#however the new music teaser may change that

[pixiis-blog]

I don't know what happened but Hollywood Undead, My Chem, and Waterparks dethroned my previous top artist of the last 5 years, Fall Out Boy.

Here's my wrapped if anybody wants to see it:

[twistedtummies2]

Top 10 Appearances of Disney's Evil Queen

Not so long ago, Disney released the teaser trailer for an upcoming live-action remake of its first great animated feature, “Snow White,” scheduled for release in Spring of 2025. When I saw the teaser, two thoughts immediately sprung to mind. The first was, “May God have mercy on their souls for this stupidity.” The second was…while the trailer largely did not impress me, I was genuinely intrigued by the first looks at Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen. Ever since her casting was announced, she was the one part I was genuinely interested in seeing, and for all the problems the trailer presented, I remain hopeful that she, at least, will turn in a worthy performance. This got me thinking of all the past times the Evil Queen has shown up in Disney properties since her debut in their premiere animated motion picture. I’ve done similar lists in the past for two other Disney Villains - Maleficent and Scar - and I decided it would be fun, in light of this news, to give the Queen a look-see, too. Now, a few key rules must be established: first of all, I’m only talking about DISNEY’S Evil Queen. Other versions of the fairy-tale icon aren’t counted here at all; I made a separate list of my favorite versions of the character in general a while back. Second, and slightly tied to that, I am NOT including the characters of Regina from “Once Upon a Time” and Queen Ravenna from “Snow White and the Huntsman.” This is because I feel, while each certainly has been influenced by the Queen from the original Disney movie, they really stand as their own versions of the character. I’m only talking about the original Disney Queen and her reappearances. Third and finally, I can obviously only count appearances I’m actually fairly familiar with; for example, there’s a somewhat famous Disney comic series called ‘The Return of Snow White” which I’ve heard is very, VERY good…but I sadly haven’t read it yet, so I don’t think it’s right to include it here. With that said…“dip the apple in the brew, let the sleeping death seep through!” These are My Top 10 Appearances of Disney’s Evil Queen!

10. Kingdom Hearts.

“Kingdom Hearts” is one of my favorite video game series of all time, and a big part of why is the appearances of the Disney Villains. From Maleficent to Hades, from Pete to Ursula, it’s great to see all of these famous baddies show up, and - when the chance arises - to battle them in delightfully crazed combat. HOWEVER, not every villain is a knockout antagonist. I think partially because, as time has gone on, the series has focused more and more on its own original lore and characters than on mingling the Disney worlds INTO that lore, the villains seem to be taking a step back with every other installment. Case in point: the Evil Queen. While by no means the worst of the Disney Villains in this universe, I’ve personally always felt slightly disappointed with the Queen’s appearances in KH. She’s kept perfectly in character, and her times onscreen do lead to some great moments, but she has very little to do with the overarching plot of games like “Birth By Sleep” and it feels like there was more that could have been done with the character than ultimately was. However, it was great to see her, and her presence did lead to possibly my favorite boss fight (at least for the Disney characters) in all of KH history. End of the day, I’d be remiss to leave this off the running entirely. I really just wish we'd gotten more of her.

9. Villains Tonight!

This now-retired spooky spoof was a tongue-in-cheek musical farce originally performed on Disney Cruise Lines. The main character of the show is Hades, who - at the start of the play - is trying to reform…not because he actually desires redemption or feels genuinely repentant, but simply because he is so sick and tired of being foiled time and time again by Hercules, he’s had enough. However, things change when the Fates inform Hades that he needs an upgrade in evil-ness, otherwise he’ll lose control of the Underworld (and, really, that’s all Hades has left). So, the God of the Dead decides to summon some of his fellow villains to his lair, hoping their collective wickedness can help him out. While most of the villains in the show are essentially cameo appearances - showing up for a single "spotlight moment" musical number, and then departing till the end of the show, a-la “CATS” - the Evil Queen actually plays a fairly sizeable role in the story. Hades sends out Pain and Panic with physical invitations for both the Queen and Maleficent. It’s revealed that the two arch-villainesses are not only rivals, but also old flames (har har) of the Lord of the Underworld. Their competitive spirit nearly gets the better of them, but later in the show, they put their differences aside to spoil the day (they’re certainly not SAVING it), and help Hades get back into the evil groove. This is by far the silliest of all the Queen’s appearances on this list, but it’s a lot of fun; the back and forth between herself and Maleficent is so delightfully catty, and it’s cool seeing these two end up being the…ah…“heroes” that help Hades in the end.

8. Disney’s Villains’ Revenge.

I only recently rediscovered this PC game from my youth. While not everything in it still holds up in my adult years, I’d generally say it’s still a pretty interesting title! Made as a sort of promotional method to advertise some of Disney’s older films (which were being either released or re-released to video en masse at the time), this game features four of Disney’s resident rogues: Captain Hook, the Queen of Hearts, the Ringmaster from Dumbo (...okay, that’s the odd one out…), and - of course - the Evil Queen. The plot begins when Jiminy Cricket (in an uncharacteristic show of abject stupidity) decides to meddle with a magical storybook, tearing out the last page from four of the tales contained within (you can guess which ones). Because of this, the villains are able to rewrite their stories the way they want to, twisting things around and coming up with the “unhappy endings” they want most. With help from the Blue Fairy, Jiminy and the Player thus travel into each story to set things right again. In the Snow White section of the game, the Evil Queen has written the Prince out of existence. She tricks Snow White into eating a poisoned apple, and then - just for good measure - she begins to force each of the Seven Dwarfs to take an apple as well, putting them to sleep one by one. Jiminy and the Player need to work fast to find a way to bring the Prince back from the proverbial void before all of the Dwarfs are knocked out. Later, at the climax of the game, the Queen joins in the final battle with the other villains. Instead of being killed, her punishment for her evil deeds is to be forced to remain in her hideous old crone form for the rest of her life. Serves her right, I’d say!

7. Fantasmic!

This nighttime spectacular - an extravaganza of stunts, dance routines, and special effects, all tied together by a loose plot - is generally considered one of the greatest shows ever put on at the Disney Parks. While the exact size of the Queen’s role in the story has changed a couple times through different evolutions and interpretations, she has always been an integral figure in the proceedings. The story - what little there is - begins with Mickey Mouse taking the audience on a tour through his own dreamworld, “where beauty and love will always survive.” The Queen’s arrival is a major turning point: she’s having none of this happiness and harmony rubbish, thank you very much! So, with the help of the Magic Mirror, the Queen summons some of the other Disney Villains to help her “turn that little mouse’s dream into a Nightmare Fantasmic!” (Hence the title.) Although Maleficent is ultimately the final obstacle Mickey must overcome to save his dreamland, it’s the Evil Queen who spearheads the conflict and is the true leader of the villains in the show. Through every change and iteration of Fantasmic, this has remained fairly constant; whatever alterations the nightly spectacle goes through, it’s a fair bet she won’t be leaving Mickey’s dreams alone anytime soon.

6. Kingdom Keepers.

It took me a bit of time to warm up to the Evil Queen in this book series, but once I did, I found she was more than worthy of praise. The “Kingdom Keepers” series is a sort of “Night at the Museum”-esque series of novels, with the premise being that, every night, all of the rides and attractions at the Disney Parks come to life…and so do a great many Disney characters. Not all of these characters are good guys, of course, and a number of them - mostly Villains, naturally - have banded together to form an organization called “The Overtakers.” You can guess what their evil scheme is based on that name alone. While the main leaders of the Overtakers are Chernabog and Maleficent, the Queen plays a notable role in the latter half of the initial series of novels: first, she takes charge as the main antagonist of the fourth book, “Power Play,” leading the Overtakers in a scheme to release the imprisoned Dark Fairy and Black God. The Queen remains a prominent character for the next couple books, and once again takes command in the final novel of the series, “The Insider,” after the main protagonist of the series - Finn Whitman - succeeds in slaying Maleficent. While I personally feel that, in “Power Play,” the character felt like a sort of “Diet Maleficent” - the two characters just have a lot in common in general - the Queen really came into her own as the series progressed, and we saw her interact with other characters more and more. Part of the fun throughout the books was her interactions with her main henchperson: Cruella DeVil. The Queen and Cruella made for a truly odd couple of baddies, since, while Maleficent and the Queen have a lot in common, Cruella and Her Majesty are almost polar opposites. I haven’t read the sequel series to the original seven books, but I can only hope the self-proclaimed Fairest in the Land is just as good (bad?) there.

5. Snow White’s Scary Adventures.

As far as the Parks go, I would argue this ride…USED to be the Queen’s magnum opus. Originally simply called “Snow White’s Adventures” in past iterations, the ride was later more appropriately titled in light of the fact it REALLY leaned on the darker, more macabre elements of the story, with the Queen - seen primarily in her Witch form - basically being the star of the show. Throughout the ride she menaces the riders, tempting them with her Poisoned Apple and cackling with glee, popping up at unexpected intervals as the guests navigate their way through her dungeons and the spooky woods beyond. It was widely regarded as one of the best of Disney’s film-themed dark rides, and when I visited Disneyland (a whole twelve years ago, jeeze I feel old…), it was probably my second favorite after “Peter Pan’s Flight.” UNFORTUNATELY, this ride basically doesn’t exist anymore, at least not at the American Parks: at Walt Disney World, it was replaced with the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train roller coaster, and the Witch has almost nothing to do for that one. (Though her one brief appearance near the end IS done with a VERY impressive animatronic.) As for Disneyland, the ride was recently refurbished as “Snow White’s Enchanted Wish,” which effectively neutered the original ride and, in my opinion, lacks the emotional impact the original, much darker attraction had. It’s truly sad how some of the best things must always remain in the past.

4. Mirror, Mirror.

This was the sixth of the “Twisted Tales” series of books released by Disney, and it is the first one I ever got to read. The series, created by author Liz Braswell, works off a very simple formula: take a random “What If?” question about a Disney movie, and then create either an alternate universe or a sequel or even a prequel out of that concept. While Braswell spearheaded the series and wrote the vast majority of the books, she was not the only author involved; a few other creators also joined in to handle various subjects and stories. Enter Jen Calonita, whose first entry into the books was this one. As the byline on the book’s cover indicates, the concept is based on the idea that, instead of using the Poisoned Apple to kill Snow White right off the bat, the Queen instead tricks the Prince. However, there’s a bit more to the story than that: while the Queen is still utterly despicable, the book gives her a sympathetic leaning, with a backstory that explains more of her wicked actions, while still keeping it clear that her deeds are reprehensible. The twist to the plot also allows Snow White herself to take a more proactive role in the story, as she goes from a humble and sweethearted young lady like in the film to the one who has to face the Queen to save the kingdom. It’s an interesting turnaround that takes the classic fairy-tale and turns into a more complex and action-oriented story, and while I don’t think it’s the best book of the Twisted Tales series, it’s nevertheless a personal favorite.

3. Snow White Live!

Nowadays, we take Disney’s stage musicals somewhat for granted. From Beauty and the Beast, to The Lion King, to Mary Poppins, and more, it’s almost more surprising when an especially popular Disney movie DOESN’T have some kind of staged version out there, be it Broadway or some other avenue. (I mean, by God, they have a stage version of “The Aristocats,” for crying out loud!) However, this was not always the case: the very first attempt at doing a full-length stage musical treatment of a Disney film came in the late 70s/early 80s, as part of a plan to save the prestigious Radio City Music Hall. And what better movie was there to choose than “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”: the first animated feature film Disney made would also be their first foray onto the New York stage scene. This production has gone by several titles, some longer than others, but I’ve always known it by the colloquial name “Snow White Live!” in reference to NBC’s fairly recent live TV musicals. This production was, in fact, recorded and aired on TV and in video release at its height of popularity…but since it has never been re-staged, to my knowledge, and has never received a DVD or Blu-ray release, it’s largely fallen into obscurity. This is a shame, because it’s really a very good production! Part of its appeal, of course, comes from the villain: the Evil Queen is played by two different actors in the show. In her radiant, Queenly form, she is played by Anne Francine; most well-known onstage for her work in the musicals “Mame” and “Anything Goes,” and recognizable to film audiences for her appearance in the movie “Crocodile Dundee.” As the Witch, the character was played by a male actor, Charles Hall, who also voiced the Magic Mirror. Hall would go on to be a constant presence at Radio City, playing the role of Santa Claus for many years in a row during their famous Christmas Spectacular. Both do a great job putting their own spin on the character’s dual identities, and I love them almost as much as the original Queen from the movie! If you haven’t seen this show before, you can easily find it on YouTube; definitely go and check it out.

2. Vil Schoenheit, from Twisted Wonderland.

Well, if you know me, you should have known this guy was coming. In case you haven’t been paying attention to or just didn’t know about my frankly unhealthy addiction to this mobile game, let me give you the basic summation: “Twisted Wonderland” is a gacha-style game, wherein the player gets transported to a parallel universe, and begins life staying at a School of Dark Magic. This school has apparently been inspired by “The Great Seven” - seven of the most infamous Disney Villains - and throughout the game’s story you encounter different figures based on the Great Seven, as well as other Disney characters (mostly villains). The Evil Queen is one of the Great Seven, and while she, herself, has virtually no bearing on the game at all, the analogous character to her is this lad: Vil Schoenheit. Vil is the resident celebrity of Night Raven College, the school in question: he is a professional actor, dancer, singer, and model, who also dabbles in directing, costume design, photography, and even commercial fashion. He is vain, domineering, and carries himself with an icy, sometimes deadpan authority, and is highly persnickety about personal appearances. His Unique Magic allows him to place a poisonous curse on anything he touches, and he is, in fact, a very skilled potion maker and poisons expert: it was this knowledge that allowed him to become the leader of Pomefiore, the house inspired by the Queen. Admittedly, when the game was first released, Vil was actually one of the characters I was LEAST interested in…but as time has gone on, and we’ve seen more of him and learned more about him, he’s become more and more of a favorite of mine. He wouldn’t likely be in too many other people’s top three, but he’s certainly in mine.

