#some drama discussions and our song reactions

[zhuoyichenpretty]

Eps 30-33 Commentary

No meta, just reactions! I have less to say about some eps so I'm combining several episodes worth. To make up for my head-emptiness and lack of meta, I've included more pictures lmao. Spoilers under the cut!

Ep 30:

"You really are pitiful." Li Lun waking up thinking of ZYC's words oooh they did that opening line for Li Lun/ZYC lovers (me)

What a homoerotic way to give the Truth Eye

ZYC and ZYZ having their first drink(s) together here, ZYZ and Li Lun having one last game of chess here. Gay ppl will go “I know a place” and take you to a damp cave and a little stone table in the Wilderness

Oof. The apparent inherence of winning/losing in their activity of choice compared to the drinks that took place here between ZYC and ZYZ. Even with a draw, it’s competitive by nature. If Li Lun knew about the three (very intense, very intimate) toasts that came before in this very spot, I wonder how aggrieved he’d feel.

Ah well there goes the date spot /:

I’m so happy to see LZY (Bai Jiu’s actor) get to fight! His fight scenes in MTJY were awesome and he continues to impress here as well. It’s so fun to watch!

………..to revisit my question from previous commentary about when the grievances against Ying Lei will end, the answer is never ;-;

Damn…For ZYC to promise to spare Li Lun after all that Li Lun has put him through specifically and personally. ZYC really fucking loves ZYZ doesn’t he.

I’m so fucked up over Ying Lei’s last words jesus christ.

ZYC sobbing and feeling the fleeting warmth of the rock Ying Lei was just leaning against…when will the world stop taking away his family members??? His brothers???

That scene of everyone looking at Bai Jiu after Ying Lei dissipates. The fact that he's right there. And it’s like they traded one life for another. The two babies of the group. Goddammit.

Do NOT hit me with Bai Jiu’s actor singing “Broken-Tailed Bird” right now oh my god

So like…regarding ZYZ losing his demonic power, does he still count as the most evil demon of ZYC’s time? Can someone ring Ying Long and ask?

ZYC crybaby oh no I can’t believe he’s crying over ZYZ being so weakened aw I love him

My god, Bai Jiu running after Ying Lei and into ZYC’s arms has to be one of my favorite sequences in the whole show. So so good. So so painful. Between this scene, all the flashbacks, and ZYC’s reaction when he died, I’m at least glad the show is spending so much screen time and significance on Ying Lei’s send-off, even if I’m heartbroken that he’s gone. We couldn’t even have the whole family reunited for one moment.

Also have you ever seen a man so mother?

No but seriously "Cry if you want...[tears] have to do with our hearts" ZYC my healthy masculinity king!!!

This song fucking hurtssssssssss this cheese (it's buttermilk) hurts everything hurts

I’m glad PSJ gets time and space to react. Her lines about being a mortal and not being needed are so good but also ow!!! And oh WX always knows exactly what to say to her 🥹

I love everything ZYC says to Bai Jiu about each family member (like yeahhh WX is unlucky 😭 and yeaahHH PSJ does need support too) but MAN the way he says ZYZ’s name is so fucking good. The fact that it gets so much emotion across without saying a single word further as he gets interrupted. His voice and his expression both collapsing a little in that moment. Efficiency of acting strikes again.

Is it even possible for ZYC to cherish this little family more?

Yo this dramatic ass lighting on ZYZ and ZYC standing in the doorway. Why y’all need so much drama just to talk? Also oughhhh ZYC’s gaze is a mess looking every which way while discussing WX’s poison. He is such a bad liar (but he looks so good doing it). Is that why they gotta talk about this like ten feet apart so ZYZ can’t see him lying? Lmao

Okay also tho if ZYC's coming around looking like this I am not hearing a single thing he's saying:

They flashed back to the previous time ZYC held his hand out but cut away from ZYZ taking it this time. Is it bc the absolutely unfettered tension between them can’t pass censors anymore? Haha god but that shot of ZYC slowly meeting ZYZ’s eyes from ZYZ’s POV whewwww we don’t got the skinship but their gazes are kind of insane??? TJR in blue contacts is too powerful I'm shaking somebody needs to stop him.

Ep 31:

Trying so hard not to be driven a little crazy by the lapses in continuity in this show (‘: It’s just tonal and costuming stuff that are a little difficult for me to ignore, just the fact that it’s kind of apparent which scenes were filmed in what order based on their costume/styling changes + the sets, and how sometimes the tone from the previous events don’t smoothly carry over because of this. But it's momentary, I just gotta. Power through.

YO the Pei siblings sparring was so cool and for what. They should have had WX spectating instead of staring at nothing in the previous scene (-:

Damn how long has it been since they played the fun music. Also feels kind of wrong without Ying Lei though fml

Awwww Qing Geng I missed her she’s so cute!! I wasn't doing ep commentaries during her arc so I gotta make up for it here. Her actress is so talented and adorable, and her costuming in this show is stunning!! Her lashes!! Her colors!!

THE TREE BRANCHES lmfaooo ZYC what happened to being worried for ZYZ’s weak body?? We really haven't had a moment like this in so long though (':

Well I do like the reason why WZY had a fake out death, that’s pretty clever and narratively sound, but also oh god what in the AOT??? The inner cores hidden in the medicine is some odious fucking work dear lord

I also like that the endgame is coming about from what initially seemed like another small-time case. Of course the evil physician's huge scheme at the end weaponizes plague and poison and medicine.

Ayeee fun that they used the teleporter on WZY instead of as a getaway

Lmfao ZYC just standing there taking a huge hit of the poison smoke. Poor baby doesn’t watch movies and doesn’t know smoke from a bad guy always means some kind of poison

Why does poisoned!ZYC have such an incredible smokey-eye siren look I’m shook

After knowing the poison is about indulging in your greatest wishes, the first moment ZYC woke up and approached ZYZ they sure looked like they were about to indulge in something sorry ignore me

The way this is so similar to ZYZ’s imaginings where he and WX always turn around and look at the camera. The show wants censors to believe they’re looking at ZYZ but we've known all along who the third POV is here

Also why aren’t ZYC’s bro and dad in the wish illusion?

Ohh the eerie instrumental rendition of the OST when ZYC draws his sword is too good. And yesss we were so due for some more crazy dream fuckery like is this real? Is this real??

Ep 32:

The team is spread so thin )-: One man (mountain god) down and a whole town to save and an immortal villain to vanquish.

WZY's eagerness in trying to goad ZYC into killing himself while poisoned is so so sinister goddamn. I love how disturbing it is to slowly realize what he wants without any lines at all

ZYZ shielding ZYC from a huge fucking fireball with just his hand is adorable and sad:

I already normally love Li Lun's whole leaf-swirly entrances and exits but you know I cheered when he deus ex machina-ed his way here!!! With that bgm too!!!

Li Lun came back to accept ZYC into their throuple. He's had some time to think and yeah he's decided ZYC's kinda hot and maybe shouldn't die or else ZYZ will be sad.

):

ZYC's soft and anguished, "Qing Geng" when he realizes she gave him her inner core. That's my bleeding heart hero ;-;

Throuple of the fucking yearrrrrr:

Spoiler for ep 33/34 but—watching Bai Jiu watch the three of them and realize he can't do anything to help here... It would have been dangerous for him to stay, but I wonder if things could have ended differently ):

Ep 33:

Oughhhhh Pei Siheng ))): The cruel fucking poetry of PSJ, the most emotionally closed-off character, having her heart, her brother, made into her armor. And then to lose him once more.

ZYC proving time and again that his heart is entirely boundless and he'll shelter anyone from the rain and he just wants everyone to live:

LI LUN/ZYC LOVERS HOW ARE WE FEELIN'?!?

Did not expect MORE ZYC choking now that they're on the same side but yeah Li Lun is not one to let go of a good thing I get it. I'm screaming but I get it. "I'm giving you half my demonic power" yeah right just admit you like doing this dw Li Lun this is a safe space.

Literally what am I watching and also no don't mind me, keep going. Feral over ZYC dropping his hand and letting it happen.

But lmfao the way Li Lun did not need to be doing all that, like he sends his power out to ZYZ without even making physical contact. He could've just grabbed ZYC by the shoulder.

Can't believe I just keep winning:

ZYC didn't even know what Li Lun was doing putting his arms around him and he just let it happen. That's some next level trust.

Ah goodbye Li Lun, presumably another victim of the "(ex-)villains can't have good endings" brand of censorship

Oof I love that the initial horror after the seeming victory is reserved first for the simple fact that ZYC and ZYZ are separated, that ZYC can't go to him the way he was intending to. Even when it's unclear yet that WZY is still alive, just the wrongness of them being divided this way is so poignant. ZYC has such a helpless look about him when he says ZYZ's name.

Goddammit WZY saw Li Lun choke ZYC and got ideas.

Oh I love the uncertainty of whether the One-Word Spell works on ZYC or not. ZYZ's sudden and intense fear. Also though WZY tries to use ZYC dying as a deterrent for ZYZ blowing up the barrier but he's literally choking the life out of ZYC as we speak

Bai Jiu's completely unrestrained screaming and crying in pain is so brutal to listen to. His scenes go on forever. Also, the choice of having some of his flashbacks be blurred and vague in the background, once again something privately kept for the character

ZYC holding out his hand to ZYZ a third time ;-; The utter relief of being able to reach each other again paralleling that previous horror of separation.

ZYC physically feeling Bai Jiu's death oh god. We do not get a single moment of happiness and victory in this drama everything is bought with pain and returns pain I hate it here.

Also another post-finale thought (spoilers for the end of the drama)—If ZYZ remained in his weakened state, I really am curious if he would have still met the conditions of the prophecy (ZYC being cursed to kill the most evil demon of his time, if the prophecy is indeed conditional like that, of course). If that could have been a technical loophole, did Li Lun giving both of them his power and then ZYC giving ZYZ his as well basically fulfill it again? I mean, logistically speaking, without that extra power, I'm not sure if ZYZ would have been able to trigger the Baize cycle again (or whatever it is he did to save the town). So the show's final tragedy can be traced all the way back to these moments of giving out of love and protection, just as Bai Jiu being in the perfect place for his final sacrifice came about because ZYC, ZYZ, and Li Lun were trying to protect him and get him out of danger. The way love and grief are so helplessly, inevitably intertwined that one begets the other. They were all just trying to save each other.

On that completely painful note, that's 30-33! And it'll be downhill from here for the next one (-:

[infinitefolklore]

Fanfic Master Post

*request a fic through Ask Me Anything*

Elucien

In The Darkness Before the Dawn, Leave a Light On

About: Elain is sent to the Mortal Lands to live with Lucien, Jurian, and Vassa to work on her Seer abilities, find a way to break Vassa's curse, and try to discover information about Koschei. Elain and Lucien are forced to live and work together, and get to know one another along the way.

Status: In Progress

Tropes/Tags: Forced Proximity, Slow Burn, Eventual Smut, Mutual Pining, Lust, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Angst, Canon Compliant

A Little Bit of Light Reading

About: Elain is all alone at the Town House and Lucien makes a surprise appearance. They decide to "explore the mating bond," but for how long can they keep it a secret? And what happens when the Inner Circle starts meddling in their business? Note: This fic became slightly AU towards the end!

Status: Complete; 43 Chapters; 120,896 words

Tropes/Tags: Smut, Dirty Jokes, Secret Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Drama, Banter, Library Sex, Drunken Shenanigans, Family Shenanigans, Sneaking Around, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Fluff without Plot, Drama Llama, Fist Fights, Jealousy, Love Triangles

Little Dove

About: Human!Elain and Fox!Lucien. This is a slight canon divergence deleted scene. After Feyre is taken to Spring Court, Tamlin sends Lucien to go check on the Archeron Estate. Lucien finds Elain all alone and offers her some company. Elain discusses her upcoming betrothal to Graysen, and Lucien tries to convince her to change her mind.

Status: Complete; One Shot; 10,895 words

Tropes/Tags: Alternate Canon, Deleted Scenes, Fluff and Smut, Gratuitous Smut, One Shot, Fox Mask Lucien, Flirtatious Rake Lucien, Inexperienced Elain, Flirting

Healer in the Night

About: Lucien has been away on the continent on a mission. No one has heard from him in over two months. Elain is worried. On a dark and stromy night, he shows up bloody on her doorstep. Elain nurses him back to health.

Status: Complete; 5 Chapters; 12,750 words

Tropes/Tags: Healing, Injury, Injury Recovery, Angst, Fluff, Elain takes care of Lucien, Lucien is a gentleman, And a flirt, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Mating Bond, Eventual Smut, because everyone convinces me to write smut

Meet Me On The Battlefield

About: Lucien is captured by Koschei and our poor fox boy doesn't think anyone is coming to save him. He's wrong.

Status: Complete; 6 Chapters; 12,022 words

Tropes/Tags: Dungeon, Prison, Torture, Suicidal Thoughts, Angst, Mention of torture, blood and injuries, don't worry this will have a happy ending, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, Final Battle, Lucien is hopeless, Then he changes his mind, I don't want to give too much away in the tags, Lucien Vanserra-centric

Four Minutes

About: The Night Court attends a party in Dawn Court. Lucien finds out some information and turns into an absolute flirt. There's ballroom dancing, except hot. Elain can barely contain herself.

Status: Complete; 4 Chapters; 12,425 words

Tropes/Tags: Ballroom Dancing, Forced Proximity, Regency Romance, Lucien is a flirt, hot and bothered, Lust, Longing, Drinking, alcohol use, Gossip, Song Lyrics, Mutual Pining, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Teasing, Smut Obviously

Solstice Traditions

About: Lucien comes to the River House on Winter Solstice eve with another gift for Elain. He is pleasantly surprised by her reaction.

Status: Complete; 3 Chapters; 16,198 words

Tropes/Tags: Winter Solstice, holiday fluff, Gift Exchange, Cute, Fluff, Mating Bond, Smut, Honestly was not planning smut but you all asked for it, absolute filth, Elain wears lingerie

Gwynriel

Beautiful Can't Begin To Describe You

About: Azriel and Gwyn take a bath together.

Status: Complete; 1 Chapter; 5,590 words

Tropes/Tags: Smut, Fluff, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Bathroom Sex, Bubble Bath

ENJOY <333

[lacewise]

I was commenting on YouTube and the conversation about influencers being upset about FTC guidelines (not wanting to disclose they received products for free or have a pre-existing working relationship with the brand whenever they discuss the brand or use the product—which is to protect the audience and not to “punish” the influencer—if you don’t want to be bound by business ethics, the simple solution is don’t accept free products) and it reminded me of something. So I’m going to repeat it here. And it’s going to boil down to: cut corners are cumulative.

First, and fairly obviously, I do not like the flippant way influencers regard marketing and business ethics. It’s three red flags on top of each other in a trench coat, ensuring me they’re professional and can regulate themselves.

It also sucks for the influencers, because they don’t realize how much they’re shortening their careers by cutting corners and trading in information they made up. Because, again, cut corners—they’re cumulative.

Recently, and this is such an easy example, my husband and I were watching a video on something tech- and drama-related (the intersection of our two interests). He really loved the video. He kept “yes, and”-ing the information, so obviously very excited. Then the video ended. I knew going in that it was going to be short and it seemed like a newer, mid-sized creator, so I was really prepared for anything. There’s a lot of competing information about intros and outros. My husband was not. He just… forlornly kept repeating, “that’s it? Video over?” Because there wasn’t an outro or credits or anything. It just stopped. And then he started to cranky as autoplay kicked in. Since I’m not opposed to watching the channel again (no obvious red flags) and he clearly now was, I figured it was better to distract him than let him memorize the channel name and developing a petty grudge (he learned this from me). I decided to make this a lesson in marketing.

I said, “yeah, seems like they probably believed that advice about avoiding intros and outros, even though that’s ridiculous.” That’s not what viewers don’t like about how most channels do intros and outros. “And now it’s so jarring you probably wouldn’t watch them again, even though—up to that point—you really liked the video and you had nothing bad to say about it and you even agreed with all their points!” Because they listened to some bad advice, they completely lost goodwill gained in 15-20 minutes in a couple of seconds. “But, you know, the video left you wanting more, so it was a good video!”

Then his shoulders relaxed, and he thought about it, and agreed with me.

That advice is given because someone assumed overly simplistic about how either they or other people react to certain behaviours. This is hilarious to me.

And this led me on to a rant about how important focus groups and test audiences are to marketing and product development, because it helps with figuring out the real reasons for the reactions. Most people have no idea what they want. They know when something is what they don’t want, and they assume they know why (which may or may not be true). Someone watching videos is watching them to relax.

They’re probably not going to interrogate their feelings, they’re just going to interpret them. So, “I found this intro and outro annoying and a waste of time” becomes “all intros and outros are annoying and a waste of time.”

Anyway that’s not true and I know that’s not true because if it was, shows wouldn’t have ending credits, opening credits, titles, or theme songs.

People like being eased into and out of what they’re watching, but they don’t like to notice it. What audiences don’t want is the same thing every time (it’s a YouTube video, not a television show) unless it’s for a specific series (then they will treat it like a television show), and they don’t want recycled material from within the show (bloopers are fine and encouraged). But that’s nuanced and potentially difficult, since you might end up having to find a related tagline to the topic at hand for every video (a lot of people handle this by thanking the audience and including Patreon credits). You need to add more creativity and develop specific skillsets and tones and it’s just one more thing to do. So the advice gets boiled down to something easy and digestible, whether purveyors realize this or not. And then someone “beats the system” and the advice changes.

But this is a short term solution because audiences can tell when corners are cut, even if they can’t articulate why.

And if the problem is social media doesn’t compensate influencers enough to be thorough, I wonder what kind of future it could possibly have.

TL;DR: cut corners are cumulative. And audiences can tell whether behind-the-scenes stuff is done or not. I really don’t like the modern day social media landscape.

Also not wanting to flaunt existing business relationships is, just, such a red flag. Are you not proud of your career milestones???

[variousqueerthings]

Got my DW magazines (including the latest where all those brainmelting quotes are coming from) and there really is so much loveliness in them, including a letter from RTD:

"The First Great Seismic Shift in Doctor Who was in 1966 when the lead character slumped to the floor and... what? He did what?! He changed into a different actor? For good?! Can you imagine that happening unannounced now? in 1966, there seems to be comparatively little record of the reaction. Did we question less, then? Did we just... watch?

I've got clearer memories of Seismic Shift 2, 1970, the move into colour. Though that didn't mean much; we didn't buy colour TVs overnight, I was still watching in black and white until, ooh, Planet of the Daleks...?"

[...]

Things happened, and we simply kept on watching. We might complain about today's online world, but aren't we wiser now? Less passive, more engaged?

[...]

