#In the end I didn't end up buying a lot of merch though... Although I guess it's just me being very picky

[kyouka-supremacy]

Okay and I'm back, here's the highlights:

The first cosplays I found were of Ranpo and Oda!!! I was very excited to see Oda because I had never met someone cosplaying him before, and I was in Dark Era Dazai cosplay so it got me a little emotional eheh. They were so sweet!!!

Gogol cosplay!!! They were so cute and kind too. I asked them if they had been keeping up with season 5 and they told me it had made them super depressed (because of Dostoyevsky) akdnfvekdnbdke I'm so sorry.

At that point I was kinda struck because despite having seen several bsd cosplays before, I don't think I ever met anyone as something other than Dazai / Chuuya / Atsushi.

Found a suegiku couple and they were SO CUTE. And then as I was looking away Jouno straight up pulled out HANDCUFFS AND HANDCUFFED ME and said they were bound to handcuff every Dazai they would have stumbled across akdbfgeksbdhekd it was SO FUNNY. And cute. It made for such a nice photo <3

Extremely cute fyolais :') As I was distributing stickers to them I asked if Akutagawa (stickers) were alright, and they showed me THEIR MATCHING PHONE COVERS WITH AKUTAGAWA'S BODY ON ONE AND HIS HEAD ON THE OTHER, I WAS LOSING IT THERE AND THEN AKDNFVKDNFHELSDBHE

Bram and Sigma cosplay couple!!! They were FABULOUS

A Dazai / Dostoyevsky / Chuuya trio, they all were such cool people!!!! I had so much fun making small talk while giving away stickers– Dazai was so quick-witted and funny, I was like “is Akutagawa okay with you” to Dostoyevsky and Dazai intervened to say “oh yeah, my least favorite student” ajdbfvskdbdhks. Dostoyevsky seemed to really like Akutagawa though– in the end I found so many people liking him, but not a single cosplay of his (╥﹏╥). When I went to ask if they had sighted any other bsd cosplay and they told me they'd seen an Atsushi, I went “oh I absolutely need to catch them then!!” and Dazai replied “yeah, go catch my favorite student!!” ahah. Oh and when I brought out the Akutagawa plushie to show Dostoyevsky, and offhandendly joked “yeah, wouldn't go out without my loyal dog, right?” Chuuya replied in a thin voice “he is your loyal dog?” IT WAS ADORABLE

OKAY TO THE ATSUSHI COSPLAY. THEY WERE MY FAVORITE AND NEW FAVORITE PERSON IN THE WORLD. As I was running after them I called out “Atsushi! Atsushi!” and for some reason when they turned to see what was going on their face inmediately LIGHTENED UP and they??? Went to hug me?!?!?!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!! I have NO idea how that happened but let me tell you, it was the singlest cutest thing ever. We took photos of us hugging and they're so cute!!! And they mentioned that they loved Akutagawa, and I was VIBRATING, and I took out my Akutagawa plushie and they looked at it with glimmering eyes like it was the most beautiful thing in the world. Kissed him and everything. I'm storing the photo of them holding it close to their face while smiling brightly close to my heart.

A Chuuya cosplay!!! They were STUNNING. And it's very funny because looking back at it, as I saw them I kinda had the most Dazai reaction ever? So: by that time wearing the bandages over one eye was getting pretty painful, so I had previously pulled them up and put my glasses back on, you know? That means that as soon as I saw the Chuuya cosplay I turned bright red and turned my back to them and started fixing up myself the best I could akdbfhekdbheks. And then - as I figured they ware busy with something else and didn't want to interrupt - I stayed in the distance trying to appear the most nonchalant and disinterested when in reality I was watching out to never lose sight of them akdbfvekxnfbdkdnvdks. But in the end when I finally approached them they, too, were insanely kind (╥﹏╥) Other than, again, looked amazing!!!! I was really like “sorry to break character, but you look FABULOUS”. They wear such a beautiful smile!!!!!!! And they were super sweet.

One more soukoku couple, they were so kind and sweet!!!

One super cute Ranpo in the wild

A bigger group made of Mushitarou, Yokomizo, Gogol and Dostoyevsky. I was like “can I join you for a group photo?” and they were like “sure, join our dead husbands club! Although I guess that doesn't work for you. Uh. Dead-father-figure is close enough!” and I was like. UHM (ʘ‿ʘ)

I'm so sorry I didn't find any Akutagawa cosplay, I would have hugged them tight ಥ_ಥ

Btw @ anyone based in Italy among my followers, I'll be at romics on Friday! Feel free to hmu in dms if you'd like to say hi (ㅅ´ ˘ )♡

[moyokeansimblr]

Get to know you: Sims Style

Well I was patiently waiting to be tagged but it's not happened yet and @isimchi "tagged" anyone who hasn't so that means me 😁

What’s your favorite Sims death?

I mean, I have to say drowning. I have many a memory of my childhood best friend and I batch creating like 100 sims with the sole purpose to drown and make haunted lots... Surely we all did that though, right?

Alpha CC or Maxis Match?

These days I'm maxis match, and in particular my cc is 90-95% 4t2 stuff. Sometimes I miss non-clay hairs but not enough that I'd wanna switch back. I'm actually extremely happy with my game aesthetic at the moment. I see the appeal of alpha and I am alpha in sims 3 but I don't think I could go back to it in sims 2 anymore.

Do you cheat your sims weight?

Not directly... occasionally I've dragged needs up so a sim will exercise longer when they want/need a body skill because when it's not fall the body skill takes FOREVER to gain. So then they'll end up exercising so long that they get fit where they might not otherwise have. That's as close as I'd get to cheating their weight though.

Do you move objects?

I mean, yes. I both move objects and moveobjects. 😉 (although I've had the cheat alias "mon/mof" (yes, one f) for ages I don't even remember the proper way to type the cheat.

Favorite Mod?

Hmm that's tough. Some staples I couldn't live without are sim blender, ACR, monique's hacked computers, all the no regen mods, the auto saver, gussy up, and for some reason smonaff's period mod is the mod I've had in my game longer than anything else I have now. Been using that since the 2000s. Is it necessary? Probably not. Is it annoying? Yes but periods are annoying irl too. Would I miss it if I didn't have it in my game? Greatly.

First Expansion/Game Pack/Stuff Pack?

My parents bought the sims 1 on release when I was 3, and then at some point shortly thereafter I ended up entirely hijacking my mom's computer. But while they did buy every pack on release as well, the earliest pack that I still have solid memories of playing is Vacation. Is that all it was called? I think non-US versions had a cooler name like On Holiday or something.

Do you pronounce live mode like aLIVE or LIVing?

Ya know... I've never really thought about it until now but both. Sometimes I say LIVE and sometimes LIV. I don't know what goes on in my brain to decide which one I'm gonna say at any given point but I know for fact I say both.

Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made?

I've had many favorite sims over the years, most long lost into the void. But one sim I think about a lot is one of my old ts3 sims Levi Engle. He was one of my first truly evil sims and really one of my last proper edgy sims as well and I've not had anyone quite like him since. This was like 2016 I think? I'm still waiting to have a sim like him again, in either 3 or 2. "Made" is not quite accurate, he was born. But he's one of my own, not a premade.

Have you made a simself?

Oh have I.

Which is your favorite EA hair color?

Red. Specifically since I prefer 4t2 clay hairs in EA's colors these days the red that's swatch 9. This one.

Favorite EA hair?

Hmmm... In ts2

And in ts3

Favorite life stage?

Young Adult, in all versions of the game. University is my favorite EP across the board.

Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay?

Gameplay. Every so often I feel build-y, and I have made entire custom worlds in ts3 and hoods in ts2 where I've build everything myself but mostly I prefer to just use other people's or the game's builds and just enjoy playing.

Are you a CC creator?

I sometimes feel kind of weird using the word "creator" since all I do is convert stuff but yes. I share cc.

Do you have any Simblr friends or a Sim Squad?

I don't know? I have some mutuals that I go like 😁 whenever I see in my notifs or messages from. But I don't really exactly talk to anybody.

Do you have any sims merch?

I've got a blanket with plumbbobs on it and my brother's girlfriend got me a sheet of ts4 stickers I've not used yet. Otherwise, do all the old discs and prima guides count? My discs are the most important things I own.

Do you have a YouTube for sims?

Not really. I have a youtube channel that's a hodgepodge for both my eurovision ranking videos and the occasional sims thing. But I'm not a sims youtuber at all.

How has your “Sims style” changed throughout your years of playing?

Oh boy, it has a lot. When I was a kid I destroyed pleasantview with fairy and mermaid cc from "UserDeb" on the Exchange and SapphireSims2 I think it was called? Mad emo cc and like households where it'd be two families living together so the teen girl and teen boy could secretly meet together in the dead of night in the bathroom. Back then lots of one-off totally unrelated families in an otherwise empty custom hood that I'd play for the duration of a random idea I had then drop. Then in the 2010s I had a long stint of this like making 8 YA girls and 8 YA boys and pairing them up and then graduate and marry and kid and then create 8 more YAs in CAS and repeat and that got like 15 generations once. I did that kind of not really playing but more just like breeding for years. Whereas whenever I'd stop playing 2 and play 3 instead I would "properly play" and have long ass legacies. I never touched the premade sims until I tried to play Pleasantview in 2020. I did have a few failed megahoods then. Now I am wants-based and I prefer to have as little control as possible over my sims. I could say a lot more here but I'm tired.

Who’s your favorite CC creator?

Talk about a hard question! For times sake I'm going to say @deedee-sims because when I deleted my 48+ GB folder of alpha CC to start anew maxis match-y the first new CC I had was everything of DeeDee's.

What expansion/gamepack is your favorite?

ts2 University. I just love it.

-------

I don't know who has and hasn't done this since I feel like I'm late as I never got the tag. But since I really wanted to do it, I'm sure someone else who hasn't been tagged wants to too. So if you've not done it, go for it!!

[munchboxart]

Yay I got time to yap about Transformers figures

First things first, I'm a very selective and picky collector, aside from TFP Soundwave. I'm pretty sure I've collected most, if not all, available merch of him (including that stupid 30th anniversary blind bag one. If you need a figure from there that's in the v2, I will probably have it).

Anyways, so I'll be bringing up a lot of non-transforming figures since I care more about the looks rather than it's ability to transform. God I hate kibble so much, it's literally the biggest thing that makes or breaks a figure for me from buying it. The only reason why I've slowed down from collecting TF figures (also money because good god) is because so many figures have bad kibble or just prioritize transforming over looks.

ANYWAYS, I wanna talk about the figures I do like and wanna get. First and foremost, the Revoltech line. I initially didn't want to go buy any of the figures here because I don't really collect any of the characters in this line, but I did end up picking up Megatron and Starscream because good god, the packaging is so fucking good.

(Images from Plastic Crack)

Like I am so so so close to picking up Ultra Magnus too because he just looks so good + his toothpaste packaging that I love. I don't even want to collect Autobots (aside from maybe Jetfire) but look at this design!!!! It's just so yummy

As for figures I am thinking about going for next/like.

I really, really love the Flame Toys designs of their figures, although I do have one of their model kits (Thundercracker) and he is so loose. Like the moment I pick him up, he will fall apart in my hands 😭😭😭I've held back from buying their Soundwave model kit because I'm afraid of that happening again (also, I can't lie, I don't really... Care much about G1 Soundwave. He's cute and all but I'm tired of G1, but I don't really have a choice).

BUT, aside from their model kits, I do wanna pick up a Kuro Kara Kuri figure from them. That series line look so fucking good, especially Drift, Starscream and Megatron. But the one I have my eyes set on is TARNNNNN.

Back when this figure released (and even now), Tarn does not have a lot of figures, so him getting this well designed figure is such a treat to me. He can also glow!! I've unfortunately heard that his knock off of this figure is a little better, but I'll still have to look into that, but still! I've been obsessed with this figure for such a long time and I hope I can pick it up some day (bro is not cheap! And for good reason).

Oh and small side note, I wish more studios did more figures of IDW Megatron. I think it's one of the best designs of Megatron overall, I think it speaks really well to his character. He looks absolutely gorgeous here and happier than his Decepticon alt.

Also, me being a broken record about TFP but I really hope one day they actually do explore that series (they being Flame Toys). I bet their TFP Shockwave would look so so good, but I know their style is more gundam oriented. I'M JUST... I NEED TO LET IT GO 😭😭😭 BUT I NEED A THIRD PARTY TO JUST MAKE ONE MORE FIGURE OF THESE GUYS PLEASEEEE

Anyways I'll talk about one other figure series that I just learned today. Apparently Threezero has a DLX and MDLX series line (MDLX is just a smaller version of DLX but more articulated). I've actually been keeping an eye on them, as they also did a Dorohedoro series of figures and I REALLLYY WANT AN AIKAWA AND/OR KAI FIGURE SO BAD but anyways. Unfortunately, a lot of their Transformers figures are the ones from the Bayverse that I giga don't give a fuck about, but I can't lie, their Shockwave looks so fucking good.

Soundwave's looks a little too chunky for me, but this one looks absolutely perfect (his hand is kind of tiny though, LOL). He looks so well built and sturdy and balanced as hell here. I probably won't pick it up in a long while since he's also kind of expensive (also Tarn looks way more appealing, sorry SW) but still a note I'd like to keep.

I also mentioned earlier, but D-16 is also getting a figure from them! MDLX Specifically, and he looks really fucking good here. I will say, I hate how long the legs are, but thats a TFONE issue.

