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zyonsay · 1 year ago

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Blinding Lights

Fem aligned people may read but not f3tishize my work!!

Warnings: NSFW-> guk guk 3000,Alcohol, Gay shit

Reader: Male

Word count: 1'655 Words

Song i listened to while writing: "I threw at my friend's eyes and now im on probation" by Destroy Boys

AN: Hey :] Lemme know what u thought about this! Im open for tips, as i still struggle with writing. Also this is like the first time i wrote smut. Deadass. But anyways, Enjoy!

Your black military boots made a slouching, wet sound as you walked through the city streets of London. It had rained earlier, but that didn’t stop you from having fun at the club.

The entrance that greeted you looked absolutely disgusting, the only thing you’d expect to occupy the old sewage system would be rats or some old, sick stray dogs. But behind the big, withered cloth that probably inhabited maggots a dimly lit, colorful tunnel hid itself. It was covered in Graffiti and colorful bottles hung from the ceiling. Loud music could be heard from the other end, which was covered by a dark blue curtain, resembling the night sky you had abandoned just a few minutes ago.

The colorful lights blinded you temporarily, but you felt right at home. This was one of the less popular meet up spots for underground artist and queer people. It wasn’t just some nightclub, it was a safe space for all kinds of people, that’s why you loved it so much. You too were very much part of the LGBTQ+ community, so you sought out your nightclubs very carefully. Being involved in a hate crime wasn’t exactly on your bucket list, obviously.

Some unknown band was absolutely tearing up the stage with their messily decorated instruments. People were dancing, drinking, and singing. It was a big chaos, but you felt at peace, surrounded by your people. The big, broad room was filled with a bar, a few sofas and the stage and it was also thoroughly decorated with graffiti, more colorful bottles, and fairy lights.

You ordered yourself some alcohol, vodka being your favorite. The band was finishing up their last song, then thanked the lively crowd. Then another band stepped foot on the stage, their guitarist and lead singer looking familiar. You’ve seen him around a lot, but you’ve never talked to him. You were basically eye banging him, he looked very good. The way his eyeliner had already smudged made him even more attractive. It almost seemed like he read your thoughts, because he stared right at you, a big grin plastered on his face. You thought it might’ve just been your imagination, the crowd was way too big for him to have looked at you specifically.

The band began performing their first song, the mass of people around you immediately started dancing and singing. Everybody was having a good time, including you. You were dancing with your drink still in your hand, gripping it tightly as the alcohol was way too expensive for you to spill it. You directed your glance towards the stage again, wanting to grace your eyes with the hot man shredding his guitar solo. People were cheering and clapping for the young man, showing him exactly how amazing he is. He continued singing the lyrics to his song and while doing so he grinded against the mic stand, firing on his ego even more.

People were screaming at his cheeky action, a drowned “GET ME PREGNANT!!!” could be heard from the other side of the crowd, many people laughing at that. The punk on stage was smirking at that, though he was seemingly looking at you again.

Now shit got absolutely wild, he was pointing at you and then pointed to the door, which hid a storage room for the band’s instruments. You grinned at him, taking another sip of your drink. He then sang along to the suggestive lyrics of his song, looking at you again, making a very distinctive gesture with his hands. He wanted you to blow him. You felt hazy, blood rushing to your face as you smirked at him, nodding while raising your drink to him.

His band finished their set, people were cheering them on, excited for their next song. Meanwhile a young woman went on stage and announced a campaign for disabled people, receiving a lot of cheers and support.

You on the other hand had made your way to the storage room, feeling a hot, burning feeling in your core. Your cheeks were slightly reddened – whether it was from the alcohol or from your excitement, no one knows. You must admit, giving a blowie to a random guitarist wasn’t the most unhinged thing you’ve ever done. You really didn’t care to be modest anyways.

Then suddenly you felt a hand on your shoulder, causing you to spin around and look at whoever was behind you. You were greeted with two beautiful brown eyes and a cheeky grin.

“Sorry if I put you on the spot there, mate” You smirked at him, then replied “I would’ve let you know if I didn’t want to, but who would say no to you?” You smiled, checking the person opposing you. He was tall and handsome, something mischievous glimmering in his eyes. He smiled at you, slowly growing impatient, since there wasn’t much time in between his band’s sets.

He led you into the storage rooms, revealing a sofa and wall covered in mirrors. This was probably where the bands waited for their performance and could freshen up their makeup. “By the way, I’m Hobie Brown.” The man now known to you as Hobie sat down on the sofa, gesturing you to come over. “Names’ Y/N.” You muttered with a smile, eyeing the bulge building up in the punk’s pants. You shifted closer to Hobie, not wanting to waste too much time. You settled between his legs, kneeling on the orange and pink patterned carpet.

You started fiddling with his belt, looking up with your big eyes, almost looking innocent if it wasn’t on the big smirk on your visage. “Ready?”, you were barely whispering. The young man, who was looking down at you with a grin only nodded his head. You opened up his jeans, slightly pulling them down to give you space for slutty activities. You touched his member through his plain grey boxers, that already had a wet spot on them, revealing his excitement. Hobie let out an impatient groan, wanting you all over him this instant. You quickly got rid of the remaining cloth in your way, your own erection pressing painfully against your jeans. You took his cock in your hand, Hobie hissed at the feeling of your soft hands around him. You pumped him slowly, before leading your lips towards his tip, enjoying yourself a lot. “Mmmhhhh…” The man above you threw his head back. You then took more of his dick into your mouth, enjoying the feeling. You swirled your tongue along his shaft, earning quiet grunts and sighs from Hobie. He gripped a handful of your fluffy hair, slightly fucking into your mouth.

He looked at you through lust filled eyes, a pleading expression painting his face. “Can I fuck your mouth?”, he whimpered.

You nodded, slowly letting his member out of your mouth. He stood up, facing your kneeling figure. You got right back to savoring him, as he held you by your hair again. He then began thrusting into your mouth, enjoying the wet, warm feeling. He still held back some of his length, waiting for you to look at him with your doe eyes. He smirked down at you, whispering something along the lines of “Get ready, darling”.

You took the rest of his cock into your mouth, tears building in the corner of your eyes. Hobie fucked your throat slowly at first, but quickly fell into a more violent pace. You glanced to the side, seeing a sinful scene playing in the mirrors covering the wall. It could’ve well been a baroque painting on the wall of a filthy rich art critique. But there you were, in an underground nightclub, full of drunk queers, sucking off a musician.

Hobie was now thrusting at a devilish fast pace, using you like a cheap toy to get off on. He looked at you, grinning at your face. “You gonna swallow, like the good little slut you are?” You nodded slightly, not wanting to disturb his pleasure. Your own dick was pulsing in your pants, starved from any kind of stimulation. You were stabilizing yourself by holding the back of Hobies thigh, feeling slightly dizzy due to alcohol and lust. You wanted to make the man in front of you feel good, even tough you merely met him a few minutes ago.

Your thoughts were cut off by Hobies cock twitching in your mouth, you quickly looked up at him, watching happily as he threw his head back and let out a moan. “Ngahhh… Fuck!” Thick ropes of cum flowed down your throat. You tried your best to swallow all of it, as you didn’t want any of the white fluids landing on the fluffy carpet beneath you. Even though this carpet is probably covered in it anyways, you thought to yourself. This was a messy nightclub after all.

Hobie slowly pulled out, grinning down at you again. He pets your fluffy hair, with you sitting at his feet like an obedient dog. “Good Boy.” The punk zipped his pants up again, as you got up from the floor, straightening your messed up clothes. Paying little to no attention to Hobie, you didn’t expect him to tip your chin up. He captured your lips in a feverish hot kiss, getting a taste of himself. You two then parted, leaving a fragile strand of saliva between you two. Outside of the storage room, a loud voice announced Hobies band again, receiving many loud cheers. “Gotta go sweetheart”, he turned around to leave, when you gripped his wrist gently. You looked at him, smirking.

“Ya wanna come home with me later?”, you received a mischievous look from the man. You cocked your eyebrow, wanting an answer. Hobie then leaned forward, leaving a small kiss on your neck. “Deffo.” He then left the storage room, leaving you with weak legs. You were definitely planning to take this man home tonight.

#gay #hobie brown x male reader #hobie brown x reader #atsv hobie #hobie brown #hobie my beloved

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zepskies · 1 year ago

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Why We Love the Boys

As promised, here is my review of Supes Ain’t Always Heroes. I actually used to write book reviews in my high school journalism days, so here we go!

What this book is: A masterful deep dive. A study on character psychology, the source of the comic and show’s inspiration, and the narrative themes illustrated in The Boys that parallel American culture and our real lives.

It includes interviews from one of the comic’s creators, Darick Robertson, The Krip himself (Eric Kripke), and actors Jim Beaver (Robert Singer), Aya Cash (Stormfront), Chace Crawford (The Deep), Jessie T. Usher (A-Train), Nathan Mitchell (Black Noir), and of course, Jensen Ackles (Soldier Boy).

It also includes a small but significant ode to the creativity of fans and fandom (with a mention of fanfic writers)!

