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x--daughters-of-darkness--x · 3 years ago

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HALESTORM: Behind-The-Scenes Footage From Making Of 'Back From The Dead' Video

HALESTORM has shared behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the official video for the band's new single, "Back From The Dead". The track is taken from the group's upcoming fifth full-length album, due in 2022. Directed by Dustin Haney (Noah Cyrus, Luke Combs) and produced by Revolution Pictures, the clip features frontwoman Lzzy Hale and the rest of the band in a morgue and cemetery somewhere between life and death.

Lzzy says: "'Back From The Dead' is about survival, not in a physical sense, even though I know we all have been touched by death especially these last few years. This song is personal and written from a mental health perspective. I wanted to give myself and the world a hard rock song we could shout out loud as the gates opened again. I was on the edge of this world getting completely lost in oblivion, but even though it was the harder of two choices, I didn't just let the darkness and depression in my mind dig me an early grave. I didn't just sit and let it take me. I've erased my name from my headstone, so save your prayers, I'm back! I hope this song, as I pass it on to you, reminds YOU of your strength individually and that you are not alone."

She continues: "The video was so much fun to film! Dustin Haney is an amazing director. Dustin and his team really helped bring my words to life and the video is one of the most cinematic pieces we've done in years! I hope this song, as I pass it on…reminds YOU of YOUR individual strength and that you are not Alone. Raise your horns!"

By breaking rules, bucking trends, and busting down doors, HALESTORM has surged through rock 'n' roll on a singular path without compromise or apology. Along the way, the Pennsylvania-bred and Nashville-based quartet — Lzzy Hale (vocals, guitar), Arejay Hale (drums), Joe Hottinger (guitar) and Josh Smith (bass) — has collected a Grammy Award, scored successive number ones at radio, garnered multiple gold and platinum certifications, and performed to sold out crowds on five continents.

Going against the grain again in 2021, the band weathered the flames of chaos in 2020 and returned stronger than ever with their most empowering and undeniable anthems to date.

"Throughout the pandemic, I was writing a lot of melancholic and hopeless songs about the ups and downs of the world," admits Lzzy. "I've been in this group longer than I haven't been in it. We've always had shows. Even when I was 13 years old, we had a couple of bowling alley gigs once a month. This was the first time I didn't know if we would ever play again. However, I started to use music in the same way I did as a teenager—to get myself through this situation that was plaguing us all. I sidestepped and said, 'Let's keep our heads up, get our attitude back, be a light in the dark for a second, and celebrate the fact we're surviving and there's hope for the future.' So, we started to write songs that were a reminder to ourselves of who we are and what we're capable of. That became the mission statement."

In a way, it's always been the mission statement…

Since roaring to life in 1998, HALESTORM has uplifted audiences with a combination of sonic ass-kicking, provocative songwriting, and unshakable hooks. The four-piece received a Grammy Award in the category of "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" for "Love Bites (So Do I)". The song also minted them as the first female-fronted band to hit #1 on the Active Rock radio charts. Thus far, their discography spans two gold albums "Halestorm" and "The Strange Case Of..." , a platinum single "I Miss The Misery", and two gold singles "Here's To Us" and "I Get Off". Between surpassing one billion cumulative streams worldwide, they've notched two consecutive Top 10 debuts on the Billboard Top 200 with "Into The Wild Life" (2015) and "Vicious" (2018). The latter represented a critical high watermark with Rolling Stone citing it as "a muscular, adventurous, and especially relevant rock record." In its wake, "Uncomfortable" emerged as their fourth #1 at rock radio and earned their second Grammy Award nomination, while Loudwire christened HALESTORM "Rock Artist Of The Decade" in 2019. Not to mention, they have supported everyone from HEAVEN & HELL and Alice Cooper to Joan Jett on the road.

Even as the world went dormant during 2020, Lzzy remained prolific. She lent her voice to collaborations with everyone from Dee Snider of TWISTED SISTER, IN THIS MOMENT, APOCALYPTICA, and Mark Morton of LAMB OF GOD to EVANESCENCE, Cory Marks, and Mongolian phenomenon THE HU. Additionally, she joined forces with a trio of legends — Corey Taylor of SLIPKNOT, Scott Ian of ANTHRAX and original SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo — for the theme song to Netflix's "Thunder Force". Plus, the group contributed a cover of THE WHO's "Long Live Rock" to the documentary of the same name. Expanding her presence across television, she hosted the AXS TV "A Year In Music" series, joined the cast of Hit Parader's "No Cover" as a judge, provided the singing voice for Bella Thorne in the Prime Video hit "Paradise City" and launched her own show "Raise Your Horns" on Rolling Live. On the channel, she appeared in Mike Garson's David Bowie tribute with a performance of "Moonage Daydream" alongside Broadway star Lena Hall. She also participated in the platform's Ronnie James Dio tribute, supporting the Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund.

At the same time, she remained a huge proponent of encouraging the dialogue around mental health. She participated in a Grammy Mental Health panel and empowered the next generation of rock musicians as the keynote speaker at the Little Kids Rock Modern Band Summit. She also made history as Gibson Guitars' first-ever female ambassador.

"I've learned a lot about myself through all of these different projects," she admits. "I said 'yes' to various adventures, and it made me a better artist."

Working out of her home studio in Nashville, Lzzy and the band channeled this renewed spirit into the music at the onset of 2021. Collaborating with Scott Stevens of THE EXIES, the musicians hit their stride and cooked up the single 'Back From The Dead'. Dramatic distortion and drums rumble as she screams, "I'm back from the dead!" HALESTORM come out swinging as punchy verses give way to a call-and-response chorus shocked to life with a searing solo and thunderous groove.

"We needed a reintroduction," she exclaims. "We needed something that simply said, 'Hey, we're back'. The live show is the time we feel as truly alive as we can be. When you walk out on stage with your guitar strapped on, your guys are next to you, and you have an audience looking at you, it's everything. We're celebrating the fact we're all back together again. Whatever it is that was trying to destroy that part of myself and my bandmates that our fans need couldn't do it. It failed miserably. We're fucking back."

From the moment the band graced the stage at a secret Nashville gig, they were indeed "back," albeit louder, heavier, and emboldened by an unbelievable year. Amped up to jump back in, their tour schedule took shape with festival dates followed by a co-headline run with EVANESCENCE in the fall.

Readying their fifth full-length album, they're delivering the soundtrack for a world ready to roar again.

"We've lost a lot of people, but we can start healing again," she leaves off. "I appreciate the little things even more. I don't only feel this confidence in myself, but also in every one of my band members. We're not the same people, none of us could ever be. HALESTORM is my source of my joy. It's my connection. It's the closest thing to my religion. We're moving forward. With this next album, I hope we're able to create a greater sense of community. We have a beautiful opportunity. When you listen to it, I want you to feel like you can walk through any fire."

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#lzzy hale #Halestorm #Back From The Dead

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fiftythousandtears · 7 years ago

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Reposters...

Just so we’re clear: what follows is a rant, and it’s neither nice nor polite. If you don’t want to read curse words and/or don’t want negativity on your dashboard, do not click the “read more” button. Even if you don’t read this, please block @darkest--temptation, unlike and erase this post from your blog(s), and support @amyleecious

This fandom disgusts me sometimes... Y'all gave 100+ notes to a post that couldn’t be more obliviously reposted!! How many times do Ev bloggers have to explain that reposting is hurting the fandom (not only ours, but we’re a small one compared to other Tumblr ones, so it shows a lot more when artists stop creating)?? Earlier this month, someone made several textposts saying the Evanescence fandom was inexistent to them. People were quick to tell them otherwise, but you know what? We’re maybe a dozen to actually post real things for this fandom, a dozen who are keeping everyone updated on the band’s activities, and supporting them by creating our own art to celebrate them. Y’all don’t have an ounce of respect for that, but, without us, all you’d have to reblog&like would be old af pictures everyone saw a million times, reposts from artists who have left the community, reposts of manips made a decade ago on other websites, and stolen personal pictures of the band members. All the gifsets, graphics, edits, and everything Ev-related are created by people you keep stabbing in the back. What happens once you’ve driven all of us away? Fucking listen to the countless users from countless fandoms who have repeatedly told you to stop giving notes to reposters and to block them in order to protect actual creative fans. Those people are fake, they’re only doing this for notes and followers. Don’t support people who only pretend to love the band so they can get notes. Fucking support the ones who spend hours making content for your ungrateful ass.

Also, I’m aware some people who like&reblog reposts do the same with original posts. Doesn’t mean they’re not part of the problem, since they’re basically undermining all their efforts to support the fandom. And it’s not like this is brand new information ; users have been talking about it for ages! @allinpartsandpieces even had an entire page dedicated to exposing reposters since before most of us were on Tumblr. At this point, most users should know better than to blindly like and reblog every posts in the tags.

