#but a local actress i really love both personally and artistically is in it

[pynkhues]

I forget, do you know the play Venus in Fur?

I haven't seen or read it, anon! I did put a copy of the book on my Christmas wishlist after you (or another anon?) asked me about it a while ago though. :-)

[uomo-accattivante]

Great article about The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window, which starts previews this Saturday…

Lorraine Hansberry’s “The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window” began performances on Broadway in the fall of 1964. It closed the following January, days before Hansberry’s death, having run 101 performances.

“Isn’t that insane?” the director Anne Kauffman asked.

This was on a recent afternoon in a rehearsal room of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, where Kauffman and her stars, the actors Rachel Brosnahan and Oscar Isaac, were preparing for the play’s first major New York revival since a 14-performance run in 1972. Combining the published script with earlier drafts, Kauffman’s production is scheduled to begin performances on Saturday. She directed a revival of “Sign” at Chicago’s Goodman Theater in 2016. But she didn’t feel finished with it.

“I loved that production. I really did,” she said. “But I had no idea what I was doing compared to the depths that we’re going to on this one.”

A couple of days earlier, I’d watch a half-dozen actors, mostly off book, dip their toes in, negotiating a brisk scene that touched — sardonically, sincerely — on issues of race, gender and sexuality. The sign itself, a campaign poster for a local politician, had yet to be hung, which led to jokes: The Sign on Sidney Brustein’s Balcony, The Sign on Sidney Brustein’s Fire Escape. The actors navigated the scene’s particular rhythms and its many props: cigarettes, ashtrays, a fruit bowl, liquor bottles.

“I don’t know where this will go,” Brosnahan, holding a glass, said.

Kauffman responded: “That’s the fun of rehearsal.”

“Sign” is set in Greenwich Village in 1964, territory more or less familiar to both Isaac (“Inside Llewyn Davis”) and Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”). Dedicated to “the committed everywhere,” the script moves between naturalism and a more heightened, poetic style. At its center is the fraught marriage between Sidney (Isaac), a small-business owner and onetime idealist, and Iris (Brosnahan), a would-be actress. All around them are the tumults of the time, which are also the tumults of our time, as each character measures the gulf between who they were, who they are and who they would like to become. In exploring Sidney’s allegiances, some of them misplaced, and Iris’s bid for self-determination, the play opens up questions of competing loyalties, identities and habits of mind.

James Baldwin, who was Hansberry’s friend, described himself, in a speech that he gave to raise funds for it, as deeply moved by the play. “If it cannot survive then we are in trouble,” he said, “because it is about nothing less than our responsibility to ourselves and each other.”

Why was the life of “Sign” so brief? “Very simply put, it’s not a play about Black people,” said Joi Gresham, the director of the Lorraine Hansberry Literary Trust and an adviser on this production. “She was seen as going out of her lane.”

Only one character in “Sign” identifies as Black, which surprised white critics who had buttonholed Hansberry as a writer devoted to Black characters. They had expected another “A Raisin in the Sun,” and not a protest play about Village bohemians.

All these decades later, the play can be understood as a prescient work about apathy, action and mutual aid. David Binder, the outgoing artistic director of BAM and a longtime champion of Hansberry’s oeuvre, sees it as a work whose time has come. “It’s a play about folks trying to do well in the world, in an incredibly turbulent time,” he said during a recent interview. “They’re trying to do right, personally, politically, socially. There’s never been a better time than now to do this play.”

Isaac agreed. “I want it to feel very alive,” he said. This was on that recent Saturday afternoon. Isaac, curled, beside Brosnahan, into a corner of a prop sofa, with Kauffman just opposite. They had stayed after rehearsal to discuss commitment, change and the ways in which a nearly 60-year-old play can still surprise us. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

Are you sign people? Are there signs that you hang in your own windows?

OSCAR ISAAC My mom’s house is in Vero Beach. Trump country. During the election I put a bunch of Biden stickers on the golf carts.

RACHEL BROSNAHAN My husband and I drove cross country in an RV in 2020. There was signage everywhere. Lawns filled with hundreds of Trump flags. I put a tiny Biden sticker in our window. It couldn’t be too big. We had to sleep there. If we did the play now it would be, “The Post on Sidney Brustein’s Instagram.” It’s all signs and not a lot of substance. You can hang a sign about anything. It’s maybe why I’ve always been a little bit allergic to signs.

ISAAC Makes you feel like a hypocrite.

BROSNAHAN But I go back and forth all the time. I sit on the board of a charitable organization, and I’ve learned how powerful it is to make a post on my Instagram. I guess the answer is you have to do both. You can say what you want, then you have to do it.

What made you want to do this play?

ISAAC It’s around the corner from where I live, a really easy sell. But I tried to get out of it. It’s nights. It’s a big commitment, energetically. I was like, ‘I’m going to read it just to make sure.’ I started reading the first pages. And I was like, ‘No, of course, I’m doing this.’ There’s something about the music of it. It’s undeniable. The draw is just too strong.

BROSNAHAN I had a similar experience. And it couldn’t be further from my house. I’ve spent the last 10 months shooting and really needed a break. But there is a magnetism to this play. I couldn’t stop thinking about it and dreaming about it.

ISAAC It’s like this lost Bach piece. People should hear this music.

Who is Sidney, and what does he believe in?

ISAAC I don’t know. I don’t know if he knows. He is a feeler and someone who’s trying to stop himself from feeling. He’s committed to a lot to things that haven’t panned out. So his hope has dried up. He has a very broad mind and a really keen aesthetic. He’s steeped in the culture of the moment and in the culture of the Village but it’s all starting to dissolve and change. There’s a wave coming — the civil rights movement, the psychedelic movement, Dylan plugging in. And at the heart is this relationship that’s also mutating and shifting. He can’t hold on to anything.

Who is Iris?

BROSNAHAN Iris is also a feeler. And a dreamer. But she doesn’t know how to achieve the dreams. She has a clear picture of what the dream is and no road map. She’s caught between two different waves of feminism. She’s caught between wanting to be cared for and wanting to take care of herself. When she entered into this relationship, she was really happy to be whatever he wanted her to be, to do whatever he wanted her to do, to go wherever he wanted. That was enough. But the world is changing, new conversations are happening. She is in a moment of tremendous change.

The play is nearly 60 years old. What has surprised you about it?

ISAAC The way she talks about identity, that feels eerily prophetic. What’s surprising to me is that this queer Black young woman, in the ’60s, wrote this play that has so much freedom. Every character has moments of extreme selfishness, ignorance and ugliness. Then, within a sentence, they say something that breaks your heart. You don’t see that kind of bravery these days.

BROSNAHAN She gives each and every character the grace to be exactly who they are. She’s extraordinary. And so much of her extraordinary self is in this play. She could hold so many prophetic ideas in her head at once. We are revisiting a huge conversation right now about white apathy and the consequences of that in our political system and world. She explores that with such nuance in this play.

Oscar, you mention identity. Sidney is Jewish as written and you were not raised Jewish. Does that make you feel any particular responsibility?

ISAAC We could play that game: How Jewish are you? It is part of my family, part of my life. I feel the responsibility to not feel like a phony. That’s the responsibility, to feel like I can say these things, do these things and feel like I’m doing it honestly and truthfully.

Has the play made you reflect about your own commitments, your own beliefs?

BROSNAHAN I’ve been very inspired by the play’s criticism of inaction. As someone who can be an absolutist, very all or nothing, it feels like a very hopeful and healthy reminder that you can do something, even something small, even something local. If that’s all you can do, that is enough. If we all do a little bit, we have the ability to make great change. Lorraine believed deeply in people’s ability to make change.

ANNE KAUFFMAN Doing this play and having people come watch it and making sure that it’s accessible, that’s my mission. People need to hear her voice and they need to see this play.

BROSNAHAN We need her in this moment.

KAUFFMAN In every moment. We haven’t even caught up to her. The way that she thinks.

What do you want the audience to experience?

ISAAC I want it to feel very alive. I want it to feel like a happening.

BROSNAHAN I want it to come off of the page. Hopefully people will consider where they do or don’t see themselves in this play and how that moves them.

KAUFFMAN I want people to be exposed to these words at this moment and to know Lorraine Hansberry in a different way. I want to have this be part of the canon. This is not a well-made play. You come expecting to see a Lorraine Hansberry play and this colors way outside the lines. My goal is to let it be wild, not try to tame it.

###

[wooglebear]

So, how is tetocu23 handling this little boy?

Yes, that's right. since the legacy movie characters are going to be in this theoretical reboot, Tommy (AKA the locker kid from the film) is here. He's going to be slightly much happier here.

Emphasis on slightly.

- let's say Tommy is smart, determined and ruthless. He's rude to people she doesn’t trust. He's brash and stubborn. And he has a bit of claustrophobia.

- He has a passion for drawing and helping those around him, sometimes even worrying more about helping others than helping himself

- He sometimes has acts responsible, but not in a bossy way.

- To Krupp tho, he's seen as kind of a weirdo, for you see, he spends almost every time of the day drawing in his sketchbook

- He practices everyday to become a better artist, and he's been bullied because of it.

- Tommy doesn’t mind these comments, although they have made him less willing to share his drawings with others that aren’t named George and Harold or Dante (yes, he and Dante are friends in this one)

His design is showing the contrast between what he likes/his personal taste vs his mother's expectations/what he knows is the best choice.

What is this mother like? Well…

This is Miss Bluebell Clark. She's a single mother (yes, her wife is nowhere in the picture) and Jerome Horwitz Elementary's new drama teacher.

- basically the adult version of a theatre kid.

- has the middle name "Belinda".

- Really darn smart and conniving. Befitting her job as drama teacher, she's a very good actress. She has a knack for lying, twisting words and exploiting weaknesses. If you're Tommy, it’s very hard to know when she’s being genuine.

- When she first shows up, and around Alice, Bluebell acts all calm and collected, sweet, and innocent. Of course, that’s just a facade. Underneath that, there is a downright manipulative, cruel, calculating and self absorbed young lady who's willing to use and trample on anyone, even her own son. And remember when I said she acts innocent as her facade? No, on the inside, she is not. She's the reason why Tommy has a bit of claustrophobia (she hides him in lockers). Tommy even tries going to tetocu23!“Grace Wain” to try to get his mother fired. But Grace tells him that the only reason that she hasn't booted her out of there yet is because she has a feeling she's planning something, and also Bluebell's an 'asset' to the school.

- As vain as the peacock and refuses to get dirty.

- Near constantly tells Tommy 'dress exactly as I tell you'. As a result, Tommy suffers for it, as his mother sets the theme for his outfit each day, and he would rather wear something a little more plausible for a ten year old boy than the clothes of a theatre kid. Something local theatre kid Dante notices.

- Uses emotional abuse on Tommy. But when she's mad at Tommy, it can get a little hairy.

- Her personality can change from nasty to sweet on a dime. If she wrote one poem as a nice person and one poem as a bad person, you would not think the same person wrote both poems. That's how two sided she is.

- The only thing that she makes known of her real self is her treatment of Tommy. As a result, everyone feels bad for Tommy and hates Bluebell.

- She thinks most teachers (and Edith) as her subjects, blissfully unaware of what everyone thinks of her. Mr. Ree, however, makes her blood boil, to the point she has a sign on the staff room saying "Janitors do not count as teachers. They are not allowed."

- I think Bluebell would make everyone hate Tommy. This hatred of him would eventually bubble over and Tommy gets monster-fied. as a result, the boys and captain have to fight him as a monster of the week. Eventually, Tommy gets turned back to normal, and now everyone loves the boy :)

- Bluebell sees it differently. When Cash shows up, she INSTANTLY hates him and works in secret with Krupp, despite our principal not treating Cash as horribly as canon, to turn almost everyone against the man. Poor Cash is just confused as to why everyone but Javi and Alice hates him.

Alice: I love playing the Sims. It's basic. You build a house, make people who live in it, done.

Cash: I'm quite fond of The Sims 4: Get Famous.

Javi: I love making my sims get jobs.

Bluebell: I did things like removing all the doors to a room and making my neighbor pee themself or watching people drown in ladderless pools!

Javi: ...

Cash: You disgusting psychopath

Alice: (sarcastic) Bluebell, what would we do without you?

- When Cash and Javi confront Bluebell, Javi's like "So it was all you! You made everyone hate my boyfriend!" and Cash's like "How will you kill us? Will it be the classic beheading ooooor burn us at the stake like witches? Please, do get creative, I wouldn't want my death to be something generic." Bluebell's like "Nah, I won't kill either of you."

- Desperately wants to get rid of Cash and goes to great lengths to try and set up the parameters for his downfall, but it goes sideways in some way.

Bluebell: Do you want to be friends with me?

cash networth: of course! The more friends the merrier, so you join us!

Bluebell: I'm sure I won't backstab you in the end... (shows she had her fingers crossed) Or will I?

-Despite being a lesbian, Bluebell used to be dating Lavatore Ree. Then thanks to Lavatore playing it fast and loose, they drifted apart.

-When she reconciles with her ex-lover, Bluebell is very open about their relationship, while Lavatore keeps it a secret.

- Used to be Cara's right-hand-woman, until she quit.

- Has a rivalry with Alice. There was no reason for giving her this rivalry if I recall. But I think it's really funny that, while the blonde art teacher becomes the most popular teacher at a school of fun hating adults (thanks to treating her pupils nicely), the brunette drama teacher has a son who she treats horribly and makes herself public enemy number one.

(tetocu23 au: @infini-tree / @cartchytuns)

[sassymajesty]

Hi Nina, I'm the person who recommended the stupid wife series (I originally asked on anon in case the Brazillian assumption caused offence 😔) I am an ABSOLUTE SUCKER for enemies-to-lovers fics so this was right up my street 😁 I think I personally would find it a bit weird with having the same name but thankfully their names are different in the show. They kinda skipped over how they got together & I would love to see what changed for Luiza cause she was not about it before. They also have a lot of BTS stuff on youtube with the actresses which is cool to see and the actresses are both so sweet.

it's been forever since i've watched anything brazilian and i've been stalling a little because i really want to like it, but oh, i'm so picky when it comes to brazilian acting. it's like i can see bad acting a lot easier than in other languages. but from the minute and a half i watched, it looks good!!

valentina sounds like a bitch but she's so hot she can step all over me, and luiza i already want to protecc🥹🤲🏻 i can't wait to see them married

let me just... link the playlist with all the episodes here, if anyone wants to watch it (there are english subtitles, folks)

i also already want to buy the book without even really knowing the story because support local queer artists and all, but apparently the second edition is already all sold out (i JUST missed the pre sale). i love that for nathália sodré but come oN

[willowbot2000]

An Idea

So I just drank like five cups of coffee and it’s like one in the morning, but I just got the best idea for Miraculous when the characters are adults.  And this is it (PS, this is probably gonna be really dumb bc I’m sleep deprived and caffeine high, so please don’t get too angry in the comments)

So, basically, Marinette and Adrien are married.  Marinette has taken over her parents bakery so they could retire, she still designs clothing, but now it’s for Kagami and Felix’s clothing company, and her and Adrien are trying for a baby.  While Adrien is a theatre or piano teacher at their local high school and is loving it.  The whole thing going on with their relationship is they’re still in their honeymoon stage and have some trouble talking to each other.  So Marinette is stressed and scared to tell Adrien that she’s not expecting.  But of course Adrien finds out through either her word vomiting it randomly or Alya telling him and forgetting that it’s a secret.  And Adrien of course still loves Marinette and brings up the idea of adopting.

