#like it's 2012 or whenever these first got popular

[queenkagamine]

VOCALOID MODULE GENERATOR SAVE MEEEE https://perchance.org/vocaloid-module-generator

I wanted to draw Len modules, so instead of doing my usual number randomizer and counting the headcanon list we have, I just did the shuffle shuffleee! Suxx bc it included t shirts so half the time it was a reroll, but I’m happy with the lens I drew for the date 🫡 you can pry my headcanoned versions out of my cold dead hands (and my husband’s too)

first we got the ol’… school outfit. I might be the only person that likes school outfit. I drew him in an alt that my husband likes :3. “I love his socks shghgngh mustard’s sock….” So I put him in the socks. Also, it’s hot out, it’s summery, I can see him eating a popsicle on the beach in it. (He doesn’t take off the shirt he’d rather die)

theeennn asymmetry :3. Not mine. Well. Sometimes when u make Len friends when Len was popular there’s some overlap. And you don’t wanna change anything. So you end up just having two of the same guy (ie my bebop = evil. Husband bebop = autistic. They’re bfs now smh). This one is his asymmetry! Mine is boring. Dead 😵! I love the hair covering eyes trope.. 🤤. I think he’s evil? Well. Not nice at least. I don’t know the full thing!! He’s just not a good person! And in a totally different plot than everyone else

LAST. THE GOAT. 🐐 🧒 GOAT BOY. BAD BOY HIMSELF. My hot take. Lencest is good bc everyone can look at the same thing and think of something different. Whenever I see lencest in the year 2024 and it’s like… the ‘classic’ popular ships from 2012(?) it breaks my heart. Where’s the headcanons. Where’s the rarepairs? Come on guys.. I need support… I bring this up bc starmine x strange dark is cool, but it’s like trickster and senbu. I don’t get it 🫡 I’d rather have meh lencest than no lencest at all so I’m not complaining but starmine didn’t even come out in the same game back in the day 😭 I wonder if the one stardark artist everyone likes jusy liked dark. And liked starmine. And went “yep. Good enough”. That’s like when I like a module from Mirai and a module from x and I know damn well they’ll never be together. I bet op cried tears when F2nd came out and all the old modules came back. ‘erm. I bring thing up bc I ship bad boy with starmine 🤓🔥. They both have warm pallets and they’re from the same game!! It’s like the “uwu soft boy” and the “evil edgy bad boy” (they’re both grown men trying to further carriers LMAO.) actually Starmine ain’t even soft? And bad boy isn’t edgy? They’re just guys 😭? Y’know when. You’re a vocaloid fan. And your opinion of things changes over the years. Your headcanons get more flavour as you get older? Middle school me thought 18 was old enougn for holy lancer 💀. Naw little me. That man is a burnt out 30+ year old who ruined his life. Get in line. But if I bully little me too much where will I steal my Len ships from…?

[nyacchiiatos]

my issue with littlest pet shop: a world of our own

hi! as you can see i have a bone to pick with this show, but i'm going to be criticizing the overall premise rather than individual episodes (i can't bring myself to watch any). nothing exactly provoked me to post this, it's just something i felt like ranting about because i always found it pretty strange and sort of like a slap in the face towards those who liked the 2012 series. very long post incoming 😭

first of all, the entire concept of AWOOO (im going to refer to it as that because the title is way too annoying to type out each time) in context of lps' brand as a whole doesn't make sense. hasbro refers to it (in a backhanded way to jab at 2012) as "a pet-only world made by pets, for pets." this premise alone is contradictory to the entire lps brand. it's called littlest pet shop, not littlest animal universe. the 2012 show made this work by having an actual pet shop with a daycamp area like you would expect irl. yes, the show had humans which i agree sometimes took over a bit too much, but it's meant to be a city-based slice of life cartoon. the main cast are actual pets, they have owners, they have their own homes, like any pet irl would. that's... why they're called pets. whatever AWOOO was trying to achieve just completely defeats the purpose of a pet shop existing. i have no doubt in my mind that hasbro felt so inclined to sweep 2012 under the rug by rushing this half-assed reboot out as fast as they could to satiate all the "bring back the old lps" commenters. there was literally nowhere online you could view content of the 2012 series in ANY site, without the comments being FLOODED with "bring back the old lps." it got to a point where fans were borderline harassing the hasbro employees, recording themselves calling them on the phone for views and clout, and encouraging others to do the same. and guess what? it worked. instead of continuing working on the show while easily selling toys that fans were more in favor of, hasbro thought it would be a better idea to just completely abandon 2012 as a whole and then proceed to act like it never even existed. there was no good reason for them to not continue producing the show (iirc it had pretty good ratings and was one of the most popular hub shows next to mlp ofc) while also selling toys that would cater to both newer and older fans (granted they probably can't sell multiple generations at a time, but still). so ultimately, they hurried this little reboot to get it out there as fast as they could and passively shit on 2012 while talking about its premise. seriously? "no humans getting in the way anymore! we have a WHOLE NEW lps cast with no big headed humans named blythe or her ugly friends! no more communication barriers, because thats no fun! isnt this show just SO much better than 2012?" they were so ready to just throw the 2012 series and everything related to it in the trash. AWOOO was not made out of love and respect. it was made as a way for hasbro to try and get their fans back by proving just how much better this reboot was in such non-discrete manners. they thought of the quickest and easiest way to regain their audience and ran with it, without ever thinking about how it completely diminishes what all the previous generations stood for.

i was one of the very few people who loved the 2012 lps series since it premiered. being a child on the internet in the early 2010s definitely brought down my happiness when watching the show because of the overwhelming negative feedback it was getting along with the rebrand in general (something im VERY nostalgic for). regardless, i continued to tune in whenever it was on tv and i saw myself growing up with the characters. to say that this show had potential is an understatement. the producers intended to make more seasons and you just knew they wanted to keep it going (this was confirmed btw). they weren't in a hurry to get something better out there, until the "bring back the old lps"ers finally got their way. but honestly? it's not completely unheard of for large companies to eventually cave in to the public opinion if it means they'll make more profit. they were desperate, and it was definitely showing.

one of the things i have the most issues with is how hasbro proceeds to COMPLETELY ignore everything regarding the show nowadays. as some of you know the show's 10th anniversary was last november, which i and many people had participated in a large art collab to celebrate and honor the show's legacy. want to know what hasbro did to celebrate? nothing. absolutely nothing. what's even worse is that michael kopsa, the voice of roger, had passed away very shortly before the shows 10th anniversary. and guess what? complete silence. that's just incredibly disrespectful to be completely honest. someone who brought his best work to your show and others on the same network (if im remembering correctly at least) and was such a joy to be around, and this is how you thank him? not a single piece of acknowledgement, all because you're too scared to ever talk about 2012 again because of the scary older fans that persuaded you to pull the plug on the whole thing? you weren't even willing to make one little post offering your condolences? oh because you just can't ever mention that show ever again, it'll spark those negative comments just like before. and you've made it abundantly clear that you care more about profiting off these people than having some kind of self awareness.

i apologize that this got so heavy, i've always wanted to properly write down my honest thoughts about this whole thing because ive been unhappy with it for years and years now. if you like AWOOO, i don't care. i wont give you a hard time for liking it, because the show itself isnt inherently bad. just what went on behind it is what bothers me so much. the fact that hasbro can completely ignore their own creation for what... 7 years now? is beyond my comprehension. they can keep pretending it never existed, but small groups of people online have been rediscovering this show and remembering how much they loved it when they were younger. you had a good thing going here hasbro, it sucks that you had to completely abandon it. but i think i can speak for a few people that this show has always and will always hold a special place in my heart and my childhood memories. even if we can't get more from it, we shouldn't forget to appreciate and cherish what we did get. and nobody can take that away.

[applejuiceyjuice-art]

how do you think youtube would look around 2016-ish (the semi pop of scene / scemo media) would he stay the same money hungry guy he is or would he have something to cringe back at ???

idk abt scene becoming popular but the emover hair era makes me think like 2011/2012, n thats the time period i designed for. he was still the outgoing funny guy, but his ego wasn’t through the roof yet and he wasn’t really money hungry either. he liked video games, movies, hoverboarding, pranks, skits, and had more of the vibe of a college student making random videos out of camcorder. he was also a brony. i think it would be funny if he did windows movie maker editing at some point. maybe he tried to do some shitty tutorials by typing on notepad. the tutorial king over here.

he had the varsity jacket, the emo hair, dc shoes, party glasses, sagging pants lol�� i dont have the design on me rn but its probably subject to change cuz its kinda bad.

2015/2016 was a dark time for youtube (the site). there was a cultural shift, beginning to lean hard on drama channels and gamergate shit, it just became more hostile. then the introduction of breadtube to counteract that grew into the evolution of longform content which now dominates the site today. comedy and shortform videos eventually no longer did well on the algorithm, but video essays did.

so id say 2016 is where his shift into the ceo thing happened. like google decided he needed to be more professional (a lot of sites around this time were doing this too). at first he hated the whole suit thing, but twitch liked it n that started to boost his ego. he decided to embrace the new look, but doing it his way, which was a sloppier version of what he wears now basically. he grew into it as he got more into the corporate role.

the last nail in the coffin was whenever youtube became more corporatized feeling or whatever with the updates, like removing visible dislikes, though id say the official cut off is 2019 when they stopped doing youtube rewinds. this all sorta coincides with his relationship drama, at first going great and then falling apart around 2019.

[mwebber]

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please!

🧠 Pick a character, and I'll tell you my favorite headcanon for them. (sebi please?)

🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels?

ty for sending this, anon!

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please!

ahhh the only actual wip i have is girl!seb because the others are incoherent scribbles that i've marked down as In Progress... F. so far i think i've finally completed the story from 2005-2010, but from there things kinda fall apart--i'm trying to build up enough of the damage from 2011/2012 so that 2013 will hit harder, but atm those years are kinda falling through, mostly bc i don't know how to write jenson. i might have to re-do 2011 depending on how the rest of writing 2012 goes.

i feel like i keep talking about this project but haven't got anything to show for it so 💀 here's a snippet!

Indianapolis, USA - June 17, 2007In her Grand Prix weekend debut, Seb goes fourth fastest in her first practice session, qualifies seventh, and nabs eighth place, even after a messy start. She rises out of the car as the second woman in history to score points in Formula One—and the first to score a full point.  BMW is ecstatic with the achievement, immediately attaching their brand to her moment. Red Bull is right on their heels. To that end, Lewis’ win might as well be overshadowed by the media attention that flocks her way, but he doesn’t seem the least bit bothered, pulling her into a friendly handshake and half-hug in congratulations before being swept elsewhere. It feels just as good as a win. Seb is practically soaring, with nothing to kill her mood from the end of the race to the end of the day, even when Scott Speed almost dislocates her shoulder as he struts by, even when the boys try to take her out bar hopping and don’t succeed.  “I’ll head back to the hotel, you stay and have fun,” she says, waving them off as she tucks her ID back into her wallet. An idea is forming in her head on how she can celebrate, anyway. “Are you okay to get back on your own?” Beat looks torn, like he knows the responsible thing to do is accompany her, especially when she’s dolled up in a thin white shirt and short little tennis skirt, her legs bared to keep cool from the mid-June humidity. But the party is in full swing at the Slippery Noodle. “I’m going to get a ride,” she assures him, and fishes out her phone.  . ⋅ ˚̣- :  Twenty minutes later, Mark shows up in a taxi.

(she gives him a lap dance. they fuck nasty.)