1. Fairest of All.

As much as I love Vil, you really can’t beat the original Evil Queen. And as far as other works beyond the film go, I don’t think anything has ever beaten this story. This was the first - and, in my opinion, the best - of Serena Valentino’s book series collectively entitled “Villains.” The series explores the origins of different famous Disney antagonists, and shows their own side of the story for their respective films. As the series went on, it began to build its own lore and a broader universe, which I’ve always had mixed feelings about. “Fairest of All,” however, as the first book, doesn’t have any of the issues this budding lore presents in other novels of the series: it stays with its subject, not really deviating from it, presenting simply the story of how the Evil Queen became so evil. Even more than the later “Mirror, Mirror,” this book makes you sympathize with the Queen, and explains her origins and motives in a way that is both tragic and disturbing. At the start of the story, she actually tries hard to be a good mother to dear Snow White, and a worthy bride to her husband, the King. However, as time goes on, personal insecurities and the pressure of her power begin to twist her heart and mind, ultimately transforming her into the villainess we all recognize. There have been many sympathetic takes on the Evil Queen, both by Disney and by others, but this may very well be my favorite take: it inspired me a lot when I was working on my own twist to the plot…but that’s another story (literally). Bottom line, for somehow being both beautifully simple and wonderfully complex, “Fairest of All” is, in my opinion, the best appearance of Disney’s Evil Queen.

HONORABLE MENTIONS INCLUDE…

House of Mouse.

The Queen had multiple small appearances throughout this show, but nothing super substantial. Still, it was fun to see her pop up and all the shenanigans she’d get up to. I think my favorite was the time she sold Pete a poisoned apple like a used car saleswoman. XD

Once Upon a Halloween.

A Halloween special in tribute to the Disney Villains, where the Evil Queen consults not the Magic Mirror, but rather the Black Cauldron, in a plan to - what else? - take over the world. At the end of the special, the power of the Cauldron overwhelms the Queen…though thankfully, her end is much less horrifying than the Horned King’s.

Snow White: An Enchanting Musical.

This was a stage show at Disneyland that was a reimagining of the original Disney film, with some minor changes to the plot and new dialogue. It featured a pre-recorded Patrick Stewart as the Magic Mirror. Fun show, but I find the other appearances more noteworthy of interest.

Disney’s Golden Anniversary of Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs.

An EXTREMELY weird (and very, VERY cheesy) 1987 TV special made in tribute to the film’s 50th anniversary. Jane Curtin played the Queen, seeking revenge on the Seven Dwarfs, with the help of…uh…Sherman Hemsley. (pauses) Weird choice for the face of the Magic Mirror, that one…

[everythingbap]

🎤 The Kraze: BANG&JUNG&YOO&MOON Make Long-Awaited Return

The active members of B.A.P, Bang Yongguk, Jung Daehyun, Yoo Youngjae, and Moon Jongup have come together to make their highly anticipated and long-awaited return to the music industry! Under the name of BANG&JUNG&YOO&MOON, the quartet has finally banded together to release a special album, CURTAIN CALL. It has been over seven years since the group has come together since leaving their former entertainment agency. With several military enlistments, solo activities, and tours, the time has come for their return. It should be noted that member Zelo would have participated in this comeback however, due to him currently in active military service, he could not take part.

Tracklist: 

“Love” 

“Farewell” 

“Gone” 

“Stand it all”

“Way Back” 

”Gone” But Not The End

For many fans, this has been a dream come true to see most of the members come together to release a new album. In the months leading up to their official return, there have been little crumbs of hope that have gone through the fandom. When news officially confirmed their return as well as a documentary series on YouTube had launched, it’s safe to say BABYz erupted with joy and excitement. Their return was no easy feat as all the members were busy with different labels and activities however, thanks to Jongup really pushing for their return through his agency, MA Entertainment, what was once a dream, is now a reality. 

The more that BABYz were treated to teasers, including the return of their beloved alien bunny Matoki, the more fans all over the world began to awake and prepare for this comeback. As described in their documentary, they don’t know what the future holds but they knew that they wanted to come together and release something for BABYz who have been waiting for so long. 

With a lot of second generation groups making a resurgence in the industry, BANG&JUNG&YOO&MOON, push their entry for 2024 and are all in because it’s now or never. With 12 years under their belt, this album truly shows their experience and their undying love for not only the members themselves, but their journey and their fans. “Gone” as well as the rest of the album, feels like the closing of a chapter and the birth of a new one. This song reflects on how even though it feels like things are ending and we may be saying goodbye, it doesn’t change the bond that was made and the love that they have and share. 

The music video follows the members as they go on a journey together as a group and are there for each other throughout what seems to be a road trip, which eventually leads to them coming on stage together once more. One of the most endearing things of the music video itself is to see them altogether on stage, performing choreography together after such a long hiatus. By the end of the music video, it pans out to show the entire music video being played on a phone and the members resuming having a meal together. This proves that their bond remains strong, and whether they're making music or not, they will continue to support each other.

This is not the end for BANG&JUNG&YOO&MOON, as there is hope for a future comeback, especially with the desire to see Zelo as part of the group once more. For now, it's important to cherish the fact that all members are together, sharing the stage again, and it’s equally important to continue supporting the group during this grand opportunity. Many BABYz agree that this is surely not goodbye.

Edited by Joi Berry

[pentriahex]

Regarding More Shapes + Raves + the blog's future

So you might be wondering why I mostly moved on to making Kirby fan art and other interests, from making the S3RL Trilogy. This sudden loss of interest in making MSPR wasn't explained very well by me, but given the current state of things right now, I should say it.

Right now, the old iteration of More Shapes + Raves has been considered "canceled". This is mainly because of the comic's development being hit by major scope creep coming from suggestions made by my friends and myself. With a scope so huge, the comic's ideas became disorganized and very arbitrary, unnecessarily causing too much growth and less motivation to make the comic.

A plan I have been considering for a long while is to reboot MSPR. The core concepts (such as Raver Dimension, Neko Nation, Rave Six, etc.) will be retained, however I'd need to change up some things to prevent a potential case of scope creep coming for the reboot, such as the addition of unnecessary ideas and songs. Given the return of activity on the Interdimensional Library Discord, MSPR's reboot might be one more chance to spring the comic back in action.

Some things to keep in mind for the MSPR reboot:

All panels will be remade in a 1920x1080 resolution to match the highest screen resolution rendered in Just Shapes & Beats. They will also all be made in Inkscape, in comparison to past S3RL Trilogy panels, which mainly made use of MediBang Paint.

The musical aspect of MSPR may be potentially toned down. I haven't been in the mood lately to make musical songs for stuff like lore, backstories, etc. Instead, MSPR will continue the traditional storytelling and dialogue that the previous stories (Hexagon's Adventure and Fiveside Force) have.

The playable flashback acts will be completely removed. Think that's way too much from the original scope. These will be relegated back into regular cutscenes.

The intro act may be completely changed. I think there has to be a more coherent reason why Fresh rediscovered the Ravortexia in the first place, not just by finding some random book on the ground.

Some songs will be retained, but there might be some new ones too. Additional fights that were introduced in my Mixtape concepts (like Endless Summer) may be re-incorporated into MSPR.

The Rave Six, as of now, is based on guest characters that represent the vocalists of various S3RL music, and other celebrities and friends in real life. To lessen the connection to the real deals, some names of the characters will be changed. I've done a few ideas with HexaCryonic about this.

Most importantly, the skeletal structure of the lore and backstories used in MSPR will be kept, but they will be refined over time for a more coherent storytelling. This includes the backstory of Raver Dimension, Fresh, etc. while also coherently tying it in with aspects of JSAB Story Mode including the Lost Chapter.

Teasers will be handled better, as I might include things like more song hints, WIP art teasers (in the Interdimensional Library server), and more.

Regarding where the MSPR reboot will be posted, they'll be posted to any Just Shapes & Beats servers that I'm in, but these will be the most active places where you can find the S3RL Trilogy and MSPR:

This blog (obviously). @pentriahex

Interdimensional Library (JSAB Comic Server, where S3RL Trilogy also gained popularity there)

Berzerk Studio Official Discord

r/kirby Discord

These are just some of the basic plans I had in mind for a potential MSPR reboot, and there might be more in the making as the reboot plans are still developing. However, this is not all what I have in mind:

Raverian Encore: MSPR & S3RL Trilogy Extra Mixtapes & More

If you have been following my works in the Berzerk Studio official Discord server, you might have noticed I've been developing some "extra levels" that still have ties to the MSPR theming. Most of the time, these are levels that have very arbitrary song picks.

If you don't know what extra levels are, these are levels in Just Shapes & Beats that do not have any ties to the main story, and must be unlocked by other means (eg. collecting Beatpoints, performing certain actions, etc.) There are already obvious examples such as Tokyo Skies, Paper Dolls, and even tracks like Deadlocked and the Strike the Earth (Shovel Knight) remix by Danimal Cannon, but I'm sure you'd already know that by now.

The songs revealed for Raverian Encore were:

Caleb Hyles & Ironmouse - Omae Wa Mou (Silva Hound Remix)

Crispy & KungFuFurby - Electrospire (from SMW Central Production 2)

Shirobon - Counter Format

S3RL ft. Lexi - Heart Thief (Promoted from EleCyon Mixtape)

I'll be eventually posting these later on the S3RL Trilogy blog, but this is not important right now. I want to discuss more about how I'll be handling extra content going forward:

Scrapped levels and arbitrary level concepts will most likely end up in these so-called "extra mixtapes". Notably, there will be three mixtapes, each containing new levels that are tied to the theming of the three stories in the S3RL Trilogy.

There are three colors of mixtape: purple, green, and yellow, corresponding to Hexagon's Adventure, FIveside Force, and MSPR.

The purple mixtape is called "Extragon-N-On", and is obtained after completing the OctoChaos boss battle in Hexagon's Adventure.

The green mixtape is called the "Side Five", obtained after liberating Planet No. 5 in Fiveside Force.

The yellow mixtape is "Raverian Encore". I planned this to be given by the Rave Master after Triangle begins his quest to reassemble the Rave Six in Act 1 of MSPR, and I'll keep that too for the reboot.

The old iteration of More Shapes + Raves will be archived as a separate thing when I make the S3RL Trilogy downloadable in the future.

Some scrapped levels and even mixtape levels may be subject to being added in the MSPR reboot, but this is purely based on my decisions.

Concept art and the MSPR plan documents may be shared in a separate download if I do decide on doing that.

The future of the blog

Right now, More Shapes + Raves is still being re-developed as a reboot, so I can't say I'd be posting much of the comic here. However, since this blog is designed for the S3RL Trilogy in general, I'd want to clarify some things:

I originally planned on reblogging most of my old comic posts from Hexagon's Adventure and Fiveside Force on my main, which also used to be the S3RL Trilogy blog before rebranding as my main Tumblr account in general (which also has a main focus on Kirby fan art). However, I decided that I'll be just making new posts on this blog for Hexagon's Adventure and Fiveside Force, as I do plan on rewriting most of the comic captions and dialogue.

The state of the comics will be kept as is, with some exceptions. I really should note once again that Fiveside Force admittedly took way too much from Decagon's JSAB comics (which are sadly cancelled as of now), and as a result I'd need to remake some of the panels.

In regards to the above, the worst offenders I've seen were that one PentaBoss scene in the Perfect Rave battle and the meet-up of Lord Apeirogon with Marga in the introduction of Act 4, and I'm not sure if the entirety of Act 1 and the Monsta boss battle in Act 2 counts. In this regard, such quality does not match up with my current standards, as I've now strived to push for more original content nowadays, and as a consequence I'll just be remaking some panels in Inkscape.

There will be now unique tags for the blog's posts, which I will explain in the following section.

If ever the S3RL Trilogy has concluded, there are plans for the blog to switch over to just being a comic blog for my Just Shapes & Beats universe in general. I also plan to repost some of my old Tumblr ask art for posterity purposes, and also revive an old JSAB Flower OC I've adopted from the Bountiful Blossoms JSAB adoptable blog (thank you once again).

Anyways, next part is least important but is something I'd want to talk about in the event I do plan on posting comics to the blog:

Blog Tags

I'd want to promote the use of blog tags to make it easier for people who want to navigate my comics. The planned tags would be:

#hexagon's adventure - This is for posting comics related to Just Shapes & Beats: Hexagon's Adventure.

#fiveside force - This is for posting comics related to Pentagon & The Fiveside Force.

#more shapes plus raves - This is for posting comics related to More Shapes + Raves

#the s3rl trilogy / #s3rl trilogy / #s3rltrilogy - These are the main tags of the blog in general.

You may also use these tags in fan art, just be sure to tag this blog or send me an ask for posterity purposes. I'd like to see what you've made.

Anyways, that's pretty much it then. I hope you are still patient enough to look forward to the eventual revival of MSPR and to the blog in general. Thank you for the patience and the long read, and I hope to see you again soon.

If you also want other non-JSAB content, you are free to check out @cyonofgaia, which is more dedicated to all my passion projects in general.

[govindhtech]

Nothing OS 3.0 Reveals Intuitive Lock Screen Customisation

Nothing OS Features Prepare yourself for a new take on the lock screen of your phone! The forthcoming update, Nothing OS 3.0, from the creative tech startup Nothing, is sure to cause a stir with its customisable lock screen and entertaining new feature, “Interaction Dot Cartoons.” Look deeper into Nothing CEO Carl Pei’s fascinating hints.

Revamping the Lock Screen to Unlock a Canvas Most smartphones’ current lock screen interface can come across as a little stale. Yes, it shows the time and date, but you can’t really customise it very much. By offering a variety of customisation choices, Nothing OS 3.0 breaks free from this mould and gives you the ability to create a lock screen that uniquely suits your needs and tastes.

Pei leaked some glances of Nothing OS 3.0, which features three different lock screen layouts:

Default View This well-known design puts an emphasis on minimalism, showing only the time and date in an orderly and clear manner.

Clock + Widgets This option lets you add widgets right to the lock screen, adding another level of utility. Imagine not even having to unlock your phone to check the weather, see what’s on your upcoming schedule, or manage music playback.

Expanded Widget Area This feature goes one step further in personalisation. It gives you complete control over the space on the lock screen and might even let you add more than one widget to create a genuinely customised information centre.

For Android users, who often wish they had more control over the UI of their phone, this degree of customisation is a welcome sight. You have the power to customise the lock screen to your liking by selecting between a clear look, fast access to important data, or a fully functional widget dashboard.

