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forkanna · 3 years ago

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[AO3] [WATTPAD]

The rest of the morning was spent getting dressed and ready for their day to begin. Rise only had a few of the more cliched touristy things in mind, since she had been planning it out with the whole of the Investigation Team — such as whale watching, or hitting up Okinawa World. Even though none of them were old enough to drink their fabled "snake liquor", they were all for exploring the caves that ran beneath the theme park.

When Ai had asked if she wanted her to return the favour, Rise declined. The truth was that while she desperately wanted to sate her urges, she knew they were both feeling a little out of sorts from all their exploration so far — which was why she thought the downtime would be good. Now they could sort through their feelings while sightseeing, and come back to it several hours later, hopefully having gained some kind of wisdom along the way.

Though there was one small problem…

"Will you stop that?" Ai hissed as she and Rise lingered toward the back of the group climbing the steps to the historical Shuri Castle. Yukiko was definitely the one most interested, but the others didn't mind seeing the notable sites.

"Stop whaaat?"

"Stop trying to grab me by the balls. I tried to tell you, it's not a toy!"

Pursing her lips, she pulled her closer to whisper in her ear, "It's my toy. I'm having a lot of fun with it." But then she dropped back with a giggle. "And we both know that if you didn't want me to, you'd try harder to stop me. But all you have to say is 'You need to stop' again and I'll know you're serious."

Ai pursed her lips… but said nothing. Perfect. She had a feeling she was enjoying the attention, even if not the specific form it took. "Dumb bitch," she said yet again.

"You love meeeeee," she cooed with a grin and a little bounce as they reached the top, leaning over to rest her head against her shoulder. Even though she decided not to grab for her unmentionables anymore, she wasn't going to leave her alone.

"Okay, you two," Yosuke sighed irritably as he laced his fingers behind his head. "I know you two have this whole weird 'bet' going, or whatever it is, but do you have to rub it in for the rest of us who don't have anybody? Like, look at Yukiko and Chie and Naoto; they don't have boyfriends! You're gonna make 'em feel bad, too!"

Apparently, he had thought appealing to their solidarity with other women would be more effective than pleading his own case. But Rise just giggled, because she saw the look Yukiko and Chie shared. Naoto was as stoic as ever… but she thought she noticed Kanji blushing. That would make perfect sense, those two — she just had no evidence they were also a thing.

Poor Yosuke. No chance at love unless Narukami came back, or he decided to give in to-

"WHAT A PRETTY CASTLE!" Teddie burst out in a gushy tone of voice, lacing his fingers together next to his own face as he stared up at the doorways. "Ohhh, can we live here? Pleeeeaaaase?!"

"No," Yosuke sighed very tiredly with no hesitation whatsoever. "And I thought I reminded you a whole damn five minutes ago to keep it down!"

Rise was laughing at that reprimand when her cell phone went off, making much more noise than Teddie ever had been. Holding up a finger, she stepped a little further away from the group to take it.

"Yes?"

"Miss Kujikawa."

After a brief second of surprise, she managed to breathe, "Minoru-chan! What's… I mean, hey!"

Minoru Inoue's stoic voice returned over the earpiece of her phone as she turned away from the group. "I have been trying to call you all morning. Is there an issue with your cell phone carrier? Would you like me to look into the cause of-"

"No, no, it's… it's fine." This was inconvenient, but she wanted to get it out of the way as quickly as possible. "So what's up? I'm out with friends, we're on vacation."

"Yes, about that… I'm going to send you a couple of images. Tell me if you notice anything."

So she pulled the phone back in order to check the screen. Sure enough, within seconds the images were coming in via text, and when they finally loaded…

"O-oh, you saw those!" she laughed as lightly as she could manage despite the way her heart began pounding in her throat. So many pictures! Each one featured her and it behara laughing together, walking hand in hand, arguing… only one or two showed anything that could be construed as romantic, but all of them could have been explained away as friendship if one tried hard enough. "Yep, all according to plan. It's fine! They're fine, don't… don't worry about 'em!"

"Which 'plan' was this? Certainly nothing approved by the label."

"Something I thought of on the spur of the moment. It's so easy for an idol to fade into the background, isn't it? Well… here's me, finding a way to stand out! It'll be great — you'll see!"

"There are already a lot of polarising comments on the message boards," Inoue went on, and Rise found herself glancing around to make sure nobody else could hear her. A couple of her friends — including Ai — were glancing over at her to make sure everything was alright, but they were far enough away they probably didn't catch a word. "Everyone is very invested — for both positive and negative reasons."

"See? It's working!"

"No, you misunderstand, Miss Kujikawa. The label is uncomfortable with your career taking this direction. They're considering severing their association with you."

Rise felt her blood chill in her veins. "They're gonna fire me? Because… I'm dating a girl?" She had considered adding a 'maybe' in there, but decided against it. That wasn't how she wanted to move forward with her life.

"They're considering it. There's no real official position on these matters, but businessmen tend to be more conservative. Even if they like the idea of flash and attention-seeking behaviour because it typically only helps a celebrity's visibility, if it's the wrong kind of visibility, it could eventually reflect poorly on the label itself."

"That's not fair," she immediately shot back. And then her higher reasoning skills kicked back in. "And they already know what a moneymaker my voice and my looks are, that I know how to work it. I'm cute, and I know how to be cute."

"The label wants you to be cute and available," he stressed. "They understand that most of our idols will marry eventually, but they hope to get as many men lusting after the idea of being your boyfriend for as long as possible."

"They're delusional."

"Yes, they are. But that's where the money is."

Sighing, she found a nearby pillar and leaned back against it as she thought about the entirety of the situation. Tried to weigh her options. "Well… okay, so I can ride the scandal for a while, can't I? Like, there hasn't been a lesbian idol. Not that I remember."

"Don't you think there's a reason why you can't remember? Because they aren't encouraged to be out publicly. And if they can't conduct that business in private, then the labels have no use for them."

Anger was starting to overtake her anxiety. "That 'business', huh? Maybe it's not any of their business."

"Of course it is. An idol in this country? Literally every aspect of your personal life reflects on your profession, colours public opinion. You know this as well as I do."

"Well… I don't care. Like, if they really want to cut me loose, they can go ahead, but I think they would really be shooting themselves in the foot if they don't see how this plays out first."

"They're already on point of doing that, Miss. You're already essentially 'retired' and trying to make a comeback. If there were going to be a homosexuality scandal, it would be ideally placed for when you're already riding high on the charts, or are on a slight decline — and even then, it's still very risky. So you should really start thinking about whether or not you want this comeback at all."

"Now you're starting to piss me off," she snapped. "This isn't a 'scandal' or a 'business' or any of that stuff! This is my life! Isn't the whole point for me to be entertaining? I can do that and be with a woman at the same time!" She heard him start to interrupt, but she pushed ahead, "Maybe it's about time Japan had an openly queer pop star, because there sure as hell aren't enough of us! So you can shut the fuck up until you have something a little less caveman to say!"

And she hung up on him. Deep down, she knew she was being unfair to Minoru; he was just trying to do his job, and seeing everything through that public relations lense. But she hated the fact that they were trying to tell her she couldn't even date the woman she wanted to date. Nevermind that she was serious about it, and they all thought this was either a publicity stunt, or just some random person she wanted to hold hands with for five seconds before throwing her away. Everything in the world of light music was so immaterial. She wasn't even sure she really was gay or bisexual or whichever label fit her; why did it have to be so important to everyone when it didn't even affect them?

Looking over at Ai was enough to reassure her that she had done the right thing. Even though she wasn't even paying attention to her at the moment, just looking around the brightly-coloured interior of the castle, she was still just as gorgeous as ever — and she was a woman. The only woman Rise had ever found herself thinking about as not just attractive, but as someone she was attracted to. Every time she tried to examine that and figure out if it was a fluke, she just found herself falling yet harder for the stunning upperclassman. Who wouldn't be? Plenty of boys wanted to be with her, so it was understandable.

Because at least some small part of her was lesbian. Maybe more than a small one.

