#event: fall festival 2018

[maeumi-jng]

if looks could kill

pairing: enhypen x idol!gn!reader

synopsis: jealousy is a disease and he's caught it. or in which enhypen members try not to expose your entire relationship.

warnings: fluff, poor humour, skinship, mentions of falling, a variety of male idols mentioned, talks of insecurity, age-gap between another idol, proof read-ish?

library: enhypen bookshelf

heeseung

he's the oldest... he should manage himself. he's mature... he knows better...

but watching you with nct's jeno... heeseung had lost all sense of knowledge and rationality.

you were mcees with jeno back in 2018 to 2019 for sbs' the show. to say fans loved you together was an understatement. even heeseung had been watching you as a trainee, in awe of you and the chemistry you naturally created with everyone.

everyone and their mother was waiting for the news ,that you and jeno were dating, to break. whether it would be by dispatch or some other shady news report, or slip of the tongue... they were all sure and convinced you two were together.

sadly, you both had ended your mcing period together, only occasionally saying hi to each other at other events where you were both scheduled. but recently, the both of you had been reinstated as special mcees for music bank when the current hosts, lee chaemin and eunchae were attending their unavoidable schedules.

heeseung was happy at first that he could see you more considering the promotions for sweet venom had just started. you had been dating for almost a year but spending time with each other was harder than the both of you thought.

heeseung's happiness, however, soon died down when he stepped into that rather small cubicle. the cameras weren't rolling yet jeno and the stupid eye smile of his was beaming down at you. he literally could feel the fawning of the staff behind the cameras, all whispering to each other about the 'never ending' chemistry between you and jeno.

the entire interview was almost uncomfortable. you and jeno had put on your peppy and jubilant personalities for mcing, enthusiastically introducing and talking to enhypen. heeseung couldn't help but notice every time you said something, his eyes would flicker to jeno instead of you and spot the similar look of admiration he himself often sported.

heeseung could only bare tight-lipped smiles to jeno when he received questions, suppressing all his petty grimaces and curled lips of annoyance. it wasn't until he received jungwon's sharp glare and pointed look that he feigned a wider smile and responded with an unfamiliar chirp to his tone.

although heeseung was scolded heavily by jungwon afterwards, at the end of the day it didn't matter. because he had caused enough of a ruckus that fans had sensed his jealousy and ran along with it, making ships and creating dating rumours for you and him. in the end... it all worked out in his favour.

jongseong

whoever said jay is calm and collected needs to take a step back and do a bit of rethinking. he's not the leader... poor guy is panicking.

it started at the end of the korean festival kbs was hosting for select groups or artists that were popular and upcoming. you and your group were walking around in circles, thanking fans for their support, makings sure they were warm, and bidding goodbye. amongst all the confetti raining down on you, for some reason, one just had to get stuck under your heel, causing enough friction for you to begin your descent into falling. you would've ended up hitting your head if it wasn't for cravity's minhee behind you. the surprised idol had decent reflexes, catching you by your arms with his own hands.

for a moment, everyone in the room was quite shocked. your own members made sure you were okay. while assuring everyone you were fine, you profusely thanked minhee while simultaneously apologising even though it wasn't your fault in anyways... you were just so embarrassed. minhee was dismissive of the entire thing, just glad you were okay and nothing bad happened.

a minor interaction of sorts... but the repercussions were big. it had set netizens ablaze. news articles and gossip sites had been circulating. fans were looking back at old fancams to see your previous interactions, hoping you and minhee were indeed dating.

yeah jay wasn't happy. he didn't think anything of it initially. he was happy you were fine, similar to minhee, and thankful the idol was there to help you. but then he got the ship edits on his for you page. he blinked blankly and then clicked on the comments... oh boy.

they said you looked good with minhee? that you... 'suited' each other. or 'why haven't i thought of these two together before?' what the hell... the poor guy's literally looking at his screen with the most furrowed brows and dumbfounded face as a burning whirl begins to spark within him.

as dangerous as it was, jay would rather have his name circulating in your dating rumours rather than someone else that wasn't him. so he did just that. subtlety, of course.

jay wasn't necessarily the couple matching type of guy. he liked getting you things that were unique to you. but all of sudden, he was bombarding you with matching items... keychains, phone cases, bracelets, necklaces, even your damn socks.

safe to say, he had created a monstrosity that the hybe pr team was going to spend the next few weeks attempting to deny.

jaeyun

this one here... he can't bare it. jake is already so expressive and clingy (in a good way ofc). he feels a lot. therefore, he really really really likes you.

he won't lie. he's searched the both of your names up on twitter or naver far too many times just to see it trending. not to mention his secret tik tok account where he likes all of the ship edits and videos made for you two, even if they are terrible. more than once his pr team have thought of smacking some sense into him but it just seemed like jake was lovesick.

to be honest, the pr team was prepared to confirm news of you two dating. with the rate jake was going, he would've probably exposed it himself.

and the recent sbs gayodaejeon lost him.

you and yeonjun had a special stage together. he was slightly nervous already in the fact that you were performing together because he knew how fans got. but from the moment the performance started and he realised you guys were having a dancing stage... jake was left to become god's strongest soldier. yeah... no.

how on earth was jake supposed to know it was going to have this much skinship? jake loved shawn mendes but after today... he hated him. furthermore, he hated 'senorita' with a passion.

to make matter worse, the fans who were already going to be a bit delusional, were even more delusional. they were all fired up. "dispatch reveal, when?" "i would cry if yeonjun looked at me like that." "can't tell whether i want to be y/n or him..." "their chemistry... shit..."

his members were already worried for jake but their worry was becoming a constant state. all this jealousy was transferring into his work. jake was showing up to work every day, mind somewhere else, pouty and sulky, always reading the comments and influx of ship edits of you and yeonjun that had replaced his... the AUDACITY. not to mention, he was avoiding yeonjun like a plague. oh he's in the cafeteria? oops, bathroom time. backstage and talking to heeseung? well.

best believe the next few days he's stuck to you as if you were attached by the hip. jake's making it more obvious by the second and he couldn't care less. arm strung around your waist, hand in hand, pretending there was an eyelash on your face just to caress it, passing you his blazer at award shows to cover your legs or back.

quickly, any talk of you and yeonjun was gone and (rightly, according to jake), replaced by you and jake. he even made the mistake of going live, where the entire chat was filled with questions about whether you and jake were dating. someone said blink seven times if he was, so he blinked seven times afterwards. another said clap in a circle if he was, so he did.

yeah... a day later, belift and your company released a conjoined statement to confirm it. fans were mostly happy and also laughing at the fact that jake was so obviously jealous of yeonjun, who he now could look in the eye, knowing you were right by his side (not that yeonjun even cared. if anything, he probably found it funny as well).

sunghoon

sunghoon and jealousy... one could say it a good mix rather than a bad mix.

sunghoon was used to getting asked out often. not to brag, but have you seen him? it was a good looking guy. he understood it.

but you.. boy, you were on a whole another level. people were practically lining up for you. numbers on napkins accompanied by food or chocolate, straight up confessions or attempts for your number backstage, or even flowers under the pretence of congratulating you.

bold and brave, sunghoon thought. these people were bold and brave to be doing all of this. but he got it. in a way, he was proud. all these people... and you chose him. he mattered far more than you and only the both of you knew it. he cherished that. the secrecy of your relationship, while not ideal, meant keeping all the things he loved (you) all to himself with no one else intruding.

but all this secrecy didn't stop things from going a tad bit too far.

an actor and idol. park jihoon. the man wasn't a confession type of guy. at least not immediately. instead, he liked to court and flirt. and his choice? you.

you had both acted in a drama together recently. the chemistry between you two... well, it set everyone alive to say the least. even sunghoon was flustered... he couldn't tell if he hated jihoon or he wanted to replace jihoon and do all those scenes with you. both probably.

you were clearly paying your dues... being kind and nice to the actor even though the affection was very much one-sided. but either your kindness was leading him on or he couldn't take a hint because jihoon was not afraid of anything it seemed.

when asked his ideal type behind the scenes? you.

the purposeful double meaning type of comments that bordered more on corny rather than flirty? said.

the chance to hold your arm when you both took home the best couple award? taken.

the couple award struck sunghoon's last nerve. because one could excuse the arm thing as a basic manner moment. but the comment jihoon made. simple and quite common in the acting industry. yet said with every pure intention. "i would really like to work with y/n again." followed by the awes and gushing of fans and fellow actors while you painted a small smile and a soft laugh in response.

what. the. fuck.

are you serious? is he serious?

him and jay are the same. they want to be more obvious but in the least obvious way. instead of taking the matching items route, sunghoon needed to directly deal with jihoon. so every time you had a schedule with jihoon... mcing, award presenting, as nominees, etc, sunghoon pulled something new.

you're talking to jihoon about the wide praise you two were receiving for your work and suddenly, "oh, you left your phone at mine, here you go." sunghoon would put what was his phone into your hand and literally leave. and you're left there standing like ??? and jihoon is also like ???

this time you're sitting with the actor backstage and suddenly a water bottle dangles in front of your face. sunghoon is smiling at you, completely disregarding jihoon. "you like water, right? here." uh, sunghoon, sweetheart... everyone likes water. we kinda need it to live, babes.

by this point, you're now expecting sunghoon. eyes darting every second to get a glimpse of his growing hair and the smell of tamburins' wood salt beach perfume in the air to notify you of his presence. but he doesn't come. you're partly relieved but also sad. you were kinda of enjoying it. well, more like it was growing on you.

