#I remember when I used to draw movie Lloyd all the time | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

nobodysuspectsthebutterfly · 4 years ago

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Hello! If you don't mind me asking, are you planning on watching House of the Dragon? I'm personally unsure about it. I was cautiously optimistic about it since D&D are not involved, but the recent casting news have been ugh disappointing imo. What do you think?

Hey anon! Sorry to say I kind of mind you asking because my inbox is still closed (to everyone except my secret Santas, which is why the ask page is accessible at all), but then I realized it’s possible if you’re on the mobile app only, you haven’t seen said note in my askbox, or my FAQ, or anything of the sort. And with older metas of mine being reblogged recently, it’s possible you may be confused. (I hope you’re on mobile only and not just ignoring my requests.) So I wanted to inform you of that... but also, y’know, I kind of wanted to make a post about the HotD cast anyway? And this ask is as good a prompt as any... so, you’re lucky, but please don’t push your luck. ;)

So, straight up: I currently have no plans to watch House of the Dragon. HBO is not getting any of my goddamn money, I don’t trust like that. And hunting down illegal livestreaming sites is a pain in the ass and I regret ever doing it for GoT, as well as regretting getting drunk every weekend enough to dampen my senses to ever tolerate that show. Yeah it’s different showrunners and writers, I know. It’s still (mostly) the same executives at HBO and even if the pervert producer is gone (or is he?), you know they still just want to sell sex and violence and dragons to an audience that thinks fantasy is for geeks.

Also, considering that Fire & Blood’s story of Dance of the Dragons has very little actual narrative or dialogue, and the historical record is deliberately untrustworthy, that gives them pretty much full rein to do whatever they like with the story and characterization and words without even being slightly obliged to GRRM at all. Furthermore, since the story is wholly political with virtually none of the magical side of ASOIAF (excepting dragons), and honestly does not have much in the way of themes or depth that main ASOIAF or even D&E has, I think it will be very hard for an adaptation to show even those brief sparks of quality that used to make me wistful GoT couldn’t be that good all the time and eventually just made me frustrated and depressed. Note I do like the history and characters of the Dance despite myself, despite its many many many textual issues, but I don’t need to see an adaptation, I have a very visual imagination. I don’t watch a lot of television to begin with, I don’t see why I should start again with this.

However, I’m not going to avoid spoilers or discussion, and I’ll probably follow the show the tumblr way, through gifsets and video clips and people bitching on their blogs etc. If, somehow, by some miracle of good screenwriting and acting, the show manages to transcend its source material, I’m sure I will be informed. And then, if and only if then, I may try watching. (Without, of course, giving HBO any of my goddamn money.) We shall see.

(Though I certainly don’t know why anyone in Targ standom would ever watch a Dance adaptation considering almost every Targaryen and everyone else in the story is terrible except Helaena and the kids, and considering how the story ends, unless y’all are gluttons for punishment? (I do not comprehend hatewatching, sorry.) It’ll probably be fun at first to see the adventures of those “precious silver douchebags” (to borrow a friend’s tag), but eventually rocks fall, everyone dies, including the girlboss you know you’ll hope the story will be changed enough that she succeeds. Just letting you know now, she won’t.)

That said. I’ve been following the casting news and I think the hate/fear/wild screaming is entirely overblown. Yeah, I know, but wait, just listen. On Friday I officially welcomed @naomimakesart to the “favorite character is now played by an actor who looks nothing like most fanart and is mostly known for wildly different roles” club. I still remember that day in September 2009 when my brother texted me “yarp”... and that right there is the thing. Yeah. Rory McCann looks very little like most pre-GoT Sandor fanart... but many fans grew to love him anyway. (There are some who never did, of course. And yeah the character went off the rails by the end, but truly, who didn’t. Having seen his audition, having spoken to him and heard him wistfully talk about book scenes he loved, I’m convinced if Rory had only been given Sandor’s actual scenes and such, he would’ve killed it. Sigh. Deep, deep sigh.)

And Rory isn’t the only one. Neither of the actors for Jaime and Cersei were considered “beautiful” enough at first. I recall very clearly people bitching about Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (about his nose particularly?) because they had wanted Tarzan-era Travis Fimmel to be Jaime. (Seeing people bitch because current-Fimmel isn’t playing Daemon made me laugh out loud for both BEYONCE?! meme -type “why would you ever cast him omg he doesn’t fit my headcanon Daemon at all”, and amazing amounts of fandom flashbacks.) Lena Headey was “too square-jawed”, “too mean-looking” (since at the beginning you should never be able to guess she’s evil), “too dark-complected”, “too mannish”, not at all attractive enough. (Tricia Helfer was the most common “but I wanted” for Cersei, btw.) And of course “they don’t remotely look like twins, ugh!” Note, there’s receipts for all of this, none of it is made up. (Unfortunately.) Those two actors are just the ones whose casting wank I recall most clearly, particularly because oh how the turn tables.

Also. You know, there’s a post with Matt Smith and Mark Simonetti’s TWOIAF Daemon going around with shrieks of horror... and I’m finding it maddening in a “am I crazy? am I the crazy one???” way, because Matt looks like the painting. Their features are not that dissimilar.

Same deepset eyes. Same cheekbones of doom. Same thin lips. Same protruding chin. Same high forehead. Same invsible eyebrows ffs. Matt has a squarer jaw, and a longer more rectangular face, and a wider nose, but considering that Daemon’s features are not described in the text, and this is the only official ASOIAF artwork that shows Daemon’s face straight on, I can for sure see why he was probably shortlisted to begin with. And that’s not even getting into to his role in The Crown, which I’ve heard is very well played with politics and palace intrigue... and if you doubt Smith can play seductive/roguish and/or evil (depending on how you LARP as a Westeros historian), or look good with long hair... well. I do not want to watch the movie, but this trailer is disturbingly enlightening.

And as for Rhaenyra... y’all know this show is starting at the beginning of the story, right? When she’s a teenager? Not a voluptuous MILF? Yeah, Emma D’Arcy doesn’t look like a Magali Villeneueve painting (though who does, good lord), but you know who she does look remarkably like? Harry Lloyd.

Same jawline. Same nose. Same thin lips. Same sharp cheekbones. Notably, same kind of sharp cheekbones and deep-set eyes as Matt Smith. HBO evidently has a concept of a “Targaryen look” that’s a little bit quirkier than supermodel-Greek statue-gods on earth, yeah, fine. But it’s consistent, and they look like family, and that-- that is good casting.

And yeah, in a few months to a year or so, you’ll see them in costume and wigs and makeup, you’ll see them in motion and speaking lines, and go Oh. That’s different. Never mind. And while people will make fanart of the show depictions of the characters and those will probalby get popular, they’ll also keep doing fanart of their pre-show headcanons, and those too will be popular. (God knows when I draw or visualize book!Sandor, Rory does not come to mind, lol.) Either way, there’s no reason to panic. We’ll live.

(Though will we live well? Got to wait on the writing and showrunning for that, alas.)

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sickdsylexickiwi · 2 years ago

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Are you named after anyone? My current name is Lloyd, named after Lloyd Garmadon, the green ninja. Yes I am 100% serious

When was the last time you cried? I don't remember, about 2 weeks ago..?

Do you have kids? No, don't think I will in the future either.

Do you use sarcasm? Never! Absolutely never been sarcastic in my life/s

What's the first thing you notice about people? Do they have cool hair? Do I think I would like to talk to them?

What's your eye colour? Hazle

Scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings, my life is already a horror movie.

Any special talents? I love to draw, write poetry, and I can make bird noises with my hands.

Where were you born? AMERICA 🍔🍔🍔😢😢

What are your hobbies? LOTS of drawing, people-watching, baking and cooking.

Have any pets? Two cats and a dog. Jack is the dog, and the cat's names are Cheddar and Stapleton.

What sports do you play/have played? I've done Tennis, Basketball, and Wakeboarding, Not playing any sports right now, In the future, I want to try MMA, and Rugby.

How tall are you? 1.82M (5 foot 9 inches)

Favourite subject from school? Human Sexuality, sociology, and anything with psychology involved.

Dream job? Therapist,

all the people I thought to tag Alaluminy already got :P

15 tags 15 mutuals

*tips hat* @athemarina

1. Are you named after anyone?: No but there is this thing on my father's side of my family where give a name starting with the letter A to their child.

2. When was the last time you cried?: About a month ago.

3. Do you have kids?: Noh

4. Do you use sarcasm?: Why would I ever?

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people?: The way they talk and I try to notice hand gestures a lot.

6. What’s your eye colour?: Dark brown

7. Scary movies or happy endings?: Either one or both

8. Any special talents?: Eh....I can do this thing with my arms, it's a bit hard to explain but one friend called it a 'bone breaker' and my other friend told me I was temporarily popping it out of it's socket.

9. Where were you born?: Earth. I assure you that I am not an alien.

10. What are your hobbies?: Writing, drawing, reading, day dreaming, plotting ways to rebel against my school.

11. Have you any pets?: Fishes.

12. What sports do you play/have played?: Speed skating, swimming

13. How tall are you?: 5'4'' (yes I am very short)

14. Favourite subject in school?: Art (I am a computer science student)

15. Dream job?: Honestly I am trying to survive through school. My dream job was crushed in 8th grade.

Tagging: @late-to-the-fandom @master-of-the-pigeon-religion @on-noon @caligraphyzev @calloumii @idreamofhamandcheese @rxd-bxttrflxss @isabellebissonrouthier @midnight-and-his-melodiverse@subuthetitan @i-eat-books-and-nutella @timetravellingkitty @avocado-frog @usernamewastaken @aohendo

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raeynbowboi · 5 years ago

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Dating Disney: The Black Cauldron

The Black Cauldron is a 1985 Grimdark fantasy movie based primarily on the first two novels of the Chronicles of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander written between 1964-1968. A primary reference and inspiration behind the series being the Mabinogion, a collection of early Celtic myths written in Middle Welsh. The character names also follow a Welsh naming conventions as Fflewdder Fflam uses the “Double F” found in the Welsh language, as a single F by itself makes a [v] sound in the Welsh language. The name Taran is also Welsh, meaning Thunder. So the movie is very neatly rooted in Wales, or Welsh-speaking Albion.

The Mabinogion

The Mabinogion is comprised of 4 main branches recounting Welsh mythology, compiled in the late 12th-13th centuries based on older oral traditions likely dating back to some time between 1050-1225. However, there are many suggestions as to when the stories might date from. (To hear a story from the Mabinogion, check out Red’s summary of Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed.)

Now, you may be wondering “why is there only 1 book on all Welsh mythology?” and I’m glad you hypothetically asked because it’s time to blame the Christians. Seriously, because Celtic mythology is loaded with god-like figures, Christian interpreters when they came to Albion censored or outright destroyed stories that implied that there was more than their God. Figures such as the Irish Tuatha de Dannan, which were godlike ancestral figures, had to be recontexualized as Faeries, Spirits, or Angels in order to avoid censorship by the Christian monks who transcribed these myths. Brigid, a very important Irish goddess, was Christianized into the figure of Saint Bridgette. This was actually an attempt by Christian missionaries to ease the pagans into Christianity. Essentially the mindset of “yeah, you can worship your holy figures, but uh, cut it out with the holy divine aspect. We can’t have that. They’re clearly not as top tier as our God.”

You may remember from my Sword in the Stone discussion that I mentioned that Rome occupied Albion before Christianity wormed its way in, and you may be wondering, were the Romans this bad? Haha, clearly you underestimate how awful medieval Christians were. No, the Romans just viewed foreign pantheons as extensions of their pantheon. You have a sun god? So do we. It must be the same god with a different name. This is what’s referred to as Interpretatio Romana. So the Celtic Sun God Belenus would be referred to by the Romans as Apollo Belenus. It’s the same god, but the Roman name always came first. Compared to what is known as Interpretatio Christiana, which boils down to ‘you’re worshiping Satan in the form of a false idol. Stop that.’ So, when I say that our lack of written accounts of Welsh mythology is entirely the fault of the Christians, I’m completely sincere in that statement because the Romans didn’t censor Celtic myths or history, only the Christians did.

The Black Cauldron and Mythological Parallels

Prydain

It might sound like a generic fantasy name, but the name Prydain actually comes from the Welsh name for Great Britain, Prydain Fawr. Unfortunately, the term Great Britain dates to 1707. However, Prydain is also the medieval name for the island, as the Welsh never referred to the Island as Albion.

Henwen

Literally meaning “Old White” in Welsh, Henwen is a sow under the care of Coll, a pigkeeper for Dallwyr Dallben. In the Chronicles of Prydain, Coll is a character, but in the Disney film, Taran seems to have absorbed Coll’s role as pigkeeper. However, the fact that he refers to himself as an assistant pigkeeper could still mean that he is ranked below an off-screen Coll. However, the Henwen of Welsh mythology could not predict the future. It was known that Henwen was to birth something terrible, and so she was chased off a cliff into the sea in Cornwall. She survived however and went on to give birth to many unusual things, including a cat, a wolf, an eagle, and a single grain each of wheat, rye, and barley. And three bees. I really wish I was making this up.

Gurgi

Gurgi’s name might take inspiration from Gwrgi Garwlwyd, whose name literally means man-dog rough-grey. He was a warrior in Welsh Arthurian Legend, and was possibly a werewolf. Gwrgi was a monster that killed a man every day, and two on Saturday so he would not kill on Sunday. The Gurgi in the books is far more monstrous looking with horns, but Gurgi in the Disney film retains the dog-like traits of Gwrgi.

The Black Cauldron

Known in Welsh mythology as Pair Dadeni or “the Cauldron of Rebirth”, it is referenced in the second branch of the Mabinogion. Like in the movie, the cauldron has the power to revive the dead, and is destroyed when a living person is thrown into it, in the mythological case, Efnisien pretends to be a corpse and is thrown into the cauldron for revival, causing the cauldron to be destroyed. There are other similar magical cauldrons in Welsh and Irish mythology, including the cauldrons of Arawn and Diwrnach, which would not boil the food of cowards, and Ceriddwen’s Cauldron of Inspiration, which caused those who drank from it to gain infinite wisdom. There is also The Cauldron of the Dagda in Irish mythology. One of the 4 Treasures of the Tuatha de Dannan, the Cauldron of the Dagda was stored in the mythical city of Muirius, and no man would ever leave the cauldron hungry, for it produced infinite food.

The Horned King

In the novels, the Horned King is a minor villain, subjugated to Arawn, God of Death. However, in Welsh mythology, Arawn is not a death god. Rather, Arawn is king of Annwn, the Welsh Otherworld. Aka, the Faerieworld. See, this is another example of Christians mucking up translations and trying to force other religions to reflect Christianity, so Annwn is often treated as the Underworld of Celtic mythology, but considering Pwyll wanders into Annwn completely by accident, I don’t think that’s how it was interpreted in traditional texts. The Horned King may also draw inspiration from the Horned God, Cernunnos. Little is known about Cernunnos due to being a very ancient god, but his role as a horned god of the wilderness has historians guessing that he’s one of the oldest gods or divine archetypes in human history, as ancient horned gods pop up with surprising regularity in older religions: namely Baphomet and Pan. Cernunnos is also sometimes but not always folded in with the figure of the All-Father as a sort of father to all creation in Gallo-Celtic paganism. Cernunnos is often regarded as a god of nature and the wilds, but is also a psychopomp god that guides the dead to the afterlife, and maybe is also a god of death and rebirth as a part of life. Again, this is kind of very uncertain because of just how ancient Cernunnos is, so don’t take this interpretation as law. But despite how uncertain we are about what all this figure represents, he’s a very interesting deity none-the-less, and very likely contributed to the Christian idea of the devil as a horned figure with goat legs. As a seemingly undead creature, the Horned King may draw parallels to a creature known as a Revenant. A creature found in Celtic folklore, a Revenant is a vengeful undead that seeks to torment all life until it has found the person who wronged it while it was alive and exacts its revenge. However, it should be noted that in the books, the Horned King is a living man wearing a horned skull mask, whereas the movie version is very clearly a corpse.

