#that's the best possible adjective I can think of to describe him in that performance

[ragdollrain]

On Saturday, I had the fortune of seeing Beetlejuice the Musical live at the Marquis theater running on nothing but a few hours of sleep, black tea, borrowed french fries and a vegan brownie. All of the main cast was the same except for Adam, who was played by the very talented Graham Stevens. A few things stuck out to me in this performance, so here they are!

I’ll start by saying the audience had a great time and the cast absolutely killed it (as usual). People seemed to go especially wild for “No Reason” -- almost every one of Delia’s lines throughout the show got a laugh from the audience. There was a standing ovation at the curtain call, it was amazing. 

- Alex flipped the bird at the audience at least 3 times throughout the show. It was hilarious and very quick and subtle each time.

- Sad puppet show: “Noooooo! I’m only 11 years old! There’s so much I wanted to do!”

- During Fright of Their Lives, he jumped at Barbara’s first “primal scream” before settling down and looking disappointed. 

- “Or dress like a baby!” “What the shit, Adam?”

- The line “nobody’s like me,” after Fright of Their Lives was delivered in the saddest way possible. The man sounded like he was crying -- he stepped away and said “sorry” in the smallest voice. The audience literally “awwed” at him, it was such an experience. The “fuck you guys” after that was also delivered quietly through tears. This made his invisible reprise on the roof so much more depressing, you could almost feel it in the room. 

- I can’t remember exactly which other lines were delivered this way, but there were a few moments before Fright of Their Lives that matched up. Overall he really played up that aspect of Beetlejuice.

- After That Beautiful Sound, two of the clones ran off the stage through the staircase on the aisle (I was right at the edge), and one of them was SCREAMING laughing and it was the funniest fucking thing.

- When Beetlejuice announced he was going to marry Lydia, before saying it was a green card thing, the skeletons and the clones made the confused Scooby Doo sound. “Ruuh?” I have no idea if this is the norm but it made everyone laugh and it was great. 

- During Creepy Old Guy, as Lydia’s veil was being unraveled and Adam was pulling him to the side, he leaned over and tried to kiss him. Twice. He was rejected both times and stumbled away. 

- Are you familiar with that post about the audience reacting to Beetlejuice’s death as though a real person was stabbed live on stage? Yeah.

- When Juno appeared, rather than freezing in fear he appeared to be possessed by her. She pointed in his direction and his arms went up, and he moved to try and tug them out of place. 

- The audience responded to “Look, Lydia! Now we both have dead moms!” in many different ways. They were silent for a moment, then a quarter of them booed, another quarter laughed, and I think a few people cheered and clapped. 

Side notes

- After the line “the sound of clean white shorts going brown!” a guy behind me said loudly to his friend that he didn’t get it. 

- Someone yelled “gross” in an angry way at Charles and Delia making out with each other.

- My friend referred to Lydia as “Linda” after the play. This isn’t about the performance but people need to know. 

Overall, everyone was incredible! I’m so happy I got to see it -- I didn’t think I would be able to but I did. I’m glad I saw it exactly as I did too -- being very familiar with it already and having this build-up beforehand because you already love it. And you don’t miss any lines, so there’s no potential for you to get lost or confused with the plot. I didn’t think I could get *more* into it, but somehow I did. Seeing this More Baby Than Bastard Beej will probably affect how I write him, too. 

[the-fae-folk]

How could the fae have been worked into Lord of the Rings?

Entertainingly enough, they already were part of Lord of the Rings. You see, Tolkien was known for many things. He was a writer, a poet, an academic. And of course he's best known for his fantasy works (including but not limited to the rich world of Lord of the Rings). But he was also a philologist. Philology is defined as being the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Why is that relevant? Well it explains a lot about the way the world of Arda, and the small area on the Eastern Continent known as Middle Earth, was put together by Tolkien. You see, in my own studies I've started to come to the realization that all the fantasy races we have in contemporary fantasy are a lot more complicated at the roots than we might think. Elves, Dwarfs, Gnomes, Goblins, Hobgoblins, even Orcs. None of them started out as separate or disconnected as they are now. I've brought this up a few times before and gone deeper into the linguistic connections at those times, so I won't go too deep into detail now. But a lot of the stories about these magical races have sources in different parts of Europe, different countries and cultures, and different Languages and Dialects. The stories were moved about, traded, told and retold, and spread about. And even when the stories themselves were left off, the names and ideas about such creatures still carried on without them. As superstitions or bogeymen to frighten children into behaving. You can trace the connection of names between these different groups. Even concepts and ideas were borrowed from different cultures and had already existing names cut and pasted to them. Beings like Dwarves came from Norse Mythology, certainly they were great healers and skilled metal smiths, but there's very little about them being particularly short. In fact, one possible explanation for this shortness is the character of Oberon (you know, the guy Shakespeare borrowed for his play "A Midsummer Night's Dream"?). Oberon comes from a Dwarf from Germanic Mythology named Alberich, who in the Nibelungenlied, a Burgundian poem, was said to guard a great treasure. He shows up again in the early 13th century chanson de geste (a type of French Epic Poem) entitled "Les Prouesses et faitz du noble Huon de Bordeaux" where instead of a dwarf he was an elf or a fairy. And though he is quite beautiful in appearance, he is also said to be incredibly short due to having been cursed by an offended fairy at his Christening, who then relented and gave him great beauty to make up for it. And then he was borrowed again, by Shakespeare, who made him into the King of the Faeries. So is he a Fairy? A Dwarf? An Elf? Well as literary characters go, all three. Are you beginning to see how tangled it all is? Other races have similar problems. We say Goblins and see all kinds of little wicked creatures, perhaps with sharp teeth, green skin, or a predisposition for violent or chaotically inclined hobbies. But in reality they were not actually described as being anything more than humanoid beings who are often fairly short. They were described as grotesque sometimes, but that word is incredibly suspect because it was used as a general adjective for the strange, mysterious, magnificent, fantastic, hideous, ugly, incongruous, unpleasant, or disgusting, and thus is often used to describe weird shapes and distorted forms. In art, performance, and literature, however, grotesque could also refer to something that invoked a feeling of uncomfortable bizarreness and occasionally pity. A Hobgoblin is more or less synonymous with a Goblin, but is described as being a short and humanoid spirit who could be found in human dwellings and doing odd jobs while everyone was asleep, though they would be mortally offended if offered payment and would play nasty tricks on morally bad people whose houses they inhabited. Another very very similar creature to them are the Brownies, who are described in

much the same way. The name Hob is just a rustic name for a countryside goblin (So we have the Faerie equivalent of Moon Moon and instead have Goblin Goblin). Its important here because it shares not only an extremely tentative connection with the etymology of Hobbits (Something Tolkein himself was unsure about because though he originally thought he'd made it up himself, there were too many connections to ideas, words, and concepts he'd worked on or read about in his academic work), but it also happens to be an Old English word for beings like elfs, sprites, and bogeys. So goblins are related to hobs and also to elfs? While elfs are related to dwarfs and dwarfs are short like the goblins, hobgoblins, and hobs. But in many old stories, elfs too are described as short funny little people who play and laugh and cause mischief. Faeries though, the ones we know are a combination of several groups, but primarily that of the Celtic Mythological beings known as the Tuatha De Dannan. Otherworldly and powerful, though sharing an inclination for magical mischief and for looking down on the unworthy. Tolkien combined many of these in different ways, playing with them and having fun, while also keeping certain aspects of their lore to ensure that anyone who had even a passing familiarity with European Folklore would somehow feel as if they remembered some of these beings even though Tolkien's versions of them was very distinctive and new. His elves were not the pretty little sprites of older stories, but they were still mischievous and prone to laughter and funny songs despite their more dream-like nature. His orcs were perversions of the elves, captured, tortured, and force bred into monstrous hate-filled people who would seem to the elves like a dark and terrible reflection of themselves. And between the Lord of the Rings books and the Hobbit we had the name switched between Goblins and Orcs, because Orc was an older word which, while having a complex history of its own, can be said to mean Goblin or Spectre, or sometimes Hell-Devil. Tolkien borrowed it from Beowulf where it was rendered as the Anglo-Saxon "Orcneas" which is often translated to "Evil Spirits" but whose actual meaning is probably closer to "devil-corpse", understood as some sort of walking dead monster. Though the races of Tolkien's world had different origins, the beings he borrowed those names and ideas from did not. And he took great pains to ensure that he understood those connections before creating his own take on them. He even points this out to us in the stories of the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. The Took Family was mentioned briefly to be different from most other Hobbits and were rumored to have taken a fairy wife. We know from Tolkien that Fairy was a Hobbit name for Elves and that their word for the Undying Lands across the sea to the west was Faerieland. And later in the Lord of the Rings we're told that Gollum was once of a very similar creature to the Hobbits, not actually a Hobbit, but something similar. It is important to note that none of the gods or the living races of that world know the origin of the Hobbits, which was lost even to themselves. Just that they were noticed one day as having been around for a while. Only Illuvitar knew their story, and it seemed he had no intention of telling any of the Valar under his command. So you see, Faeries are already deeply entwined in the Lord of the Rings, and in fact, much of our contemporary fantasy. It's just harder to see nowadays because time has been busy muddying the waters.

[makeste]

What are your favorite hero names?

oh man there are so many. I had to limit myself to a top twenty, and even that was rough. anyway so first off, a few runner ups because I couldn’t go without mentioning these:

Vlad King - to be clear, this isn’t actually one of my top hero names. but I’m mentioning it here because back when I was first reading the series, one of the fan scanlations -- either Fallen Angels or Mangastream, I forget which -- had originally translated his hero name as Brad King. which, to be frank, would have been one of the greatest hero names of ALL TIME. you can’t imagine my disappointment when I finally learned the truth. it still haunts me to this day.

Jack Mantis - this is Kamakiri (a.k.a. the guy from class 1-B who can grow knives out of his body)’s hero name. my question is, why the Jack. the mantis part, I get! that’s fairly obvious! but the “Jack” is forever a mystery to me. it just adds this little layer of intrigue.

Mr. Brave - this guy is one of the few good things to come from the Basement arc. don’t get me wrong, he is completely useless. but his name? absolutely legendary. this guy, with his power of ripping his own hair out and turning it into a sword (yes that’s his quirk), an ability that could be easily duplicated or bested by literally any jackass who just went out and bought their own damn sword, really thought to himself, “I am going to be the BEST MCFUCKING HERO THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN. I AM GOING TO NAME MYSELF... MISTER BRAVE.” and they let him, you guys. they let him.

anyway so now for the top twenty!

20. Can’t Stop Twinkling - this isn’t a name so much as it is poetry in three words. I still cannot believe that Aoyama went up to Midnight with a hero name that sounds more like the world’s greatest Dear Abby letter, and she actually let him keep it. I’m not 100% clear on how this all works, but I like to think this means that Aoyama’s fellow heroes have an actual legal obligation to call him this in battle. I don’t think we as a fandom and as a people really take enough time out of our lives to stop and be grateful for Aoyama’s existence.

19. Uravity - it’s a pun!! it’s so cute and I love it!! and it’s such a perfect name in that it just instantly sums up and defines her whole brand, bringing to mind both Ochako the person and Zero Gravity the quirk. honestly she is one of only a few kids whose hero name I never space out on. with a lot of the others I usually have to pause for a sec and be like “wait, what was their name again?” but never Ochako.

18. Present Mic - this would make a really great band name honestly. I just like it. I’m pretty sure Horikoshi was going for “present” as in the verb meaning “to perform”, like in “presentation”, but to tell the truth I always pronounce it like “present” as in “gift” or “the present time”, which doesn’t make any sense at all, but IT’S JUST WHAT MY BRAIN DECIDED TO DO. anyway.

17. Tsukuyomi - I know this name has its origins in Japanese mythology, but to be completely honest I’ve always just associated it with Itachi’s infamous genjutsu attack from Naruto. I just think it’s the gothest thing ever and absolutely perfect for Tokoyami lol.

16. All Might - there’s just something about this name that kind of makes me just want to pump my fists and go “YEAH!!” I really like the use of “might” as a noun rather than “mighty” as an adjective like you see in so many classic superhero names. it’s just so much cooler somehow. this name really does conjure up the image of the strongest guy in the universe.

15. Midnight - honestly I’m almost mad that this wound up being a hero name, because it would have made a perfect villain name. it’s dark and mysterious and sexy. it’s no wonder why Midnight chose it lol. anyway so my girl is a bit kinky, nothing wrong with that, and it’s also a perfect name for someone whose quirk puts other people to sleep. it’s just such spot-on branding, I love it.

14. Ingenium - fun fact, I had no idea what this meant when I first came across it because I don’t speak Latin! apparently it means “genius” or “talent.” which is a very good meaning for a hero name! but honestly the real reason I love it so much is because it’s Iida’s tribute to his brother, and I am just such a sucker for that kind of shit. damn you Iida siblings. quit giving me all these feels.

13. Shouto – yes, seriously. I know a lot of people hate this name, and it’s always getting flak for being bland and uncreative. but I honestly think it’s a perfect name for Shouto. firstly because Shouto himself is very much the opposite of flashy in a lot of ways. he’s not particularly animated or attention-seeking; he is a very calm, sort of still-waters-run-deep person, and I think the lack of a snappy brand name fits that personality. I’m even more delighted that it hasn’t remotely curbed his popularity at all (at this point I think the only kid hero with more in-universe fans out there is Momo, and even then it’s probably a close thing), and I think a big part of that is that people are drawn to his unpretentious nature, especially in comparison to a lot of the other heroes out there. but most of all, I like the name because of the simple yet powerful way it serves as a declaration that he is his own person. he’s not his father, and he’s more than just a Todoroki. he is himself; he is Shouto. anyway so yeah, to me this is a fantastic name with so much depth and meaning.

12. Battle Fist - this is Kendou’s hero name AND IT’S PERFECT. like, holy shit. what should we call the girl who goes around punching bad guys around all day with her giant hands. how about BATTLE FIST. there really isn’t much more to say about this one, honestly. its greatness speaks for itself.

11. Vantablack - imagine being such an enormous douchebag that word of your douchey exploits made it all the way over to some guy in Japan who spends 95% of his waking hours writing a manga and has almost no free time. fun fact, although Anish Kapoor is the only one licensed to use the color Vantablack, the name Vantablack is still owned by Surrey NanoSystems (a.k.a. the guys who actually invented it), and so I’m pretty sure they’re the ones who decide whether or not someone else gets to use it. I wonder if Kapoor is pissed about his color being referenced in a popular shounen manga. anyways, all of that speculation aside, it really is the perfect name for someone with Kuroiro’s quirk.

10. Endeavor - look, say what you will about Endeavor the person (although I’m personally a big fan of the way his redemption arc is being done and think he’s a fascinating character, albeit a very flawed one), but there’s no denying that Endeavor is a badass name. but what’s really great about it is how it so perfectly captures the admirable part of Endeavor, the one thing about him that’s actually worth praising. he never gives up. he’s always pushing, striving, struggling forward no matter how hopeless it seems. and that’s a worthy trait, and it says something about him that this is what he chose for his hero name. a name that has nothing to do with fire, nothing to do with his quirk, nothing even to do with his goal of becoming #1. it’s simply a name that means to make an effort; to try and achieve something. and I like that.

9. Sugarman - this IMO is easily the most overlooked and severely underrated hero name in the series. it’s a hidden gem. everyone always forgets about Satou just because his power of being a Strong Punching Guy doesn’t particularly stand out in a manga chock full of strong punching guys. but he is a badass and a great character, and honestly “eating candy makes me super strong” is possibly the single greatest quirk in the history of time and I am jealous. anyway, so this is a really straightforward name, but it’s really smooth and catchy somehow and so it’s one of my favorites.

8. Gale Force - this is Inasa’s hero name! it’s another one which is criminally underrated, much like Inasa himself. airbender powers are just so badass you guys. wind is so badass. this name is all hurricaney and tempesty and super cool and powerful-sounding. this is one of those names that I’m honestly surprised wasn’t already a mainstream superhero name. Marvel was all “nah, we’ll just go with ‘Storm’”, like come on you guys where is the creativity.

7. Red Riot - this name is a fucking grand slam. it’s alliterative! it’s catchy! it’s got the word “riot” in it! it’s an absolutely perfect name for a passionate guy whose quirk lends itself towards good old fashioned brawlin’ and head bashing. the fact that it’s got additional meaning as a tribute towards Kiri’s own personal hero is just the icing on the cake. this is another name that Marvel probably legit wishes they had thought of first. it’s easily the best hero name out of everyone in class 1-A imo.

6. Sir Nighteye - hilariously for the longest time it was not confirmed whether or not Nighteye actually had a real name (he does! but I’ve forgotten it lol), and so there was this lingering question, absurd as it was, of whether or not Nighteye’s parents, whoever they are, were descendants of some proud Nighteye clan, and whether they had really, actually named their child “Sir.” anyways though, I love this name. it’s super cool and mysterious and perfect for someone with future-seeing powers, and the “Sir” just makes even awesomer because it implies that the Queen really liked him or something.

5. Mt. Lady - this name is a stroke of genius. supersize-me powers are a dime a dozen, but the characters always have names like Giant Man or Giganta or Goliath. as far as I know, no other superhero characters have ever thought to name themselves after mountains, let alone to name themselves as if they WERE a mountain. like, she isn’t “mountain lady”; she’s “MOUNT Lady”, as if she were an actual tectonic peak. it really bothers me that I can’t adequately describe in words why I love this so much. I just do!! I think she should get an award.

4. Suneater - Tamaki is out here proving to everyone that your hero name doesn’t need to have jack shit fuckall to do with your actual quirk in order to be completely badass and iconic. sometimes I wonder what Tamaki does when people ask him “out of curiosity, why did you pick that name?”, which someone surely must have done at some point. he probably turns beet red and tries to dissolve into the background. but anyway, the general public does not need to know the meaning of his hero name in order for it to have meaning; we know what the meaning is, and that it’s his way of saying “I believe in myself because my friend believes in me”, and honestly that’s all that matters. I am still of the opinion that certain other people whose childhood friends held a lot of unwavering belief in and admiration towards them could do worse than going down this same hero name route, but we will see! anyways Suneater deserves all your respect.

3. Best Jeanist - I had so much love for this name from the start, and then I found out it was a real, actual award. for people who make good jeans, or are good at wearing jeans, or something. it’s run by the Japan Jeans Council, which is also a real and actual thing. but anyway, despite it not being as wholly original of a name as I thought, it’s still iconic, and I love that he went with something that was recognizable while still fitting his quirk, and which has the added implication that he is the motherfucking best, because he is. also, given that he probably chose this name while he was still in school, and that only public figures generally seem to be eligible for the award, this implies that he chose the name Best Jeanist first, and then went on to win the actual award eight years running. presumably because the JJC got very flustered and were all, “IT’S LITERALLY HIS NAME... WE HAVE TO GIVE IT TO HIM... WE HAVE TO”, and so they did. anyway so that was a goddamn power move on his part.