Interactive Dot Animations: The Art of the Animated Dot Customising the lock screen is a great feature, however the real mystery is in the mysterious “Interactive Dot Animations” teaser. Pei gave a technical hint but otherwise withheld much information regarding this function. It appears that there are three different layers in the animation:

Layer for Input Images This layer probably serves as the animation’s base and may contain a static image or icon.

Layer of Live Interaction This layer suggests that the animation is interactive. Perhaps real-time animation manipulation will be achieved by gestures or human input.

Final Output Layer The final output layer is where the animated output that consumers will see is created, most likely by combining pieces from the previous layers.

Though there is a lot of conjecture, it is unclear exactly how Interactive Dot Animations are implemented. Among the options are:

Lively Quick Settings Panel Picture the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and brightness adjustment sections of the quick settings panel coming to life with animated animations when you toggle these settings.

Dynamic Charging Visualization As your phone charges, the animation might show a fun scene where dots change and evolve.

Customised Notification Alerts

To make each notification stand out and captivate the viewer, they might each have a customised dot motion.

It’s crucial to keep in mind that these are only a few options and that Nothing might have something completely different in store. It will be revealed what Interactive Dot Animations really are in September 2024, the same month that Nothing OS 3.0 is formally announced.

Beyond the Lock Screen: Possible Features Although the stated highlights include the lock screen and Interactive Dot Animations, there are rumours that Nothing OS 3.0 may provide more. Here are a few more options that could be considered:

Enhanced Gallery App A new native gallery app might provide better photo organisation, editing capabilities, and maybe even cloud integration.

Community App Revamp

A makeover of the current Nothing community app could strengthen ties amongst Nothing members.

Glyph Interface Evolution For a more smooth and aesthetically pleasing experience, the Glyph interface a distinguishing feature of Nothing phones may get a hardware and software update. The Glyph interface uses LEDs on the rear to transmit notifications.

A Glance at September: Nothing OS’s Future Nothing OS 3.0 looks ready to bring some individuality and user control back into the smartphone experience with its emphasis on lock screen customisation and entertaining animations. The months ahead promise to be thrilling as we eagerly anticipate September’s official unveiling, which will expose Nothing OS 3.0’s whole scope. Nothing appears committed to defying the established quo and providing a distinctive and user-centric experience, that much is certain.

A Positive Development Nothing OS Updates

From what little is known, Nothing OS 3.0 looks to be a big update that puts an emphasis on user customisation with a dash of lighthearted interaction. Excitement has been created by the intriguing “Interactive Dot Animations” feature and the redesigned lock screen with its variety of themes.

Nothing Phone OS Nothing OS 3.0 has the potential to be a compelling update for current Nothing phone users and a reason for others to consider joining the Nothing ecosystem, while we wait for the official release and a deeper dive into all the functions. Keep an eye out for further details in the upcoming months, and mark September for the formal unveiling!

Read more on Govindhtech.com

[camplofi]

BSOTS 182 - Life At Camp Lo-Fi: The First Nine Years

All comments, questions, and general feedback can be sent to radiobsots@gmail.com.  Record a voice message and send it my way or leave one at the Speakpipe page!

You can subscribe to Radio BSOTS via the following options: RSS feed ||| Apple Podcasts ||| Spotify ||| Google Podcasts Amazon Music ||| Goodpods ||| TuneIn ||| iHeartRadio

Connect with Camp Lo-Fi via social media: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

This episode's track list (title / artist / source / license):

1.  Everybody Stopped Calling Me by Friends Or Whatever [blocSonic] (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) (2010)

2.  In Matacumbo by Cosmic Analog Ensemble [Upitup] (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0) (2013)

3.  Mango Tree by Chandeliers [Free Music Archive] (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0) (2008)

4.  The Shoreline by Big La Vs. Todd [Bandcamp] (2023)

5.  Datenight by Jonny Sonic [Bandcamp] (2010)

6.  Dance To The Drummer's Beat by Dharma [Netlabel Archive] (CC BY-ND-NC 1.0) (1999)

7.  Misunderstood by Lovespirals [Bandcamp] (2023)

8.  Bag Of Nothingness by Comfort Fit [Free Music Archive] (CC BY-NC 3.0) (2009)

9.  The Force May Be With You by Idmonster [Internet Archive] (CC NY-ND-NC 1.0) (2001)

I haven't worked out just how many generations 18 years covers in the world of podcasting, but it's enough to know that it was a vastly different world in 2005.  A world without as many social media bells and whistles, one where few contemplated how artificial intelligence tools could improve their podcasting workflow or how to create episode teasers in the form of audiograms or Instagram reels.  A lot has changed, but some things remain the same.  For me, nothing matters more than the music that I share on the show.  I never wanted to do anything else in podcasting other than champion independent artists and connect the dots between various musical genres through this medium.  

There's a whole lot of music that has been played on this show over 18 years, and it would be foolish to suggest to you that nine songs could cover even a fraction of that time.  However, some of these songs and artists are reminiscent of specific moments within BSOTS history.  The selections from Lovespirals and Big La Vs. Todd represent my connection to the Music Podcasting Consortium, a like-minded collective of avid music supporters and creators that represents my first online community within the podosphere.  Whether Todd Kelley (a.k.a. The Big La) is curating a music mix or in the lab crafting beats of his own, the head nod factor is always priority number one with him.  "The Shoreline" is a calming instrumental piece and one of my personal favorites from his Kneel Before Todd album.  The music of Lovespirals appeared within the first ten episodes of Radio BSOTS and is one of the first podsafe artists ever played on this show.  Their new single "Misunderstood" is a continuation of the ethereal attributes that make their work so special (and besides that, atmospheric drum and bass is the way to my heart).

Over the years, podsafe music resources faded away one by one, but thankfully the Free Music Archive is still around.  Founded in 2009, I've been virtually crate digging through this website since its beginning stages in beta mode, always finding works that have both intrigued and surprised me.  A cut like "Mango Tree" by Chandeliers brings me right back to those early days of searching for music on the FMA.  This one's a total earworm, marrying lyrics and vocals that lean towards folk with an off-kilter funk groove accentuated by the bass, keys, and rhythm guitar.  "Bag Of Nothingness" is another FMA find, where producer Comfort Fit takes the funk and launches full speed into the future,  creating a hip-hop/electronic beat hybrid that stays crunchy even in milk.  

Prior to the FMA's existence, a universe of netlabels brought me in touch with an endless amount of Creative Commons licensed music.  The blocSonic netlabel would have been the first, and I try to represent for their output as often as possible.  The self-titled album by Friends Or Whatever is one of my all-time favorite blocSonic releases and the shimmering brilliance of "Everybody Stopped Calling Me" is just one of the reasons why.  No Type (no longer active) was another netlabel that I came across soon after blocSonic and I fell hard for their focus on experimental electronic music.  The introspective beauty of "The Force May Be With You" by Idmonster is reminiscent of work from labels like Project Mooncircle, the warm chords occasionally disturbed by slivers of voices, clicks, and digital static.  Upitup Records is more of a recent discovery, but the music of Cosmic Analog Ensemble has been played on this show well over a decade ago.  He's a multi-instrumentalist that's capable of creating soulful jazz numbers to sample-heavy hip-hop instrumentals that feel like Madlib during his most leftfield moments.  I cannot stop playing "In Matacumbo" and it would be criminal not to share that cut with you.  The same can be said for "Dance To The Drummer's Beat" by Dharma.  It's impossible to keep still when those breakbeats kick in.  Believe it or not, that cut dates back to 1999, proving that the Creative Commons crates are deep and full of amazing cuts that deserve more exposure.  (Seek and ye shall find.)  It was released on Mono211, a label that stopped releasing music 20 years ago.  Thanks to the efforts of those behind the Netlabel Archive for preserving the works of inactive imprints and ensuring that their output won't be lost forever.

And then there's Jonny Sonic, an artist that ended up becoming the unofficial voice of the BSOTS GONE (buck)WILD episodes.  His music is often punchy and insistent, never forsaking the funk in its approach.  I love the horn section on "Datenight" and how Jonny's voice just seems to cut through his big band that's right behind him.  I've been playing his music since at least 2006 and he's the first artist that I reach for whenever BSOTS needs to blow off some steam.  Should you need some music to bring you back from the brink, here's hoping that the selections within this episode can bring some semblance of peace your way.   ID drops:  Fave, Kahlief Adams, Aspektz, Jonny Sonic, Darrenkeith

Other key info: Macedonia on Mixcloud BSOTS on Bondfire Radio BSOTS 149 - Grooves And Gratitude BSOTS 151 - BUCKWILD:  The Shouting Match Never Really Ended (pt. one) BSOTS 152 - BUCKWILD:  The Shouting Match Never Really Ended (pt. two) Queue Points Show #119 - Exploring The Soundscapes Julien Smith Lost In The Sauce Bloc Discovery Sessions

The content of this show has been released under a CC-BY-SA license.  All works within this show retain their original releases.  See the show notes at bsots.com for more information.

Another BSOTS podcast episode for the people...

[thetoxicgamer]

With Easter Eggs in the Worlds 2023 Teaser Trailer, Riot May Be Allude to a New LOL Skin Collection

While League of Legends fans are eagerly anticipating the start of the Worlds season, Riot Games appears to be preparing something exciting for the end of the year. In a recent video, renowned esports commentator Clayton "CaptainFlowers" Raines provides an overview of upcoming events in the next two months, coinciding with the ongoing Worlds tournament. This includes the return of Nexus Blitz, the introduction of League's new Coven skins, Jax's visual update, and Worlds-themed event passes. https://twitter.com/LeagueOfLegends/status/1712120879155695807 Towards the end of the video, a brief teaser is shown, featuring a series of rapidly changing images accompanied by a voice asking, "What is that?" The video seems to be compromised by an unidentified entity, issuing warnings that fans are under remote camera surveillance. Another screen displays a restricted access message, alongside an unfamiliar icon not previously seen in Riot Games' content. Following this, the screen prominently displays "The World Is Ours" in bold text, featuring a logo of a head silhouette with a crosshair over the eye area. This is the second instance of a crosshair over an eye in the video. The "hacked" segment concludes with a distorted heart logo before returning to the standard Worlds graphics package. Speculation is rife that this could be a teaser for a new line of skins that will be launched during or after Worlds. The speculation is fueled by the expectation of a new music group debuting during the event. Notably, rumors surfaced in the K-pop community when the popular boy band ATEEZ was spotted visiting Riot's L.A. headquarters earlier in the summer. While some initially believed ATEEZ might be the artist behind the Worlds anthem, this was disproven with the release of the official anthem featuring the popular girl group NewJeans. However, there remains a possibility that ATEEZ could be involved in a later skin release. Adding to the intrigue, the group has been releasing EPs titled "The World," suggesting a possible connection to the frame in Riot's video. Fans will need to stay patient and await official announcements as the month progresses, with Worlds scheduled to continue until November 19. Read the full article

[akaraboonline]

9 Habits That Make You Smarter Every Day

Many people believe intelligence is static – you’re born either smart or not so smart, and there’s not much you can do to change it. However, scientific research on neuroplasticity reveals that the brain can form new neural pathways and alter its cognitive abilities throughout life. Your intelligence is far more malleable than you may think. Engaging in daily habits that challenge, stretch, and exercise your mind can make you more intelligent. If you always considered yourself not a quick learner, needed help focusing, or feared public speaking, you can improve these mental capabilities with purposeful habit change. In this post, we will explore nine lifestyle habits with proven benefits to become more intelligent daily through reading, writing, learning, exercising, and engaging your brain in new ways. Implementing even a few of these routines will set you on the path toward reaching your cognitive potential.

1. Read Challenging Books

Reading stimulates the mind like little else. Consuming complex books trains the areas of your brain responsible for focus, vocabulary, imagination, and critical thinking. Mix up fiction and non-fiction books on diverse topics to get the mental workout. Challenge yourself by selecting books above your average reading level. Just 30 minutes of reading quality literature daily over time will strengthen your intellect. For example, Amit challenged himself to read higher-level texts on physics despite having no science background. Looking up unfamiliar terms and visualizing complex concepts stretched his cognitive abilities.

2. Learn A New Skill

Exposing your brain to novel skills forces it to construct new neural pathways. Pick up hobbies like learning a musical instrument, studying a foreign language, coding, pottery, photography, cross stitching, or any creative endeavor. Choose beginner classes or online courses and dedicate time to practice. The frustration of struggling through the learning curve is exercising your brain! Julia committed to learning essential web development online after work. The left-brain logical thinking required was the opposite of her right-brain dominant graphic design career, giving her brain plasticity.

3. Do Brain Training Games And Puzzles

Puzzles and brain teasers flex mental muscles that sharpen with regular use. Start easy with crosswords, word searches, and number puzzles, then work up to more complex logic and memory games. Programs like Lumosity offer personalized training. Just 10-15 minutes of mindful engagement strengthens your cognitive capacities. The challenge keeps your brain young. Ravi begins each morning doing the daily Sudoku puzzle in the paper. Completing these number games primes his mind for analytical focus. He notices this quick habit boosts his productivity all day.

4. Write Down Your Thoughts

The act of writing engages diverse cognitive functions as you articulate ideas. Try free-flow journaling about thoughts, making detailed to-do lists, taking notes on online lectures or books, or creative writing. Handwriting stimulates the brain more than typing. But any writing forces your brain to strengthen connections and build mental stamina. Through journaling, Laila challenged herself to write 750 words daily on any random topic. Constantly generating ideas to write strengthened her vocabulary, memory, and imagination.

5. Have Intellectually Stimulating Conversations

Conversing with others challenges you to think in real time. The intellectually stimulating discussion expands your knowledge and perspectives. Initiate more profound talks beyond boring small talk by discussing news, theories, philosophical ideas, or current issues with friends. Debate and play devil’s advocate rather than just agreeing. Just make sure to listen as much as you speak. Juan met weekly with a colleague at work to discuss interesting podcasts over lunch. Their wide-ranging intellectual discussions taught them new ways of thinking. Juan noticed his conversational abilities had greatly improved.

