#need a fan edit or big fan lyric comic of them to this so bad

[purple-petrichor]

Thinking about 457 and. You know it’s a toxic ship when No Children by The Mountain Goats would actually be…too optimistic for them

[liam-93-productions]

Summary of Liam’s episode on Happy Hour podcast – Part 3

Note: Since the podcast is long, we’re dividng these summaries into parts. Hope you guys understand.

- Liam says that people always have that friend that they annoy relentlessly and his person his Conor. Liam says that he is the one being “bullied” constantly by his manager, Steve. - Mentions The LP Shows and how cool it is to do these shows. He said that he usually annoys Conor when he is editing a few videos of it as a joke and that Steve usually is sympathetic towards Conor even though he is the one performing and he can’t get it wrong. “Quick monkey perform!”. - They joke that Liam has 3.31 million YouTube subscribers and that Liam should be the one promoting Jaack and Stevie podcast. Liam started doing something like a podcast and at first it started off with having ideas about the livestream and he thought that it would be a good idea to rewatch the show alongside fans (especially for those in different timezones). He feels like it’s a little podcasty in a sense. He also thought about doing like a “round table with fans” where every week different people could talk about the show with him. “I hate watching myself”. - If he had a podcast he would love to talk with for example Justin Bieber and Robbie Williams. A few years ago, he was able to talk with Justin Bieber off camera. Liam feels very fortunate because he had 4 other boys who were growing at the rate as him, in the same circle and they knew exactly what it was like being him. For Justin he only had himself. “Angel” by Robbie Williams was his go-to karaoke song and he loves Robbie, feels like they can relate to each other a lot. - Liam jokes that he left One Direction and that people will use this as a new headline, “You have to be so self-aware”. Jaack asks him seriously if the band will get back together and he says “We’ll at some point. Everybody keeps asking it. It’s probably like everybody is sick of answering it”. Liam said that he sometimes gets in trouble while being honest. - “So it’s like having that family unit because we’ve had to kind of grow that around each other in One Direction to have people that were with us.” He mentions that in 1D they had people that were with them since the start. “My day ones”, these people are his day ones. - Liam feels like 1D needed a break and that if it didn’t happen at that point in life then he feels like he going to be even crazier. He felt scared sometimes because he had a security guard that lived in his house and he was always thinking that people were watching him. - He and Jaack made some puns with What Makes You Beautiful. - Liam mentions that sometimes people will pretend not to know who he is. He told a story where he was walking down the street one day and somebody called him Harry Styles. Liam also told a story of a woman that approached him and was convinced she knew him from some place, asking him questions. Told a story about Louis once having a bad experience at the shops where he tried to play a joke on a woman where he tried to confuse her saying he wasn’t “Louis Tomlinson” and the lady told him that he was better looking that the Louis from 1D. - Mentions that Louis was more hands on the behind the scenes part (backstage), but Liam always thought that the stage was his domain. “Together we’d kind of lead this together, mainly because we couldn’t get out egos out of the way.” Nowadays, it’s the same way. They help each other a lot in everything they need.   - Jaack says that Liam transitioned into a very successful solo career and asks Liam when did he notice it. He says that it was scary being alone and especially lately, he became more aware of it and sometimes things go wrong. “I have had moments where it’s gone pretty wrong.” - If things went wrong on stage with the 1D boys, they would usually do Fresh Prince of Bel Air skit to entertain people. Liam usually tried to talk with the crowd while things were sorted (for example, then the sound was down). - Liam mentions that he had a big problem remembering lyrics and at the time he was taking a prescribed medication, due to not feeling very happy at the time. Certain lights on stage would really bothered him and he needed time to adjust himself with talking sometimes and even remembering his own name. He felt so anxious with this, that now he usually has the lyrics on a prompter because “I just don’t want to mess up someone’s show”. He stopped taking this medication after he read a few articles claiming that people were forgetting their dissertations and classes for example. - Best show: he usually doesn’t mention it, but when the boys did the 2012 Olympics, their first big performance after coming out from X-Factor. It was amazing to him being so close to so many amazing artists, it felt massive. - Liam asked Jaack if he was alright and if he needed a cuddle after he mentioned that 2012 was the last good year he had. “How shit is the world if you can’t cuddle Liam Payne?” (Jaack) and Stevie answered that “Not many people can”. - Liam watches a paranormal show every week called “Ghost Adventures” and it’s one of the longest running shows. According to Liam, the show is just people walking into a room and shouting at walls. He isn’t a believer of ghosts, but he thinks that what if it’s real at the same time. He was supposed to participate in an episode of a scary tv show, but he couldn’t get to America in time, and he was supposed to stay a night in a hotel that has a history of scary stuff happening. - Liam mentions his visit to the Haunted Museum in Vegas and how they weren’t supposed to insult a haunted doll, but Steve insulted the doll and the doll said Liam’s name (he thought he was going to die). - Talks about his house in America that the lights would turn on in the middle of the night and doors opening and closing. The cleaner told him that she was seeing a person and it was “Alan the Ghost”, one of the old owners of the house. - Liam keeps saying that he needs to see real things to actually believe in ghosts. He wasn’t scared of doing things at the Haunted Museum because he wanted to live through it, but when weird things happened, he also doesn’t believe it. “I’m sorry, I just got to know.” - Liam’s theory is that if you watch something going into space, you’d be able to know what to expect when something came to earth. He feels like he would like to know there is something out there (aliens). - They start questioning if Elon Musk appeared before Iron Man. Even though it’s a character from a comic book, Liam thinks that maybe Robert Downey Jr. thought that he should base the character on Elon. Jaack “I think that we, as a collective, just discovered a new conspiracy theory”.

