers. Was that intentional that you were doing lyrically while writing?
Not deliberately but I do try to write in an autobiographical sense. And as relatable as possible. I think that’s one of the things that we all go through at times. So I felt like yeah it was important to cover that. I hadn’t realized. A lot of walls and fences.
A lot of things we had to get over. Looking at the tracklist, is there a song that hasn’t been released yet that you’re most excited for fans to hear?
I’d say “Only The Brave,” which is the last song. It’s just short of two minutes long, and it doesn’t really have a traditional structure to the song. You only really get the chorus once. And I think it’s an interesting moment in the album. It closes the album, and I think it’s interesting.
One of my favorites is “Fearless.” I love the message. I took it as encouraging yourself to return to our youthful confidence and just saying fuck it to expectations and anxiety.
Yeah, absolutely.
I was hoping you could tell me a bit about how it came together?
I think the age that I’m at at the moment, I’m 28 now. I’m kind of in this strange age. We’ve got a bit more life experience, but it’s kind of reflecting on how fearless you are when you’re young. The fact that you are willing to make mistakes over and over again. It’s just drawing on that whole vibe, really.
That’s something I relate to being at a similar point in my life.
Nice. I appreciate that.
Do you plan to release any more singles off the project?
No I don’t think so. I think I’m going to release the album, and I’m going to get into tour and just concentrate on that for a little bit. Just so I have more stuff to write about. Then at some point this year I’ll get into writing the next record I suppose.
Awesome! It’s good to hear that there are already plans for another album.
Yeah. Definitely.
Something else I wanted to ask about was the “Walls” video. Some of the other videos this era have been more straightforward in terms of a plot, whereas this felt more conceptual. How did you come up with the idea for this one and what does it mean to you?
This is the fourth video that I’ve done with that director Charlie Lightening who’s amazing. I really enjoyed working with him. The first three videos fit together. Were narrative driven and had a bit more story to them. So I thought, we both thought it was important with this video to kind of move away from that and make something visually more interesting. We went to Morocco to film it in the desert. I Think it looks incredible. You’ve got that scale with it being in the desert. And yeah, we were just trying to make it look kind of trippy and surreal. Visually interesting. Just a good sort of performance video instead of getting lost in a narrative.
Cool. I also wanted to talk about touring. How are you getting ready for the show?
I’ve been doing little bits of rehearsals here and there because I’ve got TV performances anyway. Like two or three weeks of rehearsals. To be honest since the year started I’ve kind of been counting down the days in terms of my solo career. This is what I’ve been working towards. So I’m really excited about it.
It brings everything together, and it’s great to see that this is coming. I was reading your last interview with us and you mentioned that touring was a big goal. So it’s great to have it be here.
Definitely. It feels good.
Speaking about the show, will the focus of the setlist be on your solo music or do you plan on throwing in any of the material you wrote for One Direction?
I think it’ll be like there might be three One Direction songs in there. I mean I’ll definitely put a few in. It would be rude not to, and there are some bangers in there. But mostly Walls. I’ll probably do the whole album and maybe two or three One Direction tunes.
That’s awesome. I can’t wait to see what the setlist ends up being. Thank you so much and good luck with everything you have going on.
Thank you very much. I appreciate your time, man.
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Oh yeah, definitely anti-ism is a form of stanning no doubts about that!! Like, the OG Stan hated what Eminem did but kept excusing him (ppl may or may not like him or the song but the lyrics 🙌🏻)
oh right THAT is where the term comes from. I knew that at some point and my brain tossed it I guess.
Yeah, the lyrics definitely communicate how toxic fan behavior is rooted in emotional emotional problems.
But that’s also expected — not in the ultimate stalker way, but in the awkward way. Entertainers know fans can get weird and they know that is something they are signing up for as a part of their profession.
And often times, they’ve been there! Jon Foreman has a funny story about being a good-intentioned dumbass when he met Bono. Jared was drunk and embarrassing when he met Eddie Vedder (I think it was Eddie???). It happens.
Most antis fall into that category that my friend calls “hater fans” and he always clarifies that they aren’t really haters, they’re just people who set themselves up for huge disappointment but want to blame the performer for it.
