#i've seen clips of this and the interviews many times but don't know where it took place

[beatleswings]

MARIANNE FAITHFULL during an interview in 1967.

[nenilein]

Hello! Apologies for sending an ask out of the blue but considering your familiarity with localisation differences in persona 4/golden, I was wondering if anything comes to your mind regarding this aspect and how the game depicts queerness and queer themes? Thank you!

Heya! Don't worry, I was thinking people would probably ask stuff like this. After all, I already replied to somebody's tags asking this same thing previously, but I know not many people saw that, so let me use the chance to go into more detail:

Unfortunately, Persona 4's treatment of queer themes is not a result of the translation. The only things that were down to translation choices were small things, such as which pronouns are used in which situation (because Japanese does not at all have the same concept of third person pronouns as English, and the way first person classifiers that mean "I" work is very complex and a lot more vibes-based than actually tied to gender.)

But for the most part, everything is pretty much the same. Kanji's reaction to Chie mumbling about something being "off" about how he interacted with Naoto that first time, the tent scene, Yosuke's extreme insecurity in his own sexuality in addition to everyone else's... I think maybe the only thing that's a biiit better in Japanese is that Teddie is kiiinda genderfluid in Japanese, with the artbook outright stating that he doesn't necessarily consider himself "male" when he's in his bear form, unless it's necessary for a joke.

A lot of this can be traced to the really odd relationship the game's director, Katsura Hashino, has to queer themes. In interviews about Catherine Fullbody (a game which infamously has a rather weirdly handled gay romance route which, however, is notably also the only romance route in the game that cannot possibly result in a bad ending), he talks about how he's always admired queer people for being "strong" and wanted to write queer stories, but couldn't really do it until Fullbody because Atlus higher ups were afraid of backlash from the fans.

Traces of this are actually seen in Persona 4 Vanilla's data, where remnants of a surprisingly well done romance route for YOSUKE, of all people, are still present. That route made it far enough into development to have voiced lines in both, English and Japanese. However, it was dummied out in the final game and its script content was removed. Yosuke STILL has the "girlfriend flag" in the code that all the female romance options also have, but in the finished game it only checks whether you can hug him during his social link or not. Everything else was dummied out. You can still find the voice files on the cutting room floor if you want:

And yes, the "I like you" line is unambiguously romantic in Japanese. His wording is very hard to misinterpret.

However, in the finished game and the rest of the franchise Yosuke's bisexuality was reduced to an in-joke of the developers. It's most poignant in Persona Q (the first one), where if you get the "marriage" scene with Yosuke in the second dungeon, his reactions differ WILDLY depending on which Protagonist you are playing as, far more than other male characters. With Makoto Yuki he acts nonchallant and deadpan about it. With Yu Narukami he acts like a blushy Tsundere and panics constantly. So, yeah.

Okay, so, if the director had interest in writing queer stories since before Persona 4, why is Persona 4 the way it is then?

Well, because - and there's no way around it - he sucks at it.

Katsura Hashino has to be one of the clumsiest "gay activists" I've ever seen in my whole darn life. He finds queer people "cool", but seemingly never had any queer writers or sensitivity readers on his teams and it's caused enormous blunders in how these themes have been handled. For example, when after Persona 3 it was pointed out to him that the writing of the female characters in interaction with the male characters was bad, he immediately hired more female writers and gave them free reign for how to handle the female characters from then on out. But apparently the same thing never happened with his mishandling of queer themes. He wants Catherine's Erica and Rin to be empowering figures for trans women and gay men, but makes a lot of blunders in how he has other characters interact with them to the point it buries his good intentions. Erica's boyfriend having gay panic upon realizing she's trans is treated as "funny and cute", even by Erica herself. Rin technically being a monogender alien really undermines his story of becoming more secure in his sexuality. It goes on and on like that.

The intention with Naoto's story was to point out the extreme sexism in Japanese society and how it forces female nerds to find alternate modes of self-expression, but the clumsy choice of including surgery themes in Naoto's dungeon completely buried that for especially western queer audiences. Most people don't even remember Naoto's dungeon was outright modeled after a Kamen Rider villain hideout. They completely shot themselves in the foot with this one. Additionally, the way Naoto is handled AFTER the dungeon makes her (I'm using that pronoun because she calls herself a "woman" in Japanese in the game) seem more like someone who's on the verge of discovering they are X-gender (the japanese word for "nonbinary") than a repressed girl. Like, right down to how she has Rise help her experiment with clothes in the canonical drama CDs only to realize she really is uncomfortable with skirts and go for an androgynous but less restrictive look going forward. The way she dresses in the Golden epilogue and P4D is pretty X-gender core if you ask me. If they had leaned into that they could have genuinely have had something AMAZING, while also presenting the themes of sexism they wanted to explore, but the lack of queer sensitivity readers kind of ruined it.

Same for Kanji. The way they write him makes it seem like he's bisexual or pansexual, rather than straight, but they kinda shove that part of him aside after his dungeon is done, leaving his actual orientation up in the air and wasting a really good chance for representation. NOW, given what happened to Yosuke's social link, it's quite possible the original intent WAS to explore this more and it got cut, but as it stands, we'll never know. The huge problem of the internalized toxic stereotypes his Shadow presented never being reflected on and put into their right context in the rest of the game, when his social link could've given a great opportunity for that is also a huge shame.

All of this happened because of Atlus being unwilling to let their writers go all out with queer themes in fears of alienating a cishet audience AND because Hashino never sat his writing team down with any actual queer writers to sort this shit out and learn how to get across what the team was ACTUALLY trying to say. Now, given, Persona 4 was far from the only Japanese media property with that exact issue at the time, but it hurts especially much in its case because of the game's themes of exploring the truth to its logical conclusion, as well as psychology. These are issues that a remake REALLY would do well to address and correct. I feel like they actually will HAVE to do that, because sensitivity readers have become the NORM in handling these themes now in Japanese media, rather than the exception. You can thank trail blazing mainstream works like Zombie Land Saga for that.

All in all, Persona 4's handling of queer themes is an exercise in frustration that I hope is corrected soon.

[nancylou444]

Hi Nancy,

I hope it's okay I turn to you with this, but I just recently joined spn tumblr so I haven't really discovered many blogs I share my opinions with yet (though I did find some awesome blogs I'm excited to follow, but most of them only really talk about spn and the characters and not the actors, and this ask is concerned with j2m and danneel). Buckle up, this will be long because I tend to over-explain myself. Sorry in advance.

So I've been in the fandom since 2018 but haven't really paid attention to the cast other than watching some gag reels/bloopers, interviews with j2(m) and clips from cons. I never dug deep into the relationships/dynamics of the cast members (and also took like a 3-year break from the fandom so I'm not at all up-to-date)

I like to think I'm pretty good at reading people (in that when I find someone likeable they tend to prove themselves to be a good person and when I dislike someone seemingly for no reason I usually discover some pretty fucked up things about that person later on. Obviously with celebrities you never actually know what they are like irl but so far I've been right about people as far as I know.)

All this to say that I had an inkling about misha from the start, even though I never cared enough to do my research and justify my dislike towards him. I always got this pick me vibe from him, and like he's trying to insert himself into the j2 friendship to seem more relevant and likeable. And it seemed pretty clear to me that he is clinging to jensen and making it look like they are besties, ignoring jared or making him look bad as much as he can get away with only to fuel destiehellers in their belief that jensen also supports destiel and that jared is to blame for it not being canon. I've since found your masterpost about why you're anti misha, and finally feel justified in my feelings towards him, so thank you for collecting his shitty displays in one place.

So what my ask is about (getting to my point at last) is that in my browsing the anti misha tags I came across the anti danneel tag and decided to check it out out of curiosity (and arrogance, as I wanted to see if I was right about danneel as well, since I always got a bad vibe from her too (even though I never actually paid attentionto her)). And I did find some things that makes me think her and jensen's relationship isn't a healthy one built on mutual love and respect, and is possibly even abusive. I'm inclined to believe it not only because of my own instinct, but because of a video I saw where jensen's body language screamed that he is uncomfortable while sitting next to danneel who was rubbing/petting his back (though I don't have context for that clip so there might be another explanation for his body language that I'm not aware of). However the only 'evidence' about her being abusive was instagram posts that were (slight) jabs at jensen, that could just as likely be playful teasing as actual bullying depending on their relationship dynamic and whether the teasing is reciprocated imo (& there's no way of knowing how they interact in private so who knows). I'd be curious to know if there are more concrete instances of her treating jensen badly or generally being a bad person, but I couldn't really find anything useful in the tags.