[staylavendertea]

young avengers characters and relationships as songs

billy kaplan : season of the witch by donovan and mr. sandman cover by joe p, it’s fun, there’s that groove, it’s witches and it’s dreams; a total billy kaplan jamming out in his room in his boyfriends too big shirt 10 at night moment with that magical and just like ,, witchy billy vibe i can’t explain through words that i love dearly, it also just gives me a connection between him and wanda i really love, the family witches between soul mother and soul son and that bass in mr sandman for some reason screams billy

teddy altman : space girl by frances forever need i say more, that song screams smiling golden tall boy theodore in overalls and sweaters, prince charming of space deserves the song space girl, the song is soft like teddy is, all hugs and kisses, that is until “stupid boyfriend putting himself into stupid danger all the stupid time” and “why do i try he never listens” “i heard that” “sure now he listens” then it becomes all hugs, kisses, bickering with the boyfriend, and threats of mauling people, but that’s for childrens crusade and family matters arc to tell

tommy shepherd : rebels by call me karizma but also steady, as she goes by the raconteurs mostly just for that guitar and music, i heavily head canon billy as the pianist and tommy as the guitar and bass player all the way and steady, as she goes screams tommy’s kind of music, the song rebels because that boy is the biggest rebel around and i wouldn’t be surprised if he was an arsonist

eli bradley : i just wanna shine by fitz and the tantrums i honestly had a bit of a hard time finding a song that really perfectly fit eli, but i think this one really hits the spot - eli is totally the boy that’s just trying his best and live up to his and everyone else’s expectations, i think he’s actually a softie and repressed nerd that believes heavily in doing what is right and i think that this song encompasses that, i really miss eli bradley thank you for coming to my tedtalk

cassie lang : blackbird by the beatles (cover by dodie) cassie gives me total adorable and soft but such a cool person dodie vibes, but i think the song blackbird fits cassie on so many levels, especially the lyrics as growing up after losing her dad, getting and learning to control her powers, and growing as a super hero she knows her dad would be so proud of, i love every single one of the young avengers but mygod cassie

nate richards : run boy run by woodkid and something better by hidinin i feel for nate, that poor kid literally is running away and trying to kill his future because he knows it’s a bad road and honestly he’s so brave for that and it’s all thanks to nate that we got all the young avengers in the first place so credit will be payed where credit is due, nate is really just a clumsy teenager thats a total nutcase and a bit clueless without that common sense sometimes that will think a pack sour troll gummies and a bottle of gateorade is a well rounded training diet but he’s also a descendent of sue and reed richards and what’s there to expect from child geniuses

kate bishop : love club by lorde and ribs by lorde i kinda just stumbled upon these honestly forgotten songs in my playlist and was pleasantly surprised how perfectly kate bishop these songs are, the lyrics most likely mean something else but i see the love club as the young avengers and “go get punched for the love club” just sounds like a kate bishop thing to say, these songs give me vibes of kate bishop in a rolled sleeves black and purple flannel and black jean shorts with scuffs and bandaids on her elbows and knees, probably also a developing black eye and bloody nose but lookin badass per usual

david alleyne : karma by ajr i picked this one for david because the second i heard it david was immediately the person i thought of when listening to it, i haven’t read many comics with david in them, i’m searching tho, but i am reading the current x factor and david just goes through a lot poor dude just wants to learn and help with what he can and i love him every moment for it

america chavez : a good song never dies by saint motel and dead girl in the pool by girl in red i honestly don’t know much about america besides some basic background stuff and some her character and personality since i haven’t been able to get my hands on some ya v2 issues besides what i’ve seen online but what i have seen of her i already love her and know she is so badass and a bit chaotic but in the best way possible from the little i do know about america’s character i think these songs just fits both the vibes of how she presents and holds herself but also her personality, america is a good song that just never dies are vibes i will happily live with

loki : run the world!!! by dayglow i haven’t really read much of loki in the comics, the versions of them i know the best being the actual norse myth god and movie loki and i know how the movies can be with their comic book characters, but from what ive heard about kid and teenager loki is that they’re a little punk and this song seems to just fit that perfectly

jonas : growing pains by coin i honestly didn’t know that there was more to jonas besides ya v1 and childrens crusade but now i’m intrigued, but this song just speaks jonas to me who i was also calling judas for like ten minutes without realizing i had a totally wrong name, but from what i read and his whole thing with cass, i think growing pains very much fits a mr. jonas

now for the relationships/ships - this post is so long i am so sorry for all the reading but i’m having fun -

david and tommy : affection by between friends im not even sure completely why but the music just screams david and tommy’s vibes, especially how tommy is usually head canonized in relationships, *chiefs kiss* of a song

nate and cassie and jonas : in the middle by dodie this song is literally the three of them, like perfectly, the lyrics fit to a t and it’s literal perfection for them

