#fully predict more solo shows in the future

[petrovna-zamo]

All I can think about is Katya’s solo show 😭

[spyskater]

As an OG HSM fan (like I watched the OG on Disney Channel when it released), I gotta commend everyone on a fantastic show. When they announced a TV series, I was like "It's too late; we don't want this," but I watched the first episode just to see what they were doing to my beloved series.

I was blown away and immediately invested. I was also extremely impressed by the two young actors they found to be our new stars. There's no replacing Zac and Vanessa, but Joshua and Olivia were so immensely talented and could hold their own. Olivia Rodrigo especially caught my eye and ear. There was a unique star power there and discovering that she wrote All I Want convinced me to further invest in her career. This kid was definitely going places. Lo and behold, Drivers License and her solo music career took off. Turned out, I was right. But I also knew eventually, that would somehow impact the show. I wasn't shocked that Olivia eventually chose to leave to focus in on her music. In fact, I was and am incredibly proud of her success.

Luckily for the show, the writers and producers had already done an amazing job building up a new leading lady. They just didn't know it and neither did we. You will never convince me that Ricky and Gina were the plan in season 1. In fact, as a Rina shipper in season 1, I had already accepted that Ricky was destined to be with Nini and grateful that we'd gotten a beautifully written Rina story and that Gina and EJ were just as lovely and wonderful (still miss you, Portwell). There was no way the writers could have predicted the pivot they would have to make from Olivia/Nini/Rini to Sofia/Gina/Rina. But God, are we all so lucky to have Sofia Wylie.

Sofia stepped into the leading lady role perfectly from season 3 to the very end. She is so talented in every way, singing, dancing, acting. She excels at it all. And Olivia's exit from the show really helped to further showcase all of these talents. Every moment is a shining one from her. I was in tears over her series finale monologue. And thankfully, the writers hadn't neglected to write Gina as fully fleshed out while she was only a supporting character. Thankfully, the writers had already built a solid foundation for Ricky/Gina. If they hadn't, the transition would never have worked. The show would have declined as many have before. Instead, the gear shift brought a new energy to the show and maybe even gave everyone else in the cast more of a chance to shine.

The reason I say all this is because I've seen a lot of fighting over Olivia vs. Sofia. The reality is, both of these young women brought something equally important to the show. They were both special and unique and gave their all to the characters they played. They were both our leading ladies. Olivia Rodrigo started the race and passed the torch on to Sofia Wylie to finish. And man, did she finish it beautifully. I'm proud of both of them, the work they did on HSMTMTS, and look forward to what the future holds for them.

[steelcityreviews]

REVIEW: HTI’s “Something Rotten!” Proves There’s Nothing as Amazing as a Musical...

Where can you find Bottoms, frying pan yielding bards, musical theatre references that would make the Schmigadoon! writers hang their heads in shame and a tap-dancing battle of wits?

Look no further than Hamilton Theatre Inc, as the company debuts the first production of Something Rotten! for the greater Hamilton/Toronto area. A nerve-wracking venture to say the least and in less capable hands of the production team and cast’s overwhelming enthusiasm for the material, it could have been a scrambled mess. Thankfully, this is not the case and the production, on the whole, is egg-cellent. 

Something Rotten! is the story of two brothers, Nick and Nigel Bottom, both alike in dignity, in the Renaissance, where we lay our scene. Together, they try to create a new play which will allow them fame, fortune and perhaps more than cabbage soup to feast upon. With his life crumbling around him and frustrated with the fame of one William Shakespeare, Nick uses what is left of his savings to visit a soothsayer, Nostradamus, who reveals that the future of popular theatre is something called “a musical.” The Bottom brothers attempt to use the visions of the future to outshine Shakespeare, while simultaneously finding love, chasing their dreams and discovering that the most important thing you can do is be true to yourself.

The book and lyrics are nothing spectacular (on paper) and the story is simple; one we are familiar with. The lyrics are funny and often clever without being too offensive. However, despite the simplicities, the efforts needed to make everything translate successfully are no small feat and that is where this company excels.

Director Monica Cairney is no stranger to The Bard. Her past work in productions across Hamilton has demonstrated a deep understanding and respect for the work of Shakespeare. This is why her directing choices, from casting to staging, pay such a delightful homage to the period as well as the ridiculous amount of musical theatre in-jokes and innuendos throughout. Cairney’s vision is straightforward which allows her cast to be in on the jokes and grants many of them the freedom to play with the material, adding in a few modern jabs at both new musicals and Hamilton Theatre Inc. itself (“$7 for a thimble full of wine?!” Brilliant). Audiences do not have to be fully versed in every musical theatre production out there to understand the humour and intention, though you could tell who in the audience really understood the references by their boisterous and hearty laughter. I was also impressed by Cairney not falling into the common HTI trap of not enough stage for so many cast members. Her staging (which I am certain was aided by choreographer Meredith Busteed) granted very few issues which allowed the audience to really identify the hard-working ensemble members rather than letting anyone fade into the background. 

It is refreshing to see so much new talent grace the stage as well. There is a well-balanced mix of veteran performers and newcomers who all demonstrate great chemistry not only as the characters they play, but as a cohesive company. Unless this is your first HTI show, you will undoubtedly recognize the talents of Dustin Jodway (as the show stopping lead Nick Bottom), Matt Moore (as Nostradamus - who I predicted would be the masterful choice to play this role), Jenn Helsdon (an impressive multi-tasker not only playing the show-opening lead Minstrel and other ensemble roles but also Costuming the entire show), Katlyn Alcock (an endearing and sassy Bea Bottom), Paddy Skinner (showing off his knack for the ridiculous as Shylock) and Devin France (another top notch casting as aspiring playwright and love-struck Nigel Bottom). These performers give it their all and then some from the aforementioned tap-dancing, to beautiful harmonies and solo moments and the ability to land the majority of the musical theatre in-jokes. 

Joining them are newer faces, all who exceeded my expectations in their roles. Mike Lloy as the sleazy, egotistical yet damn charming Shakespeare, Keri Bishop as Portia who absolutely astounded me with her vocal prowess and hilarious chemistry with France and a wonderfully energetic trio of ensemble (Harry Chapman Darlington, Graham Clarke and Oakley Mossop) who prove there are no small parts when it comes to musical theatre. 

Musically, Something Rotten! proves to test everyone vocally. The lyrics, quite often, are rapid fire especially in numbers such as “God, I Hate Shakespeare,” “A Musical,” “It’s Hard to be the Bard” and the jaw-dropping effort needed to perform “Make an Omelette” (which had Saturday night’s audience applauding far longer than the cast anticipated…well deserved!) With such demands on the cast, there were bound to be lyrical flubs, some difficulty hearing lyrics or dialogue over the band, some minor timing issues to keep up with the band and a sense that this sold-out opening weekend put added pressure on all the performers coming off of an intensive tech week. Every single company member deserves praise for their efforts, especially when covering up any missteps with humour and grace. 

Ending HTI’s 64th season with this production as a Hamilton area debut was a risky but advantageous decision. This production of Something Rotten! excels with its chemistry between cast members, beautiful period piece costuming, enthusiastic choreography moments and the entire company who truly understood how to pay homage to musical theatre. Nostradamus was right: there’s nothing as amazing as a musical. 

Don’t miss this one.

For tickets and more information, please visit:  Hamilton Theatre Inc Website

Performances at: 140 MacNab Street North, Hamilton ON 

Photography by: Kreations Photography 

[royalequeenofships]

HSMTMTS Season 3 Predictions and Character Analysis

Ricky & Nini:

Ricky and Nini have a complicated relationship. I feel like they have the whole dynamic of “right person, wrong timing” vibe. They have chemistry and a bond with each other. However, for them to grow as a couple, they really need to have character development first. Nini really needs to figure herself out and who she truly wants to be and figure out her dreams and how she wants to pursue them. We had the whole YAC arc in season 2, where she goes there because she thought it was something that she wanted, but she realized that YAC was not truly what she wanted and isn’t what makes her happy. So, she’s slowly trying to figure herself out with independence and not relying on anyone except herself. In Season 1, most of her moments were with Ricky, with only the YAC arc really showcasing her independence, but her reliance on others in season 1 and parts of season 2. For example, Kourtney was the one who submitted her application to YAC, and partially her reasons for coming back to East High were also her relationship with her friends and Miss Jenn. Also, the fact that Carlos posted her song online, and she asked Ashlyn for help to write “Ain’t see nothing.” However, in episode 11 and 12, really starts showcasing her independence and stop relying on others for her journey. She BECOMES the one other people rely on, she hypes everyone up for their performances and is really figuring herself out and blossoming like the Rose. It is a great metaphor for Nini’s journey, and the fact that she herself calls Jamie’s brother instead of other people doing it for her, really makes it more special. Gina could’ve easily called her brother and be like “Oh yeah I have this friend who’s a great songwriter, yadda yadda.” But she does it herself, which is really great. Now with Ricky. Many people would agree with the fact that he truly does need therapy. He needs to learn how to handle change, and dare I say, realizing that other people are more important in his life. Personally, I felt like Ricky was very selfish this season. Last season, he was being selfish as he broke up with Nini because he couldn’t say I love you, and once school started again, he wanted Nini back so badly, but he proved himself worthy at the final episode when he stops being Troy to give Nini a chance to perform for YAC. However, this season once he and Nini are back together again, he was being selfish and thinking of himself again. When Nini goes to YAC, all he could really think about was how HER leaving was affecting him and his relationship with her.

For example, he would ask Gina for help on HIS own relationship, and sending Nini the message of how much he missed her and wishes she would be there because HE misses her so much. And thinking that Nini came home for him and him only. Plus, he thinks that the rose song that she wrote was SPECIFICALLY related to him, and then the whole situation with Miss Jenn and his dad, in which he was only thinking about himself and his feelings, with no regards to theirs. However, in episode 10, he finally stops being selfish and really opened his eyes to his surroundings, as he helped Carlos with his song for Seb. I hope this development continues, and once he realizes that he needs to stop being selfish, and is able to handle change and mature as a person, then maybe the Rini ship can happen once again. Another thing I’ve noticed about their “angst” in season 2 was the long-distance relationship, especially in episode 3. Although, Ricky and Nini were in the same city, throughout the episode, it still felt like they were going long-distance, which was probably foreshadowing their breakup. They only communicated through their phones that episode, and even at the end, their songs for each other wasn’t sang in person, but through the phone. As for predictions on the Rini relationship, I think that if Tim only plans on 3 seasons, then Rini will probably get back together at the end of Season 3, but if he has 4 seasons planned (which I am hoping for), then Rini will probably get back together then. Now we also have to take into consideration the career of Olivia Rodrigo. We do not know if she wants to continue with HSM, and even she herself is not sure. What I think will happen is, if Olivia decides she wants to take her music career to the next level, I think a really easy way to write her out without breaking the contract, would be to have her travel to L.A. to work on her music for the summer, so that there will be reason as to why she is absent for most of the season. This will probably take 1 episode to do and Olivia can spend the rest of her time focusing on her music. However, if Olivia decides she still wants to work full time in this season, then she might stay in Salt Lake and do the musical and write some songs for Jamie, etc but personally I think Olivia would want to focus on her music more than the show, as she posts about it more on social media than the show, and even with interviews. Nini might return for the final episode when summer ends and the new school year starts, so Olivia might just be in like 2 episodes. That’s my take on Rini for now, we get back to Ricky later.

E.J. & Gina:

Portwell is literally my favourite ship of the series, and it is just amazing. I personally would not like to see any angst in their relationship next season, but honestly it is probably going to happen and here’s why. Their relationship was built really steadily and took a long time to flourish. With other couples, like Seblos, Redlyn and Kowie, they got together awfully fast, taking 2-3 episodes to truly get together. So, the angst that those couples go through gets resolved rather quickly. Seblos with their relationship gets solved within 1-2 episodes, for the whole “does he like me because im the only gay one” storyline. Redlyn has the whole “Antoine” situation (which I will get back to later) and the “Red’s future” which again, took 1 episode to resolve. And Kourtney and Howie took 1-2 episodes to resolve the whole “Howie is from North high” and “Why Howie seems weird”. The reason is because those couples got together really quickly, and therefore their angst can be easily resolved through that, and wouldn’t really take time to fix. As you can see, Rini took a while to really get together. They were childhood friends off screen and we get to see their past relationship through flashbacks in season 1, but technically they took around 10 episodes to fully get back together. They have their cute., fluffy episodes for the first 4-5 episodes of season 2, but then their angst slowly starts to build at episode 5-6. It drags on until episode 8 where they fully break up, and counting episode 9 with their take on how they’re handling the breakup, so that’s around 5 episodes worth of angst for the couple that took 10 episodes to get together. So, with Portwell, they’ve technically been building them up at the end of season 1, but we’ll truly count the buildup starting from the Quincenero episode, which is episode 5, and they had 7 episodes worth of relationship buildup. So, I think, for the first 4 episodes, we’ll see some fluff and cute moments between the two when summer starts (and hopefully some kisses cuz like please I need to see at least one), but the angst will probably start in the middle of the season. It might take like around 4-5 episodes to fix, but I truly believe that they will not break up, and it will get resolved either near the final episode or the final episode of the season. Now for the REASON of their angst. I truly think the only “angst” worthy storyline is about EJ going off the college. As I can’t think of anything else that can topple their relationship. Firstly, EJ knows about the chocolates, which makes me think that he probably knows about Gina’s past crush on Ricky. Secondly, they resolved the whole “Big Brother” situation, and EJ knows that Gina doesn’t see her in that way. And the character development of E.J. and Gina. Back in season 1, they were arrogant and straight up ambitious people, who really don’t care about how others feel, but they truly changed as people in season 1 and 2, and had their character development moments. The contrast with them and Rini is that Season 1 focused on rini’s relationship development and season 2 and maybe 3 will really focused on their CHARACTER development. For Portwell, I think that would be flipped as they already had their Character development in season 1 and 2, so we probably will see their RELATIONSHIP development in season 3. So, since they already had their character development, I think it would be pointless to have unnecessary drama about their personalities or jealousy or whatnot, since they truly developed as people. So, the only thing I can possibly think of for their angst is EJ college arc. I know that they will probably fix it, but still I’m dreading to see it as I don’t want Portwell angst anymore. ☹ (ALSO PLEASE GIVE ME A PORTWELL DUET!! I NEED IT! Also, an EJ solo)

Ricky & Gina:

Personally, I do not ship Rina. I don’t think they would make a good couple; however, I think they would be really good friends. Someone they could confide in about their issues like Gina said “Sometimes I tell you things I don’t tell anyone else” and Ricky being like “I think we do that for each other.” We didn’t really get to see Ricky and Gina resolve their issues in season 2, partly because of Ricky’s character development. I am hoping to see in season 3, Ricky working on himself and fixing up his friendship with Gina. I think something that might happen is when Gina is going through her angst with EJ, and Ricky going through his own angst with Lily, they might be able to give each other advice and on how to handle it. However, PLEASE for the love of God, do not drag the whole love triangle back, because we do not need it. Gina has truly gotten over Ricky, and Ricky never seeing Gina as someone for his romantic relationship anyways, and he really needs to work on himself more, they should not be together as a couple. However, I do hope that they amend their friendship and is able to confide in each other once more, which I think will be cool and really help with Ricky’s character development.

Ricky & Lily:

Now this one. We know they will not be endgame, and I am 90% sure of the fact that Lily does not have romantic feelings for Ricky. Sure, she might find him attractive (and I mean who can blame her, Joshua Bassett is gorgeous), but she definitely does not like him in that way. We can see it when she “confesses” to him, she said to him “I like your brown hair and brown eyes” which are all physical descriptions of him, nothing about his personality which makes sense because she barely knows him, so how could she develop feelings for someone she doesn’t know. She has also stolen the harness, so we know that there would be no way that she likes him, and at the end of season 2, we don’t even get to see her feeling guilty about doing it, because she likes him. So that definitely setting in stone on how she’s only using him and manipulating him. Now for Ricky, yes you might be thinking “oh he’s calling her, why?” But Ricky does not know what we know. He was not there when Lily was talking to Gina about their roles as Belle, he was not there when Lily was laughing at Big Red, he was not there when she had a conversation with Miss Jenn, and he was not there when she planned with Antoine and when she stole the harness. In Ricky’s eyes, the reason that she was so mean to them is because of the Menkies, and their schools were enemies and rivals for it. He doesn’t know about Lily’s evil and ambitious side, and he believes that the Menkies might have made her that way. For example, he knows that the Menkies has turned Miss Jenn into someone different and a little bit mean, so he assumed the same for Lily, and when she asked for a second chance, Ricky gave it to her as he didn’t know. I feel like for the first couple of episodes, it will show Lily and Ricky “bonding” or getting to know each other, but Lily lying about the whole situation and really planning something behind his back, but we don’t know what yet. Maybe Ricky will be like “Huh, she’s a cool person, I’m starting to like her.” But then figuring out her plan, and finding out that she stole the harness. He then will be very upset and kind of heartbroken as he gave her a chance and she was only manipulating him the whole time. Maybe then, his character development will continue to grow and he will realize that he does not need to be in a relationship right now, and that he needs to work on himself and mature as a person. And I think him and Lily’s “relationship” will be a strong pushing point that he needs.