🧠 Pick a character, and I'll tell you my favorite headcanon for them. (sebi please?)

loathe as i am to call seb a character that i have headcanons for--i do very much find myself enjoying the idea that he can be more calculated (and cold?) than he lets on. similarly i don't know if i really like the whole, yknow, bratty-subby-tearful-cute thing that's popular in fanon? which, sure, it has its own basis, but i personally find it more interesting to see his more deliberate side and dissect him from that angle, kind of like an autopsy of Red Bull Seb, The Frat Bro Who Wasn't. i think charlie @sebrrari nails this in the whole "whether the medicine is enough" series! and though it was very much a reactionary fic, i think i get at the idea in and an and, and an and, and the end.

🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels?

LOVE CONFESSIONS. i can't do them well but in my head they are sooo emotive. like in the nayq prequel when mark finally says it and the words absolutely destroy seb. or in wrestling in dirt pits when seb and mark admit they're still in love with each other in a moment of weakness. and i'll just spoil a bit of this girl!seb au, they say it after fuji 2007 and it's like the Crux of their entire relationship and not to toot my own horn but it works in the overarching story and i need to bash my head against a wall whenever i think about it. anyway

writer emoji ask game!

[iampikachuhearmeroar]

so, a random high school memory just popped into my head, and also not so randomly popped into my head from going through my 'relationships I guess' tag.

anyway, I've probs talked before about how anal the catholic school that I went to for high school between 2008 and 2011 (years 7-10) was about the whole "duty of care" thing- especially when it came to formal/prom season in year 10 (2011 for me) and year 12 (2013 for me). so imagine you're one of the 'popular' or 'hot' girls in your year group, and you've got your hot boyfriend whose 21 (yikes in hindsight), that you want to bring to your year 10 formal. the school says no bc of "duty of care"- so then you have to pair up with one of the boys in your year that you don't like in that way- just for the sake of having a formal date/partner.

say you're now in year 12 and you're still one of the popular girls- albeit one of the ones that everyone hates. you want to take your boyfie who graduated the year prior (2012), who is from the same school. however, that also rules him out as a date to your year 12 formal, despite him being only a year older and a previous student of the school. so again, you must take one of your guy friends from your year group to the formal with you.

compare this to the public school that I transferred to for years 11 and 12 (2012-2013). one of my close friends took her 21 year old boyfriend to our year 12 formal. like obvs there's not much you can do, considering nearly all of us (bar people who were late November and December birthdays) were 18, so maybe the teachers at that school felt like they didn't have much of a say of who people brought as their dates to the formal. also two boys from the catholic school actually turned up to this school's formal too.

but it was the distinct form of freedom to me, that the school didn't seem to give a flying fuck about what you did or who your brought along to this event. whereas the catholic school enjoyed sticking their noses into EVERYONES business telling you who you can and can't take to your formals/proms- even if they were former students of the school the previous year- or even current students in the year below you. it's a date from your year or NOTHING- and woe is you if you have the sheer audacity to go alone to the event. what a shame.

but in the case of the girl who in year 10 in 2011 that kept campaigning for her 21 year old DJ (house party dj) boyfriend to not only be the DJ for our formal (he has better music than the DJ the school uses for our socials (school dances)), but also to be her date... like paula. that 21yo grown ass man does NOT love you. you are 15/16. what on earth does this 21yo scumbag douchebag dude have in common with you??? why is he pushing you to take him, as your date, to your HIGH SCHOOL formal??? please don't bring him and stop begging to have him as the DJ.... when it's not the music that he's really there for. it's the access to girls your age.... when he's fuckin 21 and should be nowhere near a teen girl's year 10 formal/junior prom (not counting family tagging along to the photos portion of the event).

because I can see now that the catholic school, to some extent, did care about safety when the 21yo boyfriend wanting to be a formal date thing came into play. because I remember when I turned 21 in 2016, when the 16-18yo year 10 to year 12 students from the nearby high schools would come to my home uni's campus for lunch and decent coffee during their free periods or lunch breaks. i remember thinking "christ they're so young" and stuff like that. whenever I heard them talking amongst each other about their HSCs (end of high school exams) and ATARs (uni entrance marks), I always thought to myself, "god. I remember when that shit actually mattered.... and it doesn't now lmao bc I'm here". and "they really are just kids."

then when I did a couple of first year electives the next year, 2017, and I talked to the 18yos in those classes..... I realised how much I'd grown and stuff in the 4 years since high school had finished for me. and it was esp stark when all those kids kept telling me to turn in my work from high school.... all because that's what they were doing to save time, and they were apparently "getting high distinctions" bc their work was just "so good and intelligently written" or whatever bullshit they told me. so when I told them that, "hey. uh I can't really do that because I've grown so much since late high school that my writing voice is quite different and matured... and I don't think I could make my work NOT sound like it was written by 16 to 18 year old me." to which they'd always respond to me with "well that just means you're NOT a talented enough writer like me. why are you even in an arts degree if you can't make your work sound as good and as smart as mine???" like good luck, dana and jack, when your high school bs work starts running out..... and you realise halfway through uni that you're not as talented as you think you are.... and that your professors were just being nice to you in your first semesters. your teenage hubris will come crashing down soon. trust me.

but my point is that my growth between my late teen years and my early 20s was pretty big. I remember thinking that even the 17/18yos I was with in those 2017 first year electives with were practically still kids. but obvs being 18 and having moved interstate (some of the first years) makes them, to themselves, more mature and worldly than me, who is just a lowly local student vs becca who moved 10 hours away from her family to attend my local uni.

but my point is, to my younger followers, if i have any.... is that your high school has a point with duty of care rules, to not let you take your partner, esp if they're in their early 20s and you're 16-18 for your junior or senior prom. like yes it may be an absolute pain that you have to take laikynn, who is a dumb rudeass jock or the weird kid teddy or yknow- shock, horror you dare to go alone- bc fuck "needing a date" to these things.

but your early 20s partner is at a different stage of life to you- and defs should not be cruising around a year 10 formal/junior prom venue trying to idek "keep an eye on you" or whatever the stupid excuse is about wanting to go with you- let alone date you in the first place. bc never once, in my early 20s, did I want to date a 16-18yo. even if yes, there was only 4 years of age difference between me and the new 18yo uni students in 2017. but that 4 years meant that I was almost graduating, meant that I'd been to business college (this was a rip-off to get me into uni tbh) and had significant other stuff going on that made me grow, instead of y'know, just stagnating and staying in a teenagers mindset.

it meant that I was contemplating my future a bit... where would I go with my english/philosophy degree??? while the new students were still riding the highs of getting their desired ATARs or getting into uni through early entry. probs still thinking nice fluffy thoughts that an arts degree will make them a millionaire and get them hired instantly. when in reality, no one wants to hire you and will instantly pigeon-hole you into a teaching role.... despite your complete disinterest in the job field... and you personally knowing that it's NOT a fit for you.... but i digress.

so yeah. I now realise that the catholic school actually had a point with being hella anal about duty of care when it came to my formals/proms. so to any younger users on here: if some early 20 something person wants to date you, and wants you to take them to your high school event, really question their motives and why on earth they'd really want to go to your year 10 formal/junior prom or even senior events, with you.

you're 15/16 for junior prom/Y10F. take jake from science class or carina from english class. or go alone with your friends, bc you won't die if you don't have a partner for these events.... despite what that society says. or whatever weird bs an older partner could spit out to try to go with you. same goes for senior prom. go with someone your own age, not your 23yo partner who shouldn't be dating a teenager - like bro (gender neutral) knows what rent is and how to pay it. bro knows how to pay interest on a car loan. dump their ass. hell go with a person in the year below you, like i could've done for my year 12 formal. just don't invite some 20 something year old to a high school event it's weird af.... and your school has a point in regards to safety.

[lunatic-fandom-space]

Alrighty I finished watching the 2012 Jesus Christ Superstar, the one that people on tumblr like to gif the most

Thats not meant to be an insult btw, honestly this might be my favorite version Ive seen so far overall

I initially had pretty mixed feelings about the actors they got for Jesus and Judas, like, they werent bad but I felt like Judas especially wasnt putting enough emotion into it and their delivery was kinda off at times but then we got the last supper scene and I thought they were great from that point on. Judas was good, I didnt like him as much as 73!Judas but honestly after watching the 2000s movie Im just glad he was portayed in a sympathetic way at the very least. I actually really liked Jesus in this one too, which is pretty surprising because Ive found him pretty unlikable in the previous versions and also Ive been translating the german versions of these songs which made me realize that a lot of that unlikability is kinda baked into the script as well. Usually I tend to dislike Jesus for about half the show until it gets to that bit after the last supper where everyones sleeping and hes looking around like "wont anyone be with me now 🥺" and Im like, aw thats just a sad little man, a lost littol guy, I cant dislike him when hes like that

I really liked the way they modernized this story here, it felt a lot less anachronistic and like there was a more cohesive vision behind it. While I usually like anachronistic settings and think itd be especially fitting for JCS, I felt like the execution was kinda lacking in the previous version and Im glad the 2012 version basically just went full Modern AU with it

Pretty much everything else I have to say applies to either the costuming or specifoc songs/scenes so in the interest of having a better structure than I had in my previous review-post-things I think Im just gonna talk about costuming and then each song in chronological order. Also I will be comparing this version both the 73 and the 2000s movie because thats how I do things babeyyyy whyd you think my review of the 2000s movie was so much longer and more articulated its because I do better when Im comparing two things

Costuming

Right off the bat, I dont think this technically has anything to do with the costuming, this would probably fall under casting actually, but Im so glad Jesus was brunette in this because him being blonde in the previous two versions was weirdly upsetting to me. Like, obviously he usually gets whitewashed in popular media and thats gross and almost definitely inaccurate but because it happens so frequently and has been happening for such a long time I barely even register it beyond maybe going "hm. thats wrong" at the very start whenever they show Jesus as the whitest guy on earth in anything, but I usually see him portrayed as brunette at the very least so seeing him get portrayed as blonde on top of the whitewashing was just too much man. Also he looks like Lin Manuel Miranda but Im like 90% sure thats not him

I like that they modernized Jesus' clothes for this as well because in the 2000s movie he wore a white tanktop and like, jeans probably in the very first scene but in every other scene hes wearing these long flowing white robes, so I like that they put him in a normal white shirt (and black jeans) even though it doesnt really have that same vibe of divine purity if its not a long flowing robe or a dress. Like, he literally just looks like the most normal guy ever wearing that and I really like that tbh

He also wore a brown scarf a few times and I kinda wish it was red instead because I did some research and found out that hes pretty heavily associated with that color. I mean, I also found out that a whole bunch of figures in the bible are associated with red, like if someone tried to quiz you on this you could probably get 50% of the answer if you just said red everytime, but still.

Speaking of red, I think I said at some point that Judas not wearing red irked me, and it still does just to be clear, but Ive thought about it a little and I actually quite appreciate the thought that went into the color coding here, for lack of a better term.

Like, instead of red being Judas' and Marys color like in the previous films (i dont actually remember what color Mary wore in the 70s movie but im going with it anyway) its essentially the color that the antagonists or people who are in some way against Jesus but who werent really directly involved in his death. Herod is probably the most obvious example, hes completely decked out in red but Simon is also wearing it and hes characterized as someone coopting this message of Love and Acceptance and whatnot in order to spread hate, Im pretty sure Peter also wears it and he ends up denying Jesus.