But anyways, reading these posts I discovered yet another anti tag, this time anti jensen, which I definitely did not expect. I obviously know about The Winchesters drama but I thought they moved past it and are tight again, so I'm confused about what other reason there is for people to be anti jensen. I've seen some posts discussing him not standing up for jared/not being very supportive of him, siding with misha (though I'm especially sceptical about that one) etc.

I would like to be better informed about these things without having to watch hours of footage to analyse their interactions or read through hundreds of posts that either have some proof or not, without having to decipher whether what someone says is their opinion/interpretation or actual things that happened. From looking through some of your posts you seem to be well informed and trustworthy, so I'd kindly ask if you could explain the situation to the best of your knowledge or refer me to someone who has more information regarding danneel and jensen's relationship as well as jensen and jared's and can provide receipts. Thank you so much, and again sorry for this super long ask <3

Hello my darling.❤️ Nothing to apologize for.

@lightofraye recently posted an awesome anti danneel post with pics and videos. HERE

As for anti Jensen, for me, the prequel mess is a done deal. J2 have moved on from it and are besties again. I have the 'anti jensen' tag blacklisted. I really don't see him picking misha over ANYONE, let alone Jared.

Maybe @its-sassyboots @hologramcowboy or @walkergirlsposts can help you with the anti Jensen stuff.

[scrumptiousstuffs]

This is my first time sending an ask and I promise it will be the last one of this kind. I just want to say that I've read all the other asks and the responses to them, and for me the thing is that people can't bring up First without including Khaotung somehow. But Khaotung gets brought up and talked about on his own or relation to people not First all the time. When his friends do lives he's the one the fans always ask about. And on the few occasions where First is brought up alone people tend to ignore it. It's just how it is. It's cold hard numbers - look how much engagement posts about Khaotung alone or with others get compared to the ones about First alone or with others. And a crowd full of fans screaming when Khaotung asked if they like First isn't really the same thing. What are they going to do, remain silent? I don't think anyone is that rude. But their SM engagement speaks a lot. I can point to several times when someone has started talking about First and the discussion has almost immediately swerved to Khaotung and how amazing he is. I can't do the same the other way. Now I am only on tumblr so maybe it's different elsewhere. I wouldn't know. I do know that Twitter was particularly nasty about First during OF though. Not Sand. First. And there's nothing to be done about it. People are going to like who they like regardless. Maybe the tide will turn at some point, I doubt it, but maybe. But I can't say I don't understand the frustration that is boiling over when I am in the First tag and see more of/know more about what *Khaotung* is doing. It just seems really obvious to me that there's a clear, strong bias. And it's not just the fandom - I can't tell you how many BTS clips I've watched that are all about how amazing Khaotung is, yet First is rarely praised. And I'm not saying Khaotung isn't good. He is. I'm just saying so is First. But the fact that I feel like I can't say First deserves more recognition without someone thinking that I am slagging Khaotung off is also part of the problem, because I have the strong impression that it wouldn't be the same in reverse.

I do think people will stop complaining about it soon, if it helps. It's just letting off a bit of steam in a way that doesn't get them labeled as an anti Khaotung blog. Eventually they'll either move on or accept, and your inbox will be back to being mostly cheerful. And I do want to say that I appreciate reading your answers to them. It must be frustrating to keep getting them when you don't see things that way, and I imagine it feels like an attack of sorts. I don't think it is. Or at least I hope not. You seem lovely and like way more patient a person than I could ever be. Thank you for lending an ear.

Well anons, then you (and I) know what to do. We should all keep hyping First up as well.

I still stand by what I say - I don’t think the majority of the fandom is Khaotung-focus. And what I have seen interviews from directors, they all seem to love FK equally.

But rather than honing on these facts, in the wisdom of my mutual @fadeawayaway - we should keep talking about how great First is as well.

Write those analysis that you want about his acting! I personally still read analysis of his roles in Not Me/TE/MLC/ OF even after these series have finished. I can guarantee you, there will be people like me who wants to read about it. And with hopefully THK bringing in new fans, them engaging about Kant/First when they read your analysis or thoughts about his other characters will put more positive focus on him as well.

Tweet about how you think his acting abilities and his performance against his co-stars (and not just Khaotung), cause I am very very looking forward to his interactions with Babe, Style and Fadel!

I am looking forward to everyone thoughts about Kant when THK comes out (and you will see me become insufferable by retweeting every single gifs and analysis of all four boys).

Hype his singing abilities (he worked hard on this! And it definitely has paid off with the recent meets/concerts). He is a great entertainer on stage and while I jest about his dancing ability (to be fair, I don’t think his bestie is that great either), I have always thought both boys as charasmatic - and I mentioned previously in a different asks, I am always captivated when they are on stage cause they just look so joyful when they performed.

Talk about his host capability and bring attention to it on Twitter - keep his engagement up. So that gmmtv and more fans are aware of his beautiful personality and eloquence when he speaks (because he certainly is! Out of the boys, First is definitely the more natural host and the way he can make guests/the host relax - top notch 🙌)

[kanmom51]

Firstly, I wanted to say I love your page and appreciate your honest perspective when it comes to BTS and jikook in particular. I am an “older” Army and can appreciate the viewpoint of someone who’s lived life a little and has seen many types of relationships. It’s very hard to not realize there’s something between JK and Jimin when you’ve seen examples of it time and time again in your own life or those around you. So thank you for making me feel less crazy!

I haven’t followed your page for very long and realize you may have touched on this in the past, but I was wondering what your thoughts are on this: Could V sometimes bringing up Jungkook/Jimin together or separately (usually Jungkook…let’s be real) and mentioning that they’ve hung out with him or seemingly being “encouraging” of a certain ship, possibly be his odd way of trying to distract from the real relationship he knows exists between jikook? Like in his own special Teahyung way be trying to help? For a long time, there has always been something that didn’t quite sit right with me when it came to V. I think it was his constant need for attention….don’t get me wrong, I love many things about him as well and know he can’t be very sweet and thoughtful and funny and endearing. I love them all very much. But am wondering what you think about V sounding like he sometimes encourages a taekook ship (ie, the last surprise live at JKs house or the live where he mentioned gaming with JK) because maybe in his own special way, he’s trying to protect? He does tend to do things in a very unique way. I don’t know! Let me know what you think!

Hey @sweetbslm108, welcome and thank you.

And hi @nut2019 😊

Now, I know both of these asks are kind of on the different sides of the spectrum, but I kind of felt like they can be answered together, because of the one communality, and that's, but of course, Tae THE MAN.

Also, before starting I need to say this is all my opinion. Take it or leave it.

I think I kinda talked about this here a bit too:

Let me just clarify what Tae shared in his IG story yesterday @nut 2019. It was a photo and a clip taken on the night after the movie premiere that JK and Tae went to, which was the 24-25 April 2023 - which as of today is 3 weeks ago. It's clearly that night and it's also clear it's not a date or an outing of the two alone, but a group outing with Tae and his friends (a couple from the Wooga squad and a couple I personally do not recognize). Yes, he posted it on Yellow day, but clearly has zero to do with that day.

I don't think Tae is encouraging the ship, but as an agent of chaos, he might be enjoying the aftermath of his handy work, maybe a little too much, lol.

Look, let's get serious here for a sec.

I love Tae to bits. I think it was even in one of the comments to the post I linked that someone mentioned thinking he's neuro divergent, and I was going "YES, FINALLY", because I've been saying this since forever. I'm no psychiatrist, so obviously I won't be handing out a diagnosis here, but, that said, his behavior, his quirkiness, his lack of understanding social queues and others emotions at times. The way he just says what pops to head, no matter if it has anything to do with the subject, and no matter what the consequences might be (take his 2015 radio interview fiasco literally outing JM on live air).

Tae is who he is. Always has been. And we all need to remember that the others all love him. All of them (including those we tend to champion). They might be frustrated with him at times. Angry with him. Might want to end him at times (from what JK spilled about the dumpling fight I kind of feel that was one of those times, lol), but you know, we all have those days with our loved ones too, so yeah.

In any case, whatever it may be, since the hiatus Tae has started to move in a certain recognized pattern that many Jikookers aren't happy with.

I understand the frustration that not only Jikookers have with him when it comes to that (and I'm saying that Tae stans are also feeling it). It feels like he lacks the energy to give to the fandom, interact with them, and maybe he feels that by dropping JK's name or posting a pic or clip with him he's making them happy (obviously aware of how much JK is loved), all while he obviously also is well aware of the chaos he's creating by doing so (claiming that he doesn't is a little naïve). It's kind of a minimum work maximum impact situation.

