#russian viral pop

[velocitysedge-if]

"Velocity's Edge" dives into the riveting world of Formula 1, following the journey of you ,an enigmatic young driver, as they navigate the twists and turns of the racing circuit. Fueled by a mysterious past and an insatiable desire for victory, your rise to prominence is punctuated by intense rivalries, unexpected alliances, and a series of heart-pounding races that push both the limits of the track and the depths of your own character.

As the adrenaline-soaked story unfolds, secrets are unveiled, loyalties are tested, and the pursuit of the checkered flag takes on a life of its own, propelling the characters toward the finish line which is only the beginning of the ultimate race.

⚐ Customizable MC: choose your name, nickname, appearance, gender, and pronouns.

⚐ Romance: 5 males, 4 female, and 2 possible poly route.

⚐ If you don’t want romance, you could just make friends with everyone, or the opposite.

⚐ Win the race...that's all that matters.

Kieran "Kie" Patel

- Age: 27

- Nationality: British-Indian

- Role: Data Analyst

- Description: Kieran Patel is a brilliant British-Indian data analyst who plays a crucial role in analyzing race data and optimizing strategy for your racing team. His expertise lies in deciphering complex telemetry data and providing real-time insights to help the team make informed decisions during races. Kieran's calm demeanor and analytical mindset make him an asset in high-pressure situations. His unique perspective as a data-driven thinker often leads to innovative strategies that give his team a competitive edge.

Elena "El" Petrova

- Age: 25

- Nationality: Russian

- Role: Motorsport Journalist

- Description: Elena Petrova is a passionate and determined Russian motorsport journalist who covers Formula 1 races for a popular international publication. Armed with a deep knowledge of the sport and an insatiable curiosity, Elena strives to capture the human stories behind the races. She's always on the lookout for exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes glimpses that provide fans with a deeper understanding of the drivers and the sport. Elena's engaging storytelling style and dedication to her craft make her a respected voice in the motorsport journalism community.

Diego "Flash" Ramirez

- Age: 28

- Nationality: Brazilian

- Role: Social Media Manager

- Description: Diego Ramirez is an energetic and creative Brazilian social media manager who handles the online presence of your racing team. He's a master of crafting engaging social media content that connects with fans on a personal level. Diego's enthusiasm and knack for viral marketing campaigns have significantly increased the team's online following. He's known for his quick wit, pop culture references, and ability to turn even the most mundane moments into captivating social media stories. Diego plays a vital role in shaping the team's image and engaging with fans worldwide.

Mia "Pitstop" Reynolds

- Age: 29

- Nationality: American

- Role: Chief Mechanic

- Description: Mia Reynolds is a skilled and resourceful American chief mechanic who oversees the pit crew for your racing team. She's known for her lightning-fast pit stops and impeccable attention to detail. Mia's journey to becoming a chief mechanic was marked by overcoming gender stereotypes and proving herself in a male-dominated environment. She has a no-nonsense attitude, a strong work ethic, and a deep passion for getting the team's cars back on track as quickly as possible during races.

Jean-Luc "JL" Dubois

- Age: 45

- Nationality: French

- Role: Veteran Commentator

- Description: Jean-Luc Dubois, commonly referred to as "JL," is a charismatic and knowledgeable French commentator who has been covering Formula 1 races for decades. With a distinctive voice and a knack for providing insightful analysis, JL has become a beloved figure among fans worldwide. He's known for his catchphrases and colorful storytelling that bring the excitement of the race to life. JL's passion for the sport is infectious, and his commentating style adds an extra layer of excitement and engagement for viewers tuning in to the races.

Alex "Ace" Walker

- Age: 28

- Nationality: British

- Role: Formula 1 Driver

- Description: Alex Walker is a talented and charismatic British Formula 1 driver known for his incredible racing instincts and daring overtakes. He comes from a modest background and had to fight his way up through the ranks to reach Formula 1. He's known for his quick wit, sense of humor, and unbreakable determination. Ace is deeply passionate about racing, always seeking the thrill of competition and constantly pushing his limits on the track. His signature move is a fearless dive into the inside line during tight corners, earning him the nickname "Ace" among fans and fellow racers.

Sofia "Slick" Martínez

- Age: 26

- Nationality: Spanish

- Role: Rival Formula 1 Driver

- Description: Sofia Martínez is a fierce and calculating Spanish driver who is considered one of the main rivals to Alex "Ace" Walker. She's known for her strategic racing style, which involves preserving tires and fuel to make a late-race surge. Slick comes from a family with a rich motorsport history, and she's determined to continue their legacy. Her quiet confidence and ability to remain composed under pressure often unnerve her competitors. While her relationship with Ace starts as a rivalry, it evolves into a complex dynamic as they gradually gain respect for each other's skills and determination.

Max "Maxy" Nguyen

- Age: 24

- Nationality: Vietnamese-American

- Role: Up-and-Coming Rookie Driver

- Description: Max Nguyen is a young and enthusiastic Vietnamese-American driver making his debut in the Formula 1 scene. He's known for his fearless approach to racing, often pushing the limits of his car's capabilities. His eagerness sometimes leads to impulsive decisions on the track, but his raw talent is undeniable. Nitro's bubbly personality and infectious energy make him a favorite among fans and media, and he quickly becomes a rising star in the sport.

Isabella "Izzy" Williams

- Age: 32

- Nationality: Australian

- Role: Team Principal

- Description: Isabella Williams is a former Formula 1 driver from Australia who retired due to a career-ending injury. After her retirement, she founded her own racing team, determined to lead it to victory. That team is yours. Izzy is known for her strategic thinking, meticulous attention to detail, and unyielding dedication to her team. She's a respected figure in the paddock, often navigating the challenges of team management in a male-dominated industry. Her strong leadership inspires her team to constantly strive for excellence.

Luca Moretti

- Age: 50

- Nationality: Italian

- Role: Veteran Race Engineer

- Description: Luca Moretti is a seasoned Italian race engineer with decades of experience in Formula 1. He's known for his encyclopedic knowledge of race tracks and car mechanics. His calm demeanor and deep understanding of the sport make him a highly sought-after engineer. Luca has worked with numerous legendary drivers over the years and now finds himself mentoring Max "Maxy" Nguyen as the young rookie's race engineer. He often provides valuable guidance and insights both on and off the track.

____________________________________

ASKS WELCOME

[lokalblackie]

"-In other news, Gothamites rummage to pack their bags because a sudden wave of death has spread through the nocturnal streets of the more crime ridden parts of Gotham. The spontanious deaths of three of Gotham's supervillains has put citizens in a panic. Is this the rise of a new crime lord or... something worse?"

News reporters everywhere scrambled to get a few good words in before this story gets swept under the rug. Before exaggerated headlines like; "NEW GOTHAM CRIME LORD HAS PEOPLE ESCAPING TO CALIFORNIA OF ALL PLACES?!" are forgotten in the matrix. Before this story isn't relevant anymore.

Podcasters and commentary media outlets are getting their few good theories in too. Saying things like; "Y'all, the government is messing with us. Scarecrow ain't dead. It's probably the same fake terrorist attacks Hitler implemented to get the German's under his rule. Don't fall for this trap y'all."