Taran’s Sword

In Welsh mythology, the sword Dyrnwyn belonged to the great king Rhydderch Hael, and when held by a worthy man would glow with fire. In the books, Taran’s sword is indeed referred to as Dyrnwyn. Similarly, alongside the Cauldron of the Dagda, another treasure of the Tuatha de Dannan is the Claiomh Solais or the Sword of Light, housed in the mythical city of Findias. This may also be the mythical origin of Excalibur, though scholars have not made a direct, perfect connection.

Conclusion

With so much of the story pulling from the single source of the Mabinogion, we can boil down the likely setting to around when the stories were written as our general setting. Luckily, we can roughly guestimate to about when the Mabinogion might originate from, and the general look of the movie seems to match with this time setting. So, we’re looking at about 1050-1225, around the time that the stories in the Mabinogion might have started to be told, thus inspiring the events in the film.

Setting: Prydain (Wales/Isle of Britain) Kingdom: Kingdom of Prydain Era: High Middle Ages (1000-1250) Year: 1050-1225 AD Language: Middle Welsh

#dating disney #the black cauldron #disney #taran #eilonwy #gurgi #fflewdder fflam #wales #welsh #welsh mythology #mabinogi #the mabinogion #cernunnos #tuatha de danann #henwen #pair dadeni #gwrgi garwlwyd #arawn #annwn

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wrestlingwithhistory · 4 years ago

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Why do I like Pro Wrestling?

Even though I’ve put a few posts up on the page already I wanted to introduce myself a little and break down why I’m doing this and give a bit of history about me and why I like pro wrestling.

My name is Kyle, I’m 33 from South Wales, I am married with 2 children. I first started watching wrestling when I was about 7 which I will go into as we go through the post. I started this blog for 2 reasons.

1. I love stories about pro-wrestling and wrestling itself.

2. I am starting a creative writing course and want to keep on top of writing so that I am comfortable with writing as I haven’t done it since I was in school.

Now, there are a million stories from Pro Wrestling that you’ve heard from the Benoit Murders to The Montreal Screwjob to The Plane Ride from Hell, but I have an interest in writing about the stories that people are maybe not as aware of that still involve some of the biggest names in Wrestling history.

Nowadays, we can be thankful as wrestling fans that we have a multitude of ways that we could watch wrestling thanks to the rise of streaming sites, Youtube and online stores which you can buy DVD’s or digital copies of your favourite events. Being a child of the 90’s, you would stumble across wrestling almost out of nowhere. I remember being in my grandparents’ house maybe aged 5 or 6. I never had satellite or cable TV growing up, only terrestrial, and coming in one morning and seeing Hulk Hogan on the TV in my grandparents’ house really caught my attention. I couldn’t tell you what show it was or who else was on it, but I remember as I watched Hogan, waving his arms to the crowd and cupping his ears to the Hulkamaniacs as he did throughout his career, that I held a curiosity toward wrestling and did ever since.

I can then remember a few years later one of my best friends growing up had a video at home which on the cover, a man would be fighting himself! Undertaker vs Undertaker. Back then, it was the most amazing thing possible, the mystery of how a wrestler could square off against himself in the ring was unimaginable for a then 7–8-year-old. Of course, that event being Summerslam 94 would not be the great event you look back on, but you appreciate the spectacle of it. I do look back fondly on that VHS and as I watch the event back, the standout match-up is clearly the Owen Hart vs Bret Hart Steel cage match, but it’s not the type of thing you value as a child.

You value spectacle. You value entertainment. At least I did anyway. You treat it the same way you treat a cartoon or movie, you suspend your disbelief for a few moments and take in the pageantry of it all. Some people class Wrestling as 3rd hand entertainment, and I have had many occasions where people have made jokes of the fact I watch wrestling, to the point where I would not even mention it if asked.

But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to not care and be happy with the fact I like it so much. It’s not a guilty pleasure, It’s just a pleasure. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve also embraced less of the spectacle side of it I once did and look at the athletic feats that take place in the ring, focusing on the technique that these men have to make it look as dangerous as possible, all the while keeping their opponent safe. I do still appreciate the entertainment value, but I definitely look at things like the work rate of the competitors and what they are capable of.

During my teens, we used to travel to video store not too far away from us in a town called Bargoed. Global Video was one of the first places to stock ECW VHS cassettes. My friends Daniel, Josh and I would go there, pick out a few VHS and go back to Josh’s room to watch them. One of the first ones I can remember watching was Living Dangerously 1999. For its time, the pacing and the layout of the matches were a perfect fit for that show. I remember thoroughly enjoying Tajiri vs Super Crazy, Sid and Spike Dudley vs The Dudley Boyz and also New Jack vs Mustafa which was enough violence for a teenage to endure at that point.

The one match from that event which today I place in my top 10 matches ever is Rob Van Dam vs Jerry Lynn for the TV Title. Watching the opening exchange between the two men figure each other out, reversals of pins, hammerlocks and wristlocks was fantastic and when they separated and looked at each other, it was rapturous. The crowd ate it up. You could tell something special was taking place. As the match continued, I saw things that I never would have seen on WWF during that time realistically speaking. There was a reason the E stood for Extreme in ECW. They always took things to the next level, and while the TV Title was far from being the most brutal match on the card (in part due to New Jack!) it was creative in the way it structured the use of weapons, tablet spots and fighting outside the ring. When the bell rings at the end for a timer limit draw, as a first-time viewer you feel almost cheated, not by the quality of the match but by the fact it could have gone on for another 30 mins. When Jerry Lynn requests 5 more minutes and is granted it, you think you are in for a Jerry Lynn victory but RVD pulls it out of the bag at the end hitting the 5-star Frog Splash. And great ending to a great match.

Throughout this time the Attitude era was in full affect. WWF had a huge roster of stars that any company would have been proud to have, Stone-Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle. It was a pleasure to watch some of these events. My friend Michael would record Raw and later Smackdown and let us borrow the tapes so we could get our fix. In January 2000, Channel 4 had gotten a deal to show a few WWF Pay-per-views for free starting with the Royal Rumble. I stayed at Daniel’s house and we watched it live on a small TV. We were extra excited that Taz showed up on the event to face Kurt Angle with an extra ‘Z’ in his name, especially after find ECW a few months previous. Add to that the shock factor of Mae Young’s striptease, the Rumble result, the street fight between Cactus Jack and Triple H, the tables match between the Dudleys and Hardys, it was a phenomenal show.

With the events now being on Channel 4, I would look eagerly on internet forums during school hours trying to find out which ones were next. I remember staying up and watching Backlash 2000 and Fully Loaded of that year, also recording them to go back and watch and study the matches. I would cover the back of the VHS case with white stickers and write the match card on the back in order, so I knew where to find my favourites. They also stared showing Sunday Night Heat as well, which I later years would also have an RVD vs Jerry Lynn match up but not at the same quality as the ECW Event the years previous. These events on Channel 4 ended with the Invasion PPV in 2001 after WWE bought WCW and ECW acquiring many, but not all of their top stars.

Tying this in with Video games like WWF Attitude, Smackdown, WCW/NWO Revenge, WCW Mayhem it helped nurture my love for it even more especially WWE Smackdown 2: Know Your Role because you can create your own shows, wrestlers and storylines. We would have nights playing the game having Royal Rumbles and tournaments, finding how to create wrestlers from online forums like CAWs.ws.

My friend Daniel got the internet at home and we would spend hours searching Kazaa for wrestling videos we couldn’t find on VHS, in-between searching for Create-a-Wrestler guides for Smackdown games. They would usually be the Music Video highlight reels of matches we would want to see. Being early 2000’s it was usually set to Creed, Godsmack or Limp Bizkit but it would be things like Sabu vs RVD in a stretcher match, seeing Goldberg jackhammer The Giant/Big Show, and whatever we could find of these old matches you would read about in Power Slam magazine like the Exploding Barb Wire matches involving Mick Foley, Terry Funk and Onita.

A few years later, with the introduction of freeview satellite there was now more channels in homes than before and one of those was The Wrestling Channel. I turned it to this station thinking it would be WWE but was amazed to see companies more similar to ECW. US Promotions Ring of Honor, Combat Zone Wrestling, TNA/NWA and a few smaller based promotions were present as well as a mix of local British talent. It was on this channel that I first saw a match that involved light tubes, obviously CZW. Although not my favourite style, death matches certainly have a car crash factor to them. You know something gruesome is going to happen, but you can’t look away. But on the opposite of that, with ROH you got to see unbelievable work rate wrestling with the likes of CM Punk, Samoa Joe, Bryan Danielson and Low Ki and with TNA similar talents but with more professional looking, AJ Styles, Teddy Hart and Jeff Jarrett being stars that shone there.

Getting to see high flying stars like Amazing Red, Jack Evans, Teddy Hart, AJ Styles was enthralling. It was a side of pro wrestling you never saw on the more methodical WWE and I would watch whenever possible but still getting my WWE fix via VHS recordings Michael would lend us, especially as some of our favourites from ECW and WCW were now competing there.

From around 2006, I began to wane off watching Wrestling as often. I was playing in a band and focusing on that was well as starting a relationship with my now wife. My band mates Lloyd and Ryan were into Wrestling, so I used to and still do talk to them about it now and then. We used to go to local wrestling shows in Merthyr Tydfil for Celtic Wrestling. Back then, they were just Joe Nobodies wrestling in a bar, but as I look back over many of the people on that show, they have foundations on Wrestling all over the world.

A list of some of the names I got to see in Merthyr Tydfil; Sheamus – Now WWE, Steve Corino – ECW Legend, Zack Sabre Jr – Current New Japan star, Tracy Smothers – Wrestling Journeyman passed away in 2020. I remember seeing Tracy Smothers and I was a fan from ECW when he was with FBI and he was great and a nice guy after the show too. The fact that someone who was wrestled for WWE, ECW and WCW was in Merthyr wrestling, to me was mind-blowing!

A few months later I found out they were doing Wrestling training at The Studio Bar in Merthyr in around 2008 (could be way off), so I went along. I didn’t tell anyone, I got dressed in football gear and told my girlfriend Sara I was off to play football. Instead, I went into this bar and rolled around on some mats for beginner lessons on a Wednesday learning basic holds and how to bump. I really enjoyed it and it was better than bumping on the grass like I used to do as a kid in my local park. I went twice in all, as much as I wanted to go back and keep going, I was thinking that playing music would be easier to justify to someone than saying you were a wrestler so that was that.

I always kept an eye on wrestling but not as intently as I did before, maybe it was my way of disconnecting from wanting to do it as much as I did. I would watch the odd Raw or Smackdown and just buy the Big 4 Pay-per-Views and this went on for close on 8 years, just dipping in and out casually but still knowing who was in the business and doing things else were. We still had TNA in the UK so getting to see that was great, especially with the talent they had there for a while.

It wasn’t until 2016 I started to get back into wrestling as much as I do now. AJ Styles had finally joined WWE after seeming he would never appear there and that interested me because AJ is probably one of my favourites of all time. Twitter was blowing up because of a match between Will Ospreay and Ricochet in the Best of Super Juniors during that year. Seeing mostly positive comments and the odd one or two negative comments from old school wrestlers. So, I clicked on a then Youtube video of the match and it was such a great match. I felt the buzz straight away and immediately started to get the itch back for watching wrestling again.

I had no experience of much Japanese wrestling, but I always enjoyed reading in magazines about people like Jyushin Thuder Liger and The Great Muta and seeing their matches on WCW years ago, as well as people like Taka Michinoku and Tajiri but the Ospreay-Ricochet match convinced me to sign up to NJPW World. That summer I followed the G1 closely. Bullet Club madness was in full effect, seeing the iconic t-shirts and the way they were in the ring were similar to NWO, almost too much to a fault. I didn’t really know any of the performers in the tournament but after watching matches, would go back through the New Japan archives and watch the matches of Okada, Tanahashi, Naito, Shibata and the others, getting to know their styles and gimmicks.

One that immediately jumped out to me was Kenny Omega. He was one of 4 non-Japanese wrestlers (Gaijin) in the whole tournament. I learned that he had turned on AJ Styles and took over as leader of Bullet Club. I went back and watched AJ’s final matches against Nakamura at Wrestle Kingdom 10, and then the tag match the following night between AJ and Kenny vs Nakamura and Yoshi-Hashi. I followed Kenny closely over the G1 and into the finals against Hirooki Goto which was an absolutely brilliant match. Omega ended up winning, going onto Wrestle Kingdom 11 to face Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. I checked my work diary to see if I had work that day, and I was off! Due to the time differences, I was able to catch some of the pre-show in the morning, drop my oldest daughter off to school and come back in time for the Naito-Tanahashi and Omega-Okada matches.

I got back and watched the Naito-Tanahashi match, a really fantastic match to which I remember saying to myself ‘the main event is going to need to be special to top that’. Cue watching my personal favourite match of all time. The pacing and the psychology of the match were so well done, Omega targeting Okada’s back ready for the One-Winged Angel but never getting to hit it through the match. The springboard moonsault to the outside over the guard rails, the Tope Con Hilo over the top which still holds one of the iconic images of the match as a whole, Okada’s resilience as a champion, back dropping Omega over the top rope to the outside through a table. It was and is incredible, debatably one of the greatest matches of all time. Not just in my opinion but for many others as well. And so, I was back in. From that point onwards, I was an ardent fan once again. I would use the archives of WWE Network, NJPW World, Youtube, Highspots Wrestling Network to feed my addiction, following twitter pages which is just GIF after GIF of just the craziest moves.

I would try and watch as many of the live shows in Japan as possible to watch Omega perform and throughout 2017, even though it probably could have been savoured a bit more, we got to see 2 more amazing Omega-Okada matches at both Dominion and G1 and also a lead to Omega-Jericho for WK12. Both my current favourite and my all-time favourite meeting for the first time for a great match. From a Kenny standard it was not as good as some of his previous but for Jericho it was probably one of his best even compared against some of his classics against the likes of Shawn Michaels and Chris Benoit.

