#but their image was really really good in 2016

[tariah23]

Ohhh…

[creature-once-removed]

.

[turoce]

it's so much fun writing an Interloper AU for my fandragon tee hee

[dedalvs]

hey friend, i know you’ve been a pretty serious supporter and user of duolingo for a long time (so have i!), so i’m curious what your feeling is about the announcement that they’re going to be doubling down on using more and more AI for content creation, including using it to avoid having to hire actual humans?

personally, i’m really disappointed - i’ve disliked how much they’ve been using it so far, but the app is otherwise a great tool, and all of the other apps seem to use it, too, so it’s not easy to just jump ship to an app that isn’t using AI. i’ve seen a lot of responses that are like “hurr hurr just use a textbook idiot” which i find really unhelpful; learning from an app is easier and a lot more convenient in a lot of ways than having to use analog materials, especially if you study a high number of languages. still, i don’t ethically feel that i can keep giving them money if this is the direction they’re going.

what are your thoughts?

This is going to be a longer answer than you might have expected.

In 2001, fellow undergrad. Reiko Kataoka (now a professor at San Jose State) resurrected a club that had been dead for a few years at UC Berkeley linguistics: The Society of Linguistics Undergraduates (SLUG). One of its former undergraduate members, Alan Yu (now a professor at the University of Chicago), happened to be a graduate student at Berkeley at the time, so he helped her get it off the ground. The club was exactly what I was looking for at that time: a group for ling. undergrads. to get together and talk about language and linguistics, my new favorite thing. It was great! I even put together a couple phonology problems using my conlangs to distribute at a meeting. The following year I became the second president of the new SLUG and helped to create the SLUG Undergraduate Linguistics Symposium, where I gave my first talk on language creation. Being a part of this club was a major factor in shaping my undergraduate experience at Berkeley.

When I graduated I went to UC San Diego to pursue a graduate degree in linguistics. Part of the reason I chose UCSD was because it was an incredibly inviting atmosphere. Before we accepted they paid for prospective undergraduates down to San Diego and housed them with current grad. students who told them about the program and took them out for dinner, etc. It allowed prospective students to ask questions they wouldn't ask of professors (e.g. who's got beef with who). It was really cool, and so in our second year, we continued the tradition of housing prospective grad. students. Since we both went to Berkeley, my ex-wife (also a Berkeley ling. grad.) and I hosted Klinton Bicknell.

Klinton, it turns out, was the current president of SLUG. I didn't know him while I was at Cal, but we did overlap. It turns out he had renamed the club SLUGS, which I thought was weird. He said "It happened organically" and laughed in an off-putting way. He very much gave off the impression of someone who will smile at you and say whatever is necessary for you to go away. Klinton ended up going to UCSD the following year and I ended up leaving the following year.

Fast forward to 2016. HBO had put the kibosh on Living Language Valyrian, and so I turned to Duolingo. They had previously reached out about putting together a Dothraki course, but I declined, due to having a book out, Living Language Dothraki. With no hope for Valyrian, I asked if they'd be interested in me putting together a course on High Valyrian, which I did. I had some help at the beginning, but, truth be told, most of that course was built by me alone. I became very familiar with the Incubator, where Duolingo contributors built most of their courses. It was a bit clunky, but with enough elbow grease, you could put together something that was pretty darn good. It wasn't as shiny as their in house courses, because they couldn't do things like custom images, speaking challenges, etc., but it was still pretty good.

At the time I joined, everyone who was working in the Incubator was doing it for free. We were doing it because we wanted to put together a high quality course on our language of choice on Duolingo. When Duolingo went public, they realized this situation was untenable, so they began paying contributors. There were contracts, hourly wages, caps on billable hours, etc. It essentially became an as-you-will part time job, which wasn't too bad.

The Incubator faced a couple potentially insurmountable problems. When the courses were created by volunteers, Duolingo could say "This was made by volunteers; use at your own risk", essentially. Once they were paid, though, all courses became Duolingo products, which means they bear more responsibility for their quality. With so many courses (I mean, sooooooooo many courses) it's hard to ensure quality. Furthermore, "quality" doesn't just mean "are the exercises correct" and "are the sentences interesting". Quality means not being asked to translate sentences like "Women can't cook" or "The boy stabbed the puppy". With literally hundreds of courses each with thousands of sentences written by contractors, there was no way for Duolingo to ensure not just that they were staying on brand with these sentences, but that they weren't writing ugly things. There were reporting systems, there were admins that could resolve things behind the scenes, but with so much content, it became a situation where they would have had to hire a ton more people or scale back.

We saw what Duolingo did before with one aspect of their platform that had a similar issue. If you remember way back, Duolingo used to have a "forum", that was a real forum, but for most users, what it meant was on every single sentence in Duolingo users could make comments. These comments would explain grammar points, explain references, make jokes, etc. It was honestly really helpful. But, of course, with any system like that comes trolls, and so volunteers who had come to create language learning resources also found themselves being content reviewers, having to decide which comments to allow, which to delete, who to ban, etc. As Duolingo became more popular, the troll problem grew, and so eventually Duolingo's response was to kill the forum. This mean you were no longer able to see legitimate, helpful comments on sentences. They threw the baby out with the bathwater.

This is why it was no surprise to me when they shuttered the Incubator. The technology was out of date (from their standpoint, you understand. Their in house courses were way more sophisticated, but they couldn't update the Incubator without potentially breaking hundreds of courses they hadn't created themselves), quality assurance was nearly impossible, and they were also paying people to create and maintain these out-of-date courses they had no direct control over. Of course they closed it down. It would've taken a massive investment of time and resources (and capital) to take the Incubator as it was and turn it into something robust and future proof (think old Wordpress vs. Wordpress now), and Duolingo wanted to do other things, instead—like math and music. And so the Incubator died.

But that wasn't the only reason. This was something we heard internally and then heard later on publicly. There was rumbling that Duolingo was using AI to help flesh out their in house courses, which was troubling. This was before the big Gen AI boom, but after a particularly pernicious conlang-creation website I won't name had come to exist, so it caught my attention. I decided to do a little digging and see what this was all about, and I ended up with a familiar name.

Klinton Bicknell.

Indeed, the very same Klinton Bicknell was the head of all AI ventures at Duolingo. Whether enthusiastically or reluctantly or somewhere in between, he was absolutely a part of the decision to close the Incubator and remove all the contractors who had created all the courses that gave Duolingo its reputation. (Because, seriously, why did most of us go to Duolingo? Not for English, Spanish, French, and German.)

I know you sent this ask because of the recent news about Duolingo, but, to be honest, when I saw one of these articles float across my dash I had to check the date, because to me, the news was old. Duolingo isn't just now replacing contractors with AI: They already did. That was the Incubator; those were contractors. That is why there won't be more new language courses on Duolingo, and why the current courses are frozen. This isn't news. This is the continuation of a policy that had already firmly in place, and a direction that rests solidly on the shoulders of Klinton Bicknell.

But you don't have to take my word for it. He's talked about this plenty himself:

Podcast (Generative Now)

Article in Fast Company

Article in CNET

Google can help you find others.

At this point there's a sharp and baffling division in society with respect to generative AI. On the one hand, you have those of us who disapprove of generative AI on a truly fundamental level. Not only is the product something we don't want, the cost—both environmental and ethical—is utterly insupportable. Imagine someone asking you, "Hey, would you like a sandwich made out of shoelaces and shit?" And you say, "God, no, why would anyone ever want that?!" And their response is, "But wait! To make this sandwich out of shoelaces and shit we had to strangle 1,000 kittens and drain the power grid. Now do you want it?"

On the other side, there are people who are still—I mean today—saying things like, "Wow! Have you heard of this AI thing?! It's incredible! I want AI in everything! Can AI make my table better? Can I add AI to my arthritis? We should make everything AI as quickly as possible!"

And conversations between the two sides go roughly like this:

A: Good lord, now they're using AI art on phone ads? Something has to stop this… B: Yeah, it's so cool! Look, I can make a new emoji on my phone with AI! A: Uhhh…what? I was saying it's bad. B: Totally! I wonder if there's an AI shower yet? Like, it could control the temperature so you always have the perfect shower! A: Do you know how much power it takes to run these genAI apps? At a time when we're already struggling with income inequality, housing, inflation, and climate change? B: I know! We should get AI to fix that! A: But AI is the problem! B: Hey ChatGPT: Teach me how to surf!

It's frustrating, because the B group is very much the 💁 group. It's like, "Someone was using ChatGPT and it told them to kill themselves!" and they respond, "Ha, ha! Wow. That shouldn't have happened. What a learning opportunity! ☺️ Hey ChatGPT: How do you make gazpacho?" There's a complete disconnect.

In terms of what you do with your money, it's a difficult thing. For example, I've used Apple computers consistently since 1988. I'm fully immersed in the Apple ecosystem and I love what they do. They, like every other major company, are employing AI. If you go over to r/apple any time one of these articles comes out, it's all comments from people criticizing Apple for not putting together a better AI product and putting it out faster; none saying that they shouldn't be doing it. They're all ravenous for genAI for reasons that defy my understanding. And so what do I do? I've turned off the AI features on all my Apple devices, but beyond that, I'm locked in. From one direction, I look like a hypocrite for using devices created by a company that's investing in AI. From the other direction, though, I am using their devices to say what they're doing is fucking despicable, and they should stop—and I'll keep doing so so long as there's breath in my body.

Duolingo isn't necessary the way that, say, a computer or phone is nowadays. Duolingo is still usable for free, though, of course, they make it a frustrating experience to use its free service. (This is certainly nothing exclusive to Duolingo. That's the way of everything nowadays: streaming services, games, social media... Not "Well give you cool things if you pay!" but "We'll make your life miserable if you don't!") If you do use their Incubator courses, though, I can assure you that those are AI-free. lol They're too outdated to have anything like that. Some of those courses are bigger than others; some are better than others. But all of them were put together by human volunteers, so there's that, at least. At this point, I don't think Duolingo needs your money—nor will they miss it. They're on a kind of macro plane at the moment where the next ten years will either see the company get even bigger or completely disintegrate; there's no in between. They're likely going to take a big swing into education (perhaps something like Duolingo University [Duoversity?]) and it's either going to make a ton of money or bankrupt them. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

I've taken the Finnish course in its entirety and we're doing Hungarian now, and I've learned a lot—not enough, but a lot. I'm grateful for it. I like the platform, and I agree with the basic tenets of the language courses (daily shallow intake is better than occasional deep intake; implicit learning ahead of explicit instruction is better than the reverse). I'm grateful they exist, I'm grateful we can still use them (because they can always retire all of them, remember), and I think it's brought a lot of positivity to the world. I think Luis Van Ahn is a good guy and I hope he can steer this thing back on course, but I'm not putting my money on it.

[raceweek]

hello. alexalblondo's rude anon coming here to humbly and politely beg for galex primer because i dont understand their history. george said he lived at alex's family's house at one point? how - weren't they already racing? sorry thank you humble thank you 🙏🙏

hello!!! thanks chris for the referral FKFJDKD

i have overwhelmed my alex and george tags so much that i fear i could never capture all of it but my galex key moment anthology is under the cut!!

karting/early single seaters

Alex thinks they met in 2011 but the footage in georges flip phone says he knew alex back in 2009.

Their first actual interaction (so far as they've told the world) was when alex was world champion with the intrepid karting team and bc he was their reference driver he was asked to help pick the drivers who were quick to replace him when he moved up and he picked george (and charles) so they were then part of that same intrepid driver programme for a while. Interestingly, alex was always at least one year above him bc of their ages and george says the fact they didn't really race directly against each other before 2016 was probably why they became such good friends.

They did a deep dive of their camera rolls from this time on twitch a couple years back and talked about the oldest pictures they have of each other in their camera rolls (1:25:36) which was cute.

2017

2017 is the year george basically lived with alex. They were also sharing a trainer whilst alex was competing in gp2 and george was in gp3. George was doing mercedes sim work at their factory so rented a flat in milton keynes near where alex lived but according to alex that rent was wasted money bc george had more meals at alexs' house than he did that year. Also as detailed in those links, the Great Mountain Biking Incident of 2017 occurred at this time so we have the fun mental image of george literally wheeling alex into a&e on a wheelchair bc that is an actual event that happened.

2018

George and alex both in f2 fighting for the title year wooooo!! They never really fought on track but we did get fun tidbits like when alex pipped george to the win at silverstone bc george had a slow pit stop and giggled about it in parc ferme (5:42) & these post session interviews.

also some incredible photoshoots.

2019

Promotion to f1!!! We started the year at winter testing and this nugget that they have both accepted that they are actually tied together by the strings of fate. They're doing fun media stuff like karting and bullying each other over percentage of apexs hit at the skypad (video). 2019 also the start of the umbrella sharing. They were just together a lot… more skypad analysis!!!

2019 also has MY personal favourite galex moment which was hockenheim 2019 and the 45 minute phone call galex had on the way home after george missed out on scoring what would have been his first point in f1 and only point of the season.

There was also the summer break and enjoying a training camp together, exchanging infections etc. Alex also took george to meet lily for the first time, bc that’s a normal thing to do.

There was also the rookie of the year vid, and the rookie season review vid at the end of the year. Much was happening.