psych!

you and every other artist and actor is going around in circles, thanking the fans for coming tonight and what not. sunghoon is going for a strike. it's the evening, the temperature has cooled down and you're stylist has opted for a more summery outfit in this winter weather. you must be freezing is sunghoon's thought (you can't feel the cold considering the heat of a gazillion lights are on you but sure). ever the smooth man, sunghoon slides off of his blazer and puts it onto your shoulders, telling you to keep warm.

you were shocked.

jihoon was shocked.

everyone's shocked.

sure, sunghoon sacrificed a bit of your secrecy considering by the morning clips of the action were swarming every platform and every past fancam was being investigated, but the look on jihoon's face was absolutely worth it. and if he had to do it all over again just to see you smile warmly back at him and thank him, he would do it again in a heart beat.

seonwoo

sunoo is one of those people who wouldn't be that jealous. it's not that he wasn't insecure... he was human first and foremost. but he didn't really care for anyone else when it came to you. he only had eyes for you.

also he thought he was already obvious? like he's the one singing your song when they play through his headphones when the group plays the whisper game. or the first one to critique jake when he messes up the lyrics of your song during a live because he knows them off by heart. or the literal STACK of your albums (exclusive, limited, every version) he had in his dorm and his parents' house. there was literally more albums of your group then enhypen's that his parents had taken the responsibility of.

yet, that doesn't stop kim wooseok. well, not him specifically. the fans. you acted with him in the drama, the night has come. you weren't aware of your seven year age gap until your first meeting with him and he said he was like 27. and sunoo was like o_o. bc wdym your 27? he looked the same age as you... and he was playing an attractive teenager easily... wtf? unfair much???

while the age gap wasn't great, the romance wasn't heavily what your show was about anyways, which could make one feel lighter. despite all of that, sunoo had seen edit after edit after edit about you and wooseok. you and wooseok behind the scenes discussing your characters feelings towards each other, you and wooseok at a press conference bc he was making sure you were able to sit down in the small outfit your stylist gave you, you and wooseok in the water together

you and fucking wooseok.

sunoo was going to lose it. how much more obvious could he be?

how about matching couple items? well, the thing about sunoo is that he already has matching items. why wouldn't he? they were so cute!

sunoo also wasn't the type of person to directly combat it. he wasn't sunghoon.

he was mixture of jake, and well, himself. sunoo quickly got pouty and sulky as well. any time he heard that damn mafia alarm ring from your for you page, with feigned and overwhelming kindness, he gently took the phone from your hands and threw it onto the bed before folding his arms and looking at you blankly.

anytime a member brought up the drama on live and set of the chat to talk about you and wooseok, sunoo would immediately try to change the subject or he'd be a bit catty... "i just didn't know how old he was... he like so old." (fans began to notice how often this happened after bringing it up two or three times, resulting in the constant chatter of you and wooseok just to rile him up).

by end of the last episode, sunoo thought everyone would stop talking about the show. but no... you and the damn plot (which one? up to you) left everyone wanting more... especially of you and... yeah, he can't even say the name anymore.

the only way sunoo is getting over this, is by you comforting him. he isn't going to unnecessarily create rumours or try to leak your relationship. to be honest, the thought of it was terrifying. he hated involving himself in drama.

you end up spending the next few weeks almost sunoo-crazed. "oh sunoo recommended me this product..." forget matching bracelets, you brought him matching pyjamas. "oh, my dog? she's great. she doesn't really like people but she seems like sunoo the most. maybe more than me :("

soon, in a year or two, when the news breaks out of you two dating, this odd period of time will finally make sense.

jungwon

calm and collected? yes. why? he's the leader. said it before, but jungwon has the sole responsibility to be able to adjust to every situation there is.

an injured member? he's got it.

wardrobe malfunction? let's have a word with the stylist.

mic pack falling off mid-stage? man's got the word 'professional' in his dna.

if anyone asked him, truthfully, jungwon admired you. as a fan and as your boyfriend. you were similar to him. the same age, a young leader, good at basically everything... but you had three differences. one that your group might as well have invented the word popularity. second that you debuted earlier than him. lastly that you, yourself, created a new category of idols - super idols or super-dols.

what is a super-dol you ask? an all rounder that performs and executes everything with diligence and quality. they mean everything. not just the whole singing, rap, dancing combo. they mean the inclusion of acting, music production, song writing... etc.

they said that a person like you only comes once in a life time. they struggled to add people to your assigned 'category'.

to think jungwon was dating you was beyond him. how you liked him was equally beyond him. he thought he was just lucky. you thought otherwise. jungwon was everything to you. he understood you, he was always by your side and he was hard working. life was hard. but being with him made you feel like life in itself made sense.

jungwon knew that people wanted you. not romantically but as friends, as a mentor, as an advisor... it made sense for someone of your caliber. so he wasn't surprised when the newly debuted anton of riize was collaborating with you to produce a new song. but what he didn't expect was the genuine interest of the idol. nor did everyone else.

jungwon was backstage at the mbc gayodaejeon, watching your special stage with anton. it was the last day of the year and the last thing he wanted to do was end it on a bad note with something a fickle as jealousy. yet, the green-eyed monster had found him as he watched anton's gaze remain on you, as though he were unable to move, smiling ear to ear while you sang.

he heard one of his staff whisper to another, "they aren't dating right? gosh, they should date! he looks like he really likes her!"

jungwon could feel the cautious gazes of his members on him, trying dismiss such nonsense with frantic comments. "they don't know what they're talking about, jungwon." "ignore them." " he shook his head lightly, taking a deep breath. he needed to remain calm. if he couldn't, who would?

he trusted you with his entire heart. you liked him, there was no doubt in his mind. his heart skipped when he made you flustered with his sweet nothings and attention to detail. and to be frank, he understood anton. if the positions were swapped and he was in anton's place, he thought he would look at you the same way.

minutes after the clock struck twelve, jungwon didn't have to even look for you. you had found him instead, dragging him behind one of the trailers. you brought him into a long kiss, hugging him tightly.

jungwon smiled into this kiss, bringing you closer to him as all of his nonsensical worries melted away. parting almost breathlessly, his heart warmed at your wish of a happy new year. he smiled once again, placing a kiss the side of your head while he grabbed your hand, rubbing soothing circles with his thumb. "happy new year, baby."

riki

riki was right on the precipice of youth and adulthood. he was only a year younger than jungwon but everyone always treated him with such fragility. not just because of his young age but the innocence that came with moving to a different country because of his said young age.

but riki was more mature than he looked. he had to be. it wasn't that he was alone. no. his members and friends would never ever make him feel like that. nor would you. but this type of maturity was required of him.

upon seeing p1h's soul or haku's eyes constantly travel back and forth to you as he interviewed your group, riki resolved to maintain stoic and pretend like he didn't care. you were in public, all eyes were on you. did it bug him that the person looking at you was the same age and also japanese? yes. but the nudge of jungwon and the thought of dealing with the staff was enough to make him stand down at the time. to be honest, if haku's whole thing ended after the interview, riki wouldn't of cared.

but it didn't.

riki was observing him throughout your performance (well as much as one could, he was still trying to watch you) and haku kept looking at you. like his eyes were moving with you as if he was only focused on you. but it was fine. riki could handle this... this was life... right?

haku, however, seemed to enjoy taking on every last nerve of riki's (unintentionally ofc, sorry haku 🥹). your group and enhypen were seated together backstage, all chatting and playing card games to waste some time before having to go back out. riki, ever the communication expert, already pointed the boy to you. "can't you just look away every time he looks at you?" he complained.

you raised a brow, placing down a card. "you want me to not meet his eyes in an interview? riki, i didn't peg you as the jealous type," you teased.

riki blankly looked at you. "i'm not," he said defensively, folding his arms. "i'm not jealous. i'm just being... absolutely reasonable."

"sure, sure..." you squinted your eyes, nodding sarcastically. "riki, just forget about it. you were probably hallucinating. he probably was just looking at me normally. honestly, you should rest more like i told you to."

riki wished you were right. that he was indeed hallucinating. but any maturity riki had been working on was already on a thin line and diminished as he saw haku walk up to your large group, greeting everyone but mostly you. heart eyes and all.

in the moment, it dawned on you that riki was in fact right. haku's finger twiddling, the brief pause before he spoke as if he was thinking about what to say only for him to still fumble over his words, the tinged ears... you had done the same thing to riki when he suddenly told you he liked you after being clingy for days on end.

well... shit.

you were quick to act.

no one spoke as much japanese as the yearly comebacks warranted. at least that's what you figured when you greeted him back in japanese, introducing riki to him as another japanese idol he could be friends with and the best part, as your boyfriend.

the corners of riki's mouth couldn't help but twitch up. to say he was belated was an understatement. he dipped his head a little, a wide smile now sprawled all over his face.

the visible disappointment on haku's face made your heart ache slightly. you felt terrible. maybe you should've let him down less... directly. but the obvious happiness riki was radiating off of him made you want to smack some sense into him.

by the end of your schedule, you had hesitantly accepted riki's offer for you to sleep over at the dorm because you had no idea why but regret felt like it was looming over you. and boy was it. the entire way back home, riki teased you the entire time.