Seb & Carlos:

Now Seblos is one of my favourite ships in the show, and I love them to bits and pieces. However, as regarding their relationship, I feel like they have already resolved all their angst in season 2, it will be hard to make up angst for them in season 3, if they ever have one. I would like to say this though, I knew there was going to be angst for them in season 2, but the way they built it up, I thought the angst would be about how Carlos’ family is really rich, and Seb can’t compare because he lives on a farm, and it might make him self-conscious. Cause that’s where it seemed to be leading in the first few episodes of Season 2 (the sled, cashmere etc.). However, they brought a completely different angst to them which I thought was pretty surprising. Personally, I think they should’ve done the “class/money” difference in season 2, and then maybe the whole “why are you with me” angst for season 3, but maybe they MIGHT switch it around for season 3, and have the whole “class/money” difference then. Although, that’s probably the only “issue” I see for them ever, cause they’re a power couple and like what other angst could there be? Maybe they’ll introduce a new love interest but I highly doubt it because they already resolved the “I choose you always” in season 2. So, hoping there’s no Seblos angst, but if they do decide to throw in one, that might be the one they’ll do.

Big Red & Ashlyn:

Again, Redlyn is one of my favourite ships and they’re just so amazing. However, their storyline is hopefully again, all fluff for season 3, but one thing I realised that they didn’t really resolve in season 2 was the whole “Antoine” storyline. After episode 7, they never really talked about it again and introduced the new angst next episode with the whole “Career” thing. I feel like Antoine will be a more recurring character in season 3, as he only got like what? 10 minutes worth of screentime this season? (Maybe even less) and especially at the end as he joined Natalie in the final scene. So maybe there will be more of him in the next season, and slowly moving in on Ashlyn and making Big Red feeling like he’s not good enough, and then maybe Redlyn will FINALLY get their “I love you” confession then, because WE NEED IT! I’m manifesting for Redlyn “I love you” next season, and I think the whole situation with Antoine would be a nice way for Ashlyn to TRULY confirm to Big Red how much she loves him and how grateful she is for him, and vice versa. (Also manifesting for more EJ and Big Red friendship moments, like maybe Big Red goes for EJ for advice for his relationship with Ashlyn, and maybe EJ confiding in Big Red for Gina as well)

Kourtney & Howie:

As for Kourtney and Howie, they’re probably still going to work at the pizza shop together and continue to bond. A plot point that I think will be very interesting is maybe Kourtney trying to convince Howie to move to East High, but Howie kind of not wanting to, because he spent like 3 years there and it’s kind of his home. That might be a nice storyline to do, or it can be the opposite, where Howie is trying to transfer to North High, but Kourtney being worried like “Is he going to North High for me? I don’t want that, what if he hates it here”, but Howie confirming that he’s going to North High because the environment for him is better there and less competitive and toxic than North High. That might be a storyline that can happen for these two. I would also like for them to have a duet as well; I think Dara’s strong voice goes well with Roman’s soft voice and it would mesh well together.

Miss Jenn & Mr. Mazarra:

Now this one is a toughie, but I have some theories. Now we know that Ricky has given Miss Jenn permission to date his dad, which is another great character development for him, as he’s handling change and seeing other people’s happiness. However, as soon as he gave her permission, Mr. Mazarra confesses his feelings for Miss Jenn, which seemingly makes her happy, as we did get to see a little smile on her face when he did. Throughout Season 2, Benjamin was really the one comforting her, and giving her courage for the Menkies. We see it through episode 8, when he helped Miss Jenn film the commercial and how he put so much effort into making her coffee and setting up a table, just so she could relax. Same goes for episode 10, when she confides in him, and he acting like a therapist to her and accepting her anxious feelings, and helping her feel calmer and better. They are both opening up to each other. And I believe Miss Jenn truly appreciates him as a colleague and a friend. Now another moment is when Ricky’s dad comes to the show with flowers, and she was talking with Mr. Mazarra at the moment. When he called out her name, she smiles awkwardly and immediate turns to Mr. Mazarra saying something along the lines up “Why we always running into him?” and very awkwardly makes his way to him and you could tell she was slightly uncomfortable, with her awkward smiles and everything. This really contrasts from episode 3, where she herself walks up to Ricky’s dad and starts up a conversation, and how now, it is the other way around. Now, the whole problem of Mr. Mazarra leaving for Caltech. He confesses his romantic feelings to Miss Jenn, and really emphasizes on how she’s the only one who is stopping him from running off the California, which I believe that she is a big part of why, but also not fully. We really get to see Mr. Mazarra bonding with a lot of the students this season as well, E.J., Ricky, etc. I feel like he truly cares for his students, and in season 3, maybe he is thinking about if he really wants to stay in Utah for his students and of course, his budding relationship with Miss Jenn. Now, there was a scene in episode 4, where he was confiding to EJ about his rejection from Caltech. And he admits to EJ how he doesn’t think about Caltech very much anymore. He’s made his peace with it. This kind of mirrors EJ’s situation about Duke. EJ didn’t get into Duke from his own accord, but rather his dad got him in. Same can be said for Mr. Mazarra, EJ’s dad made the call for him for Caltech, and he didn’t really get in from his own as well, as he said previously, He was rejected many, many times. So maybe next season will really show him and his decision of staying at East High back in the fall, or leaving for Caltech. Now moving back to Miss Jenn. Next season, I feel like will focus on her and the students more, as this season, she was a really crappy teacher, and kept pushing them due to stress and wanting them to beat her ex at the Menkies. This season, I believe that she will return to the teacher that she was in season 1, and really focusing and hyping up the kids’ talents. I would love to see that Miss Jenn come back, and really help her students. Of course, the whole love triangle debacle will probably be fixed, I can maybe see Miss Jenn going out on a date with Ricky’s dad but thinking of Mr. Mazarra the whole time, and Ricky’s dad is a good man, so he might notice something is different about her, and tells her to go for it, her relationship with Mr. Mazarra before he moves or something. Also, since in season 2, we got to see Mr. Mazarra comfort Miss Jenn a lot, maybe this season will have Miss Jenn comforting Mr. Mazarra about Caltech, and if he truly wants to leave his students. Another thing I’d like to maybe see is Mr. Mazarra singing a song for Miss Jenn. We know that Mark St. Cyr has a good voice, as we saw from the Christmas special. So, him singing to Miss Jenn even though he doesn’t like musicals that much and all that, would show a lot of character development from Season 1.

Overall Plot:

Now, I have a few theories about summer. I’ve seen a lot of people saying they will go to a camp like “Camp Rock” which I think will be very likely to happen, and they put up a musical. What I can also see happening, is like High School Musical 2, where they go to a resort for work, and then putting up a musical there for the audience as well. Or they could just stay in Utah, and just relax for the summer, and not have any musical but just a lot of original songs about their summer in general and the stuff they’re going through. If they do a musical, I don’t think that they’ll do a musical from a movie or theatre, but rather write their own musical. I think it would be a really interesting concept, it can show us more imaginative and creative concept for a musical and have more original songs for the season. I would truly love to see that.

So that’s all for the character analysis and predictions I have for Season 3, sorry if it’s long lol

[blboys-kissing-boys]

30 Day BL Challenge- Day 4: Favorite Side Couple(s)

I have a few favorite side couples actually. Some that I wished would've gotten more screen time or had a better story development and didn't just ended abruptly. Some side couples definitely left me wanting more. This order is 3rd favorite to 1st favorite. Please I note I have more than this, some y'all may not agree with 😏, but I chose these 3. SPOILERS AHEAD!!

3rd favorite is Champ and Dr. Khunpol or as I call them DocChamp. Listen we can all agree TharnType season 2 was not that great. There wasn't really a set story line for the main couple and personally felt kinda meh until the end. Anyways these two however I loved their relationship, we get a mention of Doc in season 1. So glad we were able to see him come season 2. However just like in season 1, Champ was totally oblivious to someone who had feelings for him. But those little hints at maybe just maybe Champ liked Doc back really gave me hope. And then that last episode where Doc was just done playing games with Champ and said either you want me or you don't but I can't keep doing this. And Champ was just taken a back and was like not being able to see you makes me feel empty inside. I thought was sweet, in his own way Champ said yes I do like you but he wasn't sure, which is perfectly okay. It's okay cause you can tell Champ maybe has a hard time expressing his feelings, but come the wedding they seemed to be in a better place. I still would love a mini series on them cause god I just loved them.

2nd Favorite, before you say why not first, wait till you see the reasoning for my favorite side couple...for now. Anyways Jack & Zhao were just perfection, in my opinion. Jack knew what he wanted and took full advantage of that, I am talking about the muscle scene. They to me were perfect, they complimented each other well. Jack literally gave up his whole life to be with Zhao. Zhao wasn't sure at first cause again he probably didn't know how to feel, since he did seem a little naive. Literally every time I saw Zhao being adorable I was like this:

Cause Zhao was a literal baby. He had been hurt by someone that he respected and someone he thought was a friend and he wanted to make sure Jack wasn't doing the same or going to leave him. Which is sweet and when Jack saw him hurt he knew he needed to give this man the world. More importantly Jack knew he had to cook for this man as Zhao's grandma predicted.

My current top stop is these two right here, PhuKao. Why? Cause they were literally the only reason why I kept watching this show, I am sorry but I hated Gui and Solo and also the love the triangle thing with the doctor and siblings. When SoloGui or the triangle were on screen I honestly paid them very little mind. However, when my boys PhuKao came on I stop what I was doing and made sure to pay attention to their story. Kao did not plan on falling on love, Phu did not want Kao to pursue him. Which only made Kao want him more. What I love about them is Kao never gave up on being with Phu. Even after all the nasty rumors he heard, he even defended his name. Kao would take on a million men to defend Phu's honor. Their story also was nicely developed, even though you could tell Phu didn't much care for Kao at first he learned too. He let Kao into his life and told him things that were very personal. At the end we never fully saw them be together as Phu had to leave for England. But they enjoyed every minute they had together. If you see the end of the show you will see the last thing Phu left for Kao which was a painting of them together. Also side note when Kao met Phu he went through his wallet and mentioned he had no photos which to Kao meant Phu had no one to care for. At the end you see Phu keep a photo of Kao in his wallet. I just loved this two I was hoping we could a second season with them being the main focus but sadly that wasn't the case. There is a rumor these two have a future project together which I hope is true because I adore these two.

If you are reading all this thank you I greatly appreciate you.

[minhyukie]

they have a very good chemistry as a group i can't imagine them go solo after the contract ends... do you have any guessing/prediction in mind? let's see if it'll become real in the future

eee omg i think u accidentally hit my favorite topic i LOVE to talk abt these things with my friends!! mx have spent so long dedicating themselves fully to succeeding as a group and i've always loved and respected them so much for that, and even now i think that's still their focus over solo activities but i'm personally super excited to see how each of them chooses to make a name for themselves individually!!

i have a lot to say bc like i said.. i've thought abt this a lot FKDLSFKDS so the rest is under a cut :D

so personally i'm now fairly sure that mx will probably sign for atleast 3 more years with starship.. before i was really uncertain (because.. it's starship...) but after the article that announced the new english album coming this year ALSO shared that starship signed with the american company for distributing two more KOREAN albums.. i find it really hard to believe that mx be able to release all of that before their current contract ends in may!! plus even if they sign for 3 more years.. most of the members will spend half of that time in the military and it might not make sense to sign to another company Right before they have to enlist (for 93 line especially).. this is all to say that i do think we'll get mx as a group for a while to come!!

but as for the solo activities part.. i personally think that shownu, kihyun, jooheon, and changkyun will definitely continue to focus on music with a high possibility of a solo career from each!! i mean jooheon and changkyun have already been releasing mixtapes regularly but i think they'll definitely continue to make and release their own music.. i think both of them like to use their solo music to express themselves individually with less of an "idol" image so im not sure how much they'll be able to promote themselves through music shows, variety, etc but i guess it'll depend on what type of music they choose to release!! and as for shownu and kihyun i think they're both such strong and talented vocalists that they'll each definitely have a solo debut one day, i think shownu especially really has an "idol" soloist vibe (im thinking like taemin??) since he's a rly talented dancer too!! whereas i could see kihyun's solo music being heavy ballads or rock music rather than performance-based music if that makes sense!! (and truly although i think kihyun will release solo music i think he'll also focus on musicals for a bit because that seems like it's been his long-time dream)

as for hyungwon and minhyuk i think there's definitely a possibility they could release solo music (they've both even mentioned the possibility) but it seems that the two of them in particular are more open to exploring their non-music options?? of course we'll have to see where it goes but i do think hyungwon could have a successful acting career if he enjoys it! and for minhyuk he seems to have more goals for being on variety and hosting at the moment :D and even if either of them Did choose to release music i think they'd likely continue to pursue these other things as well rather than solely focus on a solo music career

anyway as i said im super excited to see what they get up to in the next few years!! they rly do have such good chemistry as a group and for me i can clearly imagine each of them releasing solo music but the thought of any of them actually Promoting all alone is perplexing but also exciting :') watching changkyun promote on his own for duality felt so strange but also it’s like that’s my baby!! all grown up on his own in the world!!

[romanceboys]

