#but also since they actors are striking video games now if there is voice acting in ML

[cq-studios]

Day 3: Two characters you want to see a friendship form/get stronger

Brain and Player. Brain and Player. Brain and Player. Brain and Player.

Please Nomura, let Missing Link have Player be more involved in the main plot. Please let Brain and Player bond over their shared loss and trauma (after Player recovers their seemingly lost memories of course… maybe Brain could help with that). Please let them go on adventures together. Let them plot Xehanort’s ‘kidnapping’ together.

I need them to be friends. I need them to find comfort in the fact that, although their home is gone, there’s still at least one other person who knows what it was like. I need Player to tell Brain that they trapped Darkness, for that provide him some amount of comfort around the NULs “failure” (even if it’s not much, it’s still something). I need Brain to let Player know they’re not crazy, that the ‘visions’ they see are in fact memories.

[galdra-studios]

Hi everyone!

Welcome to our first post-Kickstarter Devlog! It’s already been almost a month since we wrapped up the campaign and we’ve been celebrating with some well-deserved time off to enjoy the Summer, but now we’re all back at work and ready to make a video game!

Katie and Mette are busy at work on the script! Now that we have a budget for voice acting, we’re finalizing the scope of the story. We’ve got a Catherine romance to add, cats to hide, and lots of lines to prep for voice acting, so we’re gonna be engrossed in that for a while.

On another note: You may have heard that the voice actors of SAG-AFTRA are currently striking for better conditions and protections against AI stealing their work. We fully support their efforts and wish them all the best in getting a better deal! For those who might be concerned this will affect our work on Arcadia Fallen II, we’re still quite some time from our first recording session, and if for some reason the strike drags out, SAG-AFTRA has made an interim agreement that gives actors the protections they are asking for, and we don’t mind signing that if it becomes necessary – So we should be good!^^

Sketches sketches sketches! Just like with writing, we’re finalizing the scope for art as well. The goal is to get all art assets into the game as rough sketches so we can get a feel of the flow and the amount of drawings we have left to do.

Here’s some examples of expression sketches for some of the characters! Some being… more detailed than others ^^0

Jesper is also back at work composing music and adding foley sounds. He’s gonna be very busy once we start recording voice acting, so he’s getting as much work done on this as possible to get ahead^^ Here’s a snippet of what he’s been working on together with the final timelapse for Catherine’s postcard.

Thank you so much for following our journey! And we’ll see you in September for another Devlog!

Cheers!

- The Galdra Team

[sapphire-weapon]

Hey so... Capcom hates unions, right? If this is the case... I'm kinda wondering if Stephanie even works with them any more.

See, the past couple of years she's been posting stuff on her Instagram stories about strikes and picketing. Not even just with the recent video game VA ones. The SAG-AFTRA stuff. IIRC she even stopped promoting Death Island stuff for a little while there. This is all good, don't get me wrong... all the AI bullshit needs to stop and I'm ecstatic she's being vocal about it.

As far as I've seen, other RE VAs haven't been posting anything about any of that. I could be wrong about this however.

But this could explain why she's been a little more bold with her statements about stuff lately. And when people asked if Claire was going to be in RE9 she said something like, "Oh they're making that?" Like, she maybe legitimately didn't know they were.

Isn't this the reason why they stopped using the last VA for Claire too? Or am I wrong?

Plus, even if she was replaced, we wouldn't know until the next game or movie comes out or is close to coming out since this seems to be the pattern recently.

Again, I'm probably looking too much into this but I just saw someone else talking about Capcom and unions and IDK... got me thinking.

so... this is something that's been lost to time in a game of telephone. it's something i've even been guilty of perpetuating and only just now realized that i fucked up by perpetuating it when i looked it up to refresh myself on what happened.

alyson court came out in 2017 and said that she would not be returning as claire for RE2make and said that capcom had decided to go with non-union actors instead. paul mercier then also came out and backed up her statement -- that he would not be returning as leon. alyson then made a follow-up video stating that this was NOT related to the recent voice actors strike. it was simply about contracting. basically, capcom shopped around until they found actors they liked that were willing to work at a price that capcom was willing to pay. alyson said that it was extremely disappointing that capcom wasn't willing to pay actors a working wage.

but despite alyson's clarifications, the damage had already been done. what was intended as "i was union-protected to ask for a certain amount of money, and capcom wasn't willing to pay it" morphed into "CAPCOM WILL NO LONGER WORK WITH UNION ACTORS."

but that's patently untrue.

because they kept on matt mercer for both vendetta and DI despite him having always been in the union.

capcom also pays top dollar for union actors in devil may cry. reuben langdon (dante), dan southworth (vergil), and johnny young bosch (nero) are all union actors.

hirabayashi has come out and told us that RE2make was built on a very tight budget due to capcom's lack of faith in the project, so it makes sense that they decided to cut costs where they could -- including when it came to voice acting.

so, really, capcom is willing to work with union actors... but only when they see the cost benefit for doing so.

if steph is no longer voicing claire, it won't be because she's in a union. it'll be because capcom doesn't feel she's worth the money anymore.

but her lack of knowledge of RE9 has nothing to do with her still being in capcom's good graces. as far as we know from leaks, claire isn't in RE9. and if claire isn't in RE9, why the fuck would steph know about its existence? game companies don't contact every single main cast actor in a series and update them every single time a new project is underway. only people who are working on the project know about it.

so, unfortunately, the likeliest explanation remains: stephanie panisello is just an asshole.

good question, tho. good ask.

[msclaritea]

Project Gutenberg produced thousands of audiobooks voiced by AI

Project Gutenberg has implemented one of the worst AI fears of striking actors

Virtually overnight, Project Gutenberg turned ebooks in its digital library into audiobooks, without any need for human voices

By

Julia Malleck

PublishedSeptember 20, 2023

The oldest digital library in the world, Project Gutenberg, has transformed thousands of ebooks into audiobooks using AI—bypassing the longer (and more expensive) process of hiring a human reader to do the job. It’s exactly the kind of AI application that actors, who are currently on strike in the US for the first time in four decades, fear may endanger their careers.

Using synthetic speech technology, Project Gutenberg, in partnership with Microsoft and MIT, transformed more than 5,000 of the ebooks in its free and open access collection into audiobooks. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, the library now contains an eclectic mix of titles such as The War Poems by Siegfried Sassoon and England, My England by DH Lawrence, all of which are open-license.

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The collection is read in a male voice—youthful, with an American accent—in a delivery that (to this writer’s ears) is fairly naturalistic. Aside from an occasional stilted pause, it would be difficult to recognize it as AI-generated speech.

What the reading does lack is the versatility and depth that human actors bring to the same work. It’s a far cry from, say, Stephen Fry, who created a unique voice for dozens of characters while reading the Harry Potter audiobooks. But Project Gutenberg’s audiobooks are free, the process is quick, and the text-to-speech system used is scalable. The threat that such technologies pose to acting work is clear.

Project Gutenberg’s methodology was published in a report (pdf) titled “Large-Scale Automatic Audiobook Creation,” on Sep. 7, and the code for the project is open source. In the introduction, the research team mentions that “audiobooks can take hundreds of hours of human effort to create, edit, and publish.” Later on, the authors say: “Our system allows users to customize an audiobook’s speaking speed and style, emotional intonation, and can even match a desired voice using a small amount of sample audio.”

Project Gutenberg is a volunteer-run, non-profit organization whose mission is to “encourage the creation and distribution of ebooks.” Ironically, the archive itself has been used to train AI models like Meta’s Llama.

Quartz has contacted Project Gutenberg for comment.

AI has been a central bargaining point in the current US actors’ strike. The Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has been on strike since July 14, demanding not only better wages and shares of residual, but also protections from AI technology that can create a “digital replica” of an actor without their consent. Digital replicas include a person’s image and as well as their voice.

On Sep. 5, Fran Drescher, the president of SAG-AFTRA, wrote in a letter to the union’s members that protections from AI were not only “righteous and fair” but also necessary to guard against its “existential threat” to their work, especially given the lack of regulation.

“A great deal of our members’ work in this space is voiceover, and the capacity to cheaply and easily create convincing digital replicas of performer voices is already here and widely available,” Drescher wrote in the letter. “Without protections, not only will this be the future of how voices are recorded for video game characters, but your own voice recordings will be used to train the AI systems that replace you.”

The fact that the Project Gutenberg method can use a single audio sample to build out an entire text-to-speech voice is case in point.

Most voice actors aren’t in a union, though. Only about 18% of those in the trade are SAG-AFTRA members, according to data from a 2022 survey conducted by the National Association of Voice Actors. More than 64% in the survey said that they were non-union. Given the industry’s relatively less organized nature, it will only get easier and easier for AI to take over tasks that once only humans could do. Uniting their voices might be what it takes to ensure that voice actors can keep their rights to using them."

Don't let this article fool anyone. It's not warning people. It's gloating. I wonder when Britain will ever be honest with itself in that no same person wants anything to do with pedophile and Lavender Mafia member, Stephen Fry. And the main companies who will benefit are Spotify, a conservative leaning company, Apple, a DISHONEST, Chinese government linked company and Google, the monopoly kings.

[xb-squaredx]

Please Don’t Sleep on Hades

2020’s…been a real year, huh? At a time when in-person gatherings aren’t much of a thing and people have to stay in, video games are suddenly a pretty attractive option. That said, few games have really grabbed me this year; in a roundabout way, 2020’s been a year of reruns, as I go through a lot of games I’ve already played or games that are just yesterday’s news (but new to me!). However, in the nick of time, the folks at Supergiant Games delivered unto us their latest title, Hades. While they’ve been working on this game for years, with it hitting Early Access on Steam back in 2018, the full version of Hades finally hit Steam, the Epic Game Store and made the leap to consoles with the Switch, which is where I picked it up. It has been a WHILE since I’ve had a game grab me so strongly so early on, and I’ve been hearing this game’s praises for years now already, so allow me to happily state why I think Hades is worthy of the hype and is a fantastic game I’d easily recommend!

DADDY ISSUES

OK, so first things first…you don’t actually play as Hades in this game, but rather his son Zagreus. Ol’ Zag has had it with his father, and tries to literally fight his way out of hell to reach the surface, and no matter what his old man puts in his way, Zagreus (and the player) will meet the challenge. And probably die, but hey, that’s OK! In the underworld, death is more of an inconvenience than anything else, so after taking a moment to dust himself off, Zagreus will head out for another attempt. For as long as it takes.

Hades is a rogue-like, meaning it’s a game based around randomization and adaptation. On any given “run” of the game, the level layouts, enemies present and the variety of power-ups Zagreus can find will be left to chance, with the player challenged to amass the best build they can to eventually break out of hell and reach the human world and if you die…start from scratch. That said, Hades is among the ever-growing sub-genre of rogue-lites, in that there IS some permanent progression, which takes a bit of a sting out of dying, but more on that later. Now, most games of this type aren’t really big on story. They have a premise that’s little more than an excuse to play. Splunkey wants you to explore a cave, The Binding of Isaac sees you escaping a basement and in Enter the Gungeon you uh…e-enter the gun—you get the point! But what separates Hades from most rogue-likes/lites is that there actually IS a very interesting story that unfolds as you play.

There’s more to Zag’s desire to get to the surface than just getting away from his father, though their strained relationship certainly doesn’t help matters, and over the course of your many, MANY escape attempts, players learn of the rather screwed-up nature of Zagreus’ family of deities, though any mythology nut could tell you to expect that. Hades has an incredibly charismatic cast, superb voice acting across the board, and some real sharp writing that really got me wanting to meet anyone and everyone and learn more about this world. You’re likely to run into Hypnos first, who always has a “tip” ready for you when you meet your end to a given enemy or hazard, or the fabled hero Achilles, who acts as a mentor to Zagreus. There’s Dusa, the adorably frazzled flying gorgon head who acts as the House of Hades’ maid, and of course…Megaera, of the Furies.

She serves as the first proper boss in the game, and will be a pretty sizable challenge for most players, but as you eventually overcome her again and again, she and Zagreus end up attempting to reconnect with each other, and her recurring fights become an excuse to flirt and test each other. I may as well say too that it’s easy to fall in love with the characters in this game because…I-I mean, just look at them! This game is a bisexual’s paradise, that’s all I’ll say.

A bit of a fun fact, but Zagreus’ voice actor, Darren Korb, is also a composer at Supergiant, so he’s a man of many talents, since Hades has a killer score. From the laid-back tunes at the House of Hades where you can unwind and recharge after a botched run, to the pulse-pounding boss theme, there’s some GREAT music on display here. And that’s before you meet Orpheus and Eurydice, two characters with amazing singing voices that, if you play your cards right, might start singing together. The game’s visuals, meanwhile, aren’t a slouch either. While the level layouts are randomized, everything manages to look well-crafted, each region of the underworld having their own distinct look and feel. The fiery pits of Asphodel end up juxtaposing well with the paradise that is Elysium. Now, character models are generally less-detailed since the camera stays zoomed out to give players a good view of the action, but the portraits for the various characters more than make up for it with their distinct, detailed designs. A-And I’m not just saying that because everyone’s hot! Now, admittedly you might take a look at Zag and think he’s nothing but an edgelord and the game itself might be taking itself too seriously, but in reality, Hades strikes a pretty good balance, and definitely carries a sense of humor. Characters love to snark at each other, the various Shades chilling in the House of Hades’ lounge have some funny conversations you can listen in on and all told, the game only gets serious when appropriate. Really, I have no real complaints with the game on a presentation level; it’s all aces so far, and thankfully the game-y part follows suit!

LIVE.DIE. REPEAT.

Hades is best described as a dungeon-crawler. You have an isometric view as you move about, avoiding hazards and fighting off enemies as you climb each chamber on your way to the surface. Defeat every enemy in a chamber and get a reward. Sounds simple enough until you factor in all of the various permutations of events; Hades aims to make sure no two runs are alike, with different enemies, power-ups and challenges awaiting you. All of this is doled out slowly, as with each subsequent playthrough you begin to have more of the game unraveled. First and foremost, Zagreus can gain various Boons from the other Olympian Gods, who are sympathetic to his plight and lend him some power if he makes contact with them. Each God has their own twist on the abilities they grant Zagreus. They can all increase his stats in some way, or affect either his dash ability or his Cast, a projectile attack. For Zeus, naturally, all of Zagreus’ moves will gain an electric effect, whereas Artemis focuses more on upping Zag’s critical hit chance. Dionysus, the God of Wine, grants you the “hangover” status effect, allowing your attacks to uh…make enemies drunk? Sure! You’ll be given a random selection of three Boons to pick from, of varying rarities. Over the course of a run, you might try to nab as many Boons from the same God as possible, or vary it up and see which abilities synchronize together. At times, you might even be granted a Duo Boon, where two Gods decide to combine their power for a special ability that plays to both of their strengths. Still, at other times, you might be forced into a Trial of the Gods, where you must choose one God’s Boon over the other, with the snubbed God lashing out afterwards. Hey, just because they’re Gods, doesn’t mean they’re nice. Of course, you’ve also got a variety of health and weapon upgrades too. In fact, let’s gush about the weapons for a second, shall we?

At the time of writing, Hades has six weapons to play with. You start with a sword, which is the all-rounder of the set, but as you gain keys to unlock more weapons, you can start to really experiment. The bow and rail cannon serve as ranged options with different approaches, while the spear is the melee weapon with the best range at the cost of pure power. The shield grants you absolute defense at the cost of range, while the gauntlets let you unleash your fisticuffs on underworld scum, though leave you with limited ranged attacks. Each weapon has specific Boons and weapon upgrades you can find as well, some of which can radically alter how a weapon works. The rail cannon, for example, fires a lot faster than the bow, but this is balanced by needing to manually reload…unless you get a weapon upgrade that gives you unlimited ammo with the only catch being that you can only do burst fire. Adding to this, players eventually unlock hidden Aspects of weapons, morphing them into different forms which can also influence their moveset. Change the shield to the Aspect of Zeus, and when you throw your shield Captain America style, it stays out and continually spins, dealing tons of damage over time and effectively forcing enemies to get sliced to bits if they want to get near you. I didn’t expect this game to have half this many weapons or to have them balanced so well. Really, just like anything else, weapons are another tool you can poke and prod and experiment with until you get a truly killer collection of Boons and upgrades that let you just demolish anything in your way. It’s very satisfying when you finally clear a run with a great build…though depending on the RNG, you WILL get some crummy builds, but that’s the nature of the rogue-like!