"say it again. say that i'm your boyfriend again! why not? too shy? you weren't shy then.. you said it so confidently like..."

the teasing only ended when you ignored him for the rest of the ride and riki realised he had fallen victim to the silent game. he was a fan of silence. but this was not the one he enjoyed.

cutting back on the teasing, riki just relished the fact you were asleep in his arms and not anyone else's. you were with him and that's all that mattered. ♡︎

© maeumi-jng | do not copy, post (repost is fine!) or translate anywhere else! thank you ♡︎ requests here!

[elegantshapeshifter]

Fairy Seers in Serbia

"The fairy-seers of southeastern Europe are (mostly) women who are able to communicate with women-like creatures from the supernatural world. Sometimes the fairy-seers induce a trance state in order to establish communication with these creatures. During their communication with the fairies the fairy-seers can prophesy about future events. The fairy-seers can also deliver messages to the living on behalf of their deceased relatives. Similarly, they advise about how to heal an ill individual or the treatment of that individual can proceed after consulting the fairies. These illnesses are usually a form of so called " fairy-illness " —a disorder that has its origins in a curse or a spell wrought by fairies offended by that individual. In the narratives of fairy-seers, fairies are described as three young, beautiful longhaired women, dressed either in white or in black. The women who can see and speak to the fairies have been chosen by them early on, usually in their childhood or adolescence. By dancing and singing on special days of the orthodox Christian calendar, these women fall into a trance state and then communicate with " their sisters, " as these invisible creatures are called by these women. The fairy-seers are called numerous names in various languages across southeastern Europe. The semantic field of these varying designations is far from identical: sometimes the seers need not enter into a trance to see them, sometimes they fight (nocturnal) battles in the sky to ensure good crops for their region, where they live and work as any normal human being. But there is one common denominator to all of them: they undergo a process of initiation (prompted by these creatures) and the invisible creatures with whom they communicate are females. I choose to use this term in an attempt to cover and to depict a vast range of more or less similar phenomena across the Balkans with an English term, with the goal of creating an " umbrella term " in the English language (nowadays a lingua franca) for working purposes."

[Vivod, M. (2018). The Fairy Seers of Eastern Serbia: Seeing Fairies—Speaking through Trance. Oral Tradition, 32(1).]

There is a short documentary created with the video material filmed during the fieldwork (April 2015). It’s actually a partial recording of the trance. The documentary has been presented at the Kratovo Ethnological Film Festival in September 2016. The documentary can be seen at: http://www.imdb.com/video/wab/vi796439833/

[catlover-multifandom]

(in a free mood again here we gooooo)

Free canon moments I think about a lot

Rin writing “fuck” in the elementary school yard

mecha salmon roe

the mr steal yo mako face (you know the one.)

Steve the cat existing

Haru and nagisa working at wcdonald’s or whatever it’s called in the freeverse

romio mentioning florida

haru makoto asahi and kisumi having a hangout in asahi’s apartment (at least I think it was his, it was in a df episode)

tomadoburiranchinburiranti!

makkou the dog

🎶 tabidachi no asa ni miageru sora ni 🎶

Haru and seijuro being friends

Haru’s mascot obsession (relatable im also obsessed with yuru kyara now)

Rei in the novelization

“Nagisa’s mermaid” video and then it got booed when they accidentally played baby videos of haru and makoto lol

Nagisa’s sister’s sketch friend that isn’t quite her boyfriend

Kaede coming back from the concept art grave in s3

the high of s3 in general because I remember counting down the days for it to come out and oh boyyyyyyy summer 2018 has such a special place in my heart. pure euphoria!!

Rin giving Sousuke a koala shirt

MATCHING FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS

everyone pointing out that Rin has cleavage

“no chips at the pool” **SHOTS FIRED**

Makoto’s mixer nightmare

Rei getting drunk on chocolate

the fact that makoto haru Nagisa and rei would have sleepovers together and haru gets so happy to be with them and he fell asleep early HES SO CUTE

Haru and asahi getting worried thinking makoto would fall for mlm scams in Tokyo

Haru’s profile picture being Iwatobi chan

the squid festival drama cd track and Rei’s puns from s1 that everyone ignored

Haru and Albert’s friendship happening because they just like the same fish and they don’t need words to eat mackerel together

Rin crying over the rat movie

shizuru’s existence in general. he’s so funny and silly and he looks like makoharu had a child

the mackerel body pillow that makoto gave haru for his birthday

continuing off the last one: the team thinking haru turned into a mackerel and nagisa telling makoto he has to kiss him to make him back to normal 💀

the scene in s1e1 where Nagisa kicks the can to scare makoto

Rei being uptight and serious and very professional man™ and then gradually loosening up and being less guarded and being his genuine silly smart self and having fun and you can see how much love he has for everyone as the show goes on… and the love and genuine affection he has for his friends keeps increasing even when you thought his heart was already the biggest it could get. it gets so much bigger. and the fact that he learned to swim and got to nationals for an individual event in 3 years. Rei I love you no one could ever make me dislike you you’re a beautiful butterfly

the general babygirlification of rin matsuoka as the series progresses

free mastering the “character that is a jerk at first but the second they’re forgiven/not a jerk you absolutely love them to pieces” archetype (rin, sousuke, hiyori!)

haru being an old man when it comes to technology: “sorry I haven’t looked at my phone in 2 weeks”

perfect body

haru almost dying like 10 times throughout the series

haru giving makoto his gold medal in that one artwork AAAAAAGGGHHHHWJFJEDJEKS

more of a fandom thing, but the whole makoto train scare back when fs1 came out

in df when ryuji is trying to teach haru and makoto translates it to haruspeak, they show you makoto smiling when haru turns around and half his face is cut off from the screen because he’s shorter than makoto lololol

Haru trying to escape the premises the second he sees kisumi

the scene of haru driving in Tokyo and makoto freaks out the entire time… guys I think they somehow got actual footage of me driving when my mom is in the passenger seat

the reigisa montage before their races at nationals in df. MY HEART

the entire show honestly… if there’s one thing you got from this post, it’s that I will never be free of free (I’m perfectly happy to keep it that way)

[accio-victuuri]

(candy vault) : alexander mcqueen shoes, nike off white and yibo’s missing mole 🤍

this fandom has lots of candies in the past years and there are ones that fall through the cracks or things that i simply wanna talk about. also for the benefit of new turtles who probably missed it & a good trip down memory lane for those who’ve been here for a while. i made other posts similar to this before and i haven’t done a good old mini compilation so here ya go. ^^

2/23/2021 WYB was in Beijing, participating in the recording of CCTV’s Lantern Festival program in the evening. The actual broadcast was 2/26/2021.

In the materials initially sent out by YBO, for the photos, you couldn’t see AM shoes. Maybe the shoot was better off focusing on his face, which I totally agree, but it was like they didn’t want to focus on it that much. We only saw the shoes when they released the BTS video where it would be tricky to crop it out.

During the actual performance he changed into a more comfortable looking Jimmy Choo shoes. He was wearing AM outfit so it made sense that the shoes should match too. This should’t really be a big deal or even a CPN, only because changing shoes is sort of normal at events like this. Maybe he was more comfortable with the Jimmy Choo, although the choreography for this performance is not that complicated like his other routines. The way I remember it, WYB usually sticks to the shoes he has on.

The CPN alarm bells started going off tho when ZZ flew from Beijing to Shanghai wearing the same style McQueen shoes. He had shooting back in 2/24 and there were some talk that he was more than a half hour late as planned on set. So going by our collective galaxy brain, they could have spent some time together during late 2/23 and some time on 2/24 which is after the CCTV shoot. WYB probably lent the shoe to him or he just got it from their shared closet lol. This is why ZZ was sort of late, because he was with WYB. The pattern of ZZ being later than usual on set when he is with WYB is something that still happens this year. I’m not implying that he is slacking off when he is with WYB but more of just adjusting his schedule so he can accommodate the love of his life. they both deserve that in between their busy schedules.

maybe this is why YBO didn’t want to highlight that on the materials they released 2/26 ; because they knew where the shoe went 😂😂😂

While we’re in the subject of shoes, let’s take it further back with their matching nike off white in 2018. It’s one CPN that is often given as an example but I haven’t discussed on here.

AAAAAHHHHH! I miss the days when they could still wear Nike shoes. Oh well….

Looking through the airport pictures of ZZ before joining the CQL group from 2016 to 2018, there are no pair of Nikes that could often be seen in pictures of him. There are 2 back in 2017. Before CQL, ZZ had quite a variety of shoes, including a few pairs from Adidas. Like WYB, it is obvious that he likes to buy Nike co-branded products, likes to grab the latest models, and even buys more for collection.

Now let’s focus first on the shoes, it’s a collab of Nike air vapormax X off white. There are two shoes of the same style but in different colors. The black model will be available at 3/30/2018 and the white will be available at 4/18/2018. We know that at the time, WYB will surely have what’s new when it comes to NIKE. It’s either it will be sent to him cause he has a relationship with the brand or he will buy it himself. He is known to always wear the latest designs released. He is also a collector, so he most likely bought the black and white version.

WYB wore the white version on 4/28 and ZZ wore the black model on 5/8 based on photos.

As for ZZ, he was recording an episode for a show and he also used this shoe for the rehearsal. It is the same show where he had to dance and the choreography was taught by WYB. We’ve seen this in the BTS and ZZ talked about it himself.

WYB was seen again with the pair during PD101 on 5/10. It’s funny cause this is the same day where XZ was filmed candidly behind the scenes and he said he hasn’t seen LWJ all day.