I’ll admit, I felt seen. 😊

Who wrote it: Psychologists Lynn S. Zubernis and Matthew Snyder, among several other contributors. Zubernis is a self-proclaimed fangirl of not only this show, but also of Supernatural and Eric Kripke in general. (That aspect definitely comes through in her writing.)

She is also editor of Family Don’t End with Blood: Cast and Fans on How Supernatural Changes Lives and There’ll Be Peace When you Are Done: Actors and Fans Celebrate the Legacy of Supernatural—both of which I now want to read.

As I mentioned, several other authors also contributed to this book, as their expertise and backgrounds lend to the subjects they’re covering, such as racism, sexism, the entertainment industry, the comic’s inception, and more.

Who wants to read this book: Anyone who enjoys learning about what makes characters tick. What drives their choices, their sense of morality and justice, and their trauma and strife that lead them to do heinous things. This book will help you better understand your favorite characters (and how to write about them).

Perhaps most importantly, this book is for anyone who wants to read it put into words, why many of us love The Boys, as well as Supernatural.

In a way, the latter is more escapism entertainment than The Boys. Because in this show, there isn’t much, if any escape.

Despite this being a “superhero show,” as we all know, it’s so much more than that. It’s a mirror held directly into our own faces: about why we enjoy heroes and antiheroes, and excuse the “bad behavior” of the ones we like.

About mental health, grief and loss, nature and nurture, coping mechanisms and the importance of choice in dealing with trauma; of racism, sexism, misogyny, weaponized social media, politics, corporate greed, and the power (and cruelty) of good marketing.

This book explores the true villain of the story...and it ain’t Homelander.

I’m going to get into my favorite aspects of this book—as well as an amazing chapter on Soldier Boy’s character study (and why we love him, perhaps too much).

There was also one small, but key thing I would add to that argument. But first...

The Mirror of The Boys on Screen

This world is a gritty, bloody, and at times all-too realistic take on how superheroes would be if they lived in our world.

They are the worst of celebrities, professional athletes, and politicians all rolled into one. They are the shiny products of a company and are marketed as such—and worst of all, they often buy into their own hype.

Some of my favorite quotes on this topic:

“The Boys often reflects darkness in our real world that is uncomfortable to watch. While we go through the tedium of our daily lives, trying to get by and using television or comics as an escape, it can feel difficult and overwhelming to confront the very real and insidious sources of authoritarianism, nationalism, and corporatism that are not just part of a story. “This show holds up a mirror and forces us to catch a glimpse of things we need to question, and asks us why we so easily believe the talking points of systems with marketing departments and press flacks behind them that carefully massage every word in order to get us to feel enamored with their product or policy.” (p. 227-228)

“The Boys works to reveal the nonaltruistic, sociopathic nature of contemporary US corporate culture. In a sense, The Boys uses the behavior of its characters to diagnose not an individual, but a culture.” (255)

In studying narrative I’ve learned that the best fiction and art serve to reflect the human experience. In this case, it’s something The Boys does expertly, even though it’s packaged in extreme, shocking, and often uncomfortable ways. But also in brutal, hilarious satire that’s fun to watch.

It “exposes real-world abuses, revealing many” of our own frustrations in American culture and in life in general (267).

Major Themes & Questions Explored

Several Boys themes are explored from a psychological, cultural, and narrative point of view, as I mentioned earlier. These are some of my favorite segments:

Toxic Masculinity & Narcissism

A whopper in The Boys, and the main theme of season 3. This book defines clearly what both of these words actually mean from a psychological point of view.

It also takes the bad taste out of your mouth that you might get from just hearing the words “toxic masculinity,” as it’s a phrase that can be carelessly thrown around to describe men and character traits that aren’t truly toxic...

How being emotionally available to your loved ones and not repressive of your feelings doesn’t make you weak, or less of a man. And how “being strong” doesn’t mean being physically violent and domineering. (AKA: the Big Swinging Dick™️ in the room.)

Narcissism is explored in a very interesting way. The book gives a diagram of different aspects of narcissists and how each character (Soldier Boy, Homelander, Butcher, and the Deep) falls into them.

Soldier Boy, for example, is classified as a “Classic Narcissist,” while Homelander a “Malignant Narcissist.” <- This will play into Soldier Boy’s character study, and the main difference between Soldier Boy and Homelander.

Butcher, however, displays narcissistic tendencies but is not, in fact, a narcissist. (More of an antisocial sociopath. Yay for him.)

Misogyny & Sexism

The classic superhero world of comics dates back to the 1930s and ‘40s. It has been, and in many respects still is a (White) male-dominated industry, where in narrative, female superheroes typically work under a male leading the team, as in Justice League, Teen Titans, and the Avengers.

As much as I love DC and Marvel comics, female characters have also been depicted wildly sexual for male readers and the male gaze, and non-supe characters have been written primarily as love interests and damsels for the hero to save. (Think Lois Lane, Lana Lang, and Mary Jane.)

Modern adaptions have given female characters more agency, but their foundations were rooted in underlying sexism and the mythic hero—an Odysseus-type with certain characteristics of male strength and heroism; and that goes all the way back to classic literature, like The Odyssey, Beowulf, and the Epic of Gilgamesh.

In The Boys, the female supes go through the same issues as their comic counterparts. They are treated how women are treated in the real world—marketable as sexual objects. Starlight’s forced costume change is a prime example.

Author Danielle Turchiano argues in the book that the women in power at Vought (Madelyn Stillwell, later Ashley) are given only so much power as men like Stan Edgar and Homelander give to them.

Stillwell, Ashley, and even Stormfront “drink the Kool Aid” of the misogynistic infrastructure of Vought, but they’re not truly “powerful” in and of themselves (112).

I would add that the only female characters that have or find true agency are Grace Mallory, Annie January/Starlight, and Maggie Shaw/Queen Maeve. Even Victoria Neuman is trying to work the political schematic and Vought by operating within the system Vought has created.

Mental Health, Trauma & Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms

This is a huge section, and rightly so. It kind of spans throughout the book, really, because all of these characters have traumas that inform who they are as adults making the (often grotesque) choices they make.

For many of these characters, it stems from their upbringing and fraught relationships with their parents, whether explicitly or implicitly explored in the show.

Butcher: Is an antisocial sociopath with narcissistic tendencies. Arrogant, emotionally manipulative, violent, and obsessive. He was also physically and emotionally abused by his father, led to use drinking and violence as a means to cope and express himself. His rage is so deep under his skin—he loathes himself for it (and his father), but struggles immensely to escape it.

Homelander (John): A malignant narcissist, the height of arrogance, and emotionally manipulative. He lacks empathy for others' pain, and in fact enjoys inflicting it. Yet according to Jonah Vogelbaum, "John" was a sensitive, gentle child who only wanted connection and love. Vogelbaum raised him like a lab rat and fostered him in a cold, detached cell. He was raised to be entitled and to believe he was an all-powerful god, the lord of his own kingdom within his mind, excused from the responsibility of his actions.

Soldier Boy (Ben): Also a narcissist; violent, arrogant, misogynistic, and often indifferent to the damage he causes, emotional or physical. Yet he was also emotionally abused by his father, who set high and exacting standards for what it meant to be a man. It drives Ben to try and prove his worth to his father, though he’s never able to. It fosters the lack of self-worth he probably feels as he seeks validation through fame, and what he believes power to be.

These three characters have many similarities, but also notable differences that set them apart from one another. And both Butcher and Soldier Boy use substances like drugs and alcohol to cope with their traumas—ones that their forced stoicism and sense of manhood won’t allow them to easily express.

“We see Soldier Boy use substances almost continuously in season three to deal with his PTSD from the childhood emotional abuse he received from his father, the betrayal and assault from his team, and the torture he endured from the Russian scientists.

“In the short term, the use of drugs and alcohol to avoid thoughts and feelings about traumatic experiences can be felt as helpful, but in the long term, it hinders one’s ability to process emotions and can cause a deeper depression from the guilt and shame of both avoidance and substance abuse.” (27)

Heroes, Antiheroes & Villains

This book explores two key questions that the show encourages you to think about:

Who the hell is the hero of this story?

And who is the villain?

The surface-level answer is that Homelander and other supes like him are the villains, and Butcher and his band of bros are the heroes (or antiheroes). But they commit just as questionable, sketchy, and downright murderous acts as the supes they’re trying to take down.

“Butcher is not really a good guy. He’s manipulative and self-centered. His reasons for wanting to take down Homelander are utterly personal. That it serves the greater good is almost a coincidence.” (9)

And if Butcher is not a hero, but a vengeful vigilante, then why do we root for him so much?

Well, we see his incredible flaws, of course, but I sympathize with his struggle in losing his wife and the life he could've continued to have with her. I root for the underdog going against the hydra head of Vought and the psychopathic Homelander.

I see in Butcher, as I also do with Homelander and Soldier Boy, their traumas and their internal conflicts, their deep-rooted self-loathing, and a desire, deep, deep down…to be loved.

(And to foster connection with others, even if they’re unable to sustain them.)