billy and teddy : pleaser by wallows for how much i love them i surprisingly had a hard time finding a song for them, i know at one time i heard and had a song that was perfect but i can’t remember it all, but i think pleaser fits just as nice, it fits their personalities and the music itself is the vibe they give off to me : imma make an edit from this post previously cause i’ve been thinking about and i would like to add the song leaves by joe p cause it just fits too well, especially when looking at billyteddy fan art whilst listening to it, it’s too good : HI THIS ANOTHER EDIT IMSORRY but it literally took weeks to remember but now i remember what the original song for them i had picked - electric love by borns - it also gives me billy lightning powers vibes and i do adore some billy lightning powers, i think it would be so cool to see them mixed in with his reality warping ones

eli and nate : talk too much by coin honestly it’s them, it’s a vibe they both argue and to each other, talk way too much, i’m calling it they kissed like at least once just to see how that would go - probably arguing who was the better boyfriend when they were both single

eli and kate : falling for u by peachy! and mxmtoon this song is very eli and kate for me, especially the beginning of their relationship not relationship, was that ever really established what was happening there ?? but this song fits perfectly amongst the bickering and racking numbers of how many times they’ve saved each other’s asses

kate and america : given it all by hayley kiyoko and midnight love by girl in red i love this ship and i have no idea if there was ever a thing happening between them or if it was pure fandom but it’s amazing and i love it, hayley kiyoko and girl in red is an of course and i think these songs speak them

- now just the young avengers as a group -

leaves by joe p a song that is totally just a hang out and drive all around all night as teenagers without a care in the world song and can totally see the gang jamming out to it

hey barbara by IV of spades this song literally speaks “hey did you watch that one beach episode” sunny and everyone vibing and hanging out, i can totally imagine tommy trying to get david to dance this and the attempts made is hilarious

teenagers and na na na by my chemical romance now last but certainly not least mcr because of course mcr, these kids can definitely be punks when they wanna be, especially when they’re mutant/alien/super hero teenagers that will literally do what they see fit, all in good manners of course

whhoooopp this was a lot longer than what i was initially expecting to make but after a few hours of song surfing and trying to make tumblr typing fonts work with me we’re finally here, this was just something fun for me since i associate music with everyone, but if you’ve read this far and wanna mention a song you think fits, totally put it out there, share the music !!

[gryfon-spanish-werewolf]

About the frozen fandom ask :

🎨, ✍️, and 👗

P.s remember to get enough sleep~

@like-redhead-probably I got enough sleep I swear ;-; actually I overslept TBH

🎨- Favorite fanart(s)/ artist(s)?

I’m gonna limit my answers to those who are currently active in the fandom otherwise we will be here all day xD. Anyone who has seen my tags knows this  to be true. My favorite fan artists are:

@giuliaciulia89 - because asdfghjklssh have you SEEN her line art?? And her expressions?? And how she does shading and color (with markers!! Traditional Art YO!!) literally is just... takes my breath away. Her recent Hogwarts Elsanna commission was absolutely delightful, but I am always delighted to see her original content as well such as her 101 Dalmatians au and her All For One And All For Love Three Musketeers au. It has so many mysteries, I’m very intrigued. Watching her process is very relaxing as well, like *sketch, sketch, sketch* and suddenly WHOA, there’s like, a whole concept outlines in no time at all. Incredible

@zero-kiba - because while much more active on Deviantart, I am ALWAYS extremely gay for Copper! That’s been going on 5 WHOLE YEARS Y’ALL! I stayed up until the sun started creeping through my windows catching up on every single page that I’d missed out after about 2017 when I started working full time. Zero-kiba’s work is BOMBASTICALLY expressive and really hits that mark between UTTERLY badass and heart-meltingly soft. Also do yourselves a favor and read their other works too! Tip of the Iceberg is Copper characters in a comedy setting, The Realm is 65 pounds of concentrated whoop-ass, and The Whole Shebang?? Gay has hell. Really gay. I cannot stress that enough (also it’s a little self plug - I help make that one alongside Zero-Kiba, daughterofhel and giuliaciulia89)

@ice-bjorn - because like.... do I even need to....expand?? Y’all have seen my tags. Ice-bjorn’s got the kind of content that just pulls you up short. Doing something? Concentrating? Not anymore you’re not! Ice-bjorn posted new art and you’re gonna FEEL ABOUT IT for the current conceivable future! Unbelievably emotive, you can see all the hard work that goes into each piece (including writing!!). I’ve gone OFF in my tags so many times about their stuff and I aLWAYS anticipate doing it again XD I can’t possibly pick a favorite piece, but this one gives me the warm fuzzies (Edit: although I did link another further down)

@jabs-wocks - because they constantly surprise me. One day ADORABLE! Next day ANGSTY. Next time? New style?? New type of coloring?? Always has a great sense of humor and unique ideas. Also, such an enabler xD Always makes me want to make something in turn <3 Like, remember when I went OFF with that angsty piece of Anna drowning after the dam collapses? Or when I nearly ditched my (already very long) project to idea bomb on about their Skadi!Elsa piece? Yeah, I love their work very much

 @gracepago0314 - because I’m a long time fan from when they had a different username! Great style, strong short comics, and WOW have they come a long way! They already had such a strong aesthetic, but seeing their work at the top of 2020 was such a treat because it was SUCH a change! I loved seeing what I recognized about their unique style and getting to see all the ways they’ve improved and expanded! Also that reincarnation au goes straight for the heart ;-;

✍️- Favorite fanfic(s)/ author(s)?