That's all I have for figures I want to get next, but I wish I had more to talk about or want. As I've mentioned, I'm super picky on the figures I want, like hell, all of these are non-transforming figures, but god I really wish more studios did them. I think a lot more of the Asian studios are taking that route luckily, and I really can't wait to see more. Unfortunately, a lot of them are sticking to the big 2-4 (OP, Megatron and maybe Starscream & Bumblebee, understandably but it's so dry here 😭), but Flame Toys seem to be exploring more characters so I can't wait to see more from them.

Transformers RED also seemed like a promising line when it first came out, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THEY ALSO DID TFP FIGURES... But it's so disappointing to hear how bad the quality was 😭😭😭 At least Knockout got some justice out of it...

Side tangent of the figures I do own:

I actually don't... Really have figures I really like as much as the ones I've shown above. I do have a Masterpiece of Soundwave (although, I don't know if it's genuine, but I also kind of don't care). Transforming is fun and all, but I am so afraid of chipping the paint of this thing that I don't transform it much. Other than that, most of my other figures are TFP figures of Soundwave (I have 2, I'll explain in a bit), Shockwave, and a figure of the Vehicon Armada (I do want to collect more to be honest, but I don't have enough space).

For the 2 Soundwaves I have, both of them are APC toys (because I am not fucking spending $100 on the official one that retailed for $20-$30 bucks, and the figure isn't even that good!). The variants I have are the Serpent Bell one and the Demonic Whisper. The Serpent Bell one is just one I picked up because the original sold out, only to find out a week or so later that they released Demonic Whisper. I think Demonic Whisper is a lot more show accurate. I just looked it up again and there's apparently a 2.0 that I might fucking get because I'm INSANE. Also side tangent again, I fucking hate the blue they go with for the figures of him. They went with the 3d model colors but for that entire show, he was not fucking blue, he was dark purple and I am so happy APC Toys did him justice.

For Shockwave, I picked up the Beast Hunters variant. It's the best version and most show accurate one I believe. I was tempted to pick up the limited edition lab one but the yellow pissed me off so much. I wish there were better versions of him because this iteration is so fucking good and his figures could do so much better...

The Vehicon one I have was just for fun, but I also kind of want to collect more to have a tiny army because they're so funny. I'm pretty sure it's the official version, but I don't mind buying the APC toys one too. I saw a seller selling their army of them once and it made me so sad... If I had the money, I would get all of them 😔

I really wish I had more figures, but also the figures I do have are filling up so much of one shelf in my collection LOL (my Gundams are also in there. Don't talk to me about Gundam story, IDGAF about Gundams, frankly I hate them aside from the bot designs).

Anyways, long rant OVER

[datastate]

do you have any hcs about mishima and nao?

SOOO MANY! BUT for now, i'll stick with a small one on their beginning friendship :D

nao used to be very quiet in a lot of her classes; a nice person, certainly, and easy to talk to! but rather closed off unless you tried to pry, where even that would just be rude and she'd say as much.

but of course, there were small things here and there she'd share with her friends should you happen to overhear. usually, it'd be anime/manga that she'd recommend to others (usually horror with interesting concepts, though she wasn't immune to well-written 'slice of life's) - which resulted in hana (her best friend) actually buying her a keychain for her bag!! nao doesn't usually wear/buy merch, as she fears she'll lose/damage them, but... since her friend got it, she felt she'd be disappointed if she didn't show it off.

&...! this is the spark for professor mishima to actually prompt her on her interests; one of the few things she'd end up rambling on about... and he has enough context to keep her going!

it was nice getting to see her actually relax a bit, if a bit surprising to realize that she liked horror so much... and of course, it was when she inevitably brought it back to art (she was inspired to become an artist from such a silly thing, though mishima assures he understands) that she started getting nervous again; as much as she loves it, she can't draw it well. it doesn't feel like it could fit her style much at all - she intimidates herself out of drawing it.

however! mishima does not lose hope so easily. he encourages her to keep trying & experimenting with her art. after all, art is something she should have for herself if nothing else...

although mishima doesn't typically work with horror, he does have plenty of pointers on how to incorporate characters into a backdrop (it provides variation + reflects his current views too... people being a part of something larger, connected through means they don't quite realize); he had a similar start to nao in that he often relied heavily on portraits/character focus, but for that reason can help lead her along into slowly branching out.

a lot of what nao likes is the eerie - something that you have to really look at to realize how off it is. working on backgrounds such as these definitely helps with integrating characters in a more natural manner! and helps improve her work altogether, too...!! she's having more fun than she used to with her personal projects, where she previously felt stagnant but couldn't pinpoint why (and felt guilty to ask hana, as the response would always be a well-meaning "but i like your art! i don't think that at all" rather than critique she wished for), so it was...!! really nice for her to have <3

and... getting to show a trusted adult that, too, made her very happy. her parents didn't often see art as something that'd work out... but she finally felt pride in her work, and had something else to look forward to when it came to classes, rather than simply skirting by day-to-day. it took about a year and a half of school to get here, but... it makes it feel worth it.

it's also around this late time of the year, too, that mishima casually mentions he's trans.

one of the other students is complaining about the cold, and he agrees a bit too personally that skirts are awful in this weather before offering his usual advice... and it's this moment that stays in nao's mind. combined with previous comments here and there about the dysmorphia in horror...

despite this near-confirmation... nao waits until the very end of the year before she admits to the professor that she's trans. she hasn't really socially transitioned yet, only a few friends know, and she's still a bit afraid she might've misunderstood that he's trans... but it all turns out well by the end of it <3

however, since she's about to enter her last year with people who mostly knew her as a boy, it's only when she graduates that mishima offers to help put word in to adjust her uniform; which she greatly appreciates... also, throughout her last year, they get to actually discuss how it is to be mixed & that is when he offers to learn arabic with her. she was never taught it, and is too embarrassed to ask her parents, so he's taken it upon himself to help her with that too... here and there, still as her mentor and friend even after their time in school :'D

