#I performed a scene from it last year in February too

[cassmouse]

Absolutely beside myself with excitement to go and watch Prima Facie again in cinemas for the first time in a year and a half I am ready to sob again

This'll be my third time seeing it at the cinema and something like my seventh seeing it in general

[eisforeidolon]

Questioner who is from Delaware: How long have you guys been friends?

Jared: Uhhh, I'm gonna say something weird. [Jensen leans in] I don't even have to look to know what's going on [points to Jensen], that's how weird it is, I don't even have to look. I'll say this, we all have our beliefs, you know? Like why we're here, what here is. This isn't the first lifetime we've been friends, so.

Audience: Aww.

Jared: Aww, what are y'all from Delaware or something? I - technically, objectively, this time around it was what, January 05? February 05?

Jensen: Well, that's when we met.

Jared: Yeah. [audience laughs] But he was team Dean, Gilmore Girls, for five years before that. Go Delaware.

Jensen: Um, I'll say this. When we met, there was certainly a pretty fast connection between he and I and it happened -

Jared: I was pretty, he was fast.

Jensen: Exactly. I've gotten faster with age. [Jared taps him and mouths Sorry] Don't apologize!

Jared: [laughs] It's true!

Jensen: Shoot. When we met was the day of - some of you have heard this story - was the day that we were auditioning for the roles in front of the studio and the network.

[continued below the cut]

Jensen: And usually when they do that they bring a few different actors to read for the same role, so I would go - I was assuming I would see, y'know, two three maybe even four other actors reading for the role of Dean. And then three to five guys reading for the role of Sam. When I walked in to the network building there was one guy sitting there. And it was this guy [points to Jared]. And I looked at the - I kinda gave him a nod, he gave me a nod, and I walked over to the sign in sheet - just like a doctor's office, you know, you go and check in.

Jared: What kinda name is that, Pada-Padaleski?

Jensen: Yeah, I was like how do you say your last name?

Jared: I dunno.

Jensen: You know you can change, change your name professionally, Misha Collins, and - [Jared cracks up] It's like, really missed the boat on that one, Pada-Pada-P-whatever-your-name-is. Um, no, but we met then and said kinda quick hey how you doin, what are you reading for? He's like, I'm reading for Sam. You? I'm reading for Dean. Oh, cool. And I sat down and we were kinda chillin there in the waiting room. And I was like, has anybody else been, has there been anybody? He's like no, you're - and it was just our two names on the sign in sheet. So I was like, this is kinda weird. He's like, I know. So we sat there kind of going over lines or whatever and somebody comes in and says you guys wanna come back? We'll bring you back, uh, together. And we're like, oh, alright. Usually they would bring us back individually, we would perform a scene with a-

Jared: A actor, B actor, C actor.

Jensen: Or a casting director or a casting director's assistant would read the lines opposite for you. But they brought us in together, into the room and so we read this scene, and it was the scene where Dean is trying to convince Sam to come on the road with him. And -

Jared: I can't do this without you?

Jensen: Yeah. Yeah, you know, dad gave me a .45, that scene. And we read the scene together for the first time in front of thirty suits. And immediately I was like, oh, this guy knows how to play. This guy, this guy, I can play ball with this guy. Like, immediately, I just - there was a sensibility that he had in his delivery, he was reacting to everything I was saying and it just felt really natural, so -

Jared: Super.

Jensen: Shhh, shhh, shhhh.

Norton: [rimshot]

Jared: [flails, bows to audience and blows kiss, slaps Jensen's shoulder, places hand to heart] Today's a good day.

Jensen: [chuckles] So we read the scene and then we left - they were like, okay just give us a few moments to talk it over. We walked out in like this other holding room, we were sitting there, and I was like, nice job man. And he was like, yeah, you too. And we're kinda sitting there and they come back out and were like okay they want you to come back in and we're gonna give you some notes and try some different things. And we're like, oh, oh, okay. We walked back in and they - in the room which this is very rare, like I don't even think I've ever heard of -

Jared: No.

Jensen: them doing this. They all stood up and just clapped and said congratulations, you guys are the new [?]. [audience applauds] So, so we left there knowing that we were about to work together. And I -

Jared: We bought so much shit, Ferraris - [both laugh]

Jensen: We - and I think it was you? We - I think we exchanged phone numbers -

Jared: Yeah.

Jensen: Like, right then. And then it was not a day or two later that he invited me over to his house. And we played ping pong. And it was then and there that a friendship was born.

Jared: Amen. I'm gonna tell two other stories that are kinda funny. So I lived - for those of y'all who are familiar with Los Angeles and the valley area? There are a lot of, uh, [laughs] there are a lot of, uh, [pause] adult videos filmed in the area. And I lived next to an adult video acts, actor -

Audience member: Emporium?

Jared: Pornium? Is that what you call it? I'll use your word, she said pornium. Um, and so Jensen came over and we're like two twenty year old guys, twenty seven year old guys. We're both in relationships. But during the night we're playing ping pong with a keg and all these [pause] actresses are, like, coming in and out.

Jensen: Performers.

Jared: He's like, who do you, where do you live, dude? I'm like, I dunno. But then, I've never told this story publicly, [points at Jensen] and I wonder if you remember it -

Jensen: Oh, I remember it.

Jared: No no no no no, not that one. We're not doing that one. I haven't - [audience laughter]

Jensen: I mean whaaaat?

Jared: There's several stories. But this is one, and we've never talked about this, ever. I don't know if you even recall -

Jensen: Maybe for a reason?

Jared: Let's do it in public. [Jensen laughs] Not a word of a lie, when we met, we were auditioning, one of my makeup artists on Gilmore Girls was talking about, like, eyepatches and stuff? 'Cause I get a little squinty if I don't sleep - or whatever, allergies, my eyes are really reactive. And I met Jensen and I think it was between the first time we read and the second time we read, for the suits. And I was like, hey dude, like how do you get your eyes so big? [audience laughs] Do you remember that? [Jensen gives him an incredulous look, mouthing no] You gave me - he gave me [points] that look! I was like, 'cause I was like, oh, he knows some shit I don't. What do you do to make your eyes big? He's like, what? I - I don't know, like -

Jensen: Open them?

Jared: Basically. You don't recall that?

Jensen: I do recall you being more squinty when you were younger.

Jared: Fair enough, fair enough, yeah.

Jensen: He had this, like, [makes face] he was so brooding. Y'all remember that? Like beginning of the unnatural show we're talking about?

Jared: [affected dramatic voice] Wait wait wait. What're you talking about?

Jensen: [mockingly similar voice] How do you get your eyes so big? [points at eyes, shakes head, makes what gesture]

Jared: Dude, I love Keanu Reeves, what can I say?

Jensen: So wait, what'd that have to do with the makeup artist?

Jared: Oh, she was talking about, because my eyes were -

Jensen: Oh, you were asking -

Jared: So I had just come - I was still on Gilmore Girls and if I didn't sleep well, my eyes would kind of not really open? And she was like, well, you can put cucumbers or whatever on your eyes to help them open up. But then I met you and I was like, you have giant eyeballs, what do you do? It's true. And eyeball, the word eyeball, was first coined by whom? The bard.

Audience member: Thank you.

Jared: Yeah. Thank you. Yeah, the ball of your eye -

Jensen: [incredulous] What the hell are you talking about?

Jared: I dunno. Something -

Jensen: By the way, bro, I thought you were going to tell the story about, uh -

Jared: No no no! I'm not telling - that's for us.

Jensen: Chrissy?

Jared: [cracks up] From Beaverton?

Jensen: From Beaverton, Oregon.

Jared: True story, true story.

Jensen: It was a neighbor who came over and had a very interesting conversation with us. But I won't tell you what. [emphatically] It's inappropriate!

Jared: She was very lovely, she was nice. Thank you Delaware, thank you, Janine. Let's change the subject, please.

Jensen: Let's do.

[milligramspoison]

Potential 8 Balls and Medleys for 2ourdust!

Originally did this for the first US leg as well as the EU/UK leg, doing it again for 2ourdust! Some special little additions will be here too :)

Note -> this is will include songs that have been already 8 balls! Based on the 8 ball contest, it looks like the 8 ball will be resetting once again! And medleys too since some songs that have debuted there. It will also include the setlist staples as those are songs you can enter in the contest as well :) EDIT: after the first show (February 28th) I have removed the setlist staples- any changes will be edited in :)

Lastly, credit to @starrynyxa for finding all of the potential songs!! Tysm! Here’s their post that showcases the songs in alphabetical order :)

Evening Out With Your Girlfriend

Honorable Mention -> was the first of many 8 balls on April 6th, 2024, it’s first performance since January 22nd, 2007!!!

Switchblades and Infidelity -> last performed on August 28th, 2004

Pretty In Punk -> has never been performed live (yet)

Growing Up -> last performed on November 7th, 2008

The World’s Not Waiting (For Five Tired Boys In A Broken Down Van) -> has never been performed live (yet)

Short, Fast, and Loud -> has never been performed live (yet)

Moving Pictures -> was in the TTTYG slot of doom on April 5th, 2024, its first performance since November 23rd, 2005!!!!

Parker Lewis Can’t Lose (But I’m Gonna Give It My Best Shot) -> has never been performed live (yet)

Take This To Your Grave

Tell That Mick He Just Made My List of Things to Do Today -> was in the regular set on March 22nd, 2024!!

Homesick at Space Camp -> not in 8 ball or medley, but had its first performance since July 16th, 2023 on March 8th, 2024!

Sending Postcards From a Plane Crash (Wish You Were Here) -> had its only live performance ever on March 12th, 2004

The Pros and Cons of Breathing -> was performed in the TTTYG spot on March 19th, 2024, it’s first performance since November 19th, 2007 AND its second performance ever!!!

Grenade Jumper -> last performed on February 20th, 2009

Reinventing the Wheel to Run Myself Over -> was in the TTTYG slot of doom on March 24th, 2024, it’s first performance since November 19th, 2007!!!

The Patron Saint of Liars and Fakes -> was in the TTTYG slot of doom on March 31st, 2024!!

My Heart Will Always Be the B-Side to My Tongue

My Heart is the Worst Kind of Weapon -> has never been performed live (yet)

It’s Not a Side Effect of the Cocaine, I Think It Must Be Love -> had its first performance ever on March 8th, 2024 during medley!!!

Love Will Tear Us Apart (cover) -> had its only live performance ever on June 10th, 2004

From Under The Cork Tree

Our Lawyer Made Us Change the Name of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued -> last performed on November 4th, 2023

Of All the Gin Joints in All the World -> last performed on June 23rd, 2023

Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner -> was in the medley on April 3rd, 2024!!

I've Got a Dark Alley and a Bad Idea That Says You Should Shut Your Mouth (Summer Song) -> last performed on August 6th, 2023

7 Minutes in Heaven (Atavan Halen) -> was the 8 ball on March 4th, 2024!

Sophomore Slump or Comeback of the Year -> was the 8 ball on March 1st, 2024!

Champagne for My Real Friends, Real Pain for My Sham Friends -> has never been performed live (yet)

I Slept With Someone in Fall Out Boy and All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me -> last performed on July 11th, 2023

Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying (Do Your Part to Save the Scene and Stop Going to Shows) -> was the 8 ball on March 22nd, 2024, April 2nd, 2024, and April 6th, 2024!!!!!!! And in the 16 Candles spot on March 27th, 2024 and March 30th, 2024!!

XO -> was in the regular set on March 22nd, 2024!!! And April 5th, 2024!!!

Snitches and Talkers Get Stitches and Walkers -> last performed on January 30th, 2007

The Music or the Misery -> was the 8 ball on March 27th, 2024, it’s first performance since May 30th, 2006!!!!!

Infinity On High

Thriller -> was in the 16 Candles slot of doom on April 3rd, 2024!

“The Take Over, the Breaks Over” -> was in the 16 Candles spot on March 26th, 2024, it’s first performance since August 4th, 2023!

I'm Like a Lawyer With the Way I'm Always Trying to Get You Off (Me & You) -> was in the medley on March 11th, 2024 AND was the 8 ball on March 16th, 2024!

Hum Hallelujah -> was in the 16 Candles slot on March 29th, 2024!!

Don’t You Know Who I Think I Am? -> was the 8 ball on March 8th, 2024!

The (After) Life Of The Party -> last performed on December 1st, 2023

The Carpal Tunnel Of Love -> was the 8 ball on April 6th, 2024, its first performance since April 4th, 2008!!!!

Fame < Infamy -> last performed on November 7th, 2023

You’re Crashing, But You’re No Wave -> last performed on October 31st, 2023

I’ve Got All This Ringing In My Ears and None On My Fingers -> was in the medley section on March 4th, 2024, March 30th, 2024, and April 3rd, 2024!!

G.I.N.A.S.F.S. -> was the 8 ball on February 28th, 2024! And was in Heaven, Iowa’s spot on March 27th, 2024!

It's Hard to Say “I Do”, When I Don't -> has never been performed live (yet)

Folie à Deux

I Don’t Care -> last performed on September 7th, 2023

She’s My Winona -> last performed on July 19th, 2023

America’s Suitehearts -> last performed on July 2nd, 2023

The (Shipped) Gold Standard -> had its only live performance ever on November 2nd, 2023

(Coffee’s For Closers) -> last performed on July 1st, 2023

27 -> was the 8 ball on March 3rd, 2024!

Tiffany Blews -> was the 8 ball on March 11th, 2024, its first performance since September 19th, 2009!!!!

w.a.m.s. -> had its only live performance ever on August 2nd, 2023

20 Dollar Nose Bleed -> was in the medley on March 16th, 2024, it’s first performance since September 29th, 2013!!! And was in the medley again on March 20th, 2024!!

West Coast Smoker -> had its only live performance ever on July 30th, 2023

Pavlove -> was the second 8 ball on April 2nd, 2024, its second performance EVER!!!

Lullabye -> last performed on April 26th, 2009

Believers Never Die: Greatest Hits

Alpha Dog -> had its first performance ever on March 15th, 2024!!!

“From Now On, We’re Enemies” -> was the 8 ball on April 5th, 2024, its second performance ever!!!!

Yule Shoot Your Eye Out -> last performed on December 12th, 2023

Save Rock and Roll

Alone Together -> last performed on November 17th, 2017

Where Did The Party Go -> last performed on July 16th, 2023

Just One Yesterday -> was in the medley on March 13th, 2024 and March 22nd, 2024 (performed in a full piano medley with Daisy Grenade!!) and was the 8 ball on March 19th, 2024, marking its first full band performance since 2014!

The Mighty Fall -> has never been performed live (yet)

Miss Missing You -> was the 8 ball on March 20th, 2024!!

Death Valley -> last performed on September 12th, 2014

Young Volcanoes -> was the 8 ball on March 13th, 2024!

Rat a Tat -> had its first performance EVER on April 6th, 2024 in the 8 ball!!!!

