#jure is such a big mood

[radioactive-cloud]

i will deny the giggle i've just let out forever

source: x

[hotcat37]

Do you have any NSFW headcanons for the JO guys?👀 Like kinks, turnoffs etc

oooh interesting question 👀 I haven't written much JO smut but I do have some headcanons/things I like to see in fics :)

Nace:

-I honestly think he's pretty vanilla, he is open to trying new things but he'd be happy with even just dry humping as long as he's with someone he loves :]

-likes being told how strong he is and being complimented on his muscles and tattoos

-has a little fantasy of being a house husband and having sex while he's doing chores like cleaning or washing dishes

-being degraded in bed is his biggest turn off and completely takes him out of the mood, even if it's done jokingly it'll just make him feel bad (doesn't like degrading his partner either but might feel okay to use demeaning names in a playful setting)

-loves to cuddle his partner after <33

Jure:

-very horny, can and will initiate multiple rounds a day if his partner is up for it

-likes trying new things, especially weird positions, but cannot stay serious for too long during role playing and will get turned off if there's any too high expectations, he just wants to have fun

-has a kink for semi public sex (ex: in a supply closet after a gig, he enjoys the thrill but not enough to do anything riskier than that lol)

-ass guy, will just face plant straight into his partner's butt and be in heaven (good matchup for Kris then?)

-will make his partner food after first having a smoke ^_^

Kris:

-somewhat bratty during sex but he's actually just nervous and tries to hide it with sarcastic quips, hesitant to try new things

-bit of a pillow princess, likes to take things slow and relaxed whether he's on top or bottoming

-enjoys having his hair pulled and his thighs and ass being massaged

-feminization is either a big hit or a big miss, likes being called princess and wearing lacy stuff and feeling pretty but if his partner takes the feminizing too far it quickly becomes uncomfortable for him and he'll start feeling self-conscious

-is completely focused on hygiene afterwards, will make his partner shower with him

Jan:

-will probably put on some sexy low instrumentals during foreplay, speaking of which, he tends to enjoy foreplay more than the actual sex itself lol

-doesn't really have any specific kinks but does really get off on hearing his partner moaning and other sensory triggers, is definitely down to be blindfolded to enhance the experience

-does get fatigued pretty easily, he tries to make the foreplay and sex last as long as possible but will most likely be too sleepy for a round 2

-doesn't like heavy dom/sub dynamics, power imbalance makes him uncomfortable even if it's just for a temporary fantasy, can't help but cringe when daddy kink is involved in any way

-barely has energy to do clean up before dozing off so there might be a little mess to clean up after his nap

Bojan:

-big praise kink, likes to be told he's a good boy/doing a good job (is ok with some light degradation like being called an attention whore or something)

-very good partner if you're into roleplaying, he'll take it (too) seriously, will come up with random lore to enhance the scenario on a whim

-loves to give oral, likes having his neck and ears kissed, enjoys gentle squeezes to his body

-he does have performance anxiety and his partner being quiet during sex or not visibly showing their enjoyment will quickly send him into a panic, needs reassurance and occasional check-ins to feel good during sex

-very cuddly afterwards and likes to be a clingy big spoon 🥄

[jokeroutsubs]

[ENG TRANSLATION] "It seemed like an impossible dream to perform on Sziget's Main Stage" - Exclusive interview with Joker Out

Original article written by Peti for MusicDaily on 25.07.2024. English translation by IG gurdonanna, X brnbergeron and X zozzzzie, proofread by IG gboleyn123

Video interview available here:

Formed in 2016, Joker Out became the fan favourite band of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023. The boys represented the neighbouring Slovenia with their hit 'Carpe Diem', and this year they are finally coming to our country for the first time. Namely to Sziget Festival, at which they say was one of their biggest dreams to perform - or rather, never in their wildest dreams they could imagine to ever get about an hour long time slot at the main stage of such a big festival to prove their dedication and talent.

If you ask them, they describe their musical style as 'shagadelic rock n'roll', which roughly translates to very sexy rock n'roll mixed with the extravagant style of the '80s. They've toured the old continent, and in the UK, even Lewis Capaldi was curious to see what kind of party they put on. One thing is for sure, with their coolness, they put Slovenia on the musical map of the world, as they proudly use folk music in their sound, sometimes in the ex-Yugoslavian style.

We sat down with the boys for a Zoom call before their performance at Sziget Festival, where Kris, Jan, Jure and Nace were present.

We asked them about their song 'Bluza', of course, but also about the new album, Sziget and their experiences at the Eurovision Song Contest. The guys already knew a few Hungarian words, which we will only reveal in the video version, while you can read the whole interview below - exclusive interview with Joker Out.

It's so nice to see you. How are you today?

We are good, right? I think we are well woken up right now, because usually this would be too early for us, but we've been doing interviews for the past hour and a half, so we are in a good mood right now.

You'll be playing your first show in Hungary in less than a month. Have you ever been to Hungary before?

Yeah, yeah. But I think we've only been to Budapest so far.

This summer, you'll be performing at Sziget, which is like one of the biggest festivals in Central Europe. How excited are you about the show, and what can your fans expect from it?

I think we are all very, very, very excited for it, because especially playing on the main stage has always been one of those unachievable dreams, like we never thought it will ever happen. So it's very surreal, that we'll play there, and so accordingly we are gonna give it our all onstage.

