#debut or die gold 1

[moondaeznuts]

Debut or Die episode 53 is out now!

Oh this is probably the last time we get to see Ha Iljoon/Gold 1 in a while.....

[jasmineaoi]

It's okay sweetieeee😭😭💓💓

I love youuuu

You can be successful! I know you can! Maybe not here but somewhere else!!

Im sure, moondae and the others will never forget you too!

I def wont, you and Ha iljoon will be on my mind🥺

[pweetiesandcuties]

Debut or Die Chibi Collection pt.10

Debut or die chapters 10-15

[twistedpink]

Mc inserts x TWST characters pt.2 (OG post) (Pt.3)

(non-yuu pairings that fit into the plot of twst, if you like this then you might want to look at the first part!)

Savanclaw!Mc x Cater Diamond

Enemies to lovers with your favourite diva!! The two of you compete constantly through magicam and spelldrive, getting progressively pettier until the only solution is to kiss it out.. You’re trying to keep an ear out for your junior, and it just so happens Cater’s sniffing out your plan to go for gold in this year’s tournament. You might as well take the chance to mess with him! It’s so easy to love the face he makes when you give him the slip, and you’re totally making it your wallpaper when this is all over.

“Yo, Babe! If you’re in the same dorm, then you know Ruggie, yeah? We need to have a chat”

“Ohmigod you totally think all beastmen know each other, don’t you?? cancled :)”

Shroud!Mc x Vil Schoenheit

Ids attached himself to engineering and gaming pretty early, but your passion is fully unattainable. You’d clung onto pop idols and the art of stage makeup from an early age. Your longest running interest by far is Vil Schoenheit,, He rescued you from destructive habits and encouraged you to value self improvement. You’ve probably invested millions into his career (every thaumark sent anonymously, you’d die if he started to recognize your attached messages). Supporting Ortho in his SDC audition is your official reason to talk with him, and all the teasing from Idia will be so worth it when your Schoenheit debut palette gets signed! You’ve kept it in mint condition behind glass for years admiring it- and waiting for THE day.

“Mr. Schoenheit? My younger brother performed for you today, and uh, your signature please?”

“Normally I’d send both of you home for this. I’m sure you’re well aware of my paparazzi policy, However, I haven’t seen this particular relic in years! Just what have you done to preserve the quality?”

Pomefiore!Mc x Ruggie Bucchi

You’re #1 in the business of pissing off your parents- shopping copious amounts and then going to school across the country satiated you for awhile, but they’ve done something particularly revenge worthy now. The best scandal you can think of is getting a trashy boytoy to bring home for the break, but you’re not really into idiots.. Ruggie can be a very good actor given the right motivations, and he might even fool you into a real relationship before next semester.

“C’mon it’s not like I’ll need a script, sugar. I’m a natural, scout’s honor!”

“Either way, it won’t hurt to rehearse for convenience :/ Kiss me now so we don’t look stupid later.”

Scarabia!Mc x Floyd leech

God you hate that fish faced idiot >:( It’s bad enough that the housewarden’s moodswings guaranteed your holiday plans were all shot, but now Jamil’s getting hounded by the mafia! It’s your responsibility to get them off his back, but it’s not like you’re enjoying it. Somehow it’s even worse to watch Floyd when he’s playing dumb, and his emotional roller coaster keeps you walking on eggshells. The show must go on though, and if you’ve gotta play “wrestle until the biting stops” then you’ll do it :/

“Floyd, it’s dinner time, and I will tear you a new one if it means you’ll get moving.”

“PLEASEEEE tiger sharky just one more round :( I’ll even give your pen back!!”

Octavinelle!Mc x Kalim Al-Asim

You’re probably one of the most talkative of octavinelle students, and definitely a solid salesman. Kalim’s a prime target for resales and marketing practice, so naturally you join the pop music club. A year of “playing nice for the jackpot” leads you to lie awake at night, terrified that he’ll see through your facade and ditch you- it would cut off your best friendship, you’d be forced to leave the club! At some point you realize you’d stopped selling him things months ago, and your worst nightmare happened right under your nose. You fell in love.

“Hey, that solo was so inspiring! You’re really making progress!”

“It still isn’t on par with yours, though. Are you available to keep practicing after school? I’m sure Jamil would appreciate the break, and I would enjoy the company..”

Staff!Mc x Lilia Vanrouge

Of course your first job would come with some pet bat, it was too good to be true :( Full time at a bits and bobs shop near one of the best schools in the country WITH flexible hours? You must’ve been desperate to accept without reading about your babysitting in the footnote. He comes in everyday during your shift (regardless of the hours you take, it’s like he has a sixth sense), and has the audacity to exist in your space! It’s not like he even does anything to get banned!! He just stands there. Menacingly. You’re waiting for the day where he leaves convincing evidence that he’s there to traffic you or something- because if you didn’t know better you’d think he has a big, fat crush on you.

“Darling, how is the shop? I’ve taken care of those juvenile delinquents for you!”

“Taken care of? Whatever. Get back to class, kid.”

[flareboi]

Umm well we know that she was the c.e.o before she died, so maybe she was intelligent in finances and stuff, but even that isn't a lot to go off on

I know your upset, many people are, I personally hoped she was alive for atleast more then 1 episode

Hey, atleast she wasn't a blank slate this time unlike rose and gold? She played a vital role to Rocket corp as the c.e.o and was a big influence in victims life. But unfortunately I guess it's up to the community to fill the holes in her character...

Also I don't think this will be the last we will see of her, I'm calling it. They literally made a marketable plushie of her just for her to die in the episode she debuted in? That's just stupid

the thing is, gold and orchid aren't supposed to be characters we were super invested in. mitsi was. that's the problem. in all her screentime, she's literally Just an extension of victim with very little sense of self--yes, gold and orchid were the same, but they were so so brief it's forgivable.

[the-camp-half-blood-library]

Our Top Ten PJO Fics

(In no particular order)

1. Threshold by decayaslife -

Even when Bianca lives, she still leaves him. Nico loses his sister in every universe, in this one he gains a home.

2. Missing, Presumed Dead by Deerlie_03 -

Jake Peralta brings the teenager to the precinct on a day that should be like any other. Then he spends the next few years trying to unravel the mystery that is Perseus Jackson. Why exactly does the kid know so many missing people? (A Brooklyn nine-nine crossover)

3. Class of 2013 by nolongersun -

Leo is only a few months old, and while he hasn’t experienced most of what life has to offer just yet, he gets the experience of learning what it feels like to be placed in a hearth by someone who will never know what it’s like to die, to be placed into the burning flames so gently with care by hands so divine in their cruelty. It is the first blessing he ever receives.

4. The Amazing Rhyming Talent of Nico di Angelo by nikkiRA -

And that is how the entire camp found out that Will Solace had cursed Nico di Angelo to speak in rhyming couplets, so by the time Will opened the door with an angry glint in his eye and a bitter smile on his face, half the camp was standing around the Apollo cabin, while the other half were on their way. (Has one of the best podfics out there by micha_making_podfics on ao3)

5. youth blossoming under the sun by bai_cai -

This is how it begins: two young gods tousling in the shade of a giant olive tree, laughing like they are children again. Warm-tempered Jason, the golden gift of Hera and bright-spirited Perseus (call me Percy, please, he says often to anyone who’ll listen), the beloved, salt-kissed son of the sea god. The two of them are many things—youths nearing the peak of their primes, godlings cast in gold and bronze, a son of Zeus and a son of Poseidon. But here, in this corner of the human world, the only thing they need to be is friends.

