#sorry but i kinda hate caitlyn this season

[chronicsyd]

I'm gonna be so serious, y'all are remembering POWDER and Ekko and not JINX and Ekko when screaming about how much you "wanted Timebomb endgame over Caitvi"

shoving JINX in a relationship with her current mental state is not a good writing choice whatsoever, because Ekko literally had to keep rewinding time because she kept trying to kill herself. If Anything, That relationship would be rushed and fanservice because they would have jumped the gun in 2 episodes vs the 2 seasons it took for Caitvi and showing their ups and downs throughout their whole relationship.

The alternate universe works because Powder doesn't become Jinx and the two don't separate, unlike this universe where the two have been at odds for 7 years and almost kill each other back in Ep 7 of S1.

"But Cait never said sorry!" she didn't really have to, because Vi never stopped being in love with the girl that she Knows Cait is at heart, the Cocktail Molotov scene in Act 2 makes that VERY apparent. Cait saying that she was waiting for Vi to recover to address Jinx is the start of it because Act 1 Cait wouldn't have even Considered doing that, because she was so gung-ho about putting a bullet into Jinx that she Demanded Vi move out of the way for her to do so. She holds herself accountable with the mistakes she's made ("We can't erase our mistakes. None of us." that wasn't just a line targeted at Jinx to prove a point, there's deeper meaning behind it), and moving the guards out of the cell proving that she trusts Vi and her judgment on Jinx is that apology, Caitlyn has always been an "acts of service" kinda person over being a "verbal" kinda person; it's all over the place in S1 but Especially here in S2. But even after she takes Vi's shirt off, you could tell by her eyes and body language that she was most likely going to stop herself again to apologize for hitting her because the wound was in the same spot she initially hit, which was part of the lead up for This wound to even happen, but Vi's the one that just pulls her back in instead.

I'm also gonna add on that Vi thinks she made the wrong choice in trusting Jinx and thinking Jinx's changed because Jinx locked her in the cell and ran away again. So why in the Hell would Vi go chasing after her Again to be met with the same result time and time again? Vi isn't responsible for Jinx's mental health and y'all saying that are just weird. And I think it's apparent that Stillwater probably wasn't even in the top 10 things in her head being with Caitlyn, she was just running wild on emotions that she hasn't allowed herself to feel like-- Ever. And even if it Was Vi probably would have said she wasn't comfortable being in a jail cell of all places.

What was I talking about? Oh right, Timebomb.

Like Yes, it's shitty that Ekko doesn't get a happy ending considering he's the most unproblematic in the entire show. But people tend to forget that at the end of the day, Arcane is a TRADGEDY. It's not She-ra, it's not The Owl House, it wasn't going to be wrapped up in a neat little bow where everyone gets to smile and walk into the sunset with their loved ones, especially considering the fact that this season's being used as build ups to other stories, it's relatively clear that this isn't the last we're going to see of a lot of these characters. When they come back into play? well... who's to say?

But also, let's address that a lot of the Caitvi hate is just straight up homophobia at this point because a lot of people can understand Mel's admission to manipulating Jayce as an apology but Cait's actions we're suddenly braindead and need shit completely spelled out. like good lord I'm so tired of this. Y'all would NEVER have survived Catradora let me tell ya...

(My next post is gonna be a long winded rant about Maddie so stay tuned for that...)

[vibescornerr]

Maybe its just me and im insane but maddie being the traitor and ‘bad guy’ felt like a real shit way to just brush off the fact cait literally cheated on her with vi 😭😭😭 im??? oh yeah guys its okay she cheated on maddie because maddie is actually bad and didnt love her so she deserved it!! Huh???? ??? Cait didn’t know anything like that when she cheated. It’s still shit. She didn’t even have the balls to tell maddie. Like it makes sense. The scene with mel implying a traitor or ambessa saying vi leaving gave her a whole in caitlyn to fill. (The whole probably making maddie rebound.)

[idkwhatimdoingbutslay]

I think what it is is that the heart of Arcane has changed as of right now. What’s guiding the plot isn’t character dynamics anymore, it’s just plot. It’s not Vi and Jinx or Jinx and Caitlyn or Mel and Ambessa or Ekko and Jinx or Silco and Jinx or Vi and Vander or Jayce and Viktor or Mel and Jayce or even Caitlyn and Vi. There are hints of all of those things, yes, but they weren’t hints in season one, they were driving forces. The characters don’t feel like people as much anymore and their relationships suffer from that.

Edit: I wrote this after act I and I feel this even more after act ii. There is so much intimacy missing this season. The interpersonal conflicts are lacking so hard and I feel like the plot isn’t even heavy enough for the sacrifice to be so great. That’s why we’re missing the importance of characters like Ekko and Vi who are so driven by their care for other people. I’ll come back to this draft once act iii airs.

From season one, I can tell you that this is a tale of two sisters. From season two… I don’t know what’d I’d say.

Edit post act iii: I have to say, regarding this, Act III is the best. I really didn’t hate the focus on Jayce and Viktor and the Arcane considering that’s the name of the show and this is the most consistent and well thought out storyline stretching from s1 to s2, but I do have my gripes with Mel being so disconnected from this story despite her also having the Arcane within her and being a main player in Hextech in s1. The black rose s1 set up was a complete fumble imo. Either do it well or don’t do it at all.

This act felt a lot more propelled by the relationships in this show. What I loved about Arcane s1 is that it’s not just a bunch of people within a plot but a bunch of people making the plot. Things aren’t just happening to them, they are actively making them happen. This cast in s1 is how you write real, good and well thought out plot devices. They’re all elements of a narrative that feel so so real.

Episode seven being the best episode of the season is such a good example of this. We get to see the characters we love in the story we love. We get to see the consequences of the characters existing (or not). We also have an Ekko centric episode which is just the cherry on top.

Act II wasn’t too bad in the relationship propelling the story aspect with Jinx, Vi and Vander (and Isha). But they barely lasted and the Warwick we saw in act III was so obviously not Vander that it felt kind of meh. And Isha felt empty to me, sorry. She should have lasted longer but she would have no significant part to play in act III. She was just TOO MUCH of a plot device to me.

The fact that we got ONE Silco hallucination and it was in act III is another reason why I feel like it’s better in this way. I know Jinx was getting healthier and whatnot, but in act I we didn’t see any hallucinations at all after her literally killing Silco and really leaning into the Jinx persona which felt a little off.

Erm not to talk about the lesbians but I’m gonna do that lmao. This season was so wishy washy we them. We got what we wanted but not how we wanted it. Their characters were kinda fumbled (Caitlyn less so) so thereby, their relationship felt a little fumbled. I think them ending their respective storylines separately is fine, but having them hardly be intertwined felt off. And even the final scene with them felt a little empty. Like of course they’ll forever be together but that can’t be it. There’s so much more to CaitVi than that. I feel like they’re missing the “despite it all……”, even tho it was implied pretty well I suppose. Idk, just a little unsatisfied with the “Dirt Under Your Nails” line.

TLDR; this show is made up of characters and relationships that make the story move forward and I feel like s2 was lacking in this in comparison to s1.

[miadearden]

Okay I’ve finally caught up on Act01 of Arcane S2 and I HAVE THOUGHTS (under the cut)

I noticed slight differences in the opening for each ep so of course now I’m gonna have to watch the intro closely on every ep whee

Speaking of the opening (and each episode general opening as well), really digging all the theatre homages and also the whole vibe of watching a play in this act. Like I saw people were annoyed with the opening musical numbers at the start of every episode but to me they came across very much like watching a play or musical on stage? Like when you come back from intermission and there’s a musical number to bring you back into the world of the play? Am I cooking with that thought there?

Anyway

Oh, Vi. My poor pookie. My sweet sad pathetic wet cat. I wish I could say things are going to get better for you but I don’t see that happening anytime soon 💔

(You look fucking great though)

Caitlyn. Very much digging her descent in this act as she follows her grief and pain down into becoming the person she didn’t want to be in season one. Very nice. That said - I have a question on those final moment in ep03 and I’m wonder other people’s thoughts on them.

You see, as Ambessa pitches Cait as the new commander and we see Cait struggling whether or not to accept it - that’s when we get the flashbacks that confirm that Ambessa was the one to set up the attack on the memorial to stir up this civil war. My question is - did anyone else read this moment as Cait putting the pieces together and realising that this was Ambessa plan all along? Or are we just all supposed to assume it was for the audiences sake? Because the fact that it was delivered to us specifically when we were focused on Cait deciding to take the role felt like to me Cait figured Ambessa out, and that makes me curious as to what the dynamic in the following act will me.

But maybe I’m off base with that - what do other people think?

ANYWAY continuing! Really dig Jinx and Sevika teaming up in Silco’s absence. I was worried that Sevika would just be written out and forgotten after season one but very cool to see that she wasn’t

Just seeing tweets and stuff I think I was like one of the only people that didn’t hate Jayce in season one? Like I wouldn’t say I was his biggest fan but I still found him compelling as an idealist who lost his way when dragged into the politics of it all. Anyway continuing to dig him here, LOVE pairing him up with Ekko I think that was a genius move and very interested to see what happens with him investigating whatever’s going on with the arcane

Ekko continues to be my favorite but there was not enough of him in this act for my liking please give me more Ekko.