We'll have everything with us: screens, lights, special effects, to make it worthwhile for everyone, for those who already know us and those who don't yet.

And your fans are very curious if there will be any unreleased songs at the concert...

We haven't decided on the setlist yet.

We have so many released songs, so it would probably be a mistake not to play them. The thing is, we probably won't have a lot of time to play, so we have to prioritise... and those are definitely going to be the released ones.

And speaking of concerts, do you have any pre show rituals that you always do before concerts?

When the intro starts rolling... there is always an intro. When the intro comes on, and we hear it in our earpieces, we do this [demostrates] and it's like, unifying our energy before we go on stage.

Sziger Festival is also called "The Island of Freedom". So I'm curious, what does freedom means to you personally?

Freedom from alarm clocks. That is definitely one of the biggest freedoms I enjoy and do not take for granted in my life.

Freedom is to be able to freely express your opinions on any topic, and to walk around on the streets of your town without feeling danger, that anything might happen to you. That is a kind of freedom we take for granted, but maybe it is good to sometimes think that it's not the same for every person in the world.

And the freedom when we are creating music. We don't have labels on us that are pushing us. And being able to live from music. That's freedom to me. Being able to do what you want and to have the financial means to feel free and to enjoy this.

If you could change just one thing about the world, what would it be?

That there would be no jealous or greedy people in the world anymore.

And I would try to make the borders between countries disappear as much as possible.

No more music on Spotify, only on CDs and records. And stop spreading false information and only share what is objectively true. It's a hard one, but it's a good sentiment.

You just released your latest song 'Šta Bih Ja'. Can you tell us a bit about the background of the song? What inspired it, and what is the message you want to convey with it?

The background to the song is that we went to London for two months, in January and February, to create our new album, and this was the first song we composed. We actually put this song together very quickly in January, in maybe like the first or second session in our new rehearsal space there.

Musically it's very up-tempo, energetic and a bit ex-Yugoslavia inspired, but the lyrics are darker than the music itself.

So there's a bit of contrast. The message or the vibe of the song is kind of what we felt when we went to England. The feeling of being a stranger in a big city, not knowing many people, and knowing that someone you love is waiting for you somewhere else, but you can't reach them at that moment. That's pretty much what it's about.

How is your new album shaping up?

Slowly, but good. Very slowly. But very good.

What three words would you use to describe the album?

To describe the album in three words? Not released yet.

If I had to say one word, I'd use "cocktail". Because it will have different languages and musical styles. Love... of course. And an album full of hits. So the three words: cocktail, love and hits.

Your fans are particularly excited about one song, and that's 'Bluza'. Do you know when it will be officially released?

I just recorded the drums for the second time yesterday, so slowly, probably in a couple of weeks. I mean to finish it, not to release it. We haven't even finished it completely, but we'll probably release it before the album.

This is going to be the next single, so probably in late August or

September.

September, yeah. Hopefully. Don't take it for sure, but yeah, because

it's a song that we all really love, and we feel it's very special, so we want it to be perfect for release.

Now let's talk about Eurovision, a very famous competition with a very long history. So I wonder how you prepared for it emotionally?

I think there was not much emotional preparation. Everyone says that Eurovision is intense, and you have to prepare and stuff like that. But nobody, at least the first time they go to Eurovision, really understands what is meant by that. So you just go into it like 'yeah, I'm gonna do this', and then when things start happening you realise it's really intense, but by then you're already way too deep into it to start preparing. So what we did was more like surviving Eurovision, doing everything we could and then trying to process what happened.

It's much easier for us because we're a band. We can do it together and so relieve the pressure of interviews or performing on stage. So it's much easier than being a solo artist.

Do you have a favourite memory from your Eurovision journey?

Barcelona, Barcelona. The pre-parties. Those were awesome. Oh yeah, getting to the final... the semi-final too. The semi-final was great.

Finally, do you have any message for your Hungarian fans?

First of all, it's very nice to see that we have Hungarian fans, because although it's a neighbouring country to Slovenia, it's a very different country. We don't share many cultural aspects, especially in music, so we're happy that we have fans there to play for, and we hope that one day we can play our own concert in Budapest.

We promise to try to make that happen as soon as possible. See you there, and at Sziget!

[itskrejsaitsparty]

!!! Gig Report Leipzig !!!

- Queue was very chill. We arrived at 4pm-ish and were 18 & 19 EA, so all good. While we were waiting for the doors to open Jan walked by, staring at his phone in confusion and vanishing behind a building. We were all a little worried if he was gonna find back to the venue ngl

- Met so many amazing people!!!! Everyone was so so so sweet and respectful oh my god I love you guys so much

- EA was so cute. Bojan explained the sound system to us. Kris walked out like a member of the royalty holding a tiny cup. The played ASTP & uhhhhh Omameljeno telo I think (?) blacked out a little there

EDIT: It was ASTP & Proti toku! thanks @mogoce-nocoj <3333

- Kris and Jure vanished immediately after, Jan, Nace & Bojan came down and took a few photos and gave a few autographs!!

- Sector5 & JC Stewart were really fun!!!

- I think from second one everybody in the room knew it was gonna be an amazing concert. The energy from the crowd (although NOT sold out, half of the room was empty basically) was INSANE and I think they really caught onto that.

- The mesh shirt was back

- Jure Eyeliner???? + THE sweater??