6. Debut by Gates_of_Ember -

At six years old, Will is finally wearing grown-up attire like his father and older brothers and is old enough to attend public events, just in time for his aunt’s inauguration. But Pluto is cold, his clothes are stiff and itchy, and the long journey in the carriage left Will sore, tired, and grumpy. Just when Will starts to think that he’ll remain miserable for the rest of his life, his aunt introduces him to someone very special. (The first fic in a very long, very good series. Definitely recommend the entire series.)

7. Only a glimpse into the lives we lead by laurellins -

With all the wars and prophecies finally compete Will decides to take up his mom’s offer to return home for the school year for the first time since he was nine. After everything he’s been through it’s a little strange to go back to the mortal world once again, and people in his town take notice of how different he seems. Or… A series of interconnected one-shots of people from Will’s hometown noticing there’s something different about him throughout the one year he spends going to school in the mortal world.

8. Hope Keeps Me Coming Back by andromeda_sunshine -

When Nico di Angelo learned he was a demigod he couldn't have been more excited but for all this knowledge gains him, he quickly loses so much more. Isolated and alone, he struggles to find his place in the world, understand his past, and come to terms with his future. As he travels across realms, between camps, and even across worlds, he never quite feels like he belongs, nowhere feels like home. But maybe home is the one place he keeps coming back to. A series rewrite from Nico's perspective.

9. Camp Half-Blood Incident Reports by the cabinsixenby -

Each year, Will goes through the camp incident reports. He’s picked out a few of his favorites. (Open to requests)

10. if you were drowned at sea, i would give you my lungs so your could breathe by Caora -

Sally crouched down in front of where Nico sat on the couch, and smiled warmly at him. “Percy tells me you don’t have a place to stay at the moment,” she said, gentle and non-judgemental. Nico shot Percy an accusatory glare, but he annoyingly didn’t baulk at the daggers Nico was sending him, nor did he show any regret in telling Sally about his personal life. “I’m fine.” “A brave, independent kid like you? I’m sure you are.” Sally’s praise shouldn’t have pleased him as much as it did, and Nico had to physically stop himself from preening. When was the last time he had received a compliment from a parental figure? “But... if you’re looking for a place you can use as a homebase, there is plenty of space for you here.” (Canon divergent AU in which Nico moves in with Percy, Sally, and Paul post-BOTL)

Got a favorite that you didn't see on this list? Let us know!

[bronzemettle]

Superhero media is pretty popular IRL. If superheroes are part of the real world in the BronzeRealms, what does that mean for the movies and games and stuff?

Some of it still exists as in-universe licensed semi-biographical media or propaganda.

There is an officially licensed X-Men comicbook published by Image Comics since 2000. It was originally based on the adventures of the original X-Men in the 60s and 70s, but it runs to this day and has fictionalized versions of many more modern events in the current generation X-Men's lives.

Similarly, Fox made X-Men movies starting in 2005 with the participation of Consulting Producer Charles Xavier. He thought both these projects would help normalize Mutants for the public to see them in a heroic light, even if executives demanded they would primarily be fighting against other "bad" Mutants for most of the movies.

Spider-Man, thanks to debuting in Pro Wrestling before he became a superhero, is a copyrighted character whose name and image are wholesale owned by someone who is not Peter Parker. Wilson Fisk bought out that wrestling company in 2006 and immediately started marketing the fuck out of Spider-Man.

Halloween costumes, lunchboxes, popsicles, a newspaper strip, multiple movie series, many cartoons (often running during the same years as other Spider-Man cartoons on different networks), musicals, theme park rides... Spider-Man is just as much of a brand in the BronzeRealms as he is in our world, and he is NOT HAPPY about it.

Marvel Comics exists as a company. It is US government propaganda. It published heavily sanitized and fluffed accounts of the at-the-time recent exploits of Captain America during World War 2, and then continued with entirely fictional stories of Commie-punching after he went into the ice.

The Justice League as an organization assists any heroes who care to do so in managing their brand. They do not partner with any one specific comicbook company, but a collection of smaller companies, Charlton Comics, Fawcett Comics (based out of Fawcett City), Wildstorm, Quality Comics, Milestone, Gold Key Comics, and National Allied Publications.

Some of these Justice League-managed brand deals have led to movies and cartoons, but not anything directly analogous to the ones we know. The 60s Adam West Batman series is culturally more or less replaced by the Fearless Ferret and Grey Ghost franchises.

After the Mortal Kombat tournament concluded in 1990, Johnny Cage got most of the earth-based participants to sign him as their Agent, allowing him to license all of their likeness rights into a fictionalized arcade game retelling the story of their adventures, which quickly became a successful video game franchise under the new NetherRealm Studios, several movies, and more.

In 2005, to go alongside the first movie, Charles Xavier approved the creation of the fighting game X-Men Vs Street Fighter. In 2008, NetherRealm Studios would make Mortal Kombat Vs Justice League, and then in 2013, a much more popular and less charitable fighting game based on real superheroes, Injustice: Gods Among Us.

These two previously unrelated projects would crash together in 2014 with Injustice Vs Capcom 3 (titled such recognizing X-Men Vs Street Fighter and Injustice 1), which later became Ultimate Injustice Vs Capcom 3.

NetherRealm would next attempt to separate from Capcom for another solo game, Injustice 2. However, now that this was becoming an undeniable franchise... the inevitable lawsuit arrived from the real world Justice League after years of being presented in game narratives as murderers, totalitarians, traitors, etc. The game was forced to release a major update renaming and reskinning the entire roster into original characters.

Capcom would return to the franchise with Injustice Vs Capcom: Infinite. Injustice 2: Monsters Never Die Edition would clean up many of the rough edges that the lawsuit-mandated updates had introduced and bring in a handful of new characters. The most recent game in the series, Injustice Vs Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes, is a prequel that uses a retro pixel art visual style and was released in 2024.

Now we've been talking about superheroes, but the BronzeRealms is much larger than that, so let's talk about some other things that have various justifications to both exist as real things, and also be recognized as in-universe media in some way.

The Xena Scrolls, written by the Battling Bard Gavriil before she departed to Themyscira along with the rest of the Amazons, were found by Indiana Jones, and passed through various hands until they were acquired by Ted & Sam Raimi, who pitched an adaption of the scrolls as a tv franchise.

Benny Russell was a comicbook writer, artist, and sci-fi novel author in the 1940s and 1950s. Almost no-one knew it at the time, but he was psychically linked with Captain Benjamin Sisko across centuries into the future. So, when Gene Roddenberry acquired some of his unused worldbuilding notes and directly adapted them into the tv franchise Star Trek, he was unknowingly fictionalizing real future events. This same coincidence would repeat with a different collection of Benny's notes 10 years later for the series Galaxy Quest.

Now, you may wonder why, in the future, no-one starts to notice that these tv shows are coincidentally guessing a lot of real events. This is because, by an extremely convenient coincidence that most definitely wasn't assisted by the intervention of Time Agents, all historical record of the existence of the Star Trek franchise was destroyed in World War 3 and the Post-Atomic Horrors.

