#mostly because it’s pretty described in the captions already I feel like!

[archersartcorner]

Mentioned posting a WIP so here we go! It’s a Six at the Sierra Madre piece

First was this concept sketch I doodled in MSPaint when I should’ve been doing lab work lmao. I listened to Begin Again for the first time and it gave me the visual of Six kneeling at the central fountain in the Villa, resting his head against the fountain head as he listened to the old hologram of Vera singing. Drew this so I wouldn’t forget.

I took the initial MSPaint sketch and moved it onto a layer in Procreate. I sketched this out to play with the perspective, landing on wanting something birds-eye-esque. I didn’t get the perspective quite right wrt Six’s placement on the fountain, but I did note that I wanted him to be hugging the edge of the fountain, even if that didn’t correlate to its canon size, because I wanted the imagery of being held in a cradle.

I went and found a few free pose websites and played around with the base dolls until I got something that fit the perspective and the body wasn’t clipping at weird points. Did a trace over of Six and it all looked good, resketched the fountain, felt good about it, but felt like I could add more.

So I added in these two panels, thinking of the last two notes in the song. There’s a finality to it that I like that I wanted to mimic.

And that’s it! Just gotta actually take the sketch and make the piece over it. I wish I still had a working tablet, I can only do so much on my phone with my fat fucking fingers & Procreate 😭

[originalleftist]

Even though the frenzy has mostly died down, and public opinion has shifted somewhat, Amber Heard's image remains poisoned by the trials and the associated hate campaign against her.

Just as an example, I typed "amber heard" into the search bar on Youtube. Here, in order, are the top 14 prompts it gave me:

amber heard

amber heard kate moss

amber heard johnny depp

amber heard my dog stepped on a bee

amber heard cross examination

amber heard interview

amber heard now

amber heard mentions kate moss

amber heard kiss

amber heard testimony

amber heard aquaman 2

amber heard lawyer gets owned

amber heard trial

amber heard johnny depp funny moments

See the problem? 14 prompts, and of those, 9 directly reference her abuser, the abuse, or the trial, and 3 of those are overtly derogatory/demeaning to her or her legal team.

A grand total of ONE references her work as an actor, in 11th place on the list, and then only her most recent film.

Actually search "amber heard" and view the search results, and it's even worse. Of the videos (not counting shorts) that come up, 6 of the top 10 are, just by glancing at the thumbnail/caption, overtly hostile and derogatory to her/her legal team, 3 pretty clearly are (ie using photos of her chosen to appear ugly or hostile, asserting that Aquaman 2 "failed"), and the last one appears to be an SNL skit about the Virginia trial. Of the shorts, 2 or 3 out of the first 8 visible are overtly negative, and at least 6 reference the trial or other scandals/controversies.

Granted most places I've seen aren't as bad as Youtube, Youtube is the absolute bottom of the barrel for hate content on social media, a recent study by the Anti-Defamation League actually found it was the worst offender for monetizing hate over Facebook and Musk's Twitter. But still.

If you are a random person who searches her name on Youtube, nearly everything you see about her will be about the Virginia trial or related controversy, most of it overtly demeaning/vilifying her. You have to actively look to find anything positive about her or her work or any other aspect of her life, and even then, you WILL have to trawl through a lot of MRA/Alt. Reich-ish content designed to illicit feelings of hatred, disgust, and contempt toward her, and often toward women and abuse survivors generally. If you are someone who didn't follow the trial, or a young person in a few years who was too young to remember it, and you look her name up, these are the first things you'll likely see, and your first impression of her. Everything else about her life- her dozens of film and television roles, her other relationships, her extensive activism and charitable work, is obscured. And any future work that she does will likely be difficult to promote, because it'll get quickly buried in all this shit (I am reminded of Steven Bannon's infamous remark describing his media tactics, "flood the zone with shit", and much of the hate campaign against Heard is very much in his style). And that will follow her for years- to some extent, probably, forever.

And somehow, that's not the saddest part about all of this. The saddest part is that she has a young daughter who, if not already, will soon be old enough to go on social media, or talk to people who have, and find out exactly what much of the world says about her mother, and by association her. Lovely.

And to be honest I feel guilty even posting about it any more, because even by posting about it to call it out, I'm still contributing to the fact that so much of the content on social media about her is about the abuse and trial, that that's still defining how her whole life is perceived, and I know that, and I know that she probably doesn't want to be defined by that forever. Which is part of why I've tried to consciously shift in recent months to posting more about the rest of her life and work, and less about the trials and the witch-hunt.

But sometimes I do still feel the urge to point at this shit and say "What the fuck?"

[askthefuturegleeks]

@vpsuesylvester posted:

(a video clip filmed by Becky Jackson, assistant to the VP, with the caption below on all social media platforms)

The #VPSUECHALLENGE continues. Did you think it wouldn’t? You’ll recall that I asked you to answer a question last time, and the question was pretty vague; in fact, it was so vague that I only used one word to describe it, like some kind of poorly (but equal to his working skills) paid Spanish teacher turned glee club coach. *I say this hypothetically, any likeness to any real individual is strictly coincidental, for legal reasons. 

I did that on purpose, it was meant to draw up the nostalgic feeling of trying to decipher what someone you idolize wants from you after being given one word as a theme to push you in the right direction. The VP Sue Challenge will continue every week from now on with a new, mostly singularly worded theme, and your participation will come in the form of social media posts that show off your artsy skills and talents. You can also use these themes as inspiration for sending anonymous messages to others-- though let’s be real, most of you will use it to send anonymous messages to yourself instead to make it look like people find you interesting. 

With that, I’m proud to announce the first better than glee club Sue Challenge theme: Throwback To The Future. To participate in this theme, you will choose an older song and a newer song to represent your older self and your present self. The older song doesn’t have to represent your older self, the newer song doesn’t have to represent your present self, you just need all four components in a mash-up. 

ooc: To participate, you can post two different songs and say that they were put together in a mash-up or you can pick an existing mash-up edit that’s out there; preferably not one that’s already been done on Glee since all of those past performances are canon here, which is why I am trying not to reuse any old performances to say they’re new, except for at the music festival where they reprised an old group number they did because that made more sense than having them learn a whole new song, with some of them being adults that haven’t performed since high school. OOC, you can go as far with this as you want, including duets if your character feels like their past or present needs to be sung with someone else, or putting the lyrics on your post to show which lyrics from each song were used. You can explain your choices, or don’t. IC, you can have your character plan out a video performance, say they recorded just audio, or anything in between. The only real requirement is that your character posts their participation in this challenge on social media and uses the #vpsuechallenge hashtag system.

[amandabe11man]

all of them

yoOOO New Tumblr™ didn’t notify me of this ask for some reason, so sorry.... anyWAY--

Animated character that was your gay awakening? Does Undyne count even though she’s from a game...?

Grilled cheese or PB&J? I’ve had neither, but grilled cheese sounds much tastier, so I’ll go with that

What show/YouTube video(s) do you put on in the background when you when you don’t have anything to watch but you want something on? Creepypasta-narrations

Your go-to bar order, if you drink? I don’t really drink but I MIGHT if the drink barely tastes of alcohol. So...smth sweet. Or a Mojito... Those are okay

What’s your favorite pair of shoes that you own? My Dr. Martens-shoes that I haven’t taken proper care of so now the leather is cracked.. :I

Top three cuisines? - Fried noodles and such things - My mom’s chicken pie - Lövbiff

What was your first word as a child (that wasn’t a variation of “Mom” or “Dad”)? I don’t think I’ve ever asked my parents about that, actually, so idk. But I DO have a funny story from when I was really small (but still able to form words), and the grown-ups were watching TV or smth and one of them asked me “hey Amanda, what’s the name of the prime minister?” to jokingly test my skills, and i actually answered “göran persson” in my toddler-voice (AND it was the right answer!)

What’s a job that you’ve had that people might be surprised to find out you’ve had? I’ve barely had any actual employment, but I suppose that me working at a tech company last year (I illustrated stuff and other things) would be kinda surprising, considering how I’m not a fan of new tech?

Look up. What’s directly across from you? An empty cookie jar

Do you own any signed books/memorabilia in general? I have managed to gather up some autographs on paper, but one signed BOOK I have is from when I was little, and our family apparently met with Ilon Wikland (an illustrator, mostly famous for her illustrations in Astrid Lindgren-books). me and my brother got a different book each (ones that she had both illustrated) and she signed them for us. I used to love just looking at her illustrations and take in the atmosphere of them. Her art was prolly my first major source of inspiration, even.

Preferred way to spend a rainy day? Stay inside and enjoy the fact that it’s raining. But I also love to take walks when it rains

What do you get on your bagels? What WOULD you get if you had access to anything you wanted? Ummm-- melted cheese, if you’re thinking of the same kinda bagels I’m thinking of

Brunch or midnight snacks? Brunch

Favorite mug you own One that has little drawings of tea-related puns on it

What coffee drink would you describe yourself as? I don’t drink coffee so I rly couldn’t tell you, omf

Pick a song lyric to describe your current mood (and drop the name and artist!) Not sure what my mood is, but Bob Dylan’s “The times they are a-changin’” is stuck in my head, so

Fruity or herbal teas? Herbal

What’s that one TV show that you’re a little bit embarrassed to watch but you still like nonetheless? I don’t watch it anymore, but it Vampire Diaries used to be one of those guilty pleasure-shows, lol

That book you were forced to read for class but actually ended up enjoying? Of Mice and Men. And then we watched the movie too, AS IF I HADN’T ALREADY CRIED ENOUGH?!

Do you match your socks? yeUs

Have you ever been horseback riding? yEus

What was your “phase” when you were younger? (i.e., Mythology Nerd, Horse Girl, Space Geek, etc) Most of my phases haven’t really been phases at all, because I’m still into most of those things. I guess my true crime-thing was KINDA a phase, in that I don’t really have the hots for you know.....any of those guys >-->

Have you ever been to jail? Nah

What’s your opinion on Lazy Susan’s (the spinning tray in the middle of tables)? They’re nice furniture to have when playing ACNL

Puzzles? If they’re on easy-mode, lmao

You can only have one juice for the rest of your life, what is it? Bravo’s orange juice

What section do you immediately head for when you walk into a bookstore? The horror section, if the store has one

What’s one thing you’re trying to learn/relearn in your downtime right now? Trying to relearn anatomy, and I’m also trying to learn how to draw Rutger Hauer (still) and play a song on the harmonica

Who’s your go-to musical artist when you’re feeling upbeat? Anything I like goes tbh? But I must say, there’s nothing like dancing it off to some E-Type

Where could someone find you in a museum? At a miniature-display or smth

What’s that one outfit in your closet you never get the chance to wear but want to? My thigh-high socks....

Rainbows, stars, or sunset colored clouds? hMMMMM-- the sunset-colored clouds

If you could own any non-traditional pet (dogs, cats, fish, rodents, etc), what would it be? I’m happy with my rabbits, but idk- maybe a chinchilla too?

Do you have more art on your walls or more photographs? Neither. I’m kinda bad at wall-decorating..

You have to get one meme tattooed on your body, what meme is it and where does it go? “Vem vare som kasta?” tattooed on my chest

Pick a superhero sidekick to hang out with Wolverine, idk

Lakes, rivers, or oceans? All bodies of water are Noice but dat ocean tho

Favorite mid-2000s song? (we’re still IN the same century js) “Temperature” by Sean Paul, I guess??

How do you dress when you’re home alone? Like I normally would tbh

Where do you sit in the living room (we all have a preferred spot, and you know it)? Either on the couch or by the table IN the living room

Knives or swords? hmmmmM.... Swords

A song you didn’t think you’d enjoy but ended up loving “You Make Me” - Avicii

Pick an old-school Disney Channel Original Movie I haven’t seen any of those, but uh... Northern Lights?

Are you a “Quote that relates to the photos” caption-er, an “explanation of where I took the photos” caption-er, or a no caption kinda person when you post pictures online? I prefer captions, yes

Name a classic Vine I’M ABOVE SUCH THINGS (idk if this was a vine video but you’re welcome anyway)

What’s the freezer food that you stock up on when you go to the grocery store? Ice cream...