In the Summer of 2018, I watched the Dominion show where again Kenny Omega went up against Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight championship. It was a 2 out of 3 falls match with no time limit. I couldn’t get the time off work for the event so I managed to smuggle my phone into work and would watch intently while selling mobile phones. It was another amazing match up, but I had to watch it over again after finishing work so that I could experience with sound, but even on silent, you could feel how brilliant the match was and Kenny finally defeated Okada for the title. Even though Kenny won it, I much preferred him fighting from beneath, almost as if achieving the pinnacle of wrestling was never going to happen. Even though he had a good handful of matches as champion, the ensuing AEW venture obviously scrapped any possibility of a long-term reign. Also disappointing to see New Japan miss a trick by letting Ibushi win the G1 and then the title from Kenny at WK13, instead vying for Tanahashi who, for as great a performer as he is, was not in his prime and the story between Ibushi-Omega would have been concluded or at least cliffhung until a later date. That aside, the show killed. It was amazing, but you could see the writing was on the wall in terms of Omega, the Young Bucks, Adam Page leaving to start AEW in 2019.

That kind of takes it up to current day, or at least as close to it as possible. It was possibly a long-winded diatribe of saying ‘Yeah, I like Wrestling’ but I hope it helps people to understand what drives me to write about it, why I enjoy watching this often joked about form of entertainment and why I think people could probably appreciate it more.

My messages are open if anyone wants to ask me any questions about wrestling or share stories about your own experiences, favourite matches or even stories that you would like me to cover, and I will try and find something to contribute to the page if possible.

Please read through the posts, like and share if you enjoy and leave comments if you wish to appreciate, critique or contribute towards the stories if you know anything I may have missed out.

Thanks!

#wrestlingwithhistory #wrestling #wwe #njpw #aew #ecw #roh #czw #wcw

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blursed-ninjago-ideas · 4 years ago

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Whumptober 27

The irony of this one. At least I had recent experience to draw on.

Prompt: Power Outage

AU: D&D

Lloyd flinched as another tree limb cracked like thunder and fell to the ground. He was happy to get the day off from school, but things were getting a bit scary. There wasn’t even any snow to play in, just ice covering everything.

He thought the trees looked cool before they started breaking. Now it was just frightening as they crashed down loudly.

Game night had been cancelled too, so Lloyd wasn’t going to get to see Jay, Cole, and Zane, which bummed him out, and he knew his siblings were disappointed too.

Another loud crash and everything went dark.

Lloyd screamed. He also heard Nya yell something bad and their mom yelling at her for it.

He didn’t like the dark. He couldn’t see anything. He listened and heard sobbing. Kai. Kai was crying.

Lloyd tried to think of why his big brother might be crying. Kai wasn’t scared of the dark.

Lloyd grabbed his phone, thankful his brother had made a case for the Christmas gift, and used the screen to light his way to the door of his bedroom. He had a general idea of where his toys were on the floor, but he didn’t have it memorized, so the light helped him not trip.

He walked over to Kai’s room and heard his dad talking softly.

“It’s ok. You’re ok. I’m right here.”

“Dad?” Lloyd asked.

“Lloyd! Good, you’re ok. The power went out, it might be down for a bit.” His dad said.

Lloyd carefully navigated his brother’s messy room, mostly it was clothes. Lloyd didn’t understand why big kids had clothes all over their rooms, but it was normal big kid mess. He’d seen Cole’s room and movies.

Kai was sitting on his bed with his dad hugging him.

“Hey little guy. You ok?” Kai said, his voice still shaking.

“Are you?” Lloyd asked as he crawled up to sit on Kai’s other side.

“Yeah. Yeah. It’s fine. Just got reminded about some bad stuff is all.” Kai said, wiping his tears away.

“What bad stuff?” Lloyd asked

“Lloyd, do you remember when we told you that Kai and Nya weren’t our kids originally?” Lloyd’s dad asked.

“Yeah. Kai and Nya are adopted. And that doesn’t mean they aren’t my siblings, just that we can’t trade blood.” Lloyd repeated.

His dad and Kai laughed.

“Right.” His dad said “Well Kai and Nya had another mom and dad a long time ago, and something really bad happened to them. Kai just got reminded about that bad thing is all.”

Lloyd pouted. He didn’t like how vague his dad was being about it.

“Well then why isn’t Nya upset?” he asked.

“Nya was littler than Kai when it happened, she doesn’t remember as much.”

“What was the bad thing?”

“Let’s not talk about that, ok?”

Lloyd wanted to press for answers, but a small sniffle from Kai made him rethink it. Maybe this wasn’t as much about keeping secrets from Lloyd as it was not making Kai feel bad. Lloyd could live with that reasoning.

“Do you wanna play a game or something while we wait for the power to come back on?” Lloyd asked.

“Actually some that sounds good.” Kai said.

“We can play by candlelight! I got a new campaign based on Journey to the West, we could do that!” their dad said.

��I’ll get my dice.” Kai said, getting up and turning his own phone screen on.

“I’ll go ask if Nya wants to play!” Lloyd declared as he ran out of the room.

Garmadon turned to his oldest after his youngest ran off.

“Better?” he asked.

Kai ruefully smiled.

“Yeah. I’ll be alright.”

IDK what happened to Kai and Nya’s bio parents in this AU. Yes Kai had a PTSD flashback to whatever it was.

And I haven’t watched it yet, but I couldn’t resist making a Monkie Kid reference.

-Ivy

#Mod Ivy #ninjago #lego ninjago #blursed ninjago snippets #blursed ninjago aus #d&d AU #whumptober

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purplerose244 · 5 years ago

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Thinking journal for season 12 Prime Empire 😎😎😎 (2/2)

Here we go with the next part! I really hope we get some major big plot twist at some point, because it's all really cool but I need something to really change from good to GREAT

For now, let's focus on the next episodes!

It's the 17th of April and here we go!

GENERAL

I feel like there's little time to really pull up something, I don't know. Like, what plot twist could happen now that there just half season left with only Unagami/Dyer's identity and maybe Scott's past as mysteries? There's little space for more plotlines, that's what I think

Overall fighting scenes, character designs and game backgrounds are AWESOME!!

Let's see how it goes, maybe I'll be surprised. Wouldn't be weird for Ninjago to pull a bomb last episode 😅

ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK

ZANE AND PIXAL FINALLY!!! IT'S DETECTIVE TIME!!! 😎

Okay, so there is a photo, and there is a friend. As I thought, Dyer might not be Unagami at all, I feel like there's a lot of backstory coming along. I wonder if Scott has a part in this... WHERE IS SCOTT 💙

Ah, of course Kai would spend his credits on an avatar, I should've known, my flame babe can be such a dummie sometimes I mean why would you even do such a thing as buying an avat-

NEVER MIND I LOVE IT 😍😍🔥🔥 I thought him being blonde was going to bother me, I actually kinda like the change. Still prefer my baby brunette, but it's really cool as well. The best of this season are definitely the characters designs

Was that "let's fight an ogre mission" a hint for next season? I wouldn't be weird, but it's been a while since I've seen forshadowing for new season in this show

HECK YEAH THE DANCING EPISODE!!! I was waiting for this, Jaya is so cute while they are on the dancefloor 😍 They have chemistry 😘😘😘

I like the implication that Nya was really bad at dancing before Jay, like Kai covering his eyes because he cannot handle her sister not being perfect at something 😛

And Cole being the dance expert, that little tango moment with Kai I bet made many lavashippers super happy 🖤❤🖤❤

THE TRIPLE TIGER SASHAY ALL THE WAY FROM SEASON 1-2 ABSOLUTELY YES YES YES!!! AND HE DIDN'T ROAR, HE STRAIGHT UP SAID "NO ONE PUTS COLE IN A CORNER" I'M DYING!!! With this and Nya's 'catch me', I expect so many Dirty Dancing AUs from this 😂👌

JAYA BEING AWESOME HECK YEAH ❤💙❤💙

JUST LOOK AT THEM!!! Nya better say I love you back soon, like Kai and Skylor are a little behind, Zane and Pixal already said it, Jay can't stop doing it, come on girl it's your turn! 😎😎

RACER SEVEN

SCOTT IS BACK YES!!! 😍😍😍💙💙💙

Okay, I think my theory won't happen 😅 Feels like there are not enough episodes for a good reveal, and it doesn't seem like Scott is that influenced by Jay. My last idea is that perhaps he has spent so much time in the game like Jay said (POOR BABY 😭) that he doesn't remember. Maybe the moment he will come back, we will find out that it is Jay's brother/twin, I mean he still has those dragon and lightnings drawing on his back... yeah I like this theory a lot, gonna hold on to it!

So Scott is indeed a person trapped in a game, at least that's confirmed 👍

Also he's got some major issues, the poor thing, and I think there is some special reason behind him not wanting to race besides having just one life.

HERE IT COMES

OH MY GARMADON 😂😂😂 Okay, okay, it's actually better than I expected really. The scarf is cool, and so are the golden tattoos, the suit and the golden sleeve. It's just the mohawk that will take time to get used to, it's not even bad, just weird 🤷‍♀️

Racer Seven is so cool! Always nice seeing a new female character in this show that is not a love interest. I do love Nya, Pix and Sky to death, but I love variety too 💪

Really, really nice the piece of all Racer Seven's crashes! Impactful and sad, a never ending loop that she wants to break through from. That's the heavy stuff I like!

Okay, ready for the race! And I'm... scared? Like, a lot of they guys have one life?? KAI HAS ONE LIFE?? 😱😱 I hope for the best I guess 😅

THE SPEEDWAY FIVE-BILLION

Might be my favorite episode yet

Seven is SO COOL, it's another reason why I'm sad these episodes are so short! I really would had liked see her more, truly have her bond with the guys

Soooo... I guess since Scott's been in the game for 30 years it's safe to assume he's not Jay's brother/twin. To be fair it's really hard to tell a LEGO person's age😅 At this point I guess he could be either Dyer's friend, even if it sounds unlikely, or... idk, still think he could have a connection with Jay. Maybe he's like... an older brother? Libber had him a long while ago?

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! WHY DID SCOTT HAVE TO DIEEEEEEEE??? 😭😭😭 Just when he was getting more involved, come on! He even said he wanted to try that hero stuff, I love him! WE WILL SAVE YOU MY TECH BABY!!!

Cole getting a ride from Kai, this season has some pretty good lava material ❤🖤❤🖤

I've got some major Ninjaball Run vibes from this, that brings me back 😂 Even the no rules thing is there, come on, there has to be a little bit of inspiration from it!

Still don't know what I think of the rats, kinda seems useless and annoying, gonna be honest. But it's a nice race, exciting with nothing big happenin-

Kai and Cole sacrifice for Jay

I KNOW I THOUGHT ABOUT IT BEFORE BUT I'M NOT OKAY WITH THIS!!! MY FLAME BABE AND MY ROCKY BABY!!! 😭😭😭😭 WHY PEOPLE KEEP DYING IN THIS EPISODE???

I so, so enjoyed how they did it. Like, one look between them to realize that yes, this is it, Jay is the expert and needs to go on. This is the end of our race... AAAHHH!! (Infinite shipping potential too)

Omg Nya screaming her brother's name and Jay his best friend's name, while Lloyd looks so devastated (those masks are actually kinda espressive, I really like them). Wow. This is the angst I needed, finally👌

YES SEVEN WON!!! HECK YEAH GIRL!!! SO HAPPY FOR HER!!! Also Okino in the background being happy, nice touch!

And now they are three... it's gonna end up with only Jay huh. I... I'm not ready actually, my heart 😢 They better all hug when this is all over!!!

STOP, DROP AND SIDE ROLL

I CAN SEE THEY ARE KEEPING THE FEELS FOR LAST APPARENTLY??? 😭

The music of the old school section was actually very nice, reminds me of the past, I kinda hoped The Fold were going to release some game themed songs. Been a while since I have one of those 😍

Lol, explaining the side scroll games was actually pretty cool

YES THEY ACTUALLY ACKNOWLEDGED THE AIRJITSU!! Maybe they will remember they can used it, right Cole? The ladder scene? YOU CAN FLY???

OMG NYA ACTUALLY SAID CICLON-DO JUST HOW CUTE IS THAT!!! All the way from my favorite season Possession, Jay's definition of airjitzu that I actually still kept in one of my fanfictions 😂

Okay the design of the temple of madness is REALLY cool, you can immediately tell it's from an old videogame. Gives me the double vibe the googles for the first 3D movies used to give me 😂

Also look at this

THIS IS ADORABLE!! 💙💚💦 Really old style videogame 😂

And there we go!! Harumi!! Since I saw her in the set I was wondering what she was going to be, maybe an avatar or an NPC of some sort... THIS HURTS WAY MORE!!! And of course pure heart BABY boy Lloyd doesn't feel good fighting her, he had a crush on her! AND HE FREAKING SAW HER DIE!!! It's really sad that he still hopes for her to be good...

The fighting scenes are really, REALLY good! So fluid and active! This fight was really pleasant to watch, not gonna lie 💜

NOOOOOOOOO!!!! NOT MY GREEN BABY BOY!!!! I KNEW IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN BUT STIIIIIIL!!! 😭😭😭

Okay, down to three members. Remaining Zaptrap and water godess... omg Nya will totally die first and at that point Jay will go completely nuts. I'm both scared and DYING TO HAPPEN!!! ANGST FINALLY!!! THIS IS THE STUFF!!

Got some major Skybound feeling, like when it was only Jay and Nya... will Nya finally say I love you back?? I HOPE SO ❤💙❤💙

With the three keytana now, what will happen? I'm actually curious now, this is the exciting stuff I need! And yes I do realize it's a little weird that for getting hype I need my faves to die 😅

NINJAGO CONFIDENTIAL

OMG THEY ACTUALLY DID A DETECTIVE THEMED EPISODE BLACK AND WHITE I'M DYING 😂😂😂

The Weekend Whip with sax, never thought I needed this in my life 😍

Bet Brent had a blast recording this

Okay this is the third Chima reference I see, they better throw some Nexo Knights hits as well next season! Come on, it's about freaking knights!!!

This is not what I expected when they said there was going to be an episode with only Zane and Pixal but I'm sure as HECK not complaining 👌

Oh, seeing Pixal joining in so normally is so beautiful, I really wish we could have her even more often

Dareth's karaoke bar! From Sons of Garmaron! Also him guessing first try because the ninja really do get post in other dimensions very often 😂 Gotta love them indeed

Pff Zane narrating and getting stopped every time because of it, how I missed this naive little nindroid

So the bartender Tony is the friend? That's it? A little easy really, hoped for more... still calling him Milty is cute 💕

Buddy's Pizza from season 2!!! This season is killing me with references and I LOVE IT SO MUCH 💜💜💜

So, the mechanic is free again (the Kryptarium dudes should really learn how to do their job right 😓), Zane is kidnapped, and Pixal has a fedora that makes her possibly even cuter. I have emotions

AH!! KNEW IT!! UNAGAMI IS NOT DYER!! FREAKING CALLED IT!!... kinda expected really, but still called it 😅

So Unagami was the first name of Prime Empire and is also an AI that got crazy and was shut down, but now is back after programming the game itself and wants to get to the real world?... I'm down with it

So I'm guessing we won't get much of a Scott backstory... Eh, let's see how it goes!

THE PRODIGAL FATHER

I was seriously confused by why those dudes wanted to kidnapped Wu, but it made sense later. Still come on sensei, you're a freaking half god or something, pull yourself together 🤦‍♀️

Very nice that Pixal is the one to bring up the argument about feelings and AI. So very nice to have her in this!!!