6. Continuously Learn New Information

Exposing your mind to new knowledge and perspectives boosts your intelligence by creating more neural connections. Make learning something new every day a habit. Listen to educational podcasts during your commute. Take free online courses on Coursera or EdX on topics you want to learn more about. Read widely on diverse topics. Follow current events. Never stop being curious. During college, Simone got into the habit of listening to podcasts while walking rather than music. Learning new things during this downtime expanded her general knowledge on many topics. Years later, she still spends an hour a day listening to enriching podcasts.

7. Step Outside Your Comfort Zone

Challenging your mind to move beyond its habitual comfort zone causes intelligence gains. Say yes to opportunities that make you nervous or uncomfortable as they force the brain to adapt. Try public speaking, debate, acting, or giving presentations at work. The more you can bring yourself to do things you feel unqualified for, the more you’ll grow. Mark used to avoid work presentations, fearing speaking publicly. When asked to give a product demo, he reluctantly agreed—preparing forced him to improve his knowledge and practice explaining concepts clearly under pressure. The experience was validating.

8. Limit Mindless Internet Surfing

While the internet offers a wealth of information, overuse dulls the brain. Compulsive scrolling and site hopping fragments focus and attention. Set limits on low-value web time to avoid mental laziness. Replace aimless browsing with more enriching activities that require concentration, like reading books. Zara’s endless scrolling left her unable to focus for long periods. She started using an internet blocker to restrict access to social media and random sites. Replacing this with reading developed her attention span.

9. Exercise Regularly

Physical activity delivers oxygen and blood flow that energizes the brain. Cardio, strength training, and yoga have proven mental benefits. Shoot for 150 minutes of moderate exercise like brisk walks or bike rides weekly. Moving your body releases hormones that boost neuron growth. Just 30 minutes a day keeps your mind engaged and energized. Since starting a running habit, Abbie noticed she could concentrate longer and recall information more quickly. Daily exercise clears her mind, reduces anxiety, and improves her mental focus and acuity.

Case Study: How Daily Habits Transformed Kyle’s Life

Kyle always considered himself a slow learner with poor memory. He flunked out of college and struggled to hold down jobs due to difficulty learning new skills. His low self-esteem made him avoid anything intellectually challenging. After discovering research on neuroplasticity, Kyle realized he could expand his intelligence through purposeful daily habits. He began reading challenging fiction, learning the guitar, doing crossword puzzles, writing in a journal, taking free online courses, having meaningful discussions with a like-minded friend, and limiting social media use to one hour daily. Within eight months, Kyle noticed significant gains in reading comprehension, attention span, verbal fluency, and memory. Picking up new skills became easier. He felt motivated to apply to vocational college, build professional skills, and push his mental abilities further. Kyle serves as a powerful example that intelligence is malleable, not fixed. With grit and the proper habits, you can raise your cognitive capabilities, no matter your starting point.

Conclusion

Becoming smarter is within your control if you commit to daily habits that train your brain cognitively and creatively. Small, consistent efforts like reading complex books, writing regularly, learning new skills, puzzling, meaningful conversations, exercising, stepping outside your comfort zones, and limiting internet overuse compound over time to build your intelligence. While establishing new habits feels uncomfortable, sticking with smart routines expands your abilities. What once seemed challenging will become easier as your mind grows more robust. Wherever you are starting from intellectually, purposeful habit change can unlock your hidden potential. If you’ve always seen yourself as not the sharpest tool in the shed, don’t despair. With grit and determination, you can become stronger every day. The brain is plastic and wants to learn. Feed your mind daily with novel, complex input, which will raise your cognitive capacities. You can be as smart as you choose through targeted daily habits over time. Expand your intellectual horizons and watch your abilities blossom. Read the full article

[gardenpolh]

Fanny brice

Thirteen years after her death she was portrayed by Barbara Streisand in Funny Girl, the hit musical about her life. Her successful career earned her the Grammy Hall of Fame award for her hit single “My Man,” and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her second husband, also the father of her two children, served three years in a penitentiary and disappeared when he was released. There is no director who can direct you like an audience.” She experienced the typical amount of upheaval in her personal life that often seems to follow performers. Fanny Brice originally did My Man, My Man. She said, “Your audience gives you everything you need. Fanny Brice covered Id Rather Be Blue, Second Hand Rose and If You Want the Rainbow (You Must Have the Rain). Another version by Ted Lewis and His Band charted at 2. She ended up singing in a burlesque house, which was the least competitive performance venue at the time, and was discovered there by Ziegfeld who made her a star in his famous Ziegfeld Follies that same year.īrice relied on the response of the audience rather than her directors. Great song Introduced by Fanny Brice in the 'Ziegfeld Follies of 1921'. She got her start in a talent contest when she was 13 and won first prize for the song “When You Know You’re Not Forgotten by the Girl You Can’t Forget.” She left school to pursue a career in the music industry, but she failed in her first attempts. Lea Michele's return to Broadway is rapidly approaching she takes over the role of Fanny Brice in Funny Girl beginning September 6.In anticipation, the production shared on their social media. Marital problems caused the family to separate, and as a result Brice ended up in New York, settling in Brooklyn. Her father was a bartender and her mother worked in a factory. Julie Benko will play the lead role of Fanny Brice in Funny Girl at the August Wilson Theater until August 31, 2022, after which point she will play the role every Thursday as an alternate to Lea Michele.Like many performers of her time, Brice did it all singer, actress, comedian, and radio personality. Fanny Brice was a popular and influential American comedienne, singer, theatre and film actress, who made many stage, radio and film appearances but is best remembered as the creator and star of the top-rated radio comedy series, The Baby Snooks Show. For the month of August, however, the stage belongs to Benko. The character of Brice herself mirrors Benko's story in many ways - a young actress that nobody knows proves she's got what it takes to be a Broadway star.įeldstein's tenure in Funny Girl ended on July 31st, and it was announced that Glee's Lea Michele would take over the role on September 1. Shot in black-and-white, the teaser shows Michele rehearsing for the show along. As Benko played more performances, audiences fell more and more in love with her, cheering her on as Fanny Brice. On Friday, Broadway’s Funny Girl officially revealed the first footage of Lea Michele as lead Fanny Brice. Arnstein, here Lea Michele is The Emmy nominated actress will return to Broadway this September, stepping into the role of Fanny Brice in the revival. Ambitious and determined, she never let setbacks deter her from pursuing. Julie Benko '13 (BFA, Drama)/'21 (MFA, Graduate Acting) was hired to play the understudy to Beanie Feldstein's 'Fanny Brice' in the Funny Girl revival. Find the location of Fanny Brices star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, read a biography, see related stars and browse a map of important places in their. However, Brice spent three years on the Eastern Burlesque Circuit perfecting her skill. Emmy nominee Lea Michele is taking over the. Legendary musical Funny girl will have a new lead actress stepping in as Fanny Brice. Today, the 2022 Funny Girl revival may be doing the same for another up-and-comer - just not the one people may have expected. In just over a week, big changes are coming to Broadway. When Funny Girl first premiered on Broadway in 1964, the show (and subsequent movie) helped propel a young Barbara Streisand into stardom. Fanny Brice was a popular and influential American illustrated song model, comedienne, singer, theatre and film actress, who made many stage, radio and. The Development & Alumni Relations Team.Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music.Rita & Burton Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing.Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film & Television The real Fanny Brice was, in her time, a tremendously popular comedienne who first established herself in vaudeville and later in radio, portraying her.

[becomingbts]

Time heals (sometimes) - Teaser 1

Summary: 6 years ago, (Y/N) thought that she was finally taking her life into her hands, leaving behind a toxic and abusive relationship with a man who taught her she’d never be worthy of love. However, it became hard to ignore his words when she met her seven soulmates who rejected her without even giving her a chance to prove herself. It took (Y/N) 3 years to realize that it wouldn’t be her end. She would live on to prove them all wrong; she would become what they all thought she wasn’t: someone worthy of love. And as she stands proudly on the stage, under the burning spotlights and the applause and the cries of the delirious crowd, she feels alive. Alive, just like the bond she believed to be broken.

Pairings: Y/N x OT7

GENRE: Soulmate AU!, Idol Y/NAU!, semi social-media AU!, ANGST (mainly), fluff, romance, maybe smut in the series.

Ask or comment to be tagged!

Warnings: The series is going to be heavy with a lot of personal experiences mixed into the fiction, so this is going to be kind of therapeutic for me. Please, consider not reading the series if you are not comfortable with: abandonment issues, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, self-harm (not descriptive and only part of MC’s past), suicide thoughts (in the past), toxic behavior, toxic and abusive relationship (in the past), depreciating self-talk and low self-esteem, a lot of curse, physical and mental pain, near death experience situation (in the past), and maybe smut scenes (happy ending though, but it will probably be quite the ride).

NOTE: I was thinking of “Moonchild” and for some reasons, some memories I’d prefer to have forgotten came back to my mind and instead of making a full-blown panic attack like I used to, I thought that it would make a great plot if I mingled that with a soulmate and idol verse and that’s how I started going into it. This is going to be loaded with personal experiences, even if they’ll probably be a bit differently explained compared to what I experienced. Despite the heavy themes and many warnings, I hope you guys will like it. I think I really needed to write it. It will be a semisocial media AU!, because I like the idea of being to write some of their conversations through texts. However, I do plan on fully writing most of it. Though, you’ll have some updates about their social medias as I will update their profiles soon after you see this. I will probably mix a lot of different media for this story such as songs written and produced by myself. I’ll upload for real MC’s EP. So expect a lot for this story. Please take well care, feedback is always very warmly welcomed, it helps me to write for real. If you need to talk to someone, my dms are always opened and if you really don’t feel well, please call urgency numbers.

Thank you for reading,

-Dolly

"And we will close our night show with the most awaited segment! The audience jumped during the commercial break, it's amazing how many people just joined us! Welcome to our interview segment and especially, welcome and thank you so much for being with us Moon!”

"Of course, thank you for having me on your radio show." 

"Thank you for coming! I have to mention that this is your very first interview with another media than your usual personal platforms like Vlive, YouTube, or Instagram, so we are honored to be the first ones to greet you! Do you plan on making more activities outside your personal schedule for the promotion of your new album?" 

"If I may be honest, not really. I'm the most comfortable in my own safe zone and I tend to try not to get out of it too often. It might close some doors to me but I'm comfortable with my fans that way. However, I often listen to this radio show and a lot of my fans were enthusiastic about that so I thought: why not."

"Ah, thank you so much, it means a lot! Your fans are indeed a strong community and they support you whether you go to TV shows or not. Besides, you've been a very active artist on social media and your whole career started on YouTube and SoundCloud before you signed to your current agency. We have to congratulate you on your journey! It's barely been two years but here you are, with your second EP 'People'! Congratulations on the release!" 

"Thank you very much."

“For our listeners who might not know who Moon is, I’m going to introduce her to you: Moon, your real name is (Y/N), you were born on August 4th, 1998, Incheon and your mother was American so you pursued your studies in America. You have been taking online classes since the start of your career at the HULT, university of Florida, and even recently got your Business Bachelor, now aiming for a Ph.D. You started your journey on Youtube, uploading covers and vlogs until you finally started producing your own songs, releasing them on Soundcloud. You started gaining a lot of followers; thus, you started on other social media such as Twitter or Instagram. One year ago, you release your first EP called ‘BALANCE’  which is the reason why the music label BigHit reached to you and asked you if you wanted to sign with them. Did I get everything right?”

“You are. It feels like you know my life better than I do.”

"Ah not at all, but thank you, I am glad that I didn’t say something wrong! Would you mind sharing the concept of this EP? Many of your fans probably already know but maybe some of our daily listeners might not!" 

"Of course. As you said, 'People' is my second EP, yet the first to be studio recorded. Signing with BigHit is a big step in my career and it created a lot of changes, hence I decided to focus on the people I have met, stayed with, became close to, or detached myself from… This is dedicated to the people who changed my life, whether they intended to or not. It could be interpreted as my social life diary in a way." 

"I see, many of your fans have said that the album held a very distinct duality, with a bright and a much darker side that made quite the storm on social media. ‘Y/N our Moon’ and ‘MOONISBACK’ trended for a few nights on Twitter. Do you have anything you'd like to say about that?" 

"I guess it was a surprise because this mini-album is really raw and uncensored. I didn't try to sugarcoat it nor to romanticize my experiences. I hope it brings comfort to people who haven't been feeling well. Because I think that it’s always easy to say that it's going to be okay to someone who’s not feeling well. Everything doesn’t suddenly become okay. And it's fine to be hurting, you can learn to live with this pain and move on while still hoping for better days. There is no end to hopes, and this is why my EP has a brighter side to it. Not everything is always a vast cold ocean. Sometimes, there are small or big waves that come crashing into our universe and they form something that we couldn't have imagined. They bring a little piece of sunshine in life and it helps to move on. So I hope that people who are struggling know that, despite how insignificant I might be, there is a person that understands and can relate to their struggles. I hope it can comfort them, even just slightly, to know that they are not alone." 

"That's a beautiful way to put it."

"Ah, thank you." 

"I have to ask because I'm really curious and I’m definitely not the only one: a lot of your fans have been theorizing about who could your title track ‘TIME’ be about? I have to ask you on the behalf of everyone. Is it okay for me to break the mystery?" 

"Time is a track that shouldn’t have made it to the EP. It’s a bit like a fit of personal anger that I didn’t know I needed to let out.”

“Your anger was definitely heard and understood. People have been curious about the addressee of the song especially because of the line ‘maybe it’s time I finally let go of you’. So can you tell us who is it about?” 

“Uh...Time was written for my seven soulmates who rejected me years ago." 

"Seven!?"

"Yeah, it's a lot I know.”

“Is that why you have covered your soul mark with this tattoo on your arm? Netizens talked about it a lot; normally idols tend to cover their arm from the public eyes to avoid for their soulmates’ names to be known, but instead, you were proudly showing your tattooed arm, fully covering what might be under the ink. Many people assumed that it meant that you didn’t have a soulmate at all.” 

“Well, I decided to cover the mark because there was no reason for me to keep it without hurting myself. I decided that I have been hurt enough to let myself take a rest. I didn’t see the point in hiding my arm either, I’m proud of my tattoo, I mean; it’s really a beautiful piece in my opinion. But to answer the assumptions, I don’t consider that I have soulmates anymore, hence why the tattoo as well." 