(interview) vogue korea april issue 2020 - perfect taemin

1. superm was another chance for taemin’s ever-evolving performance to be showcased. i thought a lot about how to create synergy with these exceptional performers. to put it simply, i wanted us to come off as energetic. but these days i’ve had a change of heart. our identity is definitely important. rather than just working hard, for superm to show off their colours well we need to show our personalities; we should be seen as one team. to be able to formulate a solid and clear colour is our homework. that’s why it’s regrettable. we couldn’t come up with a novel choreography to carry our new identity. we tried a lot in the practice room. superm seems to have found its musical identity but hasn’t gotten a hold of its performance character yet. the stages are too vague. 2. now that you are finally promoting with your best friend kai in one group, you two must’ve shared your concerns. since this friend is someone who has a lot of passion and ambition, he talks about various things. for instance, this style is pretty good, this choreography is quite trendy. thanks to him i’ve learned a lot. he is also very knowledgeable about the latest ‘hottest’ genres. we talk about these things often and even watch videos together. kai gives off ‘popular’ vibes. compared to him, my interests are quite unusual. nowadays kai is interested in music while i am into science. 3. is it science fiction? these days we’ve been watching videos on the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics together. 4. what aspect of it interested you? originally i was very curious, after seeing a recommended video on youtube i learned about quantum mechanics for the first time. i couldn’t understand the explanation, even those who were explaining it said it was a difficult concept. that was very fascinating to me. kind of like magic.  5. are you reading books on the subject too? the subjects of the books i read are different (laughs). there’s a book that was published long ago called ‘regarding the pain of others.’ it is a pessimistic book that gathers contradictory opinions of people for instance ‘people find joy in the pain of others, it is instinctual.’ as a celebrity, there are times when you are criticized but there are also times when you receive comfort from people. rather than blaming others, while reading this book, i began to think ‘people are like that, at most i shouldn’t behave like them.’ my interests are all over the place. 6. what makes you and kai click? we converse well. our opinions almost never clash and we respect each other. moreover, we fully understand our own roles in superm. 7. what position do you hold in superm? since i can’t ask if it’s the main dancer. in pictures and interviews, i’m the center. baekhyun hyung is the leader (laughs). 8. when the conversation wasn’t flowing well during the talkshow interview, i saw you neatly concluding it.  that does happen. nct and wayv are still in the learning phase. that’s why i first listen to all of their thoughts during interviews then flesh it out with details later. 9. compared to when you set out abroad as shinee then promoting overseas as superm now, the status of k-pop has changed. looking at how superm was able to start off with an arena tour in the us and europe made me feel that k-pop is a ‘hot’ topic. in the past, we’d use venues of this scale for smtown concerts. even if you promote mainly in asia, seeing the audience section will make you realise the perception of k-pop has changed. 10. though k-pop’s scope has expanded and diversified, its definition has become simple. what are your concerns? my first concern is language. after i was able to communicate via language during my japanese activities, there were so many advantages. though each country overseas has its own language, i felt that i needed to learn english first. there are many international fans who want to experience the chemistry between our members, they’d feel much closer to us if we communicated using (a common) language. k-pop isn’t one dimensional. it’s not only about the music, there is music video, style, etc. included. people would make dance covers in the past, now they even emulate the styling. all of this is korean pop culture. 11. superm were on the ellen degeneres show and jimmy kimmel live. before we went on the ellen show we really rehearsed the interview a lot. america’s atmosphere is different so you receive questions that are never asked in korea. they don’t disclose the questions in advance either. we were also worried because the emcee could ad-lib. we came up with the most probable questions and practiced, we also received lessons from american comedians. compared to that, we went on jimmy kimmel live without any prep. 12. what went according to plan and what didn’t? the questions were not as intense as expected, ellen was well aware about k-pop culture so it went smoothly. 13. is there a dance genre you’re into these days? contemporary, lyrical hiphop, in the future as superm i think i’ll be able to show more, not the kind of dancing that you do after learning a given choreography but the kind that is full of emotions. it’s about giving meaning to your gestures. it isn’t out yet but my concert vcr features lyrical hiphop. in it i think i’m dancing alone with a giant full moon as my backdrop but get confused when there are two of us, either it’s another person or a shadow. a choreographer with a body type similar to mine had to dress in all black to come across as my shadow. i wore an oriental outfit with smokey makeup. 14. how do you usually come up with your ideas? i get inspired by the choreographers and creative directors. i imagine it as we converse then the idea develops. 15. was there a time you were inspired by fashion? of course. art begins with the five senses. what you see with your eyes, the things you can feel, clothes, food, perfume, music that you listen to are all sources of inspiration. i create private accounts to follow fashion brands. 16. having debuted at the age of 16, you are still young but your work experience has been long. i was in certain situations because of this. it doesn’t happen as often now but even in my early 20s, i completely belonged to the senior category at broadcasting stations. they are my juniors but many of them are also hyungs, i’m their senior but i’m also the youngest. now there are even staff members who are younger than me. they’re too formal with me (laughs). 17. are there juniors that ask you for advice or help? the superm members! especially ten, he is very curious. when we come out of a company meeting, he’ll get surprised and say “wow, hyung everything you said was right.” i even hear things like ‘veteran’ and ‘seer.’ apparently my predictions come true. but i try not to advise them as much. taking the initiative to say something feels overwhelming. 18. born in 1993 between millennials and gen z, do you share any characteristics with those in your age bracket? we’ve picked out a few of their traits. the first one is ‘they don’t eat fast food.’ me too! i took care of my health well ever since i started out with shinee. i was brainwashed from home to avoid foods that harmed the body. not even ramyeon, snacks were also banned. and just like that in my 20s i started carrying out the regime on my own. it’s become a habit to look after my health ever since i moved out. i always eat things that are good for my body, if the hyungs are taking vitamins, i’d ask for one too. 19. i suddenly recall a variety show where you were the only one who skipped the sauce and ate the meat on its own! one should not eat irritable foods. my mother’s words. 20. how about ‘they watch videos on youtube rather than tv. even the ads don’t particularly bother them.’ that’s right. i watch youtube more often than tv, while watching the ads i'd even marvel at their production quality. i’ve signed up for the premium package now so i don’t see the ads anymore. 21. ‘marrying or wanting to buy their own house.’ i currently live alone and i have no interest in decking out my house. at first, i didn’t think like that but a month later my interest dissipated. i’m lazy. it’s not like my house is for others to see, i’m fine with the incomplete feeling for now. 22. and finally ‘they avoid investing in financial companies.’ i don’t do that. my parents manage that, if there’s a good tip i’ll just let them know.  23. hiphop musicians tend to express their success through music. as an idol musician how have you been using the wealth you accumulated all these years? i invest in food instead of saving up (laughs). honestly, i don’t spend much. i don’t have anything i want. though i do spend on others a lot. 24. what kind of household did you grow up in? what gifts did you inherit from your family as a musician? i inherited my body type. all of my cousins have model-like physiques, they’re taller and slimmer than me. my mother sings well. my father plays instruments as a hobby. oh, and my paternal aunt used to be a ballerina. so perhaps i inherited such genes? 25. you’ve been doing the same thing for more than 10 years. what is the purpose behind creating music and showcasing it? in the past, i would think i should do well, i need to be number one, these days i’ve become ambitious for other aspects. i take pride in the fact that my work supplies others with positive energy. i feel a sense of accomplishment when fans like my music, i want to make them as happy as i am. everyone’s profession is different but i hope this synergy gained from mutual dependence leaves a good impression. 26. are you still composing songs? i used to but now i only participate in lyric writing. it differs with each song, at times the lyrics are emotional or talk about abstract love. it seems like my next solo album will include a song i wrote the lyrics to. sometimes songs composed by overseas composers might prove too difficult for the general public to understand. so i participate a lot in the arrangement or mixing phase. i point out the parts that should be added to the composition and those that are unneeded. teacher lee soo man does give advice but it often feels like i do the producing of my own solo album. 27. taemin’s originality is the clearest when he promotes as a solo artist. which song has best represented your identity? i worked hard on all of them but there was a turning point. at first there was ‘danger’ then ‘press your number’ was a conceptual performance, the transition to ‘move’ turned out well. i wanted to break out from the typical choreography routine and create my own identity, the resulting performances were ‘move’ and ‘want.’ my next solo album is again different. i’ve been making a lot of changes these days. 28. you seem to have high standards when it comes to composing music. was there ever an occasion where you absolutely refused to compromise and gave others a hard time? everyone is used to it (laughs). it’s something i learned from the head manager hyung who’s been with me since debut. the belief that ‘there is nothing that can’t be done. there is no such thing as impossible.’ another team manager hyung would tell me ‘you remind me of our head’ (laughs). honestly, the staff around me work beyond their given roles and with affection. normally work timings are from 9 to 7, they stay back till 10-11 pm for me. they don’t hold it against me, and when things do well, they too feel a sense of fulfillment together with me. 29. the new unreleased song must be quite different from the original then.  there are already 12 versions of the song. when i thought we were somewhat done, we recently started arranging it again (laughs). 30. you hold your body to specific standards for the best performance outcome. i don’t ‘bulk up.’ previously, i used to work out when i ate a lot but my body would feel weighed down, it wasn’t what i wanted. if i gain a lot of muscles or become thick, it hampers my dancing form. that’s why i don’t put on weight. i train my stamina and strength and avoid bulking up my shoulders and arms. 31. by the way, do you do neck exercises as well? i was touched looking at your long neck in the vogue photoshoot. i had been noticing this too, now i know the reason! i think it’s because i dance. a lot of resistance goes into the neck when you dance. our head is the heaviest and it’s the neck that supports it. it goes away when i rest for a few days. we’re shooting amidst the superm tour maybe that’s why it looks thicker now.  32. an editor who has been watching you closely for a long time said that you’ve become extroverted. could it be that experience and relationships have made you comfortable and secure? i’ve lowered my guard. i couldn’t reveal my current self to others before. as a child i used to be so introverted that i’d hide behind my mother when strangers would get into the elevator. i changed with time.  33. is your ever-present smile a product of your personality or just business decorum? i’m always smiling. i even laugh at things other people don’t find funny (laughs). 34. shinee members are currently serving in the army. when they’re on break what kind of advice or nagging do they subject you to? i wish they would do that. we have a group chat on kakaotalk and i always revive it by asking “what’s up” “happy new year.” but as soon as the conversation picks up they only talk about the army. when i inform them about an issue at the company they say “really?” then it’s military talk again. when i feel left out and tell them to stop, they reply with “you’ll understand when you get here.” 35. in your career as a musician, when do you feel the best? when it’s time to reveal all that i’ve been preparing for so long! it feels different from finishing it. the first stage after debuting, shinee’s first concert, performing at tokyo dome, receiving the award... these are the moments that come to mind. 36. watching taemin grow for the past decade has been a huge source of strength. what are your dreams now? there are many. first of all, once shinee comes back again, i want the entire group to give off a feeling of revival. usually after getting discharged, it’s hard to keep up with the next generation, i want to avoid that. i’ve imagined it all when the shinee members return. second, i want to perform a lot on various stages as a solo artist. superm topped the billboard 200 album chart, it’d be nice to enter the top 10 on the hot 100 digital chart as well.  37. you are really talented at setting goals. i’ve gotten greedier. it’s just not for myself but i want to do it for the fans and members, even the staff. they become my driving force. i really am lucky. everybody works hard but i even get the recognition for it. come to think of it, i was given many opportunities and i worked hard to make the most of them, i’m really happy my efforts paid off in the end. i’m surrounded by good people. shinee, superm, many people fill in the gaps for me that i can’t solve on my own. 38. superm’s concert title is ‘we are the future.’ when you hear the word ‘future’ what are you reminded of? first, it’s h.o.t. (laughs). future-oriented things come to mind like artificial intelligence, drones, 3d hologram concerts. then again, in the future, though people might be able to watch concerts through holograms, i think humans will not give up on the tasks they themselves can do. my work will still be the same in the future. 39. the reason you don’t write anything on instagram. i don’t have anything to say yet (laughs). i don’t know if i should make my instagram cool or approachable. when fretting between writing a caption or using an emoticon, i just end up leaving it blank. actually i signed up after my manager hyung suggested that instagram would be good. so i’ve made one but i still don’t know what to upload. i get teased by the people around me for putting up selfies. i even took lots of pictures especially for instagram but... 40. did you not post the pictures? the point of instagram is real-time communication. is that so! i didn’t know (laughs).

translated by romanceboys — take out with full credit (source)

[jihyuncompass]

Opening Night

Here we are, second to last day! This one was really fun to write. 

Mysme Week 2020 Day Seven ( @mysmeweek2020 )

Free

Zen x MC 

Word Count: 2.5k

Summary: It didn’t matter how many times you saw it, watching Zen enter the stage, watching him move about, say his lines, sing the musical numbers, dance, all of it made you lose your breath a little.

The night before opening night of Zen’s newest musical he was in the bathroom applying a face mask. You had both finished your dinner and cleaned up, you were sitting in the living room watching TV. Watching Zen out of the corner of your eye. 

By this point in your relationship you were used to Zen’s pre show nerves and rituals. 

The first opening night after you got together had caught you a little off guard. He was very strict about his rules and traditions. Now watching him you could almost predict exactly what he was going to do and how long each step would take. 

As if on cue Zen left the bathroom, the mask still on. He collapsed on the couch next to you putting an arm around your shoulder and pulling you towards him. 

“What are you watching babe?” He asked. 

“Not sure.” You leaned against him. “I think it’s some kind of drama but I’ve never seen it before.” Zen hummed in acknowledgement. “Are you nervous about tomorrow?” 

“Of course I’m a little nervous.” Zen said. “But the show’s good, and everyone’s worked really hard. I think it’ll be great.” 

You gave him a smile. “Besides, you’re in it! No show can go bad if you’re acting in it.” Zen smiled back, even though the drying mask made it a bit difficult. 

“That’s right babe, I’ll also have my good luck charm there tomorrow, so nothing will go wrong.” You smiled and blushed, reaching to hold his hand. 

“You’re going to do well no matter what.” You said. “You always do an amazing job.” The two of you settled deeper into the couch to continue watching the drama that was playing. At one point Zen pointed to an actor who had just entered the scene. 

“Hey I know that guy!” Zen leaned forward to squint and make sure. “He was in a show I was in a few years ago.” 

“Did you know he was doing TV now?” You asked him. Zen shook his head. 

“No, I had no idea. It makes sense, he did seem like more of a TV guy than a stage actor.” 

Thinking of a question you looked over at him. “Do you think you’d want to do more movie stuff in the future? Rather than more stage acting?” Being his manager, part of your job was to help him find roles, he had been in a few movies and had a few TV spots but nothing too big or consistent. 

“TV roles are nice, and they do generally pay more but-” He thought for a moment. “I like the live audience reaction on stage, it feels more exciting.” He explained. You nodded, it made sense. Zen was in general more interested in the live immediate feedback of a stage musical rather than a delayed reaction that came from a TV or movie that took months to edit and premiere. 

After a few more minutes Zen got up to wash off his facemask and finish his nightly skincare routine. You also got up off the couch to turn on the kettle, since the two of you would need to be going to bed soon you wanted to make some night time tea to help you both fall asleep. All throughout the day Zen’s energy had been exceptionally high, he went for an even longer run than usual and even after still couldn’t sit still. 

You set the mugs on the coffee table in front of the TV where Zen had returned. He reached to the table and grabbed the mug taking a sip. You had added just the smallest amount of honey to Zen’s cup to sweeten the tea a little more to his liking. He was definitely more into eating healthy but he also couldn’t deny a little bit of a sweet tooth when it came to his tea. 

While you both drank your tea you started on the next step in the night before show rituals. This one was fairly new but was something that had become vital. Sitting on your knees on the couch you put your hands onto Zen’s shoulders. Gently massaging them and letting the tension leave his body. Moving around you massaged his shoulders and his back. Zen’s eyes were closed as you worked, focusing on your touch as you let him relax further. 

By the time you finished Zen was almost asleep. He only started to stir when he felt your arms wrap fully around his waist and you lean into his back with your head resting on his shoulder. You spoke to him softly, being right next to his ear. 

“Ready for bed? You have a big day tomorrow.” Zen smiled and nodded. Slowly and at your own pace you both made it to the bedroom where you both were asleep almost instantly. 

The next morning was somewhat chaotic. Zen got up at this normal time and went on a run. During this time you dragged yourself out of bed and started making breakfast for the two of you. Even though the show wasn’t until later tonight they had one last dress rehearsal to do before the doors would actually open. He would barely have enough time to shower and eat before he would have to hurry out the door so you worked as quickly as possible. 

Zen came home while you were still cooking. He greeted you with a kiss on the cheek and a promise to be back out in just a minute while he takes a shower and cleans himself up. Listening to the sounds of the shower running you finished making breakfast for the two you. 

He ate quickly, though still sparing every moment he could to savor the meal you made, and to talk with you. Now was the point where you could see the nerves starting to show themselves. Zen was full of nervous energy and a sort of hyper focus on whatever he was thinking about. You could also see how his knee was bouncing under the table. 

As soon as breakfast was done he grabbed his rehearsal and his show bag he had packed the night before. Slinging it over his shoulder he turned back to you. 

“I gotta head out now babe, I’ll see you at the show?” You met him by the door and gave him a long kiss goodbye. 

“I'll see you at the show, I can’t wait.” 

Zen smiled at you, a happy sappy smile that he gave you and only you. “I can’t wait either.” He leaned in for one last kiss. Only pulling away once he realized he was actually going to be late. You watched him go, mentally counting down the hours until you would see him again. 

You did a few work things, did some calls with the press who were requesting interviews with Zen, and answered a few emails for the RFA. Working tirelessly you managed to get your whole work to-do list done in only a few hours. Leaving plenty of time for lunch and other projects. 

With a few hours left before you needed to leave you cleaned up the apartment. Making it absolutely spotless, and lighting a candle to make the rooms smell good. You ran to the store and filled the fridge with some of Zen’s favorite food to celebrate the show’s opening. Even if he was sure to be exhausted after today you still wanted to give him something to look forward to after the show. 

With only a couple hours before the show you got yourself ready, taking a shower, getting dressed in a new outfit you had bought for this occasion, and doing any finishing touches you needed to look your best for tonight. Once you were ready and it was time you left the apartment and headed towards the theater. 

You stopped briefly at a flower shop, getting a big bouquet of flowers to give Zen after the show. Another one of your traditions that you liked to hold onto. As you got closer to the theater you spotted Jaehee waiting by the entrance with a group of other theater goers. 

The two of you greeted each other, both with huge smiles on your faces. You both made plans weeks ago to see the opening together. Especially with the two of you being Zen’s biggest fans. You spent a few minutes catching up, she complained about work, you talked about what the rehearsal process for this show was like. You had been to a few of the rehearsals for this show so you knew what it was like in chunks. But today was the first time you were seeing it all come together. 