Save Rock and Roll -> last performed on December 12th, 2023

PAX•AM Days

We Were Doomed from the Start (The King Is Dead) -> had its only live performance ever on November 29th, 2013

Art of Keeping Up Disappearances -> had its only live performance ever on November 29th, 2013

Hot to the Touch, Cold On the Inside -> had its only live performance ever on November 29th, 2013

Love, Sex, Death -> last performed on June 14th, 2014

Eternal Summer -> had its only live performance ever on November 29th, 2013

Demigods -> had its only live performance ever on November 29th, 2013

American Made -> had its only live performance ever on November 29th, 2013

Caffeine Cold -> had its only live performance ever on November 29th, 2013

New Dreams (cover) -> had its only live performance ever on September 13th, 2013

American Beauty/American Psycho

Irresistible -> last performed on March 7th, 2023

American Beauty/American Psycho -> last performed on November 3rd, 2023

The Kids Aren’t Alright -> was the 8 ball on March 7th, 2024 and April 6th, 2024!!!!

Jet Pack Blues -> last performed on August 6th, 2023

Novocaine -> last performed on March 27th, 2017

Fourth Of July -> was the 8 ball on March 29th, 2024, it’s first performance since March 22nd, 2017!!

Favorite Record -> had its only live performance ever on July 15th, 2023

Immortals -> last performed on September 7th, 2023

Twin Skeleton’s (Hotel in NYC) -> has never been performed live (yet)

Mania

Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea -> last performed on August 18th, 2019

The Last Of The Real Ones -> last performed on July 29th, 2023

HOLD ME TIGHT OR DON’T -> last performed on May 7th, 2018

Wilson (Expensive Mistakes) -> was the 8 ball on March 26th, 2024, it’s first performance since November 4th, 2018 AND Mania’s first ever 8 ball!!!!!! And was the 8 ball once again on April 6th, 2024!!!!

Church -> last performed on April 30th, 2018

Heaven’s Gate -> has never been performed live (yet)

Champion -> last performed on December 6th, 2019

Sunshine Riptide -> has never been performed live (yet)

Young and Menace -> had its performance since October 10th, 2018 and it was in medley!!!

Bishops Knife Trick -> had its first performance ever on April 5th, 2024 in the medley!!!!!!!

LLAMANIA

Past Life -> has never been performed live (yet)

Footprints in the Snow -> has never been performed live (yet)

Wrong Side of Paradise -> has never been performed live (yet)

Lake Effect Kid

Lake Effect Kid -> last performed on October 10th, 2018

City In A Garden -> has never been performed live (yet)

Super Fade -> has never been performed live (yet)

Believers Never Die, Volume Two: Greatest Hits

Dear Future Self (Hands Up) -> last performed on December 6th, 2019

Bob Dylan -> had its only live performance ever on August 5th, 2023

So Much (For) Stardust

Heartbreak Feels So Good -> last performed on March 16th, 2023

So Good Right Now -> has never been performed live (yet)

I Am My Own Muse -> was the 8 ball on March 24th, 2024!

Flu Game -> has never been performed live (yet)

The Kintsugi Kid (Ten Years) -> was in the medley on March 24th, 2024 and the 8 ball on March 30th, 2024!! And was also in the Stardust slot of doom on March 31st, 2024 and April 2nd, 2024!

What a Time To Be Alive -> was in the medley on March 19th, 2024, March 24th, 2024, and March 29th, 2024!! And was the 8 ball on April 3rd, 2024!!!

Miscellaneous (solo material, demos, collabs, etc)

Explode by Patrick Stump -> last performed on November 11th, 2011

This City by Patrick Stump -> last performed on November 11th, 2011

Dance Miserable by Patrick Stump -> last performed on November 11th, 2011

The “I” In Lie by Patrick Stump -> had its only live performance ever on November 11th, 2011

Run Dry (X Heart X Fingers) by Patrick Stump -> was in the medley on March 26th, 2024, Patrick’s first performance of the song since November 11th, 2011!!!

Cryptozoology by Patrick Stump -> last performed on October 12th, 2011

Greed by Patrick Stump -> has never been performed live (yet)

Everybody Wants Somebody by Patrick Stump -> last performed on November 11th, 2011

Allie by Patrick Stump -> was in the medley on March 1st, 2024, its first performance since November 11th, 2011!!!

Coast (It’s Gonna Get Better) by Patrick Stump -> last performed on November 11th, 2011

Bad Side of 25 by Patrick Stump -> was in the medley on March 16th, 2024, Patrick’s first time performing it since November 11th, 2011!!!!!

People Never Done A Good Thing by Patrick Stump -> has never been performed live (yet)

When I Made You Cry by Patrick Stump -> has never been performed live (yet)

Mad At Nothing by Patrick Stump -> has never been performed live (yet)

Saturday Night Again by Patrick Stump -> last performed on July 30th, 2011

Porcelain by Patrick Stump -> last performed on November 4th, 2011

Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia) by Patrick Stump -> was in the medley on March 31st, 2024, it’s third performance of all time!! Was also in the medley on April 2nd, 2024!

Cute Girls by Patrick Stump -> last performed on November 11th, 2011

Love, Selfish Love by Patrick Stump -> last performed on August 22nd, 2011

As Long As I Know I’m Getting Paid by Patrick Stump -> last performed on May 8th, 2011

Big Hype by Patrick Stump -> last performed on August 22nd, 2011

7-9 Legendary by Fall Out Boy -> unreleased song, had its first performance EVER on April 6th, 2024 in the medley!!!!!!!

A Nice Myth by Fall Out Boy -> released when FOB was known as Fallout Boy back in 2001, has never been performed live (yet)

Austin, We Have a Problem by Fall Out Boy -> unreleased song, has never been performed live (yet)

Beat It by Fall Out Boy feat. John Mayer -> a cover of Michael Jackson’s Beat It, was last performed on November 18th, 2018

Bounce by The Cab -> co written by Patrick, has never been performed live by FOB (yet)

Check Your Phone by Cheap Cuts feat. Pete Wentz -> a feature Pete did at the very beginning of the pandemic, has never been performed live by FOB (yet)

CYAN1DE by nothing,nowhere. feat. Pete Wentz -> a feature Pete did last year (2023), has never been performed live by FOB (yet)

Deep Blue Love by Patrick Stump -> a song Patrick recorded for the movie Spell, has never been performed live by Patrick (as a solo artist) and FOB (yet)

Electric Touch by Taylor Swift feat. Fall Out Boy -> a feature FOB did for Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), has never been performed by Taylor and FOB (yet)

Fellowship of the Nerd by Fall Out Boy -> unreleased song, has never been performed live (yet)

Ghostbusters (I’m Not Afraid) by Fall Out Boy feat. Missy Elliott -> song for the 2016 Ghostbusters movie, has never been performed live (yet)

Grow Up and Be Kids by The Cab -> a song Pete co wrote, has never been performed live by FOB (yet)

hand crushed by a mallet (remix) by 100 gecs feat. Fall Out Boy -> remix featuring FOB, has never been performed by FOB (yet)

Hand of God by Fall Out Boy -> a very beloved unreleased song by fans, has never been performed live (yet)

Have I Got a Gift For You by Patrick Stump -> a song Patrick did for the movie Black Friday, has never been performed live (yet)

I Got Nothing, But You Got Something by Fall Out Boy -> unreleased song, has never been performed live (yet)

I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) by Whitney Houston -> FOB recorded a cover for Spotify, but has never performed it live (yet)

I’ve Been Waiting by Lil Peep & iLoveMakonnen feat. Fall Out Boy -> a feature FOB did, has never been performed live (yet)

Lake Shore Drive by Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah -> Patrick covered the song during opening night of Tourdust, has not been performed since June 21st, 2023

New Dreams by Naked Raygun -> a cover FOB performed with the og artists themselves in its only live performance ever on September 13th, 2013. It also appears on the PAX•AM Days limited edition vinyl as a bonus track

One of THOSE Nights by The Cab -> Patrick does additional vocals in the song but has never been performed live by FOB (yet)

Open Happiness by Various Artists -> Patrick did this with Cee-Lo Green, Brendon Urie, Travie McCoy and Janelle Monáe for Coca-Cola, but has never been performed live by FOB (yet)

Roxanne by The Police -> FOB did a cover of the song that only appeared the Director’s Cut physical release of TTTYG, as far as I can tell, they haven’t done a live cover of the song yet (yet)

San Diego by blink-182 -> Patrick co wrote the song but it has never been performed live by FOB (yet)

So Sick by Ne-Yo -> FOB did a cover of the song at the BBC Live Lounge. I can’t find the exact date, only the year- the last time they performed this was around 2006

Sober by blink-182 -> another blink song that Patrick co wrote, but had never been performed live by FOB (yet)

Star 67 by Fall Out Boy -> another beloved unreleased song by fans, it’s never been performed live (yet)

Summer Days by Martin Garrix feat. Macklemore & Fall Out Boy -> a feature that FOB did, has never been performed live by FOB (yet)

Colorado Song by Fall Out Boy -> a TTTYG demo that was released on the 20th anniversary vinyl, has never been performed live (yet)

Jakus Song by Fall Out Boy -> another TTTYG demo that was released on the 20th anniversary vinyl, also has never been performed live (yet)

We Don’t Take Hits, We Write Them by Fall Out Boy -> an unreleased song that has its only live performance dated as July 7th, 2004 (as far as I can tell, this is the only time it’s been performed)

What’s This? by Danny Elfman -> a cover FOB did for Nightmare Before Christmas Resisted, has never been performed live (yet). The Nightmare Before Christmas is also notably one of Pete’s favorite movies

Spidey and His Amazing Friends -> the theme song to the show of the same name written by Patrick, had its first performance ever on March 22nd, 2024!!!

If you’ve made it this far, hello! And ty for taking the time to look at this!

I’ll give you a treat for sticking around 🫶

[sgdlr-asdfghjkl]

Link Click Musical content 119

(various pics from the actors and other stuff)

⬆I've stumbled upon a profile of Guo Hongxu's friend (?), also an actor, who interacted with some of his pictures and thanks to that I found this stunning set of behind the scenes photos from the promotional photoshoot they did before the premiere. What's interesting, in the last picture you can see the actors were actually using Link Click artbook as a reference :>

I didn't realise earlier, but February 10th will be the Chinese New Years. That's why some actors are posting photos now, to sum up their year of work ^^

⬆this was posted by Zhu Jiayan

⬆these are from Liao Jingyuan

⬆these are from a bit older post from Cai Lu (today she posted a clip of shiguang playing the hand slap game, so check her weibo profile!)

⬆this one is out of context set from Wu Hanglu, but I add it bc it has Shu Rongbo and Wang Yifei too >< aand I think the other girl is Yu Mengying (?)

⬇A hug from 240128 performance with Wang Minhui and Teng Chunpeng

A person who was in the audience that day said on twt (@/friendsnevertre): 'TengChunpeng cried a lot (during the earthquake main plot part, they do that) and was still crying at the encore, then he asked WangMinhui lg for a hug and WangMinhui lg kept patting and comforting him[...]' they're so sweet :'>

A throwback to Cao Muzhi's birthday:

And Zhu Hanbin LG in glasses 😔👌✨

(oop i still have more glasses pics, gotta make more posts)

but now, byee~

[gisellelx]

Cullen vs. Cullen

Been working seriously on One Day the Sun Will Rise and for some reason, I really needed to see this scene in my head. This is a teaser of a one-shot, set in between the events of Ithaca Is Gorges before it goes AU at chapter 14/15, and about a year before the beginning of One Day.

Mineral, Virginia Early spring 2011

The doorbell startled him.

The house wasn’t even so much a house as it was a cabin. Tucked up in the mountains; four bedrooms, two irrelevant bathrooms. It was remote; the actual property was just over two hundred acres, but 98there were nearly two thousand more undeveloped around them. Edward had joked that they had finally bought a refrigerator, what with the abundant deer and elk and bear nearby. It was entirely remote; when he had been working, Carlisle had traveled nearly ninety minutes by car to the small town of Mineral. Living here again, he hadn’t seen a human in months.

They had been absolutely on top of one another as a family of seven here, but it had been a last-minute move from Calgary sixty years earlier and there had been only so much Carlisle had been able to do. He was thinking of the bickering, the way the girls argued over space in front of the mirror, the walls that Esme was constantly repairing as Jasper and Emmett got into play-tussles they refused to take outside, when he opened the door. And even though his mind had been on the rest of the family, it still took him just a hairsbreadth of a second longer than it should have to make sense of the person on his stoop.

Well, that and that it had been five years.

He greeted the man with silence, and Jasper only raised his eyebrows.

“Carlisle Cullen?” he said.

“Not the name I’m using at the moment, actually. “

An eyeroll. “But it’s one you have.”

“At one point in my life, yes.”

“Allow me to specify. You are the person who used the alias Carlisle Cullen IV, date of birth listed as the fourth of May, nineteen seventy-two?”

He didn’t like changing the actual day of his birth. But doing so had been advised by no less than Jasper himself, as the number was increasingly used as a substitute identifier. One child being born on his father or grandfather’s birthday was a sweet coincidence, too many February seventeenths was statistically improbable. He’d picked this recent one as an homage to the new Star Wars movie, though in the end, Hayden Christiansen had delivered a rather insipid performance.

Even more reason to drop it, he supposed.

“Jasper—”

He found himself cut off. “Carlisle, knock it off. I’m doing a job I don’t want to do. Will you please confirm that? Aloud?”

It was an expression Carlisle wasn’t used to seeing on Jasper’s face. Resolve, yes. Compassion, yes. Annoyance, usually with Edward? Yes.

But not this. Jasper’s eyes looked pained. Weary.

Carlisle couldn’t blame him. It had been a long five years.

“Yes, I’m that Carlisle Cullen,” he replied.

“Thank you.” Jasper held out a legal-sized manila envelope. “This is for you.”

Carlisle took it, flipping open the top. He pulled out a thick sheaf of papers, and glanced at the top of the first page.

IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF CAYUGA COUNTY STATE OF NEW YORK Esme Anne Platt Cullen, plaintiff vs. W. Carlisle Cullen IV, defendant

He looked back up. Jasper’s arms were crossed over his chest.

“She’s serving me.”

A shake of the head. “She’s divorcing you. I’m serving you.” He gestured to the envelope, his arms still crossed. “Everything you need is in there. You have thirty days to respond or file countersuit.”

He didn’t want one suit, much less two. Carlisle leafed through the envelope at full speed. Everything was documented. The houses were in there, the hedge fund, CEE Inc, right down to the two and a half years of “our finances should look like a normal couple’s” 401(k) savings as an employee of Clallam County , WA.

He looked up when he reached the end. “Who prepared this?”

“Jenks.” Jasper shrugged. “Everything is mostly down the middle, but with a few carve outs, so you should read it.”

Carlisle shook his head. “I’m the one who left. I told her she could have everything.”

Jasper shrugged. “Pretty sure that if she could, she would be completely rid of you; but as it happens, she actually owes you alimony for this current marriage, seeing as 'Carlisle' hasn't bothered working for the last half decade.” Jasper pulled several pages out of the envelope. “You’ll need to have a bank account she can deposit to. So you’ll need to have your old identity in parallel for at least six years.”