2. Gang Orca - first of all, if you are an orca man, then naming yourself after orcas is a pretty apt thing to do and I have to respect that. but then along comes the “gang” part, out of absolutely NOWHERE, and it absolutely SMASHES. like, this name comes up to you and it slaps you in the face. GANG ORCA. HE’S A BIG AGGRESSIVE DOLPHIN MAN AND HE’S NOT HERE TO FUCK AROUND. IS HE ACTUALLY IN A GANG?? WE DON’T KNOW. BUT HERE HE IS, READY TO YEET YOUR DELINQUENTS AND HUNT YOUR MOTHERFUCKING SEALS. this name fucks so hard it came within inches of the number one spot. he is a ruffian and a champ.

1. Eraserhead - last but not least, the guy who DIDN’T EVEN PICK HIS OWN NAME. his best friend had to do it for him, and out of love, came up with the SINGLE BEST HERO ALIAS IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND. first of all, this name sounds like a very funky and electronicy Thom Yorke song. second, it conjures up the image of a man with a big no. 2 pencil head, which could not possibly be further from the truth. it’s just so whiplashy in the best way possible. third, the very existence of this name is seriously a goddamn miracle. he could have been “Power-Stopping Man.” or “Sleeping Bag Man.” or “Scruffy Hero: Tired Man.” or just “Shouta”, but unlike Shouto there wouldn’t have been any actual meaning to it; it would have simply been a case of him not giving the slightest of fucks about coming up with a real name. but rather than any of these, thanks to the power of friendship we were blessed with the greatest hero name in recorded memory. this is one of the few kindnesses fate has ever bestowed upon Aizawa Shouta in his tragic, exhausting life, and I for one am eternally grateful.

anyway so that’s my list! sorry if I left out anyone’s favorites! but I think all of these are deserving of love. also if you want to see the single best thing Japan has ever come up with, please go visit best-jeans.com. they even have an instagram lulz.

[mrs-nate-humphrey]

you’ve talked a little bit about this wrt dan, but i’m curious: what are your favorite seasons/arcs for the main gg characters? (serena, blair, dan, nate, jenny, vanessa) cause everyone’s personalities tended to uh, shift a bit from season to season and storyline to storyline, and i’m wondering which eras of those characters were your favorite?

oh, so i sat on this question for a very long time, and spent a ton of time thinking over it. here we go! 

i loved the way serena was written in s1 and s2. she was so full of joy despite all the difficult things she’d endured, so bubbly and warm and... lively is ALWAYS the adjective that comes to mind for serena, despite how it’s a terrible pun. but yeah! she had an energy to her that was very childlike & genuine, and i loved that about her - despite the things she’d endured, she was so full of light (?? how do i describe this.) i know that serena’s arc gets notably more tragic s3 onwards, but i feel like the way she was written lost a bit of depth s3 onwards as well. she had a sharp wit, and a good sense of humour, she was playful and... most notably, she had this little giggle? that she literally NEVER does in the later seasons, which makes me sad?? she stopped laughing like a child at the age of, what, 19?? idk. in s1 & s2 serena had so many layers, and i feel like as the seasons went on they tried to, uh. keep only the surface layers? they didn’t really do justice to the character they started out with.

my answer for vanessa is actually the exact same, with slight modifications. vanessa’s energy in s1 and s2 was unparalleled. literally the best. i loved her and the way she was critical of everything and YET so ready to learn. compared to all these rich, privileged, white people... her presence was just SO good and so important to me, because the way she was so critical of the uber rich was something nobody else really was, and i think that perspective WAS valuable and should’ve remained, haha. idk what it was about s3, but i feel like they didn’t keep the crux of who vanessa was? it wasn’t a BAD vanessa season as much as an incomplete one. i felt they could’ve done so much more with a character like vanessa.... she’s so vibrant and full of life! and the way s3 was for her was very surface. and then in s4 they just demolished her character entirely. i’ve said it before, i’ll say it again: what jenny, juliet and vanessa did in 4x09 was TOTALLY out of character for vanessa. she would never, ever do that. and by the time s4 came around... someone else said this, i don’t remember who. but they said that vanessa was basically being used as a plot device more than as a character. notice how she’s always in the right place at the right time to overhear the right thing? it’s a travesty, because vanessa was just..... so significant to me. like her being there added so much value & even changed the tone of the show imo.

my blair feelings are very complicated. i think she’s fascinating, and i love leighton & her performance. i love book blair so much more than show blair, and idk why or how to explain it. i mentioned this in that post where i ranked the characters, but while watching blair in high school specifically i can’t EVER forget that she would probably hatecrime me, and even when she’s out of school she is still supremely racist at times. i actually liked blair best in s5 - and i know she was going thru ~tragic~ stuff (i think they dialled the tragedy too high actually, like, blair had TOO MUCH on her plate and from a storytelling point of view it was... ambitious, to say the least, to hope to bring all out of that out on tv) but like, keeping her tragedy aside. her capacity for kindness and care really shone thru while she was with dan, and i liked how the d/b relationship took her out of her comfort zone and her “but im a Waldorf!” bubble and let her, idk, be a person. i liked her in s4, too. i feel like blair is a really good, nuanced, fleshed out character as blair, and the way she clung to being a waldorf combined with her rich-white-girl privilege got kind of boring after a while because like. she’s not like louis? her character has so much depth. her character doesn’t need to be reduced to a title, because she’s SO much more than that.

i feel like i need to do a lot more rewatching when it comes to dan because i CANNOT be objective about him. he reminds me far too much of myself!!! down to his flaws and his mistakes and his issues –  i was a precocious little shit in high school at times in very similar ways to dan, i like to think i’ve grown out of that (& am perpetually making an effort TO grow out of falling into those patterns) & that’s what i want for dan, too. dan’s arc feels real to me, because a lot of it is my arc, too. feeling lonely, out of place & unaccepted in high school --> being a popular kid in college… that hits really close to home. s1 & s2 are important seasons to me because i’m extremely protective of awkward, trying-his-best high school dan (he can be awful at times, but he can be earnest and sincere, too!) i feel like s4 is actually the best dan season – took me a while to get here, but halfway thru my s2 rewatch that’s how i’m leaning. but dan’s arc was very interesting to me, and i wish they’d kept his heart. trying to retcon him as evil fell absolutely flat to me, like. who are you convincing! one of my friends and i were joking about how georgie blackmailed dan into pretending to be gossip girl (she obviously has dirt on him that nobody else does.) anyway. dan’s arc felt pretty true until the end of s4. i wasn’t a big fan of how he was written in s5, i felt like something had been taken away from his character, but i don’t know how to say it better. you’re right though, i have gone over this a lot! so i’m not going to break my head over it, ‘cause we’re already a thousand words in and i still have nate and jenny to go.

speaking of jenny, though: i think dan’s storylines REALLY needed more of a big brother arc. the way he was characterised, especially in s1, was very “i would kill a man for my baby sister” and i have NO idea where that went or why they got rid of it. (actually, i do have some idea. fucking chip wiskers apologism & elevation of chair over literally anything else. sigh)

okay, now speaking of jenny in terms of jenny. i liked her s1 arc, like, her trying to make friends with these people & trying to keep her morals and realising she can’t do both was interesting. i think that should’ve been that with her clashes with girls in constance, though. and afterwards, either nothing happens, or she transfers out of constance, etc. jenny’s s2 arc makes me sad – she was exploited and treated like dirt in so many ways :( the jenny/agnes was interesting in s2, though, and there’s no way to interpret it that ISN’T lesbian. i’ve always felt like jenny’s feelings for nate in s2 are very comphet. jenny’s s3 arc made me even sadder than her s2 arc- she was alienating all her friends one by one, making everyone hate her, and just…… spiralling. she really needed a better support system. her s4 arc made no sense. like. why did she come back in the city to fuck with serena like that? it didn’t feel right.

yeah, all that said… i feel like there are many super intriguing elements of jenny’s storylines and arcs, like, even within canon events if things had been executed differently, it could’ve been actually good/empowering. but the writers hated jenny. and this show was never a feminist show.

ah, so… nate. he started out as a flake in s1 & s2. that’s his whole thing. he doesn’t know who he wants to be / how to get what he wants / how to get where he wants. he takes people for granted. he isn’t dependable or reliable, he lets people down (most notably, blair & vanessa.) and he means well, sure! but his life is like amber and he’s trapped in it. he doesn’t follow his heart, he’s too busy trying to please the wrong people, etc etc. in s3 he’s suddenly so ready for commitment, which always breaks my heart because vanessa!!! but anyway. s3 has a shift in his character, possibly him getting dumped at prom and realising that high school is over and one thing that tethered him to his family (being a kid, being a high schooler, being a minor, whatever) –  one big thing that held him there is gone. so it makes sense that he starts trying to be his own person. i like s3 nate, and s4 nate. we see nate sort of gradually try and be a moral compass, and it’s interesting to me. when i write d/n fic something i really focus on is dan finding nate dependable, and i think that’s a value that builds in nate over time. nate of season 1 is not dependable, nope, no way. but nate of s4 seems like a decent friend to have. in s5 and s6 they more or less threw his entire arc to the wind and gave him so many shitty storylines (sage spence, wtf? nate would not do this. he’s been on the opposite end of this before, he would not carry the pattern forward, ffs.)

idk. this almost hit 1.7k, LMAO. i hope it made some amount of sense!

[uzuuzuking]

so this started out as just a general post about why i like cinderella adaptations, but slowly spiraled into a ranking/review of all the cinderella adaptations i’ve seen in my short, young life. so strap in for possibly the longest post i’ve ever made on this blog. (look, i never know how much i have to say about something until i really get going lmao)

idk why i like cinderella adaptations/remakes/spinoffs so much? most of them are garbage (especially the ones within the last 10 years don’t @ me) but fuck it i like this brand of garbage. it’s fun to watch these movies and rework the bad plotlines and dialogue in my head as i go along.

i guess i like the source material and some of the aspects of all the different adaptations, but honestly i just like re-imagining them because there’s only so much cringey script-written-for-teens-but-clearly-written-by-40-year-old-adults-who-have-no-idea-how-teens-or-even-people-for-that-matter-actually-talk-and-interact i can take in one excruciating sitting.

anyway here’s my personal ranking of all the cinderella adaptations i’ve seen that no one asked for. (not including stage productions because i haven’t seen any and have no opinion of them. also not including into the woods because that’s not just cinderella, but a spectacular amalgamation of fairytale mishap and shenanigan.) and reviews because apparently i had more to say than i originally thought when i first started constructing this list:

cinderella (1997) - the absolute best cinderella adaptation of all time, hands down, this is non-negotiable. this movie has it all: an excellent and diverse cast, gorgeous costume design, beautiful sets, some of the most dazzling dance numbers i ever witnessed when i first watched it at the wee age of 4, and a positive, progressive message that was accurate for its time yet also so ahead of its time. i cannot praise this version of cinderella enough, it is my all time favorite and one of my top 3 feel-good movies. if you watched it today, the effects might not be as magical compared to what we have now, but keep in mind it was released in 1997. anyway, the cast is truly amazing and so effortlessly inclusive (and honestly the fact that the prince was asian with a black mother and white father and they literally never addressed it was such a power move). i could go on about this movie forever (i’ll probably make a whole post dedicated to it in the future) and what it meant to me and many others as young, impressionable poc. in conclusion, this movie set an exceedingly high standard for me and destroyed the chances of any other cinderella adaptation even hoping to live up to that. i love it! so! much!

ever after: a cinderella story (1998) - tbh i never saw this until i was in college but i immediately fell in love. i love the flow of the story as a whole - i never felt like anything was missing. i love the costumes and i especially love how danielle and henry’s relationship progressed throughout the film. slow-burn comes to mind when i watch their interactions and we all love a sweet, sweet slow-burn. it’s romance babes! it’s Dramatic in a few scenes and all i can say is that it really works because drew barrymore’s performance is exceptional, fantastic, engaging, more adjectives to describe how enthralled by her i was. above all, her character is compassionate - she uses her voice to speak in support for those who are suppressed by the flawed government systems and law enforcers, and influences the prince to use his status and power to better his people who lack the privileges of the nobility. she’s such a strong female lead (emotionally and physically - she literally fireman carries her love interest, who is taller than her and definitely exceeds her own bodyweight) and truly the mvp of this adaptation. watch it. watch it for Her.

enchanted (2007) - amy adams and idina menzel - ‘nuff said. okay but for real this one is so unique with its transition from classic d*sney 2D animation style to the real three-dimensional world and i adore it to the ends of the earth. the music? slaps! the story? slaps! the development of the main character? slaps!! she’s so princess-y and d*sney cartoon-y and struggles in the real world, but she adapts at a good pace and i love that she learns to be realistic while also keeping hope and love close to her heart. also her mother figure / daughter figure bond with morgan is so so precious. the only constructive criticism i have for this movie is the fact that we were robbed of idina menzel singing!!! did they know all along she was destined to play the frozen queen years in the future and decided against her singing in this one?? is that it? ridiculous. it’s been over a decade and i’m still seething over this. other than that this movie is *chef’s kiss*

ella enchanted (2004) - anne hathaway’s back must still be hurting from carrying this film. (no shade to the other cast members, they’re good, but anne is a queen and i forever love her.) this is another childhood favorite of mine. the story itself is a refreshing take - hats off to gail carson levine for the source material! i’ve talked about the differences between the movie and book before in the midst of my reread of the book a few months ago, but i don’t remember how much i focused on the movie. it’s so different from the book that it might as well be its own thing. on its own, the movie is pretty decent! again, mostly because of anne. it’s funny, it’s sad (especially that scene towards the beginning between ella and areida, i’m in stupid tears every time), and it gets weird but it’s a fun time. the chemistry between char and ella is so zesty i can feel it through the screen, i swoon over both of them. tbh i probably wouldn’t like this movie so much if not for the fact that anne hathaway is truly talented and i spend most of my time watching it just looking at her. 

cinderella 3: a twist in time (2007) - i genuinely enjoyed and appreciated how the characters were written in this one. they all had clear motives and became much more dynamic through their lines and actions (drizella is arguably the most static character here but she still amuses me so it’s fine i guess). cinderella has more agency since the stakes are higher. prince charming actually has a gotdamn personality and has some of the funniest scenes and dialogue. good for him. i was kind of sad that anastasia’s story with the sweet baker boy was thanos snapped by the stepmother, but she and baker boy get a cute credits illustration together so it’s still canon! maybe i’m more biased on this one because i grew up rewatching it A Lot, but i definitely prefer it to the first and second movies.

cinderella (2000) - this one is kind of weird but i like it? the film has a really interesting vibe that i’m still trying to figure out how to describe even after seeing it like 5 times. wikipedia refers to the aesthetic style as “the glamour of the 1950s” which just might be as close as we can get. it follows the general guidelines of the cinderella plot, but the main differences were: zezolla (cinderella) was already helping with the chores before her father remarried, claudette (stepmother) was actively trying to murder zezolla’s father during their marriage, the stepsisters were much more violent and crass (they hunted zezolla’s beloved farm animals for sport and talked about getting “a man in [their] bed”), zezolla’s father was manipulated by everything claudette did and said and treated his own daughter poorly as a result, and prince valiant is honestly kind of a douchebag but seems willing to improve himself after meeting zezolla (basically his vibes are iffy but he’s willing to learn). this whole movie is pretty niche and i have yet to interact with someone who’s also seen it. and the only reason i’ve seen it so many times is because i just like listening to how the dialogue is delivered. (except for prince valiant’s random song at the ball, i kind of hated that and i skip through it every time lol).

a cinderella story (2004) - the classic hilary duff version. very cliche early 2000s high school romance, but it works for the cinderella narrative. not particularly diverse. a classic nonetheless. in my mind this is the pinnacle of the “modern cinderella movie” type. this is one of the most iconic movies for us zillennials and i’d like to think it’s known well enough for me to not go into a lot of detail about it. basically it was fresh and new for its time, had plenty of memorable scenes, and did i mention hilary duff? the film kind of plays into the “not like other girls” trope - as do a couple of the movies i listed above - but i’m just going to acknowledge that the early 2000s were Wack and simply move on. all in all, i like this movie for the nostalgia, iconic scenes, and hilary duff. also jennifer coolidge is pretty funny as the stepmother.

another cinderella story (2008) - again, an early 2000s classic, but this time with selena gomez. i liked the dancing in this one. i like selena’s quiet, somewhat timid characterization of her character, mary. and jane lynch in the stepmother role is perfection. she’s so fun to watch and is always hilarious. the story is nothing remarkable, but it’s okay and i liked it as a kid. after the hilary duff version, this one still managed to feel fresh because, though it was similar in its modern era approach, it focused more on the performing arts and dance. “cinderella” is an aspiring dancer, rather than the 2004 aspiring scholar. the “prince” is a famous popstar, not a football player. the stepmother is an outdated popstar desperate to stay Hip and Relevant with the kids, not a cranky botox lady. honestly i just love watching this one for the dancing, mary’s genuine and innocent love for the “prince”, and literally everything that comes out of jane lynch’s mouth. that woman is a dialogue gold mine.

a cinderella story: once upon a song (2011) - lucy hale is good. missi pyle is good. they play their roles and lines that they’re given fairly well. over all, it’s entertaining. lucy, of course, has them Pipes and i do like the songs in this movie. the only major downside for me was the “token best friend of color” trope. lucy’s best friend is an asian girl who’s good at sports and is there for one liners and support. the prince charming character’s best friend is a black guy who he only knew for probably a month at the most. he can beatbox, sing, and dj. basically he’s also just there as support. they really don’t do much for the plot but they’re there for diversity and whatnot. this movie is.. fine.

cinderella (1950) - the only reason this ranks so low for me is because i watched it a lot as a child when it was on vhs and it always felt like a fever dream to me. i was just really young and didn’t feel invested in any of the characters. it is a classic, though, and i would watch it again and be able to enjoy it.

cinderella 2: dreams come true (2002) - i liked cinderella’s and anastasia’s stories from this one. jaq’s was meh. it was fine.

dj cinderella or cinderella pop (2019) - netflix knows i like cinderella adaptations so, naturally, they shoved this into my recommended and, naturally, i watched it. twice. which is more than i can say for the following review... so this movie is brazillian and is pretty much the cut & mold of modern cinderella movies. but she wants to be a dj. she stars out living a perfect life as a wealthy girl with a loving family, but turns out her dad is cheating on her mom with his secretary. that’s when she “stops believing in love”. which is actually valid bc if i saw one of my parental figures cheating on the other, i honestly wouldn’t know what to believe in anymore. anyway, cíntia dorella (yes. that’s her full name.) and her mom move into her aunt’s place. a year or so passes. stepmother/secretary/cheating lady is throwing an extravagant birthday party for her daughters and hires freddy prince, a popular musician who cíntia doesn’t really like. meanwhile, cíntia gets a dj gig she’s excited for until she finds out she’s the opener for freddy prince at her stepsisters’ party. she ends up disguising herself as “dj cinderella” and freddy is super into her. it’s pretty generic from there but i was entertained enough to watch it twice. take from that what you will.