As she stowed her phone, she took a look at Chie and Yukiko. Chie was cute in a playful, carefree way, and Yukiko was so elegant. Could she be into them? No, not really; she had never thought about them that way in the past and wasn't too inclined to start now. Though if she were to choose…

That was interesting. Her brain instantly whispered, "It would be Yukiko," and she didn't even understand the reason. Was she into girlier girls?! Turning her attention to Chie, she knew she was also appealing in a different way, but something about that extra-feminine… maybe it was because she associated that with Ai now. She and Yukiko were both very put together, even if Yukiko took a simpler approach to her dress and makeup and hair; more traditional.

Weird thoughts. Shaking her head out, she jogged to catch up with the group, putting on a happy face.

"What was that shit all about?" Kanji asked idly.

"Nothing," she said with a big smile, trying to put her best foot forward. "What about you guys? What's this all about?"

After a brief pause, Chie said, "It's… a castle…?"

"Well, um, yes, but are we all having fun? Come on, get excited — we're in Okinawa! Away from our parents and school and all that dumb stuff! Let's have FUN!"

Nobody could argue with that.

~ o ~

Only once they were at lunch did Ai catch up to her and confront her on trying to hide her true feelings about that phone call. After she had related the entirety of the conversation, Ai looked like she would throw her soba and chanpuru at the wall; she even threatened to pick it up and do that very thing.

"Shhh, stop that," Rise half-snickered. "It's not that big a deal."

"It is to me! That fucking asshole thinks he can push you around and tell you who to be?!"

"I know! It's so gross, and invasive, and… I just don't think it's very nice for the label to be breathing down my neck so much!"

Ai sighed as she stirred her noodles distractedly, posture slumping. "But you'd probably better think about doing as they say."

"Huh?"

"Well, you have your entire future to think about, right? I don't want to be the one holding you back. They're gross, but they're probably also just reading the room. They know what it takes to get you where you want to be, and… I ain't it."

A flash of anger welled up within Rise as she picked at her rafute. "No. You're what I need because you're my friend and you make me happy."

"Friend, huh? You do that with all your friends?" When Rise opened her mouth, she held up her hand, chopsticks still between her fingers. "Just messing with you."

"Shut UP, oh my GOD." Then they both laughed very briefly before Rise felt another sigh coming on. "Honestly, I think they're wrong about this. I've checked the online spaces myself, too — don't they think I have? Don't they think I'm better at it than those old crusty guys are?!"

"Tell them, girl!"

"Are you two okay over there?" Chie asked with a little laugh.

"NO!" they both answered, only making both tables laugh. There hadn't been enough space at any one table at the restaurant they found, so most of them ended up at the big one. Ai had volunteered the two of them to take another small one nearby — and Rise now realised the reason was this interrogation.

"Anyway, if they don't want me on the label anymore, that's that. I can find a way to pursue music without them."

Mouth full, Ai just nodded and pointed her chopsticks at her for a second until she swallowed. "YES. The internet is here and it's queer, and they're old guard who are going to die out. Viral videos are really starting to become a big part of how artists get noticed. YouTube and Niconico and stuff. Who even cares about TV anymore?"

"A lot of people," Rise sighed resignedly. "Especially in rural areas — which will also be the same people who don't want to see me dating a woman. Just not kids our age as much as we used to."

"Well… okay, yeah, that's true."

"It's okay, though. The future isn't for old people, it's for us. Me being who I am, dating who I want to date, is part of pushing forward, y'know? Not that I want to be some big activist… I don't know enough about that stuff. Not as much as you probably do. But I'm not going to hide who I am just because some old people tell me I have to; I've done enough of that for a lifetime. Now I just want to figure out the real Rise and love her, and show the world who she is."

Though she had finished and gone back to eating a moment later, waiting for Ai to respond, she never did. So eventually she glanced up to see her simply smiling across the table at her, elbows leaning on its surface as her mascara-laden eyelashes fluttered a little.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just proud of what a bitch you can be when you need to."

"Huh?! I'm not a bitch!"

"It's a compliment, dumbass. Bitches get shit done."

"Oh. Well, um… thank you?"

Ai chuckled at her for a moment, prompting Rise to kick her under the table. Then they both started flicking tiny bits of food at each other from across the tabletop until Yosuke asked what the hell they were doing, prompting a loud peal of laughter from them both. Even though at the time, Rise was mostly worried about her career and whether or not she was making the right steps, she would forever look back on that as a glorious moment she had shared with Ai Ebihara. With her girlfriend.

To Be Continued…

#we'll face ourselves #saphir de lune #forkanna writes #persona 4 fanfiction #p4 fanfic #rise x ai #jess the writer

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frumfrumfroo · 5 years ago

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What are your favorite movies and TV shows outside of SW? I’m looking for new things to watch since SW was so disappointing

My tastes are pretty eclectic, so I will stick to just things that are either similar to sw or are in the reylo-esque romance wheelhouse and have happy endings:

Chuck. It is a goofy, light-hearted action-adventure show with extremely endearing characters and a very prominent central romance (seriously, heavy romance and there is a lot of payoff for it, you will be FED- it's kind of slow burn but also shockingly NOT slow burn, they are deep into it pretty much immediately). The main couple is the classic Stoic Badass gradually softened by an innocent they have to protect who is a liability in battle but full of the Power of Heart. Chuck is The Heart btw. He is of that vanishingly rare male Beauty (of B&tB) type. He's incredibly generous and open, Sarah is prickly and closed-off. It is Quality. Very much a gender-swap of your typical cliche anime couple lol. I would recommend stopping at the mid-season finale in season 4, because it's downhill from there. The beginning of season 3 is very rough, but it's definitely worth it to stay for the back half, imo. There are several great endings to choose from before things go to shit, so we don't need to talk about the finale. Probably the most tonally similar to SW thing possible without being high/space fantasy. More humour, more silly, but definitely has a spiritual kinship. Has the best THE BEST 'secret revealed' scenes I have ever seen in anything. If you're into that and were hoping for that in ep IX, you need to watch Chuck.

The Shop Around the Corner. 1940 romance/drama film. You've Got Mail is a remake of it. Jimmy Stewart being profoundly adorable, Frank Morgan (aka the Wizard of Oz), various amusing side characters, and an absolutely deathless double blind 'secretly in love with the workplace nemesis' plot that can and probably has been a great reylo AU.

Mirromask. Fantasy/coming-of-age film. Touted as a 'spiritual successor' to Labyrinth by the filmmakers (one of whom is Neil Gaiman) and let me tell you, that is extremely apt. Beautiful, magical, laden with symbolism and Mask Discourse, and has a great ship. I quote it regularly.

Speaking of which, I'm sure you've seen Labyrinth? If you haven't seen Labyrinth, drop everything and watch Labyrinth.

Legend (the Ridley Scott director's cut, not the theatrical cut). Sumptuous fairy tale, runs on proper fairy tale logic, stunning to look at and overall captivating. Tim Curry. Tim Curry as a lonely tragic lord of darkness who tries to seduce the heroine and has drippingly overwrought monologues.

Howl's Moving Castle. Fairy tale adventure/romance film. Beautifully animated, has the ending you want.

The Silence of the Lambs. Thriller/drama film. Actual masterpiece. Use it as a gateway drug to read the books and rejoice that Clannibal is canon and it is spectacular. Just SotL and Hannibal, you don't need to read the other two. Stan Clarice Starling and revel in that ending. Most triumphant 'villain'/heroine ship of all time (he is not technically a villain but for shorthand's sake).

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. Terry Gilliam 1988 fantasy/adventure film. THE TRIUMPH OF IDEALISM OVER CYNICS I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH HOW HEALING IT WAS TO WATCH AFTER THE TROS BULLSHIT HIT. Jonathan Pryce's spiritual villain is basically Chris Terrio and it is cathartic to see imagination and sentiment conquer him.

Sabrina. 1995 romance film. Modern fairy tale with Harrison Ford. Rejecting what you thought you wanted all your life for the thing you actually need, growing up but still believing in magic, beautiful character development across all the leads. Could be (and is irrc) a fantastic reylo AU.