There are probably many other similar temporal shenanigans leading to franchises that most people reasonably assume to be fictional actually being loosely adapted from some account of real future events. There are also things like Wormhole X-Treme, a franchise that was knowingly created to obstruct the truth by presenting people trying to claim it's real as obsessive fanboys. This post is not a comprehensive list, just a grab bag of examples.

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

Kaiju Week in Review (February 11-17, 2024)

Warner Bros. unfurled the second trailer for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which seems to be going over much better than the first. There are multiple glimpses of the ice Titan Shimo throughout, and an even briefer look at Mothra reflected in Jia's eye. (My favorite shot, of course, is Kong decking Skar King as he's holding out Suko like a wriggling shield.) The rough shots from trailer #1 still look rough, but at least the new footage is more impressive.

The new issue of Empire (how fitting) has a short article on GxK—the big revelation there is that Godzilla Evolved is pink simply because that's director Adam Wingard's favorite color. Collaborations are also popping up. Circle K is offering a movie-branded sandwich, chocolate bar, and Froster drinks/cups. Godzilla and a seriously wizened Kong are also entering the mobile game Lords Mobile.

I don't know much about Oscar politicking, but Takashi Yamazaki's strategy of bringing a model Godzilla with him everywhere he goes seems like a winner. Both appear in the "class photo" taken of all the nominees at the Oscar Nominees Luncheon. At the same event, Yamazaki and Godzilla met with Steven Spielberg, who told Yamazaki he had seen Godzilla Minus One three times. Posting their photo together on Twitter, Yamazaki said he had "met God."

Toho's English Godzilla YouTube channel also uploaded a six-minute video on Minus One's VFX, with a focus on the various ways the production was able to shave off costs. Officially translated behind-the-scenes featurettes for Toho Godzilla films are a rarity, a sign of how badly they want that little gold statue. It's worth watching just for Yamazaki scooting his chair around the office.

Shout! Factory's onslaught of old Toei tokusatsu films on its streaming service turned out to be a prelude to offering them all on disc. The Classic Tokusatsu Collection Blu-ray set includes Planet Prince (1959; called Prince of Space), Invasion of the Neptune Men (1961), Watari the Ninja Boy (1966), The Golden Bat (1966; called Golden Ninja), Magic Serpent (1966; called Dragon Showdown) , Ninja Scope (1969), and Terror Beneath the Sea (1966). None have ever been released on English-friendly Blu-ray before; some haven't even made it to DVD. The set is $70 and limited to 2,500 copies.

Major caveats seem to accompany every English-language release of vintage tokusatsu these days, and unfortunately this set's no exception. Despite the existence of English dubs for at least some of these films (two of them riffed on Mystery Science Theater 3000), only Terror Beneath the Sea is dubbed; the rest are Japanese-only. And the dubbed Prince of Space well-known to MiSTies was actually an amalgamation of Toei's two Planet Prince films, only the first of which is present here. (Even the first film seems like it's going to be in upscaled standard-def, going off the streaming version.) No special features in the production description either, although one person who got the set early reports that at least one trailer is included (for Invasion of the Neptune Men).

IDW has announced still another Godzilla miniseries, Godzilla: Skate or Die. First-issue description:

It's Australian skater punks versus Varan and the King of the Monsters in this thrilling debut issue by writer/artist Louie Joyce (A Fistful of Pain)! Four years ago, four best friends and die-hard skaters found the perfect location for a DIY skatepark. After months of hard work, they created the world’s sickest spot that they could enjoy for the rest of their lives… That is, until the ferocious Varan appeared in the middle of central Australia and started making a beeline for their beloved park. Why is Varan on a rampage? Why did Godzilla just appear off the coast? What does their beloved skate spot have to do with this? And most importantly…what are these punks willing to do to save it?

Sounds like there's a lot of author appeal here, as Joyce is Australian and calls the tale "inspired by all the amazing DIY spots I've had the privilege of skating[.]" And a meaty role for Varan is a pleasant surprise.

Perhaps inspired by the success of Troll on Netflix, we've got another Scandinavia giant monster movie on the way. Kraken will be directed by Pal Oie (Dark Woods) from a script by Vilde Eide. No cast yet, but here are the plot details divulged by The Hollywood Reporter:

[T]he thriller will follow Johanne, a marine biologist who encounters several strange occurrences while researching a fjord, including the brutal deaths of two local teenagers. “At the bottom of Norway’s deepest fjord rests a mythical monster as large as a mountain, with a myriad of arms ready to crush and devour anything they can grab,” the film’s synopsis reads.

Krakens are certainly having a moment in giant monster stories right now, between Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken and the three that somehow wound up connected to the Monsterverse. (To wit: Na Kika was originally called Kraken, the unnamed antagonist of Skull Island bore the same name internally, and the guardian of Atlantis in the Justice League crossover comic is a Kraken as well.) This seems like a more back-to-basics approach.

[emilyhufflepufftlk]

Em's 500 Followers Challenge

Thank you again for the 500 followers, it means a lot. This is a fun challenge to celebrate and to hopefully get everyone's creative juices flowing. This is a Taylor Swift inspired challenge because I love her music and I find her lyrics make great prompts.

Rules:

It's open to anyone whether you follow me or not.

You are welcome to create whatever you like - fics, headcanons, gif sets, edits, fanart, moodboards etc.

What you create should be for/inspired by The Last Kingdom/Seven Kings Must Die but can feature any character/ship/topic you like.

For fics, you can write anything you like (angst, smut, fluff, whatever you fancy) but please tag appropriately and use readmore if it's long.

Pick a prompt from below - you can either use the song title itself as a prompt, a lyric from that song or the whole song; likewise for the albums you can use the title itself as a prompt or create something off the general vibe/colour/theme of the album (which I've included in brackets).

Please let me know which prompt you would like to use. You can have as many as you like but only two people can have the same prompt (I will cross prompts off once two people have picked them).

Soft Deadline: 1st July

Album prompts:

Debut (green, coming of age, innocence)

Fearless (yellow/gold, fairytales, teen love, first heartbreak)

Speak Now (purple, regrets, toxic relationships, growing up) @persephones-journey @mirandahamilton

Red (red, autumn, heartbreak, 'happy, free, confused and lonely')

1989 (blue, neon, new love, finding yourself, starting afresh) @geekandbooknerd

Reputation (black, revenge, secret relationships) @itbmojojoejo

Lover (pink, established relationship, love, happiness, romance) @axe-does-writing @lonnson

Folklore (grey/silver, summer, stories, forests, nature) @errruvande

Evermore (orange/brown, winter, stories, cosy cottage)

Midnights (navy blue, self reflection, late nights, past regrets) @persephones-journey @arcielee

Song Prompts:

Picture to Burn

A Place In This World @ errruvande

Cold As You

I'm Only Me When I'm With You

A Perfectly Good Heart

Fifteen

You Belong With Me

You're Not Sorry

The Other Side Of The Door

Mine @persephones-journey

Sparks Fly

Never Grow Up @ errruvande

Enchanted

Better Than Revenge

Haunted

Last Kiss

Treacherous

I Knew You Were Trouble @persephones-journey

All Too Well

The Last Time

Everything Has Changed

Begin Again @geekandbooknerd

The Moment I Knew @magravenwrites

Better Man

All You Had To Do Was Stay @ persephones-journey

I Wish You Would

Wildest Dreams @morosemagick @ persephones-journey

How You Get The Girl

This Love

I Did Something Bad

Don't Blame Me @ itbmojojoejo

Delicate

Getaway Car

Dancing With Our Hands Tied

Call It What You Want

Cruel Summer @finanmoghra

Death By A Thousand Cuts @princess--of--the--dragonstone

Soon You'll Get Better @ princess—of—the—dragonstone

Afterglow

It's Nice To Have A Friend @ persephones-journey

Daylight @ errruvande

the 1

exile @volvaaslaug

this is me trying @ princess--of--the—dragonstone

illicit affairs @ persephones-journey

invisible string

peace

champagne problems

'tis the damn season @finanmoghra

tolerate it

no body, no crime

long story short

right where you left me @ persephones-journey

Anti-Hero

You're On Your Own, Kid @ mirandahamilton

Vigilante Shit @princess--of--the--dragonstone

Sweet Nothing @timetravelingpenguin1066

The Great War

Bigger Than The Whole Sky @solinarimoon

Would've, Could've, Shoud've @arcielee

Tagging mutuals who might be interested (no pressure): @lauwrite1225 @93xdiagonxalley @trenko-heart @medievalfangirl @muddleofnervouswords @anotherwinchesterfangirl @blah-blah-blah-bla @aelswiths @eretriahs @finantheagile @halfmylife @mommytauriel @agreyraincloudd @dailytlk @chaoticdumbassary @pupzbitez @onesaltyhunter @moonlight-rider25 @charming-merlin @aadmelioraa @nanahachikyuu @lazypeachsoul @cheerylogan @mrsalwayswrite @for-bebbanburg @wildwren @naps4bats @cibs

[tilbageidanmark]

MOVIES I WATCHED THIS WEEK #203:

6 IRANIAN FILMS (4 MORE BY JAFAR PANAHI):

🍿 "You're not a kid any more. You're nine years old!.."

I've seen about 30+ Iranian movies in the past few years, and many (by Panahi, Kiarostami, Farhadi, Forugh Farrokhzad, Mehrjui, Makhmalbaf, Etc.) were superb. But CHILDREN OF HEAVEN, my first film by Majid Majidi, is by far the best one of the lot. It was the first Iranian film to be nominated for an Academy Award, in 1998. It also had the saddest opening, two of the most convincing kid actors, and in general was one of the best films about children I know [together with Truffaut's 'L'Argent de poche' and Nils Malmros' 'Tree of knowledge'.]

Ali's family is so poor, that when he loses his little sister's only shoes, they don't dare tell their parents that, and restore to both using his one worn pair to go to school, one at a time. It's heartbreaking and absolutely marvelous. The trailer. 10/10.

🍿 My 6th feature by Jafar Panahi, was his 1995 debut film, THE WHITE BALLOON, with a screenplay by Abbas Kiarostami. 2 years before 'Children of heaven', it's very similar in topic, location, style. It too tells of a brother and sister of similar ages, who live in a similar poor neighborhood, and told in a similar kid-friendly feel. They even have a gold fish pond in their front yard, which becomes the focal point of the story. But the innocent adventures of the 7-year-old girl who tries to buy a gold fish was nearly too tense for me. Her heartbreaks and simple joys were pure and sad.

A girl, a gold fish and a snapshot of Iranian society explains how the sub-genre of Children Films enables filmmakers to deal with their theocratic society.

🍿 Panahi's THE ACCORDION (2010) is another sad story about two children, who panhandle in the streets of Tehran, playing the accordion and a tablas, trying to make some coins. Poverty, mistreatment (and abuse) of children are impossible for me to watch. A heartbreaking 9/10!

🍿 In WHERE ARE YOU, JAFAR PANAHI? he again clandestinely films himself and a friend in his car, talking about the state of cinema in Iran, as they drive to place flowers on Abbas Kiarostami’s grave.

(I think it was a 2016 initiative from from The Pompidou Center, which commissioned a bunch of directors to film similar personal essays, Tsai Ming-liang, João Pedro Rodrigues, Bertrand Bonello, Jean-Marie Straub, Etc.)

🍿 Because of Panahi's precarious political status under the repressive regime, he's been driven into filming secretive, no-budget short-form home movies on his cell phone. Like the guerrilla-style HIDDEN (2020) where he drives with his daughter and another female artist into a Kurdish village. There's a young woman there with a golden voice that the producer wants to use in a theater piece. Maybe Panahi can help convince her parents to let her do it? The mundane trip ends with a powerful shock. 8/10.

🍿 I was excited for FRIDAY MOSQUE, a 2014 experimental short by a young female Iranian, but it was nothing but a silent, black and white "meditation about spirituality". Abstract, flickering shapes of the exact type that French dadaists did 90 years earlier. 1/10. [*Female Director*]

🍿

The devastating RED, WHITE AND BLUE was nominated for this year's Best Short Oscar, but didn't win (And it's obvious why). A young waitress in Arkansas, a struggling single mom, is barely scraping enough money together so that she can drive out of state for an emergency abortion. The horror that is America today is impossible for me to watch. And I don't have it in me to follow up on it either. Thanks No Thanks, 'Hoots', for the recommendation. 9/10. [*Female Director*]

🍿

2 MORE BY MEXICAN DIRECTOR LILA AVILÉS:

🍿 "Shall I tell you my wish?... I wish for daddy not to die."

TÓTEM (2023), only her second feature (after the mesmerizing 'The chambermaid', which like this one was universally-acclaimed and won a bunch of awards). An inquisitive 7 year old girl (Shown Above) is watching quietly as her bustling family is preparing a last birthday party for her dying father.

I don't have it in me to see more sad stories about the indignities girls have to go through: Thank Dog, it's a natural death here, which must have been expected. And the artistic way Avilés tells the story makes it a delight, nearly a devastating joy to see: It is deeply emotional and cerebral at the same time, it's subtle, it goes in tangents without disclosing too much or explaining anything (A truckload of paintings is hauled away, a psychic lady is conducting a shamanic ritual, the girl releases garden snails in the house, so many animals wonder around, a sky lantern burst in fire...) It follows an ordinary, messy household, but in the end it comes back to the suffering daughter and her mystical father. The trailer. 9/10.

🍿 I've seen half a dozen of the Women's Tales that Italian fashion house Miu Miu had sponsored since 2011. Some were better than others: Agnès Varda's, Hiam Abbass's, Lucrecia Martel's, Lynn Ramsey's. Lila Avilés's EYE TWO TIMES MOUTH from last year was not. The "Geometric" musings about various medias (a woman who works at a modern gallery but whose real love is opera) were too artsy-fartsy.[*Female Director X 2*]

🍿

“What about Toto Primitera? Nicola Scardaci? Iano Nicocia?…”

MAFIOSO (1962), my first black comedy with Alberto Sordi. A surprising gem that must have inspired Coppola when he worked on the first ''Godfather'. (He delightfully copied the "La porta!" moment, the McCluskey assassination, Don Vincenzo, the waiting car, the Cannolis, the shady underlings whispering, the out-of-it pretty wife... I wonder how many times he'd seen it.) Also, a Nino Rota music score. A newly cut trailer. Brilliantly quirky. 9/10.

