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purplesurveys · 4 years ago

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survey by tater-tots What is a fruit that you might eat in the morning? Hahahaha. That’s a pass for me; I can’t imagine regularly eating fruit at any set time of the day.

Do you enjoy any food combinations that others might consider to be weird? I like to eat fish with mayonnaise, which was always normal in our household but I realized was weird when I first saw the horrified expressions on my friends’ faces when they saw me use the combination. I like mayonnaise with a lot of other foods as well, which a lot of people generally find weird.

What is a green vegetable that you enjoy eating? Broccoli and asparagus.

Name something you might find in a salad. In my salad, you’ll always find tuna sashimi in it heh.

What is your favorite type of sandwich? Anything that’s like an Eggs Benedict or Monte Cristo.

Which condiment do you use the most often? Mayo, for sure. Banana ketchup too. I also like sriracha sauce but my dad hasn’t been buying a new bottle of it for a while.

Name a chocolate bar that you enjoy eating. It’s called Whittaker’s - just not sure what country it hails from; maybe Australia? - and I like their peanut butter variant. Google also told me it’s a New Zealander brand.

What is a meat that you do not eat - ever. Dog or cat.

Are you lactose intolerant, or have any other sort of food allergies? I’m mildly lactose intolerant but I ignore it because a lot of my favorite foods use dairy. Other than that, no food allergies.

What was the last food that you burnt your mouth on? Just plain rice, haha. I had been extremely hungry and I just wanted to dig in; but I ended up spitting it back out.

Which brand of soup do you eat? I don’t regularly have soup, much less buy canned brands of it.

What are some flavors of ice cream that your enjoy? Cookies and cream, mint chocolate, coffee, chocolate chip cookie dough, queso real.

What is the best type of cookie, in your opinion? I like keeping things classic when it comes to cookies, and I’ve always been perfectly happy with chocolate chip cookies :)

Would you rather have popcorn, pretzels, or chips as your salty snack? Chips. I dislike the other two as I only like the softer, doughy version of pretzels.

Have you thought about going on a diet & actually went through with it? No.

survey by pinkchocolate

When you woke up today, was there anything on your mind? Kinda. I felt sad and I was aware of it instantly, compared to most days where the sadness will take a while to build.

Who was the last person you interacted with for the first time? Literally speaking, maybe the barista at Starbucks who took my temperature at the entrance before I was let in the store. I interacted with her yesterday.

What colour was the wrapper of the last snack you ate? White. It’s more of a tiny bag than a wrapper, though.

Do you have a favourite mug to drink from? What does it look like? Yeah, I’ve since claimed my mom’s mug for myself. It’s a copper mug with the Starbucks label on it. It looks super minimalist which I appreciate.

What was the last thing you used, that came in a spray can? It was a Lysol spray.

What colour is your favourite bra? Don’t really have one.

Who was the last person you went to for advice about something? I think it was Andi. I’ve been going to them a lot for help, advice, extra sanity, etc. lately. If it hasn’t been for them I probably would’ve left a few months back.

Have you had a deep conversation with anyone lately? Yes. I finally met up with Gab yesterday to discuss a lot things, iron some stuff out, figure out where to go from here.

What was the last compliment you recall receiving from someone? I’m not sure, I haven’t been receiving any.

And the last compliment you gave to someone else? It was most likely a compliment for Andi on how helpful they’ve been to me.

What kind of bread did you eat most recently? Flatbread.

What was the last sound you heard, that you found pleasant? We were watching a mass livestream earlier and I was delighted when they played the closing song.

How many books do you think there are in your house? Take a rough guess. I would guess around 60, the overwhelming bulk of them mine.

Of all the books you own, which do you think has the most pages in it? It would definitely either be Gone with the Wind or Les Miserables, but I’m not sure which one is thicker.

^ And how many pages is that? I checked both of my copies and they’re soooo close – GWTW has 1,440 pages while Les Mis has 1,463.