You probably know the later Seismic Shifts. The return, in 2005. Steven Moffat's astonishing, brilliant, glittering Doctors from 2010 onwards, with the Master becoming Missy. And with a slinky Seismic Shuffle, the Eighth Doctor, who'd disappeared off screen in 1996, finally got to regenerate in 2013 but only on the BBC Red Button! And then Jodie Whittaker fell through the roof of a Sheffield-bound train with an impact so great, it bumped the entire show on to Sunday night, and then she stood up in the wreckage and smiled a smile so bright, it changed the Time Lord and television drama and the whole bloody culture for good and for better.

It really is the most fascinating show because it changes, changes, changes... and yet, it stays the same. 'Doctor Who is all about to change!' say the fans, but I sit here planning the next story in which a police box lands and the Doctor steps out and foils an invasion of Earth thinking to myself, well, is it? But I know what you mean. The feel of the show changes, the essence. Jo and the Doctor and that silver car are a different world, a different style, almost a different genre to Clara facing a Raven on Trap Street.

And now, in 2023, that high-wire-tension of approaching change is in the air. The Doctor mysteriously has a face he's had before. And by the time December rolls around, he'll have yet another new face, in a show that now drops worldwide on a vast streaming platform -- new and old at the same time, as it still stays cradled in its Saturday night home of the good old BBC.

But as I said. Voices are louder this year. Shouting and rage and horror sometimes circle around Doctor Who. And often, that's not about Doctor Who itself, it's expressing anger and fear about life, about love, about self. And I get that! These discussions are us, growing up. In the old days we'd sit in our bedroom and work out the world all on our own. We could only sing along to pop songs to express our lovely,lonely hearts. Now, we type it out, and that's always going to be clumsy. Because expressing yourself isn't easy. Even birthday cards are hard work! So trying to say what you think about life and love and sex and telly in the form of words typed on a page and read by strangers, oh, nightmare! No wonder it goes wrong. But now...

I think there's only one way to meet the changes to come.

With joy.

I'm not asking for good reviews (I've got myself for that, I think these episodes are FABULOUS!) But if you don't like the something, don't exhaust yourself. Just smile and be glad that some people are happy and wait for the next Seismic Shift to come.

Because this programme has trained us well! We have embraced flying cars and the Red Button and the Watcher and the Garm and hey, maybe 'granddaughter' is Gallifreyan for 'friend' (though I don't think so) which means we can delight in anything. And right now, the TARDIS is heading for Skaro, and a wounded spaceship is heading for London, and Shaun is taking an extra shift in his taxi cos he's short of money, and Sylvia is delivering a curry and Donna Noble's daughter needs to go shopping for eyes -- for eyes?! -- and as all these things converge, hold on tight, clutch those tins of beans, cos the next earthquake is rumbling away on the horizon.

Here we go again!

[boysplanetrecaps]

Build Up, Episode 7 Part 2 I guess: Team Lastplace versus Team Ballad

Ok, my loves! Welcome back for another recap of MNET’s Build Up! We’re jetting through the series at this point -- only three episodes after this! Is Nakka still stuck in your head? Because I woke up singing it. Anyway, in the previous post we transitioned from episode 6 to episode 7 and saw a ninth place team go up against a first place team. In this one, we’ll wrap up our third mission with our final 3x3 Death Match: Team Lastplace against Team Ballad. Let’s do this!

So, Dahee calls the guys up on stage and people are excited to see a big ballad show down.

The first team introduces themselves as “My Mr. Gwangseok”, which is a reference to the fact that the song they’re singing comes from the soundtrack to a drama called My Mister. 

You can tell that Gwangseok sort of wants to die. 

In the previous round, Lim Junhyeok and Yeo One performed My Sea and came in last place; new recruit Lee Gwangseok performed A Letter with Kim Seongjeong, and lost. Seongjeong was eliminated, unfortunately. 

LTR: Junhyeok, Gwangseok, Yeo One

The second team introduces themselves as Soul-Pow in reference to the fact that Inhwan was in the Power category and the other two were in Soul. 

LTR: Jaekyung, Inhwan, Donghun

In the previous round, Yoon Inhwan and Ma Jaekyung performed Take Me Back In Time and came in 3rd place; new recruit Donghun performed End of a Day with Sunyoul, and lost. 

The judges ask about song selection, triggering a flashback to the day that the surviving duos were able to recruit a third member from the ten sole survivors. 

We see that Donghun, sitting in the DMV, is hoping for Jeup’s team to choose him so he can avoid singing another mournful ballad -- while meanwhile the balladeers are talking about how much they really want him on their team. UH OH.

Donghun is like, well, I’m flattered, but also, I’m miserable.

They meet in an apparently unheated room with a… chalk board? Is that a chalk board? That can’t be a chalkboard. It has to be some sort of marker board or smart screen or something.

The other two keep suggesting old-fashioned ballad after old-fashioned ballad and Donghun is like, hey, here’s an idea: what if we sang something happy? The other two want to do what they’re good at. They discuss for quite a while (or at least, it’s edited to look like quite a while, but their cups don’t change position much so I don’t think THAT much time passes) and eventually Donghun gives in and says, ok, a ballad… And Jaekyung suggests doing an idol-ballad, which is at least kind of a compromise.  

Donghun suggests The Truth Untold by BTS. It is apparently inspired by an Italian folk tale, but it could also just be read as the anxiety that comes from showing your real self to a new love and fearing that they’ll reject you. 

Sample lyrics:

You know that I can’t show you me, Give you me I can’t show you my weakness So I’m putting on a mask to go see you But I still want you

A flower that resembles you Blossomed in this garden of loneliness I wanted to give it to you as I take off this stupid mask

But I know this can’t go on forever I must hide Because I’m ugly

It’s emotional, but not miserably sad. It’s a song of pining for someone, not mourning the death of a relationship.

The other two actually really love the suggestion and they begin practicing immediately. Either that or it’s a different day and Inhyuk is wearing the same s w e a t e r. 

This will come as a shock, but they really want to win! What? I know!!! It's wild.

The performance begins. 

Full version without reactions.

My thoughts:  

Overall, very nice. I admit, I’m not a BTS stan -- I like them a lot and enjoy a lot of their songs, but I’m not obsessed and I didn’t know this song well. Still, I’d heard it a few times and like it well enough. I think that, if anything, this version was more enjoyable than the original.

It’s weird to hear this song sung by someone like Inhyuk. But it mostly works, even if I think that his facial expressions are a bit much. 

He should add this to his busking repertoire -- I bet he’d get more tips! I think this is the most I’ve enjoyed an Inhyuk performance on the show. He toned down some of his more ballad-y mannerisms and for me it worked much better. 

Jaekyung, if anything, sings with *more* ballad-y mannerisms, and I still find his vocal tone a little nasal, but boy can he harmonize. 

I think Donghun has my favorite voice among the three. It’s smoothest and prettiest among the three with the least nasality. 

But all three have great power and breath control, and their voices work really well together. 

In the MNET edit, there’s nothing but love. Lots of shots of the judges sort of shaking their head in surprised approval. 

Solar has goosebumps! Either that or she is genuinely cold in the studio! Might be both! No way to know! 

When they’re done, several judges do the Korean throat-clearing-of-approval thing.  

Backstage, the maknae look genuinely touched.

It seems that most people are especially impressed with Donghun. 

The judges say…

Jaehwan immediately praises Donghun, saying, “Singing each note so preciously maximized the story arc of the song.” Baekho, Jaehwan and VCG agree that Donghun is just sort of charming and likable on stage when he sings. 

Jaehwan has some criticism for Inhwan, who took some jazzy liberties with the rhythm in the second verse. Jaehwan wanted him to keep to the original rhythm. 

Wendy wished there’d been harmony in the beginning too since she liked the harmony so much in the end when it showed up. 

VCG says that when they took turns singing, the ones who weren’t singing looked distracted or disengaged, and it negatively impacted the performance.

That’s a good point, and backstage, Lee Minwook is like, that’s good advice for all of us. 

And with that, judging for the first team is over and the second team -- the last team to perform and also the last placed team -- comes up to perform. 

Immediately, the judges talk to Gwangseok about his unique but untrained voice, triggering a flashback to his experience on the show so far. He placed first in Voice check in, then he was a low-tier member for failing to control his voice, and then was saved despite being the reason his team lost. Then he was left for last when surviving duos recruited their third member. 

He was so glad to see Junhyeok and Yeo One when they went all the way to the DMV to get him and tell him that he was actually their first choice. 

I love how he’s so tall that the camera man can’t even get the top of his head in frame.

They’re not lying -- they did sincerely did want him. Junhyeok mixes some metaphors to explain, “If we can tame the wild horse, he’ll be a good weapon.” 

They meet up in a conference room to drink iced drinks -- drink warm drinks to take care of your throats, you dumb dumbs! -- and strategize.

Junyheok is back in a sweatshirt, which is such a power move. He’s like, yes, this was on the floor when I woke up. This is me. Yes. 

They ask Gwangseok what he wants to sing, and he basically says that he’s so worried about harmonizing with a team that he doesn’t even know what song to sing.

s w e a t e r 

Junhyeok is sympathetic and encouraging. He tells him, “If you present refined wildness, I think it’s a success. I’ll be able to help you.” 

They decide to go with a song called An Ordinary Day by Jung Seunghwan from the My Mister soundtrack.

The song itself is a basic k-ballad about trying to muddle on in the wake of a breakup. Sample lyrics: 

Drip drip, I’m trying to stop my falling tears As I pretend nothing is wrong I say hello to you And I start my day like that again I’m alright, Telling myself it’ll pass As I cover up the past As it builds up, I get used to it Days I can’t turn back easily I forgot about the beginning And I kept getting farther away That’s why I couldn’t tell you So another ordinary day passes

True to his promise, Junhyeok teaches Gwangseok how to sing, with really specific feedback. 

Aww, how cute is this --? Junhyeok playing the piano like a chorus teacher while they practice together. 

And it seems to really work. At the guys’ final check in, the staff say that Gwangseok has changed how he sings. As a teacher myself, I love seeing a student who is hungry to learn finally get the instruction he’s been wanting to get. 

Back to performance night. Everyone is excited to see them perform.

The performance begins.

Full version without reactions.

My thoughts:

I don’t think this was ever going to be a performance I really enjoy, since as you know full well by now, I don’t love most k-ballads. But I still appreciate their voices.

Gwangseok sounds a lot softer, but manages to keep pitch on those deeper, softer notes, which is a credit to Junhyeok’s teaching. I think this is my favorite performance of his so far. 

Yeo One does that thing that drives me nuts where his eyes are completely closed for about 95% of the performance -- WHAT IS THAT? -- and he still needs to work on his breath control, but he seems a little better at holding a note for the right length of time.

Junhyeok’s voice still has that slightly shrieky tone to it sometimes, but here it didn’t bother me. I actually think this combination of voices works really well, because Junhyeok’s voice is like the spritz of lemon juice you put on some fried calamari, you know? It brightens things up. 

Their harmonies work well, too. You can hear all of them, which is a credit again to Junhyeok. 

In the MNET edit, of course, everyone goes nuts for Gwangseok per usual. We even have to have an instant replay of his first few notes. 

The conspiracy theorist in me thinks that sometimes, just sometimes, the judges exaggerate their facial expressions in order to maximize their screen time. Maybe. If anyone does this, it’s Solar, because she is always displaying the most over-the-top reactions to things. 

But just in general everyone loves it, and when they’re done there’s applause and throat-clearing-of-approval. Backstage, the rival team is worried, and the guys in the green room think that Donghun’s team is at risk.

The judges say….

Eunkwang says that for him, it was the best performance of the night. He praises Junhyeok’s efforts in helping the other two sing better and arranging the song. Yeo One isn’t dragging his notes as much, Eunkwang says, which is something I noticed as well. 

There’s also a lot of praise for Gwangseok’s voice general and for his improved singing technique. He started and ended the song with a sweet tone. 

Solar says that Gwangseok “built up” the most among all the contestants. She’s impressed with his improved restraint. 

Then VCG says, “That’s all for the compliments. Let’s talk about the problems. The song suits Gwangseok the most, so when the other people sing, even though they’re very good, it sounds awkward. When Gwanseok led the song and the other two added harmony, nothing could’ve been better. It’s a team of three people that can’t easily make harmony. You have good individual parts but don’t blend well as a team.” Ouch. That’s exactly what they didn’t want to hear. 

Backstage, the guys are starting to think that this team will win. How on earth could Donghun get eliminated, though? So, who will the judges vote for?

The votes are revealed. 

Blue is Donghun’s team, and red is Gwangseok’s team. And… Gwangseok’s team takes it, 4-3. 

It’s the revolution of the underdogs. 

Gwanseok thanks his teammates for helping him so much.

Donghun says he’s disappointed, of course, but he seems pretty much ok. He thanks the judges for their kind words over the course of the show, and thanks his team. He really does seem to be in a better place emotionally than he was at the beginning of the show.

Both teams walk off stage arm in arm, and backstage, the guys are hugging each other and congratulating each other for their hard work.  

Then Dahee says something that judges seem not to know: that they’ll be rescuing five of the eliminated people!

The judges say they were hoping for something like this. I assumed they’d be saving one, but nope, they’re saving five! This is great!

Ok, we’ll pick up with that in the next post. Thanks for being a friend! See you soon. 

XOXO

BPR Unnie

[denimbex1986]

'The BBC has defended its reporter who gave an “uncomfortable” interview with Andrew Scott at the Baftas last weekend.

The red carpet interview in question quickly went viral as viewers criticised the BBC’s Colin Paterson for repeatedly asking Scott about Barry Keoghan’s nude scene in Emerald Fennell’s film, Saltburn.

Scott, 47, who was snubbed for his lauded turn in Andrew Haigh’s drama All of Us Strangers, presented the Bafta for Best Animated Film during Sunday’s ceremony (18 February) at London’s Royal Festival Hall.

After establishing whether he knew fellow Irish actor Keoghan, Scott was asked about his reaction when he first saw the “naked dance scene” in Saltburn.

One of Saltburn’s most discussed moments is when Keoghan’s character, Oliver, struts through an empty house, naked, soundtracked by Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s classic pop hit “Murder on the Dancefloor”.

In response, Scott shook his head and after stuttering for a few seconds, added: “I won’t spoil it for anybody.”

Despite the Sherlock star appearing embarrassed at the topic, Paterson continued: “There was a lot of talk about prosthetics. How well do you know him?”

At this, Scott shook his head again and left the conversation, as Paterson asked: “Too much?”

Some critics online suggested that the line of questioning inferred that the actor might know more intimate details about Keoghan because of his sexuality – Scott came out publicly as gay in an interview with The Independent in 2013.

In a statement shared on its website on Friday (23 February), the BBC said: “Our reporter began by asking Andrew Scott about the film he’d appeared in – All of Us Strangers – which was nominated for six Baftas.

“He then moved on to ask about the popularity of Irish actors where Barry Keoghan, star of Saltburn, was mentioned. Saltburn is a film which has had cultural impact, with Barry Keoghan’s scene at the end gaining a lot of attention in particular – something the actor has addressed himself.

“Our question to Andrew Scott was meant to be a light-hearted reflection of the discussion around the scene and was not intended to cause offence. Saltburn writer and director, Emerald Fennell, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor, whose song ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ was used in the sequence, were also asked about the scene. We do, however, accept that the specific question asked to Andrew Scott was misjudged. After speaking with Andrew on the carpet, our reporter acknowledged on air that his questioning may have gone too far and that he was sorry if this was the case.”

Scott’s representatives did not respond to The Independent’s request for comment.'

[chrenvs3000w24]

Who am I to Interpret Nature?

It is a profound question for any topic, what makes me the ideal fit for anything. What makes a person suitable for interpreting nature? I believe the question answers itself, any person can interpret nature. It is a key part of life itself, we have all at some point in our life felt at awe with our world. There are many different experiences that could elicit such a reaction. However, reaching that same feeling through art is much more difficult. I believe that with enough care, a talented artist can accurately depict these feelings, and bring nature to life in artistic means.

Beck et al., (2018) mentions many ways that an interpreter can use art to convey nature, such as in the lyrics of songs, the movements of dance, or the story of a theatre drama. I believe that in each of these categories it is important to maintain the essentials of interpretation discussed in previous blog posts, by understanding your audience and conveying the bigger picture. This helps to mitigate effects proposed by Beck et al., (2018) where audiences can be excluded if they lack the proper background to appreciate what they are viewing. These methods make great tools for teaching important environmental topics as well, such as the US army promoting safe water drinking through posters and artistic events (Beck et al., 2018). This example shows an interpretation being used as a tool, and stresses the importance of the job interpreters have.

But returning to who I am to interpret art through nature, it is clear that everyone has differing definition and interpretations of what good art is. That is why it is so hard for me to put on a scale, art is subjective. However, if there was one way to quantify it, I believe that good art would always have some sense of the "gift of beauty". The gift of beauty to me is the ability an interpretation has to create the same feeling beauty in the real world creates in you. However, I feel that while this definition fits the original intention of Beck and Cable (2011), it is missing an important distinction. Natural interpretation through art has been used to convey many other messages without beauty just as successfully. Images depicting political messages and ancient battles may not elicit a beautiful response from viewers, but they tell an important story at the same time. In Cable and Beck's exact words, the gift of beauty "provide spiritual uplift and encourages resource preservation." I argue that political messages can encourage resource preservation, and ancient battles tell a story as to which we can be taught not to repeat the mistakes of the past.

To conclude my thoughts on artistic nature interpretation, I must remind that everyones interpretations are different. As discussed previously our invisible backpack is full of different things for everyone, and this contributes to the art we make as well. So while my thoughts on the gift of beauty are correct to me, they do not accurately represent everyone else's. It's an important reminder of the differences in privilege and experience we each have.

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: For A Better World. Sagamore Publishing.

[heymeowmao]

2021.10.29 - https://weibo.com/l/wblive/p/show/1022:2321324697717908570439

I’m here, I’m here~!

- starts off singing his new OST “一生有多远” from the movie The Curious Tale of Mr. Guo

LYN: Some people came into the stream and are rude right from the start, telling me, “Take off your cap!” Please excuse me, everyone, I’m having a little... baldness. That is, only the sides have hair and the top is just bald. Ok? Leave me some face.

- he bought a whole outfit for a cosplay, but in the end only the tie fit him. he couldn’t return the items because it had already passed return date. (kaito kid/magic kaito) LYN: Let’s just say we’ve created our own character.

Comment: The background picture (in the comments) has changed. LYN: Oh, really? I can only say “Thank you” to weibo. They’re the real og fans. Thank you Weibo for changing my pic to a better looking one. Which is it? For the album? Thank you. And again, I want to remind you that normally when people stream, they don’t get that picture in the comments section. [Usually the streams with a bg pic are for weibo special events.]