On the flipside, we have antagonists in this show who do truly heinous things. What makes them compelling even sympathetic at times, yet again, are their painful upbringings that have shaped them to be who they are. The supes of this show are byproducts of being treated like products.

Like the saying goes: Villains aren’t born, they’re made.

That’s why the real villain of this story is Vought International. It’s an allegory, and an indictment of the ruthless corporate greed that pervades American culture—and much of the world.

It’s why Stan Edgar is sometimes scarier to me than even Homelander (and was the true villain of my story, Break Me Down), if far more insidious.

Speaking of BMD, let’s get to it, shall we?

Here’s a (lot) bit about the Soldier Boy section of the book.

Soldier Boy: Why We Can’t Hate Him

I had to laugh out loud at the title of Soldier Boy’s chapter:

Loving the Villain: The Confusing Case of Soldier Boy

I’m not gonna lie. I felt called out. 😂

It is a confusing dichotomy. Soldier Boy is an absolute asshole. Misogynistic, narcissistic, arrogant, callous, violent…

But also deeply traumatized, a man-out-of-time, emotionally abused, a byproduct of the historically and culturally different time he was raised in, a man who just doesn’t get it…

And also charming, adorably grumpy, and undoubtedly attractive.

It’s hard to indict “Ben” as an unredeemable villain in the same way I do Homelander, the psychologist-labelled Malignant Narcissist.

Therein lies the main difference between Soldier Boy and Homelander: Soldier Boy doesn’t seem to take joy in harming others the way Homelander does...but, Soldier Boy still harms people, whether he means to or not. He is arrogant and callous, deeply traumatized and vengful.

Zubernis confirms many of my own conclusions and ideas about Soldier Boy, and why I still rooted for him to be better, and didn’t want him to die at the end of season 3.

As Zubernis rightly exclaimed during her own watch of the finale: “Noooo, don’t kill the Danger Grandpa Baby Murder Kitten!” (175)

Because Jensen did what he does best in his roles: He made us feel Ben’s pain.

“What’s funny is, in regard to Jensen playing Soldier Boy, you know he’s fucking fantastic, he’s just so good at bringing the audience, and it’s almost like—what I laugh about is, he was probably a little too good at his job!” Kripke said. (180)

And he continues, “In part it’s because of the fandom. So many people took his side in the finale, they’re like, Were’s on his side, fuck everyone! And you’re like, but he’s the bad guy and he’s trying to kill a ten-year-old.”

Were there fans who held this viewpoint? I’m sure. There are some radicals who don’t care about the humanity of characters or story and will side with their favorites, come whatever. But while I can’t speak for others, that’s not how I interpreted that moment in the season 3 finale when I watched it for the first, second, and even third time.

Yes, I think Soldier Boy was wrongfully willing to fight Ryan after cruelly batting him away. Do I think he would’ve killed him? I’m not sure. I think he would’ve continued to do what he had to do to get Ryan out of his way in his fight with Homelander. Maybe he would’ve been more violent than he intended, in the callous collateral damage he’d shown throughout the season. Maybe he would've held back at the last second. Or maybe he would’ve gone that far, if provoked.

It’s a tough call, as I think this character can go one way or the other in terms of his “villain” nature. We just haven’t seen enough of him in the series yet for me to make that conclusion on the canon-version of Soldier Boy. (In fanfic, I’ve explored my own interpretation.)

But overall, I think The Krip underestimated the power of Jensen’s acting.

…And the ardent nature of his mostly female fanbase. 😂

Why We Love Soldier Boy

The author cites multiple reasons for why we love Ben more than we probably should:

It’s Jensen Ackles: Fair enough. His talent speaks for itself.

Soldier Boy’s backstory: He was emotionally abused by his father and as a result, he has a complex regarding his self-worth, “something to prove,” and I would imagine a secret need for attention, validation, and praise.

He has trauma and PTSD: He is displaced from what is familiar to him and confused when the boys find him, and that is the least of it. He’s been tortured for 40 years. Can you even wrap your mind around that? (*cough cough Dean Winchester in Hell cough*)

He’s charming: In a sexy grandpa, adorably grumpy, lovable asshole kind of way.

We’re drawn to danger: Dangerous “edgy” types are fun, especially when you’re physically attracted to the character.

He has his moments of vulnerability: Jensen’s ability to play the nuance in the character is the ultimate draw. I felt his pain, could see his torture, and his resulting PTSD. He even admits that he longs for a family, even if his ability to bring up those children is questionable at best. 😅

But I think the one aspect that can also be considered is the character’s capacity for change.

Soldier Boy’s Potential

Again, I don’t think you can write off Soldier Boy’s potential for positive character development the same way you can Homelander, or even Butcher.

For one thing, we just haven’t spent enough time with the character. In season 3, a lot of his collateral damage after he escapes imprisonment has been accidental, or PTSD-induced. Though we can’t discount how he murdered M.M.’s grandfather via collateral damage (and was callous about it).

I think this is what drew me to write about Soldier Boy. For all his arrogance, his chauvinism, his massive ego and general bastardry, there’s still humanity in Ben.

In the book, Nathan Mitchell says something amazing about his own character (Black Noir) that resonated with me about Soldier Boy as well:

"One of the ingredients of a compelling character is contradiction. How does one aspect of our personality contradict with one another? [...] Who is he underneath? How might his true nature contrast with the demands of his job?"

Or coded for Soldier Boy/Ben: The pressures he puts on himself to be the type of man he thought his father wanted him to be.

Again, his sexist, misogynistic ideals are shaped by the time he was raised in, by being a product of Vought, and of his father’s emotionally abusive upbringing. Does this excuse or justify all of his behavior? Of course not.

But I do think those 40 years in captivity changed him from the careless alpha dog we saw in 1984 Nicaragua…

He admits to Crimson Countess, with tears in his eyes, that he’d loved her. That he waited for her and his team—arguably the only social system he had in his life—to save him. He’s gutted to realize that not only did she and the rest of the team never love him, they hated him. They traded him for nothing. Just to get him out of their lives.

For all he claims to be afraid of nothing, tough as shit, he is afraid when he goes to face Mindstorm. He knows what the supe is capable of, and he visibly takes a shaky breath and tries to steel himself.

For a moment, he drops the “Soldier Boy” persona that he wears like that fine tailored suit, and he tells Butcher that the backstory Vought created for him was a lie; he grew up a rich kid who got sent to boarding school, but flunked out, because "he was a fuck up." And his father couldn’t be bothered to lay a hand on him, implying he didn’t care enough about his own son to "discipline" him.

He is reluctant to kill Homelander when he finds out he’s Ben’s son (sort of). He even claims that he would’ve been willing to share the spotlight “with his own son.” — Something I doubt even Homelander would do.

Ben even seems to be fighting tears when he levies the same vitriol at Homelander that his own father did at him:

Homelander: “Weak? I’m you.” Soldier Boy: “I know. You’re a fucking disappointment.”

Let me be clear. I don’t think it’s up to someone to change him (like a love interest). I don’t subscribe to that thinking, that a woman can “change” a man.

For example: In season 2, Butcher tells Becca, “Who was I before you? Nothing.”

And yet, she tells him that he put her on an unrealistic and unsustainable pedestal, in which she felt like she wasn’t allowed to fully be herself, unable to keep him from flying off the handle in rage. That kind of relationship (where one is dependent on the other to “keep them in check”) doesn’t work as a lasting, satisfying redemption arc, and it often doesn’t work in real life either.

I do think, however, that a person is capable of change if they’re broken down enough (pun intended), and if they themselves have a desire to change. Someone they encounter can inspire them to be better, like Butcher with Hughie. That person can help support the other.

At the end of the day, however, it’s Ben that has to want to change.

If he wants love and connection, he’ll have to somehow want it, and try (and sometimes fail) to get it, thereby giving him agency and a redemptive character arc.

Now, obviously, it’s up to The Krip where Ben goes from here. He seems to have a more indicting vision of the character than I do (at least, so far). But we’ll see! The fan demand to bring back the character has already had Kripke confirming that Soldier Boy will be back.

Maybe it will encourage him to give the character a more satisfying ending than Dean Winchester got in Supernatural. Though granted, that one wasn’t his doing, apparently he was in favor of that ending, which ultimately culminated 15 years of monster slaying and broments under Baby's roof.

Comparing Dean & Ben

In his interview segment, Jensen talks about what, if any, are the comparisons between Dean Winchester and Soldier Boy. AKA: Wanting a father’s approval, and an undercurrent of “John Wayne”-esque masculinity in John Winchester that Dean sought to emulate.

Jensen also talks about where he drew from to not only embody the character of Soldier Boy, but bring nuance to him—and show the peeks of vulnerability under the bravado and stoicism.