Alya is now a News Reporter and Nino is a stage tech.  They have two kids and are expecting the third one.  Alya is still a supportive friend that Marinette can run to.

Kagami and Felix own a modeling company together.  They either started their own from scratch or took over Gabriel’s after he retired/died.  Juleka works as a model there and her agent is Sabrina.  Juleka is in a relationship with Rose who owns her own yoga meditation class, which Juleka and Marinette both visit very often.  Luka and Zoe are close friends and they decided to move to New York to be starving artists.  Chloe is a famous French actress.  Lila is also a model and is kind of the antagonist of the whole plot since she has a negative effect on everyone.  Ex. She tells Marinette that the only reason her and Adrien can’t have kids is because he chose the wrong person.

Again I would like to say that this is just an idea that I came up with at one in the morning while really caffeinated.  If anything this is honestly more of a fanfiction idea.  But yeah, I guess if anyone wants to write this into a fanfiction I honestly don’t care.  I could just wake up tomorrow and read this and think it’s the dumbest thing ever.

This is an edit on this idea. I just found out that Zoe is attracted to girls ✨️Yass Queen✨️. But that kind of changes this idea. I originally said that Zoe would be in a relationship with Luka, but to respect the fact that she is lesbian I changed it to them just being friends.

[annie-mit-ie]

Glimpses: Part 16 (Kathryn Hahn x Fem!Reader)

Part 1 // previous chapter <<< >>> next chapter

Summary: A lot is happening.

Word count: 2.8k

A/N: hello again! I was away on a family vacation over the weekend and am sitting in a car on the way home. This is, one again, entirely written and edited on the phone so pls be kind 🥰

Moreover, I can’t believe how many people loved and reacted to the last part. Good confidence boost! Hope y’all will enjoy this lighter chapter as well - a new rollercoaster is already awaiting around the corner ;)

Tag List: @danvers97 @zafirosreverie @srtamercurio @wanatag @pulledbythestars17 @plantowl @spacehahn @sarahp-stan @agentbrownierso @our-blood-is-our-ink @fruityhahn @emril-osvigne

_____________________________________________________________________________

“You told her WHAT?” Jennifer looks at Kathryn in disbelief.

Kathryn, who is sitting on the couch, tea in hand and a wide smile on her face, looks at her manager. “That I think I am in love with her. Yup. I did that,“ she takes another sip. „Because, you know, I think I am.“

She smiles to herself and looks at her tea before she continues talking. „I can’t stop thinking about her. I want her around. Preferably at all times. I know I haven’t talked to her or anyone about it, but really… the whole thing with Jeffrey really made me realize… I couldn’t touch that man. At all. I couldn’t even bring myself to think about it. Because of her. I really do think this is it, Jen.”

Jennifer looks at Kathryn and for a moment both woman fall silent. “I just… I don’t think it’s a good idea. You might be at the height of your career right now. I just have a gut feeling.”

“Eh,” Kathryn waves the remark off with one hand. “You’re wrong.”

Not giving it another thought, she sips her tea and sits in silence, as Jennifer shakes her head and leaves the room, running into Agnes who is just about to enter. Agnes reminds Kathryn that she had to leave for today’s set in a couple of minutes and collects whatever she needs with her.

Agnes seems to be in a very good mood and occasionally checks her phone to stay on track as she leads Kathryn out of the room towards the car she had called for her. The women slip into the backseat and Kathryn immediately lets her head fall back and closed her eyes.

Lately, whenever she does, she can see your face. She doesn’t mind that you didn’t say anything back after she confessed to you. After all, it was her fault for calling right after work where people usually still need her. Right after she poured her heart out, someone came running towards her and told her to meet the director for an urgent arrangement. Obviously, Kathryn had to hang up right away as the project is top secret and the actors are not allowed to have their phones on set at all to keep it that way.

Seeing the tears on her face, the crew member didn’t say anything about the rule and never planned to report her for using a device in the first place. You saw him on you screen for just a second and realized Kathryn had to leave immediately. Both of you smiled and it felt wrong but at the same time the way her eyes looked made up for it and her apologetic good bye forced your heart to skip yet another beat.

Back in reality, Kathryn opens her eyes again and smiles at Agnes who is placing her hand on Kathryn’s. “You okay, K?”

Kathryn nods. “Better than ever before. I just wish she was here, you know?”

Agnes knows.

Today’s shooting is long and Kathryn’s body aches as she falls into bed that night. Tomorrow will be just as long, especially since the crew has to leave the area for a 2-day-shoot in the mountains. She sighs as she leans up against the headrest to type out a message telling you about it all. This week, time is tight and she hasn’t had enough of it to properly talk to you again. Especially with Jennifer following her every step to make sure she takes care of herself.

Preparing for the long shoot, Kathryn puts herself in a kind of trance, especially since her scenes will be mentally and physically demanding. Two days later, she snaps out of it as Agnes and her sit in a car on their way back to the hotel. Weirdly enough, she is full of energy and beams as her team wants to go have dinner tonight to celebrate the end of the week.

She immediately strips and hops into the shower before getting ready for dinner. Thinking about how it’s only gonna be her and the team, she ditches an extensive make up and is just about to just put mascara on as it knocks on her door.

Expecting Agnes or Jennifer to pick her up, Kathryn wants to just ask for them to let themselves in. But something holds her back, so she gets up and opens the door herself.

It’s you. You, in all your beauty. Your hair the way she likes it best, some make up, an outfit that tells her you know she is on her way to dinner. Kathryn is not able to form any words and just continues staring at you as you fiddle with your hands and shoot her a shy smile.

For a moment, neither of you speak or move, until you take a sharp breath. “I am in love with you, too”, you hear yourself say, before you launch forward, cup her face with both hands and capture her lips with yours.

The kiss is long, but sweet and she holds you close after it ends. “Y/N… you are here… you are real…”

There are tears in her eyes as she reaches up to move a loose strand of hair behind your ear. “I’ve missed you so much. Oh god.” She sighs into your ear as she wraps you up in a tight hug while the door falls shot behind you.

A few seconds pass before she lets go and finally faces you. Realizing she isn’t in a position to talk, you take the lead, “I heard you’re going out for dinner?” She nods and cups your face to kiss you again. Hard. Wanting.

“Hold on!” You stop her. “We gotta get going, hm?”

Once again, she nods but you also feel your self slowly being pushed towards the wall behind you. Eventually, your back meets it with a thud, blowing some air out of your lungs. Looking at her, your chore burns and you bite down hard on your lower lip because you can feel yourself spiraling, wanting her, slowly giving in.

“Kathryn…”, you say her name, nearly moan her name. Teasing her with it, you want to see what effect it has on her as you let it roll on your lips. You are finally just about to give in as it knocks on the door again.

Realizing what had just happened, you jump back and remove yourself from Kathryn by ducking under her arms that are resting to your side. She takes a breath and flattens her shirt before running her hand through her hair as she opens the door. It’s Agnes.

“Boss? I’m - oh! HEY Y/N! Nice to see you found each other.” There is a short moment of silence in which she takes in the situation and realizes how out of breath Kathryn, highlighted by the cheeky smile you’re spotting in the background.

She coughs. “The limo is waiting. I’m here to pick you up, the others want to leave.”

Apologetic, she nods once and closes the door behind her again. Kathryn shoots you a short smile, grabs her blazer and your hand and leads you out of the room, following her right away.

The trip is nice. The whole team is there and you recognize Ben, the hairdresser, who is standing with Agnes and Jennifer, right away. As always, the manager acts professional and polite but keeps her distance while Ben wraps you up in a tight hug as he tells you he missed you. There is also a young blonde, whose name you don’t quite understand - Agnes introduced her as the set’s make up artist - and another assistant, who is responsible for all things regarding the project Kathryn is still working on. She seems very busy and organizes something after welcoming Kathryn shortly.

Quickly, you realize that Kathryn invites everyone out for a nice evening as a thank you for their work. She is one of the few people who realize that it takes a team to bring life into a character and it just makes you fall for her more. She shoots you a smile and lets her hand run over your arm before getting into the car where she sinks into the soft limo-seats.

Within the group, you look like you belong. No one would raise any suspicion asking who you are, especially since Kathryn’s set assistant, who is a local, organized a table at a restaurant far away from where the paparazzi would assume an actress would go out to.

The groups time at dinner is great. Once again, Kathryn takes the time to thank everyone and ask about their time and if anyone needed anything that she could provide. Occasionally, she would touch and squeeze your leg under the table and look directly into your eyes as you talk. You love when she puts her arm around the back of your chair to completely face you and take in every word you say. Sometimes, she would even run her index finger over her lip and bits down on it - a common thing she does that makes you forget every thought you’ve ever had. Other than Kathryn, everyone else also seems to be very interested into the stories you tell and they all make you feel like you are right at home, which is a welcomed change to how ex-partners treated you. Not that you and Kathryn are an actual thing.

When dinner comes to an end, everyone is high of laughter and slightly tipsy you are the last person to slip into the car. Kathryn is already sitting in the back of the long couch that fills out the limo. Sitting down, you move a little too fast, prompting her to use your momentum to pull you closer and plant a short kiss on your lips.

Immediately, you pull back and look at the others in shock as you realize you guys weren’t exactly open about it all, but no one seems to think about it any further. Jennifer types on her phone as the make up and hair artists discuss next week’s looks. Only Agnes really realizes and shoots you a wide smile as your eyes meet. Softly, you smile back and, having gained new confidence, lean into Kathryn’s touch who is playing with your hair and place another kiss on her lips before she wraps an arm around you and you just lean against her side.

Back in her hotel room, you sit down on her couch as you are unsure what to do with yourself. Agnes, who organized the whole surprise with you, organized a separate room for you where you put all your stuff this afternoon which is why you seem a little lost right now. She is an angel. Right after Kathryn’s confession, you called Peter who gave you his number just in case you ever needed him. He not only connected you with Agnes - he also offered to take you to the airport. With their help, you managed to get to the woman of your dreams within a couple of days.

Kathryn’s head pops out of the bathroom. “Make yourself at home, honey! It’s all yours as well.”

She shoots you a small smile before she pops back into the room. Sitting there by yourself for a minute, you try to take in everything that is happening tonight and are just starting to wonder where you’re gonna sleep as Kathryn walks back into the bedroom. Locking eyes with you, she walks straight towards you before plopping down next to you on the other side of the couch you are currently sitting on.

A soft smile plays along her lips and her eyes glisten in the bright moonlight that’s coming in through the open window. A light breeze is ruffling through her hair and the whole scene is soaked in dark blue light as the night makes your eyes heavy and you sink into the cushions.

For a moment, you sit in silence as she lets her head fall back with closed eyes and her hand rests on your ankle, slowly caressing it with her thumb. She smiles.

Suddenly, she straightens her back and sits up again, facing you. “Hey.”

“Hey.” You say back with the softest voice you have in you.

“I am so happy you are here. I feel like I can finally breathe again.” Her face lightens up, elevated by the moonlight.

You need a moment to comprehend what she has said before you respond. “I feel like there is no other place I’m supposed to be at.”

Fully focusing on you, she nods as she takes in your every thought while her smile widens. Another breeze comes in through the window and you realize one again how incredibly beautiful you think she is.

Actually,” she takes, “I really don’t want to change that. I would like to have you here.”

For a moment, your brain wonders if she wants to offer you a job - which, absolutely is dumb - but you remember to listen to her as she continues speaking: “If you want to… you can stay. Here. I would love that.”

You feel honored but at the same time you feel like this situation of not talking things out will continue if you don’t take the chance and step up.

You move a little closer to her, rest your elbow on the back of the couch and place your hand (that has been propping up your head) on her cheek, fingertips softly touching her hair. For a blink, you sit there and take in the moment of intimacy before you move a strand of hair behind her air and place your palm against the back of her neck, caressing her slowly.

“Kathryn…. I wanna be with you.” You decide to rip the bandaid off. “I want to hold your hand, kiss you, I want to spend any possible moment with you and just… be.”

Once again, she nods. “I want that, too.”

You both smile. Moving forward, you cross your legs as you take a seat right next to her to take her hands into yours. Her eyes shoot up and she looks at you in anticipation.

You take in a deep breath and collect your confidence to ask a question that makes your heart rate go up so far Kathryn would probably be mad at you for. Right as you open your mouth to talk, the brunette blurts out what is lying on your tongue. “Please be my girlfriend!”

You stare at her in disbelief. It’s what you wanted, but hearing her suggest it is a completely different story. “Please,” she repeats, “I know this isn’t gonna be the easiest ride but… in the short time we’ve been… together… I just.. I want to be with you. REALLY be with you.”

It’s time, it’s time and you can’t hold onto you anymore. You launch forward and pin her down on the couch. Her hands fall over her head and disappear in her wild mane. She looks at you with open eyes and widened pupils as a cheeky grin finds its place on your face.

“Yes! Let’s do it!”, you say before finding her lips and kissing her until both of you can’t breath anymore.

It’s not the romantic situation you’ve always imagined. It’s not the grown-up situation of being with someone older you expected. But somehow, it’s perfect. You remember the countless times she drove you mad. The times you had to hold back. The dreams you’ve had about her and somehow it just seems fitting that this is how she becomes yours. Breathless, on the other side of the world, on a spontaneous surprise after blurting out sweet confessions. After all, you are head over heels for each other which put you in the position you’re in in the first place.

Remembering all the hot longing glimpses she’d thrown your way tonight, you go in for another kiss and deepen it quickly, becoming one with her under the calming moon light.

[captainjimothycarter]

Steve and Peggy meeting in the NICU, both single parents to tiny little fighters that aren't quite ready for the world. Accidental love happening bolstered on by Steve's BFF Bucky and Peggy's ex-foster brother Clint because damn it those two are dating and fixated on the idea of everyone being cutesy in love too.