And then sortof complementary to that we have black as the color of people who were more directly involved in Jesus' death, like Caiaphas and his guys, Pilates and of course Judas. The crowd that gathers and calls for Jesus' crucifixion at the end is also wearing black so could see them partaking in his death as well

And then we obviously have white for Jesus and Mary as basically his closest follower who seems to understand him the most and also probably embodies his message of acceptance the best. Judas also has a white scarf to still tie him to him visually even though he does end up betraying him which I find neat

The fact that he didnt get to wear white for the last song again is crime honestly, cmon man do it for the visual cohesion if nothing else. They threw in a few singers who were also wearing black so Judas wouldnt be the only guy in black surrounded by a bunch of angels in white but ehhhhh, it only kinda works imo. I mean atleast its not as messy and thematically confusing as whatever they tried to do at the end of the 2000s version but still, just let my guy wear white

Also, before I move on I wanted to compliment the sets, or stage, since it was mostly just a pretty empty stage with few props and just a really big screen. I think they utilized the screen really well, just consistently having that illusion of The Media there really helped modernize this musical. I also liked the portayal of Jesus n gangs hideout as this little encampment and the implication that they had the last supper in basically their home. Idk what its like in the bible but from both of the other versions i watched I got the impression that they had the last supper somewhere else and while that didnt bother me at all, i think theres something nice about it being more mundane

Thats pretty much it I think, now its Song Time babey

Overture(/Prologue?)

I paused within like the first 40 seconds and wrote a post because they just immediately hit you with fictional news reports about protests and police brutality and then they just keep going for like 3 minutes and Im just sitting there, mouth agape because its like. first of all, these made-up news reports were so similar to ones that Ive seen throughout the summer of 2020 when the George Floyd and related protests were happening that I had to do a double take and make sure that yes, this is from 2012 and literally nothing has changed. Alternatively, they were actively trying to portray an unrealistically horrifically tyrannical government police state only for the creators visions of a horrible dystopia coming true only 8 years after. I dont know which one is more upsetting and Id rather not think about it too much and find out

Second of all, Andrew Lloyd Webbers musicals tend to be pretty safe, like theyre known to be more spectacle and melodrama than substance, atleast the ones that Im familiar with and while I certainly wouldnt call this musical subtle or even particularly profound, I really wasnt expecting something this politically charged within the first minute. And just to be clear, Im not saying that JCS is bad because its not that subtle or profound, I really love this musical and think its really good it just isnt those qualities and thats fine

Heaven on Their Minds

I dont have a lot to say here, Judas is pretty weak. His voice lacks emotion and because of that it feels more like a pop-cover than a musical theater song and I wasnt a fan. His actual singing voice is good and he definitely gets better as the musical goes on but this was quite disappointing after that overture

Also, the camera was obviously focusing more on Judas at this point but Im pretty sure I saw Jesus and Simon having some kind of argument while his followers are all surrounding him and Judas is singing, I thought that was a neat detail

What's the Buzz/Strange Thing, Mystifying

Im gonna be real with you, saying those two songs are part of the same one doesnt seem right to me but thats what Genius and youtube do and I dont think I really have too much to say about Whats the Buzz on its own so yeah

Honestly, I feel like Whats the Buzz is just gonna make Jesus seem kinda weird and unlikable regardless of who plays him, the good thing about this version is hes not musically moaning and going "ohhhhhhhh~ Mary thats so nice~~" like he is in the german 70s version which i forced myself to listen to approximately 600 times

I have the same criticism of Judas as I did in the previous song, not enough emotion. Jesus isnt great here either, I feel like neither version after the 73 one really managed to capture his anger at his followers the same way, the delivery has been weaker and not as impactful and snappy in the 2000s and 2012 versions.

And I just wanted to say again that I like the setup of their hideout being a bunch of these little tents, I think its really fitting

Everything's Alright

Jesus and Judas are still not giving me enough and its just gonna be like this until the last supper I guess

I really like Mary's voice, theres something soft and kinda vulnerable about it and its nice to listen to

This Jesus Must Die

Musically this is probably my favorite song because of course it is, its the villain song

I like that in this production Caiaphas seemed to really struggle to reach that low tone lol. Like, he sounded great but his face looked like he was struggling, thats about as well as I can describe it. I also liked Annas, he seemed so smug and obnoxious and I liked his leitmotiv-melody-thingy that he would sing its very catchy

I really appreciated that white-grayish lighting, it reminded me of like sterile office building lighting and contrasts nicely with the more yellowish-golden lighting they had for Hosanna. They didnt do anything as crazy or evocative as the 2000s film but Im also not sure how feasible doing something like that on a live stage would be so whatever, I still enjoyed it and thought it looked really good

Hosanna

This might be my favorite song in terms of how they adapted it for this modern AU-thing. I love that Jesus seems a lot more involved in this which makes sense since its been reframed as a protest whereas Im pretty sure it was originally something closer to a parade or something similar. I like that hes singing along to the "Hosanna, heysanna" parts, I dont think he did that in the other versions and it makes him seem less detached and above-it-all which definetly makes him a lot more sympathetic in my eyes

I absolutely adore the way Jesus' verse is framed with him like, looking into a camera with his followers huddled around him idk I think its nice. Speaking of framing and stuff, I havent mentioned the camera work at all yet and its really good for the most part, I do have some complaints but they dont apply to this song so I shant mention them right now

Really the only negative thing I have to say is that usually when the crowd sings "Hey JC, JC, wont you die for me" they cut to Jesus horrified/weirded out reaction and I think its a real highlight but I dont think they directed him to make any kind of facial expression at that part or maybe the actor forgot, so that was a little disappointing ngl. Speaking of that verse, I have Genius open rn so I know which order the songs are in and apparently that verse/line wasnt originally in the song??? Bro thats such a good and simple line how did you not come up with that right away. I mean, better late than never but still

Simon Zelotes/Poor Jerusalem

Again, I dont really think these two songs make that much sense as a package deal but who am I to disagree with genius dot com

I really enjoy the contrast between the two songs and I think they did a great job highlighting it even further via the lighting, with the stage being bathed in this red light during Simon Zelotes and the lights changing to deep blue for Poor Jerusalem. The staging and choregraphy were also great, I like that Jesus is mostly down at the front of the stage during Simon Zelotes with his followers being sort of scattered behind him as they were doing this high energy group dance number while hes up at the back of the stage during Poor Jerusalem with his followers almost huddled together in front of him, it highlights that emotional dissonance between Jesus and his followers really well

I actually liked Jesus performance too, I think the actor did a good job conveying his discomfort and at this point I felt like he was a lot better at projecting quiet vulnerability than loud anger or anguish at this point

Pilate's Dream

I dont really have anything to say here, the song isnt great but its short so its like, fine whatever.

The main thing I have to say here is that I did not Get Pilate at all the past two times I watched this but at the end of this song he puts on a powdered wig and I went "ohhhhhhh hes like a judge" and that made me finally kinda understand what his deal is somehow. Idk man Im a little stupid sometimes

The Temple

I think the first half of this song is fine, but I definitely prefer both of the other versions. I feel like having the people at the temple crowd around a camera as theyre singing about all the sinful shit theyre offering just makes for more effective framing and does a better job at putting you in Jesus' shoes and making you feel uncomfortable

Im not a fan of those weird moving neon shapes they show on the screen during this bit. At the very start of this scene they have this colorful neon text saying stuff like SEX and NUDES and honestly, I think they shouldve had that for the entire song. Like, I get why they might not want to have a whole scene with the word SEX flashing in the background in bold neon letters but it wouldve fit more and been less weird than abstract moving lines. I also dont think they shouldve had any of the 'sinners' wear white just to make Jesus stand out a bit more, but thats a nitpick.

I absolutely ADORE the second half with the beggars though. I mentioned before that I have this fascination with portrayals non-consentual non-sexual touch and this scene, in all three versions Ive watched, really manages to tap into that in a way thats pretty personal and hard to describe. This scene in this version is probably my favorite but Im not sure I can properly describe why. It just feels so intense, the way everyones grabbing onto him and practically lifting him off the ground like some uncomfortable perversion of crowd surfing, I love that

I also like the detail at the start of the song where Judas picks a fight with the bodyguard guy while Jesus goes inside

Everything's Alright (Reprise)/I Don't Know How To Love Him

These two songs arent actually lumped together like some of the other ones, but i have nothing to say about the reprise on its own and its really short so

I really like I Don't Know How To Love Him because its the song that made me realize that Jesus being the son of god is actually pretty ambiguous in this musical which makes this story way better and more interesting imo. Like, I rewatched Jenny Nicholsons video on easter plays after watching the 70s movie and i realized that the focus on Jesus as the literal son of god and his resurrection actually takes away a lot of the impact this story could have as yknow, a story, when its being told by people who are actually christian. And Im not religious myself but I get why that is, for a christian audience the resurrection is the most important part because its essentially proof of Jesus being the son of god rather than 'just' a prophet and/or important spiritual leader, which is kind of the basis of the entire religion. I also feel like theres a tendency in media made by christians about Jesus (or Jesus-stand ins) to avoid portraying any flaws in its main character because thats your god, and you wouldnt wanna portray that guy in a bad light and while I understand that too, it makes for a far less interesting story for non-christian audiences

I dont really know where I was going with this ngl, in conclusion; the reason I enjoyed this play about Jesus Christ so much is probably that it wasnt made by christians

Also Im going back to this after being done writing the post, I dont like that they made Mary ungoth herself on stage like cmon man, let my gal be goth. The only good thing about that was that Mary has muscles and I liked looking at them now that the jacket wasnt in the way

Damned for All Time/Blood Money

Finally a package deal song that actually works as one

Im gonna honest, while I think this song is good I dont really. understand it? Even after watching three versions of this musical and looking at some of the genius annotations. I understand that Judas is feeling guilty about the betrayal and trying to justify himself (although thats only after reading the annotations lol I feel like the lyrics are really weird and contradictory ngl), I dont really get why hes betraying him? Like yeah, he doesnt like what Jesus is doing now and is afraid that he's putting himself and other jewish people in danger but on an emotional level I dont really get why he thought betraying him would be the best course of action. Maybe because he came to realize that he cant get Jesus off the path hes on but idk, that wouldve been nice to actually see that onstage

But enough about that, lets move on to the things I really liked. For example they added this small bit where Judas is walking over to Caiaphas and his guys and you can see him walk into their office building or whatever through the security cameras, I thought that was a really neat detail.

I also like the way Judas sings the very last line about the gardens of Gethsemane, his delivery was really good

The Last Supper

I already mentioned this a few times earlier but I thought Jesus' and Judas' performances were fine for the most part, they just lacked emotion and felt more like flat radio covers because of it, but this is the song where they get really good and even stay really good. Thats not. great. But you know what they say, better late than never

I also liked Judas like, poking Jesus basically when hes yelling at him and I liked Jesus shoving him. Maybe its just me but I feel like the physical contact is way more intense in this version, for lack of a better term, and Im a big fan of that I think that rules, I love watching guys touch each other

I also mentioned earlier that I like how the last supper is just happening at their camp because it makes it feel more mundane and the other non-apostle ensamble members still being there in the background really adds to that vibe as well. I also feel like it made everyone going to sleep after the supper make more sense. Like, in the previous two versions I thought it was kinda weird that they all just fell asleep at the table after that big dramatic shouting match and Jesus predictions but in this one it reads more like the apostles are all going "okay. i think i need to leave." and just crawling into their tents bc what else are they supposed to do

Another thing I liked was that Jesus was like, kinda freaking out and lashing out in this scene. Idk the way Ive been taught about these events made it seem like Jesus just calmly explained this shit to his guys at dinner because he knew gods plan or whatever, so I appreciated this more dramatic and more human version

Gethsemane

oughhhhhhh this song is really good but I dont have a lot to say about it because its mainly an emotional ballad where Jesus is just kinda standing there singing while engulfed in blue light and I already talked about how I like that the existence of god is never confirmed in this musical and why i think that makes the story way stronger

I did want to mention this lyric-change I noticed and didnt like. So originally there was this line towards the end of the song that was like "God thy will is hard/Something something card probably" idk the only reason I remembered that line is because when I heard it in the 73 version I immediately went on tumblr to make an untagged 1 note flop of a post that went like this: "Call my penis thy will the way its hard". But in this version the line is "God thy will is done/Take your only son" and I just dont like that