Last but not least, I’m grateful for every note/comment/follow I get. This is in no way a whine to get more of those. What you just read is just years of frustration, of annoyance, of sadness for my fellow creative EvFans/users from other fandoms out there. Some decide to try and ignore reposters, but I promise you: seeing your stuff claimed by someone else and that person being recognized for your work is quite disheartening for everyone. At least have some sympathy for those who use their spare time to satisfy your fandom needs.

(just so we’re clear: this was made as a reaction gif, the user allowed people to use it as such)

#and no i'm not sorry #i've read this kind of posts countless of times #i've even written some myself #i think it's fair to yell at this point #Evanescence #speaking to the atmosphere #reposters

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m4kkie · 8 years ago

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10 Songs Game

I was tagged by @2mario2kart

Name the first 10 songs that appear on your shuffle.

I’m gonna use my Pandora’s Shuffle channel and see what kinda mood it’s in.

1: Blink 182 - Don’t Leave Me

2: Rise Against - Disparity by Design

3: Jimmy Eat World - The Middle

4: Seether - Fake It

5: Linkin Park - In the End

6: Skillet - Awake and Alive

7: Simple Plan - I’d Do Anything

8: Rise Against - Under the Knife

9: The Offspring - You’re Gonna Go Far Kid

10: Red Hot Chilli Peppers - Californication

Unnecessary commentary in tags, not tagging anyone if you see this JUST DO IT.

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dat-town · 7 years ago

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Definition of Beauty

Characters: Seokjin & OC (Bona)

Setting: college au, photographer au

Genre: romance, fluff, slight angst

Warning: mentions of past bullying

Summary: Define beauty, I will define love.

Words: 6.4k

Previously titled Pose. Click. Kiss. on AFF.

“Okay, everyone. Today’s topic is beauty. Let’s talk about what beauty means to you.”

Mrs. Son is an excellent professor blessed with all the skills needed to gain attention of lazy ass college students who only signed up for her class in hope of a good grade without much effort. She's intelligent, open-minded and strict about deadlines. Her strong persona makes her an ideal role model for girls in this man-driven society. Hence her creative art class was Bona's favourite and no wonder why she takes the advanced level this semester. She hopes for even more challenging projects like the ones she enjoyed most last year so she's always an active participant in class. A few still cough nerd behind her back but she doesn't care because at the end of the day she's the one getting an internship at a good company and not them. Her dream of leading a successful career in the future keeps her going.

She raises her hand up high asking for permission to speak up. She doesn't mind starting any discussion because someone has to break the ice. Last year, she was that someone every single time. It set a routine. That's why when professor Son breaks into a lovely smile she's ready to talk but instead of pointing to her, the woman's eyes are glued on someone else behind her.

“Yes, Seokjin?”

Who? Bona's ears perk up at the unfamiliar name. She lets her hand fall bayk by her side while turning around in the seat to look at this kid. Her eyes scan the area behind her in the occupied lecture hall until they fix on this particularly gorgeous guy. There must be something about him that catches people's interest because he hasn't even muttered out a word and dozens have started to gossip. Maybe it’s his broad shoulders hugged by a white button-up or his delicate features, maybe the light brown locks hovering over his eyes or even his fashionable thick framed glasses. Still, Bona isn't fazed by his appearance, nor by his manly voice when the burble finally stops and he speaks up.

“I believe beauty is in details and without doubt, in finality. We're so obsessed with planning ahead of us, we often miss important moments. It’s enough to look at the Korean school system. Their evanescence is what makes everything beautiful and precious. Every beautiful thing has an expiration date. We want to prolong it, capture it and the beauty industry is living on the desire of staying young and pretty, preferably forever.”

He has an interesting approach, Bona admits but she raises her hand once again.

“Ah, Bona, go ahead,” the professor coos.

“I think Seokjinssi misunderstood the question,” she says diligently and raises her head to look at said guy sitting three rows behind her. Now he's carefully observing her with his tentative gaze while tapping his pen's end on the paper simultaneously. He raises an eyebrow in question so Bona explains further “He only considered the outer aspect of beauty, like the way we appreciate a sunset or someone who will age. What does numbers, such as age, really has to matter? Why couldn't be a grandma beautiful? Just because she's loved by her family. Or the Great Wall of China. Yeah, it's a tremendous but it's a great achievement of the human race and it's standing for thousands of years now. I think beauty doesn't have a limit. It comes from within.”

“You say this like beauty has to come with something worthy,” Seokjin argues flatly.

Was that even a question?

“Of course.”

“You know that the Wall was probably built by thousands of slaves, right? It's just a show-off of a Chinese Emperor,” he snorts and disapprovingly shakes his head. His bangs cover his eyebrows but his gaze doesn’t leave Bona’s face as he continues. “You can ask around but I'm sure if we would pass around pictures of a sunset and Stonehenge or a grandma, sunset would win. People are attracted to the more appealing things even if they are morally low. Terrible scenes could be pictured beautifully too, like natural disasters.”

When his words are swallowed by anticipating silence, it’s her turn to give voice to her thoughts again.

“But that's not beauty. That's judging the book by its cover.”

Anger boils up the blood in her veins when she snaps at him. She doesn’t like Seokjin’s zoomed-in view on the topic. Not even one bit. She likes to appreciate the big picture, the details and their connotations altogether.

“Real beauty is inside, in its meaning,” she insists talking louder than the ocean of whispers around them. She can only see that boy with raised brows and an amused smile. She’s sure her gaze is judging but doesn’t care when she’s trying to make a point. “A lullaby sang by a mother. The twinkle of happiness in a stranger's eyes. Words of philosophers living through centuries.”

At that, Seokjin giggles. Literally giggles! Like what the hell? How old is he? Five? And how dares he laugh at her in front of hundreds of students?

“You're being a hypocrite,” he says lightly with nothing hurtful or offending in his tone. As if it was a simple observation. “Everyone has prejudices because of looks, some just hide it better than others. You, on the other hand, are failing miserably.”

Well, that was insulting.

“What makes you say that?” Bona glares at him and gets prepared for what comes next. Though, she can’t prepare when the harsh words feel like a slap.

“The fact that you put me down as a pretty boy with no brain the moment you saw me.”

“Uh, burn,” a guy lets out a horse-laugh a few seats away from her and a lot join him. Bona feels her face heating up in embarrassment and she hates it.

“Okay, kids, enough. You can continue this outside of the classroom later but we still want to hear a few more opinions,” Mrs. Son interrupts their argument just as Bona has a witty comeback to tell Mr. Know It All where to get off.

Thus, she’s left with only fuming. Right now, she wants nothing more than to leave and never see that flawless face of the arrogant ‘pretty boy’ again.

The class goes on like nothing happened for another thirty minutes when...

“Okay, lesson’s over. Don’t forget the pair project about beauty due to next month,” the professors wraps up the lesson nicely but before anyone can leave she adds: “Oh, Mr. Kim and Miss Shin, come here please.”

Bona grits her teeth when she walks down the aisle towards the teacher’s desk. She isn’t in the mood to get scolded for her impulsive behaviour. Usually, she’s a reserved and calm person. Well, until someone gets on her nerves.

She gulps visibly when the three of them gather together and refuses to meet the eyes of Seokjin. Looking around the lecture room aimlessly is much more interesting until Mrs. Son clears her throat requesting their attention.

“I appreciate your passion about my course but what we would like to do is discussing, not arguing. Please respect each other's opinion.”

“Yeah, ma'am,” the guy nods while Bona mumbles out a sorry.

Professor Son’s smile is reassuring yet full of authority. “Don't be but I would like you two to work together on this project to sort out your disagreements.”

Wait, what? Bona gasps not believing her ears. All of her plans to have a quiet semester without stress go to Hell immediately. She hates teamwork with strangers.

“But I’ve already chose Dami,” she whines like a child but she can’t say no to Mrs. Son.

“I'm sure she won't mind. I hope you will get along well,” the professor waves a little without waiting for their answer and takes her leave. Bona’s struck there dumbfounded.

“I can't believe it,” she mutters to herself while adjusting the bag on her shoulders. Creative Art classes always went smoothly for her but now she feels betrayed. What did she do to deserve this? Let’s say hypothetically that she was wrong (which she wasn’t but still), does she have to be cursed with this arrogant stranger’s presence for another month? Really? What kind of punishment it is?

Bona knows it’s rude but she just wants to leave to have a good coffee and forget this awkward lesson ever happened. Unfortunately a puppy face stops her on her track.

“Wait a little, partner,” Seokjin shouts after her, grabbing his bag from the desk and runs to the door where she snarls at him:

“What?”