The Scarlet Pimpernel. 1934 adventure film. High romance, secret identities, play-acting, people who aren't at all what they appear to be, falling in love with your own spouse, Big Heroism, guile and wit and audacity. It makes me do little kicks like a happy baby. This is one of the 3-5 films constantly tied for my favourite film of all time. There is a good quality rip free on youtube. Watch it and fall in love with Leslie Howard (this is possibly my favourite acting performance of all time).

Oh, related note. Pygmalion 1938 or My Fair Lady. (The musical is based on this film and borrows from it heavily, including its much more romantic ending compared to the original play.)

The Mummy. 1999 action/adventure/romance film. Very tonally similar to sw. A fucking great time, A+ characters.

EVER AFTER. 1998 romance film. The flawless and perfect and best ever Cinderella adaptation. This is the most satisfying film in history, maybe, the ending is so good it is amazing it exists. Also, it has Richard O'Brien being slimy. Huge selling point. Grapples with identity and stewardship, is brilliant.

Fruits Basket. drama/romance anime. I haven't watched the new version yet, but it's following the manga so I know the story. The original anime didn't do the whole plot (because they caught up with the source material) but it's wonderful and I still recommend it. The central ship is (spoiler.........) a B&tB type where we eventually discover the main love interest both feels like a figurative monster and turns into a literal monster. He has an incredible speech about his relationship with people's fear, it makes me weep. I called the endgame from the first episode and always thought it was obvious, but there is a red herring love triangle dynamic. It's really not annoying, though, because it is a red herring. (I hate love triangles)

I am Dragon. Russian monster romance film. Beautiful, simple fable with a really great heroine.

Jane Eyre. 1943 Gothic Romance film. It's Jane Eyre, byronic hero x sensible heroine love story with much atmosphere and Gothic drama. I stan this version because I am an Orson Welles fangirl and I'm also not convinced it can be improved upon. Elizabeth Taylor's film debut btw.

Hellboy. 2004 action/adventure/romance film. Defying destiny, reconciling identity, monster romance. The complete package and a great time. Tonally similar to SW and probably thematically closest to it out of this whole list. Don't watch the sequel.

Beauty and the Beast 1987 tv series. Exactly what it says on the tin. Deals with the classic B&tB themes, but in a different way. He's not cursed and will never transform into an ordinary man. The first season is very episodic and 'case of the week', but the second season gets more into character drama. It's dated, but if you give it a chance you can get past some of the cheese factor and it's really a unique experience. Its concerns are SO atypical that it feels like something fandom would make rather than a mainstream network show. It was so massively, insanely popular with women at the time that a record of Vincent (the beast) reading poetry topped the album charts. Also Ron Perlman and Linda Hamilton. Stop at season two. Point of interest: George RR Martin wrote for this show.

Stargate (the movie not the series) sci-fi fantasy about a nerdy guy who accidentally a hero.

Possession. 2009... mystery/supernatural/romance. Okay. This is a whole thing. Lee Pace and Sarah Michelle Gellar. It's based on a Korean film I've never been able to find for some reason, but being Hollywood they ruined the romanticism and nuance of the original in the theatrical cut to make a shitty punative ending. However. If you buy it on dvd and go to the alternate ending (which follows the original story) with around 20 minutes left (scene after Lee Pace's character wakes from a bad dream-go to deleted scenes and select the alternate ending), you will get a very, very interesting character study/thriller/redemption about sincerity within deception, compassion, and a major question about second chances with a positive answer. It's kind of dark and kind of astonishingly idealistic at the same time. The heroine makes a very powerful choice, twice over. It's fascinating. If you're into the conflicted and uncertain period in reylo, the part where he is most ambiguous, and you wanted more of that and much darker shades to it, you might be really into this. Also, it should be noted, there is a MASSIVE height difference and they show it off. The film is flawed (and the seams show on the Hollywood rewrite) but idk, it's fascinating. Shocking to me that they even got to shoot the original ending. It is pretty balls to the wall with its themes on forgiveness.

I would recommend getting into kdramas because there is a wealth of female-gaze tropey amazing content, but always check the ending before getting invested. My all-time fave is the 1st Shop of Coffee Prince, but it's not sw related at all lmao. It has a happy ending with all the elements you'd want, but it's not satisfying in execution, so that's it's major flaw and I find that pretty common with kdramas. One that is maybe more relevant is My Love from Another Star, which has a hero who is a little bit like Ben in personality. The heroine isn't my favourite, though. It does have a decent ending.

Oh yeah- brain fart. Kurosawa films and classic westerns were both very influential on SW. Or you can combine both and watch The Magnificent Seven.

#this somehow ended up a wall of text??? I'm so embarrassed #anyway it should be fixed now #recs #anyway 40s movies are fantastic they used to CHURN OUT rom coms and even the bad ones are entertaining #and they were not in the romance ghetto they had prestige actors and directors #I don't know what happened and why this isn't done now because that shit was profitable #another edit:#I messed up my directions on Possession bc I first saw the alt ending on YouTube from the fridge point #but actually the full thing starts way earlier and covers more of the loose ends than I remembered #so I've fixed that now as well #(because I just rewatched it after writing this rec) and serious SERIOUSLY someone watch this movie and scream about it with me #I can't stress enough how important it is you switch to the alt ending and watch that INSTEAD of the theatrical cut but but but #If you do - OMG the ending is incredible #the coded conversation the subtle optimism #it is a meeting place where we Soft Reylos and the edgier villain/heroine stans can meet in the middle

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raeofalbion · 8 years ago

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Bajillion Questions Meme

I see you, @littleblue-eyedbird trying to find out all my secrets and critical hit points. I’m literally the most boring person in the world and it’s so sweet of you to keep tagging me, omg.

Rules: Answer all questions, add one question of your own and tag as many people as there are questions! 1. Coke or Pepsi: Both? Both. 2. Disney or DreamWorks: My friends...it embarrasses me to admit this, but I haven’t seen an animated movie that wasn’t anime in years. I just don’t even know. 3. Coffee or Tea: BOTH! Mainly tea, though. 4. Books or Movies: Books! 5. Windows or Mac: Windows. 6. DC or Marvel: DC. I never really had a chance to get into Marvel. 7. Xbox or Playstation: OKAY. So, here’s the thing...I hate both Sony and Microsoft. But I actually like both of those consoles? I tend to favor Xbox, though, cuz it has 99% of my favorite games on it. 8. Dragon Age or Mass Effect: Dragon Age 9. Night Owl or Early Rise: Night owl. Please don’t attempt to wake me, apparently I argue with people in my sleep. 10. Cards or Chess: Both? Maybe more cards than chess. 11. Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate 12. Vans or Converse: I wear combat boots everywhere...but both are nice. I think I have a couple pairs of Batman-themed Converse that I’m saving for an appropriate occasion. 13. Lavellan, Trevelyan, Cadash or Adaar: Lavellan 14. Fluff or Angst: BOTH AT THE SAME TIME Why can’t I write fluff??? -sobs- 16. Dogs or Cats: Better question is why choose? Why not cuddle both and sneeze from twice as many allergies? 17. Clear Skies or Rain: Rain. Thunderstorms scared me for years, but they’re pretty common here (if we get a storm, that is) so now I’m just like “yes, good, more rain please”. 18.Cooking or Eating Out: Depends on how lazy/inspired I am. Also how broke I am. 19. Spicy Food or Mild Food: SPICY 20. Halloween/Samhain or Solstice/Yule/Chirstmas: Halloween/Samhain all year round! 21. Would you rather forever be a little too cold or a little too hot: I get sick from everything heat really easily, so I’d honestly rather be too cold. Can always put on another sweater. 22. If you could have a superpower, what would it be: Something that would let me borrow other people’s powers, even if they were dormant, just so I could try them all. 23. Animation or Live Action: Depends on the show/movie. Both have their perks. 24. Paragon or Renegade: I’ve never played Mass Effect. =( But, judging by how I play through other games, Paragon 25. Baths or Showers: Baths. If I never had to get out, I’d be perfectly fine with that as long as the water stayed warm. 26. Team Cap or Team Iron Man: Neither? Guy who plays Stark is pretty hot, though. 27. Fantasy or Sci-fi: Both? 28. Do you have three or four favorite quotes? If so, what are they?