Six years. Longer than he wanted to stay connected.

“What if I just made that guy…disappear?”

Jasper’s brow furrowed. “Are you somehow under the impression that more people being dead is helpful, here? Even fictionally?”

It was fair, he supposed. He stepped back into the door frame. “Do you want to come in?”

He shook his head. “I really don’t think I should.”

“Did Alice come with you?”

“Yes, but she stayed in Charlottesville. Better shopping. And she doesn’t want to get near you and—well, you know.”

He knew. He’d asked Alice to stay out of his business. It worked some of the time. Others—well, there was a reason her calls were directed to voicemail.

He turned the envelope over in his hands.

“Well. Thanks, I guess.”

Jasper shrugged. Neither of them were very big on hugging each other at the very best of times and this was not that. Gesturing to the envelope, he said, “Thirty days. FedEx is fine. I assume you’re not going to contest it.” He turned and began to walk away, at human speed. But he made it no further than the bottom of the steps when he turned around, frowning.

“Carlisle, I just need to know something.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Shoot.”

Jasper looked from the envelope, to the house, to Carlisle. He frowned again, that exhausted expression returning to his face.

“Just…are you certain you’ve done the right thing, here?”

The wind was still whipping, making the trees creak and the sunlight shift across them. Carlisle had always liked that about the woods; how even in silence it was never quiet, a tiny reminder that standing still, by himself, he wasn’t ever fully alone. He looked back at the house. It needed fixing up. It would be stressful to do that without Esme, but he wasn’t exactly not handy, and he still liked the feel of a saw in his hands. He’d stay here for a few years, maybe, then pursue something new, re-setting to an older version of himself that he thought he’d left behind forever on that cold October night in 1918. But he was used to that self, and there was a certain aspect of this that felt….normal. That even in his grief, felt as though he was coming back to a strange forgotten familiarity.

Slowly, he nodded. “Most days? Yes. Some days, less so.”

Jasper’s frowned deepened, but bobbed his head slowly. “I’m not sure I’ll ever understand it. But…godspeed, Carlisle. I’ll see you again someday, I’m sure.” And then he was gone, the wind at his back rustling the trees, flashes of dappled light that disappeared as he fled into the lower canopy. Carlisle listened and watched until the forest was once again still.

When the wind died, and the sound of his—son? Former son? How did he even talk about this?—disappeared into the forest, Carlisle pulled out the sheaf of papers again. A lump rose in his throat and he gulped, tamping it back down, pressing all the feelings that were rising back into their places. Edward. Esme. Everyone who had been. And everyone who was gone.

Closing the door the door behind him, he laid the papers on the dining room table, seeing again the words at the top:

Esme Anne Platt Cullen, plaintiff

Today, he realized, was going to be a “less so” kind of day.

[matan4il]

I follow you for your Israel and Jewish posts, and honestly I've no idea about anything Mileapo but it always makes me happy to see you posting about them because it means you got a fun little break from the hard shit

Awwwww, thank you so much, lovely Nonnie!

First, for following me. Second, for being so kind, and caring about me getting a bit of fun as well.

I'll just say Mileapo seem to be (on top of handsome and talented) genuinely kind. It's in little things like the way fans caught on film Mile behind the scenes, thanking the security staff at one of their events. People usually talk about how kind stars are with their fans, but I liked that he was kind with some of the people who are usually invisible, the ones who are not fans, nor fellow actors, or in the entertainment business at all, staff Mile might never see again in any other event, people who he's not likely to benefit from in any way after that specific event is over, but he took the time to acknowledge and thank them. Just being reminded of kindness is always beautiful to me, and extra needed during these times. From what I've heard about Apo, he's got social anxiety and is more socially reserved than Mile around strangers, but is equally as kind with everyone.

So yes, I do still follow them, even if I don't post about them daily like I used to. It means a lot that someone who doesn't know them, still cares about my well being enough to be happy over my Mileapo posts. It's like a circle of kindness, and that feels like a blessing, so again, thank you! And I hope you're also taking care of yourself, and making sure to find little comforts where you can find them! *hugs*

And just because, here's some Mileapo stuff anyway, just so we can have their pretty (and kind) faces included. ^u^ First, a reminder that this is how they look and smile at each other:

Second, the other day Apo shared a video on IG from his bday party back in February. Mile commented this -

And while it's def meant to come across as him teasing Apo, as if he's celebrating his 3rd bday anniversary, because he's such a joyful kid, I couldn't help notice that it's also 3 years since the first time they got to celebrate their bdays together. Coincidence? Maybe. Three is a typological number, so it's possible that when Mile wanted to throw out a random small age, it just happened to be 3. But this "anniversary" of them re-meeting and getting to do this together might have been somewhere in the back of his mind, too.

Speaking of things I have only guesses about, the other day Mile might have flown somewhere, possibly as part of a job for Guerlain. He posted to his IG story a pic from the airport, and added the bee emoji (bee is Guerlain's symbol, Mile's used this emoji before when posting about jobs he was doing for this company). Did he fly out, where to, or is this just a random throwback pic from a previous trip for Guerlain? IDK. But the very next day, Mile shared the song, "Ain't No Sunshine" (which goes, "Ain't no sunshine when she's gone"). We know that Mile and Apo have repeatedly used the moon symbol for Mile, and the sun for Apo, going all the way back to February 2021. So, it might be Mile missing Apo on main. Wouldn't be the first time.

Which reminded me of the last time when we know for sure Mile went away for a Guerlain event, in Malaysia. Mile wore a bee pin on his jacket, and performed "Nothing's Going to Change My Love for You." On the same day, Apo posted to his IG stories a black screen, with the exact same song playing as the soudtrack.

Yeah, I think music is def a part of their love language, and that day proves it beyond any doubt (whether we think that this love is romantic or platonic).

Third. Recently Mileapo went on a trip to New Zealand to film a Taiwanese variety show (and possibly do a Dior photoshoot while there as well). On the flight there, Apo was taking a pic with a Hong Kong celeb he's friends with, and in it, he was seen wearing a silver ring. In the past, this ring was identified as very likely Mile's, when Apo wore it for his own bday celebration in Feb 2023.

We also got this pic from the New Zealand trip. Beyond the fact that Mile's hand under Apo's jacket is doing things to me, that specific piece is the pink Dior jacket that fans suspect Mile bought for Apo ahead of the BOC Japan trip (where Apo was first seen wearing it), because Mile was caught on film talking to a sales lady right after Apo called him over to show him the jacket. So, did Apo fly to New Zealand with a ring and a jacket he got from Mile? IDK, but it's def a nice thought, and a reminder of how intertwined they are.

Meanwhile, Apo liked this fan art of Mileapo in the above pic:

And since I started this with how they look at each other, I'll end there as well. This is from the recent Vogue gala, mid interview. They're professionals, they know where the camera is, they know they're supposed to look there, and yet...

Hope people enjoy this! Never stop spreading joy and kindness, wherever you can. xoxox

(click for all of my past Mileapo/Kinnporsche/Man Suang posts)

[dre6ming]

The delicate beginning rush

Chapter XIII- some things are meant to be

Masterlist <chapters 1->12 here>

Instagram photo dump masterlist

Imagines Masterlist

If you want to be tagged click HERE

Pairing: Austin Butler x singer/actress fem reader

Warning: age gap (10 years), cursing, smut, mature content, fingering, fluff, angst…

Plot: you surprise Austin with a live performance at the premiere of Elvis, the entire time thinking only how unfair it is that you have to keep everything a secret.

Word count: 6300

Disclaimer: everything fake

"How much longer?" I ask from the back seat, fighting the urge to bite my nails, wiping my sweaty palms against the material of my black pants. "Not much longer miss." Matthew says, mumbling some gibberish into his station, communicating with the other security guards. I look through the tinted windows at the flashing lights of cameras trying to snap photos of everyone. To keep myself occupied, I pull out my phone, pictures form the red carpet immediately popping on my feed. My smile is like I won a contest seeing Austin, dressed so handsome in a black suit with just one pop of color, a purple star flower attached to his pocket, he told me to look out for a surprise on the red carpet. The small detail is barely noticeable, but it means a lot to me, especially since I can't be there with him.

The past months together have been amazing, we've now been hiding form the public eye for 5 months and even though most of that time was spent over FaceTime, due to work, it still has been the happiest time for me. Timothee keeps asking what's got me in such a good mood for the past months, but I can't bring myself to tell him just yet, the only person who knows is Matt. I'd lie to say that I don't like the secrecy a bit, it's like we have our own little bubble no one ca touch. There have been the occasional rumors and some pictures to back them, but ultimately that's all they were, rumors, no actual photos of us together made it to the press, after the last ones back in February.

I stumble upon so videos from the carpet as well, which only add to my enjoyment, until my eyes land on Austin's trembling hands. My poor baby, he's been telling me how nervous he actually is about the possibility of people hating the movie and the fact that this will be the first time he's going to see it, only adds to his anxiety. Baz asked him a few times to watch the movie before the premiere, but Austin insisted he wants his reaction to be 100% true, it wasn't until 2 days before the festival that the realization that he might hate it, hit him. If you ask me all his worries are nonsense, I've seen the trailers as well as the scene Baz sent me with my cover playing over, the movie looks amazing at a first glance.

Somehow I managed to keep my presence here, in Cannes, a secret form Austin, there were moments when talking to him, when his nervousness and anxiety for the event almost had me spilling the beans. I'm in the car parked somewhere in the back, waiting for my sign to go out to make into the theater, where I'm sat all the way in the back. At the end of the screening I'll do a surprise performance of my cover, just me and a piano in front of everyone.

I decide texting Austin could help the both of us, so I open our conversation, quickly typing a message. 

Me:

⇰ Hey baby, you nervous?

Austin💜🧶:

⇰ Yeah I wish you were here

Me:

⇰ Me too baby

Austin💜🧶:

⇰ What are you doing up this late?

⇰ Isn't it like 3am in NYC?

I playfully roll my eyes at his text, he always worries about me not getting enough rest, which I know it's my fault since I've told him all about my insomnia. It's these small acts that get my heart skipping for him. Plus to be fair some sleep sounds amazing, I flew here straight from wrapping up filming, he of course thought I flew back home to New York, but I'm just a few feet away from him at the Cannes Film Festival, hiding in the shadows.

Me:

⇰ I can't sleep, I've been walking around the apartment all night

Austin💜🧶:

⇰ Everything ok?

Me:

⇰ Dw about it, it's your moment, not mine

Austin💜🧶:

⇰ Baby I always worry

Me:

⇰ I know

⇰ I'll be sure to watch you on tv

Austin💜🧶:

⇰ What if people hate it?

⇰ I've never seen it before

⇰ Maybe I should've when Baz asked

⇰ At least that way I'd know to expect people boo-ing me

Me:

⇰ Austin that's absurd, you've worked very hard and so did everyone else

⇰I'm sure the movie will be amazing

⇰and Priscilla and Lisa will love it, as will the world

Austin💜🧶:

⇰I'm just so nervous

⇰I've never been to something this important

Me:

⇰neither have I

⇰besides the Oscars

⇰I'm sure it's not that bad

⇰plus you have your dad w/ u

Austin💜🧶:

⇰yeah

⇰I still wish you were here

Me:

⇰I know

⇰hey

⇰will you do something for me?

Austin💜🧶:

⇰anything

Me:

⇰I'll be watching the red carpet on tv, shoot me a smile, will ya?

Austin💜🧶:

⇰I'll give you my biggest smile baby

Me:

⇰💜

Austin💜🧶:

⇰my darling

My heart races in my chest looking at those two words on my screen. I close the message app and open the instagram live for the festival, seeing Austin make his way back on the carpet with Baz and Olivia and the rest of the cast. One of the cameras zooms in on his face and he smiles brightly, then he does something I didn't expect, his lips move like his speaking to the camera. He's said those words to me so many times that I know exactly how his lips look articulating the words. "My darling" he mouths over and over again, then blows a kiss to the camera, waving.

"Ready miss, let's move!" Matt gets out of the car quickly coming to my side and opening my door. I put my sunglasses and cap on, walking fast with my head down. We have to be careful not to get caught by the press or anyone else, hence why I'm wearing an all black sweat suit to a huge premiere for one of the biggest films of the year. I'll be sat in the back of the theater and then right before the end I'll have to go change into my beautiful gown. Once again I worked with teuta matoshi to create a beautiful gown inspired by my favorite Elvis Presley jump suit, the dark blue one with silver sequence called the lucky suit form his 1972 concert. The floor length dress looks amazing, with a heart shaped neckline and silver stars decorating the dark blue fabric. Teuta even took it a step further to make me a set of matching gloves.

"Right this way!" Matt screams pushing me gently through the back door, looking back to make sure we are not being seen. I hurry inside, careful not to trip. Once I'm inside, I take a moment to look around, seeing Baz immediately and smiling at him.

"Miss (y/n), I wanted to say thank you one more time and wish you the best, since I probably won't be able too before you have to go on stage." Baz comes smiling with his arms wide open. I slide in his embrace and squeeze him tight. "I'm so nervous" I admit, as he pulls back. Carefully he takes the cap off my head, putting back in place some pieces of hair. "I know sweets, but I'm sure you'll be extraordinary." He smiles softly, looking me up and down, then lifts my right hand up to look at my wrist, where the bracelet from Priscilla sits. Baz walks his fingers over the precious metal, then looks me in the eyes. "Why don't you wait here a moment, I know I said this will be our secret that you are here, but I really think you need this."

He drops my hand, turning around walking away, my heart pounds in my chest, hitting against my breast bone like it wants to jump out. In my head there's a thousand possibilities of where Baz might have run off to. I sit there in the back of the big theater, looking over everything, people getting seated, sharing hugs and greetings. My eyes absentmindedly look for Austin and a smile sets on my face when I spot his blond head, walking through the mass of people, towards his seat. Of how I wish I could just run over to him and kiss him, tell him how proud I am.

"(Y/n) my darling girl, how could you keep such a secret from me." My eyes snap to Priscilla, walking towards me, with her arms extended to hug me. "Miss Presley-" "I told you time and time again, it's just Priscilla" she squeezes me one more time, before finally letting go. "You look so beautiful." She takes my face in her hands, looking at my simple makeup, I have some blue eyeshadow with silver sequence stars stuck on with lash glue. I feel myself blushing and the way she handles my face, angling it to get a better look at my makeup, reminds me of how my mom used to do it. For the first time in so long I feel this hole reopen in my chest. "What's wrong?" I blink quickly trying to hold back tears. "I just miss my mom, I think I wish she was here." I whisper, the lump in my throat making it hard to talk. Her eyes droop and she suddenly seems sad for me, bringing me back in for a hug. "I'm so sorry (y/n). I'm sure she would be happy for you, maybe you can call her after".

Back in March when I recorded the cover for the movie, she and I met for dinner and I told her all about my parents, it felt like opening up to another mother figure, talking to her. "I'll try." I say breaking a smile. "Now, Baz said you're nervous to go on stage. I remember back when I used to sit backstage with Elvis, he must of been doing his 100th and something show, but still he would be shaking in his pants like a little boy every time before he went on stage. Then the curtain would open and he would morph into this star, shining bright, the same will happen to you. I can't wait to see you." If I was fighting back a few tears before, now I'm fighting a whole river. She brings me in for another hug, then kisses the top of my head, whispering "good luck".