🍿

2 WEIRD ONES FROM BELGIAN NICOLAS KEPPENS:

🍿 EASTER EGGS is a dark, very dark animation about two super-awkward teenagers, one older than the other, and their like-hate/abusive relationship. Like toxic Beavis and Butt-Head. It's rendered in an elegant Daniel Clowes style, and in a painful, magic realistic framing. Stark Flemish emptiness where the owner of the local Chinese restaurant hang himself in his bird cage, and the boys want to catch his escaped parrots so that they can buy a mountain bike with the cash. Recommended! 9/10.

🍿 WILDBEEST is another dry, little masterpiece. A fat, middle-age, middle class Belgian couple goes on a Safari in Africa, but gets abandoned by their tour-guide, because the man shoots a wild impala the tour guide likes. It's unique, funny, unpredictable, completely original. Recommended! 10/10.

🍿

DEATH OF A BUREAUCRAT (1966), my first ridiculous film by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, one of the greatest Cuban directors. A surrealist black comedy, Richard Lester meets Luis Buñuel, about a young knucklehead nephew who's trying to fight an endless Kafkaesque system. It even includes a major free-for-all raucous brawl that starts with a stolen casket and ends with a massive pie fight in a cemetery. 💯 score on Rotten Tomatoes.

🍿

"There is someone screaming".

Re-watch ♻️: After the failure of his second feature 'Gilliap', Roy Andersson went into a 25 year self-imposed film exile, and instead made a living directing commercials. His 1991 WORLD OF GLORY was his comeback film, and introduced his new, fully-formed, now-famous artificial, stilted style. It's as bleak as a weekend spent with Rudolf Höss's real estate broker, or Hannah Arendt's shrink - World of Gory, indeed. 10/10.

🍿

"Isn't life torture?..."

First watch: SANSHO THE BAILIFF (1954), only my second film by Kenji Mizoguchi (after 'Utamaro and His Five Women'). I did not expect the cruelty, misery and lack of mercy in this dark tale of slavery.

🍿

3 DIFFERENT INDIAN FILMS:

🍿 Somebody at "IndieWire" pulled a list of the "100 best musicals of all time" out of their, ehm, ear, and I thought I'll take on some of the less obvious choices and the ones I haven't seen yet.

PYAASA (1957) is the highest Bollywood offering on this list (No. 5), out of 9 overall Indian suggestions. But it didn't connect with me at all; A couple of the acts, like "Johnny Walker" singing 'Sar Jo Tera Chakraye' (colorized) and 'Hum Aap Ki Ankhon Mein' were okay, but the melodramatic soap opera about a depressed and impoverished "Poet" was ridiculous and tedious.

🍿 KANDITTUND! (SEEN IT!) (2021) is a uniquely-drawn tale of a 89 old fabulist grandfather, a village fabricator of far-fetched ghost and other home-grown stories. Original style can be compared to the best of indie animations anywhere! 9/10. [*Female Director*]

🍿 Also, the 2004 Oscar-nominated short LITTLE TERRORIST, a straight-forward political fable about a little Pakistani boy who crosses the border to India, after chasing a cricket ball that was tossed across the fence.

🍿

Re-watch ♻️: Don Herzfeldt's 3-chapter masterpiece IT'S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY (2012) (Including EVERYTHING WILL BE OK and I AM SO PROUD OF YOU). Depressed stick-figure Billy is having trouble sleeping again and he's afraid he is losing his mind. But somehow he survives again and again - until he dies. Experimental, surreal, transcendental - and so sad. 💯 score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Also, his WORLD OF TOMORROW (2016) which by now I've seen about a dozen times, and is probably my second best movie of all time (After 'The Conversation'). "You are alive and living now. Now is the envy of all of the dead.” ♻️. 10/10.

🍿

3 BY JAROMIL JIREŠ:

🍿 THE JOKE (1969), the last politically-overt tragicomedy of the Czech New Wave, which (like 'The Ear') was promptly banned after the Soviet invasion. Based on a novel by Milan Kundera, it's a bitter tale of revenge and payback gone wrong.

🍿 UNCLE (1959), a cute joke short about a home burglar whose plans are thwarted by a toddler in a crib. 8/10.

🍿 The experimental THE HALL OF LOST STEPS blends a narrative of two young lovers who say goodbye at a central train station together with newsreel footage from Nazi extermination camps and warnings of nuclear holocaust. It's an impressionistic montage of fears of atrocities which were pervasive in 1960.

Next: His 'Valerie' and 'The Cry'.

🍿

THE EARLIEST TRUFFAUT / GODARD:

🍿 THE MISCHIEF MAKERS (1957) was Truffaut's first "real" film (in that his earlier short 'A visit' is lost). 5 boys all fall in love with a young woman, are jealous of her fiancé, and to show it, they harass them both. Many of his typical occupations are already preset here: A nostalgic look at preadolescence, the romantic nature of love, the visual clarity, the beauty of life in a small town. 7/10.

🍿 Truffaut and Godard directed A STORY OF WATER together, and I wish they had done more of it. It's a whimsical, light romance that was shot during the 1958 floods around Paris. 7/10. I said it before (about somebody else): How I wish that I never seen any of Truffaut's films, so that I could discover him again for the first time!

Also, a lovely 1960 Interview he gave after the success of 'Les Quatre Cents Coups'.

🍿 A FLIRTATIOUS WOMAN (1955), Godard's first short, shot in Geneva. A married young woman regrets picking up a stranger in the street. M'eh.

🍿

WASATI (2016) is a Saudi short which is based on a true event, when a group of extremists attacked the performers at a theater in Riyadh. But from there, the story turns into different tangents, some odd, some mystical. It's nearly good.

🍿

$1,000 A MINUTE is a daffy "comedy" from the height of the depression (1935), offering a 'Get rich fantasy' story to the struggling masses. An out-on-his-luck newspaper man is promised $10,000 if he can just blow through $720K within 12 hours. It's a very low-quality screwball farce: None of the writing, directing, acting, jokes, car chases, slapstick, romance and execution is any good. 1/10.

🍿

THROW-BACK TO THE ADORA ART PROJECT:  

🍿

(ALL MY FILM REVIEWS - HERE).

[that-one-weird-fangirl2020]

Sebastian Sallow Prompt List inspired by Taylor Swift Songs and Lyrics (reblogs encouraged)

1. Style (1989)

"... You got that James Dean daydream look in your eyes, and I got that red lip classic thing that you like..."

2. Betty (folklore)

"But if I just showed up at your party, would you have me? Would you want me? Would you tell me to go fuck myself? Or lead me to the garden? In the garden, would you trust me if I told you it was just a summer thing? I'm only 17, I don't know anything, but I know I miss you..."

3. Getaway Car (reputation)

"We were jet-set, Bonnie and Clyde. Until I switched to the other side, to the other side. It's no surprise I turned you in, 'cause us traitors never win... I'm in a getaway car, I left you in a motel bar. Put the money in a bag and I stole the keys, that was the last time you ever saw me"

4. Sweet Nothing (Midnights)

"...They said the end is coming. Everyone's up to something. I find myself running home to your sweet nothings. Outside, they're push and shoving. You're in the kitchen humming. All that you ever wanted from me was sweet nothing..."