Interested to see where this stuff with Ambessa and Mel and the Black Rose is going and how it will tie into the greater story (also Mel’s magic! She totally has magic, right?). Don’t have much to say about it because we don’t know much yet but am interested (and very much enjoy that Ambessa is terrified of whatever’s going on)

Oh yeah also Victor’s here I guess

I’m so sorry Victor fans but I continue to not understand why people go apeshit for this man I simply do not find him that interesting

I have a few criticisms - mainly, pacing wise? Like if feels like there’s a) not the best sense of how much time is passing between moments/episodes and b) some kinda important pieces that are missing/were probably cut out from the script

Like mainly - Shield Man. Who was drinking with Vi then helped during the memorial attack then became an enforcer with Vi then left when things went all authoritarian - why do I only know him as Shield Man. I don’t recall ever learning his name, and it seems like if we’re going to have this little impact moment of him walking out of the room at the end of the last ep I should at least know his name and a little bit of his deal? I just feel like there was some important stuff that we just needed a little bit more detail on but was probably cut for time.

Same case for Isha. Not as much, because I feel like Isha is more there as a symbol for both Jinx and Vi and this whole conflict, but still like - I only know her name because it was in the subtitles describing her gasp at some point.

And yeah just general pacing seems like there was some connective tissue missing between some scenes and all that’s basically it.

And yeah!

Having a watch party for Act2 tomorrow yay!

[1864th]

ARCANE RANT INCOMING sorry its just this fucking show.

they really did need an extra season or even maybe 2-3 more episodes even wouldve been good everything was so rushed not a lot was resolved and i know the show would have ended up being abt the arcane/magic anyway but i wish the conflict between zaun/piltover was resolved first? before introducing noxus/ambessa as proper villains. s1 had really good setups and but the direction they went with some of these characters is just???? SEVIKA DIDNT EVEN HAVE A SINGLE LINE IN S2 ACT3 like are they fucking kidding me. even LORRIS who i never thought would show up ever again had a bigger impact on the story i fucking swear to god...i cant even talk abt vi like i didnt even like her that much in s1 and yet i feel really bad for her bc her character was done so dirty by the writers. there was. honestly nooo way they could have written her arc in a way id like anyway because she has to be an enforcer by the end as per actual league lore but this was like one of the WORST possible ways they couldve done it. caitlyn doesnt even apologize/reflect on anything i actually hate this. mel jinx ekko are like superstars when theyre on screen theyre easily the best parts of the whole season act 3 especially was carried by ekko. will fucking admit that i get GIDDY everytime i heard 'machine herald' viktors voice like the voiceacting/audio work on that or whatever was sooooo awesome. i have no complaints abt jayvik tbh like idk i feel like they had just enough screentime although i will say, their ending and how they got there felt kinda like the writers were definitely trying to cram too much in one episode...which they were. idk why they (netflix) had to keep the eps under 1 hour esp the finaleee of THIS show its a streaming site like theres no timeslot its taking like with tv like i truly dont get it. i only know the most basic of league viktor lore but i wish i watched the show that went that direction instead of...this but it doesnt bother me that much/idrc. when the jayvik reveal happened my brother and i both went woah "this is just like orv" at the same time so thats cool i still think its kinda dumb though aksjdjsjk. i WISH WISH so much that mel had more screentime but her story honestly went fine. just felt so side quest-y. bringing up s2e7 because as much a cliche it is i really loved it so much. an AU episode like that somehow didnt even feel that out of place despite them literally introducing this concept 15 episodes in on an 18 episode total show. its also the only ep that felt close to what i loved abt the early acts of arcane so... also brooo they dont even bring up isha like what the point of introducing her just killing her off like that and JINX. she deserves better like wtf do these writers have against her 😭. i wish that they kept vi&jinx as the core of the show like its why i even liked it at all....atleast we'll always have s1 & s2 act 1 vi&jinx. overall arcane s2 is like 7/10 i still honestly enjoyed it. just mad abt like every decision done with caitvi & jinx and the overall plot i guess.

[skullsgrowontrees]

ARCANE SEASON 2 SPOILERS!!

.

I have a lot to say.

1) Oh my gosh, I did NOT expect Sky to hahnt the narrative like this. I'm so happy they're using her for this, I was getting bored of people saying she was a wasted character when it was obvious they were setting up something. I also wanna add (which is a little bit of a tangent but wtv) that this, to me does not confirm that Viktor had a romantic interest for Sky necessarily, but to me it shows that he did CARE about her a lot. I was getting a little upset at discussions saying that Viktor simply never cared for Sky and she only mattered when she died, since it made Viktor realize his effects on other people. She had way more of an impact on him than this (obviously, they've known each other since childhood). I don't believe he ever saw her romantically tho. Probably just go a lot more attached upon reading the confession she had written for him. Nevertheless, I am sooooo enjoying this sort of messiah persona their giving him (it lines up well with what we know of him in the games).

2) A part of me is a little sad that a Mel wasn't the one who died. Not because I hate her character, in fact, I find her to be very interesting (The stuff with her mom is ALWAYS so visceral to me???). I just think that it would have had a lot more of an impact on Jayce and probably given her mom more of a reason to be here. It also would have given the start of the season more emotional weight. Sure, I'm sad that Caitlin's mom died and I'm happy this is being used as a drive for her, but it just didn't hit me as hard as it could have. I have some thoughts on it is all.

3) Does anybody else find it kind of jarring how many musical moments there are? It's not that I dislike them or anything, but I liked that there were less of them in the first season so it felt fresh and unique to the scenes when there were. In the first episodes, I can already count like a good 3-4 of them. Just thought it was a strange decision.

4) Gosh, I am loving some of the new character's and their designs. I hope we see more of them. They look really good. In general, the show is just as, if not MORE aesthetically pleasing than in season 1. Everybody and everything just looks really nice and I'm happy that's something that wasn't slept on.

5) I really like the Sevika/Jinx alliance! OH, THAT AND THE LITTLE KID! I love the idea of putting Jinx in a sort of protector role after having every older figure in her life promise to keep her safe just to fail at it. At first, I thought it might not fit her, but I think it's a good decision.

6) Jayce and Viktor breakup part 2... Omfg, these two. THE HUG SCENE. IT'S SO... INTIMATE. The way Viktor was caressing Jayce's back, it's like the other was precious. I felt like I was interrupting something like HELLO??? "It was affection that held us together."

...IT WAS AFFECTION THAT HELD US TOGETHER. SAY FUCKING SIKE RN. I DID NOT WAIT THIS LONG FOR YOU TOO TO TENDERLY EMBRACE AGAIN JUST FOR YOU TO THROW THIS SHIT AT ME. OML. They make me sick. They make me ILL.

7) Vi is having the police effect rn (The oppressed becomes the oppressor). It was to be expected since yk, the games, but like I hate seeing it in real time. I hate seeing how little fights for it not to happen.

8) The Vi x Caitlyn stuff is real cute, but I'd be lying if I said I found the Caitlyn stuff to be very interesting at the start... I'm sorry, but we have so many things to deal with rn, how are we spending this much time over the poor girl's dead mother. It was just uninteresting to me, but it was a vehicle for the fun stuff to start, so I can't really be mad.

9) Seeing how the underground functions now that Silko is dead has been a lingering question of mine for a while and I'm happy that it was answered!

10) I was so worried the second intro wouldn't be as good and was even kinda wondering if they would just go for the same one, but I LOVE the vibes and tones set for the second! It doesn't beat the first, since that's almost an impossible task, but it's a fun treat and I am also not skipping that one when I watch an episode from now on.

11) And of course, the most important thing; EKKO LOOKS SO FUCKING FINE UGHHHHH HE FINALLY GETS MORE SCREEN TIMEEEEE!!!

LORD, HAVE MERCY.

Oh, and the Heimerdinger stuff with him is also cool ig.

[limeade-l3sbian]

So now I know I can rant about Sevika to someone!

I hate how in the show she's losing fights against opponents much weaker than her because the plot demands it. Like, her not handling Caitlyn's ass is just laughable!

Unrelated: I live for the animation but I kinda struggle to care about most characters in Arcane. I sustained myself on Sevika + Jinx + Silco during the first season. And now I'm on my Ambessa + Mel bullshit (I didn't care about Mel until her backstory and family drama got revealed tbh). It's a me thing mostly but I can only imagine how much fun I'd be having if all the characters were this fun for me.

I agree! To both of your points, actually. Like, I get Cait is a womyn on a mission but I'm sorry lmao, she is not putting down Sevika that easily. It really is a part of the show I dislike but you know 🤷🏽‍♀️ Hope I don't piss anyone off by saying this again lmao but I don't have that much interest in Vi or Cait. I don't generally tend to care about rich cops getting revenge for their parents the way the lower characters were never able to so.....sorry, Cait isn't someone I'm rooting or really care about lol. And Vi is just...sure, whatever. Ultimately, I'm more interested in the Zaun side of things.