It’s likely that a bad build (or really, just getting hit with a new boss or enemy you aren’t prepared for) will lead to a death, but as already established, death isn’t really that much of an inconvenience in the underworld. Zagreus just spawns back at home and is free to immediately try to escape again, but this brief reprieve lets you chat up whoever happens to be around, give them gifts, advance some side-quests, pet your dog Cerberus and practice with weapons and such before you’re ready to go at it again. It’s after a run that you also get to spend a lot of the spoils of your escape attempts. While you lose Boons and weapon upgrades and the like upon death, there’s a LOT of various items you keep with you that have plenty of uses. Darkness shards are used for permanent skills that can be applied to Zagreus, like Death’s Defiance, which grants Zagreus another life upon dying, which can eventually be upgraded to give him THREE extra lives, just as an example. Precious gems can be used to fund a variety of cosmetic changes to the House of Hades. Just because Zagreus doesn’t want to live there anymore, doesn’t mean he can’t at least make it look good! Nectar can be gifted to other characters to improve your relationships with them, with bottles of Ambrosia being required later on, while special keys can be used to unlock weapons, more upgrades for your Darkness shards, or just used as a secondary currency for trade. There’s really a LOT of different items to mess around with, though admittedly if you’re the type to want to max out EVERYTHING you’ll be in it for the long haul, as there is not only a LOT of stuff to upgrade and purchase, but the random nature of things means rewards are never a guarantee. Though it’s worth noting the game’s totally beatable without going nuts with completion. Which I guess leads me to the biggest compliment I can give this game: even after “beating” it, I still can’t stop playing, and there’s plenty of reason to keep going.

REPLAYS AND REWARDS

So, full disclosure, I’ve gotten Zagreus to the surface. Several times, actually. But I haven’t quite “beaten” the game yet. In fact, at the risk of sounding pretentious, it is as if the true game begins after you’ve beaten it once. Without getting into specifics, let’s just say the game gives you a very good in-story reason to keep playing, and you won’t reach credits without several completed runs under your belt. And even then, there’s still stuff to do. I’m almost 30 hours into Hades and I’ve barely scratched the surface honestly. Every major character has their own sidequest you can undergo, but it can be slow goings when it comes to advancing them. Trying out all the weapons and boons and different combinations will easily take dozens of hours to fully experience, though the game has a handy in-game list of what you’ve done and haven’t done, as well as in-game achievements with tangible rewards that will spur you on. I was admittedly surprised at how dense of a game Hades can be. A successful run will likely take you somewhere between a half-hour to an hour, which is pretty devious. Just long enough to stay engaging throughout, and short enough that I can keep convincing myself that I have time for “one more run” and then suddenly several hours have gone by. Strangest thing.

Something that’s become a bit of a staple of Supergiant’s work is customizable difficulty, various modifiers you can flip on to make the game harder if you so desire, which in Hades takes the form of the Pact of Punishment. After a successful run, you can turn on a given pact to spice things up for subsequent runs. Maybe enemies do a bit more damage, or you give yourself a super strict time limit to clear a run. You can give enemies armor that makes them sturdier, or jack up the in-game shop’s prices. You can even be forced to give up Boons in order to advance past certain doors! Probably the most impressive Pact is Extreme Measures, which ends up greatly affecting the boss fights in the game…trust me when I say you won’t be ready for them the first time you flip that on. Activating a given pact increases a “heat gauge” that, should it reach a given level, will end up granting you various special items to help with fully upgrading and unlocking stuff. Of course, with each successful run completed with a given Pact activated, you’ll have to raise the heat more and more in order to keep getting these upgrade materials so be prepared. You can also still gain these materials (albeit at a much slower rate) playing through the game normally though, and there’s really no penalty for choosing NOT to activate a given pact. On the flip side of things, there’s also a God Mode you can toggle on that makes Zagreus a little stronger with each death, which can help those that want to see more of the story but are struggling with the game. Have your God Cake and eat it too!

All and all, this game just delivers on every level and I’ve been devouring it since release whenever I have a spare minute. You can see that Supergiant is taking all the lessons they learned from each previous game and combined it to make what is easily their best game yet. I don’t throw around words like “masterpiece” lightly, but Hades is just such a slam dunk that I’m sorely tempted to call it just that. I mean, if you hate rogue-likes, I’m not sure if Hades will really push you over the edge admittedly? You get way more rewards retained after death than just about any other rogue-like I’ve played, but if you’re the type that hates having to constantly adapt and not being able to memorize what’s coming, I can see this not working for you. But for me at least, I’ve had an absolute blast with the game and the only issue I really have with it is a small nitpick at best. When it comes to getting to know various characters, you can talk to them and give them Nectar or Ambrosia as a gift right? But what happens if they don’t show up on a given run? Or what if they DO show up, but they’re locked into a conversation with someone else? That means you can’t really advance anything with them until a given dice roll pities you. MEGAERA I THINK YOU’RE COOL, PLEASE JUST TALK TO M—oh sorry, don’t know where that came from… So yeah, that’s the nittiest of picks.

I adore this game’s cast, the voice work and music is excellent to the ear, the combat is engaging, the gameplay loop is addicting…need I say more? I mean, I’ve said almost 3000 words, but to really sum it up…I highly recommend Hades and I hope you don’t pass it up if you’re even remotely interested. You can find it on Steam, the Epic store and Switch as of right now, and I don’t think you could go wrong with any version.

Blood and darkness await you.

-B

[lovelahela]

❛ i know it's today ❜ ─ lily spencer.

⇢ requested by @windswiftcupid !

⇢ pairing: lily spencer x mc (jade)

⇢ genre: fluff, highschool!au

⇢ song: i know it’s today ; shrek, the musical

⇢ description: in which lily spencer, just another tech crew kid, likes the out-of-her-league female lead.

⇢ word count: 1399

⇢ notes: i’m sorry for the long wait esp if it didn’t end up being worth it skjfasf if u want a part two i’d love to write it!

Theatre was the bright bubble in Lily Spencer’s stressful world,  a place the inner life of the human soul comes to dance, sing and exclaim of all that really matters. High school was not an easy stage in life, at least for people like Lily, who are kicked to the side as outcasts who don’t fit in with the social norm. Maybe it was her weird love for video games, or her impeccable skill of spilling word vomit and ultimately embarrassing herself; either way, Lily made peace with being an outcast, no matter what the reason for her exclusion was.

There were people like Lily; cast aside, viewed as peculiar and “uncool.” And then there were people like Jade; popular, loved, adored by all. Jade was out of her league, of course; when you’re a hyperactive nerd crushing on a lead actor that is - defying all laws of physics and the universe - also the captain of a varsity team and the president of several clubs with outstanding grades, you realize your chances are quite slim.

She did like girls, though, so Lily never truly surrendered her dream of snatching a gorgeous, rare specimen like her.

“Spencer! Were you paying attention?” Mr. Castellanos, the school’s economics teacher, snapped impatiently at the daydreaming girl sitting at the back of her class. She had paced her cheek on her fist and was gazing dreamily at the wall behind him, igniting a spark of exasperation for what seemed like the thousandth time since he had begun teaching her.

She jumped in her seat at the abrupt yell, earning snickers from her classmates. Jax Matsuo, a fellow outcast (although he was definitely loved by the female population more than his peers, considering he was quite handsome and gave off “bad boy” vibes) nudged her playfully from behind and whispered, “Oooooh, busted.”

“Uh - I - Of course I was!” Lily lied straight through her teeth while looking the teacher straight in his angered eyes. Her heart could run whole marathons at the rate it had been beating, and her hands began to sweat. At that point, all pairs of eyes present in the room had been on her, including her raging crush.

“Oh? Then tell me what the financial gain made in transactions is.”

She gulped nervously. Shit, crap, damn it all to every hell, she swore profusely in her mind. Mr. Castellanos raised his eyebrows at her expectantly. Out of the corner of her slightly widened eyes, she spotted - to her shock - Jade waving to grab her attention. Once they locked eyes, her heart skipped a beat and a fuzzy feeling warmed her stomach. Shut up, stomach, now isn’t the time, hissed Lily mentally. Jade gestured to her lips, and mouthed clearly: PROFIT.

Lily immediately made eye contact with the economics teacher once again and blurted out the answer that her classmate gave her so quickly and panickedly that it made him slightly suspicious. He narrowed his eyes at her, but nonetheless congratulated her for answering correctly.

“Good to know you’re not completely useless in my class, Spencer. Don’t let me catch you like this again.”

Lily let out a long breath in relief and a grin resembling that of a maniac stretched across her lips. With reddened cheeks and pinkish ears, she mouthed a thank you to Jade, who returned it with the warmest smile she had ever been given.

You had better believe that particular moment was the only thing Lily thought of until the end of the school day. On her way to lunch, through Eng. Lit., during her mathematics class - the single topic on her mind was Jade. She couldn’t believe how childish she had been acting and felt as though she was back in elementary school with the biggest schoolgirl crush.

Eventually, rehearsal rolled around. All the theatre kids gathered in the theatre, discussing their plans for upcoming rehearsals before the big day. The play they were preparing for was, to Lily’s delight, Shrek: The Musical. She remembered laughing like a madwoman with the Costume and Makeup crew, who adored the idea of making the most pompous boy in their school look like a large, green ogre. It was beautiful, really.

Lily positioned herself next to the tech crew’s equipment as Jade, who played the eldest version of Fiona (she had been glad they didn’t rob her of the part for not being light-skinned), readied herself to begin singing one of Lily’s favourite parts of the musical - I Know It’s Today.

She watched as the child and teenage Fiona sang their parts beautifully and adjusted the lighting accordingly. The youngest had quite the magnificent voice, Lily knew she would go far in life. She could barely prepare herself when she realized Jade’s verse was approaching, knowing she would be just as affected by it as she always was.

“Here come the waterworks,” whispered the person in charge of the music, Nicole, jokingly. Lily poked her in the ribs with a childish huff.

Jade finally appeared, wearing a long ginger wig and a green dress that fit her like a glove. Her powerful, melodious voice rang throughout the theatre loudly and clearly, striking a chord within every occupant of the room - even their jaded and strict director, Kamilah Sayeed. Lily’s eyes glazed over with a glossy coat of tears threatening to spill over her cheeks. Her voice was beauty, music, grace. It was the promise of tomorrow, and Lily never wanted it to end.

“Lil, are you crying?” chuckled Nicole quietly, careful not to disrupt the rehearsal.

“No, I just have a tree in my eye.” Her voice quivered when she answered, and when she saw Nicole eyeing her with a single quirked eyebrow and a smirk, she huffed out again. “Both eyes.”

The blonde next to her shook her head with a knowing smile, but Lily completely ignored her and centred her focus on the singing beauty on the marvellously decorated stage.

Once rehearsal was over, Lily waited at the bus stop nearest her school to finally go home and unwind from such a long and tiring day. She stared at the blue sky above, adorned with pure clouds and the occasional soaring bird. She sensed someone take a seat next to her, but took no notice of them.

“Wow, no thank you, Jade, for the heroic save during Econ?”

A shriek unwillingly barreled out of her lips as she jumped yet again in her seat, startled by the sudden appearance of Jade. She sat next to her, the uncoolest person in the world, of all people? Eyes wide and cheeks flushed, Lily avoided Jade’s gaze and stammered the worst apology in the universe, earning a hearty laugh from the latter.

“Relax, Lils, I was just joking!” Her pearly whites almost blinded her when she showcased her megawatt smile. Lily squeaked pathetically at the sound of that nickname, unaware that Jade even knew her name. “You do a great job with the tech crew, by the way. You’re a pretty cool gal.”

“I… Pretty… Gal? Cool?” The gay panic is too much for me to handle, cried the mortified teenager in her anxious mind.

She chuckled nervously. I’m in danger.

“I’m sorry we never got the chance to hang out before, I usually try to get to know everyone in the club. How about I make it up to you?” Her gaze was soft and friendly, making her feel weak in the knees despite being seated. Her stomach did somersaults.

“You - I - Yeah. Cool. Cool. SURE!” She cringed at the way her voice cracked when she all but screamed the last word.

Jade smiled warmly. “You don’t have to be nervous around me, you know!”

“Easier said than done,” muttered Lily, but it was loud enough for her companion to catch it.

“Come on, there’s an ice cream parlour just down the road! Ditch the bus, I’ll give you a ride home when we’re done.” Jade grabbed her hand firmly and yanked her onto her feet, excitedly dashing down the asphalt with a very confused but very ecstatic Lily Spencer attempting to catch up without tripping over her own two feet. A grin crept and the air grew thick with a tenderness that couldn’t help but make her breathe faster, happier.

Maybe Jade wasn’t as unreachable as the glittering stars in a night sky like she thought she was.

[tokupedia]

Japan World Heroes II Day 1 part 2: Mr. Stephen Ford

Stephen Ford from Kamen Rider Dragon Knight was our next guest, was a little late getting in. (My mother tagged along, mostly out of objection from being left alone in the hotel.) 

He humbly joked about being an actor, having his start in the now forgotten Disney show Even Stevens and “being in every kid sitcom ever” in bit parts. He also stated he doesn’t act much anymore, as he finds the style of “make it big or be relegated to bit roles” draining on him and he now is aspiring to be a film director with an upcoming undisclosed project featuring his buddy and fellow Dragon Knight cast member Mike Moh. 

He revealed that he met Danny Trejo on the audition set of Dragon Knight, who wanted his daughter to get a role as Maya/Kamen Rider Siren. Mr. Ford said it started out as the most terrifying experience of his life, because Mr. Trejo is often an intimidating, mean figure in his movies. But Mr. Trejo is in reality the sweetest, nicest person you could meet and shook Stephen’s hand and was very friendly towards him. He also said his predecessor who played Kit in the Pilot had “no personality” according to the casting director, something Mr. Ford had and why he was chosen to be Kit. Stephen admitted he felt horrible after that, as the guy now had nothing while he thrived off his failure. Santa Clarita, where the show was filmed, was an hour drive from where Stephen lived. The writers strike of ‘08 nearly killed the show after 5 episodes, but it was saved due to independent funding and writing. He did admit a stuntman did some of his fights, since he only took one karate class.

He then went on to tell us about the whereabouts of his co-star Matt Mullins, who now has a prosperous career working as a stuntman for Marvel Studios! He also confessed that Mr. Mullins didn’t know how to drive a motorcycle before the show started. (Much like Hiroaki Murakami from Skyrider). 

He also admitted some of his ADR recordings on the show made him cringe after hearing them firsthand and he wants to do more work in video games. Stephen also admits that if we watched Dragon Knight carefully, you might catch him falling asleep on camera due to the fact that the independent production ran for long work hours, which at the time Stephen wasn’t used to. He also wanted to announce he has a new youtube project involving the Call of Duty game franchise down the line. He also loves lurking about SDCC in disguise, saying he may go as Starlord next year. During the Q&A Stephen confessed he wore the Ryuki suit...but only once.

And once again, Mr. Ford controversially implored the audience to torrent his show as studio execs see no value in releasing Dragon Knight despite cast members appealing for it. One fan mentioned possibly contacting Shout! Factory, which piqued Mr. Ford’s interest, but he thinks that the studios including Warner Bros. will never give Dragon Knight another chance and thus no deal can be arranged. He also joked about meeting Nolan North several times, with the actor never remembering Stephen’s name. 

He also told the audience to never go solely into acting unless you have the resolve and skill to make it and endure, otherwise you will end up a “one gig wonder” with only one role in your resume and a long and possibly permanent period of unemployment afterward. Its better in Modern Hollywood to be a jack of all trades, so you can pivot to other job opportunities when business is slow. Can’t get an acting gig? be in production or the director’s chair. No live productions? be an animation voice actor etc. This does make it harder, but at least you will survive.

Mr. Ford then revealed he did try to audition for Power Rangers once during the Disney era, but he didn’t get the role and he didn’t remember which season. 

He also told fans that he was shocked that Kamen Rider had no presence in the USA when he tried to get research for his role. He actually had to resort to going to a video store that sold bootleg copies and bought a 10 disc set of Ryuki to study what Kamen Rider was.

After the panel ended, I was nervous, but my mother stopped Mr. Ford and I asked a question: “Toei has a Multiverse for Kamen Rider and the show is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2021, if Toei asked, would you return as Kit Taylor for a World of Dragon Knight episode in a cameo?”

He smiled, surprised Kamen Rider was that old and said he loved comic book concepts such as the multiverse, saying he would love to come back for such a special occasion if asked.

This made my day and answered a burning question for Rider fans all over the world.

[wwwps4]

Spider-Man

Marvel's Spider-Man from Insomniac Games is one of the most anticipated games of 2018, but did the developers manage to create the best project in the history of video games about this defender of new York and, most importantly, meet the expectations of players? Let's take it all in order. It is worth noting that the author of the review played on an ordinary PlayStation 4 (Slim), so the screenshots are made on it, and the impressions are based on this version. The article was written after receiving the platinum prize, which means that the opinion will be weighted as much as possible.

Marvel's Spider-Man, an action-adventure game developed exclusively for the PlayStation 4, was first unveiled on June 13, 2016 at E3 electronic entertainment. And now, after a little more than two years, we can enjoy it on our own.