“We're all gonna die. The only question is when. This is as good a place as any to take your first steps to heaven. The only question is how you check out. Do you want it on your feet, or on your fucking knees... begging?! I ain't much for begging! Nobody ever gave me nothing! So I say fuck that thing! Let's fight it!” - Dillon, Alien 3

“Some grief is too great, even Death may keep it’s distance.“ - Theresa, Fable II

“The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the light into the peace and safety of a new dark age.” - H.P. Lovecraft

Not a quote, but I want to quote a specific bit from Dorian Gray and it’s too long. OTL (Maybe if someone actually wants to read it, I’ll post it?) Also wanna quote Edgar Allan Poe and Charles Baudelaire, but there’s too many options, so just know my fourth quote would have been something from those.

29. YouTube or Netflix: Both are nice, though YouTube is somewhat less so. 30. Harry Potter or Percy Jackson: Harry Potter 31. When Do You Feel Accomplished: When I actually get something finished. The other day I completed my third long fic and am still having happy “I did something” feels. Also when I get reviews. 32. Star Wars or Star Trek: BOTH 33. Paperback Books or Hardback Books: Hmm...I like hardback books, but paperbacks are nice, too 34. Handwriting or Typing: Depends on what I’m writing, tbh. 35. Velvet or Satin: ...what is the fabric for, because that’s really gonna change my answer here. 36. Video Games or Movies: Video games. 37. Would you rather be the dragon or own the dragon: Why can’t I be a dragon that owns a dragon? 38. Sunrise or Sunset: Both <3 39. What’s your favorite song: Why are you tormenting me like this? Why make me choose? (I have been pretty obsessed with Prismo’s Neverland lately, though. Also Vancouver Sleep Clinic’s Stakes.) 40. Horror Movies, yes or no: I wanna say yes, but I also want to sleep when I can. 41. Long or Short Hair: Long 42. Opera or Theatre: Theatre 43. Assuming the multiverse theory is true and that every story ever told has really happened somewhere, which one of the movie/book/tv show/game/etc worlds would you pick to travel to first: -throws self into Fable, burrows into the soil, and never leaves- 44. If you had to eat only one thing for the rest of your life what would it be: I’m tempted to say pizza, but definitely soup! I can eat soup nonstop. Alternately, eel sushi...which is my absolute favorite food. You now know my ultimate weakness. 45. Older guys or young guys: I see your question and I’m gonna raise you with sass master partners. 46. If you could erase any show from TV history, what would it be: I...don’t...know...? I don’t really watch tv? 47. Singing or Dancing: Singing. Loudly. When no one’s watching me. I used to sing in talent shows? And it was terrifying. Now I just kinda sing nonstop when no one’s around. 48. Instagram or Twitter: Twitter, though I’m not around much anymore. 49. Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit: I only ever really got into the Hobbit book? But I liked all the movies for both. They were fun. 50. If you could create either a sequel or bring back any tv show/movie, what would you choose: A sequel for the original Teen Titans cartoons, alternately...another Riddick movie or a sequel to Labyrith...though that might feel weird with Mr. Bowie not...well.... 51. Who is your movie/tv show character that you are looking up to and why? I’m kinda struggling with this one. I relate to more game characters, tbh? But if I had to pick...probably Ellen Ripley. I first saw the Alien movies when I was very, very smol, but Ripley made a huge impact on me? She showed that you can be strong and vulnerable and survive everything that comes your way as long as you’re determined enough and it was really a lesson I needed at the time and still need on occasion. 52. If you were ever convicted of a crime, what would it be? -innocently pushes legal record out of view- Either protesting or getting into a fight because someone was in trouble and I wanted to help them. Also wandering into a place I’m not supposed to be in because I was reading and not paying attention because that’s basically what happened. 53. Anime- subbed or dubbed? Depends on the cast. 54. City or countryside? Both have their perks??? 55. What book have you read over and over? Harry Potter. I read them so many times I just can’t anymore. Which is a shame because I miss them. Also, the Forbidden Game series by LJ Smith...which sounds like a cheap smutty romance, but it’s actually about a shadow demon abducting a group of teenagers into another realm and tormenting them with their worst nightmares until dawn. There’s also a bit of romance. But, yeah, my beloveds I read too much and can no longer read, though I wish I could. Also, shout out to Tom Becker’s Darkside series which I’m on my...4th read through? Discounting all the times I read the first two books? And I’m trying desperately not to burn myself out on. 56. What is your personality type? INTP

My question: 57: What’s your go to comfort item?

There is just about one less question than I currently have followers, so anyone who wants to do this? Y’all can do it. ^^

#that last question was tough #I ran through about a dozen different questions OTL #but it was fun!#thanks for tagging <3 #Rae gets tagged

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itsfinancethings · 5 years ago

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October 25, 2019 at 10:25PM

Many people say that hip-hop was birthed by DJ Kool Herc on a 1973 summer evening in the Bronx. Others point to the release of the 1979 Sugarhill Gang song “Rapper’s Delight” as the moment when the genre was catapulted into the national consciousness.

But several years before either of those moments, Rudy Ray Moore was rhyming over a beat. On his 1970 album Eat Out More Often, the comedian, propelled by a backing band, spit profane and slang-laced poems about America’s mystical underbelly of prostitutes, hustlers and thieves — including one character named Dolemite, a slick-talking, karate-chopping pimp who exposed corrupt officials and defeated seedy rivals.

This quasi-musical performance of Moore’s recording is dramatized in Dolemite Is My Name, a new film that arrived on Netflix on Friday and stars Eddie Murphy as Moore, who died in 2008. The film traces Moore’s reinvention from struggling comedian and record shop employee to movie star in his own film, Dolemite, which would become a beloved cult favorite in 1975.

But while the movie faithfully depicts Moore’s rise, it ends before it can explore the primary way he remains influential in modern culture: through hip-hop. At every step of hip-hop’s four-decade history, artists have imitated not only Moore’s rhyming style, but nearly every facet of his act. “All these things that hip-hop became — the image, the swag, the independence, the sh-t-talking — he was it before it was called hip-hop,” the West Coast hip-hop pioneer Too $hort tells TIME.

While Moore’s act would be considered decidedly misogynistic today, he put forth an alluring alternative model of success for black men, and his do-it-yourself spirit paved the way for generations of musicians and entrepreneurs. Below, several prominent hip-hop artists from across the decades — Too $hort, Big Daddy Kane, Del the Funky Homosapien and Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell — talk about Moore’s impact on their own art.

“He was the first really to be rapping”

Moore’s rapping on Eat Out More Often was a far cry from what hip-hop would become: his words weren’t rhythmically aligned to the music, and the beats were jazzy as opposed to funk-based. But his unique, bombastic delivery on that record — filled with black vernacular, growling catchphrases, and eye-popping profanity — set many precedents. His theme song to Dolemite’s 1976 sequel, The Human Tornado, got even closer to rap before it was rap: over a funky breakbeat, Moore crooned a few lines before spitting a rapid-fire, multi-syllabic bar: “I don’t want no dilapidated seep-sapping pigeon-toed, cross-eyed, bow-legged son-of-a-gun messing with me,” he snarls.

When Del the Funky Homosapien was a teenager starting his rap career in the early ’90s in Oakland, he was introduced to Dolemite at a friend’s recording studio and was bowled over by Moore’s verbal prowess. “I was like, ‘This is wild,’” he told TIME. Intrigued, Del went back through Moore’s discography and realized it contained the blueprint for rap. “I would be studying his monologues — how to really rap,” he says. “He was the first really to be rapping damn near like that… Having people captivated just by how you’re talking. I wanted to see how he was doing it.”

