#American abroad

[lianabrooks]

'tis spooky season in North America and that means it is time for another All I Want For Christmas book, your horror for the holidays!

Pack your bags and come with Iris Muhly to stunning Seoul! She's an American ingenue way out of place and about to lose her job. Can the resident villain save the day? Maybe!

Watch this space for pre-order links and news!

https://www.lianabrooks.com/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-a-gargoyle/

Opening pages below the break...

Need a book to read right now? All I Want For Christmas Is A Werewolf All I Want For Christmas Is A Reaper

Opening pages from the unproofed ARC (because my editor is still fixing things and I wanted to share today!).

Everi1/ShatteredEndings: Longtime lurker, first time poster, I’m really torn on how to vote for Shattered 5. I’m a Z-wysh shipper, but I don’t know if I can forgive Iris for dumping Jihun! - @ValL0vesM3 @MaxIsBae53 – You can’t come back from that. @xxUwUxx23 – SAME @EveriReader – Jihun would tell you to follow your heart. Until Our Darling says he wants Iris gone, don’t believe the gossip. The eighth reel is the one set up by the original author, and that means keeping Iris.

A decade or two ago my dark, chocolate brown hair might have drawn some attention as I got off the bus near Gongdeok Station in Seoul. My skin was a little too pink to be native, my height still a few centimeters taller than the average Korean woman's, my eyes double-lidded and noticeably western European. Today, no one seemed to notice. A few teens glanced at the bedraggled black and purple wig in my hand and the water-damaged fan sign for the hit TV show Shattered, but if they thought anything it was probably that I was a fan who'd gone to see the cast in their final appearance of the penultimate season four.

Absolutely no one shouted out "Wysha!" as I passed, even though that was the name of the purple-haired, mortal-turned-immortal I'd played since the season three finale. Even fans would have struggled to remember my legal name - Iris Muhly - simply because I was, as they said in Hollywood, an ingenue.

Unknown.

A random extra who wound up playing a major character for one season and was destined for a gruesome on-screen death if I didn't get things fixed.

Bitter cold winds rushed ruffled overhead holiday banners lining the alley as I hurried to my Yeonnam-dong apartment. It had been another very long day, with a four am call time so the principles of the cast could do a six am morning show followed by the teaser trailer for the upcoming fan vote. I'd escaped that at ten and rushed to the salon to get my poor, bleached hair treated, re-colored back its natural brown, and then headed home as the sky turned dark. It was only a little after five in the evening, but it was a bitingly cold December day and the sun was setting.

Somewhere over the sound of rushing cars I could hear someone learning that sound doesn’t carry well when it’s -20C outside. No, not even for cheery Christmas carols or romantic pop ballads about first kisses stolen between snowflakes. The winter weather this year consisted of a freezing drought, brutal winds, and none of the romantic snow the Koreans were all expecting.

"Fine by me," I muttered as I eyed the frozen blue sky. I had a plane ticket for a red-eye out of Incheon airport heading straight back to the good 'ol US of A. Home sweet... spawn point?

It was less about going home to somewhere good or safe and more about being in a place where my work visa wouldn't expire as soon as I was fired. Because my first acting gig was rapidly going from Going To Get Fired to Going To Get Fired And Blacklisted.

Hugging my black coat around myself against the cold I glanced both ways along a narrow street and dashed across the street in a way most likely to 1) get me hit by a passing car and 2) get me fined if any of the CCTV cams were working. Which, they weren't. The agency I'd signed a twelve-month contract with was paying for the apartment here in Seoul and they weren't springing for a luxury penthouse for someone who wasn't an actual star.

I ducked past the shops lining the ground floor - convenience stores, noodle shops, and pharmacies - fighting the wind with each step. Plastering myself to the side of the building I tugged off a thin gray glove long enough to punch in the six-digit door code.

The tinted glass door slid open with a soft whoosh of warmer air.

For the first time all day I could almost breathe easy. Granted, there were fourteen CCTV cams pointed along the entry way for the apartment building and two more doors to get through to get to the communal mail hall, but at least I was safe-ish when the doors locked behind me with a click.

It sounded delusional, but for the past week or more I'd felt like someone was watching me.