Think of the guys who say “oh yeah I love that band’s first record but then they sold out/changed their sound/the guitarist left etc and the new record sucks” — the problem isn’t the band, it’s that the fan is holding onto something that the performer has progressed on from, so now the fan isn’t experiencing the excitement of that initial experience. instead of getting nostalgic or giving new material a chance, they get angry because they’re emotionally immature or whatever.
a good spn example is “SPN was best during s1-s5 and then it ducked the show should have ended then...” You’ll see it occur again when J2 move on from SPN, it’ll be “yeah J2 just arent good when they’re not together” over and over.
more toxically, the slimeball antis who want to delve into J2’s personal lives have their own version of it. Things were better for tinhats when J2 were single and living together, and when Gen wasn’t running a lifestyle blog, and etc.
For Yanti specifically, things were better when she had never Jensen and Danneel or encountered their BNFs. her daydream has been crushed and now she’s lashing out by emotionally glomming her problems onto Jensen and trying to destroy women around him — Danneel first of all, and then also the groupie-types that make Yanti uncomfortable.
#antis are pathetic#stalkers#j2#bitchyanti#anti jensen losers#anti danneel losers#replies#anon#theory#profiling#stans vs antis#anti-ism is a form of stanning#diane shouts about rock and roll
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Takarazuka (& adjacent) week-end roundup 8.2.19
Hanagumi will be re-staging Haikara-san ga Tooru for Yuzuka Rei’s Grand Theater debut in March 2020. I called this a bottle episode on twitter but no one else thought it was funny
The God of Stars shinko was Tuesday and it looked lit; also based on frequent choice of work-bound walking partners, classmates Maisora Hitomi and Amato Kanon appear to be BFFs. I’m glad they got to lead a shinko together before Maisora is no longer eligible
The Diamond as Big as the Ritz roles were assigned, obliterating my faint hopes that somehow Yuuki Shion had been left out of this small theater run by accident
Asami Hikaru and Asami Rei will be appearing in what looks like the Broadway version of Anastasia, thanks babe for a) doing a big musical for a change b) getting it out of the way before the Olympics
Ok, I swear I’m not even like, trying to be biased here with who makes it into my entirely subjective and undoubtedly incomplete news roundups, but Nanami-friggin-Hiroki just keeps doing stuff, lighting our preconceptions of what you can do with an OG career on fire and throwing them into the ocean. Ya girl literally held a virtual ochakai, dropped a horny music video with thought-provoking lyrics I intend to share at some point, and snagged her own brand new SkyStage segment despite being retired, ep 2 of which appears to be let’s discuss how real men are more disappointing than otokoyaku (submissions open!)
Meanwhile over on the other end of the spectrum, MiyaRuri is a cryptid, sharing news such as “I’m gonna be at a thing at a shrine in Himeji that I think will be airing on this obscure channel only in this one prefecture” exclusively in disappearing insta stories
Poor suffering Tsukishiro Kanato has been announced OUT of Buyokai but specifically IN I Am From Austria, despite the former starting 3.5 weeks after the latter (in all seriousness, I get it, buyo is specifically rough on the back/hips/etc). Last night I dreamed that I ran into Reiko, who had been gone so long her hair had grown past her shoulders and she was fully a Girl. I hope to god that’s not a premonition
Light of my life Kazuki Sora (& crew) danced to Uptown Funk in her Brilliant Dreams
And, of course, the long-awaited TRANSFER ANNOUNCEMENT (here in English)
My ENTIRELY PERSONAL, CORRECTNESS NOT AT ALL GUARANTEED transfer takes:
My stomach is still somewhere in my basement re: Hitoko. That’s... our baby (stop I know I married into Soragumi but 絆！絆！y’all). Taking personal feelings out of it, if they wanted a cleanup hitter of that generation to stabilize gutted Hanagumi in as few moves as possible, they did it. She is and has been the most—tbh, only—surefire, clear-path, absolutely tracked otokoyaku out of all the 96ths and 97ths. She’s talented in all areas, and she’s a Prince Charming type, which in my opinion makes her a chameleon and will allow her ultimately to mold well to Hanagumi’s vibe. She will absolutely give them the support they need. But keeping personal feelings in it... she’s been Yukigumi’s clear-cut future for like at least 7 years. I saw her first ginkyou solo live. I watched her go from scared to scary stage presence. I was so looking forward to her eventual reign. I know this stuff always happens, I know she’s still gonna get it, and she might get it sooner than she would have. But I’m real sad she won’t be getting it where I watched her grow up.
I knew Aasa had no chance if her competition was Hitoko. Now... hmm.