I walk with Matt and find our seats, getting comfortable and ready to watch the movie. All the encouragement from Priscilla and Baz sure helped, my nerves, which are seemingly nowhere near what they were. "I'm sure you'll be amazing." Matt whispers in my ear, right as the room goes dark and the movie starts.

The first time seeing Austin on the screen has me breathing a little heavy and I fight everything in me, not to pick up my phone and text him about how beautiful he looks. The way his hips sway with the music, all those little Elvis things he does, you can see how much work he's put into this project. Austin deserves everything big that's coming his way.

I tense in my seat with the next scene, him in his military uniform, on the floor, talking with Priscilla, played by Olivia. As he gets up from the floor, he goes over to the record player, putting on a vinyl to play. Suddenly the whole theater rings with my voice singing "can't help falling in love" . I'm struggling to keep from crying and fail, when I feel a single tear slide down my cheek. "There you go miss." Matt hands me a tissue, which I accept thanking him. I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket, so even though I'm not supposed to, I take it out to see what the notification is.

Austin💜🧶:

⇰I'd recognize that voice anywhere

⇰it sounded angelic

⇰I have tears in my eyes, baby, how I wish you were here

⇰I know I'm not supposed to be texting during the movie

⇰I just had to tell you how much I loved that

I want to start sobbing, ugly crying right here. There's no explaining how much his words mean. I restrain myself from replying, but quickly take a screenshot of the messages to keep forever.

The rest of the movie is so beautiful and I'm so absorbed in the story that I barely notice Matt shaking my shoulders. "Come on miss, we need to go in the back so you can get changed." I nod and gather my things, following him through the dark. He pushes through a few doors and finally we get into a room where my stylists wait for me to fix my makeup and hair. I can hear the credits of the movie playing as I squeeze into the dress, someone lacing up the corset, while someone else dabs some more glitter to my cheeks. Then there's silence and like on cue, everyone in the room freezes, holding their breath for the audiences reaction. The silence beaks with clapping hands and my team goes back to work.

I don't know for how long the clapping ovation lasted, I think I heard someone say 12 minutes, the longest in the festival's history. "You've got this!" Levis, who joined me halfway through getting ready, says. Holding my chin up, I walk to the piano, sitting down, feeling the cold keys under the pads of my fingers. I take a deep breath and close my eyes, pushing the piano keys. Then in the darkness of the theater a huge light shines on me, bringing me into the view of the audience.

"Wise men say, only fools rush in.."

I'm yet too scared to look at the people I'm performing for, but I hear soft gasping coming form them.

"But I can't help falling in love with you.."

I gather all my courage and spare a glance towards the chairs of people. They are hidden in the dark and only a few figures form the very first rows are visible to me.

"Like a river flows, surly to the sea, darling so it goes. Some things are meant to be.."

My eyes keep searching, hoping to see him, praying to see him. My heart flutters in my chest, but I keep my voice steady, singing softly.

"Take my hand, take my whole life too.."

Then I see him, he stands up, everyone is sat down watching me, but he stands up. Austin smiles at me, wiping tears from his glimmering blue eyes.

"For I can't help falling in love with you.."

My voice cracks as tears start flowing, but I can't take my eyes off of him. We're both crying, looking into each other's eyes. It's like we are the only people in this crowded space, just me and him. And something in my heart becomes so clear, it's because I'm dedicating the song to him. Because I couldn't help but fall in love with him, because now I'm irrevocably and utterly in love with him.

"For I can't help, falling in love with you..."

As I sing the final note, the whole room comes to life, every single person stands up clapping. My feet burn in my shoes against the soft carpet, willing me to move, to run up to him, but I can't, because of all the cameras here. I stand up from the piano, smiling and waving at everyone, prepared to walk away back to my prep room, so I can fix my makeup, for the picture I'm going to have to take. But before I go I spare one last glance at the audience and widen my eyes when I see him. Austin making his way through the people standing and clapping. He's coming my way, looking straight ahead like I'm the only thing he can see. Slowly I start taking small steps in his direction, holding up my dress, careful not to step on it and fall on my face. We meet halfway and his arms reach out to me, but I keep clutching my dress, begging him with my eyes not to do something we will both feel the consequences of.

"I-" I open my mouth to speak.

"(Y/n) oh my, I have goosebumps all over, that was so beautiful, congratulations." Baz cuts me off, placing a hand on my shoulder, pulling me in for a hug, which a reciprocate, looking at Austin over his shoulder. Austin looks frozen, his eyes staring at the ground, hands now resting in his pockets. "Thank you, Baz, it means a lot." I smile, sniffing, still feeling like crying.

"Here you go, honey, a beautiful performance, Elvis would be happy to see his legacy carried this way." Priscilla hands me a tissue and I thank her, using it to wipe some of my tears away. "Smile!" A photographer shouts and all 4 of us pose for the picture. I somehow land on Austin's left and he puts his hand on my waist, inching me closer to his frame. I try to ignore the feelings bubbling in the pit of my stomach, smiling for the camera, prying my makeup doesn't look too bad.

"Miss, one picture over at the piano please, Mr Butler, join her at the piano please." I hold my dress up, walking over to the white piano, a replica of the one Elvis had in Graceland. I sit down on the bench and try to collect all my dress together. "Here" Austin helps, pushing some of the fabric out of the way, sitting down next to me. My pulse is already at high levels because of performing, but him so close, has my pulse flying through the roof. Then his hand goes under the slit of my dress to rest on my knee, under the piano, I'm sure no one can see it, but the breath hitches in my throat and I don't miss the way the corner of his mouth twitches up, at my reaction. Austin's hand stays there for the entirety of the time we spend taking photos at the piano, not moving, not even when Baz, Lisa, Priscilla, Olivia and Tom Hanks joined us for a group picture.

When all that fuss is over, I'm looking through the crowd to spot Matt and have him take me out of here. I want so badly to stay, but I'm scared that if I will, I'll find myself in a very difficult situation, where either me or Austin will take a wrong step and it will ultimately be a PR nightmare. "(Y/n)" I turn around, seeing Kaia standing in front of me, looking gorgeous in a red dress. I feign my best smile, I have nothing against her, but still I have to watch her kiss my boyfriend and call him hers in front of everyone, so you can expect me not to be on my best behavior with her. "You look so beautiful tonight, Austin said you weren't coming, I'm glad you did though."

"I'm not going to stay, after parties aren't my thing really and I'm just-" I start making excuses for myself. "Alex is here, I brought him." She quickly lets out, confessing her small secret. "And how do you..?" How do you fake loving someone, when your real partner is here, is what I want to say, but I don't. Kaia sighs, tapping her foot against the carpeted floor, sadness reading all over her face. "It's difficult, just before we walked on the carpet I was talking to him and I was feeling so bad, all I wanted to do was drag him out on that carpet and kiss him. I know you must feel the same." She says referring to her real boyfriend. It's so frustrating that we have to sit here, have this conversation and talk in code, because of everyone's agenda. "I wanted this to be a surprise for Austin, but I'm scared to go up to him and talk to him, I'm scared a look could do too much damage." I admit, swallowing hard. She looks at me understanding, coming in for a hug. I hold her tight, looking over her shoulder at Austin. He's shaking hands and talking to people and then his eyes find mine and once again it's this energy connecting us. "I think I should go talk to him. Thank you Kaia, you look beautiful tonight, by the way" she nods, stepping away so I could walk up to him.

"Austin..." he smiles looking at me, with heels on I'm tall enough that he doesn't have to look down on me, but his eyes still wonder over my frame, drinking me in. "You're so beautiful, can I hug you?" Austin asks, moving his weight from one foot to the other. I scan the room, no one seems to pay us any mind and it would be just a friendly hug, right? "Thank you, I- do you think we could?" I whisper leaning forward. Confusion passes his features, but then he must come back to reality, realizing where we are and why I'm asking. "I think it's just a hug.." Austin shrugs his shoulders, trying not to look disappointed. "Ok." He couldn't wrap his arms around me faster, lifting me off the ground, hiding his face in my neck, not a friendly hug. I stiffen in his embrace, grabbing his suit jacket, turning my head to whisper in his ear. "Too much Austin, people will see." I warn.

"Let them, I couldn't give a fuck" he grunts, tightening his grip on me, making it a bit hard to breathe. "Aus, baby please, not now, not like this, you just had the longest standing ovation in the festival's history, don't ruin your moment." I reason with him, frantically looking around, making sure there's still no one looking at us, or at least taking a picture. His arms start to loosen and my feet carefully touch the floor again. With a sigh, Austin drops his arms and let's me go, I'd lie to say it doesn't somehow physically hurt to let him go. Looking at me, he does his usual sexy lip biting trick, making my knees buckle. "Are you coming to the after party?" He's keeping our conversation short and to the point.

"No, I'm tired, I flew here from Canada, we wrapped filming yesterday." I explain, not missing the worry showing in his eyes. "Where are you staying?" Austin questions, but his voice is barely a whisper. I smile wickedly at him, wiggling my brows, causing him to crack a smile and a little laugh. "Have fun at the party!" I pat his bicep and turn around, walking away, with my chin up, excited about getting to the hotel, the same hotel he's staying at, in the room right next to him. I had his room number from him and I insisted that I get the one right next to him.

"Ready, for some interviews?" Brianna, my publicist asks, pushing me in the direction of cameras. "Ready as ever." I say, trying to sound a bit excited, which I'm far from, but still, it's for the show of it all. So with a huge smile on my face, I make my way to a few reporters, answering their questions.

𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸

It's two hours later that I find myself, crying, while a girl from wardrobe unties the tight corset of my dress. There's no actual reason for my crying, just exhaustion. "Ok miss, I'm gonna take it off now." The girl lets me know, as another rushes to me with a robe to cover me up. All the adrenaline in my body drained so now my body is just failing, all muscles ache, my bones feel silly in my body, my head is pounding. I dress myself in some leggings and a huge t-shirt, then wash my face one more time, knowing full well I won't have the power to do it at the hotel, so I'm trying to be as rigorous as possible. My legs wobble when I walk, so Matt decides it's better he carries me to the car, where I now wait. For what I'm waiting? I don't know. Cause Matt is in his seat behind the wheel and I'm in the back, with my knees to my chest, ready as ever to go to the hotel and sleep.

"Matt why aren't we going?" I groan, putting my head between my knees, prying that the ibruprofen I took will calm my headache soon. When he doesn't answer I look at him, meeting his eyes in the rear view mirror. He's smiling and just as I prepare to ask him one more time, the door on my left opens. A startled squeak escapes me, as Austin slides in the back seat next to me.

"Aus." I jump on him and he grunts because of the force at which my body hit his. "Baby, you ok?" I nod as he runs a hand up and down my back. Inhaling his amazing scent, I relax, closing my eyes as a relieved sigh leaves my lips. "Just tired." I mumble, further rubbing my face against his shoulder, holding him as tight as my tiered muscles will allow. "Go sleep, I'll be there soon..." he whispers against my hair.

"Can I go to your room? I bet your sheets smell like you." I mumble, making him giggle softly. "Sure, (y/n), I'll have my assistant call the front desk and tell them to give a key to Matt. I swear all I want is to go cuddle with you, but I have to at least show up to this party." I can hear the frustration in his voice and it annoys me a bit, because he just had the most amazing thing happen to him, his work being shown to the world and it being appreciated. "Austin baby, you need to go and have a good time, I'll be there waiting, please enjoy this, you just wrote history baby." I pull back and take his face in my hands, smoothing the pads of my thumbs over his sculpted cheeks. "You made so many people proud, Elvis being one of them, I'm sure of that, please honey, go and have this moment, I'll be at the hotel when you get back and we can cuddle all you want." I lean in and kiss the tip of his nose, but he tilts his head back, catching my lips with his, kissing me softly.

Austin grabs my hips with his hands, pulling me onto his lap, never once breaking our lips apart. I'm the one to finally lean back and take a moment to breathe, looking at him. He has a smug smile on his face and his blue eyes are glossy, shining in the darkness inside the car. "Go my rockstar, I'll be there when you're done!" I touch our foreheads together, breathing in deep, before I crawl out of his lap, back onto the seat. "Ok, baby!" He puts a hand on my head, leaning to kiss the top of my hair.

Before getting out of the car, Austin pats Matt on the shoulder. "Drive my girl safe, ok?" Matt turns around, shaking Austin's hand, smiling. "Of course sir, have a great time, if you need a ride, you can call me." Matt assures. "Thanks man!" With one last kiss to my cheek, Austin opens the door and gets out of the car.

"Thank you Matt!" I sigh, closing my eyes exhausted. A little chuckle leaves Matt's lips as he turns the car on and starts driving. "He's a good man miss!" He tells me, making me smile faintly. "Doesn't mean I won't beat his ass if he dares make you shed a tear, ok miss?" Hearing how serious he is, makes my heart leap with joy, he's really taken on the paternal figure these past months and it somehow made the pain of my dad ignoring me, less obvious. "I love you Matt, thanks for being here." I whisper, holding back tears. "I know, (y/n), I love you too, you're like a daughter to me, sweets. Now sleep, I'll wake you when we get to the hotel." I nod, mumbling a "thank you" that I don't think he hears and I let my body fully shut off, mind going blank as sleep takes over me.

𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸

Something softly shakes me and for a moment I believe it's the car moving, but then a hand caresses my face and coming back to the surface of consciousness I also start hearing the faint voice calling my name. "Come on miss, I've let you sleep as much as I could, but I think you'd feel better sleeping in bed." Matt says, as I rub the sleep from my eyes, trying to focus back on the world around me. "Thank you Matt." Dragging my body out of the car with some effort, I walk to the elevator in the parking lot. I slump against the elevator wall, playing with my hair, looking at the buttons lighting up with each floor we pass, until it reaches mine. As we make our way out of the elevator, Matt walks me to the door of Austin's room, handing me the key card smiling. "While you slept in the car for an extra minute, I moved all your belongings to Mr Butler's room, have a good night miss." I thank him once again and he turns on his hills, walking back to the elevator to go to his room.

Sliding the keycard in the door it opens with a click. I make my way in, taking a deep breath, getting a faint whiff of Austin's cologne. Putting all my things away and plugging my phone in, I go to the bathroom to brush my teeth. Coming back, I take liberty to look through Austin's bag, until I find a navy long sleeve shirt, quickly taking my own clothes off and putting it on, enjoying the way it seems to swallow me whole. Getting in the bed and under the covers, I rub my face into the pillow, smelling Austin's musky and citrusy scent. Falling into a deep slumber, I pull the covers all the way up, letting dreams take over.

𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸𖥸

Sometime later, could be minutes, could be hours, I feel the bed dipping next to me and then a body of heat curls around me. "My sweet baby, my darling girl.." Austin kisses the back of my neck, his wet soft lips sending shivers down my spine. I turn around in his arms, wanting to bury my face in his chest. He smells like fresh soap and one of my hands wonders up to play with the hair at the nape of his head, feeling it damp, he must of taken a shower. "What time is it?" I wonder with my eyes closed, prying it's not morning and I don't have to wake up just yet.

Austin's hot breath touches my forehead as he places a tender kiss there. "I didn't mean to wake you, it's 3 am baby, go back to sleep." I try to pull him closer by his shit, only his not wearing one, but he figures what I need and pulls me tighter towards him, glueing me to his flaming skin. The soft hairs of his chest, tickle my nose and I angle my head up, hiding my face in the crook of his neck, loving the way it fits there, like a puzzle piece. His hands caress my back up and down, running over the soft fabric of his shirt, that I'm wearing. "Kiss me." I request, making him chuckle, one of his hands coming up to hold my chin and bring my face closer to his. Our lips touch and it's electricity flowing through my entire body, awakening every cell and heightening every sensation. We both sigh into the kiss, having missed each other's touch for far too long. His thumb traces the line of my jaw, his hand tangling in my hair, deepening the kiss. I taste the toothpaste on his mouth and when his tongue teases my bottom lip, I open my mouth to him, giving him full control, finally tasting some strong liquor lingering on his tongue.

I pull him in, quivering in his arms, moaning against his mouth. The hand that was tangled in my hair, runs down my body, following every curve and finally settling on my hip. Austin gives my hip a tight squeeze and I whimper, pulling back to catch my breath. I dare to open my eyes and look at him. He's more beautiful than I can describe, the moonlight lighting some of his features and darkening others. Austin wets his lips, biting his bottom one, looking at me with drowsy eyes. "Let's sleep, hm?" He says, nudging my cheek with his nose, kissing it after. I giggle and turn around in his arms, letting him be the big spoon.

Sighing, he pulls me flush to him, kissing my neck. I try to stay as still as possible, holding my breath in hopes of getting my heart to slow down so I could fall back asleep. "Breathe, (y/n), breathe" Austin whispers, spreading his fingers over my belly. "I can't fall back asleep" I say breathless. He hums against my shoulder, kissing the exposed skin there. "Want me to help, baby?" His voice low, as his lips still kiss my neck, causing heat to form in between my legs. "Yes." I moan, reaching a hand behind me to brush through his hair, pulling at the roots.

Austin groans, the vibrations of his chest resonating through me, going straight to my crotch. "Can I touch you?" Austin asks, his fingers working on pulling the shirt I was wearing up, to reveal my underwear. "Please." I throw my head back, giving him more room to kiss and lick at my soft skin. His fingers play with the hem of my panties, making me rub my thighs together, needing some kind of friction against my aching pussy.

Austin dips his long sleek fingers under my underwear, taking a second to play with the hair there, before finally making it in between my lips. He spreads me open, feeling how wet I am for him. "Fuck baby, so wet for me, (y/n)." He moans my name, biting my ear lobe, as he starts tracing circles over my clit. "Austin.." a sigh leaves my lips as I feel his other hand sneak under me on a mission to get a feel of my chest. His big hand squeezes my breast through the shirt, the roughness of the fabric against my hard sensitive nipple, feeling amazing, causing more sleek to gather into my now ruined underwear. "Shit honey, all this for me?" Austin asks, moving his fingers down to my aching hole, feeling the new arousal seeping out of me.

"You, just you!" I move my hips against his hand, needing him to give me the sweet relief I need. Feeling him smile against my shoulder, I tremble in his arms, begging for him to go back to rubbing my clit. "Baby, can I put a finger in? I.." he's breathing heavy, obviously as lost in pleasure just as much as I am. "I won't if you say no, I'll make you feel good anyway." His voice sounds heavenly, stimulating my thoughts.

I feel my heart pounding against my ribs and his finger circling my entrance has me completely at a loss of words. "Baby?" Austin asks seeing as I have yet to answer him. "Please, Austin, please." I pull at his hair with one hand, my other hand going over his one hand, that's kneading my breast and he growls in my ear. His finger slowly pushes in, the new sensation, has me arching my back, squeezing my eyes tight. A pornographic sound leaves my lips, my mouth hanging open, feeling him brush against my walls. "God so warm and wet, you're fucking perfect." Austin chants in my ear, starting to move his finger in and out of me. His thumb touches my clit, rubbing fast circles against it. I'm a moaning mess in his arms.

Austin curls his finger up, touching a spot inside me that has me seeing stars, screaming out his name. "Cum all over my fingers, (y/n), come on baby, relax." Pulling at his hair, my mouth hangs open, whimpers coming out of it, as I feel pleasure washing over me. I squeeze my legs around Austin's hand as he works me through my orgasm. "Aus, thank you!" He pulls his finger out of me, causing me to whine at the empty feeling.

My body feels heavy and suddenly I fight to hold onto my consciousness. Austin kisses my cheek, standing up from the bed and going over to the bathroom. I hear the sink running for a while and then he's back in bed, pulling me into his chest. "I think you're the best thing to ever happen to me." He says, but I'm too tired to answer, falling into the trap of sleep, feeling so warm and loved. And just as I'm about to be out for good, I feel his lips move against my hair. "I think I've fallen in love with you."

Unconditionally and irrevocably in love with her - Austin’s Pov of your performance

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[reygwenwrites2]

I Love Ard1n, and You Should Too With Ard1n

By Rey Gwen

February 6th, 2024

Photo above taken by @666.pastel on Instagram

If I were to describe Ard1n in a word, the word I’d choose in a heartbeat is vibrant. The unique style that they’ve orchestrated turns music into a captivating encounter with Ard1n’s craft, with their upbeat energy seeping into everything that they do. Their dynamic presence on stage parallels the powerful energy reflected in their music. Ard1n turns music into not only art that is full of life, but also an unforgettable experience.

REY GWEN: Could you walk me through your process on curating your sets?

ARD1N: Well, the sound of my set fully depends on the party and what crowd I can expect to be there. I play parties for some pretty different scenes so I need to know my audience, but once I decide on what sound I'm looking for I go straight to Soundcloud and begin digging. Song selection can take up to a week because I want to be 100% happy with the songs I pick.

GWEN: How does your mindset change when working on a singular song versus an hour(+)-long set?

ARD1N: When working on a set, my head is very production heavy. I’m more focused on the texture and sound design in the songs I select as I feel that is what I pay attention to when I'm hearing other people dj. However when making my own music, of course the production is still a huge factor but what matters most to me is if my voice is compatible with the beat. Sometimes people have voices that are better used with certain sounds or genres and that is what i try to get right when making my own music.

GWEN: What role does audience feedback play in curating your sets?

ARD1N: I like to play what I want. Yes, audience feedback can decide what song I play next, but usually I have a setlist I want to get through before I begin freestyling. I think I always have more fun freestyling though. Oh and I DONT TAKE REQUESTS. That shit will irk me. What I consider audience feedback is their reaction and movement to the current song playing or what sounds/beats gets the people to move. That is what will decide what comes next.

GWEN: How do you know when a set is ready to be performed?

ARD1N: I’m never 100% ready 🤣 you can ask anyone of my irl friends and they will tell you that before I go on stage I’m always shitting my pants and worried what I have prepared won’t be good enough. I do think having more songs prepared for the set makes me more comfortable though.

GWEN: What has been your favorite experience thus far in your music career?

ARD1N: This is a hard question to answer! I’ve had so many really cool experiences and opportunities come from music. I think one of the coolest things i was asked to do was play Boiler Room in December of 2022. My good friends at Subculture Party invited me to play one of their Boiler room stages since they were working in collaboration together. It was a great weekend filled with great music and friends. The next best thing would probably have to have been the Halloween party I threw last year. I co-organize a party called Dancing For Heaven with my best friend, HVN, and we worked together with other Toronto party series ‘Body2Body’ and ‘Bambeeno’ to throw a mega Halloween warehouse rave we called ‘House of Skin’. It was absolute insanity and we want to throw another one again next Halloween 🤭🤭

GWEN: What/who are your inspirations? How do they influence how you work on music?

ARD1N: I'm inspired by any new artist I find with fresh ideas. They inspire me to look outside of the box and try stuff I've never thought of before, and explore sounds I didn’t think would fit in music. I’m also so inspired by my friends. When I see the people I care about doing cool things it makes me so happy and makes me want to do cool things as well!

GWEN: How do you mentally prepare yourself for performing?

ARD1N: I’m freaking out every second until I’m on stage. It’s only once I’m already djing or performing that my nerves go away and I fall into the groove of what I’m doing and I lock the fuck in. It’s like I forget the crowd is there and I’m djing for myself like how I would in my bedroom.

Ard1n on Soundcloud

Ard1n on Instagram

Ard1n on Twitter

[danceofthephilos]

Langa Hasegawa Character Intro & Chiaki Kobayashi Interview (spoon.2Di vol.71)

"Right now... I'm having fun!"

Langa Hasegawa

"S" Name: SNOW Birthday: February 8th A returnee* transfer student from Canada, and a high school second year who's always spacing out. He sometimes shows a stubborn side.

(*note that "returnee" here refers to a child with Japanese nationality through their parent(s) who's come to Japan after living elsewhere, but includes children who were born overseas - this doesn't imply anything one way or another about if Langa was born in Canada or Okinawa.)

Chiaki Kobayashi Interview

—When you were playing Langa, what sort of direction did you receive from the staff? What did you consider important to your portrayal?

My own impression of Langa is that he looks cool at a glance, but is an unexpectedly expressive and aggressive boy. So when we were recording the first episode, I played him really lively, like he could keep up with Reki. And then in direction I was told "we want him to be more spaced out and out of touch", "he should go at his own pace without discussing things with Reki." Moreover, that as the story progressed from here, he'd gradually show more expressions. I think it was exactly because I received that direction that Langa began to come to life as a character to me.

—In episode 5, Langa has his first BEEF with ADAM. Could you give us your impressions from when you were performing, and tell us how you perceive what ADAM is to Langa?

I think, to Langa, ADAM is someone who can show him sights he's never seen before, and can teach him a kind of excitement he's still never experienced first-hand. So, when I was recording episode 5, he pursued him without any negative feelings like fear or worry he could lose. But because I got direction that I was coming on too strong and it felt like Langa would win from the beginning of the race, I had to be conscious of the balance between being overwhelmed when he was supposed to be overwhelmed, but still chomping at the bit. I was really overjoyed to be able to talk everything until now out with a great veteran on the front lines like Koyasu-san. (laughter)

—Episode 6 turned out to be a really fun episode. What were your impressions and memories from recording?

We, the cast, will enjoy ourselves! After this, we're over the hill! That's how we got through it. (laughter) The episodes right before and after this were particularly hard, so this was a pretty extreme difference in intensity. But thanks to this episode, we were able to deepen the camaraderie between the characters, and dig into each character in more depth, so I think it was a really important episode.

—Are there any other scenes in the story so far that have made a lasting impression on you, or episodes you remember recording the most strongly?

Episode 2 made a lingering impression on me. Episode 2 was an important episode that really condensed Reki and Langa's deepening relationship and the joy of skating. Episode 1 was still the episode where they first met, so Reki and Langa weren't really opening their hearts up to one another yet. But in episode 2, they're dealing with the same things, they're sharing their "fun" with one another, and gradually start to get along. It was an episode without a race in it, but I think it's this episode that really solidified Reki and Langa's friendship. On top of that, because the episode's crammed full of things that beginner skaters go through, people who've never skated before can have the sense that they're growing alongside Langa, while experienced skaters can have a taste of nostalgia and think "I used to do that!", so I thought the composition of the episode was amazing.

—Is there anything coming up in the story that you thing we should pay close attention to?

I think you should look out for the outcome of the tournament, that everyone will be staking their hopes on when they compete, and what will happen to Reki and Langa. Of course the main draw of a tournament is who's going to battle who, and which pair is going to end up competing in the finals, but underneath that, there's an intricate web of human relationships depicted from all sorts of angles that you can't tear your eyes away from. I think you'll enjoy it, even when it's heart-wrenching. (laughter)

—Finally, please send a message to all our readers.

Will Langa go down the same path as ADAM? What will happen to Reki and Langa's relationship? There are a lot of things to be anxious about, but please keep watching over those two! The staff and cast are working together as one to do our best to show you those things, so please keep waiting with infinite anticipation! I think there will be more and more developments unfolding that you won't expect. Thank you, and enjoy!

(from spoon.2Di, volume 71 - February 2021)

[natlacentral]

There's no better way to commence IGN Fan Fest 2024 than with an exclusive clip and deep-dive on Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender. Our reporter Alex Stedman chronicles her visit to the set and what insights she learned from the series’ creators and stars. She also provides a preview of what the cast told us in their upcoming Fan Fest interview streaming this Friday, Feb. 23rd. (Here's how to watch IGN Fan Fest 2024.)

It’s June 2022, and the Fire Nation is attacking the Northern Water Tribe. 

Or, at least, that’s what’s very much playing out in front of me and a gaggle of other journalists on the Vancouver set of Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender. Throughout the day, we watch the thousands of LED panels within the volume shift around the real-life actors, who twirl and jab and dance in various martial arts styles to bring to life the battles of the animated classic. It’s surreal and immersive – at any moment, a group of Water Tribe residents might get in the snack line behind you. Or, just maybe, Aang himself will pop over your shoulder to get a glimpse at your notes.

It’s something that’s noticeable throughout our visit to the set. For a lot of the young cast, this is their first time doing interviews about their live-action translations of these beloved characters, and there’s a sense of nervousness… behind just about everyone except for Gordon Cormier, who arguably has the most pivotal role in the show as the titular last airbender, Aang. If the 13-year-old (now 14) feels the pressure, he doesn’t show it – in fact, he seems perfectly at ease as he chats with the journalists throughout the day, his father always close in tow.

Plus, the kid just seems like he loves it here on the set. When I ask him what the most complicated scene he’s shot yet is, he can’t sit still while he recounts the story of filming his fight with Zuko in Omashu. Instead, he jumps out of his seat and performs.

“Zuko is like, ‘I'm going to get you.’ I jump over the table, I get over, he grabs a staff, he tries to swing at me,” Cormier says, miming a punch.

“Then I'm like, ‘Uh-oh,’ I duck under the table.” You guessed it – Cormier ducks under the table.

“Then I hop back up, I grab a bowl – and this took, I don't know how many tries – but after I duck under, I grab the bowl, I flip it, I catch it, and then he stabs into it,” he continues, acting it all out as he goes. “Then he has this staff, I kick it and it hits him in the face and I just run away.”

Eventually, Cormier sits back down, satisfied, if a bit frazzled: “I just lost my train of thought.”

And, as Cormier hops around in front of us, all childlike excitement and curiosity, it’s little wonder that showrunner Albert Kim and the bevy of other producers just couldn’t get their minds off Cormier after his initial audition.

“You see someone, and you realize they've somehow captured the essence of a character,” Kim tells IGN. “That's what it was like when we first saw Gordon. He just seemed like Aang.”

