#but i will regularly maintain this for as long as i have the motivation to

[carcarrot]

ok letterboxd update: ive logged everything ive watched since the start of september 2023 however:

im missing januarys movies (will update)

most of the gaps in movie diary months are when ive watched a tv episode (mostly columbo, occasionally mst3k or rare days when ive just watched what was on tv)

i havent counted movies ive watched while commuting/at work yet

[riding-the-sunset-bird]

I was in a Baxter mood today so I went swimming in GB Patch's blog for all the Baxter facts:

General

His personality, at least defined by GB Patch, is that he's sheltered and out-of-touch without being elitist or self-centered. He's preppy/posh, quite sociable, and hates conflict, but likes to go against what's expected of him. He grows out of being such a rich kid trust fund baby by Step 4.

His parents are bigots. He's the unlucky one in a sea of characters with supportive parents.

He has a distant French origin.

His birthday is the day his DLC came out, meaning May 19th.

He's 5'11" (180cm) in Step 4 (this was apparently reconfirmed on the Our Life Discord as well).

His natural hair color - a dark dusty gray that he hates - is uncommon to be born with (as opposed to aged into) in the Our Life universe.

He's right-handed.

Childhood

His dream job as a child was to get into investments, having a strong portfolio with diverse assets (he does not fully know what that means at the time).

He's a late bloomer.

Baxter's crush on Qiu from Our Life 2 is at its peak when he's 12 and 13 (13 being his age in Our Life 2's Step 1), but he's moving on by 14 (when he can potentially meet the MC in Soiree).

He met Qiu at their local dance hall (as they both took lessons there, just in different forms of dance) and also met Ren/Renee (Darren in Our Life 2's Step 1) through Qiu, as the two had known each other since they were very young.

He wasn't thrown off by his crush on Qiu despite Qiu being a boy, as Qiu was popular and it seemed "unfair" to Baxter not to be able to like him. He puts more thought into it as he grows older and what it means, deciding that he'll feel however he'll feel and not worry about what's expected of him. In Soiree, the MC can notice this if they're male or non-binary, as Baxter isn't bothered by dancing with someone who isn't female.

Abilities (or Lack Thereof)

He's a weak swimmer. He can swim fine in pools but would probably struggle in the ocean.

He can sing.

He's experienced in multiple types of dance (though his favorite is the waltz).

Step 3 Baxter is a lazy, bad cook who doesn't even want to bother with cooking, but Step 4 Baxter takes an interest in trying more fancy/restaurant-style food and is able to do so.

Likes/Dislikes

He likes things being clean, but isn't always motivated enough to maintain that.

He liked video games when he was a kid, leaning towards action/adventure ones, though doesn't anymore in his late teens and beyond. He would play life-based games (such as the Sims series) with the MC if asked, however, either playing innocent like he didn't know what he was doing while messing around with the characters or being blatantly obvious about it.

He doesn't like dancing in clubs/discos. He would try it once because he enjoys trying different types of dance, but would only go regularly if he had a friend/partner who liked going to such places.

He would absolutely approve of an MC who chooses to only wear black and white.

Romantic Inclinations

Beyond his crush on Qiu (who he never confessed to), Baxter dates people, but never for long or seriously.

The reason he backs out of asking out the MC if they say that he's their first crush (unless the MC is referring to his Soiree self) is that he feels they have idealized feelings for him and he'd disappoint them. He essentially panics, not wanting to get the MC's hopes up and especially on their very first feelings of romance.

The best way to romance him is to Not Let Him Escape.

In terms of how Baxter will/won't date in the future between Step 3 and 4 if he had a fling with the MC, answers range from him not dating anyone if the player intent was that they were both genuinely in love, but would otherwise to him trying to move on with others but the flings become even more surface level than before to the point where he's simply going through the motions. He ultimately hits a breaking point (whether he dated the MC or not) and ends up improving due to the MC's return in his life and/or support from other people such as Xavier.

When it comes to what he's attracted to in another person, he likes seeing nail polish, false lashes/heavy mascara/naturally long eyelashes, and full suits (especially if they're expertly tailored).

His love language in terms of receiving is Quality Time, but in terms of giving, he will happily adapt to whatever the MC wants.

Clothing Choices

When it comes to Step 4 Baxter's personal dress code, he's always meeting/formal ready (even when not working) unless he's doing anything athletic, in which case the button-downs get a break.

- Likewise, his closet is basically all button-downs and fancy suits with a few exceptions including clothes suited for the cold.

Assorted

Him skinny-dipping didn't happen in Golden Grove, and the Now & Forever main cast are not his friends by then.

He immediately finds the MC and Cove appealing (not necessarily crushing on them) at the start of Step 3 as "beautiful beach strangers."

He'd be flattered to hear from an MC that they love his laugh/find it charming.

He says "hallelujah" because he's pretentious.

He doesn't know French, but does occasionally drop a French word he knows during Step 3 to "add to his formal flair." His Step 4 self considers it embarrassing in hindsight.

While he started dyeing his hair black at 14, he didn't start adding white into the mix until he was 18. His Step 3 hair was likely something he only had for a year, at which point he changed it up with different attempts at black and white. He switched back to plain black after graduating college, feeling like he had to be "a serious grown up."

During the wedding in Baxter's Step 4, he will have Jude send along a vegan cupcake to the MC if they're vegan.

Semi-revealed during one of his mornings with the MC in Step 4, he has a multi-step daily skincare routine.

His Future

He has no preference over who he'd prefer to be the one to propose to the other in his relationship with the MC.

He would absolutely want to plan his own wedding (whether for or with the MC, depending on whether they want to be involved). He would not want another planner included.

He would forbid his parents from attending his wedding, but invite his childhood friends. Cove, Terry, and Miranda would also go.

He doesn't have a preference when it comes to last names during a wedding. He's just in awe that he's marrying someone at all.

He might consider having facial hair at some point in his life.

When it comes to having kids, he doesn't have any particular age he'd prefer to have them and is more of a "when it feels right" kind of guy. In terms of the number of kids, none is his default but he'd prefer to have two if the MC wants them, as he finds the relationship between the MC and Liz to be lovely and was personally lonely as an only child.

🍋 (below are asks that might be considered risqué - especially going to the posts themselves on some - but I wanted to include them for the sake of having all the information in one place; know that me and my prudish nature pushed through this for the people who want it and I hope you appreciate it! >:o) 🍋

This one definitely goes without saying due to being a love interest in a game where the MC can be she/they/he even down to being intersex, but Baxter is pansexual.

Baxter isn't good at being sexually active beyond being with an MC who wants that. He tries to bond with others but either fails to have his interest reciprocated due to being too forward or backtracks if he senses that someone is actually into him. His relationships are short/inconsistent for that reason.

He would never sleep with the MC during Step 3. He's already planning on leaving and wouldn't risk souring the relationship at any point even if the MC would want it. He wants company more than he wants sex and would not want to be remembered as the guy who slept with the MC and then just left without contacting them again.

Between chests and backsides, Baxter prefers the latter.

Baxter is a top (though is flexible on the matter), is into BDSM, and "kind of" has a sir kink.

[bloomzone]

HOW TO SET YOUR GOAL !

“It may take time, but I think that dreams do come true as long as you do your best.”

-Tzuyu of TWICE

Setting goals effectively involves a structured approach. Here's a simple framework to guide you:

by: byeolgirl..

1. Be Specific: Define your goals clearly and precisely. Avoid vague objectives like "get in shape" and instead specify exactly what you want to achieve, such as "lose 10 pounds in three months."

2. Prioritize: Determine which goals are most important to you based on your values, aspirations, and long-term vision. Focus your time and energy on these key objectives.

3. Break it Down: Divide large goals into smaller, more manageable tasks or milestones. This makes the process less overwhelming and allows you to track progress more effectively.

4. Set Deadlines: Assign realistic deadlines to each goal or task. Having a timeframe creates a sense of urgency and helps prevent procrastination.

5. Stay Flexible: While it's important to have a plan, be willing to adapt and adjust your goals as needed. Life is unpredictable, so staying flexible allows you to navigate challenges and seize opportunities.

6. Visualize Success: Imagine yourself achieving your goals in vivid detail. Visualization can boost motivation, increase confidence, and help clarify your path forward.

7. Track Progress: Keep track of your accomplishments and setbacks. This could involve using a journal, apps, spreadsheets, or other tools to monitor your progress over time.

8. Celebrate Milestones: Acknowledge and celebrate small victories along the way. Recognizing your progress reinforces positive habits and keeps you motivated to continue working towards your goals.

9. Stay Committed: Maintain a strong commitment to your goals, even when faced with obstacles or setbacks. Stay focused, disciplined, and resilient in pursuing what's important to you.

10. Review and Reflect: Regularly review your goals and progress. Reflect on what's working well and what needs adjustment. Use this feedback to refine your approach and stay on track towards achieving your goals.

[bsit1aviernes]

Hi, Are you interested in cycling? If you do, then you’re in the right spot let’s talk about them shall we?

But, what is Cycling?

Cycling is a physical activity that involves riding a bicycle for transportation, recreation, or sport. It is characterized by the use of pedals to propel the bike forward, typically requiring coordination between the legs and upper body to maintain balance and control.  Cycling offers numerous benefits, both physical and mental. Physically, it enhances cardiovascular fitness, strengthens muscles, and improves flexibility and coordination. Regular cycling can help manage weight, reduce the risk of chronic diseases, and promote overall health. Mentally, cycling can reduce stress, boost mood, and provide a sense of freedom and adventure, often allowing individuals to connect with nature and their surroundings.

As for my experience it was really fun,. I ride with my uncle, and my friends, I suddenly reached a total of 472.km in 3 months. Riding with my bicycle took me everywhere, also cycling helps me forget my problems, and also cycling helps relieve stress. My furthest I’ve gone is Tagaytay that distance is 100.96km it was tiring but fun. The app i used to record my bicycle journey was “STRAVA” this app used to track your activities, heart rate, route, distance, and etc. if you want to try it out here’s the link https://www.strava.com. Strava is a popular fitness tracking app and social network designed primarily for cyclists and runners. It allows users to record their workouts using GPS technology, track their performance over time, and connect with other athletes.

Cycling with friends refers to the practice of riding bicycles in a group, typically for recreation, fitness, or social interaction. This activity allows participants to enjoy the camaraderie of shared experiences while exploring different routes, landscapes, and terrains together. Then cycling with friends makes the ride even more fun, encourages social bonding, and allows for shared enjoyment of the outdoors. Cycling with friends is important because it enhances the overall experience of the activity by fostering motivation, support, and social connection.

Here are some helpful tips for cycling, whether you’re a beginner or looking to improve your skills:

1. Choose the Right Bike:

Select a bike that suits your riding style (road bike, mountain bike, gravel bike and etc.) and ensure it’s the right size for you.

2. Wear Proper Gear:

Invest in a good-quality helmet for safety.

Wear moisture-wicking clothing and padded shorts for comfort.

Use cycling shoes if you have clipless pedals.

3. Maintain Your Bike:

Regularly check tire pressure, brakes, and gears.

Clean and lubricate the chain to ensure smooth operation.

4. Plan Your Route:

Familiarize yourself with the terrain and traffic conditions.

Use cycling apps or maps to find safe and scenic routes.

5. Stay Hydrated:

Carry water and take regular breaks to drink, especially on long rides.

6. Practice Good Cycling Etiquette:

Signal your intentions to other cyclists and motorists.

Ride in a straight line and be aware of your surroundings.

7. Start Slowly:

If you’re new to cycling, begin with shorter rides and gradually increase your distance and intensity.

8. Work on Your Technique:

Focus on maintaining a steady cadence and proper posture to avoid strain.

Practice shifting gears smoothly to adapt to varying terrains.

9. Ride with Friends:

Group rides can be more enjoyable and provide motivation and safety in numbers.

10. Listen to Your Body:

Pay attention to how you feel. Rest if you’re fatigued, and don’t push through pain.

Using this tips make's your cycling journey more smooth, also my advice for beginners is start in short rides, focus on technique, invest in gears, basic maintenance, discuss your routes, stay hydrated, and most important be humble. Because when my first time in cycling with my friend's the first thing we do is boasting contest, because your not filipino without it, So when we took are first ride in the vermosa road we challenged ourselves to the limit, the challenge was the first who stop will do the consequence, after the loop i was the first one to stop then i used to take 10 pushups in a row without stop, it was tiring but fun.