“I’m sure he’ll do incredible.” Jaehee said as you took your seats in one of the front rows. “Zen always does an excellent job on stage.” You nodded in agreement.

“The little bits I’ve seen and heard have all been amazing. I have a suspicion this show might even be more popular than ‘Promiscuous Jalapeno Topping’ the tickets for this show sold out really quickly.” You explained. Jaehee looked impressed, even though you were his manager you knew that she had the time and the fandom experience to know how likely that statement was to be true. 

“Promiscuous Jalapeno Topping is still one of his most popular performances, it’s a Zen classic, but this one could probably serve as good competition if it’s as good as it seems.” You both agreed, watching the lights dim and the show start. 

It didn’t matter how many times you saw it, watching Zen enter the stage, watching him move about, say his lines, sing the musical numbers, dance, all of it made you lose your breath a little. Everything he did felt masterful and purposeful, he stole every scene he was in and provoked strong emotions in you with every part of his performance. This was one  of the moments that made you realize just how incredible Zen is, how good of an actor he is, how passionate he is about his work. 

Seeing him perform his solo number brought tears to your eyes. You’d heard him sing it a million times, in rehearsal but also at home while he tried to master all the notes. You’d heard while he cooked, practiced, rested, showered. You knew every line and every part of the blocking and seeing it on stage brought up so much emotion in you. It reminded you well of just how much you loved him. 

By the time the show was over, both you and Jaehee had done your fair share of cheering, crying, and just staring in awe of his performance. You both cheered as loudly as you could during the bows, so much you saw how Zen locked eyes with you making your heart beat faster. 

Zen was expected to do stagedoor right after the show so you and Jaehee were allowed back into his dressing room to wait for him. Together the two of you talked about the show, going over your favorite moments, lines, songs. You told her some of the backstage drama and gossip that you knew about too, some of which you saw for yourself and others Zen told you about at home. Even though you were chatting you still kept glancing at the clock to see what time it was, trying to predict when Zen would be getting back. 

He returned with a big smile on his face, he had changed out of his costume and was dressed in his typical black tee shirt and jeans look. His hair swept up in its usual ponytail. He greeted Jaehee with a hug and you with a hug and kiss. 

“You did amazing.” You told him while he was still leaned in close to your face. He smiled. 

“Thanks babe, it’s all because of you.” He kissed your cheek before pulling back, but keeping an arm around you. “I’m so glad that the two you came for opening night, it means a lot.” 

“Of course.” Jaehee said. “I think I speak for both of us when I say we wouldn't have missed this for the world.” Zen exhaled, his shoulders relaxing. 

“You two are incredible, really. I’m glad two of my favorite people were here.” Zen held you a little tighter to emphasize his point. 

The three of you talked for a bit, Jaehee asked questions about the performance that you didn’t have the answers to, and you both gushed to him about how well he did. And after some selfies were taken between the three of you, Jaehee excused herself to head home before work in the morning. Once the two of you were alone Zen turned to face you, he looked exhausted. 

“I meant it when I said you did a great job, I’m really proud of you.” You told him, Zen smiled, his expression showed just how tired he was, but also how happy he was. 

“And I meant it when I said it was all because of you. You’re always so supportive of my work.” You put a hand on his shoulder and another on his cheek. The two of you locked eyes. Zen sighed and embraced you. “Having you in my life makes me happier than I could have ever hoped for.” You smiled, Zen told you this often but every time still made you emotional. 

“You make me happy too Zen, I love seeing how hard you work, I love how passionate you are in everything you do.” Zen held onto you tighter, after a while you pulled away from each other. Remembering you turned around to grab the bouquet of flowers and handed it to him. “I got you these.” Zen’s face lit up and he took the bouquet in his hands. He leaned forward and kissed you. 

“They’re beautiful.” He smiled and looked back at you. “Though not as beautiful as you are.” He kissed you again, this time one arm going onto your waist. Focused on you he gently set down the bouquet on the side table to put his other hand in your hair to keep you close to him. 

“Let’s go home.” You whispered when you pulled away from him to catch your breath. He leaned back in, giving you another kiss before letting himself actually pull away. 

“I’ll just get my things and we’ll go.” He gave a devilish grin and quickly grabbed everything he needed, including the bouquet of flowers. He put his arm around your shoulder and you put yours around his waist. He leaned forward and kissed your forehead. “Let’s go home babe.” 

By the time you both actually got home you and Zen were both half asleep. Zen barely managed to get himself into the shower while you heated up some food for the two of you. You ate your food on the couch, too tired to even sit at the table. 

That night you didn’t even make it to bed, falling asleep with your head on Zen’s chest and his arms wrapped around you. Both of you very happy and comfortable together.

[davidmann95]

Comics this week (3/10/2021)?

cheerfullynihilistic said: Comics this week (03/10/21)??

adudewholikescomicsandotherstuff said: This week’s comics?

Anonymous said: Comics?

Anonymous said: 3/10 NCBD?

Non-Stop Spider-Man #1: The lead story was fun, the backup was dopey, I’ll give it another issue or two to see where it goes.

The Immortal Hulk #44: While it was too late for this week I’ve taken Hulk off my pull list, so the store won’t order any copies specifically for me and therefore my future purchase of the book won’t support Joe Bennett’s presence, just the store. This issue is typical of some of the books’ weaker installments of the last year or so - feels like well-done regular superhero comics instead of Immortal Hulk - but those last couple pages bring it back around.

Daredevil #28: Holy cow, those King In Black issues actually mattered. God this book is still so fuckin’ good in so many ways, everything every dumbass street-level superhero ‘deconstruction’ wants to be when it grows up.

Children of the Atom #1: Sucks real bad! This weird combo of ‘hip new young Marvel heroes!’ trappings and soulless X-Men lifer comics execution that feels certain to appeal to neither group.

Eternals #3: Of the listed Deviants I imagine I’d relate most to Annoyed Veug.

Commanders in Crisis #6: While I remain without the ability to weigh in on this objectively, this is the issue that to date most feels like it lives up to the promises of the series premiere.

The Wrong Earth: Night & Day #3: Little disappointed personally with the reveal of what the third world is - I assumed it was going to be more of a straight take ‘modern’ version to the other two’s flavors of throwbacks - but this series still rules. And that ending.

Home Sick Pilots #4: Okay, I think I can follow what’s happening at this point, still enjoying it.

Proctor Valley Road #1: I review these books in the order I present them to my dad since he likes DC/Marvel/Other to each be lumped together, but make no mistake: this is the last of the three Morrison books to read this week, because this is what comes next for them. A return to their roots - 70s kids way into music and dealing with the weird, girls adventure stories of the kind they apparently grew up reading - this feels like a refinement of their mid/late-00s Vertigo work in the same way they’ve been iterating on their superhero material for decades. The horror is sold excellently, whether by their own efforts or thanks to cowriter Alex Child this is their most fluid, ‘real’-sounding dialogue perhaps ever, and Franquiz with Bonvillain are instantly among their all-time best collaborators, perfectly capturing the shifting tone and character acting necessary to best put Morrison’s big ideas over in a way a number of their collaborators haven’t lived up to over the years (and speaking of the visuals, Jim Campbell does the lord’s work with that lettering trick near the end). Ritesh Babu and Sean Dillon have a lot more to say about the book and how it already acts as a darker, more honest take on your Stranger Things and the like as a commentary on its times, but I’m already loving to see this particular return down to Earth for Morrison and company and I’m glad to hear this is selling really well compared to their previous indie work.

Dead Dog’s Bite #1: This actually came out last week, but Ritesh recommended it so I figured it might be worth a look. A so far intensely low-key missing persons mystery with a touch of surreality around its edges, this already looks to be the best “look! A nine-panel grid! Fancy!” comic since Mister Miracle, really lived-in and emotional for as little happens in this debut. Very curious where it’s going.

Rorschach #6: I continue to like it.

Batman: Urban Legends #1: Glory be, a good Jason Todd comic - at last, you noble stubborn weirdoes living off of like six nonconsecutive panels all these years, you may lay down your burden. Not all you’d necessarily hope from Zdarsky tackling Gotham after what he’s been doing with Daredevil but rock-solid work regardless; the Harley story is fine, Outsiders is a letdown after Thomas’s shockingly good showing for them in Future State but it’s still fine, and the Grifter stuff is fun.

The Joker #1: I thought the advertised ‘a Joker story from Gordon’s POV’ angle was an interesting one even if I was concerned this book would in practice be pure editorial mandate, but in reality? Tynion has managed to pull the wool over DC’s eyes and do a full-on Jim Gordon book (one predicated with him being off the force to make it reasonably comfortable read in 2021) with Joker as the barest of pretexts to get it out the door and selling for as long as he wants to continue it. He even said in interviews that when the book was first pitched to him that his response was that a Joker solo book was a dumb unworkable idea until he had an idea for a ‘different way to approach it’, he knows exactly what he’s doing and I salute him. And it’s a darn good Gordon book even if the Punchline backup is predictably tepid, I’m in the tank for Gotham’s perpetual whipping boy dealing with weird noir international crime with Joker sort of hanging around in the background menacingly to justify the nominal premise.

Anonymous said: Hey, so I figure one random anon won’t change your mind, but like you I was disappointed by New Frontier’s immortal Wonder Woman, but I still got the new issue of Wonder Woman cause Wonder Woman at Valhalla still sounds great and I actually liked it! I think I’m gonna get at least the next issue, so there’s at least one recommendation for it

Wonder Woman #770: This combined with the store still putting it in my pile prompted me to give it a try after all, and whether because something here clicks better or if they’re simply not trying so hard without the pressure of doing a ‘final’ story for Diana, Cloonan and Conrad do in fact do substantially better on the main book than they did with Immortal Wonder Woman. Some fun, some fights, some mythology and intrigue, gorgeous landscapes and generous servings of beefcake from Travis Moore - this isn’t going to be sweeping the Eisners, but this is as enjoyable as a Wonder Woman comic has been in a good long time. My only concern is that the joyousness on display here might dissipate somewhat once Diana fully returns to herself, but in the meantime this was a very pleasant surprise (especially with the the Young Diana backup by Bellaire, Ganucheau, Goode, and Carey).

Superman #29: PKJ’s Superman thus far has been a story of overcoming initial worries of mine - in this case, my concern that he’d have a bad Scott Snyder-ey case of “if you’ve read the interviews you’ve pretty much already heard the dialogue of the comic verbatim”. In practice here most of what he’s had to say about these issues are distilled down really succinctly and poignantly in the midst of a fun little upper-atmosphere adventure portending something grimmer, and while I know it didn’t click with everyone I thought Phil Hester’s work here was a perfect accompaniment. The Tales of Metropolis backup wasn’t nearly as enjoyable, but hints at some interesting worldbuilding I’m hopeful will pay off in the main run.

The Green Lantern Season Two #12: The final Grant Morrison DC comic. One of two anyway, but if the next story I discuss is their broader final (non-Klaus, hopefully) statement on the superhero subgenre and a bridge to what they’re doing next, this is the one that’s about being The Final Grant Morrison DC Comic. A mélange of pretty much all their other DC finales into a shamelessly self-reflective meditation on the limits of what they can accomplish in shared universe storytelling where Green Lantern saves the universe through collective action and then fucks off to do his own thing elsewhere while the kids take over the ongoings. Weird and kinda perfect, and if nothing else this series took Liam Sharp from “really? This dude is drawing the last ever Morrison DC ongoing?” to “HOLY FUCKING SHIT LIAM SHARP”.

(The panel folks blew up over I think can be read multiple ways, but not in a ‘it’s open to interpretation!’ way so much as the storytelling/framing being unclear. I personally read it as ‘this is what neighbor versus neighbor looks like now’ rather than ‘calling someone a TERF or a Nazi is as bad as anything the other side does’, because oldster and out of touch though they may be I can’t see Morrison seriously saying that, especially after coming out.)

Wonder Woman Earth One Volume 3: At long last, after a hideous misfire kicking the series off and a second installment best described as ‘well, at least it wasn’t the first one’, this while not without elements I want to see femme and nonbinary critics discuss critically lives up to what you want to see out of ‘Grant Morrison’s Wonder Woman’. Big utopian fiction breaking the typical boundaries of superhero stories with aplomb in implicit conversation with a ton of their previous work, a bridge from what they’ve done to what they’re doing next, it’s an imperfect (especially with Paquette’s art, which while gorgeous and majestic in the way this story demands really doesn’t living up to the ‘acting’ necessary here in a way thrown into sharp contrast by Franquiz in PVR) but shockingly passionate statement of intent - if the last two volumes felt like Morrison struggling to have something to say with Wonder Woman in the same way they did with Superman and Batman, this feels at the close like them at last finding in her a way to do everything left with the cape and tights crowd they wanted to but couldn’t manage anywhere else under the Big Two umbrella. Odd and lovely, a fine sendoff.

[blazehedgehog]

Sorry to ask this, but what are your thoughts on Dunky's "I'm Done Making Good Videos" with regards to content you aspire to author vs what the average joe actually searches for

I don’t know if I’m the best person to be asking this, really.

Let’s get fully inside baseball here. Let’s pull the curtain all the way back. Actually, let’s burn down the curtain. I’m going to overshare like hell right now. Get ready for the most stream-of-consciousness rambling ever, because a lot of this has been boiling in my head and dying to get out.

For the entirety of my Youtube channel, I’ve pretty much only ever done what I want to do. Very rarely do I chase trends, or do what’s hot, or even do what people want me to do. I do whatever I feel like doing.

I have paid the price for that. My Youtube channel is 15 years old as of this year, and only now am I slowly inching towards 25,000 subscribers. I am incredibly inconsistent. What’s my channel post? Well, a couple times a year, maybe I put together an edited essay/review for a game. But I also sometimes post random, unedited, uncommentated gameplay footage. Maybe it’s a fan game, maybe it’s a gameplay demo, maybe it’s Fortnite. Sometimes, I also post remastered video game music. Every Halloween, I dump a bunch of one-off horror Let’s Plays on to my channel. And then, there’s the podcast.

I know exactly what my problems are. I don’t specialize enough, and I don’t put content out fast enough. Because most Youtube channels are, like, “shows”, right. The Did You Know Gaming show. The Markiplier show. The Angry Video Game Nerd show. And you can point at those and say exactly what they are in two sentences or less.

Did You Know Gaming specializes in informative videos uncovering obscure facts you might not know about popular video games.

Markiplier is a Youtuber that does Let’s Play videos for video games, primarily horror games, but he also focuses on general comedy skits and things of that nature.

The Angry Video Game Nerd is about one guy’s over the top reactions to bad video games.

What does BlazeHedgehog do? Well, he does a lot of Sonic fan content, but sometimes he does horror let’s plays, and sometimes he does multiplayer compilation videos sort of like Criken, but he also does music, and sometimes he makes video games and puts out videos of that, and in general he’s really low energy and sometimes there will be three or four weeks between uploads. Also he sounds like Booger from Revenge of the Nerds Snot from Family Guy (apparently).

If you come to my channel for something specific, you have to put up with everything else I upload. I could start separate channels for that content, but the barrier to entry on Youtube is so massive now that I would effectively sending those channels to their death. Videos that get 200-500 views on my main channel would get 10 views or less if they were on their own self-contained alt-channel.

So I languish. I struggle. I suffer. Youtube shows me red down arrows to tell me just how much worse I’m doing now than my last flash-in-the-pan success.

I’ve tried to chase success. It just makes me sad. I have a sense of humor, but I don’t think I can make “funny videos” like some people can. My Sonic 06 glitch video did gangbusters ten years ago, but I don’t often like kicking games when they’re down. It was a struggle to make that Sonic Boom glitch montage and that’s the reason I never followed through with Part 2 like I said I would.

My only wish is that people appreciate honesty. My Youtube channel might be a scattered mess, but that’s who I am. And more than anything, I think that’s what Dunkey’s video was about. His whole joke was about switching from thoughtful or funny videos to becoming a content farm for whatever is currently popular.

I’ve brought it up a few times here and there over the last few months, but I’ve had several brushes with the Fortnite side of Youtube recently. And there are so many dudes over there who are what I would generously call “grifters.” I follow Hypex on Twitter and routinely check Firemonkey and ShiinaBR because they datamine future Fortnite updates and often have the scoop days, weeks or sometimes months in advance.