Bona wants to make it clear that she wouldn’t wait for him forever to groan out what he wants. The fact that they have a project together doesn’t mean they have to become BFFs.

“Hey, I just wanted to apologize. I guess I was too harsh,” the guy rubs his nape bashfully. A nervous habit maybe? Otherwise, he seems totally unfazed by the whole situation as if he was totally okay with working together on this assignment no matter their opposite opinions.

She snorts.

“Calling me judgemental and hypocrite? Yeah, you definitely were.”

“Sorry?” he flashes a shy smile although he doesn’t seem like the shy type. More like someone who was born with a golden spoon in his mouth and have been growing up among praises.

“We started on the wrong foot. I'm Seokjin, but my friends call me Jin. My major is photography,” he introduces himself dutifully and bows a little. Bona mirrors his actions out of habit.

“Bona, journalism.”

Keep it short and simple, she tells herself. Maybe they can actually manage a mature conversation like adults do.

“I haven't seen you around much,” she makes an innocent remark referring to his absence from previous classes. He doesn’t take the hint.

“Well, yeah. You're a second year, right? I'm in my third and I don't live on the campus anymore. Maybe that's why,” he shrugs while opening the door wide and lets her walk out of the room before him. His reply could explain why she didn't remember him from last year's course but she only hums in acknowledgement.

“So I guess we should start brainstorming about our topic soon,” he brings up as they are manoeuvring in the hallways towards the exit gate of university.

“I have already decided,” Bona replies casually like it’s no big deal while Seokjin stands there with mouth agape. She knows her attitude must be testing his patience.

“What? But... Ok, nevermind, what's it?” he catches up to her quickly with his long limbs and sounds sincerely interested.

“Independence. Equality. Freedom. Justice...”

“They're moral ideas,” he cuts her off with a confused expression.

No hell, Sherlock, really? Bona rolls her eyes. Ever since Mrs. Son mentioned the topic she knew she wanted to do something unique. She could have written little stories with excellent, mesmerizing writing style, jaw-dropping vocabulary and adjectives that only a few know. It could have been without a plot, just a description about the unearthly experience of seeing the sun rise and set. It could have been beautiful but not for her. Not anymore. Not when she thinks beauty can’t be in vain.

“Yeah and they're beautiful.”

Well, he can’t argue with that but his almond brown eyes are still searching for answers. Glowing in the darkness of the place like bright stars lighting up the night sky. It’s not fair. From up-close he’s even better-looking.

“And how you wanna portray them?” the question throws Bona off. She didn’t think about that.

“Well, we have to figure it out, Picasso.”

Seokjin pulls a face at the nickname and reminds her. “I'm into photography, not painting.”

That’s when she catches a sight of a clock and panics.

“Okay, my next class is in 5 minutes so here's my number. I'm free on Wednesday evenings, Friday night and Saturday before noon,” she scratches down a row of numbers on a ripped paper while talking. She despises being late.

Seokjin nods in understanding, wrapping his fingers around the tiny piece of paper.

“Got it. I'm gonna text you,” he promises.

And texting he did. No other than:

Kim Seokjin: Are you a carbonara or jajangmyeong person?

Are you for real?

I'm not playing this game.

Kim Seokjin: Come on, it's not a game. I'm curious.

It depends. If my mom makes it, her jajangmyeong is delicious but I like Italian cuisine.

Kim Seokjin: You're being difficult again.

Nothing new.

Kim Seokjin: And you're quite bitter.

Am not.

Bona would like to say that Seokjin is an arrogant and unbearable asshole but in reality he’s far from that. She should be glad because he seems genuinely enthusiastic about their project. He follows her on social media and sends her various pictures about beautiful things constantly, most of them are likely to be his own works: a park, roses, scenery of Seoul, balloons, someone laughing so hard he hides his face… And more: just snippets of their fragile beauty. Such as cherry blossoms before they dry, birds before flying away, neon lights under the dark city sky and food! He’s so into cooking, it's almost unbelievable for a college student. He could have been a culinary major. His Instagram feed is full of photos of either food or selcas. He likes to show off his pretty face along with his cute dog Jjanggu.

Oh, not like Bona is stalking him online. Even if she did, he’s way worse: he stalks her in real life. Luckily, he’s not creepy or rude about it. Sometimes they grab a coffee together when they meet in Starbucks or he stops by at a course she’s taking just to drop an idea about their project. It’s actually easy to get to know Kim Seokjin because he likes to talk. You can chat with him about everything and he’s too nice -the kind who helps grandmas on the street nice. But she doesn’t want to be deceived. Perfection is only a fragile illusion of the mind.

Kim Seokjin: Are you a romanticist?

I don’t believe in love at first sight. So no?

Kim Seokjin: Idealist?

Most likely.

Kim Seokjin: Vegetarian?

No.

Kim Seokjin: Good. Tonight’s the opening of this new Thai place and I’m taking you with me.

Kim Seokjin: ...

Kim Seokjin: If you want.

Okay. I can’t wait.

Kim Seokjin: REALLY???

Kim Seokjin: I mean cool.

“Yah,” Bona fishes out her phone of her best friend’s hands. Nara laughs hysterically.

“You will thank me later. He seems like a dream guy,” she pinches Bona’s cheeks to melt her frown but she doesn’t like to be treated as a child.

“Emphasis on seems,” Bona grunts out that makes the other girl pout. Nara’s voice is tiny and kind when she dares to say the name that shouldn’t be said:

“Not everyone’s like Dojung.”

The name that rolls off her tongue is heavy and cold in Bona’s ears. She feels a tug at her heart-strings. Words taste like dry sand in her mouth.

“I know.”

It doesn’t change a thing.

Sorry. It was my best friend.

I'm busy tonight but if you insist we can go after we finish the project.

Kim Seokjin: So raincheck it is. Okay.

Their - sort of but not really - friendship revolves around the Creative Art project and arguing about beauty constantly. They don’t get fed up anymore because they have learnt to respect each other’s spaces (more or less). They often grab a drink while brainstorming together between classes but the first time Bona meets with a friend of Jin’s, they get together in a small coffee shop near the university. When she arrives, her eyes unconsciously wander to the senior student who currently chit-chats with a waiter. The guy has the weirdest mint green hair and a sarcastic laugh when he lets out a grumble:

“You're really okay with representing beauty with these ideas like sex equality? That's ridiculous.”

“I think it's interesting. The way she sees the world,” Seokjin shrugs and pushes his bangs aside. There's something mellifluous in his voice. “She's so fond of this but sees the world without colours: only black and white.”

Bona snorts loudly as she gets closer.

“Black and white, huh?” Bona mumbles when she sits down in front of him. She has to bite back an insult so instead she takes a moment or two to look at the waiter. “Then can I have an Americano, black with ice?”

“Well, well the infamous Bona. Seokjin just won't shut up about you,” he ignores her order and teases the older with a gummy grin.

“That's a huge overstatement,” Soft, awkward giggles escape Jin’s mouth and pink blush creeps on his face. He must have talked quite a lot. He motions towards the pale, manga-character looking guy. “He's Yoongi, by the way, my roommate.”

“Nice to meet you,” the waiter nods then excuses himself to hurry and make her an Americano. When the two of them is left alone, Seokjin rubs the back of his neck a little nervously.

“How much did you hear?”

“Enough”, she says nonchalantly, not really caring about what she heard. She believes in the freedom of speech and expression. Only if he respected her opinion she would do the same. Most of all, she doesn’t care one bit because she has way more important things to do. “But we're here to discuss our project and not your home life and how much you tell your roommate.”

“Sure. I’m all ears.”

“I’ve written some drabbles, short stories about why these ideas are beautiful but we should make it visual, you know hit the big screen.” her voice is dripping with sarcasm towards the end. It’s obvious she isn’t really keen on the idea of shooting a short movie just for this project. Seokjin doesn’t take offense or he’s totally oblivious about the irony. He nods running his long fingers through his silky locks.

“Agreed. I’ve also thought about acting out scenes representing your weird ideas about beauty.”

It’s no surprise that there’s no malice in his voice when he say weird. Maybe it’s the difference between them: Bona is quick to judge and very much headstrong while Seokjin is so open for new things he welcomes even the oddest ideas.

“That could actually work but I'm not an actress.”

He flashes a warm smile.

“You're presentable. That's what matters.”

“Geez. Thanks,” she rolls her eyes and Jin laughs. He has a nice laughter without doubt. That kind of high-pitched giggles that makes everyone smile around him. His beautiful almond-shaped eyes turn into crescents and strangers stop on their track just to look at him. Not in the judging way but a curious one. Bona wonders whether he got any offer by modelling agencies.