cinderella (2015) - ok so we been knew that d*sney’s live action remakes ain’t shit, and this one is no exception. d*sney within the last few years has been like 99% aesthetics and marketing. this movie was visually stunning, especially with the settings and costumes. those were the only 2 things i truly liked. everything else was forgettable. in its defense, i did read a post about the “have courage and be kind” message which is something wonderful to hold onto, especially for anyone in an abusive situation like ella. that’s valid and i respect that. i still lowkey hate this movie tho. i started getting a headache about 4 reviews ago, but remembering how much praise this movie got has reignited my fighting spirit. honestly if you like it, that’s good, you like what you like and that’s that. but this is my review and i hated how proper ella’s posture was (she’s been doing physical labor hunched on the floor for years now, how does she not slump around in exhaustion at the end of the day??), i hated how perfectly curated the whole thing was (again, that’s mostly because of d*sney and their aesthetics), and i hated how hollow everything felt. i can’t perfectly describe it, but i never felt emotionally invested in any of the characters. something about their performance was lacking and yet again i blame d*sney. i actually really like lily james, but something about the way she was directed left me devoid of emotional attachment to ella. i remember nothing about ella’s step family or the prince. that’s how much of an impact this adaptation had on me. also i just remembered the fairy godmother as i type this. i ADORE helena bonham carter, but this movie does a horrible disservice to her. if she liked working on this movie, then i’m happy for her, but even she wasn’t strong enough to sell this to me. i saw this movie in theaters and came out of it lamenting my waste of money that i could have spent on something i would have actually enjoyed. but the thing that enraged me the most, the thing i despised, i detested, the thing i seethed over and rant about to this day was the ONE (1) token black character. i don’t even know if he had a name but he was captain of the guard or some shit. if i remember correctly (but probably not tbh this movie was so forgettable), he was the one who heard ella singing and was the whole reason the prince was able to have her try on the glass slipper. this man, who had zero character development, zero relevance to the plot, an insignificant amount of screen time, is suddenly the reason the main character is able to finally connect with her love interest. um. What. i hate how the writers treated him and i will forever be filled with every last grain of salt over this. anyway he’s my favorite character and everyone else is just eh. to conclude this ungodly long review, i don’t like this movie. i tried to watch it again once but got so bored i quit 10 minutes in. do yourself a favor and watch cinderella (1997) instead. (the only reason this movie is ranked above the remaining 5 is the production quality. but i guess that’s unfair bc d*sney has the big bucks. and maybe i wouldn’t be so harsh if i weren’t sleep deprived and grumpy from a sugar-induced headache, but these feelings still come from my Chest so idk.)

a cinderella story: a christmas wish (2019) - i think we all secretly enjoy christmas-themed movies and this has got to be someone’s guilty pleasure. i was mildly entertained (but again with the cringey dialogue written by people clearly not in high school...) and i do like laura marano. but they autotuned her to hell and back - which i loathed - because the woman can actually sing and she has a lovely voice. she got to sing candidly one (1) time and i relished the experience. my ears thank her beautiful, un-autotuned voice. other than that it was.. fine. i didn’t hate it but i didn’t like it either. laura marano deserves better than this. (can’t say the same for the other actors tho because their roles were unmemorable.) also laura marano was super cute in her elf costume!

not cinderella’s type (2018) - i legit forgot about this one until after i compiled the entire list lol. i saw it on youtube and it was decent as far as i remember. it’s another modern day cinderella. i think the “prince” runs over “cinderella’s” cat or something?? i’m pretty sure it was her mom’s cat so now she has nothing left to remember her mom by. prince boy feels awful and tries to befriend her or do something to make it up to her, but she just doesn’t really like him. i think her aunt and uncle are emotionally abusive to her and prince boy does his best to be there for her without making things worse. if i remember correctly, i liked that aspect of the movie because it’s hard to be there for a victim of any kind of abuse if trying to help them could potentially hurt them more, especially minors still under the care of abusive guardians. anyway i think cinderella girl’s best friend is in love with her or something but she ends up not being into him and slowly gets together with prince boy. she eventually moves out of her guardians’ house and into the spare house at prince boy’s home (he’s rich or something). i need to rewatch this movie tbh i could be wrong about everything here lol.

rags (2012) - not amazing, definitely not memorable because i have nothing to say about its plot or writing, but it has keke palmer which is its one redeeming quality. also it’s the only one on this list where the male protagonist is the cinderella. so that’s solid i guess.

a cinderella story: if the shoe fits (2016) - this was a movie. it happened. i vaguely remember how ridiculous it was and sometimes i felt secondhand embarrassment. i don’t remember what about specifically, but i remember the emotion. sofia carson is a talented singer. i think she’s a decent actor but this script was Bad.

elle: a modern cinderella tale (2010) - i only watched this one because i was bored out of my damn mind and saw it on youtube. i felt bad for all the actors because this script was terrible. i don’t recommend this unless you’re about to sit down with your squad and make fun of it.

apparently descendants is on the “cinderella adaptations and references” list on imdb but i refuse to put it on my list because it’s not a cinderella-specific adaptation and i don’t like the descendants franchise. now, if we’re going to discuss a quality series about the children of fairytale characters, that would hands down be ever after high. but that’s a different topic for a different day.

thus concludes the ranking no one asked for but i felt compelled to make. thank you and goodnight

[kunalkarankapoor]

16 Years Of Kunal Karan Kapoor. (Fan -messages)

Thank you kunal karan kapoor,You'd entered my life as an actor but now you are not an actor for me but a family member, friend, well-wisher, true love, inspiration and my idol 🤩 I know these words are less to describe you... You might be suprise how you became these all... I can explain! A family member, How? Aren't you excited for every success of your family member.. Don't you always want to support and be there for him with or without anyone.. Don't you feel happy for the relationship desicions, birthdays etc of your family member.. Yes right then you are a part of my family too... Friend.. How? Like I talk to my friend, like I tag my friend, like I celebrate my friend's birthday, like I have all the concern on him and his future I have on you too... Then what about well wisher..? You don't know me right.. Then how can you became well wisher of mine? Basically you wish good for all your fans... Hence you are my well wisher... But speaking in depth a well wisher always motives us in every part of life.. And you do that by your character mohan.. When I feel too low and feel why me always I'm good but I don't get good... I see mohan saying to megha just because you are good not all others are good too... After he rescued her from their boss... That motivates me that time... Nextly whenever I have suicidal thoughts.. Yeah I have some... I see mohan motivating megha of the sunrise after the dark night... I feel you are saying to me not to quit... And at times when I cry I see the scene where you suddenly pop from the door and ask megha not to cry and you console her by your actions.. Yeah I immediately stop crying when I see that... See you have your magic in all of my life... So now you are my well wisher right? Then true love... It doesn't only mean life partner... But it is the people whom we love without any need and intention... It is pure... I have no exact reason to love you hence you are my true love... And would also wish a person with more similarities. Next you are my inspiration by the life you live which all other fail.. Following your heart and doing your passion.. This may look simple but that is practically not simple as that... And needs so much of guts to take a desicions of this sort... We can be happy if we follow our heart everyone knows... But we need someone to do that set an example and lead in that way.. So you always inspire me in that sort... Every time I see your travel pictures I think see how independent he is... Must live a life like this fulfilling our dreams... So you directly or indirectly shape my whole life... ❤ And finally idol... Do I need to explain this further... The whole message is the reason why I look up you as an idol... And I wish that you must be born either as my father, brother, best friend, my life partner or maybe my son 😂 why as an actor that too that far... So that I can't see you are make you my own... You are an public figure...But I want you as my private person 😂 maybe in next birth ( you decide the relationship between us.. I'm ok with anything) so finally thank you KKK... Be proud of you always... Getting rich fame or anything else is easy... But getting someone who considers you as a family is something spl you have that... ❤ Be always proud of yourself because you have done something wonderful by spreading positivity and changing someone's life in a positive way... Good luck, good health and happiness to you always..With love your fan. - Janani Praseena

Firstly I started to watch nenjam pesudhey for Ashnoor because her cuteness in Jhansi rani….slowly I become fan of your bond with Ashnoor your slang your hair, nose everything…sometime I really wish to pull your nose once in my lifetime …and the highlight of your acting is, you just not acted ,you lived the character…the day is incomplete without talking about you every day. We use to talk about you serial episodes in our lunchtime, not even care about our board exams 😁….whenever you wink your eyes it makes me blush 🙈💘…still some of my friends have saved my contact number as dhevayanimohan that’s how much I love you and make everyone ears filled with blood 😁… my relation said she would definitely marry a Hindi boy…you made a powerful impact.. I started to cry when the serial is over. Then my mom bought a phone. In that I download lot and lots of pictures videos of your…once she opens her phone it only filled with your photos..i wish my partner would be same like you, sharp nose, joined eyebrows, curly hair expressive eyes. If I was born as a boy, I would also put a tattoo like your tattoo. Recently I seen some of your left right left episodes, in that I loved your lady getup 😂😂😂 You perfectly do your responsibility what the director wants…cuteness overloaded in some of your previous work like Varun's character …Every time everywhere proposing scene came you nailed it very well. It makes an impact in my heart… like you just proposed me😍😍…You are my first love you taught me to blush ….Thank you for everything and entertaining us and also you gave some new feelings 😍 - Dhevayani 

A HUGE congratulations to you KUNAL sir for completing wonderful 16 YEARS…A journey of ups and downs, criticisms and appreciations, ignoring the talks of haters, you have proven yourself with your great works… God blessed  us with you, a powerful actor, an incredible person so so so down to earth and extremely humble and other adjectives that can’t fit in a message. You portrayed all your characters so well. I appreciate your all characters for your honest performance specially Varun, Yudi, Mohan, Krishna and Mohit. I know a team makes a show but after seeing your performance you left us speechless. I love how you live your character and connect your viewers so well through your acting. Your transformation from MOHAN to VASU is just wow. I really appreciate your performance as Vasu. I love his style and his tapori language. But MOHAN to Mohan hai uske jaisa koi nahi. He is my FOREVER favourite.❤️ YOU portrayed that character so well and beyond words completely nailed it…You made a space in our heart and no one can ever replace you. I love you amazing performance as Mohit Naik Raikar❤️.. Eagerly waiting to see you again as Mohit Naik Raikar.. THANK YOU for entertaining us and Keep entertaining us with your amazing performance.😊 Thank you for making us proud to be your fan. It’s not just words, It’s a feeling that. YOU ARE THE BEST….! -  Aarti Yadav

Beloved Kunal Karan Kapoor, Sab se pehle congratulations from bottom of my for completing 16th successful years in industry ❤️👏 Happy 16th Anniversary 🎉🎉 Mujhe nahi pata ke main aapka THANK YOU kaise karo main aap ki fan jab se hoon jab mujhe fan ka Matlab bhi pata nahi tha but his din se aapko ko dekha hai onscreen ye pyaar or care wali feeling jab se hai aapke liye ❤️ Aapke har character ko appreciate karna chahti ho aapne Apna har role behtreen nibhaya hai har kirdaar ko jiya hai aapne or humne bhi. 🥰 Kunal sir jab aapke interview dekhti hoon tu buhat Khushi milti hai Aap buhat achche hai or kitni baar aapka positive nature mujhe positive vibes deta hai har waqt Ek pyaari si smile karna Maine aapse sikha hai 😘 Interviews dekh Kar humne Kunal ko Jana or Woh sakhs tu apne kirdaar se bhi ziyada khubsurat hai buhat sachcha hai Meri Dua hai ke Aap humesha khush raho ❤️ Aap ka positive attitude buhat inspire karta hai jab kabhi main udaas hoti ho tu aapki shows or k aapki pics dekh Kar buhat sukoon milta hai. Kunal aapki Magical voice buhat pyaari , I love your Expressive Eye's, I love your messy hairs ,I love your face , infact I like you , I love you ❤️ love you a lot Kunal 😚💞💞💝💖 Dil chahta hai aapko hug karo or apni sari baatein aapse share karo aapko har Khushi mile , aapke show main agar aap sad hote ho tu Dil khud udaas hojata hai or jab khush hote hu tu buhat sukoon milta hai💖 Jab koi new post ya update karte ho tu Dil Khushi se pagal hojata hai 💖 Thank you so much kunal for being a important part of my life Thank you for entertaining us since a long time Thank you for being my idol & my inspiration Thank you for spreading smile and love in my life Thank you so much Kunal Karan Kapoor Thanks a ton love you alot. - Jannat

Dear Kunal ji, THANK YOU SO MUCH for stay with 16 years of cini industry ...you are the versatile person ..each and every time when i see u you made me happy😀😀 , made me motivated😎, made me enjoy and everything🤗🤗 ..tqs for this kind of enjoyments 😘😘..and u r my inspiration..tq kunal ji stay blessed forever😍😍 ...love ubso much 😍😍😘😘😘_ - Abarna

Kunal ji16th year anniversary aapko bahut bahut badhai ho,aasha karte hain ki ishi traha jindagee ki saari padav paar karte huwe aap aage badhate jao,aur Eshwar aap ki saari iccha ko puri kare,kunal ji thank you so much 🌹 ki aapne hamari jindagee ko itana hashin banaya , aap ke itane aache aur superb serial ne,har ek serial me aapka naya roop ,nai josh,aur aapka muskurana,baat karna aur kaam karne ki style se hum etana empress ho jate hain ♥️ ki aap ka fan hi nahi aapse pyaar hone lagi hai🌹 thank you aapko ,ki aap hamare life me kabhi yudi,kabhi varun,kabhi monty,kabhi sukhi singh,kabhi angad,kabhi amrik,aur kabhi Mohan Bhatnagar/vasu ,kabhi shourya,aur kabhi krishna shekhawat toh kabhi Mohit raikar bankar aapke saare fan's ko khushi aur itana saara pyaar diya ,,🙂 kunal ji aapke liye ek song likhana chaungi 👉 hasteh hasteh kat jaye raste, jindagee yu hi chalte rahe, Khushi mile ya gam badlenge na ham dunniya chahe badaltee rahe... .....🙏 thank you so much 💖 my all in one kunal ji. Love 💖 you 💞 so much-  Laxmi

I was merely a kid when I watched you for the first time on my screen as Mohan and on that day I realized that it's possible to feel attached to fictional characters if the actors potraying them is as brilliant as you are. After that, I watched your other works as well and each time I was enthralled by your performance. You just nailed all the characters you played. You are one of the most exceptionally talented actors. Thanks a lot for entertaining us for 16 years and giving us so many memorable characters to cherish. Also, I must say you kind of ingrained the love for travelling in me through your breathtaking travel clicks. You are the reason I started experimenting with my camera to capture moments around me. Thanks for always being so inspiring. Thank you for being YOU. - Kunalistan

Dear hearttheif, Thank You for being a part of my life..I'm telling u directly that no one can never and ever enter into my life like u ..everyone facing and having lot of prblm I too have lot of prblm and felt lonely ...I dont know y whatever situation I'm going through whenever I see you everything will be alright... my happiness increases whenever u posting ....im thought about something and smiles while you posting....even now my eyes are filled with tears...simply u r my stress buster and painkiller ....and one more think I have learnt one gud things from u is that I'm starting to reading books about inspirational persons in library ...why I highlight this bcoz my parents encourage and they applauded me ...all credits goes to y bcoz I started this from you ...I heard you love to read books but now everyone appreciating me ..now .I came to conclusion .. Note:: If you visit tamil Nadu then definitely come to my home I prepare lot of dishes for u mainly ur fav dish idly with powder...love you more and miss you alottt.... - Renuka (TN Fan)

This message is to Thank our man (SPIDER MAN) for making us smile, laugh, motivated and also cry (happy tears) while seeing him on onscreen, through his acting skills and also still if we see his face on screen without knowing a smile starts appearing on our face so THANK YOU so much KUNAL...❤️ Sir for still motivating us in many situation through your acting skills and also making us to laugh, cry and smile. Once again...THANK YOU...our 😍SPIDER MAN😍 - Elakkiya Dayanidhi

I wish I could find a better way to thank you.. for I thank you for inspiring me a lot I thank you for painting my life with colors and happiness I thank you for always showering love alone I thank you for making my good times the best I thank you for I feel you are a true gift for me I thank you for whatever you do is always incredible, passionate and perfection I thank and admire you in each and every way you are I thank you for making me smile even when I think I dont want to I frankly say that you are a dictionary in my life with full of meanings in it I wish I would like to walk with you and enjoy But I'm sure I'll be the luckiest to enjoy your growth and happiness in the industry. I feel you deserve more than a thank you as you r always having a special place in my heart a king of expressions...😍😍😘 - Anitha

Hi Kunal( My Heart), How are you? I'm a big fan of you. Especially Na bole tum(Nenjam Pesuthe). Thanks for being a part of my life. The first serial i saw from then until the end of life is your fan. Ur the world acting king, master etc., when I sleep, u r in a dream. I want to see you at least once in my life. I like you so much. Speechless.. You ll out in a lot of web series, serials and movies. Love you kunal, stay safe and stay healthy. Waiting for TRC s3 and NBT s3. Your acting in 16years super super. You have a bright future. You ll buy a lots of awards. My heart only for you. We can learn a lot from you. I learned from the serial .. especially from Nbtnmkk that I learned to complete any situation not more than half. You will say this dialogue many times .. I learned this from you. They are very useful in my personal life .. I learned all this from you how to get through life .. I am still following .. You are an inspiration .. salute kunal ..Your eyes oh my god! .. may be looking at you for so many years but .. love you love you love you .. the bigger the sky the more love is on you ... u r great kunal ... Love should be like this in our lives. Thank you so much for coming into my life. - Renu thakshan

Thank you so much Kunal....❤for being with me as a inevitable one in my dream world😘...I can't see you everytime as a character when I see ur shows in my mobile or television....you are a something special to me...Happy wishes to your 16 th anniversary in ur journey. Those who are around with me...they are all know well how much i madly like you...Be happy kunal ji...Specially I am the fan from tamilnadu❤ - Rajkohila

Kunal... Awee! The smile that appears on my face when I hear the name..This life is not enough for me to praise, glorify and thank you for you..It was the schl time for me when I saw you in the series at 2012..The love I had for you been then never gave such love to anyone else.. I started watching the NBT Series just to see you..Overtime I became addicted to your acting as well..most like your eyes speaks everything... I was amazed at the love I put on you.. You were my shadow nd the mirror I share everything with..The mind yearns to see you again whn the series is over.. He seemed comforting to me again after a long year.. Tears of joy that came to my eyes when I suddenly saw the photo that appeared with your smiling face when I was trapped by the situation again felt the love I had for you in an instant.. Bcoz of your photos gave me joy nd excitement that no one else could..Then I thought it was a blessing I got back.. I enjoyed letting him performance again in The Raikar Case series.. Each of his scenes ll look subtle nd multi- talented..I was even more proud to be a fan of KUNALKARANKAPOOR🔥 when I saw it.. Honestly, I proudly say that 'YOU ARE THE SPARKLE IN MY LIFE'💕.. My heartfelt thanks to you for being a part of my life..The thanks nd gratitude I ask of you are greater than I think I can thank god.. Bcoz you comfort me in every joy nd sorrow of mine.. Two prayers to think of praying to God in my life..one is,That moment of seeing you one day in my life is the way to express my love then..And that it should happen soon. Another one is, I pray to the Lord that you will always get everything and succeed in your every endeavor, that your father and you may live a long life and that you may always be a comfort to fans like me..Once again many thanks to you for being a part of my life.. Always looking forward to your Smile❤.. - By Urs Gows

Hi Kunal ji, We love u always . I think i am very blessed because I saw NENJAM PESUTHEY till the end. I love your expression in each and every scene .You are such a wonderful actor. THANK U for your works .Stay Blessed and KEEP ROCKING. If it is possible pls do TAMIL movies .I am eagerly waiting for that moment. You are my favourite actor forever. I want to see u bro. That will definitely happen one day. Once again THANK U for all. CONGRATS for ur 16 years of work.💞💞