How do you top your ice cream? I don’t really do that a lot, unless it’s plain vanilla ice cream. In that case: CHOCOLATE SAUCE MFS

Do you like Jello? I might? I don’t think we have it in Sweden tho

What’s something that you don’t have a picture of that you wish you did? Me meeting Rutger Hauer IRL. (if I actually DID meet him, that is)

How are you at climbing trees? Pretty good until I get tOO high up

[diningpageantry]

We Are Far Too Young and Clever

Archive Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20327977/chapters/48197671

Chapter 1/6 of We Are Far Too Young And Clever

Word Count: 3,068

Summary: Youtube's a buzzing, content-creating platform, where people from all walks of life can create and share. Simon Snow and Baz Pitch are on a rise at two very different angle, but by the coincidence of shared people, they clash and come together at all the right (and wrong) times.

~~~~~~~~~~

SIMON

I don’t really remember how it started.

Well, that’s a lie. I remember starting it. I remember setting up my mobile, using a mirror to make sure it was at the right angle (using random little things like Penny’s tiny bottles of face cleansers and such to keep it propped, despite them continuously slipping). I remember it being half past 3 in the morning on a Thursday right before a final. I wasn’t studying. I can’t study--I can’t make myself study, I should say. Never could. And, I remember laying out craft scissors, glitter glue tubes, googly eyes, and finding old class notes to go to town on.

I remember the build up.

I remember the upload, and I remember thinking nothing of it.

But I don’t remember the rise.

More to this, I don’t really know why anyone really watches my videos. I think it’s sort of dumb to watch a man now climbing further into his mid-to-late twenties sitting on his living room floor, working in a ranging the state of his soberness from completey dry to beyond wrecked, and doing shitty primary school crafts.

But then again, I’m the man making them, so I guess I’m not particularly the one to judge on this front.

Part of me still really doesn’t connect the popularity with myself--like it’s been Penny’s doing. Which, she says, might be partially true. She already had a decent enough following, but I’m on a completely different genre. She does educative videos, and she stays popular because they’re on current events topics (defines hot topics, explains what a certain celebrity is in trouble for, yada yada). I call her the cliffnotes of the ever-rolling social media 15 minutes of fame. She asks me if I’ve ever needed to read a book with cliffnotes, and I didn’t have much defense besides “You know, I was an English minor.” (“For the first year, yeah.” “Still, had a year of it.”)

But for me? I don’t do anything new or appealing.

I think I might be a handsome face (which, in all honesty, would be a nice brag, if I could actually maintain a relationship). Or maybe it’s because I can get a bit funny, especially when I’m plastered. And there’s never really any instructions when I do these things. I have a Pinterest board, a google search option, and a flow of craft store gift cards at my disposal to make shit work.

Or, maybe, I’m just entertaining.

I’m not really confident on that front, but I’ll take what I can get.

I don’t mind it much. People seem to like the videos, and I never mind making them. Brilliant distraction, and surprisingly decent income (especially since crafts require products, so sponsors are easy to get for videos, and I never feel really guilty because I’d have to get shit to use anyway).

Penny gets on my arse about my sleep schedule, though.

“Why can’t you do special editions of Simon’s Arts ‘N Crafts in the morning?” She asks, or more complains, hovering over the kitchen bar with a mug between her hands and her flannel pyjama bottoms on. It’s nearing 1 in the morning now, and I’m just cracking open my second beer. (Don’t actually like them, but they’re tolerable.)

“Aesthetic, Penn.” I cringe after a thick gulp, squeezing my eyes tight. Shit tastes like a gym sock. “Premise of it all to put up a video that looks like a bloke who hasn’t properly slept in 10 years on his floor trying to build a shitty flower crown.”

She’s been a bit fed up with it for a little while, and I can see her point. Insomniatic tendencies aren’t something you particularly want to profit off of, but it pays the bills (and gives me something better to do than stare at my ceiling and try to count sheep into the thousands).

I hear her huff, my back turning to grab my mobile off the counter as I try to chug back a few more gulps.

Thumbing through notifs, I see a post alert for Baz Pitch. Something on Twitter--commenting on the flawed mentality of what socialistic systems are seen as vs what they are, or some other poshly worded bullshit about something that only really matters if you’re taking a secondary school course on politics.

Or if you’re Penny, I guess.

“You’re looking at Baz’s shit again,” she mumbles over her mug, sipping slowly as I glare back.

“What?”

“You get this look on your face--that one where your brows come together and makes you look constipated.”

“Yes, and? What about it?”

She smirks. “Well, you only ever get that when you’re looking at something Baz posted.

I pull my brows together when I look away, just for emphasis, and slip my mobile into my pocket. “Not only,” I counter, going for another pointed sip and holding back a cringe as I point at her, going on. “And it’s only because he’s full of himself. I don’t need, nor do I want to hear his halfhearted ramblings on something that he won’t have any affect on.”

“Then why do you have him on post-notifs?”

I try to look offended, but I just stare, mouth hanging open. “Maybe I like to keep a keen eye on him.”

She hums, unsatisfied.

“Excuse me for wanting to keep track of the man I’ve got an ongoing tiff with.”

“Ongoing tiff? Is that what you’re calling it now?”

I shrug, ignoring that with another shitty gulp.

“Look, Simon, just talk to the bloke. He’s a smart guy, if you give him a second of your time and attention beyond a twitter feud over some dumb shite like his family upbringing.”

“He’s rich, Penn! Guy’s a hypocrite.”

“Maybe,” she gives me a halfhearted shrug, leaning more over the counter. “You’re just mad that he’s got more following on his personal Twitter than you do on your proper Instagram.”

“Of course not.” She’s right, but I won’t dare admit it.

I’ll never admit to being jealous of Basilton fucking Pitch--some bloody political page gone pretty boy vlogging. His main work is only relevant because he talks about shit that’s within the dizzying political-sphere, nothing of which is something I really like to think about (I vote for whoever Penny describes as the best, then hope some other prick doesn’t throw us deeper into the cesspool that is this Brexit nightmare).

But he has his vlogging channel. A popular one, at that. Talks about what he’s reading, where he’s traveling. Skincare routine. Mindless bullshit, that I’ve forced myself to sit through just so I have a proper excuse to go off complaining about him.

Never seen the bloke break a proper smile, though. Not even in fan pictures. He smirks, and he’s got a barking, bitter laugh, but I’ve never heard anything that relates “Joyous” and “Basilton” in a similar sentence.

It’s a wonder he and Penn interact amicably.

She scoffs at me, sipping her tea slowly as my shoulders slump, beer can held tight enough in my hand that it’s denting in at my fingers. I should probably let go of it.

“Are you gonna help me set up?” I ask, deflating from the conversation and trying to distract with a new one.

“If you need help.”

“Need? No. Want? Yeah.”

She rolls her eyes, settling the mug down onto our countertop anyway before turning to start dragging the lights out of the side closet while I polish off my drink and head to grab my camera and tripod.

I’ve gotten better at this over the years. Swapped majors from social work to media studies, then minored in advertising, once the channel had hit 1k subscribers. Hadn’t quit my dayjob at the cafe until I hit 100k, but the steady rise since hasn’t been bad to us. Penny’s got a decent income, too, and she still decides to work in the school’s library as she’s working on her PhD in Sociology.

The flat’s a better one than the one we’d started in. We’ve even got a guest bedroom (screams disposable income). And, well, nicer equipment. A real sense of seriousness and maturity while we work.

Well, mostly.

I’m speaking as the grown man with a metal cabinet full of crafts supplies.

Business man with craft supplies.

Makes me sound more professional than “Newly 27 year old Youtuber who does nothing of serious impact, other than hoping to make others smile while throwing together terribly made, barely functioning crafts.”

I make my way back into the living room after setting up the camera and wandering back off, arms full of supplies as Penny starts setting up cameras, glancing over her shoulder. “What’d you choose tonight?”

I look down, then plop myself onto the floor and spread out my shit. “Uhh,” I say, shifting through. “I was thinking a beer can ghost.”

“Beer can ghost?”

I nod, holding up the gauze and glue. “As a Happy Halloween episode.”

“It’s not even October yet, Si.”

I shrug. “September’s close enough.” I grin, going off to grab my empty beer can and sprawling back out onto the floor. “Want to join in?”

“I think I’ll take a rain check for this episode, thank you.” She smiles teasingly, brushing past and messing my hair a bit as I’m settling myself onto the hardwood floor. I don’t take it harshly; I never take her harshly. I don’t think I’ve got the room to take it harshly, given I don’t seriously have anyone else in my life besides her (at least on a consistent basis).

“Suit yourself!” I call back, watching her disappear into her bedroom while shutting the door behind herself.

Before going at it, I take and post a quick Instagram picture at the layout in front of me, adding Halloween-themed emojis (so everyone knows I’m serious about wanting to get festive) as the caption.

I sigh and clear up my space, glancing around to make sure the area looks clean-enough, then get up to press start. It takes a second to make my way back and get myself properly situated on the floor, exhaling quietly and collecting my thoughts before shooting my head up and grinning at the camera angled a few feet away and slightly above eyeline with me.

“Hey everyone! Welcome back to Simon’s Arts ‘N Crafts!”

BAZ

I don’t understand the hype of Simon Snow.

I never truly have. He feels like he’s the sort of mindless bloke to pull out a guitar at uni and unironically start playing Wonderwall.

Allow me to rephrase; I don’t understand the hype of Simon Snow’s channel.

Snow himself, on the other hand, is a different story.

Cheerful smile, rosey cheeks. Curls that stick out at all angles (you’d think he’d try to style them properly, given he’s got the time and money now, but he doesn’t; he looks as disheveled as the day his channel began). Snow’s an utter mess just trying to occupy himself while avoiding other aspects of life, and somehow, for reasons I can’t chalk up to anything but his glittering disposition, he’s popular.

Not too popular, no. A couple million popular. Sponsored by major chains popular, due to the spike in young hobbyists trying to “Unleash their inner child” following his lead. But, of course, he donates huge portions to schools, giving them arts supplies and, for some saintly reason, gives to orphanages too.

I wonder at times if there’s anything deeper than just a handsome public face and overly generous donor. And, usually, I try to doubt there is, but I can’t quite ignore the occasional sign that Simon Snow may be a saint, and I fucking hate him for it.

I hate him for a number of reasons, starting with “He hates me”, and ending with “He’s gorgeous, and he hates me”.

I scroll down my Instagram feed, then refresh, immediately getting his post as a priority (I feel as though I’d be damned if anyone knew how often I go to simply look at him, or try to snoop through his older pictures to put the pieces together). It’s not much; his lap, which is a pair of grey joggers (Chris, I bet he looks fit in them), mismatched athletic socks, and a pile of half pulled-apart gauze, supplies for paper mache, an emptied beer can, and a sponge brush laying on a disposable plastic tarp. It’s simply captioned with a set of emojis that are definitely a few weeks too early.

baz.pitch Can’t count a calendar, Snow? Not surprised.

I stare at the comment for a brief moment, jaw clenching and swallowing back the strange, twinge that comes with our either interaction as quickly as it appears before trying to scroll and avoid any further thoughts on the matter.

It isn’t much longer before a notification drops down, hanging over the top of my screen.

(baz.pitch) buncespeaking: Are you still awake, or sleep-commenting?

I snort and tap onto it, letting the direct messaging screen load up.

baz.pitch: I am awake

baz.pitch: Is there something you want, Bunce?

Penelope Bunce and I interact far more than I’d originally thought we would. At first, when she first reached out, I’d assumed we’d quarrel, given her general harshness brought through her Twitter account, but I soon learned that she and I have a good bit in common. Personal views align, and she’s got a devilishly sharp sense of humour on her (not that I’d ever tell her, of course). Never thought I’d consider her not only an ally, but a friend in this harsh digital age, but I’ve found solace in her conversations.

That, and she teases Snow for me more than I could ever repay her for.

When I say tease, it isn’t quite the taunting I find myself regularly drawn into, but rather the simple name drop can be enough to get him to squirm in place (I know; I’ve seen it through live streams). I’ve never found it in myself to say any of my opinions on Snow to her, but given her intellect, I’d assumed she knows far more about my views of him than what Snow knows himself.

Which, at times, scares me. Nobody should know any vulnerability about me, unless I know equally as much incriminating information on them.

But so far, I haven’t had much a reason to worry.

(baz.pitch) buncespeaking: Do you know when you’ll find yourself in London again?

Interesting question.

Intentionally? Who the fuck knows.

As of recent, my life has consisted of no proper flat (which has begrudgingly left me living in my family’s manor, avoiding a permanent residence) while I hop about the island, then once a month, I spend a week in some various part of Europe. I just see it as trying to squeeze the most out of my life as a pitiful bachelor, but some others (Snow) consider this as me being a privileged arsehole and not wanting to commit to a proper life. (For the record, I regularly donate to LGBTQ+ nonprofits, but you don’t see me flaunting it in my personal work.)

Whatever. He probably hasn’t gotten snogged in the back of a Porsche in Venice during late spring.

Although, admittedly, that wasn’t very fulfilling.

Those trips never quite are.

And, sadly, neither are the men. All looking somewhat of a similar face; square jawed, wide-nosed. Long necks, wide shoulders, and curly hair that I love to tug and hold back.

But none of them are ever named Simon, and none of them hit quite the spot that this damned yearning has held.

Which is, I suppose, why I’m rarely ever in London. I’m not sure what I’d do with myself in London, unless I’m there with a purpose. I feel like I might go off the rails and try to actually find Snow without the guidance of some other party. I’d be a walking disaster.

baz.pitch: Depends on why you’re asking

(baz.pitch) buncespeaking: Well, a couple of reasons.

(baz.pitch) buncespeaking: Which all ultimately have the same suggested outcome of us collaborating on a video, and I’m not particularly set on getting myself out to Hampshire to sit in your frankly terrifying mansion.

(baz.pitch) buncespeaking: Plus, you can put me out of my misery and finally speak to Simon in person, for once. He’s driving me mad, and at this point, I’d pay for you to just put him to silence in person, for once.

As tempting as it seems, a small part of me worries that Bunce is believing that I’d sock Snow instead of snog him (maybe both are possible, but assaulting someone on their own property is risky at best).

I stare at my screen for a good, long pause, worrying at my lip as her typing pop-up ceases. It’s hard to not leap at opportunities I really wish to take--to just hold my dignity to somewhat of a respectable point.

But Snow crashes any barriers of my real rigidity.

He has for well over a few years now--ever since we were introduced digitally.

I’ve found myself watching his videos, over and over again, and trying to imagine how we’d play about. I like to wonder whatever happened to that pretty girlfriend of his (I’m aware they broke up, but he’s certainly too private to share the rest).

It’s been years since I first heard about Snow, and since then, I can’t quite get him off my mind.