He revealed as much in a wide-ranging interview with IGN a few weeks ago, the culmination of a year and a half of coverage on Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender for this digital cover, anchoring IGN Fan Fest 2024. With various interviews with the showrunner, cast, crew, and more, we’re gearing up for the release of the eight-episode adaptation, hitting Netflix on February 22 – and hopefully giving you the most comprehensive preview, too.

For his part, Kim always knew casting on his Avatar: The Last Airbender “was going to be probably the biggest challenge of them all because you're asking a hell of a lot from some very young performers.” 

They are, indeed, asking plenty of this young cast. Aside from the complexities and growth behind each individual character, there is a lotof pressure behind the adaptation. Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender is not only one of the most beloved animated series of all time, but it’s probably safe to say it’s one of the most beloved television series period, animated or live-action. Plus, there’s no erasing the stain of the much-derided 2010 M. Night Shyamalan film adaptation (which Kim has purposely avoided, he revealed previously).

Basically, there are a lot of eyes on Kim, Cormier, and the entire production, and Kim knows it. He even reveals that his own son was hesitant about him taking on the project, given how protective fans are of the property. 

“He is in the contingent of fans that think you cannot improve upon the original,” Kim says. “So he was a little wary. And he was also probably a little worried for me because he also knows how ruthless the fans and the online community can be if you get something wrong, so he was a little bit protective of me on that side, but I think we won him over.”

The pressure increased, too, after original Avatar creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko announced in 2020 that they were leaving the series. Originally executive producers, DiMartino and Konietzko said in an open letter that “things did not go as we had hoped.”

“Having them leave was a blow,” Kim admits. “And we had to think about whether or not the vision that we had set forward really reflects and honors the spirit of what they had created. And we felt like it did, so we went forward with it. But it's not to say that when they left, we said, ‘Forget everything they've done.’ That was never going to be the case, regardless of their involvement with the project. So I think that hopefully we honor, like I said, the spirit of the show that they originally created in the version we made.”

And at the heart of that spirit: The Last Airbender himself, Aang.

Finding The Last Airbender

All that pressure and pre-established fame made casting even more difficult, too, given that the process would need to be shrouded in secrecy. Therefore, all the young actors auditioning couldn’t know who or what they were auditioning for – but Cormier pulled through anyway.

“He was acting as some character named Alan in a show about mathematics or something,” Kim recalls. “We saw in him something that was kind of an essential version of Aang there. And we kept coming back to him. We saw lots of other actors as well, but after every round of auditions, we were asking ourselves, ‘What about Gordon? I mean, they're not as good as Gordon. Can we go back?’“

Not that knowing who the character was would’ve made that much of a difference for Cormier. He admits, somewhat sheepishly, that he didn’t have much familiarity with the series before he auditioned. But don’t worry, that’s changed.

When I ask how many times he’s seen it now, Cormier won’t give me a straight answer – at least, not right away. He makes me guess.

“5?”

“I’ll give you a clue,” Cormier says. “It’s a lot more than that.”

“12?” I’m not even close.

“I’ve seen it 26 times,” he proudly reveals once he’s taken pity on my guesses. “It’s my favorite show.” Oh, and actually, 26 is just when he stopped keeping track – he’s seen it a lot more since then, too.

With a resume like that, Cormier knows Aang pretty darn well at this point. While the showrunners have been open about the fact that the live-action adaptation won’t be slavishly loyal to the cartoon – with Aang in particular, Kim says they gave him more of a “narrative drive” from the beginning – Cormier says the way he’s playing Aang is “as similar as it can get in a live-action.”

Cormier attended a six-week boot camp to perform the stunts.

Cormier relates to the character, too, in perhaps the most wholesome way possible.

“I mean, me and Aang, we are so happy,” he says. “I don't know, sometimes I might be too happy, but I feel like that's one of our similarities.”

And, despite all the fun Cormier is clearly having here on the set, he takes it seriously. Like the rest of the main cast, Cormier attended a six-week boot camp to perform the show’s stunts. Luckily, Dallas Liu and Ian Ousley, who play Zuko and Sokka respectively, were already martial artists, but all of the actors had to learn various styles during that month and a half of training.

“They taught us all four elements in that boot camp,” Cormier says. “We learned Bagua for airbending and Wushu for airbending. We learned Tai Chi and Wushu for waterbending. We had Shaolin kung fu and Wushu for firebending and Hung Ga and Wushu for earthbending.

Plus, it goes beyond physical for the young actor. If it seems like he really is Aang, that’s kind of how Cormier feels, too.

“Most people, they'll study the script and they'll read the scene a hundred times,” he explains. “Me, I'll read the stage directions once or twice, I'll memorize my lines. And once I get there and I hear the other person speak, I just sink into it. So when I do that, I am Aang. I'm thinking, ‘Zuko is coming for me,’ all these things. And that's all up there. So yeah, I think that I get pretty deep into the character.”

It helps that he speaks to the group of us in full costume, blue arrow painted across his bald head. To nail that Aang look, Cormier says he has his head shaved every morning, and he compares the arrow-application process as something akin to getting a henna tattoo, but with more medical supplies. 

Of course, Cormier isn’t the only one taking on a big role in Avatar: The Last Airbender. Hell, he’s not even the only one who has to have his head shaved daily.

Everything Changed When…

Up close, Zuko’s burn scar might look a little gnarlier than you might expect. Or at least, the Netflix version of it does, as Liu, who’s taking over the role of everyone’s favorite troubled Fire Nation prince, sits in front of me.

As he explains, it’s a two-hour process every shoot day. “I think it’s a rubber piece or plastic, something along those lines,” he says. “And it’s glued to my face.” 

“It's cool because I can totally feel it on my face,” he says, running his fingers over his pseudo-scar. “And with Zuko, the scar is a huge part of his identity, at least at the start. So with this scar, I think it also plays into how I play Zuko.”

Elizabeth Yu, who’s taking on the role of Zuko’s sister Azula, says her costume – “wearing leather armor that was molded to my body” – helped her get into character, too, especially since she’s much kinder than Azula.

"It was cathartic to be able to play that character because I'm so opposite in real life,” she laughed in an interview with the cast for IGN Fan Fest. “It's like therapy. It's very therapeutic to be mean."

Speaking of Azula, her role is decidedly heightened in this live-action adaptation, at least early on. Azula, as well as her and Zuko’s father Fire Lord Ozai (played by Daniel Dae Kim), don’t really show up until later seasons of the animated series, but fans can expect both to pop up quite a bit more in the early days of the Netflix version.

"We needed to know more about the background for Zuko."

That’s no accident, of course. Showrunner Albert Kim explains that it was a “conscious decision” to push those storylines more to the forefront, largely in service of Zuko’s character. In fact, he confirms we’ll even see that fateful Agni Kai (a firebending duel) between Zuko and Ozai, the one that granted the former that famous scar.

“I felt like we needed to balance out the storylines,” Kim says. “We needed to know more about the background for Zuko, and why he's doing what he's doing, and set that in the context of his family dynamic, and how he fits in with his father and sister.” 

“And that's something they get to later in the animated series, but we had a little bit of a benefit of hindsight,” he continues. “We knew where that was going, so we could pull some of those elements up front into the first season and make the first season a little bit richer and a little bit deeper in terms of character storylines.”

Plus, Kim admits, it’s a travel show with a lot of locations, so being able to return to the Fire Nation throughout the eight-episode first season helped from a logistical standpoint, too.

Liu, though, says he’s staying focused on those early days of Zuko’s character development. Basically, he’s not watching the entire series 26 times as Cormier did, but keeping his thoughts on Book 1, at least when I spoke to him on the set.

“I wanted to stay in that mindset where he's still fighting to capture the Avatar, and that's pretty much his only life mission, and that's all he knows,” he says. “I think capturing the Avatar is pretty much Zuko's identity at this point in the story, and we'll see where he goes from there.”

And, as fans know, where Zuko does go becomes one of the most beloved redemption arcs in TV history – but that’s later. For now, he’s a ferocious enemy, reserving seemingly his only soft spot for Uncle Iroh (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee). You can see Zuko and Iroh team up in an exclusive clip below.

That aforementioned redemption arc is why Zuko is a favorite among fans – and it’s also partially what leaves Liu with such big shoes to fill. The other part of that legacy is Dante Bosco’s lauded voice-performance in originating the character, but Liu makes it clear that he’s not simply just trying to replicate Bosco’s angsty teenage charms. In fact, that was Bosco’s own advice for him in the various conversations they had, Liu revealed during the Fan Fest interview.

“He said he was passing me the torch, and I don't think I really felt it until we finished the [season] and I got to really talk to him about my experience on the show and becoming the character fully,” Liu says. 

“He really wanted me to make Zuko my own,” he continues. “There's Dev Patel (from M. Night Shyamalan’s 2010 adaptation) and Dante Bosco, which are two inspirations. So actually, he was hoping that I could do my own thing, maybe grab some inspiration from him, some from Dev, just make this big mash-up my own Zuko."

Asserting some of that Zuko confidence, Liu proudly reiterates, “It’s gonna be my Zuko.” 

Of course, Aang isn’t on his own as Zuko chases him around the world. He’s famously joined by brother and sister duo Sokka and Katara, played by Ousley and Kiawentiio respectively.

Going with the Flow

Funnily enough, despite the aforementioned secrecy of the audition process, Liu eventually deduced who he was auditioning for – “I was like, ‘no one hates their dad this much,’ “ he jokes. Ousley, however, didn’t know he was auditioning for Sokka… at least, not for the most part.

By the time Avatar came along, Ousley was in the thick of searching for roles in general, estimating that he was probably doing about three auditions a week at that point:

“That's what you do as actors, is just self-tape, hope you hear something, self-tape, hope you hear something.”

Sure, he was aware that Avatar: The Last Airbender was casting – but for this untitled Netflix project to be it? Nah.

“I was flying to help my sister drive back to LA from college and I was like, ‘I don't want to say this, because there's almost no probability it's true, but the only thing I can think of is Avatar,’“ he remembers on the set. “‘But I can't even fathom that, because that would be insane.’"

If you couldn’t guess from that, Ousley, like the rest of the cast, is a fan of the animated series. But, unlike Cormier, he grew up with the show and even remembers being at the pool as a kid and running his arm over the water, trying to waterbend. (Ironic, then, that he’s playing the only non-bender of the main cast).

“(Sokka’s) kind of the more relatable one. I thought I was Zuko (when I was a kid), but in real life, I'm Sokka,” he jokes during our Fan Fest interview.

Sokka, too, is a big part of the comedic relief of the Nickelodeon show. That balance between humor and the massive stakes of the series, Kim says, was part of the “essential tightrope that we had to walk.” 

“You wanted to stay true to the original, which had a large component of humor, lots of action, lots of darkness too,” Kim says. “...So for us, it was about striking that right balance, of making sure you were true to the D.N.A. of the original. But at the same time, we had to make it a serialized Netflix drama, which meant it couldn't just be for kids. It had to also appeal to the people who are big fans of Game of Thrones. And so, it had to feel grounded and mature and adult in that way too.”

Ousley feels that balance in Sokka – he highlights the character’s comedic elements as the aspect he was most excited to bring to life. Somewhat echoing Kim’s sentiment, a big part of Sokka for him was finding that “happy medium” between the humor and the emotional moments, while always trying to bring comedy to the table.

“He's deadpan, he's kind of outrageously realistic at times, which is pretty funny,” Ousley says. “But yeah, he's always high stakes. A lot of times his comedy, I feel like, almost comes from this situation.”

“We see a lot of Katara’s traumas and a lot of her insecurities.”

Ousley also teases that a major part of delving into these characters more is exploring their relationships, and a big one for Sokka is no doubt the one with his sister, Katara. Hers is also one of Avatar’s most famous arcs, starting less sure of herself and ending the series as a much more self-assured warrior. She goes through a lot to get there, of course – when asked what future scenes she would most like to play as Katara, Kiawentiio mentions the dark bloodbending arc that comes much later in the series.

But, we won’t get to see that unless Netflix orders more Avatar: The Last Airbender. When talking about what we’ll see here in Season 1, Kiawentiio says, “We see a lot of Katara’s traumas and a lot of her insecurities.”

“We see her kind of struggle with that, particularly throughout the season,” the actress says. “Without giving too much away, when she starts to feel more confident in herself, there's an obstacle. And that really kind of pushes her to be completely confident in herself and not let anybody ruin that.”

Like the rest of the cast, Kiawentiio, too, points to the bonds she’s made with the other actors throughout filming. Ousley even mentions during the set visit that he’s roommates with Liu now if you can picture Sokka and Zuko trying to live together.

Throughout all the interviews, that’s one feeling that remains – yes, all eyes are on this big-budget production of a beloved property, but it’s hard to deny that it’s fun just to watch them have fun. 

During our Fan Fest interview, for example, Cormier, Kiawentiio, and Ousley struggle through laughter to share a story of Cormier filming a particularly serious Aang scene. As Kiawentiio explains, they got into the habit of yelling “slay!” at various moments throughout the production… and took the opportunity to do so while Cormier was trying to be very serious as Aang.

“We're trying to build morale,” Ousley says. “We're low-key in a rush at the end of the day. So Kiawentiio was like, 'Wait. Slay.' "

“So me and Ian are in the back going, 'slay!' And we're like 'Gordon slay!’“ Kiawentiio laughs.

Cormier’s response, through tears? “I can’t slay right now!”

It’s charming anecdotes like those that cut through the high stakes surrounding the series, but make no mistake – Netflix is investing a lotin Avatar: The Last Airbender. After all, it’s a fantasy series that’s built on travel, and none it works if it looks cheap.

Bringing it All to Life

The actual filming of Avatar: The Last Airbender is pretty innovative regarding tech. As Netflix announced back in 2021, it partnered with VFX and virtual production studio Pixomondo to create an absolutely massive virtual set in Vancouver that’s 84 feet across and 28 feet high, featuring 23,000 square feet of stage and more than 3,000 LED panels. It’s the kind of volume that The Mandalorian made famous and one that’s necessary for a show with as many locations as Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Or, as virtual production supervisor and Pixomondo head of production Josh Kerekes puts it, “Have you heard of The Last Airbender? It's effectively a travel show. It's a fantasy travel show, and every episode it seems we're almost in a different bio.”

“We're relying on a very new technology to build probably the most amount of environments I've ever done on a show personally within a TV budget, TV schedule,” Kerekes says on the set. “That in of itself is quite ambitious. We're going from the South Pole to mountains, to tropical seaports, to ships at sea, to flying on a sky bison, sometimes all within the same week. We're just rapidly changing between very different types of environments, very different feels and moods.”

To get more specific, Kerekes says Pixomondo built about 26 different set-ups, with almost 100 “different scenarios.” Take the Northern Water Kingdom, for example – sure, that may be one location, but it goes through various states throughout the first season. Kerekes says there’s a pre-attack version, then one where the kingdom is 40% destroyed, then 90% destroyed.