I THOUGHT ZANE WAS GOING TO TAKE A BREAK FROM LAST SEASON, WHY ARE THEY MAKING HIM SUFFER AGAIN??? 😭

Oh finally the backstory of Unagami I'm really curious about what happened in the past and what exactly brought the shut down of Prime Emp-

I LITERALLY CARE ABOUT NOTHING ELSE BUT THIS BEAUTIFUL GAMER BOY IN REAL LIFE!!! 😍😍😍😍😍

So Scott was the first beta tester, Milton asked Unagami to make the experience as exciting as possible, and that ended very badly so the game was shut down and THEY LEFT HIM INSIDE FULLY KNOWING HE WAS THERE??? I HATE DYER NOW!!!

Although it is really interesting knowing a tech genius like him, until now we got Dr. Julien and Cyrus Borg that were plenty open about the idea of AI with feelings as meaningful as humans'. While he doesn't get that, they are only machines for him and that's the reason why he doesn't understand how much Unagami is mad and filled with need for revenge.

This is why I want more than 11 minutes, the themes of this season are really, REALLY cool. I would have loved more introspection and development.

I guess Scott being Jay's brother is officially debunked 😅 Although I am curious about the life he left behind, since he was stuck in that game for 30 years. He still has those lightnings on the jacket I don't understand...

DON'T YOU DARE LET ZANE BE DESTROYED AGAIN PLEASE I STILL CRY WATCHING "THE TITANIUM NINJA"!!! 😢😢😢😢😢😢

The portal is open, Zane might get destroyed, Unagami wants revenge, Jay and Nya are the only one left and I'm pretty sure Nya will be killed as well leaving only Bluebell so there's THAT. So yeah, this is actually pretty cool!

Two episodes left. Okay Ninjago season 12 Prime Empire, wow me 😎

THE TEMPLE OF MADNESS

This felt a little simple if I'm gonna be honest. I felt like the last mission before facing Unagami was a little basic, with nothing really exciting. Still liked it, but this is probably my least favorite episode 🤷‍♀️

Of course, put Jay is a sushi restaurant-themed level and he will kill you with puns 😂 I love this prankster

Again, the fighting scenes are dope. Definitely one of my favorite things since they changed the animation. You lose something you win something 😙

Wooo, Jay saying that he had trained for years just for kick his butt was actually cool! Bluebell is unleashing!

"And that's how we roll!". You rock we roll, am I right 😂

AH!!! CALLED IT!!! TOTALLY CALLED IT!!! MY POOR BABY BLUEBELL 😭😭

I wish Nya said that she loves Jay back though! Freaking come on girl, he is your yang!!! ❤💙❤💙

Unagami is not Dyer, he wants to get to the real world, I'm actually kinda curious about the confrontation that is about to happen... ALSO THERE BETTER BE LOTS OF HUGS WHEN THIS IS OVER

I... genuinely forgot about the dragon medallion 😅 Eh, I love dragons so I'm fine with it. Well, let's see how it ends!!!

GAME OVER

Wow, I actually love this ending?? A LOT?? After last episode I didn't have much hope, but after seeing it I gotta say, it was really great 👌👌

Thanks for not dying on us again Zane, much appreciated

Jay taking charge is quite rare and when it happens you know things are about to get crazy 😂 It was really nice seeing how sensible he could be, telling that Unagami wasn't evil after all, that he needed closure and answers

I know I miss the animation peak we reached with SoG and Hunted, but I gotta say the atmosphere of the city with the lightnings and the gray sky was really awesome. Very cool.

Pff, that part with the elevator though, reminds me of the one in season 1 that made me start watch Ninjago ✌ Also it's always Borg's Tower indeed 😂

OKINO KICKING BUTTS HECK YEAH LOOK AT OUR RONIN GO!!!

And wow. WOW. I didn't expect Jay to drop the I'm adopted bomb on us, I think I never heard him talk about it since Skybound (that technically never happened so 😅). It was SO good seeing him sympathize with Unagami because he was also left with no explaination. His desire to know, along with the hope that the past is the past, but they had a good reason for. Also he freaking said he didn't have the chance to ask because Cliff is dead and I 😭😭😭😭

And here I melted, because we finally see the situation for what truly is, the way Jay also sees it: Unagami is a kid, a child that doesn't understand how the world works, that just wants to make his father proud but got rejected instead. The confrontation was actually touching, I really wish we had more time for that. Even a little resistance from Unagami, another fight, and a finally reconcilliation with Dyer.

MY NINJA BABIES ARE BACK I MISSED YOU GUYS SO MUCH!!! ❤💚💙🖤💦💎

Could you seriously be cuter than this?? ❤💙❤💙 I wished for more hugs but I'll settle for this I guess 😍

Okay, very nice to see Seven and Okino out there and deciding to live their lives in Ninjago, nice to see some others like the rats going back to Prime Empire. As Unagami said, he gave them a choice, it's up to them at this point

But I'm sorry, WHY ARE WE NOT GOING TO TALK WITH SCOTT??? That guy's been trapped inside the game the longest, not even a "Hey bud, you're alive, cool cool"? I know I've been overbearing about how much I love Scott, especially since I had all those theories about him (still don't know why he has lightnings on his jacket and hat, is it just a style thing? Idk), but come on! Well I guess if he's happy I am 🤷‍♀️

Is that his girlfriend or something? After 30 years? Or maybe she got trapped with him a while later? Or maybe that's his... mom? Look, we all know determine the age of LEGO characters is hard, give me a break please 😅😅

Overall, very nice ending, it brought everything together quite nicely. I'm satisfied, yes!! 💜💜

FINAL THOUGHTS

As I said, the episodes' lenght I really think gets in the way of making this an excellent season. There is so much that could be explored more, the choice matter, all the amazing characters, and the AI feelings stuff from the latest episodes. There is room for more, I wished we got that

The characters though were really amazing. Between Scott, Okino, Seven and Unagami himself, there were very different personalities with very different dreams and thoughts, that made this ride much more interesting

Fighting animation was 👌👌👌

Comebacks from past seasons were 👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌

Maybe it didn't really focused on Jay as much until the end? Yeah it was about him, but we got to see his sensibility and his past only last episode. He loves Nya, he likes videogames, of course but there's more about him than meets the eye! Wished we saw that, but in general it was nice seeing him first line again 💙

I liked this season. It has flaws, but I enjoyed many parts and at the end I was left satisfied 👍

Just... wasn't Jillian supposed to be in this? Or is it next season? She said a mom was going to come back, I took for granted it was going to be Edna. I'm curious about next season now... FINALLY A COLE SEASON EVERYONE!!! 🖤🖤🖤

Thank you for leaving notes to my last rant, this helps me not jump excitedly every time a new episode comes out 😅 Well then, that's all from me!! Have a nice day everyone!! 💜💜💜

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itskateak · 4 years ago

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(Preface: this is a really long post as I typed it as I was watching the movie so this is unedited, pure thoughts as I was watching this movie.)

I just started watching the new Cats movie and I’m already having issues with what’s going on

Why did Munk spider man his way down a wall

What’s wrong with Misto

Why don’t they just crawl on their knees Jesus Christ if they weren’t on their toes it would be better

“Are you mean like a minx” that’s not in pitch

ThatS NOT HOW JUMPING WORKS

The choreography is going good though- I knew it would. I’ve worked with that choreographer before.

WHY IS THIS NOW A POP REMIX

I have so many questions

Music is too fast. Tempos are everywhere.

Singing isn’t too bad. I can understand the words better.

Munk is a little too feminine for my taste at the moment but I like his design.

ROMANTICAL CATS (heart hands) IS THE MOST ON BRAND MISTO THING YET

Macavity speaking and singing his own song is disgusting

WHY DO THEY HAVE HUMAN TOES AND FINGERS

Why is everyone bullying Misto

AND HUMAN NOSES

Munk there’s a rhythm to the Naming of Cats. You can’t go off it whole everyone else is on it.

You guys can’t keep a tempo can you

HIS name. HIS.

Munk that’s a little sexual. NO YOU ARE WITH DEMETER STOP

stop cutting the scene up. Just let them dance.

AH REFERENCE TO ORIGINAL CHOREO. I SAW THAT

Misto is on brand except he’s not Misto yet storytellers

Also I’m liking the idea that Victoria is new to everything and the plot is they’re introducing her to the wild and the whole heaviside layer thing

THATS NOT THE MELODY MUNK STOP

they have human eyebrows too what

Munk that note is too high for you

Is Jenny twerking excuse me

JennY IS SUPPOSED TO BE MOTHERLY STOP THAT

that’s also not the melody

The human mice are going to cause nightmares

Wait is Jenny lusting after Munk

Why does he actually look interested

Munk do you have an English accent or American. Please decide.

Jenny that’s not the right notes

HUMAN ROACHES NO

WHY DO THEH HAVE HUMAN FACES

The skiN UNZIPPED OH NO

no one needed that undershot of cockroach crotches

Mm meow

huh what Tugger what was that

Okay Derulo is not bad at all

I’m missing the Tugoffolees banter though

This Tugger is a little gayer than the original

THE NEUTER JOKE OH MY GOD

Tugger is reminding me of Dr. Frank N Furter from Rocky Horror Picture Show

Why does he have an English accent though

VictoriaaaaAAAAA? (The TOES)

Jenny’s humor is eh. Don’t see the reason of putting that in.

The ending is pure Tugger though

Not a bad rendition

Grizz isn’t as rough as I imagined her looking

Oh her VOICE

HER VOICE HITS HARD

Who is this cat singing about Grizz (the first) her voice was nice

NO. WHY THE SHORTNESS ON “that”

Munk why did you grab that queen’s head

Edward Hyde is that you?

Jenny stop trying to be the comedy relief you’re too awful at it

Bustopher please STOP singing your own song

PLEASE KIDNAP HER IDRIS ELBA

THANK YOU

I wish they spent more time dancing since that’s really the point of the show and the draw to it.

Bustopher wearing heels? I’m for it. Gay legend.

“Thanks Tugger” stop this whole sequence please

Bustopher is supposed to be a very prim and proper cat. What happened to him

Still can’t get over Idris Elba being in this

THATS NOT THE MELODY OF MUNGOJERRIE AND RUMPLETEAZER

What have thEY DONE TO THE MELODY GOOD GOD

AND THE RHYTHM THEY DESTROYED THE SONG

Oh. Hey that’s pretty neat choreo though

“I bought that for her myself” “hey” “what?”

My brain is rebelling because it’s not right at all in anything I remember

Did Misto just pull a whole femur from his hat

STOP THAT. MISTO LOOKS LIKE A CLOSETED TWINK STUCK IN A STRAIGHT RELATIONSHIP

is he wearing eyeliner

GROWLTIGER IS BACK

I don’t actually know his song so this is new to me

Jenny and Bustopher being comedic relief hurts because they’re not funny

Munk “where have you been?!” Is there a love triangle happening. What happened to Demeter

Also his voice in Deuteronomy is actually really nice

“Sits in the suuun” that was beautiful oh god

Deut looks more like how I imagined Grizz would look

IS THAT DAME JUDI DENCH

I bet she regrets ever saying yes after this.

What cat is randomly wearing a crow skull around their neck. Is that a witch’s cat

JUDI DENCH CAN’T YOU ACTUALLY SING? WHY ARE YOU STRUGGLING

Why are you singing Munk’s line

Oh the Jellicle ball is next let’s go Andy show me that awesome choreo

Asparagus are you okay

Tempo doesn’t exist in this movie does it

Neither does rhythm or time keeping

IS THAT MY BOY SKIMBLESHANKS

Twirly boy Munk

Munk really just wants to be topped doesn’t he

WhAT WAS THAT TWITCHING AND THE PANTING

Andy I love you man but the traditional and classic choreo would’ve worked just as fine

Skimble and Munk being gay

what happened to Plato and why is there something going on with Misto

TUGGER YOU HAD A MOMENT YOU COULD HAVE INTERRUPTED

Ah okay I understand why that happened. No mating dance or slumber party

Cats wearing shoes disgusts me more than the toes

POINTE WITHOUT POINTE SHOESSSS GROSS

honestly? Jellicle ball is disappointing. They just cut the ten minutes of amazing dancing down to like four.

I don’t like the heavy breathing. That’s not something that was ever necessary.

Okay, the end worked okay with the big synchronized dances.

I’m ready for this Memory rendition. Already getting chills.

Those are very human hands

Oh keep with the rhythm I beg of you

Ooh altered verse

Wait that’s jennifer Hudson???

Oh we just removed a whole verse, bridge, and chorus didn’t we.

Sweet moment? See I like Vic reaching for Grizz

Vic gets a song??? Ooh intrigued

I like her voice

I’m going to cry this song is sad and I’m glad she gets a story

Though it’s kind of “you think your life is hard? Mine’s worse” feeling after Memory

Awww I’m gonna cry what a sweetheart what a lovely dear protect her

Ugh meaning of happiness. I hate this song no matter who sings it.

Wait what happened to Rumpus Cat song :( the battle of the pekes and the pollicles

What do you mean you’re about to make the choice

We still have Gus’s song, Misto’s song, and Skimble’s song.

They got Ian McKellen to do this?? How much was he paid

“Cross paws” no stop

Why is Gus singing his own song please don’t

Munk’s face bugs me for some reason

His song always makes me cry for some reason but this is kind of goofy and cute and I love it

Misto in the background is just strange for me

Is he forgetting the words sometimes and mumbling to fill in because goodness

Misto’s so eager to please what a bottom

“Macavityyy” I hate it

Munk starting Skimble’s song has the same energy as Tugger doing Misto’s songs

I’m glad they’ve kept this song the same as it was

Skimble is SO gay oh my god what a classic twink

Oooh I like this addition of the train getting started via tap

I’m actually really liking this rendition and the tap dancing on the the rails

Though the tap continuing when no one is tapping or the rhythm being wrong is uh not good

Such an iconic song and I love the changes in scene

Oh skimble that note was not good

WAIT OKAY THAT WAS MACAVITY’S DOING WITH THE LEVITATION

Oh hi Taylor Swift

Use more breath. Stop doing the pop voice thing. Stop it.

Is Bombi a drug dealer

MISTO BEING TWEAKED ON DRUGS IS THE FUNNIEST GODDAMN THING IVE EVER SEEN IN THIS LIFE

I can say though that what they’ve done to the song is exactly the vibes it needed. Sultry and pushing the boundaries.

Sad there’s not a Demeter.

SORRY MUNK WHAT WAS THAT

I actually rewinded to see what happened there with the martini glass

OKAY MAN NEEDS TO BE TOPPED OH MY GOD

“Green house glass is broken” was changed and that makes me sad

This was a good song for Taylor to show off her vocal prowess but she just didn’t

Why is Macavity naked

Why is he singing his own damn song

PUT YOUR CLOTHES BACK ON

Munk you’re still tweaking out a little

Oh here’s the sleeping orgy

What’s with this drama now with the choice thing

We don’t have Munk’s fight with Macavity. Robbed

VICTORIA YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THE ONE TO GET MISTO OUT THERE. IT HAS TO BE TUGGER

If there are no 23 spins, I’ll throw my phone

Munk that’s gay and I’m here for it. Encourage your twink Misto

“Please don’t make me do this” has phantom vibes

Munk that was a lusty look

Where’s the “ooh ahs”

This is weird without Tugger singing it and being an ego for Misto

Tugger come on. Please save this number.