Near the end of season 3, all three of them mentioned they had datamined “the next season” but wouldn’t say what it was because they didn’t want to spoil what was coming (the marvel season). They mentioned there were “others out there” that were spoiling things, but wouldn’t say who. I wanted to spoil myself, so I turned to Youtube.

And Youtube was a nightmare. Over and over and over, I would encounter tons of people downright thriving on the same grift. It’s an open secret that Youtube prioritizes longer videos, so if your video is under ten minutes (or I think now 8 minutes), the algorithm isn’t going to be as nice to you and won’t promote your video as well, and you aren’t going to get as much advertising money because fewer people are going to sit through a video advertisement that’s a quarter of your video’s entire length. Longer videos are more profitable for Youtube, and by extension, for the user uploading them.

So it was video after video of these guys making big bold claims about how they had all the answers on what the next season of Fortnite was, and you’re thinking, “oh wow, it’s a 17 minute video, they’re going to spoil everything!”

You load the video up and it’s some guy in his streamer man cave, he’s got his webcam on, and he loads in to a match of Fortnite with his squad. Keep in mind, this video was pitched as a news report of sorts, a big spoiling of future content... and it’s just a guy playing Fortnite with a crew. In the few seconds between matches as he queues for the next one, he stops to deliver a single shred of information, most of which start with “Hypex said...”

The one thing you came to this video for and it’s scattered like breadcrumbs across a 17 minute video of a guy just playing normal matches Fortnite to fill time. It’s not information they acquired for themselves, they all just regurgitate what Hypex said, or what other channels reported Hypex saying. 17 minutes of padding for scraps of second-hand leaks. And I found dozens of these channels, all repeating the same format, all repeating the same specks of leaked information, and all of them had 150,000 to 200,000 views on each of their videos in less than 24 hours. That’s hundreds of dollars per video on a format to scam the system.

But that’s a content farm. Those dudes are vultures. I have a hard time believing their hearts are really in it. I know it’s not a term that’s really in vogue anymore, but I see that as “selling out.” They know what they are doing and it’s to make money, not to make a community better. I mean, one of those videos was a guy who was reading Marvel comic hero profiles off of Wikipedia because it sounded like he literally did not know who guys like Iron Man, Thor and Wolverine even were. How are you in touch enough with pop culture that you’re cranking out factory-fresh Fortnite content for Youtube but you don’t know who Thor is? Answer: because you don’t really care and you’re in it for the money. Gotta hit that 15 minute threshold and put in six mid-roll ad breaks.

I could be that guy. That’s kind of what I was hoping “This Kinda Sucks” would turn in to, which would be sort of a rant video series like The Jimquisition or something. But I did not have the interest or energy to keep that up. So you get a playlist with two videos on it.

I’m sure Dunkey was just funnin’ around. Dude has 6 million subscribers. But for me, like... what he said in the video is mostly true. Following your heart and making thoughtful content you are personally interested in won’t pay the bills. I mean, as I predicted, that Jurassic Park video launched to the sound of crickets chirping. My most hardcore fans and a few curious onlookers checked it out but that was it. I’ve been working on that video since August, and it’s something my viewer base did not care about. But I cared about it, and that’s important for the long-run, I think.

The other problem, sort of a disconnect, is that I’m lucky to be in the position I’m in. I think guys like Dunkey probably make all of their money from places like Youtube and Twitch and Patreon and that’s their career. That work pays all of their bills.

My work does not pay my bills. Or it does, but it’s not enough to pay all of my bills. I am lucky enough right now that I am in a living situation where I can make fractions of money in intermittent spurts. That won’t always be the case. But for now, I get to be honest, and I get to follow my heart in whatever random, chaotic direction it feels like going that particular day. Dunkey faces a different sort of pressure than I do.

All of this is to say I have no idea what I’m doing, I guess. I make the content I want to see.

That being said, I increasingly think about something I heard Woolie say early on when he went solo for his WoolieVS channel, and that was the idea of “One for you, one for me, one for us.”

Because I’ve had more than one friend burn out doing, like, Twitch streams and stuff. You hear about Youtubers who get sick of being shackled to new releases or whatever’s popular. At some point these people wake up and realize they’ve had this struggle, maybe made some money in the process, but they’re miserable because they don’t get to do what they want to do. They’re always being pushed forward by the fans that are behind them.

The “One for you, one for me, one for us” mantra does at least keep you a little more sane. Balance in all things, right? So that Jurassic Park video, it can flop. It’d be nice if it didn’t flop, given what time of the year it is, but it’s a video for me. I have other video ideas in the chamber that I know will be for my audience, or “for us.”

I just have to stay true to myself, and to my messy brain.

[starwarsnonsense]

Top 10 Most Anticipated Films of 2020

Now I’ve got my embarrassingly late ‘Best of 2019′ list out of the way, I can finally proceed to the list that’s probably more exciting - my most anticipated films of 2020!

This list excludes films that have already been screened at festivals (otherwise, stuff like Saint Maud would be here). It’s also somewhat analogous to groping about for a light switch in the dark - these lists very rarely accurately predict my ultimate favourites for the year, so it’s more of a fun speculative exercise. Hopefully this puts some intriguing-looking films on your radar for the year ahead! 

1. Dune (dir. Denis Villeneuve)

Plot: The story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people.

Why be excited? The reasons to be excited about Dune should be pretty self-evident - it’s directed by one of the greatest filmmakers working today (Villeneuve’s Incendies and Blade Runner 2049 are all-timers for me), and is based on one of the best science-fiction novels ever written. The cast -  Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Javier Bardem, Charlotte Rampling, and more - is absolutely stacked with talent. There’s every reason to believe that this will be something special, and I couldn’t be more pleased that Villeneuve is the man responsible for filling that Star Wars-shaped hole in the December release schedule.

2. Annette (dir. Leos Carax)

Plot: A stand-up comedian (Adam Driver), and his opera singer wife (Marion Cotillard), have a two-year-old daughter with a surprising gift.

Why be excited? You may not have heard of him, but Leos Carax is one of the most exciting directors working - he only makes around one film a decade, but the films he does make tend to be very special. I’ve only seen one film of his - Lovers on the Bridge - but that was filled with such ecstatic romance and wondrous visuals that it made me tremendously excited for Annette. Annette is a top-to-bottom musical with songs by American duo Sparks (if you know them for anything, it will be ‘This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us’), and said songs will be delivered by Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard. It goes without saying that both actors are extremely talented performers with great voices (see Driver in Marriage Story and Cotillard in Nine for evidence), and I’m looking forward to seeing how they demonstrate their talents here.

3. Last Night in Solo (dir. Edgar Wright)

Plot: A young girl (Thomasin McKenzie), passionate in fashion design, is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s where she encounters her idol, a dazzling wannabe singer (Anya Taylor-Joy). But 1960s London is not what it seems, and time seems to fall apart with shady consequences.

Why be excited? I’m not the biggest Edgar Wright fan, but I admire him greatly and the premise of Last Night in Soho is like cat-nip to me. Speaking to Empire, Wright explained the story as follows: “I’m taking a premise whereby you have a character who, in a sort of abstract way, gets to travel in time. And the reality of the decade is maybe not what she imagines. It has an element of ‘be careful what you wish for’.” I’m a sucker for a good, old-fashioned high concept, especially when said films play with genre and really challenge the viewer. The two female leads - Thomasin McKenzie (JoJo Rabbit, Leave No Trace) and Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch, Emma) - are among the very best young actors working today, and the supporting cast features absolute legends such as Diana Rigg and Terence Stamp. Whether it’s successful or not, this film feels like a genuinely original prospect and I’m eager to see how it turns out.

4. The Green Knight (dir. David Lowery)

Plot: A fantasy re-telling of the medieval tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

Why be excited? There has been a sad lack of films based on mythology in recent years - or, to be more accurate, there has been a sad lack of films that attempt to honour what the myths were actually trying to convey. The stunning trailer for Green Knight promises a film that genuinely engages with its source material, and is just as interested in the psychological truths of the tale as the spectacle of its fantastical scenarios. Dev Patel is an extremely talented actor coming off another great movie in The Personal History of David Copperfield, and the supporting cast (Alicia Vikander!) appear to be fully committed to their parts. I’m excited to see a true myth on the big screen again, and David Lowery (A Ghost Story, The Old Man & The Gun) can be trusted to give an old tale a new sense of vitality. 

5. The French Dispatch (dir. Wes Anderson)

Plot: The staff of a European publication decides to publish a memorial edition highlighting the three best stories from the last decade: an artist sentenced to life imprisonment, student riots, and a kidnapping resolved by a chef.

Why be excited? It’s a Wes Anderson movie! Of course I’m excited! In all seriousness, the trailer was all I needed to get hyped about this. It’s clearly Anderson’s quintessential style, but it also shows flashes of some very bold and striking compositions (yes, I’m thinking of Chalamet on the back of that motorcycle) that you wouldn’t necessarily think of in relation to him. I’m intrigued by the prospect of there being stories nested within a story, which feels like the perfect choice for the structure of a film about a newspaper. The cast features all of Anderson’s old favourites (Swinton! Murray! McDormand!), as well as some exciting new additions (Timothée Chalamet, Elisabeth Moss, Christoph Waltz, among others) that feel so well-suited to his style it’s surprising they haven’t worked together before. Bring on all those immaculately composed shots and exquisite colour palettes.

6. Tenet (dir. Christopher Nolan)

Plot: Unknown. The project is described as an action epic revolving around international espionage.

Why be excited? I hate to sound repetitive, but ... it’s a Christopher Nolan movie. That alone is enough to be hyped about this. Details of the plot are vague for now, but the teaser suggests the sort of intelligent, high-concept film-making we’ve come to expect from Nolan. John David Washington - who impressed in BlacKkKlansman - is a great choice for the lead, and I also love that Tenet will feature Robert Pattinson and Elizabeth Debicki (among my favourite actors) in prominent roles. There’s not much else to say given how little we know about this, but suffice to say I’ll be there on day one!

7. Wonder Woman 1984 (dir. Patty Jenkins)

Plot: Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) comes into conflict with the Soviet Union during the Cold War in the 1980s and finds a formidable foe by the name of the Cheetah (Kristen Wiig).

Why be excited? The original Wonder Woman was an absolute delight, and I couldn’t be more pleased that Patty Jenkins is back to continue Diana’s story. The decision to pick up with Diana in the 1980s is most intriguing (and paves the way for all kinds of exciting choices when it comes to the music and the fashions), especially since it looks like the film is actually going to explore the implications of being an immortal being in a mortal world. 

8. Raya and the Last Dragon (dir. Paul Briggs and Dean Wellins)

Plot: A lone warrior from the fantasy kingdom of Kumandra teams up with a crew of misfits in her quest to find the Last Dragon and bring light and unity back to their world.

Why be excited? The animation scene in 2020 looks kind of ... blah at the moment, with the notable exception of Raya and the Last Dragon. The setting was described by the film’s producer as  "a reimagined Earth inhabited by an ancient civilization that venerated the mythical dragons for their power and their wisdom”, and that alone is enough to fire up my imagination. Off the back of Moana and the Frozen films (which I all unabashedly love), I trust Disney Animation to instil this with plenty of colour and verve.

9. I’m Thinking of Ending Things (dir. Charlie Kaufman)

Plot: An unexpected detour turns a couple’s road trip into a terrifying journey through their fragile psyches.

Why be excited? Directed by Charlie Kaufman (writer of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), I’m Thinking of Ending Things is based on a prize-winning novel. However, despite the pedigree the main reason I’m looking forward to this is Jessie Buckley. Buckley gave a star-making performance in Beast a few years ago, and has since proven herself an actor of immense talent and skill (see Wild Rose for proof of what a powerhouse she is). I’m excited to see her career continue to go from strength to strength, and I’m Thinking of Ending Things seems poised to be a great showcase for her.

10. The Last Duel (dir. Ridley Scott)

Plot: King Charles VI declares that Knight Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon) settle his dispute with his squire (Adam Driver) by challenging him to a duel.

Why be excited? Ridley Scott is a bit of a mixed bag for me, and has never come close to reaching the heights of Alien and Blade Runner with his recent work. Nonetheless, against my better judgement I can’t help but be excited by the prospect of a medieval epic with Scott at the helm. The acting talent attached to The Last Duel is top-notch, and I’m particularly fond of Jodie Comer (of Killing Eve fame) and Adam Driver (do you really need me to say more?). There’s a very real danger of the highly sensitive plot (the ‘dispute’ at the heart of the story concerns an accusation of rape, the truth of which is to be determined with a duel) being mishandled by Scott, but the involvement of screenwriter Nicole Holofcener gives me some hope. This could turn out to be a misfire, but my hope is that it will, at the very least, be interesting.

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 08/05/2021 (Billie Eilish, DJ Khaled)

Whilst this is slightly busier than last week, I am genuinely surprised with how little is actually going on here on this week’s chart, a lot less than I expected or predicted. With that said, the top of the chart is where our biggest story comes from and that is “Body” by Russ Millions and Tion Wayne taking advantage of a weak chart with its star-studded remix and peaking at #1 for its first week, replacing Lil Nas X’s “MONTERO (Call Me by Your Name)”. Not only is it the biggest hit for both of these guys and their first #1s, but it’s the first #1 for the entire UK drill genre, which kind of came out of nowhere for me since I think the song’s pretty worthless but with a TikTok challenge and streaming numbers that have even placed it in the American Spotify chart, it’s gearing up to be one of the biggest British rap songs ever. Let’s hope maybe this one doesn’t stall out as badly as “Don’t Rush” outside of the UK. With all that out of the way, let’s start REVIEWING THE CHARTS.

Rundown

Our only new arrival from last week’s UK Top 75 (which is what I cover), “Come Through” by H.E.R. featuring Chris Brown, is gone on the next off of the debut. Well, at least we have more than one new song this week, as well as some interesting chart nonsense lower down, but also some notable drop-outs for “Mr. Perfectly Fine” by Taylor Swift, “Mercury” by Dave and Kamal., “Lemon Pepper Freestyle” by Drake featuring Rick Ross, “All You Ever Wanted” by Rag’n’Bone Man (which will rebound next week as that album makes its impact) as well as “Watermelon Sugar” by Harry Styles finally making what seems to be its last exit. Our only return is in the form of “Confetti” by Little Mix getting a massive surge back at #15 after its Saweetie remix and the attached music video, though Saweetie doesn’t happen to be credited here.

We do have an interesting selection of gains and losses, as with the notable fallers – dropping five spots or more down the chart – we have “Titanium” by Dave at #23, “Wellerman” by Nathan Evans and remixed by 220 KID and Billen Ted getting ACR’d down to #29 (it had a surprisingly great run), “The Business” by Tiesto having the same happen to it at #32, “We’re Good” by Dua Lipa at #40, “drivers license” by Olivia Rodrigo at #43, “Blinding Lights” by the Weeknd at #45, “Don’t Play” by Anne-Marie, KSI and Digital Farm Animals at #51, “Calling My Phone” by Lil Tjay and 6LACK hit hard to #54, the same with “Up” by Cardi B at #59, “You” by Regard, Troye Sivan and Tate McRae shaking off the gains #63, “Get Out My Head” by Shane Codd at #60, “Heat” by Paul Woolford and Amber Mark at #66, “Solid” by Young Stoner Life, Young Thug and Gunna featuring Drake at #69, “Paradise” by MERDUZA and Dermot Kennedy at #71 and, sadly, “How Does it Feel” by London Grammar at #75.

Where it gets a bit more telling about how the charts are going to adapt into the Summer is in our climbers as we have solid gains for “Another Love” by Tom Odell making another run at #60, “Sunshine (The Light)” by Fat Joe, DJ Khaled and Amorphous inexplicably at #57 and now we get into the top 40 where we have more potential future hits. “Way Too Long” by Nathan Dawe, Anne-Marie and MoStack is at #38, “Don’t You Worry About Me” brings the Bad Boy Chiller Crew their first hit at #37 (although the song is only ever worth hearing for that chorus) and “WITHOUT YOU” by the Kid LAROI returns to the top 40 at #30 thanks to a remix with Miley Cyrus who is again not credited by the Official Charts Company. Boney M. are granted their first new top 20 hit since the 1990s, even if it is just a remix of a song that went #2 in 1978, as Majestic’s remix of “Rasputin” is at #18. Our final gain is for a song first entering the top 10 thanks to the remix with Ariana Grande finally making an impact – yet once again not given the official credit by the OCC – as “Save Your Tears” by the Weeknd makes its way up to #8, becoming his tenth top 10 hit here in Britain. That’s not the only song to first enter the top 10 this week but we’ll get to that in due time with our... odd selection of new arrivals this week.

