#maybe this is what happens when local government figures are chosen because they can battle the best and nothing else

[twig---verginix]

I need to read the early chapters of pokespe again... especially the Yellow chapter. RS understands the League as a sort of quasi-government, an organization that works collaboratively for the betterment of the region in times of crisis... but if I'm thinking about Kanto and trying to apply that same structure to them, half those fuckers were straight up EVIL. They were CAUSING the crises. I'm thinking from the perspective of, like, Misty. Or Blaine. Did they have to have meetings around a big table with all the gym leaders? Do the Rocket-affiliated leaders try to hide their intentions, or are the sinister vibes just completely out in the open? Does Blaine have to keep a straight face after his dramatic departure from Team Rocket knowing he's gonna have to see three of those assholes at Other Work in the morning. And I KNOWWW Giovanni did not come to the office parties did Brock like even know him?? Have they met?? AND THEN THE ELITE FOUR?? DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE ELITE FOUR. WHY WAS THE KANTO LEAGUE SO INSANE. Misty is like TWELVE.

[aboutlouishofmann]

White Lies Magazine Interview with Louis Hofmann

How long are you in England for? I'm currently staying for six weeks, but I've already been here for five and a half so I'm only here for a couple more days before heading back to Germany for rehearsals for my next film.

Really, or did they kick you out because of Brexit ? 

No they didn't (laughs) - and luckily there are no real changes until December so I can get in and out without a problem. I'm not exactly sure what will change for Germans anyway, if there are new regulations or if it will be the same in terms of travelling. It's gonna be really crappy for basically everyone leaving the UK - if you consider that someone who has a band for example and plays a tour around Europe will need to pay or be passport-controlled with their equipment every time they cross borders. It might not matter for a big band like Coldplay but small bands will have a lot of trouble with that.

Actually Coldplay has suspended their tours until they can find a way to make them sustainable.

I know and I think that is amazing! 

How are you with environmentalism, are you active? 

I wish I was more active to be honest, because I have a platform on Instagram which I could use a bit more - I'm just always quite scared when it comes to posting because I know that so many people then talk about it and judge me for what I have posted. l don't have an issue with taking a political side on an I think fairly easy topic to take sides on when it comes to the environment. But then again it's this general thing of posting something and l know 400.000 people will look at it or make up their mind about it - have an opinion and voice it. It's just something that scares me, so that is holding me back a bit but I'm trying a bit more. 

Understood. But isn't it the same with doing a movie or starring in a TV series, you put it out there and everyone is going to judge you ? Even more people than just your followers as a matter of fact.

Of course. But that's my job. That's what I love to do, that's what I've chosen to do. I have not chosen to be someone who is followed by 400.000 people on Instagram, that sort of just happened. 

It's a side effect. 

It is and I am grateful for it but it also scares me (laughs). 

That makes sense. But do you even realise how famous you are? I remember I walked into someone's house in Korea last year and they were watching "Dark" that very moment, all fans of yours. 

I don't think I get it. No, I don't quite get it. When I talk to casting directors about my value on the English language market they will eventually tell me that it's not as profound as they want it to be to play a main role in an English language feature film. You have to separate between being known from something and being so known for quality that you have international value - having sort of a critical acclaim and value in different countries. I don't think I'm there yet and would only consider myself famous, which is already weird to discuss and acknowledge out loud. For now, to be fair, I'm just the guy from "Dark". 

It did reach a bit of an iconic status though, also your character. Everyone is going to remember you for that yellow raincoat.

I hope they won't only remember me for only that (laughs). 

Do you wear a yellow raincoat in private ?

No, there is no opportunity for me anymore to wear a yellow raincoat. It's not possible. But let's get back once more to environmentalism. One thing is stating your opinion on social media but the other thing is when it comes to acting myself, to change my daily life to help the environment. I would say I'm quite conscious about it and avoid flying and consuming local produce. Focus on quality and try to not waste products. 

Who is inspiring you?

Leonardo Dicaprio for example. But I don't know if he necessarily acts himself that way, but he does something about speaking out about it - using his figure and position as an activist to talk about it. I quite like that.