What was the last film you saw at the cinema? What did you think of it? Knives Out. I went to the mall yesterday and the cinemas were still closed, so it’s not like I’d be able to watch new movies at theatres anyway. Anyway, I’ve been vocal about the movie enough times on my surveys but I didn’t enjoy it. Whodunnits were never my cup of tea, but Gab had wanted to see it and I didn’t want to make her watch the film alone.

In the last book you read, what was the main character's name? Haven’t been reading.

What was the last song you heard, that meant something to you? Lose by Niki.

How many people do you know whose name begins with Z? I can only recall one such person at the moment; it’s one of my mom’s aunts who also doubled as a principal sponsor for my mom and dad’s wedding.

What do you expect to be doing at this time tomorrow? Maybe doing my embroidery (my package finally arrived!!) or surveys or watching Start-Up, because tomorrow will be a holiday :)

survey by luckforlemmy

Did you start listening to more Michael Jackson after his death? I can remember that there was definitely a brief period after his death that I caught up with his discography and listened to MJ nearly everyday; I read up on him and his life as well. 11 year old me figured he must’ve been an interesting figure because of the big reception around his death, so I wanted to know the reasons behind it.

When was the last time that you played hide and seek? I can vividly remember the day when Nina and I played hide and seek when the house was newly-built and still devoid of furniture, back in maybe ‘07 or ‘08. I’m fairly certain that was the last time I played hide and seek.

Who was your first celebrity crush, if you can remember? It was a tie between Ashley Tisdale and Zac Efron, though the older I get the more I’ve been convinced that I ‘crushed’ on Zac only because I was surrounded by girls who went crazy over him in school. I’m pretty sure my first real celebrity crush was Ashley, hahaha.

Do you worry about money? Yeah, especially now. I can’t even enjoy my first paycheck because most of it’s gonna go to Christmas presents, but oh well; at least I can finally buy gifts for my loved ones who’ve always gotten me presents.

Have you ever had to beg for a second chance? Kind of, when I was trying to convince Gab to let our relationship have another shot four years ago. Beg is a strong word for what I actually did, though. It was more of me pitching the idea, not begging.

When was the last time that you sent an actual letter through the mail? I don’t think I even ever did that, not even when I was younger and snail mail was still kind of a thing.

Are you excited to return to school? There’s nothing to return to anymore. Unless I decided to take up a post-grad course in the future, I’m done with school.

Do you hate Internet abbreviations? It can just feel a bit jarring when they’re used excessively in a single sentence, but I honestly don’t mind it for the most part. It’s understandable especially now that most, if not all, of my interactions whether personal or for work happen online.

What was the last insult you gave out? I was never really the roasting type of person, not even towards my friends.

What'd you last look up on YouTube? Hahaha I looked up ‘skynwallz.’ I was looking for the episode of Rhett and Link’s vlogs where they painted the rooms of their offices in the color of their entire person – hair, eyes, and skin. They were joking about starting a new business for it called Skynwallz, so that’s what I looked up.

Are you texting someone really awesome right now? No, I prefer to be alone today.

Do you know when to be serious and when you shouldn't be? Er sure, it’s not that hard.

Do you think that you're funny? I like my sense of humor, yeah, but I know it’s not always going to translate to everybody’s tastes. For example, I’m still figuring out the dynamic in the team I was put in at work, so I can’t make the same jokes that I would normally say with my co-interns with whom I have a more comfortable relationship.

Have you ever sent a secret to Post Secret? I don’t know what this is, so no.

What movie do you really want to see in theatres right now? They aren’t showing anything at the moment. A movie I want to see badly, though, is Ammonite.

Have either of your parents shown affection for you today? My mom made breakfast for us, if it counts. She also gives each of her kids a kiss during the peace-giving portion at mass, so there’s that as well.

What's the last thing that you sang out loud? I watched Start Up before this survey and was humming to the song that was being played at the end of the episode. I couldn’t sing along to it because it was in Korean, but I knew the melody so I hummed.