[peterfearonhndpart2]

final piece evaluation

The last and final assignment was definitely the most difficult one because you have to create branding for an exhibition and literally create an exhibition with your own piece so its like three jobs in one. If one person isn't doing their role then you have to take over mainly because we were limited on time and some things weren't working. We started off with ideas of what the exhibition could be about. A lot of my ideas were at the forefront because I had been doing quite a lot of research on branding and themes. Then jorja made an idea about a service station which we all agreed was a great idea. So I then went on to try to expand on that idea by finding more and more road signs. Also what's in a service station like the uniform and so on and also signage. That's why I think I became the merch designer although at the last minute some designs did get changed. I feel it was a step in the right direction. I like that we chose shirts as well as t-shirts because they are not commonly sold in certain places. I wanted us to have badges on hats because that's not really a common thing you see people have on their hats and again my idea generating was good. I brought up that idea because I know that embroidery on the back and side of the hats are expensive so why not something that you can customise and place where on your hat. I then also helped matt out with the flyers which was cool. But I still wasn't sure what my final piece was going to be about until I thought that I should make it about clothing. Feo life became a topic of discussion because we are limited on time and buying blanks can be expensive. Why not screen print designs over old clothing. The concepts for the designs that i came up with were based on displaying your talent because i know a lot of people who if they tried and was brave they would show off their talents out there but they don't because they are afraid of what people might think so most of my designs are based on that. Some shell designs because creatures that are afraid hide in shells. I then also used a balaclava design because I found that cool. Screen printing was an issue because at first i thought i could get them done at bcu was i wrong. Because i could only get the bad gateway merch done there which kind of slowed down my progress because time was running out and I had to shoot a video and do a photoshoot for my clothes. All the clothes for the bad gateway came out alright except a few. I then went to Sutton campus to get my things done. I could only print three designs even though I was promised 4 but that's just life. I can't really complain because I managed to get them all done to a great standard by the end of the day. I just wish I had more days. Its just that someone had promised to do the video for me then bailed on me so i had to get it done but by my friends. Friends, although they want to help, won't always try their best in comparison to people who you don't know. Because I don't feel they put as much effort into it. So the video didn't turn out 100% of what i wanted it to be. But it's still nice. These are things you learn as you go a long somethings i screen printed on were materials i have never tried and wouldnt recommend since it takes more pulls. Overall i think that this assignment has humbled me. Its made me grow a pair because i am usually a shy person so id never really reach out to people but the fact i had to message someone is character building in a way. I think everything i didnt was great definitely could of been done better but its still good. also setting up was great since I had a say in a lot of things it was good that I did take images of the leaks in the space before because most of the work dodged so nobody's work got damaged. I got a lot of good feed back I liked how my clothing were hanging I'm just annoyed that the sides which weren't screen printed properly were displayed at first until I turned them around. I also helped set up where the merch is overall everything was great hopefully do one again.

[namuneulbo]

week one hundred and twenty two

week started off good with a successful job interview. i can't believe i got so lucky with finding a job. it was definitely worth spending an entire day on applying to like 50+ jobs. it's a receptionist job at a hotel quite nearby which is nice. it looks so fancy and the people there seem nice! it's an extra job so it's even less hours than part-time but honestly, that suits me really well. from my experiences from part-time they always end up giving me more hours than i can take and i end up feeling like shit. i am quite scared of being exposed to german and dutch though because i might've added those to my resume although i definitely only knows the basics, especially of dutch. i've been grinding duolingo to get my german back to the level it was a few years ago but it's still a long way to go.

on thursday i went out with l and his friends, more specifically, ONE of his friends and their friends. it was nice but the vibe was OFF. he's recently been replying SO DRYLY and now it was even happening in real life. it actually got me feeling so shit i ended up texting him about it afterwards and asking if everything was okay to which he responded "i'm just really busy rn," WHICH IS FAIR but i don't know, you don't keep your headphones on when i'm talking to you because you're busy... like i get not being able to meet as much but being busy doesn't equal acting like that when we meet up.

at least his friend was really nice!

on friday i queued all day with m and two other swedish-speaking finns that she apparently knew and, oh my god, the world is so tiny because one of them knew a lot of people i went to high school with.

we were queueing for the 1975!!!!!!!!!!!!! i actually didn't feel like it took too long. we would've gotten barricade if they didn't let the other queue in before us and i'm still so pissed about that because WHY ARE THERE PEOPLE WITH NUMBERS ABOVE 100 IN FRONT OF ME WHEN I WAS ONE OF THE FIRST 15 PEOPLE IN THE FUCKING QUEUE?!?!

at least they were good live. they played so many of my favorites, jesus christ 2005 god bless america, a change of heart... i only wish matty would've talked more. he barely said anything :(

i also ended up not getting any merch because the only shirt i wanted was sold out TT

conveniently, on saturday, i had booked an appointment to fill in some ink for my tattoo and i had to get up early and i was not having it!!! literally was more annoyed about having to get up and get ready than the actual travelling and getting the tattoo fixed. i had some time to spare before the appointment so i went by a shop to get a monster and also left the appointment with a kexchoklad that another artist gave to me. what a guy! forgot how good they were too... yum.

the rest of the day i played sims and watched family guy.

now it's sunday and i'm thinking about going for a jog. i would've already been on one by now if it wasn't for the bathroom being occupied for the past hour or so TT to be fair, i also take my fair share of time in there when i'm getting ready.

i haven't gone for a jog in so long since it's been winter and icy and just... not appropriate weather because you will never catch me buying a jacket and specific shoes and shit just for a little jog. i already bought a pair of shoes and workout clothes last year so i can grind during the summer.

sotw: the 1975 - a change of heart

[neverendingdream111]

GENSHIN IMPACT AS IDOLS

- one of the groups consists of: Zhongli, Childe, Venti, Xiao, Diluc, Kaeya and Albedo

- Zhongli is the leader and the oldest obvsly and his smooth deep voice is to die for

- He's also the visual along with Albedo (tho everyone here is gorgeous, ngl)

- Childe constantly switches between rap and vocal, but he's mostly recognized for his amazing dancing (he's the main dancer for a reason)

- Venti is the main vocal and possibly writes most of their songs (sometimes Albedo helps him)

- Funnily enough, Venti is often confused for being the maknae while in reality he's the second oldest in the group

- Xiao is the main rapper

- He refuses to sing but would do it if asked (rarely)

- and he's the real maknae - even tho he hates it he can't do anything about it (and everyone, especially Venti and Childe, loves teasing him for it)

- Diluc and Kaeya are the other rappers along with Xiao and they are related in some way tho both refuse to reveal anything to the public (but everyone is convinced they're brothers)

- they don't get along most of the time and argue constantly, but it only amuses the rest of the members and the fans absolutely love their arguments bc it more often than not turns into a rap battle

- and let me tell you, they completely kill it

- then, we have Albedo. He and Zhongli are the most peaceful ones and most likely keep the team together bc if not those idiots would've caused absolute chaos eons ago

- His voice is angelic, everyone adores it

- Childe and Kaeya are the most chaotic duo especially together

- they have the stupidest ideas and like to mess around

- and they are perfectly aware of their god-like looks and also have the audacity to use it "against" their fans (not that anyone complains)

- they are partners in crime when it comes to teasing Diluc

- Kaeya does it on a daily basis and Childe found it funny and decided to join him on causing inconvenience to others, lol

- Xiao, even though he's an idol, hates interacting with humans but makes an exception for fanmeetings, concerts, interviews and such because Zhongli raised him right--

- he has a soft spot for cats and would have one at the dorm if it wasn't for Venti being allergic to them (although he doesn't see any problem with it)