"This is really a heartbreaking story, it must have been extremely hard. Breaking a soul bond is immensely dangerous, my link with my husband already itches when I spend the day away from him, so seven soul bonds? It must have been terrible." 

"It was, but the most important is where I am now. I'm not lingering on that anymore because they made their choices and I thus made mine. I just hope that they all are healthy and happy where they are." 

"I have to say I'm really impressed (Y/N)-shi, you really have a delicate and caring soul. I probably wouldn't be able to have such soft words about your soulmates had I been in your shoes."

"I think living the actual experience made me reflect on myself a lot. I'm comfortable where I am now, I'm able to do music and make what I love. I have nothing to complain about, I'm surrounded by lovely and supportive fans, I have the best manager I could have ever hoped for and a warm and healthy family. I don't need more on my side." 

"I'm glad you are happy then. Many of your fans have pointed out it's really hard to make you smile and some wonder if you are happy, especially after the release of ‘TIME’, I don’t blame some of your fans for being worried." 

"Ahhh, is smiling the only way to prove that we are happy? I believe my words are usually a bit more impactful than my facial expressions. I have to admit that I don't often smile, it's not a bad thing, at least I don't think so, but I just don't feel the need to smile when I don’t feel like it. Besides, I get shy easily when I expose my emotions too much." 

"It's hard to imagine you being shy but at the same time now that I have you in front of me, our listeners cannot see you, but I definitely feel that you have a very shy and reserved aura despite the energy you give off when you are on stage. It’s not unfriendly either, but you’re just very soft-spoken and quiet in everything you do. Like when you came in, I barely heard you entering at all; you’re just silently making your way without a fuss, it’s really endearing, to be honest."

"Ah... I’ve been told that my stage persona and the ‘me’ in real life were two different entities but I don’t really think it’s true. I'm extremely introverted and it doesn't really mix well with the stage. So I just put it on the side for the people who came to see me and deserve to see more than a 24 years old woman who has troubles speaking without stuttering in front of other people." 

"You stutter when you have to speak in front of other people?" 

"Sometimes it happens when I’m nervous, and I’m very often nervous. Like right now, I’m extremely nervous. But it's something I'm working on." 

"Well it's definitely paying off because I couldn't sense that you were nervous at all, just very calm and soft, but I wouldn’t be able to imagine you being nervous enough to stutter."

"A lot of artists actually have stage fright, most of them just don't want to admit it because it doesn't sound sexy when you tell your fans you're actually shaking before going up there for the show." 

"This is very true, but it's refreshing to hear it from someone who actually lives through that rather than fan theories." 

"That's understandable." 

"Our time is coming to the end, do you have anything you would like to add before we sadly get our mics taken away?" 

"Oh uhm, everyone, my new mini-album 'People' came out very recently and yet it already received a lot of love so I want to thank you for that. This EP was a very personal project and I was worried about how it would be welcomed but you all made me realize that I have nothing to fear because we'll always find someone who can relate to our stories. As long as I can help even one person with my songs, then it's enough for me. Thank you for listening to me and my voice. I hope we'll be able to meet soon. Love you my fans and non-fans as well, please take well care of yourselves in those times. Be careful and stay safe. Wear your mask!" 

“Thank you so much Moon for being with us tonight. Our time was short but I really enjoyed it, I hope our listeners were able to feel that very warm presence of yours through the mic. ‘Give Me A Song’ of Moon’s EP ‘People’ will now be playing and we will see each other tomorrow night with IU for the release of her new album LILAC. Take care!”

Comments or Ask to be tagged!

Uploaded : 08/04/2021

[thepriceofbeingaroseisloneliness]

Spice e-plus interview Die & Toshiya 27th April 2021

DIR EN GREY:  What’s the current mood of a band that chose to move forward even in times of Corona? DIR EN GREY is releasing their 32nd single "Oboro" on April 28th. After a series of cancellations and postponements of their lives due to the Corona outbreak, the band continues to move forward with activities such as “Explosive screening ‘Meguro Rock-May-Kan GIG”, an unattended live performance recorded at Meguro Rock-May-Kan GIG,  that is being screened at live houses all over the country. We asked Die (Gt) and Toshiya (Ba) remotely about the shocking music video, the new song "Oboro", and the current band mood.

Notes before reading: This is Die and Toshiya’s interview for the Japanese website Spice E-plus published on April 27th. Feel free to correct me if you spot any mistakes or any confusing parts. Links or credits to this post when the content is reposted or captured in other SNS is appreciated :) --- Original interview: Here

Text by:  Yohsuke Hayakawa ---This interview was done on the last day of the  “Explosive screening ‘Meguro Rock-May-Kan GIG” but, even though there is no audience in that live, the band could play together on a stage for the first time in a while.

Die: That’s right. There was no audience, however at the time of recording there were some moments in which it was difficult to play as there were no limits. The fact we were able to get together for the first time in a long time and play together as a band was simply touching/ emotional.  However, it becomes difficult if you can’t see the audience. Last year we did an unattended live broadcast but that was the first time and as it was broadcasted in real time, I was nervous. In that sense, this time was a bit different from the previous live without audience we did. -How was the “Meguro Rock-May-Kan GIG” for you, Toshiya? Toshiya: First of all, I think it was the best thing to be able to show movement as a band. Also, I’d say overwhelming? About being able to play together, I think the words I’d use would be “happy” and “fun”.

-Ah, it felt like returning to a place that it’s like the origin of the band. Toshiya: That’s right. When the five of us played together for the first time, it was interesting and fun, somehow, I think I was really nervous about it. It’s not something that paralyzes you, I think it was a natural feeling after all. In this special environment because of Corona, it was like the first time we played together, I thought again “after all, this is it”. -In terms of freshness, you also had the chance to play “Ochita koto no aru Sora” (digital single released in August 2020) live for the first time. Toshiya:  Yes. After all, I could realize that as opposed to when you play it with headphones, the rhythm is adjusted in an atmosphere in which the air is moving around. Die: Actually, I felt it was a song that felt familiar and I was playing it while feeling that if we went on tour, I would be able to create more and more grooves.

“ We can’t play lives but as we are making songs for the album, we are moving forward. I’m hopeful because of that” (Die) -Along with the latest songs, there were some nostalgic songs that suit “Meguro Rock-May-Kan GIG”, especially “JEALOUS” was a surprise. Moreover, it was the original version, not the “reverse” one. Die: Hahaha. Well, we’ve played old songs on the "mode of ~" tours, so it’s a song we can still play. However, the tempo of the songs at that time was too different from what it is now (laughs).  It’s simple, but it feels like I’m playing a song from another band. Toshiya: Regarding “JEALOUS”, we were planning to play it at the cancelled tour『TOUR20 Sogai』 - I didn’t expect to heart it at this timing.  Hearing it after a long time…. the impression I got is that the sense of consistency has increased in “JEALOUS”. Die: Hehehe. Toshiya: I think that's right. As we didn’t listen to the click (of the metronome) in the old songs, if someone was going faster, everyone would go faster to keep up the rhythm, and if someone messed up, everyone would be drawn into that.  In that sense, I had a lot of freedom but as recent songs (the rhythm) are matched by this clicking, in order to do that, I tried “JEALOUS” using a metronome this time. That’s why I think you got that impression that it “clicked”. Die: Well, I think we should had done it more freely.  Not using a metronome click as we used to do, the tempo of the song is determined by the feeling of the venue. Certainly, at that time, everyone was doing it like that so I wish we could do it in that way this time too. Toshiya: Yes, that way is a possibility as well. If we have a chance, I think it would be good to do it in such a highly flexible situation. Well, from time to time there will be different rhythms within the band, if the members are simply playing at that moment and doing well, I think the audience will listen to it naturally  and will go with it comfortably. -I see. So, it’s been said for a while you were in the process of making an album, has your mindset changed since when you were working in “Ochita koto no aru Sora", which was done in a relatively early stage of this Corona situation, until now? Die: For me personally, I don't think it has changed. From the beginning, my feelings are heading towards a new album. We are releasing a single this time, but we were working on arranging different songs in parallel, so the mood is basically the same. We haven't been able to play lives since last year due to the corona, but that doesn't mean we've changed the way we make it. Basically, it hasn’t changed our way of working remotely. “When I listened to the melody, I felt the hope that "I'm sure we can make something beyond our imagination next time." (Toshiya) -So, how about you, Toshiya? T: Personally, there have been quite a few changes during that time. The world situation has changed due to the Corona situation and I wondered if we could released the single we made and if the fans would listen to it. I want to play concerts but I can’t do it……how could say it?....this is my point of view but….it’s like I didn’t know what’s the purpose of the band, it’s a bit confusing for me. It's a big thing for me to think that way. Well, now I feel like I have no choice but to move forward. Until that seemed like that, I was thinking where I should rely on, I felt like, where should I set a goal? -Do you mean now after such a period? I wonder if there was a moment in which those feelings you had went up as the new songs for the album took shape. Toshiya: That's right. I haven't seen the goal yet, but I'm working on pre-production with the band right now. After that there will be a period in which the songs will be released. I was listening to the songs that the members brought there, and it was really interesting for me. -Oh, is it interesting? T: Yes. It's completely different from the songs I made myself, and when they pass through the filters of each members, they become versatile and I think that’s very interesting. I don't actually see the members face to face and interact with them but when I listened to the songs, I felt the hope that "Oh, I'm sure we can make something beyond our imagination next time". I think the other members  might also hope for that, or renewed their feelings like about it like, "I have to do my best for DIR EN GREY". Die: Well, about that you mentioned, making songs for the album ... You can see hope as Toshiya said, we can’t play lives, but we're moving forward. I feel hope in that. -That you had to work on the album during this corona situation had a positive effect on your mind. Die: But after all, there is a continuous cycle for the band, touring and producing, and one of them is missing. I don't feel the that tension there. So, while thinking “There is nothing we can about it because we can’t play lives", we are making the next new album and continuing with the hope that later we will be able to tour again. -As a result of concentrating on production in such an environment, do you feel a good response in what you are creating now? T: Of course, there is a response, but I wonder if it’s really good to pack our current feelings together in it. I haven’t found a decisive factor yet. Several complications came out quite a bit but, maybe it’s the way it is now, and it and I guess it’s not over yet. Die: Rather than “in this kind of situation”, the hurdles are simply rising. Everyday, there are many....many....(laughs) -Hahaha. Was that so? Die: Yes. It’s always the same but, if you find a keyword or a hint to the next album, it will lead you to make several songs. Now I think it is still part of our work to find that. I can’t really say at this point what kind of specific feeling is but, if we find it, we can change the shift, or it will be easier to find the direction of the album. Right now, we are exploring this aspect and we haven’t come to any conclusion yet. There will be a moment  it would be like “this is the atmosphere” and it will flow in that way, so I guess it will be easier to go that way. We have no option but explore it further. “It's been 24 years since the band was formed, and it’s like the challenges we are going through are also reflected in the MV, it’s not like we are going to sit back and rest on our laurels” (Die) -I think the song that gives you a glimpse of how the next album will be it’s the new single “Oboro”. At the time of this interview, just the 15- second MV teaser was released but….no, it already is having a strong impact! Toshiya: Hehehe Die: (Smiles)  As for the MV, the concrete idea came out from Kyo, and from that idea everyone went to do it in that direction but, well, it’s like it can’t be done without us, right? It’s been 24 years since the formation, and it seems that the things we are challenging are also reflecting in things like that. It’s not like we are going to sit back and rest on our laurels. -Yes. I feel you are a band that doesn’t know the meaning of “withering” and in a good sense, doesn’t settle down. Die: That’s right. When I was shooting the MV, I talked a bit with Kyo, I was like “Isn’t this too edgy? It’s too much”. Probably, I think that a scene like this can be shown firmly even in a MV where only 5 people play, and I think  it can be expressed in a simple form, but DIR EN GREY isn’t just there, after all, I thought we had to beat in/smash down more and more. So, the MV set this time reminded me of the atmosphere when we debuted, I was feeling like it was still aggressive and no good. -In an era when there is a call for compliance/ obedience, you must have an image of reliance. Die: Haha. But there is a part that it can’t be played (on TV etc…) (laughs). -It’s true (laughs). Toshiya: Well, so this is also part of DIR EN GREY. This talk we just had, I wonder if this scene with the five members playing is also part of what DIR EN GREY is. Personally speaking, I want to try to go to other places rather than this one at the next chance. I still don’t know what that would be, and when it comes to what we are actually going to do, I think everyone, including myself, will be concerned about it again. However, if some form remains, I would like to do something that it’s constantly evolving. -When it comes to the style of your MVs, you want to be a band that has no limits. Toshiya: That's right. For example, DIR EN GREY is gloomy, isn't it? DIR EN GREY is heavy, difficult, and intense, isn't it? Of course, I think it's an option that we can be caught like that (in a MV) but if we even want to surprise ourselves, after all I think I want us to keep working as hard as we can. I’m sure we jumped over those limits but maybe….just maybe….I think that’s  the things the 5 members are looking for…. -In 24 years of activity as a band,  if now it’s time to shake off everywhere, that’s your strength as a band. Toshiya: Yes, I think so. -So, "Oboro" is a ballad with a power and lyrics unique to DIR EN GREY, I felt  the core was made in a way to make you listen to the song and the live  performance of it in a fresh shape. It’s because each part is powerful, even though there are instruments in it that are not the usual ones in the band. As for the arrangements that the band did, was it simply a scraping work? Die: Now it’s simpler than it used to be, we’ve been focusing more on how to make the sound that’s in more powerful than actually just adding more. As I had that mental image,without overdubbing  the guitar arrangement as much as possible, I went in the direction of reducing it. It might be a bad way to say this but, I approached the arrangements with the feeling that this is what I’m going to play live later, so it was like “don’t do anything crafty/pretentious”. -It seems that you are using a Fender Jazzmaster for recording, did you do that choice because of what you just said? Die: That's right.  After all, for chord stroke parts, etc… I’m going to play with that guitar and that tone quality later. So, when I tried to use that kind of chord progression for the first time in a while, it was simple, but it felt like something fresh. It really resonated with me, and when I listened to it myself, I simply thought, "Oh, that's good" (laughs). -Hahaha. That’s good. Is that feeling of being a raw band an essential point for you? Die: Well, that's right. At the so-called chorus part,  it wasn’t  just about filling the backing with the low notes of the guitar. I also took on a new challenge to be able to see the scenery further. “I think there will surely be something that makes it fun for the band, fun to match our sounds again, there will be something that it’s going to feel interesting for sure.” (Toshiya) -I see. Also, the bass phrase is a basic one, but it’s done with an approach that makes each note stand out, including the tone quality/timbre. Toshiya: Regarding “Oboro”, I simply thought  the dynamic image of it would be the most attractive thing, so I wanted to hear each and every sound without really doing anything extra. Up until now, there were too many things we wanted to do, and we wanted to include that and this as well, I had a sound barrier, but I couldn't hear what I wanted to hear. While narrowing down the main points and making it possible to listen to each part you want to hear firmly, still, each of the members started  working on it with the idea that to be able to listen to each part of it would be the virtue of this composition. - As a result, the bass sounds with a thick sound image that has a strong presence. Toshiya: That's right. At the end, I think the part where you can hear the sound of the bass alone is quite distorted, but that is the tone through all the song, and the sound is quite distorted. However, when the sounds overlap, the low feeling is more noticeable than the distortion. Normally, if it is distorted, it tends to overlap  when you join all the parts. However, as I said earlier, each member was thinking about how they wanted to hear their own sound, and even if it is distorted very much, the sound has a strong presence. I think I was able to reach such a result firmly. -While setting up the coordination/the harmony of  the musical instruments, is your main idea oriented toward making a song “that makes people listen to it”? Toshiya: Yes, I have in mind that it’s going to become a song. After all, it’s because I’m thinking it will be a full song. However, I think at that point the band sound has become unbeatable. Die: First of all, the basics of a song (without the lyrics) start once the instrumental part is recorded.  At that point, I still have no idea what kind of song we are getting into, so after the approach of how it’s going to be the singing part actually comes, the task is replacing some parts with a backing that makes the most of the lyrics. I’m always trying to figure out how to make the lyrics stand out. -I'm looking forward to hearing "Oboro" live, but recently you announced a live performance at the Tokyo Garden Theater ("Sogai") on May 6th. After cancelling the tour and Pia Arena MM performance scheduled last year,  does this live performance with audience mean that, after all you have been through, you can see a way that the band can perform in this situation? (* It was announced that this "Sogai" live will be postponed due to the announcement of the state of emergency on April 23rd.) Toshiya: The members and the staff included talked about this a lot, but in the end, after a lot of discussions we came to the conclusion that it couldn’t be “as under these circumstances we can’t do it, we won’t do it’  but rather, the talk went into the direction of “If we don’t do it, we won’t accomplish anything”, of course, there is a national guideline for lives and we have to obey it. While thinking about that, as for DIR EN GREY, nothing will work unless we take action. If you don't take a step, nothing will happen. If you don't move now and say "Let's wait for the time to come",  it’s more like, “when will that time come?”. - That's true. Toshiya: Then, instead of waiting for the time to come, we thought it would be better to make "now" the right time for us. - While there is a change in your previous mindset, you made the best choice you can make now. Toshiya: That’s right.  Our mindset is simply different from those days. Die: As Toshiya said, if you don't experience a live performance during Corona, nothing will come out, and if you simply say, “we won't do a live concert during Corona," that's all. I think we should also have the experience of a live performance under the regulations. At the moment, we can’t ask everyone to come, but it's important for the future that we don't wait without moving at all, that we take a step forward and experience this kind of live. It’s a live that was decided with no idea of how it will turn out. -Is it necessary for yourselves to continue the band in the future? Is it also a trigger/spark for you? Toshiya: Yes. We felt that we couldn't get anything unless we acted on our own to get something. We had a discussion about what we could do while following the guidelines, and we thought that it was the live concert that would be the spark/trigger for us, so I would like to take on the challenge of the next live concert with that decision. As I mentioned at the beginning of this interview, I think there will surely be something that makes it fun for the band, fun to match our sounds again, there will be something that it’s going to feel interesting for sure. In addition, although there is a limit on the number of people who can attend the live, this time there will be  audience there. It’s a commonplace but, I think we can get something like a synergistic effect by colliding with the people who is going to come. - It will finally be a live  with audience in front of you. Die: That's right. However, the hurdles are still rising. You have to make a live concert following a guideline such as half of the capacity of the venue or not being able to shout/scream. I don't think it's good to say, "As the audience can’t shout/scream, we are not sure about doing it". Since we decided to do it, I think we have to do a DIR EN GREY live that has never been seen before. The future setlist and so, we have to change the method itself…. There is no point in doing it unless we get to convince all the fans who come to see us under these circumstances. “I’m glad I came”, “I’m glad I was able to see it”, things like that, I want to make a live that everyone can think of.