Victoria I swear to god I will beat you

Why do they have one person on the melody in this. And Derulo going through the stratosphere

WHERE IS THE DANCING >:(

That trombone is playing absolutely nothing in the music at all

DON’T YOU DARE KISS HER

oh here’s the fight music

WHY DID WE UNZIP SKIN AGAIN

oh they used the fight music for the escaping of cats

How much longer is there

Oh there’s the daylight reprise thing

I want to die

To the sun, Vic. To the sun.

Munk, Tugger, be respectful. That’s your mother.

Wait that doesn’t work in this universe because Deut is female.

Oh they gave the Asian cat patterns that resemble tiger stripes hmmmm

Why couldn’t they have just filmed an actual stage version and turned that out

Oh that “smile at the old days” was god awful

How much longer oh god

I’m tired man. I wasted 6 bucks on this

Victoria just stealing Jemima’s parts

“Like a flowER as the dawn is breaking”

Okay here it is

OH COME THROUGH QUEEN. WHOLE FILM IS WORTH THIS CLIMAX

Okay so there are some cats wearing clothes and others not. What are the rules for this universe. Are they naked or are they not.

I have not shed a single tear. Usually I have by now from this show. Not a single tear.

Deut X Grizz is still my favorite ship

Is that the intro to Til I Hear You Sing that I hear. Those F to Gm chords Lloyd Webber loves.

Judi Dench stop trying to sing for the love of god.

Ah yes show off that beautiful ballet dancer that plays Vic

Aww Munk bowing to Grizz

Oh so it’s a chandelier this time and not a tire

Where’d Macavity and Bombi go

Oh there he is. What a child. Hate that.

BUSTOPHER CONFIRMED A GAY ICON

Deut being a proud mother to Munk is cute with the hands on the shoulder

Why are we reprising the first song

Also Air balloon.

WHY ARE YOU STARING AT ME JUDI DENCH

why are they all staring so intently at her too wait

Munk looks like someone is touching him inappropriately this whole scene.

Munk and Misto looking at each other

MUNK STOPPPP JESUS CHRIST DO YOU NEED TO BE REMOVED FROM THE SITUATION

The choreography doesn’t even match the beat of the song. Huh???

Misto you’re gay stop

Munk and Misto looking at each other and the shy glances away

So Grizz gets hot air balloned to death is that what I’m seeing

Oh it’s over okay

I want to cry.

It’s not as bad as I heard. Once you got used to the way things looked and just let things happen and say it might as well happen, it became a bit more enjoyable.

It’s still god awful though and let’s pray the furries never get ahold of it.

#katetalks #ren live blogs #shitpost #cats #cats 2019 #cats the musical #im so sorrh for sich a long post but thoughts man thoughts

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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Anya Taylor-Joy Infiltrates the Boys’ Club of Chess in The Queen’s Gambit

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Netflix’s period piece miniseries The Queen’s Gambit spans a decade in the life of fictional chess prodigy Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy), a wunderkind whose natural aptitude for anticipating her opponents’ moves is blunted by her addiction to the tranquilizer pills with which she credits her wins. Following gawky teenage Beth through her early tournaments in the 1950s to the aloof redheaded beauty wowing spectators in Europe in the ’60s—and leaving a trail of defeated men in her wake—the seven-hour series was faced with the challenge of making every chess scene equally thrilling to enthusiasts and non-fans alike.

The key, Taylor-Joy explains to Den of Geek, was in having every single game be recognizably unique. “[Series creator and director] Scott [Frank] and I would have a lot of conversations about both the chess and the addiction scenes, and how we were going to make each of them different and each of them fresh,” she says. “Because this show is seven and a half hours, and if a lot of that is the same chess game, people are gonna wander off.”

The cast and crew imbued each chess match with specific emotion, matching Beth’s personal and professional growth, and unique physicality. For the latter, that involved bringing in chess consultant Bruce Pandolfini (who also consulted on Walter Tevis’ 1983 novel on which the series is based) and grandmaster Garry Kasparov to plan out the series’ many games down to every gambit and checkmate. Because neither Taylor-Joy nor her on-screen competitors had played much chess prior to shooting, treating the gameplay as choreography helped them pick up the moves.

“I saw the whole thing as a dance,” explains Taylor-Joy, a former ballet dancer. “I saw learning the choreography as dance, but just with your fingers.”

Costar Harry Melling, who plays one of Beth’s early rivals Harry Beltik, agrees that the authenticity was found in the tactile movements of the pieces themselves.

“One of the most important things in terms of the choreography was the feel of the pieces,” he says, “about how you take pieces—whether you slide it across the board or whether you lift it up or put it down. All of these little details [are] what makes it look like you’ve been doing it your entire life.”

“It’s like riding a horse,” says Thomas Brodie-Sangster, whose chess champion Benny Watts is known for a distinctive leather duster and laconic attitude. “It doesn’t really matter if you can ride a horse, it’s more about if you can get on the horse and get off the horse and look cool doing it. That’s what people pick up on; it shows that you actually look comfortable doing it.”

While Beltik and Benny are as fictional as Beth, the actors were encouraged to draw inspiration from current and historical grandmasters on which to base their characters’ games. “Every game in the show is based on a real game,” Brodie-Sangster says. “If you’ve got a really keen eye, you can probably recognize games from across the history of chess.” He modeled Benny’s moves after Bobby Fischer, while Melling devoted a lot of time to watching current World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen play.

“That was really fascinating,” Melling says, “because I knew nothing about chess whatsoever—so [I was] starting from ground zero, really, working out how these people operate, what makes them tick.”

Equally important as the dance steps were the dance partners. Taylor-Joy credits the originality of each sequence to who Beth is playing at that moment in time—like Townes (Jacob Fortune-Lloyd), a hunky competitor who flusters young Beth. “The first time that Beth plays Townes, it’s the first time that she’s ever liked somebody that she’s playing opposite against,” she says, “so she wants to win, but she doesn’t necessarily enjoy seeing him crumble, which is a new experience for her.”

Taylor-Joy soon found the game as dramatic as Beth does. “For her, it is life or death,” she says. “This is her intellect being challenged, and her intellect is the only thing she has any faith in. So I definitely felt the pressure, and then—whenever she’s playing with somebody—the power high of that.”

It’s no surprise that Beth gets a power high from defeating her male opponents, as it is a very insular boys’ club into which she enters as a dowdily-dressed teenager in the ’50s. For her first match with Beltik at the Kentucky Chess Championship, Melling says, the former is very much in his element, “and then she sort of enters his sphere, and he becomes completely in awe of her talent, and he knows that she’s a better player than him. His bubble gets burst very quick.”

Though Benny saunters into their first match together, Brodie-Sangster acknowledges that there is also an immediate spark with Beth. “Her presence is a bit of a surprise, and a bit of an enigma for him,” he says. “She is very much in a man’s world and doesn’t really look like she really fits in there; neither does he, and I think there’s a kind of connection there.”

Beth grows up in the world of chess, both as an aspiring grandmaster and as a young woman. Taylor-Joy had a blast playing so many different versions of Beth, though she laughs recalling how Frank initially asked her how young she thought she could play. Fourteen or fifteen was her answer—“eight, you’re gonna have to get another actor to do that one”—and so she portrays Beth from her inelegant teenage years through to her mid-twenties.

Over the course of the series, we witness Beths who are alternately brilliant and awkward, shy and sexy, on top of the world and extremely vulnerable. “Because [the show] takes its time and because you do grow with her, you as an audience are allowed insight into why she is the way she is,” Taylor-Joy says. “You see the things that shape her, and you see her grow from it, and you understand why she’s grown in that direction.”

To move between those many phases, she would devise her own backstories for the different Beths: “She starts off walking very clumsily and awkwardly and almost side-to-side, and then I was like, ‘Oh, and this is the first time she’s ever seen an Audrey Hepburn movie’ and she starts wearing the black pants and the turtleneck and starts standing differently, if a boy’s around. And just trying on different personalities, as I think we all do, especially in that age range, and probably into our adult life. It was really fun.”

In contrast to her male opponents and love interests who inhabit the same sphere, the two key women in Beth’s life exist almost entirely outside of the chess world. Fellow orphan Jolene (Moses Ingram) shows her the ropes at the orphanage, much like an older sister, but resentment stretches between them when Beth is adopted and Jolene is left behind.

“It’s all in how they’ve grown up with each other and gotten to know each other,” says the theatrically trained Ingram of her first on-screen role and the difficult emotional history between Beth and Jolene. “I think people that truly love one another certainly get the very best, but also the very worst, of each other. When you can see someone that deeply, you can’t help but be locked in to one another.”

Complicating their relationship is the fact that preteen Jolene is the one who introduces eight-year-old Beth to the tranquilizer pills to which she immediately becomes addicted. “Jolene was just teaching her how to cope in the only way that Jolene has learned how to cope,” Ingram explains, but that simple act irrevocably shapes Beth’s approach to chess for the next decade. Initially used to “even out” the orphans’ disposition (and then later banned for their habit-forming tendencies), the pills help Beth envision a chessboard in the shadows of her bedroom ceiling at night. Taylor-Joy says she would track Beth’s mental and emotional state not just by the different matches, but by how the ghostly chess pieces appear to her: “Sometimes they’re familiar, sometimes they’re very threatening, it all very much depends on where she’s at.”

Unfortunately, where Beth is often at is relying too much on the pills to help her focus during chess games, believing herself unable to triumph when not in her altered state. Her dilemma is complicated by the fact that the tranquilizer pills come back into her life care of her adoptive mother Alma Wheatley (Marielle Heller), who initially comes off as a stereotypical ’50s housewife who can’t function without “Mother’s Little Helper.” (Though the pills go by the fictional name Xanzolam in the series, they seem to be a cousin of Azolam and other benzodiazepines.)

In the past four years, Heller has been best known behind the camera, as the director of such celebrated films as The Diary of a Teenage Girl (for which she also wrote the screenplay), Can You Ever Forgive Me?, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, and What the Constitution Means to Me. While Heller had always referenced her history as an actor as “part of my superpower as a director,” she says that she began to feel like “a fraud” when directing stars like Tom Hanks or Matthew Rhys. “I started to feel like, ‘Do I even remember what that feels like, to be an actor, to be asked to do these things, to be asked to go into these certain emotional places?’”

So when Frank, a long-time friend, invited her to join the series and spend a few months shooting in Berlin, Heller saw it as the perfect opportunity to, in her words, “keep my street cred as a director who was an actor.” As a director who seeks out projects about the uncomfortable things that people don’t talk about, Heller found that Alma embodied those same sensibilities: “She’s someone who has a lot of pain in her past, and that makes her most interesting; she’s not some version of a ’50s housewife that doesn’t feel real. So much of what I try to do as a director is to tap into that thing that has made somebody the way they are.”

Despite mother and daughter’s initial friction, as Beth carves out her niche in the chess world, and Alma begins accompanying her on her more glamorous tournaments, the older woman is inspired to revisit her own long-abandoned dreams of devoting her life to a creative pursuit. “For Alma,” Heller says, “she had this dream deferred. She was somebody who wanted to be a pianist and artist and never could, and that’s a pain that I feel is very human, and I totally connected to.”

What’s remarkable about The Queen’s Gambit is that each of its female characters experiences a different and specific struggle for the time period. “Scott did that really beautifully,” Ingram says of playing adult Jolene, advocating for change during the Civil Rights movement while Beth is moving up through the ranks of the chess world. “He didn’t let us forget what point in time we were in the world—we’re in the ’60s, in the smack-dab [middle] of civil unrest, because people aren’t being treated fairly. And I loved that Jolene is out front and being a crusader, being a champion for change, when very clearly all she’s known is white people her whole life. So it was beautiful to see that she’s found herself later, in changing the world—trying to, at least.”

In that endeavor, Jolene describes herself as a radical, though Ingram also feels that the word was a fitting theme for the series overall.

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“I think it’s radical that Beth, as a woman, is this far into the chess world at this point in time,” she says. “It’s unheard of that she’s there, and everyone’s shocked by it. It’s definitely a story of radical love, and radical faith.”

The Queen’s Gambit premieres October 23 on Netflix.

The post Anya Taylor-Joy Infiltrates the Boys’ Club of Chess in The Queen’s Gambit appeared first on Den of Geek.

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upstartcrow1564 · 5 years ago

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You might all be too young to remember the movie “Say Anything” with John Cusack as the romantic hero and Ione Skye as the heroine, but it was epic romance when I was coming up. In the movie, there’s a huge graduation party scene where a young man who is drunk off his ass comes screaming and hollering up to Lloyd, our hero who is sober as a judge, and Lloyd takes the guy by both arms, looks him straight in the eyes and yells back, “YOU MUST CHILL!” This is the first thing I thought of when I saw this card today: Universal Lloyd Dobler looking me straight in the eyes and yelling, “YOU MUST CHILL!” Slow down today. After yesterday’s high-powered Malik of Swords, today calls for the Calm app. Or whatever your favorite method is of relaxing the hyper mind. Go with the flow today, and make that your passion, your job. Don’t get stuck on the details. Chill. And our friend the Secret charm makes her debut appearance in these draws, hooray! How many of us can keep our mouths shut as a matter of regular practice? Maybe give needing your be the Town Crier a rest today too. Relax. Today is the last day of the current moon cycle before tomorrow’s new moon, so use this time to rest and let go — and keep your secrets for another day. #tarot #oracle #runes #charms #vitki #volva #disir #ancestress #tarotreadings #tarotreadersofinstagram #dailytarot #tarotadvice #divinersofinstagram #divination #charmcasting #tarotofthemoors #themusesdarling #witchesofinstagram #seer #youmustchill https://www.instagram.com/p/CAdD6e9nWgR/?igshid=11qsfyuwqnt6m

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mononoke-no-ko · 5 years ago

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Jun Fukuyama & Director Taniguchi interview from CUT

Sorry for going AWOL since... I can’t even remember since when lol. Anyway, here’s another translation of Resurrection interview.

I don’t think I’ll ever make a story that centers around the “Rebellious Lelouch” anymore, so this time it’s “the end”. -Taniguchi-

—First of all, now that you’ve completed this movie, I’d like to know how you feel.

Taniguchi: While I was making this movie, I felt how in the 10 years period since the TV series ended, Lelouch’s image in the staffs' mind has changed. That’s why I had to write correction notes for some cuts. Like, “Lelouch is plotting some evil schemes here, stop drawing his face this handsomely!””

—(Laugh)

Taniguchi: In the past 10 years, many staffs have drawn “Lelouch that fits the clients’ order” for various goods and games production, and they also have personal attachment to each production, so in their mind, a different image of Lelouch was born. Hence in a good way, for this movie there are new staffs who see the work from objective point of view. Even though we are in the same team, each member has their own views. However it was really difficult to re-share the agreements that the old staffs have accumulated over the past 10 years with the new staff and build new relationships with them.

Fukuyama: This time for me, when I read the script before the recording, when we did the recording, and when I watched the final product, my impression keeps changing every time. When I read the script for the first time, I thought the amount of information is too little. During the recording, I thought only the information on the parts that I played that increased, however when I saw the final product, the amount of information doubled. (laugh)

Taniguchi: You think so, eh (laugh).