These two. Honestly. They only formally “met” and then started shoot 4/16 and it hasn’t even been a month but they already have a couple shoe and ZZ was out there emoting about missing LWJ/WYB? It’s a common discussion that leads to alternative timelines like DT or 2017 or it could just be that it’s one of those rare instance where you connect with someone so quickly.

I have 3 possible explanations:

1. It’s totally unrelated. They bought their pairs separately since they like the style and collab.

2. WYB gave the shoe to XZ. I am a fan of both of them giving gifts to each other. And if you are someone who believed XZ gave him a lego set even before they started filming as a gesture of goodwill then this should make more sense to you. Also WYB is known to give gifts and that includes shoes ( for example SDC 3, he gave out multiple pairs ). This reasoning is not necessarily a CPN of them being boyfriends, but more of being close enough to give each other gifts. and not just the usual one you would give to a colleague cause if WYB only has the white and XZ has the black, it’s a couple shoe. WYB low key hinting at the prospect if them being a pair and XZ accepting it.

3. They bought it together, as you would when you’re with a friend and are scrolling through shopping apps together. I think there are fake rumors of that, the two, in between takes scroll through their phones and buy each other stuff or same style clothes. Again, it doesn’t necessarily mean boyfriend behavior, but more of being close enough to do that.

A clue for that is WYB was seen with the black pair during CQL filming around early 6/2018. You can clown that he is wearing ZZ’s shoes or he did buy the 2 kinds for his own and ZZ got the black only.

Lastly is the stolen mole!!!!! ♥️

Since cpfs are obsessing over WYB’s very visible mole from the Bazaar shoot.

It’s one of my favorite fake and it basically says, The reason why WYB cares so much about ZZ’s mole under the lip, is because WYB also had one like this when he was little. The elders in the family said it’s something good and it means he will have a happy life. However the mole disappeared. Or i guess in his case it’s not as prominent and has faded instead.

While filming, GG has scenes where he didn’t have make up or it gets taken off because of the heat. WYB looks at him closely and points out his lip mole, saying that he had something like that before but it disappeared. GG then added that his mom told him that his mole appeared only after a while when he was young.

That’s when WYB said GG stole his mole. When it disappeared, the mole transferred to GG 😂😂😂

Maybe this is why WYB is so fixated with his mole that he even includes it in his drawing of XZ/WWX.

-END.

[camisoledadparis]

THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY

based on: The White Crane Institute's 'Gay Wisdom', Gay Birthdays, Gay For Today, Famous GLBT, glbt-Gay Encylopedia, Today in Gay History, Wikipedia, and more … November 13

354 AD – Early Christian writer St. Augustine was born on this date (d.430) Following the example of St. Paul, Augustine set the standard for confessional literature that was to flourish in the centuries that followed. The pattern, of course, is a detailed listing of one's sins, followed by a narration of some event or events that made one long for salvation, and then an enunciation of the pains and joys of penance with the hope of future redemption.

Augustine confessed not only to having fathered a son, but to friendship that was classically homoerotic. When he was a young man, his closest friend died and Augustine contemplated joining him in death. "I felt that his soul and mine were `one soul in two bodies'; and therefore life was to me horrible because I hated to live as half of a life; and therefore perhaps I feared to die, lest he should wholly die whom I loved so greatly. My longing eyes sought him everywhere." Augustine, of course, cast off all sins of the flesh and becoming one of the great founders of Christian doctrine, admonished us all to do the same.

1759 – In the Netherlands, minister Andreas Klink is banished for life for having committed sodomy. He defends his attractions as natural.

1879 – Marcus Behmer (d.1958) was a German writer and book illustrator, graphic designer and painter.

Marcus Behmer was a son of the painter Hermann Behmer. His uncle Rudolf Behmer, known as a breeder of Merino sheep - was the twin brother of his father. His brother Joachim Behmer was also active as an artist.

His artistic beginnings came with his first major success with the illustrations for Wilde's Salome in 1903. The early works show the influence of the illustrations of Aubrey Beardsley.

On 1 October 1903 Behmer entered military service, was appointed a corporal in 1904 and promoted in 1907 to sergeant. From 1914 he participated in the First World War (in Flanders and in Poland). In the summer of 1917 he fell ill "after an operation in the field" and was six weeks in the military hospital of Jarny . During his time in the army, many so-called "comrades' portraits" emerged, usually reduced, although finely crafted profile views of young soldiers

From 1902 Behmer produced illustrations for books, designed initials and writings, and was responsible for carefully planned publishing facilities. He worked for the Cranach Press of Count Harry Kessler and illustrated numerous articles for the monthly magazine "The Island."

Behmer had been since 1903 a member of the first homosexual organization in the world in Berlin. Because of his homosexuality, Behmer was sentenced in April 1937 by a court in Konstanz to imprisonment of two years. At times he was given the opportunity to work as an artist in prison. The works produced in this period are mostly calligraphic tablets with Greek text (prayers and Bible quotes), and drawings full of bitterness and irony.

1950 – Charles Kaiser is an American author, journalist and academic administrator. In 2018 he was named Acting Director of the LGBTQ Public Policy Center at Hunter College. He is also a nonfiction book critic for The Guardian (US).

His book about one family in the French Resistance, The Cost of Courage (2015) received enthusiastic reviews from The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The Christian Science Monitor, among many other publications. It also won the grand prize at the Paris Book Festival (2015). In 2016 it was published in France by Seuil as Le Prix du Courage.

His blog about the media, Full Court Press, originated on the website of Radar Magazine in the fall of 2007. He continued it at the Columbia Journalism Review and the Sidney Hillman Foundation until the spring of 2011.

The son of a diplomat, Philip Mayer Kaiser, he grew up in Washington, D.C., Albany, New York, Dakar, Senegal, London, England and Windsor, Connecticut. He has lived on the Upper West Side of Manhattan for many years.

He is the author of The Cost of Courage, 1968 In America, and The Gay Metropolis. The Gay Metropolis was a Lambda Literary Award winner, as well as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. He was a guest on the Colbert Report, where he discussed a new edition of The Gay Metropolis. He wrote the afterword for a 2012 edition of Merle Miller's landmark work, On Being Different: What it Means to Be a Homosexual. That afterword was excerpted on the website of the New York Review of Books. In 2015 he was inducted into the LGBT Journalists Hall of Fame.

1955 – Caryn Elaine Johnson, best known as Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host. She is a strong supporter of the LGBT community.

On April 1, 2010, Goldberg joined Cyndi Lauper in the launch of her Give a Damn campaign to bring a wider awareness of discrimination of the LGBT community. The campaign is to bring straight people to ally with the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender community. Other names included in the campaign include Jason Mraz, Elton John, Judith Light, Cynthia Nixon, Kim Kardashian, Clay Aiken, Sharon Osbourne and Kelly Osbourne.

Goldberg's high-profile support for LGBT rights and AIDS activism dates back to the 1987 March on Washington, where she was one of few celebrities participating.

1969 – Today is the birthday of bi-sexual Scottish actor Gerard Butler. He is best known for his portrayal of King Leonidas in the intensely homoerotic film about the Spartans, 300. He also portrayed the Phantom in the 2004 film version of The Phantom of the Opera. He is slated to portray the iconic Scottish poet Robert Burns in an upcoming biopic.

In the gossip mags, there have been numerous stories of his romantic involvements - including several of romantic and/or sexual involvements with other male stars.

In a 2004 Movieline interview he said:

"I talk about my sexuality, but it's always glossed over. People seem to shy away from the issue. Whenever it is discussed, it's distended and exaggerated. Gerard Butler is Gay. No I'm not. I don't know myself what I am so it can be bewildering to see that being plugged. I have been in relationships with women. And men. That doesn't make me Gay. That doesn't make me straight. It's hard enough to go through these things in my mind without being scrutinised about it so there are times when you want to close the door and say my sexuality is my own personal business."

1999 – Josh Cavallo is an Australian professional association footballer who plays as a left back and central midfielder for Adelaide United. Cavallo has represented the Australian under-20 national team.

Cavallo was born in Bentleigh East, Victoria.

Cavallo represented both Melbourne Victory FC Youth and Melbourne City FC Youth. Western United. On 15 April 2019, Melbourne City announced that Cavallo would leave the club at the expiration of his contract at the end of the 2018–19 season.

On 24 June 2019, new A-League side Western United announced that Cavallo would join the club ahead of its inaugural season. He made his debut on 3 January 2020 in a 3–2 loss at his previous club. On as a 71st-minute substitute for Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, he earned a penalty when fouled by goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis, which was converted by Besart Berisha. Western United announced that Cavallo was leaving the club on 10 February 2021.

On 18 February 2021, Cavallo signed a short-term contract to play for Adelaide United. After a successful stint in the 2020–21 A-League, he signed a two-year contract extension on 11 May. He was rewarded with Adelaide United's A-League Rising Star award after a successful 2020–21 campaign, in which he started 15 games and made 18 appearances.

Cavallo came out as gay in October 2021. At the time, there were no other openly-gay male footballers playing professional top-flight football, in the world. In becoming the first to do so, he said in a statement, "I hope that in sharing who I am, I can show others who identify as LGBTQ+ that they are welcome in the football community."

[jules-has-notes]

2018 VoicePlay fall activities — maintenance, music, and merriment

Heading into the end of the year, VoicePlay gradually ramped up their schedule until they were running at a decent clip for the holiday season.