“He’s so fragile and his ego is fragile. Just like Homelander. These bigger-than-life powerful heroes really have a glass jaw… “And everyone walks on eggshells around him [Soldier Boy], and they tell him that they love him, and it’s the same with Homelander. Then when all of a sudden he faces his old team and Crimson Countess says we never loved you, we hated you—that’s a gut punch for him. Because even though on some level he may have known that, he never thought he would hear it. “And he probably propped himself up around trying to believe otherwise, because how can you walk around knowing everyone you’ve ever cared about hates you? It’s too painful.” (191)

It really is. I inherently felt this about Soldier Boy (Ben) when I watched season 3 for the first time. That’s exactly what I got from his performance and thought, there’s more to this guy than the toxic masculinity he represents.

This guy just wants to be loved, like everyone else. He wants to feel important, and even after his father’s dead, “show him” that Ben is the man his father wanted him to be. And so, he bought into the illusion Vought painstakingly crafted for him.

Whether he can come back from that remains to be seen, but I choose to be optimistic until evidence points to the contrary. 😅 (Maybe we’ll see in season 4!)

So that’s my personal take on Soldier Boy and this awesome book. 💚 Thank you again @kaleldobrev for recommending it to me! I hope you all enjoyed my long-winded review and want to check this out.

And if you do read it, let me know! I hope to read your thoughts as well!

Tagging people who said they wanted to read my review on this book: @venus-haze @jessjad @kristophalis @sl33pylilbunny

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omg-hellgirl · 4 months ago

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I’m glad there is some level of awareness of Angie’s contributions (creative and otherwise) to David Bowie’s success & legacy. For a man who was a god to the “freaks” of the 1970s, especially during the glam rock / glitter rock era of the 70s, I perceive his dynamic with Angie as a mirror of the corporate world / sexism in the corporate world (and in society in general) where women are exploited for their brilliant ideas and/or have credit taken from them by men. Like, absolutely love David Bowie’s music… so, so much. Just an infuriating analogy I’ve noticed. Sick of women being exploited in general but especially for their intelligence and creativity.

hey anon, thank you for saying that. Angie Bowie was part of David Bowie's story and actively contributed to it, mainly by encouraging him towards the glam rock path that EVERYONE appreciates him for. Not taking away his merit as a good singer and performer, but there is more than one account of Angie pushing him in that direction and supporting him; she was a force in his early career. It's absolutely frustrating that David (according to Angie HERSELF) and his fans have always tried to erase her.

For those who don't know (most of them): Angie studied in Switzerland and had and theatrical experience — years of it! And unlike David and his friends/associates, including the people in charge of managing and promoting him, she had nine-tenths of a degree in marketing.

Angie was very popular with Bowie fans in the 70s and was very kind to them. She spent hours answering fan letters and even wrote to them from JAPAN. She fought in Japan with the local police to defend them. After the divorce, David's attitude changed and over the years his fans became what they are today.

It's a shame that many fail to recognize the extremely sexist and absurd attitudes he had towards Angie just because they don't like her. Ask any of them why they don't like her and you will get an unsatisfactory answer either because David himself didn't like her or because she said something about David in public that they didn't like.

I won't put it all here — there is all the content on my blog under the Angie Bowie tag — but in her book it is implied that he even used photos of her in sexual moments with other people to put her at a disadvantage in court. Would this be acceptable by today's standards, or any standards? Do we have a name for men who do this nowadays? Also:

Angie attempted suicide in Switzerland at Christmas time in 1977, when she arrived and found out that Zowie, contrary to her expectations, was in Berlin with David.

He put a gag clause in the divorce to force her to keep quiet. Not very feminist or cool, right? Not very liberal. Wearing skirts and makeup and all the gender revolution didn't help him be a better human being with Angie.

Is there anything to be called besides Parental Alienation for a mother who in 2016, even after David's death, needs to send messages to her own son via Twitter?

How many years of being away from his mother and knowing about her only through David's distorted words did it take so that even after David's death they didn't have a mother-son relationship again.

No one has the right to disrupt a mother-son or father-son relationship, and that's what he did. His fans still won't admit it.

Anita Pallenberg, Yoko Ono, and Angie Bowie are demonized while fans can forgive paternal neglect, domestic assault, hard drugs, underage girls, and the parental alienation of several rock stars. I'm definitely aware of and recognize the sexism and, dare I say, misogyny of some fandoms.

Thanks again for this, anon. These aren't even all the sordid details of the pain David Bowie inflicted on his first wife. It's also not possible to describe all my sadness about this situation — I could spend hours talking and crying about it. I'll keep posting about Angie in the hopes that one day the blindfold will fall off people's faces.

‼️and shout out to Keith Richards who never belittled the role and influence that Anita Pallenberg had on him and in the whole rock history even though she hurt him badly; he was always FAIR and respectful to the mother of his three children‼️

#angie bowie #anon ask #yoko ono #anita pallenberg #david bowie #sexism #misogyny #classic rock #rockstar gf #rockstar girlfriend #rock #glam rock #glam #keith richards

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vaguely-functional-directions · 2 months ago

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THIS IS AN ASK

WHAT’S THE PLOT OF THE B&C MUSICAL

OH YES I'M GLAD YOU ASKED. This will go into FAR too much detail and there *will* be supplementary images

The show starts at the end of the story, with a series of gunshots and then a car is shown on the stage with Bonnie and Clyde inside of it having been killed by law enforcement.

It then goes back to when Bonnie amd Clyde were kids with the opening song Picture Show, which goes through the years as they grow up. It has both of them in different 'scenes' throughout the song. Bonnie is singing about how she wants to grow up to be like her idol Clara Bow, and to become an actress just like her. Clyde, meanwhile, is singing about how he dreams of becoming like his role models, Billy the Kid and Al Capone. In the later part of the song it shows Clyde and his brother Buck getting arrested and sentenced to 2 years in jail.

The next scene is Bonnie working at a diner, and she has a conversation with Ted, who works at the sheriff's office and he invites her to go with him to a party.

After her shift ends, Bonnie runs into Clyde at the side of the road, with the car having been broken down and they start talking. This leads to the next song This World Will Remember Me, which is Clyde singing about all his aspirations and what he will do to make sure that he is remembered. The second verse of the song starts to include Bonnie in his visions, with him saying how he sees big things being possible for Bonnie and that she has the potential to do everything she dreams of, and she is very flattered to know that he can see that in her.

At this point too, Bonnie also becomes aware that he is ~lowkey~ on the run from having escaped from his prison sentence

So then it goes to Blanche's salon(she is Buck's wife) and Buck shows up, clearly expecting a warm welcome home, but what really happens is that she tells him he has to turn himself in to finish out his sentence so that they can start over clean after he serves his time. This is the next song You're Going Back to Jail, which is so fun because it's about Blanche telling Buck not to worry about her moving on from him with him being away, and telling her friends at the song to say how hard it is for them with their husband's in prison. But all they do is say about how great things are for them now that their husbands are gone lmao. So it's then settled that Buck is going to turn himself in the next day

Next we see Bonnie and Clyde on like a picnic, and she is reading to him poetry she wrote. And it's about Clyde and Billy the Kid, and it ends with Clyde getting shot at the end, and they bicker a lot in this scene and I love it so much. Bonnie then tells Clyde not to make fun of her poetry, and tells him that she's going to be a poet, and an actress, and a singer, and clyde then is like. Well why don't you sing something then. And then it's the next song which is How 'Bout a Dance. And in my very strong opinion, it is this koment in this song where Bonnie truly and irreversibly falls in love with Clyde and everything that follows becomes inevitable. Because after this song, she is never going to not follow him anywhere, and he is never going to go clean and so this song is really central to everything in the whole show. This song also book ends the show, with the instrumental playing at the very beginning, which I am aware I did not say before.

Anyways. Moving on.

There's then a short scene where Bonnie's mother catches Clyde in the house with Bonnie and she very much doesn't approve of him, revealing that Bonnie is already married. She knows her husband is never coming back though and he is literally completely irrelevant to everything forever. I think his name is Roy.

Clyde then takes Bonnie over to meet Buck and Blanche. This scene, we see that Bonnie and Blanche have kind of an instant 'rivalry' because Blanche does not approve of Clyde and his crimes at all, so she doesn't like Bonnie because if she is with him, she is clearly on board with it and is thus not her kind of person. This scene has the song When I Drive which is both Clyde amd Buck singing about how much they love being on the road. And it also features the like 'this is how I wanna live, I wanna die' which is like... I guess he gets his wish in the end??? Buck also reveals to Clyde that he and Blanche have decided that he is going to turn himself back to the authorities to finish out his sentence, and Clyde Does Not approve.

Next song is God's Arms are Always Open, which is sung by the preacher, saying that Buck is doing the right thing by turning himself in and that he will be forgiven for it. Throughout the later part of the song though, it is interspersed with mini clips of clyde commiting crimes, like car theft, and robberies. At the end he is caught and arrested, and is brought to prison where he is waiting for his sentence.

Bonnie goes to visit Clyde where she runs into Ted. The song You Can Do Better Than Him starts off being sung by Ted. Basically it's about how he remembers how innocent she was when she was younger and thinks she can do so much better than being with someone like Clyde. (He has feelings for her himself, if that wasn't clear). Later in the song Clyde joins in saying that she *could* find someone who is more conventionally 'better' but knows that she won't because they really do love each other.