Del would go on to achieve critical acclaim throughout the ’90s for his tongue-twisting and off-kilter bravado. Meanwhile, another rapper had ascended out of the same city wielding a profane boisterousness: Too $hort. Of all the rapper’s colorful obscenities, he became known for a particular curse word — ”b-tch” — that he delivered in a way not dissimilar to Rudy Ray Moore. Too $hort says this is no accident, given that he saw The Human Tornado “probably a hundred times.”

“There’s no way on earth I could ever fix my mouth to say I’m not influenced by him,” he says. “Part of the makeover of Too $hort comes from listening to Rudy Ray Moore’s rhythmic cadence, his attitude, the way he curses.”

Moore’s influence on rapping was not just stylistic but structural. On his records, he weaved long-winded and uproarious narratives about society’s underworld, full of sexcapades and brawls. Curtis Sherrod, the executive director of the Hip Hop Culture Center in Harlem, says that Moore provided a direct link between griots — West African historians and storytellers — and more recent hip-hop narratives. “He didn’t know he was a griot, but it was in his DNA,” Sherrod says. “He was able to tell stories and captivate audiences who were experiencing oppression and needed to have an hour window into this fable mystery fantastic life he gave you.”

In the years to come, comedic storytelling that often involved sex and violence, from Slick Rick’s “La Di Da Di” to Biz Markie’s “The Vapors” to Snoop Dogg’s “Murder Was the Case,” would become an integral part of hip-hop’s DNA.

“We don’t have to ask for it”

When Kanye West rapped “we never had nothing handed, took nothing for granted” on the opening song to his debut record The College Dropout, he could have been talking about Rudy Ray Moore. Dolemite Is My Name depicts Moore’s struggle to be taken seriously when trying to break into the film industry: he was repeatedly told by executives that his lewd and black-oriented sensibilities were unsuitable for mass consumption. But Moore wouldn’t take no for an answer: he spearheaded Dolemite by fronting the money himself, creating his own distribution networks and learning how to make a movie on the job.

His dogged self-belief and independence would become a model for future rappers to create their own lanes as opposed to ceding creative control. Early in Too $hort’s career, for example, he sold cassette tapes out of the trunk of his car, formed his own label and forged an alter ego built on unshakeable confidence. He would eventually become a leader of the West Coast sound and a massive seller in the 1990s and 2000s. “He passed on that entrepreneurial spirit where we don’t have to ask for it, we just do it ourselves,” Too $hort says of Moore. “In my early days, he was definitely as influential as any rapper.”

Around the same time, the Miami DJ Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell was hoping to ascend in a city that had little hip-hop legacy. Rather than sign to a label, Campbell was inspired by Moore to go it himself and start Luke Records, one of the very first hip-hop labels in the South. “You watched a Rudy Ray Moore movie and saw he produced it, directed it, marketed his music and did everything else,” Campbell tells TIME. “He always inspired me to say, “Okay, if Rudy Ray Moore can do it, I can do it.”

As the leader of 2 Live Crew, Campbell furthered Moore’s legacy through his unhinged bawdiness. 2 Live Crew’s records contained graphic depictions of sex — and many samples of Moore’s voice —and found a massive audience for a level of obscenity that record labels would have thought unthinkable. 2 Live Crew also proved startlingly important to the future of hip-hop through their involvement in two legal cases related to free speech. In 1990, Luke and other group members were arrested for obscenity charges, but they were eventually acquitted and the charges were overturned on the grounds of free speech. The same year, the group was sued for its interpolation of Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman,” with the case going all the way to the Supreme Court. In 1994, the court ruled in favor of 2 Live Crew and set the standard for protecting works of parody.

“If it weren’t for Rudy Ray Moore, we would have never done those songs,” Campbell says. “He has just as much credit for our career and our success as us doing the music.”

“The Pimp Persona”

While Moore played many characters, none had an impact as monumental as Dolemite. From The Mack to Superfly to Willie Dynamite, Dolemite arrived amidst a ’70s renaissance of fictional black pimps who would set a template for countless hip-hop stars. “I loved the pimp persona,” Too $hort says. “He would kick your ass, and he was about the money. Then he would stop on the street and start rapping to the homies. It’s like, this guy is the ultimate guy.”

In an era directly following the Watts riots, the Vietnam War and widespread urban rot, the pimp became a mythological figure; a larger-than-life, self-made renegade trying to claim autonomy in an unjust world. “If the leader of this country is stealing and getting away clean, what the hell are we supposed to do?” one character says in Dolemite, referring to Richard Nixon. Embracing pimp narratives wasn’t just about escapism, but a rebellion against traditional modes of American success.

So many rappers — from Snoop Dogg to Ice-T to Big Boi — adopted the persona, wearing colorful, flashy clothing and wide-brimmed hats. Their demeanor dripped with laidback aplomb. “I studied The Mack and Rudy Ray Moore / They were my idols when I was a kid,” Big Boi rapped on Outkast’s 1994 debut album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. There was Jay-Z’s “Big Pimpin’,” 50 Cent’s “P.I.M.P”, and even this year, Megan Thee Stallion’s “Pimpin’,” which flips gender dynamics on their head in its celebration of sex and power.

And Dolemite, the archetype for many of these boasts, would be name-dropped over and over throughout the years by countless stars, both an inside joke and an homage. Snoop Dogg, the Wu-Tang Clan, Eazy-E, the Beastie Boys, Lupe Fiasco and A$AP Rocky have all slipped his name in verses, while Moore’s crackling voice has been sampled by Big Sean, Dr. Dre and A Tribe Called Quest.

Several rappers even went one step further and brought Moore into the studio with them, using him as a torchbearer and literalizing the lineage between them. On the intro to Busta Rhymes’ 2001 album Genesis, Moore implores Busta to “continue to give it to ‘em raw.” On Method Man’s Tical, Moore asserts he “taught the boy everything he know.” Moore also appears as Dolemite in Eric B and Rakim’s 1990 music video for “In the Ghetto.”

That same year, Big Daddy Kane — one of the biggest rappers at the time — staged a rap battle between him and a 63-year-old Moore on record. On “Big Daddy vs. Dolemite,” the two engaged in a vulgar game of one-upmanship before Kane conceded defeat. “He was doing the body shaking and everything,” Kane remembers about that day. “He went straight into character.”

Kane has a long history of engaging with Moore’s work: after watching The Human Tornado on repeat on his tour bus, he sampled a beat for his 1989 song “Children R The Future” by hooking up the VHS tape straight into his recording equipment. And one of Moore’s quips, “Put your weight on it!,” became the basis of Kane’s 1990 song with the same name. “He was that raw comedian that stayed raw,” Kane said. “He was someone I respected and looked at as an icon.”

Kane stayed in touch with Moore through the last decade of his life and says that despite all of the respect Moore received from the hip-hop community, he “died bitter.” “He died feeling like, ‘Y’all gives props to Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, Redd Foxx, and they all used to come see me,’” Kane explains.

“To have someone make a movie about him — especially a comedic genius like Eddie Murphy — I know he would be real happy.”

#IFTTT #Blogger

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newstechreviews · 5 years ago

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“He was the first really to be rapping”

“We don’t have to ask for it”

“If it weren’t for Rudy Ray Moore, we would have never done those songs,” Campbell says. “He has just as much credit for our career and our success as us doing the music.”

“The Pimp Persona”

“To have someone make a movie about him — especially a comedic genius like Eddie Murphy — I know he would be real happy.”

#Blogger

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housebeleren · 5 years ago

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Throne of Eldraine Limited - Power Commons

Throne of Eldraine card gallery went up today, so now it’s time to start evaluating cards for Prerelease! As usual, I’ll start with the Commons, trying to sort out what are going to be the highest picks and what will have the biggest impact on the format. Let’s get started.