Please know that I thought about this prompt often and I hope I did it justice. I wanted to write SO much more on this and give it the 100k it deserves.

--

“I’m pregnant.”

Steve felt the fork drop from his hand, splattering sauce over his shirt. He cursed and started to wipe it off, Lorraine reaching over to dab ice water into the stain.

All he could do was stare at her, watching her perfectly manicured fingers clean up the spot.

“Pregnant.” The word felt foreign in his mouth, he could feel his head starting to spin as she pulled her hands away.

Lorraine was perfect in every way. In every way that reminded Steve that he was lucky to have a one night stand with her and nothing more, and now ... weeks later…

He blinked slowly and lowered his hands to the table. “But you don’t want kids.”

He’d met her in college, she’d been in a fair number of his classes for them to become friends. They’ve had a few pleasant conversations and she helped him get a job at the local diner before he graduated. Lorraine had made it clear from the start that her main goal in life was to become an actress and that despite her mother’s insistence, she didn’t want kids.

Steve had always joked that he’d take them off her hands. Lorraine’s response had always been the same, “The day that I have kids is the day that hell freezes over. Besides, Rogers, you’re a great catch. One day someone will see that.”

He was a late bloomer, and stayed 5’4 until he graduated from college where he’d hit a sudden peak. By then he was nothing but a bean-pole of a guy with downy soft blonde hair and long, artist fingers. The only thing going for him then was his wits and his skills, he didn’t exactly have men or women lining up to bone him.

Now, five years later, Steve was a young man that had filled out, so to speak. He’d suddenly found the growth spurts he’d been missing and massed up in muscle. It just so happened he ran into Lorrine at the bar when she was visiting home.

That was weeks ago. Now he was facing the consequences for his actions.

“I don’t, I still don’t,” Lorraine replied simply, swiping his garlic bread. “But I know you do. So, I wanted to offer this opportunity.”

His throat bobbed as he swallowed, looking down at his hands. He traced the paint that had refused to come off of his thumb. Was he ready for a kid? God no, but he also felt like this was an opportunity knocking on his door.

“Okay,” he said after a long minute.

“Steven, you really don’t have to answer me right this minute. It’s a lot to consider. We have a few weeks at most, if I have my time correct. We can…”

Steve’s head was already shaking, stopping her mid sentence. He grabbed at her hands and squeezed gently. “No, I want this kid. I’ll pay for everything, okay? Hospital visits, doctors, clothes, even reconstructive surgery after.”

Lorrine’s lips twitched and she pressed a kiss to Steve’s knuckles. “You’re so sweet, Steven. I will never understand why no one would want someone as sweet as you. I have the aftercare planned for, alright? You don’t have to worry. But…” She let go of his hands to sit up, getting a more serious look on her face. “I need you to understand, after I give birth, this child will be your responsibility. I want nothing to do with them. If that makes me a bad person, then, oh well.”

Steve was already bobbing his head, feeling like it hadn’t stopped moving since she broke the news. “Okay. I understand. You won’t have anything to do with the child after they’re born but the opportunity is there.”

Even if he knew she wouldn’t take it, he had to offer it. Lorraine deserved that much.

**

“What on earth would make you decide such a thing?”

The disgust in Amanda’s voice was loud and clear, her voice loud enough that she had to pull the phone away from her ear.

Peggy sighed as she looked across the table to Clint, the tall blonde rolling his eyes. She watched him turn his hearing aids down, signing to her that their mother had to be loud and dramatic.

“Well, I didn’t call to get your approval,” Peggy scoffed back at their mother, rubbing her thumb over the edge of the file. “I was calling to tell you what I was doing. I thought you’d be happy for me, as you always insisted on grandchildren.”

“Yes, I have! When you have a proper family, a husband, a house, not-not-”

“A tube-o-sperm?” Clint snickered, snatching the phone from Peggy. “Ma, Pegs is gonna do what she wants, regardless of what you say. The least you can do is support her and not be a prat about it. Besides, she doesn’t need to wait for the right man or woman to have a family. If she wants a kid right now, then she wants a kid. Besides, I’m with her through this whole thing. We’ve already gone through donor lists, we’ve got some great picks.”

The disgust in Amanda’s voice only grew and Clint groaned at it. “No daughter of mine will have a child outside of wedlock! Nor from a stranger of all things! This is disgusting and-and Micheal would be ashamed of you!”

Well, if that wasn’t twisting the back-stabbing knife, he didn��t know what would.

Clint and Peggy both stared at each other in shock, the silence stretching. Slowly Peggy took the phone back, he didn’t even bother to wrestle her for it.

“Micheal would’ve loved that I am doing what I wanted, getting out from under your clutches. He...he would’ve loved Clint too. I hope you’re happy because as of today, I am no longer your daughter. I can’t speak for Clint but-”

“Clint is no longer her son, if she even considers me that,” he grumbled, lowering his hand to clutch at one of hers.

“Well, there you have it, mother. We’re no longer your children. I hope you’re happy.”

Peggy all but slammed her phone down, feeling the white-hot rage wash over her. She didn’t even know Clint had gotten up until he pulled her off of the chair and onto the floor in his arms.

And for the first time in a while, she cried into his shoulder.

“You’re all I have left, Clint” Peggy whispered into his shoulder, clutching his arm.

“And I’m not going anywhere,” Clint promised, rubbing her spine. “I’ll stay with you every step of the way, Pegs.”

**

Steve was lucky in ways that he knew many other parents in the NICU weren’t. He had his Ma by his side, while most only had each other, and a few just had themselves. And all Little Chester had was him and Steve wasn’t going to let him down.

And as of late, Steve had an annoying best friend to come by every day with a change of clothes and food, taking on ‘baby watch’ while he showered and ate. While Bucky said he was on baby watching duty, he’d caught the man flirting with the tall, muscular blonde in the other NICU room. Often a woman with brown curls and bags under his eyes that matched his own would send the blonde a disgusted look and roll her eyes when he’d flirt right back at Bucky.

The most he got from Bucky about the pair in the next room was that they were brother and sister. And she was tired of the pair flirting, just because it was not as entertaining as they thought it was.

“And get this, her baby Oliver has the same birthday as Chester! Just born an hour before him,” Bucky kindly informed him. “Annnd, she’s been looking in on you, Steve. Her names Peggy, you should go talk to her.”

“I’m fine, Buck, thanks. I’m sure she’s busy.” Steve tried arguing on their second week of doing this. He had more things to worry about than a beautiful woman checking him out, even if he was trying to ignore his heart jumping from the idea. He was sure they both had enough on their plates. He stood in the doorway of the bathroom, wanting to pout in Bucky’s direction but he knew it would go nowhere.

Bucky just glanced up at him from where he laid on the couch, watching Chester wave his fist. “Punk, you’re far from fine. I know this is what Lorrine and you agreed on but you don’t gotta lie to me. You don’t need to be doing this alone. I mean look at Pegs! She has Clint.”

“I ain’t alone! I got the nurses and Ma!”

“Steve, I am saying this from the bottom of my heart, but you know that some of these nurses are snooty and gossip. Plus, with Mama Sarah having to be out of town, I know it’s been hard and I can’t stay here at night because of stupid rules and I worry about you. All I am saying is, maybe talking to someone going through the same situation isn’t a too bad of an idea.”

Steve rolled his eyes at the man’s valid points, kicking his long legs off of the couch and sitting down. He tried not to make it so obvious that he was glancing towards her room, but he was sure Bucky had caught him by the little, cocky grin he wore on his lips. He found the brunette was looking into his room as well.

Peggy. That did have a nice ring to it.

“I’m not saying to abandon your kids,” Bucky tried to defend himself, grunting when Steve punching his arm. “Just think about talking to her, alright? Just please, just lie to me and say you will so I can sleep easy at night, thinking you’re okay here.”

“Geez, Buck. I don’t know if I should be offended or not.” Steve rolled his eyes, still finding Bucky was staring at him. He looked to little Chester laying under the lights, sighing. “Alright, I’ll think about it. Now get before I have Nurse Greta chase you out with a broom and take that annoying blonde of yours with you.”

“Can’t, punk, you’re rooted to this room too.”

Bucky grinned as he danced around the empty water bottle Steve chucked in his direction, throwing an arm around Clint’s shoulders as they left.

**

“Sometimes the silence is the worst,” sighed an accented voice from his doorway. The same one he’s heard muffled for the past few weeks. “Normally I would think it’s your friend and Clint’s terrible flirting and cheesy dad jokes, but it’s the silence. Don’t you agree?”

He hadn’t heard the door slide open or maybe he did at 3 in the morning and thought it was just a nurse and tried to turn back over on the uncomfortable couch to get some sleep. Instead, he found the brunette - Peggy from next door, wrapped in a red house robe and staring at him.

She looked as exhausted as he felt, her curls bundled into a bun on the top of her head. He knew he didn’t look any better with his hair sticking out in every direction from constantly running his hand through it.

Steve forced himself to sit up, forcing himself to look away and at his infant to just reassure himself that Chester was still there. “I…I, yeah. I agree. I…are you okay? Do you need anything?”

Peggy’s head tilted slightly at question. “No, no. It’s Steve, right? That’s what your friend said. I figured we could use some company, if that’s okay. Tell me if I’m overstepping here.”

She sounded so honest and worried that it almost broke his heart. He could just hear that exhaustion in her voice. “No, ma’am, you’re not. I’m Steve, yeah. You’re, uh, Peggy, right? That’s what Bucky said.” He groaned as he stood up and offered her the seat.

“Thank you, Steve, but no. I want to be close, just in case… This is as far as I could convince myself to go.” She glanced behind her towards the room, reassuring herself that everything was okay.

“I haven’t left this room since we got here, either. Even with Bucky on baby duty, but I think he spends most of that time flirting with your brother. If he’s not careful, he’s losing god father honor to Chester,” Steve laughed, feeling his heart swell at the sight of Peggy’s smile.

“Unfortunately for me, Clint is family, the only family I got left, so I can’t exactly take away his honor of uncle,” she sighed, shaking her head. “One more terrible pun-joke and I’ll find a way. Is this…you said this was Chester? Well, hello, little Chester. You’re such a little fighter, aren’t you? Just like your father, I’ve heard.”

Steve could feel his ears turning red, clearing his throat as he leaned into the wall beside her. “That’s Chester Edwin Rogers. I don’t even want to know what Bucky has said to you. He did tell me that your little one was named Oliver?”

“Mhm. Oliver Micheal Carter.” She straightened herself up and turned to study Steve’s exhausted expression. “You look exhausted, darling. I’ll let you be so you can get some rest.”

“It’s okay, I’m…afraid if I sleep…”

“You’ll miss something important?” Peggy finished when Steve trailed off, earning a solemn nod from him. “I know the feeling.”

“Maybe I have a solution? It might be a bit ridiculous… So we both can sit and talk and not leave Chester or Oliver’s side,” Steve offered with a slight shrug.

“At this point, I think we both need a bit of ridiculous in our lives, don’t you think?”

It was a ridiculous and stupid solution, but Peggy’s company was comforting. To know another parent going through the same thing was rather nice and he wouldn’t want to say Bucky was right, but maybe Bucky was right.

**

“Well, I told you they’d hit it off. I just didn’t think it be this fast,” Bucky sighed, squeezing Clint around his waist and looking down at the mess in front of him.

“Whose doing do you think this is?” Clint snickered, grabbing his phone to take a few photos. For blackmail, later, of course.

“Knowing them? Both of them, maybe just Steve’s who know.” The sight of Steve and Peggy curled up on the small chairs dragged in their respected doorways, with their pinkies curled around one another was a sight to be held after weeks and weeks of stress for both of them.

“We’re so embarrassing them with this at their wedding, aren’t we?”

Bucky clicked his tongue in agreement. “With photos and everything.”

[evenmoregreener]

Questionnaire of Laruku from B-PASS magazine (March. 1995)

Another translation of a translation from Russian. This "interview" was translated for Russian l'arc fan-club in 2018. I haven't found any other English translations on the net, so I decided that it will be interesting for you to read something like this. All credits are down below, big thank you to the original translator, what a great woman! 

The original Russian text has some typos plus English isn't my first language, that's why text might seem a bit of strange. About special signs: (translator's note) - notes of an original translator; "*" - my own notes; (?) - neither me nor the original translator understood the context. Please, enjoy!

1. Date of birth Hyde: 13th of Friday Tetsu: 3 of October Ken: 28th of November, Sagittarius Sakura: Secret 2. Blood type Н: Color of the blood - red Т: А or 0 К: АВ S: The hot blood of a man runs in my veins 3. Place of birth Н: Jelsarem's Rod Т: Kansai К: Alaska’s native S: Kingdom of Nerima (Nerima is a ward in Tokyo, where Sakura was born - translator's note) 4. Height, weight, shoe size, visual acuity Н: “?” Т: Small, light, 24,5 – 25 cm К: 178 cm, 56 kg, shoe – 25,5 cm S: 5 feet 8 inches, 120 feet, 10 inches, about 1,0 and 1,0 5. Body size Н: As in the previous Т: I don’t know К: I prefer В 85, W 58 H 88 S: “Nice body” 6. Which musical instruments and how many years do you play? Н: I've been playing guitar for 9 years Т: 11 years on bass К: From about high school S: Secret 7. Where did you work? Н: Mister Donats Т: At the record store К: Jewelry store, tutor S: Secret 8. Skills Н: Shaolin martial arts, second dan Т: Calligraphy К: Youth baseball S: Secret 9. Hobby and special abilities (besides music) Н: Bite Т: Radio controlled models К: Tetris S: To make people do something

10. Philosophy of life Н: Do not stick sticks into the rice Т: I sleep today for tomorrow, tomorrow I sleep for today. (a phrase from manga - translator's note) К: Hurry slowly S: Live today 11. Real name Н: Jiji Т: Teppi К: Jakenosuke S: Sakurajima Samuel Tarot