You don't need wings to fly

The game greets newcomers with a smooth transition from the opening cut scene to the gameplay, resulting in you being in the air while flying on a web. After learning which button is responsible for throwing the web in the direction of buildings (R2), there is an instant habituation to this method of movement. It seems that you have not just launched the game, but are a veteran of it. Swinging on the web works exactly as it should in terms of convenience and realism. At this time, the character moves in an arc and maintains inertia, so you can slow down the flight or, conversely, increase its speed by using a jump at different times. If you constantly hold R2, Spider-Man will automatically release a new web and move forward. Similarly, it is easy and fast to change the direction of movement: when you press the jump button during a free fall, the main character will perform a jerk on the web, which will allow you to accelerate in the right direction. As previously stated, the web clings strictly to real objects, not to air, unlike many previous Spider games. Therefore, in places with low buildings, you will have to go down, and in Central Park you will have to cling to trees, being on the verge of hitting your heels on the ground. By the way, in order not to wait for the protagonist to fall to the height where it will again be possible to use the web, you can accelerate in the fall by clicking on the left stick.

The movement system is designed so that the dynamics of movement around the city is maintained at the same pace. Thus, if the character runs into a skyscraper, then when holding R2, it will continue to move along it in the selected direction without stopping. While running on a horizontal surface, the same button will allow you to overcome obstacles using parkour without additional manipulations. Jerks on the web, among other things, while running vertically will help to reach the roof as quickly as possible, and immediately after push off from it, continuing the path. Some of these techniques can be opened as you level up spider-Man, acquiring the appropriate skills.

The project is completely translated into the great and mighty, and in General, the Russian voice acting is not so bad, but in some places its quality is greatly reduced. But the fact that it will not be changed separately from the subtitles will probably shock some players. The only option left is to change the console language, but the whole game will be in English.

No longer a novice

Insomniac Games Studio decided to focus on an experienced superhero, who has more than one year of practice, but the plot of the game is independent. Of course, you will meet familiar characters here, but the story will develop in a new way. However, on August 21 of this year, the official prequel of this game was released in the form of a novel authored by American writer David Liss, which was subtitled Spider-Man: Hostile Takeover. Unfortunately, at the moment the book is only available in the original, in English. It tells the story of Wilson Fisk's return to new York, where he appears as a philanthropist to the public. Peter Parker knows very well the true face of Kingpin, so he will have to bring it to light. But not everything is so simple, because at the same time in the city there is a double of Spider-Man under the pseudonym Blood Spider, with a similar costume and abilities, which substitutes the hero, committing crimes. The game's plot begins at the very moment when the book ends.

Avoiding disclosure of details of the plot, so as not to spoil the impression of the readers of the article, I will only Express my opinion about it after full passage. The scenario is generally good, but, unfortunately, quite predictable and not surprising. But the animation of the characters and the environment is very lively, and the setting of plot tasks is performed at the highest level. Because of this, it is quite interesting to take a direct part in the development of history. However, the boss battles were somewhat disappointing. They look spectacular, but feel too scripted and ordinary, unlike the rest of the game. It is clear that the project puts a lot of emphasis on cinematography, but it would be possible to implement them more rich in gameplay terms. Sometimes you have to fight several strong mutants at the same time, which looks pretty cool, but again, the gameplay seems to be in the background. It is not surprising that the health scale is displayed only for the protagonist, even during a boss battle.

Peter Parker and his alter ego Spider-Man is not the only playable character in Marvel's Spider-Man. In the story, you will also have to take control of a couple of other actors, which radically changes the gameplay and makes the game more diverse. As a rule, in scenes with them, you need to act covertly. It should be emphasized that the control between the characters is also transferred during the same episode to, say, help your friend. This is not new in video games, but nevertheless, this solution is quite interesting. During the game, not so often, but there are QTE, and the transition from cut scenes to the gameplay is performed imperceptibly.

During tasks and in the lab at Peter Parker's place of work, there are two types of puzzles. In the first, it is necessary to make an electric chain of components, where the voltage often has to be taken into account. The latter are aimed at recognizing an unknown substance by the absorption spectrum. In them, you need to take fragments of an unknown substance and try to combine its absorption lines with the template.

The storm of the underworld

Battles in Marvel's Spider-Man are one of the most important components of the gameplay. When creating the combat system, the developers were probably inspired by the Batman: Arkham series, since they have obvious similarities. However, unlike Batman, Spider-Man uses more acrobatic techniques, relying on his enviable dexterity. However, he often uses a web and lifts opponents into the air, continuing the battle there. What is important, fights look like a continuous dance, in which one movement smoothly flows into another.

You can instantly eliminate enemies when they don't see you, or when you accumulate a concentration scale, use the suit function, or use the Spider's cunning devices, which will be described in more detail later. Several types of knockouts are used for undetected elimination. To perform a silent knockout, you need to sneak up on the enemy from behind. For a web strike, you must be above the target. In addition, you can discreetly eliminate an opponent by wrapping it in a cocoon and hanging it, for example, on the edge of a roof or on a street lighting pole.

[ghoulboyboos]

Magic = bad. Now Steven and Andrew have to look after smol! Ryan and Shane who have a crush on each other, while trying to hide the fact that they also have a crush on each other (or vice versa)

I woke up on cold sweat I know you’ve done a smol!aubefore I meant child ksjfks            

I gotcha Anon no worries ;D

“Oh my God isn’t that a precious little guy!” Freddie exclaims, bending down to look into the face of the kid Steven’s carrying on his hip. The maybe five-year-old boy beams at Freddie with a huge, white smile before giving Steven a look she could almost interpret as smug and Steven rolls his eyes.

“A relative of yours?” She asks, when Steven doesn’t answer and the kid stays quiet. That question gets her offended glares, funnily enough from both Steven and the boy.

“Really, Freddie? Because we’re both Asian? I expected more of you.”

“Uh, no?” She gives him a judging look. “I’m asking because you’re carrying him around and I don’t assume you stole someone’s child. You also don’t strike me as someone who has a secret baby, so I figured he might be a cousin or something.

“Oh.” Steven deflates. The kid is giggling.

-

“You really didn’t have to make eyes at Freddie, you know.” Steven grumbles as he continues his way towards the Buzzfeed “Kiddie Corner” where employee’s with children can leave their kids in careful hands.

“I would have talked to her if you didn’t tell me to keep my mouth shut,” Ryan complains. It’s weird. The vocabulary and cadence is still the same, but Ryan has the voice of a little kid now and his tongue is clearly stumbling over a couple of words. He doesn’t have a lisp, but he sounds like he still has to get used to having a smaller mouth and less teeth and whatever other changes he went through when he got turned into a kid. Steven always told him not to mess around locations too much, but Shane was a bad influence on him. At least Shane got cursed as well. Steven briefly wonders how Andrew is doing. That thought makes him nervous, so he answers Ryan instead.

“I had to. You sound nothing like a little kid, Ryan. People would notice something’s up.”

“I doubt that. People usually are as stupidly dismissive as Shane is. They love to think up the dumbest of explanations.”

“Will you stop talking about Shane for five minutes, Jesus. You’ll see him again in a few.”

“I’m not- I didn’t-” Ryan starts stuttering and under normal circumstances, Steven would sit back and laugh at Ryan’s dumb crush on his co-host, but right now he is busy.

When he hands Ryan off to the caretaker and she asks for his name, Steven freezes. He can’t call the kid Ryan, people would notice how much he looks like Buzzfeed Unsolved’s Ryan Bergara. Ryan of all people saves his ass:

“I’m Ricky!” He calls out, childlike voice surprisingly believable as he holds out his hands towards the lady who just laughs and takes him out of Steven’s arms.

“He’s a cousin of mine…” Steven mumbles, but he is mostly ignored because the lady has started to chat with “Ricky” about the games they could play.

Not for the first time that day, Steven wishes that Andrew was with him.

-

Shane is a little bored. He likes kids, they are fun, but usually he is in some form of “authority” or at least intimidating in whatever way kids consider a very tall dude. Now, he is barely taller than the children around him. The other children because he is a child as well. It’s been a long time since he’s been one and he is sure he is acting suspicious. At least this places has Mega Bloks, even though Shane would have preferred Lego.

He is building aimlessly and without a real plan, when suddenly he’s tapped on the back. He squares his shoulders, preparing to discourage whatever kid is trying to join him when he spots a familiar face. It’s not quite as familiar as it used to be, but he can still see Ryan in this kid. Even if not, they woke up together on location yesterday, turned into little kids and panicking. Ryan looks a bit better now.

“Oh. Hey. Steven’s here, then?” Shane keeps his voice low so nobody listens in. Ryan nods.

TJ and Devon had transported the “kids” home and - in lieu of a better place - left one Ghoulboy each with one of the Worth It Boys. Adam was spared because he is currently assisting with another shoot for a couple of days. Andrew and Steven both thought they were being pranked for a Buzzfeed video, but eventually admitted that no child actor could reproduce Shane’s completely insane and off-track ramblings that well. Ryan had complained a lot about being handed off to Steven but Shane understood. They couldn’t just go home. Sure, they still had their adult minds so it wouldn’t be exactly like leaving children unsupervised, but a lot of things were way too dangerous to try alone and at their current height. Shane really doesn’t want to get smashed in the head with the microwave because he can’t reach it properly, so having Andrew for assistance had been really helpful. Shane made a point of telling him so.

He doesn’t know how Steven and Ryan spent their evening but he had a relatively normal night in with Andrew, except that Andrew insisted to bring him to bed at eight because at the moment, Shane looks to be about six and it eight is a normal time to go to bed for someone of that age. He had tried to protest, but realized that he was actually close to passing out when Andrew put him on the couch and tucked him in. That last part was so unnecessary, but Shane fell asleep before he could complain. Apparently, his body very much had the metabolism and inner clock of a little kid because he slept for ten hours and woke up feeling refreshed and energetic. He hadn’t felt like that in forever.

Ryan looks like he did yesterday. For someone who knows him well, it’s very obviously Ryan, just a little different. His hair is even messier than before and his cheeks are a little rounder, but his eyes and his smile are as big and as bright as before. Well, minus the constant bags Ryan usually has under his eyes. He looks a lot more fresh faced now.

“Wanna play?” Shane asks, indicating towards his half-finished whatever the hell he is building. Ryan looks at it before shrugging and dropping on his knees on the play mat, scooting closer. They are dressed in kid clothes now, thanks to Devon and TJ making a quick stop to buy them proper clothes yesterday. Until then, both he and Ryan and been wrapped in their ow (now way too big) shirts. Shane has to admit that Ryan looks adorable in his blue overalls. It’s a strange thought and it’s also weird to see such a close friend as a little kid. Well, weird and intrusive in a way that makes Shane uncomfortable.

“I’m glad I’m not alone in this.” He mutters, because he feels like he should say it. Ryan is looking at him but Shane keeps his eyes fixed on the blue block he puts on top of the little wall he set up. “Not that I want you in the same mess as I am in. Just… you know. Helps to keep sane when you’re not the only one.”

“Nah man, I get it.” Ryan looks around to make sure nobody is listening. “I just hope this isn’t permanent.”

“Otherwise we have to create “Buzzfeed: Kids” and milk this mess for all it’s worth.” Shane grumbles and he hears the first real wheeze from Ryan since they woke up in this mess. It turns into a full laugh and Shane finally looks over at his giggling friend. It makes Shane laugh as well. Sure, Ryan’s smile is still the same. But their laughs sound lighter, softer. More innocent, he thinks and immediately makes a face at that.

“What’s up?” Ryan rubs the corner of his eye as if he actually laughed himself to tears.

“This is weird.” Shane mumbles. “I feel like I shouldn’t see you this way. This is something that is kept to our childhoods and our family and stuff. Not your co-worker who probably got you into this mess.”

“I highly doubt it was just you.” Ryan rubs his nose. It’s kind of runny. Someone will probably make him blow it soon. “And… I don’t know. It’s kind of fun. We kept finding out about obscure stuff that we both did despite never meeting before. But now we kind of… get to be childhood friends. Because for some reason you don’t have five years on me now.”

“True.”

Shane sits back and looks at the building they made. It looks horrendous.

“We will never be architects.” He says sadly and Ryan laughs again.

-

Andrew and Steven pick them up after work and decide to just grab dinner together. It’s easier than cooking and being in public will force them to not rant and panic about what happened to Ryan and Shane. It’s supposed to be relaxing. Really.

It’s only when the four of them are seated around a table in a nice little restaurant with Shane and Ryan placed on extra big cushions and the kiddie menu in front of them, that Steven realizes what this must look like. A sweet gay couple and their equally sweet little boys. Fuck. He only hopes Andrew hasn’t noticed. He glances over.

Andrew has his elbow on the table and his chin leaned into his palm. His gaze is on Ryan and Shane, who are playfully squabbling over the menu. Ryan tells Shane that he is ridiculous for wanting chicken nuggets in dinosaur shape while Shane fires back that if there ever was any time appropriate for that kind of stuff, it was now. Andrew is smiling softly and Steven stares, not realizing he does until Andrew’s gaze drags over to him and they both start, returning to their menus. Steven is sure he can hear muffled giggles from the “kids” but he won’t address it

The waitress is very fun and sweet and chitchats with the “children” about their favorite foods. Steven thinks that Ryan and Shane lay on the “cute little kid” stuff a little too thick but she seems completely enchanted by them, so he can’t really reprimand them in front of her.

“Oh he’s not my brother.” Shane says when Steven tunes back in. “He’s my best friend. My ghoulfriend!” With that, he takes Ryan’s hand, completely oblivious to Ryan’s face lighting up and turning red at the same time. The waitress giggles and mutters something about them being cute before she finishes taking their order and leaves. Shane seems fine with keeping Ryan’s hand, but the other boy winds his fingers free after a while, muttering something about Shane’s hands being sweaty.

Steven rolls his eyes and looks over at Andrew. Andrew is looking at him, a thoughtful expression on his face. The smile he’s directing at Steven is careful and soft and Steven is about to ask, but finds that he can’t. They all eat in a strangely awkward silence.

-

Shane sits on Steven’s couch while the “grown ups” are busy in the kitchen and looks at Ryan. They picked a Netflix movie to distract themselves and nearly got into a fight about it. Shane had seen no reason why they shouldn’t watch a horror movie as always but Ryan had insisted that it felt weird to him to watch one while he looked like he was five. Sure, he wasn’t actually that young, but still. Shane thought it was dumb, but he had conceded to watch Coco instead, which was more “age appropriate”.

“Did I overstep earlier?” He asks out of nowhere after staring at Ryan for a while.

“What?” Ryan blinks at him.

“When I took your hand, I mean. I didn’t... I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, I just felt like doing it.”

“I don’t know.” Ryan frowns at him as if he’s suspicious. “Do you always want to do that or just because I’m... I dunno, small and adorable right now?”

Shane laughs.

“You’re always small and adorable, Ryan.”

“Fuck off!”

“Language!” Andrew calls from the kitchen.

“Shut up, Andrew!” Ryan shouts back. “I’m not a little kid! Not really at least!”

Shane takes a deep breath when Ryan turns back to him.

“Would it be okay if I wanted to hold your hand sometimes? Or maybe... do other things?”

“What things?”

Ryan has leaned in a little. His hand is brushing the back of Shane’s hands and he seems a little apprehensive at what might happen. Shane can’t really tease him when he looks like this. A scared little kid, even more vulnerable than usual. So he shrugs.

“Once we figured this out, I mean. I would like to take you on a date or something.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I mean. I figured life is really weird.” He gestures to their situation. “And I’m not so scared about making things between us weird anymore.”

Ryan looks at him for a moment. His bottom lip is pushed forward as he is thinking and his brows slowly pull together. Then, as if he made a decision, he leans in and kisses Shane’s cheek. It’s just a quick peck, but Shane feels his face light up anyway.

“Okay, big guy. Once... once you’re a big guy again.”

They both wheeze.

-

When Steven and Andrew check on “the kids”, they find them asleep. Curled together on the sofa with Ryan’s head on Shane’s shoulder and Shane leaning against Ryan’s head, they snore. Andrew is smiling again, the soft, domestic expression that Steven has seen on him a lot the past few days. It makes his stomach flutter all funny and weird. They each carry one of the boys to bed and watch as they immediately curl on their sides, faces towards each other.

“I’m sure things will not be the same once this is all over.” Steven says, as he closes the door behind them.

“Yeah, I think the same. I don’t really mind, though.” Andrew is glancing at the floor when Steven looks at him.

“What do you mean?”

Andrew shrugs.

“It’s kind of... fun. Playing house with you and all.”

“Really? Playing house? That’s what you’re gonna call it.”

Andrew shrugs and chuckles to himself.

“Okay. What is so funny?” Steven puts his hands on his hips. “You keep smiling and laughing and looking at me all weird since we have this whole kid debacle. What in the world is going on?”

Andrew leans closer, almost caging Steven against the wall.

“I just think... you’re really sweet like this. Even though you and Ryan keep calling each other names and stuff, you’re really caring and you want to help them and I think that‘s admirable. And also really cute.”

“Oh.” Steven blinks. “Well, okay.” He doesn’t know how to deal with this information but he definitely knows that his face is warm and his heart is doing funny things in his chest. He kind of feels like he should take Andrew’s hand or something. So he does. Andrew links their fingers and smiles his weird little domestic smile again. Okay then.

-

Ryan and Shane wake up in Steven’s apartment, curled into each other and the stretched out versions of kid’s pajamas straining over their bodies.