- speaking of the dorm, it's the pure definition of destruction

- Childe and Kaeya being the little shits they are room together and they are that kind of roommates that would blast music on full volume in the middle of the night just because they felt like it (but obvsly they do it to summon a demon in the form of sleep deprived Diluc because they know he's a light sleeper)

- Venti at some point moved in with them bc he felt like it and it's totally not because Xiao kicked him out--

- Zhongli and Diluc share a room because they both know how to appreciate a moment of peace and they just like each other's company; their perfect afternoon on their day off is sitting there with a cup of tea each and exchanging stories they've heard and/or experienced

- Albedo is probably the only person Xiao would room with excluding Zhongli (and maybe Diluc but it's debatable) because he's calm and collected, doesn't talk too much unlike the other three and when he does talk it's nice to listen to him

- also, the sound of sketching calms him down

- Venti somehow lives in all of the rooms in the dorm. First he roomed with Xiao and Albedo, but he got kicked out by the maknae. Then he gravitated towards Zhongli and Diluc but after a few days the redhead got so annoyed with him he ended up with Childe and Kaeya. The three of them share a braincell, that's why they get along so well, but even though he lives with them he sometimes ends up in the other rooms but that's just him

- he likes a change of scenery, ehe

- Zhongli's the dad of the group

- whenever someone has a problem they automatically go to him

- also, even though they are a really chaotic group, they are equally capable of working together (main reason why they are so goddamn awesome on stage)

- Xiao might act like he doesn't care but he does. A lot

- every time one of his hyungs is having a bad day he subtly tries to cheer them up. He feels awkward with words in these moments and physical contact isn't really his forte but instead he does things like buying them their favorite snack, or opting to watch their favorite film with them (even if he absolutely hates it he still would watch it)

- everyone obvsly knows what he's doing and they appreciate it

- Childe and Kaeya actually aren't as easy-going as they like to appear on stage. They are really emotional human beings and are probably most affected by hate comments and such

- Diluc, as much as he despises their attitude and teasing he has to endure bc of them, cares about them a lot and usually he's the one to knock some sense in them when they believe the haters or just have a bad day. He may not like their behavior but he's not heartless and deems them as family (even tho he wouldn't admit it)

- Albedo isn't a lot older than Xiao, maybe something around a few months, so everyone thinks of him like a second maknae and just because he gives off the vibe, y'know

- He loves drawing and sometimes does a sketch of one of the members or recreates a fanart of them he saw on Pinterest (cue to the fans going wild)

- He, alongside with Diluc, often cooks for them. They both are amazing cooks and I refuse to believe otherwise

- Venti has a playlist prepared for every occasion and uses them accordingly

- he also has playlists dedicated to every member of the group and it's his way of cheering them up or being there for them when they are separated

- as for the run episodes, well.... It can be described in one word

- chaos

- they're even capable of riling Zhongli up!

- tho he mostly opts to watch the chaos from the sidelines, snickering under his breath, he ends up in the crossfire from time to time

- contrary to popular belief, the most competitive ones are Diluc and Xiao

- they are so set on winning they sometimes forget that it's all a game

- Childe once got an elbow to the face in one episode but still no one knows who did it (it was Kaeya--)

- Albedo is just... There, tho he does enjoy it. More than he would admit

- Childe and Kaeya are dying of laughter most of the time and do stupid things that probably only they understand which makes the other laugh harder

- and Venti absolutely loves being the host: it gives him a perfect view of his friends who half the time have no idea what the hell is going on and, of course, power

- the fanmeetings are just the other excuse for them to make fun of each other and fool around

- fans don't mind it one bit because it is honestly hilarious to watch the utter chaos unfold

- even when they are signing albums and merch they throw comments here and there to provoke the other

- especially Xiao bc he's a softie when it comes to their fans and as long as the girls don't do anything... Weird, he doesn't mind interacting with them and sometimes finds himself actually enjoying the contact

- while we're on the fanmeetings--

- Zhongli is absolutely wonderful. He's the kind to delicately hold your hand, look into you eyes and smile softly while focusing entirely on you and what you have to say, indulging into conversation as well

- if it wasn't for the staff members reminding him that the time's up, he would spend at least an hour with every fan

- Childe is so excited he grins so much his cheeks hurt, and would look at you like you just made his day. You can be stuttering, super nervous and anxious and he'd just say it's completely fine and that you should take your time, even if the staff says that you should move to the next member

- Venti is the one that talks a lot, but would shut up and listen to you. He especially likes playing with your hands or just some games like rock-paper-scissors

- he also loves it when some fans show him their singing and he encourages them to go on, synchronizing with them and making an amazing duet

- Xiao is, like I've said before, a big softie. He really appreciates the fact that people find their music nice and genuinely like to listen to it. Would probably ask you questions like "what's your favorite song?", "What do you think of this album *gestures to the one he just signed*" etc

- he DID wear cat ears once because a fan gave them to him and they looked kind of cute

- he didn't hear the end of it for two weeks minimum and Childe and Kaeya probably have the pic as their wallpapers

- Diluc is the most... normal one? I mean, he enjoys the meetings a lot, but he doesn't show his excitement as much as the others. Conversations with him are like talking to an old friend that understands you and it's just so... wholesome

- he's honestly surprised when he gets gifts from the fans. He does appreciate it of course, but he just doesn't really understand why you would go as far as to give him something for no particular reason please give him lots of love he needs it-

- Kaeya is the one with the audacity to flirt with you. Loves seeing the blush on your cheeks and just enjoys annoying people. Though he sometimes stops it out of mercy and opts to talk with you like a normal human being--

- most protective of their fans. Sees one in distress or being picked on, immediatly steps in or tells a staff member to handle the situation

- Albedo is somewhere between Zhongli and Diluc's behaviour tbh. He's really sweet, loves talking to the fans and gets super excited whenever one of them shows him a fanart - especially if it's an original idea

- now let's get to the best part

- as lovely and peaceful as they are on a daily basis, they turn into freakin devils on stage

- kind grandpa with a calming voice? Who's that? A goddamn satan entered the chat

- ooooh, the cat lover? Sorry, we only have a mf demon available

- don't even get me started on the Childe-Kaeya-Diluc trio--

- all in all, they may be annoying each other night and day but they still love one another like family and their bond only strengthens when they stand in the spotlight

I had this idea today and, well, it turned out like this, hope you enjoyed! I also may be doing some sort of continuation to this with Xingqiu, Chongyun, Razor and Bennett as a trainee idol group so let me know if you'd like something like this and if you have any ideas for other groups!

02.05.21

~Nana

[arasokanbina]

More Girls Planet 999 Thoughts.

After some reflection I have some more thoughts. Although I didn't get all members I wanted (which that wasn't possible because I had more than 9 out of the final 18) , I think I can and will support them without the initial hurt carrying on.