12. Favorite musicians Н: Depeche mode Т: Me К: The The (an English new wave band — translator's note) S: Ishihara Yūjirō (Japanese actor, singer, film producer - translator's note) 13. Favorite celebrity Н: Takeda Tetsuya (Japanese singer and actor - translator's note) Т: Me К: Isshiki Sae (Japanese actress — translator's note) S: Saburo Ishikura (Japanese actor - translator's note) 14. Respected people Н: Yoshitada Hirai * Т: Me К: Professor Ichinose S: Takakura Ken (Japanese actor - translator's note) 15. Favorite films and films that you’ve recently watched Н: The Omen. Recently watched Jurassic Park. Т: Favorite film – The Outsider, recently watched “Cría cuervos” (Spanish film of 1976 - translator's note) К: Perfect World, cried when watched, although usually I don't cry during films S: Jingi Naki Tatakai (Battles Without Honor and Humanity) 16. Favorite books (including manga) and books that you’ve recently read Н: Stephen King. Recently read compilation that’s called Night Souls (?). Pretty interesting. Т: «Harper’s Bazaar», Vogue Italia, recently read Matsumoto Hitoshi’s “Isho”. К: «Kirin», about motorcycles, novels for men. It’s a bit of awkward, but I buy Young Rose which I love to read for a long time. S: I can't list everything. 17. Alcohol and tobacco Н: Both, about 10 years already. Alcohol – a little, tobacco – one piece. ** Т: I don’t smoke. Alcohol – yes, except sake, I drink rarely though. К: I love Kassis, always have it at home, drink 2-3 times a week. I don’t smoke right now. S: Any alcohol, I can drink a lot. Per day I smoke more than two packs (Seven Star) 18. Do you love animals? Do you have any pets? Н: I do, but I have allergy. Т: I do. I had 5 dogs and one cat, now I don’t. К: I love obedient and loving. S: More than pets I love girls. 19. The concert that left the strongest impression Н: GASTUNK in EGG PLANT (legendary club in Osaka of 80’s - translator's note) Т: Shiki-Yakou (the name of tour Dead End of 1985) К: In Aichi Kinrou Kaikan (concert hall in Nagoya — translator's note) S: Radio concert Anikies (Dankon Anikies – fictional band that was made up by ken, sakura and kyo (Die in Cries), when ken and sakura were guests at kyo’s radio program «kyo MIDNIGHT　ROCK　CITY» on 9th of December, 1994 - translator's note) 20. Three most beloved albums Н: Some Great Reward of Depeche Mode, God’s Own Medicine of The Mission, La Vie En Rose of D'erlanger*** Т: Laruku’s new album, Tierra, Dune К: Black Sabath – Heaven & Hell; Cure - Disintegration; Kisugi Takao (Japanese singer and composer - translator's note) - Best collection S: Secret 21. Recently bought CDs and your impressions of them Н: No Т: Second Coming/The Stone Roses К: Suede (Britpop band - translator's note) S: Secret 22. Concert that you visited recently Н: Haven't been on the concerts for about a year, but sometimes before Shibuya live watched Modern Choki Chokies (a Japanese pop band from the early 1990s - translator's note) Т: Echobelly (a British rock band — translator's note) К: kyo-chan’s solo S: Secret 23. TV shows that you often watch and radio shows that you often listen to Н: Doramas and MIDNIGHT ROCK CITY Т: TV – BEAT UK, I don't listen to radio К: Yoru-ni dakarete (dorama of 1994 - translator's note), though it has already ended. I don’t listen to radio, since I don’t have one S: I’m interested neither in TV nor radio 24. Favorite dish, favorite color and flower Н: Japanese cuisine. Monochrome color. Flowers that grow well in an apartment, even if they are not watered Т: Sushi, tillandsia, cacti, I like all of the colors К: Favorite dish – ice cream, caviar, sushi. Favorite flower – orchid. Favorite color – silver S: Anton rib (dish that was mentioned in Kinnikuman - translator's note), sakura, black 25. Musical instruments that you can play and ones that you want to learn to play Н: Guitar, bass, acoustic guitar, would like to learn to play flute. Т: Several guitars and basses К: Guitar, bass, synthesizer. Would like to learn how to play saxophone S: Variety which you can find in stores 26. Thing that you want the most right now Н: Hot blood of some girl. Т: Sharp Zaurus P1-5000 К: Onsen, pool S: “?” 27. How do you spend your weekend? Н: Sleep Т: Vacantly К: Go back and forth S: Stay under the waterfall 28. What do you do when you are all alone at home? Н: Sleep and writing lyrics Т: Play the guitar, listen to music К: Watch TV… S: Drumming Japanese drums 29. A dream that you have seen lately. Н: Back at night souls of dead sheep were hurrying through the window, I was worried where they are going. I told Sakura: when the sheep will come back, let’s go after them, but they didn’t come back. Т: A dream where I somehow ended up eating sushi in America. К: Relocation S: In loincloth and a bandage on the head I wandered in a stormy sea. And that was awesome! 30. Most attractive feature Н: Compact, compact and compact Т: “?” К: Ankles. Strong side: strong legs. Weak side: often catch cold. S: 31. Role in the band. Н: Probably, bringing everybody together Т: President К: Am-group (?) S: Educator of the head of singing monkeys 32. Describe in one word what Laruku is Н: Cloudy sky after heavy rain Т: Rock band К: Rainbow S: Soul of a man 33. What do you expect from the other band members? Н: I’d like everybody to stay as healthy as they are now Т: Perfection К: Rainbow! S: Soul of a man 34. Where do you want to go abroad? Н: Paris Т: To America К: Any countries where I could live. To drive back and forth S: Country on the shore of the Japanese Sea 35. Where have you been? Where have you recently traveled? Н: During the vacation in September traveled to Nagano to visit Osamu's house four years later, I would like to live calmly in the district of Karuizawa station. Т: To Okinawa. It was beautiful. К: Morocco. It was hot. S: In Morocco I saw the waves of the Atlantic Ocean 36. What do you recommend to see in your hometown? Н: On the roof of Nisshou haitsu Т: A lot of yankees. К: The view on the fast stream S: Secret 37. Enjoyable things that you like during tours (except for concerts) Н: Food Т: Except for concerts, nothing (laughs) К: You can overeat S: Meet different locals with the soul of a man 38. What do you definitely do before the concert, what do you pay special attention to? Н: I am in a deep thought Т: I listen to Metallica at full volume К: Going to a toilet S: Warm up and stretch of the muscles 39. What do you pay special attention to before the interview? Н: I find out the topic Т: So as not to be late К: I try to be serious S: Worried about whether I can express and tell about my masculine soul 40. What do you carry with you all the time? Н: Watch and two bracelets because I like them Т: Nothing К: Bracelet, necklace - I feel uncomfortable without them S: Pants 41. Memorable thing Н: The bracelet that I bought when I first came abroad. I really wanted it, but pretended that I am not interested, and bargained. But since there is no set price, I don’t know if it’s cheap or not. Т: No К: Various guitars, they are associated with different memories. S: Secret 42. Three biggest news in the last six months Н: 1. Motoka’s wedding. 2. The house in front of my window was demolished. 3. Because of the house, which has now been built, the lighting has become worse. Т: Promotion trip; creation of an official fan club; award from the director! К: Couldn't go to the sea. Swam in a pool in Morocco. Was in onsen. S: Secret 43. Plans for the end of the previous year and the beginning of the new Н: Composing music and lyrics Т: Car driving and karaoke К: Continue visiting onsen. S: Polish my masculine soul 44. Your personal plans for 1995 Н: Enjoy work Т: Become an artist № 1 К: Necessarily swim in the sea. Master the butterfly S: Gain a soul of a man 45. Music that you listened to this morning or last night Н: Laruku’s new song T: Morning call from the manager K: Maribeth S: Pink Floyd 46. Dish that turns out well when you are cooking Н: Chinese cuisine Т: I can't cook К: Ikuradon S: Sashimi 47. The image of the ideal woman Н: An optimistic and domestic woman Т: No К: Fujiko-chan S: That looks like Shiraishi Hitomi (Japanese actress - translator's note) 48. Favorite sport Н: No Т: No К: No S: Judo 49. If I were born again... Н: I would like to become an astronaut and fly into space Т: I would like to be genius К: I would like to be a dolphin S: I would like to be a woman, in order to live and not talk nevermore about the "soul of a man" 50. Goals in life Н: Enjoy the rest of the years Т: It’s a secret К: Live a long life S: Soul of a man 51. One word for readers of our magazine Н: If you're not careful, I'll bite you! Т: Nice to meet you К: Hello, this is Ken. I'll continue in answer 52 S: Life in a loincloth and headband 52. Free theme Н: Woof Т: Nowadays Laruku are fully different! К: In 1996 I want to perform a lot at concerts. That is why we definitely will meet, so look forward! S: And this year there will be Anikies!

* Marked in credits to HYDE’s “Roentgen” album as an art director and designer. ** Probably he meant one pack. *** Was covered by HYDE in D’ERLANGER TRIBUTE ALBUM ~Stairway to Heaven~.

Translation from Japanese: Liubov Chachanidze aka Diana_ Translation into English by me (The Green Explosion inc.)  

Original: https://diary.ru/~l20arc-en-ciel/p216393417_anketa-iz-zhurnala-b-pass-za-mart-1995-goda.htm

[randomingoftherandomness]

Fic: The eye of the beholder

Fandom: Word of Honor (山河令）

Pairing: WenZhou

Tags: Modern!AU, Rockstar!AU, Journalist!AU, Magazine!AU

A/N: Another proof of concept?

—

Luo Fumeng squints at the proposal in front of her and then back up at Wen Kexing. “Why him?” She asks, tapping a bejewelled, blood red manicured fingernail on the line that says, ‘...in-depth look into the life of mysterious rock legend...’

Wen Kexing smiles, all teeth and charm, and the deliberate attempt to disarm her would work if she wasn’t already well adept to his best attempts at beguiling her. “Think about it,” He says, waving her hand to sell her in the idea. “If we can somehow get this done, we would have an exclusive scoop on the elusive vocalist of Tian Chuang! Something not even Harper’s Bazaar or Vogue can claim to do! This could net us a lot of leeway in the future. Boss, this is a good idea, you know it is.”

Alright, it was a tempting thought. But how would he even begin to pull this off? As far as she knew, Zhou Xu has always categorically declined every request for interviews from local and foreign publications, and is notoriously private about his personal life and matters; there’d even been a rumour a while back that Zhou Xu wasn’t even his real name.

Recently, he has entered the top search lists after photos of him and a very tall woman were leaked by the paparazzi and there were speculations upon speculations on who the other party was. Names of famous actresses were thrown into the ring, which had caused a few press releases to be released from down the management agencies denying any relationships between their artists and Zhou Xun.

Boss Luo mulls on it for a beat. “How would you even begin?”

Wen Kexing merely shrugs, leaning back in his chair. “I know a guy.”

“How sure are you he won’t reject you outright?”

The smile on his lips twitches like it is full of secrets. “I know a guy,” He repeats serenely.

—

“So, you said you knew a guy?” Lao Wen smirks at the disbelief in his partner’s voice. “Just like that? And she signed off on your article proposal?”

“Yeah, Boss is probably curious about how I’m going to pull this off,” He explains, turning down the stove where potatoes were boiling away.

He quickly finishes up with diving the onions before moving on to the stove. I’m the periphery of his sight, he spies the way his beloved climbs up on a barstool, yawning. He wants to sympathise with him, he really does, but the exhaustion is wholly of Zhou Zishu’s own making.

Who asked him to stay up all night composing music for his next album when he could be curled up in bed with his husband. Lao Wen allows himself a small sliver of a second to lament being married to a rockstar, but the moment passes and all he can do is sigh.

“Make yourself useful, Ah Xu. Go set the table.”

When he doesn’t hear him move, Lao Wen turns to meet his bleary, sleep crusted glare with his own narrowed eyes that were far more effective.

“Why does it have to be me?” Ah Xu grumbles. “Why can’t the kids do it?”

Lao Wen raises an eyebrow, jerking his head at the cat clock on the wall. “They’re already in school, you lazy bum. It’s your turn to go pick them up today. Chengling has fencing lessons at four and Ah Xiang needs to buy ingredients for her class potluck.”

“Can’t we—“

“No, we can’t ask Han Ying to take time out of his wedding preparations to pick the kids up.”

“But we could also—“

Lao Wen points the knife in his Ah Xu. “The next words out of your mouth better not be ‘let’s ask the Old Monster to watch the kids for a bit’.”

“It isn’t that bad?”

“He lost Chengling. In the paddy fields. No, darling, it is bad and terrible all at once.”

Lao Wen huffs, moving back to his cooking.

“Lao Wen, are we really doing this?” Ah Xu asks on the last trail of a laugh, the words coming serious, eyes soft and fond when he turns to look. “You know I would love nothing more than to confirm those certain forum topics about how the person I’ve been singing about for the last ten years is a man, but you’ve got to know that things will change if we go through with this.”

The knife that had been steadily wielded kn the service of feeding his family falls still. “I know.”

Lao Wen finishes up the rest of his cooking and turns away to drain the potatoes and to add the onions to them before he can purée. In that time he focuses on his task, he feels two strong arms wrap around his midsection. “The kids will support us whatever we choose to do,” His Ah Xu says, chin pressed to his back. “You just focus on writing the best exposé ever and out us both in the process.”

The laughter that curls out into the morning air is the sound of an unspooling. Leaning back, Lao Wen arches for a kiss and sighs when it is given. “Buckle up baby, ‘coz we’re about to have the best coming out party!”

[promptsausandshit]

Picture this; #411

A Month of LGBT+ Prompts;

(Note; While the goal is to do one a day, please go at your own pace, this is for fun after all!)

1.  She had not been keen to go bowling with some strangers but now she couldn’t take her eyes of the girl in the 80′s get up and couldn’t care less if she missed every time.

2.  Coming out to via interior decoration wasn’t the first option they would have gone with but their best friend had at least made it tasteful.

3.  Unknown to most, the lead singers of supposedly rival bands are all members of the same polycule, several of their biggest hits are about each other.

4.  “Have you seen my partner? About so high, questionable fashion sense, likely holding a dog and laughing maniacally.”

5.  A shoal of trans mers have decided to take in this lost werewolf as one of their own.

6.  Engineer was excited to reveal the upgraded prosthetic he had designed for his boyfriend.

7.  Adoption was thrilling as it was nerve-wracking, even more so when several of your kids weren’t human with varying levels of understanding of gender.

8.  “Be warned, the first time I talked to him I realised I wasn’t straight, so if you’re not ready to potentially be hit with sudden realisation you might want to take a minute.”

9.  They freaking loved the fashion of this planet, their fabric shifted shape, style and colour according to the wearers mood and preference, meaning their days of fussing in front of a mirror were over.

10.  Bi lovers bemoan how oblivious their collection of friends and former crushes are to their charming nature.

11.  They loved their team mates, they really did, but not enough to deal with all of them being so nosy and doing poor job of hiding to spy on their first date. Luckily their date had a plan.

12.  A prince sent on a mission to save a princess from an evil king ends up in an unlikely alliance with said kings son, soon enough their partnership becomes a lot closer than either expected.