Fukuyama: It's not that the layout and the content changed during the recording. However, because the recording is done per scene, the flow is reset in each take. Moreover, as the biggest difference from how we dub the TV series, this time I was allowed to say my lines without being cut, so the extent of information that I as the actor can put into my voice is different. When I saw all the scenes connected, the content was largely multiplied. It was truly interesting. I think this is the only work in the last 10 years where my impression when I did the recording and when I saw the final work is this different.

—You think, why did the content feel like it multiplied?

Fukuyama: What clearly differs in how the information is brought out in this movie compared to the TV series, is that the pacing of the scenes where information was condensed and the scenes where information was trimmed down, is quite courteous. I think that played a big part. On the other hand, I was honestly wondering how viewers who see this as a new work of “Code Geass” that continued from the 50 episodes TV series’ cliffhanger would feel. If this is totally different from what they imagined, it must’ve been baffling. But I also think it can lead to more enjoyment. Assuming that a movie runs for about 2 hours, it can be made to be felt like it runs for longer than 2 hours by adjusting the presentation and the amount of information. Because of that, when we finished the work I trully felt "Ah, we really made a movie huh". (laugh)

Taniguchi: The heck you mean (laugh). But, actually, the script that we gave out indeed has less information compares to the animated footage. Some concrete examples would be Lancelot and Guren's add-on armor, and the glasses equipped with Blaze Luminous that Lloyd uses, they weren't included in the script.

Fukuyama: Is that so?! (laugh)

Taniguchi: (laugh) Yes, Okouchi (Ichiro)-san left them out on purpose. In the first place, what a script needs to do is to lay out the dramatic structure and the pillar of the story. That pillar is elaborated in the storyboard, and while referring to it, the information that comes from the voice that is infused into the script becomes feedback for each animators and art staffs. While making the film the information were added one by one, it was such method of production. Whether that results in increase of information or not, I can't tell.

—Was it intentional?

Taniguchi: There are parts that became like that as a result. At some scenes, when I came up with some ideas down the line, I realized that to mix in everything like in "Lelouch of the Rebellion" but doing it in full CG, is impossible after all. On the other hand, there are also ideas that were included in the script but were removed because they turned out to be impossible to realize. One example would be the mysterious martial art move called “Mubyoushi, The Ultimate Secret of Shinozaki’s style” that Sayoko was supposed to unleash.

Fukuyama: Out of nowhere!? That’d just end up as a gag (laugh).

Taniguchi: Exactly. It was so over the top it’s hard to create a balance there, I tried to mix it into the storyboard once but it was completely no good. In the end I apologized to Okouchi-san and removed it from the script (laugh). Ah, also, up to the midpoint, “Lelouch of the Resurrection” was drawn from women, C.C.’s rhythm. At the beginning it was about the world where Lelouch doesn’t exist, then as the story develops, we change the rhythm before and after Lelouch’s awakening. One of Resurrection’s points is to show C.C.’s never-before-seen aspects and expressions.

Everyone relies on Taniguchi-san very much, though inside they must be thinking “fuck youu!” (laugh) -Fukuyama-

—At which point did you come up with the ending of this movie?

Taniguchi: The idea for this ending has existed since the beginning of TV series. So the TV series was also made to head to that direction, but back then we had to actually make the show first before we could figure out whether it’s okay to arrive to that ending or not, in the end we gave up on it perhaps pretty early in the first season. The script for “Resurrection” had already finished prior to the compilation movie trilogy, then we further revised it according to the changes that appeared as a result from rebuilding/restructuring the story in the trilogy. That’s how we made this movie.

—As for Fukuyama-san, how did you feel when you read this story for the first time?

Fukuyama: Actually, when the TV series ended, I thought that if there was a continuation, it could only end up like this ending. It was the process to get there that I completely couldn’t imagine. Which is why this time compare to the ending, the process surprised me more. Especially at the first four and a half minutes...”Wait wait, Lelouch, you come out from the very start?!” (laugh)

Taniguchi: Hahaha! No, I mean, no matter where he comes out people will react “He comes out here?!” the same after all. So I thought “Whatever, just make him appear since the beginning.”

—The appearance of the incapacitated Lelouch at the beginning was quite shocking, did you discuss with the director about acting direction and the likes?

Fukuyama: Not in details. In my mind I figured that he’s living with only primal desire and instincts. Not that he regressed to an infant, but he’s in a state where he’s only an empty shell. His nature as a human, as he said himself, is an accumulation of.things, and at the beginning he’s in a state where that accumulation doesn’t exist. He only has fear, hunger, and sleepiness... he operates not with brain but with ladder-like nerve system, like a dragonfly or a larvae, I wonder if that’s correct.

Taniguchi: You’re absolutely on point (laugh). That’s probably the part where the animators such as Kimura (Takahiro)-san and Chiba (Yuriko)-san had a hard time with. It’s not like he regressed to an infant, so there were issues over things like whether to make him sit down or stand up in so and so scene. If he’s tired then he should be sitting down, if he’s standing then there should be a reason for it, things like that.

Fukuyama: As for acting guidance, since the time of TV series, if once in a blue moon I asked something and got an answer, I must follow through with it (laugh), so I don’t ask much.

Taniguchi: Well, that’s my bad point (laugh). I know that I have to answer if I’m asked, but there are times when I think it’s better if I don’t say anything. Thinking that I have to come up with a good method of doing it, I give out cards with “secret” written on it.

Fukuyama: Nah, that’s Tomino (Yoshiyuki)-san’s method* (laugh).

*Veteran anime director/screenwriter, creator of Gundam franchise. According to the note from this interview he answers questions about acting guidance from his cast with “It’s a secret. Please continue to act without knowing it.”

Taniguchi: Hahaha!

Fukuyama: Taniguchi-san answers all my questions properly after all (laugh). But if the answer was handed to me, the joy of thinking about it on my own and putting the result of my thinking into my acting would be gone.

Taniguchi: Well, I also have times when I lie on purpose, just like it’s a big lie to say that we can’t make anything unless everyone has one common point of view. The truth is, it’s fine even if everyone isn’t on the same wavelength during the making process as long as we have the same goal, rather it’s interesting that this can give depth to the work.

—Is there a conscious motive behind it?

Taniguchi: Years ago, I was one of the rotating directors for Director Imagawa (Yasuhiro)’s (Mobile Fighter) G Gundam. In episode 6, the mother of the still very young protagonist leaves her son in the care of a mysterious Chinese man. The actress who played the mother role asked “He seems like a suspicious person, what kind of situation made her entrust her son to him?” (laugh). As the backstory hadn’t been established yet, neither I nor Imagawa-san could give an answer, but the music director at the time, Uragami Yasuo-san, gave a remark “Please think that there are reasons”. The meaning of “reasons” is “you can come up with any answer on your own”. At that time I learned that a production is made of combination of factors, and it’s okay to answer with that kind of remark.

—Working with the director at the site, all of the materials for the recording must be prepared at the studio. I wonder if it brings out richness in the performance.

Fukuyama: There’s that, but for me it’s more of an intimidating relationship. (laugh)

Taniguchi: Hmmm? (laugh)

Fukuyama: (laugh) If you asked something they would be there to give you the answer, but if it’s something that hadn’t been established yet, there are only a few who would answer “It’s just been established now, please keep it in mind from now on”. But then that would be just the same as Lelouch’s “The only ones who’re allowed to shoot are those who’re prepared to be shot” line, the only ones who’re allowed to ask are those who’re prepared to do whatever they're told. (laugh)

Taniguchi: Hahaha!

Fukuyama: However, I think the fact that there are many people who can grasp this intimidating relationship is a really blissful part of this work. After all, if you can do as you are told then it’s good, but if you can’t, whether you grasp that sense of defeat as an artist or not, I think it’s important.

—This is thoroughly interesting.

Fukuyama: What I still remember till this day, is the last scene of “Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion” where Lelouch and Suzaku pointed their guns at each other and screamed each other’s name. Suzaku’s “Leloooouch!!!” there is really long, right? At first if Sakurai-san stretched his scream at a length that is normal for human being, the director would ask him to stretch it more, but it sounds unnatural after all, and I think Sakurai-san also gave a thought about it before he acted. But when the director went ‘bang!’ and said “Please do it as a pro”, the whole room was stricken, “Ah, he got told off” (laugh). Me too, because I was right there next to Sakurai-san, I got goosebumps. (laugh)

Taniguchi: (laugh) If the scream there was short, it would've given an impression that Suzaku would really shoot right there and then. Only by stretching it as long as possible, you can hear the doubt in his voice. That way, we can generate a situation where it can’t be predicted which one of them who will shoot. I’m aware of the actors' physiological perception, but because I’m in the position to give direction here, “I get that you do your craft with pride, but this is what I’m asking you to do as a professional.”

Fukuyama: It was an interesting event (laugh). However, I do think it’s very important for everyone to experience that atmosphere where you have to bring forth your passion, commitment, and resolve, and to understand that that was one way to do this job. So in that sense, everyone relies on Taniguchi-san very much. Though inside they must be thinking “fuck youu!” instead. (laugh)

Taniguchi: No no, it was scary for me too. For some reason Wakamoto (Norio)-san (Charles’ VA) is always smiling whenever he looks at me.

Fukuyama: But that’s because his role demands it! (laugh)

—On a different occasion, both Sakurai-san and Fukuyama-san have mentioned that it was difficult to do redubbing for the movie trilogy. In the first place why did you decide to do it, Taniguchi-san?

Taniguchi: It’s practically impossible to record a partial new dubbing that matches perfectly to the flow of emotion in the dubbing from 10 years ago (laugh). Also, if the route to reach certain scenes changed due to the restructuring of the story, there we had to change the voice performance too. In case of games, they’re linked to the system so it can’t be helped, but here for the sake of the actors...

Fukuyama: ...No, for us it was super grueling!

Taniguchi: Hahaha! From the very first take of “Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch I Awakening Path”, it shows right away that Fukuyama-kun was so fired up for the redubbing. Around the line “There’s an accident!” (laugh).

Fukuyama: (laugh) If you told me that was no good I could redo it! But for me in playing Lelouch, pushing myself to the limit is the basic, so this time I also started from that level (laugh).

Taniguchi: Because the rest of the cast had to adjust with such image of Lelouch, the character of C.C and the others gradually broke into a scary territory, and it turned into something like a joint performance of monsters (laugh).

Fukuyama: We had a mindset to exceed the limit of our age and career. Also, we wanted to challenge the questions we’ve always had in our mind when we voiced the character. Sometimes when we changed the vocal tone even for just a bit, we got commented “It’s out of character”, yet at other times when we ourselves thought that we’re acting out of character, we didn’t get commented. What differs, where does the concept of this character lie, we wanted to challenge those questions.

Taniguchi: I see. The difficult part is there’s also difference in views with the sound director.

Fukuyama: That’s right. Anyway in Lelouch case, for the TV series I lowered my vocal tone by about half an octave, after that I played another personality in “Code Geass: Akito the Exiled”, then in live script reading at an MBS event I played another completely different performance, yet Lelouch’s image in everyone’s mind didn’t become blurred. The point is, there’s a wide range in expressing Lelouch’s character. So even if I played the old Lelouch once more, rather than completely reverting the character that had grown to this point back to beginning, I wanted to entertain people by playing Lelouch as the current me. Hence in the trilogy, I requested to be allowed to perform to the extent of my current ability. Yet regarding the questions I mentioned earlier, I came to nothing (laugh). In the end, as long as everyone is entertained, that’s the ideal situation. Talking about 'what’s entertaining?’, there are parts that were designed specifically to become so by the production team, and others that became so by accident.

Taniguchi: Then as more and more elements such as the era and so on came into account, it can only be said that this is due to complex factors. In case for “Resurrection”, Tamaki is a good example. (Tanaka) Kazunari-san’s Tamaki in the TV series is of course Tamaki, but Hiyama (Nobuyuki)-san’s Tamaki in this movie is also Tamaki. That the core of Tamaki changed entirely because the voice changed, that’s absolutely not the case. If the person who takes over the role can capture the important points of Tamaki’s standpoint and relationship with other characters that the previous actor had established, I think that’s enough.

—With the addition of new casts, how’s the impression of the recording?

Fukuyama: There are familiar faces like Murase (Ayumu) and (Shimazaki) Nobunaga, and then there’s also Toda (Keiko)-san that I worked together with quite nervously. This is my first time hearing Toda-san’s voice in person, it was really wonderful. I also said this to Sakurai-san after the recording, “Toda-san sounds indecent” (laugh). Even though the wording contains nothing dirty.

Taniguchi: In every lines I could sense the alternation of emotions. I was surprised that she can make such changes in emotion within such span. Also, when dubbing, Toda-san’s voice somehow stands out more. How could that happen, I want to analyze it scientifically.

Fukuyama: When I listened to the final product, I ended up feeling “Ah, this is why I don’t like people from that generation” (laugh). I’ve been thinking about this ever since I had a chance to work together with Shigeru Chiba-san over a decade ago. Between those who’ve been around before the existence of the current high-tech condenser mic and those who came later, no matter what there will be a big technological difference in how we strain our voice orientation. At the time of TV series I acted without knowing how much volume of my voice entered the mic, so now even if I reenact the old Lelouch again, I can only rely on how I physically remembered it. I didn’t let my body to be on ease at all because it’s Lelouch who I was playing after all.

Taniguchi: I think that’s good, actually. It means you’re giving your all.

Fukuyama: That also leads to me acting over the top. Though from my point of view, “This is the direction you gave 10 years ago!” (laugh). But maybe in that sense, this time I truly play a Lelouch-that-is-not-Zero for the first time.

—After all, it’s not “Lelouch of the Rebellion”, but “Lelouch of the Resurrection”.

Taniguchi: Exactly.

Fukuyama: In “Lelouch of the Rebellion”, there’s only the Lelouch who’s leading a rebellion, constantly calculating and being in situations where he could end up dying if there’s any slip up. That’s why this time, to be able to play him who is free from all of those things was an eye-opening experience. That was probably how Lelouch is in his ‘plain’ form.

Taniguchi: Perhaps in this movie, the scene where Lelouch felt troubled the most is when they were in the village at night, Ougi came to him alone and he couldn’t avoid having a talk with him (laugh). His eyes didn’t even meet Ougi’s, he just kept staring at the monitor in front of him.

Fukuyama: Hahaha! I won’t tell you here what he did there, but if viewers could guess his intention, I think that was a very interesting scene (laugh). Only in this scene I did it a bit differently from other scenes, I did the correct thing right?

Taniguchi: Yes, well you see, I think Lelouch was in a great pinch there (laugh). Ougi is bad at reading the mood after all, so he’s like ‘just drop it, no need to apologize for every little thing’ (laugh).

Even if Lelouch comes out in the future, it will be in a different title as something new. -Taniguchi-

—I think “Code Geass” is really an amazing work. After 10 years, to be able to draw a continuation on top of reworking the story in a completely new recording as a trilogy movies, there’s no other work like this.

Taniguchi: Originally it was a project that’s planned for evening slot but was dropped because of the competition and changed to midnight slot, we had no choice but to take drastic measure and inverted the protagonist’ standpoint from hero to villain, there are truly many twist and turns in the process of making the TV series. When we were proceeding to “Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2″, suddenly there was a timeslot change, we had to rewrite the first episode again and again that I felt bad to Okouchi-san.