The Arrest

It took me watching this musical thrice to realize that the music for this song is literally just the music for the beggar part of The Temple, eventhough there were some very obvious visual parallels in the 2000s movie on top of the music being the same but hey, Im a little stupid sometimes and also better late than never

Similarly to the temple scene I just dont think its as effective when you dont have the camera surrounded by these people to both put you in Jesus' shoes and to evoke claustrophobia. The reframing of these guys being like news reporters rather than ? disillusioned followers? jewish people who dont agree with him? I think? is really good and makes a lot of sense. I just didnt like that they had those guards holding them all back I think they shouldve gone all out and just fucking grabbed him

Peter's Denial

This is a pretty short qnd unremarkable song and I dont have much to say, I liked both Peter and Mary (Mary has been consistantly really good throughout the entire musical I think i forgot to mention thst until now) and I weirdly enjoyed Peter being so unecessarily hostile towards that old lady

Pilate and Christ

This is the song I keep forgetting about even though its actually really good lmao

I am just baffled by the decision to have Pilate working out in this scene. Thats kind of it honestly, like whyd they do that. whyd they do that huh. Literally the only reason I can think of is like, they wanted to show off how dismissive he is of Jesus but. there are other ways

Anyway I really liked Pilates vocal performance though and I like this actor, he has a very legal-professional kinda face and tone of voice which makes sense if we're interpreting him as some kindof judge guy, great casting

King Herod's Song

I really love this song, its so catchy and fun and ended up liking the talk show setup for this scene more than I anticipated. I think the reason I was kinda wary of how they would approach this scene was because King Herod is 10000% gonna be the guy who gets played by James Corden when they inevitably decide to turn this into a proper movie (again) but since this is 2012 and also a stage production, James Corden is nowhere to be found and this song is still really enjoyable. Theres really nothing to dislike here, I liked the guy who played Herod, I liked the backup dancer women (although I will say that I prefer their outfits from the 2000s), I liked the way they used the screen to further this whole talkshow thing, I liked Jesus being spun around in that chair, its great

My one small complaint is that during that line where hes like "Cmon man, turn my water into wine" hes given this water bottle and then the water turns red and even with the camera focusing on the effect it just kinda looks pathetic, maybe they couldve done something with the screen instead like they did for the "walk across my swimming pool" line but idk

Judas' Death

Man I cant even properly describe how much I love both the song and execution of it, its so wonderfully visceral and tragic and oughhhhhhh

First of all, I adore Judas' performance hes so good here and he does a great job at letting the emotion bleed into his voice and make it sound like hes sobbing without his singing suffering from it like in the 2000s movie. Do I prefer the performance here over the 73 version? Ehhhhh I think Id need to directly compare the scenes before I feel comfortable making a statement about that and I dont feel like doing that right now.

The lighting is pretty simple here, its pretty much just red, but its really atmospheric and helps underscore Judas' anguish and you know me babey, I love watching this guy suffer

I was gonna write something about the suicide being done well before ending this section here but I just remembered something and immediately forgot what I was going to write, so heres the thing I remembered:

When I was watching the 73 movie and Judas committed suicide, I was like mouth-agape shocked, not because it happened suddenly or because it was edited in a particular way but because I didnt know he was going to kill himself. Ive had religious education as a class for the entirety of my school career, the only time we ever actually talked about the easter story in any kind of detail was when I was like 6 years old in the first grade. The teacher told us about all the most basic beats, Jesus had a bunch of buddys he took out to dinner one night, he tells them about how one of them will betray him, Judas betrays him for money, Jesus gets crucified and then Judas lives in disgrace and shame until the end of his days. What she didnt tell us is how those days end and like. I mean i guess she didnt lie did she

And after that the topic of The Easter Story never really came up and also I thought religious education was the most boring and pointless shit on earth so I never bothered looking into any of it at any other point in my life and thats how I managed to avoid spoilers for this 2000 year old story

I was gonna end the section here but I just remembered something else that I wanted to share, I promise this is thematically relevant

A few days after I watched the 2000s film I thought to myself "hey, this is a popular musical that was originally english but since its been around for like 50 years I wonder if theyve since made a german version" so I looked it up, found the german wikipedia page and yes, theres a german version that came out on vinyl in the 70s but its unfortunately missing a song (two if we're counting Then We Are Decided as well but that one was added for the movie and not originally in the musical). Since Im already on wikipedia I decide to just read the entire article and I find out that orthodox christians didnt like the musical because it paints Judas The Traitor in a sympathetic light and I do a bit of a double take because Im like. I thought Judas was generally seen as sympathetic??? Because again, the only time i was ever taught about this story in any detail was when I was 6 in first grade religious education class and I havent really thought about it since. I only vaguely remember that class but Im pretty sure the way my teacher explained the apostles was that they were like Jesus' closest buddies and when I heard that Judas ended up betraying his good friend Jesus I was really sad and felt really sorry for him ? I dont remember my exact emotions or thoughts but it was either "I really love my friends and one of them died I'd be so upset even if it was my fault they died" or "I would never rat my friends out and cause them to be killed for no reason so he mustve had a really good reason we're just not being told about" or a combination of those and then I never paid attention to christianity ever again so I just never changed my thinking

So yeah, youre looking at a lifelong Judas Iscariot apologist Im so glad to finally be reunited with my fellow men in my natural habitat which is the Jesus Christ Superstar Fandom

Trial Before Pilate

Funfact, someone on youtube uploaded the entire JCS german soundtrack and there they called it "Pilate's Interrogation (39 lashes included)" and idk I think thats mildly amusing

I gotta say this is definitely a little bit disappointing after the 2000s version which had that absolutely mental illness inducing (affectionate) part where every time hes meant to get whipped one of the people in the crowd runs up to him and strikes him and leaves a bunch of blood on his body until hes all wet n grimy from it. Its alright but idk it feels a bit less intense physically and Im not just talking about the lashings, Im also talking about Pilates coming down to Jesus at the very end and being like "Im holding your life in my hands". I dont remember what the 2000s movie did here but I know in the 70s movie hes actually cradling him in his arms and it makes this bit hit way harder, but in this version hes just kinda kneeling next to him like hes the gym teacher and Jesus is the unathletic kid who just somehow sprinted like 50 meters in order to not come in last for the race around the local playground theyre doing for PE and embarass himself in front of the class and is laying on the ground panting afterwars and feels like hes going to die.

While I dont think its as effective as it could be, those faceless silhoutte people standing outside that fence arguing with Pilate are decently menacing and Ive already talked about black as the color of the people involved in Jesus death and how you could see this as The Masses or The Public or whatever also being complicit in his death in some way. Also I think I remember seeing some red garments in that crowd as well which I also appreciate

Also, the makeup for his bloody back was really good

Superstar

Ive said it before I'll say it again, why wont they let my guy wear white for this part? Was that the tradeoff for having him look all cool as he descends down with the stagelights? Is this their attempt to placate those christians who disliked Judas being sympathetic so much they banned the musical in Belarus?

Anyway, I enjoyed it well enough despite that and I think it executed the concept of Jesus carrying his cross being filmed and broadcasted a lot better than the 2000s movie, simply by not having the guys doing the filming be Judas' guys and having them as well as the angels. That being said, the way this was filmed or the way this was cut together or maybe it was a combination of both, just made this really confusing and disorienting to watch. The camerawork is really good for most of this production so I have absolutely no idea whats going on here but its kinda bad ngl. And whenever there was a wideshot you could see that Judas and the angels were dancing and taking up most of the stage and then on the left corner there was Jesus and the people filming him all huddled together and I honestly cant imagine it looking that great on stage either but I guess I wasnt there so I may never know for sure

The Crucifixion

I cant adequately describe what I felt when I realized they were going to crucify him on the lighting fixture so I'll just say I think its sick as hell and move on

This is less of a song and more of a short monologue but I still felt like I had to talk about it because the actor who plays Jesus is absolutely amazing, I was a bit worried if he could pull this off at the start because he was kinda weak there, but he crushed it. I was also a bit worried that he wouldnt be all wet with blood since he already got lashed and was pretty dry at that point but then he bleed a bunch from his head wounds from the crown of thorns and I was satisfied. And the modern crown of thorns was a crown of barbed wire I love that

Thats it I think its about to be midnight and I spent like 2 days writing this and my head is just mush. Sorry if the last few segments seemed a bit disorganized, my head is just mush. I actually had a few more thoughts I was gonna put in this conclusion-thingy but my head is just mush so I'll just say this gets an 8/10 from me. I gave both of the previous versions a solid 7/10 because while I still thoroughly enjoyed them in their weird quirks and think theyre kind of charming in their occasional bouts of kinda bizarre shit on top of being good, this one felt more competent and like it had a stronger vision behind it. Thats it, thank you for reading my very long post

[animechick2015]

Anime I Watched in 2022: Part 4

31. Bleach: A Thousand Year Blood War 1000/5

I started watching bleach right after it ended in 2012. Back then it was considered a mid anime and the weakest of the “Big Three” but I didn’t care, I absolutely love it. Then when it was known that the final season was being produced suddenly it was the most popular anime ever 🙄 don’t get wrong I’m glad that people have come to appreciate Bleach but after all the years of hearing how lame it was compared to One Piece and Naruto, I’m still a bit salty. That being said, this season was absolutely amazing, the studio knocked it out of the park!! The goosebumps I got when Ichigo and his crew came on screen for the first time were endless. My absolute favorite thing about this season was the lack of censorship, it’s dark and gritty just like the manga. I reallllly can’t wait for the second cour to air.

32. Chainsaw Man 4/5

This was a good anime for me but it wasn’t great. It wasn’t one I was religiously waiting for each week, it was more like whenever I got time to look at it I would. The animation was spectacular and the OST were superb. I think my biggest critic about this was one was the fact is that I just couldn’t like Denji at the beginning. I understand that he had a verrry difficult life early on and his dreams for the future would be different from a normal person’s dream but honestly he was kind of a creep. This will be a very unpopular opinion but if mineta from MHA looked like Denji then more people would be simping for him just like they were simping for Denji. I’m glad to say that the MC slowly grew on me as the series progressed, especially his friendship with Power. This series had a lot of interesting characters and I really wished we got to know more about them before it ended.

33. Reincarnated as a Sword 4/5

I’m going to be very honest here, I only watched this anime because of the name. I pondered on how the heck could a sword be the MC of anime and I’m glad to say that I was impressed. The action was riveting and the OST’s pulled you into each scene. Fran was such an adorable main character that I really want to see more of her. Really hoping we get another season of this anime.

34. I’m the Villainess so I’m Taming the Final Boss 4/5

Honestly this was just a guilty pleasure for me. I’m a huge fan of Villainess manwha so I gave this one a try. The animation left a lot to be desired but the quirky characters and top of the line voice acting made up for it. My other critic is that the story felt rushed especially coming down to the end. No doubt that there weren’t be a season two. But overall it was a fun watch that didn’t make me lose too much brain cells

[cd4rl]

Civil War Doorbell Notes

Like learning Blender, I had not expected to learn coding or circuitry in this class, but I have found it interesting and fun.

As I wanted to really learn the process of what I was doing, rather than jump straight ahead to advanced experiments, I watched a long series of tutorials by Texan gentleman Paul McWhorter whose teaching style I liked. I got to tutorial 25, and by this time had continuosly added new bits to my doorbell schematic.

Civil War Doorbell is the basic blueprint for a doorbell that plays a familiar song, and detunes itself with every button press. I was influenced by William Basinski's Disintegration Loops in which a looping reel-to-reel tape wears itself out. Also to some extent, The Caretaker whose music also self-destructed into gibberish. I was interested to see at what stage of deconstruction would the tune lose all familiarity.

I chose the tune Oh Susanna, written by Steven Foster in 1847- partially because its the only song I can play on piano, but also from a favourite line from a Silver Jews song 'her doorbell plays a bar of steven foster', all about being stuck in Kentucky. I find these old songs fascinating in how they have morphed over time, and how they have stayed in regular rotation in cartoons, kids music and folk tradition.