[loycos]

Lol can i plz have your Caitvi fic list?

haha, i wrote the tag asking people to ask for this list over a month ago and got that ask shortly after, only to go into my bookmark list and see that i have WAYYY too many saved in there. sorry it took a while.

There are a lot (A LOT) of piltover's finest fics, and a lot of them are good. this last year i've been FED like ive probably never been fed before in my life. that means i have a lot of bookmarks that i honestly don't remember much of other than "it good", but i wanted this rec list to include the fics that really left a (positive) mark on me. they aren't ordered in any specific way, and all are sfw. if you guys want my nsfw list, hit me up (i swear it wont take a month again)

Shadows at sea won't keep you from me - this is rated M but the sex is extremely vague. this one is very dialog heavy and is filled with inner vi monologue, however, it feels like a fresh take. I love the home-y vibes they give off here.

i won't let go (i left my baby teeth in your drawer) - caitlyn experiences a crisis in the shower. sounds like every caitvi fic you've ever read but i swear this one has something special to it. it feels really intimate in a way not many fics managed to capture imo, and caitlyn is written very in character.

High Tide Came and Brought You In - caitlyn's a mermaid, vi's a sailor. i'm usually not a person who actively seeks aus, especially not as extreme as this one, but this way such a sweet little thing, even i couldn't help but get swiped by the simple story.

Don't break the rules (maybe just for you) - "i hate aus! especially high school aus!" i scream again and again in every convo about fanfics i've ever had. so why is battle academia like my favorite caitvi au??? i don't know. makes no sense to me. i actively sought out this specific au tag, so i guess it makes me a liar too. what's so special about this one? idk, it has caitlyn and vi in it, it's well written and adorable, its a goddamn high school au, you know exactly what you're getting yourselves into. do be aware that BA!caitlyn is a different beast entirely than arcane!caitlyn, and so is BA!vi to an extent. (EDIT: i made it sound like im mad at this very cute fic, not my intention at all. this one is on here for a reason)

We Have Never Been Fairweather Friends- in the aftermath of the council's attack, caitlyn comes down with a mysterious disease, and vi is there to make sure she's ok. i, *cough*, might have talked about this one before. this might be my favorite fic, or top 2 at least. really good and in character writing, trippy and surprisingly authentic dream sequences, and a mystery that builds at a perfect rate.

Soaked with Sadness - caitlyn attempts catching jinx by herself, vi isn't too pleased. this is the other top 2 fic. the usual well-written-in-character compliment goes here, but also it's got that special brand of intimacy that i like, plus drunk caitlyn, and you kind of find out things in a non-linear way that make the story feel really... well crafted. i had to read it twice in a row cause i felt like i was missing things on the first go (might just be my dumb ESL brain tho).

the negative space and the pausing of time - aftermath fic. like author said, there are tons of those in the tag, and i have read probably all of them, but this one is really really good. the dialog feels especially flowy and snappy. kinda what i wouldve want to see in season 2, if arcane was just about angsty lesbians, which it sadly isn't. fics like this fill the void of the hiatus in my heart.

[too-tired-omg]

Oh my gosh i love this questioon!! So, i think...

This season is absolutely gonna fuck me up, destroy my heart and i will literally cry Saturday. I can not believe that this is a video game based show and im in love w Jinx but i also kinda hate her and I hate who Caitlyn has become but cant help but love the memorie of who she was and hope that girl will come back and I wanna hug Vi and i wanna hold her forever and tell her its okay to be broken cause she is but noone has to fix her.

And most important, i wanna take Victor's and Sky's hands on mine and tell them to have faith, they believed on the beauty of humanity and I'm so sorry it will never become more than lost faith but that is what keeps us going. I wanna tell them both to trust and believe and go away with the firm conviction that we, as everything we are, will become better at living and we will learn to love and not hurt on our way.

hey so what the fuck

[d-criss-news]

Royalties Soundtrack Listening Event | Darren Criss Chat (July 7th, 2020)

Darren Criss 18:02:04

wait ha

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Darren Criss 18:02:08

sorry yall

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Darren Criss 18:02:12

this is confusing me of course

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Darren Criss 18:02:29

this is new for me too friends

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Darren Criss 18:02:45

well i'm here but I can't hear shit so gimme a sec

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Darren Criss 18:04:00

well I'll just keep typing here guys

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Darren Criss 18:04:04

bro

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Darren Criss 18:04:07

wilma

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Darren Criss 18:04:15

i'm tryin

Darren Criss 18:04:57

21kxuv372ubcprrbpiefadt6i

What was your favorite song to write for the show?

They each were really fun so that's hard to say but Hate That I Need You surprised the hell outta me

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Darren Criss 18:05:30

bettic72

darren non capisco un cazzo

anchio pero sti cazzi siamo qui

Darren Criss 18:05:49

genevievephillips

point and laugh at darren

yes let's laugh at him

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Darren Criss 18:06:18

2162bkuccm7xje6yfgmuzrnyq

You inspired me to write my own songs 🥺👉🏼👈🏼

thanks for writing the first positive thing I've seen on this. That's wonderful! I hope to hear them!

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Darren Criss 18:06:43

clo :)

i love that we are all grandparents when it comes to this

thank you for using the appropriate WE pronouns ha yeah this shit is confusing

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Darren Criss 18:08:44

zcvmtsgee5mom80oxeesa4v11

Darren how do you deal with stage fright .... i’ve been preforming in front of people for a while and i i still get scared . Does it ever go away ?

i guess it depends on how big the crowd is. everybody's different but I will say any kind of fright means you care, which is a good thing! Also the thing people forget about performing, for the most part, is you can't SEE the audience, most of the time they're in the dark. That's why performing for friends or in a small space where you can see everyone is much more nerve-racking

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Darren Criss 18:08:57

Dana

Darren can we have a royalties tour once rona is over???

wouldn't that be fun!

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Darren Criss 18:09:15

emilybutcher30

darren can you start streaming on twitch please haha i love you

ha can't compete with King Urie man

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Darren Criss 18:10:06

jake2000w

Darren, I know it’s all weird right now, but do you have any idea when we might see Nerdy Prudes Must Die?

what a good question. I have no idea but I've been wanting to see that show for almost as long as I've wanted to make Royalties. The boys have been talking about that one for a while now.

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Darren Criss 18:10:16

jesiqseigle56

Can you like respond .

like yeah

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Darren Criss 18:10:27

abbyforsmark

has Darren even said anything on this?

nope nothing

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Darren Criss 18:12:39

u6iczx4gua0att2g4kd2vdzwe

Did you write each of the songs with the performers in mind or did you cast them afterwards?

great question. Except for "Also You," which was written with Jackie Tohn for Jackie Tohn, we had no idea who would sing each song. I did the demos for almost all of them and then we had to pitch actors/artists to see if they'd be interested... which wasn't as hard (luckily) as seeing if they were AVAILABLE... which many weren't given the short time we had to make the show. Hopefully we can get some of those folks on for the next season IF THEY'LL LET US HAVE ONE!

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Darren Criss 18:13:52

delfi

darren royalties is so good i'm fucking proud of you

thanks for watching it, truly. I know the Quibi thing is strange for people so I appreciate you giving it all a chance : )

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Darren Criss 18:14:04

Caitlyn A :)

if you see this kick your shoes off

I would but no shoes

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Darren Criss 18:14:27

t59glm18dkw84n64l72jcuvpc

come to the uk challenge

god i wish.

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Darren Criss 18:15:39

damn someone said "travel to UK challenge" and I meant to respond "find a vaccine challenge"

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Darren Criss 18:17:08

i can't hear any of these songs but I"m just gonna start saying random shit about them

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Darren Criss 18:17:16

first off, i really wanted a theme song

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Darren Criss 18:17:23

that was a whole thing

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Darren Criss 18:19:18

Had to cut through a lot of red tape to make sure we had that silly song in there. We were already in the middle of post production when I finally got it approved, but it had to be under 15 seconds. I wrote 3 diff versions. So glad it ended up working. Theme songs accomplish so much in such a short period of time. Establishes tone. Gives the audience an almost Pavlovian response to the familiarity of the characters... I'm happy with it

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Darren Criss 18:20:12

also the "doo doo doo" lyrics are meant to sound like "scratch vocals" when songwriters record vocals with temporary gibberish lyrics with the intent of filling them in with real ones later

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Darren Criss 18:22:29

Just That Good was a concept that started the entire 1st season, and it was one of those instant-songs where Nick and Matt told me the title and I immediately had the hook just from those words. That only happens every once in a while and I was so happy it did for that song. The tricky part was writing the rest of it, but the back half of the song with the chorus repeating that one refrain over and over- that was the melody from the get go

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Darren Criss 18:23:08

I'll get back to Break it In, kick your shoes/let your hair, and kong later... i'll just go off on this one

—

Darren Criss 18:23:48

so I wanted to nod to the grandeur of everyone's favorite vampire elf, Jared Leto

—

Darren Criss 18:24:05

not HIM specifically, but 30 seconds to mars' very BIG music videos

—

Darren Criss 18:24:29

i dont jared is a buncha self centered nutcases like our guys in SWITCHBACK JACKET

—

Darren Criss 18:24:37

* i don't think Jared... 