Earlier I made notes of the trainees I liked and for Bahiyyih I put a star next to her for a reason, because I did and still do like her. At the time the star was to differentiate her in my liked list because I thought she needed more training and was worried I might feel biased because I like Kai as well so it was a note to myself. I also did this for Myah because I do adore her but was worried as she's young, the star was like an extra lookout for those types of reasons.

Then as the episodes came and went she got less and less and then some more screen time. They didn't show her enough, be it because she wasn't as loud as other trainees or directed editing I ended up not really knowing her charms aside from a few and far between moments which is frustrating. However at least with this debut it'll be nice to see what she can do.

Regardless of my questions on the voting, fandoms or even politics Bahiyyih has always done well on stage. There would always be a member I loved that would have not made it because it's (Jessi voice) a competition! And besides many soon to be idols come from these shows and do very well, some even do more than the top rankings.

Depending on how their music is I will buy their albums but if it's not my style I will still support them but won't buy the albums maybe some merch if I'm able. I will also support the girls I loved who didn't make it, the other 8 and the ones I loved who didn't make it to the finals.

Girls Planet 999 was my first fully watched GG survival show and I'm proud of myself for making it through to the end because I always wanted too but I either missed the boat or my poor concentration got the better of me and I lost track of it.

Even though I've had this reflection it's still fresh so I might say more later haha.

Update 7 Nov 2021:

Even though I had heard of evil editing many times and seen it before in various ways be it previous survival shows with commentors making videos on it or reality TV in the west I hadn't seen it properly first hand in a long time because I don't watch TV or films. So my usually good perception was off and other reasons I have stated below.

It's still a bit hard for me to get Ya Ning's 'diss' out my head as something less rude because I'm defensive of Yujin and CLC. When I partially watched Chuang 2021 and YwY s2 I was able to see the difficulties and problems much easier so my initial reaction in those shows weren't as strong as it was with gp999. I think this is because Mnet are much more crafty at editing along with my pre bias towards supporting Yujin as I watched the show for her and mentors Sunmi and Fany (my babes). Also for Bora because she's my Cherry Bullet bias but I haven't fully yet gotten into them even though I almost got their album because lots of kpop groups and it can be difficult at times to get all the fan girling on efficiently lol.

So even though I'm not great at watching shows and I can be gullible even though as I said my intuition is very good I can get blinded. Of course its not a fault, I didn't do anything wrong and especially didn't go an harass or leave mean comments about Ya Ning or anyone else but it's a good reminder for me to watch the actual stages and other side content and not just the show and if I can't because even though I love this stuff it's hard for me to keep up, to try and ignore the 'problematic' and also 'angelic' looking contestants to have a more relaxed view which will help my heart because I get upset at what I'm seeing then I realise it's been twisted and get upset again lol.

Anyway justice for C group. Screen time for J group. Understanding for K group. Support for Kep1er. Support for the ones who didn't debut.

[kimmyyang]

My views on ‘The Untamed 陈情令’

I never thought I would write a review on a drama although I have watched a lot of dramas of different genres for about 15/16 years. There is something about ‘The Untamed’ that made me want to write a review or at least write out my feelings. I’m not going to write too deep and get into all the details. But I guess this could be a way for me to get out of this trap or try to get it off my chest. 

I’m not a fan of the original novel (well, not yet) as I don’t like reading so I haven’t read it yet. However, I have decided to read it as I have finished the drama and couldn’t get over it no matter how much I want to escape from it. 

Trust me, I don’t usually get THIS attached to a drama or any characters, I mean yeah, the casts are handsome and all, but I stayed for the plot and the characters, not just the good looks of those actors. Especially if it’s 50 episodes long, I wouldn’t stay for someone’s visuals like I ain’t got time for that – I can just watch the cuts of that actor lol. I’m quite picky because I have seen A LOT of dramas, if I watch 2 episodes and it bores me then bye and I don't like long dramas. But after the 50 episodes, I felt so empty like I wanted more??? I know that's normal since I have experienced that before but this time was slightly different.

I personally think everyone portrayed their characters very well, despite most of them are young actors/ actresses. I usually skip or play supporting characters’ parts in 1.5 speed if they’re not as interesting as the main characters. But they kept me riveted throughout the entire drama, I didn’t skip one bit. Most characters hit me at some point during the drama, and I loved it (while shedding buckets of tears haha). 

Apart from WWX and LWJ, my FAVORITE character is Jiang Yan Li - notice how I capitalized the word and it's in bold, that’s how much I loved her. She’s the best shijie/ sister that anyone could ask for. I feel like she’s WWX’s half mother, she takes care of him. She is a gentle and polite woman. She isn’t powerful in the Cultivation World (she mainly just focused on cooking tbh lol it's cute tho) but she doesn’t hesitate to protect WWX. She stood up for him even in front of her future mother-in-law, she trusted him until the end even when everyone went against him, and when her parents got killed, she didn’t blame him (it wasn’t his fault anyway) and eventually sacrificed her life for him. Her death was just so tragic like I was bawling my eyes out, she didn’t deserve it, she really didn’t. She was just a simple girl that wanted the best for her family. But she is the last straw that broke the camel’s back aka WWX, if she didn’t die for him, he probably wouldn’t get out of control. It was so cruel to WWX but I kind of understand why the author did it. 

I also enjoyed the cinematography, scenery and OST, all of it was so astounding. Even the name of the locations were beautiful like 云深���知处 – it sounds so poetic. I loved how each sect had their own colors which reflected their characteristics in the Cultivation World. The characters also had their own OST, my favorite ones are Wen Ning’s & Jiang Yan Li’s songs – it still hurts when I listen to them, and I nearly cried few times (yes, I have a soft spot for Wen Ning, too.) I want to add that Jiang Yan Li & Jin Zi Xuan's song hurts a lot as well, the lyrics are like a fucking knife stabbing me in the chest. I thought I was strong enough to watch the MV, but I couldn't control my tears gdi. You know when you're cutting onions and tears just streaming down your face, that's what happened to me - except there were no onions.  *I was a fan of the singer when I was younger so watching him singing the song on the stage also took me back to the old days ah~ This song gave me double feels lol ;~; 

A part of me regrets that I didn’t watch it last year but a part of me is thankful that I finally got to watch it this year. It was already a hot topic before it even aired in China, so of course I have heard about it and I know briefly what it is based on. But I didn’t want to jump on the bandwagon and be like I’m a huge fan of the drama just because it’s popular (it’s hard to explain but I’m quite stubborn sometimes lol). Many said that you wouldn’t understand the story or the little details in the drama if you haven’t read the novel (I watched the animation before the drama, so I know a bit of the story). I don’t like reading anyway so I didn’t bother with it. Also, the genre of the novel isn’t something that I would read so that’s another reason why I left it. I’m not against any type of love, I just feel a bit iffy about reading it, which is kind of stupid now that I think about it lol. Another reason is that I don’t like depressing dramas, I used to watch a lot of those in my younger days, most of the plots are quite cliche. Although 'The Untamed' is sad, there were sweet, happy moments and it has a happy ending, so I loved it.