Is there a word that you always misspell? Rhythm is one of my worst enemies for sure. I also have a love-hate relationship with accommodate.

What was the last thing that you bought that someone else benefited from? I met up with Gabie yesterday and bought her her favorite meal from Yabu to break the ice – menchi katsu with brown rice. I originally got mozzarella sticks for myself but when we got to talking, she mentioned her sisters at one point; I remembered how much I miss them, so I gave up my food and told her to just give my food to her sisters since I hadn’t touched it yet anyway.

Has someone ever made you a really great mix CD? Andi gave me one before she made the flight to New Zealand 10 years ago to permanently live there. I believe I still have it, but I’m just not sure where it currently is.

Have you ever been on Omegle.com? Yes, when I was a teenager and it was new.

Did you talk to someone cool there? Not really; most seem to exit our chat after we did the whole asl thing. I also avoided the webcam option because my anxiety for video calls has always been present.

What song reminds you of your best friend? Any song by The Maine.

Who was the last person to hit on you? Some creep on Facebook.

What's on the paper nearest you? It’s the guide for my embroidery kit. It tells me what stitches to do and the colors of thread to use for the different parts of the template I was provided with.

Do you have a set of lyrics that you really love? From Paramore’s Pool: “As if the first cut wasn’t deep enough, I dove in again ‘cause I’m not into giving up Could’ve gotten the same rush from any lover’s touch, But why get used to something new When no one breaks my heart like you” I scream those lyrics every time they come on. I know I often showed the good, shiny side of my relationship on these surveys; but it was very much toxic at a lot of points and those lyrics - and that song - served as a nest for me, something that told me someone understands how I sometimes felt about my own relationship.

Did you get an A in your last English class? I got a 1.25 instead of a perfect 1.00, but I think that’s still equivalent to an A so yes.

What did you last use scissors for? Cutting thread.

Did you ever secretly hate a friend of yours that thought you liked them? That makes me sound shitty lol, but yeah I’ve acted nicely to people I don’t particularly like.

What do you think of when I say "boat"? That episode of Friends where Joey bought himself a boat at an auction; and Canadian accents.

Would you ever get a tattoo sleeve? Nope. I planned on getting one as a teenager, but I grew out of that phase.

Do you know any really fake people? Yep. I think everyone’s got to be at some point.

What does the last blanket you used look like? It’s pink and has multi-colored polka dots on it.

Do you have appreciation for graffiti? Sure, especially if it’s for political purposes (that I agree with).

Why don't you drive? I do. I just have done it a lot less because I have had little need for driving and traveling to places throughout the pandemic.

Does it annoy you when your printer runs out of ink? I think we have the kind of printer that never runs out of ink, but I’m not exactly sure about the terminologies or how the technology works. I let my sister do the printing hahaha.

Have you ever drank anything from a thermos? Yes, mostly water and coffee.

When was the last time you played in the snow? Never.

Do you know any ignorant people? Sure, mostly Gen X-ers and Boomers.

What is the coolest name you've ever heard? Thylane.

What did you last argue with someone about? Relationship stuff. It wasn’t a full-blown argument, but when Gab and I talked yesterday it was natural for us to disagree on a few points.

Is there anyone that you dislike for no real reason? Hmm, I don’t think so. If I feel that strongly about someone, I usually have a reason otherwise it wouldn’t be fair to them.

Have you had a good day? It was okay; it was nice. I got to do my embroidery hoop art thing, got to watch a couple episodes of Start Up, played with Cooper, and now I’m doing these surveys and am planning to continue my embroidery later. It’s nice to feel productive about non-work things :)

Are you going to have a good night? I hope.