You are right @sweetbslm108 about Tae's mind being different to ours, it feels like his thought process is on a different parallel level. It's not by chance that JM called him his alien, lol. But saying that, I really don't think that this is his twisted way of going about protecting Jikook. I, personally, have no issues with him mentioning JK if it's part of the natural development of the conversation, kind of like he did during his live a few weeks back in the car. Doing so while talking about this and that, maybe also mentioning the others. They are good friends and clearly have gotten closer over the last few months (I'd say them being left for last and JM being MIA for JK did that), and it's natural they spend time together and it's great if he let's us know about it. But why only JK lately? That's what I keep asking myself, because he's not the only member he's in touch with or spent time with in the past few months. And coming live for a few minutes and dropping JK's name for what seems so purposeful, so much so that I've seen several Tae stans complaining about it. Because it doesn't feel natural. It doesn't feel like he's coming to talk to army or update them.

And I feel like it's ok to criticize him, criticize his behavior.

JK himself (there I go name dropping) said they are only human, which they are.

I keep saying it too, human beings with feelings and wants and needs, not 2 dimensional characters like many fans see them as.

And as such, they are not infallible. And they are definitely not beyond reproach.

And saying out loud, sounding said criticism, it doesn't make you a hater.

We criticize our loved ones, reprimand them when we feel they are doing wrong, and we do it out of love. So what's the difference here?

It should be part of the open discussion. Those who think it's wrong, those who don't, all respectful, no hate.

NO HATE!!

We don't do hate!!!

We love all 7 members.

We might feel more of an emotional connection with some rather than others, but we love them all, each in their own way.

And if I wasn't clear about it, then that includes Tae, even if sometimes he does things that might be infuriating.

My daughters can infuriate me at times, doesn't make me love them any less. Also doesn't stop me from letting them know I don't agree with their behavior.

I will end this by saying that we are all different people, we come from different backgrounds, different places in the world, different professions or schooling, different upbringings, different cultures, different life experiences, just different. All those are our baselines. The things that make us who we are, what we think, what we do.

And being different, all gathering here, voicing our opinions, talking to each other, hearing each other out, that will, at the end of the day make us better people. I do believe that. Being able to listen to one another and at times allow ourselves to be convinced one way or another, that makes us better.

Bottom line:

Tae is an agent of chaos. We love him, even when said chaos he is causing can be infuriating (and the thing is, all he's doing is mentioning his friend or posting a pic of them together, but it's what transpires from that due to mainly I-army that irks us so much).

We are also allowed to call him out on it.

No hate. Period.

Have a civil discussion.

You can voice your opinions here, as long as it's respectful and without hate. Not towards the members and not towards each other.

[ingravinoveritas]

MY GOODNESS THAT TV INSIDER SNIPPET WHERE YOU CAN SEE THEM MOVE PHYSICALLY CLOSER TO EACH OTHER IN ABOUT 20 SECONDS. UGHHH. DAVID WAS LITERALLY HALF OFF HIS SEAT TO BE CLOSER TO MICHAEL

Hi, Anons! Oh, gosh, I love both of these so much. Putting them together because I think there's a definite connection worth discussing.

So first, Anon #2 I know you must be referring to the new interviews with Michael and David that have come out the past few days (on Screen Rant Plus, Movieweb, etc.). Anon #1 is referring to another clip that just came out today, so I'll put the video up here for anyone who hasn't seen it and then discuss it further down this post:

Anon #2, how beautifully you have phrased your observation, and I could not possibly agree with you more. I've noticed a lot of people saying that Michael and David look sad or miserable, but I don't think that is the case at all. Well, a couple of things: 1) We have no idea when these interviews were recorded, though if I had to guess I'd say within the last month or two, and if that is the case, Michael was still directing/working nonstop on The Way, so that would explain him looking tired (along with running around after two little kids all the time). 2) I'm fairly certain that a large part of them not looking at each other is because they are trying not to give anything away about the second season, and Michael and David both know they won't be able to keep quiet if they make even the tiniest bit of eye contact.

3) I fully agree with your assertion that the lack of staring shows how close Michael and David have become, because to me, it also means that they no longer feel a need to be "on" around each other. They've both spoken in the past about how much they hate doing interviews/photo shoots, and that it became far more bearable when they had each other. That was the case four years ago, and now we've all gone through a global pandemic and some of the darkest times in our lives. That naturally strips away any sense of pretense--seeing someone at their worst, or when they're sick or afraid. I get the feeling that Michael and David have been through all of that and where so many other relationships/marriages fell apart, their relationship is even stronger now as a result. They love and accept each other exactly as they are, and it shows.

Finally, 4) What you said about Michael not staring at David makes my heart ache and seems so true. On the season 1 press tour, he was already in love, but didn't know when they would see each other again. I'm reminded of that one interview where they both suddenly seem to realize the press tour is coming to an end, and they don't know when they'll see each other next:

"Can we just...see each other? For no reason?"

He doesn't even have to ask that question now. Michael doesn't have to keep his eyes on David every moment because he has already memorized his whole face, the stubble on his skin, the softness of his lips. And he knows with perfect certainty that he will never be without David in his life again.

And this all fits in beautifully with the video you've mentioned, Anon #1, because they absolutely do move closer to each other in that video, and not only does it look like they did it completely unconsciously, but David seems to actually mirror Michael:

Michael is the first one to move closer, as we see above, and then right after he does, David moves closer. And again, they're not staring at each other the whole time. nor do they seem to be playing up their "personas"--Michael and David are just being themselves, and their natural inclination is to be close to each other. (Also, Michael's fucking wiggle right after he moves is killing me, because I think he only does that when he's very, very happy...)

Absolutely beautiful. I so appreciate you both sharing your thoughts with me, Anons. Thanks for writing in! xx

[1shirt2shirtredshirtdeadshirt]

Star Trek Generations

+ IDW's Spock: Reflections

+ Picard Season 3

+ Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

+ OTOY + The Gene Roddenberry Archive's "765874 - Regeneration"

+ William Shatner's "The Return"

+ Star Trek TOS: The Cage

We are talking PIC S3 Spoilers, William Shatner's The Return Spoilers, Star Trek Generations Spoilers, IDW's Spock Reflections Spoilers, I mean you name it there are a lot of intercollected lore threads to tease apart here.

So we have a YouTube clip, a comic series, Picard 3 Easter Eggs, a novel, and a movie from 29 years ago. Are they planning something for the 30th anniversary of Generations? Maybe, maybe not.

But all of these little interconnected storylines are very interesting to say the least. I'm not sure what to make of it all honestly, or what's going on. But here's what we know so far.

Don't read on if you don't want spoilers for the above entertainment BC this story thread weaves into a lot of different Star Trek media, both canon and noncanon.

This video sums it up nicely and connects all the dots I've also been wending on since that clip (OTOY + The Gene Roddenberry Project) dropped:

Was chatting with some fans about this recently and you know, maybe it's delulu, but all we really have at this juncture are fan theories to fill in the gaps as they've just given us a few little breadcrumbs.

Spock visiting Viridian III, the parallels to William Shatner's The Return, Spock: Reflections:

My full series of Spock: Reflections segments tying into this clip can be found here.

And the Easter Egg from Picard Season 3 tying this into The Return and Jim's body being recovered. We see in The Return and PICS3 Kirk's remains are collected for "Project Phoenix".

More info taken from the screens in PIC S3:

A number of times within and outside recent canon, Jim's death has been referred to as alleged, or that he was critically injured/wounded.

As seen above on the screen shown next to Kirk's body in PIC S3, he is referred to as "critically injured".

If you listen during this scene, there is also a classic TOS throwback sound effect of a pulse -- a heartbeat life sign being measured (3:57):

Before you see Kirk's body you also see there is a "Genesis II" Project; Genesis I was used to revive Spock from the dead in Star Trek III: The Search For Spock. (Around 3:42)

Just a lot of plates spinning, wheels turning, dots connecting.

It's interesting that there are so many threads linking here, woven from Star Trek books to canon shows to YouTube clips to Star Trek comic books . . .

Plus this Shatner interview released by OTOY, which made it very clear that he had always intended to keep playing Kirk. Apparently Rick Berman had totally shut him down when he proposed ideas for bringing back the character.