- Nace played a bass solo……the man is insanely talented…fr I was fucking changed

- Someone from the crowd shouted „Can you play *this song*?“ (didn’t catch what they said) and Bojan was like. „No. (Pause) Can you play rugby????…….just wanted to know.“ He is so silly istg. And really knows how to deal with comments lol

- Vse Kar Vem changed my life watered my crops etc. as always

- Bojan took a BIG walk around the audience during UM and let a lot of people sing. Jumped back out onto the stage right next to us. Ahhhhh. What the fuck

- During Metulji, Bojan propped up a painting of himself on Jan's piano to get Jan „in the mood“. Jan gave it a little kiss. During the first verse (?) the painting fell down with like. Perfect comedic timing. Bojan put it back up again and acted super heartbroken but then he could NOT stop giggling and neither could the crowd. It was so fucking funny

- Afterwards we got some pictures with the boys and talked. Jan Nace & Jure took their time, Bojan is getting sick again I think (no one is surprised) and really wanted to sleep and Kris went straight into the bus

- Oh yeah and Damon Baker was also there and spilled some tea hahahahah. An icon. Bless him

[bangtansflower]

Rigor Mortis Chapter 2

A/N: Wow i bashed this chapter out haha. This chapter doesn’t have you in but focuses on what mission Seokjin had with Tae and Jimin. The others are breifly in it as well. I do hope you guys are enjoying my story! I don’t have set times for when I upload as I have a few stories and one shots in my mind. Requests are open! So feel free to ask~  Gif not mine.

Masterlist / Previous / Next

Word count: 1,573.

Warnings: None as there is nothing graphic, but if you feel I should add any let me know!

Summary: In a world where the De Jure are in control of the entire world. What are you going to do when you get dragged from your peaceful life to one where it all gets flipped upside down. What will you do with the secrets that unfold. Eventual smut.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 2

In a large mansion away from the city the seven members of bangtan sit in a dimmed room, curtains drawn blocking the last light of day from seeping into the room. The air is thick with tension from the previous mission, all members silently mourning the loss of a friend, especially Jungkook. Namjoons heart fell, he could feel the pain his youngest lover was in. He spoke softly aiming it to the youngest “We can’t dwell on it now” Glancing at Jungkook “We will save him...that is for sure...but for now he would want us to get back to base” turning towards Hoseok “Hoseok have you got it?” Hoseok nods briefly looking at a small bag settled at his feet. It is small in size, small enough that it doesn’t bring too much attention to it if it was worn out in public. Before speaking Hoseok moves it to the brown coffee table set in front of him. “Yes, we managed to retrieve it just before Yugyeom decided to stay behind”. At this Jungkook’s fists clench and he glares at the small bag, his anger slowly building up. Sensing this Jimin and Taehyung who are sat next to him wrap their arms around him trying to comfort their lover as they hated seeing him like this. The tension thickens within the quiet, until Jungkook looks up a determined look on his face, “We will get him back. Before it is too late. We have a job to do and we shall not let everyone down” He grabs both Taehyungs and Jimin's hand and squeezes gently, being careful not to squeeze too hard knowing he could easily crush their hands. The latter two boys smile gently at him with Jimin leaning forward to peck Jungkook's cheek making a light blush appear on Jungkook's face.

Clearing his throat Seokjin leans forward a serious look on his face gaining the attention of the rest of the men. Looking at each of them in the eye he tiredly sighs “So your not going to like what im going to say” Yoongi’s face hardens, Namjoon already knowing what is going to be said lays his head in his eyes, Hoseok rubs his shoulder. “They are getting closer. And not only that I have found a deep secret one that I’m sure wasn’t even meant to get out”.