That's all

Always ride safe! and take care.

[songoftrillium]

Hi!!

I saw your reblogged ask about WtE redesigning the Get, and I'm curious what you can share?

I'm working on my own rewrite project (it's mostly a redesign of the W5 system, designed to work with either my patchwork mess of lore or with WtE lore) and I've been having some trouble with the Get, so I'd love to hear your thoughts!

I'm sharing this as someone who has always held a deep affection for Fenrir.

When redesigning the tribe I wanted to do it from a few angles at once.

What motivates a warrior? What is, what is it that makes a society one that is oriented so closely around battle prowess?

What history can do to shape a society into a society of warriors

How does the warriors outlook shape society at large?

What parts of Fenrir history can have direct parallels with minimal effort?

What key parts of the Fenrir are absolutes that cannot be removed without making the tribe unrecognizable to fans?

So, I did exactly that.

The first thing I did was I talked to scandinavian, sami, and slav people actively living in europe and got some pretty deep lessons on outlooks and culture, as well as numerous history lessons from a first-person perspective on things. I then befriended a polish-speaking pagan that was happy to teach me about cultures on sacrifice as both a literal practice and one that affects outlook. In that light, I rewrote the tribe to be one that went from 'seeking a good death' to a tribe that 'seeks causes worth dying for.'

Actually, why don't I just share with you the Get! (glyph used with permission by Feral Noesis)

Get of Fenris (see below the cut)

Dziewanik. Fenrir. Gummoš. Feriksen Suku. Vilkati. Vukarci. Legends, clothing, and common parlance from Sápmi to Carpathia speak of lupine spirits, warriors and deities all linked to the wilderness, hunting, society, and even to some of the oldest creation myths, and in each of these societies, a tribe of fearless Garou emerged. Even among a race of warriors, the Fenrir stand out as the one tribe well and truly composed of warriors from the top down. They throw themselves heart-first into a worthy cause, wearing scars with pride, howling the defeat of their enemies, and maintaining a reputation built on Glory wrought through great sacrifice and determination. Theirs is a culture of warriors whose history is etched in rocks and ancient temples deep in the wilderness.

Their origins can be traced to before the crusades, following the emigration of Germanic and proto-baltic-slav tribes fleeing the Huns both west and northwards. Regularly raided from the Carpathians, it would be Fenris’ wolves who came to find human tribes espousing their very ideals, worshipping the plants and rocks around them. Taking up the hammers and axes these people used in everyday life and now had to use to defend themselves, these became the symbols for the tribe itself—the weapons of the common man fighting alongside kin against insurmountable enemies and overcoming side-by-side.

This culture of adoption, cause, and sacrifice remains unchanged to this day. Lineage alone doesn’t make a Get of Fenris. If a cub cannot stand up to the tribe’s brutal and often bloody trials, they stand no chance against the kind of enemy the Get pursue. Fenrir maneuvers and tactics were first developed deep inside the mountains, combating the Jotunn. Long ago, these twisted and vile giants battered Fenrir around like playthings.

Since the beginning, those espousing the ideals of Fenris seek worthy causes they can throw themselves into body and soul. Their fearlessness lies in their determination weighing their strikes. To a Fenrir, nothing in life worth having comes without significant personal work to obtain, from the manner in which they maintain their spirit affinities to their very homes they always build by hand.

Heroism is not without its drawbacks. The life of a Fenrir is often short and violent. This has led to a belief that the tribe is comprised of mindless warriors with insatiable bloodlust. Those who run with the Fenrir find them to be direct, plain-worded, and espousing deep convictions for the causes they’ve dedicated their lives to.

Leadership in the tribe follows the philosophy of Fenris, that seniority has no meaning. Those most capable of leading in their position do so. Their zedakh’fa, or jarls, earn their right to rule with iron and fang; the leaders of their packs are those most capable of instilling valor in their wolves, and the leader of the household is the kin most knowledgable and skilled in navigating the specific needs and boundaries to be navigated at home.

The combat prowess inherent in every Get of Fenris Cliath is one that is hard-earned and, if they learn to appropriately harness their rage, often ascend to become unparalleled champions in their septs once they ascend the ranks to Adren and beyond — assuming they live that long.

Appearance

Extant Fenrir lineages reveal themselves to be massive gray wolves with broad shoulders and hard-set jaws. This trend, however, peters out significantly, given the diversity of their tribe members. The visual marking of their tribe members are what truly helps them stand out.

The tribe observes a skin marking tradition originating from packs among 9th century Lechites, where Fenrir, lacking battle scars for their prowess, took to their Galliards, adorning them with glyphery. These Get chronicled their deeds for all to see, with both ashes rubbed into fresh wounds to make them clearly visible. In modern times, this has grown to represent multiple kinds of tattoos across numerous cultures, with the glyphs appearing in the negative spaces between the tattoos.

To quote the late Mother Larissa: “Covered in Blood is the natural state of a Fenrir.” In ceremony, a Fenrir is nearly always marked with blood in some way, from adornments of glyphs touting their latest deeds to bearing the bloodspatter of their fallen allies (and their enemies) so as to gift the sept’s lupus with their scent.

Tribe Patron

Fenris is himself one of the original 13 Garou of the First Pack before; the one who held strength and honor most dearly in his heart. He and his wolves waged war against the ancient Jotunn, deep in the mountainous Fjords of Norway. It was here he learned how to think before acting and listen before thinking. Beyond a Warrior, Fenris was a believer in sacrifice, whose tactics espouse his own personal participation in battles. His chiminages to Gaia were of great personal loss, but also strengthened his packs.

All Fenrir espouse these values, that nothing in this world that is worth having is merely given, but gained through personal sacrifice, be it time, task, or blood, expecting no quarter, and giving none.

Character Creation

A well-made Fenrir is a fighter first and a lover second. Physical prowess matters more to this tribe perhaps than any other. Dexterity, Brawl, and Melee are great investments, with Strength and Stamina coming in a close second. A stoic tribe places very little stock in Expression; a Fenrir simply speaks their mind. Where you can however, give them a little empathy. This helps them read through those hard exteriors.

When it comes to Gifts, Fenrir are known for their unshakable will. Willpower, that is, Resolve and Composure, are key to using most of their Gifts. For other Gifts, plan to invest equally in Intimidation and Primal-Urge.

Outlook

The philosophical foundation of a Fenrir is one grounded firmly in materialism. That is, a Get will seldom concern themselves with the affairs of their afterlife and will often consider the things they will leave behind when they go. A Fenrir hero is one whose communities venerate them, whose stories are told, and whose values are upheld as philosophies by the families affected positively by a Fenrir.

The journey to finding motivation to equiring considerable effort on behalf of these warriors to make such a legacy. But, once established, there is no hesitation, no fear, when they take up arms to protect those they love most. This is where the stalwart, unshakeable resolve the Get of Fenris are known for comes to the surface, leading to the bloody tales of glory and unfettered violence that hallmark their mythology.

Spirit Affinities

Bear, Champion, Fenris, Wolf

[ssamorales]

(shifting vent?)

maintaining a healthy relationship with shifting is a struggle and not many shifters talk about it.

this might be the neurospicy in me talking, but my interests are always either taking up half of my brain capacity or i struggle to remain interested in them at all. this has nothing to do with how much i like or care about something, because if it was, it wouldn't affect me to the extent that it does.

losing motivation to shift to a dr you loved so deeply that you dedicated days to months thinking about it, growing a connection to the reality, the people and your place among them, it usually doesn't leave you unaffected and might even make you feel sad, guilty or traitorous.

undoubtedly, anyone is just as capable of shifting, wether they're desperate to shift and have had the same dr for a long time or if they impulsively decide to shift to a place they don't have much of an interest in.

it's just for me that i always either feel too attached to a certain reality, making it feel a little less attainable to get there, or i feel too detached from it, making it once again feel somewhat unattainable. this goes for my desired realities as well as for shifting as a whole, wether it consumes me or if i struggle to regularly attempt shifting and keep it present in my daily life to a healthy amount. one way or another, it's kinda conflicting.

if anyone feels the same way i'd be interested in hearing your perspective :)

-sam

[asylumgarden2003]

10 things to keep in mind for the upcoming school year

you're never too late to prepare for the school year.

Set goals: Define what you want to achieve academically, socially, and personally. Whether it's improving your grades, joining a club, or learning a new skill, having clear goals gives you direction.

Break your goals into smaller, manageable steps and track your progress regularly. Use visual reminders to keep your goals in sight and celebrate small victories along the way. This can help maintain motivation, ensure you’re on track, and make big goals feel more achievable.

Prioritize yourself: While school is important, make sure to take care of yourself to avoid burnout. School can be and is stressful, and you'll find your mental health draining more than once. Take a day to put yourself first. A day is all you need.

Join clubs: Get involved in things that interest YOU (not your friends). It's a great way to find your passions, help you try new things, find friends with similar interests, and of course, look great on your university application. Clubs are a fun way to help yourself and your school out!!

Connect with teachers: You have no idea how much this will help you in the long run. Not only will you better enjoy your class, but teachers will be more forgiving and lenient when it comes to your final mark. You may also be able to get a university recommendation letter!

Don't be afraid to ask for help: Whether its academic or personal, asking for help isn't something to be hesitant about. "Ughhh im the only one who doesn't understand!! Im gonna look so weird if i raise my hand AGAIN." Dude, respectfully, shut up and go ask for help. You're only harming yourself in the process. Too scared? Ask privately. Don't want to talk upfront. Send an email. Your grade is on the line!!

Be Nice: Seriously, it's not that hard! being rude is not cute, you're just an ass!

Support your friends: Be there for them. The relationships you build now can last you a lifetime.

Take on Leadership Roles: Step up when you can. It may be difficult initially, but how else would you learn more about yourself? It's a good way to discover your strengths and interests. Also not only will be an amazing add-on to university applications, you meet a ton of new people!

Avoid Drama: As tempting as it sounds, it can take a toll on you mental health, having to comfort one person and then being told to choose between person a and person b? stay out of it. you come first

(+ EXTRAS: Manage time wisely, and balance schoolwork with leisure and other activities. Avoid procrastination by breaking tasks into smaller, manageable steps and tackling them systematically. Being adaptable, be open to changes and challenges that may come your way. Whether it's adjusting to a new schedule or dealing with unexpected events, adaptability is key to success.

[pleasantlyinsincere]

John and Julian (and Cyn) through the '70s

Last edited on 8 October 2023. All edits listed at the end. Text in between [ ] are my thoughts.

Since John and Yoko had moved into Tittenhurst in August '69 Julian often spend weekends with them there.

"And then I'd live for the weekends I spent with my dad and his new love Yoko at Ascot. My feeling toward their relationship was helped by the way I was treated. I was given incredibly expansive toys to play with and there was always something happening." Julian, 1982

Cynthia describes that she was relieved that Julian got on reasonably well with Yoko, but she was concerned by some of the more bizarre stories of what was going on at Tittenhurst park.

"One of the hardest aspects of letting Julian visit John was accepting that Yoko would presumably look after him when he was there. I didn't know what he would make of her cool manner. But in fact he seemed fine with it, and perhaps it was better for him to have a rather distant step-mother than one who was all over him. He never told me that she was unkind in any way, which was a relief. After that first weekend Peter rang regularly to arrange visits for Julian. Much to my amusement Julian had started to call Yoko Hokey-Cokey." Cynthia Lennon: John, p.314

Photos of Julian at Tittenhurst in 31 January 1970. [John and Yoko only returned from Denmark January 27th, so Julian came to see them the first weekend back.]

Rest of the timeline including pics, quotes and audio behind the cut because it got ridiculously long.

23 February 1970

An article is published in the Evening Post talking about Julian and Kyoko. It mentions that in 1969 there were four months that father and son didn't get to see each other and also spent Christmas apart.