It’s quite dizzying, trying to get Snow off my thoughts. I try to occupy--I try to fulfill. I try to find my way through life without some dull half-rivalry, full-teasing he and I share through out linked lives, but it’s like a drug. Draws me in, making me wish I had more of a good thing while trying to ignore that the good thing isn’t quite good for me, but rather simply a shocking want, prickling under my skin and bringing me back for more.

In all the things I do to occupy myself--to occupy the life I’ve been trying to lead (without success)--Snow’s been my favorite distraction. And I might just have to break through this and meet him, for once.

baz.pitch: Give me a time and a place and I’ll fit you into my schedule

[dyscrasia-eucrasia]

<<Prev | Next>>

Part 11

Angel spent most of the next morning nursing an excruciating hangover. He hadn't even had that much to drink, but he still spent a good amount of time hunched over, retching into the toilet. When finally his stomach had settled enough to get a sports drink down, he crawled back onto his futon and pulled a blanket over his head. 

He intended to spend the rest of the day like that, napping and forgetting the night before, but sleep eluded him. He tossed and turned fretfully until finally he grabbed his phone from the end table and checked his notifications. 

His Instagram notifications had been going off all night, to the point he finally silenced his phone, something he never did normally. There were notifications for followers, comments, likes - and one tagged picture from Clayton's account. 

His stomach dropped and he thought he was going to be sick again. He didn't want to look at it, but he knew he had to. He needed to know if his entire social media career was over. He couldn't stand that thought. He couldn't stand the thought of going back to being a nobody so desperate for cash that he quit school to strip. He didn't want to be just a face in the crowd again. 

He hesitated a long time before tapping the notification. The Instagram logo came up on the screen and he was presented with a picture of himself and Clayton. Clayton had his hands on either side of Angel's face, and was forcing his mouth onto Angel's. Angel was tagged in the post, but all the caption said was 'West Virginians know how to party'. There was no mention of the fight, no acknowledgement that Angel looked completely surprised in the photo. 

He scrolled through the comments. They were all hearts or eggplant emojis or declarations of jealousy. 

That was Instagram for you, he supposed. Everything sanitized for public consumption, worst qualities twisted into aspirational ones. 

There was no way he could possibly talk about the attempted assault now. He'd just look petty and attention-seeking. He'd get accused of being a gold digger looking for a pay-off. 

And the worst thing about it was that when he checked his own profile, he found that overnight, he'd smashed past ten thousand followers and was edging close to twenty thousand. His follower count had more than doubled, and he didn't even care. It had happened the wrong way. This wasn't the kind of attention he wanted. He didn't want to be seen as Clayton Howard's hookup. 

Morbid curiosity compelled him to check Youtube. Sure enough, Clayton's vlog channel had posted a new video about Charleston, but it mostly covered the daytime as he and his crew had run around the city being obnoxious to locals. Angel's stomach twisted. God, he could see so clearly now how everything Clayton did was an act. An especially grating one, at that. How had he ever had a crush on this guy? 

And then there was Angel on screen, smiling into the camera and throwing up a peace sign as Clayton wrapped his hand around his shoulders. The rest of the video was made up of rapid cuts - walking to Broadway, drinking Fireball shots, dancing. Then a shot that mirrored the photo on Instagram of Clayton kissing Angel, his friends hooting in approval. The video cut to Clayton shouting at the camera for the viewer to buy his merch and subscribe to his channel, and that was it. Video over. His disgusting behavior completely edited out, Angel's fate left in question. 

Angel put the phone down, turning onto his stomach and burying his face in his pillow. He felt like trash. Literal trash, in that he'd been used and tossed away. And nobody even knew it. Nobody would care. After all, he had less than 20k followers. 

He stayed like that for a long time, face pressed into his pillow. Tears came on and off, but he didn't even feel sad. He mostly felt empty. He was nothing, a nobody. A fake persona for the internet to consume and then throw aside. A pretty face that got views. Content. 

His phone rang. He ignored it. It stopped. He continued to lay there, feeling awful. 

Time passed. He wasn't sure how long - he may have dozed off at some point. But then the phone rang again and brought him back to the present. 

He couldn't hide from the world forever. 

He lifted his head and turned to look at the phone, precariously balanced at the edge of the futon. His eyebrows came together in confusion. That wasn't the name he'd expected to see on the caller ID. 

"Hello?" He asked, bringing the phone to his ear. 

"Hey dude," Demie replied. Angel noticed for the first time that despite his tone being monotonous, there was a warmth under Demie's words. His voice was rich and deep, like the ringing of a gong. 

"Demie?" Angel asked. Of course it was Demie. But still, he was surprised. "What… what's up?" 

"Just checking in on you, man. You seemed super out of it last night." 

Oh, that was right. He'd called Demie. He couldn't remember much of the conversation, but one part did stick out in his mind. In his drunken state, he'd told Demie he liked him. And Demie had replied in kind. 

For the first time that day, his heart didn't feel like a cold heavy lump of metal in his chest. 

"Yeah. I'm okay." Angel lied. 

"You sure? You seemed… I dunno. Out of it." 

"I mean…" Angel took a deep, shuddering breath. When he spoke again, he had to fight to keep his voice from cracking. "I just… I really looked up to his guy, but now I know he's a complete ass, and I can't even talk to anyone about it, because they'll just take his side." 

"Yeah, fuck that guy," Demie said, and Angel couldn't help but smile. It was just the way Demie said it - he had no idea who Angel was talking about, and his tone didn't even change, and yet it really felt like he meant it. 

"Honestly, I feel like garbage," Angel said. "I just keep thinking about it over and over and I feel so fucking stupid."

"Yeah, uh…" There was a pause. "Do you wanna listen to a song I've been working on? I dunno, might make you feel better."

"The Orpheus one?" 

"Nah, it's an older song. It's part of this concept album Mar and I were planning about the Trojan war, but Mar moved before we could finish it."

"What's it about?" 

"You know who Achilles is, right?"

"Uh… he had a weak ankle, right? That's why we called it the Achilles Tendon." 

"I mean… that's the really short version of it, yeah. So Achilles had this best friend, Patroclus, who gets killed by Hector of Troy. And Hector takes Patroclus' armor, and that pisses Achilles off, so they fight. So Achilles wins and kills Hector, but instead of giving him funeral rites he ties him by the ankles and drags his body around outside the walls of Troy." 

"That sounds… intense, but okay." 

"Cool, hold on a minute." 

There was some scuffling in the background, and when Demie came back it was clear he was on speakerphone. 

"Okay, ready?" He asked. 

"Sure. Hit me." 

Angel could hear an acoustic guitar. The melody wasn't what he'd expected - he'd expected something fast and brutal, like the stuff he'd heard at the concert. But instead this was slow, plodding, like a funeral march. 

Then Demie's voice came in, low and resonant. Even over the phone it made Angel's sternum vibrate. He sang slowly, deliberately, drawing notes out in long holds. 

The lyrics talked about Achilles, about the pain he felt. It described how he lost a half of his soul, and how he sought revenge. But it wasn't a huge, bombastic revenge - it was a bitter one. The Achilles that Demie sang about couldn't heal the hole in his heart, and so he took it out on Hector. He didn't hate Hector, though, and he felt shame for the way he treated Hector's dead body, and he knew it would lead to his own eventual downfall.

It was a song about the cyclical nature of revenge, and of loss. Angel didn't even notice until the song ended that he was crying. Not silent tears, either - he was actually sobbing. 

There was a clatter as Demie picked up the phone again. 

"What'd you think?" He asked. 

"Holy shit, man," Angel choked. "Holy shit that was so fucking deep." 

"How'd'ya feel?"

"I--" Angel wanted to say that he felt like shit, obviously. He had already felt like garbage and then Demie had gone and sung an incredibly depressing song to him, clearly it would just make things worse. 

And yet, it hadn't. He didn't feel bad at all. In fact, he felt fine. Good, even. Like he was rejuvenated. It was as if the previous night hadn't even happened. 

"I feel better," he admitted.

"Cool. Hey, uh… be careful and stuff, or whatever." 

"Yeah. Yeah, thanks." 

"Cool, see ya." 

"Okay. Thanks. B--" The line went dead before he could tell Demie goodbye. 

He sighed, turning over onto his back. His entire body felt lighter, and the tune of the song swirled around in his head. He wasn't sure what had just happened, but it was like Demie's voice had healed him. His hangover was gone, his anxiety was gone. He wouldn't necessarily say that he was happy, but he felt… good. 

There was one thing he was certain of, though: he was falling fast and hard for Demie. Not in the parasocial internet crush way he'd felt about Clayton Howard, but in an organic way. Demie had been there for him twice now, despite virtually being strangers, and each time he'd come away feeling better. 

Not to mention, the way Demie had sung about Achilles and Patroclus had been so powerfully, painfully gay. 

He wanted so badly to see Demie in person.

[taiblogcomics]

Jason Todd Really Hates Mondays

Hey there, movies you can't find on streaming services. Well, another Red Hood adventure? More middle America supervillain antics? Sure, sounds excellent. Even if this plotline's dumb, you gotta admit, it's good for blogging~

Here's the cover:

Hulk smash American Gothic people! Hulk not approve of this cameo! Hulk also want remind you to see Aquaman, in theaters December 21st! That how behind Hulk is with reviewing this comic! Hulk not have anything else to say about this cover, it actually pretty good. So Hulk stop talking like Hulk now!

So we open where we left off, with Jason Todd and Batwoman cornered by the artificial Grundy knockoffs. This also includes a caption of Jason referring to himself as "the blackest of sheeps". Sheeps. Anyway, since they've concluded that their opponents are constructs, they can kill them without regret. Jason notes that this group attacking them now seem less human-like than the first guy, which Batwoman points out that means they were let out before being finished, so they must feel threatened. Lots of fighting ensues. Afterwards, they both get on a motorcycle.

We briefly cut over to the diner where Jason beat up some Underlife goons and then had a heart-to-heart with Batman about Roy's death. The FBI are looking into it, and I think the lady here is meant to be that agent he saved on the bus a couple issues ago? It's not a hundred percent clear, but I believe this to be the case. She's taking the waitress' statement, when another agent comes in and gives her the "you better come take a look at this" cliche. They open up the back of a truck, and one of the big truckers Jason beat up protests that he has a right to privacy while he's wheeled away on a stretcher. Inside the truck? A huge medical lab, hijacked from S.T.A.R. Labs not too long ago. FBI Lady reasons that Jason's leaving her a trail to follow. Unbeknownst to her, that guy Wingman is also following said trail.

Back in Appleton, the motorcycle ride is over, and Batwoman is using a hologram to plan their next moves. Batwoman stops Jason for a moment, offering him a kind word and an ear to listen regarding Roy's death. Jason says it's not necessary, but he appreciates the offer. Geez, Jason, when'd you turn into a halfway decent human being~? Batwoman also apologises for the time she got them all thrown in Belle Reve, which I don't even remember her being evolved in, so Jason's easy to forgive her for this as I am. That's when suddenly they're attacked from behind by yet another hulking grey man.

This grey man has long brown rocker hair, so he actually looks more like Blockbuster than Grundy. Yet another fight scene ensues, which does at least include a cool shot of Jason decapitating Long Hair Grundy with a chain, so that's something. Jason and Batwoman split up, since it's his book, so he should do the infiltrating. He arrives at the house Batwoman was displaying a hologram of, and is attacked by ninjas. Of course. He fights through the ninjas and enters the house, where a lady and a guy with a VR rig are observing the action. VR Guy is blown up, leaving only the lady. She turns out to be the one who foisted pie on him at the fair. She will thus be hereafter known as "Pie Lady".

Pie Lady and Jason get in a fight. See, Jason knew there was something suspicious the moment he walked into Appleton: no kids. She must be holding them hostage, and she does the "if you kill me, you'll never find them" bit. Jason retorts that Batwoman already found them before she even met up with Jason. Now he can kill her with impugnity, because guess what: she's also a Grundy construct. (They're called "Mondays", by the way, but that could come off as confusing. But now you get the joke in this review’s title!) In the midst of fighting, her face gets torn off, Terminator style, and she gives him both the name of a lab in Mexico and a name: Solitary. Yeah, that guy's gonna come back into play.

Jason leaves as Batwoman shows up, and the whole house explodes because it wants to make Jason look badass. Sorry, but not while he's still wearing that rummage sale costume. The comic ends with the kids being reunited with their parents (the ones that aren't members of Underlife, anyway). Jason and Batwoman have a chat, and she mentions she's also been on the outs with Batman. He later forgave her, and she thinks he'll forgive Jason too. Jason says the circumstances are different, and is about to imply Batman can do something rude with his forgiveness when he's interrupted by a car horn. Renee Montoya has driven up to put in a cameo, kiss Batwoman, and drop Jason off somewhere south. Ah, south. I hope that's not the direction this comic is going~

Honestly, if there’s anything to complain about in this issue is that it’s mostly fight scenes. That might seem an odd complaint for a superhero action comic, but it’s mostly that stuff like that doesn’t leave me with a whole lot to review. Unless someone’s making really awful banter during it, you can only describe a fight so much and have it be interesting. This issue’s fine to read, it’s just not something you can read aloud all that much. Also, “Mondays” is a terrible name for your goon patrol. Like, I get the connection--”Solomon Grundy, born on a Monday”--but it’s not a good collective name. Why not “Cyber-Grundys” or something. It’s not clever, but neither is “Mondays”~

Anyways, I’m not entirely sure this is the end of the story arc. I’ll have to check next week. You’ll know whether or not it is, depending on what I review next time~

[intrusiveruminations]

Begin Again

I used to blog regularly when I was younger. It was pretty much the fad when I was in school anyway, what's with all the cool templates and linking to your friends' blog and being linked back in return. Social media was truly a different experience back then - no notifications, no instantaneous updates, no pictures or captions or stories; if you wanted to be nosy, you actually had to read a chunk of text. More than that, however, I learned how to express myself through words. In the first few years, my posts were generally a summary of my day. But as my thoughts matured (*cough*) and my writing became more profound (*cough cough*), I gradually began to post my reflections for the day, on "things", and finally, my own thoughts. Friends who read my blog regularly, especially in later years, had varying opinions on my writing, ranging from “depressing” (meh), to “mature” (really!), or “interesting” (could be worse). If I were to describe my own blog, it would be melancholic and introspective - words which I have also come to identify with over the years. I have since deleted that blog, partly because of long periods of inactivity, some level of mind rot, but mostly to minimise my internet footprint. I do have an archive of my blog though, mainly for sentimental reasons - almost 10 years of memories and thoughts! - but save for a few thought-provoking and still relatable posts, skimming through the rest of them made me cringe. But as a wise friend once said, if what you did in the past doesn't made you cringe now, you haven't matured as a person.