Also that he would wholly be open to returning to the role depending on in what capacity:

Furthermore, a ton of the clips and tester shots that OTOY has filmed with The Roddenberry Archive have the number "765874" in the title, which is the badge number of Yeoman J.M. Colt.

I talked about her in another post -- she only appeared in The Cage pilot/The Menagerie.

She was also only one of four crewmembers serving about Pike's Enterprise who interacted with the Talosians, had gone to their planet, or who could even talk about them.

It's forbidden from anyone in Starfleet to read about that mission report without permission, and visiting their planet was one of the very rare instances where visiting would have serious penalties, including a death sentence (similar to how the Genesis planet was forbidden in Star Trek III: The Search For Spock).

Anyway, how does she tie into this? Why is her serial badge number the title to so many of the clips, including the Veridian III clip?

Curious developments.

So anyway, now that I feel like this;

What are they up to?

This is wild.

[smoshsfavoritepizzaplace]

You asked about first Shourtney shipping moments. This is gonna be a long answer but hopefully it's an interesting read.

I started my Smosh journey with Games videos from 2022-2023 and immediately sensed that Shayne and Courtney have an interesting bond. Initially, I thought that Shayne was secretly crushing on Courtney (but tried to keep things professional) whereas Courtney was acting flirty with everyone. I also noted that they would be cute together but didn't think too much of it.

It was actually the comment sections that made me more interested in their dynamic since fans had so many different views of them. Many commented on their "sibling energy" or admired their friendship but some were convinced that they were not in good terms anymore. And obv there were a lot of shipping comments as well but those were often ridiculed or viewed negatively. As a new fan, I felt confused 'cause I've never encountered so many contradicting descriptions of an onscreen duo. I also found it weird how some fans were trying to deny any romantic tension between them when it seemed pretty clear to me that they were not acting 100 % platonic with each other.

So I'd say that I became interested in their dynamic almost right away but it was Shayne Interviews His Exes (nro 1) where I became much more sceptical that they would be just friends. Shayne seemed weirdly shy when Courtney walked in, and Courtney had a very loving gaze when they played the "shouting" audio and Shayne was cry laughing. It just didn't seem like normal friend behavior to me.

Also, Courtney basically buried Shayne's head in her boobs which like... idk. At that point it seemed like something other Smosh members wouldn't do to each other. (My views have changed a bit once I started to know Amanda and Chance better...)

A long-winded answer but I don't know how to explain this more shortly! It was more of a process than an immediate thought to me.

Don’t worry about sending long asks in, I enjoy reading all of them and this one especially. Aside from 2019, I think 2022-23 had some of the most interesting yet very telling shourtney moments imo. Shippers have gotten a lot of flak/criticism in the past and some even now, there were so many people who really believed we ruined Courtney and Shayne’s friendship. Meanwhile, they were dating/engaged most of the time that was being said. I’ve also seen a bit of people say that since Courtney was considering leaving smosh at one point, her and Shayne started letting loose more in videos and presumably when she finally decided to stay, they cut back a bit. I guess they thought that bc if Courtney actually left, they wouldn’t have to deal with the pressures of being public while still being in videos together.

You also said that you started noticing a shift in the Shayne’s exes, don’t forget Keith switched his wig around and mentioned that Shayne liked blondes better. When I first watched that video, my mind couldn’t not think of Courtney, especially because her character was in the next clip I think. I feel like you’re the first person I’ve seen actually say that was the video that made you a shipper. I don’t think I have seen anyone say/write that before.

But yeah, all the people that said Shayne and Courtney have sibling energy, I wonder where they are now. This may be a controversial take but a part of me feels like calling two friends sibling like is a little weirder than shipping. Of course it depends on the duo and what they’re comfortable w/ but I think Courtney has said she feels weirded out by that and not shipping (as long as it’s boundary respecting).

[moreofthatdrowse]

JO Survey: What's a favorite JO moment of yours? Could be very small or something big

There were too many good answers in the questions with open answers in my Joker Out Survey, so below the cut are the answers to Question no. 14: What's a favorite JO moment of yours? Could be very small or something big

When bojan exists but also when they sung the boys are back from HSM in an interview in all the languages

Nace & Bojan completing my heart hands thing at a concert :) (& Nace showing the heart on his bass in my direction )

sparklative, the turtle interview, every interaction between jan and nace (it's hard to pick a favourite)

It's so hard to choose! Aside from repeating what I said before, I'll say I love them doing stuff with pride flags during concerts, and them hanging out together during Novi Val. Also them just wearing each others clothes. And the whole thing with Because of You during Eurovision. And Bojan singing Cha Cha Cha. And Tavastia. And Kris during the Katrina video whirling around his jacket. Ok I can't choose and I can go on forever.

When Nace started talking about his turtles

kris being a hater 🫶

how dare you make me pick one smh i guess the performance of novi val in Glasgow with the pride flag i dotn get emotional about artists raising pride flags in general even tho im queer but that specific moment in a CHURCH with THAT song made me sob

I can't choose so I've got 3: 1. WHY THIS HAS BEEN SO HAS BIVEN SPARKLY?! SPARKLING?! SPARKLATIVE?!?!?! 2. the interview where they talk about Nace's turtles ("shiiiit, they don't like to be pet!") 3. every time Bojan and Kris banter with each other 😭 and I saw this irl too when I was at their concert in London and Kris wouldn't stop playing his guitar whilst Bojan was trying to tune his

I've really enjoyed watching the behind the scenes video series' from Eurovision and the tour.

It's a tie between (i) pretty much any interview they've ever done and (ii) the Cvetličarna concert (didn't attend but have watched the footage)

Them comforting Käärijä together after his loss

Bojan's thighs lol

I really like drunk Kris at Barcelona preparty screaming "OH, SSF!" and dancing like the tall tree he is 🤣❤️‍🔥

Their joy in eurovision

"Sparklative"

The moment that Jan signed my jacket

Jan and Nace interacting on stage

Idk i love all the behind the scenes videos?

Them all singing together (see carpe diem series ep 7 amsterdam :D)

The backstage series

The Electric Ballroom gig in London & their reaction when Slovenia entered the grand final at ESC

Jan and Nace playing kazoos in the UK tour ep 2

You expect me to chose?? /j

Every Novi val performance.

anything Jan and Nace get up to tbh

Every moment in that "joker out being bros for 5 min straight" video or wtv or was called. Need friendships like that fr

don't know if it's my favorite moment per se but i do love how they all immeadiately fell in love with jere (käärijä), especially bojan ofc <3

Why has been so sparkling? ✨

Bojan draped in a pride flag in an old church while singing novi val. Top 3 moments to cry about at 3am tbh

The performance of Novi Val in Križanke. Also, this is not a JO moment as such, but a clip where Bojan imitates a german kid telling his mom he wants to jump on the trampoline(?) I'm sorry, but man's funny as fuck, I think about that clip often.

I haven't seen them live yet, so all the best moments are yet to come :)

All of them cuddles

I don’t knoww Maček in a box

kris tilting his head back, eurovision in my city, SEEING THEIR TOUR BUS IN LIVERPOOL WJEN ME AND MY FRIEND WERE OUT IN THE CITY CENTER THE DAY AFTER WE SAW THEM @ MANCHESTER

I don't know yet - there's so many moments! So many smiles and like laying their heads on each others shoulders during concerts and looking out for each other. <3

I liked how promptly they got rid of gregor on a serious level and also on a happy level when they qualified to the Eurovision final

cvetličarna

Bojan and Kaarija’s bromance

I don't know to many options

Love how often TURTOL is brought up. Nace would be proud <3

QUESTIONS 1-11 I QUESTION 12 I QUESTION 13 I QUESTION 14

[pascalisporn]

The recent sexual harassment discourse around Pedro Pascal is important, and I don't want to take away from that. But I think we also need to talk about the 24/7 content beast.

As someone who finds a lot of sexually based things funny, I do find the "internet daddy" thing funny. And for a millisecond, I think he did too. The problem is in doing so he fed the beast. Since it got clicks, now EVERYONE wants to use it to get clicks. If I were him (and I'm very much not) I'd find the joke funny for maybe a month or two. But for every clip I've seen of him addressing the whole daddy thing, there are a dozen more I haven't seen. The only common denominator to all of these clips is HIM. He is the one who has to respond to being called daddy. Every. Single. Time. And that has to wear on him.

In the olden days, you'd talk to maybe a dozen publications with journalistic standards of varying degrees. Now it's every asshole with a smartphone. It used to be you'd go on Howard Stern and know exactly what you were getting into. Now it's the wild west. At least with BuzzFeed thirst tweets you agreed to do them. Now everyone everywhere is mining him for the best clickbait in the worst possible way.