Kiwa is such a WHOOPS, we take that back
I’m not gonna pretend to know what they have planned for Aichan and Ayaki Hikari in Hoshigumi. From what I’ve observed, I’m not sure they’d have moved Kiki in the first place if they had confidence Aichan would make it to top stardom. Even if she’s not Coto’s successor, she’ll probably get all the nibante roles for the time being, and she’s someone who can sell the small theaters until an actual successor is decided upon. This move, out of all of them, makes me wonder if recently something somewhere didn’t go according to plan. I got the impression they offered Aichan the senka option as a courtesy, since at the time there wasn’t really room for her in a troupe; I’d be surprised if the PLAN was to move her out of it again so soon. Plan aside, I like her a lot and I’m glad she’ll be back on a regular schedule.
Only semi-related, back in the day I thought Aichan to Micchangumi would have been a genius move. They caught on a few centuries too late.
Ayaki Hikari (Hitoko’s classmate), someone who will be ken-10 in her first Hoshi Grand Theater and has only ever split a bow, is probably just moving out of the way, and the Hoshi producer liked her and took her. I think she’ll likely get better roles than she did in Hana, but I need to see some definitive proof before I’ll buy that they have any intention of actually pushing her.
Shidou Ryuu I think is also just moving out of the way—this is a 3-person Hitoko ripple effect. Why to SORAGUMI, the last troupe that needs bodies, who knows—although I guess that could always be “the last troupe that needs bodies, FOR NOW”. That said, I didn’t think the company considered Riku specifically someone who needs to be replaced, but if there’s one person in the whole company I had to put in the exact same category of person, it would be Shidou.
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I’ll never forget the first time I heard one of her songs. It was summer 2006. My best friend Kamie had just gotten her learner’s permit. We were riding down the only highway in our tiny beach town in Kamie’s 1996 Jeep Cherokee with the windows down, salty ocean air messing up our hair, listening to our local country radio station Gator 107.9.
“He said the way my blue eyes shined put those Georgia stars to shame that night, I said, ‘that’s a lie’...”
Everyone who knows me knows that I am a talker. But for once in my life, I fell silent. We both listened intently for the entire three minutes and fifty four seconds.
Now admittedly, I’m kind of an elitist when it comes to the music I choose to listen to because I’m so focused on incredible lyrics. A song is nothing without amazing lyrics. I’m a Beatlemaniac. I love Fleetwood Mac, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, James Taylor—you get the picture. I’m that pretentious snob who’s like “I was born in the wrong decade” and “they don’t make music like they did in the 60s and 70s.” Hey, at least I’m self-aware, right?
I let Kamie choose the music of course since it was her car and while the other songs that came on the radio were fun and catchy, I wasn’t expecting to hear anything that would blow me away. Well I was blown away by the lyrics to that song. And I was even more blown away by the fact that the girl singing it appeared to be around our age. When the song concluded, the DJ said it was this young new musician Taylor Swift’s first single called “Tim McGraw.”
I never forgot that name. I bought her first album later when it was released that fall. I bought every subsequent album on release day. She made me feel like I should own my naturally curly hair and give my straightener a break. She made me feel like I should stand tall and rock heels with confidence even though I’m 5’9” and tower over everyone else. But most importantly, she made me feel like I wasn’t alone. Her lyrics were like reading my own diary—if I wasn’t ADHD and could actually sit still long enough to write a diary—back to myself. She was navigating the awkwardness that is high school and first loves and heartbreak just as I was, but writing about it and being open and honest and raw and vulnerable as she shared her experiences with the world through her music.
It’s funny how music has this strange and beautiful ability to take you back to exact points in time. I remember recording an embarrassing video that I hope never resurfaces of Kamie and me lip-synching to the 2009 Grammys performance of “Fifteen.” I remember dating for the first time and listening to “Our Song” and “Fearless” on repeat. I remember being heartbroken and listening to “White Horse” and “You’re Not Sorry” on repeat.
Speak Now came out when I was in my freshman year of college. I remember hearing “Mine” for the first time and having to pick my jaw up off of the floor because she sang about my life in a such scarily accurate way. My parents’ divorce happened a few years prior and I had developed deep rooted trust issues as a result of that so dating was hard. Hearing her write such a beautiful and optimistic song about a girl with trust issues due to her father’s wrongdoings made me hopeful for maybe potentially getting past that and finding love in the future (spoiler alert—I did and I’m happily married!). I still get chill bumps every time I listen to that song.