“To be honest, I actually have a theatre major friend and he could bring along someone to play out your drabbles. Is it alright?” Seokjin suddenly sounds serious. His facial mimics are so expressive, Bona can easily pinpoint his mood… At least, she thinks she does. “Are you perhaps available on next Saturday?”

“Yeah. Saturday is good,” Bona notes it down in her schedule book. She just wants to get over with it. “What do you think about Han River as a location?”

Seokjin purses his mouth and touches his chin. His gaze averts outside of the window looking lost in his thoughts. “Isn't it too cliché? And crowded at the weekend?”

“Right,” she clicks her tongue in irritation. She would have been more grateful if he had actually did something instead of just criticising her ideas or occasionally accepting them. “Maybe Namsan then?”

Seokjin hums approvingly with a glint of happiness in his eyes. There’s a snippet of excitement in those chocolate brown orbs.

“That could work, the atmosphere and the lights are considered ideal. Where do you live? I'll pick you up.”

Bona has always been the suspicious kind. Careful with her private information so she doesn’t answer right away.

“You have a car?”

“Well, as a photographer I need it. I have a lot of equipment and I can’t carry a tripod on subway all the time,” Seokjin shrugs. His reasoning doesn’t sound like something mommy’s little boy would say. Maybe he really did work for what he has. Bona likes this idea more than she thinks she should.

“I live in the dorms on the east side of campus. I'll meet you there at 10.”

Jin’s smile is just like his laughter: bright, vivid and genuine. It makes her want to smile as well.

“There you go. Enjoy your treats,” Yoongi returns with a tray and two cups of coffee. They both thank him and it’s borderline awkward when he leaves too soon.

Then it happens. The door opens, the bell rings cheerfully and time freezes. Bona looks up ready to comment on Jin’s choice of place, but her face is painted white, all colours drained out. Voices mingle together and Jin's face fades away. Suddenly she feels dizzy.

“Hey, Bona? Do you hear me? Are you okay?” the low panic-painted grunt is coming from afar. It sounds slurred almost as if she was under water.

“I... I have to go,” she stutters and stumbles to her feet without having a slip of her drink. Her breathing is laboured, voice raw and it feels like the world collapses on her. Or it only happens in her?

Everything is a blur. The door, the street, the people. She doesn’t even know where she’s going. It doesn’t matter, just away. Away from him.

“Bona, wait!” Seokjin calls after her, catching up to her as if his life depended on it. He’s a little out of breath when he carefully touches her shoulder. Bona shakes him off impatiently and annoyed.

“Leave me alone.”

Gosh, why does her voice break? It’s hurting her ears. Doesn’t it enough that she’s already hurting everywhere else?

“No, I won't,” Jin counters and grabs her shoulders with a little bit more force to make her stop moving. Her eyes are red because she struggles not to cry. She looks terrified. “You look like you saw a ghost.”

“Because I just did. He's dead to me.” she says relentlessly and sobs while trying to hide behind her hands. Her voice is cracking and she can’t shake off the feeling of shame because of her public breakdown. “Oh God, I'm so pathetic.”

Seokjin shakes his head violently. He pries her hands off her face and lifts her head to look at her properly. Warm reassurance is swimming in his eyes, his fingers are soft against her skin and his voice is dripping honey.

“No, you're not. You can be weak sometimes and that doesn't mean you're any less strong.”

Bona is staring at him for a long time before she finally, finally let herself cry. Tears are soaking Seokjin’s pink dress shirt but he holds her close nevertheless. He soothes circles onto her back while she clings onto him silently asking him not to let go.

Things get better after. Even though Bona doesn't talk about what happened, she feels more at ease beside Jin. He acts like nothing wrong ever happened but from time to time he's more careful with his words. He's still blunt but don't blame her for being bitter anymore. He doesn't expect an explanation either. They start hanging out more. It begins with walking together to Creative Art class and sitting next to each other. Sometimes they share lunch boxes. Despite any of her protests, next thing Bona knows, she's having a coffee at the place Jin's roommate's working. Seokjin makes sure that she would sit with her back to the door in a little hidden corner.

It has also become a daily routine to talk via SNS if they can't meet. Seokjin often asks her to have a bite of every new receipt he tried out. She doesn't have to worry about food anymore. Also, she has to get used to being photographed almost every day. The guy takes his major seriously, always carrying around one of his cameras and snapping photos here and there. Bona hates taking selcas, she feels uncomfortable under the unknown gaze but Jin never demands her to pose. He likes to take photos of slices of life when she doesn't know. Like that time when she changed the burnt-out bulb in her dorm once he was over. Or when after they helped two foreigners on the street and she laughs at Jin's broken English. On every single picture he takes, she looks ephemeral and beautiful. Nonetheless, she makes him promise to delete these later. But deep-deep down her heart flatters because of his little habit. Although he may be the same with everyone since he likes to take photos in general. She wonders why it pains her.

Kim Seokjin: Are you ready?

Her phone pings on the day of their shooting. Bona is staring at her reflection in the mirror and wonders if Jin sees her differently. She's not that skinny or graceful like other girls. She hates wearing skirts and isn't really keen on shopping or going to cosmeticians. She can be quirky, picky and stubborn as a mule. She prefers superhero movies over stupid American comedies. Funnily, they bond over Disney movies and playing video games at Jin's place. They argue a lot about who's better but he has someone to play with and Bona always gets dinner so it's a win-win.

Bona never had guy friends before so she doesn't know what to feel about all of it or when Jin opens the car door for her like a gentleman. Inside of the car a cheerful voice of somebofy with boyish features greets her from the backseat.

“Dude, nice to meet you. I love the concept. Jin said it was your idea. Unique that's for sure.”

“Uhm, thanks?” Bona isn’t sure how to react. The boy introduces himself as Taehyung, a cute dongsaeng of Jin when the older starts the engines. He’s bubbly and way more talkative than the quiet girl with cold appearance next to him.

The drive is filled with Taehyung’s chirping, Seokjin’s laughter and not-so-subtle glances between Bona and the photographer. She can’t really pinpoint why but this shooting feels like the end of something. The end of this month when they had this bond or something. After this, there’s no project and no reason for them to hang out for its sake. What will happen to them after?

She tries to dismiss her concern during the shooting which goes surprisingly smooth. Jin gives her the upper hand to act like a director and give out orders. Meanwhile, he’s snapping pictures quietly and recording short scenes when she says so. They work well together and their ‘cast’ is talented too. At the end of the day, they can wrap it up nicely. She should be satisfied. Yet, she has this uneasiness in her heart for some unknown reasons.

The light footsteps and honey sweet voice take her by surprise.

“Tae said they would catch the bus home so they left early.”

Bona looks up to see Jin smiling lightly like he always does. It brings out his soft features which create a perfect contrast with his sharp jaw-line. She averts her gaze. Why does he have to be so sinfully handsome?

“Have you finished packing?” she asks instead of commenting on it. She stays completely still when Seokjin sits down next to her on the bench. There’s a convenient distance between them: not too far, not too close. Just like their relationship is on the edge between strangers and lovers. They’re somewhat friends but not really.

“Yeah and checked some of the videos. I’d give it a week to edit the material.”

Great, they will finish in time. She should be happy but she doesn’t say a word. Ahead of them the clear sky is swimming in carmine and crimson colours. There are no clouds, no threats of upcoming storms, no crowd. Birds’ singing and tourists’ murmuring are faded into the view.

Sunset from the top of Namsan Tower is indeed undeniably beautiful. Bona agrees however she still seeks for meaning. It doesn’t take too long to find it in the reflection in Seokjin’s eyes or in the melody of his voice. In him.

“I wanted to be an actor.”

His confession is so sudden and raw, Bona can’t help but stare at him. He doesn’t turn his head, eyes focusing on the scenery.

“It was my childhood dream and I actually applied to the uni’s theatre major. I thought I was good, at least mediocre but they rejected me. One of the judges said at the audition that I'm nothing more than a pretty face and they're looking for talent there. The bruise I got that day hurts every time I meet students who learn performing arts. You know, it’s like ripping off a bandage all over again.”

Then there’s silence and Bona’s throat is dry. She would have never thought that this warm-hearted boy of all people was discriminated because of his looks. He seems like someone who have been praised his all life and had everything served on a silver plate. Spoiled and narcissistic. Even though he’s confident in his face, he’s not egoistic at all. He spends most of his times behind his camera and not in front of one. He could easily become a model with his looks but he’d rather capture beauty through his lenses. It has always made her curious.

“Then how you got into photography?” she wonders out loud.

“That's actually a funny story. I got an old polaroid camera from my grandma when I was a child and I liked taking photos ever since. After they turned down my application, it was Yoongi who sent in a couple of my pictures. You can imagine how surprised I was to get a congratulation letter on my university entrance. I'm truly grateful to him, because now this is what I want to do all my life.”