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Say cheese!

It had been nearly two years since they'd taken their previous set of promo photos, and enough had changed — Earl's lush beard, Geoff's longer hair — that the boys decided it was time for some new ones.

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On the following Saturday, J.None and his Paradigm pals teamed up with the Push Love Productions folks (including a future familiar face) for a "Come Out with Pride" event at Lake Eola Park. They performed both before and after the parade.

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The next week the SoJam A Cappella Festival released a promo video for their upcoming event featuring VoicePlay.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by SoJam A Cappella Festival (@sojamfestival)

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Over the weekend, J.None performed at a "night of spoken word and comedy" for the Pipol Angels Foundation, which provides funding for arts and education both locally and overseas. (Previous projects had provided new backpacks and school uniforms to students in the Orlando area, and helped a school in Trinidad build an additional classroom for its growing student population.)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Pipiol Angels Foundation Inc. (@pipiolangelsfoundation)

J.None rehearsing "No Role Modelz" by J. Cole with the band a few days before the fundraiser

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Ready for their close-ups

A few days after that, VoicePlay convened at a local studio to film their laid back video for "Thinkin Bout You".

When you show up for book club, but a slow jam breaks out.

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As the end of the month approached, Layne and Tony gathered a cadre of lovely ladies for the first episode of their new Princess Academy series.

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Sing for me!

The first weekend of November took VoicePlay to North Carolina for the SoJam A Cappella Festival. The attendees consisted of high school and collegiate groups, including two young groups from Winter Park, and three groups from the University of Central Florida (Layne and Eli's alma mater) who swept the top spots in the competition portion.

The guys spent Saturday afternoon leading a workshop on the business of singing for a living, and a masterclass for some of the competitors. Then they headlined the evening concert, with local openers Transit Vocal Band.

In addition to performing and doing educational outreach, VoicePlay also got to see some old friends. Alfredo Austin from The Exchange was doing coaching sessions. Max Herskovitz, who had subbed for Layne several times, was leading workshops for the kids. Singer and sound engineer Tony Huerta was running the show in his role as CASA president.

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When they got back home, the boys headed to the studio for their next music video, a dramatic medley of Queen songs.

Then they spent a couple weeks finishing off projects in progress, working on upcoming ones, and polishing their setlist for their Warm Up holiday tour.

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Holiday ro-o-o-o-oad

Since the Disney World residency for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party had passed to their pals in The Edge Effect, VoicePlay was free to embark on a slightly more relaxed holiday tour for the final month of the year. They traded a location close to home and four sets per night for just nine longer shows at a variety of venues across the country.

The first leg of their travels was a jaunt out west to Alto, New Mexico (via El Paso, Texas). As the name of the town suggests, it's quite high in the mountains, which can present a challenge when your job involves moving lots of air in and out of your lungs. Earl noted on Twitter that "7200ft above sea level was a real thing!"

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When they got home, they continued the holiday spirit by filming their video for "This Christmas". It was the last remaining track on the "Warm Up" EP to get the visual treatment.

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The next weekend the tour continued with a loop through the Midwest. The boys started in Findlay, Ohio, scooted up to Traverse City, Michigan, then hopped over to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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Back at home, they got into a bit of a pickle for a festive Mission Impossible tie-in video. (Luckily, they didn't get blown up this time.)

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The following week's tour dates were slightly more spread out. Saturday took the guys to Kilmarnock, Virginia. The next day, they scooted down to Newnan, Georgia, where they got to see their artist pal Leon King, who had drawn their adorable avatars for the pre-show spiel.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Leon King 🦁 (@leekiings)

meet and greet in Newnan, GA — photos by Dawn Ortiz

Then they took a leisurely drive up to Waleska, Georgia before heading home. (Eli made some similarly hatted friends on the flight.)

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Once they were back in Florida, they headed over to Kissimmee for a show at the Gaylord Palms resort. Because they were so close to home, some of their families came along.

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They capped off their travels with a quick trip to a suburb of Chicago.

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And to all a good night

Once they were finished spreading holiday cheer to others, the guys took some time at home with their own loved ones.

Then Earl got a head start on his New Year's resolutions by hitting the gym for a leg day workout.

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With a couple weeks to rest, the guys prepared to hit the ground running in the new year. But that's a tale for another post.

[beardedmrbean]

More than 100 people have been killed in a crush at a religious gathering in northern India, officials have said.

The incident took place at a satsang (a Hindu religious event) in Hathras district in Uttar Pradesh state.

The victims, including a large number of women and some children, are still being identified.

Survivors have described how the disaster unfolded as they tried to leave the event in Mughalgarhi village.

A spokesperson for a senior police officer in Uttar Pradesh told the BBC it would "take hours to release the final tally", but confirmed at least 100 dead.

An eyewitness, who asked to remain anonymous, told the BBC everything was "going fine", until "all of a sudden I heard screams and before I knew it, people were falling on each other".

"Many were crushed and I couldn't do much. I am just lucky to have survived."

"When the sermon finished, everyone started running out," a woman named only as Shakuntala told the Press Trust of India news agency.

"People fell in a drain by the road. They started falling one on top of the other and got crushed to death."

Umesh Kumar Tripathi, chief medical officer from the neighbouring district of Etah, told reporters the "stampede" had left at least three children dead.

Distressing images from the site are being circulated online. Some videos showed the injured being taken to hospitals in pick-up trucks, tuk tuks and even motorbikes.

A clip seen by the BBC showed several bodies left at the entrance of a local hospital as relatives screamed for help.

"Such a huge accident has happened but not a single senior officer is present here,” a relative in another video said. “Where is the administration?"

Mr Kumar said the venue had been overcrowded, adding that a high-level committee had been formed to investigate the incident.

"The primary focus of the administration is to provide all possible help to the injured and kin of the deceased," he said.

A video shared by news agency PTI showed the wounded being brought to a hospital for treatment.

"Procedure of post-mortem is under way and the matter is being investigated," official Satya Prakash in the neighbouring district of Etah said.

In Hathras, the screams of distraught family members can be heard in the local hospital.

Many people are trying to find their loved ones, many bodies are unclaimed.

There is a shortage of ambulances – each one is bringing two to three bodies. Hathras is filled with despair and pain.

Accidents are routinely reported at religious events in India, as huge crowds gather in tight spaces with little adherence to safety measures.

In 2018, around 60 people were killed after a train rammed into a crowd watching celebrations for Dusshera, a Hindu festival.

In 2013, a crush at a Hindu festival in the central state of Madhya Pradesh had killed 115 people.

[phanfictioncatalogue]

Kissing (Fluff Only/No Smut) Masterlist

24:00 (ao3) - Cyane

Summary: Phil makes a split-second decision to kiss Dan at midnight. He doesn't realize that Dan is livestreaming on his phone with half a million fans.

after the rain (ao3) - jestbee

Summary: they meet at pride

because you and i shine - philcreateddan

Summary: Dan is fond and in love and it’s embarrassing to look at.

Can I Borrow A Kiss? (I Promise I'll Give it Back) (ao3) - tjmcharg

Summary: Lots and lots of different kisses.

finding you (ao3) - spaceandvinyls

Summary: dan is tired of being pushed around and called a whore. he meets phil at a party, expected to get used again, but instead finds himself falling in love with him.

Frottica (ao3) - Spring_Haze

Summary: Dan finally acts on his feelings toward the sexy barista at Lester's Coffee Shop. Phil is relieved by the man's boldness, and an exciting new relationship begins.

Homoerotic Vampire Make-Out Session (ao3) - husbants

Summary: It’s October 2015 and Phil wants to indulge Dan in a little festive vampire roleplay. Dan seemed to like writing “The Urge,” after all.

I can't help falling in love with you (again) (ao3) - Findus26

Summary: "Do you ever miss that feeling of being newly in love? Like, those first date jitters? Butterflies, if you will?"

It's 2020, the world is falling apart and Dan can't help thinking back to October 2009 when everything was new and exciting. Phil finds a way to recreate the feeling

i'm bad at cooking (but not at loving you) (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: 3 times Phil tries to make Dan breakfast, + 1 time it actually works

Interrupted By Fireworks, Literally (ao3) - ticklishpickle

Summary: Dan has a wake up call when he realises 2018 is fast approaching, meaning he’s spent nearly a decade pining over the one and only Phil Lester. Not wanting to waste any more time, he devises a plan. This year, he’s going to kiss Phil at midnight. If he doesn’t kiss back, he’ll write it off as a drunk, meaningless mistake and try his best to move on. But if he does… oh, how Dan wants to know.

It's home (ao3) - Tarredion

Summary: A day in the life of Dan and his smitten ice-cream vendor boyfriend Phil, living on the coast of Connemara, Ireland

Kisses Through The Years (ao3) - undertalednp

Summary: Phil wanted this forever.

And so, forever is what he got.

kiss me here, there (ao3) - watergator

Summary: with dan dressed in his new sequin jacket and his gold hoop earrings, phil wishes he could reach over and kiss him in the middle of the party; but he cant.

sometimes this has a hot, sweet taste (ao3) - georgiabread

Summary: Then, the inevitable declaration, murmured into the skin just below his ear: “I really, really love you, Phil. Like, so much.” Phil shuffles back and takes two dimpled cheeks in his palms and kisses him, drunk and sloppy and smitten. “Love you too, you nong.”

the first i love you (ao3) - waveydnp

Summary: "on the snowiest day ever, when we were walking through the abandoned hospital, and you had your hat on, and you lay down in the snow, and looked at the stars, and i lay next to you, and kissed you, and wrote “i love dan” in the snow"

the taste of your cherry chapstick - huphilpuffs

Summary: Punk!Phil has a crush, so when Pastel!Dan is manning a kissing booth for a school event, he finds himself showing up with a pound in his pocket.