--- Heroes

- started voice-overs for Heroes, already at the 20-something episode so there are still several more to go; but he’s the last one of the actors to do the voice-overs, so it’ll prob air soon- maybe March 2022. says the broadcast will be delayed because of him, because there’s still a lot of touching up to do, post-production. /starts discussing how things are filmed in 8k quality now, and normal households only have up to 4k, at best/

Comment: My home can view things in 5k. LYN: That’s amazing. Do you own a movie theater? /glances at the comments and flinches/ LYN: I’m talking to you about a serious professional topic, and you’re in the comments messing around. Be careful I don’t kick you out. Someone said they have 98k.

LYN: Oops. Why have I started talking back at people again? I shouldn’t. Because a lot of these friends are new, and if they see that I’m so aggressive to my fans they may feel uncomfortable. I used to be a lot worse. (sharper tongue) But my customer pool has grown. It used to be just people who were hardcore fans, so when I joked around with them they wouldn’t get angry with me. they knew my personality and knew I meant no ill-will. I was only trying to bring up the atmosphere. But now I have a wider audience and the problem with that is that each person has their own preference. /makes a metaphor about cooking/ So I’ve moved to a more middle ground, but if you see me talk back at people, please don’t find it strange.

LYN: But getting back on topic, I hope eventually we will have the capability to view things in 8k and then you can watch the drama all over again. See if you can spot any mites.

- worries about looking ugly as Bai Choufei bc at least in UN he had glasses to cover most of his face, and in CGX he had a little hat most of the time. In this role he has to work hard on his looks so that the hairstyle doesn’t overpower him. - begs his fans to, when the drama airs, take a picture of him with all the beauty settings on the camera set to high and THEN view the drama/send him pictures that way. XD

Comment: That’s uncalled for. LYN: ... Some of the camera angles REALLY need it though. Because Heroes was filmed in a more- not a “gu-ou” (guzhuang-ouxiang), it’s not an idol drama because- I’m in it. I don’t dare to be labeled an “idol.” But the filming style, set, clothing- they aren’t there for the ~aesthetic~, it’s a straight wuxia drama. Not purely AUTHENTIC but the most authentic of what I’ve filmed so far. The makeup, too, is very realistic. You won’t see thick powder, so things look more real and textured. Men are more like men. Women are... more like women? I don’t know what I was trying to say, but you get the drift.

LYN: What I consider to be a wuxia drama needs to have these things- in my opinion: sects, weapons, martial arts. [t/n: like those mysterious secret arts that each family has, those types of martial arts. the ones that have NAMES, you know?]

 - starts explaining with the hopes that people understand the difference between original novels and drama adaptations, and how certain changes have to be made in the transition between the two medias LYN: Bai Choufei doesn’t really have a weapon, his weapons are his hands. You know how he has small flying knives at his waist- someone said they’re clothes clips, they’re not. His fingers are skilled, and he can use them to take someone’s life. The weapons/fight coordinator explained to me, this character’s greatest weapon is his thumb. Before a big fight he will do this /thumbs up/. Isn’t this amazing, my friends? [t/n: this means I’m gonna get some hand action in Heroes? :D] Comment: Are you serious? LYN: I’m 80% serious, because I actually haven’t seen the original novel; but if it made it into the drama adaptation, you tell me. LYN: At first he fights with the thumb, but later, if he meets a highly skilled fighter, he’ll use his middle fingers. I can’t show you because that will create enough material to blacklist me for life. You can imagine. But he uses the middle finger- because it’s longer, you know? Imagine- he’s fighting with his thumbs, meets a more skilled fighter and switches a finger to fight with.  Comment: You’re making this up. LYN: Go look at the source material. I really don’t know, but that’s what I’ve heard. If you think what I’m saying is fake, go find a fan of the novel and discuss with them what’s up. I think it’s real, because that’s with the teacher in the crew told me. LYN: It might be interesting when reading, but in the drama I can’t just show my thumbs all the time, so they gave me weapons to work with. So I’m more of an assassin. Anyway, don’t be upset if things don’t turn out exactly as in the novel- it just can’t be helped.

LYN: Another thing I heard is that there’s a character called “Guan Qi” and he’s such a skilled fighter that all of us combined can’t defeat him. So what happened to this character, if no one can defeat him? He was abducted by aliens. Seriously. [t/n: Joking...???] LYN: This is what I’VE HEARD. I don’t know the actual details. I’m just saying this for entertainment. If you’re interested you can look at the source. In any case, please be understanding if the drama doesn’t exactly go as the novel says. The crew works really hard to adapt the novel and film a drama out of it.

[... gets off track a little but comes back around]

LYN: Some things can’t be adapted, and it’s all for a reason. Take my character for example. In the novel, he doesn’t like to wear clothes. No clothes, just going around *shirtless* not in the nude, ok? Imagine you’re watching the drama and the first shot you see of him he’s clothed and you just shake your head and sigh, disappointed. “Not sticking to the original source.” LYN: I want to respect the source material, but Bai Choufei doesn’t really respect me. People might see me and say, “LYN, have a little more respect.”

--- Zi Chuan

LYN: Di Lin? He doesn’t really have a lot of scenes, I don’t know what to say. It’s a great character. Honestly I- I don’t dare speak... I have my own understanding of the role. From a role  standpoint, I don’t think Di Lin is as good as Bai Choufei. Di Lin is a.. uh... that is...  I don’t know. From my standpoint, picking a role, I like the character. But which does LYN as an actor like more? I like them both but would say I like Bai Choufei more. I had more fun acting in that role. LYN: Di Lin is indifferent to everyone. He has a very outstanding line and it goes, “I can kill every person in this world.” He doesn’t have any reservations, and doesn’t care about anything. The only things he cares about are his two bros and his wife. He’s not afraid of anyone. LYN: If the reception for Zi Chuan goes well, we might get to film a second season. :)

Comment: Who plays the wife? LYN: It’s the same woman who played Aunt Wenjin, Chen Wenjin in UN (Tao Luoyi). In this drama she plays Di Lin’s wife. Comment: You call her “Aunt”? LYN: It’s because in UN she played Aunt Wenjun, you know. We’re not saying that because of her age! Don’t cause my trouble. All of us “younger” people called her “Aunt” since she counts as an immortal, after all. Comment: Does Shades count as a younger generation? LYN: No, her role was called Aunt Wenjin, so the crew just called her that. I guess Chen Wenjin and I (Shades) count as the same generation.

--- An Le Zhuan

LYN: Luo Mingxi? Are you going to start grilling me on the details of LMX now? What do you want me to say??? Comment: Is he a good person? LYN: A person... cannot completely be “good.” You, too. No one can be absolutely “good”; everyone has their own intentions. Of course, there are no completely “bad” people either.

Comment: When they’re first born, children are good people. LYN: ?? This is getting a little too deep. I just want to say one thing- when children are born. Think of yourself when you were little- if you liked something and wanted it but your family wouldn’t get it for you, what is your first reaction? Do you understand your family? No. You cry, fuss, because you still want it. But if your parents hit you, then you understand. Are children good or bad? There is no absolute.

---

- starts discussing the concept where if you see someone bettering themselves, it will make you want to better yourself, too. calls it “内卷” and gets corrected in the comments. LYN: See? All of you are my teachers! You learn things in my stream! Comments: /asking for money for teaching him/ LYN: How could you come and ask me for money? This society is broken because of people like you. We’re communicating here. This is a mutual exchange of information, right? I learned what “内卷” means, but I also taught you what “san ti’ is.

- starts getting “emotional” when people asked him about ZSX actually giving him 200RMB. Says he’ll give the money back to ZSX when his birthday rolls around. XD LYN: It was only natural that he sent me money that day, because he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. You all were watching and holding him accountable for sending me 200RMB. Ever since then our wechat has been devoid of any conversation. Think about how awkward this is. Comment: But you still accepted it. LYN: :x People, we are all working individuals. Say you’re working overtime, and your boss gives you an extra 200RMB for your work. Do you accept it or not? We just changed the setting a little. It’s not like you can refuse it. Comment: But you were still conflicted over it. LYN: I’m conflicted, but also you still have to accept the money. It’s like you’re going on a diet but at the end of the day you still ate three bowls of rice for dinner. Are you conflicted or not? You are, but you still ate the three bowls of rice.

- has started wanting to take voice acting jobs, to add to his repertoire (singing, acting, etc.); he can take the opportunity to practice his voice-acting and learn something, but also earn a little money XD - checks out some famous voice actors, and tries his hand at it - asks for ideas for a sect name and wuxia character name; sect name: Night Owl Sect - the character names got a little messy and hilarious; he likens it to people asking online forums what they should name their newborn baby- you should never do it bc you’re asking for trouble. lol

- bathroom break LYN: It’s alright. It turns out they’re actors and they were just practicing their lines. Comment: Which actor? LYN: What’s it to you?

LYN: Hey, what if I start adding bg music every time, after I say something? Comment: Did you wash your hands? LYN: Did you think I wouldn’t?? /cue bgm/ It’s addicting. Comment: The bgm’s too cheap. LYN: It’s on purpose. /cue bgm/ It’s on purpose. I know which songs are fitting. I believe I’m a bit more knowledgeable than you, at least on the musical perspective.

- advertises his new OST “一生有多远” from the movie The Curious Tale of Mr. Guo LYN: I sang this song about a year ago, and the movie is about to air. I’ve heard it’s a very touching/emotional movie, you can go watch it if you have the chance. I didn’t really use many techniques or pour my emotions into the song, I just used a very simple and pure method to sing with. The movie itself is very emotional- so there was no need for me to be as well. I was already afraid you’d be crying uncontrollably. So I used a very simple method, so that you can immerse yourself into the story.

LYN: Am I trending/on the hot search? Comment: I came because of it LYN: Oh, welcome. Let me find a happier song. - /lands on a song he voices over with a message like a train announcement/ LYN: Welcome to the Modern Brothers Station. Please take your baggage XD - /keeps going through the songs, makes up lyrics/ LYN: ♪ I don’t want to rent, I want to go home. Go home, see my mom. I don’t want to rent, I want to go home. Go home to spend time with my father and mother. I don’t want to rent, I want to check out. I’m leaving, here’s the room card. ♪ - /keeps going through songs, trying to find a “five star hotel” music - lands on a “beachy” one/ LYN: ???? Comment: What’s with the crow? LYN: That’s not a crow, it’s a seagull! - /finds a sax-y one, enjoys it - like a fine dining restaurant with a bar/

- gets back to his cosplay LYN: I have the hat, too. It doesn’t really fit, but I can put it on top. Comment: Don’t wear two hats, you won’t grow tall. LYN: Your parents told you not to wear two hats because you wouldn’t grow tall? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?? Now it’s too late. LYN: Let me go find the suit jacket. // The jacket’s too short and the hat doesn’t fit. I couldn’t even get into the pants. - puts on the gloves and spectacle for the “full” look Comment: Driver. LYN: Your family’s driver wears such a big hat?

LYN: I can’t return it, because the time period has passed. It’s fine, I’ll make the most out of it for a stream. It’s just for entertainment. So you can watch me like some monkey. At the zoo you have to pay an entrance fee to see monkeys, but in my stream you can watch one for free. You even praise me “hou hou ting.” [t/n: “hao hao ting” = sounds very good, he just changes the “hao” to a monkey’s “hou”]

- Jing Tian’s in the stream; LYN tries asking her if she has any upcoming dramas or if her friends do, so he can advertise it in his stream. Each time is a 200RMB commission. Like what he did to ZSX. XDD Comments say that he scared her off. :p

---- Reaction Videos :: Our Song S3E6

- Lv Fang & Zhai Xiaowen - Listen Carefully (Ni Gei Wo Ting Hao) LYN: Why is it lagging, don’t lag! Let’s change a song first.

- Bibi Zhou & Shan Yichun - Hello (Wei) LYN: You know why they do this before the song, this “feel”? A lot of singers do this as a means to get into the right mood and to also find the correct tone. LYN: You’ll find that a singer’s next moves will reveal something about them. For example, every singer has a habit of holding the mic- I use my right hand, Penny also uses her right. Who else? I don’t know. Of course, some singers use their left. There’s no way to tell for sure. This isn’t important. But as they are singing, if they hold the mic with two hands, it reveals the singer’s inner thought. That is- that the next line they sing is very important, and they need to focus so they put both hands on the mic. // Of course, only believe 20% of whatever I say in my streams. 80% is nonsense. But you can choose what to believe or not. LYN: Oh! You’ll see a lot of singers like to move their hands when they sing. I also do this. There are two reasons/uses for this: 1. It helps to follow the flow of the song, 2. It helps you relax. LYN: You’ll find that from the moment Bibi starts singing, she’s actually looking at the lyrics prompter. I don’t blame her, since this isn’t her song. I can’t even remember the lyrics to MY OWN songs. But she’s very relaxed! LYN: Yichun moves her fingers like this to help her find the beat, since she’s singing a few lyrics one after another. It’s not a bad thing. I’m just saying that I’ve seen she uses this method. LYN: I just want to say- this song is quite difficult to sing. But- the thing is- these two people are the exactly right people to sing this type of song. To me, this song is hard. But to them, this song is only too easy. You understand?

Comment: Baobei, what are you good at? (music genre) LYN: Don’t call me baobei. I’m about to write my own original song called “Don’t Call Me “Baby”.”

- Rates the song 110/100 points

- Lv Fang & Zhai Xiaowen - Listen Carefully (Ni Gei Wo Ting Hao) LYN: See? It’s not lagging anymore. LYN: When I heard the first notes of the song I found it very familiar! The piano melody. I think it was from some game’s introduction/transition music. LYN: This song is hard. I think it’s hard. LYN: Someone told me to stop commenting. Are you afraid I’ll get yelled at? Even though I’m praising them??? I think this part right here is difficult to sing, it’s difficult for me, but I think Xiaowen handled it very well. I do think he could have done the transition into the chorus a little better though. If Lv Fang-laoshi sang the previous line, Xiaowen would have had more time to prepare to get into the chorus part. It was just a little rushed. LYN: I think it was a nice cover, and it’s a song that you can listen to on repeat. It’s a very comfortable listen.

- Da Zhangwei & Wang Sulong - That Year (Na Yi Nian) LYN: Look at him- white piano, white clothing- just like a White Prince (白马王子) LYN: When I sing, I don’t usually have the mic so close to my face. I very rarely do it, because I don’t dare to. But it gives you a very close feeling- like he’s singing/speaking only to you.

Comment: I'm gonna switch to being Wang Sulong’s fan. LYN: Don’t be like this again! We already discussed this topic, change it up! Say you’re gonna switch to Da Zhangwei!

/gets to the interim/ LYN: Let me tell you, this part is missing an instrument. /gets the kazoo/ Let me try it. - rates the song 99/100 points, but if LYN’s kazoo was added it would be 199/100 points

- Da Zhangwei & Wang Sulong - When I Lightly Cover Your Eyes (Dang Wo Qiao Qiao Meng Zhu Ni De Yan Jing) LYN: I think this one is missing a kazoo too. Let me see if there will be a part I can jump in. Let me tell you friends, sooner or later I’ll get to debut the kazoo on an Our Song stage. I’ll make it happen. I just have to find the right opportunity.

- Penny Tai & Liu Yuning - I Came to Beat You Up (Wo Shi Lai Zou Ni De) LYN: Idk why, but I really don’t like seeing this LYN. I’ll try to be nicer to him this time. How disrespectful “I Came to Beat You Up,” how can you sing a song named as such? LYN: Oh hey, it seems like I can add KaKa (kazoo) into the intro of this song. LYN: It’s nice. I used to really dislike this LYN, but after watching this performance, you can say... I’m an anti turned passerby. 

LYN: I had this outfit made for a different stage performance. I was supposed to sing a wuxia-type song- as for which song you can go guess yourself. I thought I would wear it and look cool, but because of the pandemic situation, the stage got cancelled. I took Our Song as a chance to find a use for the outfit. Most people find outfits for a song. I flipped it to find a song for my outfit.

---- Q&As

Comment: Don’t bring the kazoo to the Our Song stage. LYN: I’m gonna. The sound of this kazoo... can replace that of the suona. Let me find a song to demonstrate. LYN: It’s just a matter of time before I debut the kazoo on a stage. Just like how I’m looking for a chance to debut Dai Mi. You know how there are characters that always pet cats? I’ll be one of those with my dog.

Comment: Why won't you show us Dai Mi? LYN: I really like small dogs, but most of the time I don’t really hold or pet her. It’s probably just how I was raised, but I don’t think a grown man should spend most of his day playing with his pet dog/cat. But I do really love her. Another thing is, she counts as my family. I’m the “tool” and you can see me as you please, but I want her to have more privacy.  Comment: Are you afraid she’ll be more popular than you? LYN: You’re saying I bring out my dog, and she becomes more famous than me? I’ll just.. expire? The fact that you have this thought means that you’re not normal. Have I reached the point where I have to compete with my dog now?

Comment: Are you confirmed for an 11/11 event? LYN: An invitation did come, but I can’t go- none of the ALZ cast can go because that’s the day of our wrap. Comment: What happens after ALZ wrap? LYN: Our Song hasn’t finished yet. I’ll be doing that, and POSSIBLY one other variety show. I have a few OSTs to record, including a couple for Heroes. I'll also be working on album stuff.

- RE: Concert; he’s really happy that people are interested in wanting to go to his concert. As a singer, that’s a big goal for him. But, he’ll let us know when it’s gonna happen.

Comment: When does your next drama start? LYN: I’ll have to ask the crew. I think- from what I’ve heard- in December, but I’m not clear on the details.

Comment: When are you cutting your hair? LYN: I’ll cut it when I get back to Beijing. It has been getting a little long, I do need to take care of it.

Comment: When’s the Disney stream? LYN: Not sure. We’ll be filming for the drama wrap soon, so time is tight. All of MY important scenes are already done; since I don’t have many scenes to begin with. But my character still needs to be around.

Comment: Does spitting blood count as an important scene? LYN: Yes? What, do you only think losing an arm counts? Of course spitting blood counts as well. /pretends he’s dying/ “L...li..live... on... for.... m...me....”  Comment: Wow, his breath is so long. LYN: Have you died before? I’ve played a dying person three times already, and there’s a process, alright? If there’s just a gunshot to the head or a decapitation then I have nothing else to say, but normally we can drag on a death for at least 15 minutes. / starts explaining the scenario / 

Comment: How many takes does it take to complete a scene? LYN: You’ve asked a professional question. The problem is... I don’t have enough courage to say. It might implicate other actors and I’ll get yelled at. JK. I’m just like you- I started off in the customer service industry, and I’m taking you along with me as I become an actor. For me- personally- I don’t need more than three takes. I can’t do a one-take. I CAN but that doesn’t necessarily mean I acted well in it. The thing is, and even the directors know, no matter how hard you try sometimes there’s no more improvement an actor can show. (They’ve reached the limit of their abilities and even an infinite amount of takes won’t change a thing.) It’s enough to pass and that’s the end of the take.  LYN: Some very talented actors CAN do a one-take perfectly. But directors know when they can push it and when they can’t. Each take will always be different, and it’s all up to the director.