I kept a physical diary sometime in between as well. My writings in it were definitely a lot more personal than my blog. It was also more incoherent and disjointed, because at times I would just scribble down a few lines of words -oftentime not in prose - on my feelings or what was at the forefront on my mind. For that reason, that diary can certainly act as a case study in the writings of a mentally unwell patient, so I burned it as a symbolic gesture of leaving behind certain memories captured in the diary, as well as those parts of me reflected in words.

But, here I am, back again to write about my thoughts. What changed? I supposed, unlike the last time, the guise of anonymity liberates me to express thoughts and feelings publicly, admittedly in an attempt to find community too, but which I have never dared to in front of people I know. There are recurring themes in my introspections which I have come to identify, so writing them out can hopefully help to organise my thoughts and clear my mind. Most importantly, I could make a commentary about how the act of sitting down to write and reflect functions as a counterpoint to our hectic lifestyles and the juggling of our limited attention among all the stimuli around us, but that would be pretentious and disingenuous of me. What may be certain, is that as someone whom relishes in melodrama and obsessively imbues seemingly insignificant gestures with symbolic meaning in an attempt to be oh-so-mysterious-and-complex, such writings are a means to reflect upon my character growth in relation to arbitrary happenings in my life.

I really like the term 'intrusive thoughts'. I wished I could take credit for coming up with it, but it's an actual term used in psychology to describe involuntary unpleasant thoughts that are distressing and difficult to manage. Everybody experiences intrusive thoughts, but the crucial difference is that while many are able to cope with such thoughts, an inability to do so is strongly associated with psychopathology. The intrusive thoughts that I experience are particularly regular and intense, with common themes of worthlessness, loneliness, and suicidal ideation. Am I depressed? I don't think so - I have not been diagnosed before anyway - but I would probably check off several boxes with my low mood and other symptomatology. I do go through the occasional depressive episodes, so perhaps it is more dysthymia than clinical depression - but that is not the point. What I am more sure of is a certain degree of anxiety, where at its root is a speech impediment that has afflicted me for as long as I could remember talking. It is a perpetuating cycle, whereby my stutter makes me nervous to talk to people, which in turn worsens my stutter to the point that I become a stumbling mess. To complete the trio, an overwhelming inferiority complex to give rise to all the unhealthy thoughts. The tripartite that are my impairments produce in me an undercurrent of emotional turmoil which I have always struggled with. As one who is already predisposed to being reserved, opening up about such vulnerabilities - at the deepest core of my being - is just...unfathomable; I possess neither the courage and the strength to expose myself, nor the intimate relationship to safely confide in. I did lift the facade a few times when the stars were aligned, if only just for a quick glimpse inside and for a few thoughts to seep out, but it shut back on itself as efficiently to protect the host. More often than not, it is also difficult to acknowledge and confront such thoughts to yourself. I supposed, then, that my writings will be an attempt as well at coming to terms with my own disability/deficits/shortcomings/inadequacies/deficiencies.

I stutter, and these are the words that I cannot say.

[natsthinkitythinkthinkthonk]

Bungou Stray Dogs: Dead Apple [My Thoughts]

I can’t guarantee that there are no spoilers, so I will just put the “keep reading” line. With that being said, this is in no way a deep analysis of any kind. Do not take this seriously. I’m just an idiot running my mouth. This is just a stupid thing that I’m writing because I just finished the movie.

If you’re Canadian, just know that they did not prepare a special message for us. The voice actors who appeared in the message before the start of the movie (Uemura Yuuto, Ono Kensho, and Taniyama Kishou) and the Crunchyroll staff prepared the message for Americans. I’m Canadian, but I guess that’s close enough (still a little disappointing though).

Whether you ship Atsushi x Kyouka as a sibling relationship, a friendship, or anything else, it was quite nice. Personally, I do support this ship despite the age gap of four years, but I wouldn’t be angry about any ships that aren’t... illegal let's say. Their relationship was done in a way that it wasn’t forced to make you think that they were in any specific kind of relationship which I liked because I had a feeling that audiences would’ve criticized it if they hinted any tiny bit of a romantic relationship. I think that kind of thing should be saved for the future if they decide to act on it. Let’s just say... I’ll preorder that ship.

Chuuya x Dazai (or Soukoku) is a ship that I don’t mind. It’s okay, but I personally liked Oda x Dazai. Too bad... well that ain’t gonna happen. Unless you believe in the afterlife... I guess. Was it forced? A little. Was I bothered? Not that much. I don’t care what you ship. If this is your ship, embrace it. I’ll sit here with my popcorn routing for you.

Was the story predictable? Yes. I didn’t feel that bothered by it though. I understand that they didn’t want to surpass or reveal anything that the manga has or anything that hasn’t been explored yet. This was made in a way that you wouldn’t feel really lost if you didn’t watch this and just continued with the manga. It was more of a side story. Plus, as a person who is constantly anxious, predictability is great. Don’t judge me.

The pacing was a little bit fast, but as an anime movie, it would be a bit crazy to have any expectations. Just be glad it wasn’t a complete recap. I think this movie would’ve benefited from being an OVA instead of just a movie, but that would’ve changed so many things in production. I will take what I can get.

I won’t get into the details of everything that was predictable. That would take too long, but the little things like the pill that Dazai took, why Ranpo put the snacks into a safe, the abilities attacking, how that would all work, everyone surviving (because as I said, this movie would not interfere with the major overarching story), etc. Also, I think we all know that Dazai and Ranpo know everything that’s going to happen. There’s no way that they can lose, and not for a single second did they convince me that the agency or anyone was in a pinch. The entire time felt as if it was under their control. In that sense, it almost belittled the villains slightly. Fyodor probably knew that and backed off to make another more prominent appearance later. Shibusawa was disappointing. For a villain that is so hyped and with an ability so outstanding, he was one of the biggest letdowns about the movie. The dragon was also disappointing just because I feel like it was meant to represent the “Tiger vs Dragon” cliche, but I was not too hyped about that. Just everything about Shibusawa and his actions I felt were not as well thought out as I wanted them to be. I knew that the “good side” was going to win, but his final form looked kind of like a joke (comparing to their usual high-quality character designs), and he didn’t put up as much of a fight as I thought they would have. The other ADA members barely make any appearances until the end, and I feel like they missed an opportunity with that. I understand that they were pressed for time though so I will let that slide... (begrudgingly)

I was pleased with the music and animation. Studio Bones did a pretty good job. The music did a wonderful job complimenting the visuals, and my attention was captured by the changes of tone and texture (if I can use that word) of the music. I was really surprised by the sophistication. I mean, it wasn’t the best anime music OST by any means, but it was good enough to suffice. Nothing extremely extraordinary. But GRANRODEO made a great inserted song that was placed in some reused visuals (too bad they didn’t animate all the visuals new) and some new visuals (mostly just the characters with a caption to describe their abilities) was good for hyping the audience. It was well-written and perfectly set the mood up for epicness. The ending by Luck Life was to be expected, and I loved it. I all the BSD endings, so the fact that they got back into it with a nice song addition to this movie was amazing. They reused the second OP during the final fight. I’ll be honest, they didn’t do as great of a job with this, but that was for one reason: the sound mixing made everything else drown out the song. I understand that everyone has probably heard the song beforehand, but I wish there was more balance.

Now onto voice acting... Bungou Stray Dogs has a great cast. None of the cast is really “newcomers” except for Atsushi’s seiyuu Uemura Yuuto whose role was one of his first major ones. I believe he was a student beforehand though. I think he’s getting a lot more roles now. 

I think I’ve finally gotten used to Kensho Ono playing Akutagawa. At first, I didn’t think he would fit the role too well. I thought they just did it to put in a big name, but I don’t mind it now. He does bring a certain tone to the character that is unique to him. 

Fyodor was a mixed choice for me in terms of how I liked it. I know that Akira Ishida is definitely not new. He has so many roles under his name that range in character type and personality, but I almost felt as if they could’ve done better. I would’ve appreciated it if they opened the cast to more new voice actors. Maybe this role would be too big for someone who is new, but as much as Ishida’s portrayal wasn’t bad by any means, I would’ve been open to other interpretations of the complex and witty character.  The reason why I think Akira Ishida fit (despite him being Katsura in Gintama) is because he still brought the tone of the character to life. He still had the charisma of the character. He was good; he just wasn’t great.

Now for the choice of Shibusawa... I wasn’t really pleased. Kazuya Nakai is definitely talented as a voice actor, but his voice just didn’t resonate with me well. Shibusawa was disappointing for me as a character. I expected him to be more sophisticated, but that voice just didn’t do it. It’s one thing for the writing, but I know Nakai for voicing quirkier thugs and goofy samurai (just look at him in Gintama. You’ll get what I mean). Alternatives for this role? I wouldn’t know who would fit. Here are some alternatives off the top of my head: Satoshi Hino, Morikawa Toshiyuki, Hikaru Midorikawa, Tomokazu Seki, Nakata Jouji, Shinichiro Miki, etc. These are all veterans who I know have the range for this. 

Character development in this movie wasn’t bad, but be sure that you have the popular opinion because if you don’t like Atsushi, Kyouka, Akutagawa, or Chuuya, sorry, but you can just sit your butthurt baggage over on the side. I know. It sucks, but they only had so much time. I already said that they would’ve done better with an OVA for the proper development and pacing, but just be glad that we got this for now. BSD doesn’t do the best job with their side characters, but that’s a rant for another time. 

Atsushi was a little bit annoying in this film. He was constantly having to get himself together, and I felt like Kyouka was carrying him along half the time. I didn’t entirely mind this though because Kyouka is my favourite, and her strength and resilience was nice for me to watch. But Atsushi really came through (a little rushed) at the end. His backstory was a little shallow. I expected more out of it. I understand that they had limited time, but I felt as if they have a gold mine of development there. They had so much potential and the timing was perfect. They just decided not to really touch it.

Dazai got enough screen time. Was he the main character? Not really. But let’s be real, Dazai gets more than enough the rest of the time. You knew that he was pulling strings the entire time anyway. The Oda recap was really sweet though. That moment where they shared a flashback conversation was beautifully done and stood out to me. They didn’t beat it to death either. Nicely done.

Chuuya. Not going to lie, he’s a little overrated by the fandom, but he adds a good amount of vulgarity to add to the comedic factor. I’m not sure how I feel about him having such a big impact everywhere. I wanted to see some of the others. But I don’t hate him. He relies on Dazai a bit much for my liking, and he did play a major role in the final fight which I still have a mixed opinion about. His voice acting at that point in the final fight was not living up to expectations, but Kishou Taniyama provided that amazing opening, so he gets a pass automatically.

Akutagawa got quite a bit of screen time, but I felt like they didn’t develop him with any of it. We didn’t get to see any more depth than we already had. We didn’t learn anything about him. We were just shown same old Akutagawa. I didn’t mind it. He was epic. He did provide enjoyment.

Kyouka. This made me so happy. I saw a newer side of her that I already knew existed. She was such a badass that I couldn’t complain. I would’ve loved to see more about her and her backstory. We saw a brief visual of her mother. That was about it. The manga explores her past a little more, but I thought the movie would’ve touched on that a bit more from what I saw in the trailer. I am still extremely happy with her appearance in the movie. It was one of the most enjoyable things for me because she is my favourite character.

Fyodor got screen time. Not much. His presence was slightly brought to the side. You could tell that he was held off for later though. I think he’s going to be more involved in the manga, so let’s give this one a pass too.

I’m not going to talk about anyone else because there isn’t much to talk about when it comes to anyone else. They all stayed pretty much the same. I don’t think we expected anything though. This is kind of just a side story after all.

Did I enjoy this movie? Absolutely. Of course. I enjoyed it. There’s no doubt about that. I would push aside problems with the movie in a heartbeat. Those cute Atsushi x Kyouka moments are enough to keep me going for weeks. Kyouka getting screen time made me so happy.

NOW TIME FOR THE LINKS!

Music:

Want to listen to the BSD Dead Apple OST? https://bsd-bibliophile.tumblr.com/search/music You’ll most likely be able to find it here! The OST is nice to listen to. I highly recommend listening to it and following this account (you probably do already though)

For additional music recommendations, I highly suggest you check out the artists connected to this movie including: - GRANRODEO - Luck Life - Taku Iwasaki (the score writer) Iwasaki is known for a lot of other anime as well. He’s really talented!

Studio Bones (animation):

Want to know what other anime Studio Bones has done? Check out this video: https://youtu.be/Y1-i1sbDNLQ Noragami, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, My Hero Academia? These people are top-tier animators.

Seiyuu Recommendations for Shibusawa:

Curious about why I thought of these names? Here are some compilations of their other roles: - Satoshi Hino: https://youtu.be/B5gVmf0zwus - Morikawa Toshiyuki: https://youtu.be/INiLyrlRCmY - Hikaru Midorikawa: https://youtu.be/EAU4Fu49Yz0 - Tomokazu Seki: https://youtu.be/8iN0f7bHy0Y - Nakata Jouji: https://youtu.be/YAMJqU_3480 - Shinichiro Miki: https://youtu.be/yteyBKbVRIc These might not fit since this about personal preference, but it is food for thought!

Shibusawa’s seiyuu (Nakai Kazuya) other roles: https://youtu.be/7GV5vYhLMAw And if you’re curious, this is what I heard when I saw Shibusawa: https://youtu.be/7GV5vYhLMAw https://youtu.be/6x7_1GJ3F8w (He’s the guy with the black hair) ^ His role in Gintama is iconic, and I find a lot of these scenes funny.

Miscellaneous Videos:

This is a hodgepodge playlist of BSD-related content. You have the crack videos and hand-animated content and parodies, the seiyuu songs, their other roles, and some anime snippets. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGH6abWmUXgPnoHTOHyeeXyG6s_WINyzB

Shameless Self-Promo!

Tumblr: https://nsisbest385.tumblr.com (main) https://natsspammityspamspamham.tumblr.com (...spam if you didn’t sense that)

YouTube: BSD-Inspired music: https://youtu.be/sfnN6eqUfEs Reason Living (Cover): https://youtu.be/-rlSxB6CZrE Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRETNNIpCqiarbeuJoGrjBA

[markleetrashh]

Nct as Youtubers

Request: Do you think that maybe you could do short headcannons of the members as youtubers please?? Like, you said in the makeup voiceovers that they were also on YouTube but didn’t really describe in depth what they’re like so maybe that could be a thing(??) sorry if it doesn’t make sense