And homeless druggies are getting a few couple bucks out this story too. Charging journalists a big buck for false news. The street scammers are jumping for joy right now. "I was there! I saw it happen! It was one of them Russians. The Soviets are comin' for us."

Bruce was amused. Everywhere he went, this shit was smeared. Popping up in his face as if he hadn't seen the other hundred different pop-ups of this story yet. He thought what any other reasonable citizen thought. "This shit's gonna disappear in a week. Trust me bro"

...

Its been a week.

People are still on this?! Maybe it is serious... Should he take a look into this? Nah it's fine. Give it another week or so. It'll blow away like all other "viral" stories...

...Right?

[autisticsupervillain]

It's Fictional Throwdown Friday!

This Week's Fighters...

Tom Hansen vs Robert Cross!

Conditions:

No restrictions.

Scenario:

After the events of Cold Fear, Tom gets reassigned to Blackwatch for his proven proficiency in combating bioweapons. Robert Cross challenges him to a sparing match to see how advanced his skills are.

Analysis: Hansen

The ocean depths are a mysterious and dangerous place. At the lowest survivable levels of Earth's surface, strange creatures straight out of Lovecraft's nightmares evolved to survive the dark, cold, crushing depths of the ocean floor. And humanity was about to unearth some of its most dangerous creatures.

In the coldest parts of the Atlantic Ocean, Russian oil diggers discovered a new form of life within the ice they were mining. Exocels. Parasitic creatures that were completely uncategorized by existing scientific theories. Capable of overtaking the higher brain functions of their host and mutating them in response to dangerous external stimuli. Naturally, the crew of the Star of Sakhalin begain trying to weaponize these new creatures to sell for a profit. Predictably, it didn't work out. The ship was quickly overrun by mutant zombies and a distress call was sent out.

The call was answered by Tom Hansen, an officer of the United States Coast Guard who really wants to be Leon Kennedy. He and his crew were sent to rescue everyone on board, only to find everyone already dead or zombified. Narrowly surviving the massacre of his crew, Tom was left alone on the ship as the only thing stopping the Exocels from falling into the shadowy hands of the CIA.

Luckily, Hansen comes equipped with every weapon a survival horror protagonist could ever need. He comes decked out with the usual affair of pistols, shotguns, and automatic weapons, each laser scoped to ensure perfect accuracy. Even his standard M1911A1 can completely pop a human’s skull like it was made from confetti, to say nothing of his MP5, AK47, and Benelli M4. But all of that pales in comparison to his sawed off M79 Grenade Launcher to blow apart any Exomutant that gets hit by it, even shredding through Exo zombies that evolved specifically to withstand bullets and fire arms.

Tom would quickly adapt against the rapidly evolving Exocels, using a modified harpoon gun whose harpoons emitted a protein gas, allowing his shots to distract Exocels with delicious smelling harpoons. Perfect for luring them into a trap or grouping them together for a grenade. Hansen has fought through squadrons of Russian mercenaries, defeated invisible Exocel zombies, dodged a steel door that was blasted at him by an explosion, and survived getting infected by an Exocel that tried to eat him alive from the inside out twice.

With nothing but raw wit, determination, and witty one liners, Tom rigged the entire ship to blow with C4 and faced down the man behind the entire disaster. Kamsky, the mad scientist turned sentient Exomutant out to replace humanity with his zombified master race. Kamsky is strong enough to completely demolish a metal bridge just by jumping right through it, generating an energy equivalent to 397,700 kilojoules.

Source:

Ultimately, Hansen defeated Kamsky, blowing the Star of Sakhalin to pieces and exterminating the Exocel threat once and for all.

Analysis: Cross

Captain Robert Cross. The Specialist. The elite of the elite and Blackwatch's greatest operative. When everything's gone to hell and the zombie apocalypse is knocking on the door, he's the man the US government calls in. He's insurance. Cross contained the viral outbreak in the underground city of Springfield. He's chased down powerful infected by himself and killed them with his bare hand, and he's the only mortal man to fist fight Alex Mercer one on one and live to tell the tale.

So when the Blacklight Virus contaminated New York and turned Manhattan into a post apocalyptic warzone, Cross was called in. His mission: Kill Alex Mercer.

Cross would prove to be the most tenacious and devastating human opponent Alex would ever face. Cross had done his homework. He'd use a shock baton to keep Mercer at a distance, fire homing rockets to harass him from afar, and control the battlefield with tactical use of land mines and fire grenades.

Now, Cross is one of the earliest bosses in the game, so he doesn't actually scale to the endgame feats Alex demonstrated. No earthquake scaling or relativistic reactions for him. Mercer at this point in the story was still getting ragdolled by Elizabeth Greene.

That said, he's still clearly superhuman. Mercer in the early game could still dodge tank shells, catch helicopters, and tear down buildings by himself. Alex could even burst clean through a two foot thick metal door, a feat that would require roughly 235,600 kilojoules to perform.

Source:

How did Cross compete with this? He's Robert Cross, don't ask questions.

Even laying defeated, Cross still had one last trick up his sleeve. Realizing that Alex hadn't yet regained all his human memories yet, Cross would refer back to Alex's death at Penn Station, triggering a painful flashback that distracted Mercer long enough to be injected with a parasite. This virus would hamper Mercer's powers and nearly kill him, with Alex only escaping being brought in right there by sheer luck.

Unfortunately, this would be Cross's undoing. After Mercer expunged the parasite from his body, it would become its own entity, becoming the Supreme Hunter. It would then track Cross down, assimilate him, then use his memories to attempt to manipulate Mercer into helping it consume all life on the planet. Alex would only narrowly defeat it by the skin of his teeth.

In a way, even in death, Robert Cross was the biggest human threat that Alex Mercer would ever face.

Throwdown Breakdown:

This is a fairly simple fight, honestly.

Hansen should be pretty even with Cross in terms of stats. Cross scales to Mercer catching helicopters, while Hansen can dodge explosions, both being roughly in the hypersonic ranges of speed. If anything, Hansen should even be slightly stronger, 397,700 kilojoules vs Cross's 235,600. Buuuut, that's where it all swings the other way.

Cross is better equipped. His electric baton is a better melee weapon, his homing rockets allow him to destroy or get around Hansen's cover, while his incendiary grenades and mines give him better battlefield control over Hansen's mostly stock arsenal. Everything short of Hansen's grenade launcher is just completely outpunched by Cross's destructive weaponry.

And skill is something that Hansen can't even compete with. Hansen is a regular Coast Guard officer in out of his depth against the zombie outbreak he's faced with, while Cross was hand picked to be a part of Blackwatch, an organization designed specifically to combat such bioweapons. Cross's status as a legend by Blackwatch standards, as well as his ability to fisticuffs Alex goddamn Mercer, puts him on a different level of skill entirely.

Hansen would compete evenly initially, maybe even getting an early advantage with his greater strength and superior reflexes, but once Cross had his number, he'd be swiftly outmatched and beat down.

Then, Cross would offer him his hand, compliment his right hook, and welcome him to Blackwatch.

This Throwdown's Winner is....

Robert Cross!

[tomorrowusa]

I'm not exactly a sunny optimist. But when there's a viral mindless piling on of negative evaluations, it's time for a reality check.