Limiting my answer to the same for the same reasons. Many of my favorite authors are no longer active, but my heart is very big, and I am always making room for new stories and writers to love!

@fruipit - because every time I get an email from ao3 that they’ve updated I go ballistic. Every story I have ever read (or reread... many times) by them is just SO INCREDIBLE. Their writing makes me make bad decisions: like fighting sleep to make it through one last chapter xD Their work makes me ask questions, their stories flows like a needle and thread, their diction makes me believe. I have nothing but the highest praise for Fruipit’s work, they’ve been writing for years and continue to pick at that gentle thing called wonder. Choosing a favorite work of theirs is GENUINELY DIFFICULT, but I love Risky Business, Koselig, and When Spring Comes very much. Tiny Hearts is a riot tho xD Oh wait and Who Dares Wins! .....Look just... go read Fruipit, you won’t regret it xD

@arendellesfirstwinter - because after years and years they just bang out one badass story after another. Their most recent (and with the dawn, what comes then?) has reduced me to tears twice. No. Three times, I reread a chapter. Their writing is exceptionally raw and pointed, but they are never angsty for angst sake. Their prose has the kind of weight one gets from having a huge amount of intent and care for what they create, and the characters they foster along the way <3

@daughterofhel - because I enjoy the simple pleasures of comedy. Literally just makes me laugh. Her dialogue SLAPS. Her world building is effortless (well, it’s not, she works very hard but it FEELS effortless, which is quite the trick xD). Her stories just WORK, her scenes are so alive and colorful and I adore how she makes characters interact even under the most RIDICULOUS prompts xD Exceptionally creative and silly, I guarantee she will surprise you for the better

@themountainsays - because every story idea is completely fascinating. Even if it’s not like, written yet? Just idea bombing or musing? Totally cool, I love reading them because you can feel the excitement behind them. Or the spite xD. Ara’s writing is also almost lyrical, it’s lovely to read, and honestly? Read out loud too! I’m a huge fan of spoken poetry/spoken stories and Ara’s always gives me that vibe. I’m behind (orz) on Creatures of the Arctic, but it’s SO FUN, I’m always keen on updates :D

@theseerasures - because I adore their frohana stuff. So freaking much. Kristanna + Icebros with so much tenderness that I just stare at my screen and go “holy hell someone MADE that.” Reading their work is like... being given a soft blanket to wrap yourself in, receiving a mug of hot chocolate, and then being told “Okay, now here’s a story that’s going to make you feel feelings really hard,” and you kind of nod back like, “Okay, seems fair.” Idk man they just get me real good, every time. For years.

👗- Favorite outfit? One you��d like to see?

Picking a favorite is hard! But please for the love of god: bring Anna’s military-esque jacket/dress to the silver screen. Holy hell. I’m such a sucker for how absolutely DASHING Elsa and Anna look in masculine/military dress. @giuliaciulia89 and @ice-bjorn both here and here get me xD But I also love their highly feminine outfits? Anna’s coronation dress in F1 is a fav and of course Elsa’s ice-dress is iconic, but my absolute favorites? I don’t know, they’re all so beautiful...

Oh! You know what else I’d want? Casual wear. They’re always dressed up for adventure! Or a fancy party! Let the crew relax more! More day-to-day, more cozy pjs! Kristoff in a big oversized shirt, Elsa in Fifth-Spirit inspired sleepwear, Anna in clothes made by their new Northudran family - complete with little hexagons but like, lined with soft reindeer fur <3. I’d love to see them when the world isn’t falling down around their ears, for more than 5 minutes, please ;-;

Thanks again for asking!! I know this is a few days late but I hope my jabbering made up for it ^_^

[jlf23tumble]

Top 10 Niche Interests

Fixations? Obsessions? This is incredibly hard because I have wayyyy too many niche interests, so instead of stressing about it, I tried to channel the 10 things that immediately speak to me and maybe aren't so obvious from what I post here, like how much I'm obsessed with wigs, doll furniture, incredibly specific blogs, all forms of clothing with pockets, swimming pools, whimsical bus stops, over-the-top bathrooms, etc. etc Instead, I opted for some specifics that feel a little more evergreen and long tailed, like, so LIFE-long tailed that it's tough to nail down when or how they became part of the national psyche. I thank @alienfuckeronmain​ for the initial tag, and I'm tagging her AGAIN for round two because I know she has a billion additional niche things, and she'll post them, and I'll scream because it'll trigger five other things I neglected to post here, and I'll probably post my own round two, arggggh, insert aggressive sighing. Anyway, I tag ANYONE who wants to do it, just tag me so I can see! 