Imagine going down a line at a red carpet and every effing interviewer is like "Hey Pedro, or should I say daddy?" "Look everyone, it's the Internet's daddy, Pedro Pascal." "Hey daddy, ready to read some thirst tweets?" And they hand you a phone that says "bratboy764 says - I want to dress up in a minions costume and fuck you from behind." At that point I'd just go into the theater and call it a day. I'm sure he has many interesting things to say, but the media is absolutely fixated on this daddy joke.

He addressed being "daddy" in an entire skit on SNL. That should have been where the joke ended. The idea had become so ubiquitous that one of the biggest comedy outlets covered it.

But not only does everyone and their dog want to run an already dead, inappropriate to begin with, joke into the ground. They want to up the ante by saying things no one who participates in society would say to anyone's face. When everyone tries to be subversive, it results in no one being subversive. Move on, get creative with your questions, get sincere with your questions, get interesting with your questions. But for the love of crap.

Daddy is done.

[stoopid-turtle]

BTS in Order August Pt 1

Mainly from this bilibili playlist.

The timeline for all the interviews during this period are, frankly, a mess. There are multiple interview segments taken over multiple days, with different sources having different dates, usually only 1 or 2 days apart. Without being able to read Chinese, it is impossible to get this straightened out, so I did my best. Just consider 8/7-8/9 to be a big mushy mess of interviews segments. In each case, I put things on the date I thought most likely while including the alternate date(s) in parentheses.

8.1 ggdd outside. Wen indoctrination. DD is teasing gg for how many lines he has to memorize - A crowd scene with ggdd in a row with jl next to DD and jc next to gg. Gg and DD are in their own world, chatting and smiling at each other.

8.2 ggdd. Cloud recess lectures. Jl has bag of snacks and passes it to jc. Dd points accusingly (playfully) at gg. - A bunch of the cast are eating together. Dd has gg's phone, and gg keeps giving him amused looks. Gg in black hoodie. Jc, yl, and jl. Dd in black hoodie joins later. Then jzx. After, a couple women show gg a few bags with stuff. The others are still eating behind them. When gg gets back to table, DD is gone. (So, DD was still there when gg walked back. Then the camera cuts and DD is gone while gg is at table)

8.2 outside, burial mounds era. they're filming the scene where wn wakes up. Dd disappears early on so it's gg and yb. Ah..dd is doing wire work with his guqin - Later, DD feints kneeing gg in the groin. Then a clip of both of them going nuts on the sunscreen. - Wq joins them. - They change into post-timeskip costumes at same location.

8.3 ggdd. Gg roasts DD for sending selfies to him. (Alt 7.8) - Dd retaliates by showing everyone the pouty photo of gg. (Alt 7.8) - Clip of them running in place, shot from behind. Dd steals gg's tea. Seems like the first time from gg's reaction. (Alt 7.8)

8.3 market scene with jl and ggdd. Dd and gg pass a mirror back and forth while having a convo. In between them, in the bg, are their doubles, also standing side by side. It's a funny shot.

8.4 DD helps gg climb over railing on roof. Then it rains and there's that shot of gg reaching his hand out to the rain from the roof shelter place (alt 8.3)

8.4 ggdd more of the early market scene (yin iron era) - Gg and DD are punching each other in the shoulder. - A little swordplay. Then gg tries to put away his sword but DD keeps batting his sword at gg.

8.4 gg only. Scene with wwx taking jc to get his core replaced.

8.4 evening, gg chases DD with a bug - Also filming the first rooftop fight - Romantic rooftop stargazing - Birthday countdown

8.5 DD only. The awful livestream.

8.5 gg doing wire work in a forest with a DD double. Gg's doing a bunch of fight-y stuff. - Dd appears when gg's fighting off a fake owl. - They're chatting while gg's makeup is being touched up and DD pointedly looks at the camera. I've never seen this clip, so I don't know what they're saying.

8.5 gg walking down yi city street with Lil Apple.

8.5 Market scene. Gg tells DD to smile. Dd does. The blonde ponytail guy cracks up. Dd asks for green tea. gets it. - a scene with ggdd and juniors. Gg is with juniors and DD is being a disruptive gremlin. Leaving the juniors, gg walks up to DD with an indulgent dom expression They bicker a bit, but it doesn't seem serious.

8.5 ggdd Birthday cake and prezzies!

8.6 DD in blue robes. When lwj talks to mianmian at jinlintai. Dd is rubbing his throat a lot and puts his hand to his head a few times. Might be sick. - Then DD has a scene with lhk.

8.6 ggdd post-timeskip with lhk. - Then DD and lhk back at cloud recess - Gg doing takes of the fight down the steps of the jinlintai. Lwj is a double. - Ggdd the giggly run down the stairs - In the evening, dark, gg and DD standing beside each other, talking. Assistants hold an umbrella over both of them. Bright lights and blue screen in background. Also, jin ling wandering around like he's lost. Then they film the scene where jin ling stabs wwx. Gg and DD chat between takes 8.7 yb interview gg. Cloud recess outfit. Night. There's a bit where gg interacts with an animated creature. I've never seen this. - Oh! He draws the good health rabbit!

8.7 yb interview DD. Evening. I think they're outside while gg is doing some blue screen closeups. - Oh, this is where yb says the lans are poor and DD points out his Jade pendant.

8.7 DD does blue screen wire work. then gg joins, though no wires. They're doing shots from their cloud recess sword fight. Between takes they chat, though they seem tense. Dd seems dismissive and gg seems concerned and annoyed that DD is dismissive. I wonder if they're talking about DD's health problem? I don't know when his visit to the hospital happened. (to be fair, dd doesn't know when his visit to the hospital happened either)

8.7 DD does some blue screen closeups with a wwx double

8.7 then gg and DD outside but under a tent or something with a roof. Gg is spraying DD with bug spray. Then they talk about about something. I don't know what. People off camera are giggling.

8.8 another Sina interview clip. This has the part where gg rats out DD for using his own memes. And DD says it's just in case gg wants to save them to use. (Alt 8.9) - Also I think this is the first time DD talks about gg's ability to cry on cue. Like a switch. - Also, DD looks very shy and pleased when gg says good things about him. (Leos like praise)

8.8 nighttime yb interviews with ggdd - Dd makes gg wear a cat ears headband briefly

8.9 sword fight on cloud recesses rocks. Dd gets minor injury on hand. Brats about it. (Alt 8.8) - I think this is the instigator of the spicy wontons conversation, but I've never seen a clip of that conversation so I don't know much more than that. - DD in blue robes with gg and jc. Outside. The director is walking them thru the scene where they discover the Chang massacre - Gg and DD bicker for a bit. Then they do a bro handshake. But then DD starts talking to the camera as if arguing his case. Gg laughs and protests - Jc is such a third wheel. Poor guy. - ggdd gawking at a bug bite on jc's neck (alt 8.8)

8.9 ggdd side by side in cloud recess outfits. Gg hands DD a mirror to check his ribbon. Gg shows DD something on his phone. They talk quietly for a bit. Then a kid in a red shirt comes over and gg talks to the kid while DD sits back and watches. (Alt 8.8) - Lhk is in the background reading - Then they both do a bit with the little creature that showed up in the 8.7 interviews. - Yb interviews lhk. Then DD does a Sina interview, then gg does one. But almost as soon as gg says something, DD whaps him from off camera. - ddgg sina interview with yb. Waist measuring (alt 8.8) - Gg and DD share eyedrops - A lot of official clips are pulled from this day

8.9 gg then DD on set interview (alt 7.8 or 8.7). The one on the white couch where gg calls DD a lunatic. - Gg joins DD and sits basically right on top of him. Big dom "who hits who" moment. - Also, gg pulling up his robes. Wow.

8.9 bazaar interview take 2

8.9 more filming of the Chang Manor. This time with Xiao xingchen and song lan - Jc shows gg and dd a clip of lea salonga singing reflection. Gg sings along.

8.9 Then jl measures gg's waist (alt 8.7) - Then DD and jl interviewing each other? And measuring DD's head circumference?? (Alt 8.7)

8.9 more outdoor nighttime interview where DD walks up after gg is asked about him. Gouzaizai

8.10 jiejie putting DD's wig on. Another jiejie is putting gg's wig on. Dd shows up behind him. I think DD is asking if he's eaten. - Yb shows up behind gg. Also a-yuan. - Jl goes around the room with a camera, stopping by each actor. - Then when jl is at gg, dd takes the camera. - And then - Epic makeup room brawl (alt 8.8) - After, gg stands behind DD and eats some snacks. - Then gg is with xl and jc while xl gets her makeup done.