[balletroyale]

Asked and Answered: Royal Ballet

I’m trying to watch all the different versions of Romeo and Juliet I can find, but MacMillan is proving to be a problem: there are too many recordings! Do you have a specific cast I should go for? I’m really lost about this one

I would pick Sarah Lamb and Steven McRae! 

love your blog! curious to hear your thoughts on akane takada's swan lake?

I never managed to track the recording down! Or I did and then didn’t have time to watch it... Going to see it in May though!

i wish wheeldon would bring his cinderella to royal so i can see sarah lamb do the lead, i think it would suit her perfectly!

I really don’t... I would much rather the Royal (finally) perform Ashton’s Cinderella again, which I think is the stronger production. 

love your blog!! wondering how you feel about the following three dancers: yasmine nagdhi, benjamin ella, matthew ball? I'm so here for all your ROH takes!!

Thoughts / critiques on Matthew Ball?

Yasmine Nagdhi: Honestly she’s a bit of a conundrum for me. I don’t really like her overall, and don’t particularly enjoy her in classical roles. While her Giselle variation I thought was superb, the rest of the ballet, especially the acting, left me feeling a bit meh. I really didn’t think she had the characterization of Juliet at all. However, when I saw her in Apollo and Concerto, I really enjoyed the performances. So I guess I just prefer her in contemporary roles. However, I don’t like that this season the Royal is starting to push her really hard as the next big deal. I think there are better principals to potentially replace Nunez. 

Matthew Ball: I’ve really liked what I’ve seen; he’s very stately and regal. But I don’t think I would ever pick a performance just to see him. To me, the Royal is spoilt with male talent and so it is hard for dancers who would be unquestionably the best at other, even comparable, companies. He’s just pretty low down my list of male Royal dancers. 

Benjamin Ella: I’ve seen him several times now. The first few times he wowed me and I was 100% convinced he was the next big thing. However, more recently I’ve found his performances to be a bit unreliable. He seems either really great or he completely lacks the ability to stick and landing or be on time with the music. I’ll be interested to see if he gets consistency back. 

I just saw the teaser of Steven McRae's new film... at the end he says 'I need the profession to change'. Hmmm what does it mean? 😅 it means that the ROH is going to change its ways, or maybe him, or the ballet method profession in the UK?

I’m not really sure... I guess we’ll have to wait for the full film to see what he means. I’d take it with a grain of salt now, because A) trailers manipulate/exaggerate things to get people to watch and B) he’s always been pretty dramatic. 

A little bit of a silly matter, but still a legitimate curiosity from dancers about dancers. I get the impression over and over again that several prominent members of the company wear arch enhancers, which doesn't feel necessary or particularly graceful. It's subtle, still the eyes tend to fall right there. Do you have first hand info about that?

The only “firsthand” info I have is that after seeing Sarah Lamb up close, I am 99.9% sure she wears arch enhancers. I’m not sure why they do it. But I’m starting to wonder if it could actually be a comfort this as much as a visual thing? 

Who is everyone’s favourite dancer? It has to be Nunez right? I think Isabella Gasparini is mesmerising to watch also and hope she goes far. Mathew Ball was incredible in Giselle. Like out of this world performance.

Are we talking at the Royal? For me it’s definitely Nunez, Lamb, Osipova, Hayward, Takada, and I usually really like Hinkis, but not in that Giselle recording. For men it’s Campbell, McRae, Muntagirov, Sissens, Sambé, and Bracewell. 

Frankie Hayward - is she all what’s hyped up to be?? Has anyone seen her dance Giselle? I think she is an extremely special dancer from what I’ve seen so far (gathering, sugarplum, swan lake PDD) but I have doubts around her technical ability at principal level. I am massive fan of hers. She is so artistic and musical that she could excel in any role I’m sure, I’m just unaware of her technical ability - as in, I literally don’t know what she can do as I haven’t seen enough of her. No criticism x

Thoughts on Francesca Hayward? I really enjoyed her as Juliet the other night but wasn’t as big of a fan of Cesar Corrales

One good thing that came out of the Cats movie is that it tremendously improved Hayward’s performances. I saw her Giselle this season. I don’t think she really has many technical faults, especially compared the other young new principals, but she does struggle a bit with balance in moments like the end of Giselle’s variation and in the coda of Coppelia. Other than that I don’t really see many flaws in her technique (and I’m not even entirely convinced it’s not a shoe issue), and her port de bras is especially lovely. I am increasingly wanting to go to her performances more than many other dancers. 

As for Corrales, his style really, really doesn’t fit the Royal and I don’t think he should be a principal there. 

I can't understand why Hamilton returned after the second year abroad. Too long out from under KOH's eye with all the younger dancers coming up

I have no idea. She could have been a principal pretty much anywhere else as well. She never looks happy onstage. 

I've only recently got into the ROH ballet, so I'm just curious as to who you prefer Akane Takada or Fumi Kaneko? Both stunning dancers, but can I ask for your opinion?

I personally prefer Takada. I think she has better technique and better characterization. Though admittedly I haven’t seen much of Kaneko. I’ve just been rather bored by what I’ve seen already, particularly The Sleeping Beauty performance. But I heard great things about her R&J, so maybe it’s time to give her another chance. 

[hawkinsschoolcounselor]

El and Morality

I don’t know about the rest of you, but the latest teaser left me with a feeling of intense dread. We see these kids playing in a seemingly carefree manner, but then Brenner comes walking in. He greets them, and they obediently respond. They’re all very used to it by this point, and they all call him Papa. He claims to have something special for them, but then we cut over to El’s isolation room and hear Brenner asking her if she’s listening.

Why does this fill me with dread? Mainly because the previous teaser showed some similar images to what we see in this one. The 8-ball, for example, is shown on one of the monitors, only it is covered in blood. It leads me to believe that something terrible happened that day. With Brenner asking if El is ready, then the shot of who appears to be El opening her eyes as if from a nightmare, has me wondering if he used her for something that resulted in the deaths of the other kids.

It’s by no means the most likely scenario for this teaser, but it’s where my mind went. The eerie music, the heavy breathing (ostensibly El’s), the fear on El’s face, it sends an ominous message. Is El remembering something from long ago? Is this a new group of kids in Brenner’s new facility? Is it just a nightmare fed with fear and guilt since she couldn’t save anyone? I really don’t know, but the idea that El may have been used to test the “worth” of the other subjects led me down an interesting road. Whether it was a “training exercise” gone wrong or a deliberate “culling” of the weak, I can’t shake the feeling that El did something that she desperately doesn’t want to remember.

If Brenner intended to use these kids to his own ends, then they should hold no allegiance to anyone but him. Emotional attachments to anyone else would be a risk in his eyes. They would need to have total, unquestioning obedience regardless of what he may ask them to do. For El to be the tool he wishes her to be, she would need to not think twice about killing. Brenner would have instilled in her, and the others, a need to garner his approval. This is why he teaches them to see him as a paternal figure instead of a doctor or teacher. We’ve seen him try to get El to kill a cat, but she refused. This upset him. Yet, we also see her have little issue killing in other circumstances. She’s somehow developed a sense of morals despite being manipulated from birth.

Morals are an interesting phenomenon. The entire concept of right and wrong really is subjective when you think about it. It’s a very abstract concept, and the way we think about it changes as we mature. However, it is also heavily influenced by external sources. In this case, Brenner would seemingly have total control over how his “children” learn to evaluate the morality of a given situation. I’ve previously spoken about El’s mental development, and how Brenner would have wanted to nurture certain intellectual domains, but restrict others. Here I want to discuss a similar process with the psychology of morality. Specifically, we will explore how El may have been manipulated into doing something that we, as viewers, would find horrific, yet come to develop a system of morals in spite, or perhaps because, of that.

Lawrence Kohlberg conceptualized the development of morality as coming in 3 levels (Pre-Conventional, Conventional, and Post-Conventional), broken down into 6 stages . These stages are more or less cumulative, as previous stages help pave the way for later ones. There’s no clear-cut ages for these stages, but level 1 generally encompasses early childhood, level 2 is later childhood and adolescence, and level 3 adulthood. The first level contains the more “primitive” or basic moral frameworks, obedience/punishment driven and self-interest driven. This is a level defined by a more egocentric understanding of the world, as it revolves around what’s “good” being what results in a positive consequence, and what’s bad being what results in a negative consequence. For children, this means learning what’s “good” as a result of an external reinforcer(i.e. “Papa) and then developing this into a sense that it can be used for a mutual benefit (”If I do what Papa says, he will be happy, and I will be rewarded.”). Since it’s still a stage defined by self-interest, there is no loyalty here, and such relationships will deteriorate once it is no longer beneficial.

This may have been Brenner’s fatal flaw. Most individuals wouldn’t move onto the Conventional level until adolescence. While these kids may have had some basic sense of loyalty to “Papa” since it’s possibly all they ever knew, it would still be easily shaken. If you offered these kids some candy, they’d probably do whatever you said unless there was enough fear preventing them from doing so. Fear, not loyalty. El was afraid of Brenner. She may have done his bidding for a long time, but it was because his approval meant better treatment, not because his approval was of value in and of itself.

Given El’s age when she escaped, she was on the cusp of adolescence. Thus, she may have been developing some early features of the 3rd stage, which we can call the “good boy/girl” stage. Here, a person would want to be considered “good” for its own sake, and would look to society for what that means. For our purposes here, Brenner and the lab could have been attempting to be the “society” that the kids would judge themselves with. They would evaluate the morality of an action based on how the others would judge them for it. This is possibly where Brenner wanted the kids to be, only with no concept of what good or bad is beyond what he instilled in them.