/it’s all a matter of opinion/

Comment: What does it sound like in the in-ear? LYN: It sounds like this /clicking/. This is a “click.” Singers can choose to have it or not. Saying simply, it’s a metronome and it helps you with the beat. You can choose which part of the arrangement you’d like to hear. (drums, bass, guitar, piano, etc.) Comment: Which do you choose? LYN: I want them all. I’m not like professional singers who have specifics. My own request is that the arrangement is louder than my own voice. I hate hearing myself sing. XD Basically, I’ll use anything you give me. Just think about when I used to sing in the alley! That mic was a few hundred and the mics I use now are- much more expensive. >.> - /explaining the difference between headphones and in-ears/

Comment: Does wearing the in-ear for very long hurt? LYN: Not really, because they’re custom made to fit your ear. /explaining how it’s made/

- someone asks if in-ears are expensive; LYN does not like pricing things, because that opens the conversation to what he considers “expensive” and from there people can infer how much money he has. LYN would rather quantify something by its worth/value (in use). LYN: You consider things expensive if you can’t come to terms with the value (in your mind) of an object vs the cost (material) of an object. If you can’t come to terms with it, it’s expensive. If you can, it’s not expensive.

Comment: Can you hear the director (through the in-ear)? LYN: That depends on if they want you to hear them or not. There’s a sound technician, and they’ll send you whatever you want to hear.

Comment: Will the in-ear leak electricity? LYN: ??? Only if there’s water in your head? They plug in to the mic pack, so there’s little to no electricity flowing through them. You probably wont get electrocuted. I don’t know. I’ve never experienced it.

Comment: Is it the “bee”? LYN: The “bee” is something different. [t/n: the wind muff on a lapel mic] One is a mic (receiver), the other is a speaker. They’re two different things.

Comment: Why do some people take out the in-ear as they sing? LYN: To look cool. JK. There’s are reasons. For example, on stage there are a lot of signals, and sometimes they get crossed or the signal gets lost. If the in-ear loses signal, you can’t hear anything, no matter how loud the stage/audience is. You can only hear the white noise. Why do they only take out one side? So they can use their natural hearing to listen to what’s being played on stage. They only take out one side because they’re waiting for the sound technicians to save them and get the signal back online. Usually it doesn’t happen.

- Happy New Year! (it’s past 12a) LYN: I didn’t really want to spend the new year, but I got caught up in all the professional questions and I couldn’t stop myself. LYN: I’ll stay for a little bit longer because I think I actually did make it into the hot search. It would be rude of me to leave and end the stream right when people are coming in. It’s like if a guest just came to your house but you say “Oh, I’m sorry. I’ve got to step out.”

LYN: We were talking about the in-ears earlier. If the signal is lost, most people wait for a miracle. If the miracle doesn’t come, you can only give up and take out the other side too. Because only one side is not enough to listen to the music. Then later you can take it up with the sound technicians. [..] I’m not saying you get off stage and yell at them! Don’t misunderstand me. LYN: Usually it’s a live-stream situation and what’s happened has happened and has already been broadcast. There’s no need to retaliate and yell at the technicians. They’ll feel bad and you yourself wont get any satisfaction. It wasn’t their fault that the equipment experienced a problem. There’s no need to retaliate. I just go to them and let them know what happened so they can avoid problems in the future.

LYN: You know what, though? For a singer, if your in-ear really does stop working, it’s an opportunity for you. If it happens to you and you take out the in-ear and go on singing and it’s no different from if you DID have an in-ear. 1. You’ll probably end up on the hot search. 2. It will make your fans have that much more confidence in you. 3. Your fans can take this as a chance to spread the word about you. 

Comment: What happens if you sing it badly. LYN: If there’s no signal, and you take out the in-ear and end up off key. You can’t find the beat. Then you’ll... let’s just say you’ll still end up in the hot search. Of the two “OOO lost signal, Sings off-key” and “OOO lost signal, Sings Normally” I think the former is more likely to become a big topic. Don’t you think so? [Would you rather watch a train-wreck or not? We all know. :)]

Comment: Ning-ge, you’re not tired? Have you got any work tomorrow? LYN: I’m filming tomorrow, and then after that I’ll be doing the voice-acting. I was thinking to stream tomorrow (Saturday) but I looked at my watch and thought that “It’s Friday, you probably get a break tomorrow.” So people can relax and watch my stream and not have to worry about work or school in the morning.

Comment: How do you stay up so late but still function normally the next day? LYN: I got used to it. Staying up all night IS bad for your health, I know. But I just can’t help it. I just got used to it. Of course, every person has their own limits and as long as you stay within those limits I think there’s no problem.

LYN: I’m the Night Owl Sect leader, Liu Xia Lai*. Welcome. [* t/n: he’s using this as a name, but “liu xia lai” (留下来) means “to stay”]

LYN: I’m seeing a lot of comments that are saying that you can’t hold up any longer, that you’re sleepy and about to drop your phone on your face. Are you young?? Come on. I’m so old and I can stay up and talk to you for five hours. I’m not tired, but you are?? Around this time is right when young people are the most active.

LYN: Let me play you a song that’ll make you perk right up.

Comment: I’m on the night shift, can you tell a story? My daughter really likes it. LYN: ? You’re working on the night shift and you left a phone at home so I can lull your kid to sleep? Is that the situation?

Comment: Tell a ghost story. LYN: Don’t scare me. My stream is not like it was before. Do you think an artist alone in their stream can rely on ghost stories? Do you think it’s dependable? I can see the headlines now “Singer LYN tells ghost stories in his stream.” Comment: You can get into the hot search. LYN: Just because I can doesn’t mean I should. LYN: Don’t joke around, I’ll kick you out. I’m serious. XD 

LYN: It’s about time friends. I still have to eat a little something and go to class and go over my lines for tomorrow. Thank you for coming; even Jing Tian-laoshi came to see me, so I’m happy. There are a lot of new friends, subscribe to my weibo, and it’ll tell you when I stream next. You may not want to see it, but at some point you might even like watching. Thanks for coming and I hope my boring stream could accompany you for a short five hours. I hope to have brought you even a little bit of happiness. See you next time!

[shihalyfie]

Some things to know about the upcoming 02-related movie

As someone who seems to be known for being a 02 metablogger now (and 02 lover in general), and who’s been closely following Kizuna’s development and is generally fond of the movie itself, I figured I’d probably need to address the elephant in the room that is the announcement of the upcoming (unnamed, as of this writing) 02-related movie. This is also especially because I’ve personally been on the record saying that I absolutely did not want a Kizuna sequel. And, well, on top of that, to be a bit blunt about it, a lot of us, especially 02 fans, have a lot of reason to be skeptical of Toei right now given some of the things they’ve done with this series in the past, and 02-related things in particular (trust me, the wound is still extremely fresh), so it says a lot about what it took for me to get even remotely positive about this prospect.

Well, here’s the good news: while I of course still think there’s good reason to be apprehensive, and while I wouldn’t say everyone should be getting their expectations up for it to be guaranteed fantastic (which is something I would say about anything, regardless of whether it even has to do with Digimon or not), I don’t think there’s too much to be panicked about with this movie. Again, it took a lot for the staff to gain my trust in this respect, so it’s not something I say lightly. But if you’re a 02 fan and you’re extremely apprehensive, here are my reasons for feeling this way, and, hopefully, they might make you feel a little better too.

The reason this movie exists to begin with

One of the most striking things about this movie’s reveal was that they’ve literally only just started production on this movie. This was to the point that, at DigiFes, where this was revealed, even the voice actors stated outright that they knew absolutely nothing more than what the audience knew from the trailer. Katayama (Daisuke) only knew anything in the sense that they had him record those few lines for it. So even though it’s been a whole year and a half since Kizuna released to the public, it had only just been decided to make a new movie like this. All of the statements between Kizuna and now stating that there was nothing particularly in the works at the time were completely accurate. Of course, there are obvious hints that they were setting up for this possibility (many, many people noticed the suspiciously favorable position the 02 group was in during Kizuna, and the press releases were carefully worded so that having a movie about “Daisuke and his friends” would allow any statement about Kizuna being “the last adventure of Taichi and his friends” to still be technically truthful), but for all intents and purposes it seems like there had been no actual commitment to making this 02 movie until now, and that they’d at least wanted to gauge the surrounding climate and fanbase reactions for what people were looking for before they decided to go ahead with this.

The obvious reasons as to why this movie exist involve the fact that Daisuke and co. are pretty much the only “out” you can have to continue the Adventure universe without constantly defaulting to Taichi’s group yet again, because at the very least it’d be something that you can’t deny hasn’t exactly had the best representation in recent years. Of course they’re trying to capitalize on this! I’m not going to pretend they aren’t! But producer Kinoshita left a very interesting comment about a particular goal they have with this movie:

This time, the core behind the movie is everyone from 02! Daisuke’s group has their own different kind of charm from Taichi’s, and we want to express that precisely because we’re in the times we’re in right now.

That comment alone has a lot to unpack. (For a frame of reference, Kizuna released in Japan in February 2020; development had already long finished by the time the pandemic first hit, and it was unfortunately one of the first victims of the initial lockdowns because of how bad the timing was.) Acknowledging directly that there’s something different about Daisuke’s group and their dynamic, which makes them especially suited for what we need in “the current times”...hmm, what could that be?

The implied answer is one that many 02 lovers will know very intimately: the 02 group’s particular specialty is in uplifting others and giving each other emotional support. While Adventure had traces of these themes, 02 was the one that went really hard on the themes of dealing with grief and loss, the existential crisis of what to do with oneself in a world placing heavy pressures on you, and how to move on from hardships with the help of others. The fact that the 02 group specializes in this more than anything else is probably one of the most distinguishing factors between them and their seniors, so there’s a very heavy implication here that they understand what distinguishes 02 from Adventure, and what it uniquely would bring to the table in this kind of movie. So this isn’t just “we’re relying on the 02 kids because they’re part of the same universe”; there’s some degree of substantial understanding of what makes 02 as a series unique, and a desire to use this to its fullest extent.

Still don’t believe me? Well, how about this...

This staff really likes 02 a lot

Seki Hiromi, the original producer of Adventure and 02, was involved as a supervisor on Kizuna’s development. Seki was personally involved in the creation of these kids and 02 itself -- she’s the one who noticed the story of the nine-year-old boy skipping grades into Columbia University, the one that formed the basis of 02 itself and eventually came back for Kizuna -- and even personally vetted Kizuna’s script to make sure everyone was in character, gave her thoughts on what the kids would be like in 2010, and was (repeatedly) commented as seeming to love the kids like her own children. As of this writing, it hasn’t been confirmed whether she’s involved on the new movie, but even if she’s not, this means that the staff on Kizuna that is returning all listened closely to those discussions about what the characters are like, straight from the mouth of one of their own creators. The new character song releases had a brief mention in Lounsbery Arthur’s interview that there were apparently extensive discussions with the staff on what the characters should be like at this time, so while Seki’s involvement with that is unknown, at the very least, a lot of conscientious thought seems to be put in at all times into maintaining these characters’ integrity.

Of course, just having an original creator alone on it doesn’t necessarily do it by itself, so here’s another interesting thing: Taguchi Tomohisa, director of both Kizuna and this movie, is also very fond of 02.

I suspect we’ll be hearing more from him as this new movie goes further into development, but Taguchi himself implied that 02 was actually the one he happened to connect with in particular, and when you really think about it, given the circumstances surrounding Kizuna, it’s not actually surprising that a movie trying to be conscientiously aware of 02′s position in the narrative would have someone with a particular fondness for it on its staff. (Reason being: a lot of Adventure fans don’t care much for 02, but you’ll almost never meet a 02 fan who doesn’t also adore Adventure.) The really fun part about this, however, is that Taguchi has repeatedly stated that 02′s first movie, Hurricane Touchdown, is his favorite Digimon movie -- in a climate where everyone else was talking about Adventure. The expected answer for the majority of Adventure fans in terms of “favorite Digimon movie” is almost always Our War Game! by knockout, but no, for Taguchi, it’s Hurricane Touchdown, and not only has he said this, he won’t shut up about it. He’s been saying this since 2019. Even Seki noticed. A whole article got made about this. He brings it up whenever he has a chance to. To top it all off, when a Kizuna event asked everyone present about their favorite characters, and everyone gave Adventure-related answers, Taguchi’s response was instead Terriermon and Daisuke. And I mean, look at Kizuna itself -- its entire plot revolves around having to move on from unhealthy nostalgia, represented by kidnapping people and turning them younger and an antagonist swallowed by their own negative emotions, which, well, is literally the plot of Hurricane Touchdown. (Yeah, that Wallace cameo is very, very likely to be sheer self-indulgence.) And considering that Taguchi said his favorite human character was Daisuke, not Wallace, it means that he understands what Hurricane Touchdown brought out of Daisuke, what his interactions with Wallace meant for both characters, and how Daisuke’s best strengths lie in his ability to support and uplift others.

And, finally, we have Yamatoya, who was responsible for penning both Kizuna’s script (and, thus, being privy to Seki’s corrections) and the bonus drama CD that came with it, on the script, and he personally said that he enjoyed writing for the 02 group because he felt they were important to lightening up the mood of the heavy story Kizuna was becoming. In fact, every comment from this staff about what the 02 group brings to the table in particular has showed a good understanding of what their appeal is -- that they have to be “fun”, that they were “healing in a heavy story”, and Taguchi himself said that he got the impression that the 02 group had more straightforward paths to their epilogue careers (which is interesting, considering that I’ve also personally pointed out that the 02 group seemed to have careers with significantly lower bars than their seniors’ due to their difference in priorities). All of these things are observations you make when you know this group and the importance of the story they came from.

Extend it even further to the rest of the staff members and you’ll find there are a lot of 02 fans on there, including the animation staff, who made some very neat observations about 02 and its finale. Miyahara Takuya is a particularly amusing case, because he seems to love Imperialdramon so much that in the thanks booklet for the deluxe edition for the Blu-ray, he drew a picture of Daisuke and Ken with Imperialdramon Dragon Mode because he didn’t get to be in the movie. (As in, he actually said, point-blank in the caption, that he loves Imperialdramon and wanted to draw him because he wasn’t in the movie.)

Of course, even if you’re trying your best, things may not always work out, so I’m not saying having love for the characters will necessarily guarantee that the product turns out for the best. However, considering that historically a lot of our fears come from the idea of them milking the name value of the characters without really caring about their integrity or understanding what the series was about (especially since a lot of people in the fanbase itself don’t tend to read 02′s nuances very well), I think, at the very least, we don’t need to worry about the staff for this movie not being conscientious, nor the idea that they’re making this movie without understanding or caring about 02.

Furthermore, one thing I appreciate is that they’re actually leading the advertisement with a premise that is distinct from Kizuna’s. Of course, it covers a similar topic of “partnerships”, and it’s very possible it’ll cover the issue of the solution to Kizuna’s problem (especially since the answer was already hinted to have a heavy relationship with 02), but nevertheless, it’s an actual premise that’s not just “Kizuna’s story, but more of it”. It’s an understanding that something 02-related should be allowed to stand on its own rather than just tacking it onto an Adventure-related thing. Beyond that, while I think it’s generally expected that a side story like this should have an original character, I think it’s actually very good this time in particular that there’s a new element/character for the 02 group to interact with; again, as with Hurricane Touchdown and Daisuke, these kids often have the best brought out of them when they’re supporting others, and honestly, because the kids suffered so much in their own narrative, I’m not particularly fond of the idea of seeing them having to go through too much more trauma themselves (it’s a big reason I don’t like the idea of a 02 reboot). So while I’m sure a lot of 02 fans feel a bit antsy that the actual group itself wasn’t advertised first, I actually consider it a positive sign that they have an understanding of what context this group performs best in, and, moreover, well...the last time they unveiled something that was so focused on advertising the return of old characters that it forgot to actually be straightforward about the premise, I don’t think that ended well. So to speak.

In general, the track record is good

It’s easy to just smile and nod at the portrayal of the 02 quartet in Kizuna, because in general everything from them is in-character, but I just want to point out how significant it is that they were portrayed so conscientiously when it is really easy to mess them up. (As I like pointing out very often: even official has not historically been very careful with Daisuke’s character.) There are so many easy pitfalls you could have fallen into and pigeonholed the kids into, but Kizuna absolutely demonstrated the quartet at their best, showing off all the nuances of their character and bringing up all the parts that were most important, especially Daisuke’s best quality being “positivity and cheerfulness” and not all of the other things about him running in circles or having a crush on Hikari-chan. This even goes down to the casting; Katayama Fukujuurou sounds terrifyingly like Kiuchi Reiko in terms of all the little nuances and pitch shifts she had in her performance, and the cast themselves spoke of all the nuances present in their characters as they were studying for their roles. These are things that even fans of the series tend to miss, but the voice actors for the quartet nailed their roles so well that it’s very easy to tell that the direction understood exactly what they were looking for and needed, and casted accordingly. Even those who didn’t care for the movie much had a very hard time disputing the voice casting for the quartet (and this is saying a lot given how much voice actor changes are often a really sore point among Japanese fans).

But while the 02 group had a limited amount of screentime in Kizuna, the staff also had a lot of opportunities to prove themselves with the drama CD and the new character song CDs, and every single aspect of these reflects something that was represented in 02 itself -- again, things that often go over the heads of people who aren’t paying as close attention. The drama CD captures a lot of the essence of the dynamics between the group in only short lines, and all of the statements about the characters in the character song interviews are accurate (and remember: Arthur said directly that there were discussions with the staff about keeping them true to character). On top of that, not only do the lyrics in said songs directly mirror each character’s development from the time of the original Best Partner series, there are also a lot of things in said songs that demonstrate a nuanced understanding of each person’s character and what they got out of the events of 02. Someone with only a surface-level understanding of Ken or Iori’s character might think that Ken should only have a soft song, or that Iori shouldn’t want to do anything ridiculous, but the series goes ahead and gives Ken one of the most passionately emotional rock songs in the batch and Iori outright rap with Armadimon, which are both fitting decisions in light of Ken actually being one of the more emotionally assertive people in this group, and Iori only being stoic because he’s strict with himself and being willing to let loose in certain circumstances (especially after the events of 02).