Too Hot - jilliancares

Summary: Dan gets dragged to a party he doesn’t want to go to and then dragged into playing a game he doesn’t want to play. He can only hope that he won’t end up having to kiss Phil Lester, who he hates more than slow internet.

Uh, No Homo Bro? (ao3) - enthuzimuzzy

Summary: Phil helps a drunk Dan up the twenty seven steps to their apartment on his birthday, forgetting what's behind the door. And that Dan really can't hold his alcohol.

Welcome home! (never leave that long again) (ao3) - natigail

Summary: Dan comes home from tour and stumbles right into Phil’s arms. He is more touch starved than he’d realised.

who you are and who you've been (ao3) - kay_okay

Summary: The last day of summer seems like the perfect time to break into a public pool and make life-altering decisions in the middle of the night.

[saltminerising]

saltminerising/735882411268784128/always-find-it-funny-that-fire-complains-that

Hello! Dom nerd, here! The usual Flight that pushes for Halloween is actually Nature, and sometimes Ice!

These are Shadow Halloween pushes over the years:

2015 - was an experimental push wherein Shadow got 7th. 1st place was Nature (Conquest), 2nd was Lightning (Event), 3rd was Earth, 4th was Light, 5th was Plague, and 6th was Ice. Fire was not pushing and got 8th.

2016 - was a Shadow profit push. Shadow got 3rd place to Ice and Light. Ice was profit pushing and Light was not but in its heyday. Fire was not pushing and got 12th. (Below the Beastclans!)

2017 - was a Shadow profit push. Shadow got 4th to Ice, Earth, Light, and Beastclans. Ice was profit pushing, but Earth and Light were not. Fire was not pushing and got 11th.

2018 - Shadow was not pushing. Fire was 4th behind Water, Nature, and Earth. This was around the time that Fire started informally profit-pushing during festivals. They still did not place.

2019 - Neither flight was pushing or high on the board.

2020 - Shadow was not pushing. Fire was profit pushing and got 3rd behind Ice and Nature. This was another during-festival profit push.

2021 - Shadow vs Ice! An exciting and spooky battle, wherein Shadow got 2nd. Fire was not pushing and got 10th.

2022 - Neither flight was pushing or high on the board. The week before Halloween, Fire profit pushed for 3rd place behind Nature and Earth. I believe this was another during-festival push, wherein the month was a little bit strange so Riot of Rot didn't fall on Halloween. Shadow was not pushing.

2023 - Neither flight was pushing or high on the board.

The only consistent factor here is that Nature has a tendency to push for Halloween. In fact, Nature has either profit pushed or conquested for Halloween (or the week before it) for every year since 2015. (Although one year they didn't place, despite pushing! They came up behind a not-technically-pushing Earth, Water, and Plague)

Post

[steelbluehome]

BFI

A Different Man: a discomfiting but darkly hilarious story of a man with two faces

Sebastian Stan stars as an actor whose face is transformed by an experimental treatment for his genetic condition in Aaron Schimberg’s mischievously meta doppelganger tale.

3 March 2024

A Different Man (2024)

By Jessica Kiang

"Stan is beautifully, brutally ill-at-ease playing a man who has never quite believed he deserved either of his faces"

Reviewed from the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival

It takes a while before Aaron Schimberg’s A Different Man – a discomfiting but darkly hilarious story of a man with two faces, one soul and zero game – brings up the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. But once it arises, it is an acidic reminder that our simplistic ideas around physical beauty and its relationship to virtue are installed in us as children and remain largely undeveloped after that. Schimberg’s slyly unsavoury act of ethical extortion is not the first film built to invert these notions. But it’s among the first to invert them again, and once or twice more, so that you may well end up facing the same way you did at the beginning, only now you’re dizzy.

Edward (Sebastian Stan in heavy prosthetics) is a man with neurofibromatosis, a condition that causes facial tumours that severely distort his features. He is an actor only ever cast in cheap corporate videos that advise staff how to behave around a co-worker with a disability: “Invite them to social events,” suggests the friendly voiceover, “If you think they’re in distress, discreetly check that they’re ok!” Edward, miming discomfort at a water cooler on cue, tells his fake colleague he’s fine, and thanks him for asking. Disabled people are expected to be grateful for basic courtesies.

In this regard, Edward is the very model of acceptability. Meek and non-confrontational, he avoids making people uncomfortable, avoids triggering their unkindness. He lives a dingy life on the fringes of New York City and not the cool, bohemian fringes but the leaky-ceiling, hostile-neighbours sort. Still, in Edward’s building no one really bats an eyelid at his looks – less, it seems, from compassion than from familiarity and a very New Yorker-ish begrudgery that says: Sure, you got it tough on account of your face, but buddy, you don’t know my life.

But his attractive new neighbour, Ingrid (Renate Reinsve of 2021’s The Worst Person in the World) befriends him and he responds by falling for the struggling playwright to a degree she has no intention of reciprocating. Then an experimental treatment comes good, and – after a skin-sloughing scene that is maybe less horrific to anyone who has ever used a peeling face mask – overnight, Edward looks like Sebastian Stan. Eager to explore hitherto unimagined opportunities for casual sex and professional success, he calls himself Guy, claims Edward died by suicide, and moves to a better flat.

Something, however, keeps tugging at the sleeve of his psychology. When, later, he spots Ingrid hosting auditions for ‘Edward,’ the play she has written about the man he used to be, he is compelled to try out. He gets the part, he gets the girl and then the lightning hits in the shape of Oswald (Adam Pearson from Under the Skin (2013) and Schimberg’s own Chained for Life (2018)), a dapper, charismatic, urbane charmer who has the same condition and similar facial deformities to those that Guy used to have (Pearson has neurofibromatosis in real life). Guy is confronted with the terrifying possibility, in wisecracking, confident, popular, flesh-and-blood form, that his own inadequacies have nothing to do with any condition beyond that of being a bit of a loser.

Even with the deliberate air of staginess and tricksiness that permeates the self-consciously meta A Different Man, there is also a real mischief in the filmmaking. Wyatt Garfield’s mucky, 1970s-exploitation-inflected cinematography. The swishing jazzy cymbals and orchestral intrigue of Umberto Smerilli’s sleaze-noir score. The witty little moments that give the movie’s reality a jittery edge: Guy getting his presidential assassins confused. An ice cream truck absurdly attempting to inch past an ambulance in a narrow alley.

And the performances surprise endlessly, as each character constantly eclipses the others in terms of terribleness. A terrific Pearson relishes Oswald’s pretentious suavity, while Reinsve brings out the bilious shades of narcissism and condescension in Ingrid’s pretty-person privilege. And Stan is beautifully, brutally ill-at-ease playing a man who has never quite believed he deserved either of his faces, right up to a tragicomic climax that, if anything, could be accused of currying sympathy for those afflicted with an excess of facial ‘formity’. Schimberg’s deliciously twisted play on duality and morality and polarity never answers whether it’s better to be despised for what you are, than admired for what you’re not. But it does impishly insist we count our blessings if we’ve never had to find out.

[xtruss]

Meet a New Generation of Black American ‘Cowboys’

With these images, photographer Kennedi Carter smashes an age-old stereotype: Cowboys aren’t all white men on horses, battling Indigenous people.

— Story and Photographs By Kennedi Carter | July 18, 2023

Doniyel Hooker bought her horse, Chance, in 2018. Whenever possible, Hooker, a math and science teacher, brings Chance to her elementary school to provide new experiences for her students. She’s ridden Chance on trails and even through the French Quarter of New Orleans.

The first time I saw a Black horseman, I was maybe six years old. I’m 24 now, grew up in the suburbs of Durham, North Carolina, but my mother’s family is from Dallas, and we’d drive back to visit. I remember this as one of those things where you’re chilling in the back seat, you see something crazy, your head does a complete 180. Cowboys! The white-man-on-a-horse archetype; battles with Indigenous people: That’s what I was most familiar with, from going to the movies with my grandfathers. So about five years ago, as I began to photograph on film, I thought it would be very interesting to turn that cowboy narrative inside out a bit. It’s always important to expand the narrow confines of what we perceive to be American culture, and how we as Black people sit inside it.

I’ve had a whirlpool of feelings, being a witness to these people. There’s a rich history of Black American cowboys, but for my work I’ve used the word “equestrian”—more inclusive now, I think. For a long time I observed from the ground, asking equestrians whether I could photograph them; I’d never ridden a horse myself until I climbed onto one while visiting trainer Silas Plummer outside New Orleans. Did I feel fully comfortable or at home? No. I thought a lot about not falling off. But in the Louisiana town where my grandfather was born, his sharecropper family didn’t have cars, so one assumes they were using horses or mules to get around. That was beautiful to circle back to, very ancestral.

And my biggest takeaway, working with all the equestrians, is just how alive they feel when they’re on a horse. There’s a freedom that comes from interacting with animals, with nature, with the land. This is what one form of that freedom looks like.