That may have been something of a clumsy explanation of the relevant stages of morality, but I didn’t want to get too technical. The important things to take away from this is that El’s sense of right and wrong would have largely have been defined by what resulted in her being happy and/or rewarded. She may have wanted Brenner’s approval, but only because it meant good treatment. The problem here is that El may have been getting her needs met elsewhere: the other kids. If we presume, for the sake of argument, that El developed friendships with the other kids, then we could say that these relationships interfered with the total control that Brenner would want. If she gets older and starts caring more about how they feel about her than how Brenner feels, then his power over her weakens. This is where things get potentially scary.

Let’s say Brenner noticed this happening. El is the most promising, and most dangerous, of his subjects. He must maintain total control over her. However, she is very friendly with the other kids, running the risk of developing attachments that would lead to a more conventional morality. So, Brenner sets up a scenario. He isolates El for an extended period of time, possibly even telling her that the other kids accused her of misbehavior. He tells her that they don’t care about her like he does. El, being in those early stages of moral development, starts to see them as bad since they result in her being hurt. In a real world situation, one kid would be able to do something nice for another in this situation to smooth things over, but this isn’t possible with El in isolation. Then comes the day when Brenner has “something special” in mind for the kids. He’ll see if they’re worth the time and effort, while also finding the extent of El’s obedience.

None of this means El is a bad person, as we will generally see kids acting with such selfishness. One kid gets mad at another for stealing their toy, but fifteen minutes later they’re playing together as if nothing happened. However, kids generally don’t have superpowers they can use instead of pushes and mean words. There’s also usually adults around to help mediate such issues, whereas Brenner would probably want to encourage it to ensure they wanted his approval and his alone.

It’s possible that whatever happened that day changed El and Brenner’s entire dynamic. Whether El was responsible for what (possibly) happened or was just made to witness it, it didn’t have the desired effect for Brenner. We later see El reluctant to kill unless it was to protect (or punish). It’s still unclear where that moral distinction came from, but it suggests that she no longer saw Brenner’s approval as beneficial.

What happened after Brenner walked into that room? Why did he ask if El was listening? Is a present day Brenner asking if present day El is listening while she was remembering/dreaming? Or is the voice a past Brenner asking if past El is listening to his instructions? 

Now, this could all be nothing. A good teaser will try to get us hyped up without giving anything important away. The “are you listening” might not even be from that scene at all in reality, or it could just be for the teaser. Still, I thought it a good opportunity for an exploration of morality in someone raised from birth to be a tool or weapon.

Something happened somewhere to make El believe there were right and wrong times to hurt or kill someone, and I just think this may have been a pivotal moment. I think we first see her kill (or at least serious injure) when she breaks out of her isolation cell. That can be explained by her still largely being in the first level of morality. Being in that cell was not in her own best interest, and she reached a point where she didn’t see a way to improve her situation. She may not have intended to kill the orderlies, but it was also not of concern to her. However, we also see her be more deliberate with Troy. First, she merely makes him wet himself, which is a remarkably clever solution. Later, she breaks his arm, but it appeared to only be due to him holding a knife as she simply knocked James down. When it came to the agents or the demogorgon, though, she was prepared to kill again. When she went with Kali to find one of the Lab men, she was ostensibly prepared to kill him until she realized there were kids around. The only pattern I can really see is that she will kill monsters or adults, but she’s reluctant to harm (at least seriously harm) kids or leave them without a caregiver.

I feel like this shows her being caught in between Pre-Conventional and Conventional levels of morality. She’s still largely going off of her own self-interest, but she’s also starting to consider the thoughts and feelings of others, namely her newfound friends. El seems to really want to keep them safe to the point that she risks her own safety. One could say that their approval, particularly Mike’s, is of value to her. She wants them to see her as good, and she attempts to conceal anything that would make her seem “bad” in their eyes, such as the fact that she’s messing with the compass or the fact that she opened the Gate.

We don’t really know how much time would have occurred between the event I hypothesized from the trailer and when El breaks free of the Lab. It’s possible that something happened there to get El to see some sort of moral distinction. She will prank, or even disable, a kid, but she somehow sees serious harm or killing of them as wrong. This leads me to believe that she harbors some type of guilt from her time in the Lab. It could be survivor’s guilt, especially if Brenner made her bear witness to the other’s being hurt or killed. It could also be something far worse if Brenner compelled her to hurt or kill them herself. Regardless, something happened somewhere along the time to get her to no longer as seeing her life in the Lab as “good,” leading to her escaping.

I think this is another one of those posts that got away from me, but hopefully I got my point across. If I try to hard to edit this thing, it’ll never get posted. Again, I have no idea what the teasers are suppose to mean, but they got me started on this train of thought. If you made it this far, then I apologize for those minutes of your life that you’ll never get back.

[sunnymusingsao3]

director's commentary: haunt me, then? :3c

Behind the Scenes: Fanfic Edition

Edit Post-Writing: Buckle up, friends, this got LONG (so sorry slkdjf)

So you, Crow, were there when we discussed the idea to haunt me, then, so I'll try and keep this about stuff that you may not have seen! However, before I do that, a quick tl;dr for those who did not see us hollering about this idea lol:

It happened right after we got the Rise of the Titans teaser trailer, back when we still knew so little about the movie itself. In the teaser, we saw Bellroc and their cool fire titan, and that spawned a whole myriad of ideas-- some earnest speculation, others just forming from the metaphorical playground because they were fun. One such idea that, if I remember correctly, was somewhere in between "wouldn't this hurt?" and "oh god what if it actually did happen?" was born, in order to explain why Skrael wasn't present in the teaser. Crow suggested the truly heartbreaking (compliment) idea that someone had to be sacrificed in order to raise the volcanic titan, and oh boy did that one gain legs.

So, moving on, I got permission from Crow to write this fic because the idea was just so good, and also because I was really in the mood to write something in the vein of horror, with romantic themes undercutting it. I was very enticed by the idea of monstrous love, and the different forms it can take, as well as the idea of loving someone so much that when it comes time to sacrifice them, you do it, because you know that not doing it would feel too much like coddling them. You have a mission that you both would lay down your lives for; to not allow your lover the chance to do so, when it is necessary, would feel like dishonor-- it would be an insult.

So this was the thesis of the fic, as it were; the central idea behind all of the themes and imagery that I wanted to explore.

Now on to some things that, to my memory, were not told to anyone as I was writing!

I toyed a LOT with the idea of Skrael figuring them out before they actually sacrificed him; I ended up landing on "he's suspicious, but doesn't stop them"

The reasons he has for not stopping them are: 1. It's his job 2. He was always prepared for the possibility that only one of them would end up making it to the new world 3. He wants to see if they did their research; was this an impulse decision, or are they really sure about this?

By the time they stop him from grabbing his staff, he is sure that it's not an impulse decision; that was his last reservation-- because if he can get his staff, he can fight back. But if they ensured that he couldn't even fight back, then it meant that they'd prepared for even the least likely outcome. It's not that he doesn't believe they know what they're doing, but it reassures him to know that they are taking extra measures to stay safe, and to make sure their plans come to fruition

In the final act, where they lean him over the volcano's lip, it's a much calmer version of what I'd initially had in mind, but I liked it better because the slow inevitability was more compelling to me. It felt like a natural progression. And if I wanted drama, it could come after, when the grief actually hits Bellroc, so there was less harm in delaying some of that higher emotion for a little bit later in the fic

The more dramatic version, however, was Skrael beginning to fall, and him grabbing their arm on instinct. It was a good image, the idea of him dangling openly, held only by a hand that he knows now is going to let go, but it also felt too much like Skrael didn't know what was happening beforehand, which didn't feel like the right character choice for him. He admits to being unfamiliar with the ritual they're about to perform, but the pieces rather start to add up, and he's always been good at reading Bellroc.

Speaking of that ritual, I imagined that he is less familiar with this one because it's one born of fire magic, and he just simply does not possess the necessary understanding of that magic to make it-- in his mind-- worth his while to read the spellbook it's in. He's surely dabbled in reading about fire magic a little, because it's smart to at least have some level of understanding when you live with a fire mage, but it's more like he was reading the Fire Magic 101 textbooks, while Bellroc was about to submit their PhD dissertation.

However, though he is less familiar with the ritual in the fic, I also like to think that he has a similar one in his own practice. He hasn't needed to use it, but he knows it, however distantly. I think it would involve a much, much slower death for his sacrifice, leaving them exposed to the ice and the elements, to slowly wear the person away. This would be why, if the Order were given the choice between Bellroc's ritual and his, Skrael would always push to be the sacrifice in theirs, because he does not think he could be steadfast enough to last the length of their death. With his death in theirs, he knows it would be quick, and they'd have little chance of changing their mind, but with them in his, he'd have to wait hours to days, and he just doesn't think he could subject them to that.

It's linked in the fic itself, so this is known, but the song that inspired this was The Horror of Our Love by Ludo. However, the other songs I primarily listened to for this were Eternally Yours by Motionless in White, Brutus by The Buttress, and a slowed version of Teeth by 5 Seconds of Summer (blood warning). These helped set the mood, and then in between them, I wrote to darker classical music playlists on Youtube!

The quote at the end was almost the one from Black Panther, between W'Kabi and Okoye: "Would you kill me, my love?" "For Wakanda? Without question."

I went with the Wuthering Heights one, however, because it felt more appropriate to Bellroc's grief, and since that grief was focused on less in the fic than the sacrifice parts, I wanted to highlight it a little more

This was also an idea I talked about with Crow, but I wanted to share it here, too, since idk if it'll ever gain proper legs, but I really like the idea of, after this, Bellroc becoming the new North Wind, as well as the Keeper of the Flame, because I don't think you can truly get rid of the North Wind. But, perhaps the "powers that be" (whether that's something sentient or not) see that they've only really got two options left for who they could make the new North Wind, and, well, Bellroc's got his staff already, and they're right there when he dies, so maybe they just kinda... pop that magic right in there

It's a very AU idea though lol, so I'm not sure if there's enough grounded basis for it

However, if I ever did write it, I also really like the alternate idea of... the best way I can describe it is Greeling in FMA:B? Body sharing, basically, and Skrael being a whisper in the back of their head. When they want the North Wind to "take over" as it were, they don't change their form or anything, but suddenly, they grow very, very cold, and they can no longer perform fire magic, but ice magic, instead

I just think it would be neat to see the North Wind and the Keeper of the Flame as one person, whether it's only one soul in the body, or two!

This is one of like, three fics I've considered making a podfic for!

I think that's about everything I can think of off the top of my head, but if there's anything else you or someone else would like to ask about, please feel free to come into the inbox again! <3

[rukakikuchi]

LOONAverse timeline theory (REDUX!)

So... Yeah. This is something I’ve thought about doing for a while now. It’s been a little over a year now since I started getting into LOONA and analyzing the lore, and my views on the timeline have changed slightly.

Nothing major, but I still wanted to do an updated version of the timeline since now feels like a good point in doing so.

In the year since becoming an Orbit, I’ve used the theories of others as well as my own to get a better understanding of the story of the LOONAverse. This has led me to questioning and critiquing certain theories, and even going back and revising my previous views on the lore, and seeking out other interpretations to come to a new conclusion.

There are some theories from my old timeline analysis which I feel are outdated, since I no longer agree with certain points, and other elements which I want to bring more into question.

For those who may or may not know, I’m on the autism spectrum. And ever since I started listening to their music, LOONA has been one of my most recent special interests. I got hyperfixated on the story that was being presented, and I wanted to analyze all the pieces of the puzzle to get the bigger picture in my head.

With all that being said, let’s go ahead and get this started.

Part 1 - The [+ +] timeline

I think this is the part of the LOONAverse story we can get the clearest view on. This encompasses everything from pre-debut, starting with Heejin, all the way up to Hi High.

It was the first chapter, or the first major story arc of the LOONAverse. We were introduced to the characters of the 12 girls, the worlds they inhabited, their individual conflicts, and an established main goal: finding each other and breaking the loop, an enigmatic force that’s opposing them.

Here’s my breakdown of the timeline of events:

This isn’t a perfect charting of the timeline, since we can assume certain events overlap or run parallel with each other, or take place in a very close amount of time between each other.

Part 2 - The [X X] timeline

Just going to refer to this as the “new” timeline. I believe this is the current timeline we are in in the story, starting from “Butterfly”. This is where Go Won created a butterfly effect by going to Iceland, Haseul’s location, and changed events of the timeline.

For now, let’s assume that everything before love4eva/Let Me In still happens, since that is the point where Go Won changes the timeline. Here is what the new current timeline looks like:

Because of Go Won altering the timeline, the events after love4eva/Let Me In never happen and certain events that occur in the [+ +] timeline have been altered.

ViVi doesn’t meet ⅓ and is still an android, though she presumably had found a way to become human again by “Why Not”.

Yeojin doesn’t get lost in the endless forest.

Olivia no longer resents Yves since she was not abandoned. Her journey to loving herself begins anew through “So What” and “Why Not”.

Odd Eye Circle has yet to reunite. However, we see that Choerry was with Hyunjin in “So What”, and the girls are rediscovering the powers of Odd Eye Circle in “Why Not”.

Part 3 - Updated theories

This is where I want to bring up some previous points I made in my last timeline analysis and how they have changed.

No one killed ViVi

I am no longer sided with the theory that Olivia or any of the members were involved in ViVi's death. Instead, I think she could’ve become an android after an accident. (See my “How did ViVi become an android?” theory.)

Yves does not lure Yeojin into the forest

I think something else might’ve happened that caused Yeojin to wander off, but I have seen a theory that Yeojin was in Eden and the “frog prince” she saw was Yves. I don’t think this was the case, since they have also said that the frog prince represents Yeojin’s “boyfriend” in the LOONAverse, but it’s an interesting perspective nonetheless. (Check out fairypinch’s video on Youtube.) 

Side note: The “forest” that Yeojin has been described to be lost in has been referred to as the “endless forest” aka “the Moebius forest”.

I watched a video that was part of a “complete” lyrical analysis of LOONA’s discography (unfortunately, they’ve only done up to Olivia’s solo debut T T but it’s a very interesting watch regardless; the channel is Ross Kpop Stats.) and based on their theory, I think Yeojin could’ve heard a song calling to her and wandered into the forest.