“Thank fuck.” Ryan mutters as he tosses the too-small t-shirt aside. He’s about to get out of bed when an arm sneaks around his waist and Shane pulls him back against his chest.

“Shane!” Ryan hisses. “What if Steven checks on us or-”

“He’s busy.” Shane mumbles into Ryan’s hair, forcing the other man to settle into bed again. “Heard them talking last night. Stuff happened.”

“What stuff?” Ryan asks, but he lies down again, curling up against Shane’s side.

“Later.” Shane yawns and cuddles closer to Ryan, rubbing his back. “Sleep now. You’re much cuddlier like this.”

“Fine.” Ryan rolls his eyes.

He could ask later and mock Steven for whatever happened.

[sunnysynthsunshine]

A “Ted Talk”/Analyisis of what it means to be a “Peoples Poet” and why Rik Mayall means so much to me.

It’s like Alice in Wonderland constantly travelling through worlds.

When I enter “the realms” the galaxies I can see in my dreams and music hallucinations.

My childhood is like a cloud sometimes I like a colourful rainbow of positive nostalgic memories, rainy cringe-worthy memories and then there are the thunderstorms that are the memories I don’t want to think about.

I’ve always been fascinated by what I’d see in Films, TV Shows, Musicals, Songs, Video Games and books but not many really connected with me.

I am a complicated person,I can go from being cheerful, relaxed and happy to being dazed and clumsy or cynical or entranced and hyper-fixated to Pessimistic and Cold to Quiet and Timid to Mellow and Loud,my personality is all over the place with fiction I could only partly relate to certain characters or worlds either because we liked a few of the same foods or films or because we simply looked alike, I’ve had my role models,idols and inspirations sure but I didn’t really realise their full importance in my life until recently and while I loved writing about fiction and imagining myself in fiction I would be the person with the quill, not the damsel or leading man.

I’ve always been interested in Media and Theatre but the latter I couldn’t pursue as far as I wanted to,

I’ve had goals and ambitions but they always kept changing in a way some of them are the same they just ended up being expressed in ways I didn’t expect,

Ever since I studied English I’ve been in love with poetry and literature

When I saw him….his voice was familiar it was a sort of high pitched English sounding male voice..sometimes sounding low toned and posh other times not.

As a kid who watched lots of cartoons, films, adverts and public information films I was exposed to lots of familiar sounding voices in characters on silver, big and animated screens

I recall a cartoon I’d sometimes watch about a knight always trying to win over Queen Guinevere, the cartoon was like Shrek because it satirised fairy tale tropes but in the medieval world of King Arthur.

In Between that would be adverts for cleaning products, one with a golden labrador puppy playing with some toilet roll, an animated duck and villains in the Domestos world that would put the villains of Flushed Away to shame.

He was a voice,I didn’t know his name then even though his name was in the credits of the cartoon mentioned prior but there were so many names in my head at the time (Ant and Dec, Spice Girls, Horrid Henry, Shrek, Toy Story etc.) that his name got lost in translation.

Then years later I got interested in film critique and learned about a film,a film that was considered very bad by the American box office about a peter pan esque imaginary friend...it was then that I heard his voice again but I didn’t know at the time that they were the same.

Since I couldn’t form my own opinions much I went by what the critic said and avoided that film afterwards.

I wouldn’t hear his voice again until 6 years later….

By that time I was about to start college, after leaving secondary school, I was in a bit of a dark place,I had been in some drama,and often when I’d see movies I’d remember the panic attacks rather than the movies themselves due to the experience being ruined by idiots making noise and causing all sorts of nonsense.

I could still laugh at times but usually only in a self-deprecating way, I barely left the sofa and just felt like I was drowning in a void of nothingness.

One night changed that, I was about to start college in a few days, I was in the living room with my mother switching channels when on BBC2 there was a special programme on.

Some bloke named Ben Elton was on a podium talking like a university lecturer about the intellectual aspects of the sitcom format of entertainment, while also paying homage to the late great Ronnie Barker a second generation British comedian I adored the work of when I would watch Open All Hours and Porridge.

When near the end of the lecture, Ben mentioned a show, a show I had never heard of before from the 1980s, called The Young Ones and then proceeded to show clips of it, I kept seeing this pigtailed character in a fringe and this orange-haired punk argue and fight only for one of them to give a detailed tantrum about some show called “The Good Life” and the other to fall down the stairs knocking over the bannisters and ranting about some actress named “Felicity Kendall”.

After quickly researching I became intrigued by this show, I had seen the character’s faces before in two places,one was on Amazon while looking for comedy DVD's and on a dodgy “meme” site called Encyclopedia Dramatica which referenced the scene where the orange haired punk loses his head after sticking  it out a train window.

I then looked up the first few episodes and I was hooked, but it wasn’t like other sitcoms where I’d simply laugh at the stupidity of the gags and characters although that was one aspect of it.

The characters felt relatable while it was in the same nihilistic way I saw myself and some of humanity, that’s how I perceived it, at first I didn’t like tantrum throwing Rick I thought he was too whiny at times and I was drawn to Vyvyan and Neil first,Vyvyan because he felt like the side of me that I rarely showed, the side of me that had a dark sense of humour,  had a sort of free-spirited attitude and liked mild,playful slapstick type of violence, I did have a softie side too but I rarely showed my “Vyvyan” side, now though I couldn’t be prouder to show my “ Vyvyan” side I used to dislike it when I’d walk along my school playground only to see random fights breaking out that would block my walkway but on the inside when I’d watch Japanese cartoons I’d laugh at some fight scenes and I realised there was a side of me that did sort of like violence when it would be in a playful context.

After rewatching and rewatching and thinking back….I grew to like the “Rick” character a bit more, I related to his at times timid social awkwardness, his hypocritical attitude and the questioning of his sexuality.

I had then realised….he acted a bit like I how I did back in secondary school,always being overdramatic if I wasn’t quietly timidly working or being cynical, going on about socialism and the importance of it despite hanging out with problematic internet bloggers at the time who was the complete opposite,I would be lowkey interested in poetry and literature and the fact that at the time he hated Thatcher while I despised Theresa May, who was just starting to use her power to control the UK,I vaguely knew who Margaret Thatcher was because I was in a production of Blood Brothers and before we performed the play we had to research the background history of the play’s setting that’s when I found out about the miner strikes and how the way Thatcher was acting was similar to how Teresa was today.

I also kinda had my own gang in my final years of secondary school but we didn’t go anywhere, some of them stayed in touch others just moved on with their lives.

We would play card games, I’d rant about politics and “Tumblr Aesthetics” and sometimes one of my pals would play metal and pop-punk music in the background, we were the cool kids.

I realised I related to both the “Rick” character and the “Vyvyan” character, after months of not writing stories based on the media I liked,I started writing (again) short stories about “The Young Ones” my ideas for episodes if more than 12 episodes were made,how I would interact with the characters if I lived with them or in the stories case the “alternate universe” version of me.

I’d draw them, I’d write about them, I’d think about them when I’d listen to music, but that wasn’t all.

I had started my Performing Arts course and was learning what skills you’d need to be in “Theatre”.

At the same time I was watching a bunch of the other shows the actor who played “Rick” had been in,sometimes I’d realise I had a lot in common with not just “Rick” from The Young Ones but “Richie” from Bottom,”Richie Rich” from Filthy,Rich and Catflap,”Lord Flashheart” from Blackadder and even the horrific  “Alan B’stard” even though I disagreed with tories despite still hanging out with bad internet “skeptic” people and being raised conservative.

For someone who used to be a massive “weeaboo”, I was becoming quite the Britcom enthusiast

Yeah at times I would mimic his and Ade’s character voices,facial expressions and actions but other times I didn’t need to copy him because we already acted similarly and even if we didn’t I’d realise later in life I did have those other traits It just took a long while before I could proudly express them.

In Between Drama class, I had met some new people and if I was having a day where I felt low, I could just put on a show he was in and cheer up.

That was when I realised his voices and the voice from the bad movie about the imaginary friend and the voice from the cartoon and adverts from my childhood were of the same person.

The person I had finally figured out the name of after all those years.

I had fallen in love, the same love I would’ve had for musicians and fictional Japanese cartoon boys I had for him

His charisma, his looks, his characters, his wise words, his personality, his iconic moments, his variety of facial expressions, his creativity, his eclectic work from Sitcoms to Dramas to Theatre to Video Games to Music.

I couldn’t stop thinking about him...at first, I thought it was going to be like all the other “role models” I had….that changed in 2018.

2018 certainly was a year...I went through my first work experience in a local theatre production,I had met more new people some of which I had met because of our love of him and his work,I took up a new course and even when I did my old drama course,I got to write my own monologue for our final play and I had gotten back into the activity I used to only do when I was an “emo”.

“Poetry!”, the art of putting together multiple rhyming sentences that are all relevant to a certain emotion, feeling or topic.

I was always into literature and English but I was more the type to write stories and read poetry not read stories and write poetry.

After having some big life realisations I decided to pour all of that into a big poem in February,some of my friends read it and loved it,this convinced me that not only were these amazing friends that I will love and cherish to this day but that poetry was something that with a bit of work I could be quite good at….

So I wrote and wrote and wrote I got better with each one, my dreams when listening to music got more vivid than before, so vivid they were almost real like I was visiting another universe.

like an out of body extraterrestrial/paranormal experience.

I had finally moved on from my drama of the past, Self Reflected on my actions learning how to change for the better and I took that punk “free-spirit” of mine and learned how to fully express and how to be more accepting of myself and others.

I got into new and old music, tv shows, films and books...but he was still there

As I went through each show or film of his that I hadn’t watched yet, the love just kept blossoming whether I was laughing my arse off or grinning at a relatable moment from one of his interviews.

It was soon Christmas, a few weeks before, my lucid dreams had a new feature,my Wiccan powers of communication with spirits had gotten powerful enough to the point that when I’d listen to some music I’d hear voice waves in between, voice waves of people I looked up to who unfortunately are not physically with us, I recall it was My Generation by The Who that triggered it,that was a song he performed once on the Young Ones live events,I had interacted with the dead in dreams before,but this was different when I had heard his voice in the dreams where I thought of his characters or of himself, the voice would be vague and barely audible, but this time the voice was more clear and natural almost like he was actually talking to me.

Then Christmas happened, it was a mixed day but I got good gifts and I stood up for my political beliefs for the first time.

Some of the gifts were related to him like his book, box sets of some of his work and…...a red hat

A red hat just like the one his young one's character had on.

A took a few photos and loved the way it looked on me with the blazer I had on, a black blazer similar to the blazer he had on the first few episodes of The Young Ones.

In the middle of the night, I got an idea for a poem, I had written a poem about his show before but this poem was different.

It was a tribute a poem dedicated specifically to him, yes it would reference his characters, but the poem was mainly about him, the impact he made the world and how I felt this amazing ethereal, psychological and philosophical connection to him.

The Lord of Misrule, one of the best poems I’ve ever written, the days after I uploaded photos of me in the hat, and almost everyone I knew loved it,even the friends of mine who didn’t know the young ones but knew the name and look because of me loved the hat and pictures of me in the hat.

It was a sign, my lucid dreams got more vivid than ever and his face became more visible. sometimes when I’d dream about him it wouldn’t be the usual dream of me being in the young ones or me filming a comic strip presents episode or me going to a Ziggy Stardust concert with his teenage self,it would be dreams where I’d be travelling through the galaxies only to end in his place,it looked like something out of the grand Budapest hotel with how well it looked with the pastel-toned colours and minimalist decor and there he would be,he wouldn’t always be in a Jesus esque robe like before,he would be chilling on his sofa, looking exactly like how he looked before in the early 2010s, wearing a plain sweater or dressing gown his long grey hair flowing like an angel, waving and sometimes talking with me,it felt more clear than before it was probably a response from all those times before when I was learning how to spiritually communicate where I was usually the one doing most of the talking,

Usually I’d see him as an idol, icon, deity, legend, role model of sorts but now I started seeing him as a mentor and grandpa sort of figure,his mantras stick with me to this day, we have enough in common to be good pals from other dimensions but such a difference in age and living status that he can be a grandpa figure to me,the angel cheering me on before and after an exam,allowing my spirit third eye self to stay over at his place when I’m feeling low and lost, tickling me, offering advice and I love being able to have these abilities, I’ve always loved astrology and anything to do with ufos, magic or “other worlds”.

He is my guide and I am his apprentice, in my poems and philosophy, I say most of us are peoples poets because of our strong free-spirit opinions and attitudes even if we don’t all have a quill to write those opinions with.

But in the context of his young one's character and the traits of his(him and the character) that I already shared and the traits I overtime learned to accept. 

From the poetry to the similar personality and interests to the spiritual connection,

 to the times my friends and comrades had said that “he would be proud, that I even looked like him and I carried his “energy”, one of them referring to me as a “People's Poet”.

I’ve now realised after all these years that I’ve finally found my meaning, to bring Art, peace and love into the world.

When his character gave that speech about his revolutionary life and how the new generation would gather round for their fallen leader only for  a  sensitive and articulate teenager to say “How can he be dead if we have his poems?” (or shows in this context)

I was a sensitive and articulate teenager as we are all.

I am also the next People's Poet

Step aside,  let’s share the rikosophy by carrying on his legacy into the 21st century 🌈🖇🏴⭐🌠

I shall produce art for the world to see, teach them how to see it in new perspectives, and I shall guide us while we try to stop fascism for good,

let’s be free!

you and me!

Thank You, Doctor.Richard Rik, Michael Mayall  you’ve changed my life  

It is an honour to carry on from where you left off, bringing joy back into the world, inspired by your art while creating my own experimental ideas, I know your listening from the heavenly afterlife clouds and all those galaxies beyond.

Now let’s share that wonderful energy in the ruddy 21st century.

While I’m not the man himself Rik Mayall, I just share his energy and personality 

I am Kelsey….and I am bloody brilliant    

[comedytv4-blog]

The Truth of Truth Shows

comedy tv

The Idea of reality reveals

Truth  Tv is a tv programming genre which shows typically unscripted overdramatic or amusing conditions, papers real events, and generally comprises ordinary individuals rather than actors that are trained, occasionally in a contest or other cases where a prize is given. Shows at the Truth TV are known as as fact shows that are usually generated as series. The folks are either participated in rivalry with one another or at an awkward position or spied on in their everyday lives.  Watching reality shows have been our favorite last time and a supply of pleasure and pleasure. It's a true app cast with real individuals not with celebrities.

comedy tv

Though the Term reality tv is chiefly utilized to classes indicates that have arisen because the year 2000, the background of reality TV shows goes farther than we could think. Video continues to be depicting the lifestyles of individuals through relationship shows, competitions and pranks for a lengthy time. It's a fantastic history that many folks did not know considering contemporary reality tv and its own boom in popularity in the last several decades. The reality TV series began from the year 1948, Producer-host Allen Funt's Candid Camera, where unsuspecting folks were falls into humorous and odd scenarios has filmed with hidden cameras, was aired in the year 1948.  The series is viewed as a model of reality tv programming.

Different Sort of reality reveals

There Are numerous forms of reality shows which are operating on TV. These reveals broke the boredom of their conventional scripted shows and began showing the real-life scenarios. Truth shows cater to various age groups and preferences due to the access to the broad assortment of themes. In most reality shows, participants tend to be put in exotic places or in strange conditions. A number of the facts shows cover a individual or a group of individuals improving their lifestyles. They signify a more modified and highly affected form of fact to pull its audiences. Documentaries and non-fictional reveals such as sports and news aren't categorized under reality displays.

Some Kinds of reality shows are written below:

• Documentaries or Documentary Collection

Outside  Of all of the subgenres of reality TV, the documentary subgenre is perhaps the most typical one.  The core difference between documentaries and also a documentary show is that while documentaries are each so frequently restricted to a episode, documentary show interval a string in its entireness, after a run of arc-like scripted tv. The subgenre would also pay many societal experimentation reveals, where different sorts of interactions have been observed solely for the sake of a new experimentation.

• Contest or Elimination

Truth  Programs which are based on a removal or contest format are only about getting eliminated from the annoying housemate or using the very best participant eventually become the winner. They're about winning something significant beating your opponents. The contest might be one of the rest of the participants, or contrary to time/money.

Same As the title itself says this kind of reveals either about Makeover of a individual's appearance or earn a renovation of your previous residence.

This One is your most critical subgenre of reality TV in which the boy meets girl and the crowd adhere to understand'will they or will not they' facet of this narrative.

Beginning with Candid Camera, this is perhaps the longest-running fact subgenre.  It's about capturing the responses of innocent individuals put in unexpected conditions. This subgenre also covers exhibits that rely on content that is submitted.

The Many frequent kinds of the series in this subgenre are apps that explore paranormal happenings. The subgenre also encircles shows that focus on searching famous mythical animals.

• Traveling or Aspirational

Since Most audiences can not afford to go to the faraway lands to get a holiday, a lot people settle on appreciating these destinations by means of this kind of travel shows by which a individual, group or couple visit a trip and movie all their adventures for your audiences.