BHAVANI

(TAMILNADU)

Every new day, you bring reasons to see better perspective for life. Your interviews inspire me that how important it is to be grounded, to appreciate people around us who put immense hardwork for our success as well. The best thing I learned from you is not to take success in our heads. The way you stay calm when Strom passes in and stay calm when the dawn of happiness shine. Your mysterious nature too encourages me to work hard in life…your liveliness motivates to be a dreamer in true sense, your words have the power to make us realize the importance of smallest tiny things to larger one and its impact. Your 'being grateful’ nature inspired me in becoming a more thankful person to what I’ve received. Your selfless approach gives a mark for me to be like that. The main thing commendable about you is that 'not every negativity deserves our reaction’ this very thing is enough for dealing with lots in our lives. Through the characters (professionally) and personally you have been an ideal sight for people like me. No actor has ever changed me like the way you did. My words won’t stop and the reason is you. Thank you, our sweetheart, the miraculous our K. God bless you ❤️ - Nidhi Chillinsilencee

I'm not writing this just to wish you for completing 16 years in ITV .. I took this day as a convenient one to say you Thank you.. 😍🌈💕💜 Thank you Kunalji 💕💜.. for being kind.. for being a pure soul sharing ur smile to ever body you met.. for being supportive to ur loved ones ,even us indirectly.. for being a hardworking person to give your best to us.. for making us proud of everything you do.. for spreading positivity everywhere..I want to thank you for being a teacher for me personally.. for teaching me how to deal with things.. for teaching me how to be positive in the worst situations ever.. for teaching me the importance of a good content.. for teaching me how to be a good human being for my society.. for teaching me the importance of making difference in my life...Thank you once again for being such a good influence for your fans.. Kunalji 💕 you don’t know us but I am sure that you’re an ideal figure for every one in this entire world and you're the most beautiful thing that is ever happened to us.. I repeat ‘’ thank you ‘’ and will happily go on repeating many times for entertaining us fantastically for 16 years through your different but unique shades and also will happily repeat "N" no of times that we love you soooooo much not only as an Actor but most most most Beautiful Person in this World 💕💕Thank you for being LEGEND..Wish you Happy 16 years of your Acting Career .... enjoy ur day and I will always pray that you may shine like a golden star 🌟 throughout your life❤️🌈 Stay Happy, Stay Safe,Stay Healthy and don’t forget to take good care of yourself during this pandemic..bcoz you are infinitely Precious for us... love you 😍😘 - Sharvarih Sathe

Kunal .. Thank you...though I know this is a very small word for your presence in the industry for 16 years and your presence in my life for more than 8 years now...I could nt think anyother word.. You have always made me smile instantly when I look at you ..you were and your still my, that stress buster...thank you Thank you for teaching me the value of humbleness..thank you for teaching me how to be generous..I have seriously learnt it from you... Thank you re-kindling my passion towards reading again which I lost in between.. Thank you for letting me know that u also have that same urge and itch for travel.. Thank you making me not just to admire beauty but also to capture that moment.. Thank you for introducing me to english tracks...which I eventually started liking... Thank you..its because of you I learnt hindi to speak and understand.. Thank you for inspiring me in every possible way that I missed to mention... Thank you is just a small word.. Loving you from the bottom of my heart for everything u have done to me with it your physical presence...Thank you Kunal -  Yours loving - Maya Singh

Everyone in tamilnadu started to love Kunal sir by his acting in nenjam pesuthe. If nbtnmkk was not dubbed in Tamil, we would not know a fantastic actor like him. His acting and expressions in each scene are amazing. Then, now and forever we love Kunal Karan Kapoor sir. I wanted him to do a Tamil or south Indian film. love You Kunal….❤❤❤ - Nenjam Peasuthe Fan Page

Congratulations Kunal Karan Kapoor❤️👏👏for 16succuss ful years…happy 16th anniversary💞Meri yeh dua hei bagvaan se, ki aapke life khushiyo se bhar de…🤩and Kunal, thank u sooo much for entertaining us..your presence makes us smile💞,thank u so much ki Aapne hamei ithna kushiyaa aur hamare Zindagi ithna haseen banaya…💞Aapka har role behthareen nibhaya hei,aapne har character mei jiya hei aur Woh dekh kar hamnei bhi..🔥thank u soo much for being with us..miss u Kunal…pls come back soon with a new show..😍TRC2 or nbt3 We are always waiting to see u in big screen. God bless u in your all success ..love u Kunal❤️💞🔥 -  shameem.m76

Hii Kunal sir! This side is your big fan Harshita Rijhwani I have seen many of your serials. By watching your acting in nbtnmkk,I want to tell you that you are an amazing actor and a genuine person too. Your voice modulation was also so nice in that nazm You just feel the pain of the character in emotional scenes. And one more thing you are the only one actor who made me cry with his acting skills. I am in love with your acting as Mohit Naik Raikar also. Please come back with many more webseries and tv shows.

Kunal, I am not writing this just because I am a biggggggg admirer of you😍😍😍, in fact you truly deserve this appreciation👏👏👏. Since I have started watching serials, you are the one whom I found to be the besttttt versatile actor👌. You have performed every role and every scene so perfectly😎, that no other actor can even think of improving that😁. Watching you onscreen is a treat to our eyes n soul❤💕. Thank you Kunal for doing all your brilliant work, soo proud of youu😍😊. Love you always😘❤. Keep smiling n please come back onscreen soon. Eagerly waiting...🤗🤗🤗 Congratulations for completing 16 years of Remix and best wishes for the future.❤❤❤ -  Priya K

I don't know from where to start but I give a big tight hug to you and thank you for inspiring me like no one can and wanna congratulate and wish you the best and best alone in this 16yearsof your journey always wanna see you only happy I don't believe in love at first sight my friends tell he is my crush he is my love but I didn't feel anyone like that but at that time a man came and changed all those words and yes I jump cry in happiness enjoyed a lot seeing him onscreen you wanna know who he is yes he is Kunal Karan Kapoor my energy my happiness my dream love my jaan😍 I can say more than these I didnt even believe I'll b typing a msg for you and share it with you see wt I would tell my parents and my frnds like I'm chatting with you but those things came real now and I'm enjoying seeing many fan pages for you and happy to be a part of the fan family... Thank you for being my everything my jaan.. As a big fan of yours wanna c u grow more and I know u would have overcome many obstacles in the film industry and many ignorance but still I believe 0 haters will be there for you and I thank you for every single thing you do actions expressions smile the curly hair of yours cute sharp nose... always have a happy healthy life ji -. kkkfan_till_eternity

Hiii Kunal Sir I am Mithuna from Tamilnadu... I am your craziest fan sir... In the age of 9 first time I saw you on television serial Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha, which is dubbed in Tamil... I became you fan. From my young age to now, I am your craziest fan sir. I see you as my family member sir.. Your acting is awesome sir.. if in any scenes you are crying, I automatically start to cry sir.. Your expression is very realistic sir.. I am really proud to be your fan sir.. THANK YOU ❤❤ -  Mithuna Venugopal

Dear kunal, you are a God sent asset to the TV industry and for your ever increasing fandom. You have completed 16 years in the tv industry from 'Remix' to 'The Raikar Case'. A big round of applause. You have reinvented yourself in every role which you have played. Not once ur character, mannerisms, body language has been repeated. It's a sheer delight to watch you on screen. You are an ambitious actor and we are certain that ur costar love to work with u.❤ Congratulations on an accomplished 16 years of hard work you have infused in your diverse roles.

Dear kunal, aap itne hardworking ho. AND a dedicated artist. You deserve all the success in this world. Keep up ur good work and cheers to ur hard work❤❤❤. Aap ek farishta ho mere liye. You came in my life as 'mohan bhatnagar' at the right time. My personal n professional life was in dumps. I was clueless and didn't know what to do. You showed me the right path..And for that I will be eternally grateful. I love you dear mohan bhatnagar , cadet yudi and shaurya..I have learned a lot from these three characters. Kunal, aap aapke fans k liye ek inspiration ho. Ur dedication to ur work is exemplary. Thank you for making a difference in our lives. Wish you all the best for ur future ventures. We love u - Dusky

First of all, congatulations kunalkarankapoor❤️👏👏for 16succuss ful years...happy 16th anniversary💞Meri yeh dua hei ki bagvaan se Aapka saari icchaa poora kar de,,,aapke life khushiyo se bhar de...🤩and kunal, thank u sooo much for entertaining us..your presence makes us smile💞,thank u so much ki Aapne hamei ithna kushiyaa aur hamare Zindagi ithna haseen banaya...💞Aapka har role behthareen nibhaya hei,aapne har charecter mei jiya hei aur hamnei bhi..🔥 We are always waiting to see u in big screen..god bless u in your all success ..love u kunàl���️💞🔥 - Shemi Shameem

Hi Kunal ji... Heartfelt 💕congratulations to you for completing 16 successful years in the industry 🎉🎉 Your presence is a gift❣️for us. You are unique and special ❤️ As a little one I never thought I would be crazy on you as I'm now.. Whenever I see you (live or tv shows or interviews) my happiness is not less than a kid..I jus jump wid joy Whenever I see you...NBT my favourite serial through which I came to know about a very talented , versatile , passionate actor...💞... I've seen NBT nearly 8 times..If watching the same serial would be a crime then I would be serving a life sentence for watching 😂😂..But even would luv to watch NBT after decades✨✨..But still I'm not able to find out why I'm addicted to it..😍 After watching all ur shows , I truly felt ... In ths world "Every Megha needs a person like Mohan. Every chavvani needs a spiderman like Mohan. Every jaan needs a papu like Mohan...Every Ishaani needs a brother like Shaurya..

And it's kunal ji who made us feel the character Mohan , Shaurya , Krishna ,Mohit ,Yudi etc Everybody needs a loving person like you... And of course the industry needs a versatile and phenomenal actor like you"❤️❤️ Such a humble , kind , down to earth nature and never fails to put a smile on kunalians face... You really inspired me and motivated me to change the things I could and to aspire to be the best I can💢 You were the one who Taught me to ignore negativity Taught me to bounce back from failures. Taught me to stay calm at any situations.. Taught me to never give upon my dreams... Taught me to overcome hurdles... Taught me to spread happiness💞.. Thank you....Thank you so much ..I would keep on repeating thank you .. Thank you for inspiring me to keep working hard Thank you for being a guiding light ✨✨ Thank you for ur motivation 🔥to chase my goals and doesn't matter how much slower we go , as long as we are not going to stop... Thank you for being a "doctor to my wounds friend to my sorrows. Mentor to my dilemmas.Teacher to my actions"...You may not know how you were all this....but every kunalians will know!!!!!

Only way to celebrate life is doing what we love following our heart and I learnt these from you Kunal ji💕💕 So...I've never seen a superhero in my life but quite certain that you are a superhero... I really don't know how to express my love and respect for you..but could say onething...I have the same love and respect for you that I have on my mom and dad....Thanks for taking the word "WORRY" out of my vocabulary and replacing it wid "HAPPINESS" Forever grateful 🙏🙏 Please take good care of ur health...and mainly during this pandemic situation...a little more attention to ur health...bcoz u are the KING of our KINGDOM👑🌈✨ Loads of love.... One of ur die hard fan💕💕 - Kunalkkap.ooprfan

Dear kunal (choci boy) sir congratulations for Completing 16 year in the Indian Television industry... Iam proud of kunal fans in tamilnadu... Iam So happy sir Bczz God gift for u to all tamilnadu people...You are come to in my life amazing artist in November 2012...Iam your biggest fan for nbtk in tamil dubbed Nenjam pesuthe series... Iam watch nbtk dubbed Nenjam pesuthe 1st episode... My crush for u... Ur Excellent Traveller... I see Ur photography really Ur photography was amazing... Thank u sir... - @nenjam_peasuthe

Hii Kunal Sir... My Huge Congratulations for Your 16th Anniversary in Your Journey.. I Love Your all The Performances...(Varun to Mohit) I Really Addicted To Your Mohan Character Because 1st Time i saw you in Nenjam Pesuthey... "Adda" Song is My Favourite Song Ever.. I Really Obsessed With You... Your Hardwork, Acting, Travelling, Photography, Books Reading and Everything Inspires Me Lots...Your Hard Work Motivate Me...Your Smile Can change My Sadness....You Are My Happiness and You are My Stress Buster...My Every day Starts With Your Face and Every Night Ends With Your Face...THANKYOU SO MUCH KUNAL SIR...❤ Thank You For Motivate Me.. Thank You For Making Me Happy... Thank You for Entertaining Us and Keep Entertaining With Your Amazing Performance... I am Very Lucky To Be Your Fan...❤ YOU ARE THE BEST!!! No One Can Replace Your Place... Keep Rocking With Your Magical Smile...❤ We are Looking forward to Your Next Projects... We are Eagerly Waiting for Your Performance in Onscreen And Big Screen Also.. Thank You For Entering With Us...My Best Wishes To You And Your Growth... Love You Spiderman❤...We Love You Always...Stay Safe...Keep Smiling And Keep Shining Always... ALL THE BEST....❤ By Guna....

Dear Kunal sir Congratulations for completing 16 years in the Indian television industry. You came into my life as a normal person in November 2012. And the meantime I become your fan then came to know that you are a TV actor. So I want to say thank you for entertaining us till now and you will continue this. Though you came into my life in the time of NBT but honestly after watching your previous shows I really feel happy and grateful to be one of your fan. From Remix to The Raikar Case you played different character. From Varun to Mohit you give us unforgettable and evergreen characters. Wanna say thank you for connect with the audience by your simplicity. Thanks a lot for inspiring us. Thanks a lot for giving us a world tour by your travel pictures. Really love your photography. Thanks a lot for becoming the smile of my face in every ups and downs in my life.Your fan - Shreyashi 

Congratulations My superhero for celebrating 16 years anniversary in the industry ... 16years is huge ... But we need more time to explore you ..to adore you ...to adorn you ... so many congratulations for the upcoming years ... THANK YOU KUNAL KARAN KAPOOR ji for being there for me 😉 I know you couldn't be there for me as a person but i could feel your presence whenever needed...♥️ You made me smile... You made me cry .. You made me laugh so hillariously ... You made me Blush ... You made me a lovable girl altogether -Thankyou ...

You showed me to have courage and be kind as Varun.. You showed me to stay strong and prove myself as Yudi ... You made me believe in unconditional Love and showed me pure unconditional Love to my Loved ones unconditionally as Mohan ... You showed me to be truthful as Reporter .. You showed me to stay brave and find myself as Vasu .. You showed me to be a hero as Krishna  You showed me to stay as a pillar of support to our loved ones as Shaurya ... You showed me to keep fighting to get the place I deserve even if I am neglected as Mohit .. You showed me to be a divine and soulful friend in need as Amrik You showed me different other aspects to learn as Angad...sukhi ...subash..monty...in every character you played... On the whole I have learnt something very huge from you to be praised. It's being True to ourselves.

Thank you kunal for being a masterpiece in acting so we could explore you to the fullest ...

You made me see a complete different dimension in acting i haven't explored before - thank you for that...You made me dwell with you in every characters you have portrayed ..- thank you ..You are an art ..You yourself is a masterpiece ..You are an ocean of talent man ..lets us explore you more and have a complete study of your acting ...Thank you for entertaining us and do it even more ....Congratulations and Thank you for everything you have given us ...Proud to be your fan ...Wish you reach the zenith of glory and stay blessed ..stay smiling ... Always in our prayers .. Follow your heart. We (fans) will be here .. to support you constantly continuously...and unconditionally love you ...Kunal Karan Kapoor ❤️ With love Swetha (Kunalkkapoor_forever)

Hi...kunal ji...You are mine since 2012...From nenjam pesudhe (Nbtkk tamil version) 😍I and my friends always fight for you...always I won...You did all the roles splendid...Everyday is incomplete without looking your face or your scene💕 I don't know the secret that you have...bcoz I was fall on you 2012 that love is continued till now😘😘You are a multitalented...I wish you would return to make us more loved on you🤩Love you loads kunal ji...Happy wishes for ur 16th year of journey💙 Kohila Raji

Usha2002

Priynka.

[zwei-the-penguin-with-a-pen]

‘Celebrity Status’

Superstar fashionista. Pop idol. Professional Huntress. Official badass. Many adjectives and titles could describe the fantastically famous Coco Adel. She was staggeringly successful and wanted for almost nothing. She had her best friends with her most of the time, as Fox and Yatsuhashi played music with her. She had legions of adoring fans who loved her style, her music, and her clothing collections.

A cutie to share all of it with would be the icing on her coffee cake.

She had yet to find such a lady. Not for lack of trying, of course. She always talked to this girl or that girl, but most of them seemed to think she wasn't approachable. She would positively LOVE to throw her latest fashion ideas on a lady friend... and then tear them right back off of her. She had broken many girls' hearts without even trying.

She broke men's hearts as well, but only about as often as she broke their kneecaps. She quite enjoyed breaking their kneecaps.

Coco had dated her fair share of women, but becoming a celebrity had changed the dating scene a lot for her. It was more difficult to meet people when they were terrified of speaking to you. Being on a pedestal was fine with Coco until it came to meeting women. Oh well, one of these days the perfect girl would come along.

These coffeehouse gigs were a fun way to meet fans of her music. The clothes and the fighting were amazing, and fashion was always her strong suit, her music was her passion. She would make a sample with her keyboard synthesizer, and Fox would create sultry sounds with his guitar strings. Yatsuhashi made a beat, Moonstone added a bit on the low end, and a masterpiece was born.

Moonstone wasn't performing with them tonight, and he might not perform with them ever again. He was having some family issues at the moment. A new bassist wouldn't be that tough to find. Another girl in the band would be fantastic, Coco thought.

"What's this place called again?" Coco asked no one in particular. She knew the place was in Vale, near From Dust Til Dawn, but she forgot the name again.

"Jumping Beans, or so the sign says." Yatsu stretched and yawned as he answered. They were traveling low-key for this show, and sleeping in a van was not fun for the extravagantly tall man. He pointed to a sign across the street from their hotel. Coco nodded, tossing her beret off her head and checking her hair in the mirror.

"You look perfect, Coco!" Fox told her. She rolled her brown eyes at him.

"You say that every single time, yet I somehow still don't believe you." She replied, and the two of them laughed. They filed out of the van and entered the hotel, checking in at the counter and retiring to their room for now. They had a few hours before the concert, so they might as well rest up.

\/\/\/\/\/

Coco stood in the backstage area, which was more or less just the back of the coffeehouse, practicing her set in her mind. Her most popular song, 'Coffee' was not on the setlist, but she might perform it for an encore.

She glanced out at the packed coffee shop. Her audience was chomping at the bit for this show and the autograph signing afterward. In the small sea of faces, she locked eyes with a faunus woman holding a camera. Her chocolatey eyes melted Coco instantly. She had the cutest pair of rabbit ears atop her head. Brown hair framed her adorable face and cascaded down to her collarbones.

The woman tried to maneuver her way through the crowd toward Coco, flashing a badge and calling "News Crew" at everyone that stepped in front of her. Coco longed to run toward her and pose for a photo, and even more to chat the gorgeous rabbit girl up, but someone called for Coco to come to the stage. She waved to the photog and pointed at the stage.