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Flashback

Seokin downed his whisky. He really did not want to be there. He spotted his target. A large man with a bald head and white mustache, he clearly had a few to many to drink as he was red in the face, his white buttoned up shirt stuck to his form buttons nearly popping from the tight fit. Waltzing up to the man Seokjin plastered a fake smile on his face, which would entrance both men and women alike as they are dazzled by his beauty. “Minseok? It is Seokjin. We arranged to meet.” Minseok glanced at Seokjin, eyes scanning his form double taking on Seokjin’s vibrant purple hair. Grinning “Ahh Seokjin, I am finally pleased to meet you. You sure are secrative” The man called Minseok laughed loud drawing a few eyes to them. Noticing this Minseok turns serious “Come, let us go someplace more quiet. Away from prying eyes”. Minseok turned and started to walk down a corridor not even checking if Seokjin followed. From behind Seokjin examined Minseok,rolling his eyes mentally he scoffed to himself. Minseok was just like all of the others within the semper fideles and to top it off he wasn’t even supernatural. Just someone with a lot of money and a hunger for power, he craved it. Such a shame that he wouldn’t last much longer. After a few twists and turns down the corridor Minseok led Seokjin through a set of double doors closing them behind him. Settling himself down Minseok offered Seokjin a cigar which he rejected, shrugging to himself he lit one up for himself and took a long drag. “So Seokjin, do tell me. You claim to have knowledge of rebels, the army. But not just them, but about the leaders themselves! Those who call themselves Bangtan.” Minseok had a look of greed on his face, staring at Seokjin waiting and expecting. Seokjin nodded looking back at Minseok, “Yes I do” he was trying his hardest not to be over and done with this, making sure to take his time. Leaning forward slightly not breaking eye contact with Minseok, Seokjin laces his fingers together, elbows on his knees. “But before I do, why don’t you go first. Tell me about the Bona Fide, I have heard that they are leading the semper fideles now.” Seokjin threw daggers with his eyes towards Minseok and he physically shuddered. Minseok was stupid yes, but he wasnt that stupid that he would cross Seokjin, he could feel that the latter was a suoernatural and a strong one at that. “Leeteuk seems to believe he has knowledge of the whereabouts of Bangtan. He believes in the upcoming fortnight he will have devised a plan and capture them. There are rumours that he already knows but is just keeping it a secret until the last moment”. Taking another drag of his cigar and slowly exhaled, Minseok tilted his head in thought. Seokjin noticed this and looked at him expectantly. Chuckling Minseok acknowledged Seokjin’s silent demand and spoke soft “There is another rumour going round. One that no one would have guessed” Confusion crossed Seokjin’s face, smirking slightly Minseok finished his cigar “What would you give for this extra information. It is worth a lot and even me muttering it can cost me my life”. Seokjin glared, “Don’t test my patience Minseok. I am not in the mood to play your silly games”. Big eyes bulging Minseok put his hands up in mock surrender “Calm down it was just a joke”. It was not a joke. “The rumour is that the leader of the De Jure had a daughter 22 years ago. An extremely powerful supernatural whose powers are so rare that they only show once every 100 years or so. The mother ran away with the child to prevent her powers from being used for their own personal gain.” Standing up Minseok went to a desk behind his chair and poured himself a gin, neat. “Apparently they are searching for her. Her powers have been dormant and they plan to awaken it and use it to further their control of the world. The girl may not even know of the powers she possesses or her past”. Seokjin looked a little upset at this news “What a poor girl. If she is ever found her life will never be the same again. Any sense of normality will be gone”. Minseok laughed and downed his gin “Nothing in this life is normal.” And for once Seokjin had to agree with Minseok, though he would never admit it out loud. Glancing at his watch Seokjin cleared his throat and stood up brushing his trousers as he did so. “Well Minseok, it is time for me to go” At this Minseok ran and stood in front of Seokjin, his short stature looking even shorter next to the purple haired man. “What!?” He roared. “No you cannot! You haven’t held your side of the bargain!” Smirking Seokjin spoke with a low voice, almost a whisper “Actually no. I don’t have to fulfil it”. The last thing the drunken man Minseok ever saw before falling into eternal darkness was the Seokjin’s face void of emotion apart from his eyes which blared with so much hatred that it felt as if it was burning him up from the inside out. It could have been his imagination, but he could have sworn two other figures behind Seokjin. But none of that mattered anymore. “Man Jin you got him good” A deep voice said behind Jin. Turning around Seokjin’s anger faded away as he fell into a more relaxed posture “He deserved it. After all, he wasn’t going to last long anyway, they were going to kill him. It’s just by chance we got to him first” He shrugged.” Another voice joined in on the conversation “As much as I’d love to hang around we best be off, I'll meet you both outside.” The silver haired man did a little wave a grin on his face as he went through the open window. Seokjin turned to his companion “Lets go catch up with him Taehyung, I really don’t want to be here” At this Taehyung laughed and nodded.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Present

Yoongi groaned. “So now on top of having to fight off the De Jure and others we now have to worry about some chick with powers?” He looked tired. The missions were taking its toll on him, it was taking its toll on all of them. Namjoon yawned and rubbed his eyes, his head hurting from all of the heightened thoughts and feelings, it was suffocating him, as much as he loved the guys it was too much at times. “We shall carry on discussing it tomorrow. But for now put the bag in a safe place Hobi and let us all go to bed and rest. It has been a rough couple of days and we all need the rest” Nodding in agreement with their leader, they all got up one by one and went to their bedroom to get some well deserved sleep.

[danschkade]

ANALYSIS -- BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES #17

On a recent trip to visit my folks, I went through some boxes and found, sans cover, this copy of 1999’s BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES #17. Gotham Adventures was my full-stop favorite comic when it was coming out, a combination of me being smack dab in the middle of its target demographic and it being really, really well made. Tight story, dynamic artwork, clean, crisp colors and letters. As I transition from Vacation Dan back to The Schkade That Works, I thought it would be a useful exercise to go through this issue, page by page, to see how it ticks.

I’ll be focusing mainly on the pencils and colors by Tim Levins and Lee Loughridge, respectively, plus Scott Peterson’s script — Terry Beatty is one of my favorite inkers ever and letter Tim Harkins acquits himself expertly, so I won’t have much to say about them beyond “continues to be amazing, surprising no one.”

And please, feel free to check me on any mistakes I might have made, add your own commentary, or share similar examples of good comics done well.

Batman: Gotham Adventures and all characters contained therin are of course property of DC Comics, reproduced here solely for educational purposes.

PAGE ONE

We open strong with a full-page splash. Three distinct players whose suits, hats, and bad ties immediately code them in the Timm-verse aesthetic as ‘Hoodlums’ give us immediate sense of threat. Their momentum is heading left, into the fold, against the western flow of reading; this is because they’re bad guys — their actions go against the proper order of things, up to and including the reading flow. But also for another reason, which the right-most hood’s reaction sets us up for, compelling us to turn the page.