To play music in the folk tradition, you take a well known song and make it your own- change rhythm, tempo, melody, lyrics. Pick and choose verses from different sources and make up your own.

The original Old Susanna, the first hit song in America, was originally a minstrel song with incredibly racist lyrics- a popular practice at the time. Many people are surprised when they see the original lyrics, as they were changed during the civil war, to less offensive ones in a middle-class english dialect. The song was also popular during the 1849 gold rush, and so is associated with racist southerners, Gold miners and Civil war marching songs. Many people today would know the song as an instrumental in Bugs Bunny cartoons and movie soundtracks (usually whenever a hillbilly type appears). (Oxford American, 2012).

So the choice of song fits into series thematically, as it is an ever-evolving song. Where I also fit series into this is (and forgive me) the materiality of music itself. A melody is a series of frequencies interrupted by pauses- that is how the code sees it.

I learned the frequency of each piano key I'd need for the song, assigned the numbers to variables, and got the buzzer to play them in order along with relative pauses.

I had to work out the song note by note, refining and refining until it had the tempo of the original. By making the wait times variable, I could make it slow or long.

I then got the code to subtract a random number to each frequency at the end of each loop, so that it would disintegrate. When numbers started hovering around 0, it became interesting, yet the rhythm never changed.

Later I added a potentiometre that allows you to change the pitch in real time, and a button that would play the song when pressed, rather than playing endlessly automatically.

I would like to hook it up to a real doorbell.

[21st-century-minutiae]

In the early twenty-first century, Magic the Gathering is a popular trading card game. The game has multiple official formats which define which cards are legal to play, to create different experiences. Pioneer is one of the newer formats, which generally allows cards that were created after 2012 to be included, with some bans.

Ancestral Recall is a card from the original 1993 release of Magic the Gathering. It allows a player to draw three cards at instant speed at the cost of "1 mana." "Instant speed" means that you can play it on your opponent's turn. This is contrasted with "Sorcery Speed" which means you can only play it on your own turn. This is generally a powerful option since you could wait for your opponent to take their turn before deciding what to do, and because it doesn't allow your opponent to react. "Mana" is a resource in the game. Generally speaking, more expensive cards are harder to cast and need to be played late in the game. "1 mana" cards are VERY easy to cast and can be used as early as the first turn. Because drawing cards is VERY useful in Magic, and because Ancestral Recall is very very very easy to cast, it is considered one of the most powerful cards in all of Magic's history and is banned in most formats, including Pioneer.

Treasure Cruise is a card from the 2014 release of Magic the Gathering. It allows a player to draw three cards at the cost of 8 mana, but it also has an ability to make it cheaper at the cost of doing some setup, to a minimum of 1 cost. If you build a deck in the right way, it is pretty easy to make Treasure Cruise a 1 mana spell that draws three cards, which makes it often seen as comparable to Ancestral Recall. However, there are a few key differences:

First, it does require setup to use. Even if it is relatively easy, this setup cannot happen on the first turn of the game (except in VERY weird circumstances). Second, using one copy of Treasure Cruise undoes your setup for the next one. Ancestral Recall can draw another Ancestral Recall which can be used immediately, as early as turn 1 or 2. But it will be somewhat later in the game before you have enough setup that you can play multiple Treasure Cruises in a row. Third, while pretty much every single deck can play Ancestral Recall (indeed, it is almost mandatory to play the card whenever it is legal), only some decks can properly setup Treasure Cruise to make best use of it. Finally, Treasure Cruise is NOT at instant speed. You have to commit to playing it on your turn. Even in the best case it is not as strong as Ancestral Recall for that reason alone. Treasure Cruise is a very powerful card, but it is not as ludicrous as Ancestral Recall. It is also LEGAL in Pioneer.

"Splinter Twin" was a powerful and popular combo from the "Modern" format in magic circa the year 2013. Modern as a format which permits most cards that were printed after 2003. The year 2013, where there were about 10 years worth of magic cards, was considered something like the height of the format, and is often compared to the current Pioneer, which also has about 10 years worth of magic cards.

The Splinter Twin combo made use of two cards. The first was the titular "Splinter Twin" a '4 mana' 'sorcery speed' card which permanently gave a creature the ability to make temporary copies of itself once per turn. The second was any creature that could let a creature use their 'once per turn' effect again. With those two cards together, you could make a copy, have the copy refresh the copier, make another copy, have the new copy refresh the copier, and keep going infinitely. This let you do infinite damage as early as turn 4 of the game, assuming your opponent couldn't disrupt you. Waiting until a later turn allowed players to prevent disruption pretty consistently. This combo was banned in 2016 from Modern, because it was very popular at the cost of other decks. Many people felt this banning was a mistake, especially in retrospect as the format only got more powerful. Splinter Twin was never legal in Pioneer.

The asker in the post above is inquiring as to why Treasure Cruise is legal in Pioneer, but Splinter Twin is not. Calling Treasure Cruise "Ancestral Recall" is a provocative effort to hyperbolize the card, and calling "Splinter Twin" a "turn 4 combo that dies to removal" (removal being a term for getting rid of a creature which would disrupt the combo) is an attempt to minimize the power of Splinter Twin and ignore the fact that it was printed before 2012, meaning it is not currently eligible for Pioneer. The implication is that if a card as powerful as Ancestral Recall is legal, than something that is weaker like Splinter Twin should NOT be legal.

Mark Rosewater, an individual who designed a lot of Magic the Gathering, denied the premise that Treasure Cruise is Ancestral Recall, implicitly stating that the probing question was made based on a flawed premise.

In the early twenty-first century, Magic the Gathering players familiar with the Modern format of 2013 (of which many older players would be) would likely know that both Treasure Cruise and Splinter Twin are being mentioned here, despite neither card being mentioned by name. They would understand the description, know about the formats, and know what Ancestral Recall does. They would know who Mark Rosewater is, and likely have an opinion about Splinter Twin (and Treasure Cruise).

People NOT in the space of Magic the Gathering, of which the majority of the early twenty-first century would be categorized (as, while popular, the card game is not universal) would have zero idea as to what is being discussed in this exchange.

Why is ancestral recall fine for pioneer but sorcerery speed infinite damage, turn 4 combo that dies to remove, isn't?

Ancestral Recall is not legal in Pioneer.

[televinita]

wait wait wait

I COULD HAVE BEEN CASUALLY USING EMOJIS FROM THIS WINDOWS DESKTOP THE WHOLE TIME?? (or at least since I switched to windows 10 last year)

ASLDLJSDFSDF why did WORK have to be the one to explain to me that you can “use emojis in any app by pressing the Windows key + .”  ?????

😂🤦‍♀️👀✨🌈 🎉👍

[outlying-hyppocrate]

kristian.

kristian martinez garzon is a 32-year-old who was born in the city of popayán (in colombia) and stayed there for the first few years of his life before his family moved to texas. he is fluent in english and knows basic spanish, and japanese, which is thanks to clemens. he was raised by his mother, his uncle, and his grandparents. his father stayed in colombia, as his parents got divorced when he was only 4 years old. seeing as they moved soon afterwards, neither kristian nor xyr two older sisters (ana, 7 at the time; and xiomara, 5 at the time) really got to form a relationship with their father

he had known he wasn't cisgender from a very young age, but since his childhood mostly took place in the late 1990s to early 2000s, it wasn't easy. on top of having to deal with racism growing up, he also had to suffer through homophobic and transphobic comments. school was hell for him, but home was always a happy place. kristian's family was surprisingly progressive. they didn't know or understand anything about "transsexuals", but they didn't mock him for the way he was

in 2012, he moved out to michigan and started figuring out his identity as a nonbinary person in college. he would still hear the occasional slur, but he didn't mind them very much anymore. while in college (and on t), xe started a tumblr blog as a safe space for queer people like xem, and an instagram account for the same purpose. he wanted to make this new generation of queer people feel as if they belonged, so he started up a youtube channel where he provided tips for them. even though he never felt particularly dysphoric, he tried his best to sympathize. he would even give his followers pronoun checks in the form of song - they'd put their name and pronouns in the comment section of one of his videos, and he'd take them, get out a guitar, and sing them and try to make them feel appreciated. the videos became increasingly popular among the queer community of the internet

kristian's accounts remained active until 2018, when he announced that he wouldn't be returning to them. he still liked to write little songs, and sang with his guitar for family members sometimes. he didn't really intend on pursuing a career in music until he met sixtine bourlange-toussaint and clemens eisner

clemens and sixtine were looking for a place to stay, and kristian had exactly that, so they became roommates. when he heard about what had happened with linus, he felt horrible, and promised to provide a safe space for them. after living together for a while, they all knew about each other's love for music, and in 2019, they formed the band known as the clearance aisle

despite being together for five years, the clearance aisle only released their first song, covet cloth, in 2024. they have a whole album planned that they would likely release later in the year

here are some silly facts! (:<

kristian always posts on the clearance aisle's main instagram account, and on the tiktok account he shares with clemens. social media is one of his greatest comforts. he also posts on youtube shorts, puts pictures of the band on pinterest, and even has an (un)official discord server for fans of the clearance aisle. nobody has joined it

he always calls people silly nicknames. whenever he gets the chance, he calls clemens clem or clemmy, and sixtine becomes six, tina, or sweet sixteen, as a reference to her old artist name

the performance artist marina abramović is one of his biggest inspirations. do not ask him what he means by this. only sixtine understands this. do not ask sixtine about this either

despite most of the band's (unreleased) songs being written by clemens, covet cloth was actually written by kristian. the song is about the difficulty in creating a place for yourself in the world

his favorite color is royal purple. his favorite drink is chamomile tea. he's been wearing the same mini gold hoop earrings since 2015. and he is so iconic for it

xe is a pansexual genderfluid/nonbinary person

and that's it for the members of the clearance aisle's stories!! hope you all enjoyed. (':

okay. so. more on the clearance aisle (because i am becoming ridiculously invested in this.)

sixtine (they/them, she/her) is the lead singer and also the bassist. which i'm aware is a complicated thing to do but. she is very good at it. well. adequately. this wouldn't be a loserband if they weren't all a little bit terrible

clemens (he/him) is the drummer. he really fucks it up!! positively meant. he just really. yeah. it's great

kristian (he/him, xe/xem) is the guitarist. xe's not the best at it. but some of the band's songs feature the use of a triangle for whatever reason and. he's great at the triangle

[seolarzone]

Her family

↬ Mother ;➵ Kwan Eun-ji

Status - Deceased

Birthday - 7th June 1964

Occupation - Assistant veterinarian

Contact name - N/A

Relationship - She died when sora was only a few weeks old, However Sora's brother had a great relationship with her.

↬ Father ;➵ Ryu Min-jun

Status - Alive

Birthday - 11th January 1964

Occupation - Headmaster at a prestigious university

Contact name - Abeoji / So-jin

Relationship - They used to have a great relationship when she was a child, She used to look upto him a lot but as she grew up and he got busy they became distant. They're relationship tourned sour after he supported her step-mother during an argument which led her to leaving her family . Currently they don't really speak but she hasn't blocked him just incase.

↬ Step-Mother ;➵ Takahashi Kaede /

Status - Alive

Birthday - 22nd August 1966

Occupation - Part-time Chef

Contact name - Gibo [Blocked] / Sora [Blocked]

Relationship - They were very close growing up , whenever she had free time she would teach Sora how to cook , She is the reason Sora can cook so well. The turning point in their relationship was when Sora decided to become a K-pop idol which was something her step-mother never really considered as a respectful career. The relationship truly became bad when one day Sora visited with her members and Kaede started making remarks on her career and on her bandmates which led to a huge argument and Kaede involving her members angered Sora and led to her walking out of the house . They are not on speaking terms right now and that doesn't seem like something that would change soon.