A/N: i hope this is what you were looking for!! i’m sorry if it’s short or repetitive, this was so fun to write, i hope you enjoy reading!

——

Taeil:

started out his channel for fun

mostly makes song covers & also tag videos

didn’t thought his videos would blow up

when he realised he was shookt??

because he’s such an awkward bun, his videos usually consists of his friends

and they help him out a lot because when he’s on his own filming most of the time he doesn’t know what to do or say

tries his best to reply to comments

when people recognizes him irl he gets all blushy and shy

“i’m not that popular!! you’re all so sweet”

we all know you are taeil

Hansol:

that one youtuber who posts random videos at the weirdest timings

his videos range from dance covers, to vlogs, to gaming then to even unboxing videos

despite all that he still gains much attention?

hardly ever talks in his videos but when he does all his subscribers get heart palpitations because wow

dance covers gets the most views and likes because they’re always on point?

promotes his channel on his instagram

random posts with captions

“new video”

“✌✌ video?”

see what i did there hansol he needs to stop with his peace signs

another one who’s awkward when fans recognize him in real life

but if they ask for pictures he wouldn’t mind so!!

Johnny:

mostly reaction videos

and probably many vlogs too

gaming occasionally, but only when he’s with his friends

has the funniest and most dramatic reactions to videos ever

tries to make his subscribers by making puns and jokes

“i guess you could say… that video was pun-believable”

daily updates on social medias

“how are all of you doing today? the weather’s great so i hope you all are well!”

doesn’t reply to every comment but he likes them

treats his fans like family and tries to chat with them he can

which is why when one meets him in real life he’s super friendly and tries to start conversations

an angel tbh

Taeyong:

cooking tutorial videos

alongside with song covers too

sometimes he writes his own songs and lyrics too

often goes live so that he’s able to chat with his fans

one of the most genuine and sweetest youtubers!!

would reply to every one of the comments, and he never forgets to thank them for their support

“I’m stressed & tired” captions on his social media websites always scare fans but turns out it’s only because of the other boys

gets all shy when people recognize him

even when he’s rushing for time he wouldn’t hesitate to take photos or chat with his fans

the youtuber you just want to protect with everything tbh

Yuta:

gamer

also makes prank videos occasionally

and probably also videos on current issues/problems

and he shows so many different sides his fans love it,

especially when he talks about current issues he gets all smart & serious and is so good with his words he leaves everyone shookt

but on prank videos he’s all giggly and immature laughing at his successful pranks

while his gamer side can sometimes can aggressive and competitive

but despite all that he’s super sweet to his fans

holds meetups often and treats each of them like angels

smile and laughter can brighten up anyone’s day

Kun:

mainly vlogs

travelling & visiting ones to be exact, together with his friends

takes really good videography and editing is on point too

another one who’s smile could make anyone’s heart burst

always recommending new places for people to go to, be it cafes or countries to visit

kun’s recommendations are trustable™

loves hyping his friends up in videos

doesn’t hesitate in promoting their channels too

deserves so much more subscribers & views

Doyoung:

versatile videos too

song covers, reaction videos, vlogs, challenges & tag videos

is really well known for his talking skills and his intelligence

and also his sweet voice who puts people to sleep

cherishes friendships and often shows it in videos where he vlogs about outings with them

updates daily for fans too and tells them how much he’s grateful for them

also asks them for suggestion for new videos

probably nags at and gets upset with his fans when they do something that isn’t too his liking

“you all waited in the rain for an hour because of me??? what if you all fell sick omg please don’t do that again”

but it’s because he cares and loves them so

Ten:

king of dance covers

makes dance tutorials too

when people want to learn a dance, ten’s videos would always help because they’re so on point?

random videos of him in stores and supermarkets

with him being amazed by new things he sees or learns about

attempts to make cooking videos too but fails

almost burnt himself and was caught on tape, uploaded on youtube & viewed by morw than hundreds of people

his fans’ words give him energy and he’s always thanking them

a little shy when gets recognized but he doesn’t show it, only that cheeky smile on his face

Jaehyun:

hypebeast who makes videos of new clothes he got and hauls too

random late night videos where he answers fans’ questions and it’s just him chilling

food reviews too!!

his favourite videos because you can tell he gets all excited when he sees food

makes sure to update every week so his subscribers will be well fed

loves having live videos too because he’s able to interact with fans

holds giveaways for subscribers every time he reaches a milestone

acts all calm when people recognize him

but inside he’s super happy and excited because he feels extremely loved?

likes photos that fans uploaded together with him,

making them go even crazier

WinWin:

that one youtuber who’s always being complimented and praised by other youtubers

because he’s super sweet and soft?

pretty boy who shows off his face routines and tag videos

because he’s so shy he finds it hard filming videos alone too

which is why he calls his friends to join his videos

aka kun

they often go shopping together and you can tell he looks super happy and excited

vlogs about his daily life and has the cutest edits ever

even more shy in real life, he’d get super embarrassed and shy, cheeks flushed red if he notices people recognizing him

but he’d feel bad for rejecting them so he takes photos with them anyways

super cute

Mark:

endless talents and seems to be able to do everything?

playing the guitar, song/rap covers, reaction videos, dance covers, gaming

he’s able to film quality videos

and at the same time he’s super humble and sweet it makes others love him more

has many collabs with other youtubers

his fans are blessed because they’ll always be a video related to him

a super shy ball in actual fact

when he does live videos he already gets all blushy and red when people compliment him

irl you can actually see him wanting to hide and run away because he’s super shy when it comes to compliments

but also tries to be friendly and talk to his fans when he can

Renjun:

mostly posts videos at night

so his subscribers can fall asleep soundly after watching his videos

mostly reviews

on clothes, food and other things

smile is the sweetest thing you’ll ever see

is also the softest when it comes to his fans

sometimes would also post short korean classes too

and his drawing videos

just really calm and satisfying videos honestly

super happy when he receives positive comments

still your no.1 moomin fan who has a big moomin plushie in his background of videos all the time

Jeno:

videos that are guaranteed to make you smile

like him playing with puppies and small fuffly animals

or even interacting with children at playgrounds in his vlogs

they’re guaranteed to make you s o f t

an angel who smiles and laughs at everything

super positive!!!

tries his best to reply to every comment and prove to fans that they’re noticed

mainly just vlogs of his daily life

but he’s always super cute in videos so!!

still the same angel irl because he’d be the one suggesting to take photos

and probably give you autographs too

sweetest little thing ever

Haechan:

games often

and always wins in games for some reason

also many prank videos too

and they’re always super creative and new

and you can see the look of satisfaction on his face whenever he succeeds in pranking his friends

really strong bond with his fans

they’d probably have inside jokes too

“thank you for always supporting your handsome donghyuck”

never runs out of ideas for videos

and loves it most when people leave positive comments

it makes him all happy and excited like a small child

and he’s ten times cuter irl like that because he’d have the biggest smile ever with his pink cheeks??

Jaemin:

does weird challenges

and probably being a meme in every video

with thousands of different expressions ready for his fans to screenshot and use

also does tutorial videos

and tag videos

he loves talking and discussing about popular topics and sharing his opinions

loves spreading positive vibes too

super flirty & sweet with his subscribers

calls them his babies??

would occasionally film vlogs so as to show his fans his life

which is usually just him being that same meme and having fun

i miss him dkdndn

Chenle:

super energetic and fun

when you watch his videos, they’d immediately cheer you up because he’s always so happy?

makes reaction videos a lot

which ends up in his fans mentioning how their ear drums ache everytime they watch them because his dolphin laughs and screams

loves taking videos of sceneries and views during vlogs

but other times vlogs would just consist of his face

“my handsome is enough for you all”

knows he’s popular but still gets shy when he’s noticed

he’d always give that same cheerful laughter and thank his fans for their support

Jisung:

dance covers

ten is his role model

would film freestyle dances and also dances he’d choreographed and ask fans for their opinions

occasionally, he’d also film tag and challenge videos so his fans are able to know him better

super shy at first but as time goes by he opens up and he’d joke around a lot

still a child who gets fascinated and amazed by new things

still learning and is trying his best for his channel

which is why he’s super happy when he sees the amount of support and love he gets

making him blush like mad all the time

[timalexanderdollery]

How the Washington Post’s TikTok became an unofficial 2020 campaign stop

Andrew Yang poses for a selfie. | Ethan Miller/Getty Images

For politicians, the buzziest new social video app presents a risk and an opportunity.

In 2015, Hillary Clinton was “yas queening” all over the internet. She had an official Snapchat account with a “Yaaas, Hillary!” logo that was also a T-shirt, a posed #yas photo with the stars of Broad City, custom Hillary Bitmoji, ironic cross-stitch art, and other signifiers of “yas” culture that’s since become emblematic of a certain kind of blinkered white feminism. An attempt to reach millennials with a passing familiarity with stan culture, it was also an extremely strategy easy to mock. As Amanda Hess wrote at the time in Slate, “American culture does not exactly appreciate the image of the ‘authentic’ older woman, but boy does it hate the older woman who strains to stay relevant.”

Hillary Clinton lost the election. That fact certainly can’t be attributed solely to a social media voice that many criticized as insincere and pandering, but it had a lasting impact on the ways we expect politicians to behave online.

It also might offer a clue on why so few politicians have a presence on the buzziest social media app of the moment, TikTok. Since its US launch in August 2018, the short-form video app has exploded in popularity, having been downloaded more than a billion times in 2018 and boasting 27 million active American users as of February 2019. Both Facebook and Instagram have launched competitors (or clones, depending on whom you ask), and celebrities like Will Smith, Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran, and Reese Witherspoon are now flocking to the app en masse.

Politicians, meanwhile, have been understandably hesitant to hop on board. Like all social media apps, TikTok has its own vernacular, and any transgressions of that shared language and sensibility stick out like, well, septuagenarian politicians on a social media app meant for teens. The fear of coming off as insincere or being flooded with “ok boomer” comments is a real one. The other outcome? A TikTok presence that fails to leave a mark, like Julian Castro’s account, which currently only has 470 followers.

Still, that leaves an opportunity. Enter: the TikTok account of an equally stodgy publication that has, against all odds, managed to feel truly native to the TikTok ecosystem. It’s the Washington Post’s, which since its debut this spring has amassed a quarter-million followers and a legion of superfans who praise its goofy premises and unserious tone. So far, three candidates — Andrew Yang, Beto O’Rourke, and Julian Castro — have appeared on it.

The Washington Post’s TikTok’s success is the direct result of its creator and biggest star, 28-year-old Dave Jorgenson, who previously created humor and satire videos for the newspaper. A scroll through the Washington Post’s TikTok account will show Dave making self-deprecating jokes about being an adult on the app, Dave occupying the role of “the TikTok guy” in meetings, Dave doing silly 15-second sketches with the paper’s fashion, gaming, and economics reporters.

Jorgenson attributes the growth and fanbase of the account to his spending two months watching and listening to videos on TikTok instead of rushing to quickly turn around content. “If you’re gonna launch anything, whether you’re a newspaper or a brand or a company, you need to understand the app, otherwise people will see right through you,” he says. “Especially on TikTok, because the whole thing is that it’s mostly just raw videos set to music.”

The Washington Post, however, has what regular TikTok users don’t: access to very important people. In October, 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang just happened to be scheduled to visit the Washington Post’s offices filming an unrelated segment when Jorgenson was able to strike a plan with Yang’s team about filming a TikTok.

Yang’s team was already a fan of the Post’s TikTok account; the campaign has also leaned heavily on the fact that he is a tech entrepreneur. “We didn’t really have to sell it to Andrew Yang,” says Jorgenson. “He was like, ‘If they think it’s great, I’m going to do it.’” It’s a particularly impressive feat considering the resulting video was actually poking fun at Yang’s low polling numbers. “Finally relaxing after a full day of interviews and meeting people,” reads the caption on the first segment, followed by “Still polling at 3 percent” against a backdrop of Yang dancing in celebration.

The paper has since done equally self-deprecating videos with both Beto O’Rourke, who ended his campaign on November 1, and Julian Castro, whose video was a play on how much he looks like his brother, Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro. All three videos took off, garnering between 40,000 and 400,000 likes.

Though neither Beto’s nor Castro’s team replied to a request for comment, Yang’s press secretary told Vox, “We’re constantly exploring ways to reach new audiences and voters, and the TikTok video with the Washington Post is certainly one of those ways.”

Since the election of Donald Trump proved politicians could tweet rambling, often nonsensical stream-of-consciousness sentences and still win over voters, politicians have approached social media with an increased candidness. New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has posted her skin care routine to her Instagram stories; O’Rourke live-streamed his haircut; Elizabeth Warren posts videos of herself calling small-dollar donors to social media and makes a point to pose for every single person who wants a selfie after her town halls. In an age where we expect to be welcomed into the homes and lives of everyone we follow online, connecting with politicians has never felt so intimate.

Politicians have historically been pretty terrible at social media. A cursory glance at Mike Huckabee’s tweeting habits will illustrate as much — the former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate was once described by Fast Company as “the least funny person on Twitter.” Even cool-ish, young-ish presidential candidates are sometimes bad at tweeting. Cory Booker has made the same joke — a bit of PG-13 wordplay about coffee and sleep — 14 times over the past decade.

There are now more avenues than ever for politicians to embarrass themselves online. Instagram, for instance, has gained popularity among politicians faster than any other social media platform over the past few years, and was also the site of O’Rourke’s now-infamous live-streamed dentist appointment.

Aidan King, a senior strategist at Middle Seat consulting who has worked on presidential campaigns for both Bernie Sanders and O’Rourke, says that there’s a certain degree of apprehension in approaching any new social media platform. If candidates don’t know precisely who they’re speaking to, their message can be warped into something else. “There’s nothing worse for a political campaign than going viral for the wrong reasons,” he says.