A lot of people didn’t like the ending, but I think it was a good ending. I mean they can’t really do much as they have to pass the censorship. My interpretation of the ending is that LWJ went to sort out everything in the Cultivation World so that he could be with (or protect) WWX later. He found WWX (maybe a few years) later and called WWX’s name. In that scene, WWX’s black outfit is different to when they parted, so it can’t be LWJ came back to WWX right after they went separate ways – that would very irresponsible to do since he is the Chief Cultivator. It’s an open-ended ending, so it’s up to the audience’s imagination, you can interpret it however you like. The camera didn’t show LWJ at the end so it could also be WWX imagined that LWJ called his name. But I believe that they got together, you can just tell just by looking at WWX’s facial expressions. It isn’t that difficult to figure it out, the novel has a happy ending so yeah. I also read it somewhere that when LWJ went to meet up with WWX, he also changed his outfit but apparently that part didn't pass the censorship (wtf?) so maybe that's why they didn't show LWJ at the end. 

I guess the good thing is that I can’t get all the related merch, if I watched it last year, I would definitely ask one of my relatives to buy and send everything over for me lmao goodbye my money. But I would buy the physical novel when I get the chance. If a drama left a big impact on me, I would buy the novel (if it has one of course).

I think I need a long cool-off period after this drama, I don’t want to watch anything else except their bts, interviews (even supporting actors’ interviews, I usually don’t watch those), crack videos lol, variety shows, fan meeting – basically everything that I can find, I don't think I have watched everything though. When I watched a cut of the cast saying goodbye to their characters on the fan meeting, I cried again (ffs just get over it). It’s definitely one of the best dramas I’ve ever watched and would definitely recommend to those who likes Chinese dramas. Not that anyone cares, but I would rate it 9/10 (if shijie was alive, I would give another 0.5 lol). I don’t know how good the subtitles are, but I did see some odd bits here and there (I watched it without the English subtitles). Sometimes it’s really hard to translate Chinese especially when it’s a xianxia drama – making it even more difficult. Anyway, if I get to finish reading the novel, I might write my views on the novel if I can be bothered lol – I’m a very lazy person XD

I kind of want to write another post just about WWX and LWJ, and how good Xiao Zhan & Yibo’s acting skills were. Basically, complimenting them for 2 pages haha. Ngl, I did fell for Xiao Zhan. I might watch it again just to focus on them a bit more. From the interviews I have seen, Xiao Zhan seems like a very humble, kind, genuine person – you can just tell from his eyes. He’s definitely a treasure boy (硬翻'宝藏男孩'). I don’t think I need to say much about Yibo, he’s super talented, I was already a fan of UNIQ when they were active. The character really suited Yibo and he did a great job portraying LWJ.

Anyway, it’s time for me to say goodbye to 'The Untamed', I don’t know how long I will feel attached to this drama but hopefully there’s another masterpiece that could help me to get over it.

忘羡一曲远，曲终人不散。

[followingliz]

Spokane Washington Day 1

Our first day in Spokane we decided to do all the touristy things! From the river walk to the mall, using lime scooters to enjoying the flowers at Manito Park- we packed a lot in!

We started our day with a nice lie-in and only headed to brunch at 11.30! Our first stop was, of course, Incrediburger & Eggs. With mimosas, the Pig Newton- burger, fried egg, Havarti and fig jam, and the Earth & Turf mushroom burger with carmelized onions -- Mom and I were in food heaven! It's hard to think of a more American meal than really good, packed-with-flavor hamburgers.

On our way downtown, we found an "adventure" spinny wheel which had a variety of suggestions of little things around downtown to try. We found we had no choice but to feed the garbage goat!

It's a metal goat with suction for its mouth that will suck up garbage into a metal container. A way of encouraging people not to litter but also a brilliant little quirky activity.

Right next to the garbage goat, you'll find the bridges across the Spokane River. The upper bridge gives great views of a rushing river and some light rapids.

The lower bridge really highlights the 'falls' and both bridges offer stunning views of the river. Watching the river is pretty mesmerizing. We don't get a lot of rivers like this in Tucson, nor in any other place I've lived.

We were going to take the 'sky ride' which involves gondolas going over the river but it was too hot! An extreme heat warning, temperatures in the 100's F (40's C), and a city not prepared for that kind of heat meant no sky ride and also required us to head into the air-conditioned River Park Square mall to cool down. The Mall is huge and tall, though the top floor is only movie theaters.

In the mall, there is a local store called From Here. Where, you guessed it, they sell items made in Spokane! They had a wide variety of printed shirts, magnets, teas, bath bombs, jewelry, mugs, stickers, artworks etc. It was a really cool store and we each got a little something.

Once out of the mall we were able to use one of Spokane's other cool features- Lime Scooters. This is an app like bike-sharing except for electric scooters! It makes it so much faster and easier to get around downtown -- especially in the heat! Mom was a bit worried about her balance but she did a great job! And we arrived safely at Aunties Bookstore.

This is a bookstore a perfect new bookstore. If I had the time and money I could spend every day at this bookstore. New books, an upstairs gallery and some off-beat merch- - the vibe is immaculate.

It's also connected to Uncle's Games! Which is just plain cute.

I showed great restraint in not buying all the books and we scoot scooted our way back to the car to head to Target for some swimming supplies for Day 2.

It was weird being inside a big box store like target where virtually no-one was wearing a mask. While the smaller stores like Aunties and From here still had mask requirements in place- Target and other big box stores say (according the the CDC guidelines) vaccinated customers don't have to wear masks...and we're just using the honor system...

It was a weird pivot from Italy to not have the hand sanitizer station and temperature gun at the front and practically everyone shopping as though there was never a pandemic! ( except for the checkouts which had plexi glass and all the employees were masked)

Aside from the River Front, Spokane has another really fabulous park where you can enjoy the fresh air - Manito Park! This is more of a botanical garden but completely free! We found a little tree fort for children ( and big kids like me! ) and then we were able to enjoy the very well-manicured flower lawn. Another big difference from Italy where the parks tend to be wilder and over-grown.

The flowers were beautiful and although the rest of the fam got a little annoyed with my stopping every 5 seconds to take another picture it was a delightful place to explore! It felt so nice to be out in nature again- even if it was just a city park. Surrounded by pine trees is the way to exist in the world!

We ended in the Rose Garden and got ready to find a perfect dinner spot.

After puzzling over google maps for 45min we found Wooden City. We called and were able to just squeeze in a reservation for 15 minutes from our call! And let me tell you, this place is worth the wait!