5. Fearless (Fearless)

"Well you stood there with me in the doorway- My hands shake- I'm not usually this way. But you pull me in, and I'm a little more brave. It's the first kiss, it's flawless, really something, it's fearless..."

6. Gold Rush (evermore)

"But I don't like a gold rush, gold rush. I don't like anticipating my face in a red flush. I don't like that anyone would die to feel your touch. Everybody wants you. Everybody wonders what it would be like to love you. Walk past, quick brush, I don't like slow motion double vision in rose blush. I don't like that falling feels like flying 'til the bone crush. Everybody wants you, but I don't like a gold rush."

7. All Too Well (RED)

"...I walked through the door with you, the air was cold. But something about it felt like home somehow. And I, left my scarf there at your sister's house. And you've still got it in your drawer even now..."

8. Sparks Fly (Speak Now)

"I run my fingers through your hair and watch the lights go wild. Just keep on keeping your eyes on me, it's just wrong enough to make it feel right. And lead me up the staircase, won't you whisper soft and slow, 'I'm captivated by you, baby, like a fireworks show...'"

9. Dress (reputation)

"Say my name and everything just stops.. I don't want you like a best friend. Only bought this dress so you could take it off, take it off. Carve your name into my bedpost, 'cause I don't want you like a best friend. Only bought this dress so you could take it off, take it off..."

10. Enchanted (Speak Now)

"This night is sparkling, don't you let it go. I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home. I'll spend forever wondering if you knew, I was enchanted to meet you."

11. You Belong With Me (Fearless)

"...If you could see that I'm the one who understands you. Been here all along, so, why can't you see? You belong with me..."

12. Teardrops on My Guitar (Taylor Swift [Debut])

"He's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar. The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star. He's the song in the car I keep singing, don't know why I do..."

13. Daylight (Lover)

"And I can still see it all (In my mind). All of you, all of me (Intertwined). I once believed love would be (Black and white). But it's golden (Golden). And I can still see it all (In my head). Back and forth from New York (Sneaking in your bed). I once believed love would be (Burning red). But it's golden. Like daylight..."

[moondaeznuts]

Debut or Die Idol Inc 1st stage costume concept October 31st team "Into a New World" by Marshmallow (Soft and Sweet)

"The flowers on the costume are the four symbolic flowers of Soft and Sweet/Marshmallow."

It starts with dark and ominous lighting like the one on the left, and the strip is only black. The light becomes brighter in the highlight area, revealing the blood-stained shoulder strap as shown on the right. Additional element - the skin around the neck is illuminated and revealed to maximize the visual effect. (Feeling like a hand is holding your neck)

[aphfanficwriters]

Monthly Members' Fics — Jan 2024

In the year of a dragon by mossy_man (China/Russia, Russia/Spain) “I neglected your needs,” Yao sighs and scuttles closer and there is a slice of persimmon at Ivan’s lips. The gel slides over his lower lip and he catches it with his tongue. “Forgive me, Vanya. Blinded by my own bitterness, I was a poor host and a poor giver.”

Euphoria by Delgumo (Canada/Russia) Matthew enjoys a drunken quickie with a somewhat strange gentleman.

Before The Reyse (Part One) by proosh (Lithuania/Prussia) Day 1 - Soulmate tattoo/childhood promise. Tolys could smell the ocean from where he waited... It was just before the raiding season would begin in full and his brother was late.

Before The Reyse (Part Two) by proosh (Lithuania/Prussia) Day 7 - Not for you/mistaken identity It was their usual meeting spot before each of the raiding seasons, midsummer and midwinter. He could smell the ocean from here, bitter and churning from the autumn storms… Tolys was late.

The Hunt (Part One) by proosh (Lithuania/Prussia, implied Prussia/Russia) Day 2 - Omegaverse/hunting party All Russia had been summoned to the call to chase the French from their lands, and the winter in all its fury had come with them… Next to his brothers stood the interloper.

The Hunt (Part Two) by proosh (Lithuania/Prussia) Day 4 - Gifts/trophies They fell upon the stragglers at the frozen gully… Tolys didn’t get a chance to have a good look at them before the killing started.

Better than Gold by Jestemburakiem (Lithuania/Prussia, past Lithuania/Russia) Written for day four of Lietpru week The Story of Lithuania during the most pivotal moments of the modern history of his country: The 1992 Summer Olympic Men's Basketball Tournament. Prussia takes notice of this.

Макдоналдс by Delgumo (America/Russia) Russia and America host the grand opening of the first McDonald's in Russia.

So pour the champagne by mossy_man (Prussia/Russia) Some would love a house with white fence, a dozen or so of kids and a dog. Not Gilbert. Gilbert is perfectly fine as he is.

1001 Ways To Die — Chapter 7: Dying Days 2 by NashTea (Fishandnear) (Germay/Japan) Another impromptu session between Kiku and Ludwig partaking in their favourite activity, this time, it's a little different for Kiku.

Joy in Punishment by Delgumo (Canada/Russia) [no summary]

Little lamb by mossy_man (Mongolia/Russia) “Mongolia is like the sun,” he says. His big hands map Mongolia's face. “Lie down, for I am going to fuck you.”

we begin again by hopeless_nostalgia (England/Japan) After Kiku finds a bunch of old photos, he and Arthur go through them, causing old feelings to resurface.

because it's you, I'm fine by hopeless_nostalgia (England/Japan) Arthur is training to be an idol in Japan, which (obviously) requires him to learn Japanese. But it's a struggle… he keeps failing at the same points, over and over again. He feels so hopeless that he decides to skip class, go for a walk, and decide if it was even worth it—because at this rate, it will take years before he comes even close to debuting...

a scene without you by hopeless_nostalgia (England/Japan) Two years ago, Arthur graduated and went back to London. Kiku lost all contact with him a month before he boarded the plane, when in an odd little café, they decided that a long-distance relationship wouldn't work for them and that breaking up would be for the best. Now that these two years have passed, Kiku knows that that was not true. He sits in that same café, at that same table, and wishes there was a way to turn back time…

my heaven by hopeless_nostalgia (England/Japan) “You know… If you want to, we can still have a wedding,” Kiku suggested. “That might not be a bad idea,” Arthur chuckled weakly. “Maybe we should.”

[setthishouseablaze]

Spotify Wrapped 2023: The Rose

The Rose steps deliberately into frame next to the burning house at her fingertips. Off-camera The Rose steps back from the house closer to the bundle of flowers blooming at the intersection of Sunset & Vine. (Question: can an American tell me if there's actually a Stop sign on this intersection?)

The Rose is a figure clad in a patch-worked version of all of The ME! suits over a pink shirt with a large pink rose hiding their face, there is a ring visible on their right pinky finger. Pink roses are said to represent; love, beauty, gratitude, grace and femininity. Pinky rings are a classic "hiding in plain sight" queer signal [1] as is tailored menswear worn by women. And Me! has the classic "one of these things is not like the others, Like a rainbow with all of the colors" lyric from Lover.