↬ Aunt ;➵ Ryu Minji

Status - Alive

Birthday - 26th September 1967

Occupation - None

Contact name - Gomoo / Sojiniie

Relationship - Minji practically raised Sora. She was the one who encouraged Sora to audition for YG , She has supported Sora in almost everything that Sora does and has always been by her side. As a child Sora used to spend every summer at her house in Seoul. Minji's husband owns a popular hotel line across north Asia and is extending it toward Europe as well , which is why Minji is quite rich and doesn't really need to work. Since he was always away on business trips him and Minji never really had time for a kid which is also why Minji treats Sora as her own child. Sora has a lot of love and admiration for her and always wishes her on mothers day

↬ Older Brother ;➵ Ryu So-jung

Status - Alive

Birthday - 16th April 1991

Occupation - A professor at a college

Contact name - Tolerable ?? / Little sister

Relationship - Growing up Sora and Ha-jun never really had a close relationship due to the age gap as well as the fact that he was always been busy with his own studies and friends and never really had time for Sora. They only started to get closer after Ha-jun and Nuri became serious. They are on good terms now and Sora tries to visit him and his family as often as possible.

↬ Sister in law ;➵ Park Nuri

Status - Alive

Birthday - 5th November 1991

Occupation - Owns a bakery

Contact name - Fav in the family / Absolute Favorite

Relationship - Sora loves Nuri , THey have a very sibling relationship where they go to cafes and talk about evrything in life , visit amusement parks , Ditch Hajun if he annoys them too much etc, Sora has mentioned how Nuri is litrally the only one in the family with a braincell. They both love and care for each-other . Sora absolutely loves whatever Nuri bakes and tries to promote her bakery whenever she can.

↬ Neice ;➵ Ryu Eun-ji

Status - Alive

Birthday - 24th May 2020

Contact name - N/A

Relationship - Sora absolutely adores her. She spoils Eun-mi so much and tries her hardest to be the best aunt on the planet for Eun-mi.

↬Family Pet ;➵ Ryu Daidai

Status - Alive

Birthday - 26th December 2012

Contact name - N/A

Relationship - Sora's first pet, She rescued him during her training period and her aunt took him in , His name 'DaiDai' Litrally means orange in Japanese. He is a little old now so Sora might have to say good-bye soon.

[lokiondisneyplus]

'Loki' takes over: Tom Hiddleston on his new TV series and a decade in the MCU

Ten years after Hiddleston first chose chaos in Thor, Marvel’s fan favorite God of Mischief is going even bigger with his time-bending Disney+ show.

Tom Hiddleston is Loki, and he is burdened with glorious purpose: After playing Thor's puckish brother for over a decade in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, no one understands the mercurial Asgardian God of Mischief as well as the actor. He can teach an entire seminar on Loki if given the opportunity — which he actually did during pre-production on his forthcoming Disney+ show. In conversation, Hiddleston quotes lines from his MCU debut, 2011's Thor, almost verbatim, and will playfully correct you if you mistakenly refer to Asgard's Rainbow Bridge as the Bifrost, which is the portal that connects Loki and Thor's homeworld to the Nine Realms, including Midgard, a.k.a. Earth. "Well, the Bifrost technically is the energy that runs through the bridge," he says with a smile. "But nine points to Gryffindor!" And when he shows up to the photo shoot for this very digital cover, he hops on a call with our photo editor to pitch ways the concept could be even more Loki, like incorporating the flourish the trickster does whenever magically conjuring something. The lasting impression is that playing Loki isn't just a paycheck.

"Rather than ownership, it's a sense of responsibility I feel to give my best every time and do the best I can because I feel so grateful to be a part of what Marvel Studios has created," the 40-year-old Brit tells EW over Zoom a few days after the shoot and a week out from Thor's 10th anniversary. "I just want to make sure I've honored that responsibility with the best that I can give and the most care and thought and energy."

After appearing in three Thor movies and three Avengers, Hiddleston is bringing that passion to his first solo Marvel project, Loki, the House of Ideas' third Disney+ series following the sitcom pastiche WandaVision and the topical The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Led by head writer Michael Waldron (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Heels), the six-episode drama sees Hiddleston's shapeshifting agent of chaos step out from behind his brother's shadow and into the spotlight for a timey-wimey, sci-fi adventure that aims to get to the bottom of who Loki really is. "I wanted to explore slightly more complex character questions," says Waldron. "It's not just good versus bad. Is anybody all good? Is anybody all bad? What makes a hero, a hero? A villain, a villain?"  

Even though Loki — who loves sowing mayhem with his illusion magic and shapeshifting, all with a major chip on his shoulder — has never been one for introspection, the idea of building an entire show around him was a no-brainer for Marvel. When asked why Loki was one of the studio's first Disney+ shows, Marvel president Kevin Feige replies matter-of-factly, "More Hiddleston, more Loki." First introduced as Thor's (Chris Hemsworth) envious brother in Kenneth Branagh's Thor, Loki went full Big Bad in 2012's The Avengers. That film cemented the impish rogue as one of the shared universe's fan favorites, thanks to Hiddleston's ability to make him deliciously villainous yet charismatic and, most importantly, empathetic. The character's popularity is one of the reasons he's managed to avoid death many times.

"He's been around for thousands of years. He had all sorts of adventures," says Feige. "Wanting to fill in the blanks and see much more of Loki's story [was] the initial desire [for the series]."

The Loki we meet on the show is not the one who fought the Avengers in 2012 and evolved into an antihero in Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok before meeting his demise at the hands of the mad titan Thanos (Josh Brolin) in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War. Instead, we'll be following a Loki from a branched timeline (a variant, if you will) after he stole the Tesseract following his thwarted New York invasion and escaped S.H.I.E.L.D. custody during the time heist featured in Avengers: Endgame. In other words, this Loki hasn't gone through any sort of redemption arc. He's still the charming yet petulant god who firmly believes he's destined to rule and has never gotten his due.

Premiering June 9, Loki begins with the Time Variance Authority — a bureaucratic organization tasked with safeguarding the proper flow of time — arresting the Loki Variant seen in Endgame because they want his help fixing all of the timeline problems he caused while on the run with the Tesseract. So there will be time travel, and a lot more of it than in Endgame. As Loki makes his way through his own procedural, he'll match wits with new characters including Owen Wilson's Agent Mobius, a brilliant TVA analyst, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw's Judge Renslayer. The question in early episodes is whether Loki will help them or take over.

"One of the things Kevin Feige led on was, 'I think we should find a way of exploring the parts of Loki that are independent of his relationship with Thor,' or see him in a duality or in relationship with others, which I thought was very exciting," says Hiddleston, who also serves as an executive producer on the show. "So the Odinson saga, that trilogy of films, still has its integrity, and we don't have to reopen it and retell it."

Yet, in order to understand where Loki is going, it's important to see where he came from.

Hiddleston can't believe how long he and Loki have been connected. "I've been playing this character for 11 years," he says. "Which is the first time I have said that sentence, I realize, and it [blows] my mind. I don't know what percentage that is exactly of my 40 years of being alive, but it's substantial."

His time as Loki actually goes a bit further back, to 2009 — a year after Robert Downey Jr. big banged the MCU into existence with Iron Man — when he auditioned for Thor. It's no secret that Hiddleston initially went in for the role of the titular God of Thunder, but Feige and director Kenneth Branagh thought his natural charm and flexibility as an actor made him better suited for the movie's damaged antagonist. "Tom gave you an impression that he could be ready for anything, performance-wise," says Branagh, who had previously worked with him on a West End revival of Checkov's Ivanov and the BBC series Wallander. "Tom has a wild imagination, so does Loki. He's got a mischievous sense of humor and he was ready to play. It felt like he had a star personality, but he was a team player."

Hiddleston fully immersed himself in the character. Outside of studying Loki's history in the Marvel Comics, he also researched how Loki and the Trickster God archetype appeared across mythology and different cultures. "He understood that he was already in something special [and] it was a special character in a special part of that early moment in the life of the Marvel universe where [he] also needed to step up in other ways," says Branagh, who was impressed by the emotional depth Hiddleston brought to the part, especially when it came to how isolated Loki felt in the Asgardian royal family.  

There was a lot riding on that first Thor feature. For one, no one knew if audiences would immediately latch onto a Shakespearean superhero movie partially set on an alien planet populated by the Norse Gods of legend. Second, it was integral to Feige's plans for the shared universe. Loki was supposed to be the main villain in The Avengers, which would not only mirror how Earth's mightiest heroes joined forces in 1963's Avengers #1 but also give Thor a believable reason for teaming up with Iron Man, Captain America (Chris Evans), and the rest of the capes. Feige first clued Hiddleston into those larger plans when the actor was in L.A. before Thor started shooting.

"I was like, 'Excuse me?' Because he was already three, four steps ahead," says Hiddleston. "That took me a few minutes to process, because I didn't quite realize how it just suddenly had a scope. And being cast as Loki, I realized, was a very significant moment for me in my life, and was going to remain. The creative journey was going to be so exciting."

Hiddleston relished the opportunity to go full villain in Avengers, like in the scene where Loki ordered a crowd to kneel before him outside a German opera house: "It's the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation," says the Machiavellian god. "The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel."

"I just knew that in the structure of that film, I had to lean into his role as a pure antagonist," Hiddleston recalls. "What I always found curious and complex about the way Loki is written in Avengers, is that his status as an antagonist comes from the same well of not belonging and being marginalized and isolated in the first Thor film. Loki now knows he has no place in Asgard."

Loki did find a place within the audience's hearts, though. Feige was "all in" on Hiddleston as his Loki from the beginning, but even he couldn't predict how much fans would love him. Feige recalls the reaction at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con: "Did we know that after he was the villain in two movies, he would be bringing thousands of people to their feet in Hall H, in costume, chanting his name? No, that was above and beyond the plan that we were hoping for and dreaming of." It was a dream Feige first got an inkling of a year earlier during the Avengers press tour when a Russian fan slipped past security, snuck into Mark Ruffalo's car, and asked the Hulk actor to give Hiddleston a piece of fan art she created. "That was one of the early signs there was much more happening with this quote-unquote villain."  

Despite that popularity, the plan was to kill Loki off in 2013's Thor: The Dark World, but the studio reversed course after test audiences refused to believe he actually died fighting the Dark Elves. Alas, he couldn't out-illusion death forever. After returning in Taika Waititi's colorful and idiosyncratic Thor: Ragnarok, Hiddleston's character perished for real in the opening moments of Infinity War. In typical Loki fashion, before Thanos crushed his windpipe, he delivered a defiant speech that indicated he'd finally made peace with the anger he felt toward his family.  

"It felt very, very final, and I thought, 'Okay, that's it. This is Loki's final bow and a conclusive end to the Odinson saga,'" says Hiddleston, who shot that well-earned death scene in 2017.  

But, though he didn't know it yet, the actor's MCU story was far from over.

Credit: Charlie Gray for EW

When Hiddleston returned to film two scenes in Avengers: Endgame in 2017, he had no idea where Loki portaled off to after snatching the Tesseract. "Where'd he go? When does he go? How does he get there? These are all questions I remember asking on the day, and then not being given any answers," Hiddleston recalls. To be fair, it's likely the Powers That Be didn't necessarily have answers then. While Feige can't exactly recall when the writers' room for Endgame first devised Loki's escape sequence, he does know that setting up a future show wasn't the primary goal — because a Loki series wasn't on the horizon just yet.

"[That scene] was really more of a wrinkle so that one of the missions that the Avengers went on in Endgame could get screwed up and not go well, which is what required Cap and Tony to go further back in time to the '70s," says Feige. Soon after that, though, former Disney CEO Bob Iger approached Feige about producing content for the studio's forthcoming streaming service. "I think the notion that we had left this hanging loose end with Loki gave us the in for what a Loki series could be. So by the time [Endgame] came out, we did know where it was going."