2020

The year started with f1 trying to race during a global pandemic. Fun! On the singular media day before everyone realised just how stupid that was they were being annoying. The lockdowns did give us the twitch streams. George was initially so bad at virtual racing he had to secretly consult alex's brother for help behind alexs back. George was also actively seeking alex out like a missile at any given opportunity and at one point felt necessary to declare that he wasn't alexs boyfriend when someone asked if alex was going to be streaming that day. Anyway my lockdown twitchscapades tag has a post with a playlist of all the streams that haven't been lost or deleted if you want to feel joy and have a spare million hours.

Racing resumed in July with the covid team bubbles and within two races and one qualifying session george was defending alexs honour to sky sports and the world in a truly remarkable fashion.

At the end of the year alex was unemployed....even more tragic than this loss was that alexs career difficulties were so extreme he started ghosting george, which devastated him to the extent he needed to publicly drag him for it.

There was also george asking lily to post alexs n*des on instagram and lily responding with if anyone has them it would be you which was perhaps the last time george had access to his own social media password.

Despite george not liking it they celebrated alexs first podium by going golfing! and reverse! George was also gifted an alex albon signed autograph card for christmas and said that he'll put it somewhere special x

2021

The beginning of 2021 was during lockdown and there was more fun virtual gps except the only two drivers doing it were george and alex so they were just bitching and gossiping and threatening to steal strategies and abu dhabi 2016 each other. Particular shoutout to the time they had a virtual race on valentines day and alex put a suit on for it and george was baffled. Immediately after valentines day was georges birthday which lily used to thank george for letting her borrow his boyfriend from time to time.

Then the season started with george enduring the season alexless and not letting anyone forget about it. Alex was turning up to races after being locked in the simulator until the early hours posting stuff like this on instagram and otherwise stumbling over his words after getting whipped on the ass.

Perhaps the defining moment of the galex 2021 season was george pushing the williams board to sign alex so heavily that they had to actively shut him out of proceedings. Also at this time there was this cute congrats from alexs family and one from alex to georgie about the mercedes seat.

anyway here's some more random 2021 nuggets:

i've seen him topless a few times

george getting alex a good deal on a merc x

yet More golf

the handover

georges driver room

2022

They truly lost every inch of personal space in 2022 like. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. The back signing Hello.

2022 had alex having his appendix out, nearly dying and alexs family updating george whilst alex was in the icu and then when alex returned for the next race in signapore a couple weeks later (insane behaviour) george was like mmm audacious of him to be here.

Elsewhere alex discovered georges photoshoot and was making screensavers about it. Alex also discovered hair dye and george was making instagram stories about it.

other random 2022 nuggets:

george is alexs fave f1 driver excluding himself

this skit williams did of lily finding a huge picture of george in alexs driver room

whatever this image is of lily george and alex

private plane carpool

double date

2023

@onadarklingplain covers the whole year for you much MUCH better than i ever could here!!!!!

and that brings us to present where they're just as weird and freaky with each other as ever!!!

[sabertoothwalrus]

I dunno if this is asking too much of your time/being obnoxious but, what sort of study/practice would you recommend for someone who wants to do comics professionally but can't go to college for it/is financially strapped?? Thank you for reading this!

well, considering I’m not going to school to do comics and have never done comics professionally, I definitely think it’s something you can teach yourself! I’ve thought about doing graphic novels, but haven’t done much research. I can share what general information I know.

The skills you’d use to make storyboards stronger are VERY transferrable to the ones that make comics stronger. It’s best to have a good sense of perspective, storytelling/pacing, visual clarity, action, etc.

Comics have a fun little quirk where you can really play with time in a way that storyboards can’t. In a storyboard, if two characters have their mouths open at the same time, the animator will assume they’re speaking at the same time. But in comics, you can have multiple moments in a singular panel, and time will “pass” as the reader’s eye moves across it.

There’s lots of different ways to arrange comics. The webtoons-style scroll comics are very popular right now, and they’re nice in the sense that you spend less time worrying about how an entire page is arranged, BUT it makes it harder if you ever decide to sell a physical version. Spending the extra time at the beginning to set up your formatting will save you trouble in the long run.

Also consider time. Making a comic can be a long term commitment. Figure out how frequently you can produce finished pages without burning out— daily? Three times a week? Once a week?— and calculate how long it’d take you to fill up a volume. Would it be your full time job, or would you be working on top of that? A lot of serialized comics can be a 10+ year commitment!!

There’s also publishing independently, or working for a studio. Indie comics will give you more freedom for what your story/art direction/deadlines will be, but comics are very oversaturated and hard to get readers looking at your work. A studio will help with that kind of thing, but depending where you go, you may be illustrating based on a concept someone else has written (which— that can be preferable for some people!).

But regardless, the best way to study comics is by reading comics! Pay attention to art styles you like (and if it has an entire team of assistants helping it look that way), pay attention to speech bubble arrangements, how value is used, how panels are shaped. And pay attention to when you’re confused too! You can learn from other artists’ mistakes.

and draw a lot. I started doing “comics” ~2016 by drawing all the panels on a page in my sketchbook, and then taking pictures of each part zoomed in with my phone, and then posting the panels as individual images. At some point that translated to me doing digital comics where I draw on one canvas, and make a new layer for each panel. I do this a lot still! And more recently I’ve been putting an effort into doing paneled comics. It’s not as hard as it used to be for me, but now I have almost 10 years of comic experience under my belt!! So keep drawing!!! Just do it a lot and you’ll get better

[wlwcatalogue]

Some WLW (?) Jdrama & Kdrama recommendations!

Jdramas and Kdramas have a (not-entirely-unearned) reputation for being very straight, but here are a few which are either canonically F/F or which prominently feature a female-female pair-- please enjoy! For those who enjoy following series in real time, Chaser Game W and She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat S2 are both airing this January 2024 :)

As with my post on anime with yuri subtext, since subtext is so subjective, this list only includes series which I’ve actually watched, and so is by no means intended to be comprehensive. Also, it doesn't include any webseries, since those probably deserve a post of their own.

At-a-glance list:

Miss Sherlock (8 episodes, 2018) (subtext)

Night Light (20 episodes, 2016) (subtext)

Tokusatsu Gagaga (7 episodes, 2019) (subtext)

Painter of the Wind (20 episodes, 2008) (canon?)

She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat (10 15-minute episodes and counting, 2022~) (canon)

Sono Toki, Heart wa Nusumareta (5 episodes, 1992) (canon)

Chaser Game W (10? 30-minute episodes, 2024) (canon)

Doctor X (7 seasons and counting, 2012~) (subtext)

Bonus: SKY Castle (20 episodes, 2018) (subtext)

Summaries under the cut!

1. Miss Sherlock / ミス・シャーロック (8 episodes, 2018) (subtext) – MyDramaList | AsianWiki

The elevator pitch for this show is simple: it’s Sherlock Holmes, but where Holmes and Watson – here named “Sherlock” and Tachibana Wato, and played by Takeuchi Yuko and Kanjiya Shihori, respectively – are both female, and the cases are all set in modern Tokyo. As with other adaptations, mystery-solving and the budding relationship between the two leads takes centre stage, but Miss Sherlock manages to carve out an identity all its own.

There’s a calm beauty to its visuals, which favour sunlight and urban greenery, and the show’s focus on former doctor Wato as she tries out new jobs and goes to therapy means that there’s a surprisingly high number of slice-of-life scenes. It’s also subtly more female-focused than the source material; Sherlock’s gossipy but good-natured landlady Ms. Hatano (Ito Ran) is as much a member of the household as Sherlock and Wato, and the cases often revolve around female characters. But more than anything, it’s just really fun to watch Sherlock and Wato’s relationship bloom as they snip and snipe and are utterly unable to stay out of each other’s space (literally – the body language and blocking is *chef’s kiss*). Their relationship is the heart of the show – watch this one until the end, you won’t regret it!

(CW: psychological abuse, manipulation, and genre-typical murder, violence, and gore)

2. Night Light / 불야성 (20 episodes, 2016) (subtext) - MyDramaList | AsianWiki

(Note: spoilers for the mid-season twist, but it’s impossible to allude to a good portion of the F/F subtext without doing so, and I think knowing the twist ahead of time doesn’t make it any less enjoyable.)

Night Light is a rather odd show. It’s simple enough on the face of it, a story about  successful but ruthless CEO Seo Yi-kyung (an icy Lee Yo-won) who tries to mold the younger Lee Se-jin (a puppy-eyed Uee) in her own ambitious image, only for her protege to develop the conscience she never had and move to stop her dastardly plans… but upon watching it’s a totally different creature,  thanks to the alchemic reactions of some delightfully contradictory acting choices (Uee’s performance convinces viewers less of Se-jin’s supposed latent desire for power and money, and more of a deep love and devotion for the CEO) and the unintentionally (?) inneundo-laden script (“If I like something once, I never forget it– whether it’s a dress… or a person,” declares the CEO less than ten minutes into the first episode while gazing intently at Se-jin).

Honestly, it’s a wonder this series ever got made, but you certainly won’t see me complaining! The first part is full of boss/subordinate goodness; Se-jin is unable to resist the CEO’s magnetic pull despite her hot-and-cold behaviour, while the CEO cannot bring herself to push Se-jin away completely. And then, when Se-jin makes her mind up to stop the CEO, it morphs into a corporate take on a (subtextual) lovers-on-opposite-sides situation, where it is precisely Se-jin’s feelings for the CEO that motivate her to stop her. In short, it’s a workplace GL fan’s dream.

Note: If you do watch it, skip the corporate politicking cutscenes with the old men, you’ll thank me later. Also, there’s a prominent male character who is the CEO’s ex and who works closely with Se-jin in the second half, but don’t worry, all the M/F romance is in the past (and doesn’t get much screentime)– he and Se-jin aren’t interested in each other at all.

3. Tokusatsu Gagaga / トクサツガガガ (7 episodes, 2019) (subtext) - MyDramaList | AsianWiki

Nakamura Kano (Koshiba Fuka) lives and breathes tokusatsu shows (think Power Rangers, if you’re not familiar), but keeps it a secret from her work colleagues to avoid being shunned or laughed at. And yet she yearns for connection, so when she sees a woman on the subway bearing a keychain from her favourite show (Yoshida Hisami, played by Kurashina Kana), she is determined to find her again.

Although ostensibly about being a tokusatsu fan as an adult, this show is rife with queer subtext, and not in the usual way. It deals with the difficulties of staying in the closet (regarding being an adult tokusatsu fan), the desire to connect with other queer people adult tokusatsu fans and how one might do so through hints and signals, parental disapproval arising from gendered and social expectations (that tokusatsu shows are for boys, and magical girl shows for girls), intersectionality and finding comradeship with other minorities people who are excluded due to their interests, and even generational gaps wherein younger queers fans may underestimate the obstacles that still exist. Although all that might sound a bit stressful, it isn’t actually! Difficult incidents are handled with sympathy and a dash of wry humour, and the show never loses sight of the fact that it – above all else – is a story about finding queer community in the face of a heteronormative hostile world, told with warmth and the nuance of lived experience.

4. Painter of the Wind / 바람의 화원 (20 episodes, 2008) (canon?) - MyDramaList | AsianWiki

Adapting the novel of the same name by Lee Jung-myung, Painter of the Wind takes as its protagonist a gender-bent version of real-life Joseon-era painter Shin Yun-bok (Moon Geun-young), whose paintings are used to weave a tale of artistry, political intrigue, and romance, and more than anything else to offer modern-day viewers a glimpse of everyday life in 18th-century Korea.

While it may sound like Dickinson’s boring cousin, apart from having a common preoccupation with reframing historical works, another similarity the two shows share is that Painter of the Wind is also very gay. Starting from the first episode, Yun-bok meets and becomes fascinated by the courtesan Jung-hyang (Moon Chae-won), who despite her initial aloofness is drawn to Yun-bok’s intellect and sensitive demeanour. It’s a real meeting of the minds, their witty repartee in early episodes reminiscent of Twelfth Night’s Viola and Olivia, and their relationship isn’t siloed off from the main plot either: Yun-bok’s infatuation quickly starts causing issues with her academic career, and the two eventually have to contend with Jung-hyang’s precarious position as a courtesan as well.

Unfortunately, all this is undermined in the back half of the show, which tries to gaslight viewers into thinking that Yun-bok’s feelings for Jung-hyang were purely platonic all along and that she totally has romantic feelings for her much older male mentor— but hey, at least it’s an open ending. Despite everything, though, I can’t think of another serious historical TV show which features such a prominent F/F narrative for its main character, even nearly two decades later. (Let me know if you have any others! And no, Gentleman Jack doesn’t count, it’s not exactly traditional in style!)

(CW: period-typical sexism)

5. She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat / 作りたい女と食べたい女 (10 15-minute episodes and counting, 2022~) (canon) - MyDramaList

Based on Yuzaki Sakaomi’s manga of the same name, this simple but sweet show follows home-cooking extraordinaire Nomoto Yuki (Higa Manami), who yearns to cook large-scale dishes but doesn’t eat enough to justify making them. Luckily for her, her neighbour Kasuga Totoko (Nishino Emi) has a massive appetite!

It’s always lovely to see more grounded stories about working women, especially when they’re as cute as this one. Though it touches upon some slightly more serious issues, such as with regard to gendered expectations surrounding food and cooking, it’s primarily a feel-good slice-of-life show about two women getting to know each other by cooking and eating delicious food together.