Ukraine pulled out of the town of Avdiivka because it values the lives of its troops exponentially more than Russia values its troops. Avdiivka is now little more than a pile of rubble which has little strategic value. Undoubtedly Ukraine left a few surprises for the Russians there. ;)

A couple of writers for the journal Foreign Policy spent time talking with participants at the Munich Security Conference (MSC). SitRep is a weekly digest of news and analysis at Foreign Policy. Here are some excerpts.

SitRep had what we thought was a fairly innocuous question for NATO’s top military official Saturday morning. Two years in, are you pessimistic about Ukraine’s chances in fending off Russia’s full-scale invasion? “I’m not!” shouted Dutch Adm. Rob Bauer, the chair of NATO’s Military Committee, pounding his fist on the table and sending the silverware in front of him clattering in the 15th-century vault-turned-restaurant in the Bayerischer Hof Hotel’s basement. “Pessimists lose wars. Is it difficult for Ukraine? Yes. If you would have asked in 1942 in Europe, ‘How is the war going?’ I don’t think there were a lot of people that were overly optimistic. We still won.”

Americans in particular have short attention spans. A reminder that wars can last longer that one NFL season. US involvement in World War II lasted 3 years 9 months from Pearl Harbor to Japan's formal surrender.

Even accounting for the fact that these types of conferences are saturated with navel-gazing governmental self-congratulations tours, we think the naysayers of the naysayers have a point. Russia is far from starting to win. First, the narrative seeming to take root in some speeches and headlines that Ukraine is on the cusp of losing the war is way off base. The battlefield situation is serious but not to the point where Ukraine is at risk of a full-scale collapse or even facing major setbacks on the front lines, according to the assessments of more than a dozen European defense officials and experts we spoke to. Russia has taken the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka but at an enormous cost in lives and ammunition for a city that has no real strategic significance. [ ... ] Indeed, the scale of Russian losses in the war is truly staggering. Two years in, the Kremlin is still scrambling to transform the country to a wartime economy, and those losses will be hard to recoup. Russia has suffered some 315,000 casualties—accounting for 87 percent of its prewar troop levels, according to a declassified U.S. intelligence assessment—as well as lost 2,200 of its 3,500 prewar tanks and 4,400 of its 13,600 infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers.

Those Russian losses figures are somewhat conservative. More on that in a moment.

Even as Ukraine faces a new wave of ammunition shortages spurred by the political stalemate in Congress over U.S. funding for Ukraine, its lines are holding and European defense officials credit Kyiv with rationing its ammunition smartly and efficiently. [ ... ] Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba was one official who didn’t downplay the significance of Russia’s capture of Avdiivka. “When a citizen of Europe reads in the news that Ukraine retreated from Avdiivka, you should realize one simple fact—Russia has gotten closer to your home.” [ ... ] Russian President Vladimir Putin shouldn’t be popping any champagne bottles just yet. “Let’s remember we are 724 days into Russia’s three-day war,” Bauer said.

Russia is currently trying to frighten us with talk of nuclear missiles in space. They have done this before. They drew red lines that Biden then stepped over and there's no response to the Western moves. One thing Russia is proven to be good at is bullshit.

The second anniversary of Russia's full scale invasion is later this week. It is estimated that Russia has suffered US$49.75 billion in losses in this war. Keep in mind that despite its geographic size, Russia has an economy about one-half the size of California's which has less than a third of Russia's population.

Ukraine currently puts Russian fatalities over the 400,000 mark.

402,430 is a number greater than the populations of the capitals of 39 of the 50 US states. Only in a dictatorship where dissidents are murdered would such massive losses in a futile war be allowed.

[andsour]

യ  ♡  ( 🧁 )  ꙳  𐙚 honeylemon's sound is bubblegum pop perfection. with a production style characterized by addictive , idiosyncratic beats , catchy hooks , and standout middle eights , the group is known for their bright , cheerful concepts. ib : @bluwavez !! tw : bullying

debuting on may 17 , 2020 , honeylemon came in swinging with the digital single "asap". it was an almost immediate hit , debuting at #39 on the circle digital chart and steadily climbing its way to the top. the song got one win , on the last day the girls were promoting it on music shows.

their first comeback , "stereotype" , was even more of a commercial success. it sold twice as much , and earned them four music show wins. it also charted highly , peaking at #4 on circle.

being one of the most successful rookie acts , they took home the award for best new artist at the mnet asian music awards that year.

they started the next year off strong as well , releasing a three–track single album titled "russian roulette" on april 18 , 2021 , but were forced to promote the title track "loveshot" as five , as ej was on an indefinite hiatus after being swept up in a bullying controversy. although it was eventually proven to be false , the incident still impacted the performance of the album , and they ended up only winning two music show trophies for the era.

"mix n' match" was for the arts , not the charts. released on july 10 , 2021 , its title track of the same name was a mixed bag among fans , with some thinking it to be terrible while others called it "fun". nevertheless , the era is beloved , as ej finally returned to group promotions and seemed to glow on stage. the song also had a bit of a redemption era in 2022 , after being used in commercials worldwide when honeylemon became ambassadors for nike.

"not sorry" , released on october 11 , 2021 , shook the table. coming straight from their label senior , nabillera's , scrap box , honeylemon made the song their own , and it's now considered to be one of their best. a small but loud subsection of fans have spent years begging for them to return to this concept , although it is very unlikely it ever will. it got three music show wins.

finally , honeylemon finished off the year with their very first japanese release , becoming the fastest and one of the most well–received seventh heaven artists to debut in japan. their single album "winter wonderland" was released on december 13 , 2021 , in collaboration with the candy land board game and is impressively one of the best–selling projects by a k–pop artist in japan. it's title track "candy pop" charted on the oricon chart for over a year , and peaked at #1.

bonus : they performed a track called "sour grapes" during the seventh heaven family concert on december 28 , 2021. despite fans' begging , it still isn't available on streaming platforms.

honeylemon kicked off 2022 with yet another bang , releasing their first mini–album , "o–m–g" , on february 22. the title track "omg" , was popular on tiktok , especially with the girls' fancams going viral for their outfits , as they had gotten a new stylist. although they'd always had a sizeable international fanbase , the virality of this era brought them to a new level , putting them on the radars of people who'd never bothered with k–pop before. omg achieved eight music show wins.

honeylemon made their first japanese comeback with the single "wake me up" on april 9 , 2022. while not quite as successful as their debut , it still performed well , peaking at #4. the choreography went viral online , becoming popular to cover on tiktok and variety shows.

they stole the summer with the release of the single "ice cream" , featuring lablemate ara of nabillera on august 16 , 2022. the hype around this release was insane , with several big names being thrown around as fans guessed who the secret feature could be , only to be gagged by ara's reveal. after two years of incessant back–and–forth between their respective fanbases , it was truly a shocker. many were overjoyed to see ara on stage with a group again , since nabillera disbanded in 2017 , and the song did extremely well , achieving several perfect and real–time all–kills , and winning ten music show awards.