#survey #surveys #multiple surveys – chop em up if you wish

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screw-real-life-i-pick-fandoms · 6 years ago

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I will Always be There for You (Tom Hiddleston x Reader) (One-Shot)

AN: I got this request from a friend of mine @darkprincessloki92:

I was recently diagnosed with PTSD and I have severe panic attacks...I recently had a really awful one about a week ago...and all I wanted was Tom...could you write one where him/Loki finds me during an "episode" and tries to help?

I was more than happy to write this for you! As someone who also goes through this kind of thing, having someone like Tom to be with would be a huge help, (Sadly he cannot). I am basing the plot of this off one of the biggest things that would make my PTSD act up and have a panic attack. (I don't really know how I would write it if it wasn't something that affects me). I am not going to put in too much detail about what happened in the past between them, that is still personal and a touchy subject for me. So, G/Y/H means girl you hate. Now, I wouldn't say I hate anyone, but I do have a disdain for the person I am basing this off, but I wouldn't say I hate her. Sometimes you just have to try to move on. If you even want to talk, my inbox is always open.

Words: 2,170

Warnings: Mentions of PTSD, anxiety, panic attacks, and some swearing.

(Y/N POV)

Tom and I had been dating for about four months now and things were going great. He was the most amazing man I had ever met and showered me with more love then I knew what to do with. We had complete trust between us, and we were in a good place in our relationship. There was one thing that Tom didn't know about me yet. He did know that because of things that happened to me in the past I had anxiety and PTSD with certain things, but I kept the panic attacks to myself. I knew it seems silly, Tom is known for being one of the sweetest guys on the planet, but I just felt like I would be putting one more thing on his plate. I hadn't had a panic attack in a while anyway, I didn't want to worry him.

Tom was back from his latest press tour and would be home for the next few weeks. It was a lovely day, so we decided to take a walk through the park. I had my arm locked with Tom's while he held onto Bobby's leash with the other hand. It was the first day in a long time that the sun was out, and the air had a nice warm feel to it. The small clouds made shadows move across the green grass of the park Tom and I had walked to.

After a bit of walking, we let Bobby off his leash and tossed him the frisbee I had brought for him. He ran after it and then would bring it back for us to through again. This went on for about five minutes when Tom looked behind him at an ice cream stand a few yards away then back at me.

"How about I go get us some ice cream?" Tom as wrapping his arms lovingly around my waist. "It is the perfect day for it."

"That would be great," I said to Tom then lightly kissed his cheek. "I will play with Bobby while you are gone."

"Alright love," Tom said with a smile as he removed his hands from my waist. "I will be right back."

I watched as Tom walked over to the small ice cream stand. It had a line of four people before Tom, so that gave me a chance to hang out with Bobby.

"Hey boy," I said kneeling down to playfully run my hands through his soft brown fur. "You want the frisbee?"

He yelped happily when I held it out in front of me, wanting me to toss it. I stood up and through the disk and Bobby quickly ran after it. I sat down on a bench and watched the sky, waiting for Bobby to bring the frisbee back. Then I felt a presence beside me, so I turned to see who it was. I thought it could be Tom with our ice cream but when I saw who it really was my stomach churned.

"Hello Y/N," G/Y/H (Girl You Hate) said standing next to you. "It's been a while."

I couldn't do anything, I couldn't speak, I couldn't move. It had been ten years since I had last seen G/Y/H and for good reason. G/Y/H is the reason I have my PTSD and anxiety, The things she said.....The things she did.

"Don't you remember me?" She asked but the look on her face told me she knew I did. "We used to have so much fun together, you, me and G/F (Guy friend). Surely you remember."

"I...Yes," I was trying to get words out, and I could feel my heart rate increase. By fun, she meant two years of hell for me and G/F and she knew it. "How have...have you been?"

Maybe she was different now, maybe she was trying to make amends? I was trying to be nice so either she would be nice in return or go away.

"I have been excellent," She said with a prideful voice. "I am dating a rich businessman, we live in a nice big house in LA, and he gave me some money to come on a vacation here in the UK. I didn't think I would be seeing you here."