I remember studying abroad in London and dating the most beautiful man to ever walk the earth and repeatedly playing “Sparks Fly” on top MacBook speaker volume in my tiny flat, on my iPod while riding the tube, in the library studying, literally everywhere. I remember getting back to the States and meeting this guy I thought was perfect for me because of our electrifying witty banter and playing “Enchanted” nonstop but then being disappointed when things fell apart so all that “Enchanted” playing turned into “The Story of Us”. I remember dating this blue eyed boy who looked at me like I was from another universe and listening to “State of Grace” and thinking maybe he could be the one. I remember screwing him over and feeling bad about it and going “Back to December” all the time. Most importantly, I remember meeting this freckle-faced introverted but brilliant man at a concert and thinking “Everything Has Changed.” And it has. When my sister didn’t like him at first, I reminded myself that this love was “Ours.”
So many things change as time goes on. People change. You move cities. Friends come and go. But music is always a constant. And Taylor’s music has been there for me every step of the way. Every heartbreak. Every love. Every milestone. Taylor, I cannot thank you enough for your words. They mean so much to me and so many people.
Love, the OG Olivia. My older sister who is also a big Swiftie’s name is Meredith and we’re convinced we’re the inspiration behind your cats’ names, see our REP tour signs.
@taylorswift @taylornation @theswiftchicks
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Skam Italia episode 1 reaction
I was on the fence to whether I would watch/react to this one, because a) some of the production choices turned me off, namely the Sana casting and b) this will be the fourth time I have seen S1 unfold and like, what more can I say about it, really
but I decided to watch because all of these remakes have been helping me learn about film-making and storytelling and how the same material can play differently depending on cinematography, music, acting, editing, etc. for better or worse. and well, I had a lot of thoughts on it.
Clip 1 - one day this monologue will simply be Jonas reading the lyrics to All Star by Smash Mouth
For a moment I wondered if the opening monologue wasn’t going to be Eva’s writing, and she was reading it to Jonas (Giovanni) and he was going to give her some kinda condescending mansplain-y constructive criticism. Turns out it wasn’t but that might actually be an interesting way to adapt that scene (although the idea of watching this scene for a fifth time is not ideal).
Honestly I’ve seen so many conflicting takes about the opening speech that I’m just going to accept it’s something that I can’t get the significance of as a non-Italian and leave it at that. I do appreciate that they did change it to be something that’s specifically Italian.
This Eva is very … cute? I don’t mean that in a derogatory way. Her personality seems a little meeker and marshmallowier than Emma’s or even OG Eva or Hanna.
@skamremakesfromhell mentioned this in a post that Skam France and Skam Italia make it more obvious that the Eva and Ingrid characters were once friendly and OG Skam and Druck keep it more ambiguous. Most people I’ve seen react to Skam initially assume that Ingrid and Sara are like the school’s mean girls/popular clique rather than girls who have a history with Eva. Personally I prefer the ambiguity because it subverts expectations (especially when you’ve seen a million teen dramas featuring the requisite clique of popular bullies) but I guess you always learn by the end of the episode that Eva and Laura have a history so they don’t drag it out too much.
Eva waving at them is charming, but maybe a little much, though that’s kinda why I think she’s a cuter character. She’s the only one of the Evas trying to get a reaction out of the other girls. It makes you wonder what she thought would happen. Did she want a wave back? She really wants Laura to still like her. Also, notable that it’s the Sara character (I think) who gives her the finger, not Laura.
Also Giovanni is the only one of the Jonases to not notice Eva looking at Ingrid/Laura despite her being the only one to wave. Depending on your POV, it’s because he’s so wrapped up in explaining himself that he doesn’t notice Eva’s little moment of distress, or that his back is turned to Laura so he simply doesn’t notice. Or a combo of both.
I did like the visual choice of having Martino behind the bars (trapped in the friend zooooooooone) as well as his line, which according to the subtitles, is something like “in a couple there are no secrets but there also aren’t secrets between friends” which is some decent foreshadowing.
The banter seemed like Eva was more cool with them teasing her without that undertone of ganging up on her, or at least she played it like she was very amused by it.
Clip 2 - chilling at home
I liked seeing Eva going about her evening alone, rummaging for food, that kind of casual solitude when you’re on your own.
Good job making that video chat look realistic.