As of this writing, I don’t know if the new movie is going to be featuring the entire group in a major role, and I’m not sure if I even want it to; as much as I do strongly feel like the group should always work together at all times, one minor personal complaint I had about Kizuna was that it tries to do too much in too little time, and I’m personally fine with this new movie being more Daisuke-centric or something if it means it can just get a nice story on the table (after all, if I wanted something that more evenly represents the entire 02 group, I’d just go back and rewatch a very nice anime series called Digimon Adventure 02). There’s also the very thorny question of what to do about Tokumitsu Yuka, since I don’t personally really like the idea of still dragging her out of retirement like this (but I also wouldn’t want them to awkwardly write around her just for this, and I’m wondering if Sonozaki voicing Tailmon in the reboot would let people accept her as a replacement without much fighting).

Nevertheless, I think Kizuna’s staff has proven more than well enough that they understand the essence of 02 and its characters, so, again, regardless of how it turns out, I at least expect that this can be made with some degree of conscientiousness, and at this point, that’s all I can ask for. I don’t think it’s fair to expect or want this movie to be the second coming of 02, because, again, if we wanted that, I think it’d be better for us to all go back and watch that lovely little 50-episode anime called Digimon Adventure 02. But in terms of being something that can add a little nice thing to the mix, I think, so far, this movie at least has positive signs of turning out that way -- and, remember, think about what I just said about initially being very against this idea; as a diehard 02 fan who has a lot of very picky feelings about how to best represent it, it took a lot for the staff to earn my trust in this sense.

[unimportant-ramblings]

Ramblings Watches Halo

Episode 7: inheritance (or the family, Madrigal)

Then nothing really changes for you, does it?

Taking a break from the drama surrounding John MasterChief, we reunite with some familiar faces, feel the rain on our skins, and ask the question: hey, is this show getting renewed? Oh and I talk about musical theater and like 3 different disney movies for a lil bit

We started this series with Kwan Ha. Kwan literally gave this show a face, an emotional center for the first episode when both literally and metaphorically our true main character was expressionless.

I wrote in my last recap that I believed we had outgrown the need for Kwan. JMC no longer needs her as a morality pet, he has built stronger bonds within the UNSC. From ruthless spoiling from the MoR, I know that in terms of the show original characters, he has a…… deeper… connection with Makee. Ahem.

So while I like Kwan, it must be admitted that she was created for me to like. Not to overgeneralize, but the target audience for the Halo show that I genuinely enjoy is not me. They knew they needed to get a broader audience to watch this show. As I discussed in my most recent ask, it’s an easier sell for me if there is a female main character (and I can’t speak for POC, but I would imagine there is a similar dynamic).

It’s like how every single person I introduced Hamilton to loved King George the most the first time through. Narratively, you could most easily excise these three songs; none of our main characters even interact with him. But KG serves the invaluable purpose of giving audiences something that they are more familiar with, a song that sounds like a traditional showtune. After having acclimatized to the style and characters of the show, everyone I talked to had since let King George go. I believe that the context for this decision is already being erased by the juggernaut of success that Hamilton was/is, like future generations are going to be like “huh that was odd.” And it kind of was, but it was necessary.

So where do we go from here? This episode, for me, marked a change in Kwan’s narrative function. Sadly, not by making Kwan or Soren for that matter more fully realized characters, but rather they shifted from “general audiences, please watch this show because there is a woman/several people of color in it.” But rather “Paramount Plus, please renew this show because we have a few b and c plots lined up.”

In this episode, we wrap up what could generously be referred to as an arc for Kwan and Soren. Kwan, through dathomir witch vision juice, lets go of her righteous anger, understands her place in her family history and learns why her dad needed to keep Madrigal away from the UNSC, namely because that’s where the artifact was. She kills Vinsher & the guys and by blowing up that big drill thing, there is rain on Madrigal somehow, I’m not totally sure I failed all my sciences.

This moment, this episode, is cathartic and satisfying, but that, to me, has less to do with the writing or the build up and more to do with 1) Yerin Ha’s really wonderful performance and 2) visual cues? Like yeah, I thought it was dope when Kwan drove through the desert (like fury road!) or when she, instead of shooting the big bad, shot something that caused a chain reaction whipping out everyone (like how Mulan does with the avalanche in the 1998 masterpiece Mulan). And boy was it cool when the rain came down on them (legit the first thing I thought of was Hilary Duff’s Cinderella Story… if you know, you know).

Soren meanwhile, has left Madrigal, had a talk with his absurdly dressed wife, feels guilty about leaving Kwan, deals with union disputes within his crew, goes back to Madrigal, immediately finds Kwan, gets shot in the fucking neck, walks it off, plays Maui to Kwan’s Moana, gets his money and bounces. But do not worry friends! They’ll get up to scrapes again.

What have we learned, how have the characters grown? Kwan learns that it’s not just her father’s legacy but her entire family’s, again very Moana! And they play it like that makes her goals more moral? But I never doubted that Kwan was in the right and that the Aryan in the leather duster was wrong?

Meanwhile Soren becomes? Kinder maybe? Learns to care about more people than just his wife and child? What bothers me about this is we now know that the same things that happened to Kai and JMC and all the other Spartans happened to Soren as well, so it would have been easy to have plots tying into that. Soren went through very similar trauma as JMC, while also being monumentally more injured. It only would have taken a line to say “I lost my last family, I was taken from my parents, can I take myself away? Can I let more people into my heart who would be hurt by my absence?” Back in the A plot, Halsey is saying that anything is worth the greater good, meanwhile Soren’s arc is nominally “no, not everything is worth the greater good, but somethings are worth fighting for!” But to me that does not come across in the show as clearly as it could, because it is not about Soren and his struggle to stand up against big injustices, rather Soren and his Lone Wolf and Cub relationship with Kwan which I just don’t think is as strong as they think it is!

I don’t want to be overly harsh on this. I still enjoyed this episode! It had some beautiful visuals and was incredibly well acted! I do like these characters, and I do want this to get renewed! But this feels like set up for next season, that they had to compact into a single episode because we can’t take that much time away from the A plot. We have no guarantee that that guy from Pacific Rim can come back for season 2, so that plot is all tied up now, and Soren is back in play for the next thing he has to do, whatever that will be.

Long live the Halo show baby, but let’s get back to the good stuff. A happy ending. Maybe we need a little death? This is not what I came for. Why is this so hard--- i’m being dragged off of the stage-- remember me--- @sonofcarnelian take up my fight, I'll see you in the episode wherein nothing unusual happens

[meetmeatthecoda]

Now that I’ve had some time to cry & mourn & actually think about that horrendous excuse for television... I have... some thoughts.

Firstly, the pace of that episode was insane. I mean, the season itself felt like we were slowly & tortuously hacking our way through a tangled rain forest, trying desperately to see the forest for the trees, but instead stuck cutting vines & branches down one by one... until we got to that finale, which felt comparatively like finally cutting away all the dense foliage only to immediately fall off a fucking cliff. You could just tell they were using the least amount of dialogue they could to move through so many weird emotions at fucking breakneck speed. I mean there was... the brief aftermath in Latvia, the 4 second plane ride to re-introduce Red’s illness after how many eps, Liz’s 3 second long recuperation, the awkward attempt at humor with the helium followed by a crash landing into solemnity at Red’s talk with Cooper, the abrupt & unsatisfying discussion with Red & Liz where he makes his rEqUESt, all the different “heartfelt” one-on-ones with Liz’s people, the fucking forced af “romance” with K**nler, the shoe-horned “chance meeting” with Beth Ryker, the most Agnes has ever talked in the history of ever, the weirdly morbid & fucking heartbreaking walk in the park, the choppy restaurant scene, to the unmentionable... end event. It went all over the place, which is very unlike TBL imo, which usually seems to stick to a theme or emotional center for an entire episode, whether blacklister or mythology driven. I think it was painfully clear how poor their planning was (when they have literally no excuse bc they knew this was coming the whole season???) & just how much shit they were trying to squeeze into one episode.

Secondly - & this may seem obvious, but I think it’s worth talking about anyway - Liz should have gotten her answers. And I’m not just saying this as a Lizzington shipper (I mean, mostly I am, but there are other reasons also!) Primarily, I think bc... literally everyone expected them. Not just bc they were advertised (it’s certainly not the first time they’ve delighted in false advertising in promos when it comes to the all-important AnSwErS) but bc THEY MADE SURE EVERYONE KNEW BEFOREHAND THAT IT WAS MEGAN’S LAST EP. It might have been mildly acceptable to play coy for yet another season finale IF she was coming back in some capacity later to eventually wrap things up, but - given that they fucking slammed the door on that possibility - THEY SHOULD HAVE GIVEN US ANSWERS. I don’t think anyone considered the possibility that they would KILL her & NOT give us answers bc it makes no fucking sense. Additionally, Liz should have gotten her answers simply bc SHE!! DESERVED!! THEM!! They’re literally the thing she’s been fighting for for eight seasons & she fucking died without them? WTF??? But, most importantly to us Lizzington shippers, Liz not getting her answers ruined the park fantasy. I think we all imagined (BC IT WAS MEGAN’S LAST EP) that Red & Liz would finally talk & Red would give her the answers she wanted. I think we all expected from the (misleading) promo that he would make some sense out of the potentially jumbled memories/visions (?) from 8.21 &, most importantly, there would be SOME KIND OF EMOTIONAL TURNING POINT, SOME CATHARSIS, AN UNDERSTANDING & RENEWED LOVE BETWEEN THEM DRIVEN BY THE AFOREMENTIONED REVELATIONS (& LOVE OF WHATEVER KIND, MIND YOU, WE WEREN’T PICKY, JUST SOMETHING FOUNDED ON RECONCILIATION & PEACE.) But - bc they denied us that - Liz was still in the dark & waiting on answers for the entire ep, unable to forgive or reconnect with her true feelings for Red (whatever you believe them to be) & this made her reaction to Red’s rEqUeSt ring very hollow & detached, the whole park bench conversation stilted & awkward (on Liz’s end) & - THE WORST PART - it made the whole park fantasy feel FALSE. It cheapened it. Like she was just indulging him, letting him walk with her & play with Agnes & enjoy one more day of life before she indifferently killed him. The one thing we expected to get, should have gotten, & THOUGHT WE WOULD HAVE NO MATTER WHAT ELSE HAPPENED IN THE FINALE was ruined. With the assisted suicide talk beforehand, the almost begrudging acceptance from Liz, the obvious morbid mindset from Red, the song in the background, the context of it all. It put an awful spin we completely didn’t expect on what should have been our beautiful Lizzington park fantasy. And I think that may be the part that hurts the most - the fact that I can only look at gifs of that scene - bc the music & dialogue & context completely undermine what Liz’s fantasy should have been, that she got for just one afternoon, when she was supposed to be happy & at peace with Red & Agnes.

Thirdly, (anyone still there? lolz) the whole “plot” of this episode was fucking nonsensical. Chiefly - & many other people have pointed this out before now - Red would never ask Liz to kill him. I simply call bullshit. No matter how hard they tried to justify it (& boyyyyy, did they try) Red has never wanted Liz to be a killer, criminal, or have to live a life like him. He has canonically said as much. I could maybe buy the whole “taking over his empire” thing as the seasons progressed, but asking Liz to live with the guilt (however slight or delayed) of killing him, after everything they’ve been through together, after she told him she loves him (seasons ago, but the feelings are still there, albeit buried deep)? And thereby launching her (& by extension Agnes) directly into harm’s way as the “new” Concierge of Crime (?), without him there to guide her from the shadows? No way. Bullshit. Also - & @iwouldlovetoeatyourtoast mentioned this first, I believe - the whole idea of it was stupid anyway bc Liz has spent the entire season chasing him, has repeatedly gotten opportunities to take the big shot, & has always been unable to kill him. It wasn’t even an engaging tWiSt to throw in at the very end bc - even when she agreed to do it - we all knew it wouldn’t happen, also bc Megan was the one leaving & not James. So, it wasn’t a surprise when she broke down at the end & said she couldn’t, so wtf was the point?

Fourthly (almost to the end, god this feels good) & this was a huge tell imo - everyone was OOC. Now you might say that’s the bitterness talking & you might be right... but you fucking try & tell me that 1) Red all of a sudden decides he’s ready for death after how long of not accepting it or mentioning it & absolutely must be killed by Liz & no one else within the next 24-48 hours 2) Liz would willingly go along with that for even a second 3) Dembe wouldn’t try his damnedest to talk Red out of assisted suicide in general & especially coercing Liz into doing it 4) Ressler would be the one to fucking figure it out & hightail it out of bed AFTER BEING ON DEATH’S DOOR WITH A BUSTED LUNG & SEPSIS FFS 5) Wolf Man Van Dyke would even know where to find Liz on a random fucking street corner outside a random fucking restaurant 6) Red wouldn’t see him behind Liz taking aim 7) THERE WOULDN’T BE A DECLARATION OF FEELINGS/LOVE CONFESSION BETWEEN RED & LIZ IN THE 14 MILLION OBVIOUS PLACES THERE COULD HAVE BEEN *PRIMARILY AFTER SHE SAYS “I CAN’T DO IT, I DON’T WANT TO” I MEAN, HELLO????? WTF, WHY WASN’T THERE AN “BC I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU TOO, LIZZIE” LIKE HOW HARD WOULD THAT HAVE BEEN, IT WAS THE PERFECT PLACE, THE LAST CHANCE, & WE FUCKING DESERVED ITTTTTTTTTTT *ahem* & lastly, & most importantly, & I’m definitely going to cry typing this... 8) if you fucking try to tell me that Red would allow himself to be pulled away from Lizzie’s dead body for a second time by Dembe or anyone else (especially when it was only the stupid task force arriving???) without simply crossing the street to load his gun with trembling fingers, pull the trigger, & join her... you’re fucking crazy.

In conclusion, bc this has gone on long enough, this was just... a hasty, sloppy, rushed, unprepared, careless ending on all fronts, no matter how hard they tried to convince us it was totally-100%-on-purpose-of-course-why-do-you-ask? (And I’m not even touching on the Redarina bait bc fuck that shit.) Like, did anyone else feel like when Red was telling Dembe that he was sure & this was what he wanted & really he’s positive so please stop asking, and when he was explaining things to Liz in almost too much detail, and when he was telling Harold this was absolutely necessary... that it was really the writers trying to convince us? It just felt so sudden & forced & heavy-handed & absurdly preventable & at the same time ridiculously unstoppable... I mean, look, whatever drama clearly went on behind the scenes? I think we can all agree that they did a terrible, awful, shit-tastic job on all fronts. And it’s just such a shame that that’s how it ended 💔

[sfb123]

Sapere Aude - Part 10

Book: The Royal Heir

Pairing: King Liam Rys x Queen Riley Brooks

All characters belong to Pixelberry.

Catch Up Here

Series Description: I developed a theory of what I think will happen in TRH Book 4, and I was encouraged by some very lovely people to turn my theory into a fic, so here it is. Basically, Riley is recruited to join the Via Imperii, this series will follow her as she joins them to try and bring them down from the inside, and all of the drama and bombshells she learns along the way. Sapere Aude is Latin for “dare to know” it seemed like an appropriate title.

Rating: PG-13 Adult language, allusions to smut (but nothing graphic), discussions of death, conspiracy, blackmail, and other adult themes.

Warning: The Royal Heir Book 3 Spoilers all over the place.

Disclaimer: I have no current affiliation with any other Via Imperii themed stories. Any claims that I have pre-read anything are false.

Word Count: 2,759

A/N: Sorry for the wait, I’m not going to keep broadcasting my self-loathing bullshit, but I’ve been having a hell of a time in my life. I’m working my way out of it thanks to a stellar support system (shout out @jessiembruno​​ and @txemrn​​ for being the Tumblr pieces to that puzzle). I’m also now up to 3 friends that are pregnant, which means I have 3 baby blankets to knit in the next 6 months, so that’s something that will be taking up a bit of my time. But I promise you more stories are coming, as well as some kind of ending to this story. I’ve hit the awkward place that I’ve feared since I started writing Sapere Aude; where I know where I want it to go, but I’m not quite sure how to get there. I’ll figure it out though, I promise, just bear with me.

As always, big ups to @twinkleallnight​​ for my awesome moodboard!

Tags: My tag list angels are all listed below. Let me know if you’d like to be added or removed.

It was the day of the Royal Council meeting, Liam and Drake were planning to take this opportunity to work with Olivia in outfitting Riley with a camera or recorder for her next interaction with the Via Imperii. Mara had informed her of an upcoming meeting, which she was going to use as her opportunity. 

Liam was trying to keep his focus on the task at hand, destroying this group, instead of all of the information he had learned about them, and what they had done to him. The thing that made that difficult was the constant reminder of his betrayal and loss, in the form of his brother, who was still charged with guarding Eleanor. He and Bastien had decided that it would be too much of a risk to reassign him, or remove him from the guard entirely. The timing would, no doubt, tip them off that Riley had said something, and he was not about to put that target on his wife’s back. He was hoping he would get used to being around Thomas, but a part of him knew he would not be fully at peace with the situation, at least not without being able to confront him.

He also knew that Olivia was going to need to be brought up to speed. This meant that he would need to go through everything all over again, and he was dreading it. As he stood in front of his mirror, adjusting his tie, he was planning out the best ways to have this conversation. A look of concern clearly etched in his face, Riley noticed it the second she stepped into the room. 

“Hey, you’ve been getting dressed for an awfully long time. Are you doing alright?” She walked up behind him, taking him out of his thoughts. She knew he wasn’t, but he needed to tell her that, the last thing he needed was to feel cornered into talking about things. 

He exhaled deeply before turning and wrapping his arms around Riley’s waist. “Yes, just going over the plan for today.”

“And figuring out how you’re going to get through reliving everything when you tell Olivia what’s going on?” She arched an eyebrow. 

“Am I ever going to be able to get anything past you?” He smiled, placing a hand on her cheek. 

“Nope, never. I can read you like a book, Your Majesty.” She tapped her index finger to his nose, taking a brief pause to enjoy the sound of the soft chuckle that escaped him. “Maybe I can help. Olivia and I are having lunch before the meeting, I can fill her in on everything, then you and Drake can just work with her on the techy stuff.”

“You don’t have to do that, Riley.”

“No, you’re right, I don’t have to, but it will help you, so I want to.”

Liam pressed a lingering kiss to her lips. “Thank you, love.”