Some quotes from John:

"Julian, last time I saw him, was a bit too protected, like all kids are. It took him two weeks to unwind, when he was last with us." "I'm not a daddy with a set of bricks to play with. When I'm with the kids, they just come along with me and be with me, whatever I'm doing." Link to article

March 1970

Over the New Year John and Yoko had spent some weeks in Denmark with Tony Cox, his new partner and Kyoko. That arrangement had worked quite well and it seems it motivated John and Yoko to try to get closer with Cynthia and Roberto also. It seems in the end not much came of these good intentions.

Up until now, when Julian came to spend the weekend at Tittenhurst Park, it was Les Anthony who shuttled him back and forth between his parents. However, shortly after their return from Denmark, John and Yoko made a conscious effort to spend time with Julian, Cynthia and her fiancé Roberto Bassanini. John later remarked: "All five of us ate together and we saw to it that the children see us all together. Maybe six of us will go on vacation with Kyoko. Julian, Cyn and Roberto, so that everyone feels secure. That's very important. In order to have peace, it's necessary to start inside the family." Lennonology, source L'Express [3/23/70]

Instead John and Yoko left for LA 23 April 1970 to undergo Primal Scream therapy with Janov. They stayed for almost five months in the US and returned to England 15 September 1970.

June 7th, 1970

While John and Yoko are in LA doing their therapy with Janov. One of the topics discussed was John's troubled relationship with his son.

The meeting, which Vivian Janov describes as 'a very strong emotional day for him,' had taken place in April, and John was making an effort to maintain communication with his son. From Los Angeles, John posted a card to Julian today: 'I'm sorry I haven't called or written much. I've been a little sick. We miss you a lot, and send you our love... won't be long till I see you'. Lennonology

After the return from the US in September Julian continued to regularly visit Tittenhurst. During those visits he usually played a lot with Les Anthonys four stepchildren, who at the time were also living on the estate.

"Once Dad had a little white shed built on an island in the middle of a lake on the grounds of the house. He had bought these little white amphi-cars that sped across the lake. The three of us all dressed in white to spend the day there. Crazy, but wonderful."Julian, 1982

In this interview Julian describes going over to Tittenhurst just to be an idiot with his dad but also how scary the big house and his bedroom situation could be to him at night.

[The floorplan of Tittenhurst (LINK) actually shows Julian's room just across the hallway from John and Yoko's room but half a stairway down. There's not really a closer bedroom and he may have been put there, so that he has his own bathroom. It being so far away, small (somewhere he or Cynthia call the room a closet) and scary are after all the memories from a child's point of view.]

For the most part the visitation arrangements seemed to have continued in 1971. In the summer, when John and Yoko were filming for the imagine documentary, Julian can be seen roaming the property with his friends.

Saturday, July 17th, 1971 With the cameras rolling, John and Yoko roamed the Tittenhurst Park grounds in a golf cart with Jill Johnston. As promised, Blue Pools delivered the new lake house, and the Lennons spotted location. More footage was taken of the house under construction, the Lennons and Johnston rowing on the lake, and Julian and the neighbor children reading excerpts from Grapefruit on camera and running amok in the fields. Lennonology

Lennonology

Julian Lennon: Tittenhurst was this enormous palace-like place with 99 acres, golf-cart buggies, a lake, a little island in the middle of the lake. It was like a house of fun. It was wonderful. I loved the place.

LINK to a longer version of the quote but in German. Not adding much just both John and Julian sharing a mutual love for Dr. Pepper at the time, playing the mellotron and the children daring each other to enter a 'haunted' building on the property.

It's also at Tittenhurst that Julian meets May Pang, who had started working for John and Yoko as an assistant through ABKCO in NY and had come to England as a messenger to bring film rolls.

"There were a lot of great moments at Tittenhurst that I do fondly remember, you know, giggling and laughing with Dad. And, as they say, shooting the shit. But it was difficult to know, you think, 'OK, well, is this going to stay? Is this what it's going to be, now? Can I count on this? Can I be here next weekend or the weekend after? Is that going to happen?' That was one of the, obviously, the hardest pill to swallow, was the constant change. You know, you thought things were going to settle down, but they just never quite did." Julian, 2018

"I lived an ideal life between then [Cyn and Roberto] and John and Yoko, but it all ended when Cynthia's marriage broke up and Dad and Yoko moved to the States." Julian, 1982

The big cut happens when on August 12th 1971 John and Yoko leave for NY and take up residence in the St. Regis Hotel.

At first their plan was to search for Kyoko, so that she too could come for visits at Tittenhurst like Julian. In September John and Yoko appeared on the Dick Cavett show and briefly talked about their wish that both their children could be with them.

Maybe a Christmas present:

Christie's auction

[In her Lost Weekend doc, May talks about Julian calling and Yoko not allowing her to put the call through to John. She says at that point they hadn't spoken for a couple of years. Then a few weeks later she is in the audience for George Harrison's appearance on Dick Cavett. The show is aired in November '71, so if there is anything to her anecdote she may mean they hadn't seen each other for two months instead of two years.]

26 May '72

"Lennon admits that he is scared to say too much publicly about the case, because it was the initial publicity that had spurred Cox to vanish. He talks about how hard it is for Ono to see pictures of her daughter: I have to hide them. Asked about his own son, Julian, he says: I don't have that 'where the hell is he?' bit. But he reveals that when they were in England, and Julian visited them every weekend, it was difficult for Ono to be with him when her own daughter wasn't there: It was killing her." source

28 May '72

Cynthia quoted in a Sunday paper: "John hasn't seen Julian since he went to America. It is rather a long time. He seems to be occupied with Yoko's daughter now. He does write to Julian, just normal letters, asking how he is getting on at school and things like that. And he sends him presents. He sent him a toy truck at Christmas. I don't keep in touch with John anymore. It's purely through Julian that we keep in contact. Julian loves his father. He follows his career in the newspapers. He goes to a private boys' school where people don't bother who he is. He went to a state school but he had problems there."

14 June '72

Cyn's complaints are repeated in the LA times, where it said that John hadn't seen Julian in eight months. "He seems to be occupied with Yoko's daughter now."

On 22 September '73 John and May leave for LA and only a few days later on 2 October '73 it is reported in the newspaper that Cyn separated from Roberto Bassanini.

Cynthia gave some interviews on her recent separation and the fact that she and Julian moved back to Hoylake, where Julian goes to private school.

"Unhappily Julian misses his father, which is only natural. We only hear from John at Christmas and when the birthdays come around." 7 October '73, Sunday Mirror

"Julian is always asking after him but of course John is in America now. It's been hard for him not seeing John for several years. This sort of thing is naturally upsetting for a child." 7 October '73, Sunday People

According to May's book, while John had broken up with her, she went to the Dakota to be with Yoko. Yoko there told her that she had decided it was time for Julian to come for a visit and May should at least reunite with John for that period to help him with it. May agreed to go back to John for two weeks, but it ends up being more like a year.

Christmas gift '73

To Julian from Daddy Christmas 1973

[Julian has sold an NFT of the black guitar. LINK ]

Shortly after Christmas '73 Julian and Cyn travel to LA to spend his school holidays with his father. They stay at least until the Happy Days taping they visit together on 5 February '74.

During the over a month long visit May writes, that they went to Disneyland three times and had brunch together the first morning. Meanwhile John is still having some wild times. Since Julian is staying with Cynthia, he goes out with May. The Kotex incident and nearly killing Jesse Ed Davis happen at the same time of this visit. May also places Cynthia asking John to have another child together during this trip.

As the visit ends May makes John promise to call Julian regularly.

"It is the right thing to do. I promise you, Fung Yee." He was silent for a while, then John said suddenly, "I really would like to keep in touch with me son." May Pang, Loving John p.168

Julian too, took a lot of positive out of the meetings around this time.

"Mum and I flew out to the States and stayed at the Beverly Hills Hotel. At least Mum did, I spend every minute of every day with my Dad and Yoko. " Julian, 1982

In later recollections Julian correctly puts the first visit in the time-frame that John was with May.

“Dad and I got on a great deal better than,” recalls Julian. “We had a lot of fun, laughed a lot and had a great time in general when he was with May Pang.” Julian in The Times, June 13 2009

May Pang: Loving John. About this visit and how it was set up.

In April 74 Julian sends a Thank you tape to John and Yoko for his birthday gift. Even though John is with May at this time, the present it seems was sent from the married couple.

The present in question according to Julian was a guitar, decorated with a mirror, writing and other stuff:

John writes to Cyn 22 June '74 a typed letter asking about Julian's holiday plans. Interestingly as the return address he gives the Dakota. He wants to send May to bring Julian.

19/20-25 July 1974 Instead of being collected by May, Julian sails with Elton John, Tony King, and Cyn per boat from Southampton to New York.

[In her book Cynthia wrongly remembers this as her first visit with John in the US. She also claims this visit was completely her initiative, which as proven by the letter wasn't the case. The whole anecdote is interesting however because she says that it was never the plan to stay with Julian, John and May but stay in NY with Jenny Boyd. Jenny apparently wasn't told about that plan, because in the end she wasn't there to home Cynthia. (May on the other hand remembers that Cynthia was staying with friends but they left without her and she was lonely, so she ended up coming with them.) In the end (and to John probably rightly or wrongly suspiciously) what was planned as just a trip for Julian with his dad turned into Cynthia coming along most of the time.]

Cynthia'a account about how this meeting was set-up and why she was with them during the trip.

Tony King in The Tastemaker simply writes: “John Lennon wanted to see his son, so I took Julian and John’s ex-wife Cynthia along with me.”

August 6th '74

John, May, Cyn and Julian return to LA for John to record Goodnight Vienna with Ringo.

In the summer while working on Walls and Bridges Julian visits the studio. He records Ya Ya with his dad.

Little interview bit with Julian about being in the studio.

August 19th, 1974

John and May take a trip to Denver. Instead of coming with them Julian stays with Cyn in LA.

When the whole vacation is coming to a close, it is decided that Julian should come for another visit for Christmas. John is clear that he wants him to come alone.

Both May Pang and Cynthia wrote about this visit in their memoirs. [Cynthia is clearly mixing up and merging the first and second trip together in her recollection of it.]

Cynthia's account.

May's account.

December 19th, 1974

Julian, accompanied by Apple staffer Steve Brendell, arrived in NY on this day for Christmas with John and May. Mimi was also invited but declined to come.

While they were in NY Yoko also came by because she wanted to greet Julian.

John, May and Julian flew to Florida on December 22. Lennon said he accepted Levy's Florida invitation "because I was so worn out anyway" from back-to-back studio projects "that I didn't know what to do with my son Julian." John figured that at Disney World, "I could sort of sit in a room or something and Julian could play with Morris's kid." John's quotes are from his trial testimony Big Seven Music Corp, 75Civ, 1116; In Stan Soocher Baby You're a Rich Man, Suing the Beatles for Fun and Money

Until 29 December they spent time in Palm Beach and later returned to Orlando (Disney World).

During this visit, Julian was helpful in influencing John and George making up and the thus the dissolution agreement of the Beatles coming along.

Julian remembers his Christmas visit with John and May fondly: “My memories of that time with Dad and May are very clear - they were the happiest time I can remember with them.” Julian in The Times, June 13 2009

May Pang in Loving John on this visit.

Cynthia writes about this visit in her book.

Video from May Pang's Lost Weekend documentary. [She says Long Island but I guess it's Palm Beach.]

In early February 1975 John moves back into the Dakota and resumes his marriage with Yoko.

John gives an interview to SPIN magazine in early spring 1975. In it he is asked about his private life, his recent return to Yoko, what his relationship with May is like now, and also about Julian:

How about you as a father? How old is your son [Julian] now? He is 11 now. All I know is that you took him to Disneyworld … right? Yeah, that was hell. Disneyland was better, the first time, in L.A., I took him there. Because I went with a gang, and there were a few of us who were flying a little. But Disneyworld — I was there on the most crowded day of the year, around Christmas or something. Seeing him is good. What we do is irrelevant. I went through a period of, “What are we gonna do?” and all that crap. It doesn’t really matter. As long as he’s around. Cause I don’t see him that often. How is it for an 11-year-old boy to have John Lennon as a father? It must be hell. Does he talk about that to you? No, because he is a Beatle fan. I mean, what do you expect?? I think he likes Paul better than me … I have the funny feeling he wishes Paul was his dad. But unfortunately he got me … It must be hard to be son of anybody. He is a bright kid and he’s into music. I didn’t encourage him, but he’s already got a band in school. But they sing rock’n’roll songs, ’cause their teacher is my age. So he teaches them “Long Tall Sally” and a couple of Beatles numbers. He likes Barry White and he likes Gilbert O’ Sullivan. He likes Queen, though I haven’t heard them yet. He turns me on to music. I call him and he says, “Have you heard Queen?” and I say “No, what is it?” I’ve heard of them. I’ve seen the guy … the one who looks like Hitler playing a piano … Sparks? I’ve seen Sparks on American TV. So I call him and say, “Have you seen Sparks? Hitler on the piano?” and he says, “No. They are alright. But have you seen Queen?” and I say “What’s Queen?” and then he tells me. His age group is hipper to music … at 11 I was aware of music, but not too much.