8.10 ggdd filming a pre-timeskip scene with xxc and sl. And tied up xy. Between takes outside, gg reaches out with his sword to poke DD in the ribs. - Oh, so there's the exchange I've seen in a video that claimed jc saw a picture that "would end everything" according to the translation. Then this clip is where DD tells gg about it and jc says he knows everything, but DD tries to say he doesn't. - The implication being that jc saw some photo of ggdd (more on this in the takeaways post) - There's all sorts of conversations going around in the circle of gg, jc, dd, jgy, jl, sl, and xxc and I want to know what all of them are.

8.12 ggdd post-timeskip. Gg across table from DD. Lhk in background. Director is talking thru the scene - Then the scene where lwj walks in to find wwx waving to wn in the window. Cue flirty look -Between takes, gg says something about how handsome DD looks. Dd smacks him with his sleeve, points at the camera, and says he's just being nice since they're being recorded. Gg looks surprised by the camera. Then they bicker. - Filming yb upside down - Filming scene with ggdd and lhk outside where lxc receives the jin butterfly

8.13 gg only. Seeing things in the burial mounds with xl - Then a scene with gg and jin ling where wwx finds the curse on jin ling's leg

8.14 gg only. Nightless City. Finding the hanged bodies of the wen refugees (alt 8.6)

8.15 gg only. Scenes with the nightless city wen battle. Some wire work for gg!

[tragicclownwrites]

Part 3: Reigisa & SquidBob: The Similarities

Now that we know a bit more about our heroes in love, it's time to get to the fun part of this post: ✨their similarities as a couple ✨

If you've seen either show, you know they're both surrounded by water constantly - just in vastly different ways.

However, the similarities go deeper than the water's surface. 🕵️🌊

Their relationship dynamic

I've mentioned this throughout the masterpost thus far, but I believe this is the biggest thing each ship has in common. The trope they both fall under has a dynamic that plays out something like this:

Sunshine meets grump

Grump is annoyed by sunshine

Grump tries to get away from sunshine but the latter won't give up on them

Grump and sunshine are brought together - either by circumstance or resignation

Sunshine wins grump over

While we've seen this scenario play out somewhat differently between Reigisa and SquidBob (which I'll discuss in the next post), it all comes down to them growing closer over time and - eventually - working together, finding commonalities, and genuinely enjoying each other's company despite their personality differences.

Rei could barely stand Nagisa at first because of his obnoxious personality and habits, but is now completely besotted by Nagisa and has found himself wrapped around his finger (which I'll showcase in a bit).

Squidward has openly expressed on occasion how he "hates" Spongebob, only for his true, more positive feelings to come out when it really counts (see the post after this one). There's a reason he sticks around, even though he's frequently annoyed by Spongebob's antics.

There are times when both Nagisa and Spongebob take it a bit too far, resulting in them invading Rei and Squidward's personal space. Not being the most mature characters around, it's likely these two just don't know how to express their love in a normal fashion - at least, at first. Though, as I've said in the previous posts, they've definitely learned how to actually flirt with them rather than creep them out.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Nagisa, smirking: "Oh, Rei-chan! You're so popular!"

And you know Squidward and Rei love it. Which brings me to my next point...

They are lost without each other

No matter how much the grump in the relationship has tried to hide from the light, they always finding themselves coming right back.

I mean, take this extremely gay interview with Rei, for example. He essentially confesses that despite being put off by Nagisa's pushiness at first, Nagisa has "an aura that [he's] attracted to" and "he has [Rei] completely wrapped around his finger."

I mean, does that NOT sound like a certain octopus that we know?

Let's take the episode, "Squidville," for example. It's a running gag at this point that Squidward never seems to leave Conch Street, despite being evidently annoyed by Spongebob's (and Patrick's) antics. But in this episode, he actually does leave... at least for a little while. And at first, he enjoys being surrounded by other octopi. Octopi that are just. Like. Him.

But as you can tell, the monotony of it all gets old pretty quickly. He soon finds that he... misses Spongebob. (YT won't let me clip the vid, so just play at 3:00). He's... lost without him.

Squidward: *sulking* *Reef blower in the distance* Squidward, eagerly: "Spongebob?"

So, naturally, he comes crawling (or flying) right back to where he belongs. And never seems to attempt this again (at least not in a longer-term capacity).

What was Spongebob doing during this whole thing, you ask? Why looking for Squidward to convince him to come back, of course!

Speaking of Spongebob, he sees Squidward as his boyfriend one of his best friends, and is determined to stay by his side - no matter what. In "To SquarePants or Not to Squarepants," he literally pulls out a reel of photos he took with Squidward, which is just one of the many examples of his need to be close to him at all times. It's as if he would be lost without him.

I mean, look at how absolutely giddy he is just being in Squidward's very presence.

It's worth noting that, even with his friendliness and exuberance, Spongebob never acts like this with anyone else. (He really seems to like showering with Squidward, for some reason 🚿👀)

Flipping back to Reigisa for a moment. Remember how I mentioned that Rei is basically stuck on Nagisa like glue? And how Nagisa was the reason he joined the swim club in the first place? Well, in the episode, "A Resolution's Heads-Up!", Nagisa's parents urge him to quit the swim club due to his poor grades. This upsets Nagisa to the point where he runs away from home. Obviously, his friends are concerned, but no one is more concerned about him than Rei Ryugazaki.

Some angst and romantic tension later, it all cumulates into this very gay moment where Rei, Makoto, and Haru confront Nagisa at the pool. Nagisa is still very distraught about the situation but Rei assures him they'll talk to his parents. Rei is determined not to let Nagisa leave... the team.

Yeah. Super gay.

As for Nagisa, he is obviously very clingy of Rei and there are various instances of that. One in particular that comes to mind is the episode, "The Butterfly of Farewell!"

In this episode, it's kind of the opposite situation in which Nagisa & co. think Rei is going to leave the swim club because of him speaking with the track team captain and generally being sneaky. Again, obviously their friends are concerned about this, but no one is more concerned about it that Nagisa Hazuki.

Well, actually, Nagisa is even more concerned about Rei possibly having a girlfriend (it's literally you, dumbass).

Anyway, this all leads to another very gay scene in which Nagisa and the team end up confronting him about his behavior. Well, mostly Nagisa. Everyone else just kinda stands there and is like "Rei what were you doin'?"

THAT BLUSH. WE SEE YOU.

But, don't worry! It all ended being a misunderstanding. Rei was actually getting swim lessons from Rin, but didn't want to tell the rest of the team so he could surprise them with his new skills. 🥹🏊‍♂️

To sum it all up, Reigisa & SquidBob are both gay as fuck and can't live without each other. 🌈

&lt;- Main Page

<- Previous Part

Next Part ->

[kuleana--does-anyone-care]

capstone update #3

Hello, tumblr! I am finally back with my third update. At first I was waiting for something noteworthy to happen, but then a lot of things started happening all at once. I could have written this update two weeks ago, but I've been caught up. I have great news! I was able to get in touch with two local leaders who will allow me to interview them. One is Ernie Lau, Chief Engineer at the Board of Water Supply. You may have seen him on the news a couple of years ago; in 2022 he led the Walk for Wai protest march to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. He has also addressed the public many times with updates about Red Hill. Speaking to Ernie has been a big part of my idea for this project, so I'm really excited for this opportunity. The other interview is with Wayne Tanaka, the Chapter Director of the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi. (If you are unaware, the Sierra Club is an organization focused on protecting and preserving the natural environment.) Prior to his position at the Sierra Club, he served in the Public Policy Program at OHA, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. I'm looking forward to hearing his thoughts on Red Hill and our environment. Also hoping he might have an opinion to share about the US Military's involvement here. Another thing I did was receive my first batch of ʻUluʻulu titles (archival videos) and watch them! The first set was about 3 or 3.5 hours worth of footage. Some of it was produced, but most were production materials -- unedited recordings. I took detailed notes of what I saw, with timestamps, in order to keep everything straight. Part of the process is submitting timestamps of clips I'm interested in using in my doc. Then I send those to the archivist (shoutout to Trisha!!! <3) who does some paperwork and sends in a request to the materials' owners. (She undoubtedly does a lot more that I am unaware of.) It's been tough to find a good workflow for this process, because:

1) in order to view full-length files, I must first request links where the titles can be streamed to me

2) since I don't have a downloaded copy of it, I am unable to drop it into Premiere and begin working with it/ placing markers on it

3) ^this is my usual workflow for working with footage and building it into something, so it's been a learning process

4) the ʻUluʻulu player does not support changing the speed of playback

5) it takes time to get approved to use clips, and longer if you want to request "screeners," full-length files that are downloadable

6) you never know if your request will be approved until it happens, so you could be putting a lot of time and energy into something that won't pan out. (It's a gamble, which can be disheartening)

...#6, I learned that the hard way recently. Since I waited so long between posts, let me save that for next time. Oh yeah, I will have to tell you about the FTAC meeting, too. For now, I'll keep working through the second batch of archival videos I requested. My doc's structure is still not settled yet, but it's slowly solidifying with each new ʻUluʻulu video I see.