—

Darren Criss 18:25:38

anyway yeah "so much better..." comes from a lot of the 90s alt rock that I grew up on, and the mix of that sound with a bit of electronic production was an effort to contemportize it as much as possible

—

Darren Criss 18:26:26

but the rhythm guitar, lots of power chords and high octaves were all harkening to my fave bands like Lit and Eve 6... but put through a strange bizzaro nickleback/creed performance filter

—

Darren Criss 18:26:55

"make you come true" is obviously a very salacious play on words

—

Darren Criss 18:28:27

so the only way to make it feel earnest is if we made the track itself sexy as possible. A lot of the songs, even without being written, leant themselves to a certain genre just by the title, and this one was kind of a no-brainer. Sexy mid tempo r&b. And I didn't even know we'd get Jordan Fisher to do it- who SMASHED the vocal.

—

Darren Criss 18:29:42

lauraacampbell-12

DARREN CHORDS OR LYRICS FIRST WHEN WRITING A SONG?

it's different every time but for this show specifically it's always title/idea first, and then the song comes from there. But that's because we're writing a show, so we have the luxury of getting to write from a specific place. It's much harder to do that in your own life when you just want to pull a title/idea from your own experience of life. I commend people that do that all the time.

—

Darren Criss 18:30:06

what's NUTS about prizefighter is...

—

Darren Criss 18:30:24

it was originally a song called LONG RANGER that BONNIE MCKEE sang, who I wrote the song with

—

Darren Criss 18:30:38

and in the video we had CHRISSY TIEGEN lipsynching

—

Darren Criss 18:30:44

it was bananas

—

Darren Criss 18:31:26

we ultimately couldn't use the song because of some complicated writers shit- not too dissimilar from the things we explore in our own show, which is just totally ironic.

—

Darren Criss 18:32:56

we were so bummed that we couldn't use the song but I'm actually really really happy with PRIZEFIGHTER. I love the song, and I love how it turned out production wise. I love how much of a massive influence latin x rhythms have had across the entire spectrum of mainstream music, so I wanted try my own hand at nodding to it!

—

Darren Criss 18:33:08

Lara :)!

Ahhhhh so was that the pilot song you were talking about last week?

that's the one

—

Darren Criss 18:33:45

hbz3jctrg5rwwma640hahffvt

You have inspired me to learn piano I already know how to play teanage dream now

you can thank Bonnie Mckee aka Kimmy Kelly for writing that song!

—

Darren Criss 18:34:01

ok then there's the k pop song

—

Darren Criss 18:34:08

honestly i had no idea where I was gonna start on this one

—

Darren Criss 18:34:22

full props to the brilliant CJ Baran who I wrote this song with

—

Darren Criss 18:34:39

we were just toying around with very industrial-sounding samples

—

Darren Criss 18:35:21

and I started singing Edvard Grieg's "in the hall of the mountain king"

—

Darren Criss 18:35:33

and he was the guy that was like YEAH JUST PUT IT IN THERE

—

Darren Criss 18:35:46

and i realized, oh yeah, that song is public domain

—

Darren Criss 18:35:59

and kinda ties perfectly to the nature of Elia Peck and his songwriting... huh.

—

Darren Criss 18:36:05

So we went for it from there.

—

Darren Criss 18:36:17

based the lyrics off of what the Neals say in the room.

—

Darren Criss 18:36:34

and then just wrote a bunch of ALMOST nonense lyrics about things that you could HATE that you NEED

—

Darren Criss 18:36:40

things like available wifi...

—

Darren Criss 18:37:01

artistinal mai-tais.... yeah I guess if you really really liked those you could HATE that you NEED them...

—

Darren Criss 18:37:04

etc etc

—

Darren Criss18:38:16

but the idea was to have Mariam Hale's character hardly do ANYTHING on the track, since she, as the audience sees, doesn't really have much to offer... so we just built it around this huge track with crazy lyrics that just tees up a tag for her to say without even having to sing: I HATE THAT I NEED YOU

—

Darren Criss18:38:43

2235n5s2qk5hjsujbhk5ilpva

I have classes in 10 minutes, and I'm not leaving until you dedicate a Royalties song to me.

looks like you're gonna miss calss

—

Darren Criss 18:39:09

"calss" ha. which is like "class" but like... different.

—

Darren Criss 18:39:32

alrighty PERFECT SONG

—

Darren Criss 18:39:38

i really love this song as well

—

Darren Criss 18:40:02

the reveal of this song is that they keep talking about this "perfect song" they've written

—

Darren Criss 18:40:26

in other words we're teeing up a pretty big expectation of what a perfect song could possibly sound like

—

Darren Criss 18:40:36

the reveal of course is that the song itself is in fact just called "perfect song"

—

Darren Criss 18:40:43

which is ABOUT a perfect song

—

Darren Criss 18:41:07

and about TRYING TO WRITE a perfect song, and how that's not necessary when you have someone that IS the perfect song

—

Darren Criss 18:41:20

when we wrapped our heads around that idea, I really loved it 

—

Darren Criss 18:42:10

you'll notice we reference a lot of incredible songs, almost citing them as perfect songs themselves

—

Darren Criss 18:42:14

ain't no mountain high enough

—

Darren Criss 18:42:55

of course leonard cohen's seminal Hallelujah

—

Darren Criss 18:44:05

and of course Britney's Oops I Did It Again ha ;)

—

Darren Criss 18:45:00

the Oops being a layered joke of being annoyed with oneself that they AGAIN unwittingly wrote a lyric for already massive song, but in doing so citing yet ANOTHER already massive song... if that makes any sense

—

Darren Criss 18:45:27

sorry for the typos yall i'm moving fast, i'd never let this shit slide if it wasn't a casual chatroom vibe

—

Darren Criss 18:46:37

emzlolly1234

Did you know you wanted there to be a romantic thing between pierce and Sara?? :))))

yes that was actually our original "pilot presentation" episode. the one with the song LONE RANGER and Chrissy Tiegen. It was a longer version of what would become episode 7. We THINK it's a romantic thing but you realize that Sara is just playing Pierce to get the song she needs. That was always the premise yes.

—

Darren Criss 18:46:51

luzmargotramos

if you reply with a single dot I'd probably die

then I better steer clear of any dots

—

Darren Criss 18:47:04

ALSO YOU was an amazing lightning in a bottle moment

—

Darren Criss 18:47:09

FULL CREDIT TO JACKIE TOHN

—

Darren Criss 18:47:22

i always enjoy giving credit where credit is due

—

Darren Criss 18:48:24

and I came in pretty hot for most of the songs- concepts, chords, style... but this one literally was a simple as Jackie Sitting down and just playing "It's you I love but also you and also you and also you."

—

Darren Criss 18:48:37

we all just looked at each other going, welp, yup, that's it, jackie you fuckin rule

—

Darren Criss 18:49:28

the song would have ended up very differently if she hadn't brought that to the table. the original episode and song was "one true loves" which isn't nearly as good of a gag/title as "also you"

—

Darren Criss 18:49:50

i ended up squeezing "one true loves" into the bridge, but of course, kept ALSO YOU as the main event

—

Darren Criss 18:50:02

i will say I was also trying to spoof my brother's old band, FREELANCE WHALES a little bit

—

Darren Criss 18:50:26

if you guys know the song "generator first floor" where they sing ay ay ay ay ay a lot...

—

Darren Criss 18:50:35

... as a lot of bands and songs had featured at the time...

—

Darren Criss 18:51:00

i wanted to put them all in one joke. where a band sang not only hey hey hey but ay and EE and AYE and OH and basically all the vowels

—

Darren Criss 18:51:10

which was where the joke of,

—

Darren Criss 18:51:20

a, e, i, o, and also u

—

Darren Criss 18:51:21

came from

—

Darren Criss 18:51:32

which i'm particularly proud of

—

Darren Criss 18:51:56

ok let's talk about BREAK IT IN

—

Darren Criss 18:54:16

lxucxthxrxnx_

I’m a musician myself (not that great lol) what was it like coming up with the melodic side did you play any instruments for the songs?

i played instruments on all the songs except Break It In and I Hate That I Need You, since those were all electronic. That's not to say i played EVERY instrument but I definitely played AN instrument of some kind for the others.

—

Darren Criss 18:55:34

as for break it in... anyway... yeah that was a blast. Nick Lang and I collaborated with my buddy Kendo who goes by the artist name KingJet.

—

Darren Criss 18:56:54

Kendo has worked on a lot of legit songs in the hip hop space. For each song I wanted to make sure there was a level of authenticity to what we were doing. I didn't wanna SPOOF the songs. I wanted the songs to sound rock solid and that it would be the LYRICAL CONCEPTS that would be the source of satire. So Kendo was a great guiding light to keep the track as authentic as possible.