PAGE TWO-THREE

An even stronger followup with a double-page splash. Batman smashes in through the window in a powerful left to right movement, in direct opposition to the gangsters’ movement on the previous splash. The background establishes the family Batman is there to protect, as well as the shabbiness of their apartment and clothes. The fact that Batman’s cape can still be partially outside the window while he’s hitting the hoods who just came through the opposite doorway immediately sells how small the space is. What could these poor people possibly have that’s worth three armed gunmen kicking down their door?

PAGE FOUR

This page is all about one thing: establishing Batman as an overwhelming force. Strong left-to-right movement, always dominating the panel, no signs that this is especially difficult for him. His first line of dialogue: a piece of short, relaxed, confident detective talk.

PAGE FIVE

The first two panels do a lot. Batman converses openly with the Agronas family, who clearly trust him. He’s a terrifying physical presence, but a terrifying physical presence of the people. It also shows that Nicky Agronas is bright — wears glasses, reads the newspaper. As soon as they mention the husband, the husband appears, which is a nice clean introduction for that character. There’s no reason the husband could’t have been in the double splash that introduces his wife and son, but having him coming home in the middle of this scene is a great way to inject a little motion onto a page that would otherwise just have been four people talking in a room. Lastly, the sudden use of heavy black — enhanced by Loughridge’s shift to unnatural yellow lighting — makes Batman’s suspicion of the husband feel intimidating without having to change his physical demeanor, which would have both been over-the-top and undone the work the first couple panels do to make him a sympathetic protagonist.

Academic sidebar: Setting aside that this is an issue in a series featuring one of the most famous fictional detectives of all time, how do we know Batman the protagonist of this story? Because he’s the one doing things and asking questions, moving the plot forward.

PAGE SIX

Nice one-two beat with the first two panels on this page: Panel one, Mr. Agronas is calmly answering the question — he’s a good citizen with nothing to fear from Batman. Batman still dominates the frame, though. Panel two zooms in on Agronas, putting the question of his involvement to bed with a simple, honest mini-joke. Letting him have a panel all to himself to say this is a good way to humanize him. In panel three, Batman continues to tower, but there’s no threat of violence. Here, as on the high-angle shot in panel three of the previous page, we see some shattered glass to remind us of the damage to the window and door from earlier. The money Batman leaves them for said damage is totally understated, with only the bright green color drawing attention to it. Batman’s a stand-up guy, but drawing attention to it wouldn’t fit his image.

PAGE SEVEN

There’s nothing in this first panel that says “JAIL” or “POLICE” — it’s just a bluntly governmental-looking building (I believe it’s specifically the blocky grey columns that give it this feeling), but we can tell from the fact that there’s prison bars in the next panel that that’s what the building is. No need to add extraneous detail. I like the design Levins gave the head hood, first seen on page one — the unibrow is a great way to sell the change from frowning to fear. Note also how many memorable features the big prisoner has — bald, scar, blind eye, bad teeth. He’s easy to remember, which will become important shortly.

PAGE EIGHT

Loughridge’s sickly green colors of the previous page snap back to natural lighting on this page, immediately conveying the change in environment. And hey, how great is that Commissioner Gordon silhouette in panel one? That’s some smart use of character model. Regarding the design of the big prisoner from the previous page — we see here that he’s in fact Batman in disguise, which actually saves us a lot of space on this page; instead of showing him removing the disguise and then putting on the cowl, we only need to see him opening the shirt to reveal the bat emblem, and then in the next panel, bam, he’s Batman. We know Bruce Wayne doesn’t look like that. We know it’s a disguise. We get it. It does rely on the reader having a basic knowledge of these characters and this world, but all things considered, that’s a pretty safe bet. Couple other things: Levins keeps the energy up by skewing the axis of the four panel grid, which also gives this rooftop scene a nice sense of vertigo. I’m actually not a huge fan of the last panel — I find that the upside-down pose kind of undercuts the gravity of what he’s saying, I think the leftwards movement is weird, and the whole panel is just, like, tangent city. That said, still a strong page.

PAGE NINE

Again: Batman as an Overwhelming Force. I know I just bashed the previous page for its leftward movement, but on this page it works really well — the wreckage of Batman’s assault on the house leads leftward towards the front door, up the stairs, ultimately across Zarelli’s desk, towards the man himself. I think this counter reading flow movement really effectively sells Batman as an invading presence in this man’s home. This page also shows us the wealth and power of Enrico Zarelli, who we finally see in the last panel after being mentioned regularly for four pages; The huge house, the framed artwork, the dozen armed thugs. See also the confidence of his speech, and the fact that he’s shadowed just like Batman. There’s an implicit feeling that this is a meeting between equals.

PAGE TEN

Nice that our first full look at Zarelli has him in his own panel, with the cowled shadow on the wall behind him suggesting Batman’s off-panel movement towards him. Great acting here — I love how Zarelli no-sells Batman’s gimmick.

PAGE ELEVEN

Levins (with the round panels boarders) and Loughridge (with his deceptively-hard-to-pull-off-well use of grey and sepia tones) work together well here to make the scene a flashback without drawing attention to that effect. Note how we don’t need to see Zarelli’s whole body to know he can walk, we just need to see him moving at the same height as other, presumably ambulatory people. Cool dramatic composition in the last panel, placing us in the line of fire along with Zarelli and his men.