A few hours later, Riley sat on the terrace waiting for Olivia to arrive. She had Bastien perform a full sweep of the area to ensure that their conversation remained between them. Part of her hoped it would be easier to explain everything this time. After all, she had already explained everything three times. Then she remembered the hardest part of this whole thing, it wasn’t telling people what was going on, it was seeing their reactions. She was, one by one, breaking the hearts of all of the people closest to her. While Olivia had already made peace with the shortcomings of her parents, she was about to learn the truth about what happened to her best friend’s mother. Not only was she with Liam when he lost her, seeing his heartbreak first hand, but Eleanor had taken Olivia in when she lost her parents, she took care of her as if she were her own mother. Better than her own mother, she showed Olivia love and kindness, things that her mother taught her to be weaknesses. 

As Olivia approached the table, Riley stood to greet her with a smile. Olivia was instantly suspicious. It had been a few weeks since the pair had seen each other, usually when that was the case, Riley would charge her and wrap her in a hug. An action that Olivia would begrudgingly reciprocate. 

“What’s wrong?” Olivia stood in front of her place at the table, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Good to see you too, Liv. Why would you think something is wrong?”

Olivia rolled her eyes before continuing, “Because you’re standing there smiling like the queen. You didn’t run up to me greeting me with that annoying sing-song voice.”

“I’m smiling like the queen because I am the queen, and this is how I smile.” Riley feigned offense. “Maybe I’m just maturing as a person.”

“You sent me a video the other day of cats pushing things off of counters.”

“Oh yea, that was hilarious! Cats can be real je--” She stopped when Olivia arched her brow in a silent ‘I told you so’. “Alright fine, I have to fill you in on some things.”

Once they sat, Riley filled Olivia in on everything that had happened since the Harvest Ball. The recruitment, the meeting, and all of the information she had learned along the way. As difficult as it was, Olivia remained silent while Riley spoke. She wanted to make sure to get every piece of information that was being thrown at her. 

“So that’s why Liam scheduled a meeting with you when the council lets out. He and Drake are going to speak with you about cameras and recorders that I can sneak in with me to get some evidence.” There was a silence between the two while Olivia processed the information.

Olivia took a deep breath before speaking. “How is he handling all of this?”

“I mean, you know Liam. He’s keeping it inside and not really talking about it. And when he does, he’s blaming himself.” Riley shrugged. One of the things she loved about him was how much he cared about everyone else, but it was also one of his most frustrating traits. He was always too worried about those around him to properly take care of his needs, and would often blame himself for things he had no control over. 

“That sounds about right.” Olivia’s expression softened. “He took it so hard when his mother died. He was so broken.”

“And now, it’s like he’s losing her all over again, but so much worse, because he’s questioning everything about himself.” Riley could feel the emotion building up inside of her. 

Olivia smiled sadly as she reached across the table and placed her hand over Riley’s. “It will take time, he’ll get past it, and you’re going to be a big part of that.”

Riley nodded, taking a moment to compose herself. “So, you’ll help right?”

“You’ve been through a lot the last couple of days, so I’m going to let that ridiculous question slide.”

Riley sat a little lower in her seat and raised her glass to her lips before mumbling out a ‘thank you’. 

The pair finished their lunch, and made their way to the council meeting. Liam was waiting by the door, greeting the members as they entered. Riley approached first, placing a chaste kiss on his lips before taking her place next to him. As Olivia approached, an uncharacteristically sympathetic look spread across her face before she leaned in, kissing Liam on the cheek and bringing him into a brief hug. As they pulled away, they looked at each other and nodded, and Olivia continued into the room. 

Liam wrapped his arm around Riley’s waist and kissed her on the temple before returning his attention to the council members that were still arriving. Though it didn’t seem like much, Liam knew exactly what that greeting meant, and it was just what Liam needed from his childhood friend.  

As the members of the council cleared out of the room, Riley and Liam found a corner where they could have a moment to themselves. “That went well, they really seemed to like your new proposal.” Riley smiled, smoothing her hands over the lapels of Liam’s jacket.

“I’m very excited to move forward with it.” He brushed a loose hair out of her face, placing a kiss on the newly exposed spot on her forehead. “Will you be joining us for our meeting?”

“No, I’m going to pick up Eleanor and take her outside to play. You guys need some privacy. Just make sure that if it’s wearable, you pick something cute.” She reached up and kissed him on the nose. 

Liam gave an over exaggerated gasp, placing a hand over his chest. “Riley Rys, have you ever known me to give you something that wasn’t of the utmost caliber of cute?”

“Hmm let me think, cute outfits, cute jewelry, cute baby,” she pondered, placing her forefinger over her lip as she looked up at him and raised an eyebrow, “cute husband. Nope, you’re right, you’ve given me the cutest everything since day one.” 

He laughed and pulled her close, pressing his lips to hers. 

“Alright, break it up. You’re adults in charge of an entire country, you can’t keep being late for stuff because you were making out.” Drake interrupted the pair, who pulled away blushing slightly. 

“We’re the king and queen, we’re never late, everyone else is just early.” Riley teased before looking up at Liam. “We really should get going though.

Riley kissed Liam softly and gave Drake a hug before walking out of the room. Liam watched her exit before turning to his friend. “Let’s get Olivia and head upstairs.”

When they entered the Royal Quarters, Liam signaled for Olivia and Drake to sit on the couch before he took a seat on the chair adjacent to them. “Olivia, I appreciate your time this afternoon. I understand Riley filled you in on the situation.”

“She did. How are you doing?” She paused, looking over to Drake. “Both of you.” 

Drake knitted his brows in confusion. “Since when do you give a fuck about feelings...or me, for that matter?”

“Listen Drake, we’ve had our...differences over the years, but I know how it feels to be betrayed by your family. That isn’t something I would wish on even my worst enemy.” Olivia had a kindness in her voice that neither of the men expected. 

“Oh, well thanks. I’m alright. Liam really got hit with the brunt of it though.” Drake turned to the chair, he was also hoping to hear Liam’s answer. He hadn’t spoken much about everything since that initial meeting. 

Liam looked between his childhood friends, the two people in this world that knew him almost as well as Riley did, he knew that they wouldn’t let him get away with brushing the question off. He exhaled and wiped his hand over his face before responding. “It has been difficult, I have a lot that I still need to process. I cannot fully process everything without confronting Thomas, and possibly Eleanor. Which I clearly cannot do until this has been resolved. Riley would be exposed, I can’t put her in danger like that. My focus right now is making sure she is safe, and that we end this. That’s where you come in, Olivia.”

“Of course, talk to me about what kind of information you are looking to gather. We can go from there.”

They spent the next few hours talking about what kind of information they were hoping to collect, what Olivia had for equipment, and what she could get without causing suspicion from outside parties. They settled on an audio recorder embedded in a button that could be sewn into one of Riley’s existing blouses, along with a retractable pen that doubled as a camera, taking still shots every time the top was clicked. This would, not only, allow Riley to get the devices into the meeting, but it would enable Olivia to easily have everything delivered from Lythikos to the palace. 

As their meeting wrapped up, Riley and Eleanor walked through the door. As soon as Eleanor saw Olivia on the couch, she broke into a sprint. “Auntie!” 

Olivia raised her hand before Eleanor could make it all the way to the couch. “Eleanor, what did I teach you about running?”

She stopped dead in her tracks, pausing to remember. “Running is for the weak.”

Olivia nodded. “Very good, now approach like the princess you are, and greet your aunt properly.”

Eleanor carefully approached Olivia, stopping when she got directly in front of her. “Hello, Auntie Olivia.”

“That’s better.” Olivia reached out and pulled Eleanor into her lap, giving her a hug. 

Drake leaned in behind Olivia’s back and whispered in Eleanor’s ear, “You. Me. Maze tag. After Auntie Olivia leaves.” Eleanor covered her mouth and giggled. 

“I heard that Walker.” Olivia turned around, staring Drake down. “She is going to be the Queen of Cordonia one day, there are more important uses of her time.”

“She’s a kid, Liv, she needs to have fun.” 

“Alright, alright.” Riley stepped in and took Eleanor from Olivia’s arms. “Why don’t you two put a pin in this conversation. When you finally get over this fake hate that is so obviously love, you can fight over how to raise your children.” 

Drake and Olivia both snapped their heads toward Riley, who now had Liam standing beside her trying to stifle a laugh. 

“Yes Drake, then Riley and I won’t be the only ones running late for stuff because we were making out.” Liam exchanged a high five with his wife. 

Drake shook his head, “Gross. I’m leaving.”

“But Uncle Drake, you promised maze tag?” Eleanor looked up at him with sad eyes. 

“You’re right, I did. Let’s go kid.” He reached his arm out, taking Eleanor’s hand. “You won’t make fun of me like your mom and dad do, will you?”

“Never ever.”

“And that’s why you’re my favorite.” With that, they made their way out the door. 

Riley shared a brief laugh with Liam before they both turned their attention back to Olivia. They spoke for a while longer, Liam and Olivia filling Riley in on what they had come up with. Olivia was invited to stay for dinner, but she had to get back to Lythikos to prepare the recording equipment to be sent to the palace. Riley walked Olivia out while Liam remained on the couch. When she returned to the sitting area, she sat in Liam’s lap. 

“It sounds like we have a decent plan in place. I hope I can get some good information in this meeting.” Riley wrapped her arms around her husband’s neck and kissed him on the tip of his nose. 

Liam looked at her with a hint of sadness in his eyes as he brought one hand up to stroke her cheek. “Me too, I just wish we didn’t have to risk your safety to get it.”

“Hey, I’ll be ok, I promise.” She pressed a kiss to his lips. “We’ve got this.”

He nodded. As much as he wanted to believe her, he knew this battle was so much different than any they had fought before. They couldn’t trust anyone, and there was a possibility that they were being observed at any given time. He didn’t doubt Riley’s strength or tenacity for a second. But this time, there were so many questions and unknowns about their enemy, that he feared the worst.

Riley noticed Liam falling deeper and deeper into his thoughts, she knew she needed to do something to get him back to the present. She began playing with the hair at the base of his neck as she placed soft kisses along his jaw. “You know, I don’t have to start dinner for another hour...and Eleanor is outside with Drake...any thoughts on what we could do with this sudden time to ourselves?” She asked in between kisses.

The sadness in his eyes was quickly replaced with a look of desire. “Mmm...I do have a few things in mind.” His hands traveled the curves of her body as he methodically kissed down her neck.

“Care to tell me?”

“I’d rather show you.” Liam stood abruptly, lifting Riley with him and tossing her over his shoulder, slapping her on her behind. He delighted at the yelp that escaped her at the sudden contact. He quickly carried her to the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him. 

Continue Reading

Permatag: @anjanettexcordonia​ @athena-penrose​ @chemist-ana​@choicesficwriterscreations​ @cordonia-gothqueen​ @cordoniaqueensworld @gabesmommie1130​ @gkittylove99​ @hopelessromanticmonie​ @iaminlovewithtrr​ @jessiembruno​ @kat-tia801​ @khoicesbyk​ @kingliam2019​ @lucy-268​ @marshmallowsaremyfavorite​ @mile9213​ @mom2000aggie​ @pixie88​ @queenrileyrose​ @secretaryunpaid​ @sweatyrysconnoisseur​ @theroyalheirshadowhunter​ @twinkleallnight​ @txemrn​

Sapere Aude: @burnsoslow​ @busywoman​ @ofpixelsandscribbles​

Liam x Riley: @jared2612​

[imaginationintowords]

Folklore [song series]

mirrorball

Modern Day AU! Steve Rogers x OC!Reader

Plot: Inspired by Taylor Swift’s new album folklore. The story follows the timeline of Bucky and Elizabeth’s life throughout the years.

Word count: 2110

[a/n: thanks for being patient with me! hope you guys enjoy this new chapter! if i forgot to tag you please inbox me]

previous part

Series Masterlist

Age: 20

Location: Brooklyn, NY

Year: Summer 2014

Steve flopped down onto his bed, tired after today's events. Elizabeth softly laid down next to him, Steve wrapped his arm around her bringing her closer to his chest.

"Today was a day," he tiredly says.

"You okay?" She asked him.

After Bucky had left there was a sadness aura that followed Steve for the rest of the party. He had no clue what he had expected Bucky's reaction to be, but definitely not the one he got. He had even prepared himself fo a fight, he was grateful that didn't happen. He just wasn't expecting for Bucky to shut down and leave. Not even accepting his offer of having a conversation later.

He knew that Bucky just needed his space, time to think it all over. But the look on Bucky's face had Steve questioning whether or not he would ever come around.

It threw Steve off when Bucky requested that he breakup with Elizabeth. He couldn't believe his best friend would want his own happiness to suffer.

His whole life he had done everything possible to keep Bucky happy. After what Bucky and his family had to go through with his father, Steve made it his mission to never let his friend feel that way again. Granted he was only 7 when he made that promise to himself, he still kept it.

Steve had never put himself first, at least not until he had made the decision to go to school in California. He had even thought about changing his plans after his breakup with Elizabeth but he knew his parents would've been disappointed with that decision.

He had put Bucky first his entire life, what he's doing isn't selfish. Yet he can't help but feel like the most selfish person ever.

What if he was keeping Elizabeth from truly being happy? What if she just didn't want to break his heart? What if she just didn't want to break his heart during a family event? What if come tomorrow she would tell him the truth, that she was really still in love with Bucky.

He's not sure he could handle that heartbreak.

"Want to tell me what's going on in that head of yours?" Elizabeth asked, breaking Steve from his self destructive thoughts.

"I won't be mad if you still love him," Steve says, "I'd understand."

Elizabeth quickly sat up to get a look of Steve's face to make sure he was being serious. It nearly broke her to see how defeated he looked. She's never seen him so down, not even after his breakup with Peggy.

"You don't have to pretend to save my feelings," he continues, "If it meant you were happy, that's all I care about. If being with Bucky makes you happy, then please don't let me stand in the way."

"Oh Steve," she gently caresses his face, staring down at him, "I wasn't lying earlier when I told Bucky that I didn't love him anymore. And i most definitely wasn't lying when I said that I love you, because I do love you, with my whole heart. You make me happy. The happiest I've ever been. Bucky was my past. You are my now, and hopefully my future.

"If you can't see how truly great you are, then I must not be doing my job as not only your girlfriend, but you're friend," she says, "Because you make me feel special every single day. And I just want you to feel the way you've made me feel."

"It's not your fault," Steve softly says, grasping her hand to place a kiss on her knuckles.

"Growing up I've always been second to Bucky," he explains, "Everyone seemed to prefer him over me. Whether it was girls or just our friends. It was always Bucky then Steve."

Elizabeth takes a moment to think back on their time growing up. She couldn't help but feel guilty when she realized that everything Steve is saying is true.

After she and Bucky got together, Steve sort of became an after thought, not because they purposefully excluded him, it never crossed their mind simply because Steve also had Peggy at the time. But after Peggy left, Elizabeth never really got to talk to Steve about how he felt, because she got caught up in her own drama.

"Steve, I'm so sorry," she apologizes, "I should've known then about how you felt. I was so caught up in my own shit, I never realized that you could've been going through your own stuff."

"Liz, it was never your fault," he says, "You were going through your own stuff. And I had learned to suppress it. Plus Bucky was your boyfriend at the time, of course i wasn't really on your mind. Plus it's kind of my fault for allowing it to happen. I never spoke up about it. I just always went along, figuring it was better than nothing."

"Once I got to Berkeley that's when everything changed," his mood shifts a bit to a much lighter feel, "I no longer felt like the shadow of a person. I felt like my own person for the first time ever. I was able to become someone I never thought possible. I am no longer 'scrawny Steve, Bucky's best friend'. I just became 'Steve' or 'Rogers'."

Elizabeth smiled at the way Steve's eyes lit up when talking.

"I had never imagined myself leaving New York, let alone making the permanent move to California," he confesses, "As much as I love it here, California is where I feel I belong. I know you feel it too."

Elizabeth nods her head agreeing with him. She felt the same way, as much as New York was her childhood home, California was where she felt her heart aching for. Where she felt like she belonged, where she could thrive. The more she spent time there, the more it felt like home, that's why moving there wasn't a tough decision for her.

"Coming back here," Steve says, causing Elizabeth to shift back her focus on him, "It just makes me feel like that scrawny kid all over again. I feel like no matter how hard I try to shed that image, Brooklyn will never see me for who I am now, but for who I was then. Like no matter what I do I will always be 'little' Steve Rogers."

"I know you feel it too," he says looking up at her.

She did. She did feel stuck in the past whenever she came back home. It seemed like life stood still here, while outside of Brooklyn everything is moving ahead. She knows it's only because she grew up there, and had nothing to do with Brooklyn itself. Once she was in California, she got a taste of life outside of Brooklyn, and she's not sure if she would want to go back. So moving there was an easier choice for her to make.

"I do," she agrees, "It's why moving to California was an easy decision for me to make."

"I wasn't even sure I was even going to make it to California," he says.

"Why is that?"

"Felt like I was disappointing my parents," he confesses, "We had always discussed me going to Columbia as a pre-med major. That had been the original plan. It wasn't like they were forcing it on me. More like I was forcing it onto myself.

"It was the 'safer' choice, granted the longer one, but in the end it all would've been worth it. For some reason as a child I believed that was the only way my parents would've been proud of me. Regardless of the fact that they were already proud and would tell me constantly. I just put that pressure on myself."

"It wasn't until junior year that Mr. Lawson, my high school art teacher said I should apply to some art schools," he continues, "Then after I had a long discussion with the guidance counselor she agreed as well, saying I would get in no problem with whatever art field I applied in.

"I never really gave my drawing much thought. It was just something I would do. Also a career in art is not exactly financially stable, or at all stable. But I figured it wouldn't hurt to apply to a couple of schools as an architecture major. Never really gave it a second thought."

Steve pauses, "I did get into Columbia."

"Steve, no fucking way," Elizabeth gasp sitting up straighter, "I never even heard."

"That's because I only told my parents," he says, "I got the acceptance email the same day I got NYU's and Berkeley's, where I hadn't applied as pre-med, which my parents didn't know of at the time."

"Wow," Elizabeth responds feeling herself become speechless. She had only known about NYU and Berkeley. She knew about NYU because that was the plan, they, including Bucky had discussed Freshman year. Back when she was still with Bucky, and Steve with Peggy and they all had planned to stay in New York. Before life got complicated.

"When I did get the Berkeley acceptance I had to come clean to my parents about what major I applied under. I was nervous, because a part of me never told them because I was worried I wouldn't get in. So seeing that acceptance it was the assurance I needed. One that really let me know that I could actually do it. And of course my parents were proud."

"Of course," Elizabeth smiles, "They would've been proud if you had decided to not even go to school and just worked in a restaurant."

"That's true," Steve lets out a small laugh, "And I think I more so didn't want to regret the decision. Leaving home to move across the country for a career that could be unstable. It's scary."

"Do you?" Elizabeth asks.

"Do I what?"

"Do you regret it?"

"Not one bit," he smiles, pulling her back down onto his chest.