—

Darren Criss 18:59:47

We explained to Kendo the whole joke concept of the song, which is basically just turning the idea of toxic masculinity on its head, and he was on top of it immediately- when we told him that there's this guy that's really concerned that people think he "fucks too soft" he immediately started spitting out lyrics like the hilariously defiant "I'm the KING OF THE HARD FUCK"

—

Darren Criss 19:00:35

which just killed me and Nick. It was just so juvenile that it was adorable to me

—

Darren Criss 19:00:57

emzlolly1234

Darren you’ve been here for an hour? That’s the length of royalties man xxx

yeah aint it great

Darren Criss 19:02:21

sophie :)

i personally think you should try your hand at writing a drill song, a british genre of rap that centres around rapping unrelated lyrics in front of chicken shops, personally think it has the right tone for the show for a season two

drill would be siq. I mean, opening the incredible pandora's box of UK based hip hop in general is its own magical wormhole of nuance and history and regional culture. it's amazing. i'd really have to do some homework if I wanted to pull that off!

—

Darren Criss 19:02:49

cd2gu4ceqx4am9otf9hzwzivs

he’s talking again guys be worried he might write another essay

ok sorry i'll stop

—

Darren Criss 19:02:51

:)

—

Darren Criss 19:03:03

cd2gu4ceqx4am9otf9hzwzivs

he’s talking again guys be worried he might write another essay

kidding!

—

Darren Criss 19:03:39

fsheldens

when darren actually cares about us 🥺

awww i always do! I just wasn't built for internet stuff.

—

Darren Criss 19:04:20

alpermehdi

speaking of nick how was it to work with nick??

the best. Nick is one of the best things that has ever happened to me.

—

Darren Criss 19:04:51

chloe :)!

what would be ur karaoke song choice from the show?

mighty as kong

—

Darren Criss 19:07:32

isa.kowo

How much music theory goes into your songwriting? And did you learn all of it from playing the violin? In what way does it go into your songs?

all GREAT questions. I mean, music theory isn't something you CONSCIOUSLY employ when writing something, it's just that it really helps to know the rules or music when shaping it and trying to maximize its production. And as a matter of fact, yeah, I DID learn most of it playing violin. But when I was playing violin I was ingesting music from the perspective of a student ingesting information, not as a proactive creator putting anything of my own out into the world.

—

Darren Criss 19:08:07

Honestly I really didn't start UNDERSTANDING music theory until I started writing music for other people, and noticing certain things and chords and shapes had names and that they could be manipulated to accomplish certain things

—

Darren Criss 19:08:35

so most of my academic musical knowledge came in my 20s when I tried to start doing it professionally

—

Darren Criss 19:08:52

Nick

first instrument you ever learnt?

violin

—

Darren Criss 19:09:07

andyruiz080

I'm castin' my love net wide And fillin' every hole in my schedule

ha love that line

—

Darren Criss 19:09:29

missweggy

Darren are you a big queen fan ( the band lol ) 😂

is the pope catholic

—

Darren Criss 19:12:00

ChloeOmelia

Now its available, would you change anything?

jesus so much. but such is the nature of creating stuff. there's a great Hayao Miyazaki quote about always having to make new stuff to escape the woe of all the mistakes you made in your last thing... I mean, that's a bit extreme, I feel like we did the best we could given the circumstance but I totally get where Miyazaki is coming from. And in many ways that's everything we do in life. Do your best, know what you coulda done better and carry on

—

Darren Criss 19:12:36

dj._.quackers

who or what was your biggest inspiration growing up

the beatles. the uk. the 60s.

—

Darren Criss 19:13:02

Astriddd

Your first original song was "Not Alone". I'm right?

no it was actually a song i wrote in the third grade when I got a guitar for Christmas called "Save The Whales"

—

Darren Criss 19:14:29

hiiqsbo9358wvfkcjcsgsu4lb

Darren I need an answer it’s been annoying me for days. So was everyone fucking everyone in Pierces old band or was she just fucking everyone seperately??

ha that's a really great question. I figured she was just fucking everyone individually, which is why the band was so contentious but then again I'd rather let your imagination run wild...

—

Darren Criss 19:15:29

jphxxk5wjnaqnhuv806wmohdt

Darren, I love your taste in music. You should share your personal playlists ... bc everybody needs to know phantom planet 😉

if i actually shared my tastes in music, or actually shared the amount of stuff in my brain at the rate that I want to share, I would never work on or create anything because i would constantly be on the internet and you'd all be over me if you weren't already

—

Darren Criss 19:16:01

But yes, thank you for saying that, I love me my phantom planet oh so very much :)

—

Darren Criss 19:16:18

juli.nuttini

could you please answer me I don't speak English and I'm putting ALL my effort into asking you questions I'm going to cry

wow your english is actually pretty great

—

Darren Criss 19:17:08

I'd like to write a song with Howard Ashman

—

Darren Criss 19:17:23

dancebaby218

Was kick your shoes off inspired by your Hedwig shoes?

nah cuz that shit was actually comfy

—

Darren Criss 19:17:55

12169199549

i skipped my clarinet class because of you for the third time :) what can i say to my teacher?

that Darren says you should have gone to clarinet class!!!

—

Darren Criss 19:18:34

qalektvmexab6gfwibfihwu6b

Could you please answer me. We’ve supported you for years from the uk and we’re staying up for this but it’s totally worth it because you’re amazing!! Molly x

I wish so bad I could go to the UK!

—

Darren Criss 19:20:01

FUCK someone asked about Sam Farrar and I wanted to answer it but it disappeared... Sam is a homie. one of my very first songwriting sessions was with him and a very famous member of the pop universe... who if I get a season two, I'm putting in the show.

—

Darren Criss 19:22:00

9nc1yow3iwnp9p3fs4gcvdnsf

what other instruments would you like to learn in the future?

i just need to spend time trying to get better at the ones I've plateaued with. I feel like I got as good as I'd ever get on the guitar when i was like 19. So I've been trying to get better during the Quarantine. Picked up my violin and dusted off that Vivaldi, started doing drum rudiments on my drum pad, and started learning new licks and scales for guitar. Stuff I never got round to doing.

—

Darren Criss 19:22:27

harefraz

mr. criss sir, what is your top quarantine activity?

playing music

—

Darren Criss 19:23:26

actually lies. top quarantine activity is learning Japanese. 30 minutes a day. And it's been several months. Almost got Hiragana down, still got a few characters I'm questionable with but with any luck I'll start up on Katakana in the next few weeks.

—

Darren Criss 19:23:40

224abi6avvottcsacto7vx46a

What about working with Mark hamill ? Insane right

you said it

—

Darren Criss 19:23:54

t7sxis7855cd329gaa6iyty8v

Any updates on American Buffalo? 🥺👉🏼👈🏼

it's opening next year!

—

Darren Criss 19:24:09

for the record this is really fun I'm enjoying this guys

—

Darren Criss 19:26:26

Rachael

How different is it doing a show like Royalties where you're heavily involved in the creative process compared to other projects you've done in the past?

i'd say night and day but that's an understatement. When I did Glee all I had to do was act in scenes, record songs, and go to dance rehearsal. With Royalties, it's that AND casting, doing pre production, post production, notes, meetings, notes, writing and producing songs, location scouting, blah blah blah lots of the stuff that you don't have to worry about if you're not a creator. But make no mistake I absolutely love it.

—

Darren Criss 19:27:41

Aisha

learn spanish

I'll get there. I already speak a bit of Italian so I wanted the challenge of learning something that didn't use a writing system I already understood.

—

Darren Criss 19:28:23

rosieellenxx_

I take Music Technology as a subject at school and we have to make a whole song with the sole sample of glass breaking...

sounds fun. loads of things you can do with that.

—

Darren Criss 19:28:48

21ynx6niidf2amx5nzilihsga

What are your goals for once quarantine is lifted?

hopefully to feel like I used this very strange time well.

—

Darren Criss 19:29:14

Ok I should probabl get outta here right?

—

Darren Criss 19:29:41

I've talked a lot about mighty as kong in other places

—

Darren Criss 19:30:00

so I'll just leave you with a story about "Let Your Hair Down"

—

Darren Criss 19:30:14

which was the very FIRST song we wrote for the show

—

Darren Criss 19:30:37

I had a meeting with an artist at a dive bar in the middle of the afternoon

—

Darren Criss 19:31:10

let's just say I showed up to that very first writer's session very late

—

Darren Criss 19:31:17

and sober ENOUGH

—

Darren Criss 19:31:41

wktusw4mcjn910r3eq91zg4k5

darren did you watch hamilton??????

duh last night. so fun.

—

Darren Criss 19:32:17

anyway I was so relieved that we left with that song at the end of the day. The intent was always to write two songs with the exact same concepts just with different titles

—

Darren Criss 19:32:50

the chords are the same, just slightly different voicings played on slightly different instruments

—

Darren Criss 19:33:29

and the idea was that whichever song was funnier, or at least whichever song would be more fun to see in a music video... would be the one that Pierce & Sara write

—

Darren Criss 19:34:08

"Kick Your Shoes Off" ended up feeling more like a full music video than "Let Your Hair Down" but I LOVE that first song, and hopefully people get to hear the whole thing on Spotify since you don't get to hear the whole song in the episode

—

Darren Criss 19:34:51

with lines I love like "see my cheekbones, show off my clavicle, I bet you've never seen a ponytail to magical..."