PAGE TWELVE

This use of shadow to cleanly yet powerfully suggest something gruesome off screen is something ‘Batman: The Animated Series’ did so well, and it’s likewise effective here. Seeing Zarelli’s clenching hand (the Z ring was established on the previous page) gives us just enough intimacy to feel his pain. The use of black as a costume design element in this scene makes Zarelli, his son, and Batman feel a little more important and real than the hoods on either side.

PAGE THIRTEEN

I like that there’s a batarang laying on the ground amongst the dead/unconscious gangsters. It’s not necessary, but we saw him throw it on the previous page, so it’s a nice little piece of continuity. The final two panels have added impact because they’re the last before the page turn, giving them a feeling of isolation and hopelessness (undercut slightly by the fact that the page turns to a very colorful double page DC Kids page encouraging young readers to enter a nabisco sweepstakes, recycle this comic, and, perhaps most puzzlingly, pick up the first issue of the ‘Day of Judgement’ crossover).

PAGE FOURTEEN

Good call having Batman’s cape closed over him on this page. It makes him less aggressive, almost judge-like, befitting the respect he’s giving this man who lost his son. The cool coloring in panel four adds impact to the dicey situation Batman now faces.

PAGE FIFTEEN

Appropriately, we go from talking about sons de facto and de jure to having Batman talk it over with Dick Grayson, his son by any other name. Here, the upside down thing actually serves to break up the mood after a heavy scene. The fact that they’re talking about serious business while casually practicing acrobatics makes the scene particular to these specific characters — even when there’s no one to punch and nothing to detect, there’s still always Batman stuff going on in this Batman comic.

PAGE SIXTEEN

This page rules. I love how much motion there is, even down to Dick’s change of arm position in the background from panels one to two. It makes the motion of Bruce pulling off the mask seem smaller and more intimate by comparison. And that last line is just all-american grade-A understanding of character. It’s informed by Bruce’s origins, but not directly referencing them. He can’t put his personal desire to see Zarelli’s empire destroyed before his human duty to give Nicky the chance to know his biological father. Panel two of this page also features our first and only bleed art (art which extends beyond the edge of the physical page, as opposed to art contained within the boarders of a panel), which further gives the Batcave a sense of hugeness, and nicely breaks up the layout of the page besides.

PAGE SEVENTEEN

Note that the only characters we can clearly see on this page are Nicky and Zarelli — the scene is about them, not Batman and the goons, who are all either far away or in shadow. Nice touch, the goons all being in casts and bandages. I can’t even put my finger on why that works so well; they’re not really there to guard anything, since Batman already went through them once without much trouble. I think their main purpose on this page is to make us feel how Nicky feels in this place; this big house full of men with guns, this intimidating world this man is asking him to be a part of.

PAGE EIGHTEEN

This page is lit warmly, with lots of sympathetic angles. It’s not until the last panel that Zarelli’s pitch is thrown into any kind of suspicious light. “Without family, you have nothing” — but family with Zarelli means gunmen, tainted opulence, and the looming, annihilating specter of Batman.

Now, I’ve eschewed ads in my scans until now, but I include this one as a particularly good example of how even the best writers have no control over what image might end up facing an important emotional moment.

PAGE NINETEEN

The first page dedicated entirely to Nicky and Zarelli. The very sympathetic first panel transitions into an intense close up in panel two that makes Zarelli’s offer feel almost like a threat, even though that’s clearly not how he intendeds it. Zarelli can’t help being the dangerous gangster he is. The first time Nicky speaks, it’s to ask about his parents, and I love Zarelli’s castoffish response, “The people who raised you?”

PAGE TWENTY

Another page solely of Nicky and Zarelli. If the last couple pages have been all about Zarelli’s pitch, this one is entirely about Nicky’s process. The Thinker’s a little on the nose, but I dunno, it works. And it goes towards our ongoing theme of Nicky Is Smart. He’s staged strongly throughout, reflecting the strong decision he makes. The choice to include the background in panel four helps reinforce Nicky and Zarelli’s spatial relationship, which heightens the act of walking away. That it’s this close to the end of the story and Peterson can still devote an entire page to this moment shows how well-paced the issue is.

PAGE TWENTY ONE

The goons become useful again in this final action beat. Batman Overwhelming Forces them into the doorjamb, a good use of the environment to make it clear he gets to them before they can get after Nicky, but his real rage is saved for when he turns around toward Zarelli. He’s huge in this panel, as aggressive and dangerous as we’ve seen him in this issue. Zarelli, by contrast, is made small by a high angle shot, his hands folded in his lap. The four panel grid is even skewed so as to squeeze him into the corner, in addition to making the action in the previous panels more dynamic.

PAGE TWENTY TWO

It’s Batman and Son again, with the green glow of the batcomputer establishing the change in location. The note to Lucius Fox in panel two is a nice large scale version of him leaving the money on the Agronas’ table on page six. And Nicky would be a good candidate, too — this is the (or at least a) payoff for Nicky Is Smart. Panel three is small and all utility, showing Batman’s change back to Bruce Wayne as we transition up from the cave to Wayne manner, a panel made necessary by the fact that we haven’t yet established that location in this issue. We’re left with a nice big final panel, rosy and nostalgic in direct contrast to the green of the batcave. Bruce looks from left to right at the portrait of his parents, mirroring the portrait in Zarelli’s study, cementing the emotional connection he feels to a man who is in all other regards his enemy. You could read the fact that Bruce’s sitting as an additional corollary to the wheelchair-bound Zarelli, but I think it’s just that a seated position works best for the horizontal composition of the panel. Strong ending for a very strong issue.