Horse trainer Silas Plummer holds Kash outside Child’s Arena stables in Bridge City, Louisiana. From wranglers to rodeo riders to jockeys, Black men and women have made their mark in many areas of horsemanship. In the United States, for example, an estimated one in four cowboys in the late 19th century was Black.

MaLana Lewis first rode a horse at age five during a camping trip. Her family later got her into barrel racing classes, and she has collected 24 first-place ribbons with her horse, Star. This photograph was taken in 2020, when Lewis was nine.

Left: Born to formerly enslaved parents in Texas, Bill Pickett became the best known Black rodeo star at the turn of the 20th century. He created the sport of bulldogging, or steer wrestling. Pickett performed around the world and was the first Black man inducted into the National Rodeo Hall of Fame. Courtesy North Fort Worth Historical Society

Right: After barrel racing as a teen, Esperanza Tervalon now trains with JaxieBaby in Bend, Oregon, to “go low and slow” in western pleasure riding competitions. The political consultant turns to horses to bring peace to her life. “I get centered. I always leave the barn feeling better than when I walked in.” Photograph By Kennedi Carter

In the early 1900s, Black communities held festivals and rodeos in cattle country across various southern states. Here a group of cowhands show off their steeds at the Negro State Fair on the Fannin County Fairgrounds north of Bonham, Texas, in 1911. The annual event involved four days of parades, music, and rodeos. Racers also competed for prizes of $2 to $50. Courtesy of Erwin E. Smith Collection of The Library of Congress On Deposit at Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas

Trigger was Vinsha Torain’s first horse, and the two have ridden together since the college student was 13. Torain helps run the family ranch, started by her grandfather, in Siler City, North Carolina, and also heads Torain Ranch’s riding club, composed mainly of Black women.

Left: Nat Love, also known as Deadwood Dick, was born into slavery on a Tennessee plantation in 1854. After the Civil War he moved west and spent 20 years driving cattle. He got his nickname in Deadwood, South Dakota, after beating out every other competitor in roping and shooting contests.

Right: Isom Dart, born into slavery as Ned Huddleston in 1849 in Arkansas, was killed in 1900 in Colorado by a bounty hunter. A jack of many trades, including cook, miner, stunt rider, and horse and cattle thief, he was, ironically, shot for suspected cattle rustling once he’d gone straight. Courtesy Denver Public Library, Western History Collection

Jamel Robinson puts a client’s horse through exercises on a trail in Siler City. He started riding when he was four and training horses when he was 17. Robinson plans to stay in the business, which he learned from his father. “Horses keep me in a good mind space,” he says.

[neattequila]

HARRY’S STYLE EVOLUTION PART 2 (HS1 Era) by an actual stylist

First off, thanks for the love on part 1! It was truly, so fun to write. I have such a good time looking into Harry's style because it's something I've always kept my eye on throughout his and my own career. If you haven't read part 1, I definitely recommend it, as I'll be referencing some things from it. (Link to that is here.)

This is part 2, which is solo Harry, particularly during the making and tour of HS1 (2017-2018.) I just have TOO much to say about his style for it to be concise I'm so sorry lol.

Without further ado, let's get into it!

2017!

Harry's first official appearance after 1D is on October 6th, 2016, a dinner hosted to celebrate his trio of Another Man covers with Alister Mackie and Kris Van Assche. He wears a suit by Dior Homme.

To debut his single "Sing of the Times" on the Radio 1 Breakfast Show with Nick Grimshaw, he wears Gucci tartan trousers (left). He has a real Gucci tartan moment here. Also wearing a Gucci tartan suit to perform on Saturday Night Live (right.)

At this time, his personal style is still reminiscent of his late 1D style. He's still wearing black skinny jeans and the infamous YSL suede boots. He falls into a real short sleeve button-up/Hawaiian shirt kick here. Wearing it during Snl Promo (left) on Carpool Karaoke (middle) and a black open version at a New York Rangers game (right.)

On the day his solo album is released, he wears a tartan Vivien Westwood suit with Gucci loafers (left), and on the Today Show, he wears the GORGEOUS bespoke Edward Sexton bubblegum pink suit (right.)

At this point, Harry's worn a suit to basically every public appearance he's had since 1D broke up. This makes a lot of sense. He's starting his solo career and wants to be taken seriously. What's more serious than a suit? They're often brilliantly patterned or in bright colors. Showing his fans and the world that he's still the flamboyant, bright, charming person they knew in 1D but evolved. Older now, no longer in a boyband but a Man Band, as he himself puts it.

Harry wears these Gucci wide-leg trousers with dragon detailing on the leg several times. I personally love this look. He wears a pink version (left) at his first solo show at the Garage, a brown version (right,) to perform at a Sirius XM event, he also wears a similar one to perform on the Graham Norton Show. Middle, he wears a Gucci suit with Roker boots on the James Cordon show.

Also, on James Corden's show (sorry lol) he wears the same Roker boots and this dark emerald green VELVET suit by Saint Laurent that I'm absolutely obsessed with and feel like we did not give her her moment (left.)

He's also doing Dunkirk promo at this time and typically dresses much subtler for those appearances than he does to promote his own music. It makes sense he's not trying to command the spotlight at these press events, instead opting to seem more like an ensemble player. For the French premiere of Dunkirk, he wears a suit by Prada and Roker boots.

In another Late Late show appearance (he does so many during this time), he wears this Loverboy jumpsuit by Charles Jeffery (left), and on an Elvis Duran appearance, he wears a button down with art that mimics his tattoos by Stella McCartney, along with black skinny jeans and Calvin Klein boots (right.)

In September of 2017, his official Live on Tour starts in San Francisco, and he wears a floral printed suit by Gucci (left.) Later he will wear a similarly patterned floral Gucci suit to perform at Radio City Music Hall (right.)

At the iHeartRadio music festival, he wears a harlequin Gucci suit (left), and later in Sydney, Australia, at the Aria awards, he'll wear one of my favorite suits. An Alexander McQueen suit paired with gold Roker boots.

At this point, it's clear that Harry's love affair with Gucci has started he won't become the frontman of the Memoire d’une Odeur Gucci fragrance until 2019, but he definitely has some affiliation with the brand. I'm sure they're sending him pieces and working with him closely. It's unclear if this is spurred on by Harry Lambert or if Harry Styles and Alessandro Michele are friends yet, but regardless, he wears Gucci more than any other designer at this point, and Gucci will go on to supply a lot of the suits he wears during the tour.

At the 2017 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, Harry performs wearing two suits. First is a light blue suit (left), and later, he changes into a black suit with velvet details and a pink undershirt (right.)

2018!

Harry will wear A LOT of suits during the Live on Tour tour (those were the days, huh,) and in a bit, I'll go over some of my favorites. (If you want to see all of them, that can be found here,) but first, I want to talk about his personal style.

We see him starting to move away from skinny jeans and opting for more expressive pants. In the picture on the right, he wears the first Bode piece I believe we ever see him wear! This fits the culture of the time as we as a public begin to move farther and farther away from skinny jeans.

He's not back to adorning himself in vintage t-shirts quite yet (we'll get more into that during his Fine Line era.) But there is a noticeable difference in his style, for sure. He's much trendier than he was before, and much like how his style evolved when he was hanging out with Nick Grimshaw and co, I do think part of this style change is due to his relationship with Camille Rowe.

Harry and her were first linked in July of 2017 and have assumedly been dating for several months at this time. It makes sense that he'd be gaining some of her style from osmosis. Later he'll even admit himself, "There's a piece of you in how I dress."

We'll get more into this during his Fine Line era, as that's when he starts dressing A LOT more like her, but I do think there is a noticeable shift in 2018.

As mentioned before Harry wears A LOT of suits during this time and though I genuinely do have an opinion on every single one of them, there's just not the time. So below, I'll highlight some of my favorites.

Left Harry performs at the We Can Survive Benefit in Hollywood in a custom Stella McCartney suit. Right he wears the infamous ensemble by Harris Reed (I went to university with them and am totally not jealous at all) on tour in Amsterdam.

One of the best things about the Live on Tour suits was that there really was a sense that outfits were picked for specific places.

In Glasglow, Scotland, he wears a kilt (left) from London outfitters Highland Store. When performing in Mexico city (right) he wears a suit with embroidery and right sparkly fringe (one of my favorites he'll ever wear.)

In Bologna, he wears one of my favorite Gucci suits.

That's it for part 2! Fine Line era is next, and you better strap yourselves in for that one because I have. LITERALLY SO MUCH TO SAY!

Thank you sm for reading! <3

[rebeccathenaturalist]

My apologies for the radio silence, folks! The past couple of weekends have been super busy--but with a lot of great stuff!

Weekend before last was Wings Over Willapa, the birding and nature festival that happens on and around Willapa NWR in the very southwest corner of Washington. It's one of my favorite events throughout the year, and I have been involved from the very beginning back in 2018. This year I actually got to be a tourist in addition to a tour guide, getting to explore the old growth cedar forest at Ellsworth Canyon with a Nature Conservancy employee. it was incredible getting extra perspective on this special place. I also got to guide tours through even more old growth cedar at Long Island on Saturday, someplace that I never, ever, ever get tired of. I love how the thousand-plus year old cedars have crowns on the top, since the storm winds often shear off the trees' leaders, so another must then sprout. It gives them more personality.