"dubble bubble" came and went. their second mini–album was released on november 3 , 2022. despite performing well enough , it just wasn't very memorable.

they released their japanese mini–album , "poppy" , on january 11 , 2023 , which was really just the one new track with the japanese versions of their previous title tracks. it peaked at #2 on oricon and actually performed quite well in korea , too , leading them to release a korean version months later.

in preparation for their first full length album , honeylemon dropped a pre–release single , titled "new me" , on may 6 , 2023. although the song was criticized by some for being "boring" , the era was anything but , coming just weeks after nabillera's naomi directly shaded honeylemon , essentially calling them knock–offs and ara a sellout in an interview for a high–profile magazine. joori's response during her acceptance stage for new me's first win , classily calling naomi out for being bitter , triggered weeks worth of online discourse.

honeylemon's first full–length album , "intencity" , was released on july 17 , 2023. the album and its title track "i like it" , both performed extremely well , as expected , and were nominated for album and song of the year at several award shows. this era was truly iconic , with the expert rollout. i like it received twelve music show wins in total. a repackage of the album titled "love u back" was released on september 18 , 2023.

lastly , honeylemon have announced their plans for a japan comeback , called "doughnut" , to be released on december 4 , 2023.

[msclaritea]

"...In a now-viral clip on TikTok, one Christian woman takes Swift's stage performance a little too seriously.

"This is Taylor Swift's song 'Willow' where she is a witch during rituals," the woman said.

"The first video you saw was taken by a fan the other night at the concert and he says, 'yes, summon the demons b***h!' The worst part is that [Swift] commented twice [on the video]. [Swift] said: 'This is the new 'one, two, three, let’s go b***h'," the woman explained.

"So what she’s saying is 'summon the demons' is the new crowd chant that they all say when she does his witchcraft ritual.

The person added: "Then she commented laughing emojis."

Admittedly, however, Swift has previously said her song ‘Willow’ 'sounds like casting a spell to make someone fall in love with you'.

She then riffed off that notion, putting out several several witch remixes of 'Willow'.

Also, in her song 'Mad Woman' from 2020's Folklore, Swift sings: "Women like hunting witches too. Doing your dirtiest work for you."

She also referenced witch hunts on her 2017 album Reputation.

"They’re burning all the witches, even if you aren’t one," she sings in the song 'I Did Something Bad'.

What these Conservative Christians seem to have missed is the more modern meaning of 'witch'..."

What was the best way to hide the activities of the Rothchilds families? By making those activities seem like a conspiracy.

What was Pizzagate? A Russian Psyops that mixed truth with fiction. Just look at how many Pedos are falling out of closets.

What has been the biggest thing hidden about the Cult of Scientology? That it is based on the principles of Satanism and Dark Magical. Also that many of its members are Israeli and Freemasons.

The article I posted about the producer, Ovitz, being taken down by the Hollywood Gay Mafia was written as though he were a deluded liar....just like this bit of propoganda, below. Taylor Swift absolutely does do everything this article accuses her of, while simultaneously dismissing it.

And IF Taylor Swift is not supposed to be a clone representative or 'Twinned' version of Leena LaVey, then why has she been styled and posed like the known Satanist?

[lightningarmour]

Last Voyage of the Demeter(spoilers)

This was a movie I was really excited about because I really love the premise for it. Like many people on tumblr I experienced Dracula by Bram Stoker for the first time through the viral phenomenon of "Dracula Daily" so I don't have any kind of long love of the book or any particularly deep, personal feelings towards it or anything, but when I first heard about Last Voyage of the Demeter I thought it was a tremendous idea for a movie, and a pretty interesting and novel approach to a vampire story, generally and a very neat idea to take such a zoomed in look at the events of Dracula.

The way the Log of the Demeter is told in the book is obviously a classic example of a horror story. It's like how in every survival horror game you find some journal entry or email or whatever of someone saying "Has anyone else heard the strange noises coming from the vents? oh well, hope it's nothing!" in a room where there's a streak of blood running down the wall from a torn open air duct. You are being given piece by piece the terror and dread of a crew of sailors you already know are doomed to a horrendous death, seeing little by little how the horrors unfold, knowing they can't stop it, and it's all made the more tragic that they (or at least the captain) never know what it is that is doing this to them.

It's prime territory for a slow burn kind of psychological horror movie, where the mystery slowly unfolds and as more and more of the crew go missing, the tensions amongst those remaining grows and they start to turn on each other and yadda yadda.

While overall, The Last Voyage of the Demeter is a fine movie, it's certainly not the movie I went in expecting. I understand, of course, that adapting a single chapter, written basically in point-form, into a feature length film would require not an insignificant amount of padding. I think, though that this movie ended up a bit overstuffed.

It's an aggressively average film, ultimately. I have no real complaints about the technical aspects. It's shot well, all of the sets and costumes and such look good, the soundtrack really pops, and frankly I think almost all of the performances were really quite good. The problem, broadly is the very banal kind of Hollywoodification of the story. The movie I envisioned this being is definitely in the script somewhere, but the edges get sanded off in rewrites, they want the movie to be more marketable, and gradually it becomes a middling action thriller. Still competently made, but not scary enough to really be a horror movie, or suspenseful enough to really keep you engaged with what's left.

It exists, in my mind, in a similar space as the 2017 adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. Both period piece movies about mysterious deaths, but neither really feel confident enough in themselves to just be a mystery or a horror movie, so they try and punch it up a bit and throw in some action and spend a lot of time getting to know a colourful cast of characters who ultimately don't matter that much, and it all results in a kind of genre mush where the stakes never feel particularly important and I find myself nitpicking details rather than enjoying the story.

Much of the bloat this movie suffers from comes in the form of 3 characters. The protagonist of the film, Mr. Clemens, Anna the exposition machine, and Toby the precious baby boy who exists solely to inject an emotional hook into the story. I don't want to sound like a reactionary and complain about "wokeness" in movies because that's not a real thing, but it's probably going to sound like I am. From a marketing perspective, a film studio does not feel confident in having a non-franchise, niche-interest kind of movie with a cast of solely white men. Not that this particular movie would even necessarily have to be full of white people. The Demeter is specified as being a russian ship, and there was mention of russian and romanian crewmen but boats were crewed by all kinds of men so it's a simple liberty to take in making the crew multi-ethnic. It could have worked quite well if it were more of an ensemble cast, rather than having a specific protagonist. So much time is spent on Clemens that it makes the rest of the crew feel incredibly dull and one dimensional.

One reason I think in similar ways about this and Murder on the Orient Express is that both suffer from a very modern Hollywood trend of inserting a lot of very liberal values into movies set in the past in a way that does nothing to try and like, sincerely address the issues of sex, race, class, etc. discrimination and prejudice that existed in the time periods they are set in, but honestly as a way to kind of coddle the audience and assure them that while people may have been racist in the past, we, the studio and filmmakers, and whoever do not agree with such prejudices, and everyone can rest easy after seeing the film and not have to feel uncomfortable about any of that.

So Clemens is presented to us as a Doctor who is eager to return to England, and as we find out later, he was the second black man to ever graduate Oxford or wherever with a medical degree, but he couldn't find work anywhere because he's black. This information serves no real purpose to the story, nor to really understanding who he is as a person or anything. He plays the Agent Scully of the movie. It's sort of like he's there to dispel any mystery or suspense the movie might otherwise have. instead of a bunch of superstitious sailors succumbing to fear, Clemens is there to smartly tell them that their instincts are irrational and whatever. The result is that the movie follows all the same tropes and trappings of it's genre but in a way that is deflated by a guy constantly pointing out said tropes while not being genre savvy enough to prevent all of it from occurring.