[yourinterestisnotcringe]

i hope this isn't too much, but i'm nosy! do every odd-numbered smosh question :]

Aah! XD Thank you 😌❣️

Here you go (this got so lengthy omg sorry).

1. Ian or Anthony?

The age old question huh?

You know what? I was asked this before (on a more shallow level I guess but it still fits) and I will repeat myself: "Anthony has Perfect Hair and is very attractive to me. But i was very much very intrigued by Ian as a whole from day 1 and that hasn't changed." (quote by me, sometime between july and now)

On a less shallow level: I relate to Anthony a lot regarding lots of things and respect his journey very much. But Ian - idk what it is, I was drawn to him since day 1 and can also relate to him on several levels. I genuinely find him hilarious. I also know/knew and like(d) people in RL that are very much like him. (Or, at least the way he makes us perceive him.)

3. What's your favorite channel between main/pit/games?

I replied to this here.

5. Do you have a favorite Smosh video? What is it?

I just thought to myself: why did I reblog this ask game? Why am I doing this to myself? I generally am VERY bad at answering questions about favorite things. I cheat all the time. I have several favorite Smosh videos, depending on the criteria. But I'm gonna go with the answer that is probably the most boring one:

Pokémon Theme Song from 2005. (rip)

To me it symbolizes a lot of things and without it I probably wouldn't have found Smosh - or I would've, but a lot later. It evokes many good feelings in me and finding it for sure changed some stuff and influenced me, even though I didn't know it at the time. Lot's of momentous things happened to me in 2006, discovering Smosh via this video was one of them.

7. What is your favorite series on Smosh (main channel)?

Let's do This! !! Followed by uh maybe Pokémon in Real Life, Funeral Roasts and Interviewing Exes.

9. What is your favorite series on Smosh Games?

Would you believe me if I told you that I was stuck on this question for like half an hour? T_T I really like many series on that channel and they did so many different things... And in the end it's still a tie. It's the very basic (?) and classic Gametime w/ Smosh and the very uh, basic (?) Board AF :')

11. What's something you want to see come back?

Easy: Let's Do This! :')

13. Do you ship anything/love any friendship pairs?

I'm actually fine with any ships, romantically or platonically. If I watch any combo long enough and imagine them in random situations I can see them as a ship (platonic or otherwise), or a intriguing combo at the very least. I do enjoy content about Ian &/ Anthony, and pretty much other popular combos. A combination I've seen less of and that I love is Tommy + Ian and Courtney + Ian. However you want to interpret this, I love their dynamics and what my head provides me with about them. As a sidenote and apart from any shipping business: Courtney's and Ian's friendship is very very dear to me, if you (general) have any clips/interview/audio/whatever where their friendship is being shown/the topic, feel free to send it to me. I would be so so grateful :')

15. What castmember do you think you are most like?

Ok so I asked my sibling because I wasnt sure about this. And they said: Ian, Sarah (we both miss her dearly and we'll count her as cast for this) and Amanda. I agree tbh.

17. What do you want to see now that Anthony's back?

Summer/Winter Games :')

19. Is there a video/series you really loved when you were younger?

Lunchtime with Smosh! 🥹 (Ian is Bored too..I know, this is cheating ;_;)

21. Did you ever watch Smosh the movie?

Yes! More than once 🤭😆

23. Tell me an unpopular Smosh opinion.

I'm more excited for the concept and existence and bts of Food Battle returning than for the Food Battle 2023 video itself. Don't know if that's an unpopular opinion though. I'm very exited and am looking forward to it very much, and it looks very good. But I enjoy the Food Battle series on a rather meta level and am not as emotionally involved as with other stuff.

25. It's food battle time. You picking a pink frosted sprinkled donut, or some stick-shaped food?

Thank youuu!!

[Smosh Ask Game]

[offthrack]

. . .╰ 𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐄 for the 𝒥𝑒𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑓𝑒𝑟 ℋ𝑢𝑑𝑠𝑜𝑛 Show

Overhead the studio lights blaze down onto the live audience seated in front of the stage, the cheerful host presenting a shining smile as she performed her routine intro. Spice lingered near the abundant snack table backstage while awaiting her invitation to her seat, admittedly nervous for her first daytime talk show appearance — her manager insisted that this milestone only spoke to her bubbling commercial success. And while meant to be taken as praise, the budding starlet couldn't help but feel the pressure of such an implication.

JH: "Let's keep it honest female rap has dominated music this year. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing GloRilla, and this upcoming rap diva was yet another artist making waves both in our homes and on the charts — well, in my home at least! After being in the rap industry for three years, she released her debut album Sugar Honey Iced Tea and became the first female rapper from her city to top the Billboard Rap Charts! She even took the project on tour so she could bring a little of Magic City to the rest of the states. Everybody, please join me in welcoming the beautiful and immensely talented Spice to the stage!"

Though internally trembling with nerves the artist wore a luminous smile, taking long strides to meet her host between the modern armchairs for a warm embrace. Yet another, softer smile toward the crowd cheering her on before she finally takes her seat. A french tipped manicured hand comes up to greet her and then the members of the audience whose faces the lights didn't obstruct. "Heyy, Jen! Thank you so much for having me. I'm not really a talk show girlie, but I always tune in to your interviews."

JH: "Thank you for agreeing. That's great, then you know we like to get down to the nitty-gritty on here — in a respectful way, of course. But I wanna know it all; where you've been, where you're at, and where you're going. We can start with where you're at — how are you feeling? Your tour ends in a few days; your first headlining tour, might I add. Especially after such a successful and positive response to your album — you must be on cloud nine."

"Ten." The femme quickly replied without skipping a beat, but she couldn't hide the scoff masked as a laugh that she let out. "I mean, I've had sooo much fun touring! Getting to meet my fans and see people come out for me to support me, it's an unmatched feeling. But man.. this tour.. this tour..! I definitely learned what it means to be independent, you know? There were way more hiccups than I would have liked. And despite me having a team of people behind me, besides my tour manager and a few of the sound guys, none of the people who work with me had been on a tour before. What they really don't tell you, though, is that it all just falls back on you. We had a wardrobe situation the first stop — honestly, we had a few situations on that first stop. I'm still so sorry Tampa, we gon' have to run that back." A thoughtful pause seemingly takes the air out of the room. Naomi had never seen herself as a victim, nor did she feel like the problems on tour were necessarily against her, but in truth the hate she'd been receiving for everything from timings to production had been weighing on her more than she let on. "But um, I get online and I see people in my mentions about how the tour is run and my call times and the venue's cutoff time... it definitely made me wanna go harder, but it hurt my lil' feelings a little bit."

JH: "I can imagine. I've seen a few clips and I was entertained, so I don't know what they were complaining about. But stuff like that lights a fire under you. For a long time before this show, I was counted out by a lot of my peers. It's surreal to think about what you were doing two years ago—even a year ago! So many people would've been discouraged by unforeseen circumstances like that. I definitely wouldn't have been able to tell there were any complications at all! What kept you motivated in those times?"

Her brows knit together for a moment and she looked up to the sky; as if she was telepathically talking to God. A weighted sigh precedes her response. "Um, I've always been in a position to take care of those around me. If I call off the tour 'cause I'm emotional one day, I don't get paid. Then they don't get paid, and that's a bad look. Also I'm at a very special point in my career, not just with the public but myself too. I still have to prove myself.. to myself! My confidence in my music is newfound and I only want to strengthen it — the little victories remind me that I'm on the right track. More than anything, that motivates me. The thought that one day it'll all pay off."