13.  “The only binary I follow is that of 01010011 01010100 01000110 01010101.”

14.  Social awkward lesbian just really wants to be able to give the lead actress a bouquet and ask her out like a normal person.

15.  A battered ragdoll becomes enamoured with a cracked porcelain doll.

16.  Single mother regularly buys new books for their child from a particular book store so she can talk a little longer with the writer that often hangs around the cooking section.

17.  Just the daily lives of an aromantic god of love, the asexual god of lust and the pansexual god of death as they observe their favourite mortals.

18.  It had been three years since they had completed the transition, and now he was was going to ask the best woman in the world to be his wife.

19.  “Thankyou for trusting me and know my love for you is unchanged, but don’t think that suddenly coming out is enough to distract me from that portal in the kitchen.”

20.  Old painter loves to give out free face painting sessions during Pride, individualising each design to give each costumer a little special encouragement.

21.  They had been peacefully driving their ship around the solar system when suddenly their was a star skinned person stuck to their window and staring at them.

22.  Of all the universes they could have been transported to it was that of a dating sim, well, time to set up this assortment of strange characters with people that were actually interested in that sort of thing.

23.  The princess has become infatuated with the local bog witch, at least they’re not evil this time.

24. Labels never really suited them, each day their feelings and preferences shifted around making it impossible to simplify it to one category, so they stuck to collecting clothes that had suitable quotes to define their self for the day.

25. Superhero is delighted to find out that their boyfriend got the staring role for the latest superhero movie.

26.  Music shop owner can tell when confused and questioning kids need a little motivation and suggests particular musicians and albums they think will make them feel less alone.

27.  Genderfluid skeleton ends up working as a model for a photographer, allowing for them both to express themselves through art.

28.  “Oh right, I have a daughter now, turns out she was the one whose been swiping my hair pins. We’re going shopping this weekend.”

29.  Getting lost in the woods isn’t all that bad when a cute hiker finds you and lets you hold their hand so you won’t get lost again.

30.  Dragons love drag queens, they’re always so shiny and colourful.

31.  How do two characters fitting the con artist and the wise fool archetypes fall in love in an office setting?

Completion Bonus!;

Do a one shot or a sketch for something you love that you haven’t had the chance to do for a while! Or read one chapter of an unfinished story! Or watch one episode or movie of that thing you like! Satisfy whatever urge you have right now, you have all the time in the world for this so relax and treat yourself, you did great!

[yenafmd]

— RESTRUCTURING TASK 001: change

word count: 271 + 289 + 287 + 284 + 292 + 272 = 1695 reward: +5 tracker points

assuming your muse has changed in some way, be it internally or as a result of a change of the external factors around them, how is your muse different? these can be as small as an opinion on a song they hadn’t released previously or as big as a major change in their background.

yena has undergone quite some changes, most of them directly relating to toning her down by... a lot. most of this is thanks to the change in calypso’s backstory, where gal.actic’s concept change was rather abrupt and extreme, calypso’s is a little more balanced, throwing yena a little less off-guard. it has lead to a more natural evolution for yena to grow into her image as an artist and her own person. in famed 1.0, yena’s hypersexualized personality was very much a means of survival, having to completely swap around her mindset and construct a persona that could protect her mental wellbeing from doing something so far out of her comfort zone. none of that really applies anymore in famed 2.0, expect was a bit daunting at first sure but she felt appropriately ready to take on the change and their following comebacks have generally been a little less extreme than a lot of gal.actic’s concepts originally were. so a lot of yena’s personality is a lot more well-balanced and natural, less poorly concealed poor coping mechanisms and more genuine confidence. because their switch in concept was more gradual and she was less traumatized by it, yena also hasn’t grown as resentful and bitter towards calypso (though i’ll get more into depth about that in the next question). with the restructuring yena is al around in a much more balanced place in her life which has a great pay-off on her wellbeing and general life satisfaction, she’s much happier about the place she’s in in her life than she previously was, though she will always remain a fun-loving little wild child.

what does your muse think of their company and their group?

unlike local gal.actic anti nam yena, yena 2.0 adores calypso. the biggest reason i shortly touched upon in the previous answer, being significantly less traumatized and disillusioned by the idol industry means she hasn’t projected those feelings of hurt on calypso either, making her a whole lot less repulsed from the group. she’s the youngest member and has been with calypso for a long time, at the same time, her relationship with her actual family is strained something that made her sad at first and these days mainly angers her. because of that, she relied on calypso a lot, especially in her more formative teenage years. at this point, she’s more grown up and indepdent, not needing calypso to hold her hand and raise her as much anymore but there is a very deep rooted sense of respect and gratefulness towards them, even if she doesn’t vocalize it very often. yena is very happy in calypso and she’s very happy to continue for a long while if they’re allowed. towards dimensions entertainment, yena is a lot more... indifferent. she likes them as much as most idols like their company, which isn’t that much. she’s less outright in her hated as, again, there is less deep-rooted resentment about her idol career but that doesn’t mean she likes them. her feelings towards dimensions are probably most accurately describe as simply carelessness, as careless as an idol can get away with being that is. she doesn’t really care for what dimensions has to say or how they feel ab her life choices or whatever, she does her job and in return, they don’t disband calypso, that’s all their agreement is. she does side-eye them a little for all the military performances though.

is your muse on their first contract or their second? if they’ve renewed, what were their feelings around that at the time and what were their hopes for their second contract? if they haven’t renewed, what are their current thoughts on the end of their eventual first contract?

calypso is on their second contract by now and admittedly, yena feels a little bit silly about her stance back when they renewed their contract. she doesn’t regret signing it, she firmly stands by that decision, but a part of her had hoped that with their second contract, calypso would finally see their big break through. sure, they had started off on the wrong foot with their debut but they had come a long way since, yena had hoped that would come with a new wave of interest as they turned a new page. that unfortunately never really happened, calypso remaining at the level of not quite relevant that they were in their first term (for now, but yena doesn’t know that yet). still. she doesn’t regret it, as much as dimensions is still very much a company, a business created to make profit and care little for their idols as people, yena has to admit they have been generous, not only with not getting rid of calypso just yet as they failed to garner steady interest but also with the plenty of solo opportunities she’s been offered from acting roles to brand deals to photoshoots. from a business perspective, sticking with dimensions has always been a sound decision and it has remained to be that up until this point, making their relationship on a strictly professional level something she doesn’t have much to complain about. calypso has three more years left on their current contract so it’s a bit soon to think about it but as long as things remain the way they are, yena is very positive towards resigning her contract, hopefully with calypso but also as an individual if it comes down to that.

what are your muse’s goals and motivations?

yena has simply always liked stardom, seemingly the type that is just made to be famous. she has a liking for all things fancy and pretty and glamorous and expensive, a lifestyle that’s not exactly easy to maintain without a certain status and income. tthe ease with which she picks up new idol and entertainment related skills also very much speaks for how she was more or less made to do this, be it singing dancing or rapping (all respectively with her three lead positions) or in brancing out in modeling, acting, variety, hosting, what not, yena seems to quickly find her way doing new things and developing new skills and making them her own, the sort of radiant, confident energy that shines the best up on stages under the spotlight or under the watching lense of a camera while on set to film. something in her has just always been drawn to it, be it the lavish lifestyle, the seemingly endless stream of attention (and yena looooves attention) or the fact that entertainment and showbiz have just always interested her, something about it feels right. if asked to explain it in more eloquent terms, yena probably couldn’t, it’s a feeling more than anything else. all she can tell you is that it makes her happy and that as someone who in her childhood never particularly stood out in what her family wanted for her, being an idol simply feels right. so her goal is mainly to do exactly do that, to continue to do what she does now, a little bit of everything, some acting here, a photoshoot there, a calypso comeback there and who knows... maybe even a solo debut one day.

what is one conflict, internal or external, that your muse is currently dealing with, has recently dealt with, or will need to deal with in the future?

the biggest conflict yena faces is finding the balance between calypso and her personal career. like stated previously, she loves calypso, adores them and they hold an absolutely precious place in her heart, that much remains unchanged. and she enjoys their music, she enjoys working together with the girls and being on stage with them but a hardened, realistic part of her knows that from a career perspective, calypso doesn’t have much to offer her (or well, so she thinks now, she has no idea what’s in store for them but well, how could she know). yena is looking for growth, both in breadth and depth, she wants to do new exciting things and further develop the skills she has with new opportunities in those fields. her solo career is very promising in that aspect, well-established in multiple fields and receiving love calls left and right with new opportunities. at times, yena can’t feel bad, guilty perhaps, very aware that she seems more excited for her solo opportunities than her work with her group at times. again, she enjoys calypso and their work but that sense of happiness feels more... passive than the excitement her personal work brings her. yena knows that at times, she does calypso short, that her singing or dancing is more less likely to suffer due to being busy or tired than she would ever let happen to a day of filming or something like that. she feels bad about it but at the same time, she does have to be realistic and think about her future, calypso might make her happier but it doesn’t help her grow much at this point. as much as she loves her members, she has to think about her future too right?

if your muse has established career claims, what are their thoughts on their career so far? if they do not, how do they feel about not having individual activities yet? what would they like to do in the future, if anything? if they don’t have ambitions for individual activities, explain why.

yena couldn’t be more over the moon about the career she has established for herself throughout the years. she’s done a lot of different things in her career, something she’s incredibly glad about. yena has never been the type to be the best at something but she is good at a broad arrange of things, something she prides herself in. mainly established as an actress and a model outside of calypso, she gets to do a lot of things and experience a lot of stuff she wouldn’t traditionally expect in her group. the acting part came first, with a role in the heirs back in 2013 and well... modelling kind of followed up on that naturally, garnering attention for her pretty, doll-like visuals and she’s been doing both side by side ever since, having starred in a handful of dramas and representing a bunch of different brands. she hopes to continue to do both of those things, enjoying both modelling and acting a lot, there is a lot in those fields she still wants to do. though, admittedly, while she doesn’t want to be greedy, yena does hope she gets to partake in some individual activities that are geared a little closer to traditional idol skills. she knows she’s not the best singer or best dancer or best rapper of the group, those are skills all attributed to her unnies, but she could maybe release some solo music too no? surely there would be a target audience for that. she became an idol to perform, maybe one day she’ll get to prove she’s capable of doing that on her own merits too.

[angrylizardjacket]

heard your name in every love song {Ben Hardy} 2

2. well that was many years ago, how would you see me now I've grown up (given up my video games)

Summary: When you’re fifteen, and your former babysitter’s on TV in one of the UK’s most successful soap operas, and is still decidedly hot, all you can remember is the advice he’d given you, and how he’d let you win when playing videogames.

A/N: 2780 words. ben’s not in this one persay, but we gotta set up y/n as this badass actress, ya know? y/n’s mother is mentioned but that’s it in terms of family. also i dub thee a theater kid. congratulations.

the mutant brotherhood: @daisy-lu​ @hervoidparadise​ @nedmjpeter​ @ultrunning​ @d-r-e-a-m-catchme​ @clementimee​ @that-fandom-sucks-tho​ @cjand10​ @rest-is-detail​ @baileymae​ @rosesvioletshardy​ @onceuponadetectivedemigod​ @hazelstyles94​ @bitchylittleredhead​ @bihemian-rhapsody​ @sweatyexpertgardenpanda​ @whereeverythingisbetter​ @dedxbed​ @xxencagedxx​ @glittrixvibe​ @a-girl-with-stress​ @sunflower-ben​ @pxroxide-prinxcesss​ @mrsmazzello​ @cubedtriangle​ @haileymorelikestupid​ @misscharlottelee​ @nevilles-insinuations​ @jovialcreatorkidtoad​ @brianmaysclog​ @sambuckywarrior​ @hey-yo-bedussey​ @bubblyanis​ @lifesciencesbois​ @elektraofcrete​ @diosanaz​ @bbdoyouloveme @kirstansworld​ @okilover02​ @cardboardbenmazzello​ @dreashappyworld​ @juliarose21​ @simonedk​ @greycuby​ @emmasunshiine​ @dinotje​ @qtrogerina​ @spiketacus​ @nympha-door-a​ @local-troubled-writer​ @emphatic-af​ @wh0a-thisisheavy​ @lustgardn​ @banginashton​ 

--

When you’re fifteen, you have your first kiss on stage with a boy named Andrew; he’s a year older than you, has been in more shows than you, and has a boyfriend, Jamie, though they both seem entirely endeared by you. You buy each other flowers on opening night, after becoming fast friends in rehearsals. 

It’s your first lead role on stage, though you’ve been in a few commercials in past year, and had callbacks for a bit part in two different TV shows that ended up going to someone else. Since expressing interest in pursuing acting as a career, your parents had been nothing but supportive, their only stipulation that you still need to finish high school. So between school and auditions and rehearsals, you don’t have much time for crushes; sure there’s a boy in the ensemble, who you’re pretty sure is named Ashton, with fluffy blonde hair, and eyes that look green at the right angle, but he also lives off of Monster energy drink. He may be pretty, but he’s got the personality of a damp rock.

But he’s not your first kiss, Andrew is.

“You know Ashton’s got three braincells in total, right?” Andrew’s laying on the floor of your dressing room, makeup done, costume half on, watching in the mirror as you apply your foundation, “what do you see in him?”

“Him-” you started, but Andrew groaned loudly.

“Himbos need to respect women, Y/N, Ashton is not a himbo,” though at his exasperation, you can’t help but be amused.

“He’s pretty,” is all you can manage in your own defence, wearing a sheepish little smile, and Andrew wrinkles his nose. His phone goes off and he checks the message.

“Jamie’s almost here,” he told you with a slight smile, and you two share a fond smile. Jamie comes baring iced drinks and you both praise him as your lord and saviour. 

“Do you think Ashton’s cute?” Andrew asks as he’s eating the whipped cream from the top of his iced coffee.

“Is this a test?” Jamie replies, wearing the slightest frown, but Andrew shakes his head.

“Y/N thinks he’s cute, even though he’s always three beats behind -”

“Whether or not he can dance doesn’t effect how he looks!” You argued, and Andrew raised his nose in the air defiantly.

“It does to me,” but then he’s grinning, turning to gaze to Jamie, who’s deliberating and swirling his peach iced tea with a faintly fond smile.

“The blonde one playing the jock?” 

“That’s him,” Andrew confirms, and Jamie hums.

“He looks like acid wash jeans.”

A confused silence follows.

“What does that mean?” You frown, but as Andrew considers it, he comes to agree, “okay, but do you think he’s cute?”