Right after that I hustled on over to Loomis Lake State Park to lead my beach tour. We explored the dunes, and I showed the participants how to tell the difference between the native Leymus mollis dune grass, and the invasive Ammophila grasses that have taken over that habitat. We found some neat things while beachcombing, like marine snail egg casings, and had some great wildlife sightings, like lines of brown pelicans coasting over the waves, and a lone Hudsonian whimbrel picking its way along the beach in search of food.

That evening we were treated to the keynote speech by author and conservationist Paul Bannick, who spoke on how woodpeckers and owls are very often keystone species in their habitats. I had just enough time that night to get some sleep before peeling myself out of bed for an 8am tour that I led around the Art Trail and Cutthroat Climb at the old Refuge headquarters. I am in love with that place, and I am overjoyed the trails are open to the public after extensive improvements were made earlier this year.

This past weekend was just as much fun! I have been very excited to see the development of Snow Peak's new campfield in Long Beach. For those who aren't aware, Snow Peak is a quality outdoor supply company based in Japan, analogous to REI or Patagonia. Each of their flagship stores has a campfield within a couple of hours which has camping and events. The Long Beach location is associated with the Snow Peak store in Portland, and is just about ready for a soft opening!

I have been hoping to get in touch with folks there since I really, really want to see more ecotourism out in the Long Beach and Willapa Bay area. We're so lucky to have so much beautiful nature out here, and I want to see more people getting to enjoy it. I was thrilled when a representative contacted me some weeks back inviting me to teach a couple of mushroom foraging classes during this year's Snow Peak Way, an annual camping event that draws hundreds of people and which was held this year over on the east side of the Cascades in Tygh Valley.

To say that I had a great time would be an immense understatement. I have been to a lot of festivals, conventions, and other events over the years, and this had all the things that I love about these events, without the things I find obnoxious. I made a lot of friends and connections, was fed VERY good food, and if my experience with borrowed gear is any indication, Snow Peak is well worth the hype. I am very much hoping to get to partner more with these folks once the campfield is open and running.

There's no time for downtime right now, though. I'm back in Portland later this week for several classes, and I have less than three weeks before I'm on the road to Missouri again for my fall visit. In between now and then I have several writing projects due, including the first deliverables for The Everyday Naturalist, plus various other tasks around the home and farm. Things will slow down once we get closer to the holidays, but for now it's all go, all the time!

[eretzyisrael]

Jews from Egypt offended by musical event at Heliopolis synagogue

A musical event at the Heliopolis synagogue in Cairo has elicited  anger and sorrow from Jews from Egypt. The event, held at the Vitali Madjar synagogue,  is part of a festival being held from 18 – 25 May. 

Sufi dancing at the synagogue musical event has offended Jews from Egypt

Jews from Egypt have reacted with shock, anger and sorrow to the event, which appears to include Sufi dancing.

Sami Douek, who now lives in Brazil, has asked that on the closing day a priest, an imam and a rabbi speak for cultural rapprochement and peace between the three religions practised in Egypt.

“I also ask that those who are absent from this event who are descendants of Jews of Egyptian descent, who may have felt offended by the holding of a musical event in this sacred place, in their honor and represented by the Rabbi who would speak, ” he wrote on the Facebook page of Juifs d’Egypte.

The Heliopolis Festival programme for 18 – 25 May includes a musical event at the Vitali Madjar synagogue

It is not the first time that Jews have complained about the uses to which their houses of worship have been put. In 2018,  Desire Sakkal of the Historical Society of Jews from Egypt wrote to the Egyptian ambassador to the US to protest a planned photographic exhibition being held in the Vitali Madjar synagogue.

“Since there are fewer than 10 Jews in Egypt, the events will have to be non-Jewish in nature. We protest this action”, he wrote. “Our synagogues are houses of worship and must be used only for religious functions. They are not social clubs.”

Several synagogues have been restored since the previous head of the community, the late Mrs Carmen Weinstein, turned 13 synagogues over to the control of the Egyptian Ministry of Heritage.

The Heliopolis synagogue had been derelict until Albert Herscovitch had tried to enter the padlocked synagogue of his childhood in 2011. This prompted Mrs Weinstein to kickstart a renovation  project. But the Egyptian government, having restored the synagogue at its own expense, now controls what happens inside the building.

Recently, visitors have complained that other synagogues, like the storied Ben Ezra synagogue in Fostat, have been closed. The Maimonides or Rambam synagogue was closed as soon as it was renovated. The Maadi and Adly synagogues in Cairo are occasionally used for services. A handful of Jews are thought to still live in Cairo.

The current community president, Magda Haroun, has responded to her critics on the Juifs’ D’Egypte Facebook page: ‘Would you have preferred it to remain locked up in its decayed and brain-dead state until it collapsed and be replaced by a building or mall? And that the presence of the Jews of Heliopolis falls into oblivion. Do you realize that the community has fewer people than the fingers of one hand?  As president of the community and president of the Society of the Drop of Milk (a charity devoted to the preservation of Jewish heritage)  I am convinced that I am doing my best to preserve the heritage and memory of the Jews of Egypt and if any of you thinks you can do better, take my place.”

[fallinginreversefanblog]

Ronnie Radke and Corey Taylor on stage together (Las Vegas/NV, 3/3/2024)

On March 3rd, 2024 Ronnie Radke surprised the Las Vegas/NV crowd: he invited Corey Taylor from Slipknot, who he collabed with on the song and video "Drugs" in 2018. Falling In Reverse added "Drugs" to the setlist and Ronnie and Corey sang it live together.

The surprise had a mindblowing effect! FIR fans were waiting for years to experience this moment. Lots of footage celebrates this unmatched event.

The press, impersonated by Rock Feed Net reacted fast. They first released a short article about the event.

Then their YouTube report was also launched later.

Fans hope this was just the first, not the last occasion these two rock giants shared the stage. There are many festivals they're both attending in 2024 as well, eventually they can repeat "Drugs" collab more times in the future.

[elisdodo]

Things You Might Not Know About Halloween

Amidst the myriad oddities of Halloween, how much do you truly know about this spooktacular holiday? I wager there's something in the following tidbits that might surprise you.

1. History of Halloween: The history of Halloween can be traced back over 2,000 years to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. Samhain marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. It was a time when the boundaries between the living and the dead were believed to blur. People lit bonfires and wore costumes to ward off wandering spirits. Over time, these traditions merged with the Christian holiday of All Saints' Day (also known as All Hallows' Day), and the night before it became known as All Hallows' Eve, or Halloween.

2. Halloween vs. Day of the Dead: While Halloween and Mexico's Day of the Dead share some similarities, they are distinct celebrations. Day of the Dead, or "Día de los Muertos," is a Mexican holiday focused on honoring deceased loved ones. It is known for its colorful sugar skulls, altars, and marigold flowers. Halloween, in contrast, emphasizes costumes, candy, and spooky themes.

3. Origin of Jack-o'-Lanterns: The tradition of carving jack-o'-lanterns originates from an Irish myth about "Stingy Jack." According to the story, Jack was a deceitful man who tricked the devil. After his death, he was neither allowed into Heaven nor Hell and was left to roam the Earth with only a burning coal inside a hollowed-out turnip to light his way. When Irish immigrants brought this tale to America, they found that pumpkins, more abundant than turnips, made excellent lanterns.

4. Unlucky Date: Some people believe that Halloween is an unlucky date, often due to its associations with the supernatural, witches, and dark magic. As a result, they may avoid scheduling significant events, like weddings or major meetings, on Halloween. This superstition varies by culture and personal beliefs.

5. Confectionery Delight: Halloween is a candy lover's dream. It's estimated that Americans spend billions of dollars on candy during the Halloween season. Stores and households are stocked with various sweet treats to give out to trick-or-treaters.

6. Halloween Costumes: Halloween costumes offer people a chance to become someone or something else for a day. From classic monsters like vampires and werewolves to beloved movie characters and superheroes, there's no shortage of imaginative outfits to choose from. People of all ages participate in this tradition, from kids to adults.

7. Global Celebration: While Halloween has its roots in Western culture, it has spread worldwide. Many English-speaking countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, observe Halloween. It's also gaining popularity in other parts of the world as a fun and spooky celebration.

8. Superstitious Beliefs: Halloween is often associated with superstitions. Many cultures believe that during this time, the boundary between the world of the living and the world of spirits is thinner, making it easier for ghosts, witches, and supernatural beings to roam the Earth. Wearing costumes and masks is thought to confuse and ward off malevolent spirits.

9. The Great Pumpkin: In 2018, a farmer in New Hampshire, USA, grew a record-breaking pumpkin that weighed 2,528 pounds. Giant pumpkins like this one are a common sight at fall festivals and contests, with participants vying to grow the largest and heaviest pumpkins.

10. Trick-or-Treating: Trick-or-treating is a cherished Halloween tradition, especially among children. Dressed in costumes, kids visit homes in their neighborhoods, ringing doorbells and saying "Trick or treat!" Homeowners typically give out candy or other treats. The "trick" part of the phrase implies that if no treat is provided, a prank or harmless mischief might befall the household.

There are many things that you may overlook without a thorough understanding, just as you might not know much about us. To make it even more memorable, consider screening classic Halloween movies like "Hocus Pocus," "The Nightmare Before Christmas," and "Beetlejuice." Now, imagine a unique twist on Halloween celebrations with "Spooky Drive-Ins." Families can create their very own drive-in movie experience using wireless carplay adapters like CARLUEX. Park the car in the driveway, project eerie Halloween-themed movies or shows, and enjoy a night of treats and spooky entertainment right from the comfort of your vehicle.