—

Darren Criss 19:35:39

emilybutcher30

i love that u spelled it sara not sarah

thank you. if you don't already know it, check out Ben Folds' "Zak and Sara"

—

Darren Criss 19:36:01

OK i gotta get going

—

Darren Criss 19:36:12

but thanks to everyone from all over the world for joining

—

Darren Criss 19:36:17

i see you and i say hi to you!

—

Darren Criss 19:36:23

happy birthday to all the bday kids!

—

Darren Criss 19:36:33

thank you for spending a little bit of your bday with me

—

Darren Criss 19:36:39

thanks for checking out Royalties

—

Darren Criss 19:36:46

hope you enjoy the music

—

Darren Criss 19:36:53

and hope there gets to be a season 2!!!

—

Darren Criss 19:37:08

xo to all of you. stay safe, stay inspired. - Darren

[photolover82]

The Masked Singer Season 5 Episode 2 Recap: It’s Group B Time, let’s meet them! (Commentary & Guesses)

Hello my fellow Masked Singer fanatics! Welcome (or welcome back) to Ana’s Masked Singer recap, where I, Ana (nice to virtually meet you btw), recap every single episode of The Masked Singer. Here we are again with season 5, but this time another group, Group B, which consist of Black Swan 🖤🦢, Piglet 🐷, Chameleon 🦎, Grandpa Monster 👹 👴, and Phoenix 🦜.

So, let’s begin with the first eliminated contestant of Group B:

The first eliminated contestant was:

*DRUMROLL PLEASE*

Phoenix 🦜

Commentary: Ok, so this wasn’t surprising whatsoever, she sang Tik Tok by Kesha and you can obviously tell that she isn’t a singer at all. Like idk how else to explain it to you guys, but I guess she was talk singing... kind of like Wendy/the lips last season... so it was kind of easy the moment she opened her mouth to start singing to recognize immediately who it was...

Having said that, she was revealed to be (as I knew, this one wasn’t hard)...

*DRUMROLL PLEASE*

Caitlyn Jenner

Hehe I knew it! Again, like Wendy Williams aka the lips, this was way too obvious. She already walked around Hollywood Blvd with the Don’t Talk to me hoodie on so I knew she was going to be on the show but the min I saw Phoenix, the clues, and the moment she opened her mouth, I was so certain it was Caitlyn. No, I am not a big Kardashian/Jenner fan tbh but I used to watch the show way back when.... like in 2016? I am not sure, but I recognized her voice immediately.

Now onto my guesses for the remaining 4:

1. Black Swan 🦢🖤

Commentary: So she sang Barracuda by Heart and damn, she got a strong voice! It’s a really amazing voice, even though the song choice wasn’t my favorite, because it didn’t suit her voice completely and showcase her range, but she was badass (can I say that? Whatever, this is my show, I’ll say it, it’s not THAT bad of a word) tbh. In certain parts, she was like screaming a lot and I was like um maybe this isn’t her best song choice but her voice is amazing! She gives me Seahorse mixed with Flamingo vibes, I love her!

I think she is singer extraordinaire:

Jojo (not Siwa but we have another Jojo on our hands)

Reasoning/Clues: there are so many clues that match but her voice is the main thing that clicked for me that it was her, but let’s look at those clues so you can get the picture:

Wanted Poster with RV highlighted= she appeared in the movie RV with Robin Williams

She talks about being trapped and someone else’s prey and then getting out of it= she was trapped in her record label & there was controversy surrounding it and she had to sue her label for not releasing her music

A 5 on a watch= she toured with 5th harmony and has released 5 albums

Cluedledoo (Rooster) clue= she covered a monster= she covered one of T-Pain aka the Monster from season 1’s songs

2. Piglet 🐷

Commentary: He was my favorite of the night with his rendition of Speechless by Dan + Shay! You guys know if you have seen my recaps in season 3 (or even last week with Robopine) that I have a soft spot for a guy who has a super silky voice, like either boy band type or R&B smooth af kinda vibe (i.e. Fox in season 2, Turtle in season 3, Robopine in season 5).... or should I say any guy who can falsetto and Piglet is giving me those boy band smooth vibes, I love it so much! His voice is soooo familiar I am so sure about this one by the way.

My guess and I am so sure of this is:

Nick Lachey

Reasoning/Clues: This one I recognized immediately, the voice was really easy to figure out, but these clues also are pretty convincing (oh and he was on Ken’s show, I Can See Your Voice, so it’s not surprising that he would be on this show):

The clue package had a dating show vibe = reminiscent of Love is Blind, the Netflix dating show he hosts with his wife Vanessa

The world saw his heart break= he had a very public relationship with his ex-wife Jessica Simpson and they even had a reality show together called Newlyweds

Cluedle-doo clue: “knows how to stay cool even in the heat”= referring to his past aka his boy band 98 degrees (get it? Because that’s the heat and they are cool because they are a boy band... well played Masked Singer well played... I wanna meet whoever makes these clues because they are great with puns and they seem super clever)

3. Chameleon 🦎

Commentary: Chameleon surprised me I am not gonna lie. I thought he was going to be another athlete like Whatchamacallit last season or White Tiger from season 3 because he was so tall but nope he surprised me with his rendition of Ride with Me by Nelly. He seems like a legit rapper and I liked him a lot than I thought I would honestly so this guess isn’t totally out of left field.

My guess is that this is...

Wiz Khalifa

Reasoning/Clues: so yeah, the voice and the height kinda gave it away to me (Wiz is 6 foot 4 inches and his body type matches the chameleon), but also yeah clues I have to give you guys some logic bombs instead of being like eh that voice and height BOOM WIZ KHALIFA... yeah no it doesn’t work like that, so here are the logic bombs hehe:

Dice with 2 and 3 on it= he did a song with Miley Cyrus called 23

007 clue= he has a song called (yes this is real, look it up) James Bong (omg I am trying not to laugh while typing this but whatttt?! Google really is a gem omg 😳😂) and he played James Bond in the music video

His love of technology & “put tech in technicolor”= apparently, the guy is a huge tech geek and has said it in a lot of interviews (wow humans are so complex and cool, I would have never thought that this man is a tech savvy guy... but the more you know I guess <P.S. I Googled half of these things... like idk this off the top of my head duh, I usually go by voice with my guesses and then I google the clues>)

4. Grandpa Monster

Commentary: He sang Mambo No. 5 and yeah it’s a basic choice for a song, but I liked it. He is not my favorite by any means and now that I listen to it again, I can only hear this person and I am not a fan of him like whatsoever (even tho I gotta acknowledge he has changed and I have *I KNOW... I HATE ME TOO* agreed with stuff he has said in his podcast un ironically.... yeah I am so sorry, I hate myself for saying this too... anyways let’s just get to the person I mean

I have a sneaking suspicion that it is (unfortunately):

Logan Paul

Reasoning/Clues: Yup, um... I really hope I am wrong but honestly ever since someone said it in the YouTube comments section of his performance, I can’t un hear it and I am shook honestly (at least it’s not his brother... I mean we can get worse, and he has respected the pandemic and not been a prick like his *cough* brother *cough*... just saying.. oh and if you don’t know what I am talking about or who this is, he’s a YouTuber who got into some um controversy because he filmed a dead body in 2018 so there’s that... oh and his brother has done a billion worse things than him, but you can Google that one if you are interested in finding out more because it’s too much for me to talk about and we are not even talking about Jake (that’s the brother))... Anyways, sorry, I ramble, but ugh the clues seem convincing and it irks me that it is because I am not a fan of neither of these guys and I don’t want them in the show but whatever I guess he’s the lesser of 2 evils:

He was a troublemaking fool as a youngster= yeah probably regarding that suicide forest video a couple of years ago (that ok, lemme give him credit, he has apologized for it and has kind of proven himself... yuck I hate saying that, I am NOT defending him I swear)

Acting out for all eyes on me= he used to be very well known for pranks on his channel back in the day (before the incident) and he did some stupid stuff for clout lemme tell ya (I never liked these guys, like ever, I thought they were weird.... not my demographic I guess, I wasn’t 12 nor a boy)

6 in Xs and Os like football plays = he did play football 🏈 in high school, he was so good that and actually attributes playing football for long term brain damage he has that makes him as the Wikipedia article says it (I am legit gonna quote what it says because I thought it was fascinating) “affects his ability to have empathy and a human connection with others.” (Mind you, he himself claimed this according to this article)

“Acting out”= he has acted in a few things before and starred in The Thinning

Web with the shooting star= he is a web star, get it? YouTube... web star... hehe again these clue writers are *chef’s kiss*

Cluedle-doo clue: he has trained for battle= now his new thing is boxing and he has trained for actual fights before, his first one being against British YouTuber KSI which he lost... oh and I almost forgot, how can I forget this cute little detail.... he is set to fight Floyd Mayweather this summer apparently... OH AND DID I MENTION HE IS MAKING 5 MILLION DOLLARS FROM THIS DEAL?! He’s winning either way with this fight like damn... but that wasn’t part of it, I just thought it was trippy... again I say, Google is a gem, u find some interesting reads

Ok so that’s it (what a great note to end on lol)! I hope you guys enjoy! Sorry for it being so long and taking so much time to do.. it’s been a crazy last couple of days! I will try to get the next one this upcoming weekend so I’ll see you guys then. (Ohhh btw I now live tweet the show on my Twitter- @photolover82 so if you want to follow me on there and live tweet with me, that can be fun!) Bye guys and don’t forget to like, comment, and do all the social media-y things, you know the drill!