LETTERS PAGE

Nothing insightful to offer here, it’s just that I’ve always thought this next issue cover was rad. I probably have that one too, somewhere.

(The missing cover, by Bob Smith and Terry Beatty, is awesome.)

[antoniokroos]

En effet classement très accurate👌🏽heureusement que ces matchs de sont bien terminés mdrr sinon j'aimerais qu'on se rappelle de l'énorme group hug des boys apres le but de toni genre wow???? My HEART?????? Mais aussi big mood mdr cetait tellement nous les fans de la Mannschaft ici mdr après le match j'étais en mode 'LES GENS JE VOUS AIME TOUS' moi aussi jvoulais un gros câlin groupé😭😭❤️❤️genre WOW c'était l'euphorie la plus totale et comme d'hab je KIFFE partager ces moments avec toi!!💖💗💕

AKSHDKSJDJD CE HUG OUIIII Ça me tue d’émotions jte jure pcq tu vois ce que ça signifiait pour eux!! Et aussi voir la joie de mes bébés me tUE à chaque fois (et toi aussi j’imagine) et la MÊME JAURAIS TOUT DONNÉ POUR ÊTRE AVEC EUX DANS CE MOMENT les serrer aussi dans mes bras en hurlant et pleurant!!!!!😭😭😭😭Je regarde les photos et gifs de nos moments de joie en boucle je m’en lasse pas, je les aime tellement y a pas de mots. D’ailleurs parmi toutes les photos qui me tuent est-ce que t’as vu celle de mamacita et manu assis sur le banc de touche après le match l’air totalement shook de l’intérieur?? Oh god quand je vois jte jure j’ai les larmes direct… Et aussi la réaction de mats sur le but de marco ou le fait qu’il tweet qu’il est hyper nerveux quand il joue pas jfc tous ces petits détails me font vraiment loose it… en fait je suis habitué à mes propre breakdown donc dès que c’est eux qui montrent leur breakdown je peux pas je craque complètement *SIGH*

Aaaaah moi aussi t’as pas idée!! Je peux pas croire que j’ai passé tant d’années dans ma solitude à supporter ma mannschaft et puis..il a fallu tumblr pour me rendre compte que je ne suis pas seule!!! :’D 💘💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

[jokeroutsubs]

[ENG translation] Jamming sessions, the 'Jure Maček Curve', and new music - A Joker Out interview

An interview with Bojan Cvjetićanin and Kris Guštin, published on the Gedankengroove website on 12.04.2024. Original article written by Elie Mück, photos by Elie Mück. English translation by olenalinasarah and @nyx-aira, proofread by IG GBoleyn123.

Note: As the interview was originally conducted in English, author Elie Mück collaborated with us to give us the original wording wherever it was necessary for the right meaning to come across. Thank you, Elie!

"What would I do in this black night without you?" That's what Joker Out ask themselves in their (as-yet) unreleased song Šta bih ja. I was able to visit the five men from Slovenia in Cologne at the end of March and talk with Bojan and Kris about the song and the 'See You Soon' tour, which was almost over at that time.

The indie rock band was able to reach a wide audience across Europe with their participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. Their song Carpe Diem is their most successful release to date with over 20 million streams on Spotify. After several concerts across Europe and an arena show in their home country, Bojan, Kris, Nace, Jan, and Jure travelled to London at the beginning of the year. The two-month stay in London, which didn't only consist of playing Jenga and cooking (as their Instagram stories made it seem), served as preparation for a studio session in April. Before that, the group went on a European tour at the beginning of March, playing 22 concerts in 14 countries - including five shows in Germany. Kris and Bojan tell me what's behind the changing setlists and how the band comes together in jamming sessions.

Elie: To start with, how are you doing? Did you get to Cologne safely?

Bojan: We're doing well. We arrived this morning and slept until 1pm, so we're well rested. Cologne has treated us very well. The venue is perfect, very cosy, and the staff are great.

Elie: The tour is almost over, what are your impressions so far?

Bojan: To be honest, the tour has been fantastic so far! The time has gone by super fast. We've seen so many more cities than last time. When you start touring, you usually just visit the capital cities and imagine that those are the only places you can play. But this tour consists of mostly the second or third biggest cities in each country and the shows have been great so far. We are thrilled with how many people have come and how their reactions have been. So, we're having a lot of fun.

Elie: It's interesting to see that you're playing very different sized shows on this tour. The hall in Helsinki, for example, has a capacity of about 1,500 people, whereas in Munich only about 400 people fit in. What do you prefer? The bigger gigs or the smaller ones?

Kris: It depends a lot on the audience and our mood. We have to go on stage in a good mood. I don't think the number of people makes a difference. At least not at these sizes. An arena show with 10,000 people is comparatively very impersonal and you focus more on the show and what you're doing. I definitely prefer the smaller gigs, but a concert in front of 500 or 1,500 people feels about the same.

Elie: I've heard from other artists that they prefer the bigger concerts because they have more space on stage, is that similar for you?

Bojan: For me personally, the concerts with an audience of 1,500 people are the ones where I feel most comfortable. The stage is big enough for me to move around freely without a fear of tripping over something and it still feels like I can interact with every person in the room.