1. Indoor Trees

I have no idea why this concept PULLS so hard because houseplants are kind of meh to me, but you want to plant an entire-ass TREE indoors, in the place where you live? Me, too, and I'd add a conversation pit plus a combo gold/red bathroom, among other things, and, bam, we're in my imaginary dream home, which I have literally, constantly ALWAYS mentally constructed from the time I was about six or so. (If you're curious, it has multiple themed rooms, and the closest I've seen to it recently is the outstanding Dita von Teese AD feature, but Amy Sedaris’s apartment comes close, too). There are two (2) 1960s houses in Long Beach with magnificent indoor trees, but I can't find them online, so have this modern interpretation and cry with me about how I can't visit the multi-story fake tree inside Clifton's Cafeteria for a good long while:

2. Conventions of Fans of Any Kind

One thing that I don't think I'll ever lose is how much I *love* people who are fans of SOMETHING, people who have a passion and create something about it or cosplay it or simply gather to celebrate it and connect to other people through it. The Internet provides in all kinds of ways, but I'm talking specifically about IRL conventions and the way my heart pitter pats when I first walk in those doors, SWOON! And it doesn’t matter how big the convention is or how random, I've been to smaller events like CatCon and the My Little Pony convention all the way up to biggies like WonderCon and Comic Con, and I have yet to be disappointed. I might know jack shit about what I'm walking into, but I want to see the merch, hear about the panels, and check out the people who are fucking PUMPED to be there. Sadly, I think it's gonna be a lonnnnng time until these come back, but I can live vicariously through my old photos, sigh:

3. Dutch Wax Fabrics and African Fashion

I'm not the snazziest of dressers, but textiles, colors, and patterns have been an obsession that has soothed my visual soul for as long as I can literally remember. Wax fabric marries all three of those touchpoints, plus throws in a healthy dose of style, and I count myself lucky to have seen two big exhibits on the subject (this was one of them), oh, how I wish there were more! For sure, there's a fucked up underlying colonial/imperialist history here, but there's also humor and color and vibrancy, a reclamation of sorts, and multiple levels of fashion that take my breath away. I cannot do the different patterns justice at all, but the fan motif is one of my faves:

4. Hearst Castle vs. Madonna inn

These two fall into my #home tag because they're where I'm from, and they speak to me as equally sublime and ridiculous, camp and kitsch writ large and small, different (yet similar!) versions of Xanadu that two rich white men built as shrines to their own personal "taste." And the irony is that a lot of people shit on Alex Madonna for being tacky (the Madonna Inn is...uh, something else), yet praise WR Hearst for all the high-class art and architecture, most of which is fully lifted from desperate churches between and after world and yet they're both more or less the same concept (lodging for weary travelers, self-aggrandizement, questionable taste-mixing). Hearst Castle edges out slightly for me because it's bigger and has spectacular scenery and history, plus it gives me doses of LA noir thanks to the way Hearst killed a guy in a jealous Charlie Chaplin-related rage and Hedda Hopper covered it up, all kinds of old Hollywood shenanigans happened up there, etc. But I'm low-key an expert on both houses of the holy, I'm OBSESSED with both, and we can leave it at that. I mean, come on:

5. Snow Globes

I had to cull my personal collection slightly just to fit it all on the dedicated shelf in my bathroom, and I seriously need to refill all the water lines, but nothing beats a snow globe in terms of memorable souvenir, especially when you put it in a bathroom. The majesty!!! The jewel of my collection is the one from Sherwood Forest because WHY NOT celebrate a historic place and moment in the basic way?? He robbed from the rich to give to the poor, and the gift shop about 100 feet from the tree he hid in does the same! The circle of life! The irony of all the watermarks on this blessed image...protect:

6. Highly Specific Museums

Look, we can all agree that the more venerated museums in the world are a form of garbage in terms of what they represent, what they've done, and who runs them, but I'm here for the museums that collect and celebrate things that tend to get overlooked. There are too many to list that I love that are still thriving, so I'm going to say goodbye to four recently departed faves. RIP to the Pez museum, I'm so glad I saw you and purchased your stale candy souvenirs. RIP to the museum of terrible food, you were a pop up when Phoenix and I saw you, and I will forever think about the worker describing people literally vomiting during their visits. RIP to the currywurst museum in Berlin, I've had currywurst exactly once and it was not for me, but I respect the Journey you took me on, including obscure east German TV shows that helped make you so popular (??). Finally, RIP to the velvet painting museum, there's no way to mince words, the person who owned you was crazy AS FUCK and had zero clue how to run a business, but I'm so glad I saw you multiple times and purchased my own velvet treasure (not this exact one, but remarkably similar):

7. Liminal Spaces: Grocery Store Edition

Confession time for those who don't know me all that well, I'm a big time voyeur, and nothing fills my heart with joy like a walk at 7 or 8 pm, the witching hour when people haven't pulled the curtains, and I can scope out their decorations/furnishings without it being "weird." Another confession is how much I unabashedly adore grocery stores in other countries and will spend at least an hour wandering aisle by aisle, falling in love with how much everything is different yet completely the same:

8. Agatha Christie Novels:

As a child, I was a fairly compliant reader--I had to read something for school? Okay! For my mom? Sounds good! But the books that sparked the initial fire for me to read something purely for myself were second-hand (probably fourth- or fifth-hand, judging by cover art) Agatha Christie short story anthologies, which were the gateway drug to full Agatha Christie novels, then other mystery novels, and so on. But getting back to Agatha, I obviously loved all the stories, but every decade spawned incredibly good cover art (like, exceptionally good), and this particular artist's are right up near the top for me (I go back and forth on a lot of the '50s and '60s ones):

9. Scopitones

I link my obsession with scopitones both to my love of music videos in general and a shop in Austin, TX, that sold DVD compilations of them in particular, but either way, they're underappreciated and kitschy all in one! Francoise Hardy and the rest of the ye-ye's are my forever girls for this medium, but seemingly every country cranked them out, both actual set videos and "live" performances? If you don't know what they are, scopitones were machines that played music videos in French cafes in the '60s (??), so it was sort of your proto-MTV way to see your faves sing and dance. Oh, Francoise...so moderne!!