Side note: if you’ve started it and think the show doesn’t look cosy enough, stick it out for a few more episodes, the production values improve after the first part! Also, the series was renewed for a second season with double the episode count (for a total of 20 episodes) which will start airing on January 29th this year, so this is the perfect time to jump in!

6. Sono Toki, Heart wa Nusumareta / その時、ハートは盗まれた (5 episodes, 1992) (canon) - MyDramaList

Sono Heart, as it’s nicknamed, starts off as a typical heteronormative high school romance: bumbling protagonist Shiina Hiroko (Isshiki Sae) is desperate to get closer to her crush Katase Masato (Kimura Takuya), star of the school basketball team and all-round nice dude. However, a spanner in the works comes slouching along in the form of female classmate Aso Saki (Uchida Yuki, in her debut role), a mischievous, short-haired personification of trouble who Katase turns out to have feelings for. One day, Hiroko gets into a fight with Saki, and they end up having to stay together after school as punishment. But that afternoon gives them the opportunity to bond over a heart-to-heart conversation, and things seem to improve… until, just before leaving, Saki kisses Hiroko. And then everything changes.

Or rather, everything changes eventually. What’s great about this show is that it doesn’t take shortcuts: Hiroko doesn’t instantly fall in love with Saki. Instead, what you get is a surprisingly layered portrait of a high school girl whose coming to terms with queerness is merely a natural extension of reckoning with her burgeoning sexuality. And, because Saki is self-destructive in her depression and makes a game of belittling, worrying, and infuriating anyone who cares about her, it’s really a story about what it means to love another person rather than a romantic ideal. A word of warning, though: Katase is actually quite a large character, as he and Hiroko end up becoming friends. Also, the ending is very abrupt and inconclusive, though rest assured that it doesn’t try to roll back Hiroko’s feelings, or pair either girl off with a guy.

(CW: self-harm, attempted suicide, bullying, homophobia, underage drinking)

7. Chaser Game W: Power Harassment Boss Is My Ex-Girlfriend / チェイサー���ームW: パワハラ上司は私の元カノ (10? 30-minute episodes, 2024) (canon) - MyDramaList | AsianWiki

Probably jumping the gun here as only two episodes have aired as of writing, but I feel honour-bound to recommend this as it’d probably appeal to a lot of people, if only they knew about it! Chaser Game W is a standalone spin-off of Chaser Game, itself an adaptation of a manga of the same name by Matsuyama Hiroshi and Matsushima Yukitarou, but you don’t need to know anything going in.

Protagonist Harumoto Itsuki (former Keyakizaka46 captain Sugai Yuuka) has been assigned a new job: her company has been asked by a Chinese conglomerate to develop a game adaptation of a GL manhua, and she’s been tapped as the project leader. However, what appears to be an exciting prospect soon becomes a terrifying one, as the person sent by the client to supervise turns out to be her ex-girlfriend from university (Lin Dongyu, played by Japanese actress Nakamura Yurika), who is now married to a Chinese man (played by a Japanese actor) and has a child, but remains hell-bent on exacting revenge on Itsuki for their bad breakup. This is a romantic (melo)drama rather than a psychological thriller, though, so you won’t be watching Itsuki getting terrorised the entire time. While she is understandably upset by her ex’s current behaviour, Itsuki can’t forget about their happy days together, and Dongyu herself veers between being a sneering bully and craving Itsuki’s affection.

Do note that the show isn’t without its flaws: it’s very Japanese about the Chinese thing, which is to say it’s filled with comments which range from somewhat offensive to borderline racist, and the script will probably give you a headache if you know even the slightest thing about game development. Your mileage might vary on the ex too, as she can be really quite nasty to Itsuki and her teammates. But if you can overlook those issues, this is a rare prize indeed: a TV drama focusing on a canonical F/F pair, who are specifically exes, and in a workplace setting.

(CW: bullying)

8. Doctor X / ドクターX (7 seasons and counting, 2012~) (subtext) - MyDramaList | AsianWiki

To be very honest, I was in two minds about including Doctor X on this list. It is, with a few notable exceptions, misogynistic and reductive in its depictions of women (especially in the first two seasons), gives too much screentime to objectively awful and subjectively annoying men, doesn’t respect the work done by medical personnel apart from surgeons, and on the technical front is formulaic, repetitive, and often lazy in its writing and presentation. Unfortunately, the dynamic between the genius surgeon protagonist Daimon Michiko (Yonekura Ryoko) and her anaesthesiologist wife partner friend Jounouchi Hiromi (Uchida Yuki) is almost unparalleled in its excellence.

The premise of the series is basic indeed: Daimon Michiko is a freelance surgeon with a healthy disrespect of rules and authority and, unluckily for her detractors, a cast-iron guarantee that she will succeed in any surgery, no matter how difficult. She’s initially portrayed as a lone wolf who’s dismissive of the entire hospital system and anyone who’s part of it— but her interest is piqued by the anaesthesiologist Jounouchi, who is skilled beyond her peers and chafes against the idiocy of her colleagues. For all its flaws, the first season – which is more serious and edgy in tone compared to the others, and isn’t an ensemble cast like the post-S3 seasons – is a fantastic depiction of two people being perfectly matched in skill, intellect, and outlook, and how they come together despite one being standoffish (Jounouchi) and the other not being used to reaching out to or even respecting other people (Daimon).

The seasons after that sadly ditch the emphasis on Jounouchi being Daimon’s professional equal, but in exchange offer up another rare and unexpected gift: two women in their late thirties / early forties who are partners both at work and in private. Jounouchi is Daimon’s designated anaesthesiologist, assisting with nearly every surgery, and she spends so much time at Daimon’s agency-office-slash-house you’d think she’d moved in. Also, after a point they just start being wonderfully dorky and comfortable with each other, while still being consummate professionals in the operating theatre. Although the show is very much focused on Daimon Michiko as its sole protagonist, Jounouchi is undoubtedly the character most significant to her – even more than Daimon’s father figure, the head of the freelance agency – and this is highlighted in the story from time to time. They are very, very good. I just wish the series was better.

Note: If you’re curious, I would recommend watching the very first episode in full– by the end you should know if you’re invested enough to continue, otherwise drop it and live in the happy knowledge that you dodged a bullet. If you aren’t so lucky, I’d advise skipping the surgery segments when they start to bore, and in general to skip liberally. Also, season 4 is not worth watching as a whole, except for the last two episodes, which absolutely should not be missed. Sigh. I can’t speak to seasons 6 and 7, due to having paused mid-S6.

Side note: If you’ve watched Doctor X already and liked it (or at least like Daimon and Jounouchi), but haven’t tried Miss Sherlock yet, definitely give that a go because there seems to be a big overlap in the fandoms. Maybe it’s because they both feature a genius protagonist, have the two largest female characters being work partners, and domestic vibes…?

(CW: sexism, genre-typical gore)

Bonus: SKY Castle / SKY 캐슬 (20 episodes, 2018) (subtext) - MyDramaList | AsianWiki

(Note: slight spoilers for the early episodes, but it’s necessary in order to give a more accurate recommendation regarding the F/F subtext, especially as the show is not primarily focused on any one relationship.)

This one’s a bonus because unlike the others on this list, there’s no close relationship between two female characters which could be interpreted in a romantic light. That’s not too surprising as the show is all about the women of a several super-wealthy families trying to get their children into the top Korean universities (equivalent to the Ivy League) whilst supporting their husbands in the rat race: a decidedly heteronormative premise, albeit one that’s executed in an award-winning manner.

So why am I listing it? Well, it’s because somehow, in this series about heteronormative and highly gendered nuclear families, it features possibly the most erotically-charged dynamic I have seen, even taking season 1 of Killing Eve into account. (Though it takes some time to get there, so if you try it out, please watch at least the first four episodes before making a decision!)

That honour goes to the problematic gem that is the relationship between the main character Han Seo-jin (Yum Jung-ah), who is willing to do whatever it takes to get her daughter into Seoul’s top medical school, and star tutor Kim Joo-young (Kim Seo-hyung), who is known for her 100% success rate. It starts off with a mild push-and-pull, when Han Seo-jin wants Coach Kim to take on her daughter, but is wary of the shady rumours surrounding her; the tutor stands firm, and Han eventually has to swallow her pride and accept the risks. Where it really comes into its own, though, is when Coach Kim starts to pose a legitimate threat to everything Han cares for: her daughter, her marriage (or rather, what her husband can give her), her position in the world. It becomes increasingly clear that Han should just walk away, and indeed she tries to do so many a time, only to bend in the end because the coach is key to fulfilling her dearest wish– and so to Han, for all she rages and resents and fears, Coach Kim is nothing less than temptation itself. This is the beating core of the show, and even as the plotting disintegrates and falls into melodrama in the second half, their scenes together still crackle with delicious tension every time. Watch it.

(CW: suicide, psychological abuse, child abuse, bullying, murder)

[puck-luck]

wedding crashers | jack hughes

warnings: semi public sex, pining on jack's side, older!reader (jack is 22, she is 26), unprotected p in v (always... do as i do not as i say, wrap it when you tap it), fingering, dirty talk, insinuation of oral (m & f receiving) pairing: jack hughes x fem!reader request: "jack hughes and a slightly older reader (like idk 3 years older maybe), i feel like he’s so sassy and cocky that he would go nuts if he was able to get an older girl hahaha, maybe it could be like a challenge type situation where they were bantering over whether he’d be any good in bed bc he’s “just a baby” or something so he has something to prove.. 🫣" wc: 4167

You’d first met Jack Hughes in 2015. You were at one of the USA Developmental games with Matthew, your best friend at the time, watching his brother play for the last time that year. Since it was Christmas just recently, this was the only time you’d get to see Matthew until who knew when. Even though it involved hockey, which always stole Matthew’s attention from you, you decided to join him anyway. It was Matthew that introduced you to the Hughes family, after you had commented on Quinn’s performance.

Jack was a goof from the get-go. He was fourteen when you met, so all of his attempts to flirt with you went nowhere. Well, they made it to the front seat of Matthew’s car, where you laughed about the younger boy’s boldness. He was a sweet boy, and cute in a way that made you want to pinch his cheeks, and you were able to watch him grow up and come into himself. 

Your friendship with Matthew had dwindled since he was drafted in 2016, but you were still close enough with his family to be invited to Brady’s wedding. It was there that Jack cornered you, hitting on you for the umpteenth time. Now, he was 22 years old, overconfident and cocky due to years of praise from not only his coaches and peers, but from every pretty girl that fell into his company. You were 26, mature and happy with the life you had made for yourself. 

Jack had never stopped chasing you, though it wasn’t an overbearing and constant chase. He was sure that he would conquer you someday, having never forgotten the way he rubbed himself raw after he had first met you and you had smiled in his direction. What can he say– he was fourteen and a pretty girl, an older girl had smiled at him. 

And, pleasantly tipsy, Jack had decided that today was that day.

He tore himself away from Luke, having delivered a new drink to his underage brother, and made his way to you. You were sitting with one of Brady and Matthew’s relatives, making small talk over a glass of white wine. Your legs were crossed in a way that Jack could only describe as dainty, your nails painted a pretty blush color that matched your dress. Jack licked his bottom lip when an image of your hand around his cock, with those painted nails contrasting the color of his member, flashed through his mind.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Jack said, not really feeling sorry at all. He turned to you. “I was wondering if you’d join me for a dance.”

You smiled and shook your head slightly, a small laugh falling from your lips. “Sure, Jack.” To the Tkachuk relative, you excused yourself, standing to take Jack’s extended hand. You took a sip from your wine glass, polishing off the drink. 

Jack truly couldn’t have chosen a better moment to ask you to dance, as a new song began and decided for you, due to its pace, that the two of you would engage in a waltz of sorts. Jack wasn’t much of a dancer, but he was able to box step in time with the music and lead you through the dance. 

You had given Jack a knowing look when his hand found its way to the small of your back, threatening to dip dangerously onto the curve of your ass. Your hand rested on his shoulder, the other in his hand, held close to your bodies. 

Jack pulled you close to him, mere inches between your bodies. You laughed again, your head dipping to fall on his shoulder for a split second. 

“What?” Jack asked as you flicked your hair from your eyes with a slight tilt of your head. “You’re supposed to be close when you dance.”

You rolled your eyes. “Whatever you say, Jack.” Your voice was light, almost sing-songy. “Your intentions are nothing if not innocent, isn’t that right?”

“I just want to dance,” Jack deflected, but the smile on his face told you everything you needed to know. His eyes were shining, both from the drinks he had consumed and the charged energy between your bodies.

You raised your eyebrows and pursed your lips, trying to suppress a smile as you and Jack continued to stare at each other. You broke first, looking away and shaking your head.

“What?” Jack said. “You don’t believe me?”

“No, I don’t believe you.”

“Oh, I’m hurt by that.” Jack pouted, his bottom lip jutting out in a way that caught your attention. It was plush and pink and just a little cracked from sun exposure. You knew Jack had spent the beginning of the summer out on the lake, and his skin reflected that– both tan and sunkissed at once. 

Though you hated to admit it, Jack had grown up to be very attractive. He glowed, especially in the summer, especially when he had a few drinks in his system and he had grown a little more brash and a little more bold.

“Poor Jacky,” You teased. You tilted your head down and blinked up at him through your lashes, saying in a baby-voice: “I hurt the little baby’s feelings?”