Apart from these Shows star talk shows or contests like ability search, experience, game displays or fear-based displays will also be mentionable.

Truth Shows in India

The First reality show of any sort on Indian TV was a quiz competition Titled- Bournvita Quiz Contest.  It was hosted by the famed Derek O'Brien at the calendar year 1972. But it featured a live show in a variety of cities then proceeded air for a radio series. From the year 1992, it became the very first reality series to be showcased on ZEE TV and Indian Television.  Then came"Sansui Antakshari" from the calendar year 1993 that was hosted by Annu Kapoor on ZEE TV also It became the first Indian singing fact series that conducted till 2006.  Came in various variations of Star One and SAB TV with the exact same host following 2006.  ZEE TV made its title to lead to home-grown reality reveals rather adapting global reality shows on Indian TV. Singing reality show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa arrived in the calendar year 1995 hosted by the famed singer of Bollywood Sonu Nigam and the dance fact show that changed the entire situation of dance reveals Dance India Dance arrived in the year 2009.

Sony Entertainment Television launched India's first dance reality series titled- Boogie Woogie that it was produced by Naved Jaffrey from the calendar year 1996 and hosted and hosted by Javed Jaffrey.  It was as a direct hit for its channel. From the year 2000, Star Plus aired"Kaun Banega Crorepati" with Amitabh Bachchan (a version of"Who wishes to be a millionaire") that went on to become India's favorite and most watched reality series.  To provide rivalry ZEE TV launched a different game series titled- Sawal Dus Crore Ka and Sony TV launched Jeeto Chappar Phhad Ke however KBC's popularity did not dissuade; which makes it the most prosperous reality series in Indian tv.  Sony India came up with Indian Idol in 2004 that was an adaptation to the favorite global reality series"American Idol".  Following its success with grown-ups, they arrived with children participants at the series which helped the series to acquire love by all.

The Manufacturing group of Endemol India came up with hot reality series Big Brother's Indian variant of Bigg Boss and Stress Factor on Sony TV at 2006. It turned into India's hottest international accommodated show after KBC. It had been transferred to Colors TV which makes it India's most viewed Hindi Television owing to its backing on Bigg Boss, Fear Factor competing with the likes of Star Plus and ZEE TV.

Next revolution reality reveals  In India came using a version of other famous foreign shows such as The Voice India and So You Think You Can Dance on &TV.  These shows altered the notion of dancing and singing displays on Indian Television. Other hot reality shows based on overseas shows are similar to MTV Roadies, India's Got Talent etc..

The real reality of reality reveals

It is  Generally admitted that reality TV is actually kind of dreadful. What was considered revolutionary in the entertainment world, has become accidental comedies starring the many dreadful and embarrassing individuals conceivable. Now real is the very last thing which strikes you about reality displays. When it's a dance series where lesser-known confronts of telly world vie to get the best princess label or the Bigg Boss's home where racial slurs and catfights are part of the procedure to select winners, goes into introducing a reality series as actual. There's a great majority of reality tv shows which aren't 100 percent genuine, since there's a high amount of manipulation so as to attain sustained audience focus.

Outcomes are actually reveals mostly Controlled by producers/directors. They would like to keep viewers feel it's arbitrary and inconsistent, to communicate that the majority of the time a candidate is advised exactly what to do, the way to do. They're told to act in certain ways. And at the end nobody will reveal you everything, things will get edited and aired series might be a long ways from real reality. Reality Television is a genre of an specific description of the displays themselves. Producer's bogus shots and perhaps even re-stage dramatic moments which occurred when the cameras were not rollingout pretty much whatever is in fact plotted and planned out just like the ordinary scripted series. The majority of the reality shows still maintain a simple amount of fact, nevertheless, portraying events which did occur, even if they are acted again to the cameras. These shows feature individuals living their own lives and doing their jobs, even if a great deal was smoothed from the daily routine so as to edit out the boring bits.

The Majority of the talent Search, singing, dance in reveals based on overall knowledge such as"Kaun Banega Crorepati" participants needed to go through a very long battle. The majority of the time unemployment is completely rigged and the winner becomes determined according to their capability of maintaining TRP's high. The majority of the contestants of this reality shows, particularly the winners, may get frustrated shortly after their triumph, the focus shifts to the winner of the following season. The limelight being removed from them does not agree with lots of young men and women. Some contestants may get frustrated because they harbour false hopes that once they win the competition, their potential is place once and for all.

Effect of reality shows on society

New Boys & girls that are becoming reality TV star celebrities doesn't triumph on gift but utilize melodrama to at all times stay in the news. Among the worst consequences of the actions is on teenagers who attempt to emulate their behavior. Each of the stunts which are finished on such TV shows under coordinated requirements are duplicated by the folks in fact and leading to death. A few of the shows where contestants participate to win prizes reveal them in bad light as they utilize meanness and greed to outdo each other.  The unwanted traits can manifest themselves from the crowds and make behavioural issues. Liberal doses of abuses are hurled on the displays since the directors believe the an increasing number of people will observe them.  It's a massive mistake because poor words are captured by teenagers and children affecting their character in addition to behavior. Although children' reality shows such as Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil Champs, Sabse Bada Kalakaar, Junior Masterchef India and lots of other displays draw the audiences and benefits great evaluations, it's not a good idea to place children under stressful circumstances in the first years of the lives!  Little children are made to take part in fact shows, they've wrenched from all ordinary activities and chucked into a single-minded dedication to lending their voices to all these reality shows. They're compelled to take for extended hours, sometimes in hot sexy non-air conditioned rooms. Parents also pressurise their kids to shine on reality displays, little children become victims of a system which fosters and promotes unrealistic ambitions.

Some facts shows reveal participants carrying  Intense dangers and placing themselves bizarre or harmful  situations. Since younger kids mainly learn through imitation, Watching such programs can place them in danger of bodily harm. A  Indicated that kids who watched high-risk TV programmes improved  Their own self-reported risk-taking behaviour more than Children who were subjected to low-risk TV or saw less TV. Truth  Shows which are focussed on several folks and their daily lives are a Significant annoyance and parents will need to draw a line in regards to kids  Seeing these shows. They depict everything in an exaggerated fashion  Which isn't in any way a reflection of actual life.  To our kids. Reality gift shows, on the other hand, make parents  Feel their own kids are insufficient.

[dangerouslyfunny-blog]

The Truth of Truth Shows

comedy tv

The Idea of reality reveals

Truth  Tv is a tv programming genre which shows typically unscripted overdramatic or amusing conditions, papers real events, and generally comprises ordinary individuals rather than actors that are trained, occasionally in a contest or other cases where a prize is given. Shows at the Truth TV are known as as fact shows that are usually generated as series. The folks are either participated in rivalry with one another or at an awkward position or spied on in their everyday lives.  Watching reality shows have been our favorite last time and a supply of pleasure and pleasure. It's a true app cast with real individuals not with celebrities.

comedy tv

Though the Term reality tv is chiefly utilized to classes indicates that have arisen because the year 2000, the background of reality TV shows goes farther than we could think. Video continues to be depicting the lifestyles of individuals through relationship shows, competitions and pranks for a lengthy time. It's a fantastic history that many folks did not know considering contemporary reality tv and its own boom in popularity in the last several decades. The reality TV series began from the year 1948, Producer-host Allen Funt's Candid Camera, where unsuspecting folks were falls into humorous and odd scenarios has filmed with hidden cameras, was aired in the year 1948.  The series is viewed as a model of reality tv programming.

Different Sort of reality reveals

There Are numerous forms of reality shows which are operating on TV. These reveals broke the boredom of their conventional scripted shows and began showing the real-life scenarios. Truth shows cater to various age groups and preferences due to the access to the broad assortment of themes. In most reality shows, participants tend to be put in exotic places or in strange conditions. A number of the facts shows cover a individual or a group of individuals improving their lifestyles. They signify a more modified and highly affected form of fact to pull its audiences. Documentaries and non-fictional reveals such as sports and news aren't categorized under reality displays.

Some Kinds of reality shows are written below:

• Documentaries or Documentary Collection

Outside  Of all of the subgenres of reality TV, the documentary subgenre is perhaps the most typical one.  The core difference between documentaries and also a documentary show is that while documentaries are each so frequently restricted to a episode, documentary show interval a string in its entireness, after a run of arc-like scripted tv. The subgenre would also pay many societal experimentation reveals, where different sorts of interactions have been observed solely for the sake of a new experimentation.

• Contest or Elimination

Truth  Programs which are based on a removal or contest format are only about getting eliminated from the annoying housemate or using the very best participant eventually become the winner. They're about winning something significant beating your opponents. The contest might be one of the rest of the participants, or contrary to time/money.

Same As the title itself says this kind of reveals either about Makeover of a individual's appearance or earn a renovation of your previous residence.

This One is your most critical subgenre of reality TV in which the boy meets girl and the crowd adhere to understand'will they or will not they' facet of this narrative.

Beginning with Candid Camera, this is perhaps the longest-running fact subgenre.  It's about capturing the responses of innocent individuals put in unexpected conditions. This subgenre also covers exhibits that rely on content that is submitted.

The Many frequent kinds of the series in this subgenre are apps that explore paranormal happenings. The subgenre also encircles shows that focus on searching famous mythical animals.

• Traveling or Aspirational

Since Most audiences can not afford to go to the faraway lands to get a holiday, a lot people settle on appreciating these destinations by means of this kind of travel shows by which a individual, group or couple visit a trip and movie all their adventures for your audiences.

Apart from these Shows star talk shows or contests like ability search, experience, game displays or fear-based displays will also be mentionable.

Truth Shows in India

The First reality show of any sort on Indian TV was a quiz competition Titled- Bournvita Quiz Contest.  It was hosted by the famed Derek O'Brien at the calendar year 1972. But it featured a live show in a variety of cities then proceeded air for a radio series. From the year 1992, it became the very first reality series to be showcased on ZEE TV and Indian Television.  Then came"Sansui Antakshari" from the calendar year 1993 that was hosted by Annu Kapoor on ZEE TV also It became the first Indian singing fact series that conducted till 2006.  Came in various variations of Star One and SAB TV with the exact same host following 2006.  ZEE TV made its title to lead to home-grown reality reveals rather adapting global reality shows on Indian TV. Singing reality show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa arrived in the calendar year 1995 hosted by the famed singer of Bollywood Sonu Nigam and the dance fact show that changed the entire situation of dance reveals Dance India Dance arrived in the year 2009.

Sony Entertainment Television launched India's first dance reality series titled- Boogie Woogie that it was produced by Naved Jaffrey from the calendar year 1996 and hosted and hosted by Javed Jaffrey.  It was as a direct hit for its channel. From the year 2000, Star Plus aired"Kaun Banega Crorepati" with Amitabh Bachchan (a version of"Who wishes to be a millionaire") that went on to become India's favorite and most watched reality series.  To provide rivalry ZEE TV launched a different game series titled- Sawal Dus Crore Ka and Sony TV launched Jeeto Chappar Phhad Ke however KBC's popularity did not dissuade; which makes it the most prosperous reality series in Indian tv.  Sony India came up with Indian Idol in 2004 that was an adaptation to the favorite global reality series"American Idol".  Following its success with grown-ups, they arrived with children participants at the series which helped the series to acquire love by all.

The Manufacturing group of Endemol India came up with hot reality series Big Brother's Indian variant of Bigg Boss and Stress Factor on Sony TV at 2006. It turned into India's hottest international accommodated show after KBC. It had been transferred to Colors TV which makes it India's most viewed Hindi Television owing to its backing on Bigg Boss, Fear Factor competing with the likes of Star Plus and ZEE TV.

Next revolution reality reveals  In India came using a version of other famous foreign shows such as The Voice India and So You Think You Can Dance on &TV.  These shows altered the notion of dancing and singing displays on Indian Television. Other hot reality shows based on overseas shows are similar to MTV Roadies, India's Got Talent etc..

The real reality of reality reveals

It is  Generally admitted that reality TV is actually kind of dreadful. What was considered revolutionary in the entertainment world, has become accidental comedies starring the many dreadful and embarrassing individuals conceivable. Now real is the very last thing which strikes you about reality displays. When it's a dance series where lesser-known confronts of telly world vie to get the best princess label or the Bigg Boss's home where racial slurs and catfights are part of the procedure to select winners, goes into introducing a reality series as actual. There's a great majority of reality tv shows which aren't 100 percent genuine, since there's a high amount of manipulation so as to attain sustained audience focus.

Outcomes are actually reveals mostly Controlled by producers/directors. They would like to keep viewers feel it's arbitrary and inconsistent, to communicate that the majority of the time a candidate is advised exactly what to do, the way to do. They're told to act in certain ways. And at the end nobody will reveal you everything, things will get edited and aired series might be a long ways from real reality. Reality Television is a genre of an specific description of the displays themselves. Producer's bogus shots and perhaps even re-stage dramatic moments which occurred when the cameras were not rollingout pretty much whatever is in fact plotted and planned out just like the ordinary scripted series. The majority of the reality shows still maintain a simple amount of fact, nevertheless, portraying events which did occur, even if they are acted again to the cameras. These shows feature individuals living their own lives and doing their jobs, even if a great deal was smoothed from the daily routine so as to edit out the boring bits.

The Majority of the talent Search, singing, dance in reveals based on overall knowledge such as"Kaun Banega Crorepati" participants needed to go through a very long battle. The majority of the time unemployment is completely rigged and the winner becomes determined according to their capability of maintaining TRP's high. The majority of the contestants of this reality shows, particularly the winners, may get frustrated shortly after their triumph, the focus shifts to the winner of the following season. The limelight being removed from them does not agree with lots of young men and women. Some contestants may get frustrated because they harbour false hopes that once they win the competition, their potential is place once and for all.

Effect of reality shows on society

New Boys & girls that are becoming reality TV star celebrities doesn't triumph on gift but utilize melodrama to at all times stay in the news. Among the worst consequences of the actions is on teenagers who attempt to emulate their behavior. Each of the stunts which are finished on such TV shows under coordinated requirements are duplicated by the folks in fact and leading to death. A few of the shows where contestants participate to win prizes reveal them in bad light as they utilize meanness and greed to outdo each other.  The unwanted traits can manifest themselves from the crowds and make behavioural issues. Liberal doses of abuses are hurled on the displays since the directors believe the an increasing number of people will observe them.  It's a massive mistake because poor words are captured by teenagers and children affecting their character in addition to behavior. Although children' reality shows such as Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil Champs, Sabse Bada Kalakaar, Junior Masterchef India and lots of other displays draw the audiences and benefits great evaluations, it's not a good idea to place children under stressful circumstances in the first years of the lives!  Little children are made to take part in fact shows, they've wrenched from all ordinary activities and chucked into a single-minded dedication to lending their voices to all these reality shows. They're compelled to take for extended hours, sometimes in hot sexy non-air conditioned rooms. Parents also pressurise their kids to shine on reality displays, little children become victims of a system which fosters and promotes unrealistic ambitions.

Some facts shows reveal participants carrying  Intense dangers and placing themselves bizarre or harmful  situations. Since younger kids mainly learn through imitation, Watching such programs can place them in danger of bodily harm. A  Indicated that kids who watched high-risk TV programmes improved  Their own self-reported risk-taking behaviour more than Children who were subjected to low-risk TV or saw less TV. Truth  Shows which are focussed on several folks and their daily lives are a Significant annoyance and parents will need to draw a line in regards to kids  Seeing these shows. They depict everything in an exaggerated fashion  Which isn't in any way a reflection of actual life.  To our kids. Reality gift shows, on the other hand, make parents  Feel their own kids are insufficient.

[yeonchi]

Dub Logistics Part 29: Toxicity and Hypocrisy (Retirement Speech Part 1)

“I may have been a toxic hypocrite, but at least I know who and what I’ve been fighting for.”

I’ve said more than enough about my trolls, haters and naysayers over the years; this time around, I’m going to be talking about myself and the roles I played in the past through my English dub rants.

At the start of this year, I announced my intentions to end the Dub Logistics series and my English dub rant posts with it. Among my reasons, I explained that last year’s feud has contributed to my decision, but it wasn’t the main or only factor. Much as I hate to admit it, the events and aftermath of the feud have affected me more than what I’ve stated; I was understating the effects of the feud in my recounts because I never let my haters dictate my life or what I do with it, whether it be online or in real life. That was true then and this is still true now.

Reeling back from the feud has made me think about how toxic I may have been over the years, particularly while responding to the comments and addressing the hypocrisies of dub haters and opinion-neutrals. More recently, however, I’ve come to realise that my ever-changing views may have made me look like a hypocrite, if anyone hasn’t called me out as such already.

In this special instalment of Dub Logistics, I’ll be reflecting on my toxic hypocrisy and hopefully, setting the record straight for people who may have the wrong idea about me, particularly those who have heard about me from the biased perspectives of my haters and naysayers. It’s going to be long, so you’ll have to bear with me here.