Amazing koren-style chicken wings with carribbean rub, superb pizzas, and a to-die-for lemon bar for dessert! The atmosphere is a perfect mix of casual-chic and our waitress had the most calming vibe in the world. You just felt more calm speaking with her. The food was delicious and Sam even taught us about putting honey on pepperoni pizza! I know the Italians are dying inside at the thought but the salty-sweet flavor profile was quite nice.

All in all, Spokane didn't disappoint. When you first drive in on the freeway it looks a bit doubtful but once you get a chance to explore: there's a lot to do, beautiful places to see, and the delicious food.

[youspoketome]

MXPX - TEENAGE POLITICS (1995)

I once bought a bright orange and navy blue Superman t-shirt in a size XL simply because it existed. It's hard to believe in this day and age, when comic book shirts are everywhere and comic book movies are breaking records every other week, but there was a time when a Superman shirt, even one with stupid colors and two sizes too big, was really exciting.

So I think that explains why I was so shocked to see Tom from MxPx wearing a Superman t-shirt on the cover of 7 Ball.

7 Ball was a magazine that covered slightly more alternative Christian music than CCM (a magazine that literally named itself "Contemporary Christian Music Magazine"). Apparently they didn't have much (read: any) budget for photoshoots though, so when they decided to put MxPx on that fateful cover, they just used an image from their newest album ON THE COVER. I took that magazine home and without even hearing them, I immediately became hugely interested in MxPx.

That summer, my dad took me to Sonshine Music Festival, a fairly large, weekend long Christian music festival in Willmar, MN. I remember the biggest draw was Petra playing on the mainstage on Friday night (I had to skip a baseball tournament in order to make it to see them), but I was also incredibly excited that MxPx was playing. By this time I had at least heard their cover of "Summer Of '69" although I can't for the life of me recall how or where. I made it a high priority to be ready for them to play, to the point that my dad and I threw a frisbee back and forth during an entire Stavesacre set, just so we'd be at the proper stage when they were finished and it was MxPx's time.

I think my dad made it halfway through the first song.

Really though, good on him for trying. He waited through that entire Stavesacre set for this band of tattooed and pierced punk rock kids to play and he gave it a go. Then he told me he was going to check out the other stages and left me to rock out on my own. Well... As much as an awkward 13-year-old who has never actually heard the band playing can rock out.

Once the set was over I was determined to buy a CD. The trouble was, as I have mentioned, I was terrible at saving money and didn't have enough cash to afford anything from their merch table. That didn't deter me though, Northwestern Bookstore had a booth set up on the Sonshine grounds where they were selling CDs. I still couldn't afford TEENAGE POLITICS, but ON THE COVER was a shorter length cover album, so it was cheaper. I could be off on the details, but I think it was $8 and I had $6. I thought for sure I'd be able to borrow $2 from my dad for a CD, but had underestimated his distaste for my new favorite band. I went home empty-handed.

That still wasn't enough to get me to give up though. Around this time I had a subscription to Breakaway Magazine (or maybe it was still my older brother's subscription then. At some point his subscription just transferred over to me.) Breakaway was a Christian magazine for teenage boys that had a couple advice columns. One of those columns focused on relationships and life, and one was more about movies and music. Every month that second column basically consisted of variations of two questions: One: "Should I listen to (insert non-Christian band here)?" (Answer: no, unless that band was Genesis. For some reason,they were ok with WE CAN'T DANCE.) And two: "My parents won't let me listen to (insert Christian band here) because they rock too hard and my parents think anything that sounds like that must be evil." The answer to this one was always essentially "have them read the lyrics, and when they see what the band is singing about, your parents will come around!" So I borrowed a copy of TEENAGE POLITICS from one of my older brother's friends and supplied my parent's with the lyric sheet.

Breakaway was wrong.

Ok, quick theology aside (it's relevant, just bear with me). In Ephesians 2:8-9 Paul writes "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (NASB)" Christianity is not intended to be a bunch of people following a bunch of rules, it's about having a relationship with Jesus Christ and accepting His sacrifice of His life for your sin. Yes, Christians should live in a way that will be pleasing to Him, but no amount of being good is going to get anyone into heaven. To live your life putting the emphasis on a list of things you can't do instead of on salvation through Jesus is called legalism.

My grandma had a lot of legalistic beliefs. For example, she wouldn't even play solitaire, because some people use playing cards for gambling. Which is why my parents didn't really love it when they they came across "legalistic people suck. Legalism makes me sick. I wonder what makes them tick. I want to go puke on it" in that lyric sheet.

And that dashed my hopes of buying an MxPx CD.

There were multiple repercussions to this ruling. First, I very much learned the wrong lesson from all this. I had gone through all the proper channels (learned of a band in a Christian magazine, saw them at a Christian music festival, followed a different Christian magazine's advice for winning parents over) and was still shot down. So shortly after this when I was at my friend Matt's house and he showed me a new band called Green Day who sounded "exactly like MxPx," I decided to skip the getting approval step altogether (Breakaway would eventually cover Green Day in one of those "don't listen to this non-Christian band" columns). I had another friend dub me a copy of DOOKIE onto a cassette and I listened to it strictly on headphones.

Secondly, I was introduced to Tooth & Nail Records. Perusing that Northwestern Bookstore booth at Sonshine was also my first exposure to Ghoti Hook, whose first album SUMO SURPRISE would end up being one of my next CD purchases. Shortly after that I obtained a T&N mail order catalogue, which I would go over and over and over again. Crux's FAILURE TO YIELD, Blenderhead's PRIME CANDIDATE FOR BURNOUT, TOOTH AND NAIL ROCK SAMPLER VOL. 1, and I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN VOL. 1, all T&N releases, were my next four purchases after that. Somewhere in there I also got a VHS tape of Tooth & Nail music videos. Up until this point, I was looking for that Forefront Records spine, but my brand loyalty changed allegiances to Tooth & Nail almost immediately. And would stay there for another 10-15 years.

I never would buy TEENAGE POLITICS. The two CDs I bought in between Ian and Ghoti Hook were NEVER SAY DINOSAUR, a tribute to Petra that featured your usual CCM bands like Audio Adrenaline and Jars of Clay, but also featured a cover by MxPx, and SELTZER, another CCM compilation that MxPx got thrown into. They were also featured on that music video compilation and I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN, so I snuck them in where I could. At some point in the next two years my cousin ended up with a copy of TEENAGE POLITICS, and was more interested in my copy of Geoff Moore and the Distance's HOMERUN. By that point I had already almost entirely abandoned my pre-T&N CD collection so it was a no brainier to make that trade. I think it ended up being one of those rare win/win trades. I think he still breaks out the Geoff Moore from time to time and TEENAGE POLITICS is still my favorite MxPx album to this day.