When she gets home, Bonnie and her mother argue about Clyde, with her mother being very disapproving about who she is seeing. The song You Love Who You Love is a duet with Bonnie and Blanche, both singing about why they ate with their partners. I really like the line in this song 'You can't help how you're made/you don't have no say, your heart decides/It's that simple I'm afraid'. I just think the idea of your heart choosing who you fall in love with sounds very beautiful. And I also love the line 'And you never think what's down the road while the fairy tale seems real'.

NOW. We see Clyde in prison and they announce that his sentence is 16 years, and we see him being locked away. He is becoming more and more broken, being abused by both the guards and another prisoner named ed crowder. Bonnie comes to visit him and sees that he is injured and how horribly he is being treated. He tells her about a gun he has hidden and asks her to smuggle to him. This next song is Clyde's big song called Raise a Little Hell. He is so broken at this point and is very much the definition of 'nothing left to lose'. The big lyrics in the song are 'I won't get to heaven, why not raise a little hell', and it ends with him beating Ed crowder to death.

We see Bonnie arriving at the prison with the gun she is trying to get to clyde, and she is searched by the guard. He doesn't find the gun on her, and she passes it to Clyde in his cell. This is the act 1 finale with the song This World Will Remember Us. The first part of the song is Clyde busting out of prison, and the second part is him and Bonnie running away together. And important part in this song is that Clyde promises Bonnie that they will do a few more jobs to get some cash, and then they are going to hollywood so she can become an actress. And this song is just like. They've both just escaped from the lives they don't want, the future is wide open for them and they are *living* for it

So. "Apparently" there is a character limit of 4096 characters. I will reblog with Act II.

#I did not proof read this #THANK YOU FOR ASKING THIS #bonnie and clyde musical

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myloveforhergoeson · 8 months ago

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Hiya! 😊 You're now a writer for the show. What three episode storylines are you gonna write? (In other words, what are you gonna make the boys do?)

ohm y god i literally have so many episode ideas but i'll try not to repeat any of the ones i've made posts about (except my first bullet bc im so passionate about it) so i'll give you my big list. most if not all will likely be something i DO end up writing about in my own story because ehehe i love making them do things

ones i think i've mentioned before:

a returning to minnesota chapter!! not for anything but nostalgia, getting to see the guy's favorite places, seeing their friends and families, bringing them back to realize how far they'd come. not so shy spon for my fic but i wrote a chapter like this last month and it's probably one of my favorite things i've written to date. it let me explore some of the boys' past, family dynamics, a little bit about Katie and agh i can't believe btr didn't capitalize on that at least once. ik its expensive to fund sets and hire new actors but idk i imagine it like an hour special where they could afford to shell out a bit more. idc when it happens, could be after they sign their record contract or the last episode or whatever :)

sketch comedy episode, something akin to saturday night live or so random

graduation! like you and i talked about lol i think it would be sweet

get me in the writers room stat:

originally i'd planned a "home alone lost in new york" like chapter for my story around thanksgiving where the boys are going to perform at the parade in town but they end up having their own adventure around the city beforehand. boyish antics, screaming gustavo, beautiful scenes, the works. i was just in too much of a slump to actually put it to paper :)

more tour-focused chapters (again, spon for my own fic lol) the episode in Canada was cute and the one on the bus was fun but idk there's just so many elements toward touring that i think they could've capitalized on; homesickness (for CA or MN), hardship of a go go go schedule, or fun things like being able to travel with your best friends and not ending up on the world's most wanted list lol. i know they tried really hard with this one so i don't blame them too much but my vision is just different and that's okay!

crossovers! while i'm so very happy dan schnider didn't have either of his disgusting hands in big time rush, i do remember watching the icarly/victorious crossover for the first time and wishing big time rush were there. it takes place in LA! the victorious kids are singers! carly, sam, and Freddie are pop culture experts! it would've worked really well :) so i'm writing that as a chapter for my fic LMAO

generally either an episode focusing in on or more scenes including james and lucy since the writers wanted them to be together so bad. inherently there's nothing wrong with them being together, but i do not think the relationship was given enough time to develop. give me lucy discovering her feelings for him, give me james not being creepy and obsessive about her; something more needed to be done on both of their parts to make me believe in it

additionally on that note more with jo/kendall and logan/camille; i love them both but they also had little development, just more than james/lucy. maybe they give carlos a gf (not alexa IMO, sorry. that got into weird territory for me idk why they made him be with a "real" person when he isn't other than they were already together irl) earlier and they can all have like conversations about their gfs and how much they love being together idk

and another generally, there were many songs btr put out that i love so much and feel like deserved their own episodes for hehe. i know not all of them have storylines easily transposed but i think they used confetti falling like four different times in the last season when any other love song from their third album could have been placed instead

and also another generally, and i know the early 2000s would've never allowed this for children's television but they should have and i'm the writer now!!!, but more representation all around. maybe some episodes about cultural heritage that didn't make stereotypes the main focus, canon LGBTQIA+ characters, holidays that aren't christmas, aspects like that where all kids can see themselves represented... LA is such a huge melting pot, it's not all white kids trying to make their dreams come true!

good god that was long SORRY AKJBSKJGBAB i have a lot to say and there's a lot im trying to incorporate into my story to add in what i think enhances the already present storyline. that's what's so beautiful about fandom, i love that we can have conversations like this :)

but what about you? anything you'd like to add in? i'd love to know <3 thank you for the question!

ask me a question! save my life!

#chats with ash #ash talks tasw #cant-get-enough-btr-forever

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greensparty · 2 months ago

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Talking with Pamela Des Barres

In the history of music there's quite a few Rock and Roll Zeligs who have intertwined and cross-pollinated with countless musicians and have so many stories to tell. One that comes to mind is Ms. Pamela Des Barres. She was a part of the L.A. rock scene in the 1960s: a member of The GTO's (Girls Together Outrageously), a famous rock groupie who had friendships and relationships with countless rockers, an actress, and more. She wrote about her experiences in several books notably I'm With the Band: Confessions of a Groupie. She is currently on a tour, which brings her to Boston's City Winery on Nov. 10 to tell her own stories in an intimate show. I caught up with her via phone recently. Funny enough just last year I spoke with Michael Des Barres, her husband from 1977 to 1991, at the MusicCon Collectibles Extravaganza, and he's another Rock and Roll Zelig with so many 6-degrees in pop culture. Pamela was super cool and I highly recommend checking out her current tour.

Pamela Des Barres modern-day

Me: Currently you're on this tour doing writing workshops and your intimate one-woman shows, including City Winery on November 10th. I have to ask, is this really your first appearance in Boston?

PDB: It's my first appearance, yes. I have been there once, I came there once a long time ago when one of my books came out on a book tour. But I really didn't get to see any of it. I haven't performed there. This is kind of a newish thing for me. I've done tons of readings, but this is more of a one-woman show where I play some of the music that inspired me, or my own music with The GTO's, boyfriend's music through the years, tons of photos are shown up there onstage behind me. So it's different than a reading. I'll go from a reading to just whatever story pops into my head. It's not at all rehearsed except for the readings themselves. I just go off on rock and roll tangents.

The GTO's with Frank Zappa in 1969 (Des Barres to the right of Zappa)

Me: You just mentioned being a member of The GTO's. What was it like working with the legendary Frank Zappa?

PDB: He was easy to work with. He's the one that encouraged us to be singer-songwriters because he just loved our take on life back in 1968 in Laurel Canyon. He just wanted to preserve our moments on vinyl. Preserve our cute teenage reality in 1968 in Hollywood. He knew what he was doing. He wanted to save history was one of his main goals in this world.

Jimmy Page and Des Barres

Me: You've sort of become this rock and roll zelig or sorts. You've performed music, you've supported musicians, you've acted, you've written books about music. Have you ever thought about returning to music at some point?

PDB: [laughs] Unfortunately, I'm not a great singer. It didn't matter in The GTO's. That wasn't work for me. But I'm very very supportive of musicians and have been my whole life. I have shows in my backyard, I have a really great patio, so I have shows in my backyard at least four times a year. I charge and I give all of the money to the bands. I've been doing that for years, since a favorite band of mine twenty-five years ago had a record label that was not going to give them any support at all. I said, well let me throw you a record release party. That's how it started and I just love being able to do that. I still go see music all the time. I'll travel anywhere. Recently I went from L.A. to New Jersey to see Springsteen. I'll go anywhere to see Dion. Dion DiMucci is one of my favorites singers, along with Elvis.

Me: Today you are very well-connected to your fans through social media, podcasts, Cameo, book signings and appearances. How does it feel to meet new writers inspired by your writing?

PBD: I feel like it's really my life's work, my writing workshops. I feel like I've found what I'm here to do. Seeing these women, just open their hearts and minds to themselves. They really figure out why things happened in their lives, how to change things for the better by writing it out. I give them props and they only write for twelve minutes and we read them in class. There's so much interaction. People make lifelong friends, because kindred spirits show up in my workshops. People who love music, open-hearted freak-flag-flying people show up. [laughs] All ages too. My recent one in Chicago I had an eighteen year-old and a eighty-eight year-old. And there's no separation between spirits and hearts.