[tinnefoil]

Tiny moment of paranoia, first, don’t believe what you hear on the net, etc, etc But let’s presume that what  sexshark claims is true, including the bit about how various casts tried to get AK to stop and “some of the cast were victims of those comments”. (sorry for the paranoia, I’ll try to get over it)

First let me start off by listing some of the things that point against it. So far all the articles have talked only about the the writing staff being affected and suggest the actors might not have known. A writer for Flash said that Berlanti did not know. 

But now, what if Chris and Andrew had a falling out. And that is why we are getting the Saturngirl storyline and it’s why Brainiac 5 is coming? IF it were to have happened, imo it must have happened after comicon because at that point it seems like some of the people who were implicated were still defending Mon-El. 

The comicon trailer also included scenes from the first episode, so I assume the first and second episode, which had the most Mon-El stuff so far were already written at this point. 

It’s too bad that SecreSpoils deleted their twitter, it would be interesting to know what the earliest mention of the Mon-El/Saturn marriage was. Whether there is any overlap with when Chris became active on twitter again and posted some comparatively melancholic stuff. I’ll definitely keep an eye on on 3x07 on how it takes on the shippy scale. 

Also, if you go through sexshark’s history, he really, really hates Karamel and Mon-El and has no problem insulting the actors (particularly Melissa) personally. So him specifically saying Mon-El/Karamel had nothing to do with Chris playing along with Andrew (rather than saying “I dunno/don’t speculate” or something like that) seems almost out of character. 

That said, 3x07 doesn’t have AK credited, so that is a point against the conspiracy theory. 

Now, as a counter point, let me list some of the exits (by actors) in Berlantiverse that seem kinda shady. 

Wentworth Miller. Not much in the sense of explanation was given. Snart wasn’t really treated too well after his death. sexshark made a comment about how AK had influence all across the verse. 

Flo Lima. Maybe there’s a reason why she seemed to be so staunchly determined to leave despite not having another project lined up (though I guess some claim that dating Casey Affleck who was also accused of rowdy on set behavior might be an indicator against her having a problem with behavior like that)

Willa Holland on Arrow. The coma situation is just weird. I think similar things can be said about Roy but I don’t know enough about the circumstances. (Also, both are more Guggenheim than Kreisberg)

Maybe the actress who played Patty on Flash? It just seems that she disappeared rather abruptly. It also seems weird to me that there have been zero mentions of Lillian Luthor in SG S3 when she didn’t die in the end. I also seems like they tried quite a bit to get the original Alura back, so maybe her saying no is more complex than not just wanting to take the trip? 

Then there is of course Mehcad being downgraded from love interest to supporting. But he is still around and on HVFF Mehcad expressed (imo with believable enthusiasm) about how happy he was to get the Guardian storyline. 

Some exits that don’t “ping” me: 

Garber: Was mostly on a Guggenheim show, not a Kreisberg show. It seems plausible to me that he might be bored with the material on Legends and he has another project lined up. While his material wasn’t stellar, I think it was fairly okay. 

Katie Cassidy: Pings me more as a conflict between her and Guggs. The stories might have been shit, but it seems to me she had more screentime when AK was still around/before he left for Flash. Also, she kept returning to Berlantiverse. That said, it is likely that as the original lead, her contract was likely longer so her being let out early definitely stikes me as unusual, but it could also be Guggs not being interested in continuing Andrew’s story. 

Katarina Law: I could see that being an iffy one, but she did have another show lined up, Caity has repeatedly claimed that was the reason, and she was willing to return for guest stints. 

Eddie/Ronnie/Julian kinda all strike me as exits that made sense for the storyline? 

And Lonsdale seems to have his screentime reduced, but they insist he’s still a regular, he is not off the show. 

I also think that Katie McGrath going from recurring to regular under AK also points against her being somebody AK has a grudge against (I know GuardCorp isn’t a super well written story so far, but I don’t think that it’s necessarily in the realm of punishment storyline). Maise was mentioned by one writer as one of the great people working in the Arroverse, but I think that the show brought her back (even though they had an easy out) and her storyline in season 3 is good and meaty so far, it doesn’t feel like a grudge situation. 

Note that I don’t mean that they are candidates for being the type to get benefits from AK for playing along, just that they also don’t strike me as best candidates for people who were punished. Chyler also strikes me as having roughly the same amount of importance. People might not have loved the storyline as much as in season 1, but I think it was well intended. David also doesn’t strike me as either upgraded or downgraded. Same for Jeremy (I’d argue season 2 was an upgrade for him from the point of view of the writers). 

“Wells”, “Caitlyn”, “Joe”, “Cisco” all strike me as doing fine storylinewise. 

[sadrien]

my friends watched some of miraculous ladybug for the first time. all they knew going into it is what i’ve said and a video that explained the love square

stuff that’s not in quotes is me, anything in quotes is one of my friends

(note: some pretty lowkey nsfw stuff because of who they are as people)

stormy weather

“its been 30 seconds you biG BABY”

“that’s [tikki] a small child"

“i have no idea what’s going on” oh my god just let it happen

“of course they always make the blonde girl the bitch” [we were on stormy weather and hadn’t met chloe]

“he’s cute” “who” “adrien”

transforming “oh jeez. of course there’s a transformation”

“look at that beautiful boy” [adrien]

“why does he have to have cat ears” “because he DOES”

chat comes onscreen “i love him”

“i love [chat]. i love him so much. i love. i love him so much”

“miraculous ladybug is my favorite anime”

“chat is my favorite”

“so they can figure [stormy weather] out, but they can't figure out each other??!?!?!”

“this is a good episode of pokemon”

“that photographer needs to chill”

(evillustrator, lady wifi, the bubbler, and mr pigeon under the cut because this is So Long)

evillustrator

“uuhhhh what’s happening why is there a wifi symbol tea whats happening”

“[sabrina]’s annoying” she’s not a big character “good. she’s annoying. i hate her”

“that little HAH! is unnecessary” “it’s totally necessary”

[i just wanted to see you] “that’s creeeepy”

“at least they say notre dame correctly”

“ugh i’m gonna kill [chloe]”

“i like how [chat]’s yellow”

“[sabrina] reminds me of the lady from despicable me 2"

“SEE HE’S YELLOW”

“i wanna kill [chat]” why “because hes flirty”

“why is he such a fuckboi” “yeah why IS he such a fuckboi”

“why is [evillustrator] drawing an eiffel tower when they have the real one”

“can we just talk about how he’s coming up with music on the fly cause that’s not a thing”

“i thought [evillustrator] just jumped on the moon and i was really confused”

“yes kill chloe” “i’m ok with it”

“why does he fight with batons? he’s a cat?”

“some of the things they say is just like ‘oh god why’”

“i’d be perfectly fine with [chloe] dying. because she’s such a stereotype and i’m that stereotype and i’m nothing like that stereotype—” “your boobs are too big to be her” “yes but anyway. they either peg me as an idiot or an asshole and i am neither of those things” “i am both of those things. on the inside”

lady wifi

djwifi, have stood next to each other “i ship them”

alya thinks chloe is ladybug “are you people really this dumb” “yes. they’re french” “SHE’S BLONDE”

“they just held hands, i ship it”

“how can they not tell that that’s fucking marinette” “because this show is for 6 year olds” “you’re a 6 year old”

“this show actually isn’t really bad”

“god fucking dammit you got me into another tv show and ‘im not going to forgive you this time”

“every time they say evilize i want to die. i love this show but every time they say that i want to kill someone”

“i love that butterfly. but only because it’s gorgeous”

“i thought she just said babybug and i was like uh what”

“i love chat. like a lot. but sometimes. he’s ridiculous”

“i love that small child. that small cat. my son”

“cataclysm. i just got that”

“it feels like it’s two am ok? fuck off”

“[chat] sucks at fighting. he needs to be a better superhero”

[devilize] “fucking christ”

[door closes] whispers “dammit” “DID HE JUST SAY DAMMIT”

“what a fucking nerd” [about adrien]

bubbler

plagg eats adrien’s birthday cheese “i love that”

“see? [adrien’s] fucking yellow”

“why does it remind me so much of the incredibles”

“[chloe] needs to stop kissing him. [adrien] needs to get less yellow”

“so tea. that guy [gabriel] is totally the bad dude”

“also this is a show for 6 year olds so just the fact that he’s an asshole means he;s the villain”

“it’s also totally a joke on darth vader and luke. ‘father noooo!’ cuts off hand"

s2 spoiler adrien is going to lose a hand

hawk moth comes onscreen “i love him”

“screw the jawline they have the same eyes” [gabriel and hawk moth]

“oh ok he’s the bubble man”

“he looks like a fucking power ranger”

“why does he have a dildo on his head. or is it a butt plug. anal beads?” “daddy” “i want to die”

“there are outdoor moms in the south.” what are we even talking about??? “seasonal moms”

“i— i can’t look at the butt plug”

“the things on his arms look like floaties for little kids”

“he looks like he belongs in one of those really bad 80s workout videos”

“devil on his shoulder” “but [plagg]’s cute so it’s fine”

“LOOK [ADRIEN]’S NOT YELLOW”

“who still plays records??”