NEW ARRIVALS

#73 – “EVERY CHANCE I GET” – DJ Khaled featuring Lil Baby and Lil Durk

Produced by DJ Khaled and Tay Keith

Two of our new entries are from DJ Khaled’s most recent album Khaled Khaled, an album much like any Khaled album I found cheap and just dull. This record especially is just mixed horribly, with a budget spent exceedingly on getting big-name features instead of any worthwhile engineers to actually mix and master this 50-minute trainwreck. The album doesn’t have many highlights at all but if I had to choose some they would be the two debuting this week, the first of which is basically a Lil Baby cut, “EVERY CHANCE I GET”, with a verse from Lil Durk. Okay, so, yes, first of all, much like the rest of the record, this mix is compressed and just weak, with bizarre bass mastering and drums that sound like garbage, before we get to Lil Baby himself sounding even froggier than ever. I do think that gives the song part of its charm, though, as with a Tay Keith beat, it’s definitely going for a hardcore, old-school Memphis rap atmosphere, and with Lil Baby’s flow switches disguising paranoid lyrics about the typical gunplay and flexing, it does effectively make a pretty intimidating listen... okay, well, it would, if DJ Khaled didn’t have to pop in to convince Lil Baby to “keep going”. We also get a single verse from Lil Durk here, mixed like he recorded his vocals in his bath to the point where it’s clipping against the bass, but delivering a King Von-esque flow that sounds pretty great, and admittedly more detail than you’d expect. I also love that silly “mmm-mmm” flow he uses at the end. I do wish a song like this, clearly supposed to be menacing, did not have the ludicrous personality void that is DJ Khaled on it, and it’s not like they need Khaled to collaborate together – or with Tay Keith for that matter – so I don’t really see why the dude doesn’t just shut up and promote his albums as compilations instead. I understand it comes from his mixtape days, but if this is going to be a studio album, treat it like one and just be quiet for once.

#72 – “Oblivion” – Royal Blood

Produced by Royal Blood

Royal Blood got the #1 album this week for Typhoons and admittedly, whilst I am interested in this band, I haven’t gotten around to listening to it, so I’ll take this album cut as a preview of what to come. If I am doing that, I hope to be surprised by whatever else that album has in store as I’m not really a fan of this. That eerie choppy guitar loop being immediately crushed by this heavily distorted riff and stiff percussion just does not sound unique or interesting, especially if Mike Kerr is going to sound this soulless. The build towards the chorus feels pretty pathetic and unwarranted, and said chorus is just not catchy, before we get to content about how he knows his fate through how arrogant he’s been and he deserves what’s coming to him. I mean, sure, but there’s nothing that makes it obvious that these guys don’t care about what’s coming to them given the pained vocal delivery and monotonous instrumental. It doesn’t feel exciting, rebellious or whatever emotion this tries and fails to capture, just stiff and staggered in its execution. This does make sense for Royal Blood but seems to me like they’re resting way too heavily on ideas ran through the soil at this point. With all that said, this isn’t bad at all, just not as great as those other singles have been from the record. I think I’d be more forgiving if it didn’t come off as a Queens of the Stone Age tribute act writing “originals” that bomb at their shows.

#56 – “love race” – Machine Gun Kelly featuring Kellin Quinn

Produced by Jeff Peters, Jared Gudstadt and Travis Barker

I guess this might actually be a rock-heavy week – not that I’m complaining about more of a rock presence on the chart but God, I wish it wasn’t coming from MGK. I’ll have some choice words to say about this guy’s last attempt at a pop-rock hit by the end of the year, probably, but at least for this song he brought on someone with some kind of legitimacy. Kellin Quinn is the frontman of post-hardcore band Sleeping with Sirens, one of the most successful bands in their genre but not one unlike others that grew out of the metalcore-infused pop rock to anything more unique or experimental. With that said, Quinn is barely here and other than Travis Barker’s typical explosive drums, MGK is the biggest presence here in his raspy but borderline unlistenable vocal tone that I just can’t stand, especially if it’s going to stretch out “run” as long and as far as he did in that longing, desperate chorus. MGK barely even lets Kellin Quinn have his own verse, registering him as backing vocals throughout the entire song, dampening his vocals that sound a lot more unique and enthused, especially when he starts screaming. That bridge did give me trancecore flashbacks – not that I’m complaining if I’m fully honest – so I’ll admit the part of me that eats up emo-pop garbage did let this grow on me a bit, but, man, without a guitar solo to distract from pretty awful lyrics (not that I’d expect much more from this artist or genre) and without really letting Quinn loose on the vocals, it’s lacking a certain grit and punch I expect from post-hardcore. The song did, however, indirectly remind me of New Found Glory, for which I am thankful for.

#53 – “I DID IT” – DJ Khaled featuring Post Malone, Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Baby and DaBaby

Produced by Ben Billions, Joe Zarrillo, DJ 360, Tay Keith and DJ Khaled

You wouldn’t expect an artist line-up like this to continue this trend of rock in this week’s new arrivals, but you’d be surprised, and personally I’m pretty happy with how much rock seems to be creeping up back into the public consciousness as if there’s one thing I got back in touch with the most over lockdown, it was the rock music I was raised on and it led to me even further appreciating a genre I had kind of lost touch with over the years out of just a lack of interest. With that said, this isn’t a rock song per se, but it does heavily and lazily sample a classic like much of this Khaled album, going for “Layla” by Derek and the Dominos. I’m not going to lie, either, it sets up a pretty effective back-bone for a trap banger about being awesome, especially with those squealing riffs in the chorus. Oh, yeah, and the mixing is horrible as expected, but to be honest to me it does not dampen the boasting, anthemic nature of this track, especially with Post Malone being a perfect choice to croon that infectious chorus. Megan Thee Stallion has a pretty embarrassingly by-the-numbers verse over a switch in the beat that makes it sound oddly stunted, but she does have that swinging rock charisma that people like Lil Baby do not have. With that said, I think I’m at the point where I eat anything Lil Baby says or does, because the flow switches combined with his frog-throat delivery is just impeccable. Content-wise, I think everyone here realises they’re being squashed by the clipping beat as they just go off about complete nonsense that goes in one ear and out the other apart from Lil Baby’s misguided but still pretty funny line about how he contemplated going vegan but sees no point in it because he’s got ten karats in both of his ears. Sure. At least DJ Khaled as something to do as he... harmonises, I guess, with Posty on the chorus. DaBaby is as distant as possible from the microphone to the point where I can barely hear him, not that it matters when his verse is that basic and short. This is kind of a trainwreck in all honesty, but with four choruses and a beat this heavy, it’s hard to be annoyed by it. Overwhelming maybe but these performers are all characters by themselves and throwing them in this three-minute chaos of squealing guitars and trap skitters just fascinates me if anything. Does it count as a posse cut? I don’t know. Either way, this is hilarious.

#5 – “Your Power” – Billie Eilish

Produced by FINNEAS

Decidedly not hilarious is this new single from Billie Eilish looking to be a smash from that upcoming album which now has a track listing and release date, with this functioning as I suppose the true lead single and her seventh top 10 here in the UK. It’s a brave choice too considering the lyrical content which is a pretty scathing attack on her ex-boyfriend and their abusive relationship, making several references to the gap in age and power dynamic that played into something really distressing for the both of them but especially a young, vulnerable Billie Eilish who found herself helpless in this relationship because of that “hero” quickly revealing himself as little more than his projected insecurities. The song’s detailed enough not to detach itself from Billie’s personal struggles but also works as what I suppose is a warning, as it’s retelling a story all too familiar with many girls of her age at the time who end up in these really scary situations. It does help that the song itself is great, relying on these layered acoustic guitars to form some kind of dejected groove behind Eilish’s vocals, whispery and cooing as always but in this case way too loud in the mix for my taste to the point where it kind of takes me out of the song as a whole. With a better master that blends her vocal take a lot better into the guitars, maybe going for a fuzzier, dream-pop angle, could work a lot better but with that said, I do understand the purpose of making it feel this intimate and minimal because Billie’s honest songwriting calls for a delivery like this, even if she ends up sounding shakier or even mumbling at times as a result. This is a big debut for Billie for a song not prepared to do as well as it did given its content and sound that is not exactly radio-friendly and oftentimes requires more heavy of a listen than a pop song would otherwise. I do love that final outro as her humming careens off the gentle guitars with just enough scratch but I do question how abrupt the ending is. Hopefully when the album’s out, we’ll have a bigger picture to as where this single in particular fits in.

Conclusion

With only five new arrivals and not much in the way of anything bad, I guess Worst of the Week goes to “Oblivion” by Royal Blood but giving a Dishonourable Mention would just end up as dishonest. Therefore, Best of the Week goes to Billie Eilish for “Your Power” but – and I cannot believe I am saying this for a 3/10 album with only fluke hits – but DJ Khaled – and Lil Baby for that matter – get a tied Honourable Mention for both of their songs, “EVERY CHANCE THAT I GET” with Lil Durk and “I DID IT” with Post Malone, Megan Thee Stallion and DaBaby. Now to distract from the fact I just did that, here’s this week’s top 10:

I can’t really make any healthy predictions for next week. Maybe we’ll get some songs from Lil Tecca, Rag’n’Bone Man or Bebe Rexha? Maybe we’ll end up with some fluke Weezer smash hit, who knows? Regardless, thank you for reading and I’ll see you next week.

[dogsliampaynedoesntinstagram]

I'm very excited to read your thoughts on Louis' music video performances!

Thanks anon - it’s been a bit of a roller coaster ride of emotions watching all of Louis’ videos.  He was so full of joy, energy and connection in early 1D videos.  Then in 2012, when avoiding being read as gay became the imperative, you see him withdrawing and also trying with new performance techniques that just don’t work (the pointing!). He has this way of Performing with a capital ‘P’ that is unreal and distracting.  He can’t be hammy without completely disconecting. What’s interesting to me is that he begins to find his way back and gets stronger as a solo music video performer.  But there are still aspects of his earliest music video performances that he’s never recaptured.  At this point he’s very good at bittersweet or understated joy in his solo music video performances, but the pure joy of the early 1D music videos - he hasn’t really found a way to do. 

Two of Us: This is a spectacular performance - there’s no hiding - the entire video rests on it.  Louis is incredibly open and vulnerable.  But he also brings real light and shade to the video.  There’s moments of joy, when he remembers his Mum (1.08) as well as pain.  

One Thing: There’s nothing complicated about this performance - it’s just joy, energy, interaction with others, and easy naturalistic movement.  But I love it.  I particularly love the way Louis adjusts the mic for Niall and then kind of looks over him (and the way Zayn rests his chin on his shoulder) - you get so much a sense of who they are as people and their relationships with this performance.  I’m on record for how much I love this music video.  And I think part of my reaction is that Louis is so free and easy in it.

Don’t Let it Break Your Heart: What’s really great about this performance is that Louis brings both joy and vulnerability (and my tastes in music video performances are predictable - if I’ve got both of them I’m happy).  He’s best when he’s doing something, playing football or in the pub (and he’s good at the most acting-y bits of a heist as well).  But right the way through he brings out the emotion of the song.  It is this song of having surviving a lot and still being there and really caring about someone - and he captures all of that. 

What Makes You Beautiful: They were all such tiny babies on a beach.  Louis doesn’t have the shine through the camera thing that Zayn and Harry had from the beginning.  You can tell he’s a little bit less used to the camera and it makes a difference.  But this has the same free ease, joy, and interaction with each other of One Thing.  And Louis in particular, is very focused on the other members of the band, which makes his perofrmance more grounded. 

You and I: Two years after One Thing, we have another great music video performance from Louis. He has no problem being vulnerable to camera, and connects in totally naturalistic way.  In 2012 and 2013, the differece between Louis in music videos ballads, and other music videos is really noticeable. And I think that shows how difficult it was for him to find a new register to operate in.   (Also this is the last time that 1D interacted as a group in a music video.  After this they would always be shot singing in a line or a circle, but barely acknowledging that others existed.  That didn’t improve Louis’ music video performances.  Or anyone else’s).

Miss You: I think Louis’ performance is the strongest part of this video.  At the very beginning there’s so much emotion in the regret in the half light.   He manages to capture both real joy, and slightly hollow enjoyment in the party scenes (here some of the capital P ‘performance’ aspects that I will criticise further down are used well - as he’s not supposed to be fully enjoying it).

Story of My Life: Louis isn’t in this video much (at times it almost seems that they’re editing around him - particularly at 1.25), but his performance is still really strong.  Most of the performances in the concrete bunker have a ‘I’m feeling something important’.  But when Louis’ solo he gives it an undercurrent of joy, which works really well with the song.  He really gives an emotional range in his performance, both with his grandparents and in the bunker.  Watching was a real reminder that Louis’ always had strengths as a music video performer. 

Walls: Right at the end Louis sings the line ‘Nothing wakes you up like waking up alone’ in three different scenes - in the fire scene he’s completely vulnerable, but when performing he captures the bittersweetness.  There’s a lot in this performance (and of course I’ve bumped it up a few spaces just for the joy in the mask scene), and I think it shows so much of Louis’ strengths as a music video performer - particularly vulnerability and bringing joy to a song. I’m not that into the blankness in the formal wear scenes (although it’s probably intentional I don’t think it adds), but bringing a performance at the end also ups the energy in a way that really works.

Little Things: My bias towards joy in music videos is well documented.  Almost every shot that you see Louis in htis video - there’s some element of joy. A lot of that comes from the interaction - he’s laughing with someone else in the video.  When he’s singing - he’s OK - again the moments of joy really bring it up (love is joyful) - but it’s not as good as he would be in the future.  He was still learning to connect to camera on the slower songs.  

Perfect: Louis is pretty joyful for most of Perfect, joyful and naturalistic, which sends it soaring up my rankings.  I think it helps that he’s interacting with Liam, but even when he’s alone there’s an easy playfulness.  And then they come to perform of the roof and he just loses all of that and he’s back with a ‘Performance’. Twenty seconds from the end and you get a particularly bad example of it and it’s particularly interesting compared to the rest of the video, because it gives you a sense of what specific situations he can’t or doesn’t let himself relax/connect/be vulnerable.  Because he’s good in this video, both interacting with people and not interacting with people, in these reasonably naturalistic settings.  And it’s only in the admittedly quite bizzarre scenario of five people singing at a roof (without even the structure of an imaginary performance) that he enters into this false hammy register.

Back to You: This isn’t a great performance, but I think it shows how far charm and comfort can get you. It’s so interesting to me that after all these 1D music videos which didn’t bring out his strengths he was like ‘I’ll go to Doncaster and eat in a cafe with my family’.  And the video still has a lot of the performance techniques that really brought down Louis’ performances in later 1D videos (the pointing! Acting out lyrics! jumping into a capital P performance mode).  But he’s relaxed enough in the video that his charm comes through. 

Kill My Mind: It’s hard to assess this performance, because Charlie Lightening is determined to do everything he can to ensure the audience doesn’t sit with Louis’ performance for two seconds together.  I think Louis generally does well in music videos when he’s supposed to be making music, with a band and a microphone.  And in general this works.  There’s also some sweet moments where he connects with the audience.  But the shooting style is so uninterested in connection - it does get in hte way.

Steal My Girl: Is Louis trying to look dangerous when Danny De Vito gives him a label? Or is he trying to look confused that anyone called him Dangerous. Because it definitely looks like the second.  Given that most of what Louis does in this video is bond with a chimpanzee it’s hard not to be charmed, but I’m not sure that’s a result of the perofrmance.

We Made It: He’s OK in this, not a lot is asked of him.  He connects reasonably well in a performance that is meant to be in the background and there are moments of vulnerability.  But he could have elevated this performance so much with more range.  In general, Louis has often been pretty good at bringing joy to a video - and this is a performance and a song that is crying out for more joy.  

Gotta Be You: Why were they so sad in this video? That’s one of the things that makes it fudamentally unappealing (besides the song - and the way Liam scrunches up his trousers).  They’re just so sad and serious all the time and why would anyone want to be with them? Louis isn’t bad at it exactly, but he’s not shining through the screen the way Harry and Zayn do occasionally.  He’s obviously still learning how to connect with the camera, but he’s mercifully unawkward.