Link to the SPIN interview

March 11th 1975

John is interviewed by Bob Harris on The Old Grey Whistle Test. He sends greetings to Julian, Mimi and the rest of his family in England.

30 July 1975

About Julian ... I'm lucky if I see/hear from him myself. She allowed him over here twice last year ... but insisted on coming herself! You can imagine how thrilling that was ... she thought she could walk back in coz I wasn't with yoko!! Now we're back together again she stops him phoning me ... which he did a lot last year ... once a week. He's a bright little boy ... a bit 'sneaky' like his dad ... but he's gonna need that to survive his mother! Our relationship is pretty good --- he knows where I am and what my life is like ... he thinks of me a litlle too much in terms of 'money' etc ... which is what cyn and her mother (so called) have taught him (by example). He will run right to me when he's older ... we all run somewhere ... so I can wait. I got him well hooked on America ... which isan extraordinary place to say the least ... more on that in other letters perhaps. Oh yes the baby is due in November! Conceived feb 6. I tried to send Julia to see julian ... she was given the cold shoulder. When I get to England I'll show you them both. I would love to see yours. Letter to Leila, John Lennon Letters edited by Hunter Davies

After only five months being back with Yoko, communication with Julian has become more sporadic again. To his cousin Leila John complains that it's Cynthia keeping Julian from calling and about her tagging along the previous year. He also claims that he sent Julia to check in on Julian.

Julia Baird in a '83 interview confirms John's claim to Leila, that he hadn't heard from Julian and sent his little sister to check up on him.

"He kept asking in letters and on the phone, 'Please will you go and see Julian? Will you go and see Julian? Will you go see and see Julian? I haven't heard from Julian. His mother's got a cob on. Can you please go and see what's going on?' [...] Anyway eventually Aaron persuaded me that I should go. He was the one that when we got another letter asking, 'Have you been to see Julian yet?', he said, 'Look, he's never asked you to do anything. I think you should go.' [...] We went and John had given us the address, I didn't know where it was. And she seemed very embarrassed to see me. In fact so much so, that I backed off. I just said, 'Is Julian there, please? I'd like to see him.' And she said, 'No, he's gone out.' And I just said, 'Well goodbye, then.' It was very odd, very bizarre."

In her memoir Cyn doesn't mention John sending family to check on them but has an opposing recollection of who was unreachable:

"Initially he did: he phoned Julian as before, every few weeks. But the calls became less frequent, and all too often when Julian tried to phone John he couldn't get through. Yoko, or one of their employees, would tell him that John was sleeping or busy. Discouraged, Julian would wait weeks before trying again. " Cynthia Lennon, John p. 346

1 May '76

Cyn marries John Twist. John and Yoko send a telegram: "Congratulations, good luck, God bless the three of you, John and Yoko.”

According to Cynthia a few weeks later John calls her to invite Julian over for a visit during the school holidays to meet his brother. Yoko and John take the children for a holiday to Long Island. Cynthia also writes that Julian was mugged during his stay in NY, when John told him to go out by himself to buy a harmonica he wanted.

Photos of Julian with John and Yoko in summer 1976.

The only other person I have read mention the '76 visit is John Green in Dakota Days.

As the apartment at the Dakota grew more crowded, John retreated to the quieter and more spacious southern shore of Long Island. He took Sean with him and brought Julian over from Britain. Yoko kept him posted with a barrage of phone calls. "How goes the war, Charles?" he chimed into the receiver. "No casualties so far. How goes the peace?" "Great. It's absolutely beautiful. I've got a bit of sea and a bit of green and my sons, and even once in a while I even have my wife. You should come out here and get some of this. It's delightful." Dakota Days, p.97

[Aside from Cynthia's and Green's brief mentions of the trip, there is very little information on this NY visit. Even Robert Rosen, who supposedly read John's diaries multiple times, has nothing to say about this or the '77 visits. He even claims repeatedly that Julian and John first reunited in 1979 and hadn't seen each other for four years at that point.]

One of Julian's memories that most likely fits this visit:

Julian first played piano when he was thirteen, visiting his father and Yoko in Montauk, Long Island, after Sean, his half brother, was born. Their next-door neighbor had a piano, and Julian and his father went there one day. Lennon played a couple of tunes, then Julian asked, "Can I have a go?" Julian to Rolling Stone, 1985

Another one that Julian doesn't connect to a date but he remembers the new situation after his little brother was born:

[Yoko] was very loving towards me, even after their son Sean was born. Right at the beginning I felt a few pangs. They were there with their own son. Where did I fit in? But every time I went over Dad would lay on amazing treats, and Yoko was always loving towards me." Julian, 1982

In the same interview Julian also tells the story of his dad offering him a joint when he was about 12, so that might have also been the '76 visit, or the '74/'75 Christmas visit.

Cynthia claims she had trouble getting the money she was supposed to use for Julian's school. She asked John to split the trust fund, so that she can withdraw money from it easier. John agreed.

Cynthia publishes the letter in her book John and calls it "cautious, polite and to the point":

"I explained that, as he and Yoko were out of the country, it was impossibly difficult for me to get at Julian's money: 'Nothing can proceed without your signature - it means I'm forever overdrawn at the bank and have to wait on the convenience of your lawyers ... I want the best for Julian, and his standard of life shouldn't suffer because of lack of good management on your part, which has been happening since the fund was set up ... The money, instead of having doubled through good investment, is dwindling through lack of interest on your part ... It's just so important that this whole arrangement is sorted out without animosity or aggravation ... The way things are going Julian's financial prospects when he is 25 will be virtually nil and he is going to want to know why... It is one thing fighting for your rights but totally ridiculous fighting against your own son's interests, which is what seems to be happening.' "

[She says she ends the letter with thanking them for arranging the Concorde flight for Julian last summer. However according to wiki Concorde didn't fly to NYC until November 1977. (That years Christmas John and Yoko do indeed book a Concorde flight for Julian.) So I suspect that her supposed letter is specifically written for her book and not an actual document as the presentation suggests.]

In mid-October Cynthia gives an interview to Woman magazine that also got picked up in multiple newspapers. In it she talks about their relationship splitting after their first LSD trip, John getting upset with Julian when he couldn't eat with a knife, alleges that she was being followed by a private detective in Italy,...

A report on the article in the Burton Daily Mail from 19 October '76 also quotes Cynthia as saying:

"Since then their relationship has been beautiful," she says. "They talk a lot on the phone, there've been other visits and he's going again this year. I believe now that John is completely off all drugs, has been off them for years, otherwise I'd never let Julian go."

[He's going again this year indicates that there was another visit planned in 1976. If that happened or fell through, I haven't found anything about that.]

October 25th, 76

John sends Julian a postcard from Singapore. “What happened to ya?”

Even though the previous few months there was a visit and positive communication about the finances, Cynthia's decision to publicly complain in the papers angered John. He responded on November 26th 1976 with an open letter in the Daily Mail.

"Lennon tells first wife: Stop blaming Yoko," it read: "As you and I well know, our marriage was over long before the advent of LSD or Yoko Ono. Your memory is impaired to say the least. Your version of our first LSD trips is rather vague. You seem to have forgotten subsequent trips altogether. You also seem to have forgotten that only two years ago, while I was separated from Yoko Ono, you suddenly brought Julian to see me in Los Angeles after three years of silence. During that visit you didn't allow me to be alone with him for one moment. You even asked me to remarry you and give you another child 'for Julian's sake.' I politely told you no and that anyway I was still in love with Yoko. Finally, I don't blame you for wanting to get away from your Beatle past, but if you are serious about it you should try to avoid talking to and posing for magazines and newspapers. We did have some good years so dwell on them for a change."

Cynthia answers to the press after this, saying she doesn't want them to throw mud at each other and repeated "All I want to do is forget the Beatles and enjoy my present life". Still, only a few months later in 1977 she starts to write A Twist of Lennon (allegedly gleefully on a typewriter Yoko had gifted Julian). In her later memoir John she writes she was persuaded to do it by her husband John Twist who believed it would make their fortune.

Julian is sent to boarding school for that time. [In her book John Cynthia explicitly remembers that she moved to Ireland to write. However newspaper reports from the time suggest that the move happened later. So, probably Julian wasn't boarding at this time but those months in '78.]

At the same time communication between John and Julian was happening regularly and according to his diaries he got excited by the idea of buying Julian a keyboard.

July 14th, 1977

December 25th 1977

Julian comes by Concorde to stay at the Dakota during his school holidays.

[At the time of Julian's visit John and Yoko were still helped by the FBI to deal with the kidnapping threat and extortion attempt that had been going on for weeks and scared them badly. Also, Tony Cox had made contact by phone and agreed that Kyoko could visit for these holidays but then disappeared again and John would never hear again from Kyoko. I don't know if Julian was told any of this but I assume it probably was one of the more tense christmases.]

Going by Giuliano because neither Cynthia nor Robert Rosen mention this trip by Julian at all, John was very excited about Julian coming getting up early and baking bread for him. Julian gets close to Nishi and thereby brings forth John's competitive streak. John tries out the parental philosophy of wanting to spend time with Julian instead of giving him material goods, Julian goes 'oh, really' and John caves in. When he leaves John draws a portrait of Julian. Source

[Since Robert Rosen, who also read the diaries, doesn't even know about the '76 or '77 visits (and Giuliano too thinks they saw each other last at Disney World), they may not be the source for the above. I thought it might have been from Dakota Days but it's not. John Green mentions the '77 Christmas visit but says the family were going to Florida to meet Julian there because of the security threats. I think Green is confusing this and a later visit, so I will insert his account of what John told him on returning there.]

Julian stays most of January. Goes to see the musical The Magic Show with Yoko and the band Riff-Raff with John. 

In February of 1978 Cynthia and her husband sell their house and move away from Ruthin to Eire to avoid a 'wealth tax'. They leave Julian to be a boarder at his school. Cynthia and John Twist return in December, probably because they missed Julian.

April 1978

[It's not actually dated aside from being from 1978, I just assume the guitar was Julian's birthday gift.]

GIBSON Les Paul 25/50 guitar

"Dad gave me this special order rare model - it was always exciting to receive something like this from my dad. When I visited Dad we would sit down together and he would teach me a few chords and help me improve my technique." Julian in Beatles Memorabilia. The Julian Lennon Collection.

May 19th 1978

A conversation with Cyn and excerpts from her memoir A Twist of Lennon are published in News of the World.

John, Yoko and Sean are in Japan for their summer vacation. Through his London lawyers John tries to stop the publication of Cynthia's book as a serial in the News Of The World.

Tuesday, June 13th, 1978 Having been telephoned in Japan with the details of Cynthia's memoir excerpt in News Of The World, John instructed his solicitors to issue a High Court injunction in an effort to prevent the publication of a planned second installment. Frere Cholmeley & Co., Lennon's attorney in London, described the piece as 'a salacious and gribby little article,' although it was qualified with the statement: 'He does not deny that he held parties or took drugs, but he deplores the publication of intimate details of his married life.' Friday, June 16th, 1978 In the case of Lennon v. News Group Newspapers Ltd and Twist, Lord Denning rejected John's application for an injunction in London's High Court today, permitting the publication of more excerpts from A Twist Of Lennon. For his par, Denning was not impresses with John's argument that the article's publication was a breach of confidence of the marriage: 'I cannot see that either of these two parties have had much regard for the sanctity of marriage ... It seems to me as plain as can be that the relationship of these parties has ceases to be their own private affair. They themselves have put it into the public domain.' Sunday, June 18th, 1978 Having successfully defended the right to publish excerpts from A Twist Of Lennon, today's edition of News Of The World featured part two of their series: 'How Yoko stole my husband.' " Lennonology

When the book actually was released feelings turned out to be much softer than expected. Cyn ends her first memoir with the words :

I still feel very proud of the Beatles and their accomplishments. My life during that period was an education, an education I wouldn't have missed. It has left me feeling enriched, not embittered, enlightened not blinded. All I can think to conclude my story is to say, 'Thanks for the memories, and in the words of the I CHING, no blame.'"