He is doing one thing I could personally not do however. Speaking out for something and then doing the opposite in his private life. And that judgement is what I'm afraid of. I'm afraid of getting perceived as a hypocrite. But then again being perceived as that in terms of climate change doesn't really help because it needs to be spoken about and maybe you do not do as much as you talk about it. But at least you raise awareness and take even just a small part.

I absolutely agree. I think we need to re-think that whole concept of hypocrisy in this thing because if he reaches a couple of million people and they are changing something about it - even if he is doing the opposite - he is still doing a lot of good with it. Even though he is a hypocrite I think we need to redefine what it means - at the end of the day we will all be hypocrites because no one is really going to be able to live completely sustainably, we can't think in those absolute terms too much. Everyone needs to start with one thing - picking their battles. Focus on plastic for example, we may get better at disposing of it while still being bad in terms of traveling for example, but that is okay, we can only do one thing at a time. 

Don't you think it's crazy that in relation to something like the coronavirus pandemic, pressing and tangible as it affects us now - everybody is afraid, everyone acts, the government acts and everyone is doing their part. Then there is climate change which is more intangible because it's still far away and people don't really care about it - I think this is a problem. Why only act about something that only affects yourself? It's quite selfish and stands for a lot more than only this. 

That's it. We went really deep pretty quick didn't we? The most pressing question however is - how often do you cry watching movies ? 

I do like to cry when I watch films, because I think I'm quite empathetic so I can relate to the characters a lot. I don't often do it but I really do not mind - it means I'm involved in the story. I like crying in movies. Therefore I know it has touched me somehow.

I have a weird relationship to crying in movies, I like doing it but there is a certain place where I cry much more easily - on planes. It's quite strange actually but I get very emotional when I'm up in the air.

That's good, I guess? Have you seen the film "Click"? It's not the greatest film out there, it's with Adam Sandler. But there is a scene in the end where he (spoiler alert) dies. There is a remote with which he can forward his life and he fasts forward to the moment when he dies. It's very dramatic, tragic - almost pathetic and still I started crying because I imagined that happening to me and felt so sad (laughs). 

This is going to be the headline: Louis Hofmann, the guy who cries at Adam Sandler movies.

I can imagine you being the guy who would make a head- line like this. 

Have you ever died in a movie?

[START OF SPOILER]

Yes, I've died in "Alone in Berlin" and also in "Prélude", where my character hangs himself in the end. 

How was that for you?

I was not very attached to myself at that moment. I mean eventually it gets cut out. So the moment I actually die they cut off and it turns black. I still enacted the scenes but it was weird, it was more of a physical thing than an emotional one when I acted it. It's just sometimes with very physical scenes - the dynamic approach and action can be so mentally and intellectually exhausting that there is not much room left for emotional attachment. It didn't feel I was dying myself. It did hurt though, I had the rope around my neck.

[END OF SPOILER]

Good one. Do you believe in fairytales?

No I don't. But I do like "Bojack Horseman" though because it seems so dumb first but turns so philosophical. 

In general, what is happiness to you?

I don't know what it means to me but I know when l feel happy - that's when I'm grounded, when I'm self-assured and when I feel like I'm really being myself. When I reach that state I feel happiness. Sharing that happiness with someone is what's most important. Happiness is truly being yourself.

Very profound answer. How is your work- life balance, are you always working?

I think it's quite okay. The only thing I kind of need to improve is that - when I work I work 100% and I tend to think about the year in little phases. I work then I'm free, then I work then I'm free. And I always only take really care of myself in the times when I have spare time. When I work my health and my hobbies - I just do not look at that. It's all about the work. I want to get somewhere where I can balance those things better.

The thing I really wanted to touch base with you on was the future of movies. We are talking about technology, virtual reality, 3D. Would you like to do some work in 3D?

I would only like to do something in 3D if the new technology elevates the film to another level and makes sense story-wise. I'm not a fan of it only if it looks good. If it helps the story to evolve into something bigger then it's okay. I'm an admirer of that old cinema look, of that really organic taste of a film. I don't know if I would like to act in a VR film. What I don't like about new technologies is that the acting itself and the characters and craft are kind-of left behind. In the foreground it's only the technique, the focus is too much on the visual aspects rather than the screencraft.