“He’s perfectly conventionally attractive,” Jamie finally settles on, “but not my type.” And he gives Andrew a coy smile, knocking their shoulders together, they’re painfully endearing, but Jamie’s brought up a thought that you hadn’t wanted to consider. 

When had your type become pretty, blonde boys?

Your answer comes less than three days later, on closing night, your mother’s watching TV before she drives you to the theatre. It’s Eastenders, a soap opera you know from your mother’s fanaticism with it, aware only of it’s longevity and it’s sometimes outlandish moments.

“Y/N, come in here a moment,” you mother calls, “they’ve recast Peter.”

“You know I don’t know who that is,” you tell her with gentle exasperation, but obligingly join her in the living room.

“What was the name of your old babysitter?” You mother’s squinting at the screen, watching a pretty blonde boy you think you recognise talking to a girl who you’re pretty sure is one of the leads.

“Maddy?”

“No, the boy who helped out when Maddy wasn’t available,” and you follow your mother’s gaze to the television, heart beating in your throat as you realise why she’s asking.

“Ben -?” You say, as if you haven’t committed his name to your memory.

“Ben!” She announces with a clap, getting to her feet with enthusiasm, “doesn’t the new Peter look remarkably like him?” She asked, getting as close to the TV as possible, looking a little eerie in it’s glow.

“I think that is him,” you say, throat going dry, and your mother goes quiet.

“No,” she says softly with a frown, “you think so? Really?” And you’re already pulling out your phone and checking IMDB.

“Ben Hardy,” you confirmed with a nod, trying not to let it show how much this information had left you shaken. 

“But -” your mother turns to you, “he’s Keith and Ange’s kid; Hardy? That’s not...?” 

“I dunno, mum, maybe he changed his name, but I’m pretty sure it’s the same person.”

“He was always such a lovely kid,” she mused, “you used to love spending time with him,” she sighed wistfully, and you contemplate how long it would take you to just walk to the theater, which you’d much prefer to having to listen to your mother waxing poetic about how successful your first crush had become. But you decide it’s not worth it, and thankfully she doesn’t mention it much in the car. 

“Andy I’m in distress,” you bemoan your costar the moment you step into hair and makeup that night. Andrew struggles not to smile as the makeup assistant is applying his contour. 

“What’s wrong?” He asks after she steps back, and you spin in your chair to face him while the head of the makeup team was collecting everything she’d need for your look.

“I know why I like Ashton,” you admitted, and Andrew raised an eyebrow in silent question. The makeup assistant paused, giving a playful ‘ooh’ to the announcement. As the leads, the pair of you had been called early to make sure you were all ready for the show before the rush of ensemble members were getting into hair and makeup, so you were the only two cast members around, and felt safe discussing this so openly. The crew were old enough to know not to gossip with the cast.

“So it turns out my type is just this one dude who used to babysit me back when I was like, twelve,” you grumble, and turn back to face the mirror at the makeup artist’s insistence.

“And what made you realize this?” Andrew prompted diligently.

“Because I saw him on TV,” you sighed, closing your eyes as your makeup routine began. But there was silence all around, and someone cleared their throat awkwardly.

“Like on the news?” The makeup assistant asked tentatively.

“No, like on Eastenders,” you sighed; they weren’t quite sure if you were joking or not, “he went to my high school, graduated like two years ago.”

“Seriously?!” Andrew marveled, and you confirmed with a heavy sigh, “so why are you distressed?”

“Because I was perfectly happy forgetting about my stupid, twelve-year-old crush on him, but now he’s on my mum’s favourite soap,” and you groaned in defeat, “which I’m now probably going to get invested in; it’s like a celebrity crush but worse.” You paused, “Andy, he let me win at videogames and gave me acting advice; I still think about him sometimes.”

“Yeah,” Andrew agreed, “I don’t usually know my celebrity crushes personally,” it was clear he was both trying to be supportive, and trying not to laugh at the absurdity of it all. 

“It’s going to kill me,” you said with an air of resignation. 

“What’s his name?”

“Ben Hardy,” there was a pause after your words, and the telltale noise of typing on a phone, and then Andrew made a noise of approval.

“He’s mad fit.”

“I know,” you agreed with a whine, to which your costar snorted a laugh.

“You’ll be okay, I promise,” he assured, and clicked his phone off, settling back in his chair as his hat for the show was brought over and pinned in place, “and I can see why you fancy Ashton now.”

“Ashton doesn’t hold a candle to Ben- damn you Eastenders!” You moaned, playing up your distress for the amusement of the others in the room, which you appreciated, but it’s all you said on the topic for the night, though it barely leaves your mind when you’re not on stage.

At the afterparty, you learn that Ashton kisses with too much tongue, and tastes like grape vape, but he compliments your performance in the show and in the moment, that’s all you really care about. It’s a thoroughly underwhelming experience all in all, but it also manages to feel something like a cathartic release.

You come to a realization, several days later, that you’d never thought you’d have; it’s incredibly difficult to watch Eastenders online, legally or illegally it doesn’t matter, because the legal site costs money which you don’t want to spend, and no-one’s put up the entire series illegally. You can find episodes here and there, but they are one-offs from anywhere between 2005 and now, and no-one’s got the newest episodes anyways.

There’s barely an Eastenders fandom online, a thought you’d never imagine having before now, and so you just end up watching it nightly with you mother, when you can. Except as life gets busier and you’re rehearsing for plays and musicals and eventually, shows, and eventually you’re studying for your GSCEs, and you don’t have time for a soap opera you’re only partially invested in.

You get your big break in the Summer before your A-levels when you score a part in Snowpiercer, so you spend several weeks in Prague, and you’re sharing scenes with Captain Fucking America Chris Evans, and Jamie Bell, and Octavia Spencer –

Oh, you realize faintly as you’re getting your makeup done for the day, I’m becoming someone.

You’re at a critical juncture in your life, in your career, one you’re afraid you haven’t earned your way to, especially not so fast. You have two options; step on the breaks and let someone else get the roles and the life you want, or you can commit to the bit, to the life and reputation you’re building for yourself.

Fall back or follow through.

Snowpiercer earns you the title of One to Watch, and by late 2014, you’re halfway through your final school year, you’ve studios asking you to audition left and right.       In the brief Winter break between terms, you’re called in to audition for a project for Sony, but they couldn’t tell you which. You knew it was a superhero movie, but that’s all.

A month later, only a few days into 2015, you wake up to three missed calls from your agent, thousands of Twitter notifications, approximately twenty texts from your friends. Downstairs, your mother was making breakfast and humming along to the radio, which she only did when she was in a fantastic mood.

It takes all your self control to not look at social media, and instead call your agent back.

He’s got two words for you.

“X-Men Apocalypse.”

You scream.

Next, of course, comes Twitter, which is a mix of supportive and unsurprisingly derisive. Your casting is polarizing, mainly because you haven’t been in a lot of films, and a majority of your work had been in theater; you look the part, but people are skeptical of your talent.

Speaking of the part, you’ll be playing Cassidy Temple, also known as Riot Control, who it turns out is a villain. Not the main villain, they’ve got Oscar Isaac playing Apocalypse himself, and holy shit, you’re going to be working with Oscar Isaac, but apparently you’re the second of the Horsemen to be announced.

Riot Control was a villain from an arc of the same name back in the late 90s, though she’d appeared earlier in Apocalypse’s first comic arc under the name Crowd Control, most notable for being the original Pestilence Horseman, who had a relationship with Archangel, the then-Horseman of Death. After Apocalypse’s death, she retained the power he’d imbued her with, and went on to be the first mutant to fuse with a symbiote, Riot, which is how she’d earned the name Riot Control, and ended up killing Havok; it took the whole X-Men team to take her down, and only then thanks to Jean Grey.

You’d never considered yourself playing a villain, but you couldn’t help but be a little thrilled at the prospect. Looking at images of Cassidy, you can’t help but be a little shocked as to how much she looked like you, right down to the shape of her eyes; the resemblance was uncanny.

At least ten of the twenty texts you’d received from your friends were from Jamie and Andrew, cheering for you and already planning a party. A few friends from school were asking if the announcement was really about you, followed by a ton of excited emojis, and Merissa had left the sweetest voice message, telling you how proud she was of you.

This was big. This was talking with your mother about dropping out of school right before your A-levels, this was talking with Sony about hiring a tutor so you could finish your schooling on-set, this was updating your passport and visa and realizing you’re not just a little kid, playing pretend on stage anymore.

Over the next few days, you’re in meetings with your agent and executives from Sony and Marvel, signing contracts, and attending the kind of blow out party Jamie and Andrew had planned.

“Don’t forget us when you’re all famous,” Jamie, a little tipsy and sentimental, clings to you in the early hours of the morning during the party as it’s winding down, and you’re both half-watching X-Men Origins: Wolverine in the living room of his and Andrew’s little flat.

“I won’t,” you assure him, hugging him tightly back, “I promise.” And he makes a hum of contentment, before announcing that the movie was stupid. It was, but you kind of liked it.

“Jam, don’t hog her!” Merissa announced from the door, and Jamie stuck his tongue out at her; it was a small blessing that your friends from your varying friend groups had managed to get along so well. Merissa crowded you from the other side, squeezing beside you on the sofa and leaning against you, her nose against your cheek.

“I’m gonna miss you guys,” you say into the warm silence of the early hours, and Merissa kisses your cheek in an unspoken ‘we’re gonna miss you too’.

“Nah,” Jamie mused, “you’ll be off partying with your cool famous costar friends –“

“You gotta tell me what it’s like to hang out with Sansa Stark!” Merissa enthused, and your heart leapt into your throat.

“What?”

“Yeah,” Jamie said, as if it were common knowledge, “they announced Sophie Turner was going to be playing a young Phoenix right around the time they announced you,” he paused, frowning, “did you not –“

“I read it, but I never… I didn’t put two and two together.” You admitted, and the news has you reeling.

A few moments later, Andrew comes in from the kitchen to remind Jamie that he has work in the morning, and Jamie tells him that he’ll only go to bed if Andrew takes his place hugging you until the movie’s over. Andrew’s smile widens.

“I think I can manage that,” he agrees, and Jamie stands with a yawn, giving Andrew a kiss before instructing him to not let go. You settle in between Andrew and Merissa, and once the movie’s over, Merissa’s asleep on your shoulder, and Andrew murmurs that he can drive you home if you want. The sun’s almost coming up.

“Can you put on Days of Future Past again?” You ask quietly, sheepish and hopeful in equal measure, and Andrew agrees, and gets you a glass of water, and a blanket. When prompted, Merissa wakes enough so that she can shift on the surprisingly spacious sofa, happy enough to cuddle against you when Andrew tucks the blanket around you both.

“Can’t wait until I’m putting on your DVD –“

“I gave you a copy of Snowpiercer,” you told him, and his expression goes soft.

“True,” he agrees, “but I’ve got a good feeling about this next one,” and you think you know what he means. This is big.

“You’re gonna do great, Y/N, you always do.”

Just over a month later, after your contract had been finalized and you were sent the most up-to-date version of the script, you awoke again to a ton of Twitter notifications, and a single text from Andrew.

The text simply read [👀👀👀] and had a link to a Variety article entitled ‘Ben Hardy joins the cast of Apocalypse’.

[buzzdixonwriter]

TROTS AND BONNIE Review

Trigger Warning: This will review a work that often addresses human sexuality, emotional / physical / sexual abuse, and adolescents’ views on same.  Be advised.

. . . 

When I was growing up in the 1950s and early 1960s, two old comic strips that remained popular were J. R. Williams’ Out Our Way and Gene Ahern’s Our Boarding House, both started in the 1920s and, from their daily panels and Sunday pages, never moving out of that decade.  My favorite cartoons on local kid shows were Fleischer Brothers Betty Boop and Popeye cartoons, many of which took place in urban / suburban settings heavily reflective of 1920s and 1930s America.

So when I first encountered Shary Flenniken’s Trots And Bonnie I instantly recognized the flavor and style of the strips.

The content, on the other hand, came straight out of her underground comix pedigree, with the refreshing point of view of the female gaze instead of the admittedly too often misogynistic male cartoonists of the milieu.

Flenniken is one of the best artists and writers to come from the underground era, displaying a confident early mastery of the form (don’t listen to her protestations she really wasn’t good at the start of her career; she clearly ranked among the finest of the underground comix artists).

But the sweet and innocent look of Trots And Bonnie belies the frank and frequently shocking honesty of Flenniken’s work.  

As cartoonist Emily Flake notes in her introduction, “that’s the terrible power of children, the monstrous innocence that makes them capable of anything, a state of being we fatuously describe as ‘pure.’”

Innocence is not synonymous with purity in the world of Trots And Bonnie because the cast lack the moral and cultural filters we acquire as adults.  They are reporting on reality as they see it, and as with all children (and the elderly, and drunks) there’s nothing to stop them from commenting on the foibles of hypocrisy of humanity, nor is there a single iota of shame to hold back their expression.

And when you add the impact of puberty to that mix, holy &#@%, you have no room left for pretense or propriety.

Hold on to your hats, folks, ‘cuz it’s gonna be one helluva ride.

One helluva ride…and a hilarious one, too.

If modern audiences can get past the admittedly often shocking visuals and situations, they’ll find some of the most brilliant coming-of-age comedy ever penned.

The truth is always an absolute defense, and Trots And Bonnie dishes it out lavishly.  Brava to Shary Flenniken for having the courage (or honesty, of lack of filter; take your pick) to pen it, to the original underground comix and National Lampoon to publish it, and to new York Review Comics to bring almost all of it back (Flenniken herself opted to withhold a few strips that she feels might be construed now as hurtful or insulting).

Flenniken is the daughter of a military family, growing up in a variety of climes and places before her father retired in the Seattle area.

She reached adolescence and young adulthood during the hippie era, and the earliest strips cast a fond eye back on that time.

An original member of the infamous Air Pirates crew, she and fellow underground comix artists gained immediate recognition skewering Disney icons.  Air Pirates Funnies and Paul Kassner’s The Realist generated no small amount of tsuris for the House of Mouse in the late 1960s / early 1970s but The Realist, true to its name, possessed to good sense to adhere to the unofficial so-called “one-time fair use parody” rule while the Air Pirates pressed their luck with Air Pirates Funnies #2, resulting in the Disney legal department descending on them like an anvil dropped from orbit.

Crawling away from the wreckage, Flenniken kept contributing to a number of underground venues, creating the first Trots and Bonnie strip for the 1971 underground comix Merton Of The Movement. 

Trots and Bonnie (soon joined by Pepsi, a beguilingly sweet looking elfin-like child with the heart of Germaine Greer, the reproductive organs of Karen Finley, and the mouth of an interstate trucker) popped up in several single page strips and short stories until NatLamp recruited Flenniken in 1972 to be a regular contributor and (briefly) an editor.