Rabbit Ears nodded back, pushing her way toward the small stage.

Coco took the stage in her usual extravagant fashion, smashing a key on her keyboard and kicking outward when it produced an explosion sound. "Welcome to Jumping Beans Coffee Shop! I'm your hostess for the evening, the forever fabulous fashion queen, COCO ADEL!!!" She yelled into her microphone. The crowd roared for her.

She grinned at them all and jumped right into her first song, 'Girl is a Gun'. It was a bit different acoustic, but she still pulled it off with aplomb. She jumped around and danced away as she sang, her fingers effortlessly dancing across her keyboard. Coco kept her eyes on the photog with the rabbit ears.

"Yo, Rabbit Ears! Come closer to the stage! Be sure to get Fox and Yatsu in the pictures, too!" She called out between vocal lines. The photog's eyes turned to stars.

"Did you just talk to me?" She yelled, awestruck.

"Yeah, you're the one with bunny ears and a camera! Come closer! I don't bite! Well, not without permission, at least." She joked. The bunny girl moved right up next to the stage. Coco could hear her singing along to the song they were playing. She reached forward and tickled one of the girl's rabbit ears.

She lost it at that. "OH, MY GODS COCO ADEL JUST TOUCHED ME!!" She shrieked happily.

"You've got a pretty decent voice there, Honey Bunny. You want to come and sing one with us?" Coco offered. Hearts poured out of the girl's eyes at the remark.

"Gods, YES! Could we do 'Coffee' please?" The cutie asked her. Coco was hoping to save that one for later, but who was she to deny her beauty the song she wanted? Coco played the opening sequence on her keys, Fox and Yatsu filed in, and the two women sang into Coco's microphone. Coco took her hand and danced with her after the singing finished, the rabbit girl enjoying herself.

"Meet me after the show and the signing! I'd like to see your photos! Also, sorry for grazing your bum with my hand..." Coco told the photog after the song was over.

"It's fine, really! You're my favorite person in the world, so you can touch my arse all you like!" Rabbity smirked and winked.

A few more songs came and went, and Coco and the crew went on to sign autographs. The whole signing, Coco could hardly take her eyes off that woman on the multicolored couch. She snagged up a crew pass for their upcoming full band show with Weiss Schnee and her band and signed the back, leaving her phone number and a winky face.

"Hey there, Babbity Rabbity!" Coco said with a smirk as she plopped onto the couch, scooching as close to the girl as possible. Bunny blushed at that. "So what's your name, Miss Daily Dust?"

"Velvet Scarlatina..." The girl answered breathlessly. Coco smiled.

"Well, Velvet Scarlatina, can I please see your photographs?" Velvet pulled out her camera and scrolled through the shots from the concert and the signing. "Wow, you must be the best photographer at your newsstand! A regular Peter Parker, I'd say." Coco smiled even wider as Velvet turned ten shades of red. "You should totally take photos at our next show! It'll be a full band affair at the Rooster's Teeth!"

"I tried getting tickets, but it sold out ages ago. I also don't think my boss will send me to a show that size." Velvet frowned.

"Well I'd love to see you again, so take this. It should get you in with no questions. If anyone gives you any attitude, send them to me and I'll tear them apart."  She winked.

"Thank you so much!" Velvet tried to say as she stood, though it came out as a jumble of syllables. Coco smiled and stood up, hugging her new friend.

Velvet let out an 'EEP' as she felt a squeeze at her rear. Coco smirked hard at her as she left the coffeehouse. She could hear Velvet cheering from outside. She must have enjoyed the squeeze, or perhaps the phone number was the cause of her happiness.

Her Scroll lit up with a message from her new favorite girl.

\/\/\/\/\/

\/\/\/\/\/

\/\/\/\/\/

Day 5: Team CFVY Member

Do you guys remember ‘Coffee’? I wrote it ages ago. Well, this is kind of a parallel to that fic. The same concert from Coco’s POV.

[towerofgod-blogposts]

#444. S3 Ch.27: 52F - Khel Hellam (1)

Chapter | Wiki | Blog | 2019.09.08 | Translator: AdiosCorea | Report error

Assistants: Kim Yunhee, Dimensional BambooShoot, Jeon Soojin, What, Ham Chicken

Naver Endnote: White, it’s Chuseok soon, so you should eat a lot. I hope everyone have a great Chuseok holiday ^^

ello, this is SIU. Since today we have White, I drew the children that are now one. You know, although I don't know when, but if I end up in an arc where I have to draw a lot of Arie people, I probably would have a very bad time (...) because even drawing White right now is difficult. (The hardest to draw for me are brightly-colored people).

The Elder, according to his plan sent Yama and the others elsewhere and went for the Fang with Doom. In the middle, we have a scene where Karaka takes Bam: Initially, I thought about putting in a panel about the Elder wanting to take Bam with him and regretting not doing so, but I thought it was too awkward to put in. He would have been awkwardly talking too much in front of Khun too. Doom's Fang keeps getting called a fang, but we don't see where his tooth actually came from hehe. We'll hear more on the Fang.

Evankhell, upon arrival, discovers a Spear of the Ancients, which seems to be a weapon used in battle between members of the Ancient Race. Generally, the word "Ancient" is applied to matters that predate Zahard's Entrence. (PS: That is, when used in it's official sense. When applied to describe a person, or a part of an expression, it is not a literal expression of that time period, but just a common adjective for extremely old. For Maschenny, Ha Jinsung is ancient, for example. Actually, most modern Rankers call Rankers that were active concurrently with the 10 Family Heads as Ancient Rankers, but Ancient Times, to be precise is pre-Zahard)

So Evankhell finally uses a Spear of the Ancients. Khun's judo flip was actually a quite challenging feat. Unlike other positions, the Lightbearer position cannot be covered for by physical power or Shinsoo, so those who are unfamiliar with lightbearing, be it Rankers or even High Rankers, have trouble performing the Lightbearer Position well. Even a Regular Lightbearer can be a valuable asset.

As the hot weather pass and the weather cools, I can't believe it's already Chuseok [TN: Korean Thanksgiving] haha. Time really does go faster when you get older. 

As an adult, I find myself feeling "I just need to make it through another year", and also "what would I do if I could go back to when I was a student?" When I was younger, I heard a lot of "If I could go back to your age, I would study", and I used to think similiarly too hehe. I would work harder and play harder, probably...?

And speaking of studying, as a webtoon author, I have many readers who are students, I have to say I feel sorry as a content creator for students who are busy studying. You hear often that even if you study, you make less than a YouTuber, or a celebrity, or a famous author (That's not true, plenty of people study hard to make good money), and while that may sometimes be true, but all of that is only possible because somebody else studies for them. Like the desk I use, or the computer or the tablet that I am using, all were only possible because somebody studied how to make them, and I can only conclude that the reason I am able to work like this is because of somebody else put in the effort for it (of course, studying isn't all there is to it.)

I wasn't actually very good student. I was a weird case where I skipped out on taking the exam for the Visual Arts Education Instructor License in my Visual Arts Education major (To my friends and juniors studying for the exam, you can do it!) but the world has other paths to success outside of study... Like someone once said that being born into a rich family is the best and all this studying for school or for exams is all meaningless, but I say to all the students who are studying hard that as there are many paths besides studying, success based on studies is not boring but something that is valuable and amazing. I too would like to study if I had the time. Of course, that's really hard haha ㅠㅠ

Anyway, too much talk for my meager talent. I am so thankful for all of you who read my afterwords, and with our freshly-awakened ricecake, we'll see the fight with the Elder take off full swing, so please be on the look out for that.

Thank you, and have a happy weak

Thank you! _ _ (Bow)

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

[dowling72walls-blog]

Top 10 Soccer Mom Ideas to Improving Your Child's Soccer Skills

The modern day soccer mom or perhaps dad is constantly being pulled in all directions. From driving their sons and daughters to practice and games to volunteering their time for concession stand duty, a soccer mom is always on the go. Combine this with the demands of a nine to five job, taking care of a household, and having a prosperous marriage and you have the recipe for the modern day soccer mom. On the surface it seems that there's not sufficient time in the day to achieve all that is expected to be a successful soccer mom but hopefully my top ten soccer mom ideas will help you find some balance in your life. These top ten ideas are in no particular order of importance but should be utilized as a guide to helping you come to be an even better soccer parent. 1. Schedule - The most obvious and what I consider to being the backbone of success is having a defined schedule. We unfortunately don't go through life and have a crystal ball and unforeseen events will happen, but to be able to achieve success you need to have structure in your life and that's the result of an organized and well-tuned schedule. All members of your family members including anyone helping the kids have to understand and comply with the daily schedule. I suggest making use of your smart phone's built in calendar or Google Calendar to write down the daily, weekly, and monthly schedule. What has worked best for my family is that every Thursday or Friday we cook a great family dinner and then go over the weekend and following week's schedule. visit here when everyone who's involved in helping with your children is in attendance so that all input and output can be compiled and disseminated and possible issues mitigated. Furthermore, it's good to eat dinner with family members and friends on a weekly basis. 2. Organizational Laundry - People would like our kids to be successful so it's best that we show them being successful at an earlier age. There are numerous adjectives to describe success but one common thread that resonates with most people is the need for having organizational skills. The common villain to being organized is laziness. Thus, what has worked best for my family would be that we actually incorporate in the schedule of ours the person responsible for doing laundry which consists of the soccer uniforms, cleats, socks and practice clothes. The mountain of laundry for a family of 5 each week may be a daunting task and that is the reason why my wife and I alternate this endeavor weekly. Doing laundry includes most, folding, drying, and washing importantly putting it away. If your family members is anything like ours after that you must handle the weekly "Case of the Missing Sock" problem. Any suggestions here will be welcomed because we can't figure it out. 3. Dedicated Fan - Whatever the amount of enthusiasm your kids have for soccer, you should be a dedicated fan. Think about all of the time you have already dedicated to raising the kids of yours in the sport of soccer. To be a dedicated fan means learning about the history of soccer, learning about the different professional leagues and teams and the prestige of winning the entire world Cup. By expanding your bubble of soccer knowledge you can impart that enthusiasm and knowledge onto your children who will really appreciate you taking a true interest in what they are doing on the soccer field. 4. Play soccer - When I was young my dad played a great deal of baseball with me but we also kicked the soccer ball from time to time. Those memories will live with me forever allowing me to replay them as often as I would like in my mind. I think in case he were still in existence today, he would be out their kicking the ball with the family. The son of mine and I have enjoyed watching soccer games and implementing certain techniques on the soccer field. go here of us have dramatically improved the skills of ours and are learning a good deal more about soccer. Although I am in my 40's, I'm still in a position to play at a level that both challenges my 13-year old son and encourages him to play harder and smarter. I know that some parents based on age or health will not be in a position to really play with their kids that perhaps you are able to employ a private coach but do what you can to stay engaged and the children of yours will appreciate you for it. 5. Volunteer - From volunteering at the concession stand to being a referee or even coach, your time is valued by the soccer community. My wife and I schedule our time so that we are able to maximize the volunteer time of ours as well as still not miss our son's games. Additionally, volunteering has allowed us to meet and work with some other soccer families. The concept of it takes a village to raise a child is at the core of becoming a productive volunteer. Volunteering lets you stay in tune with soccer events and essentially makes you an instant role model for kids since they view you as part of the leadership of the soccer community. 6. Fundraising - If there are members of the team of yours that are cannot and fortunate less afford the cost of soccer cleats, shin guards, goalie gloves etc., or your team is attempting to raise money, then a fundraising role may be the niche of yours. Successful fundraising starts with getting a real purpose. Asking men and women to separate themselves from the hard earned money of theirs without any rate of return is anti-capitalism and definitely shouldn't be the goal of yours. However, in case you approach other parents, local business owners, school officials, etc. with a valid and detailed explanation of where and how their money will be invested, it won't only be easy to fundraise but also rewarding. For example, I almost certainly wouldn't ask people to give money so that we can buy pizza for the kids after each game but I'd ask for a donation for an end of the season party. Another concept that worked out really well is this past season we (soccer dads) bought matching soccer bracelets for all the kids and matching soccer necklaces for all of the soccer moms to show our appreciation. Parents from a girl's youth soccer team heard what we had done and purchased soccer earrings for all the teammates of theirs. 7. Carpooling - Gas is expensive whatever element of the nation you are now living in so I recommend carpooling as frequently as you are able to. We carpool with similar family that we've dinner with when a week to write the schedule. During our weekly scheduling session, we assign carpool duty throughout the week and ensure that our kids are aware of who to expect and on what days. We have also coordinated with our school to tell them that our friends are authorized to pick up the kids and drive them to soccer practice. Our mini van has served us well and without a doubt has become a terrific investment allowing us to move our children to all their events. 8. The right soccer gear - When I was young my grandfather enforced the concept of having the correct tool for the job at hand. In the circumstances of playing youth soccer, your children have to have proper fitting soccer cleats, and soccer clothing that's not too constraining. children can outgrow a pair of soccer cleats in under a month so it is important that you constantly inspect your children's cleats. I learned this the hard way when after a game I saw my son's big toe protruding from his best soccer cleat. I asked him how much time he'd been playing with his toe sticking out of his soccer cleat and his response astonished me. He had been going to soccer practice and playing with his toe sticking out for more than 2 weeks! The night when we got home from the soccer game we ordered him a new pair of cleats from and today I make it the business of mine to visually inspect his soccer cleats. 9. Individualism and Soccer - As a parent we have to ensure that our children grow up to be responsible and secure individuals. It is a process that we cannot take lightly considering the kids of today are the leaders of tomorrow. Being an individual means knowing your limitations and skills without being affected by trend setters whose goal it's to sell merchandise. For instance, my boy is a natural when it comes to individualism. He does not pretend to be a person he is not and he's perfectly happy being by himself and consumed with his thoughts and ambitions. Society is full of people who fail to grasp their very own reality and are reliant on others for what I call their "social want." Social want comes in many various flavors but the bottom line is that it has one person wanting a thing from another for his irrational state of being. You will be asking yourself, how will being an individual help my children be better soccer players considering soccer is a team sport? The key is simple: successful teams are made up of successful individuals. It's going to take each individual player to play at their absolute best for the team to be successful. When my son was younger, I asked him to pinch himself with his fingers. He thought it was an awkward request but nevertheless he pinched himself. I said, "Son I could not really feel that as it's not me you are pinching it is you! You're your very own person and your decisions you make will guide you into the future. So if you want to be a better soccer player then you've to commit yourself to the sport." This concept is comparable to leading a horse to water but it's the horse who must decide to drink the water. Keep that in mind when you're investing the time of yours in your child's soccer future. 10. Other sports - Your child's soccer skills can be optimized if they play some other sports. I recommend enrolling the child of yours in gymnastics at an earlier age because of the demanding strength and precision that's required to perform as a gymnast. My daughters are both gymnast but when they play soccer they look like naturals out on the field. As a gymnast you condition your body every day and you fine-tune muscles that can certainly help improve your soccer skills. Some other sports are able to be helpful too but in the opinion of mine and from experience, gymnastics is the best sport you can get the child of yours to do along with soccer. Hopefully, these top 10 soccer mom ideas can help you become a better soccer parent and also help your kid get a much better soccer player. I look ahead to hearing from you about your very own soccer experiences in the blogosphere.

[ncfan-1]

ncfan listens to The Magnus Archives: S1 EP 004, ‘Page Turner’

Come to Jurgen-Leitner’s, where we have Necronomicons for every occasion and situation you could imagine! Necronomicons for summoning the dead! Necronomicons for revealing past transgressions! Necronomicons to drive the sanest man mad! Bring a friend, bring the whole family! Buy as much as you like, because you won’t be coming back! You’ll be dead or in a mental hospital with a melted brain before coming back passes your mind!

No spoilers, please!

- The evil book is a common theme in media. Books of arcane knowledge that corrupt the user in some form or another are commonplace, really, and in about half of those you will find some sort of sapient entity that may or may not interact directly with the reader. The Necronomicon of Lovecraft lore is probably the most notorious, along with Tom Riddle’s diary from the Harry Potter series; heck, the Restricted section of the Hogwarts library is full of books like this. You’ve also got ‘The King in Yellow,’ the play in book form of the similarly titled The King in Yellow. I think Evil Dead has one. The 2003 Teen Titans series has Raven come across a spell book that hosts an evil dragon pretending to be a good wizard. Eclipsa’s chapter of the Royal Book of Spells in Star vs. The Forces of Evil is this in miniature, though like many things in Svtfoe, it’s not what it seems at first glance. House of Leaves is a weird example of this, but it is an example. A Sith Holocron in Star Wars is a sci-fi equivalent. Even the Care Bears Movie had one of these.

What is it with our enduring fascination with Evil Books, anyways? The obsession seems to go beyond even Evil Books, anyways, because I can’t help but remember the way the Catholic Church reacted when people first started printing Bibles in their own vernacular. In that case, they likely came down so hard on translators like Wycliffe and Tyndale (well, Wycliffe was involved with the Lollard movement; I doubt that helped) because they knew their own power would wane if they couldn’t dictate religion to the masses, but we seem to have a Thing about books in general. Everybody’s obsessed with the Voynich Manuscript, too.

- And we’ve got Dominic insisting he’s not some crazy hobo, furthering our “mentally ill people are more vulnerable” theme; Dominic seems to understand it would work against him.

- “Probably calf, given how soft it was.” I do wonder how leather made from human skin feels to the touch. Is it, by any chance, soft?

- ‘Ex Altiorā’ is an interesting phrase, because it can mean a couple of very different things. ‘Ex’ is a preposition whose potential meanings include ‘out of’, ‘from within’, and ‘from.’ ‘Altiorā’ is the ablative case of the superlative form of the adjective ‘altus, -a, -um,’ which can mean either ‘high’ or ‘deep.’ So while it can mean ‘From/Out of the highest’, it can also mean ‘From/Out of the deepest.’

- So the book is a magic time sink?

- And after flipping through the book (one image of which was a mysteriously frighteningly night sky), Dominic is now picking up the smell of ozone.

- The pictures triggered Catherine’s vertigo? Given how affecting the night sky image is supposed to be, I’ll take that as a warning.

- Given that another Jurgen-Leitner book later shows up in Sanskrit, I wonder if the woodcut of a crooked tower with birds circling the summit represents the Tower of Babel.

- In real life, ‘Key of Solomon’ is a grimoire that was authored sometime in the 14th or 15th century in Italy. Though it is attributed to King Solomon, it was almost certainly not written by him as, again, it surfaced sometime in the 1300s-1400s. The book included incantations to summon and control the spirits of the dead and demons, how to find lost items, how to become invisible, etc. It also described the purifications the practitioner should undergo, how they should dress, how they should make the instruments used in their experiments, and what sort of animal sacrifices they’d have to make to the spirits. I got that info from Wikipedia, so take it with a grain of salt, but the last detail may potentially be important.

- “Something else there. Something I knew but… could not remember.” Wonderful.

- Mary Key sounds… creepy as hell.

- I wonder if dead Mary (I listen to these entries at least twice: the first time without making any notes, and at least once to make my notes) plays death metal music for a reason. Could it be, say, to block out the screams of dying animals?

- As to the picture of the eye, the eye is rich in symbolic meaning, but right now what I’m thinking of the most is the idea of God—or, if the story so intends, some other in-universe higher power—staring down on mankind and judging them.