Fukuyama: The first episode of “R2″ turned out to be really different from what I originally heard (laugh). But a work that initially might have ended in 2 cours—at the time of the audition the project was called “Lelouch of the Rebellion” without the “Code Geass” name attached. I was given the opportunity to star in that project, until now it has became a series called “Code Geass”. It’s a great fortune that it can become such business. Thanks to that I was able to experience many things.

—And for that series, as well as for your own history, what is the meaning of this work?

Fukuyama: Actually, and this might sound a bit cold but, I can’t really see it as anything else but a result of one possibility. I redubbed the TV series, played a not-rebellious Lelouch in a completely new work, and faced the conclusion of one relationship, I think I got to experience something really rare. As I’ve said earlier that at the time of the TV series I didn’t know whether there would be continuation or not, so I ended it in a tattered state. This movie is the result of one possibility that was carried by a work that seems to be able to do the impossible, so just like at the time of TV series, most of all for the most part I just felt a great relief that I’m able to safely send this work off. That is, “one responsibility has been completed” (laugh).

Taniguchi : For me this work means two things, if any. One, this work is an expression of my gratitude for Bandai Namco Arts who kept their promise, though I can’t say what the ‘promise’ is, and second, it’s good that I could lay the foundation for this “Code Geass” project to move forward.

Taniguchi: It’s one period mark, but it isn’t the end of this series. However, because I think I won’t ever make a story that centers around “Rebellious Lelouch” anymore, this time it’s “the end”. Even if he appears in the future, perhaps it will be in a different title, as something new. And toward the entirety of this project, my sentiment is “For now I’ve put it into a shape, for what comes next I’ll leave it in your hand”.

Fukuyama: We share common point of views. Although between a director and a voice actor, there’s a big difference in how much time we consume to do our work and in the nature of our responsibility, still we’re equals. Though I’m not thinking up to the possibility that “if he comes out in the future he will be some other thing in the new series”, but I am thinking what kind of face I should put on if he appears again in the future (laugh).

Taniguchi: (laugh) Well, a voice actor could do a 180 degree change after all.

Fukuyama: Yes, that might be true, but this time I really have no other things left to do. I’ve gotten to see nice things as well—like the last scene with Nunnally, it was really wonderful. How “Lelouch won’t grow much, but Nunnally will continue to grow old huh” (laugh). Including that, after 10 years, I was let to see wonderful things.

Taniguchi: (laugh) Nazuka-san (Nunnally’s VA) gives a lot of feedback about Nunnally that Nunnally’s slowly turning into her.

Fukuyama: The thing is, at first I even had thoughts “There’s a possibility this story will end with me killing this girl” (laugh)

—(laugh) Earlier Fukuyama-san said that in this last 10 years you’ve been hoping to beat Taniguchi-san, and I think that’s a wonderful thought. Now that you’ve finished the recording for this movie, what are your thoughts?

Fukuyama: In the end I still couldn’t beat him. But then again, if the Director Taniguchi really lost to me, that would be the end of his career (laugh).

Taniguchi: Huh? Our roles are different so there shouldn’t be things like winning or losing though? (laugh)

Fukuyama: That’s true, but for me it’s important that my suggestion is picked by the director because it is deemed interesting, and that it’s continuously connected. However ever since the time of TV series the percentage of this happening is quite low, and even if it’s a suggestion I raised I mostly had to follow the director’s way. Of course I think that’s the appropriate order, but even if I was following direction I couldn’t just follow it passively. Even if I'm following director’s direction, I need to think whether I can mix in my own thing without creating disharmony. I’ve always thought that I have to defeat the director in that sense. This time I could do a bit better than before, but still not enough. In the end when I saw the final product, I still think “The impression is totally wrong” after all.

—Then while carrying those thoughts, you can continue to make another work.

Fukuyama: Pretty much. Not only limited to this work, but also in other works Taniguchi-san make and I star in. Not in the same work together though. I haven’t worked with Taniguchi-san again since “Code Geass” after all.

Taniguchi: Yeah, there are several people like that among the ones I’ve worked with. This is just my personal sentiment, but it’s pretty difficult to cast the same actor when the character and the actor are fused somewhere, like with Hoshino-kun the main actor in “Gun X Sword”. I’d hate it if to find out where that ‘somewhere’ is, I halfheartedly cast the actor again and the new character is seen as a parody of their previous character. However, Lelouch’s story has been completed with this “Resurrection”. If I can find out the relationship between the character Lelouch Lamperouge and the actor Fukuyama, then for the next work I would be able to normally cast him again.

Fukuyama: That’s why I never said “Please contact me again” to directors.

Taniguchi: Yeah. The moment someone told me “Please contact me again” inside I would think “You’re telling me to contact you!!”, in my mind I had decided that I won’t call that person again.

—(laugh) Oh you did?!

Fukuyama: (laugh) That's why I won't say things like that. Whether it’s about works or people, I understand that I have to deal with all kinds of personal ethics, regardless, I’m thankful that I’ve been given the chance to participate in such rich work for 12 years. Before this work I had always failed in every audition for Taniguchi-san’s works after all. (laugh)

Taniguchi: There’s nothing I can do about that (laugh). Anyway, back to the “call me again next time” topic, there’s only one person who breaks through it through frontal attack... it’s Inoue Kikuko-san (Cecile’s VA). She always asks “When will you contact me again?” every time we meet (laugh).

Fukuyama: Maybe she can see a hole in the wall surrounding Director Taniguchi’s heart. Maybe the hole is open. (laugh)

Taniguchi: Hahaha! Maybe it has already been broken through. (laugh)

#code geass #lelouch #resurrection #c.c.#suzaku kururugi #interview and commentary

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captainninej · 5 years ago

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RANT TIME: LOVER ERA

okay. so recently i’ve seen a heck of a lot of swifties shitting on the lover era. and that’s okay! we’re all entitled to our own opinions.

HOWEVER i will accept NO critiques on the fact that the lover era has given us SO MUCH AND MORE THAN POSSIBLY ANY OTHER ERA. has the promo been a bit all over the place? yes. is it strikingly different from rep? yes. have the singles been getting less chart success than other eras? yes.

BUT. taylor is SEVEN ALBUMS INTO HER CAREER. S E V E N. to even have this level of astronomical success into your SEVENTH album is mind-blowing in of itself. to still be able to capture the imagination and interest of the public SEVEN WHOLE ASS ALBUMS LATER. a lot of artists struggle to even keep that momentum going from their second to third albums. and our girl is on seven. also, taylor’s life and priorities are different now. she’s at the top of her game. she doesn’t really have to keep ascending from a logistics point of view. she’s made history so many times - i think her happiness and wellbeing is more important than constantly outdoing other artists! she’s also older, and has been here for a long time, which is INCREDIBLE to have that sort of longevity in your career. but naturally, other new artists are going to start to take up more public consciousness because that’s just how it works. taylor will always be around, but other artists are going to step in to be more present in the public eye and i think the lover era has started to show that a bit, and many swifties have taken that to be a sign of the era’s faults, but it’s kinda just how time works. society moves on. one person can’t be expected to hold public interest forever and ever - that’s a lot of pressure to put on a person. taylor’s a millionaire who’s made such an incredible legacy for herself - i think she’s allowed to relax a little at this point!!

on that note, the lover era has been SO LOVINGLY (excuse the pun) CRAFTED AND TAILORED (omg aNOTHER PUN i swear this was unintentional) for us, the fans. secret sessions. easter eggs EVERYWHERE so we can do what we do best - clowning over every little detail and coming up with crackhead theories. livestreams. the lover lounge. the FOUR DELUXE EDITIONS. taylor coming out politically and DEMANDING change - which means SO SO SO FUCKING MUCH to fans like me who are minorities. she’s returned to interviews. we’ve had like 17 magazine covers. incredible performances and collabs. taylor has worked her ASS OFF to make this era EVERYTHING AND MORE FOR US. so i will NOT ACCEPT ANY CRITIQUE OR WHINING THAT THIS ERA IS A ‘FLOP.’

to further prove my point, here are a list of only SOME of the things we’ve been blessed with this era (bc i have a shit memory and can’t remember everything):

- THE BUTTERFLY MURAL!!!!!!!!!!

- the incredible aesthetic switch up

- the instagram posts. five holes in the fence. y’all know what’s up

- ME! with Brendon Emo Powerhouse Icon Urie and an INSANE music video and loads of awesome performances (BBMAS was ICONIC)

- taylor talking about game of thrones??? life complete

- TIME 100 Gala

- Elle (US and UK), Vogue, People, and a shit ton of other magazine covers and interviews and letters

- taylor publicly calling out politicians and fighting for change on a level she’s never done before

- YNTCD which was so positive and uplifting as well as promoting LGBTQ+ solidarity and basically drawing a line in the sand telling homophobes to fuck off, as well as an INCREDIBLE music video with queer icons that mean so much to people of the community, showing the world where she stands

- the Amazon Prime concert (LIARS and DIRTY DIRTY CHEATS OF THE WORLD)

- taylor publicly coming out and calling BS on scooby and scott and standing up for her legacy and her art that she should most definitely own, as well as raising awareness for artists around the world who have been similarly screwed over by their record labels who basically see them as cash cows, as well as calling out sexism and bullying in the industry

- the!! archer!! which she specifically released because we love track 5!! enough said

- LOVER. THE MUSIC VIDEO. THE AESTHETIC.

- drunk taylor lol

- teen choice awards icon award!!!

- the VMAs and her iconic performance and historic wins and CALLING OUT THE WHITE HOUSE ON LIVE TV I STILL HAVEN’T RECOVERED

- the album release! lover lounge! the lyrics everywhere!!

- the stella mccartney line!!

- loads of interviews and candids and performances!!

- AMAs ARTIST OF THE DECADE. THE CALLING OUT OF SCOOBY AND SCOTT. THE SOLIDARITY FROM OTHER FEMALE ARTISTS (still salty about the *crickets* from every man in music ever but ok) THE P E R F O R M A N C E. CELEBRATING HER LEGACY. SWEEPING EVERY AWARD SHE WAS NOMINATED FOR AND BECOMING THE MOST LAUDED ARTIST IN AMA HISTORY, BEATING MICHAEL FUCKING JACKSON.

- how her outfits this era match the aesthetic of lover!! the pastel colours!! the softness!!

- cats (ok the movie was a mess but i will fite and say taylor’s song is the best bit and the only bit i was invested in) and her beautiful premiere dress! her friendship with the cast and andrew lloyd webber!! the promo!! BEAUTIFUL GHOSTS SHE DID NOT HAVE TO POP OFF LIKE THAT BUT SHE DID

- MISS. AMERICANA. GUYS. she gave us a WHOLE DOCUMENTARY about her life, her insecurities, her struggles, her battles, her music, and gave us all hope and light that we can be strong like she was during her darkest times. do y’all realise how BRAVE someone has to be to put themselves out there like that?? did 1989 (not shitting on it but just bc some swifties think 1989 is the elite era and i kinda disagree bc of how it affected taylor’s physical and mental health) give us a documentary?? no

- THE MAN. ok on this one i kinda understand the gripes about the promo and the delay with the music video, the single release, etc. but she DELIVERED. it’s her first self-directed music video and CALLS OUT TOXIC MASCULINITY SO WELL. ICONIC.

- redirecting the reveal that she was telling the truth the WHOLE TIME IN 2016 and that kanye west has always been and will always be a piece of shit (like we knew all along) to help with the pandemic and being the bigger person while kim kinda humiliated herself with a dumbass rant on twitter but kardashians are a whole different breed of stupid so what can ya do

- voicing so much!! for the pandemic!! donating to fans personally, telling people to get the fuck inside and social distance properly, cancelling lover fest which we were ALL looking forward to but she was looking forward to more than ANY OF US, constantly donating and telling us to donate to charities, being a part of the global citizen thing and performing SYGB live when she said she’d never sing it because it was too hard for her, but she did it for the world and for our situation...guys

- also, reminder, WE’RE IN A FUCKING PANDEMIC. has taylor’s promo gone down? yes. did the man get the run it deserved? no. is cruel summer likely to come out soon as a single? probably not. BECAUSE AGAIN WE’RE IN A FUCKING PANDEMIC. PEOPLE ARE DYING AND THE GREAT DEPRESSION IS ABOUT TO LOOK LIKE A PIECE OF CAKE COMPARED TO WHAT’S COMING. TAYLOR KNOWS SHE ISN’T THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW AND THE LOVER ERA CAN BE ON PAUSE UNTIL THIS UNPRECEDENTED GLOBAL CATASTROPHE HAS PASSED. AND Y’ALL SHOULD TOO.

in conclusion, the lover era was EVERYTHING AND BY FAR THE MOST GIVING AND FAN-BASED ERA WE’VE GOTTEN YET. TAYLOR WORKED SO HARD AND IS CLEARLY SO PROUD OF THIS ERA AND HER GROWTH AND I WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY BITCHING OR MOANING THAT IT WASN’T ENOUGH. Y’ALL DO THIS EVERY ERA AND THEN ONCE THE NEXT ONE COMES ALONG YOU DO A WHOLE 180 AND WHINE ABOUT HOW THE LAST ERA WAS GOLDEN AND AWESOME AND HOW THE CURRENT ONE SUCKS. Y’ALL SUCK. TAYLOR GIVES US SO MUCH MORE THAN ANY OTHER ARTIST GIVES THEIR FANS AND ITS ABOUT DAMN TIME Y’ALL REMEMBER THAT.

ok thanks for coming to my ted talk i’ve got three assignments due tomorrow lol gtg

#taylor swift #lover #lover era #taylurking #swifties #I WILL FIGHT FOR MY BABY GIRL LOVER #rant #sab speaks

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nonexistent-anime-echo · 5 years ago

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Cole's A Vampire: Part 3

A/N: I think I'm going to call this an AU. Can I call it an AU? I mean it seems like an AU and not just a random vampire fanfiction. I also just think getting AU asks would be fun. If I did get AU asks for this, I'd probably answer them both with text and drawings so I can work on my human drawing skills. TW: Blood, mentions of killing (both people and animals), poor mental health

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

----

"I can't believe I did that," Cole whispered shakily. He'd cried himself dry of tears an hour prior, so Jay was hugging him, trying to comfort him.

"Cole, it's not your fault," Jay said quietly.

"I-I don't want to go to a vampire hospital," said Cole. He felt his eyes stinging, and quickly stood up. "My eyes are watering," he explained to Jay, who was looking at him, clearly confused.

"Oh," said Jay. "Okay."

"What if something happens to the city while they're gone? We can't do anything! I'll just make the situation worse and you're still getting used to not being solid!"

"Calm down, everything'll be fine. We'll get a call from the others and Kai will be okay."

The phone rang inside. Jay and Cole ran in; Cole was the one to grab the phone.

"Hello?"

"H-He's stable," said Lloyd. "They said he should survive. He's still unconscious though."

Cole started crying. He covered his mouth with his hand and looked at Jay. Jay gave him a minute to calm down.

"I — I want to visit my dad," said Cole. "He might know how to help me control myself."

"Okay," said Jay. "How are we gonna get there?"