“You did,” Jack agreed, his pout just becoming more exaggerated. “How are you going to make it up to me?”

Your whole body moved with your laugh this time. “I suppose you’re about to ask me to kiss it better.”

“Well, I was hoping for more than just a kiss,” Jack said, chuckling at your laughter. He licked his bottom lip before biting it in a cheeky smile, the apples of his cheeks prominent and pink. His teeth were a sharp white contrast to the red dusting across his cheeks, but you found yourself growing fond of that shameless smile the more you saw it.

“Jack, you’re a baby,” You laughed. “In the real world, you’d have just graduated college. I know things are different because you’re a big, famous hockey player and you’ve been doing this job for years, but the fact of the matter is that you’re just too young for me.”

Jack was unscathed by your rejection, just like he always was. He didn’t even mind that your tone was borderline condescending, like you were talking to a five year old instead of a grown adult. 

“Plus, Jacky–” You smiled, itching to hammer the final nail in this coffin. “You can’t handle a grown woman.”

His eyes grew dark at that. “I can handle a grown woman,” He stated, voice definite.

You threw your head back, not quite laughing, but not quite rolling your eyes in exasperation either.

Jack’s hand left yours and found your jaw in a flash, bringing your face back to his. “I can handle a grown woman,” He repeated. His gaze flickered down to your lips. “Let me prove it.”

Your breath caught in your throat, eyes flickering down to his lips to match his motions. “In your dreams,” You denied, bringing your hand to his chest to put some distance between you.

Jack didn’t allow it. If anything, he pulled you closer. He pressed his hips into yours, took your hand off his chest and resumed its original dancing position. He tugged you tight to him, tight enough that you were looking over his shoulder and his mouth hovered right next to your ear.

“I’d be so good to you,” Jack whispered. Your eyes flickered around the room, but no one seemed perturbed by yours and Jack’s positioning. “I’ve had a long time to think about this, Y/N. Let me tell you what I’d do, what I have done in my dreams.”

You didn’t say anything, but the fingertips of the hand on his shoulder found the hair at the nape of Jack’s neck and stayed there.

“I always start by kissing you. Always. I’d start slow– just feeling how these pretty pink lips feel against mine. I’d wait for you to loosen up, to open your mouth and invite me in for more. I’m going to keep going slow, but I’m going to slide my tongue into your mouth and kiss you until I’ve figured out just what you taste like. Today, you’ll taste like your white wine at first, but I’m going to kiss you until I’ve deciphered your taste, Y/N.”

Jack moved his hand to your waist and squeezed gently.

“I’d start with my hands here, but I wouldn’t be able to help myself. I’ll start moving, feeling every inch of you. There’s not a part of your body where my fingerprints won’t be found. You won’t know what to focus on– when one of my hands is tangled up in your hair, the other one is going to squeeze your ass and really feel it out because I’ve been thinking about it for so long. And all the while, darling, I’ll be kissing you and stealing the breath from your lungs.”

You gasped at that, shifting closer to Jack. He smiled, knowing that he was closing in on the moment that he’d been wanting for the past eight years. His hand moved to the curve of your ass and you’re nearly helpless with it, or just unwilling to chide him for venturing that far. Jack made eye contact with Quinn over your shoulder and smirked, showing his teeth in a cheshire way.

He spoke again. “But then I’d bring my fingers down, won’t I? I’ve made you breathless, I’ve made you moan, I’ve got you begging for more– something you thought you’d never do. Yet here we are, and you’re always dripping for me.” 

By the end of his sentence, Jack’s voice was barely audible. You were straining to hear him, and his mouth was right next to your ear. You felt a bit breathless already, strung together by terrible stitching. Your resolve snapped when you felt his lips close around your earlobe, his teeth tugging at your skin gently.

You jumped away from him like you’d been electrocuted by his touch. You’re breathing heavily, chest heaving. 

Jack fared no better, standing in the same spot. You watch his chest rise and fall, the little bit of his skin you can see between his unbuttoned white shirt glistening. His mouth was slightly open, ready to whisper something else dirty in your ear. 

You looked him up and down like you couldn’t decide where to focus, like you were fulfilling a prophecy where Jack made you fumble where you once stood so sure.

In a second, you made your decision. You needed to see how this would end, needed to feel it for yourself.

You grabbed Jack’s hand and dragged him out of the reception hall, down the winding hallways until you’ve deemed that you’re far enough away from the party that no one would be able to find you if they came looking.

You shoved Jack into a closet– a closet, you thought to yourself, wanting to laugh at the absurdity. When you closed the door behind you and turned to find Jack’s eyes, he was waiting with a stoney face, not letting any of his emotions show. You’d have killed to know what he was thinking.

All you could do was nod, mouth opening and closing a few times, but never finding words. 

Jack tilted his head, his eyes flashing in the darkness.

“Please,” is the single word that ended up breaking the silence between you. 

Jack’s lips were on yours in the blink of an eye. His hands cradled your face and his kiss was insistent, bruising. He was slow, sure, but he was emphatic, unyielding. The kiss reflected the eight years of waiting that had passed before he got this chance. 

His hand pulled one of your legs up onto his hip before it circled around you to knead the skin of your ass. Your dress, already short because Brady and Emma had planned for a wedding in the dead of summer, rode up until your behind was barely covered. 

All the more for Jack to hold onto as his tongue made its way into your mouth.

You continued to kiss, breaking apart only to take a breath and recover, unbuttoning the rest of Jack’s shirt and pushing it down his arms. Your hands roamed his torso, feeling every muscle that Jack had worked so hard to build. 

Jack’s mouth traveled south, sucking along the skin of your neck. He bent down, both of his hands finding your thighs and lifting you. You wrapped your legs around him and ground down against him, finally getting some relieving friction from the sizable bulge that was pressing against his zipper. Jack moaned out loud, gasping at your movements. 

“What next?” You asked, grinding down again.

“What?” Jack replied, lost in the moment. His eyes met yours and they seemed cloudy, swirling with lust.

“After you, shit, after you touch me–” Your head tipped back as he pressed a kiss to your collarbone. “What do you do next, in your dreams?”

It took a minute to register for Jack, too caught up in the feeling of your pussy against his cock, even if there were multiple layers separating you. 

“I touch you,” Jack said, the obvious next action. “I don’t do anything, I just touch you. I use two fingers and I find every spot that makes you react. Once I’ve got you figured out, I–”

You cut him off. “Do it,” You told him. Your head felt light, almost dizzy, and you nodded like a bobblehead. “Do it.”

Jack let out a pathetic, wanton whimper at your command and walked forward until you were pressed against the wall. He shifted you over to that you were held up by his thigh and he brought one hand down to your panties.

He felt over the skimpy fabric, which was barely doing anything anymore. It was soaked, darkened with your slick, and briefly, Jack thought to take it off of you and pocket it to bring home as a souvenir. How dirty you would feel going back out to the reception… the thought of it nearly made Jack’s knees buckle. It would be a constant reminder that he’d won, that he’d managed to fuck you and satisfy you after thinking about it for so long.

He allowed his fingers to wander up and down the expanse of your pussy, cataloging how you whined when he rubbed over your swollen clit and how you clenched down when he pushed at your entrance through the fabric covering it. He noticed how your stomach tensed as he teased his way across your lips, running his finger over each curve and ridge. 

As if inspired by something divine, Jack pulled your panties taut, making them ride up into your cunt and provide some gratifying friction when you next ground down on his hand. Jack watched, eyes wide, as you chased your own pleasure. His hand was the catalyst and you were moving mindlessly, like he had already plucked every thought from your head and replaced it with desire for him.

“Fuck,” Jack choked out, feeling a spark zip up his spine. “Y/N.”

He said your name with such reverence, and flexed his hand against you like an offering. 

“Fuck me,” You said. Your hands found Jack’s hair and you pressed your lips to his. “Jack. I need you to fuck me. I need you inside me, I can’t– oh, need you to make me come. Baby, I’m so close already, I need you.”

Jack’s cock was throbbing like he might burst from the slightest breeze. There it was again– “Baby.” It didn’t mean the same thing now, Jack knew it was more of a term of endearment than an insult, but it lit a fire under him nonetheless. He was going to prove to you that he wasn’t a baby, that he was a man and in this moment, you were his. He was going to fuck you hard, like you’d never imagined he was able to do. He was going to make your legs shake, make it so you couldn’t walk or do anything but sit prettily at your table and sip on another glass of wine to cool you off.

He was going to make it so that the next time he saw you, you’d be begging him to make you come again.

Jack let your feet find the floor again, stepping back just far enough to get his hands on his belt. “Strip,” Jack commanded. “I want to see you.” At the same time, he unbuckled his belt and worked to remove his dress pants. He kicked them away, in a crumpled little pile near his dress shirt. His underwear joined shortly after.

You hurried to remove your dress, eyes locked in on Jack’s cock. It was a burning red at the tip, wet and straining. It stood away from his body, solid and you swore you might’ve just felt some drool pool at the corner of your mouth. 

His hand fisted his cock, eyes lasered in on your protruding nipples when you dropped your dress to reveal your body. 

Jack sighed, stroking himself slowly to keep himself at bay. “You’re better than I dreamed,” He said, causing you to blush.

“Jack,” You whined, aching for him to come closer, to slide inside you.

“Let me.” Jack stepped forward and got to his knees, gently bringing your panties down and helping you out of them. He dropped a kiss on your clit before standing again.

You brought an arm around his neck, your other hand placed solidly on his chest. You could feel his pulse racing wildly beneath your palm and you suddenly remembered that he’d been waiting to do this for years.

“Come on, Jacky,” You voiced. “Prove yourself.”

It was a weak command, a weak insistence, barely any indicator of sureness in your voice now. Jack had turned you inside-out, made you question everything because you never imagined you’d need him the way you do now. 

He practically growled and you could feel it rumble in his chest. He captured your lips with his, nibbling on your bottom lip before filling your mouth with his tongue. It was slippery and wet and it felt like magic.

Jack pressed the tip of his cock against your entrance, feeling the head slide in. He stopped there for a minute, breathing deeply into your mouth to ground himself. He couldn’t disappoint you, wouldn’t dare shoot off early and cut short the night that he’d been fantasizing about since he was a teenager.

“So good,” You breathed out, feeding the words to Jack. He dipped his head and inched further into you, moving slowly until your pelvis connected with his. 

“Fuck,” Jack whimpered out. 

His thrusts started shallow. Jack felt like you were constricting him, squeezing him like a snake in a cartoon. His voice was caught in his throat like an ugly lump and the only noises that could force their way past it were groans and “uh”s that borderline on squeaky. He didn’t care about the noises, he didn’t care that he could be embarrassing himself in front of the girl he’s wanted for so long.

It didn’t matter to you, either– you were too caught up in the feeling of Jack’s cock sheathed inside of you. He was pressing against your most intimate spots and you could feel him throbbing inside of you, dragging delectably along your walls.

His thrusts grew deeper, became longer, harder. Jack’s hair fell into his eyes and you brushed it away. His eyes met yours and the air between you felt thick and charged. You brought your hand to Jack’s jaw and leaned forward, connecting your lips.

This kiss was different. It was soft, intimate. Your tongues slid against each other, licking into each others’ mouths and swallowing each others’ groans and whimpers. You forgot for a few minutes that you were in a closet at the wedding of a man you’d known since you were children, fucking a man that you swore you’d never touch because he’s too young.

That man was quickly proving that he’s one of the best fucks in your whole life. 

Here he was, mouthing against your neck after moving away from your lips. He was making these desperate noises, thrusting into you like he’s taking a chance at something he’ll never have again. At the beginning of this night, you might have agreed that he’d never get another chance. Now, you can’t help but look forward to the next time you see him, when you’ll get your mouth on his thick, skillful cock. 

You told him such, and Jack fucked you harder as a result. His hands clutched at your waist, fingertips destined to leave bruises. 

His cock entering and leaving you caused the closet to fill with wet noises and the sound of the slapping of skin. That, paired with Jack’s pants and whines, pushed you further to the edge. Your climax wound up inside you, tense and heavy in your gut.

“Jack,” You said, voice pleading. “I’m close.”

A moan was ripped from Jack’s chest, sweat beading at his hairline. The look in his eyes was almost animalistic, capturing you in his gaze like you’re the only being that exists in the world.

“Please,” Jack panted out. “Come on my cock.”

The winding coil of your climax unravels as Jack continues to thrust his length into you, drawing himself almost completely out of you and then forcing his cock back into your cunt. Your release leaked down his shaft, coating him completely.

The vice grip of your pussy on his cock made Jack hesitate, made him stutter. He still didn’t want to shoot off, he didn’t want to fill you up with his come, because that meant that this would be over. His dream, journey, his conquest would be complete, and he’d have to find something else to lust after. 

He knew in his heart that he was still just Jack, just a younger hockey guy who you’d known when he was pimply and stick-like, one who could never fit into your life the way he wished he could. 

He’d almost rather torture himself, deny himself from his release, than have this end.

But end it must, and it ended with a breathy whisper of his name.

“Jack,” You mewled, twitching in oversensitivity. 

“Oh,” He groaned as his cock jumped inside you, your walls milking him for everything he has. His eyelashes fluttered as you seemed suddenly re-energized, fucking yourself on his cock as he came inside you. It was like his come brought you to life, something too powerful and symbolic for him, and Jack closed his eyes at the thought.