“every time she says [lucky charm] i think like a little leprechaun is going to pop out”

“can we just accept the fact that this guys fight with bubbles? like the worst you can do is sting someone’s eyes with bubbles”

“chloe is yellow” “they’re all yellow” “they’re like emojis”

“oh my god i can’t stop looking at the thing on his head”

“did he just call them haters? i hate my life”

“i feel like i’m watching my little pony. but like the og my little pony. the great my little pony. the one from the 90s. that was on vhs”

“[gabriel’s] a cunt”

[nathalie leaves room] whispers “bitch”

mr pigeon

“i still think that guy looks like an owl”

“i still think [gabriel] looks like the villain” “he is the villain” “fuck off”

[the guy who gets akumatized comes onscreen] immediately starts laughing

“he just said it’s strictly forbidden and pointed to a blank piece of paper” “ITS THE BAG OF FEED”

“you know what i just thought of? mothmans suit—” HAWK MOTH

“everything’s a dick”

[turns into mr pigeon] SCREAMS

“wait a second wait a second” “NO DON’T REPLAY IT”

replays it [mr pigeon coos] “AHAHAHAAAAA” “i’m goNNA THROW UP” 

“he kinda looks like christian gray with a rubber suit out. can you just imagine christian gray— walking out of his sex dungeon— with his rubber suit on— going [cawing motion]”

“mothmans suit—” its hawkMOTH “shuT UP TEA”

“it reminds me of the freaking suit from the first season of american horror story”

“this needs to stop”

“PIGEONS HAVE TAKEN OVER PARIS”

“oh my god i can’t fucking deal with this”

“my mom’s going to wake up and be like what the fuck is wrong with you people”

“ROO ROO”

“tea can i cosplay pigeon man” “can i be one of your pigeons”

“just make a giant condom suit. that’s basically what he’s wearing”

“look at him he just rolls down—” falls on couch laughing

“i haven’t even been paying attention because i’ve been laughing too fuuu— ROO ROO”

“[chat]’s such a fucking asshole. i love him. he’s just a fucking dick”

“wait so is his power controlling pigeons? that’s so dumb”

“i definitely don’t think a janitor wearing a tail is suspicious”

“pigeons are evil. they don’t need that mothman to make them evil, they just are”

“[the pigeons]’re all gonna shit on him”

“look at [mr pigeon] he looks like he’s just a condom”

“they— they are gONNA SHIT ON HIM”

“caitlyn caitlyn look at how he moves his hips”

“[adrien]’s a beautiful human”

“lb? lyndon b? lyndon b johnson? laid an egg. the cia had to cover it up”

“this episode is dumb” “this show is dumb. i love it”

“this man looks like.....” “a penis”

“i’m really glad chat has to ruin fucking everything”

“what the fuck is that?” “look at her forehead”

“he made testicles out of pigeons” “STOP”

“this is very interesting. doing it in french without any subtitles. what the fuck is happening” 

“how does [marinette] not realize that [adrien is chat]. how does she not put that together. i’m sorry but how the fuck do you not put that together. are you six”

[n-ylander]

for the ask-thingy, every number who has an 8 in it :)

Thank u my little bean anon, I appreciate u v much 

Personal

8- What did you do on your last birthday?

I had work on the day of but I went out with friends for like .. birthday weekend events.

18- Do you have any tattoos?

No, but I plan on getting one next year when I move away from home.

28- Where are you from?

Toronto

38- Did you wake up cranky?

Nah, I wrote my second last high school exam today, so I just want to get them done.

48- Say 10 facts about your room:

·        It is a Mess

·        It used to be two rooms, but the people that lived here before my family knocked down the wall separating them and now it’s one giant room.

·        The two halves of my room are painted different colours

·        One half is grey and the other is blue (its terrible I can’t wait 2 move out)

·        I also have two doors

·        The TV that I got three years ago still sits on the floor because I was too lazy to put it on a stand.

·        At any time there is a minimum of four laundry baskets (all full of clothes) in the room.

·        There are also clothes all over the floor at any given time.

·        I have at least 6 blank notebooks on my desk, I’ll probably buy more over the summer.

·        My closet has a lonely bunch of pictures taped on it, they’re all “glamour shots” of myself before the age of 5.

58- Share something about yourself others might think is weird:

l o l ok so every time I get into the shower I have to plug my ears when I turn the water on because when I was like 8, I swear I heard something whisper “Caitlyn” and I haven’t been able to forget it

Favorites

68- What’s your favorite movie?

I’m a slut for the Legally Blonde franchise.

78- What is your favorite flower?

No idea, we’ll go with roses.

80- What is your favorite season?

Summer

81- What are the top five places you wish you could go before you die?

·        The Maldives

·        France

·        The Outback

·        Greece

·        Banff

82- What are four things you can’t live without and why?

·        My phone – bc  it literally has my entire life on it

·        This real cozy blanket I have cause I’m Always Cold

·        Coffee

·        Idk chocolate probably

83- Which mythological creature are you most like? Why?

Idk probably like a vampire cause they’re kinda mean and sleep all day

84- What’s your favorite television show?

I have SO many but like Brooklyn 99

85- Favorite place to shop at?

Love Zara

86- Say 2 facts about your favorite things:

·        They’re always changing

·        I’ll probably forget about my favourite thing in like a month

Family, childhood and places

87- Say 4 facts about your parents:

·        Both of them were born in Canada

·        My mom is a teacher

·        My dad works in hotels

·        My dad failed grade 9 math 3 times and still gives me shit when I come home with a 93

88- Are you more like your mom or your dad?

My mother and I are the Same Person.

89- Do you have any siblings?

A younger sister

98- Where would you go on your dream vacation?

I wanna go back to Hawaaaaaaiiiiiiii

Friends

108- A reason you’ve lied to a friend:

“Sorry I just woke up and saw your text!”

Relationships

118- Do you believe in soul mates?

Like I think we have multiple soulmates.

128- A description of the girl/boy you like:

Tall-ish, dark hair that kinda flops around, tan and super quiet.

138- Have you ever liked someone who your friends hated?

Y’all I only like guys my friends hate, and you KNOW I front like I hate them too.

148- What’s something sweet you’d like someone to do for you?

Just like… pay attention to me ya feel?

158- Do you ever want to get married?

Ya

168- Things you want to say to an ex:

l o l do not have an ex

Music, movies and books

178- What was the first concert/show you attended?

Definitely the Jonas Brothers

180- Share a song that takes you to a certain memory in the past:

Big League, takes me back to my uncle’s visitation every time

181- A song that’s been stuck in your head:

Location  by Khalid

182- Put your music player on shuffle and write the first ten songs that play:

·        Bad Liar – Selena Gomez

·        Mask Off – Future

·        Teenagers – MCR

·        Thunder – Imagine Dragons

·        Man of the Year – ScHoolboy Q

·        Dirty Little Secret – All American Rejects

·        Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous – Good Charlott

·        Keep Me – Khalid

·        Broccoli – DRAM

·        iSpy - Kyle

183- A book you want to read/have recently read:

I wanna finish I’ll Give You the Sun

184- Describe your dream library:

I’m gonna try and read like intellectual type books this summer

185- Last movie you just watched:

Everything, Everything

186- Do you like watching what type of movies?

Action, Rom-Com

Situations and crazy things

187- You’re in a tattoo parlor about to get inked. What are you getting done?

Something SUPER white girl basic, 110%

189- What’s something you can see yourself going to jail for?

Probably murdering a coworker or customer

198- What the last party you went to was… and when the next will be…

My after prom and then my grad party prob

208- What you wish for on 11:11?

Y’all I aint telling you

218- If you only had 24 hours to live, what would you do?

Immediately fly to Hawaii, find a hot Hawaiian boy and spend the day w him

228- What was something you used to enjoy, but was ruined for you? What’s the story behind that?

Ice cream/desserts/food in general but was kinda ruined by my ED

238- Something you’re currently worrying about:

Calc exam tomorrow!!! That I should be studying for yikey

248- Do you care if people talk badly about you?

Nah itd be nice if the cared enough to even talk about me