I totally understand what you're saying - but if you think about it this way now - people probably said the same thing about colour films in times of black/white films because colours took away the attention from the acting. I think it's about what we are used to. If we say in a couple of years it's normal to consume everything in 3D and VR, do we still think about that?

I mean it surely is incredible what they have achieved and still continue to achieve with 3D and VR. Remarkable how they portray an illusion and tell a story in such a unique and involving way. I'm just always afraid that if you want to tell a character based story with that technique, the characters and the acting will be left behind due to the sheer amount of attention the technical stuff needs from the cast and the team. But of course it's fascinating and intriguing. And since we sort of got used to seeing films in 3D, maybe that's also gonna happen to VR.

How do you think we will consume movies and series in 20 years or how does acting actually change? Looking at "Death Stranding", a video game by Hideo Koji-ma that stars an impressive cast with Mads Mikkelsen, Lea Seydoux and Norman Reedus, to name but a few. They are in this game as actors through 3D scanning. Imagine this fast-forwarded 20 years.

I really hope that traditional acting doesn't die. I don't know - in 30 years I'll probably think differently but right now I think you can not replace something natural with something computer-generated. If the technology evolves, maybe it will be possible.

Anyway, how does it feel like to see yourself in a sex scene?

(laughs) I've always said I separate myself from the character when I watch my films. It's the character who gets naked and has sex, it's not me. It's just when you are around people who you know personally, it might get awkward, for example with my mom. You just have to evaluate if nudity and sex is necessary for the story and the character - if it is, it's not tough to watch.

It's a powerful meditation on how to detach yourself from something, isn't it?

For sure, it doesn't always work though.

[theapanes]

Reality vs New Normal

By Thea Panes

Earlier today, a famous public figure tweeted how much she hates this year – “really, really hate” is to quote verbatim. Some of her followers wondered what triggered her to using such intense expression of her feelings. Can anyone really blame her?

Each of us may be left in solitary reunion with Webster or Thesaurus and we will all have our different choice of words to describe the first half of the year 2020 that was. In retrospect, at exactly the same time last year, all of us were living as we think we should. At that time, my mind was literally in pendulum between a challenging project at work and on the personal front, wedding preparations. No one knew that a global pandemic was going to shift “our normal” to what has become reason for fear, anxiety, yes even hatred for some. No one had an idea that we would be deprived of hugs from family members and friends for months. I am absolutely certain that if we had at least any form of warning, people would have lived 2019 differently. A lot of us would have then reprioritized our needs (over wants). Unfortunately, no one has privilege to reversal and here we are today, trying to live with impositions of what we deem call as unprecedented times.

On the corporate side of the fence, I personally think those who are in C-jobs are dealing with the most unimaginable task of making decisions for both welfare of employees and future of a company. Those decisions we get to read about online, favorably so or otherwise, are stripped off from awareness on the difficulty to arrive at those same decisions. Whether they involved furloughs or retention will have more meaning months from now, perhaps even a year or so, when fate of companies continue to unfold globally and as a result of business volume plummeting to levels we never thought we would see in this lifetime. These decisions made by Executives define the company – or what’s left of it by end of this pandemic. While we kept asking and wondering why one decision led to something catastrophic, we can’t help but realize, in matter of a month, the domino effect seemed to have bloated the crisis with global brands folding up, declaring closures and even store or shop reductions to move to either online or “pick-up” and delivery platforms. Virtualization is killing a lot of jobs but it is the safest route to continuing some amount of business vs compromising more human lives. This is when we start to hear an earworm of a phrase, “new normal” as how majority calls it. Executive leaders are trying to tide everyone over to that new reality – regardless of whether decisions made were unpopular or not. When we get the chance to wear those exact shoes, we are only humbled by hope that we will learn from this and do better. No one has been in a pandemic of this magnitude before. It takes seconds to realize, no one has the map or a playbook to get through one. These people are leading and learning at the same time. Respect is important – at least for the courage that these leaders put together when they were unwillingly forced to make those decisions public that likewise made them take their identities to centerstage and morph to easy targets of judgment. Empathy doesn’t go one way horizontally. We need to exercise it in all directions and understand the aerial support we continue to get with some amount of vertical clearance. It would not have been called a crisis, if it were easy. They are also humans like the rest of us – trying to survive while thinking of ways to let others do the same.