10. Cover Songs

I have so much patience and love for cover songs of any stripe, the more genre-bending and/or surprising, the better! My only minor beef is the trend in slooooooooowing down songs to make a point, but even those ones have a special place in my heart if they're effective. Live Lounge feeds my hunger the best, but my meta fave for representing this concept is Pulp's Bad Cover Version, which was already lyrically INSPIRED, a song about bad cover versions in terms of relationships, but then they did a video that was a visual "bad" cover version, with actors lip synching over an audio "bad" cover version, and all of it just worked? The cover for the single is someone in the band as a boy, making his own bad cover version of a Bowie album cover, it's meta meta meta, and I love love love, here's the video, if you're curious. In the more sublime cover category, I'm absolutely addicted to all of Orville Peck's covers, I truly hope he officially releases them sometime soon, but I wholeheartedly support any artist who does it:

[dailydamnation]

New Mutants, New Trailer, New Second-by-Second Look

This is going to be a long post, hold on to your hats and soulswords.

0:06

First look at the asylum or whatever it is--I’ll be honest, I wasn’t crazy about this when I first heard about it and I’m still not sure. It works with the rest of what we’re seeing so I’m rolling with it, but waiting to find out more.

0:21

Those gravestones with numbers don’t look ominous at all! As was pointed out to me (hi, Christopher!) this is of course very Days of Future Past-ish.

0:24

Another Brick in the Wall is a pretty cliché song at this point... but the lyrics are good and I’m always a sucker for a creepy children’s choir in soundtrack music.

0:32

I’m wondering about the tech level. I’d rather all X-films just start being set in the present together again, to be honest. This looks oldish, though. Still can’t be sure when this is set.

0:40

I’m reserving judgment on Dr. Reyes. Hard to see much of her character in what we see of her here so far. But the very fact that they’ve made this doctor Cecilia Reyes makes me wonder... Is this “asylum” really as bad as it seems? Maybe it’s a tough-love branch of Xavier’s for dangerous mutants to stay until they’re safe to transfer to the school proper?

0:45

Marvel logo! I’m freaking out at the thought of them making one of those filled with comic book art (like Logan had its own unique one), and it all being art from the classic New Mutants!

0:53

The rattlesnake story, good analogy. Both creepy and expressing the very real danger of young mutants, vague threatening, and yet saying that even the most dangerous creatures can learm to control the threat they pose.

0:55

Yes, that’s exactly how grumpy Dani should look in a hospital!

1:02

Now we’re cooking! Better sit down, we’ll be in this shot a while.

Illyana looks great! The hair is perfect. Oddly, I find her face/hair looks more like recent Illyana than classic Illyana somehow, but I’m not about to complain about either.

Sitting on the ground, drawing. I like to think she’s reminiscing about doing the same when she was little, when her big brother gave her drawing lessons.

And then her room, a lot to unpack here. She has those jars on the window sill--ingredients for spells? Then there’s those signs on the wall. Mostly, they seem hospital-related, but that “Dange/Watch your step” one? I’m gonna see that as a reference to the signs on her and Kitty’s door, “Beware the witch” and all that.

Lastly, look at the damage on those walls. Curiously, it seems limited to directly about her bed. The result of uncontrolled powers mixed with nightmares, perhaps?

1:03

Don’t mind me, just pausing again for the closer look at Illyana. She does not look like a carefree teenager. (Good.)

1:04

Is this the only shot of Roberto in the whole thing? Dudes, Roberto is the cast member where you most have to justify his casting by showing how great he is in the role.

1:05

Rahne looks great! I’m a huge fan of Maisie Williams from

Game of Thrones,

but that in itself gave me concerns because she’s so bad-ass there, which young, timid Rahne should not be. But Maisie’s also a good actress, and like bangs on Illyana, the right haircut helps a great deal. Not as short as in the comics maybe, but this looks terrific to me, and her clothes as well

1:07

Yeah, that’s a bear on Dani’s necklace, isn’t it? Seems odd. Maybe it’s a charm against it?

1:08

Sam! He doesn’t quite look like Sam, but Bill Sienkiewicz’s description of how the actor embodies Sam’s qualities have reassured me on that front.

1:22

Burning hand! Is this a flashback to an accident in the mines perhaps? Possibly the one that killed Sam’s dad?

1:23

Ouch. Who clawed Cecilia? The Bear or Wolfsbane?

1:25

Dani knock-out in the forrest with maybe snow? That feels almost straight out of the comic.

1:29

Okay, the face-through-the-wall thing has been done, meh. Probably a practical effect though, and thus the one they have ready to show now.