TikTok, with its legions of irony-steeped teens, presents a specific danger. “The zoomers can be pretty ruthless, and it’s also clear which candidates they like a lot,” explains King. “Young people are really into Bernie Sanders, Andrew Yang, Elizabeth Warren, so I can understand why other candidates in the 2020 races just don’t really want to mess with [TikTok]. Joe Biden going on a platform that adores Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a recipe for disaster. They know the audience well enough to know they wouldn’t really get along with the people there.”

The Washington Post’s TikTok, though, is a controlled environment where candidates have little to lose, even when the content is unlike anything a political PR team would have typically come up with. “There’s just this very positive feeling around TikTok. Even if they are self-deprecating, they’re pretty wholesome,” Jorgenson says. “While the text in front of Andrew Yang was deprecating, it’s very funny. How could that hurt you?”

Jorgenson hopes to get every 2020 Democratic candidate in a video and has reached out to multiple candidates, but there is one white whale in particular. “I think if we get Bernie, then we have done our job, because I don’t know how we’re going to. But I’d be very proud of myself,” he laughs.

There are concerns over TikTok’s ties to the Chinese government (its parent company Bytedance is based in Beijing) and its willingness to bow to conservative governments by censoring pro-LGBTQ content, but the app has always wanted its content to remain politics-free. It recently announced it would ban political advertising out of a desire to remain a “positive, refreshing environment.” While nothing is stopping politicians from using the app, they may be hesitant to engage with one that will soon be under investigation by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.

It’s also likely it simply isn’t worth building a following on an app where a sizeable portion of its users aren’t even old enough to vote. For now, one-off sketches with the TikTok expert over at the Washington Post will do.

Sign up for The Goods’ newsletter. Twice a week, we’ll send you the best Goods stories exploring what we buy, why we buy it, and why it matters.

from Vox - All https://ift.tt/2ppxr5Y

[gracieyvonnehunter]

How the Washington Post’s TikTok became an unofficial 2020 campaign stop

Andrew Yang poses for a selfie. | Ethan Miller/Getty Images

For politicians, the buzziest new social video app presents a risk and an opportunity.

In 2015, Hillary Clinton was “yas queening” all over the internet. She had an official Snapchat account with a “Yaaas, Hillary!” logo that was also a T-shirt, a posed #yas photo with the stars of Broad City, custom Hillary Bitmoji, ironic cross-stitch art, and other signifiers of “yas” culture that’s since become emblematic of a certain kind of blinkered white feminism. An attempt to reach millennials with a passing familiarity with stan culture, it was also an extremely strategy easy to mock. As Amanda Hess wrote at the time in Slate, “American culture does not exactly appreciate the image of the ‘authentic’ older woman, but boy does it hate the older woman who strains to stay relevant.”

Hillary Clinton lost the election. That fact certainly can’t be attributed solely to a social media voice that many criticized as insincere and pandering, but it had a lasting impact on the ways we expect politicians to behave online.

It also might offer a clue on why so few politicians have a presence on the buzziest social media app of the moment, TikTok. Since its US launch in August 2018, the short-form video app has exploded in popularity, having been downloaded more than a billion times in 2018 and boasting 27 million active American users as of February 2019. Both Facebook and Instagram have launched competitors (or clones, depending on whom you ask), and celebrities like Will Smith, Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran, and Reese Witherspoon are now flocking to the app en masse.

Politicians, meanwhile, have been understandably hesitant to hop on board. Like all social media apps, TikTok has its own vernacular, and any transgressions of that shared language and sensibility stick out like, well, septuagenarian politicians on a social media app meant for teens. The fear of coming off as insincere or being flooded with “ok boomer” comments is a real one. The other outcome? A TikTok presence that fails to leave a mark, like Julian Castro’s account, which currently only has 470 followers.

Still, that leaves an opportunity. Enter: the TikTok account of an equally stodgy publication that has, against all odds, managed to feel truly native to the TikTok ecosystem. It’s the Washington Post’s, which since its debut this spring has amassed a quarter-million followers and a legion of superfans who praise its goofy premises and unserious tone. So far, three candidates — Andrew Yang, Beto O’Rourke, and Julian Castro — have appeared on it.

The Washington Post’s TikTok’s success is the direct result of its creator and biggest star, 28-year-old Dave Jorgenson, who previously created humor and satire videos for the newspaper. A scroll through the Washington Post’s TikTok account will show Dave making self-deprecating jokes about being an adult on the app, Dave occupying the role of “the TikTok guy” in meetings, Dave doing silly 15-second sketches with the paper’s fashion, gaming, and economics reporters.

Jorgenson attributes the growth and fanbase of the account to his spending two months watching and listening to videos on TikTok instead of rushing to quickly turn around content. “If you’re gonna launch anything, whether you’re a newspaper or a brand or a company, you need to understand the app, otherwise people will see right through you,” he says. “Especially on TikTok, because the whole thing is that it’s mostly just raw videos set to music.”

The Washington Post, however, has what regular TikTok users don’t: access to very important people. In October, 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang just happened to be scheduled to visit the Washington Post’s offices filming an unrelated segment when Jorgenson was able to strike a plan with Yang’s team about filming a TikTok.

Yang’s team was already a fan of the Post’s TikTok account; the campaign has also leaned heavily on the fact that he is a tech entrepreneur. “We didn’t really have to sell it to Andrew Yang,” says Jorgenson. “He was like, ‘If they think it’s great, I’m going to do it.’” It’s a particularly impressive feat considering the resulting video was actually poking fun at Yang’s low polling numbers. “Finally relaxing after a full day of interviews and meeting people,” reads the caption on the first segment, followed by “Still polling at 3 percent” against a backdrop of Yang dancing in celebration.

The paper has since done equally self-deprecating videos with both Beto O’Rourke, who ended his campaign on November 1, and Julian Castro, whose video was a play on how much he looks like his brother, Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro. All three videos took off, garnering between 40,000 and 400,000 likes.

Though neither Beto’s nor Castro’s team replied to a request for comment, Yang’s press secretary told Vox, “We’re constantly exploring ways to reach new audiences and voters, and the TikTok video with the Washington Post is certainly one of those ways.”

Since the election of Donald Trump proved politicians could tweet rambling, often nonsensical stream-of-consciousness sentences and still win over voters, politicians have approached social media with an increased candidness. New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has posted her skin care routine to her Instagram stories; O’Rourke live-streamed his haircut; Elizabeth Warren posts videos of herself calling small-dollar donors to social media and makes a point to pose for every single person who wants a selfie after her town halls. In an age where we expect to be welcomed into the homes and lives of everyone we follow online, connecting with politicians has never felt so intimate.

Politicians have historically been pretty terrible at social media. A cursory glance at Mike Huckabee’s tweeting habits will illustrate as much — the former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate was once described by Fast Company as “the least funny person on Twitter.” Even cool-ish, young-ish presidential candidates are sometimes bad at tweeting. Cory Booker has made the same joke — a bit of PG-13 wordplay about coffee and sleep — 14 times over the past decade.

There are now more avenues than ever for politicians to embarrass themselves online. Instagram, for instance, has gained popularity among politicians faster than any other social media platform over the past few years, and was also the site of O’Rourke’s now-infamous live-streamed dentist appointment.

Aidan King, a senior strategist at Middle Seat consulting who has worked on presidential campaigns for both Bernie Sanders and O’Rourke, says that there’s a certain degree of apprehension in approaching any new social media platform. If candidates don’t know precisely who they’re speaking to, their message can be warped into something else. “There’s nothing worse for a political campaign than going viral for the wrong reasons,” he says.

TikTok, with its legions of irony-steeped teens, presents a specific danger. “The zoomers can be pretty ruthless, and it’s also clear which candidates they like a lot,” explains King. “Young people are really into Bernie Sanders, Andrew Yang, Elizabeth Warren, so I can understand why other candidates in the 2020 races just don’t really want to mess with [TikTok]. Joe Biden going on a platform that adores Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a recipe for disaster. They know the audience well enough to know they wouldn’t really get along with the people there.”

The Washington Post’s TikTok, though, is a controlled environment where candidates have little to lose, even when the content is unlike anything a political PR team would have typically come up with. “There’s just this very positive feeling around TikTok. Even if they are self-deprecating, they’re pretty wholesome,” Jorgenson says. “While the text in front of Andrew Yang was deprecating, it’s very funny. How could that hurt you?”

Jorgenson hopes to get every 2020 Democratic candidate in a video and has reached out to multiple candidates, but there is one white whale in particular. “I think if we get Bernie, then we have done our job, because I don’t know how we’re going to. But I’d be very proud of myself,” he laughs.

There are concerns over TikTok’s ties to the Chinese government (its parent company Bytedance is based in Beijing) and its willingness to bow to conservative governments by censoring pro-LGBTQ content, but the app has always wanted its content to remain politics-free. It recently announced it would ban political advertising out of a desire to remain a “positive, refreshing environment.” While nothing is stopping politicians from using the app, they may be hesitant to engage with one that will soon be under investigation by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.

It’s also likely it simply isn’t worth building a following on an app where a sizeable portion of its users aren’t even old enough to vote. For now, one-off sketches with the TikTok expert over at the Washington Post will do.

Sign up for The Goods’ newsletter. Twice a week, we’ll send you the best Goods stories exploring what we buy, why we buy it, and why it matters.

from Vox - All https://ift.tt/2ppxr5Y

[corneliusreignallen]

How the Washington Post’s TikTok became an unofficial 2020 campaign stop

Andrew Yang poses for a selfie. | Ethan Miller/Getty Images

For politicians, the buzziest new social video app presents a risk and an opportunity.

In 2015, Hillary Clinton was “yas queening” all over the internet. She had an official Snapchat account with a “Yaaas, Hillary!” logo that was also a T-shirt, a posed #yas photo with the stars of Broad City, custom Hillary Bitmoji, ironic cross-stitch art, and other signifiers of “yas” culture that’s since become emblematic of a certain kind of blinkered white feminism. An attempt to reach millennials with a passing familiarity with stan culture, it was also an extremely strategy easy to mock. As Amanda Hess wrote at the time in Slate, “American culture does not exactly appreciate the image of the ‘authentic’ older woman, but boy does it hate the older woman who strains to stay relevant.”

Hillary Clinton lost the election. That fact certainly can’t be attributed solely to a social media voice that many criticized as insincere and pandering, but it had a lasting impact on the ways we expect politicians to behave online.

It also might offer a clue on why so few politicians have a presence on the buzziest social media app of the moment, TikTok. Since its US launch in August 2018, the short-form video app has exploded in popularity, having been downloaded more than a billion times in 2018 and boasting 27 million active American users as of February 2019. Both Facebook and Instagram have launched competitors (or clones, depending on whom you ask), and celebrities like Will Smith, Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran, and Reese Witherspoon are now flocking to the app en masse.

Politicians, meanwhile, have been understandably hesitant to hop on board. Like all social media apps, TikTok has its own vernacular, and any transgressions of that shared language and sensibility stick out like, well, septuagenarian politicians on a social media app meant for teens. The fear of coming off as insincere or being flooded with “ok boomer” comments is a real one. The other outcome? A TikTok presence that fails to leave a mark, like Julian Castro’s account, which currently only has 470 followers.

Still, that leaves an opportunity. Enter: the TikTok account of an equally stodgy publication that has, against all odds, managed to feel truly native to the TikTok ecosystem. It’s the Washington Post’s, which since its debut this spring has amassed a quarter-million followers and a legion of superfans who praise its goofy premises and unserious tone. So far, three candidates — Andrew Yang, Beto O’Rourke, and Julian Castro — have appeared on it.

The Washington Post’s TikTok’s success is the direct result of its creator and biggest star, 28-year-old Dave Jorgenson, who previously created humor and satire videos for the newspaper. A scroll through the Washington Post’s TikTok account will show Dave making self-deprecating jokes about being an adult on the app, Dave occupying the role of “the TikTok guy” in meetings, Dave doing silly 15-second sketches with the paper’s fashion, gaming, and economics reporters.

Jorgenson attributes the growth and fanbase of the account to his spending two months watching and listening to videos on TikTok instead of rushing to quickly turn around content. “If you’re gonna launch anything, whether you’re a newspaper or a brand or a company, you need to understand the app, otherwise people will see right through you,” he says. “Especially on TikTok, because the whole thing is that it’s mostly just raw videos set to music.”

The Washington Post, however, has what regular TikTok users don’t: access to very important people. In October, 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang just happened to be scheduled to visit the Washington Post’s offices filming an unrelated segment when Jorgenson was able to strike a plan with Yang’s team about filming a TikTok.

Yang’s team was already a fan of the Post’s TikTok account; the campaign has also leaned heavily on the fact that he is a tech entrepreneur. “We didn’t really have to sell it to Andrew Yang,” says Jorgenson. “He was like, ‘If they think it’s great, I’m going to do it.’” It’s a particularly impressive feat considering the resulting video was actually poking fun at Yang’s low polling numbers. “Finally relaxing after a full day of interviews and meeting people,” reads the caption on the first segment, followed by “Still polling at 3 percent” against a backdrop of Yang dancing in celebration.

The paper has since done equally self-deprecating videos with both Beto O’Rourke, who ended his campaign on November 1, and Julian Castro, whose video was a play on how much he looks like his brother, Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro. All three videos took off, garnering between 40,000 and 400,000 likes.

Though neither Beto’s nor Castro’s team replied to a request for comment, Yang’s press secretary told Vox, “We’re constantly exploring ways to reach new audiences and voters, and the TikTok video with the Washington Post is certainly one of those ways.”

Since the election of Donald Trump proved politicians could tweet rambling, often nonsensical stream-of-consciousness sentences and still win over voters, politicians have approached social media with an increased candidness. New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has posted her skin care routine to her Instagram stories; O’Rourke live-streamed his haircut; Elizabeth Warren posts videos of herself calling small-dollar donors to social media and makes a point to pose for every single person who wants a selfie after her town halls. In an age where we expect to be welcomed into the homes and lives of everyone we follow online, connecting with politicians has never felt so intimate.