I'd pushed it off as a delayed response to eighteen-hour work days on set in front of cameras. Compared to the last fourteen months of filming and promotions this past week had been comparatively easy. The cast had split the interviews and appearances, I'd only been in six of the fourteen live things, done four signings, and only been physically threatened, oh, maybe a few thousand times.

With a glance at the heavily tinted windows I went through the next set of doors to the common area where a bank of TVs displayed everything from the local weather channel and the stock exchange to the celebrity news.

The same picture was on half the TVs: a Korean man so handsome my breath caught even though I’d spent the past fourteen months in close proximity with him. “Michyeosseo,” the word slipped past my lips in an angry huff and I wasn’t sure who was crazier, me or the fans on screen screaming  "J'aime Max!" and "Max Kang, je suis délicieux! Épouse-moi!" and the old stand-by, “Sauve-moi, roi des gargouille!”

I wouldn’t stand out in the cold to wave purple and black dragons at a camera for an anyone. Not even in Paris where all the rosy-cheeked teens were. Not even for pay.

Okay, well, that was a lie. Because I could unreservedly cheer for Max Kang for pay and absolutely had during at least one alternate-universe scene this season.

Shattered, the multinational television show that let viewers write the ending to the universally acclaimed series that started with the novel All These Broken Seasons, was all about merging alternate universe and looking at what could have been. The whole premise was two realities collided and the death of some fey[1] princess meant the people in normal Earth suddenly were confronting the people from a magical Earth.

Max Kang, easily one of the hottest men on the planet, played the big, bad villain: Zjarr Aabo. On the screen of the lobby TV Max was seated right next to the breathlessly hungry host who was eyeing his thin, black silk shirt with the undone buttons as if she could make the others fall off by wishing alone. He probably wasn’t currently sporting the chiseled Abs of Treason he flashed at least once a season, because getting that definition involved extreme dieting and dehydration that wasn’t healthy to maintain, but most of the audience didn’t know that.

Not that Max needed chiseled muscle to make him delicious.

He was a man who’d built his fame playing classic bad guys, and one of the highest grossing Korean actors. Black hair that somehow always looked sexily tousled, wide set black eyes, heavy eyebrows, a broad and expressive face, and the muscles of a man who spent every spare hour in the gym or with the show’s fight trainer. The fact that he could dance and sing was just icing on the slice of Hallyu Wave perfection that was Max Kang.

Light loved him.

There was a glow, and a natural presence that survived even the camera’s harsh glare. When Max stepped into a room every head turned. His dramatic baritone voice was rich and low enough to send a shiver up anyone’s spine.

The evil demon of a man certainly didn't need to look directly into the camera with his ridiculously incomparable dark eyes and wink as his lips curled into a perfect come hither smile that all but melted everyone in his line of sight. 

No, he didn't need to do any of that. 

But he did.

I rolled my eyes as I pushed the button and waited for the elevator. All of this was to sway the vote. No, make it The Vote. With sparkly letters and fancy fonts and everything.

All These Broken Seasons was the best selling fantasy series of the mid-21st century but it had a little problem... the ending didn’t exist.   

Years ago the author had rudely died, or run away, or been kidnapped by Bigfoot. Something like that. One day they were in full contact and posting daily teasers for the untitled final fifth novel, and then they vanished. The jury was still out on what really happened.

Shattered was the answer.

Some studio had the rights, the author’s sudden disappearance gave them an opening, and they ran with it. Four, big budget seasons followed the books with a gratifying amount of accuracy[2] and now the fans got to vote on which ending we would shoot.

Since most the fans currently wanted to shoot me, the ending that promised my brutal death on screen was winning with eighty percent of the votes. Angel Xi, Shattered’s leading lady and the primary love interest of the hero, had oh-so-not-kindly told me that in Cantonese the word Four sounds like the word Death. Angel’s a sweetie like that.

The elevator opened and was empty, thank goodness. I stepped in and stabbed the close button before anyone could hop on.

Most of the building’s residents were polite enough to pretend they didn’t know me. Koreans weren’t fans of small talk as a rule, especially in Seoul, but things had been tense since the tabloids snapped pictures of Kim Jihun crying.

Tears weren’t the problem. Men could cry, and Jihun often did as the tortured, lovelorn hero of Shattered. The problem was that the tabloids had been snapping pics of me and Jihun hanging out for the past year and the world was convinced we were dating. If Jihun was smiling, I’d done something to make him happy. If Jihun was angry, it was my fault. If he was crying, I ought to die for hurting The World’s Darling.