The main point that I realised about my hypocrisy is that I am totally fine with reading subtitles when my rants make me look like I don’t like or want to read subtitles at all. This is a common assumption that many non-dub fans make about dub fans without considering some of the deeper reasoning behind their decision. In actuality, I’ve had my fair share with both dubs and subs myself, so to set the record straight, I’m going to be stating a few anecdotes relating to my experience with subtitles and dubbing, along with my experiences of video games, particularly the Koei Warriors game series. In case you didn’t know already, “Azuma Yeonchi” is a persona I use online, I am from Melbourne, Australia and my family is from Hong Kong. You’ll see how this is relevant as you read on.

In Australia, television stations are required by law to provide closed captioning on their programs, which isn’t really a surprise. We also have a public broadcasting network known as SBS (Special Broadcasting Service) that specialises in multilingual and multicultural programming. In addition to programmes from Australia, the US and the UK, they have also broadcast imported programs from other countries with their own English subtitles. Admittedly, they haven’t been doing this as much as they used to, however I sometimes watch the Japanese game show VS Arashi if it’s on.

In Hong Kong, many programs on TVB’s channels are broadcast with Chinese, while some programmes are additionally broadcast with the option to switch to English subtitles. A lot of non-locally produced programs are dubbed and broadcast with dual audio options, namely Cantonese and whatever language the program was originally made in. In a sense, Hongkongers and by extension, other Chinese people (not to make a political statement) can’t get away from subtitles in their media. Likewise, gamers can’t get away without reading the text and/or subtitles in games, Japanese or not.

I’ve played Koei Warriors games, mostly Dynasty Warriors, on the PSP, PS2 and the PC with English and Japanese voices along with English, Japanese and Chinese subtitles. Hearing that WO3U and SW4 wouldn’t be dubbed (despite the 18-month gap since WO3) inspired me to start the Koei Warriors Rant Series in 2014, but when I discovered that Koei Tecmo had cheapened out on the dubs for Dynasty Warriors 9 (among other things, but granted, it wasn’t entirely their fault given the voice actor strike), all hope I had for them was gone and I decided to stop following them on social media for good. This, combined with other commitments and interests that popped up, have led me to lose interest in video games, including the Koei Warriors series.

I’ve watched a few dubbed and subbed animes, but in 2014, I stopped following new animes, again because of other commitments and interests, but also because of the flagrant (female-centric) sexism I noticed in recent anime works. The only reason why I’m still posting on my Facebook anime pages and the Yui Hirasawa Waifu Network nowadays is out of gratitude because some series have served as inspirations for my personal projects.

The void left by video games and anime was filled by Japanese tokusatsu, which I have started getting into in the past few years. Honestly, I prefer watching live-action works, including tokusatsu, with subtitles since it’s pretty much the only way to watch them. I’ve also been watching some episodes raw (without subtitles) right after they’ve premiered in Japan; I’ve come to loosely understand the plot and dialogue thanks to years of contact with the Japanese language and vice versa. I have watched Power Rangers in the past as a gateway into the world of tokusatsu, but to me, it doesn’t exactly fit under the English dubbed category as it is rather an adaptation, mixing dubbed fight scenes with original footage. I still sometimes watch clips for comparison purposes.

If you’re still hating on me without having read everything up to here, or if you’ve read all this and you still consider me a hypocrite, then congratulations for missing the entire point of my argument. If you’ve supported my views and opinions in the past and you consider me a hypocrite now, then maybe you should have a think about whether you have really supported me at all.

Contrary to what some people may have assumed, I never did all this for myself alone. I can adapt my views and opinions to be fair to everyone because I can understand why some fans have their own preferences for dub or sub. Aside from my fans, it is rare to find people in the same boat as myself because the haters and naysayers I’ve encountered are ignorant, short-sighted or just unable to understand the bigger picture behind things.

Given my position towards subtitles and dubbing, it was never my intention to derail the dub-sub debate and demonise dub fans. From the very beginning, I had high hopes and good intentions for my English dub rants and the fanbases involved or mentioned, but in most cases, I’ve either come short or had the opposite effect to what I wanted.

It has been difficult to talk some sense into the haters and naysayers because aside from being ignorant, many of them have been toxic to me or other dub fans as well. Therefore, the only way I was able to do that was by being toxic back at them. I’m not saying that any of these attempts backfired on me, but most of the time, those people just don’t seem to listen because they are unable to listen to the opinions of others without being offended themselves.

It was in that vein that my warped sense of self-justice led me to name-and-shame dub haters by screenshotting their comments and reposting them. This started following the announcement of DW8E being localised without English voices, after it was erroneously announced that it would be localised with dual audio. This practice spread to the #NoDubNoBuy page (now English Dubbed Game News) and it wasn’t until late last year that I realised that it was going against the spirit I wanted to create for the page, so I deleted the name-and-shame album after I ended the feud.

Looking back, I think the events of the feud brought out the worst in me and the other party behind it. During the initial debate, I tried to convince him and his fake sock-puppet accounts that he was missing the point about dubbing and localisation, but he later claimed to his fans/white knights (in an act of virtue-signalling) that I ignored his points completely when that was not entirely the case. And let’s not forget that time when he spread that hoax about that one game under the name of a fake company. Even though the hoax became true in the end (as he claimed), it didn’t excuse his actions on social media.

The turning point for the feud, I believe, was when I did the parodies of iDubbbz’s Content Cop and Content Deputy in an effort to expose him as a lolcow. This was an escalation on my part, and he retaliated by pettily editing the Sea Princesses Wiki and reporting my posts on him along with other unrelated posts (I’ll go into this in the 2018 review post in late December), leading me to be postblocked on Facebook three times. Yes, I effectively copied someone else’s criticism format (while missing the point of it as well) in the hope that it would start a witchhunt, but in the end, I think we both got off lucky since not a lot of people read the posts and nothing major happened as a result.

While I have long moved on from the feud, I must admit that I still feel some guilt over my part in it a year on. The only way that I’ve been coping with it is to convince myself that while I may not always be right, wrong or perfect, nobody else is either and that I should not let this hater affect me any more than he already did (and I never have). As far as I care or know, the feud is over, the page where the debate started was deleted (which was ironically karmic to see) and we have both moved on to other endeavours (though like Keemstar or RiceGum, I doubt that he really learned anything from this).

When we ended the feud, we agreed that while we would never mention each other by name again, we would be allowed to maintain our own views and opinions on it and that any posts that have not been taken down or deleted already will be kept up or deleted at our own discretions. This applies to my Content Cop and Content Deputy posts as well, because I want him to remember that he is not immune from criticism regardless of what he thinks.

There was another feud I had with the Undub page, but it was never really a feud with the page directly; it was more like the childish prattling of their ignorant fans/white knights who associated English dubbing and its fans to politics, political correctness and SJWs, which were totally irrelevant to the topic. When the Undub page first noticed us, they accused us of copying their posts, which in reflection, I believe is bullshit because of reasons which I outlined in a post at the start of the year. However, they came to accept us at the start of 2018, particularly following the rebranding of the #NoDubNoBuy page to English Dubbed Game News.

Speaking of SJWs, I’ve never considered myself to be one of them, but after reflecting on everything that has happened, I came to realise that I was no better than an SJW in denial. In regards to other political references, I’ve been called a “nationalist”, a “Trump supporter”, or even an “alt-right” when I don’t identify with those groups. These are merely buzzwords that people learn from the news and on the internet to insult people they don’t like, but then again, I’ve called dub haters and opinion-neutrals “cucks” twice this year. But hey, why don’t we go out with a bang by forcing a meme to associate people with!

You know how opinion-neutrals always tell dub fans that they are entitled and that they should be grateful to the producers for localising the games in the first place (among other things)? Yeah, in my opinion, these are the traits of an NPC and if you think that’s dehumanising, then you have missed the point behind my argument and you are part of the problem. Even if you try to deny that you’re being like an NPC, then you’re just making up excuses to defend the publisher’s decisions or not participate in civilised debate (like a cuck).

I have unironically advocated suicide to some parties in some of my older rants. I understand that suicide is a problem and wishing harm on others is wrong, but I just can’t respect people who make no effort to understand why people think the way they think. Luckily though, I decided to stop doing that at the start of 2018 following the Logan Paul suicide forest incident because regardless of how much respect I have for people, I wouldn’t want someone like Logan Paul laughing at your corpse either.

If you have ever thought anything negative of me because of my posts and rants, you are part of the problem as well. I’m not going to apologise to the haters and naysayers (or their white knights) I may have offended because I think it will only validate their flawed opinions or vitriolic insults. The onus is on them to enlighten themselves and learn that there are people who disagree with themselves or the status quo. Luckily however, I’m going to be nice and give you a few tips about how to do that, which I will cover in the next and final instalment. Our negative criticism should be directed at the gaming companies for letting their fans turn against each other instead of fuelling the fire ourselves. If you’re looking for an apology (or maybe even forgiveness), then the best thing to do is to forget about me and move on, knowing that I will do the same for you as well.

In Part 22 of Dub Logistics, I used this quote from The Dark Knight to refer to gaming companies in general - “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” Portions of the past few years have been downward spirals for me and in thinking about everything I’ve done during that time, I must admit that this quote is starting to apply to me as well, though I wish my haters and naysayers (and maybe their white knights as well) could feel the same way about themselves. Aside from that, this is my way of atoning for all the drama I’ve caused and leaving with my head held high in the knowledge that my fans will remember me for my efforts.

If you have heard about me from the negative opinions of others, then I recommend that you take their words with a few grains of salt and see for yourself how I have been trying to help Japanese anime and video game fanbases get over such a trivial and prolonged problem. If you then find yourself agreeing with those negative people, then you should realise that you are becoming part of the problem. Or, like I said, you could just let go of your animosity towards me, because I’m a busy person myself and I don’t want to have to deal with anyone’s bullshit, let alone be the target of a petty witchhunt.

This was a particularly deep instalment for me to write, but I’m kind of glad that it’s nearly over. The second part of my retirement speech will be in the next and final instalment of Dub Logistics.

[nobszone]

#ChangeTheChannel: The Decline and Fall of an Empire

(With apologies to UrinatingTree)

After several days on twitter swapping stories, the former producers of Channel Awesome came together to compile a google doc of the experiences they had while working with the website (the doc is rather long so here’s a condensed version for those who don’t have the time or energy to go through it all). 

The #ChangeTheChannel hashtag has gained a ton of steam. Tweets, videos, even articles are being written now about the movement. Channel Awesome’s response has been to simply say “We regret you feel that way.”

#ChangeTheChannel symbolizes a lot of things to a lot of people. For some, it’s a strike back against privileged white men, for others it’s another instance of the cntrl-left making a mountain out of a molehill and ruining the internet, and for others it’s just a nice fire to watch burn.

But for me? This symbolizes one thing and one thing only: the end of an era.

Because what we’re witnessing is the fall of the once mighty empire that was Channel Awesome.

Make no mistake though, this empire has long been dying. For the past few years Channel Awesome has been desperately trying to keep up the facade of its former glory as opposed to recognizing and attempting to fix its flaws. And with this whole debacle, Channel Awesome is now siphoning whatever reputation it may have had for the sake of its immediate and long term future.

Since 2013 this website has been doing whatever it could to remind itself of its glory days. The constant over reliance on Doug Walker’s character The Nostalgia Critic, trotting him out barely a year removed from his very public retirement of the character to just do the same style of reviews that he’s done in the past, only now for movies that are barely out of theaters.

But not to worry, he’s still forward thinking. After all, he brought on two actors to help him out in Malcolm Ray and Tamara Lynn Chambers who play various supporting characters in his reviews. He also now includes various little skits to break up the monotony of him sitting in front of a wall and talking to a camera, and now he even does reviews that have no clips in order to get around unscrupulous companies that abuse Fair Use laws.

Unfortunately to say that these new reviews suck is a bit of an understatement. About the only thing that people like about them are Tamara and Malcolm, and that’s more to do with their personalities and acting skills as opposed to the material they have to work with.

But surely it’s not just Nostalgia Critic all the time. Channel Awesome said they were trotting out new shows as well. Well most of those shows turned out to either not be very good, stagnated in development, or were so bad that they tried to sweep them under the rug and hope that everyone forgot they spent a hefty sum of money on them.

And now, thanks to these revelations (that were first reported on by folks like Mister Metokur but confirmed through the google doc), the site is literally hemorrhaging talent. CEO Mike Michaud now runs a company with a bleak present and virtually no future.

But still, the question must be asked; where did everything go wrong? How did a website that was the first name in online content creation become such a train wreck? For this, we have to find the precise moment that signaled the beginning of the end of the empire.

If you’ve watched any of the Channel Awesome critics, then you’re probably familiar with the term “Jumping the shark.” It refers to a moment when a franchise begins a sharp decline in quality that it’s never able to recover from. The term specifically refers to an episode of Happy Days when The Fonz literally jumps over a shark, a moment that began the show’s painful spiral into oblivion.

This thinking can be applied elsewhere as well. In sports you have moments like the 49ers firing Jim Harbaugh. In politics, the Republican party nominating Donald Drumpf. 

For Channel Awesome, this moment wasn’t when Demo Reel was announced, or even when Noah “Spoony One” Antwiler left the site (he’s a good producer but his behavior had become increasingly erratic, not to mention that as of late his work ethic has been...non existent). 

To find out when Channel Awesome jumped the shark, we have to go back a bit farther.

Starting in 2009, Channel Awesome (then under its old name, ThatGuyWithTheGlasses) filmed major crossover events to commemorate the site’s anniversary. The first one was nothing more than an impromptu brawl between The Nostalgia Critic, James Rolfe’s Angry Video Game Nerd, and the other contributors on the site. 

The second year movie, Kickassia, was more ambitious. The TGWTG crew traveled to Molossia to take over the micronation. While in many ways the shoot went well, this is where problems started to emerge.

(Just a quick disclaimer, I was originally going to go over in detail about the problems encountered in the anniversary films, but they’re so extensive that I simply don’t have time to fit them all in here. I strongly recommend reading the google doc for all the gory details.)

But it wasn’t until production of the third Anniversary special, Suburban Knights that things really started to become unsustainable. Things got so bad in fact that the entire movie was nearly scrapped. It only was finished at all because the producers were determined to do so.

So you’d think after such a miserable experience, Channel Awesome (or at the very least the Walker brothers) would recognize that they were in over their head. They would have to scale back production considerably for the next film and make it a smaller affair that’s more suited to their skills, or at the very least up their game. In trying to straddle the line between “amateur” and “professional” they were failing spectacularly.

But nothing was done. And Doug Walker proceeded to write To Boldly Flee. A four-hour long epic involving every single producer he could cram into his house and framed as a critique of acts like SOPA and the abuse of Fair Use laws.

Only when the producers actually read the script did they realize the true purpose of the film: the retirement of the Nostalgia Critic as a character. And the way the film was written, it seemed like it was also meant to be the end of just about everyone else on the site.

RIGHT THERE. THAT is the moment Channel Awesome jumped the shark.

But of course, the Critic’s retirement party wasn’t going to be denied. Doug Walker was still adored by the Internet after all. To refuse to let him retire his character on his own terms? The fandom’s jimmies would’ve been ruffled.

And besides, now they had a studio! And Doug was still on the site, now starring in a brand new show called Demo Reel. The empire will continue to live on!

Well, we all know what happened then.

While To Boldly Flee and the decision to retire the Nostalgia Critic may have been the moment that Channel Awesome jumped the shark, the reality is that there were many problems with the site long before. These were issues that the producers repeatedly voiced their concerns about and attempted to fix. Nothing was done.

To go over every single possible offense that was committed would be redundant as the google doc already does that for us. So instead, I shall do my best to list the “highlights” of the issues that were rampant with Channel Awesome.

Tellingly, it seems the problems with the site focused mainly on two individuals. CEO Mike Michaud, and CCO Rob Walker, though Doug Walker doesn’t exactly come off scott-free here.

So what exactly did these individuals do? Let’s break it down:

Mike Michaud:

He is a majority shareholder in the company and owns the rights to the Nostalgia Critic character.

He was very difficult to reach, regularly disappearing for long periods of time.

He was very reluctant to actually be involved with anything when it came to management of the company or daily operations.

The Pop Quiz Hotshot gameshow was his idea. No one wanted to actually do it, and he forced Doug and Rob to upload the pilot episode (which had to be reshot over a dozen times) to avoid an investigation by IndieGoGo.

When Allison Pregler (Obscurus Lupa) added midrolls to her videos in order to generate revenue, Michaud angrily confronted her while she was filming at the studio. He also left up incendiary comments about the midrolls on her videos to goad her into trying to take them down.

Lupa was literally fired for not answering Michaud on Skype within 15 minutes.

Kaylyn Saucedo (MarzGurl)’s videos were frequently mislabeled when Michaud uploaded them and he was very antagonistic towards her over the fact that she was affiliated with ScrewAttack (whom he perceived as Channel Awesome’s rivals).

Lewis Lovhaug (Linkara) requested to use the Channel Awesome studio to film the Atop The Fourth Wall movie. Michaud refused on the grounds that it would interfere with production of the Nostalgia Critic.

He attempted to fire Jacob Chapman (JesuOtaku) for simply criticizing the site.