Politicians have historically been pretty terrible at social media. A cursory glance at Mike Huckabee’s tweeting habits will illustrate as much — the former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate was once described by Fast Company as “the least funny person on Twitter.” Even cool-ish, young-ish presidential candidates are sometimes bad at tweeting. Cory Booker has made the same joke — a bit of PG-13 wordplay about coffee and sleep — 14 times over the past decade.

There are now more avenues than ever for politicians to embarrass themselves online. Instagram, for instance, has gained popularity among politicians faster than any other social media platform over the past few years, and was also the site of O’Rourke’s now-infamous live-streamed dentist appointment.

Aidan King, a senior strategist at Middle Seat consulting who has worked on presidential campaigns for both Bernie Sanders and O’Rourke, says that there’s a certain degree of apprehension in approaching any new social media platform. If candidates don’t know precisely who they’re speaking to, their message can be warped into something else. “There’s nothing worse for a political campaign than going viral for the wrong reasons,” he says.

TikTok, with its legions of irony-steeped teens, presents a specific danger. “The zoomers can be pretty ruthless, and it’s also clear which candidates they like a lot,” explains King. “Young people are really into Bernie Sanders, Andrew Yang, Elizabeth Warren, so I can understand why other candidates in the 2020 races just don’t really want to mess with [TikTok]. Joe Biden going on a platform that adores Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a recipe for disaster. They know the audience well enough to know they wouldn’t really get along with the people there.”

The Washington Post’s TikTok, though, is a controlled environment where candidates have little to lose, even when the content is unlike anything a political PR team would have typically come up with. “There’s just this very positive feeling around TikTok. Even if they are self-deprecating, they’re pretty wholesome,” Jorgenson says. “While the text in front of Andrew Yang was deprecating, it’s very funny. How could that hurt you?”

Jorgenson hopes to get every 2020 Democratic candidate in a video and has reached out to multiple candidates, but there is one white whale in particular. “I think if we get Bernie, then we have done our job, because I don’t know how we’re going to. But I’d be very proud of myself,” he laughs.

There are concerns over TikTok’s ties to the Chinese government (its parent company Bytedance is based in Beijing) and its willingness to bow to conservative governments by censoring pro-LGBTQ content, but the app has always wanted its content to remain politics-free. It recently announced it would ban political advertising out of a desire to remain a “positive, refreshing environment.” While nothing is stopping politicians from using the app, they may be hesitant to engage with one that will soon be under investigation by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.

It’s also likely it simply isn’t worth building a following on an app where a sizeable portion of its users aren’t even old enough to vote. For now, one-off sketches with the TikTok expert over at the Washington Post will do.

Sign up for The Goods’ newsletter. Twice a week, we’ll send you the best Goods stories exploring what we buy, why we buy it, and why it matters.

from Vox - All https://ift.tt/2ppxr5Y

[shanedakotamuir]

How the Washington Post’s TikTok became an unofficial 2020 campaign stop

Andrew Yang poses for a selfie. | Ethan Miller/Getty Images

For politicians, the buzziest new social video app presents a risk and an opportunity.

In 2015, Hillary Clinton was “yas queening” all over the internet. She had an official Snapchat account with a “Yaaas, Hillary!” logo that was also a T-shirt, a posed #yas photo with the stars of Broad City, custom Hillary Bitmoji, ironic cross-stitch art, and other signifiers of “yas” culture that’s since become emblematic of a certain kind of blinkered white feminism. An attempt to reach millennials with a passing familiarity with stan culture, it was also an extremely strategy easy to mock. As Amanda Hess wrote at the time in Slate, “American culture does not exactly appreciate the image of the ‘authentic’ older woman, but boy does it hate the older woman who strains to stay relevant.”

Hillary Clinton lost the election. That fact certainly can’t be attributed solely to a social media voice that many criticized as insincere and pandering, but it had a lasting impact on the ways we expect politicians to behave online.

It also might offer a clue on why so few politicians have a presence on the buzziest social media app of the moment, TikTok. Since its US launch in August 2018, the short-form video app has exploded in popularity, having been downloaded more than a billion times in 2018 and boasting 27 million active American users as of February 2019. Both Facebook and Instagram have launched competitors (or clones, depending on whom you ask), and celebrities like Will Smith, Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran, and Reese Witherspoon are now flocking to the app en masse.

Politicians, meanwhile, have been understandably hesitant to hop on board. Like all social media apps, TikTok has its own vernacular, and any transgressions of that shared language and sensibility stick out like, well, septuagenarian politicians on a social media app meant for teens. The fear of coming off as insincere or being flooded with “ok boomer” comments is a real one. The other outcome? A TikTok presence that fails to leave a mark, like Julian Castro’s account, which currently only has 470 followers.

Still, that leaves an opportunity. Enter: the TikTok account of an equally stodgy publication that has, against all odds, managed to feel truly native to the TikTok ecosystem. It’s the Washington Post’s, which since its debut this spring has amassed a quarter-million followers and a legion of superfans who praise its goofy premises and unserious tone. So far, three candidates — Andrew Yang, Beto O’Rourke, and Julian Castro — have appeared on it.

The Washington Post’s TikTok’s success is the direct result of its creator and biggest star, 28-year-old Dave Jorgenson, who previously created humor and satire videos for the newspaper. A scroll through the Washington Post’s TikTok account will show Dave making self-deprecating jokes about being an adult on the app, Dave occupying the role of “the TikTok guy” in meetings, Dave doing silly 15-second sketches with the paper’s fashion, gaming, and economics reporters.

Jorgenson attributes the growth and fanbase of the account to his spending two months watching and listening to videos on TikTok instead of rushing to quickly turn around content. “If you’re gonna launch anything, whether you’re a newspaper or a brand or a company, you need to understand the app, otherwise people will see right through you,” he says. “Especially on TikTok, because the whole thing is that it’s mostly just raw videos set to music.”

The Washington Post, however, has what regular TikTok users don’t: access to very important people. In October, 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang just happened to be scheduled to visit the Washington Post’s offices filming an unrelated segment when Jorgenson was able to strike a plan with Yang’s team about filming a TikTok.

Yang’s team was already a fan of the Post’s TikTok account; the campaign has also leaned heavily on the fact that he is a tech entrepreneur. “We didn’t really have to sell it to Andrew Yang,” says Jorgenson. “He was like, ‘If they think it’s great, I’m going to do it.’” It’s a particularly impressive feat considering the resulting video was actually poking fun at Yang’s low polling numbers. “Finally relaxing after a full day of interviews and meeting people,” reads the caption on the first segment, followed by “Still polling at 3 percent” against a backdrop of Yang dancing in celebration.

The paper has since done equally self-deprecating videos with both Beto O’Rourke, who ended his campaign on November 1, and Julian Castro, whose video was a play on how much he looks like his brother, Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro. All three videos took off, garnering between 40,000 and 400,000 likes.

Though neither Beto’s nor Castro’s team replied to a request for comment, Yang’s press secretary told Vox, “We’re constantly exploring ways to reach new audiences and voters, and the TikTok video with the Washington Post is certainly one of those ways.”

Since the election of Donald Trump proved politicians could tweet rambling, often nonsensical stream-of-consciousness sentences and still win over voters, politicians have approached social media with an increased candidness. New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has posted her skin care routine to her Instagram stories; O’Rourke live-streamed his haircut; Elizabeth Warren posts videos of herself calling small-dollar donors to social media and makes a point to pose for every single person who wants a selfie after her town halls. In an age where we expect to be welcomed into the homes and lives of everyone we follow online, connecting with politicians has never felt so intimate.

Politicians have historically been pretty terrible at social media. A cursory glance at Mike Huckabee’s tweeting habits will illustrate as much — the former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate was once described by Fast Company as “the least funny person on Twitter.” Even cool-ish, young-ish presidential candidates are sometimes bad at tweeting. Cory Booker has made the same joke — a bit of PG-13 wordplay about coffee and sleep — 14 times over the past decade.

There are now more avenues than ever for politicians to embarrass themselves online. Instagram, for instance, has gained popularity among politicians faster than any other social media platform over the past few years, and was also the site of O’Rourke’s now-infamous live-streamed dentist appointment.

Aidan King, a senior strategist at Middle Seat consulting who has worked on presidential campaigns for both Bernie Sanders and O’Rourke, says that there’s a certain degree of apprehension in approaching any new social media platform. If candidates don’t know precisely who they’re speaking to, their message can be warped into something else. “There’s nothing worse for a political campaign than going viral for the wrong reasons,” he says.

TikTok, with its legions of irony-steeped teens, presents a specific danger. “The zoomers can be pretty ruthless, and it’s also clear which candidates they like a lot,” explains King. “Young people are really into Bernie Sanders, Andrew Yang, Elizabeth Warren, so I can understand why other candidates in the 2020 races just don’t really want to mess with [TikTok]. Joe Biden going on a platform that adores Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a recipe for disaster. They know the audience well enough to know they wouldn’t really get along with the people there.”

The Washington Post’s TikTok, though, is a controlled environment where candidates have little to lose, even when the content is unlike anything a political PR team would have typically come up with. “There’s just this very positive feeling around TikTok. Even if they are self-deprecating, they’re pretty wholesome,” Jorgenson says. “While the text in front of Andrew Yang was deprecating, it’s very funny. How could that hurt you?”

Jorgenson hopes to get every 2020 Democratic candidate in a video and has reached out to multiple candidates, but there is one white whale in particular. “I think if we get Bernie, then we have done our job, because I don’t know how we’re going to. But I’d be very proud of myself,” he laughs.

There are concerns over TikTok’s ties to the Chinese government (its parent company Bytedance is based in Beijing) and its willingness to bow to conservative governments by censoring pro-LGBTQ content, but the app has always wanted its content to remain politics-free. It recently announced it would ban political advertising out of a desire to remain a “positive, refreshing environment.” While nothing is stopping politicians from using the app, they may be hesitant to engage with one that will soon be under investigation by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.

It’s also likely it simply isn’t worth building a following on an app where a sizeable portion of its users aren’t even old enough to vote. For now, one-off sketches with the TikTok expert over at the Washington Post will do.

Sign up for The Goods’ newsletter. Twice a week, we’ll send you the best Goods stories exploring what we buy, why we buy it, and why it matters.

from Vox - All https://ift.tt/2ppxr5Y

[seigaku9th-blog]

japan week three ➜ ryosei’s summer thanks event

on july 16th, i had the chance to attend ryosei (8th inui)'s summer event & meet him!!

this was more of a just for fun ~i want to give back to my fans~ kind of event rather than one commemorating the release of a DVD or photobook or the like. i had no idea what to expect, but it ended up being sooo much fun!! this is my favorite event i attended.

i was sitting in the middle of the very first row of the venue, which was both nervewracking and wonderful. the venue wasn't full, but there were still a lot of us, and everyone had so much energy and was so nice!! it felt really cozy and fun.

the event kicked off with a talk section between ryosei & the MC, as well as a Q&A from the fans. they mostly went over ryosei's work within the past few months... when his hatsukoi monster character was brought up, the MC said ryosei kinda was like his character (a crazy fanboy of a young boy who dresses like a cute girl) and called him a pervert... ryosei didn't deny anything and even said "yes i'm pervert-san i look forward to working with you"... i... don't even... know...

when talking with the MC, ryosei was so loud and chatty, but when answering fans' questions he does this ADORABLE thing where he gives these really long detailed answers, and his voice gradually gets lower as he talks more & more... he would ramble a little and it was ADORABLE. i really appreciated him putting so much thought into his answers to fans' questions.

my favorite question was when a fan asked him about makeup.

Fan: "having been in tenimyu, you had to do your own makeup for 2 years. how is it to leave that work to makeup artists now?"

Ryosei: "you know, makeup artists do a great job, but there's moments where i have to tell them things like, that's not my foundation color, you made my face darker than my neck!! or things like that."

i thought that was really interesting bcuz i always had been curious about that; some tenimyu boys are so skilled at doing their makeup, and then you see how they look when other people do it for them, and... well.

being in the first row and sitting near where ryosei was, i felt like he was looking in my direction so often and it was so intimidating!! he's such a chill guy but he's also so beautiful and tall... he is. SO beautiful. i was especially happy because most of his freckles & beauty marks were visible thanks to how light his makeup was hehehe... also he has the most amazing cheekbones and these GIGANTIC hands actually that might be scary more than anything

he then brought his guests in: kodai (8th taka), tsuji (3rd higashikata) & . the guests were announced way after we got the lottery results & our tickets, so i was so amazingly happy that i'd get the chance to see kodai & tsuji.

the first thing they did together was this adlib skit competition. the MC would give them a specific prompt and then they each had to come up with a skit about it. the crowd would then vote for our favorite one.

the themes were: - you're the teacher and your student just graduated; - confessing to your childhood friend; - you confess but the person is already taken.

ryosei won the first one, but kodai won the other two!! he was just so pure and good it's no wonder... ryosei was like THIS IS MY EVENT WHY ARE YOU ALL VOTING FOR HIM ughhffjcsg

tsuji would get embarrassed & laugh in the middle of each of his skits, it was so cute!!

i really liked their skits for the third one. kodai's was like, "ah, really? well, that's fine!! i wish you all the best!!" while ryosei's was, "oh, okay then. bye. *turns & walks away*". i laughed SO hard. i feel like there was truly this dating game pattern of kodai being the sweet harmless guy, tsuji being the awkward goof & ryosei being the flirty, crazy and rude one. XD

then it was time for the performance numbers. okay, i really had NO idea any of this would happen AT ALL. it was kinda shocking...