Despite all the tabloid rumors, Jihun and I had never shared more than heartfelt glances on screen. He was my type, but I wasn’t his, and I was smart enough not to chase a man who didn’t want me.

[1] Fae? Fairy? Whatever. She was the typical All Powerful Magic Girl and she died at the end of the first book.

[2] I hadn’t read the books until after I’d been cast, and I really didn’t appreciate how much work went into adapting a book into a screenplay until I met some of the script writers. Suffice it to say, they deserved all the awards they kept winning and the full adoration of the fandom. Other fandoms wish they were this lucky.

[emotionalsupportmanteau]

Home

[ulkaralakbarova]

A young woman joins the military to be part of something bigger than herself and her small-town roots. Instead, she ends up as a new guard at Guantanamo Bay, where her mission is far from black and white. Surrounded by hostile jihadists and aggressive squadmates, she strikes up an unusual friendship with one of the detainees. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Amy Cole: Kristen Stewart Ali: Payman Maadi Randy: Lane Garrison Rico: J. J. Soria Col. Drummond: John Carroll Lynch Betty: Julia Duffy Bergen: Cory Michael Smith Newscaster: Nawal Bengholam Mary: Tara Holt Ehan: Yousuf Azami Mahmoud: Marco Khan Detainee #3: Robert Tarpinian Night Shift C.O.: Kyle Bornheimer Army Private (uncredited): Holli Dean Waitress (uncredited): Jennae Hoving IRF #1: Ladell Preston IRF #2: Daniel Leavitt Film Crew: Producer: Gina Kwon Casting: Richard Hicks Second Unit Director of Photography: Adam Stone Gaffer: Mike Gioulakis Director of Photography: James Laxton Editor: Geraud Brisson Art Direction: Joshua Locy Set Decoration: Adam Willis Steadicam Operator: Michael J. Wilson Production Design: Richard A. Wright Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Michael Perricone Director: Peter Sattler Original Music Composer: Jess Stroup Sound Effects Editor: Jeffrey A. Pitts Script Supervisor: Cristina Fanti Visual Effects Supervisor: Tim Carras Visual Effects Producer: Joshua D. Comen Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Will Files Foley: Dave DeCoster Foley: Sanaa Kelley Gaffer: Cooper Donaldson Camera Operator: Alex Kornreich Costume Design: Christie Wittenborn Dialogue Editor: James Gallivan Hair Department Head: Jessica Lou Allen Key Hair Stylist: Henry Sanchez Makeup Department Head: Lorraine Martin Makeup Artist: Jeremy Bramer Assistant Art Director: Tom Obed Camera Operator: Eric W. Smith Still Photographer: Beth Dubber Still Photographer: Prashant Gupta Movie Reviews: Reno: > Right from the beginning events of the scenes are poorly intensified. It was a one sided narration, that is really a very bad for this kind of sensitive theme. But the prime intention was to bring the Guantanamo Bay detention camp’s atrocity on the detainees by the US military. Well, it actually avoids those strong cruelties, and focuses the unusual relationship between a detainee and a woman guard. Limited cast, shot mostly in a single location with the budget of just one million USD, and an ordinary opening, but ended strong. I assumed a lot of things likely to happen while I was watching. Like Amy Cole (Kristen Stewart) was in undercover, to make detainees talk and collect the information. Because she was the only woman around, but as usual like most of the time I was wrong. It was so plain and filled with human emotions. I was strong and confident that they were just torturing the terrorists who deserved it. If you see it from the human perspective that was slightly a over-limit, only if you exclude their crimes. I just felt it was a propaganda to show US in a bad light. That is the reason it will not show terror strikes in the movie that committed by any of the detainee characters, but only the consequences they face. A Hollywood movie specially made to make feel good for the terrorists and those who support it. Okay, I agree, some were innocents. While fishing, a few other marine animals also gets trapped in the net as well, for that I feel sorry what happened to them. But 95% of them were heartless monsters. Everyone will have their own opinion on this film based on their religion, nationality or sympathetic for simply being a human, and everything are fair. 6/10

[wisemancax]

American in the UK: 15 British Culture Shocks

American in the UK: 15 British Culture Shocks Reflecting on the biggest things that have surprised me about the UK after two months here as a US tourist. Watch next: How I See the UK As An American Abroad. Traveling with Kristin