Jin’s eyes light up as he talks about it. It’s obvious that he truly loves doing this. He catches Bona off guard when his gaze suddenly drifts to her but neither of them looks away. Under the starry Seoul sky, she can almost feel the breeze of ocean, a scent of home just by looking at him. He doesn’t feel real. Like a midsummer night's dream.

He doesn’t have to ask what’s her story. Bona tells him anyway,

“I’ve loved reading ever since I stumbled upon Harry Potter. I used to dream about becoming a famous writer. Now I know better, I’m not that talented but I want people to hear my voice. I know I can’t force world peace but I want to stop bullying and I wish people would be more considerate towards each other.” Wishful thinking, something only a dreamer would say. But Bona is one and she doesn’t even try to deny it. She casts down her eyes before continuing. “When I was a kid, I was mocked a lot because of my weight. By the end of high school I’d become thinner and Dojung noticed me.”

His name tastes like salt and regrets on her tongue. She’d like to spit it out. To forget and move on. Maybe telling someone about him would help. She wants to give it a try.

“He was the most beautiful boy I've ever seen,” Bona gulps loudly, her heart is already panicking at the thought of him. She can breathe again when a soft hand takes hers intertwining their fingers comfortingly. “I fell so hard. I was in love with his smile and everything about it. It took me a lot to figure out he's rotting inside. He manipulated me, making me skip dinners with family, abandoning my friends and studies just for him. Freshman year, he dumped me; he said I wasn't enough. I was alone and had a rough semester. I finally just started to get a hold of myself when you came along.”

It’s a mistake for sure but Bona dares to stare into Seokjin’s chestnut brown eyes. They’re passionate yet caring just like when he has a camera in his hands. The fondness in his dark orbs never fails to amaze her. He would never put pressure on her. He’s waiting patiently for her to collect her thoughts and open up. Bona drowns in his kindness.

“I had a hard time trusting you because you reminded me of him. You really don't have any similarities except the fact that both of you are beautiful.”

“That's offensive. I'm sure I'm way more handsome,” Seokjin gasps dramatically with his free hand on his heart pretending he’s offended. It makes her laugh.

“Probably you are but your flaws are my favourites. They show you’re human, too,” she says gently playing with his crooked fingers and admiring his lopsided smile.

But will she be ever enough? For him? For anyone?

During the following week, it’s hard to decide whether they’re friends or more. They never talk about it yet grow closer day by day. Their project video is finished in time so both of them claim their regular seats (now next to each other) in the lecture hall in ease.

Mrs. Son smiles at them knowingly when she enters the room. When she clears her throat, every pair of eyes focus on her.

“Good morning everyone,” she chirps and in the silence her footsteps are echoing in the room. “I’d like to thank you for all your submitted works, I love the different ways you interpreted beauty. Today we will discuss the three most creative and interesting projects.”

Excitement spreads among the students, murmuring about odds and grades. The whispering is fading away as soon as the professor switches on the computer to let them see her choices one by one.

“Look at these different interpretations and after we have seen all three, we’ll talk about them.”

The first project is an oil-painting. At first, it's really chaotic. The audience need a moment to realize the purpose of iridescent colours splattered on the canvas. The background is black and silver showing the universe, but there are Hangeul characters for the word beauty and it contains tiny replicas of famous paintings. It's the most beautiful collage Bona has ever seen.

The second one is a contemporary sculpture built of cosmetics bottles and cans. It symbolizes a women's submission to the beauty industry. Bona really likes this approach.

“And last but not least, my personal favourite! Miss Shin Bona and Mr. Kim Seokjin, congratulations! Your work was captivating and it reinvented the meaning of beauty.”

Others clap either cheerfully or not interested at all. Bona is so excited she grabs Jin's hand under the table without a second thought. His long slender fingers fit into hers perfectly like two pieces of puzzle.

Bona is proud looking at their short movie with Seokjin's actor friends. While they follow the screenplay she's written about siblings during the French Revolution. She's ready to clap after the last scene but then the boy next to her presses her hand a little while their movie keeps playing. She has seen the mp4 file he sent her the day before and it should have been the end. There shouldn't be clips about her. Although you can't really say it's her because she is never shown directly. Just her hands, back profile, eyes, smile... never her entire face. She’s smiling at the camera carefree and happy because she didn’t know Jin was planning to use this. There’s also voiceover, a monologue in Seokjin’s narration that takes her breath away.

When it ends for real, Bona doesn’t even hear Mrs. Son’s comment on the subjectivity of beauty and love, she’s storming out of the room. She can hardly breathe but it’s not a panic attack. It’s something else, something overwhelming.

“Bona, wait! I’m so stupid. I thought you’d like that. Sorry, okay? I-”

“I can't believe you did that,” she snaps at him when he finally catches up to her and both of them stand still in the empty hallways. Seokjin rubs the back of his head nervously.

“I thought it was romantic. I suck at confessions.”

“Really? And that was your idea? In front of the whole class?” she rolls her eyes but she can’t hide her smile anymore. It’s almost impossible to stay mad at him for long. “Gosh I can't believe I like such a dork. “

“I like you more.”

He says it so casually, so genuinely open that it makes her heart flatter. She can hear the pounding of her heart in her ears. She clears her throat, suddenly antsy but instantly relaxed when he touches her wrist lightly like a butterfly kiss.

“So… to answer your question: I’d love to. It just caught me off guard.”

Seokjin’s relieved laugh must be one of the most beautiful things of the world. Maybe the 8th wonder. “Huh, I’m glad then. I was so afraid I misread you.”

“And what now?” Bona questions because they’ve already done so many things couples do. Except anything involved kissing or talking about feelings.

“What about an official couple selca?” Jin suggests and digs out his cellphone from his pocket.

“So boyfriend material,” she teases but there’s no edge in her voice. It’s soft and adoring.

“What can I say? Photography major,” his boyfriend shrugs and prepares for the shoot nevertheless. Scooting closer, making a fishy face and starts counting. “Okay, on three: one...”

Pose.

“Two...”

Click.

“Three!”

Kiss.

Wait! WHAT?

Pink plump lips touch her already flushed cheeks and the camera snaps.

“Yah!”

beauty /ˈbjuːti/ noun

a combination of qualities, such as shape, colour, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight.

a beautiful or pleasing thing or person in particular

Beauty. It's everywhere around us.

Beauty is independence when she's cooking alone. She could ask for the help of a mother's or a friend's but she decides not to. She can do it all by herself.

Beauty is equality when she insists to pay for her share in a coffee shop or when she changes a light bulb on her own because she doesn't need a man.

Beauty is freedom when she forgets about deadlines and burdens for a day and just has fun.

Beauty is justice when she gives herself instead of faking it and beats my ass at Mario Kart.

Beauty is complex, ethereal, strong, unique. Just like her. Her features. Even her flaws. The depth of her soul. She's more than enough.

Beauty is love when I look at her and offer my hand. Love is beauty when she looks back at me and meets me halfway.

That’s beauty: you and me together, today and tomorrow… if you would like to.

#bangtan bookclub #sfwbangtan #bts writing squad #btswriters #stories #look what i found another piece i forgot to post here #bts fluff #bts jin fluff #kim seokjin x oc #bts jin oneshot #bts oneshot #photographer au #college au

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adambstingus · 6 years ago

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6 Backward Ideas Hollywood Still Has About Men

Men are complicated, nuanced beings. No two men define masculinity the same way, and each of their boners hides its own precious secret. Many are desperate for every woman to love them, while at the same time compelled to explain their own jokes to them on Twitter. But despite the vast and wondrous spectrum that is man, Hollywood seems to have extremely specific ideas of what a man is supposed to be. And it’s not super great.

If You’re Less Than 6 Feet Tall, You’re Not A Real Man

You can be the most handsome, witty, charismatic male on Earth, but if you’re one inch below average height, then tough shit. Hollywood will desperately avoid revealing that awful truth to the audience, lest they vomit in the aisles with disgust. Such is the life of a short action star.

If shortness is acknowledged on screen, it’s as a punchline — a hilarious inadequacy that either leads to constant, desperate attempts at comedy or a life of crime as a bad guy’s sidekick. Movies would have us believe that short people live a life of existential struggle, that they are nothing more than incomplete souls crying out from children’s clothes.

The average height of an American male is 5 feet 9.5 inches tall. (Strangely enough, surveys reveal this is the exact same length of the average American penis.) Tom Cruise is famously 2.5 inches shorter than this average, but we only know that because our own insecurity demands we find a flaw, any flaw, in this 54-year-old man with 2 percent body fat and chiseled features that become only more handsome with age. Yet you’d never know he was a tiny man from watching his movies. For example, Ving Rhames is over 6 feet, but he’s shorter than Tom in that picture up there. How? Is he sitting down? Forty yards behind him? Take look at another shot from Mission: Impossible …

Mark Whalberg is 5’8 and Zac Efron is 5’8. Sylvester Stallone is barely two apples high. And yet every time they’re in a movie, they are looking all the normal people in the eyes, filmmakers forcing them to stand on little boxes to hide that they are grotesque, undersized genetic failures.