Cole thought for a minute.

"Our elemental dragons?"

"That'll work," said Jay. A few seconds later there was a blue dragon in front of him. He hopped on it. Cole got on his.

----

"Hey, Dad," said Cole, looking at the vampire in front of him.

"Hello, Cole! Who's this?"

"Jay. You remember him, right?"

"Vaguely. How'd he get turned into a ghost?"

Jay answered for Cole.

"It's a long story," he said.

"Anyway, I need your help," said Cole, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I've been having an extremely difficult time controlling my urges. That's how Jay was turned into a ghost, and a couple hours ago I almost killed my boyfriend. The blood the hospital's giving me isn't helping me much."

"You used to have so much control, what happened?" asked Lou, looking at Cole with a worried expression.

"I had a little too much control," Cole answered, looking at Lou. "I refused to get blood from anywhere, so I got sick. I tried a heart transplant, but it didn't do anything."

"Your mother tried the heart transplant too," said Lou with a sad expression. "It didn't help her either. They had no choice but to —"

"Kill her," Cole finished. "I don't want that to happen to me."

"I don't know how to help," said Lou. "The most advice I can give you is limit your blood intake, but that didn't do much for your mother."

Cole, Lou, and Jay stayed silent for a few minutes.

"The reason I attacked Kai in the first place is because his blood type is my favorite," said Cole. "B negative. It's almost like I crave his blood specifically, but I don't want to kill him. The more of his blood I get, whether he donates it or not, the more I get urges to attack him."

"I — don't know what to do about that," said Lou.

"If you can tell what blood type a human has by scent, what blood type did I have?" asked Jay, who was now sitting on the floor.

"O positive," said Cole. Jay looked at him curiously.

"So how long did I keep your cravings at bay for?" he asked, playing with a loose thread in the carpet.

"About two days," said Cole. "My cravings hadn't fully kicked in y — why are you comfortable talking about your death with the vampire that killed you?"

"I don't know," said Jay. "I'm surprised too."

Lou's phone rang.

"Hello? Cole, it's for you."

Cole grabbed the phone from Lou.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Cole." Kai's voice sounded a little shaky. Tears stung at Cole's eyes.

"Kai —"

"I know what you're going to say. It wasn't your fault you attacked me. You need to remember that."

"How was it not my fault, Kai?" Cole said a little angrily. "They're my urges, my temptations, my choices —",

"Because you're having a hard time controlling yourself," said Kai. "It's almost like you're out of control."

Cole stayed silent for a minute.

"Cole —"

"I'm not going to visit you and risk killing you," said Cole almost angrily. "I love you, I really do, but I'm not about to risk killing you."

He heard Kai sigh.

"I at least want to know you're okay," he said. "Jay's there, right?"

"Yeah," sighed Cole, putting the phone on speaker. He set the phone down on the table.

"Is he doing okay, Jay?" asked Kai.

"Yeah," said Jay. "I think, at least."

He glanced at Cole nervously. Cole looked at him, sticking his tongue out and crossing his arms.

"Maybe not," said Jay. "He's doing his best, that's what matters."

"You're right," said Kai, sighing. "I-I love you, Cole."

Cole's expression changed from mild defiance to sadness.

"I love you, too, Kai."

----

"Kai, he'll be fine," said Nya, looking at Kai nervously. It had only been about ten minutes since he'd gotten off the phone with Cole.

"But what if he isn't?" Kai asked nervously. "If he hadn't —"

"Kai, don't say it," said Lloyd. "You should be thankful that Cole didn't kill you. It mean he's regaining control. If he'd killed you, he might've gone on a killing spree. Attacking people is only making his urges stronger and harder to control."

"How would you know that?" asked Kai, glaring at Lloyd.

"We've done our research," said Zane. "I guess technically I didn't have to research it, but I helped Lloyd do some research."

Kai yawned.

"We'll let you get some sleep, Kai," said Lloyd, standing up. "It'll help you heal faster. See you later."

"Bye."

----

"You're — You're a vampire!"

Kai stared at Cole, whose eyes were glowing red. His fangs were protracted.

"Kai, I won't hurt you," said Cole, retracting his fangs. "Trust me. I would've attacked you before now if I wanted to attack you."

Kai looked at Cole cautiously.

"I promise," said Cole. He smiled. Kai smiled back. Cole turned a little red. "M-Maybe we can go to a movie or something? Sometime?"

Kai looked contemplative for a minute.

"Sure."

"I'll try to keep my fangs retracted if it makes you feel better," said Cole.

"You don't have to," said Kai. "I kinda like your fangs."

Cole smiled, fangs protracted.

"If you say so," he said. "C'mon. We have some training to do."

----

If only I had that much self-control now, Cole thought, relaxing on Lou's couch. Jay was sitting in a chair next to him.

"Don't you think they'll get worried, Cole?" he asked, looking at Cole worriedly.

"They're safer with me here, where I can't attack them," said Cole. His eyes started to water as he remembered his promise to Kai.

I won't hurt you…

"Jay?" said Cole, looking at the ghost next to him.

"Yeah?"

"I — I broke a promise I made to Kai," said Cole.

"What was that promise?"

"I promised him I'd never hurt him when he found out I was a vampire."

"It's not your fault you attacked him, Cole," said Jay gently.

"You and the other four keep telling me that," mumbled Cole.

"It's really not your fault though, Cole," said Jay. "You at least seem to be regaining control of yourself."

"But I still so badly want to attack Kai again," said Cole. "That's why I'm not going to visit him. Kai's my boyfriend, if I killed him I'd never be able to forgive myself."

"There are doctors there to restrain you," said Jay. "The point I'm trying to make is you can't stay cooped up on your dad's couch for the rest of time. And Kai needs to see you're okay."

Cole stayed silent for a few minutes.

"If you start getting ready to attack, the doctors can restrain you," said Jay. "They can do what they did when you attacked that woman."

"I'd rather not," said Cole. "I don't think you understand what it's like to be stabbed in the arm while you're attacking someone."

"Well, we have to do something so Kai knows you're okay," said Jay, looking at Cole with a slightly worried expression.

"I just really don't want to risk attacking Kai again, Jay," said Cole. He didn't make eye contact with Jay.

"If you won't visit him, at least tell him you're doing okay," said Jay.

"But I'm not," said Cole, looking at Jay. "I just almost killed my boyfriend, Jay. I'm not okay."

"You'll get better with time," said Lou, walking into the room.

"Mom didn't," Cole mumbled.

"I — I have faith in you, Cole," said Lou, looking at Cole nervously.

"We all do," said Jay. "You can regain control. You have to try."

Cole nodded and laid down.

----

"I hope he's doing okay," said Kai, looking at Nya.

"Okay," said Lloyd. Kai and Nya looked at him; Zane was on his back, smiling.

"What? Am I holding on too tight?"

"No," said Lloyd. "You're light as a —"

They watched as Lloyd fell. Zane fell backwards.

"Are you sure I wasn't holding on too tight?"

A nurse ran into the room.

"Is everything okay?" he asked frantically.

"Yeah," said Lloyd. He rubbed his head a little. "I just fell. Don't worry about him, he's titanium," he added as the nurse looked over at Zane and opened his mouth.

"What?"

"He's an android," Kai explained. "I mean, he's clearly not human."

"Oh," said the nurse. "If — If everything's okay, I guess I'll just go —"

The nurse walked out of the room.

"You are okay, right, Zane?" asked Lloyd, standing up.

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Zane. "How are you doing, Kai?"

"I'm doing okay," Kai replied.

"Your vitals are stable, that's good," said Zane.

"Can we try to call Cole again?" asked Kai. He winced as his IV tube caught on the blanket.

"Yeah," said Lloyd. "Hopefully he's doing okay."

Zane grabbed the phone next to Kai's bed and dialed Lou's number, putting it on speaker.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Jay," said Zane, smiling. "Kai wanted to talk to Cole."

"If he's up to it," added Lloyd.

"Cole, Kai wants to talk to you!" they heard Jay shout.

"Is he coming?" asked Kai, looking at the phone.

"No," said Jay. "He — He's still trying to cope with the fact that he almost killed you, Kai. He keeps telling me he's not okay. He tells me he feels better distancing himself from you guys because if he's not near you he can't attack you. He's comfortable around me because he isn't tempted to attack me since I'm a ghost, but since three of you are human —"

"What about me?" asked Zane, looking at the phone with an eyebrow raised.

"He hasn't said anything," said Jay. "I think since you're solid and I'm not, that might have something to do with it. He — He also thinks talking to Kai is going make the urges worse."

They heard Cole crying in the background.

"Let me talk to him, Jay," said Kai, adjusting his position on his bed.

"Cole, Kai wants to talk to you," Jay said gently on the other line. "He's worried about you."

"If he won't talk, I will," said Kai. "C-Cole, I know you're mad at yourself. But it wasn't your fault. I don't want this to change our relationship. Please make sure you're taking care of yourself. If not for yourself, do it for me. I love you."

Kai laid down. Tears were starting to run down his face.

"I'll see if I can get him to talk," said Jay. "I guess I'll see you later. Bye."

"Bye."

----

"How do other vampires drink this?"

Cole stared at the limp, bleeding horse in front of him. Lou had taken him out to try animal blood while Jay went to visit Kai, Lloyd, Nya, and Zane.

"It's not that bad," said Lou. "Not to me at least."

"I wouldn't be able to drink this on a regular basis, though," said Cole. "It's a little too bitter for me. I wish I could live off this instead of human blood."

"Is it sustaining you?" asked Lou, looking at him.

"Not really," Cole replied. "I need human blood, animal blood doesn't do me any good."

"How long has it been since you last had blood?" Lou looked at Cole, worry on his face.

"About two or three days," said Cole. "I haven't had blood since I attacked Kai. Horse blood isn't doing anything to calm me down."

"How about I go get you some blood when Jay gets back? I don't want you to get sick."

"Okay. Can you try to get B negative?"

"Of course."

It was about forty five minutes before Jay got back.

"Okay," he said as he got off his dragon. "I'm back. Kai's really worried about you, Cole."

"I know," said Cole. "But I'm not about to risk attacking him."

"Is that horse's blood doing anything?" Jay asked, looking at the dead horse.

"No."

"I'll be back in a little bit," said Lou. "I'll be back with some blood."

"Okay. Thanks," said Cole. Lou left, leaving Cole and Jay alone in the grass. They stayed silent for a few minutes; Cole stared at the bite mark in the horse's neck and Jay kept his eyes on Cole.

"We should go back to your dad's in case the others call," said Jay. Cole nodded and stood up. They walked to Lou's house quietly.

"I don't think we should draw attention to ourselves, especially since my dad and I just killed a horse," said Cole. "It's a little chilly."

He curled up on the couch when they got to the house.

"Are you doing okay, Cole?" asked Jay, looking at Cole with a concerned expression.

"I'm just a little cold," said Cole. A few seconds later a blanket was put over him. "Thanks, Jay."

"You're welcome," said Jay, smiling. After a couple of minutes, Cole's breathing slowed down and he was quietly snoring.

----

"Cole? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Kai," Cole said, smiling. He was doubled over with his arm across his stomach.

"If — If you need blood, take mine," said Kai. He held out his wrist. "I don't want you to get sick."

"But if I lose control —"

"It would be my fault for letting you drink my blood in the first place," interrupted Kai. He shoved his wrist in Cole's face; he winced as Cole pierced his skin. Cole drank a little bit, then stopped. He wiped his mouth.

"Thanks, Kai," he said.

"You're welc —" Kai let out a yelp of surprise. Cole was kissing him, his arms wrapped around Kai's waist. Kai eased into it after a few seconds.

"I want it to be like this forever," whispered Kai after they broke apart. "I'd give anything."

"Me too."

----

I'd give anything…

Kai was in his hospital room, staring at the ceiling. His eyes stung with fresh tears.

I'd give anything…

Worry pricked at his stomach. He hadn't heard anything from or about Cole in several days. He didn't even know if Cole was still —

No. He had to be alive.

But what if he isn't…

"Kai?"

Jay's voice snapped Kai from his thoughts.

"Hi, Jay. What's up?"

Jay moved away from the doorway.

"C-Cole!"

Cole ran over to Kai, hugging him tightly.

"I've — I've been losing sleep over you, you jerk!"

"I was protecting you from me," said Cole. "I have a better handle on myself, I feel like you're safer around me now than you were before. At least, I'm not so tempted to attack you."

"Then you can go back to the monastery?" asked Kai, looking at Cole hopefully.

"I'd have to let my dad know I'm leaving first," said Cole.

"Are your fangs protracted?" asked Jay, walking over to Kai's bed and sitting on the chair next to it.

"Nope," said Cole, smiling.

"Then I guess we don't have to expect you attacking any of us any time soon," said Kai. He kissed Cole lightly.

"Hey, I'm here too —" said Jay a little nervously.

"Sorry," said Cole, breaking the contact with Kai. "Well, I'll go talk to my dad about going back to the monastery. I'll come back after, I promise."

"Love you!" said Kai as Cole walked out the door.

"I love you too."

----

"Cole! You're okay!"

Nya ran over to Cole and hugged him.

"Calm down, Nya, he has a boyfriend," said Lloyd, laughing.

"Yep, I'm okay," said Cole a little awkwardly. "I don't have such bad blood cravings anymore."

"That's good," said Zane. Nya let go of Cole and stepped away from him.

"So you feel safe being around us now?" asked Lloyd.

"If I didn't I wouldn't be here," said Cole.

"Kai gets out of the hospital tomorrow," said Zane. "We should go to bed, then we can get up early tomorrow and get Kai."

----

"Maybe this can sustain me for a little bit?" said Cole, looking at the deer in front of him. "I mean, deer blood isn't extremely bad."

"As long as it keeps you from attacking people," said Lloyd.

"Can we keep the antlers?" Kai asked excitedly, looking at the buck's head. The others stared at him. "What? We technically hunted it, it didn't go to waste, and it has some pretty decent antlers! We didn't poach it!"

Cole, Jay, Zane, Lloyd, and Nya exchanged glances.

"I guess," said Zane. "You're cleaning them though."

It was a few hours before they got went to the monastery. Kai carried the buck's antlers, smiling.

"We went hunting!" he said happily as they walked inside; Wu was staring at them.

"I thought I'd try deer blood," explained Cole. "I can handle it, but it won't sustain me for very long, I don't think. I'm still satisfied from it though."

"Good," said Wu. He looked at the antlers Kai was holding.

"He insisted we keep the antlers," said Lloyd. "We — We probably should've asked you first, right?"

"Yes, but it's too late now," said Wu. "Put them somewhere safe."

Kai's smile grew and he ran to put the antlers away. Cole followed him.

"You're too happy about those antlers," he said, laughing.

"They're cool!" said Kai.

"Whatever makes you happy," said Cole.

----

A/N: Unless I get people literally begging me to write another chapter of this, this is the last chapter of the "Cole's a vampire" saga. I want to keep this story/AU alive through asks, so if you want you can submit an ask.

#ninjago #ninjago jay #ninjago nya #ninjago kai #ninjago cole #ninjago zane #ninjago lloyd #jay walker #nya smith #kai smith #cole brookstone #zane julien #lloyd garmadon #ninjago vampire au #ninjago au #lavashipping

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