You came down together, eyes finding each other intermittently in the darkness, only when the other wasn’t looking. Your breaths synched, unknowingly, as you dressed yourselves. You were close enough that your elbows could bump as you pulled your clothes on, but both of you were too conscious of the tension to let it happen.

You finished dressing yourself first and you looked over to Jack, feeling something close to awe as he buttoned his shirt and left some skin exposed. You were drawn to it, wanting to reach out and reveal the curve of his shoulder, the dip of his collarbone, the ridge of his waist again and get your mouth on him, but you couldn’t move.

The tension felt like molasses, thick and heavy. Jack’s eyes met yours and you knew that the emotion in his eyes reflected your own: that you knew everything had changed and you didn’t know if it was for the better or for the worse. 

Jack opened his mouth to say something, but you shook your head. You made your way into his space, tilting your head up to meet his lips in a sweet, short kiss. You pressed something soft into his hands, then turned and left the closet, leaving Jack alone in the dark. 

He didn’t know how you knew, but you had handed him your ruined panties. He slipped them into the pocket of his pants, mentally noting to find his suit jacket and move the panties to the inside pocket of that garment. 

When he saw you again at the reception, almost a half an hour later, you were sipping a new glass of wine. Jack made eye contact with you over the glass and patted his pocket, the small lump of your panties still visible to those who looked closely, and he grinned to himself when he saw you blush.

He’d text you later that night, having bummed your number off of Brady years ago but never used it until now. It was a simple message, teasing and confident, bold like you had come to expect from Jack:

“lmk when u want to see what i can do w my tongue ;)”

note: this might just be my magnum opus. this is my favorite thing that i've written in ages. i had toooo much fun with this. ...will write a part 2 when jack DOES show her what he can do with his tongue... maybe paired with another recent request i got about jack's current injury and what he is or is not able to do with his shoulder.

P.S. I'm not married to the title of this. It was kind of just something I threw out there. They do not crash a wedding. Although their behavior is certainly dramatic & would disrupt the wedding.

[kalinara]

So one thing I really love about the Original Five in the future issues is how so many artists have such wildly different takes on Scott Summers's design, but each one works incredibly well for their respective contexts.

Take this one, from All-New X-Men #1:

This is the first look at Baby Scott that we get. Immonen's Scott here looks a lot like the Scott we see in the original issue that this is referencing:

I included the third panel because the resemblance is the most striking there. All cheekbones and suit that's just a little too big. A very young man trying to fill a big role and doing it about as well as anyone can.

I'm going to put the rest of these behind the cut, because this is a very image heavy post.

Anyway, as soon as we get to the past, the depiction of Scott changes sharply.

Six issues and one day later (All-New X-Men #007), Scott looks profoundly different:

He looks younger, softer, and that furrow in his brow is not going to be going away any time soon. Understandable. This poor kid has been through the wringer and life is not done with him yet.

Dauterman's Cyclops in...Cyclops #2 is pretty consistent with this portrayal:

He looks young, adolescent. A bit softer in the face. Perpetual furrow is still there. Well, not actually in this particular shot, but trust me, there's lots of furrowing in this series.

See? (Cyclops #03) Corsair can really bring out the furrow in a kid.

Actually, I hate to say it, but Corsair actually seems to have done this kid some good. The Cyclops that we see in the SECOND run of All-New X-Men actually seems almost confident again.

Bagley's Scott still got his issues, but aside from the scrawniness, he looks damn near adult. But also mostly content. This road trip that the team is on, away from the adults and the pressure, seems to be good for him.

Even injured, he seems to be doing pretty well (from All-New X-Men #12):

This is notable to me, because this issue came out in August 2016. Fast forward to late 2016 (specifically Champions #3), and we get:

Ramos's Scott is completely recognizable of course, but he is, very clearly, a CHILD, in a way that none of the previous versions really get to be.

And it works. It makes perfect sense. Because this is the first time since the plane crash where Scott has been able to actually be a CHILD. He's not leading the group, he doesn't have to set an example. He can just play too. He can, as he tells Ms. Marvel much later, actually relax.

But all sweet things must come to an end, and the Scott in X-Men Blue #01 is back to form:

Jean's actually leading the team, which is nice. And there's some very nice banter. But Molina's Scott is very much back to proto-adult here. (And while Jean is leading and starts the scene in front, Scott's positioning makes complete sense when the next page reveals who they're actually reporting to - Magneto).

I'm not really an art person. Generally I pay a lot more attention to things like plot, dialogue, and character development than I do the art styles. It's how I got through the 90s. But this has been a neat thing to go back and notice. Each depiction is excellent. Each one is immediately recognizable. But each one says something a little different and fits the story in its own specific way. And that's really cool!

[ybklix]

𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐀

★ pairing: chris bahng & lee minho x popstar!femreader

✦𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: Prima donna: someone who demands to be treated in a special way and is difficult to please.

The sweet and perverse play of a life hidden behind an acclaimed character created by someone.

Minho Lee, a frustrated young writer working in one of the most important music magazines, is about to find out what’s really going on behind the scenes of the mysterious girl everyone is wondering about.

With small steps in your career, you are discovered by a famous producer under the pseudonym CB97, whose vision of work is very specific and quite peculiar… yet you succeed in becoming a rising star, who manages to spark the public's curiosity. Hiding little secrets under the image of a mysterious internet girl with an angelic voice and face.

Once Minho is challenged to come up with a really good story to keep his job, he finds your unusual videos on the internet, wondering if he could have a chance to meet you… only to find himself with no way out, immerse in a dark world, hidden and full of beauty and desire.

♡ 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 - 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: smut, angst, daddy kink, soft bdsm, sex toys, sextape, est. relationship, cheating, threesomes, mention of sex workers, sugar daddy, dom!chan, toxic relationship, reader is slightly a nymphomaniac (current warnings appearing in each chapter).

♡⋆˙ FIC MASTERLIST

❀ inspired by the early career of poppy, the singer and her “weird” yt videos back in 2016, electra heart by marina and the diamonds and almost famous film.

main masterlist

current warnings: daddy kink, pet names, suggestive smut.

word count: 860

♡ PROLOGUE ♡

“Perfect, beautiful, but I feel you can do better, let’s do it again just one more time” your boyfriend said in a soft tone, focused on all his recording equipment watching once more your video, you nodded determined and quickly arranged your two pigtails back on your shoulders, “In three... two...”

You went back to your role and acted according to the script previously studied to perfection written by your boyfriend. It wasn’t rocket science, your videos were never longer than three minutes, and this was one of those that came out in one continuous take, but Chris, your boyfriend, was a total perfectionist freak.

Once you heard him say “Cut,” you felt yourself breathe again and were a little tired of the bright set lighting hitting your face.

“This is the good one, babygirl, you did excellent, I just edit it and it’s done” he said, cheering you on and still focused on his computer.

You approached him, this time he was so focused on the result of the video that he didn’t go straight to you to pamper you which seemed strange to you, like something empty, you missed his affection and compliments every time you did something well, or every time you did your job well and didn't complicate it for him too much.

You admired him, his handsome side profile, you sighed, you were dying to call him by his name, but he didn’t like when you called him that at all, according to him, it was like a lack of affection towards him.

“Daddy” you tried to catch his attention, stretching his clothes a little but he was still engrossed watching every detail of your recorded video, “Daddy” you called him again in a more needy tone.

“What’s wrong little one?” he replied without paying attention to you, deftly moving his long fingers on his computer.

“Did I do it right?” you asked.

“Of course you did, babygirl, I’m almost about to post it...”

“Then why don’t you show me how much you like it?” you whined, knowing full well that tone made every part of his body tremble.

He finally turned to look at you, your expression with a slight pout, your eyes bright, it was obvious you wanted sex to which Chris smirked as he couldn’t believe you were insatiable, you had a huge sexual appetite, you could last hours and hours, round after round until he left your body completely tired, until you cried and begged for no more. But you couldn’t help it, he had made you that way, he created you, from your dyed hair, to your feet with your socks and shoes on that he chose and dressed you in them. You were all his.

For a year now, you had this kind of relationship that was a little abnormal, but you were turned on by every part of it. It was a routine you kept, but besides the sex your favorite part was making music with your boyfriend, being able to share creative ideas, and ending up completely fascinated with the great work he did with your voice.

“That’s what you want, huh, babygirl?” Chris raised his eyebrows, running his tongue around the inside of his mouth watching you with desire, making your pussy throb under his penetrating gaze, “Wasn’t the good morning daddy gave you enough for you?”

You shook energetically, your heart racing at the thought of being touched again by him, igniting in you an inner flame that could only be extinguished by reaching your so intense orgasm that your daddy always makes sure you reach.

“I want more, daddy please, don’t I deserve a reward?”

“Mmm, the video wasn’t that hard to act...” he commented teasing you a little.

“Daddy, pleaseee” you begged, you were so wet that if he refused to touch you, you’d go to your room to lock in and give yourself an orgasm, without caring about breaking one of his rules, either way a very painful but sizzling hot punishment awaited you every time you broke one of them.

“Okay, come here” Chris turned from his chair, putting his body in front of you.

You moved closer, almost in a jump of happiness, wrapping your arms around his neck, Chris wrapped his arms around your body, squeezing it and dropping his heavy strong arms in you.

“What does my princess want?” he asked, close to your lips, brushing his big nose against yours.

“I don’t know, daddy, you decide...”

Chris moved one of his hands down to your wet center, starting to stroke your clit, making you gasp and moan.

“You’re so wet... You want daddy to play with you, don’t you?”

You bit your lip, aroused, every muscle in your pussy throbbing, so needy at his slightest touch. You loved him, you worship him.

You didn’t believe that anything or anyone could break such a bond between you. He knew absolutely everything about you, or at least you were so blinded as to believe so. But trying to figure him out was a constant game that sometimes you had to lose. And gosh, you really fucking hate to lose.

[mementoboni]

DIR EN GREY PLAYERS BOOK - Kyo interview (2016)

“The freedom that can only be felt at that moment I want to cherish it, and I don't want to be tied down to the song”— Kyo

Notes before reading:

Source: DIR EN GREY PLAYERS BOOK P.17-20 (Text: YUKINOBU HASEGAWA)

All translated by me. Repost and share are welcome.🙌 English is not my first language, so please feel free to correct me if you spot any mistake or any confusing parts.😊

My Blogger → 中文翻譯 & English Translation

#excerpt: deg players book

--- --- ---

“There's something different about people who express themselves with their bodies and people who express themselves with instruments”

ーーYou first bought a guitar because you wanted to be in a band, right?

Kyo：I had the image that band = guitar (laugh). If I wanted to play in a band, I'd want to own an instrument, but I am not able to do that at all.

ーーHave you ever challenged any songs?

Kyo：Back then, X (now X JAPAN) was really popular, and there were quite a few people playing X around me so I was given the score of “BLUE BLOOD."* But I'm such a beginner that I don't even know which ones are difficult and which ones are easy. I looked at the score and wondered if I could do something like this. The guitar soon became not something to play, but something to display (laugh).

*Blue Blood is the second album by X Japan, released in 1989

ーーEven so, you still couldn't get over your passion for the band, so your next choice was to be the vocalist?

Kyo：I borrowed a bass from my friends, but it was just for fun. HIDE-san (X JAPAN) was the first guitarist I liked, but I'm generally attracted to vocalists. Moreover, there were many special vocalists. It just so happened that a lot of people in the band that I like wear makeup, so I thought I'd like to be part of a band like that. At the same time, I also liked Endo Michiro-san* (THE STALIN) and other punk music, but they didn't blend well back then, in my opinion. Isn't it a different genre? There were not many bands that could coexist in multiple music genres, probably GASTUNK. I had the impression that if I was going to do different types of music, I would have to do it separately. That's why I joined various bands. There were Punk-style bands, and there were also Visual-kei bands.

*遠藤ミチロウ (Endo Michiro) is the vocalist of THE STALIN.

ーーWere you not that particular about music style or genre?

Kyo：No, I really like intense music.

ーーWas it the era when Endo Michiro-san was throwing pig heads at live shows from THE STALIN?

Kyo：When I was in the second grade of middle school, it was the time when X had released “BLUE BLOOD”, and BUCK-TICK had almost released “TABOO"* or not. I only fell in love with THE STALIN later.

*TABOO is the fourth album by BUCK-TICK, released in 1989

ーーThe late 1980s was a time when the indie scene in Kansai was very strong.

Kyo：But I was still in middle school (laugh). The only source of information was TV, and I was like, “What's indie?” That's why I know X and BUCK-TICK. Somehow, I later learned about THE STALIN and GASTUNK. Back then, there was a video called “Takarajima VOS"*. There were a lot of other omnibus videos out there, so I was shopping all over the place and looking for them.

*宝島vos (Takarajima VOS)

ーーYou’ve got a lot of things that attract you. Was it all intense (music) since then?

Kyo：Yeah. Thrash Metal was also in fashion, and Metallica was becoming popular. And Skid Row, which is not Thrash Metal, was also popular back then. But I wasn’t attracted to that. I don't like bands that look good in bandana (laugh). After graduating from middle school, I worked at the central market in Kyoto. I had blonde hair and was approached by a band member who was working at the central market. Later, I became a roadie for their band, which was a Hard rock band.

ーーWas it a Bandana-kei band which you didn't like very much?

Kyo：It's a Bandana-kei band, but they wore makeup. I toured with that band as a roadie. After watching many bands, I gradually understood what was going on, because I also had formed several local bands.