And god forbid we reveal that the 5’9 Robert Downey Jr. is in fact 3 inches shorter than Chris Evans. We could do this all day!

Question: Do you think this weird prejudice is with filmmakers or audiences? Do you really think we’d refuse to be inspired by a hero who possesses every other positive trait on Earth — courage, humor, charm, muscles, wealth, confidence, sexuality — if they can comfortably ride in the back seat of a Civic? It’s not like we’re expecting the hero to solve every mystery and defeat every bad guy with slam dunks. Although now that we think about it, that sounds like a pretty sweet goddamn movie.

So if you’re a short (or even average height!) male watching, then guess what: The only trait that apparently matters is the one you can’t do anything about.

You Can’t Just Be Smart; You’ve Also Got To Kick Ass

Back in the 1980s, we didn’t care if our burly action heroes could say anything coherent. Arnold Schwarzenegger talked like a moose trying to describe the peanut butter in its mouth, and Sylvester Stallone sounded like that same moose gently lowering itself onto a whoopee cushion. We didn’t care, though, because their swollen pecs and rattling M60s did all the talking for them.

“Aarraragaooooaaahhhh!!!” — John Rambo

In an ’80s action movie, diplomacy was a dick-measuring contest with a stick of dynamite, and Jean-Claude Van Damme always won. Heroes weren’t paid to be smart; they were paid to strangle mooks and walk silently away from exploding gas stations.

We’re obviously so much more sophisticated these days. The good guys in movies can’t be musclebound meat sacks anymore — they have to hold multiple PhDs and have a particular set of skills for every occasion. Ethan Hunt can speak 75 languages while maintaining the sexy abs of Instagram’s douchiest bro. Jason Bourne can predict his opponents’ every move ten steps in advance. Even the biggest, dumbest superhero, the Hulk, spends most of his movies as one of the planet’s leading scientists.

Marvel Studios To be fair, this is a pretty smart way to take down a fighter jet.

It would be nice to think that the message is “Even nerds can be cool!” But these guys don’t win by being nerds. In nearly every case, the real heroism comes in the form of a punch to the throat.

Remember those Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock Holmes movies, in which Sherlock uses his brilliant mind to beat the shit out of guys in shirtless pit fights? That was weird, right? But at least it shows him fighting as a hobby, to get good at it — the BBC version also wins every fistfight he’s in and can easily out-dive exploding bombs. You also might remember in the new Star Trek movies, wherein Mr. Spock uses his Vulcan logic to form plans like “Hold my beer, I’m going to go fuck that guy up.”

Warner Bros. Pictures “I can tell by the speck of paint on your shoes that your face is quite susceptible to temple punches.”

Take Tony Stark out of the Iron Man suit, and he can still beat the hell out of a mansion full of henchmen in Iron Man 3. When Transformers 4 needed a nerdy inventor protagonist, it cast this guy:

In fact, if you’re in a Hollywood film and you realize you’re only brilliant, we have some bad news for you: You’re not the hero. In fact, you’re probably the obnoxious sidekick nerd. Check to see if you’re Simon Pegg or Seth Green. If you’re not, we have more bad news: You’re probably the villain.

The message is clear, boys: Brains are fine, but only if you use them to invent better punching. And if you use your mind exclusively for non-punching endeavors, you’re either ridiculous or evil.

Broken, Tortured Men Are Sexy

There’s something sexy about a dead-serious man willing to do anything to get the job done. The Batmans and Liam Neesons of the world, men who ruthlessly cut through criminal organizations while brooding about the atrocities they’ve been forced to commit. Even the supposedly goody-two-shoes Superman now scowls as he struts out of exploded court houses filled with charred corpses and jars of pee. Is any of this sexiness getting you hot and bothered yet? Too bothered?

They are almost never seen eating, but always drink. If they’re in bed, they’re having nightmares about those they’ve lost (or, you know, having sex). They are emotionally cold and distant when they’re not being glib. This is all done in the name of emotional complexity, but can we still call it that when every character is the same?

For example, why does Hollywood refuse to accept Superman as simply a morally sound hero who genuinely wants to help people? Struggling to protect those weaker than him is a perfectly legitimate problem. Did they think we couldn’t relate to him unless he cried in an ice cave like he’s in an Evanescence music video? Did they think he’d look like a “pussy” if he didn’t destroy an entire city and snap Zod’s neck in front of two children?

Every action movie and show seems to be in an arms race to give their stars the most severe PTSD or the highest number of dead loved ones. It used to be we that showed how grizzled a cop was by how old the Chinese takeout was in his filthy refrigerator. Now it’s measured by how many times he flashes back to his family getting tied to chairs and set aflame.

It’s not like this is making these characters more relatable to young males. (“See, he has problems just like you!”) After all, it’s not like they are heroic despite their tortured psychology, or that it’s something to overcome. The psychological damage is the source of their power — John Wick is a boring retired dude until a pair of tragedies utterly destroy his life, at which point he expresses his grief through numerous therapeutic sessions of gun-fu. Mad Max’s defining character trait is that he never smiles, jokes, or shares anything about himself — telling a comrade his name is treated as a shocking breakthrough.

At every turn, the message is the same: You’re not a true, sexy badass unless you’re a tortured shell of a man.

Movie Princes Are Non-People

A lot of analysis has gone into movie princesses, specifically the ones Disney has been cranking out for most of a century. That’s because for decades, they were the only lead female characters in kids movies, which put a lot of pressure on them to be positive role models. They taught young girls how to believe in themselves and be courageous, but also that a woman’s greatest virtues are good looks and shutting up.

We’re not paraphrasing; that’s literally a verse in a Disney song.

Still, no matter who you are, there’s a solid chance you can name ten Disney princesses off the top of your head. On the other hand, can you name more than two or three Disney princes? Probably not, because most of the movies don’t even bother giving the poor bastards names. The characterization of the princesses might send mixed messages, but the princes are forgettable handsome shells containing zero personality and a fetish for teen girls. They exist only to rescue the women.

Cinderella’s dream husband? He doesn’t have a name. Beast from Beauty And The Beast? Aside from that mean nickname, he has no actual name. Snow White’s prince? Maybe he’s a Trevor? Could be a Graham or a Tony. We’ll never know, because the writers didn’t think the character was worth naming. These movies give names to the horses and the mice, but not the princes.

The main characters are supposed to spend the rest of their lives with these guys, and the only thing we know about them is that they’re single, heterosexual, and not child molesters. Except wait — we don’t know any of that. The only thing we know about Disney princes is that they fall in love easily and have no problem putting their mouths on sleeping strangers. Finding a girl in the woods and licking her awake isn’t a great contribution to a relationship.

The point is that when it comes to royal romances, a princess brings dynamic character and a sense of adventure. A prince is handsome and has nothing better to do. We suppose the rebuttal is that these are fantasies for little girls and not boys, but that doesn’t make it any better. What’s the message for them? “Some day you’ll meet a walking mannequin who will be perfect for you for one reason: He’s a prince.“

Prison Rape Is Hilarious

Jokes about female rape are still circulating out there (though not as many as were a few years ago), but it was always rare, if not unheard of, to see a movie play a violent male-on-female sexual assault for laughs. But if the victim is a male and doing time? It seems there is nothing funnier.

It’s this reprehensible nightmare of a thing — the worst thing happening in the worst possible circumstances — yet Hollywood cannot get enough of prison rape jokes. To show you how easy going we are about it, realize that every time anyone ever joked “Don’t drop the soap!” they were hilariously referring to a criminal raping you. Jokes about it are so acceptable they show up on SpongeBob SquarePants. They refer to it in Naked Gun and Guardians Of The Galaxy, and they hang the entire plot of Get Hard on it. If Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart had negotiated their contract to get paid $15 per rape joke, they could have tripled their multi-million-dollar salaries. This is a real, horrible phenomenon that’s happening to someone, somewhere, right now.

The unspoken implication is that these victims deserve it. Really? Is that what we’re going with — that our civilized society has built a justice system in which one of the punishments for selling weed or stealing a car is the possibility of being violated? Even if Congress codified that into the law, even if we decided that rape is a suitable punishment for tax evasion, it would still be super weird to joke about it. And if the victim is himself a rapist, so what? You’re trivializing the very thing he’s guilty of.