- “Grant us the sight that we may not know. Grant us the scent that we may not catch. Grand us the sound that we may not call.” Well, we’ve got ozone so far—and something that will be revealed to us soon.

- So Mary Key’s Jurgen-Leitner book is a Jurgen-Leitner with no title, and the leather is in “better condition.” That’s great, that’s real great. Is it the copy of ‘Key of Solomon’ that was mentioned earlier on, because that might make some sense of what happens next.

- Mary’s book is in Sanskrit. If this is a copy of ‘Key of Solomon’, that might actually make sense as an attempt to pass ‘Key of Solomon’ off as actually having been written by Solomon. Sanskrit was in use in Southwest Asia (otherwise known as the Middle East), as there was trade between India and Southwest Asia; it’s actually believed that Sanskrit may have originated in what today is Iran.

- So you pass Mary’s book through shadows, and bent little animal bones fall out, “warped into shapes that bones should not form.” Interesting.

- Yeah, Mary’s been summoning demons. Or at least she was when she was alive.

- And when Dominic looks through his book—even without having to pass it through shadows—the woodcuts have changed. There are new lines in the picture, thick and dark and coming down from the sky like lightning.

- He sees the Lichtenberg Figure—grant us the sight that we may not know.

- The smell of ozone and cooking flesh—grant us the scent that we may not catch.

- The deafening lightning—grant us the sound that we may not call.

- So Mary messes with what is probably a copy of ‘Key of Solomon’, and possibly winds up being sacrificed the way she seems to have sacrificed animals. If Dominic had kept Ex Altiorā, would he have been struck by lightning?

- Jared sounds like he just wants to be done with all of this.

- So, as for Mary being in the bookstore when she was dead… Did Jared summon his mother’s spirit using her old book?

- Was… Was Jared going to use Mary’s skin as new pages for the book?

- Yeah, it was probably the grimoire that was deemed inadmissible.

- I wonder what Jared saw in Ex Altiorā, what it was that made him laugh.

- “My mother doesn’t always know what’s best for our family.” Well, alrighty then.

- So… It seems that Jurgen-Leitner makes books that are basically Necronomicon-grade tomes of forbidden knowledge fit to drive men mad. And the Magnus Institute has (or had, though it sounds like we’re going to be dealing in present tense again, now) an ongoing project devoted to dealing with his library after some incident in 1994. Well, I’m sure this will never come back in any way. Jonathan sounds so done.

- And Jonathan’s running assignment has just crossed over from “assignment that makes you rip all your hair out” to “assignment that makes you entertain fantasies about killing your boss for handing you this mess without even warning you about what you were walking into.” You can hear it in his voice. Though in this case, it sounds more like he’s entertaining fantasies of learning how to perform necromancy so he can resurrect Gertrude Robinson just to have the privilege of killing her again.

- That said, I’d say there’s more method to Gertrude’s madness than he’s willing to acknowledge right now.

- It’s possible that Dominic’s translation was off, and Martin was only looking for English translations. Because there is more than one possible translation.

[v1ntagecassette]

One Of Us (Chapter Three)

Previous Chapter

Summary: Virgil flashes back to the minutes following his first ever video with the other Sides. The memory is more bitter than sweet.

Warnings: Deceit Sanders

Words: 1,580

“You’re enough of a nuisance in our daily lives,” Roman had said, crouching down to fix his hair in the reflection on the blank TV screen. “Why don’t you scurry off and leave the performance to the, ah… actual performers.”

It was the second video Virgil had ever taken part in, and his first with the other Sides. He had turned up just as the others had begun to bicker — Strike while they’re distracted, he’d thought. It was a few days after New Year’s, which meant the Christmas spirit was beginning to drain from the mindscape, slowly replacing itself with the dull realization that the family had gone home and there was work to be done. While each Side rode the high of the holidays and crashed hard around January 2nd, Virgil did the opposite; in simple terms, this was his time to shine.

As he looked down on the prince who flicked at his already perfect hair without concern, Virgil’s expression puckered. “You call that a performance?” he scoffed, injecting as much malice into his tone as he could. “It was pitchy at best.”

Roman gasped theatrically, affronted, and drew himself up to his full height. Each Side technically stood the same distance off the ground, but the way the prince carried himself made him feel at least six feet tall up close. The sword that hung by his waist did nothing to soften the view.

“Now, Anxiety,” Patton cut in, hurrying over from his spot by the shades. Logan followed him at a calculated distance, waiting for an indicator to intervene. “There’s no need to be mean.”

No need to be mean? Virgil thought disdainfully. Prince started it. What would you call him, exactly? Warm and kind?

Patton was still talking, oblivious to the silence that was stretching itself between the other two. “Why don’t we all just take a deep breath, okay?”

“I don’t remember asking for your input,” Virgil said. The subtle hurt that settled itself behind Patton’s eyes nearly made him break; instead of giving in, he let his lip curl into a sneer, watching with twisted pride as they both shrank away from him. This was good. This was how it should be.

“Excuse me, Sunshine,” Roman said, recovering first and taking a defensive step forward. “It’s not my fault you’re too dense to comprehend my creative genius.”

“Roman…” Patton began uncertainly, but Virgil’s blood was already boiling.

“Dense,” he repeated. He cocked his head to one side and willed himself to come up with a quick and effective insult. “Funny, I didn’t realize we were coming up with adjectives to describe you.”

“Anxiety!” Patton said, his voice stern. Virgil guessed he had succeeded. “If you’re not going to play nice —”

“When have I ever played nice?” Virgil said scornfully. Maybe fifteen years ago, when I thought you all wanted to be my friends, he thought, and now his fists were clenched and his jaw was set and this was so, so stupid.

“That’s enough,” Logan said, and everyone jumped; they seemed to have forgotten he was there. For a moment, Virgil almost let himself be relieved — maybe he finally had some backup.

Then he realized that Logan’s eyes were fixed only on him.

“We need to prepare for the editing process,” Logan said, back rigid and arms folded. “Now is not the time for petty debates.”

“Your mom is petty,” Virgil grumbled under his breath.

“Right as ever, Specs,” Roman agreed, evidently not having heard. “We’ve got work to do. So long!” With that, he sank out, leaving the rest of them trapped in uneasy quiet.

Virgil rolled his eyes and let out a chuckle he hoped was nonchalant. “Can’t wait to see the comments on this video. ‘That guy can’t carry a tune to save his life. Who does he think he’s kidding?’ It’ll be great for a laugh, don’t you think?” Please don’t let that happen. I don’t want that to happen.

Logan ignored him. “I should get planning,” he said. Then there were two.

There wasn’t a word to describe the expression on Patton’s face. At its base level, it was confusion, but a dozen other emotions flickered through it, each of them strangely pained, changing so fast that Virgil almost felt dizzy watching.

“What’re you looking at?” he asked. Though he tried his best to sound intimidating, it almost came out like a genuine question.

Patton chewed at the inside of his lip and took a breath, but at the last possible second, he seemed to change his mind. He left, eyes cast toward the floor, and the moment he vanished Virgil groaned in defeat.

“This isn’t working,” he muttered, dragging his hands down his face and smudging his eyeshadow. He made to brush his hands off on his hoodie; midway through the movement, however, he froze. The temperature had dropped so suddenly and so much that Virgil could nearly see his breath.

“It will,” came a voice from somewhere he couldn’t see, “in time. Rome wasn’t built in a day, darling.”

Rome. Roman. The mere thought of him made Virgil want to put his fist through a wall. Why did that egotistical Disney knock-off think he was so special? He could say whatever he wanted, no matter how pointless or hurtful, and when Virgil retaliated, he was the one who was antagonized. At least when Virgil spoke his mind, he told the truth.

“I can help you,” Deceit whispered. His voice echoed as if the whole room was made of stone despite the low ceiling and carpeted floor. “Give me time, and they will respect you. They will fear you. Just like I promised. All you have to do is follow the plan.”

Virgil strode pensively toward his little landing by the wall and sat on the steps. Fear him… in truth, he wasn’t sure if that was something he wanted, but what other choice did he have? He’d tried playing nice. He’d tried contributing. He’d even tried helping. For years, all his efforts earned him were odd looks and averted gazes; as time wore on, they were warped into angered outbursts and outright intolerance.

“We are handling this just fine without you.”

“Is it really so difficult to stay in your lane?”

“No, stop that, you’re making Thomas upset!”

There was something broken inside him, something that had been knocked off-kilter and made him… different. From the Sides, from Deceit. All Virgil could see when he looked at the world was danger — that sunlight could give Thomas skin cancer, that cute stranger could lure him away, that meal could be poisoned. Don’t touch it, look at it, eat it, it could hurt him.

“That’s irrational.”

“You can’t just keep him from doing anything fun.”

“Stop worrying, let Thomas have a good time!”

He was doing his job, and what did it get him? Pain. Hatred. Anger. The only one who had made an effort to understand was Patton, and even he was starting to turn against him. This was the only choice Virgil had left. If they couldn’t accept him, they would fear him, and that would be enough.

It had to be enough.

“Just… tell me what to do,” he said, his voice gravel.

“So much rage,” Deceit cooed. Virgil swore he could feel the snake’s breath on his neck, but upon swiveling around, nobody was there. “We’ll fix that soon enough.”

“Tell me what to do,” Virgil repeated. "Please."

Though the voice seemed to slither around the room, Virgil couldn’t follow its path with his eyes. “You’re doing everything just right,” it said. “Take that rage and use it. Wear them down. When the day finally comes for you to win — and you will win — I’m certain not a single one of them will see it coming. They will bend to your will. You can finally keep Thomas safe.”

Safe.

“You’re… sure this will work?”

“Completely,” Deceit assured him. “Self preservation is what keeps Thomas alive. He’ll never reject us.”

Virgil blinked. “Us?” He had never imagined word could strike him so sharply. Suddenly, he wasn’t a singular entity; he was included in something, part of a group, a we instead of a him. An unfamiliar sensation started to pull at the corner of his mouth. It took him a moment to realize that it was a smile.

“You’re right,” he said, nodding to himself like it would convince him further. “We can make things better.”

“Now you’re getting it,” Deceit said. “You’re doing so wonderfully. Keep it up.”

With that, the room turned warm again. Virgil knew he was alone — but the feeling wasn’t as empty as it had been when the Sides left him. In fact, he almost felt… good. He had a purpose now, and somebody was going to help him fulfill it. After all those years of having his presence loathed and his ideas rejected, after all that time spent feeling less than worthless, he had a game plan. A way to make them hear him. He wouldn’t be the weak one anymore.

He was going to win, and when he did, they would all be sorry.

Next Chapter

Read it on Wattpad and AO3

[bringmemendes]

The Girl who reaches the sun - Part 1

The view paralyzed me.

I don’t know how long I was there, standing in the middle of the others, the red cup on my hand. I don’t even know how I didn’t let go of the drink. It seems like every muscles on my body have stopped to function at the moment my eyes fell on her. Specially a muscle called Heart.

Her, sitting on his lap. Her hands was moving fast, just like every time that she gets too much involved in what she’s saying. And he seemed to not care at all, drinking in his cup, his hand on her thigh.

« I think I gonna throw up » I whispered to myself before to turn around and walk through the dancing bodies.

The music was loud, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves while I just wanted to run away from this party. I ended up at the bar, sitting there, more alone than ever. And just few days ago I performed for 40 000 people, how ironic is that. Head down, I noticed a little movement on my left before her voice screams in my ear.

« MENDES ! » I looked at her and even though I was mad at her, I couldn’t help myself but grin at the view of her smile, her shinny eyes and her high red cheeks due to the alcohol.

«  What is wrong with you ? Are you entering in your depressed phase after your tour ? » « No it’s not that » I spoke too low for her to hear it but she looked at my moving lips and didn’t stop smiling. «  You don’t want to tell ? Okay. Cool. Can I tell you something ? » I raised my eyebrows, intrigued, waiting for her to continue.

«  Shawn Peter Raul Mendes…your girl gonna fuck tonight ! »

Let me tell you that my smile faded away pretty fast.

« Oh really ? » « YES! » she screamed, too happy, as always. I swear this girl never stops smiling, never stops talking and never stops shining. I couldn’t believe that I had a chance to live in a little place of her heart. But in the best friend box. Not really the place I want to belong, but if it allows me to, sometimes, be the reason of this smile, I will keep it.

«  I mean... I’m not sure actually » she started laughing and I had to blink twice to not pass out «  I’ve been pretty direct with my intentions you know and I feel like he’s interested but we kissed and nothing happened then. »

One. Two. Breathe Shawn, it was just a kiss.

« What do you think Mendes ? Help me with your boys hormones ‘cause I’m a bit lost » Her green eyes catched mine and we stared for a second before she looked away and showed me a direction with her chin. I signed and slowly turned my head to see the guy from earlier, still sitting on the couch, talking to people around.

« This one ? With the blue snapback ? » I asked her, having a stupid hope that she laughs at me and says she’s kidding. «  Yes, is he not cute ? » « Well, ‘cute’ is not really an adjective I’ll use to describe him » «  Are you kidding me ? He is ! ..and I’m pretty sure he has a big one. » «  Oh god Lena » « What ? Don’t tell me you chose the girls you sleep with for their brain ? I know you love some good ass » She winked at me and gave me a little slap on the butt, but it was more on my low back as I was sitting on the stool. «  Right, but at least I chose girls with a little bit interest in me » «  What do you mean ? » «  Well…I’m not sure he listened to anything you said you know… probably too busy to look at girls who show 94% of their body » «  You asshole ! He listened what I said ! and I have a good body right ? »

Lena was small and not the thighest girl you could ever find but she had everything at the right places : really really beautiful boobs, a nice butt, some good thighs that I could kiss for hours. And her hands. So pretty hands that you want them to touch you forever. She spends so much time caring about her hands, I can’t even count how many hours she spended on my bed doing her nails or putting 3kg of cream on the winter to have the softest hands possible. A good body ? Hell damn Len, you have the most wonderful body I’ve ever seen !

«  Yes you do, don’t worry about that. But I still think that he didn’t have interest in what you say » «  That is bullshit. Everything I say is interesting. »

We looked at each other before we both exploded of laugh.

« Sure babe. You talking about how you discovered your bed sheets were actually made in Great Britain, is the kind of content that I qualify as interesting. » I smiled at her ironically while she was doing her (I quote) « bitchy glance ».

«  Shut up Mendes. Of course I don’t talk about my bed sheets to everyone. You have a privilege here. » «  Oh wow, what a privilege to know about your bed sheets rather than to whatever you were saying to him, sitting on his lap »

I thought she’ll notice the little sign about my feelings but she mostly noticed the « him » obviously as she was staring at him again.

«  hum…Hello ? The earth is calling Lena ? » « Do you really think he did not listen to anything ? » « Well I don’t know, I was not there, I can’t really tell. » She frowned a bit, thinking. «  Go ask him. » « What ? » « If you wanna know if he listened to you, go ask him about something you said to him to see if he remembered. You’ll know if he cares about you, a little at least »

Why was I trying to help her to go in his arms ? What was wrong with me ?

« Are you daring me to ask him ? To see if I can have sex with him ? » «  I don’t dare you. I just say it can be a good solution to your problem. » She looked at me more confused than ever. «  Can you speak like a kid of 19 years old please because my drunk brain can’t follow you anymore. » I chuckled a little. Lena was the type of girl who go back to her 7 years old when she is drunk and she couldn’t understand a thing the others were saying. So I decided to talk to her like a kid.

«  Alright. We gonna play a little game Len, you’re in ? » « YAS ! » « You see the boy over there, go ask him a thing about your conversation from earlier. If he get it wrong, you give up on him. If he get it right,… » I couldn’t finish the sentence. All I wanted to say was ‘you give up on him’. « I FUCK HIM ! » and she left me there, almost running to the boy.

I looked at the scene from my sit, I couldn’t hear a thing but at least I could see what was happening between them. They just seemed to talk when she finally turned her back to him and walked in my direction with a little smile she was trying to hide.

« So what happened ? » I asked, quite impatient. She sat next to me and signed. «  I walked to him. And put my hand on his arm, for him to look at me you know. He looked at me from head to toe. He smiled. So I was like ‘’hey. I’m just wondering if I could ask you a question because I’m a bit drunk so I forgot a thing I had to remember and I think I've talked to you about it so..?’’.  And he looked at me and asked me…’’sorry what’s your name again Hun?’’ »

I looked at her, trying to contain my laugh but her little pout made me explode. She put her head in her hands and started laughing with me. I always love these moments when we are both laughing without the others to understand what is happening between us. Being the one she laughs with makes my heart beats abnormally fast. When she laughs, she has two dimples, almost invisible, but so precious to me, and her eyes shine more than usual than the stars will be jealous of her green lights. Even before I realized I had feelings for her, I always thought Lena was the kind of girl that you can easily mistaken with a sunshine. Whenever she walks in a room, she seems to bring light in it, it’s like she had a halo around her and she lights up everyone around her. A little angel who put smile and happiness in others life just by breathing.`

« Daaaamn… and I thought he was interested in me » she said in a breath, trying to calm her laugh. «  I’m sorry. He is numb anyway. » « Maybe. But he was hot. » «  You can find another one. There is probably a boy, good enough for you there right ? »

I hardly believed what I just said. A boy good enough for her ? I’m not sure he actually exists. Even me, I’m not good enough. How can someone can be enough for a girl who reaches the sun ?

« Shawn Peter Raul Mendes…» I chuckled «...your girl not gonna fuck tonight. »

« Do you want to get out of it ? » « Oh my god yes ! »

I didn’t even had time to stand up that she griped my arm, too big for her small hands and pushed me through the dancing bodies around us. We took our coat and jacket and get out in the cold midnight of Toronto.

« Where’s your car ? » I indicated the direction with my finger and started to walk in the empty streets. She came closer to me, both of her arms holding her coat really close to her to keep herself warm. I raised my left arm, opening it for her and she snuggled up against me. We walked in silence until the corner of the street where the Jeep was parked and we  entered in it. While I was putting heating, my eyes glanced at her. She was looking through the window, lost in her thoughts. The lights from the street was illuminating her face and reflecting in the diamonds at her ears. Her halo was irradiating. And she was breathtaking.

[nylarae]

Teenage Overture

Andrew Sieradzki has accomplished a lot as a high school senior. Not only is he involved in honors and AP classes, but he also plays the tuba in his school’s concert band, marching band, wind ensemble, brass band, pit orchestra, and community band. You would think with all the time he spends on it he has a lot of passion and a goal to work in music, so I asked him a few questions about his experience. 

Me: What inspired you to pick up your instrument for the first time?

Andrew: “I was exposed to music by my parents from a very early age and a great deal of the bands they listened to had hornlines. While I wasn’t in love with music then as much as I am now, it was the first piece of inspiration that set me on this path.”

Me: Where is your dream venue to perform?

Andrew: “Performing in any capacity at Lincoln Center would be a dream come true. A hub for music and art as renowned as Lincoln Center, in a hub for music and art as diverse as New York City, is a beautiful combination.”

Me: I’ve experienced that as a musician, sometimes practicing can be a hard habit to get into. What motivates you to rehearse consistently?