After finishing reading his ex-wife's book, according to Robert Rosen, John was relieved and enjoyed the nostalgia. He said a prayer for Cyn: "Dear God, please show her The Way. Thank You. Thank You."

Postcard to Julian:

[I can't make out the date on the card. Julian's Beatles memorabilia book says it's from '71 but that's obviously wrong with Sean being included and Julian's Ruthin address on it. John makes the reference to being a farmer. They bought their farm in February 1978, so I put it that year. May be wrong though.]

March 21st 1979

Julian is supposed to join John, Sean and Yoko's visiting nieces in Palm Beach.

[John taking a photo of Julian in '79]

There are multiple, very different accounts for this visit, that includes Julian's 16th birthday celebration.

John bought Julian a motorcycle for his birthday.

At one point they went to Disney World, (which none of the accounts of the trip even mention), where this photo of Julian and Yoko's nieces was taken:

Accounts from:

Robert Rosen [Rosen writes that Dan Richter's children came for a visit. Correction: I said before that that because Dan wrote in his book that he never saw John again after 1974, it seemes unlikely to me that his kids would be sent out to John and Yoko five years later. However Dan Richter does confirm that in his interview on the Podcast Glass Onion: On John Lennon episode 16:

"My kids would go down, they had a place down in Palm Beach or whatever it was down in Florida. And they were there at Christmas and bring Julian and they would fly my kids down to play with Julian. And everybody, the sense we got was they were happy!"

This visit doesn't happen over Christmas but it sounds like he is talking about more than one occasion that happened and probably Christmas is one example. Could also mean that Rosen is mixing up the occasion for that anecdote.]

Cynthia Lennon

Fred Seaman

Geoffrey Giuliano

John Green [Green puts this actually to the '77 holiday visit, where he wrongly writes they went to Florida. I think (if his stories are to be believed at all) he confuses John's anger and disappointment upon return with this visit of Julian's. It also fits with being in Florida.]

[I recommend to read all of them. Lots of drama. I may one day make a comparison post between all the account because they are fascinatingly different.]

April 9th 1979

John writes to Mimi saying Julian would be welcome to live with them if he so chose but there had been no arrangements made.

Q: Did you ever plan to go and live with him [John] in New York? Julian: "When I was in my early teens we'd spoken on the phone about the possibility of me going to college over there. I think it was wishful thinking on both our parts because I felt uncomfortable about the situation and I believe he did, too." Hello! Magazine, 1995

April 25th 1979, Postcard to Julian from NY:

Julian declines to join his dad, Yoko and Sean for their family's yearly vacation in Japan.

[July 1979 In the context of getting one of his guitars Julian said that John bought him a Sony Walkman as a gift when they were brand-new. He puts around '73-'74. However according to wikipedia the Sony Walkman was first sold in July '79, so that present would have been sent to Julian around this time, maybe directly from Japan.]

December 1979

On 3rd-4th December there is a two part feature in the Daily Mail called "The Sons of the Beatles" on Julian and Zak.

"When I'm in New York, we go out quite a lot together round some of the art galleries, or to his house at Long Island. When we stay in we have musical jam sessions together singing out latest songs to each other. I still listen to Beatles music. Although I quite like some of my father's solo albums, I much prefer what he did with the Beatles." (quoted from Lennonology p. 508)

Also that month:

"More disturbing to John were the ongoing trials with Julian. The sullen teen continued to vex his father with his on-again, off-again plans to visit over Christmas. At first Julian said maybe, as long as they didn't go to Florida. Then it was a flat no, using school exams and a new girlfriend as an excuse. At the last minute he called saying he would come to New York only if he could bring a friend, but Yoko turned him down. As usual John didn't challenge her. Julian retaliated by sending his father a tabloid article about rock stars' sons, which focused on both him and Ringo's son Zak Starkey, and went into detail about the trials of being the offspring of a Beatle." Lennon in America by Giuliano p. 218

On the other hand John Green does write that Julian spent Christmas '79 with John, Yoko and Sean. He even says that Julian stayed until February. ("John stayed in the Palm Beach house until February, luxuriating in the sun and sea, forging new ties with Julian and delighting in rediscoveries of himself." p.229) [This can't be true however because John was definitely in NY for Christmas and New Years. John and Yoko did buy a house in Palm Beach late January however and were spotted there a few times in February. I can't find a mention of Julian being spotted with them, so it may or may not have happened. I do think between the two of them Giuliano's account is probably more accurate. The Daily Mail article he mentions of Zak and Julian had come out on 3 or 4 December, so that is also believable that it had come up in pre-christmas discussions. But of course it's possible that a visit happened anyway.]

1980

Julian called in February 1980 to set up another meeting with his dad. This time John denied him, surprisingly because he was worried about Julian's schooling. Through Cynthia he had learned that Julian was failing his O-levels, had started smoking, staying out at night drinking, had gotten in trouble with the police for setting up fires and racing through town on a dirt bike. "John just prayed that Julian didn't hurt himself." There is also continued conflict over money. John felt that Julian every time they spoke asked him for more money. "And though John continued to feel guilty about having abandoned Julian and Cynthia, he'd be damned if he was going to be like every other rich asshole father who'd abandoned his family and then used money as a poor substitute for love and companionship." source

In March 'A Twist of Lennon' gets its paperback release and new reviews are printed in the press.

Summer 1980

When John sat for a portrait painting with Sean for the artist Nancy Gosnell, he wondered if she could also do one of him and Julian from a photograph. He wanted to give him a father and son portrait for his birthday, according to Fred Seaman.

September 1980

PLAYBOY: "Your son, Julian, from your first marriage must be in his teens. Have you seen him over the years?" LENNON: "Well, Cyn got possession, or whatever you call it. I got rights to see him on his holidays and all that business, and at least there's an open line still going. It's not the best relationship between father and son, but it is there. He's 17 now. Julian and I will have a relationship in the future. Over the years, he's been able to see through the Beatle image and to see through the image that his mother will have given him, subconsciously or consciously. He's interested in girls and autobikes now. I'm just sort of a figure in the sky, but he's obliged to communicate with me, even when he probably doesn't want to." PLAYBOY: "You're being very honest about your feelings toward him to the point of saying that Sean is your first child. Are you concerned about hurting him?" LENNON: "I'm not going to lie to Julian. Ninety percent of the people on this planet, especially in the West, were born out of a bottle of whiskey on a Saturday night, and there was no intent to have children. So 90 percent of us... that includes everybody... were accidents. I don't know anybody who was a planned child. All of us were Saturday-night specials. Julian is in the majority, along with me and everybody else. Sean is a planned child, and therein lies the difference. I don't love Julian any less as a child. He's still my son, whether he came from a bottle of whiskey or because they didn't have pills in those days. He's here, he belongs to me and he always will."

Playboy: I was under the impression that you still weren't seeing Julian much. Lennon: Well, no, he's comin' here over shortly now. I see him whenever he get's off school. Playboy: Has it been hard for him to be John Lennon's kid? Lennon: Yeah, he has his own... Everybody has a cross to bear, and Julian has that cross, and he'll deal with it. He's a clever boy, and as he gets older we can communicate and he'll understand.

[I wasn't sure what upcoming visit John is referring to since I couldn't find one mentioned anywhere. However there is an article in the Daily Mirror from 8 October 1980 including interview passages with Cynthia that mentions Julian currently being in New York. So without any photographic evidence, he isn't in any of the birthday photos, or anecdotes about it, there still might be the possibility that there was a (pre-)birthday visit from Julian to John and Sean in 1980. Julian himself hasn't been completely consistent on when he last saw his Dad. He has said that his '79 birthday visit was their last meeting (which I think is most likely correct), but he also claimed that he was flying out regularly.]

"According to Cynthia, Julian, now 18, plays guitar better than his father. He has left school and is off to New York to stay with his famous dad." Link to the article

In an interview with Jonathan Cott on 5 December John reflects more on the troubles of being a Beatle's son and on how mistakes in his decision for Julian's schooling changed his outlook on his plans for Sean. [Julian had been going to private school since at least 1973.]

"[...] because he can't possibly be an average child, being the son of famous parents. I tried that game with my son Julian, sending him to a comprehensive working-class school, mixing with the people, but the people spat and shit on him, because he was famous, as people are wont to do. So his mother had to finally turn around and tell me to piss off: 'I'm sending him to a private school, the kid is suffering here.' "

Cynthia writes that by the end of 1980 Julian felt a breakthrough in his and his father's relationship. John played Julian songs from his new album over the phone, asking his opinions. source

Julian himself reflects on his and his dad's relationship by the time of his death like this:

"I know that dad's presence will be around for a long time. He was always joking, always sounded happy, which made me think more of him as a friend than a dad. My earliest memory of my father was when I was about three and he sang happy birthday to me. We were living at Weybridge, Surrey, and dad threw a birthday party for me and brought in a long cake shaped like a train and festooned with candles." Sunday Mirror, 5 April 1981

As early as 1982 negative feelings would influence Julian's memory, saying he didn't get to see his father for five years, that he only heard on Birthdays and Christmas from him or that after the first US visit it was again years before he got to go another time, when it was merely months.

"The Beatles sang 'All You Need Is Love' - and that is all I wanted from Dad. It is difficult to explain why I should feel so strongly, when we shared so little. Never once in all the years he lived in America did he even think about coming to see me. Apart from rare visits, I lived from birthdays to Christmas just to hear from him." Julian, 1982

[Those false memories/presentations may have been the result of his beginning break from Yoko around that time and the conflicts about money, or maybe his memories just adapted to the way it was talked about in his family.]

"It was more of one man to another than the usual father and son relationship, because he had been away from me a lot, and he said he realized that. I was just getting through to him and growing up myself and growing out of the silly giggling I did as a young teenager that really annoyed him, when Dad was killed." Julian quoted in Ray Coleman's John bio, pp.620

"Dad was such an influence in my life, it must have been hard on Mum. She'd do her best with presents at birthdays and Christmas, but I always waited for that special present that was bigger than anything else - from him. Yet he never sent anything spontaneously. He'd phone up and ask what I wanted, and it would arrive. I don't think he was trying to buy me in any way. It was just a chance for him to do something for me. He knew I wanted to be a musician and kept telling me to take a long time to get it right. He removed a lot of the stress I suppose other kids might feel. I didn't do very well at school. I don't think I'm dense, but I suppose I'm a bit lazy. There's only one thing I want - to know for sure that Dad loved me as much as I loved him. Or maybe to have him back." Julian, 1982

Edits: 29 April - December 1974 John trial quote added; September 1980 Playboy interview quote added 6 May - added Julian quote about relationship to his father by the time of his death 7 May - added Old Grey Whistle Test clip March 11th 1975 18 May - added info about 3-4 December '79 Daily Mail feature on Julian and Zak, added all the info I could find on any visits in John Green's Dakota Days and multiple notes on to those mentions. 20 May - added Cyn's quote for 28 May 1972. 23 June - added the Tittenhurst floorplan and the link to an extended quote from Julian about being there in German 8 July - added quote from 5 Dec 1980 to Jonathan Cott 20 July - added Julia Baird audio on trying to see Julian for John 1975 22 July - added info on a possible 1980 visit, 1973 interviews, 1976 info, 1980's quote 30 July - Spin interview '75 added, Cynthia quote from Burton Daily Mail '76 added 1 August - added bits from Julian's 1982 article throughout, transcribed some of the jpg quotes, so that I may add more photos, some photos added 4 August - correction in my comments about the likelihood of Dan Richter's children being with them in 1979 19 August - Box of Smile 8 October - Added some postcards, the guitars, reset some photographs because of the picture limit 12 November - Added the video clip from May Pang's doc

[dazz-linglight]

Exo having long distance relationship

(OT9 EXO) / I wrote a piece for Chen because this is for entertainment only, it won't interfere into his real life and marriage.