This is, in fact, part of a larger trend …

Men Are Cannon Fodder

In the real world, human life is a precious thing to be protected by all means. In a movie, lives are snuffed out as punchlines. Human bodies get blasted into pieces any time a film needs to pick up the momentum, and when we say “human,” we specifically mean “men’s.”

Yeah, we talk about how filmmakers and moviegoers are desensitized to violence, but that’s not true — it’s only violence against men. Let’s look at an example. In this fleeting moment of awesomeness from Batman v. Superman, Batman bursts up through the floor and pounds the shit out of a group of thugs.

He’s still working through the sting of not getting a Best Director nomination for Argo.

It’s pretty fun, right? Now imagine it was a warehouse full of women. Everything else is the same. They’re still armed, still up to no good, but every time Batman crushes one of their collar bones, it’s a woman’s voice screaming out in pain. Turn up the sound on that clip — imagine every painful grunt is a female voice. Imagine if the heads Batman smashed into the floor had ponytails and eye shadow.

We’re not even sure that sequence makes it into the theater — somebody at the studio would get Zack Snyder some counseling as soon as they saw the script. It’s not because women would be no physical match for Batman; nobody is a match for Batman. He is tearing through those guys like a rat terrier loose in a hamster cage. The fact is, that kind of violence toward women would hit you in the gut. When it’s dudes, it’s either awesome or hilarious.

You can do this with any action movie. Imagine watching Return Of The Jedi, only every time a Stormtrooper head is bashed in by an Ewok, you hear a female scream. It would be chilling — the cops would kick in George Lucas’ door and assume he has a crowd of female corpses in his freezer. It’d be equally weird if he had, say, given the battle droids in the prequels Jennifer Tilly’s voice. And remember in The Two Towers when Legolas and Gimli are whimsically counting out their kills? Can you picture that being the same kind of fun if those were female orcs?

In fact, find any movie in which a human death is treated as slapstick, make the victims female, and you are left with a video suitable only for a serial killer’s crawlspace. Indiana Jones once comically shot three Nazis with a single bullet:

If you can’t watch the clip, there’s a little comedy music cue that plays as their bodies slump aside. Imagine all three are women; at the very least, it becomes deeply uncomfortable. (“Uh, was Spielberg going through a rough divorce when they made this?”)

And no, we’re obviously not demanding Hollywood show more women getting butchered to make it equal. We’re not demanding they show us fewer dead dudes. We’re just saying that we’ve definitely been conditioned to react a certain way to on-screen brutality, and the difference between dread and hilarity is usually whether or not the victim has a penis.

That’s weird, right?

Guy Bigel is a professional flute player, and he uploads fun arrangements to his YouTube channel. Check out his stuff here. Jordan Breeding has a blog, a Twitter, and wishes Hollywood would portray him as a super nerd with biceps the size of basketballs.

For more horrible ways Hollywood influences us, check out 6 Obnoxious Assumptions Hollywood Makes About Women and 6 Insane Stereotypes That Movies Can’t Seem to Get Over.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel, and check out How Hollywood Has Made You Dumber, and other videos you won’t see on the site!

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/6-backward-ideas-hollywood-still-has-about-men/ from All of Beer https://allofbeercom.tumblr.com/post/176405958897

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sherlocked-avenger · 7 years ago

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Turbo soul lives in the 2018 Volvo XC60

There have been many quirky vehicles in The Garage over the years, but one of the coolest remains the 1984 Volvo 240 Turbo wagon that we owned for a few years during the late Nineties. Officially, the longest of the turbo bricks was called a 245T. Our wagon was the exact spec that fans of the boxy speedster lusted after: A silver wagon with the correct Turbo blackout striping, Euro style grill with inset fog lights, GLT wheels and a manual transmission. It even had the dog gate which swung down from the ceiling to keep Fido in his place. Sadly, we didn’t have a Fido in those days but it was still neat to have it.

That wagon was perhaps the best family vehicle of all time. It could carry 5 adults in comfort. Fold down the rear seats and it would carry a 4×8 sheet of plywood. It looked cool as hell to those who knew and could keep pace with a Fox-body Mustang off the line. While it was a bit too big for an autocross course, the car was a joy to hustle down a winding country road, even when fully loaded.

Back in the day, Volvo used the slogan “Boxy but good” and their sporting varieties became know as Bricks and Turbo Bricks. They weren’t exactly sexy, unless you were turned on by straight lines. Fast forward three decades and our tester, an XC60 T6 R-Design couldn’t be more different. While there are straight accent lines here and there, sensual curves are the order of the day. Those curves do however push up towards muscular rear shoulders, in keeping with the brand’s heritage.

The interior of the old girl left much to be desired, as many of its surfaces were as square as the exterior. Nothing flashy or luxurious here, just black plastic and blue cloth seats in a style that only really excited a Volvo diehard. The interior of the XC60 on the other hand is nothing short of World class. Without seeming too modern, the combination of sensual curves and well chosen finish materials, the Volvo has a definite Scandinavian flair. The machined metal speaker covers are particularly striking.

Techie types will be astounded by the XC60’s incredibly user friendly infotainment system, which is centered around a 9″ centre stack touch display which operates with the fluidity of a smart phone or tablet. It gives users control over a wide range of audio and vehicle settings to tailor the vehicle experience to the individual driver.

The audio system in particular deserves a mention, as it stands out in a segment which is full of serious audio gear. The Volvo Canada media fleet guy enthusiastically pointed out that the Bowers & Wilkins system has different modes, including studio for normal music and concert hall for higher quality music. Most often, these systems seem, to my ears at least, to simply muck around with reverb settings to change the sound in the cabin. The system in the XC60 was painstakingly tuned to replicate the sound in the middle of the renowned Gothenburg Concert Hall, complete with displaying a picture of the place.

To test the system, I directed the system to play music from my bluetooth connected phone rather than the Sirius XM feed. I brought up my Google Play app and chose the Evanescence Fallen album, hit play and cranked the volume. The sound was nothing short of mind blowing. The drums or thunder or whatever the rumble is in Bring me to life, quite literally caused the vehicle to shudder. After that, a bit of vintage Pink Floyd confirmed that the XC60 offers one of the best sound systems on the market.

Back in 2014, I had the opportunity to spend a rather silly 22 hours in Gothenburg, Sweden, home to Volvo with the intention of going for a ride-a-long in the company’s first self driving car. Sadly, it was raining and the vehicle’s sensors could not “see” the markings on the road, which it used to stay in its own lane. Autonomous vehicle technology is moving forward in leaps and bounds and much of the tech that Volvo was working on three years ago is now included in the company’s Pilot Assist system.

Volvo’s tech sheets describe the system as “Semi Autonomous Drive System with Adaptive Cruise Control and Active Lane Keeping Aid”. Adaptive cruise is not a new concept and lane assist type of systems are becoming more common in the marketplace. Some of the systems offered by other manufacturers are clunky at best, disruptive at worst. Where Pilot Assist stands out is in its seamless, unobtrusive operation. Once could quite easily, gasp, look down at their phone, confident in the knowledge that the car is going to do what it is supposed to do.

You may think I have lost my mind with that statement, but that action is exactly what Volvo has had in mind with their development of autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles. During that visit, I sat down with Volvo’s Autonomous Driving Director, Marcus Rothoff, to discuss the reasoning behind autonomous cars. Volvo has set milestone after milestone for automotive safety over the past 50 decades, so imagine my surprise to hear Rothoff say that self-driving cars would create “possibilities to open up more time”, even going so far as to say that the technology would allow drivers to stay connected to the internet while they were on the road.

Don’t worry, I obeyed the rules of the road while driving the XC60.

All of this talk of inside technology might lead one to think that the spirit of the Turbo Brick has been lost to modern gadgetry, but nothing could be further from the truth. Beneath the hood of our tester was a 2.0L 4 cylinder that is boosted by both a turbo and a supercharger. Yes, you read that right. The combination generates an impressive 316 HP and 295 lb-ft and is fed to all four wheels through a slick shifting 8-speed automatic unit.

Wait…..what?

If you have ANY Volvo background, a T5 was a turbo 5-cylinder. At what point did some marketing committee decide that a 4-banger should bear the designation T-6? I know, I am crusty and old, but there is something very wrong there. Don’t get me wrong, I knew this was a four-pot Volvo, the way Uncle Olaf intended, the branding just seems off.

What is not wrong is the way the XC60 drives. Around town, with the drive mode in the default comfort position, the XC60 feels like the dreaded nice car. The comfort and technology take the lead. Move out into the country and switch the drive mode to sport however and the spirit of the Turbo Brick quickly makes itself known. Very quickly.