White

It feels unusual to not start this off with some removal, but honestly this card strikes me as White’s best Common in the set. A 2/3 flier with a relevant creature type would already be an amazing deal for 3 mana, but the fact that this comes with the Adventure option as well gives this a ton of flexibility. The Knights decks will want this, the Adventure-matters deck will want this, and even the White/Blue deck won’t turn it down. 3.0/5

Both halves of this card cost 1 more mana than they would as individual cards, but together, it’s more than the sum of its parts. The Knight is a relevant creature type, and makes sure you have something to do on curve, while the Unicorn itself is a great late-game way to mitigate flood. It’s not as exciting as the Tactician, but I have a feeling this card will play better than it looks at first. 2.5/5

Here’s the removal! This looks a lot like Pacifism, and it is, but the condition that it can’t hit fliers is a very real one that makes this significantly weaker. You’ll still take it and run it in every White deck, but it will be frustrating when you can’t neutralize a flier with it. 2.5/5

White feels like it has a lot of solid, but unexciting cards at Common. These cards are workhorses that will serve you well, but none of them are cards you’ll want to first pick. It seems like it will skew slightly more aggressive/tempo based, and not really very control oriented.

Blue

Who’d have guessed Blue would get better Common removal that White this time around. Claustrophobia/Waterknot is always solid, and now we have yet another literally identical version. This will hit anything you need it to hit, and you’ll be glad to see it in every Blue deck. 3.0/5

Adventure cards sure seem good, don’t they? For the most part, Rage of Winter is going to serve as a Kicker cost, since you probably aren’t going to bother casting it by itself on turn 2 unless you have literally no other play and your opponent already has a creature out. But casting this as a 3 drop or a 5 drop with an extra effect are both solid plays, and gives this card a lot of flexibility. 2.5/5

Honestly, this card is a step down from Queen of Ice unless you can reliably cast it with Adamant. Without, it’s a costlier Wind Drake, which isn’t the worst thing it could be, but it’s far from exciting. With Adamant, this goes up in value significantly, though I do wish it were some other creature type so it could work with the non-humans theme. 2.5/5

Blue seems similar to White in that there aren’t tons of super exciting Commons, but there are plenty of decent cards to round out your curve and advance your gameplan. Seems to be tempo based, with plenty of decent fliers and some solid removal & tricks.

Black

This is possibly the best Common removal in the set. Instant speed is huge, and the Food is a very real upside. Compare it to 5-mana Lich’s Caress, for reference, and I think this is way better. The cheaper cost and Instant type more than make up for not getting your lifegain right away, and the Food token can synergize incredibly well with other themes in the set. Premium removal, this is. (Though how anyone can bake a pie in an instant is beyond me.) 3.5/5

3/2 Menace is a good deal for 3 mana and a bit anemic at 4, but a 4/3 Menace is pretty great. This isn’t going to be an all-star card, but it has potential and it’s a relevant type for the Knights archetypes, so I’m going to start higher than some might on this card. 2.5/5

I would definitely take the first few copies of Bake into a Pie before I grab this, but this is super efficient removal that will still get rid of most early threats without an issue. I expect it to do good work. 3.0/5

Black gets two great removal spells at Common, plus some just all around solid threats. It seems like black will be able to pivot very well between aggressive builds and controlling builds, depending on what you prioritize.

Red

The Scry on Jaya’s Greeting was nice, but the exile clause on this is also very relevant. I have this pegged as Red’s best Common, and certainly the color’s best Common removal. 3.0/5

You’ll definitely want to first pick the Dragonfire first, but having a spell like this that can take out a bigger threat can also be super useful. Also, given the 5 mana cost, it should be pretty trivial to get the Adamant bonus too. 2.5/5

I know this feels like one of those goofy buildarounds like Charmed Stray, but the floor on this is much higher, as a 2/2 bear is still an okay playable in most decks. And if you can get 3 or 4 of these in your deck, you’re really in business. If you only have one, I’d drop this down in value significantly, though it still could be playable in a Non-Humans deck. 2.5/5

Red, as always, skews aggressive, but it also has two great removal spells at Common, so it’s definitely possible to build more controlling decks with it, probably paired with Black or Blue. As the one color that is shared between Knights and Non-Humans, there are some nice overlaps in creature types to keep your eye out for and stay flexible.

Green

This cutie-pie has my vote for best Green Common in the set. It’s well-costed at 4/4 with Trample for 4, which would already be playable, but adding a Food token to the mix is just great. It enables synergies for all the Food payoffs, and worst case is some easy lifegain later on. I’d definitely grab these up. 3.0/5

Of the Common Paladin cycle, I like the Green one the best. 4/4 with a touch of evasion is playable at 5 mana, and it should be pretty easy to get the Adamant bonus here, which makes this excellent. I’d basically always run the first one of these. 2.5/5

The usual Fight spell is typically pretty solid, and this is a strict upgrade on Hunt the Weak, which was already playable. The Adamant trigger is good, but doesn’t change much as the card is good to begin with. 2.5/5

Green, as per usual, has well-costed creatures that should outclass most else on the battlefield. It seems like a very solid color that will likely be one of the best colors in a vacuum, though it’s hard to tell how much the synergy of pairs like the Knights colors will matter vs raw power. Only time will tell.

The Rest of the Commons

So those cards above have my vote for most impactful Commons in the Throne of Eldraine limited format. Next, I’ll run through the rest of the cards, and assign quick ratings to each of them (out of 5).

Ardenvale Paladin - Seems a bit weaker than some of the others in the cycle, because even a 3/6 is not super relevant except as a blocker. Will be playable in Knights, but not exciting anywhere else. 2.0

Bartered Cow - A Hill Giant that turns into Food when it dies. Playable, but unexciting, and doesn’t particularly synergize with any of the themes in-color except maybe W/U Artifacts & Enchantments. 2.0

Beloved Princess - I know people love this card, and the art is gorgeous, but it’s basically unplayable in draft. Save it for constructed. 1.5

Faerie Guidemother - Neither halves of this card are cards you would want to play, and together they’re barely better. I’m going to start on the assumption that this is borderline playable, but it may be worse. 2.0

Flutterfox - A bear that can be a Wind Drake if conditions are right is actually pretty decent. In the W/U archetype, I think this will do work. 2.5

Fortifying Provisions - On its own, this is just not worth playing. The only possible excuse I can think of is if you are in W/U and don’t have enough Artifacts to get your payoffs. But this is a weak way to accomplish that. 1.5

Knight of the Keep - Without Knights being a major set theme, this would be a 1.5 (see Barony Vampire). But the creature type is so relevant that I think this will actually sometimes be playable as a curve-filler. 2.0

Outflank - This looks better than I suspect it will actually play. Frequently, you just won’t have enough creatures to take down the big things you really want to kill with this. It will be Searing Light more often than not. 2.0

Prized Griffin - Generally I like this, though you definitely don’t want tons of them or your curve will suffer. One or two will suffice. 2.5

Shining Armor - The rating here is assuming you have some Knights in your deck, because without Knights, it’s way worse. 2.0

Silverflame Ritual - I prefer my White team buffs to be Instants, but since the counters stick around, this seems borderline playable. 2.0

Silverflame Squire - The Adventure is better than the creature its on, so play it if you think you need a trick, but there are better 2 drops if you just need a body. 2.0

True Love’s Kiss - I get how a kiss could undo an Enchantment, but an Artifact too? Not feeling the flavor there. Either way, this is strictly sideboard. 1.0

Youthful Knight - First Strike goes a long way in making this playable. Great target for Equipment, and a good 2 drop for the Knights deck. 2.5

Corridor Monitor - The only deck that wants this is W/U, where it’s a decent enabler. It’s less good everywhere else. 2.0

Didn’t Say Please - Cancel is never exciting, but this can help set up some of your “Graveyard matters” cards in U/B. I’d try it. 2.0

Mantle of Tides - It’s not enough of a buff to matter, though it’s cute that it overlaps the W/U and U/R archetypes. 1.5

Merfolk Secretkeeper - If you have some amazing payoffs in the U/B archetype, this is fringe playable. But skip it if that’s not the case. 1.5

Mistford River Turtle - Cute with Keeper of Fables, but otherwise an unexciting inclusion in the non-Humans decks. 2.0

Moonlit Scavengers - I’d really love to see this at slightly lower stats for 5 mana, but as-is it’s a decent inclusion in the W/U deck, and most decks should be able to get some thing to trigger this. 2.5