Night Changes: Louis isn’t bad in Night Changes.  He’s not super awkward and you’re not worried that he’s a homocidal maniac (the standards are low when it comes to this video).  He even connects once or twice (2.10 - you’ve seen it gifed and maybe looking in the mirror).  There’s only one moment where he goes full 'I am Performing’ (3.20 - although I get a bit distracted assessing his peroformance once the police arrives.  Both because I hate the police, and because it seems pretty telling that the only black person in a sigificant role in a 1D music video is a cop). But ultimately there’s nothing that appealing about his segments - not being awkward isn’t enough. And as usual, Louis’ version of heterosexuality is pretty unappealing. He seems far more iterested in being seen to be a good boyfriend, and his car, than acutally connecting with y/n (although to be fair, he’s more interested than usual in being seen to be a good boyfriend).

Drag Me Down: Oh dear god the pointing! The noticeable difference between this and Perfect, is how much less Louis has anything to do, or anyone to interact with.  There’s this very brief moment with Niall, where you see some interaction and it’s so much better.  He could always do relaxed interaction - and there are some good bits while he’s driving.  But mostly in Drag Me Down Louis is stuck in the limbo of nothing in particular to do, with no solution but to point. 

Best Song Ever: Is the beginning of this video the most convincingly heterosexual Louis has ever been? (Both him playing a sleazy executive and then him as him checking Zayn out). It may be, but less unconvincingly heterosexual is not part of my criteria for a good music video performance.  His performance in this video is full of all the strategies he developed in 2012 to hold tension (more of that below).  I think in the ‘you know/I know’ bit we start to see him learning what else he’s good at.  But he’s not quite there yet - he’s not quite connecting - for all his arms are outspread.

Live While You’re Young: It was watching this music video, that I realised that reviewing Louis’ music video performances was much more emotionally charged, even than reviewing Zayn’s.  Because you can see when Louis stops moving in a free and easy way, you can see the techniques starts to use to ensure he’s holding tension throughout his body, you can see when ‘don’t be read as gay’ became the first imperative for Louis’ in music videos - over engagement or connection.  And it starts here.  

Mostly it’s just less - less engaged, less joyful (still quite interactive, but less effective).  But then there’s the moments where instead he goes for ‘Performing’ - but with tension all through his body. Right from the video diaries, Louis would go for a hammy, silly performance register (I think often to cover his nerves), and it was fine in a short clip.  But Louis’ can’t be hammy and connect - so this doesn’t work in a music video.  Rather than being charming, he just looks like he’s trying too hard.  You see it particularly towards the end when they’re in the pool. He’s silly in a way that takes you out of the moment and reminds you he’s performing.

Kiss You: And in this video, we get introduced to Louis’ second strategy to hold tension, and that’s a very fake kind of toughness (depending on how you look at it, you could either say it’s short lived, or that he learns to be tough with a little bit of openness).  There are still some really lovely moments of joy and interaction in Louis’ performance here.  But throughout this video you can see Louis practicing toughness in different and wildly ineffective ways.  And none of it works. All of it takes away from the joy and interaction that makes the video work more broadly.

History: So I know this was filmed in 35 minutes, by a group of very burnt out people and having any expectations is absurd.  But it’s so bad. And it’s such a good example of the fundamental weakness of later 1D music videos.  Who thought having them standing around in a circle singing, not interacting with each other, and also not pretending to perform in a more structured way - was a good idea? (We know who - and the only reason that I’m not saying it was his worst idea is, because his worst idea has a death toll that is still climbing).   None of them are good in that environment - it’s the opposite of what makes their early music videos work (and why the very low camera? What is that supposed to add?).  Anyway Louis is predictably terrible, and at 0.56 seconds his capital P performing leads to him actig out out the song in a way that makes me wonder if he thinks he’s in the wiggles. 

Midnight Memories: His outfit is good.  And there’s one moment in 3.05, where you get a glimpse of him reacting to being on Tower Bridge (oh and he’s OK at someone not having fun at the party in the beginning).  Apart from that, this video is a combination of the worst of Louis’ music video performace techniques.  He swings from fake toughness, to hammy children’s performer and back regularly and neither of them have anything to be said for them.

[steve0discusses]

Yugioh S4 Ep 25: Oh Hai Mai

Heyyy we’re back. Thank for bearing with me, it’s been kind of chaos over here. Everything from a pandemic (we are very sloooowly reopening over here but I’ve been quarantined so long I can french braid my damn leg hair.) to important political protests, to getting an evacuation order because an arsonist burned down 90 acres in the heat of summer (luckily we’re all fine), to a vole that ate everything in my pandemic self-care garden so I lost my entire mind and waged war and dug so many holes and put out 17 mouse traps and set off so many critter bombs under the ground trying to kill the little bastard like it was Caddyshack (It’s still alive, ps, I lost that war). These last 3 months have been the longest decades of my life. The only month longer was the one where I’m pretty sure I had mono and it made me positive that my basement was haunted.

Man, bring back my haunted basement, Sorry if this comes through in my writing, I tried but, I can’t edit it out. You get FML-Rachel today.

Lets get back to a good, mindless distraction, lets turn on Yugioh.

BUT------->it just so happens that this episode of Yugioh has cop stuff in it, I’m just going to be blunt. We’re going into Valon’s backstory, he’s very much a victim of problems within the bizarre Yugioh legal system, and much like a Gotham supervillain, he is a symptom of the problem more than the cause.

I’m not going to ignore that, but in case you are overwhelmed about that right now, if you want to like...save this for later--I have another FMA recap coming out soon that I wrote in a simpler time before....the corona freakin ruined us all.

Last we left off, we were on the heels of Joey Wheeler, who decided to book it down the street because he wants to murder the hell out of Valon.

Youknow...Joey is one hell of a protagonist. He just does...so MANY antagonistic things.

Joey has decided that although the world is ending, and everyone left alive will be absorbed into the Great Leviathon’s big yummy tummy, which can only be prevented by three people, of which he is one of--he’s going to go sprint in completely the other direction.

We even managed to get Kaiba on board. We were ready. We were done, but then Joey had to lose his freakin mind because that’s just what Joey Wheeler does sometimes.

Normally heroes avoid the call to duty because of a severe lack of self confidence, but this is Joey, and he’s going to avoid the call to duty because of too much self confidence.

And so Joey and his Chaperone turn a corner and walk into this random orc who’s just casually living his best life and touring SF.

One of my worst fears walking through SF, tbh. Running into high school people. Not so much the orcs.

Yo, I wonder what the bushman was doing through all of this? So IRL, we have this guy who just...hides in a bush and jump-scares tourists. I can’t imagine what it must be like to be in a bush and then just...all these orcs show up and you’re all.

...oh no, now I’m the fool...

I just want to know if bushman made it, or if he’s in a paper card that’s just a picture of foliage.

(read more under the cut)

Anyway, Joey was already in the process of running, so they just turned around on this street of...so much parking.

Like y’all there is SO MUCH PARKING this episode. I was trying to pay attention to anything else, but like...do you see this!? It takes nearly half an hour usually to get a spot but this--this right here?

And the crazy thing is, recently my bro had to go pick up some old guy from a cruise that...got quarantined...and so bro had to go the Pier and like--this is what the city looked like. This is a pandemic, it’s just lots of parking, so I want to criticize Yugioh, and I normally would, but I can’t. I’ve seen the receipts. They called it. This is what the endtimes look like and it’s so much parking.

Also, they were too lazy to draw cars but damn, they called it.

So, left with no other option, Joey decides to...be Joey, and punches a huge orc covered in armor.

So Valon’s here, because apparently SF has just...no one left alive in it except for these few kids and that one Uber Eats driver. I imagine it’s a lot easier to find Joey if you just follow the only one screaming in Japanese in a Brooklyn accent at the top of his lungs.

And Valon decides that this one way street isn’t good enough, and that they must duel somewhere else.

I assumed it would be a tall structure, but considering Kaiba just blew up the tallest structures in the Financial District...I was like...what else is tall? And bear in mind, I’m a mess, so I was like...OMG I wish it were Macy’s!!!

Now I hear you saying that’s weird, and we shouldn’t have a very fancy Macy’s in 2020, and you’re correct. but we still have one, and the top floor is just...a massive Cheesecake factory, and I can’t think of anything more 00′s than a Yugioh duel on top of that specific Cheesecake Factory.

And I’ve never really thought before about where the best Yugioh duel would be, and it’s there. It’s at the high rise Cheesecake. Listen Yugioh, if you need an insider to choose locations for your Netflix remake of S4--call me.

So anyways, instead of doing the right thing and going to the Cheesecake Factory on top of Macy’s like any other self respecting 00′s teenager, Valon and Joey are going to drive through the most boring parts of town.

They had an opportunity to go chase eachother through any tourist attraction, Lombard street, Ghirardelli Square, the Palace of Fine Arts, China town, reuse some assets and drive through Japan town, that fountain that looks like Yoda--but no...they decided to drive through literal trash.

Just...a missed opportunity, and it should have been a Cheesecake Factory.

Also, I totally and fully acknowledge that a strange nostalgic affection for the Cheesecake Factory is a weird Millennial thing (much like our weird encyclopedic knowledge of Sailor Moon) but listen. You have your thing, too. You go do you, I’m gonna soak my sorrows in a bowl of Chinese chicken salad so wide, it’ll last me 3 days.

Anyways, Joey’s gonna steal that guy’s bike.

Yugioh just predicting the future in 2003. We actually have a HUGE problem right now with vehicle theft in the city to an almost comedic degree, which is partly why the parking situation has gotten so incredibly dire. It’s kind of incredible that this guy left his bike out because after about 1 day in the city you learn pretty fast that you need to be constantly checking on your street parked vehicle--I mean, that guy was just asking for it, honestly. If Joey hadn’t taken it, some other guy would have absolutely taken it, (even that orc would’ve taken it, the city has no consideration for cars.)

Sorry --one sec-- that was an earthquake just now. As I’m typing this. Just a little guy. Just a little treat for me...

...but still like...c’mon. I’m also getting this weird issue where Tumblr doesn’t save my drafts so like...this is like the 3rd time I’ve had to write this like...I just want to make a Yugioh post for my tiny funtime tv blog, Universe. Don’t @ me right now, Universe.

SO MUCH FREAKIN PARKING.

...is it the space between two piers? What is this? We don’t have rivers in SF, it is a peninsula covered in very steep hills. Like very VERY steep hills. All water just rolls into the ocean and there’s a couple of lake thingies but...no rivers that I know of (And like maybe this is a thing, and I just haven’t seen it? Learn something new every day.)

*loud, audible sigh* home. Where we belong. At the warehousssssssse.

Back at the RV base, Duke Devlin is still babysitting. Maybe this is to make up for the two seasons he spent trying to date a girl Rebecca’s age, that they felt like going out of their way to show that he has indeed no longer horny now. Got to hand it to them, that’s a lot of character development right there. Although at the same time, it has made Duke Devlin a very non-character.

But imagine how insanely complicated would it have been if Duke got involved in that bizarre love-square that is Yugi, Tea, and the Ghost that killed Yugi by accident.

PS that’s either a freeway onramp (which is too far South from where they were, I think) or it sure does look like old Embarcadero behind them. Youknow, that lifted street from the 80′s that fell down in Loma Prieta and was never rebuilt? I just freakin love that it’s still here in 2003. This bizarre Yugioh alternate California.

Anyway, because this is alternate California, Seto set a massive fire and the entire city didn’t immediately go up in flames. Apparently they just kinda ran away from the explosion and damage before anyone noticed.

Probably because most people on Earth are dead anyway, so what more can these two actually do?

And so Yami ends up getting lectured by the wife.

And justifiably, the wife seems to have absolutely no confidence that Yami will be able to do a damn thing right.

Wifes all around this episode.

Speaking of,

At this point, Arthur Hawkins senses that Yami’s nearby, so he opens the door just to freakin dump some guilt on him.

...Rebecca seems to be a character that’s mostly there to recap the lore and also to dump on Yami. I don’t mind that. Yami needs to get dunked more often, and I’m saying that in S4, where the entire season’s tagline is “how many times can we dunk on Yami?”

So lets check on Yugi, how’s that kid doing? It’s been quite a number of episodes since we last saw him.

Yep, still hanging out in the Han Solo cosplay room.

And then, because I guess everyone is just hanging out in the same 4 blocks, Mai and Tristan have a heart-to-heart.

In the show, this conversation was Mai (who is now a serial killer) saying “Oh hey, Tristan, where’s Joey?” and Tristan saying “It’s ALL YOUR FAULT he wants to kill Valon--thanks a lot, Mai! GODS!” all indignant like.

Not how you would ordinarily talk to a serial killer, just saying. No one from the Yugi crew fears this woman...at all...and she has killed over 20 people in front of them and is trying very hard to kill Joey Wheeler all the time.

Like what would it actually take for them to fear this woman? They can’t, right?

Meanwhile, Valon is trying to explain to Joey that his obsession with Mai is in fact damaging any relationship they could have had.

So then when you’re like OK...this is actually very valid points on Valon’s part, and Joey really does need to step back and let people make their mistakes considering Joey was barely a part of her life to begin with. But then, Valon just turns a 180 and...it becomes a catty love triangle where only one person in the triangle even feels romantic emotions.

I just...so Valon is doing this fight because he thinks Mai is in love with Joey.

This whole time I was like “well maybe it’s more that Valon is trying to defend Mai’s right to make her own choices” but no...he just straight up thinks Mai is in love with Joey. And, in fighting Joey, Valon himself is ignoring Mai’s life choices

Just a whole lot of misunderstanding that would have been fixed with better ways than dueling with cards. At least that one guy in S2 who tried to marry Mai actually dueled HER instead of some random guy.

It just really feels like these boys are having a pissing contest and Mai was never let in on the deets that this was even happening.

Mai needs to hang out with older men. Set her up with Roland, this is ridiculous.

Back at the RV, which got very, very big in this shot, Seto has an odd convo with Mokuba about how they are probably not going to get Kaiba Corp back. And then no one really argued with him about that.

He’s taking it really well. Maybe because this isn’t even the first time or the second time or even really the third time Seto’s lost everything. Kid’s really freakin great at failure. At least this time Mokuba isn’t currently abducted, which is really good improvement for these two.

Outside the RV, Tristan has decided to...give up as well, just right here, in the middle of traffic. Then he gets Orc’d...these orcs are kind of like Slenderman, in that they kinda...show up...but then that’s all they do because the designers didn’t actually want to animate anything.

And then this happens.

God bless this story boarder for this random series of events presented in just this way.

Also here’s yet another example where Tea just has...no fear. She’s actually only out here because she was like “that’s it, we’re getting another driver” and was going to chew out Duke Devlin. The Orc being in the middle of the road was not the reason she walked out here.

Anyways, Yami killed it because everyone here can just throw cards forever, these things are not threatening.

The subplot of everyone refusing to drive with Duke Devlin after he busted his car in Death Valley is still ongoing, and it’s still low key hilarious that no one will outright say “Duke, your driving is just so bad” and instead, Duke just has to sit there and watch Joey STEAL A MOTORCYCLE just so he won’t have to drive shotgun with Duke Devlin.

Rebecca, our plot-dump device, then informs us that Valon has Special Rules.

Because Valon, if you’ve forgotten, has a card that allows him to physically punch his opponent in the face.

They should have invented that card a long time ago TBH.

SO, lets get into Valons tragic backstory. First off, go turn on your Les Mis Soundtrack, because this is some old school cop stuff.

So apparently Valon, as a child just...stayed in the system forever. We don’t know why yet, but lets just assume that it’s tragic and heavy handed. If he steals a loaf of bread and ends up in 12 Juvies (which is a line from the show and not an exaggeration--12 Juvies) then I will expect him to be singing by the end of this and I will be very disappointed if he does not.

Anyways, he was such an asshole, that he caught the attention of some very illegal rich bastard who was trying to turn prisoners into...card murders. (it was Dartz.) because apparently...Dartz also funds prisons and that is...that is some deep lore.

And so probably about the same time that Yugi was Dueling to the death on Pegasus’ Island, and about the same time that Marik was hanging out in the ocean next to Pegasus’ Island with a pair of binoculars, and about the same time that Noah was underneath Pegasus’ Island just watching Pegasus steal KaibaCorp, Dartz decided to make his OWN murder island--because I guess he got jealous.

Anyway, Valon won, and didn’t even need to set anyone on fire.