Elie: Compared to the tour in autumn, you are now playing a varying set. I looked at your setlists from the last few shows and it seems like you have two or three setlists that you alternate between. Who came up with that and why did you want to vary the set?

Bojan: I think we collectively came up with that. When you play 22 shows in a month, you can get stuck in routine. It can feel like things are just repeating themselves and the mood of the shows is, in a way, predetermined by the songs you play. That's why we decided to break it up and make it a bit more fun. It's very cool because we have three setlists and I have no idea which song is coming next. That's good for me because it's always a bit of a surprise. It makes the whole thing more exciting. The fans like it too. There have been some who came to several concerts and heard different songs each time.

Elie: How did you find out which songs work together?

Bojan: It was a long process.

Kris: We sit down together and try to find out what works best. It can take several days but sometimes it works straight away. Our drummer Jure has his own technique.

Bojan: We call it "The Curve".

Kris: The "Jure Maček Curve" which determines how our concerts should go in terms of mood. We decide, for example, that we should start with something energetic-

Bojan: Shh, we should keep that a secret (laughs).

Kris: So, if you have calculated everything with the "Jure Maček Curve", you have a very good set.

Elie: You also play three unreleased songs. Were these the songs that were most ready to be played live or did you have other songs in mind that you wanted to put on the setlist?

Bojan: We had a few more songs that we wanted to try out on the tour. Our idea was that we would have time during the soundchecks and in between to turn the songs into something playable. However, we have less time than we thought, which is why we decided to leave it at these three songs. I really like that because it turned out that one of the songs will definitely be the next single. The fans went totally crazy. Shortly after we had left the stage at the first concert in Helsinki, the lyrics to Šta bih ja were already online. Afterwards we were told that a TikTok of the performance had over 400,000 views, which is crazy. People are even singing along already. It was nice to see that. We've also found things we want to change about the songs. A few things that work and a few that don't work.

Elie: Have these things changed over the course of the tour?

Bojan: Not yet, we have decided to leave them as they are. But we definitely know what we want to change.

Elie: I heard that after the tour you will go to Hamburg to record your next album. What is your plan for the time in the studio?

Kris: What I think will happen in Hamburg is that we will take the first couple of days to record Šta bih ja. I think that song is the most unchangeable in its structure. We have to be quick if we want to release it as a single before the album in autumn. After that we have the rest of the time to work on the things that were created during our time in London, most of which aren't nearly as studio ready. We also recorded our biggest hit Carpe Diem in the studio in Hamburg. That one wasn't nearly as finished either when we got there, so I don't think we have anything to worry about.

Elie: In London you worked on new music in the form of jamming sessions. Did you ever get to a point where you had something like a "creative burnout"? If so, how did you manage to get back into a creative mindset?

Bojan: Definitely. I wouldn't say burnout, more like frustration. Jamming always needs all five of us and of course five different minds can't always work towards the same story. Sometimes things don’t go the way all of us would like it to go for a longer period of time. When that happens, our biggest help is our producer. He always finds the cause of the problem and works with us to find a solution. I think it's important to have someone as a kind of filter. We are all emotionally connected to our music and of course he is too, but in a different way. Our producer is like the sixth pair of eyes and therefore a very important part of the writing process.

Elie: In your latest single Everybody's Waiting you used a keyboard, which is new for you. Do you have any other things you'd like to try out for the new songs?

Kris: Jan bought a mandolin in Berlin. I'm sure that will come up in the studio.

Bojan: I'm sure we want to use more synthesiser. One song we're playing live at the moment originally had a riff that was played with the synthesiser but is now played with the guitar. This change takes away the whole point of the riff. There are many things we want to try out. I think we will also work with choirs or similar vocals. We want to be as free as possible with our creativity for this album.

Elie: We are definitely looking forward to what will happen. I really like the new songs. To finish, a question that I ask often: Which song or album do you think everyone should have listened to at least once in their life?

Kris: I listen to a lot of old music, so I can't recommend anything new. But I would say (They Long To Be) Close To You by Carpenters.

Bojan: Right now, I would definitely recommend a song that I'm listening to a lot at the moment. My song is older too, I'll go with Il mio canto libero by Lucio Battisti. The whole album is very good, we listened to it a lot while Everybody's Waiting was being made.

—

After our chat, it's not long before the band starts their show. They enchant the whole audience with their incredible energy. Like Bojan said, the fans in the first rows are very confident with the lyrics. As soon as Šta bih ja starts, everyone sings along. "What would I do in this black night without you?" The song begins and ends with this line. A song about longing and missing.

The setlist takes us through every emotion and ends with a call to the current generation:

"We've gathered the courage to rebel and make a change," says Novi Val, the last song of the evening. Bojan invites everyone to become part of the "new wave". He says he wishes Joker Out concerts to be and remain a safe space for everyone.

Everyone, including the band, stands arm in arm and slowly sways to the music. A feeling of community accompanies us as we leave the hall of the Kantine and make our way home. Joker Out show that you don't have to stick to one style of music as a group and how diverse the result can be if you don't allow yourself to be restricted creatively. All five of them seem to have an incredible amount of fun with their work and I can only hope that it stays that way for a very long time.

Check out more photos by photographer and interviewer Elie Mück on Gedankengroove!

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