It, as Kerekes describes, is not a seamless process, but trust me – when you’re standing in the middle of the virtual set, it sure feels that way. At a certain point during our set visit, we journalists were allowed to wander the volume, experiencing first-hand as the LED screens surrounding us changed our location. At first, we’re in the Northern Water Tribe as it’s under attack – moments later, seemingly with little effort, we’re in the depths of Bumi’s mansion in Omashu.

“In order to be successful in that, everyone needs to be really collaborating seamlessly with each other,” Kerekes says. “In order to go from the South Pole to the North Pole, it takes a small army to ensure that all those pieces look and feel right.”

For scenes where Aang, Sokka, and Katara are flying about the world, there’s a mini set with a giant rig of Appa right in the middle.

It’s not all digital, of course, with physical props throughout the volume and elsewhere on the set to help the actors interact with them. One of the most notable examples of this? Everyone’s favorite sky bison, Appa.

For scenes where Aang, Sokka, and Katara are flying about the world, there’s a mini set with a giant rig of Appa right in the middle. It allows the cast to hop on the creature, yell “yip yip!” and truly be immersed across the world – and it helped them conceptualize just how dang bigAppa is.

“When you go back to the animated series, he varies in size throughout the episodes,” Kim says. “If you really pay attention, you go, ‘Oh, wow, there's not really a set size for Appa.’ So we had to do this process, where it was done with virtual reality goggles. I put them on, and we just looked up at our different models, and we had different sizes of Appas. And you just had to decide, ‘That's too small, and that's too big. That feels just about right.’ So it was kind of that process.”

The team, too, has plenty of other VFX concerns outside of the locations and creatures. Obviously, a big part of The Last Airbender is the bending aspect of it, and you can just ask Shyamalan – if that doesn’t look good, none of Avatar does.

Executive producer, director, and VFX supervisor Jabbar Raisani spoke in more depth about bringing the various styles to life in a trailer breakdown with IGN. Part of it, he explains, is even making the bending between various characters feel different, like in the above clip.

“We really tried to differentiate the bending as much as we could while making it feel like a unified event, as in all of our firebending should look like firebending, but Iroh's looks slightly different than Zuko's, which looks slightly different than Ozai's, which looks different than Azula's,” Raisani says. “And we also try to differentiate them with sound design. So if you listen really closely to when Iroh bends, you'll hear almost a dragon sound underneath all of that bending.”

There’s, obviously, quite a lot to it. Even though Kim says firebending might’ve been the easiest to bring to life, Raisani cautions that not even that was the least bit simple. The most complicated, though? 

Well, let’s just say water physics are difficult.

“When someone gets wet, we expect to see that amount of wetness,” Raisani says. “We expect to see it travel or track throughout a scene. So that was the thing that was a real challenge.”

This was one of the many balancing acts The Last Airbender had to juggle: where do they focus their efforts in a series that can be so difficult, logistically, to pull off in live-action?

“It's like, ‘Okay, when someone does get hit with water, how long does that water have to exist before the audiences will accept that it's no longer there?’ Because we're just literally just running up money on something that isn't really telling any more story,” Raisani explains. “That [is what] we're really trying to focus our efforts on. Where does the money tell the story? And after that, when will the audience accept that it's no longer there?”

And those are just the visuals; the story – and what liberties you do and don’t take – is just as important.

"This is a remix, not a cover."

Bending the Rules

Kim has been open about the fact that his Avatar: The Last Airbender isn’t a 1-to-1 adaptation of the animated series. After all, even the structure is different, going from 20 20-minute episodes to eight hour-long episodes, in addition to the switch to live-action.

“I've used the term that this is a remix, not a cover, in that you've got to hit a lot of familiar notes, but you can't forget that this is supposed to be a new song,” he says. “So obviously, there are story points and characters that you have to do fairly faithfully from the original. But at the same time, you're literally translating something from 2D to 3D, and that meant dimensionalizing the story, taking it into new places, filling in some of the gaps.”

“And when it came down to directing it or the visual effects on it, I mean, we were really watching the animated series, basing our sequences off of that, using as many shots that we could lift from that as it made sense within the context of the story we were telling,” Raisani says. “And that stayed true all the way through post-production and visual effects.”

It’s another sentiment that runs true throughout chatting with the creatives, cast, and crew: the foundation may be the same, but the journey will be a little different. It may be a controversial approach for a property as beloved as Avatar: The Last Airbender, but Kim and Raisani are confident – or, at the very least, hopeful – that it’ll be embraced by the fans.

“I think, as a fan of the (original) show, they're going to get the live-action version of the show they've always hoped they would get,” Raisani says.

“This is the version of Avatar that I would want to see as a fan,” Kim concludes.

And the fans will get to see soon enough.

[taoofshigeru]

2023 Game of the Year Post

Looking back, I was surprised to see how few "new" games I had played this year. But two of them were absolutely excellent so I'm going to talk about them a little.

In February, a game I was expecting to be good showed true greatness, and, in mid-November, a black-and-white indie touched my heart.

[Spoilers for In Stars and Time/Octopath Traveler II to follow.]

Let me start by talking about In Stars and Time/ISAT.

ISAT is a gay game about timeloops. The aloof but amiable rogue Siffrin sees their sanity stretched like a stick of used chewing gum as the fighter repeatedly chickens out on confessing his love for them and sincere heartfelt moments of human connection become rote scenes he must perform.

Throughout the process, Siffrin uses humor to deflect from serious emotional questions and eventually starts drifting away from the group during conversations. The specific character traits of 1) serial people-pleaser, 2) depressed person, and 3) funnyjokespun person who at times used humor to deflect from those issues was a little too specific in a way that hit in an emotionally relevant way.

Even more than that was the way it toyed with my patience as a player. I'm what I would describe as very good at games with repetitive tasks. Like, my tactics-loving friend and I have been doing a co-op playthrough of Tactics Ogre, and I was the enby who ultimately chose to be responsible for grinding Galgastani CF to recruit ultimate goth girl Cressida. It took hours of repeating the same battle and just babysitting the game for hours at a time. Sure I'd be willing to read through heart-to-heart events repeatedly to make the Siffrin's friends happy. I'd do it once, twice, even a fifth time. But my persistence is not bottomless.

In Stars and Time read me perfectly.

I did end up skipping or avoiding those events once the game stopped being a combat RPG and started being a visual novel/monkey island-style adventure in Act 4. I did start zoning through particular events once they happened more than 10 times. My patience did give way, though not to the extent of the protagonist Siffrin when they suffered a meltdown. And this happened right around the time when Siffrin started putting real distance between them and their friends. It took me to a dark place with the character in a way that made the catharsis at the end so worth it.