Those little green things there--those are all souls of prison inmates.

YUGIOH.

Millennials got DARK, OK? Freakin...we had a show for 9 year olds that went deep into the school-to-prison pipeline and didn’t even try to hide it under any layers of symbolism. Like Hunger Games at least had two people survive.

This was a show to sell PAPER CARDS.

+++++++++++THIS IS A RANT WHERE I WENT OFF ABOUT PRISON TALK IN KID’S SHOWS FEEL FREE TO SKIP++++++++++++++++++++

Now, there’s a lot of good conversation going on right now about errors in the modern justice system on not just a local scale, but on a global scale, especially regarding racial profiling and criminalization of poor, sick, and young, and we better keep pushing it. But it’s surprising when people pretend like this hasn’t been talked about for a long time. Because...we’ve been talking about it in kids and YA shows for a long time. This is not something that just popped up in 2020.

Like millennials didn’t invent this obsession with dark and gritty stories with uncomfortable themes. It’s been around for thousands of years, but back in the 90′s and 00′s, a lot of shows for YA and younger enjoyed talking about the problems with prisons and abuse of power with our justice systems--a lot. Batman, X-men, Death Note, so so many, hell, even the OC.

And like, don’t get me wrong, we still have these shows running around, but I’ve been there’s been a trend of stories (not saying names) where just...nothing bad happens. And, that’s kind of sad because...they CAN have small elements that are more progressive in them, but only brought forth with a very risk-free cotton candy fluffy coating to make the majority of the population happy.

I could go long about this, and I’m getting very cryptic. If a kid escapes to more colorful worlds where nothing bad ever happens, that’s OK--sometimes you need that, but when nothing bad ever happens surrounding certain experiences where bad things normally happen--the meaning of the story changes because it isn’t a real experience anymore.

Like I don’t want to tangent too much, and I just had to delete a lot of examples, but I know a lot of people want to write stories about misrepresented minorities and about real deal serious situations and are just so afraid of misrepresentation that they go in completely the wrong direction by not putting in anything uncomfortable at all. I think it’s important to look at the work and ask yourself is this about the minority the work should be about--or is this work about patting the majority of the population on the back and saying neat, we’ve achieved utopia without having to even do anything?

...anyway, obvi I’m ranting, but I feel like we’re taking a step backwards when it comes to the importance of kids programming and that we do need to talk to kids about prison again. This is a show about paper cards, and they don’t do a great job at talking about...the reality of prison, this was exaggerated with genre stereotypes, but at least they didn’t cover it with rainbows and unicorns, because this isn’t about how great Joey and the “normal” people are at saving Valon, this is about how society screwed Valon beyond repair, and I am 99% certain we will see this guy’s soul stuffed in a brick above Dartz’ snake fireplace.

Like, yeah he duels to the death on an island, but that’s imagery that is very close to real life prison issues. We don’t talk to kids a lot about how a lot of inmates get enlisted into the military during war times (and quite literally...duel to their death...on islands). We don’t talk about how we use inmates to betray eachother for a chance at maybe getting amnesty. We don’t talk about how a lot of the victims of this system are essentially children, and have been caught in a system of endless prison for what will probably be the rest of their lives. We don’t talk about how we’re systematically turning kids into criminals so much in kid’s shows of late...and Freakin Yugioh just did in a filler season. 

....................I think our standard for modern kids programming to talk about serious issues is way too low if Yugioh just threw this out there in a filler season, is all I’m saying.

++++++++++++++++++END OF PRISON RANT++++++++++++++++++++++

 So, Valon is free but...is he?

Not really, he’s just gone from one jailer to another, but at least this time he gets his own room. Don’t blame him for latching onto Dartz’ dream to end the world, because the world for him has been one behind bars. He doesn’t know it. Never been there.

It’s just interesting juxtaposed to Joey because Joey had some sort of Season Zero history with a gang and I haven’t watched that episode yet.

So that’s it for now, again, I’m very slooow lately. I slept for 3 hours today...and I don’t know why. But hey--we all got through three (four???) months of this...we just gotta go...one month at a time.

That and I accidentally did my taxes early so there’s that. See? Good things still happen.

Also, because I only slightly referenced the most incredible movie ever made on San Fransisco soil, I’ll just leave this here. The true hallmark of our city.

Anyway you know the drill, here’s the link

[musicalexplanations]

Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812

A song-by-song explanation of The Great Comet!

Broadway Recordings Spotify Link

Lyrics

Cast members are listed as those in the Broadway recordings!

Prologue: this song is almost exactly as it sounds. A prologue. It sets the stage for the rest of the musical. It’s sung by the whole cast, with introductions to each of the main characters, including Pierre, Natasha, Andrey, Sonya, Marya, Anatole, Hélène, Dolokhov, Bolkonsky, Mary, and Balaga. It goes like this:

Pierre (Josh Groban): Pierre is the sad guy who basically narrates the whole thing. Natasha (Denée Benton): Natasha is the main character. She is engaged to Andrey, who is away, fighting in the war. She goes by Natasha, Natalie, Natalya, etc. Andrey (Nicholas Belton): Andrey is the man Natasha is engaged to. He’s away fighting the war. Sonya (Brittain Ashford): Sonya is Natasha’s cousin and closest friend. Marya (Grace McLean): Marya is Natasha’s strict godmother. Anatole (Lucas Steele): Anatole is a major playa.  Hélène (Amber Gray): Hélène is married to Pierre. She is also Anatole’s sister. She’s a slut (as labeled by this song). Dolokhov (Nick Choski): Dolokhov is Anatole’s good friend. Bolkonsky (Nicholas Belton): Bolkonsky is Andrey and Mary’s father. He is old and rude. Mary (Gelsey Bell): Mary is Bolkonsky’s daughter, Andrey’s sister, and Natasha’s future sister-in-law. Balaga (Paul Pinto): He is literally just for fun. He’s just there. He drives a troika for part of the musical.

Pierre: This song is mostly just here to introduce Pierre a little more. The gist of it is that he’s sad and rich and lonely and drunk most of the time. He feels guilty that his friend Andrey is off fighting the war and he’s sitting at home wallowing in his wealth. 

Moscow: While Natasha waits for Andrey to return home from the war, her and her cousin Sonya go to stay with Natasha’s godmother Marya in Moscow. This song is basically just Marya welcoming Natasha and Sonya to Moscow. Marya also has a conversation with Natasha about how Bolkonsky doesn’t like that Andrey is engaged to Natasha, but if Natasha can make a good impression on Mary that all will be well. 

The Private and Intimate Life of the House: This is a look at what goes on in the Bolkonsky household while others aren’t around. The elder Bolkonsky is kind of a meanie, not gonna lie. It’s obvious that Bolkonsky definitely does not like Natasha right from the start, just like Marya predicted. Mary feels bad about her father’s declining mental state.

Natasha & Bolkonskys: This song is the initial meeting between Natasha and the Bolkonskys. From the very start, both parties do not like each other. Founded in jealousy and outdated prejudices, Natasha and Mary fight. There is some BEAUTIFUL dissonance between Natasha and Mary which is some really fun tone painting in the actual music. Also mentioned: Bolkonsky meeting Natasha in his underwear because he does not feel like she deserves the privilege of seeing him fully clothed. 

No One Else: In my opinion, this is THE song of the musical. After Natasha is finished meeting the Bolkonsky family, she longs to see Andrey. It’s a pure and elegant song of love and longing and it’s stunning melody will make you feel just like the lovesick girl that Natasha really is. 

The Opera: Natasha and Sonya go to the opera and everyone is shocked at the presence of two pretty girls in Moscow. Here we’re introduced to Dolokhov, Anatole, and  Hélène. Natasha is instantly impressed with Anatole and it’s obvious he’s impressed with her. 

Natasha & Anatole: This song is about Natasha and Anatole’s first meeting. Anatole invites Natasha to a costume ball that’s happening and there’s obvious attraction. Enough said. 

The Duel: This song is a bit confusing, but it’s basically a fight (duel, hence the name of the song) between Pierre and Dolokhov over Pierre’s wife Hélène. Hélène and Pierre are having marital problems (but let’s be real, when are they not?) and Dolokhov gets involved in the wrong moment. In a gunfight, Pierre fires a gunshot at Dolokhov and hits him, although not fatally. People leave the room, and come back in, and eventually it’s Anatole telling Hélène how infatuated he is with Natasha. Hélène tells him (in true slut-Hélène fashion) that he’d better wait until she’s married. He ends the song by proposing he ask her to dinner.

Dust and Ashes: This song is sung by Pierre, a lamentation of how depressing his life is. It ends on a positive note, however, with Pierre committing to making his life better. 

Sunday Morning: Natasha longs to see Andrey and Marya takes Natasha to church with her. Natasha, Sonya, and Marya talk bad about Bolkonsky after church is over.

Charming: This song is sung mostly by Hélène and a little bit by Natasha. Here, Hélène convinces Natasha to attend a costume ball at her house that night. (She definitely WASN’T commissioned to ask Natasha to the ball by her brother Anatole ;) )

The Ball: Here is Natasha and Anatole’s first ‘real’ date. It is, namely, at the costume ball held at Hélène and Anatole’s house. Natasha and Anatole kiss, say I love you, blah blah blah UNTIL Natasha mentions her engagement to Andrey. Anatole pushes it aside and they pledge their undying devotion to each other (despite only having had one real conversation).

Letters: This song is performed in almost the same manner as Prologue, with the whole cast on the main part and solos given to the main characters. Natasha struggles, starting and restarting a letter to Andrey over and over throughout the song. Anatole writes a love letter to Natasha and convinces her that he loves her. The song ends with Natasha falling asleep as Sonya arrives and reads Anatole’s letter. 

Sonya & Natasha: This song is a conversation between Natasha and the only true voice of reason in her life at the moment, Sonya. Natasha is ecstatic to hear that Sonya read Anatole’s letter, as she feels that she has hid her love for Anatole for far too long. Sonya, being reasonable, says ‘girl, you’ve only known this guy for three days, you can’t possibly be in love with him,’ and Natasha counters with ‘well it FEELS like I’ve known him for a hundred years’. Sonya has to make the decision between saving Natasha from the mistake of marrying Anatole but losing her friend, or keeping her friend but allowing her to make the mistake of marrying Anatole. The song ends with Natasha sending a letter to Mary, breaking off her engagement to Andrey. 

Sonya Alone: This song is sung by Sonya (alone), really as a type of platonic love song to Natasha. She is committed to protecting Natasha, even if Natasha will never say her name again. 

Preparations: This is an important song. It starts off with a conversation between Pierre and Anatole. Anatole tells Pierre that he and Natasha plan on eloping in Poland. HOWEVER, Pierre calls Anatole a fool, as he is already married. On the day that Sonya plans to save Natasha from this mistake, Anatole and Dolokhov plan to kidnap Natasha before Sonya can get to her. Dolokhov, however, starts to think a little more, and talks about the risks of the plan, including but not limited to: the fact that Anatole is married, the potential of the elopement not being valid, etc, all of which Anatole blatantly IGNORES. The song ends with the arrival of the troika driver, Balaga. 

Balaga: This song is really just for fun. A conversation between Anatole, Dolokhov, and Balaga on the way to go get Natasha. 

The Abduction: Here is where the aforementioned abduction plan takes place. Well, almost takes place. Anatole and Dolokhov are blocked from entering the house by the heroic Marya.

In My House: Marya is upset. Understandably, I would say. Despite the reason, Natasha is upset that Marya got in between her and Anatole, and sits by the window, waiting for her love to return. 

A Call to Pierre: This song is a conversation between Pierre and Marya, where they fill each other in on all the gaps in their collective knowledge. The biggest bombshell that is dropped is that Anatole is already married. Marya suggests that Andrey may be killed after a duel between him and Anatole when Andrey returns home from the war. 

Find Anatole: Here, everyone is looking for Anatole, Anatole is looking for Natasha, and Marya tells Natasha that Anatole is married. Hélène wants to have a conversation with Pierre, but he refuses, knowing that she was, at least in part, a piece of the relationship between Anatole and Natasha. The song ends at the beginning of a conversation between Pierre and Anatole. 

Pierre & Anatole: Pierre and Anatole fight over how Anatole has treated Natasha, mostly in that he is already married and planned to also marry Natasha. Pierre basically threatens Anatole, telling him to leave Moscow and never make contact with Natasha again. Anatole ends up leaving for Petersburg. 

Natasha Very Ill: This is sung by Sonya, telling of how Natasha has poisoned herself with arsenic. She told Sonya what she did and became very ill. The doctors gave her the antidote and she’ll be fine, but it’s still upsetting to Sonya, as she hates seeing Natasha this weak, and she dreads the return of Andrey. 

Pierre & Andrey: Andrey finally makes an appearance! He has returned from the war and this song is showing his reunion with Pierre. Pierre updates him on the status of Natasha and Andrey states that he cannot ask for Natasha’s hand in marriage again. 

Pierre & Natasha: Pierre comes over to Marya’s house to deliver the news to Natasha, that Andrey is not going to ask for her hand in marriage again, and to return his letters. She begs Pierre to ask Andrey’s forgiveness through him, and doesn’t expect anything from him, just hopes for him to forgive her. Pierre reveals that, in another life, he would ask for her hand in marriage. Having cleared the air, Pierre and Natasha both end the conversation on a positive and almost joyful note. 

The Great Comet of 1812: Pierre walks out of Marya’s house, onto the street to see the Great Comet of 1812 passing in the night sky above. For most people, they believed the comet to be a sign of the end of the world, but Pierre took it as a new beginning, a sign to finally start living life honestly. 

BONUS - The Epilogue: A hopeful ending (added later) to a dramatic story.

[astroyongie]

Idol General Reading

Note: I’ve made sure to cover as much Aspects as I could to give a very general reading. Remember that I DO take this very seriously, however take it with a grain of salt. Readings can’t touch right on spot when the energy of the person that is being read isn’t present.

Anyway hope this will help you learning more about your idol, and please remember to take things lightly. I’ve used 4 decks for this reading : The Dark Fairy Tarot, The Animal Oracle, The Astrology Of The Dark Moon Oracle and The Paths Of Awakening Oracle

-> Date: 22 Mars 2020

Joshua From Seventeen

Current Mood/Energy:

I’m happy that I’m finally having one of the boys that is feeling genuinely happy and joyful. Joshua is feeling exactly that. All his relationships are working well, people around him are thoughtful and he is overall surrounded by a lot of positivity. There’s good news coming his way, his faith his pretty strong (not surprised) and there’s a lot of new projects that he is currently excited and working on. Also all my spread Indicated a birth in some sort. Either someone of his family is coming out with a pregnancy or either it’s simply a symbol to demonstrate that all his projects and ideas are coming to a birth.

Current Love Life:

Joshua is single at the moment. However he had a partner later on, however this person had caused him more harm than anything else however he is fully recovered from it. I see that he had lost faith about finding someone else by the time he had been hurt however all of that is now past. He is patient, and he knows the right person will come at the right time. He isn’t actively searching either. He wants things to take its time and come to him naturally. He believes that everyone one has their someone

Current Career:

Again for his career, as I’ve said there’s a lot of projects going on and a lot that he is happy to be working on. Joshua is really happy about his job and about what he is doing. He relies a lot of his band mates and there’s a lot of emotional connection and support form them. Also whatever project he is working on will be a success and everything will work his way so I’m excited for him to show us what he has been up to. The only thing that troubles him is that this projet is making him having double choices and he finds hard to chose only one side and not both. Anyway he is definitely very focused on this new path and is helping him devolving his artistic skills

(Ps: it’s interesting because a very popular kpop prediction account have already predicted a solo music/solo activity (like acting) from one of the seventeen members so I wonder if it’s not Joshua based on this reading )

Current Health:

Because of his new working movement, Joshua is being quite absovered and as every other idol I’ve made reading for, he isn’t taking care of himself too properly. There’s of course excitement and stress. For now it’s not being too harmful but he should check it so it won’t become a trouble in the future. So yes basically he is healthy he just needs to check out his emotional side so he won’t get too burdened

The Spiritual Message:

His spiritual guides are very soft and gentle with Joshua. He really has a lot of luck concerning this field. His faith keeps him up and there’s definitely a someone from the spiritual world that looks up for him and that protects him. As for the message they just want him to know that they are here for him and that he is loved and taken care of. They also want Joshua to open up and to share all his talents and love with the world. This boy really is bright and he shares nothing with good energies with people