ーーDid you get any advice from the bands you were with or from the bands you met on tour?

Kyo：I was 15 years old back then, and the people in the band I was with were 22 or 23, so I was still like a child. We didn't have too many deep conversations, like what a vocalist is or how a song is made. My specialty was loading and unloading equipment and making hair stand up. But I noticed something. The band members were close, but there was a little distance between the vocalist and the instrumentalists. There's something different between people who express themselves with their bodies and people who express themselves with instruments. And like not drinking, health care, these are different from people who play instruments, right? I learned a lot.

ーーAs a vocalist, was there anything about the live experience that blew your mind?

Kyo：It's a bit special… Back then, Kamaitachi* was popular in my hometown Kyoto, and they were all red. I don't know if it was an agreement with the company or not, but the band I was with as a roadie all wore gold enamel outfits.* Also, when they released an album, they didn't play any songs from the album. They said, “The company chose those songs on their own, and we don't really want to play them at our shows.” I've been looking at things like that, so I thought the company was not very good (laugh). If possible, I would do my best to do it myself.

*かまいたち (Kamaitachi) is a Visual-kei band that formed in Kyoto in 1985 and disbanded in 1991. All the members had red hair.

*金のエナメル。I guess it's some kind of material (?)

ーーYou thought it's not good for adults to get involved?

Kyo：I thought it would be bad (laugh). It gave me a strange image. So I tried to find members, put up flyers in music stores and second-hand CD stores, contacted them myself to form a band, but nothing really went well. It's really difficult to start a band.

--- --- ---

“I don't want to make any compromises I don't want to do anything else”

ーーDid you have an ideal form for the band?

Kyo：There was absolutely something that I thought was cool. I can't put it into concrete words, but there was something unshakable. In my first band back then, there were about 8 people in the audience, and we were playing against about 5 other bands, so there were only about 30 people in total. Tables and chairs were set up, and after their favorite band was finished, the audience would start eating. I understood that, but I got very angry when people talked while I was performing, so I complained about it during the MC. I think I feel the same way from then to now (laugh). I knew that the fans and the audience were important, but I wasn't mainly focused on them, and I would do exactly what I wanted to do.

ーーIsn’t it similar? Wearing white makeup on face* and waving a bamboo sword (laugh). It's like a live fight.

*白塗り。It's like the Kabuki actor or the Geisha who puts on white makeup from face to neck.

Kyo：That's the punk band (laugh). We didn't fight, but we played shows similar to that. I was not interested in being a vocalist who sings well. Even if I didn't sing, I thought it was fine as long as I could express what I wanted to express and the atmosphere of the moment. There was no fixed concept that I had to sing just because I am a vocalist. That's why I didn't sing much at live shows back then. Even after I became DIR EN GREY, until the end of the “Withering to Death.” tour, I was still called a vocalist who doesn't sing. I did what I wanted to do, but I didn't feel that I had to sing because I'm a vocalist. It was like that.

ーーDid you feel like you were letting out your inner anxiety and confusion?

Kyo：That's part of it, but it might have been better if I was a part of my role as a performer. It would be good if I could show what I think is cool and what I want to do.

ーーDo you want to see the surprised faces of the audience?

Kyo：I think it happened to some extent, but after the live show, I just want to perform on stage that I am satisfied with. This is a very self-centered idea. I was satisfied, so everyone else must be satisfied as well and that's why they came to the show, right? For example, no one would want Endo Michiro-san to sing for the audience. It's like Endo Michiro-san is doing whatever he wants. That's what I wanted to be like. That's why I'm not saying anything like trying to be happy through our songs and MCs. That's how much I hated it.

--- --- ---

“I was not interested in being a vocalist who sings well There's no concept that I have to sing just because I'm a vocalist”

“I don't want to leave any regrets On the contrary, I want to move forward to a more difficult place”

ーーLiving with trauma all the time is also the main reason, right?

Kyo：That's probably true. The only person I can trust is myself, and basically I always think I can't get along with other people, or maybe I just refuse to get along with them. When I was in my previous band, and maybe in the early days of DIR EN GREY, I didn't talk to other bands at all, so I was told by people around me that I had anthropophobia. Of course, they weren't my enemies, but even if I told them, they wouldn't understand. It was like I had given up. In that case, I don't want to make any compromises in what I do, and I don't want to do anything else.

ーーYou have shown a colorful voice from the early days to now. Did you always want to broaden the range of expression in the songs?

Kyo：No, until the end of “MACABRE”, I wanted to do more than just sing. It’s kind of hard to explain, but I didn't think too much about singing or voice. To be honest, I was more prickly in DIR EN GREY's indies period and my previous bands. I had no money, no friends, and always felt like I was going to explode. That feeling faded away unconsciously after our major debut, I guess it's because I was busy doing interviews and photographing every day. After several days of interviews from morning to night, instead of anger and dissatisfaction, I thought more about the fellowship with the members and the need to overcome this busy period. Something I cared about had changed. I think my sweetest period was about halfway through the MACABRE Tour until I injured my ear (sudden hearing loss in the left ear). That's why it was my least favorite period. I was not sure how much longer I would be able to do it after my ear injury. I had to make sure I didn't go back to my naive self so that I wouldn't have any regrets. For that reason, I decided to go to more difficult places and became more strict with myself. During the period of “Kisou”, we studied and incorporated new musical tastes into what we've been creating up until now. From there, I started to put more emphasis on my own vocal style. I started thinking about how to use my voice and what only I could do. When creating these works, I paid close attention to details such as the localization of the voice and the texture. But I thought that works are works and live performances are live performances, which are different things, so people kept saying that I was a vocalist who couldn't sing. I was also told that “DIR EN GREY should just release CDs” or “If you can't sing it live, don't do it”, but in my mind, CDs are CDs and live performances are live performances. If you want exactly the same things as CDs, please listen to CDs. At live shows, you can still feel something even without singing, right?

ーーThose live shows were filled with great tension. You mentioned the word "study." What exactly did you do?

Kyo：I'd say I've started listening to all kinds of music, regardless of genre. Didn't I just say that I don't like hard rock music? But that's just what I imagined, so I started listening to it trying to find something. In my own way, though. Still, it's okay to hate what you hate. I think that was when I listened to the most variety of music. There was no YouTube yet, and videos were not easily available, but back then Marilyn Manson simply made an impact on me, and so did Nine Inch Nails. I realized that there were foreigners who were visually interesting. There might have been more foreigners if I went back further, but I had never heard of them. Then I started listening to various kinds of music, but the vocalists I liked were overwhelmingly Japanese.

ーーEndo Michiro-san and Nakamori Akina-san. Also Cocco-san who you had been listening to a lot since those days.

Kyo：I liked BAKI-san from GASTUNK and KIBA-san from Gargoyle as well. I liked KIBA-san's unique style of not moving or laughing at all during live performances back then. I also liked the early VIRUS and the bassist NOBORU-san. I liked those eccentric people.

ーーDid you become prickly because of your admiration for eccentricity?

Kyo：Or rather, there were some strange rules in my mind that I didn't realize until I injured my ear. It didn't matter after the injury, the strange rules started to be broken, but I was worried that it would be bad for the image of the band. I think I was able to break down the various elements I had before and put them together without rules.

--- --- ---

“The style that only I can create I packed it all into UROBOROS”

ーーThen it spurred on and led to insane live performances. I guess you just couldn't stop yourself anymore. There have been many times where you started bleeding after shows and an ambulance was waiting at the backstage entrance. So what kind of mental state were you in when you were standing on stage?

Kyo：I think the most extreme tour was the “Withering to death.” Back then, the members did not get along well with each other, and the stage was a place for me to release myself. I didn't sing many songs, and if I didn't like something, I would go back to the dressing room right away, so I guess I was too honest with myself (bitter smile). I've become even more prickly than the indies period, and I greedily did everything that I wanted to do or that I thought was my expression. I was getting more and more extreme, and even vomiting blood, but I also had the feeling that it was just a fake, and I thought that was boring. I decided to try to do it with the real thing. I wanted to make the expression of pain in the lyrics more realistic, so that people could understand just by looking at it. I wanted to express it freely using my own body, sweat, blood, and various other things. So it exploded.

ーーI think it was “THE MARROW OF A BONE” that changed things in terms of vocal approach and style. It's also swerving in extreme directions such as death, growl, guttural, etc.

Kyo：Up until “Withering to death.”, I was creating works as works, and the live performance was like an explosion of myself. “THE MARROW OF A BONE” is a combination of both sides. The single “RYOUJOKU NO AME” (凌辱の雨) had harmonies and a beautiful finish, but the album is a single piece with no harmonies. We changed the way we made the song because we wanted to make it as close to the live performance as possible and express aggressiveness. I kept the vocals as close to the live show as possible, with as few takes as possible, and kept the momentum going. So when I listen to it now, I think it's the most painful song I've ever sung.

ーーAt the same time, the many ways of using your voice have become a part of your personality as a vocalist. What kind of process did you go through to broaden your singing style?

Kyo：In my opinion, I think it has been narrowed. Up until “Withering to death.” I had been using various techniques to expand my voice in the work, but with “THE MARROW OF A BONE” it suddenly shrunk. After performing live, I got really pissed off at being called “The vocalist who cannot sing” (laugh). Some people thought that I was just doing a good job of making sound recordings on the computer (laugh). Until then, I had intentionally included soundtracks that without singing in the coupling song of singles. But in the end, nothing seemed to be conveyed. There was a great sense of distance, so I felt that I was the only one walking to an unknown place, I had to pull them up. So I decided to raise the quality of our works above “Withering to death.” From a global perspective, what is the style that only I could create? I did some research on myself, and I packed it all into “UROBOROS.” Moreover, I felt like I've almost 100% recreated it in live performances so no one would complain. After I actually did it, I was able to create exactly what I had envisioned, and I felt satisfied that I could become a singer with a unique style. After that, when we toured overseas, I was selected in many rankings in the metal vocalist category, and I felt that I had done nothing wrong. I think it was with “UROBOROS” that I finally found a match between my live performances and our works.

ーーFrom that album, you started recording songs at home.

Kyo：I created an environment at home where I can sing when I want to sing. Until then, I had been singing in an environment where I had to go to a studio and have an engineer there. But I thought that was not good enough. I felt that this style would not be complete unless I was in a position to sing with the feelings I wanted and at the time I wanted.

ーーAs a result, you have quite a vocal range from growl to clean. Do you sometimes approach singing stoically, thinking that in order to perfect your style, you need to broaden your vocal range?

Kyo：There are vocalists who can somehow shout, sing, and have a high-pitched voice. However, I realized that there aren't many vocalists who can take each of these to a very high level, so I researched and pursued them greedily. Think about it, “UROBOROS” is still a bit naive, but it feels like the first part of the current style.

ーーWhat exactly do you mean by research? If you're a guitarist, it's easy to copy a song you've never played before and make it your own.

Kyo：I don't have that kind of know-how, and I haven't had voice training. When we make new songs, I sing based on my first impression of the song that the members brought. Then I add my own color to it in my own way while paying attention to those impressions, that's how the style was formed. I just accepted what came out naturally from me and repeated it over and over again. Also, I did it in a way that I can enjoy. “ここでこう来んのかい!?”* It's like I'm enjoying it myself (laugh). In the end, music always tickles my heart. It feels good when the chorus comes just when you think it's coming. I made it in such a way that I could enjoy it myself, and then it came up with something bizarre (laugh). If you are just trying to be like someone else, you are just repeating the same thing from the beginning, and you will never be able to create something new. The reason you find something interesting is because you've never seen it before. I don't think I can create anything new without doing so, so I'm just doing what I think.

*Sorry I don't know how to translate it into English

ーーIt depends on the song, but does it take a long time for you to find the vocal arrangement?

Kyo：It doesn't take much time. There are no rules anymore, so when I hear a song, I just kind of sing it, and sometimes it is almost completely decided on that basis. Of course, there are times when I have to remake it. I used to listen to all kinds of music for a while, but now I don't listen to much music anymore. If you listen to only one kind of music all the time, you may become fixated on it. I don't like that either.  When I listen to a piece of new song and want it to be intense, I don't imagine an intense band, but rather an intense, messy picture. Or it's sad to see a withering leaf. That's probably where I get my strongest images from.

ーーYou express yourself through music, but music is definitely not the only thing that sparks your imagination.

Kyo：That's right. I just pull from what I feel and see in daily life and make it into musical form. I feel like anything is possible when it comes to expression.

--- --- ---

“I don't practice at all I think of live performances as practice”

ーーAt your live performances, there is a vocal solo piece called “INWARD SCREAM”, or a place to express yourself. How did you start that?

Kyo：Basically, I don't talk during live performances. In the past, I used to force myself to talk, but there was a strange idea in the company that I had to do MC because I'm a vocalist. Why do I have to do all the talking? But DIR EN GREY has a lot of songs in different tunings, so there there are often gaps between songs. And when I don't do MC, the scene becomes quiet, doesn't it? (laugh) So I asked them to let me do it without MC because I had my own idea. The people in the company were reluctant, but once I did it, their attitude changed (laugh).  Fans sometimes ask us to play DIR EN GREY songs, if I’m going to sing “INWARD SCREAM”. But even if we didn't have “INWARD SCREAM”, we wouldn't have more songs (laugh). I hope you understand that first (laugh). We are not doing this by reducing the number of songs.