Although, there's a fellow who came up to me and said "Thank God for you! Reading your book made me do what I wanted to do. I realized I didn't have to be stuck in a normal lifestyle. I could go be myself. He wrote a little poem about me." Stuff like that makes you realize - Wow! I'm doing my job here on this earth as this individual. So I'm having a pretty wonderful life actually.

Me: I do have to ask, I'm a lifelong Beatle fanatic, so I have to ask about your meeting with Ringo Starr?

PDB: Yes, I've met all The Beatles finally. [laughs] Took forever. But yeah, Ringo was in 200 Motels, the Frank Zappa film. He played Frank - it was hysterical. It was a two week shoot in England. We all just hung out, we rarely got sleep. We were always on a set together. We'd go out afterwards. I actually got to have dinner with Ringo and a couple of the people there. This was 1970. I've seen him many times since then. He lives in Los Angeles. And he always remembers my name. It's just always a thrill!

I'm With the Band book cover

Me: You've written written several books. Could there be another book coming sometime soon?

PDB: I have six books out. Most people think I have one book. People come up to me and say "I read your book" and what makes me really pleased is when they say "I've read your books" - that S makes all the difference. But yes, I've written six books and I'm writing two more right now. My third memoir, which is my spiritual life. It's called Blinded by the Light: Sex, God and Rock & Roll. I'm writing Cynthia Plaster Caster's memoir for her. [NOTE: I included a pic of Pamela Des Barres and Frank Zappa with Cynthia in my remembrance of her] She asked me to do that right before she passed.

So I have a lot of work ahead of me. I'm on the road all the time. I'm teaching my workshops everywhere. I do rock tours of Hollywood, Laurel Canyon, Sunset Strip. It's endless what I do. I'm so busy for my age group. One might imagine at my age, you'd be relaxed in your golden years. [laughs] Not me.

For info on Pamela Des Barres

For ticket and info on her City Winery appearance on 11/10/24

#pamela des barres #interview #books #i'm with the band #The GTO's #frank zappa #michael des barres #ringo starr #200 motels #cynthia plaster caster #music nerd

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the-marron · 7 months ago

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[30 questions for authors]

10, 19, 20

10. Do you enjoy writing dialogue, exposition, or plot the most?

Ha, that's a very good question really. I think it changes? I used to be very bad with dialogues, I could go on and on with my characters' internal monologues without ever mentioning what the character was doing or where they even were, just paragraph after paragraph of their internal struggles. Now I am more mindful of keeping things balanced, and I think looking back onto how much work I've put into actually paying attention to dialogues, by sheer practice I learned to like them a lot. They are still not dominating the story, but I am really happy about them now! But I like the plot too, especially with longer things where I plant the seeds early on and can hit my characters with a full-blown tree later. Lots of fun, writing is. I think exposition out of these is my least fun - I do have a bias for in medias res, so the exposition usually happens on the go and in limited portions.

19. Who is the easiest/hardest character for you to write about? Why?

Easiest? Lin Nansheng, hands down. Not because I relate to him so much, hell no, but because I really like what he undergoes in the canon, it explores the themes I am interested in, so writing LNS is like coming to a well-known room full of my favourite stuff. Plus, I enjoy reading about 'his' era, so each time I finish a book that is remotely connected to the Rebel canon I usually end up with a new idea of how LNS fits there. I also really like writing Zhao Yunlan, Luo Fei and Hei Qi and... do I have a type? Absolutely.

Hardest? Jiang Yang and Da Qing.

With Jiang Yang I find it challenging to balance what he is and does in the canon with adding something more to it and not destroying The Long Night's version of him - I like the canon too much to meddle with it and change it, and so my ideas on what to do with Jiang Yang are very limited - how to write more than a description of what he probably thought during different parts of the drama, without changing the drama too much so I end up disliking the world I've built? So far I only managed to stick him in some aus and in one (1) fix it and I am not sure if I have anything else in me. Love the character but he is a bit above my paygrade for now.

An Da Qing... Well, I admit, I like him, but I don't think I ever managed to bring him out of the 'good friend' role. He is much more than that but I never have good ideas to utilise him fully as something more than just ZYL's friend and partner in crime. I simply lack the ideas to give him something more to do, that is not connected with weilan.

20. What’s your favorite minor character you’ve written?

Minor as in OC? Or minor as in 'character that is not the focus of the show/fic but I liked them?" I am going to answer both, because I like to talk, duh.

OC - Madame Qi in Thousand Flowers Manor (Weilan Derivs). I came up with her because I needed a fretting mother figure that would fit the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies set up of this wuxia romance, and since she was a rather prominent minor character I had to figure out everything about her - her mannerisms, he priorities, her backstory, while still keeping her a mostly comedic character. I had lots of fun with her and when I re-read this story I am truly proud of how she turned out.

Not focus - Zhu Hong. I truly like ZH a lot in the drama, I like her self-acceptance arc and letting ZYL go as part of her journey, and I am also a big fan of how she interacts with the rest of the SID. I think the drama did a stellar job with her and so whenever I have space for it, I like to include her. Most notable work when I am really happy with how I wrote her is Love Resembles Memories series (Mystic Pop Up Bar au!), as well as Through the Window of This Love (Singer au!), but here it's a shared effort with Ascel 🥰. I like ZH so much I wrote an entire fic just about her and her friendship with Wang Zheng, but that doesn't count as minor character, right?

Thank you so much for asking, it was so much fun to answer!

If anyone wants to take part in the game, here is the link: og post

#ask game #fanfiction #my writing #guardian fanfiction #marron gets personal

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impossiblesuitcase · 3 months ago

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i really wonder whats your top 5 in movies,series,singers,books

it may seem weird but please

This is hard because I always struggle to rank things I like. It's usually more of a "hey, I like all these things, and I prefer some aspects of them than others." So these lists are not in order of preference, and I won't always be doing 5 of each because I feel bad about picking favourites 😂

Movies:

How to Train Your Dragon - excellent cinema, why are they adapting it. please don't ruin it.

Back to the future - c'mon, it's iconic

Tangled - The disney movie I return to the most

Spiderman far from home - MJ and Peter are just the sweetest in this one

The Princess Diaries - both movies are amazing, but I do prefer the second. I feel like Julie Andrews is my third grandmother because of these movies.

Series (movies? books? shows? I'm not sure so I'll just go with shows.):

Phineas and Ferb is always a fun time.

Miraculous Ladybug is sick and pathetic and terrible but I still thoroughly enjoy it.

H2o: Just add water, baby.

And yes, I do enjoy shows besides kids shows, these are just more fun to talk about 😄

I like K-dramas, some of my favourites are W: two worlds, Exxtraordinary You, Legend of the Blue Sea and Crash Landing on You.

Singers (I'm not sure if you mean singers as in my favourite muscial artists, or who I actually think are the best singers. I will do both.)

I love Dodie Clark's music and songwriting, although she isn't the strongest singer.

Laufey, Marina, Mitski, Taylor, Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood can be super fun.

Julie Andrews was such a gorgeous soprano, as was Marni Nixon and the other contemporaries of that time.

And speaking of musical theatre, Ramin Karimloo, Philippa Soo and Lea Salonga are brilliant.

For male singers, those Korean boys have some great vocals.

Books:

The Anne of Green Gables series. Often when I mention this series people say "oh yeah, I read the whole series! The four books are so cute." The full series is actually 11 books and I only know of a few people that dedicated themself to reading all of them because I'm telling you--some parts draaaggg. But I still really love this series and I always get sad when I see the references L.M Montgomery put in reflecting her own life which was much sadder than Anne's. Anne and Gilbert will always be my favourite enemies to lovers ship and when she rejects him and only realises she loves him when he's dying? Impeccable. Plus the eternal classic, "I don't want sunbursts or marble halls. I just want you." 😭 Gorgeous. The last few chapters of Anne of Ingleside are so good, the reminder that even after decades Gilbert still loves her is so sweet.

The Hunger Games is by far the best piece of dystopian YA literature. Suzanne explores themes in way that informs the way we now consume media. Every time I see a media circus against the backdrop of war and brutality I am reminded of Katniss. The series does loose points for me in that I find the love triangle boring, but I can see why it was included.

I recently reread the Percy Jackson series and while some parts are a bit too kiddy for me, I still love Rick's character depictions. Percy is such an interesting, layered character, and when people say it's impossible for men to write an authentic female character, I point to Annabeth Chase. Rick wrote her as a person, not just the female love interest.

Another book series I like, I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, is The Lunar Chronicles🙂

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fff777 · 1 year ago

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Watched WayV on joox live :3 (220104) (220208)

220104 Episode

I always knew Alexander as that guy who could speak a million languages (including Cantonese) from U-Kiss so it was cool seeing him get so excited about being able to speak different languages.

I didn't know anything about Ginny but her being like "我都係廣東人啊!" had me like YEAH!!!!!! Truly the Canto crowd today!!!!!! 4/6 of the people there can speak it.