As for Hiddleston, he didn't find out about the plans for a Loki show until spring 2018, a few weeks before Infinity War hit theaters. "I probably should not have been surprised, but I was," says the actor. "But only because Infinity War had felt so final."

Nevertheless, Hiddleston was excited about returning for his show. He was eager to explore Loki's powers, especially the shapeshifting, and what it meant that this disruptive figure still managed to find a seat beside the gods in mythology. "I love this idea [of] Loki's chaotic energy somehow being something we need. Even though, for all sorts of reasons, you don't know whether you can trust him. You don't know whether he's going to betray you. You don't why he's doing what he's doing," says Hiddleston. "If he's shapeshifting so often, does he even know who he is? And is he even interested in understanding who he is? Underneath all those masks, underneath the charm and the wit, which is kind of a defense anyway, does Loki have an authentic self? Is he introspective enough or brave enough to find out? I think all of those ideas are all in the series — ideas about identity, ideas about self-knowledge, self-acceptance, and the difficulty of it."

“The series will explore Loki's powers in a way they have not yet been explored, which is very, very exciting.”

The thing that truly sold Hiddleston on the show was Marvel's decision to include the Time Variance Authority, a move he describes as "the best idea that anybody had pertaining to the series." Feige and Loki executive producer Stephen Broussard had hoped to find a place for the TVA — an organization that debuted in 1986's Thor #372 and has appeared in She-Hulk and Fantastic Four stories — in the MCU for years, but the right opportunity never presented itself until Loki came along. "Putting Loki into his own procedural series became the eureka moment for the show," says Feige.  

The TVA's perspective on time and reality also tied into the themes that Waldron, Loki's head writer, was hoping to explore. "Loki is a character that's always reckoning with his own identity, and the TVA, by virtue of what they do, is uniquely suited to hold up a mirror to Loki and make him really confront who he is and who he was supposed to be," says Waldron. Hiddleston adds: "[That] was very exciting because in the other films, there was always something about Loki that was very controlled. He seemed to know exactly what the cards in his hand were and how he was going to play them…. And Loki versus the TVA is Loki out of control immediately, and in an environment in which he's completely behind the pace, out of his comfort zone, destabilized, and acting out."

To truly dig into who Loki is, the creative team had to learn from the man who knows him best: Hiddleston. "I got him to do a thing called Loki School when we first started," says director Kate Herron. "I asked him to basically talk through his 10 years of the MCU — from costumes to stunts, to emotionally how he felt in each movie. It was fantastic."

Hiddleston got something out of the Loki school, too. Owen Wilson both attended the class and interviewed Hiddleston afterward so that he could better understand Loki, as his character Mobius is supposed to be an expert on him. During their conversation, Wilson pointedly asked Hiddleston what he loved about playing the character.

"And I said, 'I think it's because he has so much range,'" says Hiddleston. "I remember saying this to him: 'On the 88 keys on the piano, he can play the twinkly light keys at the top. He can keep it witty and light, and he's the God of Mischief, but he can also go down to the other side and play the heavy keys. And he can play some really profound chords down there, which are about grief and betrayal and loss and heartbreak and jealousy and pride.'" Hiddleston recalls Wilson being moved by the description: "He said, 'I think I might say that in the show.' And it was such a brilliant insight for me into how open Owen is as an artist and a performer.'"

Owen Wilson as Mobius and Tom Hiddleston as Loki in 'Loki.'| Credit: Chuck Zlotnick/Marvel Studios

Everyone involved is particularly excited for audiences to see Hiddleston and Wilson's on-screen chemistry. "Mobius is not unlike Owen Wilson in that he's sort of nonplussed by the MCU," says Feige. "[Loki] is used to getting a reaction out of people, whether it's his brother or his father, or the other Avengers. He likes to be very flamboyant and theatrical. Mobius doesn't give him the reaction he's looking for. That leads to a very unique relationship that Loki's not used to."

As for the rest of the series, we know that Loki will be jumping around time and reality, but the creative team isn't keen on revealing when and where. "Every episode, we tried to take inspiration from different things," says Waldron, citing Blade Runner's noir aesthetic as one example.

"Part of the fun of the multiverse and playing with time is seeing other versions of characters, and other versions of the titular character in particular," says Feige, who also declined to confirm if Loki ties into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and/or other upcoming projects.

Making Loki was especially meaningful to Hiddleston because they shot most of it during the pandemic, in late 2020. "It will remain one of the absolute most intense, most rewarding experiences of my life," he says. "It's a series about time, and the value of time, and what time is worth, and I suppose what the experience of being alive is worth. And I don't quite know yet, and maybe I don't have perspective on it, if all the thinking and the reflecting that we did during the lockdown ended up in the series. But in some way, it must have because everything we make is a snapshot of where we were in our lives at that time."

While it remains to be seen what the future holds for Loki beyond this initial season, Hiddleston isn't preparing to put the character to bed yet. "I'm open to everything," he says. "I have said goodbye to the character. I've said hello to the character. I said goodbye to the character [again]. I've learned not to make assumptions, I suppose. I'm just grateful that I'm still here, and there are still new roads to explore."

[deep-hearts-core]

2007 - final

originally published 7/18/20

Bosnia & Herzegovina It's very pretty. The staging is really nice to look at and Marija has a lovely voice. It doesn't evoke a whole lot in me emotionally, maybe because I just don't understand Bosnian, which is not necessarily a bad thing but when this song sounds and looks like it's trying to be emotional and I'm just not feeling it it does temper some of my enthusiasm. Spain Really energetic and catchy, and all the DNASH boys have good voices. The background with the "I <3 You" text background did strike me as kind of tacky, but like it's fine. It was 2007. What can you do. Ireland OOF. I hate the singer's voice here - it's not a particularly pleasant timbre, it's sort of nasal and she seems to be very flat much of the time. Nevertheless, this one is one of the more memorable numbers for me. I like the style of music and it just strikes me as a very happy, hopeful song, which is honestly what I need right now.

Finland I love it! You know I'm not a fan of harder rock, but this is just masterfully done. I love the staging and the camerawork and the composition, and Hanna has one of my favorite voices from this year's competition. Lithuania It's ok. I liked the simplicity of it, and I thought the staging was cool with the background musicians behind a screen and in shadow. The song itself is kind of boring, though. Greece I really like this song, it's a jam! The chorus is especially catchy but I like all of it. However, I feel like Sarbel was relatively low energy - like he wasn't even that low energy it's just this is a song where the performance needs REALLY high energy and idk I just don't think he was able to bring that. Sweden I like the song, but I'm a little confused by the styling. A quick Wikipedia search informs me that this is "glam rock", popularized by David Bowie and Elton John, which is fine. I don't have anything against David Bowie or Elton John. However, I really do not like these singers in their 2000s-style womens' clothing. Mostly because 2000s-style womens' clothing is ugly on everyone. France This is not very good. The first half of the chorus is the only thing I really like about the song. The styling is ugly and the vocals are poor, and much of the song isn't anything impressive. Russia Feels like we don't talk about this song enough. I mean, it placed third, but whenever I see people talk about 2007, it's always either Serbia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, or Finland... never Serebro! This isn't my favorite song of this year but it's still very good. I think Eurovision, in general, needs more girl bands.

Germany Roger Cicero steht ins Eurovisionskabarett! This man has truly drunk his share of respecting women juice... I'm really enjoying the song, his voice, and the 1920s-30s influences in the music and the staging. Enjoyable by all. Ukraine Like Molitva, I'm a little desensitized to this. As joke entries go, this is better than Ireland 2008... and better than some more serious songs like Turkey 2012 or Croatia 2017. But between the extreme camp of it all, the fact that it's a joke entry, and the sexual overtones, I just have a hard time liking it. United Kingdom This is not entirely unpleasant to listen to, if you're not listening too hard or looking at it. The sexual comments from two of the singers are A Lot for me, and I think the whole airplane concept is really just... not wise. Romania I'm enjoying their whole concept of "the same verse in six different languages and they just mix and match the words". It's cute, but it has that kids music feel... idk, some songs I can just clock as bad without listening all the way through, and when I saw the clip of this in the semi that's the vibe I got. It's okay. It's just not good. Armenia It sure is dramatic, and Hayko has a good voice (at least... I think...), but the song is a very generic ballad. I like the tree set piece. My top 42

Finland

Cyprus

Hungary

Bulgaria

Greece

Sweden

Serbia

Georgia

Netherlands

Norway

Germany

Iceland

Belarus

Latvia

Moldova

Russia

Spain

Romania

Israel

Ireland

Portugal

Switzerland

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Turkey

Ukraine

Austria

Poland

Slovenia

Albania

Lithuania

Czechia

North Macedonia

Denmark

Armenia

Montenegro

France

Andorra

Croatia

Belgium

Estonia

Malta

United Kingdom

Voting/intervals ...Santa Claus is not Finnish. Interesting to see that showing artists in the green room during the recap actually dates back to here and maybe even earlier... I wonder why that wasn't brought back until 2014/15? Why was the audience so mad at Svante Stockselius this year? They booed when he came onscreen and I'm 99% sure someone yelled "fuck you" from the audience while he was talking. Is there lore I missed? That voting was really close right up until the end - it looked like Ukraine could still win right up until Macedonia's vote, which was second-to-last. WILD. Thoughts after watching I love so much about this contest! Such a strong year in terms of song quality, I loved the hosts, and the stage design was awesome! I think it's definitely one of my favorite stages, up there with 2014. The visual design for the year was also really cool, not just for its time but in general.

[otnesse]

I've had to witness similar crap going on there as well, and with a user named Cyber-Sai (and I'm familiar with him from various Pokemon sites like SPPf, BMGf, and Pokecommunity. I think he's gone by the names CyberCubed, Scott85, Precita, and the like. Heck, witnessing his treatment of Misty fans during the AG days was part of the reason I joined the first two forums [my main home front being Pokecommunity].), where he basically bashes anyone who likes Misty and Pokeshipping, says she's dead, that the writers never liked the ship or even the character, chastises people for still being invested in a character who was gone for 20% of the entire show (that's rich, considering his shilling for May and Dawn who even including cameos got FAR less), and even implied the endless fillers in Johto were an excuse to get rid of her. Oh, and get this, he wasn't even a Serena fan, he if anything was a May fan (one who quite frankly stabbed his fellow Misty fans in the back in the process), and boy is he one of the WORST of them. You thought the XY-stans and Serena-stans were bad? He pretty much shilled for AG repeatedly, claimed it was the strongest team Ash ever had by that point while repeatedly trashing Johto (even though Johto at least had his team actually GIVING Ash a rank up, with or without his Kanto starters, and quite frankly, it's hard to buy Ash's Hoenn team being nearly as strong when said team not only failed to have Ash get a rank up during the Hoenn league, but ended up losing to Brandon TWICE [and their second bout had them faring even WORSE against him than the first, and Ash was possessed during the first fight]), and even claimed May and Dawn were miles more popular than Misty (despite all evidence to the contrary in May's case where she barely even gets cameos since DP, whereas Misty actually DID get referenced, even subtly in the case of XY regarding the Kasumi flowers in the background of the ending of XY). Even claimed AG "saved" the series when a good look at the actual ratings between series indicated that, if anything, AG was more likely to have inflicted long-term damage to the series that ultimately led to them being forced to retire Ash's character after one mistake too many. Oh, and whenever I try to set him straight, he basically acts all belligerent, claim I'm a full idiot and imply my autism is what makes me a full idiot (worse, my current spat with him was because he, COMPLETELY unprovoked by me BTW and if anything when I saw he was on there before then, I made absolutely NO attempt at even replying to him knowing our past history, proceeded to post a message basically saying I taught him how autism negatively affects a person, basically bashed me for my autism, even when I made absolutely NO attempt at even talking with him, much less attacking him). Heck, he even behaved the exact same way when I tried to give evidence against the common story of how Takeshi Shudo hated Pokeshipping and never wanted it canon (even though, if anything, his including a fairly blatant hint at Pokeshipping in his own novelization would imply it WAS in fact canon), even accusing me of derailing a comment thread which was ABOUT Pokeshipping in the first place. And for the record, I'm not even a supporter of Pokeshipping at all, and just wanted to set the record straight, yet he treated ME as if I mindlessly supported the ship.