Anna is in the movie explicitly to explain to the audience who the character of Dracula is, for those who might have missed the last 150 years of vampire fiction. She's introduced as having been stuffed in one of Dracula's boxes of dirt as a little snack for him on his boat ride. She' unconscious for a third of the movie but once she wakes up she just very directly tells everyone that there's an evil demon on board named Dracula and he's going to eat us all. I really hate her inclusion in the film because similar to Clemens, she exists to drain any suspense or mystery out of the story. There's no longer any fear of the unknown because she tells them exactly what's happening. Yet despite this, it still takes them like 3 days to finally get the bright idea to open up the crates in the cargo hold to see if maybe that's where Dracula is hiding. Again it's doing this almost meta narrative thing where now the characters realize what story they're in, but because that story already has a predetermined end, they can't actually use this knowledge to their advantage, the tropes still play out the same anyway.

I don't want to use the term mary sue to describe her but her and Clemens both have Protagonist power. They're seemingly the only ones on this boat who are smart and capable enough to get anything done, and they do quite explicitly just give Anna super powers. She's been fed on by Dracula so she has a special connection that lets her sense his presence and blah blah whatever. It's all very gimmicky, especially for a character we know is not going to survive and has no greater impact on the story of Dracula.

Toby is the grandson of the Demeter's Captain. He's like an eight year old boy or something and I kind of hate him. He's an utterly nothing character who serves no narrative purpose. At some point when going over the script they realized that there's no reason to really give a shit about any of the characters in the movie because pretty much none of them have any depth, and they figured the audience wouldn't be engaged. So they put a kid in it so that people would feel sad at least once during the movie.

There's honestly nothing to the kid. He's like unbelievably plucky and happy-go-lucky, to the point where I think the actor's performance is undermined by how exaggerated his boyishness is played up, but aside from just being happy and cute or whatever there's nothing to him. Again you're supposed to instinctively feel protective for him because he's a child, and then inevitably when he gets his shit sucked by Dracula, it's supposed to be the like, one tragic part of the whole movie, but it's just hollow. And whats more is that any sense of sadness or loss you get from precious little Toby's death is wrung out because they have a fucking scene where they're going to dump his corpse in the ocean but the Captain is like "No wait, he's still alive!" and you get a really shitty jump scare moment where the kid opens his eyes but now he's a vampire and then he immediately goes up in flames in the sunlight and I laughed out loud in the theatre because it was so fucking stupid.

The new characters are just too out of place because they all feel like hollywood blockbuster protagonists haphazardly tacked onto an otherwise kind of low-key horror story, and I think that the movie would have worked much better if you kept the Captain as the focal character. In the movie he's present but kind of as a side character which feels odd. It also really robs him of his agency. The final log entry in the book has him resolutely sacrificing himself for the sake of his ship and his diligent commitment to his duty as the Captain, so he ties his hands to the wheel, ensuring that he will never be derelict even if it means his death, whereas in the movie it's fucking Dracula who ties him to the wheel as a weird flex, but he's dead before the climax so that the characters invented for the movie can have an epic action movie showdown with Dracula.

And given that the whole dang thing roots itself so adamantly as being part of the greater story of Dracula, it then kind of results as this very silly contrivance where all the stuff about a man eating creature, a dude literally bursting into flames, a woman who explicitly told them about Count Dracula being a horrible demon, just gets conveniently left out of the Captain's log.

I feel like there were some more nitpicks and quibbles I had about the movie but none of it is particularly important. Again, as much as I've just spent like 2000 words whining about it, overall I didn't really hate the movie. It's fine! It was a decent enough movie to go see, even if I left feeling a bit disappointed. I'm having strong feelings towards it because it's one of those movies that is worse than just being shitty. A just awful bad movie can be dismissed outright and I could just say yeah it sucks ass. But this one is so close to being good. There's a lot I did like about it, but it's off by such a small margin that all the things keeping it from being really great feel much more pronounced.

Also I kind of love that Clemens just survives and I guess becomes a Dracula hunter? They should have done a post-credits scene where he shows up 5 minutes after the main characters from the book have slain Dracula and been like "god damn it"

[brostateexam]

The administration’s contradictory approach to TikTok — its embrace of the app as a vital conduit to the public, and its fear of the app as a potential tool of foreign influence — is perhaps a fitting response to the utterly unique problem that TikTok poses. Seemingly overnight, TikTok has managed to remake American culture both low and high, from media and music to memes and celebrity, in its own image. TikTok turned Olivia Rodrigo into a household name and propelled the author Colleen Hoover to the top of the best-seller list, with more copies sold this year than the Bible. TikTok coined “quiet quitting,” one of the hallmark phrases of 2022, and introduced a whole new dialect of algospeak — “seggs,” “unalive,” “le dollar bean” — that is now spreading across pop culture. Corporations and brands, from Goldfish crackers to Prada, have redirected billions of dollars worth of advertising to the platform in recognition of its all-encompassing reach, which can, at seemingly any moment, turn even a decades-old product into a must-have item. Last year, TikTok had more site visits than Google, and more watch minutes in the United States than YouTube. Facebook took almost nine years to reach one billion users; TikTok did it in five.

The app’s extraordinary success is made even more remarkable by the fact that it is a product of America’s greatest geopolitical rival. Despite decades of trying, no Chinese company has ever conquered American society like TikTok. It’s difficult to imagine a Russian or Iranian company — or, increasingly, even another Chinese company — pulling off a similar feat. TikTok’s provenance has stoked persistent and longstanding worries about its vulnerability to exploitation and manipulation by the Chinese government. Over the last year in particular, TikTok has faced an unceasing stream of bad press, with each week seeming to bring a fresh revelation about the company’s questionable data practices and spotty internal safeguards. In just the last six months, TikTok and ByteDance have been accused of lying about the access of China-based employees to American user data, using a news app to push pro-Beijing content abroad and allowing Chinese state media accounts to run unchecked and unlabeled as they criticized the American political process.

If TikTok’s popularity has thus far provided it some insulation against government action, the app’s time may be running out. In November, Brendan Carr, a commissioner of the F.C.C., said it should be banned outright. Senator Mark Warner, co-chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said of a ban, “The sooner we bite the bullet, the better.” Christopher Wray, director of the F.B.I., told Congress he was “extremely concerned” about TikTok’s operations in the United States. Earlier this month, Senator Marco Rubio introduced legislation that would effectively prevent TikTok from operating in the United States by banning all apps “subject to substantial influence” by China, Russia and other foreign adversaries.

[dojae-huh]

I've checked one Russian site dedicated to fan-translations of Asian (SEA+EA) entertainment (tv-series, programmes, music). There are 10 countries in the menu. The top popular series from Vietnam is Tuổi Thanh Xuân and On The Wings Of Love from The Philippins.

A video about k-pop vs j-pop global recognition made me think of how hard it was to enter US market for k-pop (there were many failed attempts prior to PSY's viral song). And that this invisible cultural barrier is not something I really remember about because in my own country people listen to and watch everything. Just offer it for free, lol. I had a book with Maori (New Zealand) fairytales when I was a child. Still remember it were two birds who created the earth.