And Xander being like "hehe our managers won't know what we're saying >3" No but he's so right

Omg but Xander bringing up Cantonese again like he is REALLY excited about people speaking Cantonese and like high key me too dude!!!!

Also Xander really switching between English, Cantonese, and Korean all chill. He's not the one who has to type subtitles anyway lol. Meanwhile Ginny is very professional keeping things in Korean :P

Dejun: I'd love to cover a Cantonese song but we don't have the copyright

林子祥 SUNBAENIM guys I'm crying X'D

DEJUN SANG 大哥 by 衛蘭 I'M GOING TO FUCKING DIE FROM HAPPINESS OMFG Janice Vidal was my favourite Cantonese singers ToT

I hope Yangyang and Qian Kun aren't feeling too left out ^^;;

WayV pets spotlight

Dejun doesn't mind Bella being clingy :3

Kun: I already know how to do so many things Kun flex

Next level

Yangyang's outfit is cool btw :3

Qian Kun & Yangyang: 你識唔識講英文? Kind of a flex but also I wonder if that was what Dejun was whispering into Yangyang's ear at the last minute XD

DEJUN DEADASS NAMED THREE NCT MEMBERS WRONG. I know he just got tongue tied though :P

Kun mentions both the Czennies and Wayshennies :3

Ten is unanimously the sexiest WayV

Xander asked for the point and Dejun was the go-to guy to demonstrate XD I don't know why but he fits that vibe :P Without Ten he is the representative for dance I guess :3

I know this is a lower budget show and Xander was like "guys can you get a shot of them again with the legs"

Omg Ten choreographed part of Miracle?????? Makes me love it even more now <3

When Yangyang said Kun was the cutest member and made him do cute poses at the camera and Xander was like "you're just teasing him." FINALLY someone stands up for this injustice XD

They had to pick the member who was coolest when angry and Kunyang pointed at Xiaojun and the little guy was just sitting like this while everyone laughed

Oh nooo Yangyang said that Dejun is cute when he's angry so it makes him want to mess with him TAT Dejun cannot live under this roof

OH RIGHT Kun's birthday is New Year's :3 It's nice that the show got him a cake :3

YEAH the Canto crew sang Kun the 福壽歌 (basically Cantonese Happy Birthday)

Xander so miffed that Yangyang was so good at English and didn't say anything because he did all the English heavy lifting for the day XD

Their final greetings still mentioned keeping safe during the pandemic, time really goes by so fast.

220208 Episode

On Kun's behalf Yangyang promised all Weishennies red pockets ^^;;

Hendery: 很大的煲 Except he said 很大的 in Mandarin and 煲 in Cantonese because he didn't know the Cantonese word for Cantonese and let me tell you, that is how a lot of Cantonese people speak Mandarin XD They just substitute Cantonese words in and hope people get it.

LMAO he was talking about 盤菜

Yangyang's pictures are pretty detailed, kudos :P

Ooh I actually didn't know Xiaojun played guitar :3 Hendery said he plays sad songs a lot

Kun's pictures of Yangyang were cute!!!!!!!! The way he wrote it as "Yangyang's day off" :3

Also the way Kun was like "Yangyang has a lot of clothes but HE GOES SHOPPING FOR MORE!!!!!"

Xiaojun's pretty and dense eyelashes in the spotlight :P

寫揮春!!

Kun explaining the arrangement in Turn Back Time :3

Xander keeps getting 99 team second guessing by being like "which version is it???"

Hendery finding the tiara after the wand and was like "哇, 這是one set 喔!" He was so excited about dressing Yangyang up as a princess.

Oh man I enjoyed this soooo much because like Xander, I was just so excited about seeing a bunch of Cantonese/Chinese speaking peeps together haha <3 <3 <3

#screencaps & commentaries #nct #wayv #alexander lee #skyle #ginny wu

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nostalgiachan · 2 years ago

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For this batch of 100 OCs, I decided to do something a little different and zazz them up with some colored backgrounds. Let me know if you prefer the images with or without. As always, new drawings up top, original drawings down below (with a special double for Arlein since I completely redesigned her from her original iteration), and detailed character info below the cut.

#53: Mina II Idea: Peppy punky lead singer (and eventual keyboardist come 3) Story: Rock Band

Now, if there was any instrument I could play expert, it was vocals, lol. Except on fucking Good Vibrations because HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO HEAR WHAT PART I'M SUPPOSED TO BE SINGING ON A LIVE FUCKING RECORDING? IT'S A SIX PART GODDAMN HARMONY. And also Tanlged Up in Blue because BOB DYLAN IS NOT SINGING SPECIFIC NOTES HALF THE TIME WHY ARE THESE CHARTED LIKE THIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS.

Anyway, Mina.

Mina's my character for vocals, and come Rock Band 3, I slotted her in for keyboards, as well. She's the upbeat and outgoing punk of the posse, and her character color was green; green hair, green microphone, green-forward outfits. Even though the characters predate the release of the anime, I like to imagine now that D.A.R.K. specifically starts because Mina saw K-ON! and said "Dude, Sydan, we could fuckin' do that. We could do it better. We just need to find, like...a drummer and a bassist." They meet Ren and Paz in their school's band, start their own...and then spend half their time dicking around, not unlike Houkago Tea Time. They do scrabble an EP together, though, and thus their legend begins.

#54 and 55: Ren and Paz II Idea: Polar opposite identical twins who aren't actually that polar opposite Story: Rock Band

Finally, we have Ren and Paz, the twin brother rhythm section of D.A.R.K. - Paz as bassist, Ren as drummer. The only reason they wound up being twins was that there was only one face option I really liked for men in RB1 and I really liked The Emover hairstyle, so I just kind of leaned into it.

Ren's character color was light blue, though unlike the other characters, I didn't include any black in his wardrobe because I wanted him to have a kind of ice king look. I'd initially planned on him being the Metal representative, but most of the metal items leaned more towards GWAR costumes - lots of armor and literal metal. So instead, I also put him in Goth attire. Thus, he became the graceful, mysterious, icy drummer - who was a total dork behind the scenes.

Meanwhile, Paz was the Rock style representative, and while I'd intended on giving him a yellow color scheme, it turned out that the game didn't really have a good bright yellow color. Thus, I went with pink instead, and the combination of pink scheme and flamboyant classic rock attire went quite a way towards forming my image of him as an upbeat, showy performer, all sunshine and rainbows and bouncing about on stage in contrast to Sydan's stoic technicality.

Ren and Paz also provide back-up vocals (as Sydan is far too self-conscious about her voice and will only step to the mic in those instances where a four-part harmony is absolutely necessary), and Paz has done lead precisely once: when he wrote a song for his Spanish final project (aka when they added Me Enamora to Rock Band 3).

Fun fact: their hair highlights are reversed (Ren has white hair with a blue highlight, Paz has pink hair with a white highlight)

#56: Arlein Idea: Storm Lord in training on a bit of field work Story: Dragon Tavern

Somewhere around 2009 or 2010, I made a second batch of nine characters for Dragon Tavern. Since I already had the idea for the five-year timeskip, I decided these guys would be bands of adventurers searching for the missing Champions; their respective kingdoms started to get suspicious after they stopped receiving updates from the parties and put out monetary rewards for anyone who could find and bring them home. An entire subculture began to form among these "Seekers" as they traded info, banded together, and raced against one another, eventually leading to the formation of the titular Dragon Tavern and its surrounding community in an area equidistant between the three kingdoms.

The first group of Seekers in this story hailed from the Mountain Kingdoms, led by the trainee Storm Lord, Arlein. Unfortunately, Arlein's one of the least developed of this second generation, probably most evidenced by her original design; it was supposed to be an armored mage look, but it came out fairly bland. Years later, when I was redrawing everyone for practice, I noticed a funny little thing about all of my previous characters: thanks to not really thinking about it as a kid, they were basically all white people, barring the slightly tan Enkeli and Systir and the vaguely southeastern Asian adjacent Alriem. Since I was more aware of actively trying to create diverse characters, and since I wasn't overly fond of Arlein's original design, I decided that was the perfect time to give her a complete overhaul. Since I didn't have any no-shit black characters in DT, Arlein would be the first.

Now, I still have to work on her backstory and details, but the general idea for her is that she's on this trip to earn a hefty tuition - so long as she does some general "field work" along the way, the Academy will give her a basic stipend, and the full reward would cover just about any proper academic work she would ever undertake - and the notoriety that bringing in Alriem, Systir, and Iros would bring.

#my art #100 oc challenge #rock band #rock band game #dragon tavern #original characters #pencil art #traditional art

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cellythefloshie · 1 year ago

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Do you guys remember this ask? Well, I found a Bachelortte simulator. While it's in no way going to top the one I wrote I thought it would be fun to see what it spit out for me. AND it includes more players than my original post! Let's see what it comes up with for me:

Night One

I would never hurt your Ross baby.

Everyone knows how good Freddie looks in a suit.

Tony does seem like the sweet guy that would write a poem!

Flattery will only get you so far Timo - but like don't stop.

Tyler, WTF?