NatLamp proved to be the perfect venue for Flenniken and her characters because the magazine possessed the economic mojo and suicidal “Who gives a &#@%?” attitude to publish Trots And Bonnie while at the same time providing a perfect audience of proto-incels who desperately needed some consciousness raising, especially if said consciousness raising arrived in the form of a kick in the groin.

Trots And Bonnie’s tenure at NatLamp lasted slightly more than two decades, but a big hunk of that era saw the Reagan culture wars raging, not to mention much of the country becoming obsessed with a literal modern day witch hunt in the infamous Satanic panic (an apt subject for Flenniken’s characters, but one she wisely avoided, thus following the old military adage, “Never draw fire on your own position.”).

The already edgy material in both NatLamp in general and Trots And Bonnie in particular threatened to be perceived as too edgy by law enforcement, legislators, and judicial authorities who seemed either unwilling or incapable of distinguishing between photographs and video of actual sexual assaults and rapes committed against real children as opposed to crudely drawn Xerox copied mini-comics made by outsider artists with audiences that might possibly number in the dozens.

Flenniken’s willingness to honestly recall the turbulent emotions of early adolescence resulted in stories and strips where prepubescent kids engage in activities and discussions that would be acutely problematic if done today.  Again, the utter lack of self-consciousness in Flenniken’s characters swerves her work away from the low grade smut ground out by many of her male contemporaries and flung open a window on how adolescent females perceived the world around them.

The stories are wildly transgressive, and like all transgressive art can only be understood in the context of their time and mores.  Flenniken’s art carries a sweetness that leavens out the most horrendous situations (she gets astonishing comedic mileage off a story about a woman raped by a police officer, never once blaming or exploiting the victim but lambasting the culture and mindset that makes such a crime possible).

The fact these stories are told from a vibrant feminist / sex positive point of view makes them relevant to this day, and Flenniken’s ability to draw both truth and humor from dysfunctional families, emotional abuse, and drug use keeps them from being one-note exercises.

Most importantly, Flenniken comes across as strongly pro-child, even while honestly depicting her own characters’ failings and misconceptions.

She always brings a genuine emotional connection with her characters as adolescents, neither glorifying nor patronizing them.

One of the most notorious Trots And Bonnie strips finds Bonnie looking at herself in a mirror, fantasizing she’s famous actresses of the past.*  

At the hands and brush of Norman Rockwell, this theme tries for poignant but lands in schmaltz, looking down on an anxious child studying her reflection in a mirror; in far too many bad novels by sub-par male writers, it’s borderline (and often not-so-borderline) pornography.

At the touch of Flenniken’s deft pen, it’s honest and sweet and shockingly frank but it never depicts Bonnie as a figment of the male imagination but as a character and personality all her own.

Flenniken has not done any new Trots And Bonnie strips since the last ones published in NatLamp in 1993.

To be honest, I think that’s a good thing.

The characters are of their particular time and cultural gestalt, it may not be possible to recapture that lightning in a new bottle, and rather than diminish the old, perhaps it best remains a perfect artefact of its era.

Mark Twain tried repeatedly but could never transport Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn out of antebellum Hannibal, and to use an example more contemporary to Flenniken’s work, the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers resolutely thwart all efforts to move them out of San Francisco during the Summer of Love.

You can’t go home again, as Thomas Wolfe famously observed, but that only applies if you’ve successfully left home.  At a certain point, if you haven’t moved beyond your old confines, you never will.

Flenniken’s honest frankness could have turned into a big crosshair on her back during the cultural wars, but to paraphrase John Lennon, life happened while she was making comix.

She married twice, divorced once, widowed the second time.  While she never completely withdrew from professional illustration, she no longer sought out the high profile gigs.

Trots And Bonnie from New York Review Comics is the first extensive English language compilation of her strips and stories, a very handsomely produced volume designed by Norman Hathaway.

The strips are meticulously presented, making it possible to enjoy Flenniken’s fine line work and exquisite character depictions in greater detail than every before.  It’s a genuine delight, sure to thrill old time fans of the original strip and quite likely to win a new generation of admirers.

But brace yourselves, noobs, this ain’t your grandma’s Betty Boop…

© Buzz Dixon

 *  It should be noted that for all its apparent revolutionary newness, the counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s, the crucible that forged Flenniken’s point of view, also enthusiastically embraced the past.  W. C. Fields and the Marx Brothers became cultural icons to a new generation, Betty Boop regained her old popularity, old movies were rediscovered and reimagined, African-American spirituals and blues sprang from new voices, obscure books and novels from earlier decades and centuries became the new cultural touchstones.

I’ve posted elsewhere on how the boomer generation enjoyed a unique conflation of new technology and old media to produce a brand new synthesis; there has been nothing like it since even with astonishing advances in technology.  When old media is rediscovered and reinterpreted in this era, it too often tends to be in the form of irony, which mocks that which it cannot understand.

Give those old hippies their due -- they got the &#@%ing point!

[that-lazy-snail]

Quick question from your local makeup/costume major:

WHAT THE EVER-LOVING FUCK HAPPENED TO AHSOKAS MONTRALS????

Like just from a time line/logic perspective not even a makeup perspective, WHY ARE THEY SO SMALL?

Like togruta's montrals continuously grow throughout their life (like ears) so why would her montrals be smaller than they are in rebels if this takes place AFTER rebels? Also they didn't even look like Ahsoka's montrals they had a completely different shape and stripe pattern. Like I'm sorry, you had the opportunity to merge the styles of both rebels!Ahsoka and CW!Ahsoka into one more unified entity through live action and instead just like created a completely new and unrelated rendition of her.

The montrals, besides being entirely wrong for Ahsoka were so ill fitted? Like they didn't fit onto Rosario's head? Like they were visibly sliding back on her scalp the entire episode. They looked like they were made for an actress with a smaller head and then Rosario was cast and the makeup team was like "Ah fuck it we can cram her into these." Also they weren't positioned so they hid her ears (again going back to them being the wrong size). The entire time you could see where the makeup artists had used a bald cap to tape back her ears (and they didn't do that well, her ears were totally visible).

There were really bad flaws in the silicone as well, like they'd been sent in the mail and packaged improperly and got creases and dents in them from not being bubble wrapped? The crown/headpiece looked like it was made before the montrals existed and so didn't fit on them at all? Like it rested so awkwardly forward and not flat against them like the rebels version is was based on?

I mean this in the least offensive way possible but I've seen many many cosplayers do better. This is not like some low budget show either so what happened??? How can people in their basements without the right equipment be making better silicone head pieces than you?

Also the body paint was so even it was scary, like people's skin isn't that smooth and even. SKIN HAS DIFFERENT COLORS EVEN ON THE SAME PERSON. Like the inside of you arm is lighter than the part that gets sun, she would be darker in some places and lighter in others. Also did we just forget that like togruta's have really pale/light palms? Where did that go? Also just like contouring, why did she have no contouring? It was like homestucks first cosplay where they're so flat grey (or in this case orange) they look like a sheet of cardstock paper and their face gets all flat stanley-ed

Also also the face markings were freakishly crisp. Like they stood out and basically glowed in the dark, there was no blending. And like yeah I know they used a stencil to create them, but as a makeup artist you gotta fuckin blend baby, like that's the 1st rule in the book. The markings look like they were printed on her face so unnaturally.

Finally, who was like maintaining the costume? Why is her costume like not on her correctly like 60% of the time? What happened to her arm bands why do they be all bunched up in her elbow crease? This is TV get her some fashion tape and stick them up there.

I have many many more opinions on the plot of the episode but those are all subjective and this is just criticism on bad makeup/costume artistry. Hey Star Wars, hire me, I can do better, you can do better.

[nattapohntkp]

Rhythms & Blues

        Everyone may have heard of a music genre called R&B (Rhythms & Blues), but many people don't know where R&B came from. With more melodies and rhythms founded, R&B is a music genre that focuses on the lyrics, the genre of love, and playing with the right rhythm. The music is a little brighter, but still not as bright as Pop. The musical instruments are not limited in style but often use a little sound effect. R&B originated in the '40s. It evolved from the Blues that black people sang in churches to release the suffering caused by the abuse and persecution of white people. Blues music has another meaning: sorrow, depression. Therefore, Blues has mostly sad rhymes and melodies, or sounds like a singing of the prayer in a church to seek blessings from the Lord (Gospel) itself. The R&B genre is a mix of African-American music from Pop, Jazz, and Blues. As the times change, more and more R&B music has evolved and mixed with other genres. Since the 90s, R&B music has infiltrated more and more music genres to become another genre. One example is that R&B can go along with Pop music which introduce many R&B stars such as, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Celine Dion, Beyonce, Brian McKnight, Chris Brown, and more. It can also mix with Hip-hop music as well which appears in Afrobeat’s work. In addition to Pop and Hip-hop, artists like Davido and Wizkid blend R&B and local melodies to the mainstream.

        R&B music is a music genre that can reach audiences with a wide range of rhythm, catchy content, reflecting stories. Therefore, it is the music that no matter how much the times change, R&B is a song that people still listen to.

 The famous artists and their works.

1. Beyonce

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles, also known as Beyonce, became famous in the 1990s as a key member of destiny's child, the all-female R&B band of that era. In June 2003, during the suspension of Destiny's Child, she released her first solo artist with “Dangerously in Love” album. It was one of the most successful albums of that year. The album was a huge success in both sales and criticism, leading to a hit song such as “Crazy in love”. Later, Destiny's Child officially decided to disband. and she continued to work on music as a solo artist.

The examples of famous songs by Beyonce.

1. “Crazy in love” (2003) is a song that truly suitable for lovers because the content of the song says "Got me looking so crazy right now, your loves" which indicates how much you love someone until you are crazy about him and hope that he only calls your name.

2. “Listen” (2007) is a song that wants to convey other person to listen her voice and dream. Since, she has always followed others in the past but it's time for others to listen to her voice, her desire, and her dream.

2. Whitney Houston

Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, and filmmaker. She is named the most awarded female artist of all time by the Guinness World Records.  She is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with approximately 200 million records worldwide.  She is also an influencer for many African American female artists.

The examples of famous songs by Whitney Houston.

1. “I will always love you” (1992) is a song that wants to say goodbye painfully and deeply. The lyrics present a true love that we unable to stop loving even though we are far apart unless we discover later that the person we love is not what we think.

2. “I have nothing” (1993) is a song about deep and confusing love that arises between lovers due to the different feelings of women and men when it comes to their bond with their lover.

3. Mariah Carey

         Mariah Carey is an American singer, songwriter, music producer and actress. She made her debut in 1990 under the direction of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola. She became the first artist to have the first 5 singles hit the 1st chart on the Billboard Hot 100. She has a lot of hit songs, making her the best-selling artist in Columbia. According to Billboard magazine, she was the most successful artist of the 1990s in the United States.

The examples of famous songs by Mariah Carey.

1. “Hero” (1993) is a song that wants to convey to the audience that loving yourself is the most important thing.

2. “We belong together” (2005) is a song that reminds many couples very well. This song teaches you how powerful words are, no matter how much you do well or be honest with love. Speaking without thinking, it can ruin a relationship.

4. Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American singer-actress. The owner of many famous songs whose past albums have sold more than 80 million copies worldwide and the movies that reach $ 2 billion.

The examples of famous songs by Jennifer Lopez.

1. “If you had my love” (1999), the lyrics are about the beginning of a new relationship with Jennifer Lopez during her confrontation with her crush.

2. “All I have” (2002) is a song that interacts between women and men., In this song, the woman is the one who breaks up and the man does not want to believe that she really leaves him. So, he tries to hold back but it is impossible to be the same. This song is a soothing melody but it expresses the pain of a man.

5. Brian McKnight

Brian McKnight is a talented artist with a wide range of singing and performance and he can play the music that ever nominated for a Grammy.

The examples of famous songs by Brian McKnight.

1. “One last cry (1993)”, the lyrics present to the people who are upset or disappointed about love, feel sorry, and want to cry. It will be the last time and don't let the same person come back to hurt us again. Tomorrow will start over, you have to tell yourself that you will have a new life and new things are waiting for you. When our thoughts and ourselves are good, we are always attracted to the good things, smiling brightly and strongly open for the something good coming in.

2. “Back at one” (1999), the lyrics present the good love that a man has for the woman he loves if he is like a bird perched on a branch and never afraid that the branches will break and fall because he believed in his own wing power.

6. Ne-Yo

Shaffer Chimere Smith, better known as Ne-Yo, is an R&B singer, songwriter, music producer, and American actor. He is famous for composing music when he composed Mario's “Let me love you”. This success leads Ne-Yo to meet with the head of Def Jam and sign a contract.

The examples of famous songs by Ne-Yo.

1. “So sick” (2006), the lyrics present that to forget about the old love are often very hard thing for many people, only time that can heal and that memory will be forgotten someday, but until then, those will always be the things that bother you to think about the past we did with an old lover.

2. “Miss Independent” (2008) is a song that wants to present that if you meet a woman and you are very interested in her, you will be able to observe her personality traits and capture her strengths and compose stories about why you like her.

7. Alicia Keys

Alicia J. Augello-Cook is an American R&B singer which sold more than 20 million copies worldwide from her first album in 2001 until 2007. The first album, “Songs in A Minor”, featured the hit song ‘Fallin’, selling more than 10 million copies worldwide and earn her 5 Grammy Awards. (Including the grand prize: Best New Artist and Best R&B Album).

The examples of famous songs by Alicia Keys.

1. “You don't know my name” (2003) is a song that presents the insanity of love on one side because he did not even know her name. She really liked him and felt that he had possessed her mind.

2. “If I ain't got you” (2004) is a love song that presents an interesting worldview philosophy. Fame, honor, and money, they do not important and are just illusions when compared with to be loved by someone.

8. John Legend

John Legend, real name John Stephens. He is an all-around R&B, soul, hip-hop artist with a wide range of singing, playing, composing, arranging, and producing music. His first album won 3 Grammy Awards 2006, 3 Soul Train Awards 2006, and 1 BET Award 2005. Britney Jean Spears, The Black Eyed Peas, Jay-Z, and more.

The examples of famous songs by John Legend.

1. “Used to love you” (2004) is a sad song that comes from the breakup. She was gone and took all the memories from him but he still remembered the moment when he first met her which make him sad when she left. Although he hates her a lot, he used to love her a lot too.