so, ryosei & tsuji start talking about how they both love kpop... (a thousand red alarms go off in my head)... and how they... learned a choreography... (by then i'm already ready to die of embarrassment)... and so...

ryosei & tsuji did this entire dance cover complete with lipsynching of BTS' i need u? live on that stage? while i was in the first row? i'm still mentally scarred honestly?

but the worse is that. i actually. really enjoyed it. they're both really good dancers and were seriously going hard on that stage and they're both very tall you know... so when they did those sexy body rolling & neck touching & etc moves i was like OHHH. NOOOOOOOO

i honestly wish they had recorded it because despite how scarred i am i would definitely have rewatched that 488558 times. ryosei's legs...

afterwards all four of them sang kiseki by green boys? it was really pretty. ryosei did the rap part and it was so funny he is such a goof... however tsuji definitely stole the show with his wonderful singing~ poor ryosei keeps getting outshined at his own event...

afterwards, ryosei introduced his college friend, one of the first people he met after moving to tokyo. i thought it was really cool and sweet of ryosei to have invited this totally normal guy to his event! his friend was so quiet and shy, it was so cute to watch them.

the reason why ryosei had invited his friend was so he could play the guitar as ryosei sang his own songs. yes!! ryosei is apparently an amateur singer-songwriter now!!

it was a very heartfelt and sincere and lovely moment. ryosei isn't the best singer out here, but he still sounded so sweet, and the songs were really emotional. the second one was about going back to your hometown, coming home. when ryosei described his feelings behind the song, a lot of people in the crowd teared up, ryosei made fun of us!! (and then teared up himself while singing it.)

afterwards, it was time for us to meet ryosei. we could take a cheki, talk to him & personally hand him our letters.

what i thought was really cool about this event is that the cheki was included in the base price ticket. a lot of events require you to do crazy things or spend a ridiculous amount of money to get a cheki. (i bought 3 photobooks to get my cheki with zaiki LOL)

as expected, ryosei was so incredibly calm and casual. he greeted me and we took the cheki, please take note of how huge his hands are next to mine when i already have rather large hands... it was almost scary to watch girls and their small hands doing heart shapes with him i'm terrified

i told him how much i loved all of his roles especially jek and jouetsu and orion and INUI!! and how i've been supporting him from canada since he debuted in tenimyu and how i love his ""energy"" on stage (idk how to compliment extra-ness in jp).

he held my hand very firmly and warmly and he's sooo quiet and calm, idk why he does this thing where he's constantly yelling at his friends but basically whispers to his fans but it's so sweet... he is so beautiful and his soft face looks like cookies & cream what with his freckles... and his big smile is so cute!! he looked really surprised when i gave him my letter, maybe he didn't expect me to be able to write XD

i then went out to the goods area. honestly, i regret not buying more things. his photosets were GORGEOUS, the concepts, poses, expressions, outfits, image quality, everything were so much better than the bromides i got from everything & everyone else this month. no offense, but...

the cutest thing was the collection of cheki on sale. there were hundreds of unique shots: all hand signed & captionned by ryosei. i regret only getting one of them... i'll share higher quality pictures of the goods i got at this event at a later date.

as i mentioned, this was the objectively best event i attended this month. ryosei isn't even one of my top 10 actors or anything, but he's such a charming & entertaining guy. i'm really thankful to have met him & glad he treated me so kindly. i hope i can see him again!!!

thank you for reading this report!!

[sofeyhh]

Six Blind Dates

Protagonist: Min Yoongi Main Pairing: Yoonmin Ships: Yoonseok, Namjin, Namgi, Taegi, Yoonjin, Yoonkook Genre: Comedy, fluff, mild smut, semi angst

Summary: Min Yoongi has been a hermit during his first year in college; mostly keeping to himself, burying his head in his studies and holing up in the school’s radio station. Now that he’s entering his second year, his brother has been riling him up to get experimental, since it is college. So he joins a dating website, for men, and waits for his 6 blind dates.

Part 4 / ?

The ear-splitting sound of his alarm pierced in his ears like a thousand nails. It rudely tore him away from the comfy deep sleep he was in, making Yoongi groan into his pillow. He peers out of his puffy sleepy eyes to check the time.

6:05 am

“What the fuck!” Yoongi yells into his pillow. He lets out a deflated whimper as he frustratedly kicks around.

6:05 am is most definitely not a humane time to wake someone up. It was something only office workers and housewives did. So why the hell was he summoned at this goddamned hour?

Another screeching alarm goes off, this time a reminder on his phone. He lazily lifts up the screen to read. It said ‘Hike Date with Jung Hoseok. Be there at 7’ in white bubbly letters. Ah fuck, he thought.

His date had sent him a pinned location of a hiking trail along with the caption ‘7am! Don’t forget to set your alarm and to bring lots of water! Tomorrow’s gonna be fun!!’ Yoongi grimaces at the reminder of having to walk up a hill under the hot sun for at least an hour. His warm duvet cover pulled him back to dreamland, back to visions of swimming in a pile of money.

Swimming in a non-existent pile of dirty green paper sounded so much better than sweating under a hot ball of fire. And so he drifts back to sleep, mumbling an apology to his date. No one can come in between him and his sleep. No one. Yoongi could feel his body getting enveloped by the dollar bills, tugging him in like quicksand when suddenly his phone starts blaring in his ears.

“For fucking fuck’s sake of fucking fuck gods!” Yoongi bellowed as he tried killing his phone with his pillow. The repetitive hits did nothing to silence the damn device of course.

Tears were threatening to spill as he whines to himself. The gods above must love fucking him over. It was Sunday, and Sundays were meant for him to wake up at 5 pm, not bloody 6:07 am. He grudgingly picks up his phone, biting his tongue from wishing the person on the other line an early death.“Syubbbbbbbb!”

Of course. Of fucking course. If it there was one thing in the universe that was flipping him off, it would have to be his brother. It just had to. Yoongi puts on the loudspeaker and lets his phone fall from his hands, wondering how his brother managed to swallow Jim Carrey’s soul at 6:07 am. Oh right, it was currently 7:07 pm back in Korea.

“Are you ready for your date?!”

“Hyung,” Yoongi croaked. “How long have you known me?” He rubs his face, trying to get the sleepy haze out of his eyes.

“Uh...since you were born…?”

He rests his elbows on his knees and buries his face, muffling his voice while he chatted with his brother. “What’s the one thing you should know about me?”

It was a very easy question, and he had high hopes for his goldfish-brained brother to remember. Mind you, it has even been written down on his school profile by teachers and students alike.

“...you love your sleep?” his brother squeaks.

“Ah!” Yoongi exclaimed as he raises his arms. “Hallelujah hyung! You got the right answer for once.”

The silence over the phone could only mean his brother was busy rolling his eyes at Yoongi’s exaggeration. His brother’s next words made him want to physically row back to Korea and personally strangle him.

“Ok, but have you gotten ready for your date though?”Ok but have you gotten ready for your date though?”

---

Yoongi was already sweating just by walking from his car to the hiking area and it wasn’t even sunny out. He squinted and looked around while fidgeting in his clothes; also known as the sportiest outfit he could find in his closet. Namjoon had said that his upcoming date had a million-watt smile, not that he knew what that meant. A smile was just a smile, wasn’t it?

“Ahhhhh!”

The monstrous scream came before Yoongi was attacked by a bear - or at least he thought it was- almost getting down tackled down to the ground. It came out of nowhere, leaving him dazed while being stared at onlookers. Yoongi squirms out of the tight embrace, looking distressed by the sudden human contact.

“You’re Yoongi aren’t you?!”

In that second, he knew exactly what Namjoon meant. The boy’s smile could give the damn Sun a run for its money. It took a second for Yoongi to get his bearings as he calmly detaches himself from the walking ball of sunshine.

“I’m guessing you’re Jung Hoseok?” Yoongi asked with a timid smile.

“Eugh you sound like my Math teacher in High School,” his date cringes at his full name. “Hobi, if you will.”

Hobi, what a peculiar nickname, Yoongi thought. Then again, he had his brother calling him Syub and Yoongi still don't know where it came from. In all seriousness, the name Hobi weirdly suits his date’s personality. It had a tinge of adorableness, or back in Korea they’d called it aegyo, and an all around fun name.

With energetic motivations from Hobi, Yoongi managed to go through the hike without even once grumbling about the heat or the bugs colliding with his face every few seconds. There was something about the boy that Yoongi found comfort in. He always had a smile on and was so open about everything, even talking about his sexuality like it was no big deal despite the homophobia still going around.

“I guess it’s because my family’s pretty chill about everything so being gay wasn’t a big issue,” Hobi explained while walking backwards. “It was over dinner and I casually talked about liking dicks while eating Grandmama’s famous chilli. My parents were like ‘Yeah? Have you found anyone you like? Don’t forget to use protection Hoseokie. Even guys need to’.”

Yoongi blushes at his date’s brazen words. The topic of dicks at Grandmama’s famous chilli can never go hand in hand during his family dinners. He’d get an ass-kicking from his father just for saying the word ‘dick’. But he still had to give it to his parents for being accepting of their son’s sexuality. Not many Korean parents are particularly fond of their sons talking about wanting to ride dicks.

“What about you? You told your parents you’re gay yet?”

They reached the midpoint of the hiking trail where a crowd of people were busy gawking over a 3-story high waterfall. The narrow bridge was jam packed with sweaty hikers that Yoongi subconsciously retreated backwards. Him getting sweaty wasn’t something he fancies but being slathered by gross sweaty shoulders of other humans? Yeah, he would cut off his leg to avoid that at all cost.

Hobi chuckles when he sees Yoongi’s appalled expression. “C’mon,” he says, taking Yoongi’s hands as he leads them to a small path away from the bridge. Though, it could barely be considered a path.

“Trust me,” Hobi nods his head as he gestures for Yoongi to follow the steep path upwards into the dense forest. “It gets you a better view of the waterfall.”

With a reluctant heart, Yoongi treks up the dirt path, pulling onto tree trunks to support his non-existent arm muscles. Now was the time that he regrets not committing into the gym schedule he had drafted back in his first year. So much for wanting to get a six-pack.

“So?” Hobi huffs as they closer to the top. “Does your parents know?”

“Well, first of all, I’m not gay. Or, not officially one. I may consider myself a bisexual but I’m still experimenting. This is only my second date with a guy.”

Finally, after getting slapped in the face by multiple branches, Yoongi reaches the top. He collapses on a boulder and groans until he could feel the nerves coming back to his toes. His numerical age may be 21 but ever since he hit puberty, he’s been possessed by a hundred-year-old man.

“You’re adorable, baby,” Hobi chuckled as he slapped Yoongi’s ass.

His entire body tenses as the heat prickled up his neck. It took a while for Yoongi to register the ass slapping and the pet name calling. By the time he recovers from that sinful act, Hobi had already moved on as if nothing happened. He was sat at the edge of the cliff admiring the waterfall.

What the fuck, Yoongi thought. This guy is mental. He couldn’t come up with words to describe his date’s bold personality but he knew for sure it was so different from Namjoon’s. At the back of his head, he could hear his brother commenting on how this guy would be a good fuck. And surprisingly, he was a little turned on by the idea. He coughs away his dirty thoughts and takes a seat by Hobi.

“So what’s Korea like?” Hobi wondered out loud. “I was born there but my parents migrated when I was two so I’m pretty much clueless.”

Yoongi leans back, resting his head on the boulder as he mulled over Hobi’s question. “Korea’s....something else,” Yoongi sighed fondly. “Indescribable really.”

Hobi leans back and watches Yoongi with a smile. He could see the love for his native country in Yoongi’s eyes. America may be the country where dreams come true, but every foreign student he knows would always prefer their homeland over manufactured burgers and fries.

“I was born in Daegu, a rural city in the north. It’s surrounded by beautiful rocky mountains and can get really cold in the winter. But then we moved to Seoul after my dad got promoted to manage an office branch in the city. And it may be in the same country but Seoul’s vibe is a contrast to Daegu. Polar opposites even, like me and you,” Yoongi chuckled.

“Hey now, you know what they say, opposites attract. Like magnets,” Hobi piped up with a wink.

They spent the rest of the hour slopped in front of the giant boulder and admiring the waterfall. It was decided that they wouldn’t hike up the last half of trail after Yoongi groaned and whined, begging Hobi to have mercy on his old ass. The pair managed to forge a bond with blessings from the 3-story waterfall and the giant boulder. Yoongi came to find that they had a few things in common, but that didn’t change the fact that their personalities were on opposite ends of the scale.

On that Sunday, at 8:10am, Yoongi had one of the best laughs after a long time. His gruffy chortles boomed through the forest; even catching the attention of the people on the bridge. He realised that Hobi mirrored his brother perfectly. He was a jokester, he was crazy and he was loud. The thickness of his skin was no joke because this boy went all out to make a show for Yoongi without a hint of embarrassment.

“Be prepared Yoongs,” he said with a straight face as he pointed at Yoongi.

His phone was plugged into his portable speaker, blasting out a poppy girl song Yoongi was unfamiliar with. With passion, Hobi sticks out his ass, twirling it to the beat with a smirk on his face. Yoongi watched with his mouth hanging open as his date danced to the song with such precision. He hit every move at the right time without breaking a sweat, looking majestic as fuck. The song ended and Yoongi gave him the loudest applause followed by a standing ovation.

“You were bootylicious, for sure,” Yoongi teased, his gummy smile on full display as Hobi bowed dramatically.

The poppy music gave way to a trap beat as Hobi regained his composure. This time, Yoongi wailed a loud yes as he flails his arms around. He’d be lying if he said that this song wasn’t on the top of his playlist. As soon as the song started, Hobi switched from being a sassy ass-jiggling dancer to a sexy rapper. He rapped out the lyrics with full force, not holding back even once. It was a mind blowing switch that got Yoongi staring in awe.

“Yah...I didn’t know you can dance and rap! Fucking hell that was amazing!” he exclaimed.

Hobi chuckles as plops down. His breaths were irregular as he sucks in the much-needed oxygen. Yoongi’s eyes catch the trickle of sweat as it falls from his temple down to the corner of his lips. Without him realising, he lingers onto the sight of his date’s lips longer than necessary.

“Curious?”

Yoongi was startled out of his trance and comes to face with a smirking boy. He was rudely biting his lips as if knowing that it would make Yoongi’s lips dart out involuntarily. With red cheeks, he nods to answer. He had been pondering on how it would taste to kiss a boy ever since his date with Namjoon. Would it be rougher than a girl’s or just as soft? His heart started to race as Hobi leans in - this was it, he was about to find out.

It was electric. It was hot. It was heart-fluttering. And it felt soft and firm at the same time. Blood rushes up to his ears as the kiss picks up; it went from light hesitant kisses to a needier make-out. Yoongi feels Hobi’s hand brushing past his shoulders, up to his neck, tugging him closer. He lets out a small whimper, melting under his touch. His hand comes up to clutch at Hobi’s collar, pulling him above him as he feels the warmth of the ground on his back.

There was a possibility he might be a bottom.

If you want to follow this fic, just use the tag sofieyoonmin fic. It’d be easier to find it :)