Opt - I love Opt, and am so excited to see it back. For Limited, it’s a pretty unobtrusive inclusion, and in Control decks or the R/U archetypes, it will be great. 2.5

Run Away Together - The dream for this is to bounce a huge creature of theirs and an Adventure creature of yours, and sometimes that will come together. Other times, you’ll have to bounce something normal of yours, in which case it’s way worse. 2.0

So Tiny - Worse than Slimebind early, and better once it hits the threshold. I’d basically still usually run one copy. 2.5

Steelgaze Griffin - It’s underpar normally, but has the potential to be an Air Elemental sometimes, so your opponent will likely let it through more often than not. And it’s a non-Human, so that’s a thing. 2.5

Tome Raider - The lost point of power makes this way worse than Cloudkin Seer, but it’s still decent in non-Humans or card draw decks. 2.5

Unexplained Vision - That’s a lot of card draw, but it’s tough to spend 5 mana and not affect the board in any way. 2.0

Wishful Merfolk - The stats are good for the cost, so I’d say it’s playable, but having to pay mana to attack is a big drawback. 2.0

Witching Well - This is pretty great in the W/U deck, but I’d even consider it in others. It smooths out your early game and can be cashed in for cards once you flood, which is a fair amount of action for 1 mana. 2.0

Barrow Witches - As long as you have a few Knights, this will do a great Gravedigger impression, and that’s a good thing to do. 2.5

Eye Collector - This can help set up graveyards for the U/B archetype, but it does so little else. I think there are better enablers. 1.5

Festive Funeral - It’s expensive, but it shouldn’t be hard to get this to be -4/-4, at which point it’s a Throttle. Could be worse. 2.0

Foreboding Fruit - The design here is cute. If you have Adamant, you can make up the life loss or cash in on Food synergies. And it’s playable either way. 2.0

Forever Young - Most of the time, this will be a Raise Dead, but if you have multiple good creatures in your Grave, it can be better. 2.0

Giant’s Skewer - If you’re in the Food deck, this is a pretty reliable way to keep making them. Otherwise, it’s mediocre. 2.0

Lash of Thorns - Very mediocre trick. I’d pass. 1.5

Lost Legion - A relevant creature type with a good ETB. Sure. 2.5

Malevolent Noble - I like this, particularly for the Food deck. Doesn’t seem too hard to get this to a 3/3 or bigger, and worse case, it’s a bear. 2.5

Memory Theft - Don’t play this. If you encounter a deck with otherwise unbeatable bombs, consider sideboarding it in, but do not maindeck. 1.0

Reaper of Night - If you really need a Mind Rot, I guess you can consider this, but the creature half is way overcosted. 1.5

Smitten Swordmaster - As a Creature alone, it’s okay, but does have the relevant type. Adding on the Adventure makes it much more useful as a topdeck and I’d include it in most Knights decks. 2.0

Tempting Witch - A decent way to make and use Food if your deck cares about that, but I probably wouldn’t include it in decks that don’t. 2.0

Wicked Guardian - You really want this to be a 2-for-1, so you need a creature with 3 toughness to be good. If you can’t get the card draw, it goes down significantly. 2.5

Barge In - I don’t like combat tricks that are only good on attack, but in a pinch this could be playable. 1.5

Bloodhaze Wolverine - This seems really solid actually. The threat of it suddenly becoming a 3/2 First Strike will mean most players just let it through, and I expect it to be a staple of the R/U deck. 2.5

Blow Your House Down - Cosmotronic Wave this is not. 1.5

Brimstone Trebuchet - Seems like a solid payoff for the Knights deck, though you won’t want it if your deck wants to be super aggressive. 2.5

Crystal Slipper - Haste can be game changing for some creatures, and only costing 1 to equip makes this surprisingly threatening. Not every deck will want it, though. 2.0

Embereth Paladin - I don’t love this inclusion in the cycle, as it will basically always just trade down, even if Adamant. That said, it is a Knight and sometimes it will be better, given synergies. 2.0

Fling - This card is too often a do-nothing. Save it for Constructed. 1.5

Merchant of the Vale - Smooths out an early bad hand and turns into a good mana sink for the late game. I’ll buy it. 2.5

Ogre Errant - It’s the right Creature type, and it can help a buddy punch through when it attacks. Seems solid for the Knights deck. 2.5

Raging Redcap - If it weren’t a Knight, I’d cut it down a notch. As-is, it could be playable, and it’s a great target for Equipment. 2.0

Redcap Raiders - Unexciting playable and mediocre payoff for non-Humans. If you need the curve filler. 2.0

Rimrock Knight - Super aggressive Knight for the aggro versions of the build. Usually you’ll play it turn 2, but sometimes it’ll be a fun trick. 2.0

Thrill of Possbility - Strictly better Tormenting Voice will be worth it as a one of in many decks. In R/U, it’s even better. 2.0

Weaselback Redcap - It’s both non-Human & a Knight, so that makes this maybe possible, but it’s too flimsy to be good in all but the most aggressive of decks. 1.5

Curious Pair - Decent enabler in the Food deck, but pretty mediocre otherwise. 2.0

Fell the Pheasant - Sideboard-only, but good removal if you have a lot of targets. 1.5

Garenbrig Carver - A passable trick stapled to a below-curve body, but together they enable some decent potential, especially in the Adventure deck. 2.0

Garenbrig Squire - Solid payoff for the Adventure deck. With enough enablers, this will be a great early drop. 2.5

Insatiable Appetite - Completely playable trick, but it’s not a real payoff for the Food deck to go nuts. 2.0

Maraleaf Rider - In the Food deck, this can be pseudo-removal. Otherwise, it’s an aggressive creature and non-Human 2.0

Return to Nature - Strictly sideboard. 1.0

Rosethorn Acolyte - This one basically doesn’t have an Adventure mode in Limited, but as a mana dork, it’s pretty solid. 2.5

Rosethorn Halberd - In a dedicated non-Humans deck, it’s passable. Otherwise, I’d skip it. 1.5

Sporecap Spider - Decent defense against fliers, but not going to do much else. Better in non-Humans decks. 2.0

Tall as a Beanstalk - I don’t love Auras like this, as it’s too easy to get 2-for-1d. But it’s potent enough it will do some damage. 1.5

Tuinvale Treefolk - A reasonable buff early and a large creature for the late game, this isn’t the worst top end I’ve seen. 2.0

Wildwood Tracker - I don’t think this is worth a card, and it can’t even make itself bigger than 2/2. Pass unless desperate. 1.5

Wolf’s Quarry - I just.... want my six drops to be more impactful than this. Maayyybe if you’re super deep on Food. But I’m doubtful. 1.5

Crashing Drawbridge - Playable in the W/U deck if you need enablers, but not worth it otherwise. 1.5

Gingerbrute - It’s possible for the the Artifacts deck, the Food deck, or the non-Humans decks to all utilize this, so that flexibility makes it better than it would be otherwise. Still think it should’ve been Gingerbrat. 2.0

Golden Egg - Similarly, the Artifacts deck or the Food deck could want this as an enabler, and it can fix your mana in a pinch. Lots of people will play it who shouldn’t, but some decks will want it. 2.0

Henge Walker - You really want to be Adamant for this to work. Otherwise, only the Artifacts deck may even be remotely interested. 1.5

Jousting Dummy - It’s an early Artifact for W/U and an early Knight for those decks. Not great, but a curve filler if you need. 2.0

Locthwain Gargoyle - White/Blue could be into this, since it gets your synergies off immediately. But it’s mediocre if not enabling something. 2.0

Prophet of the Peak - For all colorless mana, you could definitely do worse. An okay top end in a pinch. 2.0

Roving Keep - Most of the time, you won’t even get to enough mana to cast this. I’m not loving it. 1.5

Scalding Cauldron - An early Artifact for W/U, and a reasonable bit of removal later. Many decks could want this. 2.5

Signpost Scarecrow - This just doesn’t do enough. Pass. 1.5

Weapon Rack - Ehh. 4 mana for +3/+3, spread out over 3 turns just doesn’t seem worth it. 1.5

Common Mono Lands - All of these seem pretty good, and come at very little opportunity cost. I’d pick them reasonably if you’re sure they’re in-color. 2.5

So that’s it. All the Commons in Throne of Eldraine! Uncommons & Rares coming up!