The Rose seems as if they're standing guard, first by moving in to stand by the burning house, and then by looming over the street/stop sign next to the three Dahlias. There are at least eleven references to Roses in Taylors songs, but no Dahlias. The word Dahlia means valley flowers, and in 'flower language' it represents: fresh starts, diversity, kindness in the face of adversity, and a commitment to goodness, the pink varieties in particular represent feminine beauty. [2]

The obvious song references are to ME! via the outfit, and to Gorgeous via the street names. Gorgeous is either a song about initiating a new romantic relationship while you have a beard, or, a song about cheating on your boyfriend. "I got a boyfriend, he's older than us. He's in the club doing, I don't know what … guess I'll just stumble on home to my cats alone unless, you wanna come along?" I've always interpreted it as the former and the flower symbolism (fresh starts, diversity, and feminine beauty) seem to back up that interpretation.

A goldfish (a symbol of the fishbowl of public life) hovers near The Rose, while a mirror ball bops over the dahlias, reflecting back at whomever looks in that direction.

So does The Rose represent the part of herself hiding in plain sight, protecting The House (her empire,) and whoever/whatever relationships are represented by the Dahlias by remaining masked and providing plausible deniability?

I made a list so I may as well share it...

Song references to flowers from Debut to Midnights:

Should’ve said No "Strange to think the songs we used to sing the smiles, the flowers, everything is gone"

Our Song "I almost didn't notice all the roses" (orange roses)

Christmas Must be Something More "Would you still wanna kiss without mistletoe" "please take down the mistletoe"

Back to December "you gave me roses and I left them there to die"

Superman "Right here wishing the flowers were from you"

The Lucky One "Chose the Rose Garden"

Blank Space "Rose garden filled with thorns"

Wildest Dreams "Red lips & rosey cheeks"

Clean "the flowers that we grew together died of thirst"

Don’t Blame Me "I once was poison ivy but now I’m your daisy"

Call It What You Want "All my flowers grew back as thorns"

Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince "running through rose thorns"

Cornelia Street "a place on Cornelia St" (note cornelias are flowers)

The Lakes "I want to watch wisteria grow" "a red rose grew out of ice frozen ground"

Gold Rush "rose blush"

Maroon "carnations that you thought were roses, that's us." "Your roommate's cheap-ass screw top rosé"

Lavender Haze "lavender haze creeping up on me"

You're on Your Own Kid "So long, Daisy May"

The Great War "My knuckles were bruised like violets" "All that bloodshed, crimson clover" "Place a poppy in my hair There's no morning glory"

Slut! "love thorns all over this rose"

Flowers in TS lyrics: roses, mistletoe, poison ivy, daisies, cornelias, wisteria, carnations, lavender, violets, crimson clover, poppy, morning glory.

Please let me know if you see any floral references I've missed?

[1] https://www.vogue.com/article/why-i-started-wearing-a-signet-pinky-ring

[2] https://warwickdahlias.com/shop/dahlias/anna-cornelia/

[blowflyfag]

WRESTLING ALL STARS: Heroes and Villains : JUNE 1996

ECW CONQUERS NEW YORK

By George Napolitano

[Sabu clobbers Cactus Jack in some EXTREME action.]

Like an off Broadway play that perfects its craft on the road before making it to the big city. ECW has been playing to full houses for nearly three years approximately every three weeks in Philadelphia, PA at the ECW Arena. Finally, after all this time “on the road,” ECW decided to try its luck in the Big Apple. And, from the response that they received in their New York debut, it’s obvious that ECW is ready to take an extreme bite out of the Big Apple!

[Sandman before he lost his Woman and his gold]

The Lost Battalion Hall in Queens, NY, was the sight of the first ECW card in the New York area. Prior To the card ECW action had been playing on MSG cable every Sunday night at 1:00 a.m. for nearly a year. ECW has its own unique brand of mayhem and violence, unlike anything that can be seen on WWF or WCW broadcasts. In NYC, it has acquired a huge late-night cult following. Although Tod Gordon and the rest of the ECW hierarchy knew that they had a following in the New York area, never in their wildest dreams did they think that their first card would produce a complete sell out with hundreds of die-hard fans turned away at the door. 

[Sabu sends Cactus through a table.]

At 7:00 p.m., with still an hour to go before the show, there were 1,242 fans inside the arena with an estimated 1,000 more on Queens Boulevard unable to get inside. TO try and pacify those who were unable to secure admission to the event, the ECW announced the date of their next card and then began to sell tickets to this one. Many fans who were unable to get into the arena for the first ECW card quickly purchased seats for the upcoming show to avoid being shut out again! And, because of this huge advance ticket sale and the response of those who were fortunate to gain admission to the first ECW card, the second ECW card in Queens is sure to be another sellout. 

[ECW crowds are the rowdiest wrestling crowds in the world.

Raven is dazed and confused after smashing a table with his head.]

I have been to numerous local events in my many years covering the wrestling scene, but not since the heydays of the eighties have I seen such a rabid group of fans in a local arena. 

Walking through the crowd, you could feel the electricity. The excitement was such that it made you feel that you were about came to ringside. After aggravating the crowd with his obnoxious behavior, Richards walked to the ringside and said, “Hey Jojo, there’s Missy Hyatt!” Richards played up to Missy, and before leaving the ringside area Missy gave him a long, deep kiss. When their lips parted, Missy told Stevie to take that to Raven.  After Richards finally returned to the dressing room, Joey Styles introduced Paul E. Dangerously. Dangerously received a long and loud ovation from the faithful and then welcomed every one in his own inimitable style. Dangerously had quite a few things to say to the people and peppered his comments with profanties directed mainly towards WCW and the WWF. In closing Dangerously said, “There’s going to be so much electricity in here that they will feel its effects all the way in Titan Towers in Stanford, Connecticut!” 

[Francine tends to an injured Pit Bull.

Paul E. Dangerously gets the Queens NY crowd worked up.

Raven is never too injured to give the Sandman a kick to the kisser!]

Finally, the time had come for the big card and in the first match Taz took on Koji Nakagawa. The “Master of the Suplex '' wasted no time in easily subduing his opponent, and when it was over, Taz, along with his manager Bill Alphonso, challenged everyone in the arena.

[Rock tables NuJack and the Gangstas are history!

Nujack pounds Rocco Rock bloody.]

Next came “The Shah” Hack Myers and his opponent was J.T. Smith Listening to the wat that the fans were cheering on the Shah, it was obvious that they had been following ECW action for a long time. After eight minutes of action, Meyers pinned Smith to win the match. 

[Francine attacks Paul E. Dangerously at ringside.

Pit Bull #1 brains Eliminator #1 with a board! The Sandman is on the receiving end of several Raven rights. There were 1,242 fans inside the arena with an estimated 1,000 more on Queens Boulevard unable to get inside.] 

This was followed by a match in which Too Cold Scorpio put both the tag team title and the TV title on the line. His opponent was Long Island native, Mikey Whipwreck. 

[Bubba Dudley doesn’t stutter when he’s kicking butt! ECW, ECW, ECW!]

This match was sensational. Scorpio and Whipwreck put on a display of wrestling prowess that has been seen in a local arena in years. The moves exhibited by both men were just incredible. Scorpio's numerous cartwheels off the top rope were simply breathtaking with each executed with precision. However , if Scorpio had merely tried to pin Whipwreck instead of continually showing off and lifting him off the mat at the count of two so that he could do yet another cartwheel, he would have easily won the match. But Scorpio’s showboating proved to be his undoing. Cactus Jack ran in and pulled Whipwreck out of the way as Scorpio was about to land on him once again. With Scorpio rolling on the mat writhing in pain from the missed cartwheel, Cactus jack placed Whipwreck on top of the Scorpio. The referee then counted and, as he pounded the canvas a third time, Mikey Whipwreck was declared the winner and new TV and Tag Team champion!