Suho

Suho, approaches the long-distance relationship with responsibility and care. He makes the effort to maintain constant communication, scheduling video calls and exchanging messages throughout the day. Despite the distance, he dedicates himself to planned visits whenever possible with his agenda. Suho also uses his creativity to surprise you, sending handwritten letters and gifts to your house. He believes that trust is key, so he always makes sure to be transparent about his routine and feelings. Even on difficult days, Suho maintains a positive attitude, encouraging you to follow your dreams, showing that distance is not an obstacle, but an opportunity to grow individually.

Lay

Lay is emotional and expressive, and long distance makes him feel even more. He uses music as a way to connect, composing songs to express his feelings for you. He has voice recordings, sharing melodies that he created with you in mind. For him, every call is a chance to strengthen the bond, and he always tries to include special moments, such as virtual dinners. He is very sensitive to your emotions and takes the time to understand how you feel by asking open-ended questions and listening carefully.

Xiumin

Xiumin is practical and organized, which helps him deal with the distance. He created a calendar to make sure they connect regularly, setting fixed times for calls. For him, routine is important, as it brings comfort in the midst of longing. He also likes to make little surprises, such as sending typical food from the city he is in or products that he knows you love. He makes effort to make you feel loved and valued, even from afar, by sending motivational messages and making plans for the future. Xiumin’s easy-going demeanor helps him stay calm during difficult times.

Baekhyun

Baekhyun is spontaneous and fun, and his approach to long-distance relationships is full of humor. He loves making funny videos to send to you, always trying to make you smile. The calls are filled with laughter, and he strives to create memories even from a distance. Baekhyun often uses social media to share moments from his daily life, including you as a part of his life. He dedicates himself to planning unexpected visits, to show up in your door and making each reunion special. Despite the lightheartedness, he is also honest about his emotions, ensuring that both of you share their fears and insecurities.

Chanyeol

Chanyeol, with his optimistic and creative spirit, approaches the distance with enthusiasm. He uses his passion for photography and videos to document his days, sending you glimpses into his life. Chanyeol tries to make each message a fun experience, using funny filters and effects. He organizes virtual game nights, where you can compete and have fun together, even when apart. Chanyeol is also very kind, always asking how you're coping with the distance, he is a great supporter and never lets you feel lonely.

Chen

Chen is the romantic one of the group, and the distance makes him express his feelings even more. He sends songs that he composes or that have a special meaning for them, using art as a way of connecting to you. Chen dedicates time to writing composed letters, full of emotions and promises. He makes a point of remembering important facts and always planning celebrations. Conversations with Chen are deep and meaningful, allowing both of you to share fears and hopes. He believes that each challenge brings a new opportunity to strengthen the relationship and never fails to express his love, even from afar.

Kyungsoo

Kyungsoo is practical and introspective, and the distance brings out his more reflective side. He prefers calmer and deeper conversations, focusing on the quality of communication. For him, the most important thing is sincerity, so he doesn't hesitate to share his concerns about the relationship with you. Kyungsoo creates small rituals, such as reading the same book at the same time, to feel like you are together, even if virtually. He is also quite attentive, always making a point of asking about your day and offering emotional support. Distance, for Kyungsoo, is a test that he believes you will overcome together.

Kai

Kai is intense and passionate, and his approach to the long-distance relationship reflects this. He often expresses his feelings visually, sending artistic photos of his routine and videos of dances that he has done. Kai loves surprises, so whenever he can, he sends gifts that capture special moments. He is quite a romantic, often writing poems dedicated to you. Even when missing you is difficult, Kai tries to keep the relationship light, making jokes and creating fun moments during calls.

Sehun

Sehun, with his easygoing personality, tries not to let the distance weight him down. He uses humor and sarcasm in his conversations, making calls light and fun. Sehun likes to catch you off guard you with unexpected messages and memes, creating a relaxed atmosphere. He makes an effort to show that he is always present, even if it is virtually, by participating in online activities together, such as binge-watching series. Sehun is also quite protective, always asking how you're dealing with the longing. Despite the jokes, he is honest about his feelings and is committed to making the relationship work.

[nenelonomh]

how to create routines (and the benefit of good routines)

let's start with this: what is a routine?

a routine is a set of behaviors that are regularly followed, without much thought or planning. it is a habitual way of doing things that becomes ingrained over time. routines are less structured and more adaptable since they focus on the order in which tasks are done, rather than the specific timing.

routines are consistently mistaken to be the same thing as a schedule, except a schedule is a planned outline of tasks/events that are completed at specific times. essentially, routines focus on establishing consistency and habit whereas schedules are about precise time management and task prioritisation. both have their purposes and benefits--routines are typically better for an effective wake-up or bedtime.

here's some steps to help create better routines:

set clear goals define what you would like to achieve with your routine. maximising productivity? improving health? learning more?

start small begin with small, manageable habits that you can consistently perform and add to these over time.

focus on consistency try to perform your routine at the same time every day and establish it as a habit.

plan for obstacles just because routines require significantly less planning than schedules does not mean that all planning is ignored. think about what may derail your routine and plan ways to overcome these challenges.

track your progress tracking your progress can provide accountability and motivation. for me, once a month i sit down and write my current routine (morning; night) and compare it to my desired routine (morning; night). then i try to close the gaps. other ways to track your progress include keeping a journal or tracking in an app.

be flexible life is unpredictable. be prepared to adjust your routine as needed while staying focused on your goals.

reward yourself celebrate your successes, no matter if they seem small. this is essential as it helps to maintain motivation, and cement your identity as someone who values their routine.

but joanne, what are some good habits to start with?

don't worry! i got you.

☆ wake up early. this helps prevent stressors of time, and gives you the ability to add more things to your morning routine.

☆ exercise. i will forever preach exercise. a quick session can boost your metabolism, focus and mood.

☆ positive affirmations positive affirmations boost your mindset and confidence and will help so much in the long run.

☆ make your bed in the morning so many people don't make their bed in the morning, and i seriously don't understand why. it makes you feel more put together and is a small task that accomplishing can set you up for a day of wins (compounding).

☆ healthy eating opt for nutritious, healthy meals over quick and easy foods that lack to improve daily performance and focus. if you're looking to be more healthy through routine, this is huge change to make-- even if you just start with one homemade meal a day.

☆ spend some time in the sunlight spending time outside (and in the sun, if the weather allows) is a massive mood booster and will improve your entire day. lots of us need the break from screens, so having a mindful sit or walk outside is the perfect habit (morning, throughout the day or in the afternoon).

further reading:

firstly, atomic habits by james clear is THE BEST habit book out there. it provides a step by step on how to create new, good habits and maintain them and also instruction on how to stop bad habits.

the seven habits of highly effective people, by stephen r. covey is another AMAZING nonfiction work that focuses on changing your mindset and views to change your habits.

here's a website link with more of the best books about building habits and structures: click here

i hope today's post is helpful,, if you know any more resources, let me know so that i can create a giant post of self-education on routines, habits and structures.

(images are from pinterest)

[syoish-aot]

HOLY SHIT IT'S DONE!!

I was having some intense posting paralysis all morning (I think I reread the last scene like 15x just to make sure it was worded exactly right).

*he terrifying fear when you write something you really love and you're scared no one else will like it as much as you do*

ANYWAY -

Thank you so much to everyone that's been regularly reading slash commenting on I Found You! It was my first time posting fic to tumblr and I had a lot of fun doing it!

I always have SO MANY ideas for fics, but I get overwhelmed by the idea of seriously perusing them. A lot of this comes from the fear that no one will read them and I'll have spent all of my time writing for absolutely nothing. BUT I've been trying to humble myself lately and recognize the joy in the writing process itself and the satisfaction of getting my ideas fully fleshed out on paper aka google docs regardless of the attention they get.

Despite that, anyone who writes fic understands how shitty it feels when you work for DAYS on something and get crickets in the comments. It sucks. And that's sort of how I've been feeling with my fics on Ao3 lately- which kicks my motivation right in the ass.

In writing I Found You, I think I got some of that motivation back. Not JUST because I was getting regular commenters (again, thank you so much) but also because I was able to slip fully into my self indulgence and finally write out one of the verses that's been existing in my mind palace for MONTHS!

So, all of this rambling is to say this -

I really liked sharing this story with you guys on tumblr, and I'm for sure going to be doing more of this style in the future.

I'll be posting I Found You to Ao3 as well, but I want to edit it a bit (and possibly add a few more scenes) before doing that.

Basically the version I posted here is more of a rough draft, and then the final version will be the one on Ao3.

If you like my writing, consider checking out my Reader/Eren long fic "Ten Seconds" (100k, complete on Ao3) or the post-canon Jean/OC fic I'm working on "The Letters She Wrote"

If you read all of this, then here's your reward - a sneak peak at the VERY LONG isekai/time travel fic that I'm going to be working on next...

Chapter 1 - "You, 2000 years in the future"

Shiganshina High - 2024

You’d taken Ancient History as an elective to fill your schedule because no other class fit in the period. 

Also to piss off your dad about not taking AP calculus.

(But mostly it was the schedule thing.)

It wasn’t that you disliked Ancient History, you just found it painfully boring and mind numbing. It was the class right after lunch and every assignment was another boring paper that sounded the exact same over and over and over again.

(Although it did leave you wondering how many times you could start a paper with “the oxford dictionary defines discovery as…” before Mr. Arlert, the ancient old man who taught the class, caught on.)

Thankfully, you didn’t have to put too much effort into the class to get a good grade and because of that the class was an easy A that you could use to maintain your honor roll. Mr. Arlert was retiring at the end of the year, so he was pretty much entirely checked out. You had a feeling he didn’t actually read any of your papers and gave your grades out based on how well he assumed you did the assignment. Which, again, meant you got an A on every one. So Mr. Arlert had a habit of putting on documentaries instead of actually teaching anything. 

And you weren’t about to complain about that.

Armin was sitting next to you furiously taking notes on the documentary that Mr. Arlert, his grandpa and teacher, had put on. You understood his struggle to impress his grandpa in the class he taught on a personal level. You used to be like that when it came to math, but now you normally felt yourself doing the opposite. “The opposite”, meaning:

Not taking AP calculus.

Writing the wrong answer on a quiz, even after doing the work to prove the correct one.

Asking pointless questions in class just to see him get that constipated I-can’t-treat-you-like-my-daughter-right-now-because-you’re-my-student-but-god-do-I-wish-I-could-ground-you look.

You smiled at the memory, feeling quite pleased with yourself, until the monotone voice of the documentary playing at the front of the class pulled  you back into the present:

“The ancient people of Paradis elected large walls, presumably to protect themselves from invaders during this time.” You looked back at the projector. There was a poorly done animation of what historians suspect the three large walls may have looked like, back when they still stood almost 2000 years ago. 

The documentary, just like every documentary Mr. Arlert put on, seemed pretty pointless to show to a class of eleventh graders who were already very aware of the mysterious history of Paradis. 

You’d all grown up here and had been taught about this stuff since grade school. Paradis was a major hub for ancient history. There were dozens of museums throughout the island, all holding different ancient artifacts and pieces of your country’s history. Pieces that’s functions had been lost to time, leaving archeologists only able to guess the true history of your people and what these items were for.

“...purpose of them is still unknown, some archaeologists theorize they were used for early agriculture, although others argue they may have been used for religious reasons…”

On the screen was one of the most mysterious relics of ancient Paradis. Two metal cylinders, attached to some sort of strap. Normally, they were found with a large box of metal that was meant to hold something, along with canisters of unknown contents. The were rare, but a few dozen of them had been uncovered in the last hundred years and have only continued to add to the mystery of ancient Paradis. 

Of course, you were curious what their origins may be too, but not curious enough to look into it further than this class and the occasional trip you make to the Paradis Museum. 

“...these large man-eating monsters were an important part of Paradis folklore, some argue they were likely worshiped as go-”

The bell rang, finally saving you from your mind numbing documentary focused torture.