They laid there in a comfortable silence. Steve ranking his fingers on Elizabeth's arm, feeling himself grow tired.

"I hope you know you're amazing," Elizabeth quietly says looking up at him with pure admiration in her eyes, "That I think you're amazing. I think you're one of the greatest people I have ever known. And if I have to spend my entire life showing you just how amazing I think you are, I will."

Age: 29

Year: 2023

Location: Santa Barbara, CA

Elizabeth giggled as Steve carried her over the threshold into their hotel room for the weekend. He kicked the door closed as he silenced her giggles with a kiss, before placing her on her feet.

"Why thank-you Mr. Rogers."

"You're very welcome Mrs. Rogers," he smiled brightly at his new wife.

Her makeup was slowly fading, hair no longer perfectly done after a night of dancing with their close loved ones. Steve just stares at her lovingly. He ahs never seen her more beautiful and the fact that he gets to be her husband for the rest of his life, he's never felt luckier.

Elizabeth feels his eyes just on her, "What? Do I have something on my face?"

"No, just admiring my beautiful wife," he compliments, causing Elizabeth to blush.

"How about one more dance?" she asks.

"There's no music."

"When I'm with you there's always music," she says holding her hand out for him.

Steve pulled her to him, one hand grasped in her's, while the other lay on her lower back. Elizabeth's head rested on his chest, with Steve's chin softly resting on the top of it.

"You know I think you're amazing," Elizabeth says as they sway softly in each other's arms.

"You might've told me once or twice," he responds.

"Get used to it because I'm going to be telling you that for the rest of our lives."

"Nothing I want more than that," he kisses the top of her head.

"If you'd asked me to runaway with you to join a circus, I would in a heartbeat," she says.

"Oh really? If I lose my job, and having nothing to show for, you'd still be there?"

"Right next to you baby, every step of the way," she says looking up at him, "Plus you won't have nothing to show. You'll have me. You'll have us. With me by your side I'll make sure you never not know how much you mean to me."

"You've made me believe in love again when I thought it wasn't possible. You've made me love myself in a way that I didn't think were possible. You make me a better human being by just being you. I love you Steve, more than anything.

"So if everything were to go to shit, as long as I have you that's all I need. I'll be there reminding you every single day just how special you are to me."

"I love you," Steve smiles as tears fall from his eyes.

[strawberry1212]

Asian drama female lead passivity

I feel like a lot of aspects of female lead (FL) passivity is discussed (the fish kiss being the most famous example), but I wanted to systematically analyze each trope under the theory of female passivity and its feminist implications.

This topic has been stuck in my mind ever since I read a blog years ago (literally like six years ago so I’m sorry I have no idea where it is, I can’t link it) talking about how intimacy in Asian dramas is always portrayed as something women relent to giving up half-heartedly, and men one sidedly pursue. Women are chaste, men are lustful, and women are yielding to men, that is the essential message.

This dynamic plays out in Western media as well--the movie Don Jon is a super interesting analysis comparing how women are indoctrinated by romcoms, to how men are indoctrinated by porn. So women attach grand romantic gestures and romantic commitment to their self worth, because that’s what the girl gets in her happy ending, while men attach it to sexual prowess/having women do kinky sexual favors.

This dynamic is super harmful because it works to suppress female sexuality, as well as male emotionality. People are always surprised when a woman would rather just want sex (or a career) over a romantic commitment. And men are applauded for having the bare minimum of emotional awareness because it’s so rare.

I think a form of Asian drama female lead (FL) passivity that is most talked about is the infamous “fish kiss.” See exhibit A:

The guy initiates the kiss on the usually unsuspecting girl, as if the girl ever going in for the kiss herself would be too sexually aggressive. And as if even enjoying the kiss would be too much, they have her just stand there eyes wide open. It’s awkward, and even slightly funny to watch, but our critique often ends here. But I think the fish kiss is a symptom of a much deeper problem. 

You will notice that female lead passivity is present in all physical interactions between the romantic interests.

The pull in hug:

Which sometimes the FL looks uncomfortable to frightened in:

I even found a meme, so I know I’m not the only who thinks this is weird:

(meme/photo credit: https://goliath1357.tumblr.com/post/27115253892/kdramareasons-awkward-one-sided-hugs-k-drama)

What I don’t like about this trope is first of all, it makes female consent seem less romantic. It romanticizes this idea of male pursuit/female passivity, the man will protect her, the man will pursue her (basically like an object), the man will do all the work in making the relationship progress, etc., and it romanticizes this dynamic to women--this is easy to romanticize for us, because to the most of us that aren’t being constantly pursued by two hot men, this pursuit dynamic seems like a dream boat. Often the kdrama female lead (due to the Initial Misunderstanding trope) will even dislike and push away the male lead--and yet he still pursues her, how romantic! -_- Except in real life, the guy aggressively pursuing you and ignoring you disinterest is not romantic.

And the issue is on both sides, because it teaches women to just stand there, not express consent, and not express sexual/intimacy enthusiasm when we’re feeling it (that would be ~unladylike~). And on the other side, it teaches men to do all the pursuing and to assume that a girl standing frozen, wide eyed, and often looking scared as you kiss her, is consent. Sometimes the guy even interprets a clear “no” as consent. (Honestly I’m not even sure if these Asian drama writers are thinking along the lines of “xyz is consent,”...like I’m not sure how often they even think of the concept of consent tbh.)

But anyways, passivity. is not. consent!!!! That’s why we have the slogan “Yes mean yes,” meaning both parties must have enthusiastic, clear consent, for respectful intimacy. Asian dramas discourage women from expressing an enthusiastic “yes,” and it teaches men not to expect this “yes,” so they can steamroll past passivity and even rejection.

And I know some people will be boohooing me on this. “But sudden kisses and hugs are so romantic!” people will say. But what is “romantic,” like many things, is a social construct. We think things are romantic because they’ve always been presented to us as romantic, with swelling music in the background and the implicit understanding that anything is ok because they are Soulmates(TM) that end up happy together. We construct our idea of what is romantic largely out of media.

But that is not real life, and carrying those messages over to real life (as we inevitably all do), is dangerous. I just moved to Japan so this especially hits close to home for me: I dress conservatively by American standards, but I couldn’t bring a quarter of my clothes when I moved because I worried men on trains would interpret them as revealing, and therefore I would be “asking for it.” I, and I’m sure many women will feel me on this, think about and fear sexual assault very often. And when we don’t enshrine active consent, we perpetuate rapist culture.

Since “romantic” is anything our society constructs it to be, let’s romanticize enthusiastic consent! (like this NCT song!!) I think sudden kisses can be cute when you’ve established boundaries that it’s is ok, but it scares me that men and women are watching this and thinking suddenly kissing a person you haven’t discussed boundaries/intimacy with at all is cute. It’s all fun and games when it’s the hot male lead kissing the girl you know he’s going to end up with, but it’s not cute when it’s real life men thinking they’re entitled to women’s bodies.

Other examples of female passivity:

I stopped watching Moonlight Drawn over the Clouds at precisely this scene:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6I0WXeD-dc&ab_channel=KBSWORLDTV

because it was so painful to watch her sitting there like a fish as the guys got these cool fight scenes. Like girllll literally do anything, throw a rock, something! First dramas routinely disable the female characters by making the male characters the able fighters, but even if you’re not an able fighter you can do more than just sit there like a lame duck -_- Especially the parts of these scenes where someone is standing over the girl with the sword and the writers don’t give the girl the presence of mind to simply run away, but they give the guy the presence of mind to somersault into the room, jump over ten monkey bars, slash the antagonist, and catch the girl bridal style on his way down. I guess the damsel in distress trope is as old as the book, but just the complete passivity so many female characters show in fight scenes as they need to be saved is really annoying and disempowering.

I think the worst part is their faces, they’re all like omg! this is so sad!

well girl you could have done literally ANYTHING other than sit there as he took ten bullets for you lmao. Women don’t exist to stand by and be saved!!! This is a historical drama but the modern drama version is when the guy is getting beat up by bullies or whatever and the girl just stands by and does nothing but look upset.

Another good trope that is under this passivity theme is the double wrist grab, where we not only have ONE male lead (ML) manhandling the FL, but TWO MLs. Ahh yes the only thing better than forcibly ignoring consent and the FL’s wishes is TWO men doing it.

I heard this recently even happened in True Beauty...which...that drama...truly I thought Kdramas were progressing until I saw how much people were hyping up that mess of misogyny (not to mention how boringly predictable it was). 

I can’t quite express this next trope in a screenshot, but something I also see a lot of is the ML professing his love to the FL and she sort of just stands there like O_O. Like she’s just sort of this object that sits there being admired? It’s just such an unnatural way to react to someone professing their love for you, and these scenes drag on for many minutes of just the ML’s dialogue so the female actress, having no lines, has no choice but to sit there O_O. Like give her lines! Give her reactions! Give her anything other than being wide eyed!!!!

And these physical interactions represent deeper emotional passivity in the female lead.

I’ve noticed it’s almost always the trend of the male lead falls later, but falls harder, and ultimately he puts more energy into making the relationship progress. Again, this buys into female fantasy, but it is an unhealthy fantasy that is grounded, I think, in our insecurities, and our fear of putting ourselves out there (so we would rather have someone pursue us than put ourselves out there and meet someone halfway).

This emotional passivity is why, weirdly enough, sometimes I will really like the drama because the girl is very stubbornly, openly, and aggressively pursuing the guy. A case of this is Itazura na Kiss, or Mischievous Kiss (there’s a Jdrama, Kdrama, and anime--I only watched the anime). Now the guy is downright meannnnn in Mischievous Kiss, this was not a healthy relationship at all, but there was something refreshing about the girl. Sure her aggression was in pursuing a man, but at least it was aggression, and I’d always only seen any hint of female sexuality/actively pursuing as something very stigmatized. 

I think a sister trope to the passivity trope is the innocence trope. The guy will literally take the initiative to profess his undying love to the FL and she’ll be like “what?? omg stop teasing you’re joking ahahha.” Why do FLs need to be so oblivious/innocent? I think it caters to the way media is seen through a male gaze but that’s a trope to deconstruct another time.

[ouyangzizhensdad]

RE: WWX and his arc being about trauma. I got into the fandom through CQL and the first time I saw it I actually read a lot of his actions post the burning of Lotus Cove as being influenced by his trauma. He's paranoid even before getting thrown into the burial mounds. He seems to be self medicating with alchohol (which WQ kinda calls him out on). He over-reacts to a lot things, which seems to me like a nasty case of emotional dysregulation as a result of PTSD. He avoids all kinds (1/3)

Of reminders of his tramua, his sword being the greatest example but there were other little things. He never gave much of a fuck about propriety but the way he completely igonres it (and the possible social fallout) later speaks to me less about not caring and more about not *having* the emotional capacity to care, much like what happens with depression. Plus, a lot of his behaviour can be read with various shades of being self destructive, and there are just in general a lot of points (2/3)

Where it's made clear that he's in a pretty bad headspace (him crying about being useless in the burial mounds for example), but none of that ever really gets dealt with so all of those issues are still hanging under the surface even if they're not apparent all the time. I mean, this is just my take, but at least imo WWX ticks a lot of the checkboxes for PTSD in the drama and it explains a lot about the way he acts and the bad decisions he makes. Hope this was helpful! (3/3)

I'm only referring to the drama btw, not the novel (which I haven't read yet). My memory is terrible so I'm not sure if I made it clear or not lol. Anyways, have a good day ^^

Hi there, 

I am always curious when people who have only engaged with CQL end up engaging with my novel-only meta blog but perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised: if CQL posts end up in the mdzs tag, why not the opposite? I’ve seen some of my novel meta reblogged and tagged with “the untamed” and “CQL” so maybe the answer is already out there, staring at me in the face! 

I’ll start by saying that I do not wish to really argue with people’s interpretations of CQL since I consider that MDZS and CQL are very different works because so many changes were made in the process of adapting the novel, and I personally have no interest in analysing CQL except wrt  how it can help us better understand the novel (seeing certain elements removed or changed may help us understand why they mattered in the first place or what their use was). So I will speak to the arguments that could be applied to the novel and why *I* don’t think WWX’s arc in the novel is about trauma, and why I don’t think that picking up certain behaviours that can be exhibited by people with PTSD (but not exclusively by people with PTSD) is enough in itself to support the idea that a character’s arc is about trauma/shaped by PTSD. That does not mean that my interpretation is the only acceptable one--I am aware that a lot of people disagree with me on this and see trauma as a central theme/central part of WWX’s arc--and so I expect that a lot of people will disagree with my points (hopefully after they’ve read this post in good faith). And that’s perfectly fine: how likely is it that we can find another person who will agree 100% with our own interpretation of a work of fiction? And having divergent opinions floating around the fandom, or having to develop counter-arguments is a good way to strengthen our own pov if we don’t find ourselves convinced by that other interpretation, so it’s all good. 

So first, I’ll address the biggest point of my argument before moving to address more specific points you raise in your ask. For me, WWX’s characterisation is not about trauma but about resilience. 

So first, let’s clarify some things. Going through adversity/experiencing a situation that is difficult =/= experiencing trauma. Trauma is a concept referring to a potential response to going through adversity/experiencing something distressing or disturbing. In short, trauma as it is conceptualised and understood is not universal: not only in the sense that is a spatiotemporally specific concept used to make certain experiences intelligible, but as the reaction to difficult events (as well, what is considered to be an experience that falls under that concept is not itself universal and can take many gorms, and the behaviours and thoughts associated with trauma are generally not exclusive to it, ie having certain behaviours/thought processes is not an automatic proof that someone is dealing with trauma/ptsd). So after all this word vomit I want to clarify that my intent is not to suggest that WWX doesn’t go through experiences that are likely to cause trauma, but that to me, what is being portrayed is a different reaction to these events: resilience (if a slightly more “fictional” portrayal of resilience than what it would be presented in psychology/psychiatry). 

Resilience refers to how people adapt or recover successfully from adversity/distressing situation/stress. That does not mean that people’s first reaction to adversity/distressing situations will be not defined by negative emotions, of course. For instance, I don’t think WWX’s heightened paranoia/emotional state directly after the fall of LP when he goes to look for JC is an indication of trauma because at this point WWX is still deep in the middle of that moment of adversity: he’s still a fugitive in the middle of a war, in the middle of danger. This also doesn’t mean that people cannot still have some temporary negative reactions to things that happened to them, afterwards: WWX having to pause when JC presents him with Suibian after he returns from Mass Grave Hill is not inherently an indication of trauma as it can be read that his sword a reminder of the difficult sacrifice he made--and the consequences he faced as a result (just because a situation was not traumatic doesn’t mean we enjoy revisiting it).

Why I think that WWX’s arc or characterisation is about resilience rather than trauma is because of many things, but mostly I want to point out two sections of the novel in particular. 

First, this characterisation of WWX through JYL that we get relatively early in the novel:

Most memories from back then were already blurred. Yet, Jin Ling’s mother, Jiang Yanli, remembered all of them, and even told him quite a few. She said that, after his father heard of the news that his parents both died in battle, he had always dedicated himself to finding the child that these past friends had left behind. After searching for a while, he finally found the child in Yiling. 

The first time they met, Wei Wuxian was kneeling on the ground, eating the fruit peels that somebody tossed on the ground. Yiling’s winter and spring were quite cold, yet the child only wore thin layers. His knees were already tattered, and on his feet were two different shoes that didn’t fit at all. As he was looking down, searching for fruit peels, Jiang Fengmian called him. He still remembered that there was a “Ying” in his name, so he lifted his head. Although his cheeks were both red and chapped from the cold, he still wore a smile. 

Jiang Yanli said that he was born with a smiling look. No matter what unfortunate thing happened, he wouldn’t cling on to them; no matter what situation he was in, he would be happy. Although it sounded a bit heartless, it really was not bad.

This refers to a time of his life that is extremely difficult: he lost both his parents suddenly, at a young age, became suddenly homeless with no means to feed himself except to beg, and yet the only trauma he seems to carry from this experience is related to dogs. To me, this is a clear move from MXTX to position WWX as the kind of protagonist who can face a storm and keep his smile on his face. I can imagine that some people take it perhaps as a subversion, as the text telling us that WWX is weathering it all with a smile but underneath it all he is just a bundle of unaddressed trauma. And that’s certainly a possible interpretation, but it’s not mine. In this case I think the text is being straightforward. What we see of WWX also seems to support that: the way WWX just rolls with being brought back from the death, how easily he finds a way to adapt to things, etc.

I also find it meaningful that the novel choses to include in its ultimate chapter this discussion as part of its wrap-up of WWX’s journey and of Wangxian’s relationship.

After they left the shop, Wei Wuxian still sat on Xiao Pingguo while Lan Wangji held the reins in front.Swaying left and right atop the donkey, Wei Wuxian took the flute from his waist and placed it by his lips. The limpid notes flew across the sky like birds. Lan Wangji halted and listened quietly.

It was the song he sang for Wei Wuxian when they were stuck in the Xuanwu cave. It was also the song that Wei Wuxian just so happened to have played at Dafan Mountain, the song that enabled Lan Wangji to confirm his identity.

When he finished, Wei Wuxian winked his left eye towards Lan Wangji.

“How was it? Beautiful, huh?”

Lan Wangji slowly nodded. “For once.”

Wei Wuxian knew that ‘for once’ referred to how his memory was good for once. He could not help but smile.

“Don’t always be so angry about it. It was my fault in the past, alright? Besides, my terrible memory should be accredited to my mom.” Wei Wuxian propped his arm on Xiao Pingguo’s head, spinning Chenqing in his hand. “My mom said you have to remember the things others do for you, not the things you do for others. Only when people don’t hold so much in their hearts would they finally feel free.”

This was one of the only things he remembered about his parents.

Of course, this is not a direct reference to resilience as it is explored in psychology. But to me it speaks to that idea: one of the biggest lesson WWX has kept with him, one of his only memory of--and thus legacy from--his parents, is this idea that we should not hold so much in our hearts. It also reframes his bad memory as being the result of a philosophy, of an approach to life that not just about being grateful/paying your debts to others, but also a form of resilience, in a sense. 

As well, I find that a lot of people who go with the trauma interpretation see WWX’s actions and thoughts processes dyring his YLLZ’s days as being the result of his ptsd, where I personally read it as the influence of modao. I am aware as well that some people do not think that modao actually harmed WWX during that period of his life, but I don’t think that LWJ would have been worried if there were not reasons to believe it would:

One against two, Lan Wangji still refused to back off. He gazed at Wei Wuxian, “Wei Ying, for cultivating an evil path you would eventually have to pay. Throughout time, there has not been a single exception.”

Wei Wuxian, “I can pay.”