Andrew: “Seeing my friends succeed motivates me to continue to practice. Seeing them thrive as musicians reminds me that it’s possible to excel at any age, that other people are working as hard as I am, that this is the standard I have to meet to be successful as a musician, and because I want to continue to grow with them.”

Me: When do you think your best performance was and why?

Andrew: “While I don’t think I have a single “best performance,” I think that my best performances have been the ones where I’m not really concerned about my performance. It becomes much easier to let the music happen than to try to control every aspect of it.”

Me: Is there anyone you would like to collaborate with musically?

Andrew: “I would love to play alongside Chris Olka of the Cincinnati Symphony on a piece that calls for two tubas, like Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique. I believe he is by far the most skilled American tubist alive and that I would gain so much by just sitting next to him.”

Me: If you could have a conversation with any composer, dead or alive, who would it be?

Andrew: “I would love to have a conversation with Leonard Bernstein. Watching videos of him in rehearsal fascinates me as the man oozes musicality and artistry in everything he did.”

Me: What is the most flattering thing anyone has ever said to you about your music?

Andrew: “The single best adjective anyone has used to describe my music is “mature.” Life informs your emotions which informs your musicality, so naturally those with more life have more sophisticated and complicated musicality. Being a young adult but being able to tell a story through music that could otherwise only be told by someone with much more wisdom and experience is highly flattering.”

Me: What’s the best ensemble you’ve ever performed with?

Andrew: “The 2020 All-North Jersey Symphonic Band was the best ensemble I’ve had the pleasure of performing with. What set apart the group wasn’t just the skill level of my peers, it was the fact that everyone knows that everyone there has put a great deal of time into preparing to audition for this ensemble and how much work it took.”

After learning about the multiple ensembles he’s a part of for and outside of school, it would be safe to say that Andrew possesses an amount of talent people grow up and wish that they had picked up in their earlier years. He’s one of the most dedicated people I know, and I believe that his love for music will bring him a great amount of success. 

[plastic-mold]

4 Steps To Help Getting An Accurate Plastic Mold and Plastic Parts Offer From China

With the continuous improvement of mold manufacturing and mold workers' skill in China, more and more European and American companies have dropped their purchase orders to Chinese plastic mold factories. The continuous deepening of information exchanges between the two sides has greatly promoted China's mold industry development. It is simple to deal with China's mold and injection molding suppliers for those buyers who often purchase in China. But for those who first came into contact with this mold industry, it was a very troublesome thing, especially in dealing with China's mold factories outside of thousands of miles. Language and technical communication constitute two significant obstacles. Many people who bought customized plastic parts in China for the first time were completely unfamiliar with this industry. Also, this industry is technology-intensive. The quotation requires suppliers and buyers to have a good interaction. The most important is how the buyers express their ideas to the suppliers. It is precisely at this point that many buyers do not know how to handle it. They often ask the supplier for a price from the very beginning. In fact, the price given by the supplier at this stage is very inaccurate. I will introduce the preparation process before the quotation of molds and molded parts so that buyers can have a clear understanding. The manufacture of injection-molded parts is a very complicated process. The first is the manufacture of molds, followed by injection molding, and the second operation of injection-molded parts, which involves transferring a lot of information. The top priority is how the buyer expresses his product requirements clearly to the supplier. In many cases, suppliers are required to quote only in the case of a hand-drawn drawing. Sometimes there is no requirement for plastic materials. Buyers just mentioned adjectives like "soft "and "hard" to describe the stuff he wants. In fact, this is incorrect.

The side location difference above will lead to total different mould cost, 1. side hole high cost,2 and 3 location holes are better.

4 Steps for plastic mold quotation:

#Consult with experts

The correct way is to find an injection molding engineer or mold engineer around you to consult with them. This early investment is necessary, and this investment will be paid off in the future. Of course, I would be happy to provide you with this service, but at this time, it is challenging for me to quote you also. You should find a very experienced engineer and tell him, face to face, what you think, the requirements for the product, the quantity requirements, the assembly requirements, and so on. He will give you good advice based on your actual situation. During this period, he will tell you which plastic material to choose, how to design the product, how to assemble it, and how to arrange a reasonable quantity. #CAD design

After the above is completed, the 3D drawing design of the product can be performed. You can tell the design engineer your requirements in great detail. They will make the appropriate design according to your needs. #Rapid prototyping

After the preliminary design is completed, you should do rapid prototyping at this stage to check whether your design intent has been achieved for new developments or changes to the old product. Rapid prototyping allows inspection of the appearance, assembly, and strength of a designed product. Modify the problematic design and make a new 3D printing. Repeat this process until the final 3d printing meets the requirements. This cost is relatively small, with a short time, and it can avoid costly and time-consuming mold changes later. In China, generally speaking, the cost of a small 3D printing is about 50 to 60 US dollars. This step may save you thousands of dollars later. #Quotation

After this stage, you can give your potential suppliers a chance to quote the changed design. My article on this topic is very detailed about how to deal with Chinese suppliers.

How to copy existing products

Of course, if you want to copy existing products at this stage, you can send the product directly to the supplier and tell them your specific requirements. Fees can be deducted after the transaction. If you have only one sample and inconvenient to send it, you can take a picture of the sample. According to the three-view standard, you show suppliers a sample photo. Mark the position and size of the undercut, dents, and holes in each direction on the picture. In the photo, the size of the product is identified in detail, i.e., the length, width, and height. In theory, the six sides of the product must be photographed. The more detailed photograph is, the better it is. #Case 1 " order_by="sortorder" order_direction="ASC" returns="included" maximum_entity_count="500"]# Case 2

It is best to find the specifications of plastic materials on the sample and indicate the location and size of the gate.

These plastic materials usually appear in the form of a triangle. In the end, you still have to send this sample to your final supplier to facilitate their design.

4 main points related to plastic mold and injection part price

- Quantity The number of purchases dramatically determines the price of the product and the plastic mold. As long as the product is only 10,000, do not put forward a requirement of 500,000 because 10,000 shoots required mold steel, mold design, and processing methods are entirely different from the 500,000 requirements. If the number of products is 10,000, the four-cavity mold can meet the requirements. If it is 500,000, the mold will require 10, 12 cavities or higher. The more cavities are, the higher standards of the steel material and processing requirements will be. This will lead to a significant increase in the material cost and processing cost of the mold. The considerable quantity shares these costs. If the quantity is small, then the cost-sharing of each product will be high. A case I have encountered a case where there is an ABS molded product. The annual demand is 1500 sets. It is internally threaded and needs to be unscrewing. If you need a full-automatic unscrewing mold, the cost will be high, and if the thread is made into an insert. The cost of the mold is only about 2/3 of the fully automatic mold cost, and the increase in injection molding cost is only small. - Color In general, dark-colored products need lower prices than light-colored products. Because the regrind material can be used in some cases, if it is a white or transparent product, the regrind material is difficult to use, which will increase the supplier's raw material costs. Frequently, the runner material and the new material have the same effects. The barrel of the injection molding machine is sometimes not so clean, so sometimes other colors will mix in. If the product requires transparency or white, this product is defective. If it is a dark color or even black, it cannot be seen. This product is good. - Tolerance As we all know, the processing cost of a loose tolerance plastic part is much lower than that of the tight one. Molds with tight tolerances have very stringent requirements for processing and mold steel and even require a unique injection molding process. - Plastic materials In general terms, the plastic we choose should be conventional plastics, not engineering plastics. Nylon66 flare-retardent grade "v0" price is more than four times the conventional PP plastic. The cost of the ordinary ABS is 1.5 times the price of PP. If it is mass production, the cost difference is great. Some plastics are corrosive, so there is a higher demand for the steel of the mold. This will also increase the manufacturing cost of the mold. There are also higher requirements for mold maintenance. The price of the steel s136 level is more than five times that of the steel p20. Among the three methods mentioned above（autocad files, samples photograph and samples）, sending supplier samples directly is the best method. In this way, the molder can clearly know the product's structure and can also find out the structure of the previous mold. Research on off-the-shelf samples can avoid many detours in mold building and injection molding products. In short, before the quotation, the more the supplier knows your requirements and the specific structure of the product, the better it is so that the accuracy of the quotation can be guaranteed to the greatest degree. At the same time, it ensures the smooth progress of the project.

How To Buy The Plastic Mold Easier

You might consider it was challenging to purchase an injection mold because there will be a great deal of to and fro between purchaser and molder before when the last item is concluded on. Nevertheless, the few suggestions here can help conserve lots of time and help make the entire procedure a bit simpler.

- Produce an RFQ that explores a wide range of specifics. As experienced as mold makers are usually, they won't manage to go through your head when considering what you're interested in. Consist of as numerous details as possible during this period, like the variety of cavities, the material, the required life expectancy of your mold, and any specific warranties you may require. Should you aren't very confident on such subjects, then inform your mold maker, and they will be ready to show you how to choose what's proper for your requirements. The more precise you come up with your RFQ, the more correct an offer you will get for your efforts. - Be honest about the reason why you need an offer. Should you require an overall quote to spread to a different unit, then let the mold maker fully understand- they are going to get back to you then rapidly. Developing a precise quotation can acquire much time, and it's not considered to misuse the mold maker's time if you don't require too much information or when you won't actually get from them. - Don't "STEAL" a mold maker's property. The information and recommendations provided by your mold maker keep on being their own intellectual property- you can't merely bring these tricks to other people to get it done. Should you come up with another moldmaker, in that case, consider their recommendations agreeable - not just is employing someone else's suggestions, it is not fine. However, it may also obfuscate the minds of your chosen mold maker, who won't comprehend precisely why those recommendations were created initially. - Try to develop a relationship with your mold maker. Simply by doing business tightly with your moldmaker when considering costs, schedules, and component amount anticipations, you will have the know-how to behave as a crew to attain better outcomes over time. - Have an Open Door Policy with your mold maker overall course. Many mold makers will love to present routine development information and maintain you up-to-date around the most recent advancements with your construct. It's essential to understand things are all moving to routine fully, so when you require any specific details, make it a point to inquire about what allows you to relax. - You should definitely pay on time. Most mold makers get the job done to constrained resources and will need costs to be settled before they can move forward with your project. Should you postpone paying, then you certainly won't receive a mold by the due date - it's so simple as that. Various mold makers will present diverse settlement strategies, so meet with these people to develop a strategy that is effective for the two of you. - A modification of your component structure will almost certainly indicate altering the injection mold as well. Should you change your component structure as the injection mold is being developed, you won't obtain the mold at the cost offered or to the primary schedule. Any modifications indicate the mold must be modified as a result, which increases both the expense and the duration of the mold construct. - Recognize ahead of time when mold will be ready. There are various explanations on a finalization time - some may vary from once the final settlement is completed to the time you be given a trial component to the delivery of the finalized item. Typically, an injection mold is recognized as finished when it is in a position to create the component it is for. The vast majority of mold makers will be ready to come up with tiny modifications to ensure a component as outlined by design. If these measurements alter later hanging around, in that case, the injection mold should be regarded as finished - the actual modifications should be given money via an ECO. - If a product is an unreasonably low price, you will typically find an explanation for that. While you will see mold makers on the market who present you with a cheaper-than-average price for a top-notch product or service, we will see many others who present reductions as they spend less money on their own. Over time, it's preferable to pay big money for a high-quality product or service instead of obtaining headaches by using a mold that doesn't meet your requirements. When you buy an injection mold, that age-old proverb is unquestionably correct - it gives you everything you pay money for. Any specifically shaped parts that you develop are only just like the mold employed to manufacture them, which means you should make certain that plastic mold is flawlessly designed for your requirements before purchasing it.   Read the full article

[writingshit-ifeel]

Shy

Group: BTS

Pairing: Jin X Reader

Genre: Fluff

Warning: A bucket full of fluff.

Word Count: 2,795

Summary: The one in which you are too shy.

*******************************************************************************************

It was just another say. Friday to be precise. And like on every Friday evening you were sitting by the windowsill of your room in your apartment, reading your favorite book, BTS’s spring day ringing in your ears and sipping a coffee. This is how you spent your weekends. Of course there were people from your work always insisting you to join them for a bottle of soju or beer and some chicken but you were too shy to eat with them.

Shy. That’s how you have always been. An adjective you used to describe yourself. It was trait you always had for as long as you remember. Its not like you liked being alone or didn’t enjoy the company of others, it just that you were too shy to interact with them. You didn’t exactly know why you were like this. Maybe its the fear that they will judge you if you are too bold or maybe the fear of embarrassing yourself by mixing in too much. 

Sometimes you liked this shyness. It kept you away from always interacting with people and people left you alone, in your comfort zone. You liked being free like that and do silly things just in presence of yourself. Knowing you were shy, people were careful towards you and always spoke kindly. 

But while shyness had its perks there was downfall to it too. Sometimes people mistaken your shyness as you not wanting to socialize and you being socially awkward. Okay fine, you were a little socially awkward but that didn’t mean you didn’t wanna socialize! And these days this shyness did annoy you a lot. And the major reason was not being able to meet the people you love the most! 

BTS- the boy band you loved more than anything and guess what?! Kim Seokjin, the eldest of the group, just lives next door! God knows how bad you want to tell him how big of a fan you are of them and how much you want to meet the other members too, especially your bias, Hoseok. Sure, you both have talked many times and he does know you like their songs but he doesn’t exactly know that you fan girl over them every time you watch them perform. 

You didn’t know what made you so shy like that in front of him. You have known Jin for 3 months now and you can call him a pretty good friend now, so how come you couldn’t ask him to introduce you to the other members too.

The doorbell to your apartment rang and you groaned before setting your book down and getting up to open the door. You were fairly surprised when you opened the door to see Jin holding two take out bags. 

“Jin? What are you doing here?” You questioned as you opened the door wider and stepped aside.

“I am here to spend some time with you,” Jin replied smiling at you and stepping in.   

“Are’t you usually at the dorms with the boys on Fridays?” You asked.

“Yeah, but they have something to do today.”

“Oh all of them? What is it?” You continued to ask, not being able to stop your curiosity. As an A.R.M.Y. you always wanted to know what the boys were up to and if they are living well. But Jin didn’t know you were so deep into their fandom and you were too shy to let him know, cause you knew he would offer to introduce other members.

Jin narrowed his eyes at you. “Why are you always so curious about them or us whenever I come here?” He placed the food on the counter and started searching for the bowls. “You said you just liked our music, and just recently got into our music like 4 months ago?” 

“Uh yeah that’s just true… I was just a little curious,” You answered nervously and gave him a small smile. “So, what did you bring?”

“Oh its just jajjangmyeon (black bean noodles),” He answered as he emptied the contents of the container in the bowls he found. “I know you love them so much.”

“Thank you,” You smiled as you picked up your bowl as Jin picked up his and you both sat on the dining table. You still couldn’t believe you were Kim Seokjin’s friend and were having noodles wit him. It was still like a dream to you. And you didn’t want to ruin this by telling him you were his hardcore fan and make him uncomfortable. 

As you both started Jin looked at you as you ate. He was always suspicious of your behavior. He first become suspicious when he you first met him and your reaction looked so odd. BTS was pretty famous now and the cool reaction you tried to give him, did look forced to him. At first he thought you didn’t like BTS because even when he tried greeting you, you would shy off away from him and he would look at it as dislike. 

But once when he caught you singing one of their songs he realized you were just shy and scared to talk. So when he asked if you were a fan, he was surprised when you answered that you just liked their songs. It was panic and shyness which made you say that. What if he thought I was weird? 

“So how is your preparation for the comeback going on?” You asked as you took another bite of your delicious food. It took time for you to adjust o Jin and ask him questions like this and talk to him without getting flustered. But that didn’t mean your heart didn’t beat fast when your eyes met or your face didn’t feel hot when he smiled his world wide handsome smile at you.

“It’s going great. The choreography is a little harder and I have to work a lot,” he laughed, “But I think i am improving I think. I hope the fans think so too.”

“Oh you have really improved!” You said without thinking. “In the start you were so stiff but now I can see how much progress you have made! Infact your dancing has improved so much you look like a professional now.”

It was after looking at Jin’s wide eyes did you realize what yo had said! You just talked like an A.R.M.Y. “For a person who just listens to our songs you observed a lot,” Jin stated his eyes narrowing. You gulped your hands clutching the chopsticks tighter and heart racing. “Y/N I noticed a lot of times and I was meaning to ask you, are an A.R.M.Y.?”

Before you knew it your cheeks turned red and the shy personality that you had tried to overcome with Jin came back. “Yes,” You finally nodded when you saw Jin was still waiting for your response.

“Why didn’t you tell me!!! Y/N!!!” Jin exclaimed, standing up! “I would have introduced you to the others! They would have been so happy to meet you!”

“That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you,” You admitted with a meek voice. 

“What? Why? Don’t you like them?” 

“Obviously I love them! I am just too shy and scared to meet them!” You explained. “What if they take me the wrong way? And how do I act around them? What if I end up being too flustered?”

“Oh Y/N those are just stupid thoughts! They will love you!”

“But I am too SHY Jin! It took me more than a month to open up to you and talk like a normal person!” You shot back, kind of irritated. Why couldn’t he understand you? You remember when you first met him, you were so flustered, scared and shy that it took you 10 minutes to just greet him as a neighbor. “This is too hard for me! Meeting all six of them at the same time! Too much!” You covered your face as you started feeling shy even in front of Jin. Were you over reacting? Probably. Did it matter? No. Why? Cause you were just too shy and you can’t change that!

It was after few second that you felt big soft hands on your hands pushing them away fro your eyes and you came face to face with the most handsome man you had ever seen in your whole life. KIM SEOKJIN was right in front of you just a few meters away looking in your eyes and your heart raced at a 1000 miles per second and color rushed to your face making your blush even deeper. Such a handsome man just in front of you, your heart was going to explode. “Y/N,” he started and you gulped. “It’s nothing trust me. The guys are cool and they would love to meet you and I would love to make you meet them and I know you would love to meet them too! rust me you will enjoy a lot!”

“But what if I embarrass myself or start acting stupidly shy?”

“You will do no such thing,” Jin reassured you and smiled stepping back to give you some space. “Trust me.” He winked and the blush got impossibly red. That wink was just too cute and flirty you couldn’t help but feel shy but elated. 

You breathed as you calmed down your heart and cleared your fogged mind. “Okay,” You breathed, your will to meet them getting the best of your shyness.

“YES!” Jin exclaimed and went back to eat. “We will meet them this Sunday!” He declared.

“But aren’t you all busy? And if not won’t they need rest?” You asked worried you will disrupt their schedule.

“No its our day off, and the guys are always ready to meet their fans!” Jin reassured with a smile. “They will love you! Ah I am so happy!”

“Thank you,” You whispered smiling happily. You couldn’t believe the day was coming when you would meet BTS, PERSONALLY! “And one of your favorite human on Earth was making it possible.”

“I am so ready for Sunday!” Jin laughed and you giggled along with him as you both enjoyed rest of the dinner talking shyly about how you got into them and how you started loving them. Well not that you were complaining. You could talk about BTS for your whole lifetime. 

They day was finally here. Sunday, the day Jin introduced you to other members. You were excited, shy, elated, nervous and experiencing every existing feeling. You were dressed in a simple but beautiful baby blue dress that always made you look pretty. You put on some light makeup that only enhanced your feature. You wanted to look your best for the guys and Jin also said that dressing up always make you more confident.