“Ah!” Mr. Arlert jerked awake at his desk. “Yes, well- I hope you all learned something important today!” He quickly said as he stood. “Don’t forget, your final papers are due on Monday morning. Despite it, I hope you’re able to enjoy your weekend!”

You hoped so too.

God, did you hope so...

[emperorsfoot]

IMPORTANT LORE!

Smallville is a dry town

I lived in a dry county for 3 months and let me tell you: it is a DIFFERENT America from the rest of America.

(I’m posting from my phone and at work, but I am going to come back to this and talk more about my experience living in a dry county)

EDIT:

Okay, let me tell you about my time living in a dry county.

A dry town or a dry county is a town or county that has banned the sale of alcohol. This doesn't mean that no alcohol is allowed in the town, it just means that it cannot be legally sold or bought within the town. A dry town is a town that still has prohibition laws.

Prohibition was repealed on a federal level in 1933, however, counties or individual towns can still keep and enforce prohibition on a local level. These laws aren't consistent between all places that maintain prohibition.

For example, the county I lived in the law was that no business could sell alcohol within 500 feet of a church or school.

The county didn't have many schools, but ya know what it did have a lot of? Churches. Lots of them. On every block.

The law can say no sale within 500 feet from a church, but when there's a church ever 100 feet, that basically means, no sales of alcohol at all.

So, what happens?

Several things actually.

Alcohol is now forbidden fruit, that makes it dangerous and exciting and anyone teenager who can boast that they have drunk alcohol, or regularly drink alcohol becomes a school legend. Instead of protecting children from the "evils" of alcohol, it just motivates them to seek and consume it more. In the three months I lived there, most of the car accidents I learned of were from teenagers driving drunk. Usually I learned of these accidents in the context of a scandalized adult gossiping about it at the general store-gas station-restaurant (it was all one building, I lived in a very small town).

The county's law was very specifically about the sale of alcohol, it said nothing about driving across the county line and buying alcohol to bring back with you. But driving to another county could be a trek if you weren't already living near the county line. In this way, beer became an informal currency. I hired a guy to paint my porch and literally paid him in a six-pack of Coors. This man did what in any rational place, would have been $150-$200 worth of labor for one six-pack of cheap beer.

(There were also bootleggers and drug addicts, but I didn't live there long enough to meet them.)

Anyway, Smallville is a dry town, it cannot be as wholesome and clean as most Superman adaptations make it out to be. Clark must personally know at least 5 classmates who died in a drunk driving accident. If Ma and Pa let him have a small after-school job ever, Clark must have been offered beer as payment at least once.

[mykpopwire]

exclusive interview: MY K-POP WIRE x BLITZERS

BLITZERS returned with a brand new album [LUNCH-BOX] on June 19th.

BLITZERS members share more about their music, daily life, appearance on Britain's Got Talent, and more while answering the questions from BLEE.

✨From CHRIS✨

[@blitzersGAY] Has any specific song inspired you lately?

"Love" by Keyshia Cole. The song is really good. It's a great song to listen to when you're excited!

[@blitzersfiIes] How do you manage your energy and stamina during tours?

I make sure to eat well and exercise regularly to maintain my energy and stamina!

[@e_e__am] Do you have any favourite lyrics in any one of the new songs?

From our latest song “SUPERPOWER,” my favourite lyrics is the one that says, “There’s power in small things (작은 것들에 힘이 있어)”!

[@itzyblitz] Is there a music genre you haven’t tried yet that you really want to?

I usually like and enjoy listening to hip-hop, so I'd like to try hip-hop if possible! Or I'd like to try EDM too!

[@starblitzers] What was the experience of performing on Britain’s Got Talent like?

I was worried at first, but I was confident, so I practiced hard and had a lot of fun on the show!

[@jjongpie] If you could relive any concert you have done, which one would you relive?

I remember all our concerts, but I want to go to America where my parents are and have another concert!

[@prettyboysya] Which member sleeps in the funniest position?

I think it’s WOOJU! We’re roommates, so I sometimes see him sleeping, and he does Muay Thai in his sleep!

✨From JINHWA✨

[@blitzersGAY] What’s your favourite thing about this new album?

Among all the things from this album, I like the outfit for BOX's version the most!

[@e_e__am] What would you put into your lunchbox?

I want to put LA galbi!

[@blitzersfiIes] How do you feel when BLEE tell you how much you’ve inspired and helped them?

I don't know how to express it, but the fact that our fans say they were influenced by us is the whole reason why I continue promoting as BLITZERS.

[@marcusina_] How do you deal with negative comments and how do you motivate yourself to keep getting better?

I think that if you ignore the nuances of the things that you’re criticized for no reason and just focus on the helpful content, negative comments are also good feedbacks.

[@chiwoodle] How would you rate your experience on Britain’s Got Talent?

It was an experience that gave me a sense of accomplishment in challenges.

[@hoonyversee] What would you like to achieve by 2024 as BLITZERS?

I want to go on concert tours at various places!

[@Lunarsolar_cute] A concert on the moon or a concert at the bottom of the ocean?

Concert on the moon! I think it’d be less difficult to perform on the moon, haha.

✨From JUHAN✨

[@jjongpie] Is there anywhere in the world where you dream of performing a concert in?

I love every stage because they are all precious, but I personally dream of performing at the Super Bowl! I watched The Weeknd, an artist I respect, perform there, and it was so cool.

[@tannietooz] What song do you never get tired of performing?

Among our songs, the most exciting one, “Macarena”!

[@thicccamisul] What has been your happiest moment as an idol?

Performing with fans is what makes me happy.

[@Manar669] How do you prepare mentally and physically for a comeback?

As for this album, since it has been quite a long time since we met our fans, we tried to communicate a lot, and we workout to have strength to show those who are watching our performance.

[@Bleeverse_] What is the hardest choreography out of all your songs?

I think “BOBBIN (끄덕끄덕끄덕)” is a really hard song to do both sing and performance together.

[@withyunsik] What would it be like for you to be the maknae for a day?

If I were to become the maknae, I’d like to speak informally to the older members and pretend I didn’t.

[@vishythefishy_] If you were a piece of furniture, what would you be and why?

Umm.. I'll be the curtain! Feel free to use me whenever needed.

✨From SYA✨

[@jinbeomiee] What was your favourite part of the production of the songs?

I especially liked the lyric “Life is beautiful (인생은 아름다워)” in SUPERPOWER.

[@minhlvrs] What inspires you to be an idol?

I think being able to keep releasing albums and have the opportunities to meet with our fans are what motivates me.

[@SeptemberP1H] Are there any projects outside of music that you would like to try in the future?

I haven't thought of any other paths or projects other than music yet!

[@glamhoon] How would you like your music to influence your fans?

I hope that the messages we want to convey through each of our music are well conveyed to the fans as well.

[@sya_mpoo] If you could meet your younger self what is one thing you really want to tell them?

I want to tell me, "Don't doubt yourself, trust yourself and move forward."

[@blitzersfiIes] What’s the most important message you want to convey through your music and career?

I want to continue to deliver positive energy and various messages to our fans.

[@tannietooz] If BLEE was an emoji, what emoji would we be and why?

‘🥳’. Because just the presence of BLEE makes me feel motivated and happy!

✨From LUTAN✨

[@ana_guerrero10] What is your favourite moment when it comes to recording music videos?

This wasn't included in this music video, so it came out in our behind-the-scenes video. The most fun moment was when we went back to our childhood and played with water guns.

[@Lunarsolar_cute] If you could swap positions with one member, who would it be and why?

I'd like to swap position with JUHAN. I'm currently in the maknae line, but I'd like to be looked up to as the oldest member of the hyung line.

[@ilovyoumin] How has becoming an idol changed your life?

First of all, I think I started my social life earlier than my normal peers, so my sense of responsibility grew and matured faster. And since I’m doing what I like as a job, I often have fun and happy times.

[@starblitzers] What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you talk about BLEE?

The first thing that comes to mind is my gratitude.

[@irt497] What personal achievement are you most proud of?

When I was in high school, I became interested in physics and focused only on that subject even though I knew nothing about it, and I’m still proud of the fact that I got good grades.

[@joongswifee] What’s a song you could listen to all day and not get tired of?

BLITZERS’ SUPERPOWER?!

[@daidaiskee] If you could have an exotic animal as a pet, which one would you choose?

I’ll pick monkey!

✨From WOOJU✨

[@blitzersfiIes] What’s an iconic moment in your career that you’ll never forget?

Doing shows with BLEE.

[@LvLyACE] What song do you think represent BLITZERS the best?

Our comeback song, “SUPERPOWER.” It's because we're brimming with exciting energy after “Macarena.”

[@Bleeverse_] If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I’ll choose meat! I think I can eat meat without getting tired of it.

[@blitzersfiIes] How do you feel when BLEE tell you how much you’ve inspired and helped them?

I want to express how thankful I am because I feel BLEE is the reason I’m here.

[@starblitzers] What do you usually do on a stressful day?

Going out for a walk helps me to organize my thoughts and relieve stress.

[@tannietooz] What’s a concept you’ve never tried but would like to?

Honestly! I'm still thinking about it.

[@saythenaim_17] Which of you fights more often, and who wins?

There is no win or lose. We fight because we just want to play around with each other!

Watch BLITZERS 'SUPERPOWER' MV here!

*photo courtesy of WUZO ENTERTAINMENT

Don’t forget to like, follow and subscribe to MY K-POP WIRE for more K-Pop interview, debut, comeback and event updates!

X (Twitter): mykpopwire

Instagram: mykpopwire

TikTok: mykpopwire

Facebook: MY K-POP WIRE

YouTube: MY K-POP WIRE

Connect with BLITZERS!

X (Twitter): @WUZO_BLITZERS

Instagram: official_blitzers

Youtube: BLITZERS OFFICIAL 

TikTok: blitzers_official

[monkeythefander]

Prinxiety Week 2024 Headcannons❤️💜

It’s Prinxiety Week 2024 here on Tumblr so I wanted to participate by making some headcannons based on the prompts. The headcannon for day 3 ended up being very long and could probably be turned into a full story one day if I ever get the motivation and inspiration to do so. @prinxietyweek

The prompts I chose to write for were the following:

Day 1: Sun/Moon / Style Swap

Day 2: Powers / Garden

Day 3: Royalty AU / Vampire AU

Day 4: Fairytales / Daydream

Day 5: Pillows / Medieval

Day 6: Dates / Bandaid

Day 7: Music / Breathe

Extra prompts: Bunnies

Content warning(s): Mention of blood, mentions of drinking blood from an animal and then from humans (because it’s a vampire au), mention of a small injury(but it’s easily treated), mention of stress. I think that’s it, but let me know if I missed anything else.

Click below the cut to read the headcannons

——————————————————————

- Roman and Virgil decide to give each other style swap makeovers. Roman has Virgil wear a red suit that you’d probably imagine royalty would wear. Meanwhile Virgil has Roman wear a black t-shirt and a dark purple skirt with a silver chain belt on it. The creative side is surprised by the skirt since he doesn’t see the emo wear skirts often and asks why he hasn’t seen this skirt before. Virgil says he didn’t have the skirt until now, and that he got it just for this occasion because he knew Roman likes to wear skirts. The emo also shyly admits that he also thought the skirt would look cute on his princely boyfriend. Roman smiles, stand on his tiptoes and kisses Virgil on the forehead, flattered by his boyfriend’s compliment.

- Roman uses his creative powers to maintain a garden in the imagination. It’s full of flowers and all other kinds of plants. He made sure the garden had a large tree in it so Virgil would be able to sit under it and enjoy the shade whenever he visited the imagination in search of quiet time.