No hate toward the actor himself but how old is Martino IRL … I think he’s fine performance-wise so far and he and Eva had some nice friendly chemistry in this conversation, but that dude just does not seem like a teenager. Which means some of the stuff he does later is going to look worse coming from someone who seems old enough to know better.
I looked him up and he’s like 20-21 in real life, and color me surprised. Not a teenager, but not as old as I would’ve guessed.
Martino being like “aw come on let me see” when Gio shows up, lmao you obviously do not want to see what happens next, bro. A girl is going to be a turn off for you.
Tiny changes of little importance - the first Sara to get a septum instead of fake lashes, and the first Jonas to enter through the front door like a normal person rather than climbing through the window/balcony.
I think it was a nice detail that they established that Eva is deliberately avoiding events and parties because of Laura. It adds to her loneliness and lack of friends, and it’ll be a bigger step of character development when she starts going out.
How long were the boys at Elia’s? Or did they go over there two days in a row? Because the first clip is definitely meant to be Friday and this one is Saturday, unless it was originally supposed to be the same day and they changed it for whatever reason. Gio not answering his phone during that time period is way different than not answering for like 5-6 hours.
Giovanni calling her a koala is cute. Is this a specific Eva-and-Gio thing, or is this typical slang, like do Italians call each other koalas? That’s adorable.
Gio, they teach you in Lying 101 not to give more details than you need to.
His acting is a little odd here and I’m not sure if it’s shaky acting or a decent job of portraying someone lying out of his ass. For now I’ll be generous and go with the latter.
I thought the chemistry between them was a little off, but well, at least they seemed cozy when they were about to get it on.
I was kind of confused as to why they showed the phone lighting up at first except, duh, it was to show Gio was lying about his phone dying. Not sure how I feel about that shot? Seems like too much POV breakage/hinting to the audience. I think it’s a good idea but maybe they could frame it in a more subtle way, like Eva and Giovanni are going at it in the frame and only eagle-eyed viewers would spot the phone.
Also I see that it’s Martino trying to get in touch, so I find that better and more subtle than if it were like … Laura. Martino texting in itself is NBD, it’s just that Gio’s phone is not dead.
Clip 3 - theater kids
This is not a relevant observation in the slightest but I’m entertained by the little details, like when Eva snacks on that cracker/cookie thing you can see a giant-ass crumb fall down her sweater from a distance, or in the previous clip there’s some fuzz stuck to her foot when Gio wraps it around her waist. It’s really really small stuff and probably not intentional, tbh, but I do like when Skam keeps things not perfect. Life is full of crumbs and fuzz, embrace it.
I love the theater kids and their quirks in every version. These two are giving off middle-aged office manager vibes.
Again, it is nice for Eva to consider a social event in line with her avoiding them because of Laura.
Clip 4 - Giovanni ruining the couple’s getaway
I think this is the first time an Eva has called out a Jonas for being boring and not partying. Which, I mean, depending on the company I would probably prefer doing something mundane with some good friends than going to a party with a bunch of assholes.
And I thought Druck made it more obvious, Skam Italia just blatantly says Martino’s mom is crazy.
The acting is weird because I wouldn’t say it’s stiff, exactly, but a lot of it is very … acting. The handshake between Eva and Gio is cute, though.
Clip 5 - party time
Eva, I hope you charged your phone before you went out (9%).
So the getting dressed scene definitely felt, uh. A little male-gazey in a way that the other versions haven’t. Not Michael Bay making Transformers movies one-handed level of male gaze, just enough that I noticed. In those other getting ready scenes, the Evas were shown in varying states of undress, but it felt like a practical thing and not for titillation. This time around, there are definitely some pans up Eva’s body clad only in her bra and underwear and some full body shots (and it’s in shadow but there’s one shot where I thought she was completely topless, though in context I don’t think she is). Not a huge fan of that. At least it didn’t last long.
This is unrelated but this is something I deeply appreciated about Skam, I would not have said the girls were sexualized. Even in scenes, for instance, when Eva and Noora were shown in their underwear and T-shirts, it was casual and not sexy. I’m pretty sure the only nudity on the show was dudes and something like Even walking out of the hotel room naked is the total opposite of a sexualized moment.
Eva’s mom comes home mid-montage. I can’t quite get a read on their relationship yet? Eva is not open with her about where she’s going, but her mom still lets her go out. But Eva having both her parents in the picture is a significant change.
Oh God I love that fucking theater guy who dresses and acts like your car salesman uncle on a family wedding dance floor after a few drinks.