All of it went towards really effectively communicated the game's point of how it's worth it to talk to your friends about your problems.

~~~

The other game that moved me this year was also built around repeating and growing. It was about throwing yourself at the wall over and over again, with a little more force, a little more refined strategy, a little more panache and willingness to take risks. And about getting it just right, finally. This was my experience with Octopath Traveler 2

So, first of all, strategizing in OT2 kicks ass. Like the Bravely games of yore, this game nerfs the most broken tools (i.e. the Hunter's patience) from the first game, but gives the player new broken tools that synergize in new, exciting ways. And critically, it then throws enemies at you that can take it all and still be a challenge. (Sea of Stars did not do this last part.)

Got used to using someone's primary job for a lethal combo setup? Well guess what, primary jobs are now banned! Got a 6-attack strike with a killer legendary weapon that'll break any monster? Guess what, that weapon you used to get the break is now no longer the zombie dragon's weakness! Spent all your time building up your favorite 4 in an 8-character party? Guess who's gonna handle the superboss' second HP bar?

For a single-player game, it legitimately felt like I was experiencing a design that had been built to anticipate the player's combat choices on a meta level and would only let the door open for solutions that were suitably intricate and clever. Aside from superbosses, the game wasn't extraordinarily difficult, but it still left me constantly scrambling through my toolkit of HP, MP, turns, latent power, items, collectable monsters, and money mid-battle to find a solution to pick any given boss' lock. As a turn-based combat RPG, OT2 killed it.

And that wasn't even the strongest point.

The character stories in Octopath Traveler one were, on a basic level, enjoyable, and were engaging enough that the game's art, soundtrack, and deep turn-based combat could combine to make a great game. Octopath II ups the storytelling game significantly, offering nonlinear chapter order, story-focused chapters that end without a boss fight, and a cast that's generally very well written and played brilliantly by the English vocal cast. The positive impression I had of the game after the first ten hours gave way to a wowed one as characters started to interact, showcasing entertaining personal dynamics and tugging at the strings of a looming, bigger mystery. The climactic arc, Journey for the Dawn, ties all eight chapters together and presents an incredibly satisfying and at times emotionally wrenching finale.

I don't know if any side character in a game has ever hit me half as hard as Ori the Scrivener has

But also, mystery arc main plot removed, the world of OT2 has so much character. There's a whole questline where you sit through a court hearing and then have to investigate the mystery around town to show up and avoid a wrongful verdict with a key testimony or piece of evidence. Secret princess/gardener lesbian subplots and eldritch stuffed toys are just some of the things that exist in the background.

The story about getting it just right wasn't just a player experience. It was also the meta narrative - writing in the first game wasn't weak by any means, but the writing in the second game is just an inarguable improvement. Combat in the first game pitched juicy fastballs that were well-scaled to my play experience, but this baby kept tossing out monster curves and tricky sliders.

I think creative perfection is a myth, because it's always possible to improve. Octopath Traveler II shows how, and that's why it's my game of the year.

~Thanks for reading my selfish little blurb!~

[jandjsalmon]

2023 FFRC - February ❤️

HELLO everyone! I hope you had a wonderful February! It was a short month so there were slightly fewer stories to read and there was this ghost show that came out (you might have seen it flood your dash) that needed to be binged over and over again so we get a season two - but I still found moments to curl up with some favourite fics and I hope you did too! I was pretty focused on crossing off fic challenge tasks so I felt less enjoyment in my reading as usual. I hope this next month will be better.

Throughout February, I had a surprisingly large number of new followers (a substantial number of whom are not bots - shocking, right?!) and though I'm not sure how you all found me, I'm thrilled to have you here (and happy to see that you're real people and not bots).

As most of you know, I'm a regular participant (and low-key assistant) at the @fanfic-reading-challenge - additionally, for the last couple of years, I've been tracking all the fic I read and I've reported back here once a month with some stats and some recs, and a little bit of boring stuff about my life. (Or not boring - like traipsing after my daughter and her basketball team as they work their way to Provincials - their record is 22-4 so it's a possibility! Go Spartans!)

ANYWAY - I'm always looking for new fic recommendations, so if you have any stories you think I'll love, please drop me a line or send me a dm. Almost any pairing and any fandom. Shoot me a link!🖤

February 2023

As I said above, I've been plugging along on the @fanfic-reading-challenge. This month I've cracked 3million words and completed 143/309 tasks which means I've completed the "Regular" mode of the challenge. I'm working on the "Hard" mode so I need to do some searching for fics with minorities. Do you have favourite stories with minorities in them? Most of my fandoms appear to be a little lacking in that department - or at least I never think about it (like Inej is a woc - but I forgot about that until right this second). Anyway - I need to branch out - so any suggestions would be great!

As for my recs for you! Let's look at what I did read this month that you might enjoy. Try these:

--*--

Violent Delights by @ozmathegreatand (Wenvier - M 4/4)

Summary: Romeo and Juliet is far from her favorite Shakespeare play. (That honor goes to Titus Andronicus, of course.) But the crypt scene is achingly romantic, particularly the part where Juliet stabs herself. Few of the Bard’s heroines subject themselves to such violence in the name of passion. She wonders what practical effects the drama department has access to and imagines the torrent of blood she could rig.

Why you should read: Valentine's Day. Romeo and Juliet is being performed by the drama department and Romeo Xavier's costars keep meeting untimely ends. SUPER jealous (and hilarious) Wednesday. Mutual Pining. Shenanigans. This is Super Hilarious.

--*--

What Doesn't Kill Me Makes Me Want You More by sciencefantasy93 (Lucy/Lockwood - E 8/8)

Summary: It was all her fault. All her fault. He was losing his damn mind, and it was all because of her. One move, one second, one heartbeat, and his world crumbled apart like a warm cookie.

Or: Lockwood realizes he's attracted to Lucy, which sets in motion a chain reaction of events as he and Lucy try to take the next step without actually talking about their feelings.

Why you should read: The first steamy Locklyle fic that I've ever read and it did NOT disappoint. Very VERY in character - but also hot? Super good.

--*--

Chrissy and Eddie’s Infinite Mixtape by @little-scribblers-heart (Hellcheer - E 26/26)

Summary: Eddie was right when he told the Hellfire kids that there's no shame in running, which is why he takes a running leap to grab for the floating cheerleader in his living room.

OR: Chrissy lives and fixes what the Duffers broke.

Come for the canon-close Season 4 rewrite, stay for the explanatory chapter notes and the healing.

Why you should read: Epic in scale. Well researched and emotional without being sappy and trite. I should have known it would be amazing because it was a rec from my girl @feelavalanche - who has NEVER steered me wrong in over 10 years of fandom friendship. There is even a chapter named after David Bowie. See - you need to read this.

--*--

Hope is a Waking Dream by @writeradamanteve (Lucy/Lockwood - M 1/1)

Summary: Nightmares, dreams, it was all part of the agent package. Oh, and tea. Always tea.

Why you should read: FIRSTLY (and I shouldn't have to say this to long time followers) - It's adamanteve. You should read it because she wrote it - that should be good enough. Everything she writes is amazing. But then. SOFTNESS. The characterizations are THEM. Their mannerisms are real and their voices are beyond perfection. Comfort and lovely and wonderful. Read it!

ALSO - as I said last month, you should read and then subscribe to the_retro_witch's entire Sweet Nightmare series. It's a post-canon universe where after Crackstone's defeat, Wednesday and Xavier get together before they leave school and now it's grown into this amazing saga with mystery-solving soulmates and psychic and witchy amazingness. The other characters are developed and the plots are rich and fun. It updates pretty darn regularly and every word is a delight. Honestly. Read the series, you won't regret it. Let it be your first foray into Wenvier if you are on the fence. Don't be on the fence. Come ship with me! 🖤🖤

(lastly- I'm a little bit in love with this gif of Xavier waving - and I've been purposely flooding my dashboard with Percy for reasons - so the wave might become a theme for my year).

Anyway -👋🏼 Hiya -I'm happy you're here! I hope you have a wonderful March and I'll see you back here in a few weeks! Happy reading! 🖤

[yuuana]

Music Monday #237: ATEEZ - Everything release: December 2023 genre: Kpop, K-R&B cw: flashing, arson, a relationship dissolving on screen

And now for something completely the same: ATEEZ's final unit MV from WILL, in which everyone cries and things end up on fire. Look, no one ever said K-dramas lacked in, well, drama. ;) The lyrics spoil the story, but if you really don't want any spoilers, watch the video before continuing further.

Obviously a solo song from Jongho was going to be a ballad - in previous years, when the team was less busy, his solo content was a series of covers for kdrama OSTs. He's main vocalist for a reason and don't even get me started on his Mayfly-V stage during Kingdom. Everything is every bit as soulful and heart-wrenching as any ATINY could have expected, a song about loss and regret and knowing you can never make right the things you did wrong, but oh, if you could.... The soft piano opening, the way Jongho pours his whole heart into his voice from the soft opening to the soaring high notes of the climax that then trails off into soft wistfulness once more to the end ... you may need to keep a tissue close for this one.

This music video, unlike previous unit videos, is almost entirely story mode, as Jongho flexes his acting chops once more, now with less baby face. Most of the flashing is at the very start, where the video flashes through snapshots of the scenes we'll see play out a bit more in the video, so the bigger warning is really if watching a relationship fall apart on screen is a bugbear of yours. The lyrics already spoil the narrative, since the song starts out talking about never being able to see the other person again, but the video offers more context to why things ended up that way.

Interestingly, this video was shot entirely on sound stages - yes, even the snowy night scenes, which was a surprise to me, too. And it's not CGI snow - watching the behind the scenes, I was surprised and impressed at the number of practical effects where others would have gone with computer-generated. Some of the fire at the end is very obviously computer-added, but it's combined with actual on-set controlled fires that the old-school film fan in me quietly appreciates. Plus the snow. So much fake snow, it's a delight ... until Jongho told me how they made the fake snow and now all I see is that. XD

And now ... the lore paragraph! As with Youth, Everything is firmly planted in the A 'verse, with Jongho as a former basketballer living with his girlfriend until they break up because he's been a shit boyfriend. This means we've moved along the timeline a little bit, though that fits with the lyric in Youth talking about being in their twenties - Zero Fever implied Heroteez were still in high school. Of course ATEEZ lore has never been entirely linear and considering ATEEZ were already in their twenties during Fever era, the warehouse scene from the diary could just as easily be happening closer to this than first appearances lead us to believe. So once again we're left with more questions ... and the recent teasers ATEEZ have released have been no help at all - I have no idea where Not Okay is going to fall and ANITEEZ are in Halateez garb, soooo. Who knows. Not me. XD

This is the last WILL unit MV ... so of course yesterday KQ put out a performance version of MATZ which has almost no footage overlap with the original MV. I had initially assumed the difference in shooting days (Everything was one day, the other three shot for two days each) had to do with Jongho being on his own for this project. But now I'm wondering if secret performance versions also contributed, since the other three have dances and Everything doesn't. I suppose we will have to wait and see.

WILL is still available for purchase, ATEEZ just wrapped a two day concert extravaganza (based on what I've seen from it so far) in Seoul to kick of another world tour (additional dates in Japan in February, further tour details to come later), and oh yeah, Coachella in April, so another busy year of travelling the world, kicking butt and taking names.

Want to see Music Monday deep dives more often? Sponsor a song selection! For the low, low price of one (1) KoFi, I'll write up the song of your choice. ANY song of your choice. Yes, even that one that's been played to death. Yes, your obscure faves too. With sponsors, I can stop skipping weeks and falling further and further behind in the releases! Sponsor a current CB for the next open Music Monday slot or sponsor a throwback for a Thursday feature! But seriously, if you've been enjoying my selections and analyses, we (me and the foster kittens) would love a KoFi in thanks. DW | Twitter | Mastodon | Bluesky | Ko-fi | Patreon | Discord | Twitch

[2o3dinge]

Colin & Jared hot takes: They could’ve actually met in Dublin in 1995.

There’s this funny synchronicity: Jared, at 23, is staying in Colin’s hometown for "two or three months" shooting his first ever movie with a leading role in which he pretended to be a 17-year-old black-haired Irish boy in the 1970ies.

Colin, at 19, was that kind of boy in real life in the 90ies. Like Jared's character he was also kind of in-between phases, not sure which way to go, but already contemplating acting. After dropping out of secondary school prematurely (according to himself), he'd been in Australia for a while in 1994. Back home again he jobbed as a model (e.g. on an Irish daytime TV show wearing a red thong and not much else), waited tables and took a lot of ecstasy (according to himself). This was before he listened to his brother Eamon and tried his luck at the Gaiety drama school in '96.

Jared was in town shooting his very first movie "The Last of the High Kings" which is an adaptation of a coming of age novel by Irish writer Ferdia MacAnna. Miramax produced. Gabriel Byrne, Stephen Rea, Colm Meaney were in this, too, all established Irish actors. And Jordan Catalano from "My So-Called Life", who was neither established nor Irish, but very hot news! According to a post by the Irish Film Institute, people do remember this well. They tried to get hired as extras.

Would Colin and his three older siblings, those upper middle class kids who were all into performing arts (and who all found their destination there eventually) have missed this? Their uncle being an established musical actor in London, Eamon the director of an arts school in Dublin, Catherine enrolled at the Gaiety acting school - wouldn't they have known about it too, maybe try to nab a job in this?

Fun fact: the exam scene was shot in Castleknock college, a private school that Colin went to for several years (and was kicked off)

Who else does remember the summer of 1995?

Jared does. Unusually expressive when reminded of it. Over the years he’s said these things…

But a big part about music is getting out and sharing it with people, and we’re very much a live band, so it’s important for us to be on the road. We’re psyched to be able to come back to Dublin, which is a very close place to my heart too. The first time I was in Dublin was in 1995, so it’s been a long time. I talk with Irish people and I feel like I need to just shut up.

Hot Press (February 24, 2010)

"The Last of the High Kings was my very first film. It was an Irish movie, and I played a young man from Howth. I've had a long love affair with Dublin, and to be able to come back and play a show with my band in the O2 recently meant a lot to me. It was a pretty amazing experience being in Ireland for the film in 1995, and coming back in 2010 was great."

Irish Independent (March 7, 2010)

He would get his first movie break in Ireland when he starred in the lead role of a young Dubliner experiencing a sexual awakening in the late 1970s. The Last Of The High Kings was based on the Ferdia MacAnna novel of the same name, and Leto remembers the movie with affection.

"I spent some great months in Dublin in the summer of 1996," he says. "It's such a beautiful city, so different to any place I'd been."

Few American actors can nail a contemporary Irish accent, but Leto managed it. "I'm getting a bit nostalgic just listening to your accent, man," he says. "I got really into the role and spoke with an Irish accent 24/7 while making that movie. Friends would call me from the US in the middle of the night and wake me up and they'd think they'd got the wrong person because I would speak like an Irish guy even when I'd just woken up and wasn't conscious of what accent I was speaking with." [...]

He would get his first movie break in Ireland when he starred in the lead role of a young Dubliner experiencing a sexual awakening in the late 1970s. The Last Of The High Kings was based on the Ferdia MacAnna novel of the same name, and Leto remembers the movie with affection.

He's had to content himself with small parts in other fine films -- Fight Club and American Psycho, among them -- as well as the odd turkey. Oliver Stone's Alexander is often cited as the worst big-budget film of the decade, but Leto prefers to talk about the fun he had with Colin Farrell.

"I don't know if you've spent any time in Colin's company, but that guy is just so amazing. His zest for life is infectious. I consider him to be a good friend and hopefully if he's in Dublin when we're there, we'll get to hang out."

Irish Independent (January 25, 2008)

... it's still a theme in 2022 ...

While world-famous now, Leto’s first leading role in a movie was Irish film Last of the High Kings, which was shot in and around Howth in Dublin in the mid-90s. His face lit up as he recalled his first experience making a movie in the Irish capital, which is now a hub for international productions.

“That was my very first movie that I’d starred in. And of course, Dublin was a very different town. ”But even before we all had the internet, there seemed to be unfounded rumours of celebrity deaths. There was a rumour, I guess, it was reported on the news that I had died. So people would come up to me on the street and be like ‘I thought you were dead’.

“And I’d be like, 'Oh my god, that’s hilarious, but no not yet'. That was bizarre, that happened all the time filming,” he recalled which much laughter. “Then when the movie came out I was mentioned on the news, I believe, as an ‘upcoming Irish actor'." Leto, who has since performed here multiple times when touring with his band, clearly has very fond memories of the film, which co-starred Gabriel Byrne.

“It was a beautiful experience, it changed my life," he said. "I love the country, any time I see someone from Ireland I have a warm feeling, I feel like family. It’s a great place, a very special place, I miss it."

Buzz (March 28, 2022)

re: a "long love affair with Dublin"

[aeoki]

New Start GO! - Epilogue 1

Location: “Sunny Day” Concert Venue Backstage Characters: Hajime, Tomoya, Mitsuru & Nazuna

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ< The end of February. Day of the “Sunny Day Live”. >

Hajime: It’s finally time for “Sunny Day Live” to start.

Anzu-san, thank you so much for contacting everyone in order to make the event happen. I’m sure it’ll be a lovely performance thanks to your hard work.

To be honest, I didn’t think we could perform on such a luxurious stage. We didn’t go over budget, did we…?

Whaa, why are you apologising!? You didn’t do anything wrong, Anzu-san~

? You wanted to apologise properly for ruining our school trip in “High and Low”...?

Come to think of it, “Star Fest” and “SS” were very hectic, so it felt like everything ended up in a blur.

But it doesn’t bother me at all. I somehow ended up being able to experience something new, after all.

What’s past is past~♪

Tomoya: Yeah. We’re always causing so much trouble for you, Anzu-san! If anything, we should be the ones apologising to you!

Mitsuru: You don’t have to say sorry at all, y’know, Nee-chan! I had heaps of fun on that school trip~☆

Nazuna: We know how you felt seeing how enthusiastically you worked on “Sunny Day Live”.

All that’s left is to embrace those enthusiastic feelings and make sure the performance ends in success. Right, guys?

Hajime & Tomoya: Yes!

Mitsuru: Alrighty, let’s do our best for the performance!

Everyone’s waiting out there, so I’ll run out and welcome them~!

Nazuna: “Hi, everyone! Thank you so much for coming today!”

Hajime: “‘Sunny Day Live’ is a collaboration event with the menswear company we worked with during ‘New Start Go!’.”

Mitsuru: “They’re doing a rerun of the show, so if you haven’t seen it yet, you still have time to watch it~!”

Tomoya: “You’ll understand why we collaborated with the company as well as our struggles working as new employees there, so be sure to watch it!”

Nazuna: “...Alright, I suppose we’ll stop the advertising there.”

Hajime: “We’d like to perform our new song for you all.”

“This song is created for us who challenged ourselves in a new environment and for you.”

“It’s called ‘Sunny Day Sugar Wave’. It’s the perfect song for new beginnings, so we hope you can take a step into your new life with us.”

“♪~♪~♪”

Mitsuru: “♪ ♪ ♪”

(Ahaha! I knew it – performing is so much fun, y’know!)

(Working at the company office was new and interesting, but on second thought, I love performing more!)

(I’m on a big stage and the lights are so bright! The lights are shining down on me and it feels like my radiance is reaching the audience!)

(I’m sure everyone’s new beginnings have a new light too. Don’t worry and just follow us…☆)

Nazuna: (Ahaha. Mitsuru-chin’s innocence is livening up the entire venue like one of those rotating stages~♪)

(The stage gets even more fancy the more I look. We never would’ve imagined we’d be standing on such a stage last year.)

(It’s all thanks to the others in “Ra*bits” who walked alongside me.)

(That includes Anzu and the staff who helped behind the scenes as well as our fans who came to see us…)

Nazuna: (They’re all expecting great things from us.)

(Would it be too simplistic if I think it’s almost like a miracle? Knowing that we won’t have to perform in front of an empty audience brings tears to my eyes.)

(Surely, the others feel the same way, right?)

“♪~♪~”

Tomoya: (Nii-chan looked at us just now, right? Did the lyrics remind him of our past selves?)

(I also remembered the past the other day.)

(The song’s concept is “new beginnings” – We were a bit scared of performing when “Ra*bits” was first formed, but that’s become a nice memory now.)

(I’m glad we were able to grow into people who could stand on the other side – cheering on those who’re starting a new page in their lives.)

(Even if you’re going through a hard time, something good might happen if you keep going – That’s what we believe, so we hope you’ll keep your eyes on us!)

“♪~♪~”

Hajime: “♪~♪~♪”

(Are you watching, new employee?)

(Are you also watching, the old me…?)

(This is where the idol Hajime Shino currently stands.)

(Performing style, individuality, one’s position in the idol industry… Being too serious can backfire too, so I was lost in many aspects.)

(But just like how I wanted to be an idol after hearing Nii-chan sing…)

(I, too, will do my best to become an idol who can support others that have taken a step towards their future.)

(Things like being “cute” or “obedient”... I’ll accept how others see me and I’ll take one step forward at a time as an idol – I’ll just be myself.)

Hajime: (Everything’s new and I’m nervous, but I’m slowly getting used to the interesting ES and RhyLink environment – I’m definitely moving forward.)

(So I hope the people watching us will enjoy the performance right until the end.)

(I pray the people starting something new in their lives will also find comfort in our song.)

“.........♪”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ← Previous Chapter ᠂ ⚘ ˚⊹˚ ⚘ ᠂  Next Chapter →

[evolution-ofa-geek]

31 Days of Horror

Last Horror Movie You Saw in Theaters

Happy Death Day 2 U (2019)

Directed by Christopher Landon

Starring:

Jessica Rothe

Israel Broussard

Phi Vu

Rachel Matthews

Ruby Modine

Suraj Sharma

Having survived the farcical but utterly life-threatening events in Happy Death Day (2017), the feisty sorority sister, Tree Gelbman, finds herself in the same college dorm, thankful to be alive. However, this time, it's Carter's roommate, Ryan, who claims that he is reliving the same paradoxical day over and over again, as a mysterious paranoid killer in a single-toothed baby-faced mask with a big kitchen knife has made a habit of murdering him. Under those circumstances, a valiant but vain attempt to face the challenge, once more, will send Tree back to square one, trapped in an all too familiar and blood-drenched time loop. How many deaths separate Tree from a truly happy birthday.

Obviously this was the last movie I watched in theaters, it opened earlier in 2019 but I was also working at the casino at the time and I didnt have time to do anything throughout the year. So once 2020 hit, I ended up staying home and streaming every other movie that I missed out on.

I loved the first movie because it was similar to Groundhog Day and they make mention of that in the movie. But in this movie they change it up for sci-fi ish and throw in a little Back to the Future references here and there.

Kill Count according to Dead Meat on Youtube: 20

Favorite Tree Death: After watching her current boyfriend from the end of the first movie smooch with his new girlfriend, and Tree's nemesis, she decides to go for skydiving without any parachutes and in bikini. She jumps out from the plane and times it land right in front of the happy couple while pausing to throw both her middle fingers out at the audience.

Like in the first film where Carter announces the story bearing similarities to the plot of Groundhog Day, he establishes the similarities with this sequels' plot to Back to the Future Part II (1989). There are also some small nods to the film, like the wood chipper being from "Biff's Tree Removal", and also a clock tower scene.

The film was released in the United States on February 13, 2019, by Universal Pictures. Critics praised Rothe's performance, as well as the film's shift to a more sci-fi tone, although some noted it as derivative of the first film. It grossed $64 million worldwide against a $9 million budget. A third film, Happy Death Day to Us, is in active development.