- Royalty & Vampire AU: Roman is a prince. He often sneaks out of his room at night to walk around the castle gardens unattended, wanting a break from the surveillance of his guards. As he’s walking around one night he hears some noise coming from behind a bush. The prince slowly approaches and looks behind the bush to see a man dressed in black holding a bunny in his hands, and drinking blood from its neck. The prince steps back in shock and rustles the bush enough for the man to look up and drop the bunny gently into his lap, and the bunny slowly starts to hop away. The man looks quickly tries to explain himself to Roman, and the prince finds out the man is a vampire and his name is Virgil. Virgil says how when he needs food he’ll find an animal or two and take as much blood as he can that won’t seriously harm the creature(s). The blood isn’t the most filling, but considering he’s not willing to risk hurting a human he has to settle for animal blood. While Roman was scared at first of the vampire, hearing his story and how he did his best to get the food he needed without causing serious harm calmed the prince down. Roman knew the royal doctor worked with the town doctor to collect lots of blood during blood drives, so the prince decides that he can help Virgil. He tells the vampire to meet him here in the garden tomorrow night for a gift. The vampire is nervous, not sure if he can trust the prince yet, but agrees. The next night, Roman offers Virgil some bags of blood he took from the medical wing when the doctor wasn’t around. The vampire gratefully takes the bags and the two end up talking more and start getting to know and trust each other. They meet regularly, become friends, and eventually end up falling in love.

- Roman and Virgil usually like to read fairytales together at night before going to sleep. Both men find the stories relaxing. Other nights, they’ll end up having pillow fights with each other until they’re tired and go to sleep then.

- One date Roman took Virgil on in the imagination was to a roller skating rink. The prince knew Virgil had a skateboard so he figured roller skating would be fun for the emo as well, and this assumption was right. Virgil was a very skilled skater and rolled across the rink with ease. Roman on the other hand, wasn’t as skilled and embarrassingly fell quiet a few times. He also scraped his knee after a fall at one point, but Virgil quickly came to Roman’s rescue and placed a bandaid on the prince’s knee, then kissed Roman’s forehead to make him feel better. This show of affection did cheer Roman up and the two continued trying to roller skate for a bit.

- Roman made a Spotify playlist for Virgil to listen to whenever he needs songs to relax and breathe to after moments of high stress. Virgil in return made a Spotify playlist of motivational/inspirational songs for Roman to listen to whenever he’s struggling to create things for Thomas.———————————————————

End Notes: Thanks for reading! As always, if you liked any of these headcannons and want to make fanart or fanfiction based on them, you can do so as long as you ask me first, and then credit/tag me in the post so I can see it.

-Monkey💜

AO3 Link to headcannons: https://archiveofourown.org/works/56818372

[loving-n0t-heyting]

would be curious to hear more about ur near-expulsion, if you're happy to share! no worries if not

I would never pass up an opportunity to indulge some self pity about my youth!

The long and short of it is tgat i was quite seriously mentally ill in hs—not ever psychotic, which is how a lot of ppl tend to read that, but very emotionally disturbed—and my school was veeeeeery bad at handling this.

Starting end of freshman year i was in a very emotionally abusive relationship, i could give and have in the past given more lurid details but at this point it feels kind of ridiculous to hold that extensive of a grudge against another pretty differently mentally ill 15yo. It came to an end start of junior year, where i told her i was self harming and asked her to tell the counselors about this. She agreed, and their response upon hearing about the relationship was to tell both of us, "Holy shit, you have to break up"

The breakup was a lot harder on me than it was on her, in large part bc i had very little of any remaining friend circle among the other students (see: emotional abuse) and my teachers that semester were for whatever reason less able to talk to me outside of class (i generally preferred adults to fellow kids whenever possible). This led to a situation where i was breaking down fairly dramatically now and then in school, which did not make the school administration very happy

They prolly would have expelled me immediately, had it not been for the fact i was by the numbers an especially promising student. You can read this in a sort of meritocratic way, that i was being rewarded for my intelligence and hard work. But i think the deeper explanation was more crass: as a private religious school with a strong reputation and high overhead, they relied heavily on alumni support to maintain themselves and thought i would be a future cash cow, and so were eager not to lose my future munificence (jokes on them lol). So instead of expelling me they... forcibly isolated me for the rest of the semester, msking me study from home away from all contact with other students. This was (surprise!) terrible for both my academic motivation and my wider mental health

Part of my overall deterioration was that i started posting a ton of mildly insane religious and rightwing shit in long essays on facebook. The importance of sexual repression was one major theme, but also stuff about the metaphysics of angels and Society, the need for a theocratic upheaval of existing democratic institutions, etc. (Also there was one about how the school shouldnt ban the proposed gsa? Which seemed very natural to me but prolly struck others as weird.) This contributed to two deleterious interactions with my school administration. First was a couplr of crazy letters i sent to the administration denouncing insufficient rigour in the theology curriculum and proposed changes in class scheduling to be implemented my senior year. Second was my tattling on a shithead the year above me who started responding to my bizarre essays with screeds about how i was the moral equivalent of a meth dealer, which was technically a violation of school rules leading to mild official rebuke. The school was not at all happy about the first one, and the second would eventually bite me once i returned

Oh, i almost forgot: part of the conditions on returning to school were that a shrink diagnose smth wrong with me thst medication could fix, said shrinks protestations that he couldnt find anything strsightforwardly treatable thru pills not withstanding. Thus began my almost decade long history of coercive administration of psychiatric medications, first fluoxetine and then (after that gave me scrupulosity spirals so severe and immobilising my parents had to call a priest to our home just to hear the worlds most banal confession) mirtazapine, which would regularly induce sleep too powerful to let me wake in time for school and caused me to launch into incoherent delirious fits if my parents tried to wake me for it. (This was not when i was introduced to antipsychotics, which began instead 2yrs later in college after a failed hanging.) So that was fun

I made it back go school the following semester, where i was unsurprisingly just as isolated and emotionally unwell given my lack of any social support and enforced separation from the only person among the students i had previouslybeen close with (my shitty ex). I was incredibly bored and unmotivated, and for the first time in my life started to get failing grades after i continually blew off homework and study

Then, one day, i happened upon a means of relieving my boredom. Sitting in the college admissions lounge i found the guy whod been an ass to me on fb hanging out with his gf, and approached him to start demanding an apology. Obviously he got pretty pissed and refused, so for the time being i left him. But from then on, any time i saw him in the halls vel sim, i would approach him to again request an apology, less out of any expectation he would experience a change of heart than bc it at least gave me smth to do

This reached its summit after a couple of months when, the day of parent teacher conferences, i was sitting in a nearby public library and saw him walking down the street with his gf. Ofc, i followed him and again started pestering him for an apology, to which he this time replied with threats of physical violence. This was apparently quickly reported to the administration as stalking, and my parents were informed of it later that afternoon. They were, unsurprisingly, pretty upset, but let me know later that the school (iiuc) had not yet decided to expel me, but had instead retained the services of a psychologist to determine whether i was suffice sane to be held responsible for my actions enough to expel me. This was the point at which i pulled the "You cant fire me!" with my parents help

It didnt turn out so bad in the end. I was able to start college early at a peculiar but much beloved liberal arts college in my city, where i had a very rewarding undergraduate education leading to a promising graduate school career for 5yrs before similar psychological deterioration (with a much more understanding set of teachers/administrators) forced me to temporarily withdraw, leading to my past 5yrs of faildaughter idleness

Eta: im prolly inordinately self critical about my theologico political juvenilia. It bears the unmistakable quality of in fact being juvenilia but so does, idk, the treatise of human nature. I havent looked at it in ages, i cannot speak much to its merits anymore, but like, if it werent for that stuff i prolly wouldnt have gotten as intellectually far as i did. Even if im still short of where i want to be

[risunsky]

I am sorry for bothering you, but if you don't mind, can you tell the tips for the very very begginers. I really want to start learning how to draw, but it is overwhelming and I don't no where to start and feel a little at loss

ha! One of these days I'm going to have to write something detailed and well-constructed to be able to answer these questions properly. ^^"

In any case, you're not bothering me at all and I'll try to give you a clear answer, but I apologise in advance if it's too long or if my English isn't good at times. In short version I would just quote Lorenzo from How to think when you draw : source

My long version:

It's hard because everyone functions differently, but I'd say that first of all you need to define a goal or a project that will be your driving force so that you don't lose your motivation. It could be a personal comics project or doing fan art, it doesn't matter as long as you're enthusiastic about it. If you have to choose between academic seriousness and fun, choose fun, because fun make you practice and practice make you progress anyway so you'll be less likely to get discouraged.

It's important to practice as regularly as possible, because your ability to draw is like a muscle that you need to maintain. If you don't practice enough, your progress will be slow, and if you don't practice for too long, you'll lose what you've learnt.

Having said that, learning fast is not an obligation - it depends on your goal.

For the technical aspects that you still need to learn between two sessions of fun, the order that seems logical to me is :

shape and volume || light and shade

anatomy

colour theory

perspective

composition

That's assuming you start by doing just characters before getting into complex backgrounds. And bearing in mind that certain parts are connected together and can be learned simultaneously. For example, I've put perspective towards the end, assuming that you come to the backgrounds last, but it's useful for drawing characters too.

To make each of these parts easier, they need to be broken down into stages.

Shape and volume || Light and shade :

Shape and volume :

Basically, it's useful for everything else. understanding shapes allows you to decompose complex subjects so that you can reproduce them more easily. Absolutely everything around you and everything you want to draw can be decomposed in this way. It will then help you to know how to apply light and shade. A good article here. Light and shade : not knowing how to sum it up in a few words, I found some useful links :

[link] [link] [link] these three articles talk about the same thing, but maybe if you look at what else their authors have in stock you'll find something different or explained in a way that suits you better.

Anatomy :

Once you know how to build a human being with tubes and rectangles, you can go into more detail about anatomy. You can start with the head alone, practising drawing it from all angles, with different characteristics, different expressions etc, then arms, then torso, etc and then gradually moving on to the whole human body. Study the skeleton and musculature, it sounds annoying but it really changes everything. Even if it's possible to know how to position a character correctly without it, the result will inevitably be better with it and it'll make your task easier and drawing skeletons is great fun! This doesn't mean that you have to learn every single piece by heart, just that you know enough to be able to place the bumps and hollows in the right places. a good article for beginners, giving the balance needed to avoid being overwhelmed by the study of anatomy. I suggest as an exercise : with the help of references and tutorials, draw a character 4 times in an identical posture, except that first you only do the skeleton, then the musculature, then a normal nude, and finally with clothes to familiarise yourself with the behaviour of the fabrics. (The folds and drapes are, I think, a sub-chapter of the anatomy part because clothes.) about folds and drapery [link] [link]

Colour theory :

Basically, it's what colour you get when you mix these two together, or which colour is best for shadowing this other one, or to produce a certain mood over the whole illustration, I have to limit my palette to these colours and so on. Again, I can't summarise this easily but it's a big important part. Just type colour theory in google or pinterest and you'll find so many good tutorials. Note: again I think that, colour and light / shade are connected and should be learned simultaneously.

[link] [link]

Perspective :

For this part it's easy to broke it in steps. Start by practising with a single vanishing point to understand the principle, then two points, then three, then the fish-eye effect. I forced myself to do the spiral staircase exercise with the perspective, it was terrible but once you've done it and understood what you've done then you're good. Better, you can test your understanding of perspective by having fun reproducing Escher's impossible constructions. I love his work. 1 point [link][link] 2 points [link][link] 3 points [link][link] [Escher]

Composition :

It's one of the last things I learnt and I can really guarantee that there was a before and an after to it. Composition is one of the fundamental that will make you say: I'm an illustrator, in the sense that I know how to tell a story, evoke a feeling with a single drawing. [link] [link] [link] [link]

To come back to more general things, accept that it can take time, it's OK if it's not great at first, we've all been there. Don't put pressure on yourself and don't make yourself feel guilty by comparing yourself to others. Be curious too, look for new challenges, and always do it for fun. Finding a community in which you can make artist friends with whom you can share projects can also be great, because you feed off each other and that helps to keep you motivated. Don't be afraid of failure, failure is good, failure is your friend. Because once you've identified the reason why you think your drawing is a failure or not good enough, you'll remember to pay attention the next time or it'll motivate you to do more training on that point. Knowing things is good, but turning them into reflexes is better.

Here it is, I hope it helps, most of the resources I learnt with were in French so I quickly tried to find the English equivalent, I checked them quickly, but I think it's ok. And, the links I've found are just entry points, in some cases you'll need to find other resources, like anatomy for example, but just type anatomy tuto on pinterest and see what seems easiest for you to start with. aaand this is the end, I think.