[rebrth]

nothing will stop me from thinking abt who in get peachy owned which era. i think debut era was clearly dominated by ming just because she was the maknae at the time and rlly brought the peach girls’ image to where it is now. i definitely think she was told to act a certain way though (timidness, quiet voice, all smiley on stage) to bring in Those kinds of fans which brought the money to la maison like no problem. even in idlyg era she was pushed to the front and acted as the center so the group could appear youthful (like they weren’t all in their early twenties but i digress). though when rookie era comes around i like to think that sol shined the most. she got the most lines this era and the best styling while ming was pushed to the back burner for tarnishing the girls’ image behind the scenes. they didnt break out of nugudom despite being from la maison but they r so close!!!!!

of course when dilly dally came out rie was the star of the show. most lines, best styling, became the center & subsequent spokesperson, the gp treated her well, et cetera. rie didnt like the responsibility and always looked to her leader, dal. nobody in the public eye knew dal was even the leader until 2021 because nobody mentioned it. once. throughout their entire career thus far. but she was still the leader and rie found herself powering down in the company of dal.

woowoo era was the beginning of their more mature concepts (not rlly linear though since love bomb and crush came right after) and ppl??? weren’t very happy???? despite their signature bubblegum pop cute girl sound still being evident, their hair was styled differently and they had more makeup on. honestly woowoo/rurou era was very dedicated to the female fans. it was actually in this era that the famous interview happened that solidified namra as a girl for the girls!!!!!! because i have to project on at least one character of mine. ANYWAY!!!! the girls enjoyed this era very much as well. woowoo and russian roulette r cult classics on stantwt and officially broke get peachy out of nugudom!!!! rie’s orange hair, sol’s blonde hair, and namra’s purple hair shocked the nation its true!!!!!!

love bomb took aspects of both woowoo and russian roulette and then pretended it was their debut concept. this is basically it. ming clearly shined the most even if ppl didnt want to admit it (mean girl scandal aftermath). love bomb is ALSO another cult classic and tbh 2017 was a rlly good year for the girls. bordering on non-rookies, getting the good treatment on variety shows, developing their own personalities while still keeping it real… the good moments are endless!!! like despite some ming backlash they were thriving and having fun!!!! AND every girl loved love bomb (which is very very very rare (this might be the only era when they all like the song tbh)).

now miss crush… another cult classic i must say. these two years were the golden years. sadly dal HHHHAAAAAAAAATED this song um… tasteless queen. anyway. now that they’ve solidified themselves as a group w a quirky concept this song wasn’t All That at the time. BUT queen recognizes queen when simena covers the song and it goes viral!!!!!! but that’s only this year.

blood type b girl is the visible shift in their sound. while preparing for their second maxi, the girls were told that chorong would be joining their group. they were Also told that she would be getting special promo and also would be debuted during their biggest concept change. the girls were obviously unhappy and tried to protest, but la maison wasn’t having any of it. when rie tried protesting she was put onto a forced hiatus and not allowed to participate in rum pum pum pum era. because of this, rie’s voice isn’t on some bsides due to her hiatus. definitely an album for the history books but not the right reason.

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Wednesday, March 29

The Sunnydale Herald is looking for at least one new editor. Contributing to the Herald is a great way to get your Buffy on! Find out more here.

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Fragments by badly_knitted (Angel, PG)

Multiple oneshots in Russian by Esty (Spike/Buffy, Oz/Willow, Anne Pratt, Phantom Dennis, all rated G)

good enough to eat me by firstaudrina (Darla/Lilah, E)

Training by SomeKindOfADeviant (Spike/Drusilla, M)

Slayersitting by melagan (Leverage crossover, Buffy, G)

Love in Her Eyes and Flowers in Her Hair by HAL1500 (Giles/Jenny, T)

Viral by HollyDB (Buffy/Spike, T)

Lost by Slaymesoftly (Buffy/Spike, R)

Open Mic Night: drabbles 23-28 by Girlytek (Willy, Giles, Angel, Drusilla, Faith, Buffybot, PG-13)

Girl lost, key found by Julikobold (Dawn, G)

[Chaptered Fiction]

Damage Case, Ch. 28 by Axell (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

K is for Kindred, Part 1-2 (COMPLETE!) by Willow91 (Buffy/Spike, R)

where the shadow ends, Ch. 13 by disco-tea (Buffy/Spike, R)

Zoom Zoom Zoom, Ch. 7 by the_big_bad (Buffy/Spike, R)

Bring Him Home, Ch. 14 by acb6293 (Buffy/Spike, R)

Rise, Ch. 5 by CheekyKitten (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Merry and Xander, Ch. 8 by calikocat (Merry Gentry crossover, Xander, FR21)

Akuma Slayer, Ch. 6 by BlueZeroZeroOne (Miraculous Ladybug crossover, Buffy, FR15)

We Are Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made On, Ch. 29 by VeroNyxK84 (Buffy/Spike, R)

So One of Us is Living, Ch. 29 by violettathepiratequeen (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Mad Hatter, Ch. 29 My Cuppa Tea by MissLuci (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Make Me Stay, Ch. 29 by Grief Counseling (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Jigsaw, Ch. 29 by Dusty (Buffy/Spike, R)

Behind Blue Eyes, Ch. 29 by Passion4Spike (Buffy/Spike, PG)

Vies Microscules, Ch. 20-25 by Rea (Buffy/Spike, R)

Now That I Saw You, Ch. 29-30 (COMPLETE!) by scratchmeout (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Mostly Harmless, Ch. 19 by Lady Emma (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Longest Day, Ch. 28-29 by ashcrashed (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Fire Starter, Ch. 27 by Teuntje (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Dribs & Drabs, Ch. 27-31 (COMPLETE!) by gwennie (Buffy/Spike, R)

42, Ch. 28-29 by Dynamite (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Belonging, Ch. 26-27 by honeygirl51885 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Key Saves Spuffy, Ch. 25 by Dynamite (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Found family ties, Ch. 29-30 (COMPLETE!) by Julikobold (Buffy/Spike, G)

Trying, Ch. 28-30 by Pet35 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

something wretched, something precious, Ch. 22-28 by LittleTayy (Buffy/Spike, R)

The DeSoto, Ch. 29 by ClowniestLivEver (Buffy/Spike, R)

Unclaimed Property, Ch. 29 by PuckRobin (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

My Oh My, Ch. 27-30 (COMPLETE!) by scratchmeout (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Frosty, Ch. 29 by ClowniestLivEver (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

A Third Player, Ch. 29-30 (COMPLETE!) by ClowniestLivEver (Buffy/Spike/various other characters, NC-17)

Mirror, Mirror, Ch. 13 by scratchmeout (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

[Images, Audio & Video]

Manip: Willow the bunny by emmatheslayer ()

droodles. and spike by spikedru (Drusilla, Spike, worksafe)

Buffy/Spike drawing by spikedru (worksafe)

Crochet Drusilla and Spike by myboyknows (worksafe)

Comic: Compliments by DeamonQueen (Buffy/Spike, G)

A study of Spike by CFWilshaw_Art (worksafe)

[Reviews & Recaps]

This moment was perfect (Willow and Tara's first onscreen kiss) by Exiled-Devotion

Pop Culture Role Call: Almost Math - Angel S04E09 - Long Day’s Journey

[Recs & In Search Of]