[Buh-Buh Dudley dies his dance,]

A tag team match followed, involving the Eliminators (with their manager Jason) versus the Pit Bulls (with their valet Francine). This was another fast and furious encounter. Both teams battled continually both inside and outside of the ring with even Jason and Francine getting into it numerous times. The end came when Saturn pinned Pit Bull 2 with help from his partner in crime. After scoring the pin fall, the Eliminators, along with Jason, suplexed Francine as her large, mostly male, rooting section gasped in horror!

[Taz and Bill Alphonzo: A match made in Hell!]

The fifth match was an elimination match with the winner getting the opportunity to wrestle for the ECW title against the Sandman. The participants were Raven and Tommy Dreamer. While Raven had Stevie Richards, the Blue Meanie and Beullah in his corner, Tommy Dreamer had to wage the war alone and this led to his downfall. This battle was one of the wildest matches ever waged in New York! The combatants fought all around the arena, but when it was over Raven emerged victorious. 

In the sixth match Buster Mastino easily defeated El Puertoricano despite several sensational moves by the young Puerto Richan.

[Taz and Bill Alphonzo: Can these two get any more irritating?]

The sensational Bubba Ray Dudeley was next and Buh, Buh, Buh, Bubba’s opponent was the Blue Meanie.

[Stevie Richards, Beulah McGillicuddy and The Blue Meanie seem to be having a marvelous time.]

Accompanying Bubba were the rest of the Dudley clan, while the Meanie had Stevie Richards at ringside in case he needed a helping hand. After the Meanie slapped Bubba to start the match. It went downhill for the Meanie. Bubba Ray tore the Meanie apart. Then after disposing of the Meanie, the Dudleys set their sights on Richards, and he was lucky to leave the arena alive as the Dudleys tore into him. 

[Woman gives Sandman a quaff of lager!]

The ECW title match was next with the Sandman taking on Raven. As soon as the Sandman made his way to the ring accompanied by the lovely Woman, everyone in the arena rose to their feet. After seeing the Sandman successfully defend his title on TV time after time against a variety of opponents, the sellout crowd couldn’t wait to see their hero in person and they showed him and his lady their appreciation by giving them a long and loud standing ovation. You could tell by the smiles on their faces and the cockiness in their strut that the Sandman and Woman loved the ovation. When Raven appeared in view, his reception was met with a long and loud chorus of boos. The battle between these two was intense. At times it looked like Raven would win the title, but some how, some way, the Sandman always managed to survive. At the 15-minute mark Tommy Dreamer ran to the ring and joined the battle. Dreamer was slugging Raven who got the worst of it. When Dreamer finally left the ringside area, Sandman pinned Raven to win the bout. 

[Cactus grabs a handful of Sabu’s hair. (Notice that lately Cactus has been wrestling with his teeth in.)

Too Cold Scorpio goes for an altitude record.]

This was followed by a tag team match involving Public Enemy and the Gangstas. The battle that ensued was intense. Chairs, tables, the bell and anything else they could grab was used during the match. To accurately describe the intensity exhibited by each time would be impossible as the match was brutal. In the end, Mustafa of the Gangstas pulled off the upset of the evening when he pinned Rocco Rock to win the match.

[Public Enemy says, “You should see the LOSERS!”

Cactus Jack and Mikey Whipwreck are championship tag team partners, much to Mikey’s dismay.]

The final match of the night pitted the feared Sabu against the wild and crazy Cactus Jack, and the referee for this battle was 911. Like all of the matches that preceded it, this was yet another classic. Sabu did all of his trademarked moves, while Cactus Jack was as wild as could be. Although the match ended in a double count out, no one was disappointed as both men used every move in their repertoire. 

The first NECW New York card started at 8:00 p.m. and it continued non-stop without an intermission until 11:45. In this time, everyone was treated to a night of action, excitement and mayhem unlike any they had ever seen on the local scene. With the enthusiastic response of the first ECW card in the New York area, it is only a matter of time before ECW becomes a major force on the NY scene. Although right now the ECW stars may lack the fame of the WWF or WCW, with their moves, style, and never-say-die attitude, it's only a matter of time before the ECW competitors become as well known as their counterparts. When they do, ECW will become a major force on the wrestling scene. From their humble beginnings in Philadelphia, PA, in front of a small, hardcore enthusiastic audience the ECW has grown to the point where it is now ready to compete with the big boys. From the reception in the Big Apple, it’s obvious that ECW is ready to step into the limelight. 

[Missy Hyatt and Stevie Richards hit it off at ringside. Is she using  Stevie to get to Raven?

Raven locks Sandman with the caning stick.

Tommy Dreamer is a bloody mess as he reacts to a low blow.]

[binniesoob]

YALL

in 0x1lovesong japanese ver all TXT are wearing headphones and listening to a cassette!!!!!! they are listening to the Star Song and remembering their lost memories!!!! after the LoadStar store fixed it!!!! 🤯🤯🤯

Japanese 0x1LOVESONG mv sees TXT heartbroken for themselves 😭😭😭

☆ lyrics:

"In this world of zero, I know you are my 1 & only. In this endless darkness like oh my god, so holy" = you is the Star! aka the 5 of them together!

"From the tip of my fingers everything runs far away." = they lost Neverland/Magic Island forever and so their childhood comforting days and fantasies 💔

"My life before you was a mess, couldn't win one round of this chess" = they were used to play Magic Island to escape reality, a place where they thought they could always win, but actually always lose. The Star is their real way of winning in life, the five of them together believing in their true selves 😭

"From this bottomless pit, you're the on1y shining gold" = see Clarity pictures inspired by TXT reality when they were trainees: they only thing that kept them fighting was the possible outlook of debuting together.

"Angel who one day appeared to me, take me away to your hometown" = sings Soobin, his angel was the Star/Moa in the Eternally mv, and he wishes for them to take him away to where they belong that could be interpreted as the place where their lost memories, hopes and dreams lay.

"I was fine to die, I'm a loser in this game" = TXT were fine with losing and dying multiple times in Magic Island just to keep avoiding reality, but they are not anymore.

"The on1y rule in this world, save me, take my hand" = reminiscent of "One!Dream!", brings us back to Nap of a Star where we see TXT saving Yeonjun, Kai offers him is hand: the only way to awake the Star again was to save eachother and stick together.

"please use me like a drug" = this was foreshadowing for Sugar Rush Ride and how they were addicted to Magic Island.

"I'm not going to make it, I won't be able to get into heaven, I don't belong there, no place for me in heaven" apart from the queer undertones that i'm never not gonna point out = TXT thought Magic Island was heaven and wanted to belong there, but they don't.

"the hole in my soul begins the mend, frigid air starts to thaw, in this world of zero I found warmth that's you" = the hole in TXT soul was where their lost memories used to be, now that they found the Star again they are able to retrieve them.

* mv interlude where TXT see themselves falling down from Magic Island to reality while listening to the Star Song 😭 that breaks my heart every single time *

in conclusion, 0X1LOVESONG the myth the legend the best song ever.