ーーI feel like I'm suddenly lured into the world of esotericism with “INWARD SCREAM”. Compared to songs that have already been released as sound sources, do you feel that you are in a different world in terms of tension?

Kyo：Not really, but the binding will be completely removed. If it's a DIR EN GREY song, the melody is already decided, and to a certain extent, the lyrics and the worldview of the song are also decided. These just came naturally from within me. But “INWARD SCREAM” is more like a state of zero, or rather, a flow from the previous song, and what kind of movement and voice I will make. It is a free expression of those things. I've always been interested in “living things”*. It is important to keep the same quality as CDs, and unlike in the past, I've raised the minimum standard. Even so, I still want to cherish the freedom that can only be felt at that moment, and I don't want to be tied down to the songs.

*生物

ーーI guess you are seen as quite eccentric overseas.

Kyo：Is that so? I am always looking for a vocalist that only I can be. I have always been non-style, but I like the process of creating and then destroying, so I want to keep changing.

ーーIs this the same for your ideal style?

Kyo：There is no such thing for me. It's just like, “I want to do this”, “I want to express myself like this at the next show.” These thoughts keep changing during the tour, that's how I feel. Lately, I feel like I'm moving further and further to the edge (bitter smile).

ーーYou have a shaved head and piercings, and sometimes you put on make-up and turn into four eyes, so it looks like you've gone completely out of bounds (laugh).

Kyo：Yeah, yeah (laugh). It doesn't matter (laugh).

ーーIt's also related to the expression “INWARD SCREAM”, you insist on using a shielded microphone on stage, right?

Kyo：To be honest, it doesn't matter either way. Without a shield, I can broaden my performance range, and with a shield, I can express myself in different ways. However, I prefer to have a shield. On stage, everyone is dressed all in black. A bright red shield is like a blood vessel, and it gives me an impression of being alive, and the sound is connected to the shield. Also, wireless microphones are thick in structure, right? That's just not cool. If there is a shield attached, there are restrictions on my movement, but I have a weird rebellious feeling that I should express myself regardless of the restrictions (laugh). Besides, the sound is usually better with a shield. It also avoids any trouble with radio waves. As long as it is shielded, I don't care what kind of microphone it is, whether it's dry sounding* or the front end has gotten bumpy (laugh).

*カスカスのマイク

--- --- ---

“Make the expression of pain more realistic I wanted to express freely using my own body, sweat and blood”

ーーAren't you particular about the recording microphone?

Kyo：I don't care what kind of microphone I use, but I sing the same way on the recording as I do on stage. I am not used to singing with my hands behind my back on a stand mic (laugh). I always sing with a hand mic. That way I can control the mic subtly, such as moving it closer or further away with my hand, and I can use it live as it is. I enjoy doing things like creating delay-like effects using only my own live voice, without using a delay device. I also enjoy doing things like making my voice sound quieter by using a live voice and a hand microphone instead of using a machine to reduce the volume or level. “AGITATED SCREAMS OF MAGGOTS -UNPLUGGED-” was recorded in one shot, but there's a clattering sound at the end. I did that by rubbing the hand mic against myself and banging it against the wall (laugh). I prefer the hand mic because I can act on my own ideas right away.

ーーDo you have any recent vocal practice tips?

Kyo：My vocal range has expanded, and people say that I must have practiced a lot. But I don't practice at all. I think of live performances as practice (laugh). When I record a song, the director will tell me how far the key has been extended. It was interesting to me, and I would think to myself, “Next time, I got this far, and then this far more.” There was a time when I played it like a strategy game, but I got tired of it now.

ーーDoes it have anything to do with the menacing thought, “If other guys can do it, I can do it too?”

Kyo：No, no, I have a very low opinion of myself. Other vocalists practice hard and put in a lot of effort. I always think, “No, no, I can't do it.” It's really impossible for me.

(END)

--- --- ---

#excerpt: deg players book

My Blogger → 中文翻譯 & English Translation

[rabidline]

Japanese Skaters' Favorite Shoma Uno Programs and Their Reasons

This was in the Figure Skating Team Japan Fan Book for the 2024-2025 season, which had Shoma on its cover along with both a pretty substantial Shoma interview and Stephane interview about Shoma.

For Shoma's retirement, the magazine made a special column to include the active Japanese skaters (and Satoko) messages to Shoma, as well as their favorite Shoma programs. A friend helped in sharing and translating just the favorite Shoma programs part:

Sota Yamamoto: I love so many programs. Loco is the best for me because it’s unique and cool. Turandot 2.0 (2017-2018), when I had a difficult season because of my injury, this program encouraged me. Stairway To Heaven... brushing his hair upward is so cool. Great Spirit and Dancing On My Own (2019 Nationals) He graduated from Grand Prix Tokai and struggled but he could be National champion. I was so moved and almost cried. I love Bolero. Gravity and Air On The G String, he could perform not only powerful but loss of strength and I could learn from him.

Yuma Kagiyama: I love so many programs. Loco is the best. I love Great Spirit so I chose Believer last season (2022-2024 SP). I watched and watched Great Spirit on YouTube and I can skate its step sequence.

Shun Sato: Of course I love Ladies in Lavender. And Great Spirit.

Kazuki Tomono: I love Legends (2015-2016) so much because it’s first SP as a senior skater. His image as a skater changed a lot and it was impressive.

Koshiro Shimada: I love Loco at Helsinki Worlds (2017) the best. And Everything Everywhere All At Once and Bolero. At first Shoma mentioned about Bolero, “It’s so difficult and I can’t.” Finally he could do great performance and win at Worlds (2022) and it was what Stephane wanted to see I think. I was so moved and I almost got goosebumps.

Kao Miura: I love Loco the best because the balance of powerful and sensitive movements is good. I love Bolero because he seems to reach his limits. Not only jumps but each movement were so great and the last he seems to collapse because he skates so hard. I love it so much.

Nozomu Yoshioka: I love 2019-2020 season Great Spirit and Dancing On My Own. Nobody skates for such a number like Great Spirit and it’s so exciting. I like a stop before step sequence and before 3A and it’s so cool program. He struggled first half of the season so I was so moved to see Dancing On My Own at (2019) Nationals.

Tatsuya Tsuboi: I love Turandot 1.0 the best. When I was novice skater I saw his senior debut GPF (2015) and he got a bronze medal. It was so impressive and I was so moved.

Kaori Sakamoto: I love Moonlight. This season he won 4CC title. Second year 4th place, third year 3rd place, fourth year 2nd place, and finally he got gold medal. He seemed very happy on the podium and both program and costume were great. Everything was perfect.

Mone Chiba: I love the last season’s SP, Everything Everywhere All At Once, because I love the atmosphere. His step sequence expresses powerfulness and gracefulness. It’s great program so I feel it too short.

Rinka Watanabe: I love Moonlight because I’d like to express like that. His skating is like a clear (not hazy) night and it’s great.

Rion Sumiyoshi: I love many programs. I love Air On The G String because I sometimes skate it for skating lessons. It’s a very simple music but he can tell a story and he can bring a joy to audience. His technique is great.

Mai Mihara: I love many programs and each has a charm. If I choose one program, I’ll choose Turandot 2.0. Especially cantilever is really great and I was so moved and I almost got goosebumps. Both skating and expression were great.

Hana Yoshida: I have two programs in my mind. If I choose one program, I’ll choose Bolero. I forget the name… small pattern…Great Spirit? I love the step sequence and I’d like to rewatch it.

Yuna Aoki: Turandot 2.0 is so impressive because I love princely costume and I feel his powerfulness from this program. I love it so much.

Wakaba Higuchi: I love Bolero and Turandot so much. I could see Bolero at ice shows many times and it’s impressive.

Satoko Miyahara: I love Bolero the best. Turandot 2.0 is impressive. I also love gala program Padam Padam and I always think it great.

Rino Matsuike: I love Bolero. I used to skate Moonlight, so It’s so special for me. When Mihoko-sensei choreographed this program, she said “When the music started, audience was so focused on his performance from the first moment. (He could bring audience to his world.) When I am training, I think “I’d like to perform like him.”

[theconstitutionisgayculture]

"The best part is everyone knew what Trump was going to do and he still won in a landslide."

He did not win in a landslide. A 0.9% swing in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan would have let Harris win. No win this narrow has ever been called a landslide.

"Also he has his highest approval rating ever right now."

The highest presidential approval rating ever was 90% under George W Bush after 9/11. Trump's current approval rating is 49%, which is the same as his highest approval rating during his last term, which also happened in the honeymoon phase after his inauguration. In fact, of all the US presidents with recorded approval ratings, Trump has the lowest max approval rating at 49%, and the lowest average approval rating at 41%.

Let's go backwards here. Reread my quote on approval ratings:

"Also he has his highest approval rating ever right now."

And here's his RCP average

As for your other claim, let's take a look

1.7 not 0.9

1.4 not 0.9

This is the only swing state that he won by 0.9%. Good job at getting one right, at least.

For fun, let's look at the other two swing states he won

5%

4%

And now we look at trends

About a third of those red arrows in California represent a double digit shift towards Trump, by the way.

Now let's look at Biden's swing state results from 2020. I'm not going to crop images because I'm getting tired of that, but I'll link you my source so you can see it yourself

Wisconsin:

Biden: 49.45%

Trump: 48.82%

0.63%

Pennsylvania:

Biden: 50.0%

Trump: 48.8%

1.2%

Arizona:

Biden: 49.36%

Trump: 49.06%

0.3%

Nevada:

Biden: 50.1%

Trump: 47.7%

2.4%

Michigan:

Biden: 50.6%

Trump: 47.8

2.8%

The only swing state where Biden outperformed Trump 2024 is Michigan.

For fun, let's take a look at the popular vote. It doesn't matter to presidential elections, but with the right context it can be used as evidence for trends. Let's take a look at Obama's 2008 popular vote total, which is his highest.

66,862,039

What did Trump get in 2024?

77,303,573

Trump got 10,441,534 votes more than Obama in his best year.

And for even more fun, let's look at Trump's popular vote in 2016

62,985,106

vs 2020

74,224,319

So even when he "lost" in 2020, he still gained 11,239,213 votes.

But that's just fun. What really matters is that Trump won every single swing state by a comfortable margin for a modern election. He won, in fact, the maximum possible number of states that any candidate could win in the current electoral climate while picking up gains in almost every county in the country, including in the deep blue parts of deep blue states. His approval ratings are high, the majority of the country supports most of his key positions, especially on immigration, and The Resistance, including the Democrat party, is in complete disarray. Not only did he win a landslide, but he was at the head of a massive cultural shift in the country. Every left wing sacred cow is being slaughtered, and the people are cheering it on.

Trump is a generational figure in American politics. And as a bonus, he did it by cracking apart Obama's "forever coalition" and destroying the last dregs of his rotten legacy.

[lady-raziel]

I'm angry. I'm really, really furious right now. I am absolutely livid that when the stakes are so high-- not just for Americans at risk from project 2025, not just for people in Europe being threatened by Russia, not just for people in Palestine, but for pretty much widespread global stability-- that the elites of the Democratic party would dare, would have the fucking gall to let Joe Biden run for a second term in the first place, and then when the magnitude of their own hubris is revealed, would not correct the mistake. And even worse, now, after what we've seen over the past two weeks-- that many of them, including some of the most progressive, would look out upon the people who they claim to be champions of, the diverse and varied America who will suffer at the hands of the conservatives' agenda--and they would EVER dare to say that YOU are wrong to point out the truth before your own eyes.

After the NATO press conference, where Biden absolutely had to prove he was not on the decline, and resoundingly failed to do so, I was appalled to go on Twitter (I'm still not calling it X, sorry) and see favored Democratic insiders claiming that the performance I had just seen was GOOD. That I should be PROUD of this. That I should WANT to vote for this.

How dare you. How dare you say that I should be proud, should wholeheartedly endorse the candidate at the head of a party who, time and time again over the past 30+ years, has only ever chosen to raise up its own aging elites, and occasionally younger people if they met the right demographics to portray the image of the "diverse party of the people."

No. It became evident a long time ago that you only ever cared about yourselves and consolidating your own power. Time and time again you have destroyed the chances of any candidate that strays beyond what you consider the bounds of acceptability for yourselves. There were good candidates in 2004-- and instead, the Democrats gave us John Kerry and handed the Republicans another four years of Bush. Hillary Clinton first ran for president in 2008-- had Barack Obama not been so compelling, had the idea of having the first African American president been so appealing, would you have allowed him to stand a chance? In 2016 you again and again ignored what the average person had to say, ignored concerns that had been brewing for decades that your commitment to "diversity" only mattered if it could be wielded against conservatives and used to prop yourselves up, and destroyed Bernie Sanders' campaign in service of an elite no one wanted.

The seeds of Donald Trump had been brewing for a long time, and instead of doing something about it then, you rested on your laurels and held on to your power instead of raising new people up to move the mission forward. And now, when the situation is MORE CRITICAL than it has EVER been-- still you refuse to listen. Still you refuse to change. Biden literally said in that press conference they aren't listening to polls anymore--is there ANYTHING that will get you to see that you are fucking this up???