When Dr. Gonzo inquired about the numbers for his podcast, he was repeatedly told to stop asking because “they suck and no one comes here to listen to you.” When he tried to create a tribute video for Justin Carmichael (JewWario), he was shot down for the same reason.

During the anniversary specials, Michaud asked that any crossover reviews that were filmed be handed over to Channel Awesome to recoup the costs of the production (none of the producers were ever paid for their part in the anniversary movies).

Was aware that Mike Ellis (another founding member of Channel Awesome) was sexually harassing members of the site, but did not act upon this information until nearly a year later. 

Overall Mike Michaud has engaged in behavior that could be considered immature, arrogant, unprofessional, and sexist.

Rob Walker:

He is the brother of Doug Walker and Channel Awesome’s CCO. He also frequently assists with the production of Nostalgia Critic episodes.

When producers came to Rob with concerns or complaints, he would call them “children” behind their backs.

Frequently fought with Doug over the script for To Boldly Flee.

When Lupa brought up that Doug should’ve told the other producers beforehand that he was retiring the Critic, Rob laughed it off.

He claimed that producers advertising their personal Patreon accounts was a “slap in the face” to the fans while also justifying their IndieGoGo as “executive authority.”

Topher Ames (Fool Fantastic) took a leave of absence to address the repercussions he was facing in his personal life due to coming out. Despite informing Channel Awesome’s HR rep at the time (Holly Brown) his videos were removed from the site. When he tried to explain what had happened to Rob, he was belittled and mocked.

During the filming of Suburban Knights, Iron Liz suffered a knee injury. Rob pressured her to sign a form that would absolve Channel Awesome of liability for any injuries, and refused to offer treatment until she did.

Doug Walker:

He is the most well known of the producers on the website, the man behind Nostalgia Critic.

Despite the fact that he’s officially considered “talent”, he is frequently involved with business decisions made by the company.

He’s described as being rather incompetent when it comes to the technical side of production, with Lupa claiming that he didn’t even know how to record a Skype conversation.

There are a limited number of slots on the site to feature videos. Doug tends to hog most of them, especially with series such as “Disneycember.”

By and large, the producers felt that Channel Awesome management was more concerned with what Doug wanted and needed rather than the producers as a whole.

The scene in To Boldly Flee where the Nostalgia Chick is assimilated was written in the guise of a sexual act. Both Linkara and Lindsay Ellis (Nostalgia Chick) were very uncomfortable with the scene and did not want to do it. Doug was unable to understand their reluctance.

Doug was legitimately unaware of how miserable the other producers were during the filming of To Boldly Flee. He had to be told later in a private meeting. He discusses this in the commentary track for To Boldly Flee where he expresses guilt over it and explains it’s one of the reasons he’s no longer doing large scale productions.

Phelan Porteous (Phelous) did some of the VFX for To Boldly Flee. Doug expressed his approval of the VFX. Later, Mat Williams (Welshy) was asked to “spy” on Phelous to make sure he wasn’t phoning in the work.

Doug was the deciding vote on whether or not to fire HR Rep Holly Brown (the decision came the day after she had surgery).

The decision to rebrand “ThatGuyWithTheGlasses” to “Channel Awesome” was to make it seem like the site wasn’t entirely focused on Doug’s work.

Doug did not tell anyone ahead of filming To Boldly Flee that he was retiring the Nostalgia Critic character, and the way he wrote the film gave the impression that he expected all the other producers to retire along with him (or at the very least that he no longer needed them)

Again, these are just the highlights that I could pull up in a quick timespan. I once again encourage you to read the google doc linked above.

Not just because it validates and substantiates these claims, but because it paints a clear picture of the decline and fall of a once mighty empire. The senate became complacent, refused to fix the glaring issues, and the barbarians sacked countless cities as a result.

Mike Michaud chose to focus the site on promoting the Walkers and figured that everyone else would be thankful for the “exposure.” This unfortunately doesn’t work when people expect that over time you’ll gradually move towards a more professional outfit, and especially when platforms like YouTube become more viable in terms of earning revenue.

And the sad part? This all could’ve been avoided. And not by just communicating more openly with the producers and treating them with respect.

When Doug Walker announced the sudden retirement of the Critic, the site’s traffic fell off a cliff and to this day has never been able to recover. The fact that it came seemingly out of nowhere was as much as a shock for the producers as it was for the fans.

Imagine if Doug had announced ahead of time that he was ending The Nostalgia Critic. At the very least, fans would’ve been able to prepare themselves for the end, and the producers who were reliant on Doug’s traffic to bring in views would’ve also been able to make plans for what to do in the aftermath. 

Going further, imagine if Demo Reel had started up as a side show before the end of the Critic. People would’ve had time to get used to the show’s more serious tone and docu-style format. Instead of having to reshoot the second episode on the fly, Doug would’ve been able to figure out what worked and what didn’t. It would’ve had time to grow a proper audience and flourish. 

Just imagine, people knowing ahead of time that Doug was retiring the Critic and trying a different show. The Critic would’ve gotten a proper sendoff that everyone was on board with and didn’t come out of nowhere. Demo Reel would’ve gotten through its early missteps and been able to grow. The traffic would’ve probably taken a hit but still be sustainable. The other producers would’ve at least felt like they weren’t being unceremoniously tossed to the side for the sake of a vanity project.

The empire could still be living on.

This could’ve been Channel Awesome had Doug told people ahead of time what his intentions were. Or even if Mike Michaud had truly tried to expand the site’s brand instead of focusing solely on the content produced by two men. But instead he’s chosen to be stubborn and cling on to what worked in the early days, back when no one would truly complain that the site was very much amateur hour.

That’s the other side of what’s lead to the fall of the empire: the stagnation. The fact that Channel Awesome hasn’t produced any original content worth a damn in nearly a decade, that they still think the show’s they did back in 2009 and 2010 are what people want to see today.

Take Rooster Teeth and Team FourStar. These studio’s have become so diversified in their portfolio’s you’d be forgiven for not knowing they started off as a Halo Machinma and a DBZ Gag Dub. But they do these things for the greater good.

Look at what focusing on one brand gets you:

Hell, this whole #ChangeTheChannel thing is giving CA the first real spike in trends they’ve had in a while, and it’s for all the wrong reasons. 

Even worse, there’s no hope of this going away any time soon.

Literally as I was writing this, Channel Awesome put out their “official” response to the aforementioned google doc.

If you haven’t read the google doc by now, I’d like to bring to your attention the fact that, for the most part, all the former producers want is simply an admission that they screwed up. All they ask is for Channel Awesome to apologize for mistakes they’ve made in the past and vow to do better.

But much like their tweeted statement where they said they “regret (the former producers) feel that way.” This is anything but that. I don’t have to link you the comments or tweets to tell you that this is about as tone-deaf as you can get. 

What’s more is that producers are claiming that Channel Awesome is flat out lying in their rebuttal. Only time will tell who’s telling the truth, but given that there’s been multiple accounts about how Channel Awesome told producers that they weren’t really going to do the thing they said they were going to do and that the things the producers were mad about was definitely their fault and not Channel Awesome’s, I’m not inclined to believe this statement.

Because at this point who are you going to believe? Mike Michaud, or your lying eyes?

Sadly, it gets even worse.

Consider this photo. This is the cast photo of To Boldly Flee. These were the headliners of Channel Awesome back in 2012. 

Fast forward nearly 6 years later. Most of the people in this photo? They’re gone.

And with Angry Joe now leaving as well, the only people in this photo who are still affiliated with the site are Bennett the Sage, Brad Jones, and The Walker Brothers.

Even worse, the people that are still on the site are getting roped into this regardless if they’re involved or not. Malcolm Ray and Tamara Lynn Chambers are both feeling the heat for their continued affiliation with the site, and both have promised their own response will be coming soon.

Let me be clear, no one has the right to attack Malcolm or Tamara or any producers over their decision to stay. As far as we know, they are completely innocent in these ongoing events. All the same though, I would counsel both of them to have a good look at the document so they can see for themselves what “loyalty” got for their predecessors.

In the end this website has done the unthinkable. Channel Awesome has gone from the envy of the Internet to its newest punchline. This is a feat that takes a special kind of incompetence. In all my life I can only recall one other incident like it.

But the reason why this has happened comes from the top down.

Mike Michaud is truly the Dave Brandon of the Internet. He’s the embodiment of the Dunning-Kruger effect, and overall just seems to be a terrible person. This is a man who desires to be in charge of everything while at the same time being in charge of nothing. He will chew out producers for doing things that make him look bad. He is a hollow shell filled with nothing but arrogance, immaturity and greed. 

Rob Walker doesn’t seem to be much better. While his list of transgressions is not as extensive as Mike Michaud’s, they give off the air of someone who lords an unwarranted superiority over others. A man who lucked into the position he’s in and is determined not to let anyone find out. A man who lied to his own brother about the problems Demo Reel was having, just for the sake of keeping everything running like clockwork.

Channel Awesome deserved caretakers that could nurture and grow the channel into something special. Instead it got two empty suits who are both convinced they’re the smartest one in the room.

And then there’s Doug.

This is where I suspect many of us on the outside looking in are having the biggest ethical dilemma. That someone like this man could do the things he’s accused of doing.

In the past I have come to this man’s defense. It can be no more.

To be honest, I do find him to be something of a tragic figure. This is the kind of stuff that can (and in all honesty probably should) end his career. And while I don’t know what kind of person Doug Walker is, I doubt that when he started off doing movie reviews on YouTube that he had any of this in mind. I doubt he wanted to do anything besides make movies and entertain people.

But at some point in time, we all need to grow up. We all need to understand that what we might have gotten away with in the past we can’t get away with anymore. That there are things expected of us, responsibilities we are expected to uphold.

For better or worse, Doug Walker does not seem to have realized that.

It’s one thing to be described as being “out to lunch” or off in your own little world when you’re in a social setting hanging out with people. Those kinds of traits can be seen as endearing and lovable. But they simply don’t work when you’re expected, fairly or otherwise, to be in charge of other people, or to help people out of a bad situation.

I have no idea if Doug is management, talent, or both. I don’t know what he considers himself to be. But the fact that he’s been allowed to make sweeping decisions that affect Channel Awesome as a whole seem to indicate that he doesn’t have a grasp of what he does or how his actions affect those around him.

And as a result, the things that we loved about him have now become the things we hate.

Remember when we laughed at the opening of Suburban Knights?

That joke isn’t funny anymore.

The thing that’s really disheartening to me, is that Doug is still being the same person he always is, even as all this stuff piles up. Simply parroting Channel Awesome’s response on his Facebook page.

I think many of us just want him to say something about this, something that doesn’t come from a prewritten statement. Snap at a fan at a con who asks him about the doc, say his boss was a total idiot who’s more or less ensured he’s stuck doing the same thing for the rest of his life, just do something, anything at all that’s not the same stuff he’s been doing for the last 5 years.

Whether Doug is naive, callous or a coward is in the eye of the beholder. I don’t know enough about him to say otherwise, except that he seems like exactly the kind of person who would shut down as his dream job becomes a nightmare.

And like I said, I truly believe this is it for him. This is the kind of thing that many people simply don’t come back from. If he thinks that he can simply tune this out, well he also thought that production of To Boldly Flee was a hoot and a half.

At least Malcolm and Tamara came out and said “That’s not us, that’s not what we do or who we are.”

Doug Walker seems content to burn amongst the flames without so much as shaking a fist at the heavens.

In the end, my hope is that if nothing else what happened with Channel Awesome will be seen as a cautionary tale, for there are two very important lessons here that we would all do well to learn.

The first; we all have an expiration date. One day, whether by chance or design, the Internet shall declare us irrelevant. Even if we don’t have a career destroying scandal, the simple truth is that eventually new mediums and ideas will come along. People will try to do what we do, only do it better. And unless we can adapt and evolve, we will die.

The second; no one escapes judgement. In a day and age when even an innocuous tweet made years ago can be dug up and presented to the world, it’s a reality that no one escapes their past and no one escapes judgement. We’ve all done things we aren’t proud of, and someday we will have to answer for them. And the more we try to bury or deflect the truth, the worse it becomes for all of us.

These are two lessons that all of us, no matter who we are or what we do, should always keep in mind. Because no matter how big or important we may think we are, we are all replaceable, especially on the Internet.

What happens when you don’t adapt and try to run from your past?

You become Channel Awesome.

(Damn this might be the most depressing thing I’ve written yet, I suddenly remember why I don’t do this fandom stuff anymore.)

[djpri]

[FT INTERVIEW] 180410 Livedoor

Even Japanese Celebrities Focus On Them! We Approach FTISLAND’s Pranks and Natural “Humaneness.” What a mischievous bunch. FTISLAND is a Korean rock band but they are fluent in Japanese. During the interview, they suddenly started talking about sexual contents and continuously went off topic. But their humaneness and love for a band captured the hearts of many Japanese celebrities, starting with ONE OK ROCK. FTISLAND’s biggest charming points are main vocal Lee Hongki’s heart stirring singing voice and their boundless LIVE performance. In their 8th album『PLANET BONDS (released April 11th) and the following tour, we hope you see their kind humaneness.  

Which Member Is Like An “Avocado?”

―― When it’s been 8 years since a major debut in Japan, you are pretty much done with new interviews. But this is your first time with Livedoor. We want to know about you. Let’s start with guitarist Seunghyun.

Hongki:  After drinking, we went straight to Seunghyun’s place. It was so messy. If I was a girl, I’m never going back (Laughs). He’s that kind of a person.  Seunghyun: Ah... I’m sorry

―― ^^ What about drummer Minhwan?

Jonghun: He may not look it but he is filled with emotions. Jaejin: And he’s manly...he is very patient, tries hard to understand the other person. He’s a cool guy. 

―― What kind of a person is leader & guitarist Jonghun?

Hongki: He has a sensitive heart. Like a jelly or breasts?

―― Hongki, please refrain from sexual content during the interview ^^

Hongki: Eh---!

Jaejin: Isn’t he more like an avocado than a jelly? ―― What do you mean?

Jaejin: I think he is hard on the outside but soft on the inside with a hard seed in the middle, just like an avocado.

―― I see. That’s a good comparison What about bassist Jaejin?

Jaejin: Jaejin is a good person! Minhwan: Don’t talk about yourself (Laughs). Jaejin is the brain of FTISLAND. He always comes up with good ideas. Jonghun: (After using a translator program) He is a hedgehog. Minhwan: Ah, I know! He usually hides his weapon but can strike anytime. Jaejin: I’m a man who does it when I need to!

―― And finally, how is vocal Lee Hongki? Jonghun: He is a hamster. If you just look at him, he looks nice. But he is very clear on what he wants to do and what he doesn’t want to do. So he just keeps doing fun stuff. 

Hongki: I’m not a cute animal like that. I’m a chameleon! I keep changing. 

Acknowledged by Korea’s Legendary Singer, Hongki’s Vocal

―― It’s been 8 years since your major debut in Japan but 11 years in Korea. I’m asking this late but how did you start as a band?

Jonghun: I can’t dance so I couldn’t be an idol (Laughs). But I was always interested in music. But doing it alone isn’t fun so I thought, it’d be fun to do music together as a band. That’s how I started. 

―― Starting with drama『You’re Beautiful,』Hongki has been doing music and acting. You actually acted as a child. Why did you want to be a singer instead of an actor? Hongki: Because I was good at singing (Laughs). In middle school, I went to noraebang every day and everyone told me I was really good at singing. So I sang at a school festival and got recruitment offers from various places. My current agency is one of them. At that time, I was losing interest in acting so I thought it’d be nice to be a singer. 

―― If you hadn’t sang at the school festival, you may have not become a singer. Also, who is your most influential artist or song?

Hongki: Korean artist Im Jaebum. His singing voice warms my heart. He is called ‘Rock Daddy’ in Korea. He is a legend. He told me, “you are my son.” He also invited me to many TV shows.

Jaejin: Lee Hongki! Hongki told me, “you are my son.” He said he’ll always take me to LIVE. (Laughs) Hongki: Hey, don’t copy me (Laughs)

JH: For me, it’s British rock band MUSE. But I prefer their old songs over recent ones. 

MH: I like American rock band Hoobastank. Before debut, we went to see their LIVE. It was my first time seeing them and I nearly cried. 

Seunghyun: I’m influenced by Japanese artist Ozaki Yutaka’s ballad songs. They really touch my heart. I also like ‘Forget Me Not’ remake by Shimizu Shota. 

From Arata Mackenyu to Ayano Go, FTISLAND Has Many Japanese Celebrity Friends. 

―― In『Primavera』released in 2015, FTISLAND collaborated with ONE OK ROCK’s Taka and the two bands’ friendship is famous among fans. What do you talk about with ONE OK ROCK members?

Hongki: We talk a lot about music. We ask about the music we are doing now and songs that we are working on. 

―― In February, ONE OK ROCK had a concert in Korea. Hongki: Many Japanese bands are doing LIVE in Korea lately. Taka told me, “I’m going to Korea. I want to see you.” But I couldn’t go to the LIVE because I had a shoot for drama ‘Korean Odyssey.” The shoot ended around 3:30 a.m. so I went to see him briefly. So I ended up going straight back to the drama set without sleeping (Laughs). Jaejin went to the LIVE. 