Drusilla vid recs by somekindofadeviant

Video "What do Buffy's vampires mean?" by Five By Five Takes recced by thrasherpix

[Fandom Discussions]

as a lilah and linsey mortal enemyship-enjoyer... by all-seeing-ifer

Poll tournament: Battle of the BtVS Bands by btvspolls

[Xander and Giles are bi: evidence from "Superstar"] by calliopeos

How to get into the Cangel Discord server

Who are the most popular chars of the series over time? by IngloriousZZZ

Do you think Angel should/could have stayed after season 3 of Buffy? by Aggressive_Safe_3141

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

[dritaassets]

Trump jr twitter

#TRUMP JR TWITTER TV#

As innumerable Twitter bios trumpet, "retweets do not equal endorsements."īut by engaging with the troll accounts, these public figures unwittingly amplified the magnitude, velocity and reach of this Kremlin-linked propaganda. These bold-faced names, along with lesser known but influential Twitter accounts, didn't necessarily make the content go viral - and we can only guess as to why a certain person retweeted or engaged with a post: perhaps to support or criticize a message, or just as part of what they thought was regular Twitter conversation. 30, 2017, according to social media analysis by Meltwater, a San Francisco-based media intelligence company, which shared its findings with NBC News. Reporters and editors for global news outlets also embedded the Russian propaganda tweets from Jan. Clair, Fox Business Network host Lou Dobbs journalist Micah Lee upstart online radio host of YourVoice America Bill Mitchell popular right wing video blogger Paul Ramsey conspiracy theorist and InfoWars host Alex Jones popular "alt-right" video blogger Stefan Molyneux and whose Twitter bio says, "Daily adventures with the White House Press Corps in their own words".Īnd pop culture icons singer Nicki Minaj comedian Sarah Silverman Daily Show host Trevor Noah James Woods and even the CEO of Twitter Jack Dorsey have also been flagged.

#TRUMP JR TWITTER TV#

Ted Cruz (R-TX) list also includes media personalities and commentators like FOX News host Sean Hannity conservative author Ann Coulter MSNBC host Chris Hayes conservative author Eric Bolling NYU political scientist Ian Bremmer conservative TV and radio host Laura Ingraham CNN anchor Jake Tapper Slate Chief Political Correspondent Jamelle Bouie Editor of CounterPunch, a left-leaning political investigative magazine Jeffrey St. Nina Turner (D-OH) Trump's digital media advisor Brad Parscale Senior Advisor of Executive Deputy Director, UN Women, Ravi Karkara former Trump White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci former White House press secretary Sean Spicer and Sen. John Coryn, (R-TX) presidential advisor and spokeswoman Kellyanne Conway Women's March national co-chair Linda Sarsour son of fired Trump National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, Michael Flynn Jr. former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke nationalist Dutch politician Geert Wilders Sen. Former US UN Ambassador Samantha Power the president's son Donald J. Trump prominent white nationalist Richard Spencer Trump associate and political consultant Roger J. The handles flagged in the database, along with less than half-a-dozen from previous reports, contains these political figures: President of the United States, Donald J.

[dailykoreanpop]

TikToker Under Fire For Making Racist Gestures And Condescending Remarks To ATEEZ At Their Fanmeet

She allegedly mocked their English speaking abilities.

A Russian TikTok influencer has become the center of mass controversy for her racist and condescending behavior at a recent ATEEZ fan event.

After having moved to South Korea not too long ago, TikTok user @just_2alina (name Alina Sharanova) began to gain popularity for her K-Pop dance covers and other K-Pop related videos. The influencer, who boasts over 124,000 followers on TikTok, was always praised for her dance covers but in the most recent news, she has found herself in an ugly situation.

A few days ago, ATEEZ held a fan meeting event, which proved itself to be a rare opportunity for real fans due to the limited 30 spots that were available. The intimate meeting should have been filled with heartwarming interactions, but a recent TikTok video featuring none other than Alina Sharanova has started to go viral on Twitter due to her condescending and racist behavior.

According to different Twitter users, the TikToker can allegedly be heard asking some rude questions to some of the ATEEZ members, while mocking their English speaking abilities.

Her attacks against Mingi didn’t end there, as she was also heard telling him to spend his time “learning English.”

Following her rude remarks and questions about Mingi‘s English, it was reported that the ATEEZ member participated in the rest of the fan meet looking down in his spirits.

I am worried about Mingi. He didn’t say a word for the whole time, was sitting there silently, nodded a few times and didn’t even smile. I wouldn’t too after your words.

— English translation provided by @babieteez/Twitter

In another clip, the TikToker allegedly accused an ATEEZ’s Wooyoung of “imitating Jimin,” while backhandedly praising him for finally finding his “own style.”

However, this is not all. @just_2alina took her rude behavior a step further by making a racist gesture targeted towards the Asian population. Following the conclusion of the ATEEZ fan event, she logged on to Instagram live to discuss her thoughts on the fan meeting. It was here that Alina made the racist slanted eye gesture while expressing her surprise regarding “how big” San‘s eyes were in real life.

However, this is not the TikToker’s first controversy. Previously, the dancer came under fire after recording herself throwing away boxes of ATEEZ albums and merchandise. At a gas station, @Just_2alina can be seen happily dancing, while throwing away all of the ATEEZ goods.

Following the uploads, it didn’t take long for all of the clips to spread online, as Alina’s racist, rude, and condescending behavior spread like wildfire. ATINYs (ATEEZ fans) all over the world banded together to heavily criticize the TikToker for her behavior.

The TikToker has since apologized for her actions, but has been met with even more backlash from ATEEZ fans. You can read @just_2alina‘s apology down below.

It is Sharonova Alina. First of all, I SINCERELY want to APOLOGIZE for all this situation about fan sign event and about my Insta-live in which you saw one of racist gesture. Though I have been interested in Asia for more than 10 years and have been living in asian already for more than 5 years, I did not know how serious meaning this gesture have. My friends immediately let me know it after they saw first posts. I HAVE NEVER BE A RACIST and never intended to offend someone who is not same nationality with me. I have friends all over the world and the biggest part of them are Asian, whom I regard a lot. I am so sorry for using this gesture thoughtlessly and hurt your feeling! I swear from this moment I will carefully think about each gesture and word.

All of you are mad with me for those comments on video that I added in moments nothing can be heard. (IT WAS NOT THE THINGS I TOLD! NEVER! IT WAS ONLY COMMENTARY OF SITUATION THAT IS GOING ON SCREEN, NOT MY WORDS TO BOYS!)

I do not deny that in video I could use some words in Russian language that have dual meaning. I want to explain for people who do know not know Russian that our language have many words that are frequently used in everyday life, but they can become rude and offensive in some situation.

I SWEAR absolutely all comments were made without any intention of offending any ATEEZ member, KQ Entertainment staff and etc. I did not expect Russian people would take it as an insult towards the boys and spread it into fandom like I had an intention of offending ATEEZ. I am really sorry for misunderstanding and this situation. I am not searching for your excuse, but just want to let everybody know that ATEEZ means a lot in my life and I will never offend/insult/abuse on purpose. They are a huge part of my world and for me saying bad about them is same as abusing myself.