No introduction is needed, Wilson, we know you.

Who were you yelling at before the show to lose your voice, Matty?

Don't need to brag Sid.

OMG such a Pat thing to do LOL

Roman, with butterflies? Damn.

We found who Matty was fighting with, Nico.

Are we going to do this handshake forever now? Yup. Count on it.

Everyone loves magic, right?

Weird way to get the first impression rose, but like Chris would totally rock the look.

Willy being a good singer would not surprise me one bit.

Adam gonna make me blush.

Vince is lucky he's cute.

Picking a weird time to want to boost your socials Andrei. Because we all out here looking for some more off-season content.

You know Vladdy was blushing the entire time.

Barzy, getting shy? So cute!

Most of the rose ceremony checks out. But like sending Anthony, Brady, Josh and Matt home on the same night? Unbelievable. Those men are too damn fine.

Week One

Tyler and Chris out here looking out for me

Tony, don't think like that. You know your sweetness can just sneak up on someone and make them fall for you. It's only happened so many times with The Road Wife, it can happen again

Leave it to one of the most attractive men in hockey to come in and steal the first kiss of the show - no one could say no to Josi

Tkachuk upset about not getting enough attention -> confides in someone -> gives the rose to the person he confides in. Such a bitch move LOL

1 on 1 date with Ross? Yes, please. Horseback riding would be a gong show.

TJ, my first hockey love. Would be such a humbling date.

Such a good-looking group of guys to watch go.

Week Two

As if I'd ever tell you that, Chris.

Roman really out here stealing a lot of my attention. But like, have you seen him?

You guys are really interested in this one question, huh?

Cuddles with Ross? Say less. He should have gotten the rose.

You got a problem with my boy, Vladdy? Jokes on you, he gets the rose.

Thank you, Timo that was needed.

See I told you, Tony!

1 on 1 with Vince. These dates are winning. And such a serious topic! And he's humble!

Damn. What was this version of celly thinking? Sending home Adam, Brayden and Nico all in one go!? Delusional.

Week Three

Andrei, doing sweet precious things? Consider me swooning.

Pretty boy comforting pretty boy.

Cocky and Confident, TJ. Love it.

What is it with me giving roses to the guys that are getting bullied by the other contestants LOL

VLADDY IS PRECIOUS AND I WILL ALWAYS LOVE HIM.

Why would producers let me take Chris on a nature hike when Jeremy was still in the show. Like com'on horrible planning on their part.

Tony deserved better.

Week Four

Timo would 100% not be afraid of PDA in front of literally anyone

Are we sure Vice and I were just cuddling under that blanket?

Chris doing a backflip would be hella impressive

There it is, Wilson, being typical Wilson

I am really bad at giving the boys the attention they want

Why the fuck would I let Andrei make fun of Vladdy!? And then send Vladdy home!? My heart hurts.

Week Five

Let's be real, I'd be out there kissing all of them

You got a problem with Ross? Rose for Ross then LOL

Tom is obviously not too sad about it - he ships it

Should have gotten rid of him when he made fun of Vladdy!

Week 6

It was Shania Twain - has to be if Vince is getting the rose because you know he's having a good time

the crowd is getting thin, but maybe spend the time trying to win my heart boys

OOOF no wonder he's such fuck boy. Still not over that breakup.

AND CHRIS TOO? What are the chances?

Week Seven - Hometowns

A trip to Denmark would be incredible. So many sights to see and it would be such a cool experience to travel there with him. It seems like it would be a nice and intimate time with Freddie and his family.

He's such a family guy, it's undeniable.

An understandable situation. I've only been prospecting like 30 guys over the last few episodes. I'd be cold towards me too LOL

We come full circle to night one. I'd never hurt you, Ross. You're too pretty to be hurt by someone like me.

Week Eight - One on One Dates

I was on tv before this? Damn, I'm going to need to know how that happened.

I can confirm I'd be in love with at least 2 of the final 4 LOL So yes, I'd be very confused

👀

It took you until the final 4 to freak about the other guys? Couldn't have done this in week 1 when there were like 20 other guys to compete with?

Week Nine - Fantasy Suites

Oh you know it happened

You mean we didn't just have our fun in the hot tub?

ALL THIS TALK ABOUT NOT WANTING TO GET HURT AND NOW YOU HURT ME? I was rooting for you, Ross!

And it brings us to the final two. My 1st hockey love TJ Oshie - the very reason I write hockey rpf and my newest hockey love Vince Dunn. Kind of poetic, isn't it?

The Finale

DAMN, this would make my heart hurt. You know Vince is on the verge of tears while reading that letter. It would not be an easy decision to reject his proposal... and you know... at the reunion special... might be one of those I chose the wrong guy situations LOL Because it was all adding up to look like it was going to be Vince before that moment.

#celly things

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dailykoreanpop · 1 year ago

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ATEEZ Members Accused Of Singing Offensive “Curry” Song — KQ Entertainment And MBC Respond

Fans have mixed reactions to the company’s response.

Recently, a video went viral of ATEEZ members singing a controversial song. Their company has since responded.

The song in question is the infamous “Curry.” The “Curry” song was released by the K-Pop duo Norazo over a decade ago and became a hit in South Korea. Still, “Curry” is undeniably controversial and problematic. The lyrics and choreography harmfully stereotype South Asian culture. Even the original MV depicted the duo wearing brownface.

Shanti, Shanti / Yoga, Fire / I love hot curry

— “Curry,” Norazo

youtube

Three years ago, SEVENTEEN‘s Wonwoo sang “Curry” in an episode of the group’s popular variety show Going Seventeen. At the time, Norazo’s Jo Bin issued a statement about the song since he witnessed criticism directed toward Wonwoo. He captioned his social media post, “The writing I wrote is not intended to encourage disputes. I wanted everyone to be comfortable. Sorry. You have no choice but to close the feedback window. The opinion window can be a place of controversy with each other! May everyone see us with understanding and love. We will definitely grow in a good direction!”

Norazo are not racist and do not insult religions! I’ve heard from people of Indian descent today that curry is not a part of real Indian food. The reason why I ended up working on the song without checking the facts was because I lived in Korea while knowing false information about the history of curry, so I was taught to think, ‘Curry is Indian food!’ As a result, I did not realize what the words I used to express India as a homeland actually meant and how sacred they were! This was surely my mistake!

All we wanted to do was let it be known that curry is a delicious food that anybody can enjoy through our Norazo style! I want to say that we didn’t write the song with the intent to put anyone down or cut down the culture or tradition of a precious country!

From now on, we’ll be sure to be singers who make and sing songs with proper information! We apologize to people of India and Southern Asia who were hurt by this! And lastly, just like us, our hoobae singers didn’t know it could be conveyed that way!

We hope that this song, which was ignorant about another country’s tradition, will not hurt our hoobae singers who are on their world tour while loving the fans and cultures of other countries!

— Norazo’s Jo Bin

Despite this, “Curry” has continued to be sung and disappointed idols’ fandoms. In April this year, STAYC‘s Sieun and Sumin were criticized for singing the song.

Now, ATINYs are disappointed since two members of ATEEZ sang the offensive “Curry” song. ATEEZ is considered by K-Pop fans to be one of the few groups that are not problematic or have a history of partaking in offensive behavior and cultural appropriation.

A behind-the-scenes video from MBC R <IDOL RADIO> was released yesterday. In one moment, San is dancing and singing “Curry.” Fellow member Yunho can be heard offscreen singing along softly as he was the one to bring it up originally. According to ATINYs, he commented that “DJ San sounds like shanti,” which triggered San’s singing.

The clip went viral on TikTok with 111.9K views at the time of writing. ATINYs were shocked. Some commented that Yeosang even appeared to recognize that something was wrong.

So, ATINYs quickly took to social media, including Twitter and the b.stage app, to contact the members and their company, KQ Entertainment, about the problematic nature of the song. Some have pointed out that Seonghwa previously mentioned “Curry.”

Within 24 hours, KQ Entertainment responded to ATINYs’ concerns. The company shared a thread via Twitter, explaining that their artist(s) had “unknowingly hurt” ATINYs with their actions. So, KQ Entertainment apologized on their behalf and promised to educate.

The fandom has had mixed reactions to KQ Entertainment’s statement. Many fans would like the artists themselves to address the matter.

MBC Idol Radio Korea has also released a statement regarding the video. The company took responsibility for not editing it out originally.

Hello, this is Idol Radio. In the behind-the-scenes video released on July 8, a scene with the “Curry” song was included. We apologize for the inconvenience to viewers around the world regarding the scene. Although it was not our intention, we feel deeply responsible for not being able to catch it during the editing process. We will be aware of this issue so that it does not happen again in the future. We will continue to think about better content to repay your interest and support for Idol Radio.

— MBC Idol Radio Korea

Additionally, the video containing the offensive scene has been taken down. The members also did not post via b.stage after their concert.

Credit: Koreaboo

#ateez #san #choi san #Yunho #jeong yunho #yeosang #kang yeosang #Seonghwa #park seonghwa #kq entertainment #koreaboo #idol radio

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