Honestly, during the first few days with the XC60, I was in full responsible Dad mode. The subtle R-Design logo on the rear hatch caught my eye and somehow reminded me that there was likely some fun lurking within this family machine. At the next light, I fully rolled into the throttle and was pleasantly surprised to find that the Swede is seriously quick. Quicker than many cars of the sporting variety. Sub 6 second 0-60 quick. To put that into perspective, the sort-of legendary 1989 Mustang GT (rollin’ in my 5.0) reached that standard in 6.1. A lot has changed over the years, but a four cylinder Swedish family hauler can still haul ass.

While the XC60 R-Design might not be a track ready weapon like say, a Porsche Macan GTS, it is definitely a vehicle one can have one heck of a lot of fun in and maybe embarrass a few tuner kids along the way.

On a humorous note, I learned that keeping the key fob in your pocket while washing the XC60 will cause the door lock system to spasm frequently, locking and unlocking the doors, flashing lights and wiggling the side mirrors like a curious puppy’s ears each time the brush or even water stream go near the door handles. Technology can be a weird and wonderful thing.

There was a time when Volvos were driven by science teachers, accountants and rally enthusiasts. In other words, Volvo was the car for the intelligent, the conservative and throw all caution to the wind performance fans. Today’s Volvo is a different animal. The XC60 T6 R-Design is one which still appeals to all three.

from garage2 http://ift.tt/2oijbKH via great info

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sherlocklexa · 7 years ago

Text

Turbo soul lives in the 2018 Volvo XC60

Don’t worry, I obeyed the rules of the road while driving the XC60.

Wait…..what?

from car2 http://ift.tt/2oijbKH via as shown a lot

#car2

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chocdono · 7 years ago

Text

Turbo soul lives in the 2018 Volvo XC60

Don’t worry, I obeyed the rules of the road while driving the XC60.

Wait…..what?

from mix1 http://ift.tt/2oijbKH via with this info

#mix1

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sagebodisattva · 7 years ago

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Transhumanism and Nihilism

Alright, so once again back onto the subject of nihilism, it's time to insert the exploratory probe into the orifice of transhumanism, to see whether or not there are any ripe ideological polyps to dissect and deconstruct.

Simply put, transhumanism, (abbreviated as H+ or h+) is an international intellectual movement that aims to transform the human condition by developing and making widely available sophisticated technologies to greatly enhance human intellect and physiology.

Yeah... I think it goes without saying that it's an "intellectual movement", as only the high intellect could come up with something so incredibly stupid. Not stupid in a practical sense, as the small advents of transhumanism seem to make sense; but in the bigger picture, it's taking baby steps towards dystopia. That's always the drawback of intelligence; it's very very clever, yet completely bereft of wisdom and intuition; hence, there's very little confidence in intelligence knowing when and where to draw the line, seeing as how intelligence is a conceptual tool of the ego. We have already seen what kind of chaotic havoc is wreaked by mere mortal egoic identities... so just imagine the kind of chaotic havoc that would ensue once the carrot of immortality gets dangled in front of the ego. It will be egoism gone berserk. The ego is already desperate to prove it exists, and has been continually frustrated by it's own lack of permanence and substantiality, but now with transhumanism, it finally has a glimmer of hope in reifying itself. This must never be allowed to happen... and as far as addressing what the evil might be in all of this, the subtleties of the situation are important to understand; as, once again, it isn't any objectified content that is the factor of concern, but is the desire for attachment that burns in the consciousness.

Any tool can be misused or abused by an ego, to the benefit of common good, or to it's own detriment. A knife is a good example of this. A knife can be used to carve a sculpture out of wood, or it can be used to murder someone. Thus a tool in itself has no ethical nature. It will be the user who determines the moral application of any tool... and technology is no different in this regard. Technology and computers are highly advanced tools, but still tools nonetheless. So, it isn't the technology in itself that presents the issue, it's the impure desire for assuming falsehoods. Put another way, evil isn't anything that appears in the dream, evil is the craving to grasp or push at dream appearances.. and the intensity of the craving will be equal to the level of ignorance that awareness is our true nature. If you were already lucid to the nature of your essence, then transhumanism wouldn't even be a consideration; as the essence of what you are is already immortal and infinite by natural default. Thus, knowing this, what you are attempting to preserve with the objective of transhumanism is already a lie. And by the way, this is always a sure fire way of uncovering the underlying integrity of any cause; posing the question of: is this cause devoted to upholding the truth, or is this cause devoted to upholding a falsehood? This is all you need discern... and for the truly wise, it isn't a relative subjective distinction to descry.

So, is transhumanism nihilistic, in a negative sense? Of course, the answer is a resounding YES, as transhumanism negates many values that are usually related to normative existence. The first and foremost being, the value of death. Isn't this the root cause of the whole transhumanism philosophy? The fear of death, and the desire to avoid it? But, as is seemingly the case in everything with the externalization mindset, this conclusion is incongruous...as, with the fear of death, the thing to overcome is the fear, not death. This might be hard to fathom by the average ego, as, in the ego's mind, being anything less then an invincible supreme being is thought to be less then appealing; all the while unaware that true omnipotence leads to oblivion, and no other option then self imposed limitation... but yes, to seek to negate what's natural in favor of what's artificial is definitely a form of nihilism with a negative connotation. I know it's hard to comprehend, but transience, limitation and evanescence are saving graces of existence, to be cherished... and these are all aspects that tranhumanism seeks to negate also.

"Aw, c'mon Sage... It's only a robotic leg."

That's what you say initially, but it's a slippery slope. Then it's only a robotic arm.. then a torso...then major organs. At what point will it switch from being functionally necessary to purely elective? And when does it stop? We've already seen the kind of addiction and rampant abuse surrounding the field of plastic surgery... imagine what would happen when out of control egos are allowed to start augmenting their physicality with robotic prosthetics! It makes you wonder: At what point are you no longer considered an organic being anymore and become more cyborg then human? And why should anyone tolerate such a degenerated consciousness? Oh wow, you'll get to be a super human!... who will then quickly become an out of control electronic megalomaniac, who won't rest until he can force his will onto everyone else and build a gigantic pen of slaves! Great! I can't wait for that. Transcendent Man? More like, DegenerateMan. Grow some balls, grow old and die like everyone else, douchebag. It's a rite of passage, and you ain't gonna cheat it. Even if we have to sabotage your ass. So forget it. It ain't happenin'.

See? Nothing good comes from attachment, and attachment to embodiment is no aberration. Form is illusion, and therefor a source of anxiety, dissatisfaction and subsequent suffering when one tries to form attachments to it. Let us not forget the three marks of existence spoken about in Buddhism: impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and non-selfness. That is, that all forms must dissolve, all forms are an inherently dissatisfactory, and there is nothing that appears in a form that is the true self. Any misconceptions or misapplied methodology about these three characteristics of form will bring about suffering... and transhumanism is no exception to the rule. So, with this in mind, where would one ever get the idea that augmenting this illusory form with technology, which is more illusion by the way, would make this illusory form any less of a falsehood? It's laughable, and WILL FAIL in the long run. Augmenting illusory form with technology is not going to make illusory form any less impermanent, any less of a dissatisfactory medium to quench desire, or any more of an embodiment of a real self. If anything, transhumanism is a paved road to a more literal mental slavery. That's right. Once consciousness becomes trapped within the confines of a technology, it will be permanently sealed in illusion, with no escape. And this isn't a caveat to take with a grain of salt. Never mind the Hollywood fantasy of robots and machines coming to enslave you. Your very existence will be a slavery in itself. If that doesn't represent a negation of value commonly associated with normative existence, then I don't know what is.

And of course the biggest value transhumanism negates is the importance of intimacy and reliance on the truth, and the unconditional acceptance of that truth. Instead transhumanism asks us to place emphasis on the extrinsic. To assign reliance, and therefor power, onto inventory items that will life extend consciousness. And let me ask you: what good is a life extended consciousness if it is permanently mired in delusion? That's like pondering how best to preserve waste... instead of asking how to give better purpose to waste... or, how not to produce waste in the first place. And the vision of transhumanism is very wasteful. Just think of the amount of resources and overhead required to sustain a cyborg indefinitely. And for what purpose? To gratify an ego? The means doesn't justify the end.

So if you are a transhumanist, then you are already a nihilist; as you desire to negate many of the important facets of your existence. This is why I propose to the transhumanist, if you are gonna be so nihilistic in negating so many of the values that are inherent to embodiment being natural, organic, and impermanent, then why not employ nihilism in a positive sense instead, and negate that which will be much more beneficial to your mental well being instead? If you would only heal the sickness in the mind, there would not be this craving desire to cling to form. For a pure mind knows itself, and knows a pure mind to be the source of all perceptual form. To seek to cling to byproduct of source is to seek refuge in delusional falsehood. The truth of being that which produces the experience of form becomes evident upon the removal of the attachment to illusion.

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