On a rather personal side, I continue to challenge myself thinking there is “no new normal.” That “normal” by definition will continue to change and evolve. It would have varying dimensions to survival. Or so I think. This is where my other perspective comes in – prepare for “new reality” not “new normal.” What we had last year was real. What we are currently being plagued with is real. What we will face next year is also real. I do not want to get stuck to an idea or a perception of what that “new normal” will be. I just believe there is the reality of “now.” I have been entertained by emerging “raw talents” or coping mechanism of people that somehow brought respite from incessant negative news and unpromising decline of positive Covid cases as days go by. A lot of people realized they could bake, cook, paint, even coach for nutrition or help other friends through empathic conversations. People finally had time to withdraw from “the usual” to discover and unleash the “potential.” I take a lot of comfort in that – and quietly celebrate in my own little way as I watch Instagram feed of people who try to just “live another day.” I have chosen not to post my usual and trivial stuff for obvious sensitivity to different challenges of people around the globe. As much as I want to share a nice dish that I cooked for my husband, there are people who do not have anything to eat. As much as I want to share photos of past travels, there are millions of us cooped up at home and unable to do a simple haircut errand because of lockdown. Maybe it’s just me – but I most of all cannot stand people who continue to post OOTDs or endorsements by influencers especially during a time when people are struggling to survive. Again, this is just me and don’t get me wrong, I have not lost my personal appetite for social media (although not a frequent visitor of FB lately). It's the same reason I paused my youtube and vlogging. I just sincerely worry as to how an innocent post can aggravate what someone else is going through at the moment. I do admire and applaud the reality of people helping behind limelight, or any sense of public display of their intentions but continue to help anyway. That’s the kind that doesn’t need an audience because the purity and nobility of reasoning is unscathed by public eye. However, there are public servants, government officials who are then required to account for local government funds and hence they need to publicize; or showbiz personalities who also need to account for donated goods out of their own endorsements. Their “normal” is different from ours. Help, where it is precipitated to counter every pensive sense of hopelessness or desperation is welcome especially during this time – but let us not use it to promote personal agenda. This is reality, not a “reality show.”

Remember all those years when we weren’t doing what we are doing today. There is always that connection between past and present. What brought us here? What led to our current predicament? History has a way of defining future reality and while we still have that chance, we need to arm ourselves with “a bank of goodness” so we have enough stock of it during a different reality. At least, it’s the lesson I personally learned from this episode.

If you are hating, I hope you are soon overwhelmed by love around you.

If you are unwell, I wish you restoration to good health.

If you are in doubt, I pray that faith finds you.

If you are experiencing emotional, financial, professional unrest, I hope you find serenity in prayer.

If you are searching for meaning, I hope you get fulfillment in giving.

If today isn’t working for you, I hope tomorrow pleasantly surprises you.

If you are hurting, I pray that you heal.

This is an opportune time to find joy in the simplest of things; to rediscover what we value the most and to see life in its most precious form as the threat of Covid continues to put so many at risk.

Nothing about our current situation is normal so we can’t expect everything and everyone to be the same. However, it is our new reality. No one wants this to be our “new normal.”

We all have a right to a much better reality if we all work towards creating instead an epidemic of goodness where we don’t get to choose recipients, where all skin colors are brothers and sisters, let-alone gender-unbiased.

Our chance for survival is a personal responsibility. I have taken this bolder mantra because it doesn’t allow room for blame - but it requires FAITH. Where the latter is involved, trust that it always turns out to be a better story, regardless of any branded new normal, or reality.

We all have surpassed so many battles in our lives. This too, will end – and His timing will be unquestionably perfect. Sooner than soon, I fervently hope that we find ourselves wising up to say, “THIS” is why “THAT” happened – a reality that will perhaps help us reunite with a grateful heart.