As promised you met Jin at 5 pm in the parking lot of your apartment complex where he was waiting for you besides his car. He was dressed casually in a blue t-shirt and jeans. You smiled at him as you reached in front of him. “Are you ready?” He asked and your smile wavered.

“I think…” You replied, fidgeting nervously.

“You will be great, I am sure!” Jin winked as he patted your back and opened the door for you. 

You mumbled a thanks and took a seat. After closing the door he took his seat. As soon as the car started he put on a soft calming music and started driving toward the dorms. Yes you were meeting the guys at the dorms and having a takeout dinner, which couldn’t be more perfect. This was one of your fantasies with BTS- eating with them in their dorms. 

It didn’t take you much time to reach the place where they lived. You saw how there were some fans lingering around the place trying to get glimpse of their idols. And you couldn’t help but feel really special as you sat next to Jin. A few months ago you were just like them, a normal fan. But your promotion in you work, years of savings and your handwork had finally allowed you to buy one of the most expensive and elite apartment in Seoul. And that’s how you ended up becoming Jin’s neighbor.

It was when you heard the sound of the door shutting that you were snapped out of your thoughts. You looked at Jin with a smile as he opened your door and you stepped out. You tried to walk coolly but your shyness was getting the best of you. 

“You will be great, Y/n,” You heard Jin from besides you as he took your sweaty hands in his. After what felt like eternity but were only few minutes you were standing in front of their dorms. 

Jin gestured at you to knock the door and you with an unsure heart did so. After a minute the door was opened and in front of you stood Park Jimin. Obviously Jin had told them you were arriving but still when Jimin looked at you with wide eyes, panic settled in your heart. “Hello,” Jimin bowed at you and you did an awkward bow back. “Nice to meet you.” Jimin extended his hands and you took them your tight smile loosening a little.

“Is she here?” You heard a voice, which you recognized as Hoseok’s from inside. Was he waiting for you? This was so great! Hoseok was your favorite member, his raps always made your day and his sunshine smile warmed your heart even on the worst day. 

“Yea,” Jin answered. “Come in” he asked you and Jimin stepped aside. You smiled and nodded and stepped inside the dorm.

As soon as you entered the living room your heart raced at the sight and you couldn’t believe your eyes. Everyone of them was present over there and you couldn’t get enough of them. It was overwhelming but it felt so new and so good. You could feel your shyness resurfacing as everyone stared at you with curious eyes and the feeling to disappear came. “Hello,” You heard Taehyung and looked at him to see him smiling at you warmly. “It’s great to meet you!”   

“Hello Y/n!” Hoseok smiled at you and your heart skipped a beat. He knew your name! “Jin hyung told me about you! Its great to see you here!”

“Hi,” Yoongi smiled a lazy smile, and bowed slightly. 

“You are really pretty!” Namjoon complimented with a smile. “Its great to meet you finally!”

“Finally?” You whispered, but they seemed to catch your words. 

“Yes,” Jungkook finally spoke, smiling brightly at you. “Jin hyung kept talking about you for like a month and we were so curious to know who this girl is!”

“Yah Jeon Jungkook!” Jin yelled from besides you. as you blushed at his words.

“Yeah you are really as pretty as he described you to be,” Jimin added, multiplying your shyness level. You didn’t know Jin talked about you to them even before he knew you were an A.R.M.Y and it made your heart flutter. 

“Thank you so much,” You bowed at them shyly. “Its really great meeting you all too! Its like my dream came true!” You were really trying to not jump all around the house and dance cause of the happiness you felt. The 7 men you loved the most stood infront of you smiling at you.

“We are really honored to have an amazing fan like you,” Namjoon grinned and you lowered your head, feeling shy AGAIN. This shyness really did annoy you sometimes. It really didn’t help when you wanted to make a conversation with someone. 

“Guys at least let her have a seat,” Yoongi interrupted. “She is standing from when!” 

“Oh no, I am okay,” You reassured. 

“Please have a seat Y/n,” Taehyung smiled, gesturing for you to sit on the sofa. And the rest of the night you spent eating and getting to know them . You talked about your interests and who you liked the most to which you replied you couldn’t chose, but were slightly biased to Hoseok. 

“Yay!” Hoseok had yelled and danced when you said that. 

What warmed your heart the most was that Jin never made you felt like you were too awkward and you could feel yourself getting out of the bubble of shyness. You were surprise to know how much Jin had talked to them about you and you couldn’t help but feel loved by them. As an A.R.M.Y you life was completed when they asked you to revisit you when you were finally leaving. And that time you knew, that this was not the last time you were seeing them. And you felt really blessed to have such a caring and loving neighbor and friend like Jin. 

________________________________________________________________

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Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it! I am so sorry this took so long!

[kangwei18053060]

Reflective

 Reflective posts

Blog 1

It usually takes a dog, or a cat or some form of human stupidity to go viral on the internet. However, one of the viral videos doing the round of the internet was an old woman, frail looking, sat in a chair with downcast eyes. Her hands fluttered to the swelling music of Swan Lake. The text on the video told the viewers that the lady was a former ballerina with dementia. For someone, who has been hearing about the “power of music” this video reinforced that notion. It made me realise potential of music to connect with people and also head down the scientific or rather neurological route to find out the many ways that music plays a vital role in one’s memory. Auditory memory while being the among the first things we develop, is also the last one to deteriorate and as primal animals, we humans are so responsive to it.

Further research on this led me to new avenues and I was rather saddened to know that the ballerina in the viral video, Marta Cinta González Saldaña, passed away last year, the year that the now-viral video was shot. She resided in Cuba, went on perform in New York, taught ballet in Madrid, and in a nursing home located in Alcoy, she dreamt of performing ballet with elderly residents. The viral video has made her a viral figure and has also made headline in half of countries around the world. Tributes from other artists also poured in for her. I guess what lives on is the power of music and its effect on people.

Blog 2

When I sit down to watch a film, I tend to focus on the background score first and then on the narrative. But does this mean if I have walked out of a film with good plot but bad music? No, but during the entirety of the film my attention was constantly drawn towards the loud or misplaced music. This is why I hold Whiplash very close to my heart. If I am allotted only three adjectives to describe the film then I would primarily call it intense, followed by awe-inspiring and beautiful.

The film is about Andrew Neyman, played by Miles Teller, a freshman at college, who is an aspiring drummer and does not simply want to be good. I must say that I was initially undersold by the trailer of the film, as I thought it was about drumming. However, it is about how the extent someone is willing to go to become the best at what the do. The instructor, Terrence Fletcher, played stunningly by J.K Simmons, is willing to go to any extent to make their students great. This includes verbal to emotional abuse and also physical abuse. I think the film also presents the dilemma of whether Fletcher is just doing his job of an instructor or carrying out the version of this job. In doing so, he becomes more of a drill sergeant than a music instructor.

I believe one reason why this film interest me primarily is because as a someone majoring in music studies, the film trained my ear in picking out each piece of music in a thorough manner. Also, when I consider my interest in music therapy, this film seems to lie at the extreme end of it. Music here is not therapeutic but rather cathartic and it always makes me wonder how this piece of cinematic adrenalin shows the competitive and cutthroat world of music, which is something that not many consider when thinking about the therapeutic effects of music.

Blog 3

Quite frequently, music gets minimal amount of consideration in the present filmmaking industry, and it is not hard to perceive any reason why. Music is invisible in films. Additionally, not every person is musically inclined, and they might be so enveloped with the co-ordinations of production process, that music is actually pretty low on the priority list at this moment. However, it is important to remember the impact that a music director wants to evoke from the crowd during each scene and set aside some effort to give genuine thought to the central component of music in the film project.

It is possible to affect the audience visually, and it also possible to affect them audibly in what one lets them hear. However, when the visuals fit with sound in a meaningful manner, that is the moment when the crowds go from essentially observing and hearing, to really feeling. Think of the ominous music that plays before the famous shower scene in Psycho.

On the off chance that you have watched any of the classical films, you will quickly observe the presence of music at urgent moments in the story. There is a certain melodic extravagance that films of past ages had, that I lamentably do not see quite a bit of today. A ton of films used to have long basic credits, that highlighted the film's main theme, which constructed expectation for what was to come, and set up an air. Consider Alfred Hitchcock films, James Bond, and so on.

In the entertainment world, there is access to shading palettes, designs, rules, protocols and best practices for pretty much everything. Nonetheless, with regards to music, it is not generally that obvious. A filmmaker will must be the one to settle on the decision on whether the selected scene would be ideal with music. In some cases, even quietness or simply ambient music of the scene convey more weight than music could at that time, and this is something I learned during my postgraduate lessons need to consistently aware of during production.  

Blog 4

This year commemorates the 250th birth anniversary of Beethoven and I believe this is an opportunity to reflect about a craftsman who endured and conquered uncommon difficulty. It is genuinely fitting that Beethoven, an artist who endured and conquered exceptional difficulty, would be so vitally associated with this year that brought unprecedented challenges to people all over the world. In Symphony No. 9, Beethoven expressed an expansive existential way of thinking that supported his faith in solidarity, resilience, harmony and euphoria. The symphony culminates in Ode to Joy, as it offers message of bliss, expectation and positive thinking that is genuinely needed during this year of pandemic. It appears in the fourth movement of Symphony No. 9 and it is among the most recognisable piece of music.

I have taken solace in finding stories about my favourite piece of classical music. Would you be able to envision what it might have been like if you are in your mid-twenties and steadily started losing your hearing, the one thing that is so desperately required for composing music? Obviously, such acknowledgment is decimating, and understandably Beethoven decided to end his own life however his resolute obligation to his aesthetic reason kept him pushing ahead as well as propelling himself innovatively more than ever. I am of the viewpoint that his loss of hearing brought about an internal creativity that challenged history and empowered him to rise above all limits.

I came across a research by the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS) conference held in Manchester found that listening to music that has 10-second repeated rhythm concurs a drop in pulse, diminishing the heart rate. Some of the recordings mentions in the conference were Va Pensiero by Italian Giusuppe Verdi, Nessun Dorma by Giacomo Puccini and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony adagio. While it is not a prescriptible medication (yet), the research proposes that these impacts are not individual, yet universal.

In the event that more proof affirms such findings, it could imply that similar kinds of tunes with comparable rhythms (like third movement in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9) may help in lowering blood pressure in each one of us.

That is quite impressive.

Blog 5

Over the couple of decades, music therapy has evolved into modern science. The Chinese culture have used music for medicinal for a long time. As I study at music from a technical point of view, I decided to find more about the traditional Chinese music therapy. For more than a millennia Chinese community looked for the privileged insights of the universe's melody and cadence. I have grown up hearing from my grandparents about music therapy being an aspect of traditional Chinese medicine. These two aspects share an interwoven and continuous relationship. Music, along with theory of yin and yang, and the five elements remain interconnected.

In ancient times, people thought Tao was the essence of music. As a child, I don’t remember paying much attention to this piece of information that my grandfather was so interested to impart. Years later, as a high school student, when I came across the concept of Tao, I knew better than to not pay attention. Tao is the changes in yin and yang, controlling the force of life, as well as the universe’ tone and mood. In ancient China music was divided into five tone that belonged to each of the five elements of Kung, Shang, Chiao, Chih and Yue.

What I found to be particularly interesting is that as per traditional Chinese medication, the five sounds compare to the inner organs. This hypothesis is utilised in various clinical diagnosis and offering treatment. Various sounds influence various organs. The hypothesis of the five tones frames the holistic premise of music therapy in traditional Chinese medication. The yin and yang related to Heaven and Earth are identified with the body's yin and yang. Taoists have consistently accepted that the human body is a little universe, and inward harmony can be influenced by external harmony. How profound is this.

As per the five basic tones, one can identify various impacts in the human body. For example, Kung-based tunes are grouped as noble, Earth-related, and influence the spleen. Regularly tuning in to such music makes one open minded and kind. Shang tunes are hefty, similar to metal, inflexible. This music influences the lungs; and successive listening is said to make one noble and amicable. Chueh-based music proclaims the onset of spring and stirs all life once again. This sort of music influences the liver. Tuning in to it makes one charitable and conciliatory. Chih music is profoundly emotional, similar to fire. It influences the heart. However, tuning in to it makes one generous.

Yue-based tunes are despairing, as peaceful as running water. They influence the kidneys. Tuning in to these tunes balances one’s intellect and gentleness.

As the ancient Chinese saying states "sad yet not hurt," and "content but not overabundance". While I do not claim that body ailments needs to be treated in the above stated manner, this is the way of life that Chinese music endeavors to pass on.

Blog 6

My secondary school-life revolved around two main interest: music and bio science. My adoration for bio science started with an interest in the functioning of human body. I once toyed with the idea of turning into a medical caretaker, but I feel nauseated when I am around blood. I wound up predominantly thinking about may be simply choosing other field in bioscience for my higher studies, yet something was preventing me from doing it.  I knew I did not want to give up music, and I went beyond jamming sessions with my band after school hours. But I was not sure how to make that into a career. Last year of high school, I carried out research on possible options, and then I decided to pursue music for higher education.  

One would have thought that knowing how to play certain instruments would have made my academic life easy but soon I learned my lesson. While being an undergrad is difficult, being a music understudy is hard. Between classes, theories, practices and schoolwork, one is kept unquestionably occupied. It was while I was pursuing my college degree that I came to know about music therapy. It grabbed my attention immediately.

While there are times when I questioned if I chose the right degree, I also reminded why I chose to study music in the first place. Discovering music therapy was an important point as it made me consider if I as a sound engineer I can curate or make music that intentionally incorporates therapeutic outcomes. I realised this more during the current pandemic situation where I found myself searching for music that would help me feel better during the lockdown situation. I decided to dig deeper and study the music as an aspiring audio engineer. While this is an ongoing side-project of mine, I think the outcome will help me attain my goal of creating therapeutic music later on.

Blog 7

Last Thursday, I found myself reflecting upon my own encounters in music as a study, and a seasonal guitar player. My thoughts mostly revolved around how I went from someone who thought they wanted to pursue bio science to someone studying music. Who were there to support me along my bending path? I wonder if other people also ponder about their scholarly and their support system? I think one of the common factors among all of my support system was they understood my belief of music lessons being something more than playing an instrument. Music exercises can be viewed as life exercises.

I must put a small disclaimer before I go any further. I cannot specify each and every individual who went to impact how music played an important role in my life. There are endless individuals who have empowered and shown me, including my previous and current professors. I think about my absolute first music instructor, my grandpa, who handed me his old guitar and when I was 10 years of age and taught me to play some of his old favourite tunes. I started to choose tunes and make melodies after two years, and I always count my grandfather as my first music instructor. I remember him as a sweet, kind man who possessed a charming little Shitzou canine who would drink up tea (with cream) on the floor beside the couch where my music lessons would take place.

My grandfather played guitar for fun and once I reached 13 years of age, my music interest began to diversify, and I wanted to learn how to play the drums. We started looking for a teacher and I had to look no further than my family. This time it was my cousin, who took me under her tutelage and gave me lessons every weekend.

I learned more in the years to come but my grandfather holds a special place as my first music teacher.

Blog 8

This year was quite revealing to me. Pandemic and my lockdown coping method aside, I found myself pursuing various interest, trying new things and found surprising thing about myself as well. One that I did not see coming is I would go on to enjoy gospel music in a therapeutic manner.

I found gospel music to have a relieving and quieting impact that influences the brain in a positive manner. It lifted my state of mind, and the verses have a method of elevating one’s spirituality to another level. I believe that at the point when the barbed edges of life are influencing oneself, gospel music can mellow those issues and water down feelings of anxiety. This is on the grounds that gospel music recognises the disappointments of everyday day life, and it gives the support that makes the listener easy to push ahead. The tempo of the music, the pitch play a significant role in it.

Tuning in to gospel music is not just entertaining, as it can likewise offer nurturing of one’s soul. Gospel music in general is motivational, fortifies confidence and spirituality, which gives a decent foundation to spiritual development. All through time, music has been related with the divinity. It has been utilized in religious practices customs to improve supplication and confidence, give a way to request, petition and commendation. Music can help individuals to remember their connection with imagination and eventually with the innovative life power.

While my religious beliefs do not align with the Christianity, I listen to gospel music as I find it soothing, minus the religious connotations, and it demands my whole attention. It engages me in a movement, and I follow the beat of the music as I follow the tempo and pattern and go through various mixture of emotions.

Blog 9

Internet is changing the concept and perception around classical music. I think of the duo TwoSet Violin when I think of this. I just spent an hour binge-watching their older videos. Set up in 2014, TwoSet Violin is an Australian comedy musician group who every now and the showcases the life of classic musician through YouTube videos. The founders Brett Yang and Eddy Chen were past members of professional orchestras in Australia. They established TwoSet Violin to fulfil their goals of being comedians while keeping music near their work.

What is not there to like about TwoSet Violin? Their friendship, their rigorous knowledge on the world and life of violin players, and my personal favourite making fun of violists and viola, all in good humour. Then later on I was introduced to Victor Borge, another acclaimed piano player who also makes use of humour and makes fun of the carefree side of musicianship by telling jokes and actual setbacks that occurred during his exhibitions.

What caught my attention to TwoSet Violin’s YouTube channel is the duo’s constant experimentation, and their parodies of life as classical music students. Very soon, I found myself laughing at Ling Ling jokes and “Practice 40 hours a day” saying.

As a teen thought the world of classical music was “all work and no play.” But TwoSet is changing the notion of classical music being a piece of high culture. For instance, the duo have played pop music in the style of classic musicians. Who would have thought Jingle Bells in Paganini style would be such an interesting experience? They also make light jabs as the tune’s simplicity. Besides their creative and funny content, I think the popularity of TwoSet Violin lies in the fact that they genuinely combine humour with the splendour of instrumental pieces and live up as professional musicians while also having a humble personality.

Blog 10

I created a pandemic playlist.  Of all things that I did to keep me afloat during these testing times, curating a playlist was the most fun activity I did. I think perhaps there is certain truth to finding joy in little things. Without a doubt, this pandemic has tested the resilience of my emotional well-being. The lockdowns and remaining indoors prompted my increase in my depression and anxiousness. Not only this, but I was continually stressed over the wellbeing and security of my loved ones some of whom are frontline workers and are the preferred choice to treat coronavirus patients. My everyday routine had become monotonous and this likewise brought huge changes in my eating and sleeping habits. I caused me to feel like I had no control over my situation and heightened my anxiety. In the entirety of this, music acted as my saviour and it caused me a great deal to improve my psychological well-being. I made a playlist and I recently added some songs to it.

I call my playlist “Tanghulu” after my favourite Chinese sweet. These are my top 10 songs from the playlist.

1.     Taylor Swift- Shake It Off

2.     Black Pink feat. Selena Gomez- Ice Cream

3.     Twice- Likey

4.     Boney M- Sunny

5.     ABBA- Dancing Queen

6.     Escape Plan- The Brightest Star In The Night Sky

7.     The Beatles- Here Comes the Sun

8.     Namewee- Stranger in the North

9.     KUN- Lover

10.   BTS- Dynamite

While not done intentionally, the playlist reflects the theory of positive psychology. This theory has gone on to affect the discourse that surrounds the topic of mental health, while also providing significance ideas concerning the link between one’s mental health and music. I am not professing my playlist is the cure-all to end negative thoughts but this one works for me.