―― How was ONE OK ROCK LIVE?

Jaejin: There are many Korean male celebrities who are fan of ONE OK ROCK. So I went to LIVE with them. It was great. It’s one of my TOP 5 LIVES. I’m not in a position to judge but I want to tell him, “it was great!” ―― Which part of LIVE did you like? Jaejin: When we do LIVE, we don’t put cameras on stage. But ONE OK ROCK shot from the stage and showed that on the screen. Seeing that, I thought cameras aren’t as distracting as I thought. The video of fans singing together looked pretty. I want to try that at our LIVE too.

―― You found a hint for your LIVE. 

Jaejin:Yes. I can learn from other band LIVEs.

―― I want to hear about your friends. At last December’s『FNC KINGDOM IN JAPAN』actor Arata Mackenyu came to see your LIVE.  

Jaejin: That’s right. I don’t have any younger friends so Mackenyu is cute (Laughs). A friend introduced us and we became close. Mackenyu isn’t like a party animal. I think he just really likes to chat with a bunch of guys. He is cool, works hard and has a clear idea of what he wants to do. Even though he is young, we stay as friends. 

―― Hongki calls actor Ayano Go “girlfriend” ^^  Hongki: Not just Ayano Go, I have many Japanese celebrity fans. A friend introduces me to his friend so I got to know many of them (Laughs). I think we are good at Japanese because we made many friends in Japan. But it’s hard when they all come to Korea. 

――  Why?

Hongki: I’m speaking Japanese in Korea. But when a Japanese friend comes to Korea and introduce him to my Korean friend, I have to translate Korean and Japanese (Laughs).

―― That sounds hard. Earlier, you talked about ONE OK ROCK LIVE in Korea. It doesn’t look like a band culture is that big in Korea. What benefits do you think Japan have for bands?

Minhwan: Japan has many rehearsal studios. I’m jealous of that because there aren’t that many in Korea. From big concert venues to small stages for amateurs, there are countless options in Japan. But there aren’t even that many LIVE houses in Korea. So there’s not many opportunities to see bands. I’m sure there are some kids who don’t know about bands. You only see idols on TV.

―― If Korean children tries to do a band, where do they practice? Minhwan: A school or a church. Jaejin: In Korea, a street called Hongdae is the music street similar to Simokitazawa in Japan. But it has very few studios and LIVE houses.

Gaming in PC Room, How They Enjoy Japan.

―― You’ve come to Japan several times. How do you have fun in Japan? Seunghyun: I went to a PC room in Nagoya to play a network war game that I’m addicted to (Laughs). The members said they’ll come later so I made an appointment and got there first, downloaded the game and waited. I often go to a PC room in Tokyo too. 

―― You come to Japan and still play a game?

Seunghyun: Yes (Laughs). I do think I should stop when I’m in Japan but other than that, I’m the happiest when shopping, taking a walk, drinking craft beer and eating delicious food. 

―― In Korea, bottled beer is the main alcohol.

Minhwan: I don’t really go out...But when I come to Japan, I want to eat ramen or natto.

―― Can you eat natto?

Minhwan: Yes, I really like it! I always eat natto before LIVE. Jonghun: I often go to art galleries or art exhibits.

―― For your first Indies album『So long, Au revoir』released in 2009, Jonghun painted the jacket picture. What do you paint lately? Jonghun:　For『So long, Au revoir』I painted a moon. Now, I’m drawing a star. I don’t just draw space. 

―― Jaejin?

Jaejin: I enjoy local Japanese food like Misonikomi udon in Nagoya. I like food that doesn’t exist in Korea. It’s like with green vegetables and has sticky white balls in the middle...(Draws a picture).

―― Ah, that’s okura. Jaejin: Okura is delicious. Ah, you can find it everywehre in Japan (Laughs).

―― Hongki? Hongki: I enjoy going out for a drink with friends. I sometimes drink Japanese alcohol. I like Highball. 

「If you keep the bond, you can reach your dream」The Message In The Album

―― 8th album『PLANET BONDS』comes out April 11th. What message is in the title song 『Hold the moon?』

Hongki:　I wrote『Hold the moon.』 It’s main theme is “hope” and “dream.” “BONDS” in 『PLANET BONDS』 means ties. There are many kinds of ties. FTISLAND met by ties. We included the message that if we keep the bonds, we can reach the moon, which represents our dream. In『PLANET BONDS』jacket, we are going up the staircase to the moon.  

―― I see. Where will FTISLAND go in the future? Hongki: We’ll buy about 3 buildings and tour via a private jet. (Laughs). 

―― The album has 10 songs. Please tell me your favorite song and recommend the best time to listen to it. Hongki: Mm~ I like all of them... Once you listen to『SAYONARA,』its melody and lyrics will stay with you but...I guess I have to pick『Golden.』I hope you listen to it when you lose self-confidence. I wrote its lyrics. It goes “yourself is the most handsome, the coolest.” I hoped it’d boost self-confidence. There are ups and downs in life. When there are good times, there are also bad times. But you are still the coolest so you don’t have to worry. 

―― Then the lyrics are based on Hongki’s real experience. Hongki: That’s right. I like myself the best so I trust myself the most. I get angry when I fall but I get up in the end. I went through several of them in life but I try to forget the bad right away. I don’t drag the past along. I hope everyone does the same. 

―― Jaejin?

Jaejin:　『Skyway.』I recommend you listen to it while showering in the morning. It has good beats and it’s a very romantic song.

Jonghun: I pick『FLOWER ROAD.』All the members sang it and I hope we sing it together at LIVE. Minhwan: I also pick『FLOWER ROAD.』

Seunghyun: I like『SAYONARA』 and Jaejin’s 『Dancing on.』It’s fun to perform『Dancing on.』I look forward to performing it at our next LIVE. Minhwan, isn’t it hard to drum for Jaejin’s song? Minhwan: No problem! Jaejin: As expected, FTISLAND’s drum is so dependable!

――Following the album, arena tour『FTISLAND Arena Tour 2018 -PLANET BONDS- 』begins April 26th. FTISLAND’s charm is always LIVE! Hongki: Yes, we only have LIVE. I think our LIVE applies ointments on our fans’ heart. I think it’s healing. 

―― Which song from the album would be the most fun to play at LIVE? Hongki: We haven’t done it yet~ Every song is different. Some songs can be more fun to listen to than when performed LIVE. So we don’t know until we try them. I’m looking forward to everyone’s reaction!

*** Cr. LIVEDOOR + DJ. Pri @tumblr (Twitter @Chocopiek) 

[bantan]

180320 ViVi May Issue – To Seasonal Date Spots with BTS J-HOPE JIMIN V

Spring… the season of love. ♡ Captivating world star BTS’ V/J-HOPE/JIMIN navigated us to the best seasonal date spots!!! 

with V: BTS V’s #BoyfriendLook is the Best ♡ Taking Beloved Puppy on a Walk in Tokyo

He showed us the best sophisticated #BoyfriendLook. Everyone, are you ready to have your hearts pounding?

A Walk Through Tokyo with the It BOY #FamousWorldStar #FirstViVi

V recently started to raise a dog.

When shown a photo of his shoot partner, Tarou, he happily exclaimed, “Uwah, how cute! Is he a pomeranian? That’s the same as my dog!” He further explained, “When I was little, I’d play with my grandma’s dog Soonshim whenever I went back to the countryside. I always wanted to raise my own dog, but I was worried if I’d be able to do it properly. I talked to a lot of people and met a lot of dogs, and after a lot of consideration, I decided to be a foster parent. His name is Yeontan, or Tan-chan [Tannie]! It means charcoal in Korean, I named him that because he’s black like charcoal. His eyebrows are his charm point!”

His phone is filled with photos and videos of his beloved Yeontan. “I’m aaalways taking photos and videos of Yeontan, I think he feels quite bothered. (laughs) It’s also really fun picking clothes for him so I make him wear lots of things, but every time he’s like ‘No! No!’ and tries to take it off.”

After arriving at the photo shoot location in the park, V was finally introduced to Tarou. Weak for handsome men (?!), Tarou immediately warmed up to V. ‘Wait’, ‘sit’, ‘down’, he obediently follows all the commands. “My mother trained Yeontan to do ‘shake’ and ‘wait’. Tarou was super clever and cute, but hmm… yeah, he’s no match for my Yeontan! I want to see him again soon.”

Q. What do you think of Tokyo?

It’s a place with a lot of wonderful people. I love the scenery and there’s a lot of cute buildings and roads in Tokyo. The townscape of Shibuya left the deepest impression on me, though.

Q. Where would you recommend a couple should go in Korea?

Han River! You can bicycle along the river together and there are places you can make instant ramen at, so making ramen and sitting on a bench together to eat is also great. There are many restaurants in Korea so it’s fun to go as a couple. All the aunties in the stores are very kind. You should definitely try authentic japchae if you go to Korea.

Q. What kind of people are J-HOPE and JIMIN?

J-HOPE is so good at dance, he makes me think “How can such a cool dance exist!” He’s very kind and always tries to understand others, he’s a good listener and good older brother.

JIMIN is super cute and kind listener, but when he stands on stage his sexy charms also show! I think he has a big gap between his normal self and stage self.

Q. Are there any Japanese you learned recently?

I’ve got it down in my notes, wait a moment. Here, ‘nagareboshi’ (shooting star)! I suddenly wanted to see a shooting star, so I looked up how to say it in Japanese.

Q. Do you have any funny stories from your dorm recently?

JUNGKOOK made ramen for me on my birthday, and the seven of us ate together. We were laughing the whole time.

Q. Are there any Japanese artists or actors you want to collaborate with?

Hoshino Gen! I love him!! We met him at Music Station at the end of last year and talked a little. Hoshino Gen does both music and acting, but if possible I’d like to collaborate in music.

Q. What’s your favourite song or quote from FACE YOURSELF? I like the lyrics “I want to hold you before you disappear♪” from Crystal Snow. It’s JIMIN’s part, but it’s my favourite. (Beside him, JIMIN says “Thank you!”)

PROFILE

Born 30 December 1995. Blood type AB. “There are so many stylish people who appear in ViVi, please don’t be surprised that we appeared too. (laughs)”

with J-HOPE: A Tokyo Date with BTS’ J-HOPE ♡ To Cultural Spots for Adults!!!

We had him teach us about trendy men's fashion in a unisex clothing shop and challenge cultural spots. Perhaps this exchange of fashion tips could lead becoming the top “it couple”?

Coffee and Shopping #FamousWorldStar #FirstViVi

“I look forward to working with you today! A shopping concept is great! I love it!” Announcing his arrival in fluent Japanese, he cheerfully entered the store. “Shopping, shopping!♪”

“I’m the type that prefers physically entering stores over online shopping. Clothes must be tried on! Even in Korea, I go out shopping whenever I have time. I go so often I have my own favourite selection of shops,” he told us happily.

“I just love sneakers!” J-HOPE said, picking up shoes to look at even during the shoot. While he showed us his serious side, saying, “It’s cute, but the price… (laughs)” He spoke of his weakness to sneakers, “How many do I have? Even I don’t know, there’s so many. But I still went out to buy more the other day anyway. (laughs) Sneakers are the best cause they’re comfortable. Of course, they can’t just be comfortable, they have to be cool too. It’s my style to match sporty shoes with old-school fashion. I’m always checking fashion trends on social media. It’s interesting how Japan has so many different types of magazines! The store I went to today was lovely, I’d love to go shopping in Tokyo one day when I have the time.”

Q. What do you think of Tokyo?

Tokyo has this nice atmosphere that can’t be put into words. I’d love to go on a trip if I had the chance. It’s seriously great!

Q. Where would you recommend a couple should go in Korea?

Haneul Park! It has so much nature and beautiful scenery, you wouldn’t think it’s in Seoul. I think it’d be perfect for a date. If you want to feel a Korean experience, I recommend Gyeongbokgung [a royal palace] in Jongno.

Q. How do you spend your days off?

Up until recently, I was working on Hope World, so I would often spend my days off working alone. It’s released now, so please give it a listen! Because it’s finished, I want to try travelling through Japan right now.

Q. What kind of people are V & JIMIN?

V has very profound thoughts. He might be a little different to the image everyone has of him? The more you know about him, the more charms you’ll find he has. (Beside him V says: “Ehe!”)

JIMIN is my very cute roommate who loves mischief. I try to look after him because I’m older, but I’m not sure if that’s how JIMIN sees it. (laughs)

Q. Is there any Japanese you learned recently?

There are lots! First is “mendokusai” [bothersome]. When I go home, every single day I’m tired. The words I learned just now during this shoot are “oshare” [trendy/fashion] and “shuusei” [retouch]. Retouching makeup is the most important. (laughs)

Q. Do you have any funny stories from your dorm recently?

Because our dorm has gotten bigger alongside us, we don’t realise when the other members are at home and things like messaging each other “Where are you?” “Eh, I’m at home?” happens!

Q. Are there any Japanese artists or actors you want to collaborate with?

I just noted this down on my phone yesterday. Yonezu Kenshi! I originally found out about him through his song ‘Uchiage Hanabi’ with DAOKO, and I’ve been listening to the rest of his music since then. He can really make wonderful music. I want to try making a song together.

[If you’re into VOCALOID you might recognise Yonezu Kenshi better as Hachi (ハチ)!]

Q. What’s your favourite song or quote from FACE YOURSELF?

My part in Crystal Snow, “We crossed over time to meet each other.♪” I love the melody and I love the meaning of the lyrics. It’s difficult to memorise Japanese lyrics, but I remember them all! Because they’re our precious songs.

PROFILE

Born 1994/2/18. Blood type A. “It’s an honour to be doing a photoshoot for ViVi. I’m so happy the readers of the charming ViVi can learn more about BTS!”

with JIMIN: Heart-Throbbing Happy Expression ♡

Going to exciting gaming spots will naturally shorten your distance. Even if you’re bad at games, that’s another charm! Use the chance to start a lively conversation. ♡

Heated Bowling #FamousWorldStar #FirstViVi

When asked about the Tokyo trip with JUNGKOOK that was much talked about by ARMY last year, he looked back on his first trip with a member and said, “I’ve always said to him and V that I wanted to go to Japan for a private trip. Then JUNGKOOK and I just happened to time off together. JUNGKOOK prepared the plane tickets! We walked around Shibuya and Omotesando then went to Disneyland. But because it was a completely private trip, we said no to everyone who asked for photos. If we took photos with people we met by coincidence, we’d feel bad for other people… But everyone was very kind and understanding, and if anything they were the ones worrying about us, so I was very grateful! Even when we were lost, people would answer us very kindly, which was touching. JUNGKOOK also said it was a trip he wouldn’t forget.”

“We actually came to this bowling alley when we were on our trip! But we couldn’t fill out the entry form so we gave up and left. I can finally get my revenge!” he said with a huge smile and fist-pump. His skills proved his love for bowling too! After the photoshop he made a spare and a strike, then danced excitedly. “I went bowling with my friend a month ago. I think my score was around 140? Next time I’ll have to bring JUNGKOOK. (laughs)”

Q. What do you think of Tokyo?

It’s a cute city. And it also feels sophisticated! I’ve come here for a trip before and often come for BTS work, so I feel very familiar with it.

Q. Where would you recommend a couple should go in Korea?

Seoul’s Namsan. The scenery from the summit is really beautiful. I went with my dad, though. (laughs) Haneul Park is also a good place for couples.

Q. What kind of people are V & J-HOPE?

V is tall, good at singing, good at dance, and his voice is great. He looks like a super-hot handsome guy, but he actually loves small and cute things. That’s his charming point.

J-HOPE is an older brother with many many maaany charms, but the biggest one of all has to be his wonderful smile. His personality’s also bright and attentive. It doesn’t matter if it’s dance, rap, or singing, there’s nothing he can’t do! The perfect human!

Q. Is there any Japanese you learned recently?

Mowamowa? That’s not it, moyamoya?! No, wait, moumou?? It was a word similar to sowasowa… ah, “mofumofu”!! I learned mofumofu [fluffy] and fuwafuwa [floaty]. They sound cute.

Q. Do you have any funny stories from your dorm recently?

Every day I laugh at the silly conversations I have with my roommate J-HOPE in the time between bathing and before sleeping. For the record, the order of our showers goes J-HOPE first, me second. (laughs)

Q. Are there any Japanese artists or actors you want to collaborate with?

I’d feel bad saying I wanted to collaborate with someone right now… I’m too inexperienced/unskilled and I’m still studying Japanese, once I’ve grown and gained more skills I’ll think about it carefully!

Q. What’s your favourite song or quote from FACE YOURSELF?

Because it’s out Japanese original album, it has to be a Japanese original song. But the phrase “I want to hold you once more before you disappear ♪” from Crystal Snow has a great melody and makes me feel good singing it.

PROFILE

Born 1995/10/13. Blood-type A. “I’d be very happy if you could learn more and love both ViVi and BTS!”