I already left Serebii.net willingly, while I was banned from BMGf and Pokecommunity (and by that I mean permabanned), around 2012 and I think 2018. And yeah, there were a few people who were decent, at least TRIED to be reasonable in their statements.

This is why so-called FANS can’t be nice to other (REAL) fans

People were asking me why I don’t post Pokeshipping-stuff on deviantART anymore. This is why I don’t. I got bashed on liking what I like and people want to tell me my ship is crap and when I’m replying (=acting) in the same trolling way they flame me, they tell me I’d be a so, so bad and idiotic Pokeshipper, who is JEALOUS on other shippings/characters. Don’t you see how f*cking stupid you’re acting?! Do you read your own crappy words?! I’m so f*cking sick of this and I just want to punsh such trolls in the face. They say I’m trolling when I’m just get against their troll-attacks.

Isn’t that ironic? Well done, dA-users/so-called-”shippers”. You’re done to me, too. It’s NOT the PokeSHIPPERS or Pokeshipping itself, you have to go against, you’ve to BLAME YOURSELF. Get it!

[nctseren]

❝ For a long time, love was unattainable for her. She wrote, sang and dreamed about it, but she had never been truly in love.

The truth is that, and although she denies it, Kang Sohee is a hopeless romantic and she always has been. She often dreamed of meeting the right person and doing everything right so that love would last... and not fade like her parents' love.

However, love is strange and it does not come easy. She has learned that you can meet thousands of people and yet none of them will make you feel the things that you are supposed to feel.

She has also learned that you can mistake love. And as much as it hurts and breaks your soul, there are people you were born to love, and there are others you were not.

So, Seren doesn't have much experience in romance. And she's slowly learning that love and infatuation are two different things, that it doesn't have to hurt, that it should make you feel happy, and that you don't go looking for the right person, because eventually fate brings you together. ❞

⟶crush list

—WANG YONG

❝ I'm too shy to tell you how I feel.

So I'll hide behind timid smiles and soft hellos.

I'm afraid if I ask you: "what do you think of me? " your reply will be "I don't" ❞

duration of crush: 2014 — 2015

relationship: close friends, one side crush

current status: they haven't spoken in a long time but she still cares for him

their things: practicing together, sharing chocolates, him giving her books and then the next week sharing opinions about them, eating together all the time

playlist: kid in love by shawn mendes & u smile by justin bieber

Wang Yong came to SM Entertainment in late 2012 and Lee Taeyong quickly took care of him under his wing. He was quite a popular trainee, not only because of his looks, but also because of his great talent for dancing, despite his young age. He was to the younger ones what Kang Seulgi was to Sohee.

Wang Yong was a sweet guy, it was inevitable for girls not to have a crush on him, and anyone in his place would take advantage of it, but not him. He was focused on doing what he had to do: training hard. That's the reason why his only friends for a long time were only Taeyong and Hansol.

Kang Sohee (long before she was known as Seren) officially met him in late 2013, after watching him practice. They did not become friends right away, since it was not easy for him to open up to other people. However, when she became close to Taeyong, they inevitably had to become friends. And then they connected thanks to dancing, something they were both passionate about. They went from being acquaintances to partners who practiced together to friends. Then it was not only Wong Yong, Lee Taeyong and Ji Hansol, now it was also Kang Sohee.

2014 was a rough year for her, starting from the loss of her grandparents to learning that she was not going to debut with Red Velvet. It was the most difficult year for her in all that time locked up, but her friends were with her. And he didn't go unnoticed, no matter how hard he tried. He always carried an extra portion of food for her, left her books that he thought she would like and always pretended not to learn the choreography so that she could teach him and in that way distract her mind by doing what she likes the most.

It really wasn't difficult to like Wang Yong, he was sweet and a good boy. Soon she found herself thinking that she really liked the way he wrinkled his nose when he laughed, or how his eyes sparkled when someone complimented him and, most of all, the way he tilted his head when he was confused. And then every time he looked at her she felt something in her stomach (and no, she had thought the first time she felt it, it can't be diarrhea), her cheeks would blush and it was difficult for her to keep look at him.

He was her crush for a few months and suddenly their interactions were shy smiles and sharing chocolates. Until he was no longer making her feel like she was flying. He meant a lot to her because not only he was her first butterflies in her stomach, he was also one of her close friends and one of the most supportive.

Sometimes she still thinks about him, what is he doing? how is he doing? what it would have been like if he had debuted in NCT instead of her? SM Entertainment did not treat him well, apparently his voice was not good enough, in the future they had told him. All she knows is that he returned to his home in China, and all she hopes is that he's truly happy.

—MARK LEE

❝ There's a boy I like.

He smiles so bright and my heart can't take it.

There's a boy I like.

We both love the same things.

There's a boy I like.

I think about him all the time.

There's a boy I like.

He's my best friend. ❞

duration of crush: 2017 — early 2018

relationship: bandmates, best friends, crush

current status: bandmates, best friends, partners in crime

their things: holding hands, sharing songs, singing, rapping, dancing together, telling jokes, listening to music, trying to teach her basketball, teaching him to play futboll soccer, doing karaoke

playlist: the one that got away by katy perry & walk you home by nct dream & everything has changed by taylor swift & catching feelings by justin bieber & whenever you are by 5sos

For a long time, Mark was the closest thing to a best friend that she had. They practically grew up together (and are still growing). They wouldn't exactly tell each other everything, but they did trust each other. And every day, especially when they missed home, they would get together to tell their funniest childhood stories, and then listen to music for the rest of the time, enjoying each other's company.

Maybe that's what made her have feelings for him. Maybe it was the inside jokes, the laughs, the songs, maybe it was all together.

It was different, of course. It didn't feel at all like her first crush. No, it was definitely stronger, because they were Mark and Seren — everyone was talking about Mark and Seren: NCT's 99 line, best friends.

Liking Mark was a fresh feeling, no discomfort, no obvious blushes, no big butterflies either. No, liking Mark was being at peace. Being comfortable in his presence, hearing him sing, sharing smiles, doing mischief together, it all felt too good... almost like she was born for it.

And maybe she was born to love Mark, but in another life. Because on this one Mark Lee and Kang Sohee were just best friends. And although at nights she sometimes dreamed of his eyes, the same ones that hold thousands of stars, in the morning she reminded herself that nothing could change the friendship they had.

That's one of the reasons why she didn't do anything about it, that and because she didn't want to ruin all their efforts just for a crush.

It was difficult for her, because months passed and she kept thinking about him. Until eventually she stopped seeing him in a romantic way, his hugs stopped making her feel things (things you're not supposed to feel for a friend) and at night his eyes and laughter stopped appearing.

Now that time has passed, she realizes that staying best friends with him is a hundred times better than a possible relationship with him. And she prays, Oh, she prays that Mark Lee's future partner can love and appreciate him as much as he deserves... As much as she could have.

⟶dating list

—MOONBIN

❝ I enjoy our time together. And your laugh, your voice, your kisses. I enjoy you.

We may not be in love and that's okay for us.

Because what matters right now is that we're both having fun. ❞

public knowledge: private (only friends)

duration of relationship: march 2018 — april 2018

relationship: fling

current status: friends

their things: hanging out with friends, kisses, supporting each other, hugs

playlist: we are young by fun feat janelle monaé & locked out of heaven by bruno mars

They met at some awards and immediately they knew there was attraction, so they exchanged phone numbers and soon found themselves talking every single day.

They both knew what it was and what they wanted, to be young and have fun.

Those two months sometimes felt like an eternity, because they genuinely had a good time together. There was always fun, affection and, most importantly, sincerity.

They both knew it was meant to be over, so they enjoyed it.

Having fun with Moonbin felt like riding the drop tower: they weren't afraid of it, they just felt the adrenaline and fun you feel being up there in the air. But just as fast it goes up, it also goes down. And even though in the end you seem to want more, you know enough was enough.

—WOOSEOK

❝ I loved you as Icarus loved the sun — too close, too much. ❞

public knowledge: private for three months until their members found out

duration of relationship: july 2018 — january 2019

relationship: kind of dated, never really had a "tittle"

current status: acquaintances, they don't really talk anymore

their things: secret dates, midnight calls, back hugs, kisses

playlist: sweet creature by harry styles & the scientist by coldplay & the end of love by florence + the machine & it will rain by bruno mars

Kang Sohee and Jung Wooseok were never in love, but they might as well have been.

They met in mid-2018 thanks to a close friend, and the physical attraction was so immense that without thinking they both decided to give it a try. It was all very fast, but the result had been good. They were something, no tittle, yet they didn't care because they were okay with that.

Their relationship was like trying a new dish, they didn't know what to expect: they didn't know if it would be sweet or salty, everything was so different. But they had liked it. They spent a good time together, sometimes hiding from their members, it was a little secret that only the two of them knew.

They loved what they had. Midnight calls, secret dates, just sneaking around their members backs like that. It was exciting and fun. They were young people enjoying themselves.

Until it became real. Too real.

Suddenly they weren't just missing each other's presence, but they craved for their touch and kisses.

It was almost like an obsession. Every time they were together they felt intoxicated. They needed more, they wanted more.

And that wasn't healthy nor they where ready for that.

So, because they cared about each other, they put a stop to it. God knows that if they had stayed together, they would have burned.

—THE8

❝ The Ego asked:

'What is Love? It's too big of a word for me. I don't understand it at times.'

The Soul replied:

'If you understand Kindness

If you understand Respect

If you understand Acceptance

Then you will understand Love.' ❞

public knowledge: private (only members and close friends)

duration of relationship: december 2019 — present

relationship: acquaintances to friends to lovers

current status: in love, best friends

their things: nose, forehead and cheek kisses, showing her his art, painting together, taking pictures, listening to music, dedicating songs, slow dancing, hype man! hype woman!, writing songs about each other, domestic dates

playlist: love someone by lukas graham & ily by the rose & common by zayn & have you ever been in love? by the ivy & love somebody like you by joan & sunday morning by maroon 5 & natural by zayn

Falling for Xu Minghao was like breathing, so natural, so effortless, without realizing it.

They met in 2018 and for a year they were just acquaintances: their bandmate's friend. There were few interactions, maybe greetings and a few smiles. But when she has a very persistent Boo Seungkwan as her best friend, it was only a matter of time before she eventually became friends with the rest of them.

Being friends with Minghao is yellow, like observing the sunset. It's relaxing, enthusiastic, supportive, positivity, happiness...

It was an unexpected friendship but suddenly they were sharing songs, painting together and hanging out a lot more than with their original friends. Soft laughs, little jokes, looks full of adoration — it was so obvious that there was something there, they could feel it and everyone could see it. And still it took almost a year for them to take the risk. Was it really mutual or were they just imagining it?

He was the first to take the step, because even if it was all in his head at least he would be at peace knowing that he tried and didn't just let her go.

It was silly, really, how much they wanted to be together and how much they doubted.

Loving Minghao is comforting, honest, understanding, compassion, teamwork, sometimes overwhelming, and a new feeling that completely scares her because she has never been in love or in a serious relationship, yet she is sure of one thing: discovering those feelings with him was her best decision.