1:32

Big Yana finding Li’l Yana! This has to be Dani’s powers showing the kids their fears, and my heart’s already breaking a little at Illyana faced with her young and innocent self. She looks on the verge of tears on the reverse shot (If that’s truly the reverse shot, you never know how they’ve edited stuff in trailers).

1:36

Creepy masked man! Lots of theories about this already. It could be a representation of the Bear (in its first comic appearance, it attacked Dani in human form, then was a bear underneath when Dani tore off its mask). It could be Belasco, if this genuinely goes with the Li’l Yana shot before it.

Whatever it is, it doesn’t look human underneath that mask, and the mask itself looks like a reference to The Right.

1:37

I know there are some who don’t like Illyana showing fear here, but I’m all for it. Especially since it looks like angry, fighting fear, and especially if it relates to the raw wound of her childhood abduction. Damn, Sam really has to drag her away.

1:39

What’s this “W” on Rahne’s back? Did her bastard father actually brand her as a witch/werewolf? Bastard.

1:39

This shot of sleepy Li’l Yana cuddling toy Lockheed is everything. Go away, why do we even need more trailer and movie than this? (Bamf doll wouldn’t really have worked, and this is the perfect replacement.)

1:41

Sam surrounded with miners makes me happy, because it really gives the impression that we’re going to the core of where these characters came from. Also an illusion caused by Dani’s powers, looks like.

1:43

Rahne praying (well, begging God for mercy, most like)? Good.

1:43

What are you doing to Illyana? Leave her alone!

1:44

Hm, whose backstory is this? Dani, Sam?

1:44

Nice Psycho reference, Rahne! But with a towel, because you’re a modest girl.

1:56

That logo! I like it. And having the weirdest deja vu--is there a comics ad or something with a New Mutants logo like that? Feels like I should know it.

Next stop: The Soulsword. That’s the bit I most wanted to see that wasn’t in here yet.

[wheredidtheyallcomefrom]

The Future of the Trainees (Part 4)

Fear

Kim Jonghyun (Rank 8 -> Rank 1)

Chances – Well, there’s not much to say. He is one of the guys who’s a sure pick for the final line-up. However, I don’t really think that he’s going to become the center; I don’t even think he will keep this rank until the official ranking. Firstly, because I think both Jihoon and Daniel have larger fanbases. Secondly, because I am not sure that the public or Mnet will be too happy having a guy who’s already debuted be the center. Granted, while people can tone down their voting, I don’t really think that Mnet can do anything to ruin his reputation at this point, after giving him such a nice edit. I mentioned that I though Yongguk got the nicest edit this season because he was shown to be nice, hard-working and s hidden gem in terms of singing. And I stay true to that statement because I do think that Jonghyun’s edit has two problems with it. First of all, all the focus goes to Jonghyun being a good leader rather than him being a good performer. Most of the comments are about him being nice, helpful and selfless. And those are really good qualities to have for an idol but he also needs to be talented. Which he is – he’s a good dancer and a good rapper (although not my favorite this season) but Mnet doesn’t focus on that. Even is this evaluation mission which was supposed to showcase the trainees’ specialties we mainly got Jonghyun helping his teammates and his rap lyrics which focused more on the emotional backstory of NU’EST than his rapping skills. It’s not a glaring problem because he does have the skills to back up his rank but I wish that netizens took notice of that. Especially, because Sejeong got the nice person, good leader and great performer edits last season so I know that it’s possible. The second problem is that Mnet is laying it on a little too thick. I have no trouble believing that Jonghyun is very nice but no one is perfect. I am scared that he might make a little mistake which had he not been painted as an angel would be no big deal but because of the edit will blow up in his face. This happened to Sejeong although after the show and it could happen to Jonghyun after or before the end of the show. And if it happens before it could threaten his position in the Top 11 although I maintain that he will debut either way.

Skills – I am more impressed by his dancing which is sharp and powerful than his rapping. He has a very nice voice for rapping and, again, he is a good one although I would like for a stronger rapper to also make it into the group. I read somewhere that he is very interested in dance but has never gotten the chance to showcase his skill. I understand why he chose Rap this time but I hope he gets to shine as a dancer as well when he ‘debuts’.

 Lai Guanlin (Rank 9 -> Rank 5)

Chances – He’s been in the Top 11 every week now and I am pretty confident that he will make it into the final line-up as well. I honestly didn’t really understand the hype around him at the start of the show, partially because I didn’t find him as good-looking as most people seem to. But because we got so much focus on him and I sort of ‘got to know him as a person’, he’s definitely grown on me since the first episode. I think he’s a real star in the making but I still would prefer that he didn’t make it into the final group. Before you hate me, I will be very happy when (it is probably a ‘when’ and not an ‘if’) he makes it. He’s obviously a nice kid and I do relate to his struggles of being in a foreign country (having actually experienced that minus the survival show) and I relate to him having a hard time making friends at first. I also appreciate that he is a hard worker and that he is obviously very eager to learn everything in which he lacks training (his rap about wanting to learn how to rap and do popping was so earnest it made me tear up out of the sheer adorableness) and I appreciate that a lot. Again I will happy when he debuts but the reason why he’s not on my Top 11 list is because he’s very young and has only been training for 6 months and I kind of want to give a chance to someone else. On the other hand I do want to see him debut one day and I am a bit nervous about his future if he doesn’t make it into the final group because CUBE recently debuted Pentagon and promised (!) to debut a girl group with Jeon Soyeon in it (I appreciate the support that she shows towards Guanlin and Seonho especially considering that their story on the show is the inverted version of hers – she had the training but lacked the looks and they lack the training but have the looks, and they have a higher chance of making it in). So their next boy-group might not debut for a while. Which, on the other hand, will give Guanlin and Seonho the time to properly prepare for their debut.