So no, Biden campaign surrogates on my Twitter feed, DNC donation-prompt texts, endless barrage of emails one after another-- I see no reason to my proud of this. For many of us, this election as well as the last one was ALWAYS a strategic calculation to prevent worse things, empower local-level candidates, and allow a party structure to exist in some form in hopes of change. This was ALWAYS a dispassionate choice made with the full knowledge of complex situations in order to play the long game.

How dare you say I too should wholeheartedly believe the emperor is dressed in robes of splendor when he and the rest of you have lain bare for the longest time, while those of us trying to keep things from getting worse have to convince the rightfully angry people who still care to ignore the nakedness of who you are--to prevent people cloaked in blood from taking the reins. Shame on all of you, honestly. I wish I could say that this might be a learning moment for the Democratic elite, but I have little hope, and I expect to hear you pontificate on end regarding how "young people just don't understand the political process and that's why we lost" as we all go down together.

Fuck you.

[aq2003]

archive dive #1: as you like it (1996)

hello and welcome to my archive dive that i am accidentally posting several months late because i am stupid and i Forgor. <3 i'll be going over the archive recordings of the shakespeare plays i watched in stratford-upon-avon (minus 2016 richard ii because that one was very similar to the recorded version). it's basically a collection of my jumbled thoughts on everything: things i liked or disliked about the production, some analysis of the characters, thoughts on how the play initially came across to me while i was reading it compared to how it was actually played out, that sort of thing. hopefully it is entertaining to read even for people not intimately familiar w the plays!

so i'm ngl i found as you like to be probably the least exciting of the shakespeare plays i read recently, not even because i hated it but because i got a level of enjoyment out of every one of the rest of them that i just felt "huh??" about as you like it. watching an actual production of it (i didn't have the time for it in the months leading up to my trip to the uk) definitely cleared up some of my confusion, but i will probably have to watch more productions of the play in order to really Get It...cush jumbo rosalind if you're out there </3 also touchstone was my favorite character when i was reading it so it's no surprise he was my favorite thing abt this!! it's a very straightforward production for the most part so david's liveliness and humor stuck out a lot to me. also he was Very scottish in this, which was really fun bc i'm of an opinion that shakespeare kinda just sounds better in non-RP accents :}

archive dive tag / next

i like the staging of orlando and oliver on opposite sides of the stage being split by the light coming through the gap in the wall between upstage/downstage, it's a pretty striking image for the play to open on

oliver is a lot more pathetic than i had imagined him being when i first read the play, but i do see the vision! cuz oliver has treated orlando so horribly for as long as he's raised him and he knows that one day orlando is going to fight back and there's no way oliver will win in a fair fight with him

i'm kind of obsessed with what i can only describe as The Nonbinary Vibes of this touchstone. the way he curtsies and twirls around in his long coat, the way he is "one of the girls" with rosalind and celia (source: the dt touchstone essay). i can't find exactly where it got said but there's an entry on atennantcytoact saying that david's touchstone was "noted for his androgynous manner" and yeah.. i get it. I Get it

also, the way one of the first thing he does is sit in a chair weird. he really let tennergy loose in this role

act 2 scene 1 is very much a scene that Does Not Do Much for the plot but i like how the production uses it to characterize the setting, they lean into duke senior's line about the "icy fang and churlish chiding of the winter's wind" so they're going "yeah we're really making it out here connecting with nature <3" while trying to grit their teeth through the cold. jaques is kind of so normal for hating it there

this was also where the upstage/downstage wall got lifted to show a fuck ton of snow covering the stage, so when duke senior and his gang walked around they left visible footprints. i thought that was a cool effect, it looks really good even on the potato quality recording from the 90s

touchstone's "i had rather bear with you than bear you" line gains a new meaning because rosalind and celia made him drag all their supplies through the snow on a sled

he is MISERABLE he DOES NOT WANT TO BE ON THIS HELL VACATION he WANTS TO BE INSIDE WARMING UP NEXT TO A FIREPLACE he DOES NOT WANT TO BE CARRYING THEIR SUITCASES

david talks about not being happy with how he decided to characterize touchstone's jane smile speech but i actually really like it!! i think it's so good!! it's like, seeing silvius' failed attempts at winning over phoebe reminds him of his own past failed relationship and coupled with this hell vacation making him so miserable he lets himself overindulge in some real Dramatic Romantic Angst before snapping out of it suddenly and going "yeah that's all really stupid huh". i thought it was very funny <2

the Strange Ambient Noises that play after celia goes "i like this place :] and could willingly waste my time in it :]" are so fucking ominous lmao. i feel like this fucked up forest is a little bit cursed!!!

this production's jaques is like the polar opposite of what i had pictured when reading the play. i kind of imagined a somewhat frail looking young adult who Hates It There because he doesn't want to be living an uncomfortable life in the woods seeing animals die, and his fascination with touchstone is that of a younger person looking up to this slightly older guy who seems to have it all together (when really they are a bit similar.. seven ages? seven degrees? is this anything). in this production though jaques is this older guy and has this very even and formal way of speaking, so he comes across as a somewhat uppity former noble who prides himself on his wisdom. which ig is probably the way the character has been traditionally played bc it makes more sense with the "all the world's a stage" speech. he sure is looking at some bipolar 25 year old in a clown outfit and going "guys........being a court jester is kind of the most ideal occupation you could ever have in life" though

"all the world's a stage" was played in a very obvious way, i.e. with the whole stage darkened except for a spotlight on jaques as he stands in place and recites some shakespearean poetry. personally i think it would be fun to play it such that the other people on stage are of the varying stages of life jaques describes so he moves around to each person when talking abt each of the seven ages. "does this mean somebody would have brought an infant to this dangerous cursed forest" Yes <3

oliver straight up Gets Waterboarded And Tortured by duke frederick & friends during 3.1 which was kinda shocking to see but also no i still do not feel too bad for him considering everything he did to orlando and also personally i believe celia is aroace and oliver needs to stay away from her. hymen god of marriages you will start coughing in 5 days.

i like how we immediately move from oliver moaning and crying after all the torture to touchstone having floor time in the forest they know what i'm REALLY here for

i think a big part of why touchstone hates it out in the country at first is that he is so fucking bored. esp considering that this production leans into duke frederick being really dangerous and scary (torturing people!), i really get the sense that in the court touchstone constantly had to think quickly on his feet and be funny All Of The Time or else he'd get punished for it (along with the whole balancing act of wanting to satirize whoever is in power but in a way to make them laugh and not get him killed). so now without an active threat to his life or well-being he's just really moody and antsy and desperately needing for Something to happen. during his conversation w corin in particular touchstone has this vibe of, he's kinda reining in the urge to flail his limbs around and screech at the top of his lungs bc he's so understimulated

the way david plays touchstone's chaotic shifts in mood is a bit reminiscent of his hamlet i think! both of them have that "mercurial" feel to them like they're impulsive and their brain is going a million miles an hour and you can't expect exactly what they'll do next (and that certainly helps with making the centuries-old text feel very fresh)

touchstone teasing rosaline over orlando's love letters is SO funny. he's jumping around he's going "OOOOOOOOOOOOOooOOOOOooo" he's tearing up the love letters he's mocking orlando's love poetry... i Know rosalind is so sick of him

david mentions in his essay having trouble parsing out whether touchstone genuinely loves audrey or whether he "just wants to get a leg over" n i feel like w his take on the character it's a little more the latter.. on top of the "heightened libido is a symptom of mania" thing i think touchstone really needed Something to happen so he decided to get swept up in this ill advised relationship all the while pinballing back and forth on whether he actually loves/wants to marry her or not

jaques you have to give up the touchstone parasocialism you Have to stop going "omg he is so smart and wise for this" at everything he does he is like half your age and not making many good decisions right now!!

also he forgot your name!!!!!

3.5 is a really difficult scene for me to make sense of just in general... i guess there is the angle of humor (which the production plays into) of "oh, rosalind-as-ganymede chastises phoebe for rejecting silvius but phoebe falls for ganymede instead" but i don't know why rosalind would be doing that at all bc her whole deal rn is that she isn't readily accepting orlando's love even though she knows they're both interested in each other. also i really don't buy phoebe and silvius together at all (david's essay agrees with me on this one at least). oh well. maybe one day i'll understand it

imagine you're orlando and you're like telling the story of how you and your wife fell in love to your kids and you have to explain all the weird 5d chess bisexual gender mind games she played to test your loyalty

actually imagine you're orlando and you meet Some Guy in the woods who's like "hey dude if you really want to prove that you love rosalind you gotta do some roleplay with me where i pretend to be her" and a) you Go Along With This. and b) during one of the rituals the two of you kiss. multiple times. and you just kind of. stand there after all that

guys i think shakespeare might have been battling some bisexual demons?

the Weird Ambient Noises that play as oliver and celia randomly kiss... which i guess is the production's attempt at building up their relationship... but it really just makes me believe further that the forest is cursed and they need to all get out of there

MY SON HE IS DEAD AND KILLED

i think touchstone successfully fought off william for audrey's love in the sense that he left such an impression that william was like "ok i do not want to be with anybody who seriously considers being in a relationship with this guy"

the way they played the "and i for phoebe!" "and i for ganymede!" "and i for rosalind!" "and i for no woman!" bit was really funny, we've ascended past love triangle territory for. the Love Square

i really like the song that the pages sing in 5.3 and it's also furthering my belief that the forest is cursed and they should get out of there

i like how touchstone is filled w a lot of nervous glee doing his whole routine in front of duke senior in 5.4. he is auditioning in front of his new boss!! and he is riding the high of winning audrey over !! his lines here are still so hard to understand but i feel like i vaguely understood the Vibes at least. the flow of touchstone's humor is very understandable even if i don't really get the joke itself

the recording i saw was the london version, so this means hymen is depicted as this otherworldly elizabethan figure rather than someone dressed in modern day clothes (how they originally played it in the stratford run). i get why they changed it but i would have liked to see the original version it sounds so weird and trippy

anyway i think the forest is cursed guys did you know that

[jimin-bangtan]

What are Jimin’s new dreams?

Before Jimin even clarified the (below) statement he made at Festa 2021 [set to mark], I had noticed that throughout the years many of the items Jimin had expressed that he wanted to accomplish did  eventually come to pass. He seems to be very good at setting goals and working toward making them become reality.

Click on image to enlarge.

Years later, at this point in their career, BTS has stunned the music industry by remaining productive and relevant while being absent due to mandatory military service.  So even while being in the military, yet another of Jimin’s known dreams came true.

In 2016 in his reflective Festa profile, Jimin declared that a desire on his bucket list was to “get the daesang”.

He may have been hoping for the prestigious daesang (grand prize) for the group at that time, but it wasn’t clearly stated who he had hoped would get a daesang eventually. It could have been a wish for both him and his group separately. Or he may not have been able to conceive of him ever getting a daesang as a soloist himself at that point. With Jimin’s goal setting habit and strength, it’s certainly possible either way.

Since then, it now turns out, the group and Jimin both have daesangs. Over the years, BTS did go on to earn a record-breaking number of daesangs, but in late 2024, Jimin was the first soloist to win this particular daesang (Worldwide Icon of the Year/Fan Choice of the Year), and he was the first soloist in a decade to win any daesang in any category. He is also the first soloist from BTS so far.

Soon after the win, Jimin used one of his rare communication moments with fans to thank them for such an honor.  He was very touched and “stunned”. (Stunned? Stunned stunned. Stunned.🤭)

After another customary break of silence for Jimin, he recently wrote a letter to reach out to fans again in January of 2025. 2025 is the year he is to be finally discharged from military service, BTS is to be reunited as a group, and the group begins the new phase of their careers and lives.

In the letter, Jimin wished fans a happy new year and filled them in on how he was spending his time. He explained that one of the things he was doing was having important conversations with Jung Kook, who is serving alongside him by way of Korea’s companion program. The conversations center around planning for the future.

Jimin's current letter caused me to reflect back to the past and then wonder, “What are Jimin’s new dreams?” If you've read my Chameleon Park Jimin series (especially the more recent ones), I have already been considering some of these same questions: How will Jimin choose to present himself on stage and in life? What will he decide to show that he hadn’t shown before? What will he no longer show that he had once shown? What kind of life will he choose to live as an adult artist in the idol world? How have he and his views changed since serving in the military?

But Jimin's current letter, along with my Festa 2021 reflection and all of his astounding and historic solo achievements, really sparked a curiosity about: What new dreams will Jimin now be aiming for?

In his song, Smeraldo Garden Marching Band, from his MUSE album, Jimin said, “Everything we couldn’t say before… I’ll tell you everything now.” In his MUSE fan song, Closer Than This, he said, “When we meet again on a spring day, I’ll tell you all the things I couldn’t before.”  Now, in his current letter directly to fans, he said he couldn’t wait to have fun conversations with fans about things that had happened.

But the mentioned songs suggest he obviously already had things to tell that had happened before the military.  Will these new conversations shine a light on his new dreams and future plans? I’m sure all of his fans can’t wait to find out the answers to these questions and more. I know I can’t.

BTS, as a group, and now as soloists, have already achieved so much in their careers. They have reached heights and earned accomplishments that have far surpassed what others had done or in which they were the first to do so. After military service and the forced hiatus, Jimin and the rest of BTS will have so many more experiences, skills, and thoughts to share. June of 2025 cannot come fast enough. Whether Jimin shares all of his new (or existing) intentions with us, we know that he usually has interesting and exciting dreams and has the determination and ability - not to mention the support of his devoted fans - to make them come true too.