JH: "In many ways it already is! It's easy to get caught up in the critiques, but you are the name rolling off of everyone's tongue right now. There are so many eyes on you, and while it can feel daunting there's no better opportunity to seize your moment. Plus, no matter what the naysayers have to say you've gotten the nod of approval from some big hitters. Rick Ross, Gucci Mane, T.I., and Usher to name just a few. And I'm less than qualified to give out hip hop accolades, but from the co-signs you've collected, I'd say you're this generation's rap princess."

The audience went into an uproar of cheers at the statement, prompting a bashful Naomi to offer a tongue-in-cheek smile and nod. "Well, I mean.." She cut herself off to quietly clap with her index and thumbs, treading carefully with her response. "Thank you so much. The girls as a whole are killin' it like you said. I do call myself the biggest, but I feel like I have to disclaim I'm not in competition with anyone. People always try to pit us girls against each other — I almost lost a close friend over some drama made up by some bored bitc— bored people on the internet. It's played out. Besides, I'm gunning for queen anyway." She burst into a small fit of laughter and lazily tossed a honey blonde strand over her shoulder. "No, but it feels so good to have so many people I came up admiring give me so much praise. I really want to put on for my city, so feeling like I'm doing that is very rewarding."

JH: "When you say a close friend, is it the same close friend you brought on as a special guest on the first night of your tour?"

The faintest red tint painted her soft cheeks and she could only offer a bashful smile as she was reminded of the squabble between she and Chanel. A delicate hand comes up to caress away the subtle anxiety she felt about the entire situation. "Yeah, it is. I've said it before but I do what I can to not let the industry or social media get between me and what's important to me. And my friends are very important to me. There's way too many people already praying on my downfall, I don't need another enemy."

JH: "A word. Friendly competition is one thing, but it can quickly become something else entirely when outsiders are weighing in. Speaking of enemies, I heard that a police report was filed just a few weeks ago regarding some stolen belongings... if you're at liberty to speak on it, I know the case has since been closed, what happened?"

In the same instant that Jennifer mentioned the robbery her plump lips upturned into a saccharine smile as she remembered how the perpetrator was dealt with. Two nights in Miami, scalding hot water and a couple of bullets did wonders in retrieving what the police were trying to only give her half of. She coyly shook her head, kissing her teeth while she feigned indifference. "Just a couple petty thieves. We found them and... well, I got everything back. It was hell for the three shows following, but my beloved stylist was able to make things work and we sourced sound equipment at the venues. Now I see why my manager was requesting round-the-clock security. It was a huuuuge learning moment for me. But I'm confident that nothing like that will ever happen again."

JH: "I hope not! I'm glad you got your things back; it could've been much worse. On a more positive note, among the many achievements you've made this year is your first Grammy nomination for the lead single of your album, Big Mama. And it's so different from the sound the public probably expected from you. What was your biggest takeaway from the success of that song?"

"That nobody knows your vision like you. I started recording and playing around with the song over a year ago. I got negative feedback from the label. It went triple platinum wit' me and my friends once it was finished, though. So I released it. And the response was... mixed. I obviously loved it, and I was so excited to put it out and so many of my fanpages were raving over it. But of course you got the doubters, asking why I'm singing and saying I can't. Well, this rap-singer secured a Grammy nomination with that song, so all in all it taught me that you really have to trust in yourself wit' this rap stuff. Authenticity sells. I've began to grow into having my own brand and being recognized for it. So it's mostly just believing that I know what I'm talking about and I know what's best for my sound and my music."

JH: "That beautiful. It's hard to trust yourself even in private settings, so when it feels like the whole world is weighing in you almost get lost in the noise. I understand that struggle. But you said you've been coming into your own; building a personal brand and style that's distinct. We got to see a little bit of it on tour with those hot outfits! Will we be seeing more of that style? People were coming to your tour dates in outfits inspired by things you've worn — rap star, singer, and fashionista. You're a triple threat!"

Her laughter rang out this time and Spice put her hand up in subtle protest, shaking her head. "Woahhhh! I wouldn't call myself no fashionista. Don't get me dragged, Jen. The real fashion girls don't play. I already got grilled for attending Paris Fashion Week — who the hell can name 50 designers off the top of their head?" She put her hands up in a questioning manner before shaking her head with another soft musing of a smile. "I'm a rapper, just that. I wear clothes I think are cute — definitely took inspiration from Southern aesthetics and the y2k era and made it my own. I have taken an interest in high fashion though, and I had the best time playing dress-up every night on tour."

JH: "My assistant was just showing me some of the looks earlier — I can't wait to see more of them, and you! Before your performance I have to ask, what's your next plan?"

"That's easy," She started without even mulling over an answer. "After tour, I have a few international bookings coming up. And sooooomething super special coming out soon. I'll probably take the smallest break for the holidays." Even as she said it, the rapper didn't believe herself. She'd often mantra'd her father's favorite saying to herself when she felt she needed a break: "You can rest when you're dead." And even with the weight of what tour put her through heavy on her, she didn't want to risk losing the momentum—and the attention that came alongside it. She'd save that for her journal, though. "But then it's back to business as soon as the new year kicks off. This only my first album. I got so much more to show, so I'm sure you'll be seeing a lot of me in the coming months."

[pizzawendell]

10 People You'd Like To Get To Know Better

Tagged by @abattoirstars ♥️♥️

Last song: Tapestry by Carole King. I've been indulging my love for the queens of the 60s and 70s lately (you should listen to some Aretha Franklin right now). I was listening to Carole King's 14 times platinum masterpiece of the same name this morning and this is the penultimate track (had to head off and do stuff before I got to Natural Woman). There's something divine about her ageing flower child energy on this. King's voice is beautiful, though some of the most iconic versions of these songs would be recorded later in her career (like the Gilmore Girls theme You've Got A Friend). Tapestry is a really nice song, though if I'm honest it isn't even in my top five off the album. The song after it is my real love. For me it will always be the definitive recording of her greatest song (except perhaps for the time it closed out a Simpsons episode. That clip means more to me than I really understand)

Last book: This is a really tricky one for me because I so rarely actually finish books. The last one I remember finishing is The Path to Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson I by Robert Caro, which is sort of required reading for any postgrad politics & history dweeb. I listened to it on audible and the reading can only be described as cosy. I don't know if I think it's particularly good history (it's mostly based on primary interviews, which is at least cool). It covers the first 40 or so years of his life (until his first run at the senate). It is over 30 hours long read aloud. I would not recommend it to anyone, but if you think it sounds cool based on that description then you will like it.

If you don't believe audiobooks are books (and to be fair I consumed The Path to Power as more of a podcast without any ads) then the last book was Heligoland by Carlo Rovelli. This is an excellent microhistory of the island of Heligoland, which is about 40 miles off the coast of Germany but spent a long time as a dominion if the British crown. As you can imagine, this leads to quite a lot of political complexity and, eventually, several war crimes. I'd say it's a good book to read over a holiday by the pool, which was what I originally bought it for. For a frame of reference for how long it takes me to finish books, I bought it five years ago and have read bits of it here and there three or four times since.

Last movie: According to my Letterboxd the last movie I watched was Frankenweenie two weeks ago. As you've likely deciphered from my blog I've been going through it a bit lately and apparently haven't seen anything since. Frankenweenie was fine.

Last TV Show: I'm currently watching Antiques Roadshow with my family. The last show I properly Watched was Grand Designs: The Streets. It's a good, slightly more mellow form of Grand Designs where councils do a whole street of self builds. Kevin visibly doesn't like a lot of the buildings so it's a quite funny.

Sweet/Spicy/Savoury? Why are we pitting beautiful women against each other? Seriously though we all have preferences but kill the part of you that believes they could ever be this broad. I eat anything I can and love when flavours and foods get all mixed up. Like the rat from Ratatouille.

Relationship Status It's my five year anniversary in a week and a half : )

Last Thing Googled "The Hungry Games".

Current Obsession Probably town planning. It's the intersection of so many of my interests. You talk to me about a road or a house or a bus or whatever my brain goes into overdrive. One day you will all live in the gorgeous cities I will forge through an unethical grasp on unelected power and massive massive corruption.

Looking Forward To Christmas! I love Christmas. Every element of it is wonderful. I'm a very lucky person and everyone in my family is so wonderful. I love sharing dinner and giving gifts to them and having the weather be cold enough to wear whatever I want. It'll be a bit different this year but it's still the time of year I feel happiest and most alive.

Tagging: @sol-shines, @worldenddisk and anyone else who fancies it I'm not the boss of you