Seeing how unconcerned he seemed to be, Lan Wangji lowered his voice, “The path would not only damage your body, but your heart as well (此道损身，更损心性。)”

So now, onto the specific points you raised in the ask.

Self-medicating with alcohol: WWX is shown to enjoy and drink large amounts of alcohol before the fall of LP and after most of the events of the novel have unfolded. In the novel, while WQ tries to make WWX stop drinking, it is as likely to believe that it is for his health (now that he doesn’t have a golden core) than it would be because she was worried he was self-medicating. As well, heavy drinking is a very normalized behaviour (although most physicians don’t think it’s a good thing) in a lot of cultures and times, and considering WWX’s higher tolerance and his general demeanor while imbricated, his drinking is not shown to have a negative effect on his ability to live his life. The line between “self-soothing” (normal aspect of being humans dealing with emotions and hardships) and “self-medicating” (pathological) is hard to trace with alcohol consumption. As well, just because people with PTSD may self-medicate with alchohol doesn’t mean all people who self-medicate with alcohol do it because of PTSD. 

He's paranoid even before getting thrown into the burial mounds. As I mentioned briefly before, WWX is at the time a fugitive in the middle of a war: he’s still in the middle of those stressful events and his paranoia is not necessarily a maladaptive response since they are still very much fugitives in the middle of a war. Trauma is not really your reaction during but in the aftermath. It would be more telling if WWX were still exhibiting signs of paranoia in situations where he would have no reasons to. 

He over-reacts to a lot things, which seems to me like a nasty case of emotional dysregulation as a result of PTSD. I’m not certain at which reactions you are referring to here, but especially considering that some of this might be chalked up to acting choices since this is based on CQL, I probably won’t address this one point too much in relation to the novel. I do want to emphasize though that we’ve seen prior to Sunshot campaign that WWX can be quite impulsive in certain situations (hitting JZX for insulting Shijie, which he does both before and after the events of the Sunshot Campaign). As well, I do think it’s important to remember that he is still in the middle of the war during the Sunshot campaign, and that he is also hiding something pretty important from the people close to him and living a sort of double life, on top of experiencing fatigue/hunger in a way he hasn’t for years due to the loss of his golden core. In short, there are a lot of things going on that can be used to explain what can be seen as “over-reactions” without necessarily going with PTSD.

avoids all kinds  reminders of his trauma, his sword being the greatest example but there were other little things. I’ve broached in my previous discussions, but it’s also pertinent to remember his mom’s philosophy: we can also see this as WWX trying to leave in the pass this difficult sacrifice he made in order to move forward. 

He never gave much of a fuck about propriety but the way he completely ignores it (and the possible social fallout) later speaks to me less about not caring and more about not *having* the emotional capacity to care, much like what happens with depression. I have to disagree with that interpretation of WWX and WWX’s actions, but again this might just be a case of CQL-only vs novel-only interpretations of the character. One thing WWX thinks about being reborn in a “lunatic’s” body is that he’ll get to have fun, the way he never could when his actions reflected on others. So while at times WWX flaunts propriety, he is aware of how his actions can impact others and show in different situations that he is aware of propriety. His choice to protect the Wen Remnants goes against that, for sure, but it isn’t necessarily a case of not understanding the possible social fallout so much as putting other things (ie his life-debt towards WN and WQ) before propriety, as we can see for example in this exchange.

Jiang Cheng, “I’m the one who fucking wants to give you a thrashing! Yes, they helped us before, but why in the world don’t you understand that right now any remnant of the Wen Sect is a target of criticism! No matter who they are, with a surname of Wen they have committed a most heinous crime! And those who protect the Wen are at risk of being condemned by everyone! All the people loathe the Wen-dogs so badly that the worse they die the better. Whoever protects them is against the entire world. Nobody would speak for them, and nobody would speak for you either!”

“I don’t need anyone to speak for me.”

[...]

Swords unsheathed, the two stared at each other for a while. Neither was willing to take a single step back. A while later, Jiang Cheng spoke, “Wei Wuxian, have you still not realized what the situation at hand is like? Do you really need me to say it out loud? If you insist on protecting them, then I won’t be able to protect you.”

“There’s no need to protect me. Just let go.”

Jiang Cheng’s face twisted.

Wei Wuxian, “Just let go. Tell the world that I defected. From now on, no matter what Wei Wuxian does, it’d have nothing to do with YunmengJiangShi.”

“… All for the Wen Sect…? Wei Wuxian, do you have a savior complex? Is it that you’ll die if you don’t stand up for someone and stir up some trouble?”

Wei Wuxian stayed quiet. A while later, he answered, “So that’s why we should cut ties right now, in case anything I do affects YunmengJiangShi in the future.”

a lot of his behaviour can be read with various shades of being self destructive Which ones, specifically? I’m not trying to be obtuse, but I’m not sure which ones you mean. 

he's in a pretty bad headspace (him crying about being useless in the burial mounds for example) It needs to be said that the crying is only in CQL (it was an acting choice by XZ). My memory is playing tricks on me, but I think pre-rebirth we only see him cry after he kills JZX and after JYL’s death? Someone please fact-check me on this. 

Since I don’t believe it was MXTX’s intent to make WWX’s characterisation and arc about trauma, I do feel like interpreting the different behaviours as signs of his PTSD might lead us to miss out on other potential interpretations or meanings behind these choices, if we put aside the PTSD angle. It may also lead us to deny the text the possibility to signify something different through these behaviours and signs, especially on a thematic level--to explore something about how events and emotions shape us in a manner that exists outside of modern psychiatric classification.

TLDR (because god this got long): My point is not that WWX is unaffected by the things that happened to him or the things he’s done during this portion of his life: of course he is! Especially as they are happening to him, or when he is still stuck in a very difficult situation. But I don’t think his character and his arc is about trauma but instead about resilience. That, at the end of MDZS, WWX is still the person JYL described: No matter what unfortunate thing happened, he wouldn’t cling on to them.

[allkinds-oftrash]

Ya girl is watching the latest HSM series ep and Imma live blog it hshshs and will add my reactions under the cut so it doesn't end up a long post. Anyways, let's goo:

AHHHH THE MORNING SHOW WITH GINA AND EJ WE LOVE TO SEE IT

They really said we're gonna let life imitate art with Nini and Olivia huh

Ricky was SUPPORTIVE??? Damnn I really thought we gonna get a classic Ricky tantrum....

But also wow sir that sounds salty and should definitely talk to someone abt how you're feeling...A therapist maybe 👀

I know we needed to contextualise how Ricky felt abt the song but I really wanted to see Nini's interview in full!!

Sebby you're so cute I do wanna see yall do DEH

Shjshshs not the rights not being available for another 5 years 😭😭

I dunno how they're in great shape and closer to the Menkies Gold after not having a single proper rehearsal, but go off Miss Jenn

Omg honestly Kourt's costumes are always amazing and on point Imma excited to see it

Kourt is such a simp we love to see it

Carlos is so pissy this episode we love to see it shshhs

Also love the way Seb calms him down and keeps him nice it's such a funny dynamic

"We had 20 people make our Belle dress over 50 hours" Okay North High shut the fuck up

I'm calling it now the reason North High knows so much is cos Howie is the leak and Kourt has been unwittingly telling him. The way her phone keeps going off as they discuss how North High knows everything is really good foreshadowing if my prediction is right

Also like her phone went off just as Carlos said "How did they know that?" THAT'S PEAK FORESHADOWING

If Howie ain't in North High, I dunno what Tim is doing

GSJAGSHAH KOURTNEY MAKING ABS FOR EJ I CANNOT

"I have abs" We know sweetie

"I PADDED THE THUSH FOR YOU" "AWW THANKS KOURT I NEEDED THAT" THIS INTERACTION IS EVERYTHING THAT WAS SO FUNNY!! I love that it is now canon that EJ has abs but no butt love that for him

Okay but like damn these costumes are great!! North High can fuck right off with its high end ones I just wanna see lowkey homemade costumes by students; I'd watch a Broadway show if I wanted to see professional costumes okay

Damn Carlos has killer eyesight clocking in that mask in the trunk

GINA BBY DON'T SAY THAT AND HAHSGSH NINI NUDGING HER WAS SO FUNNY

Nini's little look over at Gina was like "Omg you guys my girlfriend is so cute and dumb" GINI STANS HOW WE FEELING?

Miss Jenn don't be that naive, your boyfriend probably put them up to it

That Insta page is prophetic with their timing tbh; all the info is a leak obviously looking at your Howie but like the timing of it all. Those kiddos don't know that they are discussing the stolen mask at this exact moment (Kourt has put down her phone after Carlos snapped at her so Howie doesn't know they are talking abt it rn)

"We don't dance with the enemy" *cuts to her dancing with Zackey later*

SEBBY WEARING THE TEACUP COSTUME OMG HE'S GOING MAKE SUCH A CUTE CHIP (yes I am still mad Seb/Joe was robbed but Imma fangirl over the costume anyway)

Wtf why does North High look so expensive - they are literally in the same district as East High right??? How did they get this much funding

North High is a very artsy and rich for a public school; they should have had Nini go here instead of YAC tbh (like this campus feels like what YAC should have been) NOW THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN AN INTERESTING STORYLINE

Seblos' dynamic IS ON POINT THIS EP I really love my bois so much and their back and forth is hilarious

Shhshs DIANE who loves volleyball and North High okay I totally believe it

WHY ARE RED AND ASHLYN SO KINKY EVERY DAMN EPISODE TIM THESE ARE UNDERAGED CHARACTERS STOP IT

Shshsh we love Gina knowing herself and practicing self control by volunteering to be the lookout

Omg yall listen to Carlos and stfu they are so lucky no one saw or heard them yelling Wildcats

Oh no no no no no Miss Jenn you gonna get sucked in; this is gonna be so messy

Omg I saw someone post about this scene before I watched the ep YALL ARE RIGHT THAT BOI HITTING ON GINA IS SO FINE Babes go for that one, not EJ

NOT THEM FAKE DATING UGH E W TIM STOP MAKING ROMANTIC PORTWELL A T H I N G I honestly do not understand how some of yall can ship it romantically knowing Sofia is a whole underaged babey and Matty is a whole ass grown man - like I get the appeal of the Wonderstudies getting together and they do have chemistry but the irl age gap is creepy and outweighs the appeal of shipping them romantically

As I always say; Portwell/Wonderstudies should be a BROTP not an OTP

Ugh Brotp Portwell would have clocked Lily right away; romantic Portwell making googly eyes at each other isn't helping anyone

Living for Nini getting the recognition she deserves - I really like her solo arc this season she's so much more interesting without Ricky tbh

Aww Kourt you simp I love her and I'm so happy she's happy I wanna be wrong about Howie being a North High kid

Where is the mask??

OHMYGOD THESE KIDS COMING IN LIKE A HORROR MOVIE

Lily really wishes she was Jesse St. James huh; you could never Lily so stop

Andrew Barth Feldman and his cute little French accent I love him so much

Hnng Miss Jenn gonna get manipulated by this hoe. Omg wowow Zackey really is a hoe, making out with another girl before the show THE AUDACITY OF HIM SAYING MISS JENN WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH I WILL THROW HANDS WITH THIS MOFO

Wait the kids didn't steal it BUT WHAT IF ZACKEY DID

Ssjsgfajhdfg I CANNOT WITH ANDREW'S ACCENT but I can't tell if its really bad or really good but I'm also confused why didn't they just cast a French person as Antonie shshhs Antoine is adorableee and a little shit the best type of character

Lily is so annoying b y e sis bye and Olivia Keegan is talented I just wish they didn't make her character such a cartoony villain type

"How about if we bop to the top" SEBBY I LOVE YOU AND NEVER STOP BEING SO CUTE I SWEAR and Awww Carlos called him Honey I am s o f t

Hnng why do these fools are really gonna give into North High calling them chickens

OHHH NO SHE DIDN'T JUST SAY THAT ABOUT ASHLYN FUCK A DANCE OFF I AM ABOUT TO THROW HANDS WITH A 16 YEAR OLD

"She told us not to dance with the enemy. She's better than this" No Sebby, she's not *cuts to her dancing with Zackey* AND OMG THE WAY I SAW THIS EDIT COMING BEFORE IT CAME

Ooooh I like this song wayyy more whatever the mess The Mob Song became (when I first heard it drop on Spotify yesterday) Around You is such a great song musically and lyrically very relevant to these two and gosh I love their voices together

They have so much chemistry damn, go home Mike (well he technically has oop) and Mr. Mazzara

YES YOU DO MISS JENN YOU ALWAYS HAD IT

Oh god this is the scene from the trailer; she's gonna make a move on Ricky isn't she?? Leave him alone Lily he doesn't need a 3rd girl to be confused about he needs a therapist

Lily shut the fuck up with quasi; STOP TRYING TO MAKE QUASI HAPPEN

"I love Nini's song" Sure, Jan.

...Okay yes you should have called him out but don't bait him LIKE THAT oop there's the scene from the trailer

Ohmygod is Andrew Barth Feldman gonna hit on Ashlyn

Okay this is so cute but also I am VERY annoyed with the way this show handles its characters like they aren't relevant or important unless they get into a relationship or a love triangle?? That's such a shitty way to give out screentime and arcs to characters. Is it not enough to develop the characters on their own and strengthen their friendship???

HUH TIM why you so obsessed with compulsory heterosexuality??(well also homosexuality for Seblos but they are the only ones I'm not annoyed with their relationship cos its a hella big step for Disney to have a gay couple and their relationship isn't in our faces or overshadows the plot and its just spinkles of cuteness every time they interact - they are honestly who Rini wishes they were; besties in love. They are a couple that Tim should be taking notes from; leave the relationship drama in the background, focus on the theatre and friendship aspect of everything)

My mini rant aside; this is a very adorable interaction between Ashlyn and Antoine.

"TOM HOLLAND ON STILTS" GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE WITH THAT COMPARISON I AM SCREAMING ANTOINE THAT'S SO FUNNY

This is so funny he keeps picking out the hottest guys of the group; as if he himself isn't the French version of Big Red they look super alike ngl shshsh

WHY YOU RUIN IT WITH THAT ANTOINE I WAS ROOTING FOR YOU

Drama between Antoine and Red is already spicing up shshsh I cannot

Why are you so dramatic with the shuffle Lily gtfo of here...also this doesn't make sense?? She wasn't even on a BATB playlist; what if a non BATB song came on ahahah

Good to know they aren't big fans of The Mob Song like I am Awww EJ you cutie, okay I will appreciate the OG Mob Song just for you

OH WAIT HE PROLLY LIKES IT COS ITS A GASTON LED SONG TIM GIMME THE EJ SOLO I DESERVE IN THIS NUMBER

I'm being robbed of Gaston for the last 7 eps I at least deserve an EJ solo for compensation

The way the set looks straight out of Broadway but also like omg the blue lighting and fancy stage gave me intense flashbacks to that Glee episode where Vocal Adrenaline sang Bohemian Rhapsody

RICKY STOP BEING SALTY AND ACTUALLY COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR GIRLFRIEND LIKE A NORMAL PERSON

OMG THE SUBTITLES SAID ITS HOWIE SINGING AS THE BEAST I FUCKING CALLED IT

Howie you hoe you gonna break my girl Kourtney's heart

Yeah...still not a fan of Antoine's Dance Remix

Yall know Gina would kill the dance number if she wasn't wearing that fit

Okay but it's Gaston led song WHY DOES EVERYONE BUT EJ HAVE A SOLO IN THIS SONG??

First the Beasts led it (Howie sounded better than Ricky ngl), then the Lumieres (their voices worked hella well together; I always forget what a talented singer Frankie is THEY NEED TO GIVE HIM A SOLO SONG) and now the Belles are going at it (Ashlyn's voice is superior)

BIG RED BEING JEALOUS AND SALTY IS SO FUNNY ITS LIKE A PUPPY BEING ANGRY I CRI

...Did anyone really win, Lily??? STFU

CARLOS IS RIGHT AND HE SHOULD SAY IT

Oooh I did see someone talk about this when the Rose Song dropped last week, apparently its illegal to add songs to a musical you're doing for a school play; I really thought the show would brush past that irl rule but I guess they are playing into it

THE WAY EVERYONE TURNED TO EJ FOR THE SPORTS METAPHOR I AM D Y I N G AND HIS FACE WAS GOLDEN! ITS LIKE THAT LISA SIMPSON MEME SHHSHSH

Okay Nini is being a little pissy about leaving her song out of the show and its a little selfish to wanna keep it at the risk of being disqualified but I also understand why she's hurt

Everyone is dog piling on her right now being against her idea and it feels like they are being against her song and her herself instead of them not wanting to be disqualified. Also like she poured her heart and soul into the song after Miss Jenn lowkey rushed her to write it. So I can see why this feels like a rejection of her and her song and why she's so hurt rather than her seeing the big picture right now

It doesn't help that Ricky said the final blow causing her to walk off

Okay maybe Zackey gets some rights for being chill and wanting the kids to be peers

THIS MOTHERFUCKER I KNEW HE WAS SHADY Also the way I gasped even though I predicted he stole the mask halfway through this ep shshsh

Stab him Miss Jenn STAB HIM

Bitch why you so threatened by East High if yall have such a Broadway-esque show planned??? They honestly should have stuck to the Little Mermaid; I really wanted to see the aquarium

"It's just a song Ricky" "A song can mean everything" Do you get deja vu? Anyone else getting intense flashbacks to Jan when DL first dropped and all the drama happened 👀

YES PLEASE STAY CO ANCHORS Gosh I love them so much esp once you take the romantic connotations out of their interactions

ROUGE GRAND I'M SCREAMING

I love this long take of checking in with everyone's relationship status (still hate how romantically focused this show has become but still a cool shot)

I K N E W IT I WAS RIGHT

Okay but like looking at Kourtney's face I have never wanted to be wrong so bad GOD I HATE IT HERE I really think he likes her and I hope they work it out

Nini setting up her own music acc feels like when Olivia rebranded her whole IG to be just for her music stuff - love this for both of them

AHHHHH SHE'S NINA NOW YALL

I know everyone loves her as Nini but like I have always loved the name Nina and it really suits her to be honest also shows how she's growing up now and kind of leans into the lyric "I won't be confined to your point of view" from The Rose Song because Nini is the nickname Ricky gave her so it shows that she's outgrowing him too and I love that for her!

Overall thoughts; they really crammed all the North High drama into one ep huh. Personally would have liked it if all of this was spread out throughout the last few episodes; like different hijinks for every episode. I'm just a big fan of properly setting up the overall arc over the season instead of patching it together closer to the climax/end of the show. Cos now it lowkey feels like two different seasons - 2A felt like The Rini/Rina Show esp with YAC storyline and whatever was going on with Rina and now 2B is finally feeling like what this season should have been all this time