Skills –He has the talent but it’s a diamond in the raw considering his short training period. His rapping skills are pretty good considering that Korean is not his first message and he’s only been training for half a year. I also appreciate how earnest he is when writing his raps. His dancing is where it really becomes apparent that he lacks training. He didn’t make any glaring mistakes and he didn’t stand out during the ‘Boy in Luv’ performance but the decision to keep him in the back for most of the choreography was a smart one. Sometimes his moves look fine even if not completely sharp but sometimes they look awkward. Again, it’s the most you can expect from him after six months of training and it will get polished with time.

 Jang Moonbok (Rank 14 -> Rank 26)

Chances – Before the first episode I really believed the threats of Moonbok’s hyungs that he will make it into the final group and even become the center of it. And their constant bragging and complete disregard for the other trainees (as well as the iffy reason for voting for him out of revenge) kind of turned me off Moonbok. Which is terrible because it’s not his fault and I had to remind myself that all the time. Now that we’re on episode 6 Moonbok’s really grown on me. He doesn’t get the edits that explicitly state that he is a nice person but it’s still pretty obvious. And I do sympathize with his struggles and his backstory. He’s also not that bad when it comes to hiss skills (but I’ll get to that later). Honestly, I probably wouldn’t have voted for him, because while I think he’s not bad at all, I also don’t think he’s good enough. But boy, am I upset that he is not in the Top 11. It makes me so angry that these ‘hyungs’ hyped him up to the point that some people grew to hate Moonbok and then left him hanging out to dry. After every episode I kept thinking that his ‘fans’ will see that he’s going down in ranks and then vote him back up but it doesn’t happen and he keeps falling. I just hate that they made him believe that he has a real chance of debuting and then abandoned him. And he still has to thank them every time. I’ve seen theories that his ‘fans’ will gear up for the final episode and vote him but I’m not too sure. A lot of other trainees have really big fanbases now and with the rank he has now Moonbok might not even make it into the Top 22. Hell, at the rate he’s falling, he might not even make it into the Top 35. Well, I don’t really believe it. He’ll pass the next elimination but I doubt he’s making it into the Top 22. (And thank you for mentioning Hyunwoo, he was my underrated fave.) And I hope he does debut as a rapper after the show (I do think it suits him more than being in an boy group.)

Skills – His rap skills are fine, it’s his voice that throwing people off. But just like Moonbok has grown on me so has his voice. His part in ‘Fear’ did sound very different from the others’ but I liked that, I like that it’s not all about low and gruff voices in rap. I do think he should still polish his skills a bit and I don’t think he is main rapper material but he’ll do fine as a lead rapper. But his dancing is terrible. Is what I was going to say before I came across a video of him dancing to ‘Nayana’ after more than three days of practice in a training studio. He looked so bad on the baseball field, was off –beat and jerky. I felt bad for him because it’s obvious that he was trying really hard but his body just doesn’t cooperate with him. But in this new video he’s on-beat and looks fine. Sure, his moves are still jerky and kinda funny but this is a level which is acceptable for a boy group.

 Kim Taemin (Rank 32 -> Rank 37)

Chances – It was pretty obvious from the start that Taemin wasn’t going to be the focus of this group with Jonghyun, Guanlin and Moonbok in it. But I am still very happy that he chose this composition which allows for an emotional rap. Taemin’s ranks are a direct result of his memeness and while that’s perfectly fine, it’s good for people to see that these trainees aren’t characters in a sitcom and Taemin’s role on this show isn’t to simply be comic relief. He’s also a human with his worries and struggles even if they aren’t deemed tragic enough for Mnet to air. I actually liked his part the best in the ‘Fear’ performance, he sounded wonderful and his lyrics were the most relatable for me – having wonderful parents and disappointing hem sometimes and letting out your anger on them sometimes. I do realize that this isn’t nearly as heartbreaking as Jonghyun’s or Moonbok’s story but it doesn’t have to be. It’s sweet and honest and so-so relatable. His rank is right near the cut-off line and he didn’t get much focus in the episode but this was a performance which allowed us to pay attention to all of the trainees. So maybe he does have a chance of passing the next elimination.

Skills – I like his rapping, I do think he is good. I’d like to hear him attempt a more powerful rap because his ranking performance had similar energy to his position evaluation performance and ’10 out of 10’ had a fun rap. His dancing on the other hand… I don’t know how to judge it. What we saw of him dancing ‘Nayana’ was just him making everyone laugh and I don’t know if he actually managed to dance at least parts of it and if he did, how well. In the ’10 out of 10’ performance they were all having fun and not trying hard to be sharp or clean, so there’s not much point in judging that. And he barely danced in his ranking performance. So I don’t know his skill level, although if he opted out of it during his first performance, it’s safe to assume he’s probably not a very good dancer.