2. “All of me” (2008), the lyrics represent if you really love someone, you have to give your heart to him wholeheartedly and you need to accept him as he is no matter what it is good or bad. Then, you will be happy and you will never have to regret that later "Why are you like this or Why are you like that? " because you are willing and can accept anything that he can be.

9. Jeff Bernat

Jeff Bernat is an American-Filipino singer, songwriter, and producer. The owner of the super romantic song 'Call You Mine' has been selected to accompany the popular Korean series 'You Are My Destiny' and has a lot of Korean fans. Since he released his first full album, “The Gentleman Approach” in 2012, the 29-year-old Jeff Bernat has been on the constantly watch with subsequent albums such as “Modern Renaissance” (2013), “In the Meantime” (2016), and “Afterwards” (2017).

The examples of famous songs by Jeff Bernat.

1. “Just vibe” (2011) is a song for the fanatic. It represents to someone convey a woman who treats him equally as everyone else. Even if you are higher than him and tell her that he likes what she does, but actually likes everything that is her.

2. “Call you mine” (2019), also known as The Gentlemen approach, means approaching a woman like a gentleman. It is a song that has a good meaning and suitable for giving to someone special. The best sentence of this song is "Can I call you mine?".

10. The Weeknd

Abel Tesfaye, known as The Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and music producer. In late 2010, he uploads the song to YouTube by the unknown name, The Weeknd. he released several mixtapes, and each set contains nine songs throughout 2011, including the highly acclaimed House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence.

The examples of famous songs by The Weeknd.

1. “Heartless” (2019) is a fun song that hides the gloom of a man who blames himself for being heartless to love one another. In which the heart deeply, he wants to have good love but living a fun life, spending money, mingling with other people, is the one that makes life go around like this.

2. “Blinding lights” (2020), a melancholy song of desperate people who leave their ex-lover. The inaction of that ex-lover made the atmosphere worse and helpless. Delivering is the only chance for that person to return, and it is the thing to heal from this despair.

11. Ben Chalatit

Ben Chalatit enjoys music from his passion and attendance at the School of Music. He joins the first music group with friends under the name, Monotone. In the style of self-composed music and become indie music that is very popular at that time. And the famous songwriter, Boyd Kosiyabong, pull him into the work. He has made many famous songs such as the people below, the score of life, ouch ouch, and many more. This is evidenced by the various artist awards that he has received.

The examples of famous songs by Ben Chalatit.

1. “Hold back” (2014) is the theme song for the 2014 TV series Sai-Si Phaeng. It mixes with emotions, squeezing a little talk about the time when you lost your lover and want to hold it as long as possible. A moment of just a second would be invaluable if he would be with us.

2. “All My Heart” (2015) is a theme song, Kao Bodin drama, starring James Mar and Matt Peeranee. It is a slow-fusion-pop-style song with the sound of Thai music and tells of loving someone with all their love. This song also earns him the 30th Golden Television Award for outstanding drama song.

12. Lydia Sarunrat

The princess of the R&B of the Thai music industry. She is a gorgeous singer, Lydia Sarunrat, with a clear and unique voice. It makes her famous since her first release, such as I am free, please call me back. And there are always new songs coming out. Later, she returns to the sumo mask singer show and won “The Mask Singer Season 2”.

The examples of famous songs by Lydia Sarunrat.

1. “I'm free, please call me back” (2005) is a sad song content. Because he calls her lover but he does not answer the phone and does not call back. There is a hint in the song saying, "are you really busy or there are other people”.

2. “Just make eye contact” (2018) is a sweet love song. It composes of a period drama, Buppesanniwat. The content of this song is rather sweet. Because it wants to convey that the eyes are the windows of the heart.

        The examples of artists and their works. The author thinks that the reader may know or listen to some of their songs. The artists illustrated are quite famous for their outstanding works. If you have not listened to their music, I suggest you give it a try and I believe that you will be fascinated by their work.

        In conclusion, R&B (Rhythms and Blues) music is a genre that can listen to over and over. It can make you feel relax. But if you know the content of the song, some songs can also have content that can hurt, bruise or cry. Nowadays, R&B music is mix with a wide variety of other genres. This genre of music is therefore widely known. This has resulted in many emerging artists making R&B music or mixing R&B music as well.

[recentanimenews]

From Bakeneko to Bakemonogatari: The Secret History of Catgirls

It’s a question society has asked for ages: what came first, the cat or the girl?

The catgirl is one of the most resilient images in anime today. However, even the term “catgirl” is a little vague. Close your eyes and try to imagine what that word actually means. Did you think of a girl, but with cat ears? Did she have a tail? Does she have a verbal tic? Was she — by some mystical, scientific, or by some other supernatural occurrence — able to transform into an actual cat? If you said yes or no to any of those questions, are we still talking about the same kind of “catgirl”?

The answer is no one really knows. But that hasn’t stopped people from trying to investigate the origins of this immensely popular character type. Does such a thing as "the first catgirl" truly even exist?

Black Hanekawa as she appears in Nekomonogatari

What We Talk About When We Talk About Catgirls

Broadly speaking, characters with animal ears are described as kemonomimi, which literally means animal ears. What about catgirl etymology? As expected, characters with cat ears are described as nekomimi, aka cat ears. The term nekomusume (cat girl or daughter, literally) has also been used, which is also notably the name of the character Neko-Musume from Shigeru Mizuki’s popular 1960s supernatural manga GeGeGe no Kitarō. Ralph F. McCarthy, the first to translate Kitarō in a bilingual edition published by Kodansha in 2002, localized this name as “Catchick.” This is all to say, the invented euphemism “catgirl” is just one of many used to describe the same thing: a cat-like girl who may or may not claw your eyes out with a mischievous smirk.

Mizuki's Neko-Musume is based on the bakeneko, an evil cat spirit who is sometimes able to change between human and feline form. Folklorist Matthew Meyer describes bakeneko as beginning their lives as regular house cats, but later accumulating more human-like traits as they mature. In many stories, they are depicted as lapping up the blood of murder victims, thereby granting them supernatural powers. Of course, they aren’t to be mistaken with nekomata — twin-tailed cat spirits, like Yōkai Watch’s Jibanyan. Much like the rest of Mizuki’s yōkai characters inspired by Japan’s supernatural folklore, Mizuki’s bakeneko are the byproduct of creative license. Neko-Musume doesn’t have cat ears like we might expect them today, but technically she fits the bill for a supernatural entity. Like modern-day big-eyed catgirls, your mileage may vary.

Detail from Utagawa Kuniyoshi's nekozuka print

Utagawa Kuniyoshi, a woodblock artist born in 1798, is well-known for his many cat-centric prints. One of his most renowned projects was a series of prints depicting the 1827 kabuki drama, Traveling Alone to the Fifty-three Stations. In 1852, Kuniyoshi printed a depiction of actor Onoe Kikugorō III as one of the play’s most memorable characters, the nekozuka, a cat monster living in Okazaki assuming the form of a human woman. Kuniyoshi draws this specter with two very noticeable cat ears — a statement that this is a suspicious supernatural entity. This same motif reoccurs in other Kuniyoshi works, noticeably a woodblock triptych depicting the same actor as a cat creature. Again, those notorious ears appear.

Onoe Kikugorō III illustrated by artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Is Kuniyoshi’s flair for fantastic flourish the missing link? The secret origin of all catgirls who ever dared meow in the modern age? Well, it’s a little more complicated than that.

Will the Real Catgirls Please Stand Up?

The bakeneko is but just one entry in Japanese folklore’s long love affair with cats. In contemporary media, the concept of a cat-influenced woman is seen in many horror films. In an entry on bakeneko for The Encyclopedia of Japanese Horror Films, scholar Michael Crandol writes: "Bakeneko tales were the single most popular subject of Japanese horror films from the dawn of cinema through the 1960s, with more than sixty such pictures released by 1970.” With films as early as 1938’s The Ghost Cat and The Mysterious Shamisen, to post-war modern classics like 1968’s Kuroneko, the bakeneko sub-genre in Japanese horror is a testament to its ubiquity. Not to mention the allure of mysterious intrigue.

Kaneto Shindo's Kuroneko asks the universal question: will my cat eat me when I die?

From this perspective, the origins of catgirls seem quite hairy. In fact, looking solely through the lens of the traditional bakeneko narrative is extremely limiting. Surely they all aren’t evil women possessed by vengeful spirits? So what else?

In May 2019, independent cartoonist Keiichi Tanaka posted a thread on Twitter asking about the possible origins of the catgirl design proper:

猫耳の元祖って『綿の国星』？ 人間の顔で頭の上に猫の耳、このデザインってそれ以前にあった？

— はぁとふる倍国土 (@keiichisennsei) May 16, 2019

Among the replies included Osamu Tezuka’s character Hecate, a shape-shifting young witch who transforms into a half-humanoid, half-cat creature from the 1950s manga Princess Knight. Others mention Kuniyoshi’s cat-eared nekozuka woodblock prints, alongside the introduction of the classic Playboy Bunny costume in Japan. At first, it seems like Yumiko Ōshima’s manga Star of Cottonland may be the point of origin, but perhaps it’s not so easy to pin down. Did Tezuka, like so many innovations in early anime and manga, do it first? Are catgirls perhaps an underappreciated relic of the Edō period? What about classic '80s shōjo manga?

Feline magic in Tezuka's Princess Knight

Like many great debates in art history, the conclusion is ambiguous. Some might say Kuniyoshi unintentionally invented “catgirls” in the 19th century. Others may say Tezuka refined the concept, but Ōshima popularized the idea of cat ears on cute girls. If we examine catgirls strictly through the lens of anime and manga, the ambiguity and debate regarding "origins" become less of a fuzzy headache. Rather, we can re-frame the question: What works possibly helped catgirls bloom into the anime and manga-centric phenomenon we know and love today?

Chibi Neko, a cat who believes she is a girl

Ōshima’s Star of Cottonland was serialized in shōjo magazine LaLa from 1978 to 1987. The protagonist, Chibi Neko, is a kitten who views herself as a little girl. Because of this, the story is illustrated from her perspective and depicts her as human, with the caveat of having cat ears. In her 1995 book, Phänomen Manga: Comic-Kultur in Japan, scholar Jaqueline Berndt points to Ōshima being the possible originator of this now massively popular trope. In 1984, Star of Cottonland was adapted into OVA by Mushi Production, the animation studio famously known for adapting many of Tezuka’s major works.

Meanwhile, another OVA debuted in 1984: Bagi, the Monster of Mighty Nature. This was an original production written by Tezuka himself in response to gene recombination research approval by the Japanese government. Most famously, it featured an anthropomorphic feline woman named Bagi, who is undeniably more cat than girl. Bagi attempts to gain vengeance on humanity while simultaneously forging a troubled relationship with the action-hero male protagonist. While the Star of Cottonland OVA saw a limited home release, Bagi was broadcasted via the Nippon Television Network as a TV special.

Twin cyberpunk catgirls from Masamune's Dominion

Star of Cottonland and Bagi couldn’t be more thematically different, nonetheless, they both depend on catgirls for their worldbuilding. Masamune Shirow’s 1985 science-fiction manga, Dominion, follows a similar trend with its portrayal of android catgirls in a gritty cyberpunk setting. Adapted into a 1988 OVA series, Dominion: Tank Police features two puma twins, Anna and Uni, catgirls created as sentient love dolls. With their wild hair and overtly sexualized design, they undoubtedly have more in common with Tezuka’s violent Bagi than Ōshima’s initial cat-eared girls. They are, for lack of a better word, an otaku’s modern catgirl with their feral bloodthirst intact.

A Catgirl for All Seasons

A feature from Kadokawa’s Davinci News’ anime department titled "We Investigated ‘Why Are Nekomimi Girls So Cute’” draws attention to the 2013 Fall anime season. Namely, ear and tail-equipped characters from Outbreak Company and Nekomonogatari. What’s the appeal of animal-eared girls, where did they come from, and why are they so seemingly trendy now? Again, Kuniyoshi’s fearsome kabuki portraits are mentioned, however with an important caveat: Kuniyoshi's cat ears were meant to strike fear, not inspire charm. The same could be said for the post-war boom in bakeneko films and their scream queen actresses. The article’s author even suggests that the prominence of the Playboy Bunny outfit, with its appeal to the uppercrust of society and cute tail, might’ve also added to a flourishing nekomimi cosplay craze. At some point, the strangeness of the concept became secondary to cute novelty.

Koyomi confronts the Sawari Neko possessing Hanekawa

This observation points out an important contemporary trend: ornamental catgirls, aka eyecandy, verus catgirls with a narrative purpose. Peak catgirl is somehow balancing both acts. Characters like Bakemonogatari’s Tsubasa Hanekawa — a high schooler who is possessed by the Sawari Neko spirit — unintentionally create the night-prowling, cat-eared alter-ego named “Black Hanekawa.” Black Hanekawa may perhaps be the modern mash-up of bakeneko tradition and otaku catgirl-ness we've long awaited. She speaks in cat-puns, obviously not human, and is most importantly a fearsome supernatural nuance. But on the flip-side, Black Hanekawa is everything we expect from the otaku’s catgirl: ears on top of her head, an eccentric personality, and a desire to exaggerate those feline quirks whenever possible for cuteness' sake.

ฅ(*ΦωΦ*)ฅ

  The modern catgirl’s sensibility is to be a girl first, cat second. While hints of this archetype is seen in Shirow’s 1980s catgirl love androids, early 2000s series like Di Gi Charat and Tokyo Mew Mew have only further pushed this specific everyday flavor of catgirl agenda. Especially considering the infectious prevalence of mascot characters like Dejiko, a chibified catgirl with lucky cat bells on character goods stores across Akihabara. It’s no wonder they’ve effectively lost all their unncanniness. But besides the cultural context — there’s no real reason why cat ears just can’t be cute in themselves.

Dejiko and company promoting a GAMERS character goods store in Akihabara

Nowadays, you don’t have to look very hard to find a cat-eared character. Series like Re:Zero famously feature characters like Felix, whose cat-like qualities are part of the lore. Nintendo series like Fire Emblem have even newly added a “beast” race of animal-eared characters. Not to mention the massive popularity of franchises like Strike Witches and Kemono Friends in recent years, catgirls undoubtedly draw massively passionate fanbases. No matter where they came from, catgirls in all shapes and sizes, clawed, and de-clawed, have never stopped turning heads. The nyapocalypse is here to stay, fur-real.

Do you have a favorite catgirl of all time? Let us knyaow in the comments below!

  Blake P. is a weekly columnist for Crunchyroll Features. He thinks Cats (the musical) deserves a proper anime adaptation. His twitter is @_dispossessed. His bylines include Fanbyte, VRV, Unwinnable, and more.

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