#mtg eldraine

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njawaidofficial · 7 years ago

Text

'Awards Chatter' Podcast — Frankie Shaw ('SMILF')

https://styleveryday.com/2018/03/22/awards-chatter-podcast-frankie-shaw-smilf/

'Awards Chatter' Podcast — Frankie Shaw ('SMILF')

“We shot everything before the Harvey Weinstein article came out,” says Frankie Shaw, the showrunner, producer, director, writer and star of Showtime’s comedy series SMILF, as we sit down at The Hollywood Reporter to record an episode of THR‘s ‘Awards Chatter’ podcast and begin discussing the show’s recurring theme of sexual misconduct. SMILF debuted last November — its premiere attracted its network’s highest ratings for a new comedy in five years — and, little more than a month later, its 36-year-old mastermind received a best actress in a musical or comedy series Golden Globe nom. Shaw volunteers, “I think that we got so lucky with the timing. I think people really want to see something that feels real, and that’s something that we really try to do with the show.”

SMILF, which Shaw originally made as a nine-minute film (it won the top prize for shorts at 2015’s Sundance Film Festival), was largely inspired by her own experience as a single mom. She plays Bridgette, a young woman from working-class South Boston who was raised by a single mother and fantasized about a career as a pro basketball player, but instead found herself struggling just to stay afloat after becoming pregnant at 25 by a boyfriend with whom she was breaking up, and then raising their son. All of those descriptions also apply to Shaw — but, Shaw emphasizes, other aspects of the character’s life do not. “My life as a single mom wasn’t as messy,” she says with a chuckle.

* * *

LISTEN: You can hear the entire interview below [starting at 26:29], following a conversation between host Scott Feinberg and Michael O’Connell, THR‘s senior writer on TV, in which they preview the Emmy race.

Click here to access all of our 209 episodes, including conversations with Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep, Lorne Michaels, Gal Gadot, Eddie Murphy, Lady Gaga, Stephen Colbert, Jennifer Lawrence, Will Smith, Angelina Jolie, Snoop Dogg, Elisabeth Moss, Jerry Seinfeld, Reese Witherspoon, Aaron Sorkin, Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds, Kate Winslet, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Aziz Ansari, Jessica Chastain, Denzel Washington, Nicole Kidman, Warren Beatty, Amy Schumer, Justin Timberlake, Natalie Portman, Tyler Perry, Judi Dench, Tom Hanks, Jane Fonda, J.J. Abrams, Emma Stone, Guillermo del Toro, Jennifer Lopez, Michael B. Jordan, Mandy Moore, Ryan Murphy, Alicia Vikander, Jimmy Kimmel, Greta Gerwig, Robert De Niro, Claire Foy, Bill Maher, Rachel Brosnahan, Michael Moore, Kris Jenner & RuPaul.

* * *

Shaw was born and initially raised in Southie, but, at a young age, relocated with her mother to nearby Brookline. Though hailing herself from a blue collar family, she was encouraged by a friend to apply to the upper-crust boarding school Milton Academy — and was admitted with a full scholarship. “It really did, I think, change the trajectory of my life,” she says. Life at Milton helped Shaw to broaden her horizons and led her to apply to Barnard College, to which she was also accepted, leading to her first-ever trip to New York. There, her eyes were opened by her professors (she began taking acting classes and wrote her first script as part of an independent study), her side job (she worked at fabled Kim’s Video in Harlem and also acted in short films directed by her boss) and the city itself. By the time she graduated, she “was dead-set” on pursuing a career as a professional actor in New York.

After landing a few small roles, including one on an episode of Law & Order, Shaw, at 23, met Mark Webber, a fellow actor. They entered into a relationship and, two years later, she was pregnant with their son, Isaac. 11 weeks into her pregnancy, she broke up with Webber and, against the advice of her family, moved across the country to Hollywood to pursue her dreams. But out west, with no contacts, no money and no permanent home or job, it proved a challenge to juggle her ambitions with motherhood. During Isaac’s first years, Shaw’s mother and Webber (with whom she remained on good terms) were often around to take care of him when she had an audition or a tutoring gig, but sometimes thereafter she had to bring him along with her — for instance, to an audition for Breaking Bad that didn’t ultimately pan out for her. “In hindsight, it seems so unlikely,” she says of her story. “I was so naive.”

Even after years of beating the pavement, Shaw’s acting career wasn’t quite taking off, and she was growing increasingly frustrated. She “pretended to be okay” with the part she landed on the raunchy sitcom Blue Mountain State, which ran on Spike from 2010 through 2011, even though it didn’t pay a living wage and conflicted with her strongly feminist values, because she hoped it would lead to something more. It did not. “After I did the show Blue Mountain State,” she recalls, “there was a year where, every three months, Isaac and I moved — he was three at the time — and I have just really crazy stories of the people that I lived with during that time. And so then I just started writing. I was like, ‘I have to at least use this material in some way.'”

It was only in May 2013, when she was hired to fill a last-minute opening in the cast of a series that was already picked up by ABC, Mixology, that she began earning enough to take a breath — and to finance a project of her own that she had begun developing, as something of a pipe-dream, two months earlier. “I owe everything to Mixology because [after landing that job] I had money to pay for my shorts,” she says, explaining, “I had written a script because I was so sick of being broke with this small child and I thought I could get staffed on a show and then I’d have a regular job.” The script was a “broad version” of what ultimately became SMILF — more of a sitcom. “It wasn’t supposed to be a short,” she notes. “It was really for my pitch [to be a TV writer]. I just realized, as I was editing, ‘Oh, this stands on its own. I might as well just submit it to Sundance.'” Not only did it get accepted, but it won the top prize for U.S. shorts. “I’d been there before as ‘the girlfriend’ so many times,” Shaw reflects. This time was different. “It was so empowering and it was so fulfilling to be there and be part of a community with something that I wrote and directed. I was like, ‘Oh, this feels so good.'”

Shaw next went off to shoot the first season of USA’s Mr. Robot, a drama series for which not even she had great expectations, but it debuted in June 2015 and proved a phenomenon, winning the best drama series Golden Globe Award just a few months later. Her one-season arc drew unprecedented heat for her acting career — but at a time when she was unavailable to capitalize on it. She had already sold the concept of SMILF, the series, to Showtime, and had to turn in the script for its pilot. At the suggestion of her friend Jill Soloway, the force behind Amazon’s Transparent, Shaw made it a requirement that she be able to direct some of SMILF‘s episodes if it was picked up — but there was no guarantee that it would be, and if it wasn’t, her moment of heat could easily have passed her by. In fact, Showtime chief David Nevins did not initially order it to series, but instead asked Shaw to write scripts for a few more episodes to give him a better sense of what he would be signing up for. She did, and then — after she made another short film that got into Sundance, 2016’s Too Legit — he told her that she had a show.

The first season of SMILF spans eight 30-minute episodes. Four were written or co-written by Shaw, who also directed three of them. (“Directing is my love,” she gushes, noting that she’s “thinking about” directing all eight episodes of the second season, which is being written now.) Every episode offers a darkly humorous look at Bridgette’s life, while also provoking deeper questions about sex, class, race and gender inequality. For instance, in the third episode, Bridgette is sexually assaulted — literally “grabbed by the pussy” — by a stranger, something that Shaw confirms was “inspired by our president, 100%.” The season finale, meanwhile, is all about childhood sexual abuse, and takes a clear swipe at alleged pedophile Woody Allen by opening with titles in the same font that Allen always uses, a quote from him (“The heart wants what it wants. There’s no logic to these things”) and then a cut to a little girl — young Bridgette — talking about being sexually abused by her father. “That was my proudest moment,” Shaw says, adding, “The desire is to explore themes and ideas that I’m passionate about.”

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