Yves meets Choerry prime, not mirror Choerry

Mirror Choerry cannot come into Choerry prime’s world; however, she can still communicate with Choerry due to her Odd Eye powers connecting her to the mirror world.

I do still think, however, that Mirror Choerry did see Go Won, since she was upside-down and I previously theorized that what we saw in “One & Only” could be a dream. (See my dream interpretation analysis on Go Won’s MV.)

Olivia’s heart was not “swallowed”

I’ve begun to think that Jinsoul’s rap in “Egoist” might not be referring to her herself “swallowing” Olivia’s heart. It might be Jinsoul acting as shadow Olivia (as I’ve theorized Olivia has a split personality; link here). Regardless, there’s still some significance that they chose Jinsoul for the rap.

Also, she doesn’t wish for the other yyxy members’ hearts to merge with her. When we see her bite the apple in that same video, it is showing her finally decide to reject Eden and be free of it completely.

yyxy are not “one” as in they are literally one person; they are “one” as a unit and a part of LOONA as a whole.

No broken cassette tapes

Loominosity debunked the idea that ViVi’s tape case was cracked; it’s just tree branches behind ViVi. (Link here)

No diverging timelines either; The Carol 2.0 is just a cute holiday video with ViVi, Choerry, and Yves!

Everything from Butterfly to Why Not is one timeline

Essentially, Butterfly showed us the catalyst of LOONA’s “butterfly effect” to change the timeline. We see the result of that in “So What”, which has many parallels to “Hi High”, and “Why Not”.

I’m also beginning to theorize that Heejin actually jumped forward in time. She could’ve temporarily escaped the loop (as we see in the #1 teaser) and fell back into “So What”.

This also means that Go Won would retain her memories of the previous timeline, while everyone else has forgotten them.

I’ll admit, a lot of my old ideas felt like reaches since I was still learning about the lore. Now that I’ve spent time becoming more familiar with the group and their music, I think I’ve come to a clearer vision of the story.

So with all of that said, here is my new breakdown of the current storyline...

The LOONAverse started out as stable, but then something caused it to become unstable. This resulted in the universe becoming a Moebius strip, separating three worlds (Earth, Middle Earth, and Eden), and creating a time loop.

We don’t know when or how this happened; all we know is that the loop exists and it is a force that is preventing LOONA from reaching their goal.

At some point, Odd Eye Circle was formed with Kim Lip, Jinsoul, and Hyunjin, and were given the powers of the Odd Eye.

In Eden, Yves finds and eats the forbidden fruit, where she’s given knowledge of her fate and of the loop. She decides to rebel and travels to Earth, where she meets ViVi.

Shortly after, however, ViVi gets in an accident, nearly dies, and is converted to an android, where her memories get messed up and she forgets Yves.

Hyunjin receives a mysterious bracelet from an unknown sender, and tries to search for answers. 

Odd Eye Circle finds the cherry that can send them to Earth. Jinsoul leaves one for Choerry, and when she eats it, she and Hyunjin switch places.

Jinsoul decides to go to Earth to look for Hyunjin, and meets Olivia Hye. She gets trapped on Earth and loses her powers and memories.

Heejin, a normal girl in Paris, is bored of her repetitive daily routine and wishes for her life to be filled with color. In search of some excitement, she decides to go travelling.

Two of Yves’ friends in Eden, Chuu and Go Won, decide to reject Eden and join in her plans to escape to Earth. They meet Kim Lip, who was searching for Jinsoul, and it’s revealed Go Won made the bracelet that was sent to Hyunjin.

Now, Hyunjin lives in Tokyo, with no memory of the Middle Earth or Odd Eye Circle. She meets Heejin and the two become friends. They both befriend Haseul and Yeojin, who are like sisters. ViVi meets Jinsoul in Hong Kong.

During Christmas time, Haseul finds Chuu when she first fell from Eden and wakes her up.

Haseul then has a dream where she finds and kills her doppelganger.

Yves, Chuu, and Go Won escape from Eden, leaving behind Olivia Hye, who feels resentment and anger for being abandoned.

ViVi meets Heejin, Hyunjin, and Haseul, and eventually becomes human. However, they learn Yeojin has wandered off into an “endless forest” and went missing, so they cast a spell of love to find her.

Olivia Hye falls to Earth, and learns to love herself and let go of her anger. She then meets Heejin after she went into the endless forest and learned about the loop. She convinces Olivia to join the others on Earth, and eats the forbidden fruit to be free of Eden.

Jinsoul regains her powers and memories, and Kim Lip senses Choerry and pursues her. They revitalize their powers during an eclipse and learn of the loop. 

Kim Lip helps Choerry find the mirrors where she awakens her powers, connects with the mirror world through her reflection (her shadow/mirror world counterpart), and learns of the loop. They reunite with Jinsoul to merge their moons and complete the Odd Eye Circle.

Choerry meets Yves when she first fell from Eden and helps her escape by meeting Go Won in her dreams and leaving the roses for them in the forest.

After all the girls gather together on Earth, they try to break free of the loop, but fail as the time loop resets.

In order to change the events of the timeline and break the loop, Go Won stays behind in Eden while Olivia takes her place. She then goes to the dreamworld/mirror world to stop Haseul from killing her doppelganger and changing her fate.

Due to Go Won’s butterfly effect, the timeline begins to change. Heejin temporarily breaks out of the loop before falling back in and chaos ensues. The girls start a rebellion in their efforts to break free. They see the moon burn and meteors fall to Earth.

After the chaos, the Odd Eye Circle members start to regain their powers, and the group holds a midnight festival in celebration for the rise of a new moon.

...

And there you have it! Like I said, this may not be perfect, there are definitely parts of the story I want to re-analyze, and I’m sure whenever LOONA make their next comeback, it’s going to lead to some very interesting developments.

But I also wanted to do this since some of my theories have changed. The LOONAverse is so fascinating because it can lend itself to so many different theories and viewpoints, that it even challenges the viewer’s own thoughts on the story.

I hope you guys found this interesting. Feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions as well! Have a good day and, as always...

Stan LOONA! 🌙✨

[radramblog]

Album Discussion- Floral Shoppe

Haha why do y’all let me do this.

It’s been almost a decade since Macintosh Plus (aka Vektroid, aka Ramona Xavier) popularised and codified vapourwave as a genre with its first actually popular release in Floral Shoppe. Since then this sub-sub-genre has developed its own subgenres and become its own flourishing marvel of internet music culture. But Floral Shoppe itself is worth examining- not to see where it all began (I haven’t even listened to Chuck Person’s Eccojams or Far Side Virtual yet), but where most people got into the genre. The lifting off point, as it were.

So grab your Arizona ice tea (don’t, it’s fucking awful) and lets dive in.

The first track, ブート(Boot), opens with a buttery smooth cymbal and saxophone line, obviously slowed down, but evoking a level of chill few songs manage to get to for their whole duration, in a total of approximately a minute. It’s a genuinely masterful piece of music. As the vocals come in, you hear them get twisted and chopped, distorted and looped, almost jolting you out of that trance, until it’s clear that the lyrics aren’t lyrics but another instrument, you get used to the nonsense, and you’re back in the zone. The looping with some of the instrumentation makes parts of it feel almost clockwork-like, in a very satisfying manner- especially as the majority of it gets muffled and you realise that opening bass/sax line has been running through the entire time. While the next track on this album tends to get most of the attention, I genuinely think Boot deserves just as much praise.

リサフランク420 / 現代のコンピュー (Lisa Frank 420/Modern Computing) is another one of those tracks where it’s just like, what could I possibly say about this that hasn’t been said. If you’re reading this, there’s basically no way you haven’t heard this song, so you know what I’m on about. It’s the quintessential vapourwave track, even if it’s showing its age a bit. It’s just so perfect. When I decided to write about Floral Shoppe, I didn’t really want to spend too much time here- me saying “hey I like this song everyone knows” isn’t the most interesting thing on the planet, I guess. I will say, it’s one of the few vapourwave songs you can actually sing along to, and that’s fun as heck.

Also, the lyric is “it’s all in your hands”, not “it’s all in your head”. To be fair, though, the distortion doesn’t help.

The album’s next track is 花の専門店 (Floral Shoppe, hey I didn’t know this album had a title song), a track that heavily relies on this really panned synth (you can’t even hear that on the left ear) and a lot of looping the same bit over and over again. Honestly, the first minute of this song gets a little grating, but it really picks up after that. It’s really fun and jazzy for a solid minute there, a lovely instrumental you can just groove to in your head. The fade out on this piece lasts wayyy too long for my liking, though- a full half minute of outro feels a little indulgent for this one.

Track four, ライブラリ (Library) is lowkey one of my favourites on the album- The slowed vocals work really well, and the instrumentation feels extremely deliberate and methodical. I think my biggest complaint with this song is just that it’s too short, considering Lisa Frank 420 is literally triple it’s length. But I suppose part of this project is how variable the track lengths are- it seems Vektroid was keen to work with these until she was out of ideas, and no longer, and I can’t help but respect that.

地理 (Geography) sounds substantially darker than the previous tracks, with incredibly low drones and a main line that… I mean I dunno how low it is but that shit is definitely in a minor key, you know. It’s also the sparsest track so far, with much more restraint in layering than anything else I can think of on the album. The atmosphere of this is heavy- I don’t know why, but it reminds me of that really creepy loading screen on the fuckin Magic School Bus goes inside the body Edutainment game. That’s probably a bit of a weird connection, but if you played that shit, you know how fucking eerie it’s soundtrack was, and that’s a bit of the vibe I’m getting from this track.

Our next track is a direct nod to Floral Shoppe’s predecessors in ECCOと悪寒ダイビング (Chill diving with ECCO), a reference to the aforementioned Chuck Person’s Eccojams Vol. 1 (itself a reference to the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive game Ecco the Dolphin), and Chill is absolutely right. While many vapour/synthwave pieces are more about entering an aesthetic or a vibe than actually listening to the music, as far as Floral Shoppe goes, that’s most true with this track. It’s also the third longest track here (behind Lisa Frank 420 and the next song), and while it doesn’t develop as much as one would hope based on that (or much at all), spending so long vibing out in a track like this is completely appropriate.

I’m going to be honest, I don’t care too much for the next track, 数学 (Mathematics). It might just be because it comes on the heels of ECCO, but the meandering in this doesn’t hit the same chord as that does. While I enjoy the saxophone on this song, all the shit going on in the background just kinda gets my anxiety going eventually. And by eventually, I mean about halfway through this near 7-minute monster. You’ve got these very chill elements that slowly get drowned out by the steadily rising and accelerating chaotic parts of the instrumentation that just take over eventually, and while it does chill back down again, that’s still a long time focussed on the worst parts of the song. This also really didn’t need to be as long as it is, considering the second half of the track is just, like, the same thing again…

We’re at track 8, and at this point I started looking at the Wikipedia page for the name translation and realising that I have no idea which song this is supposed to be. Like, the track lengths on the bandcamp suggest that this is the 2011 release and therefore this is 待機 (Standby), but it has the name of track 8 from the 2017 release, 外ギン Aviation (Foreign Banks Aviation)? This is confusing as fuck, but since this is the only track here with that issue, I’m assuming it’s actually Standby and someone fucked up somewhere. Oh right, the song itself. Well it’s fucking short, barely past a minute long, and doesn’t have too much going on. I’d call it short but sweet, it doesn’t overstay its welcome. Jazzy, loungy, kinda chill. I dunno.

て(Te) feels almost out of place on this album. I mean, the vibe is similar, but the birdsongs really come out of left field. This sounds like the track you’d hear in a video game after you’re finally out of a cave you spent hours in. If the build in this weren’t so intense, I think it’d fit right in on the Minecraft OST. That’s a compliment, for what it’s worth. It’s also worth noting this light at the end of the tunnel bit was absolutely intentional, because this used to be the final track of the album. However, there’s two more here, added in a 2012 reissue (originally they were unnamed bonus tracks), so we might as well check them out.

…under no circumstances should you check out track 10, 月 (Moon). I don’t know what vocal sample that is, but it is loud, and grating, and obnoxious, and the instrumentation is not doing enough to carry the repetition through. Holy shit, this is 6 minutes long. I’m going to be honest, I skimmed through this one, and it never changes what it’s doing. This is… a bold play, I’ll give her that, but it absolutely does not pay off. This has gotta be one of the worst songs I’ve heard in a very long time. What the fuck, Ramona?

Finally, 海底 (Seabed). This… is just like Moon, in that it’s a fucked up vocal sample that is looped over and over with little changing instrumental. The key difference is this one is less bad- the vocals aren’t as jilting, the instrumentation is chiller, and it is mercifully only 2 and a bit minutes. It’s far from good, but it’s not as immediately awful. Okay, it is pretty bad. These should probably have stayed as extras- and seeing as they apparently weren’t on the physical versions of the album (in fact a bunch of these songs changed for that), Vektroid appears to agree.

So that’s Floral Shoppe, and it’s really one of those albums that kinda drags on at the end. Frontloaded with the good shit, I suppose. Moon and Seabed aside, it’s not like anything is completely awful, but after 25 or so minutes you’ve kinda gotten the point. With that said, the album is as influential as it is for good reason- the first couple tracks are phenomenal, and once you’re drawn in by those, you’re probably going to appreciate the rest of it at least a little.

Modern vapourwave basically sounds nothing like Lisa Frank 420/Modern Computing, or Floral Shoppe at all- the genre has moved past plunderphonics almost entirely at this point, and the aesthetic has shifted to a more consistent, less memeable tone. Even Macintosh Plus is going new directions- the single released in December 2019 as a teaser for Vektroid’s next project under the name sounds nothing like this album, though it is completely fucking awesome (and completely fucking batshit). While it seems like the genre itself has moved past Floral Shoppe, though, it’s still the touchstone the majority of people, especially those unfamiliar with the genre, recognize as the herald of Vapourwave. I’m pretty sure this was the first album to do the whole pink aesthetic, marble bust, computer graphics style, and clearly that’s the style everyone thinks of when they make bad vapourwave art. That’s the aesthetic this album inspired. Long may it reign.

(Ok seriously though guys go listen to VAPERROR or George Clanton or something)