I know Laura’s words are chosen for cruelty not accuracy, but Eva’s eyeliner doesn’t seem particularly excessive, except for being smudged.
Well, Eleonora, that was gay. That was really, really gay. The gayest Noora intro yet. A round of applause.
Why did you fuck off home immediately after gently touching a stranger’s face instead of making further conversation, though? Or is that part of your red-lipped allure? Now I’m imagining Eleonora just constantly fixing girls’ hair and brushing eyelashes off their cheeks whenever she’s in line at McDonald’s or buying toilet paper, then vanishing and leaving a trail of broken hearts across Europe.
The shot of Eva in front of the mirror, all fractured into multiple Evas, is some good stuff. Eva giving Vilde (Silvia?) a hug was also nice. Again, this Eva’s a marshmallow.
Legitimately one of the best parts of all these remakes is seeing all the Chrises/Alexes/Sams/Fedes be thrilled and bond instantly over their shared names.
This time Eva excused herself and Fede before Silvia asked them to leave so at least she was spared that extra humiliation.
Oh but she makes up for it by having Boy Fede call her a dick tease in front of Laura and Sara.
Boy Fede was kind of hilarious in a douchey way.
The text message afterwards has Eva downplaying the party’s shittiness to Gio, btw, saying she left after she saw people doing the train/conga. Sparing herself further embarrassment.
General Comments:
I’m not happy with casting an actress who is apparently both white and non-Muslim as Sana. Like all Skams I’m watching this on Google Drive/unofficial websites, but if this were say, a film showing in theaters, I wouldn’t buy a ticket for it on that basis. If it were a show I could watch or stream legally I wouldn’t give it the views. It’s really not excusable. Actually one of the most obnoxious things is that they also had this Sana wear a hijab. That annoys me even more than if they’d just said she was a Muslim who chose not to wear one. Probably because a hijabi actress has like … barely any opportunities for roles that will let her wear one.
Unpopular (?) opinion: if we give them the extreme benefit of the doubt that they searched and searched and just couldn’t find a single Muslim actress for the role (and I doubt this is what happened but going along with this hypothetical situation), then it probably would have been better if they rewrote the Sana character to be another racial, ethnic, or religious minority, played by an actress from that group. Because Muslim representation is of course important, especially in the current political climate, and I don’t mean to minimize that at all, but there are other minority groups who could have their stories told accurately, which is part of Skam’s importance.
Also, there’s one thing I want to address about the use of offensive language and whether it’s justified because it’s realistic/accurate. I am not commenting directly on the stuff seen in the Skam Italia trailer because we don’t yet know the context and whether it’ll be called out, and I’ve also seen some conflicting translations of it. But on a general note, I don’t think that “realism” should be an automatic get-out-of-jail-free card for characters saying offensive things. It depends on how it is handled within the text. I am sure that there are Norwegian teenagers who say much, much more offensive things and use slurs more frequently than the main kids in Skam. But Julie chose to present our protagonists as largely open-minded and willing to grow. For all we talk about Skam’s focus on realism, it often presents an optimistic, even idealistic worldview. Feuds end in peaceful dialogue and understanding. Worst case scenarios are averted. Friends usually support each other in times of need. Hardly anyone is a true villain. It’s debatable how much of that is realistic. But it’s hopeful, and it’s the model that teenagers need.
Think of it like this, an admittedly extreme example: Julie could choose to set American Skam in a conservative town and made all the characters Trump supporters - because hey, realism! That is an accurate representation of certain parts of the United States. But I’m guessing most of us wouldn’t enjoy watching the version where Trump fans are our heroes and they’re never challenged on their beliefs. There are some shows where I can tolerate, even enjoy terrible people being terrible, but that’s never been the appeal of Skam.
Anyway that’s my limit of hot’n’spicy discourse for now. I’m trying to stay in my lane but I had to get that out since the Sana thing especially is unavoidable.
Overall the show felt distinct enough that I had some thoughts on it besides just being the 4th version of these scenes that I’ve watched.
The acting is a mixed bag for me so far, some moments worked and some didn’t. I thought Martino was decent and the non-Eva girl squad was fine. Not sold on Gio yet. Eva herself had some moments I enjoyed but when it got more serious it fell a little flat. I do think she has a likeable personality, though.
The visual style of the show is certainly striking. It’s flashier than OG Skam but I like the colors and the energy.
I’m a completionist so I will probably keep watching because that is how my brain works.
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