[passportkings]

Living Abroad: 9 advantages you should consider when leaving America

In today’s interconnected world, the idea of living abroad has become increasingly appealing. Many Americans seek new adventures, personal growth, and diverse experiences. While the prospect of relocating to a foreign country may seem daunting at first, the benefits of living abroad can be truly life-changing. In this article, we explore some surprising reasons why you should seriously consider…

[astald-hallaer]

The ice cream my husband brought home from the store. Chocolate and hazelnut flavor. 😅

[neurodivergent-newbie]

You know what made me a better American living abroad? And a better world traveler overall?

This muhfucking game:

Truly.

My family loved this game growing up and I could tell you what the card said in the first reading almost every time.

If you don’t know- the card takes a common phrase and obfuscates it by writing it as smaller incorrect words. Then phonetically you get the real word. Like this:

Is Salma Hayek.

People around the world know English better than I know any other language and in Asia, Central America, and Europe this game allowed me to be able to converse with people’s heavily accented English in a way that made me feel so connected to my fellow human. It decreased the amount of time I spent processing or asking them to repeat and it also helps me understanding really drunk or much older Americans who may not speak as clearly.

This is a real life close captioning hack.

[pacificnorthwesterngothic]

First, there are few things more painfully, pathetically American than the misguided and ultimately futile desire to not be ID’ed as an American abroad. Can we stop this combo of wincing self-debasement mixed with self-congratulation about finding “authentic” spots. It’s absolutely more embarrassing than just being normal about it 😑

Second, Seattle Times, maybe some Americans want to get pegged abroad. Where are your tips for that.

[silvermoon424]

The USA is absolutely disgusting and dystopian and I fucking hate living here. I fucking hate everyone who insists this is a good country. Send tweet.

[itwoodbeprefect]

due south is a show about a man faced with many emotionally complex situations that we may all encounter in our everyday lives. here, for example, his ghost dad approves of his gay date (inspires joy, relief) and then tells him he's moving in (annoying) to do ghost taxes (wildly confusing, closes in on horror).

[fully-functioning-pigeon]

I need people to give me good news, legit any good news. Reblog with anything good that happened to you today, yesterday, in the last week, last month I don’t care.

Please i have been in tears over this election, my stomach is in knots, I’m currently out of country and many hours ahead, I feel like I can’t go to sleep or rest without knowing what’s going on even tho it’s horrible to be on my phone and hyper aware right now

[qqueenofhades]

This is gonna be a controversial post on Tumblr Dot Com, but I like Joe Biden.

[rotzaprachim]

public transport is so great until someone decides to be REALLLLY annoying

[rq-producerperson]

very important question, for an American producer working with British Voice Actors:

Can any of the various RQ casts do a convincing american accent? (any region or dialect)

what do you think of Jonny’s ‘southern’ US accent? I love the mechanism’s song hellfire but I wonder how it sounds to you!

also, I’ve visited Boston, New York, Colorado and Arizona - if there would be one part or place to visit in Texas, where would you recommend? 😁

Howdy!

1. Yes actually! Shahan is a good example and was recently cast as an American in the upcoming Broken Hearted Monsters for Neon Inkwell (Billie also just recently told me she did an American role but I haven’t heard her accent yet)

2. 😬 I’ve not really listened to the Mechanisms but I have heard Jonny’s southern accent, it’s not bad but it’s difficult for me to say it’s “good” because with both Jonny and Alex it just sounds like them putting in an accent to me. I’ve been around them for so long now that the British accent is actually very neutral and whenever I hear any American accent it makes me short circuit a little

3. Anyone who visits Texas just to visit should go to San Antonio, it’s one of my favorite places but I havent been in … [mumbles in over a decade] there’s a lot of history and like VERY Texan culture there. Though it gets touristy, it’s worth it imo

[hotcocoandmarshmallows]

This is about the modern USA and the regions within (Appalachia, Midwest, Great Lakes, New England, ECT) and the cultures that have grown in those regions and subregions (a subregion being a major city&suburbs, such as NYC)

Hardly the most scientific or inclusive poll, but this is more about curiosity if other Americans feel like their region has a distinct culture from the rest of the USA. Personally I know New England does, but I'm curious about other parts of the USA.