— Alina Sharonova @AlinaMin98/Twitter

Credit: Koreaboo 

[ohsalome]

Palindrom - Summer time

At first I didn't want to post this song on tumblr since it has too many cultural references that wouldn't be understandable for a foreign listener. But I can't stop thinking about it. As a ukrainian, it speaks to me on a very personal and painful level. Who knows, perhaps it will help somebody understand us better.

Posted below are lyrics translation, and under cut I will add my own explanations for the lyrics and the music video. Enjoy.

Can't write a song about bairaktars for supermarkets I think Kashlyauchuy Ed* is going to hit me Sometimes he turns the helm of the bike on the oncoming lane To hear from him - I am alive In the Petro Mostavchuk's* voice, but this is already better than Alina Pash in vyshyvanka* - my knife goes deeper in A wound that will not heal after my son's grandchildren My house on the edge* is no longer beautiful today The rocket sticking out of the ceiling is my new chandelier Is God alive or dead? Well, say something, Zarathustra Chill to Scriptonit's* songs in Tustan*, drink vodka with pepper Your flip flops on the beach hurt worse than army boots In the summer, the war continues as well, the grief has not passed The man evolved from monkey, but later returned I'm also afraid to drool in front of a banana Because I will be fine only when Muscovites suffer Before it's too late, it's better to pull out a few teeth Do you wish death of a Muscovite? Then kill him within yourself Don't thank me for the language, for the sake of ancestors in Solovki* 30 years behind the broom, and the taste of scoop in the mouth* Which, sadly, did not interrupt such a sweet Stimorol* Do you have a blade? Remember, we rap about it with Igor Cut the yellowed cover - your inferiority Because they already "need to run"*, and we already have to return To consciousness, because we have been lying down for a long time With the injury, our children are already singing the National Anthem So don't you dare to say it was good under Kuchma*, man Or you can repeat it to Gongadze's mother My heart resembles a large hematoma Now I die, but I rise again the next day All this is useless when you see Kremenchuk I'm sorry that not everyone has heard this explosion yet

References explanations:

Kashlyauchuy Ed - another alias of Palindrom.

Petro Mostavchuk - popular ukrainian raper MC Petya, author of many viral songs and memes.

Alina Pash - popular rap/pop artist. Got herself in a scandal where it was revealed she illegally visited Crimea after it was occupied and forged documents to take part in the Eurovision selection. Because of her behaviour in this situation and others, for many people she has become a symbol of cringe performative patriotism.

Vyshyvanka is a national embroided shirt.

House on the edge - famous ukrainian aphorism "I don't know nothing, my house is on the edge" used to describe our problematic national trait of only caring about your own house and your own family, and staying idle and indifferent while your neighbour suffers.

Scriptonit - famous Kazakh-russian rapper.

Tustan - ancient fortress in Western Ukraine.

Solovki - Solovetsky archipelago located in the White sea, the site of the first Gulag establishment, many ukrainians were sent there by the soviets.

30 years behind the broom and the taste of scoop in the mouth - "Scoop" is a mocking way to refer to the soviet union. Palindrom is refering to the fact that, despite Ukraine's 30-year long formal independence, for the most part the "new brooms" weren't new at all - the people who came to power were from the same establishment that represented soviet union, and they continued the repression of our national identity and independance.

Stimorol - a danish chewing gum, popular in the 90s. After the fall of the soviet union imported goods started appearing in the shop, and for post-soviet kids it was like a novel delicacy.

Because they already "need to run" - "need to run" ("pora valyt' " is a russian meme that means fleeing from a shitstorm (usually of your own doing). Here, Palindrom refers to politicians who have been stealing from Ukraine for decades and ran away at the first signs of trouble. In their stead, the conscious community needs to step up, stop being idle and claim the power for themselves.

Kuchma - second ukrainian president from 1994 to 2005. In the 2000-2001 there were massive protests known as "Ukraine without Kuchma" that called for his removal. The turning point was the assassination of a ukrainian journalist Georgy Gongadze, the founder of the independent "Ukrainian pravda" magazine. When his beheaded corpse was found, Kuchma has long denied his involment and the SBU has performed a ridiculous theatre of sham investigation. His family believes that the real culprits of the assassination remain unpunished.

Now, cultural references from the music video:

The videoclip used at the beginning of the music video is from the 1972 movie "Reveal yourself" about the most famous ukrainian philosopher Hryhorii Skovoroda, directed by Rolan Serhiyenko. The quote says "Search. Knock on all doors. Sweep your house clean. Dig through it. Rummage through everything. Look through nooks and crannies. Search in every cache. Try everything out. Listen carefully. This is the wisest, the sweetest curiosity. Never stop thinking, and you will know yourself".

During the whole video Palindrom is standing in front of a model of a ukrainian hut (and a bit stereotypical one, for that). Note the cardboard kalashnikovs.

Idk if I need to explain this, but gas masks are a reference to Chornobyl.

Quote at 1:00: "From the deepest past we are looking at you with hope - our descendents, sons and daughters of a great and ancient nation".

Quote at 1:04: "[Make] love, ukrainians, because we are worth it".

1:49-1:50 - the very "ancestors in Solovki" - some of the numerous people who were sent to die there. Following that, videoclips of the destruction of churches - a lot of unique ukrainian architecture was destroyed by the soviets under a guise of a fight with "nationalistic bourgeoisie" and "fight with the religion".

1:52 - the man is Mikhaylo Poplavsky, a famour pop-singer and a principal of one of the most famous universities. Known for abusing a stereotypical image of a ukrainian in his music and sexually harassing his female students. At the same timecode you can see a photo of sausage with a discimally high price due to the inflation in the 90s after the ussr fell apart.

1:55 - the word on the keyboard is "Kuchma"

2:00-2:03 - a montage of different visual materials representing "sharovarshchyna" - a stereotypical depiction of ukrainians as funny gluttonous docile hilly-billies. Usually considered degrogatory, and although introduced by the imperialistic (russian) narrative, often repeated and recreated by ukrainians themselves.

2:12 - and that is Kuchma. As a ukrainian, I am allowing you to spit on him.

2:26 - "Potentionally sensitive content. This image can show scenes of violence and brutality" - Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and other social networks often censor images of the destruction in Ukraine that we share, virtually silencing us. They also often ban accounts of volounteers who collect money for the humanitarian help and army for "hate speech", but curiously not russians calling for our immediate eradication.

2:40 - you can see photoes of two politicians, Yulia Tymoshenko and Viktor Yushchenko. Yulia is an oppositional politician known for being buddy-buds with russian oil oligharks. Yushchenko was our third president after Kuchma. The "Orange revolution" of 2004 happened because Viktor Yanukovich forged the election results in a desperate power grab. The votes were recounted and Yushchenko became the president, but Yanyk would nevertheless be elected in 2010. Yushchenko survived poisoning by the russians, and if you look at his photoes from now, you can see the mark it left on his face. He was a dissapoining president, but stood out for having a pro-ukrainian political position.

2:48 - Palyndrom tears down a poster of an "iconic" russian artist Valeriy Leontyev to reveal an article about ukrainian composer Volodymyr Ivasyuk being tortured to death (most likely by the KGB). Ivasyuk is the author of one of the most iconic (and my favouritest) ukrainian songs, I urge you to listen to it: https://youtu.be/iV_4XvldJw0