"Yeah," I said quietly. "Crazy how things turn out."

"Isn't it though," She said with a tisk. "I see you are here by yourself, still as unwanted as you were before?"

I tried to say something, but no sound came out. Right then Bobby came running back with the frisbee, but he could tell something was off. He dropped it and stood between me and G/Y/H and looked back and forth at us.

"Oh, my mistake," She said looking down at Bobby and laughed. "Still unwanted to anything but a dog. Seems like you still are the worthless bitch you were back then, sad to see how things never change. I am surprised you are still here, to be honest."

I could feel tears in my eyes as all the memories from years ago came back to me, the horrible things she said, she said to do, that she did do. This wasn't even that bad compared to what she had said and done in the past, but the fact that it made me remember, and feel the same things as back then. My breathing became ragged and my heart rate quickened.

Bobby knew something was wrong then and started to whimper at me and rub against my leg. I was glad I was already sitting down, or I may have fallen. When I didn't do or say anything back, G/Y/H just looked unamused.

"Well," She said as she began to walk away. "See you on the flip said trash."

My vision was becoming blurry and my head was hurting. Bobby was now yelping and wining worriedly under me, then he took off running. I was trying to slow down my breathing but thinking back on all those terrible days made it impossible. I was now gasping for breath and my vision was fading in an out, but I was still staying conscious.

(Tom's POV)

I was standing in line to get ice cream for Y/N and I and there was only one more person in front of me. Then out of nowhere, Bobby came running up to me barking urgently. He was jumping on me and yelping.

"Woah," I said walking out of the line and kneeling down to get on Bobby's level. "What is it?"

He ran around in a few small circles and barked, then he started running towards where I could see Y/N sitting on a bench a small distance away. Bobby stopped running and turned around to bark at me, then ran towards Y/N again. Then it hit me, something is wrong with Y/N.

I stood up quickly and began to run to Y/N, hoping she was alright.

(Y/N POV)

The pain in my head and chest was getting to me and the rapid breathing hurt my throat, but I couldn't stop it. Then Bobby was back at my feet again, rubbing on my legs and whimpering. Not long after Bobby arrived, I felt two hands on my shoulders, and I got worried. Was it G/Y/H? My vision had gone dark for a few seconds so I couldn't see who it was.

"Y/N!" I heard the worried voice of Tom say and realized it was his hands on my shoulders. "Y/N, what's wrong? Y/N, talk to me love."

I could tell he was trying to stay calm, but I could hear the worry in his voice. I tried to speak but with all of the hyperventilating, I couldn't. My vision came back, and I could see Tom looking into my eyes with his baby blue ones, fear evident on his face.

He wrapped me in his arms bring me in for a hug, saying calming things into my ears. He didn't know what was happening to me, and I could hear the helpless he felt in his shaky voice.

Two words, that's all I needed to get out, just two words.

"Pa..." I was trying to tell him what was happening but when I opened my mouth I would take in another breath. Tom stopped talking and I knew he was trying to hear what I was saying. "Pani...Panic at...tack."

I don't know if he could understand me with how badly my voice was shaking. Then he held me a little tighter and began to say things about us softly into my ear.

"Remember the time I tried to surprise you with a "congratulations" cake for you when you got the role you wanted in the play?" Tom asked trying to get me to think of happy things. "I forgot to put a timer on for it and when you came home the cake was in the sink with running water and the smoke alarm was going off? It smelled like burnt cake in the kitchen for two weeks, but you would tell me you didn't mind because it made you think of how funny it was?"

I found myself thinking of that time and less about the horrible past I had with G/Y/H. It was becoming a little easier to breathe but I was still breathing to fast.

"Or the time we were watching "American in Paris" together last week," Tom began to tell me another memory he had of us. "You got up and sang to all of the songs and insisted we dance to them together, we had such a great time. Then when it was over, we sat down on the couch and I kissed you. You kissed me back but not more than ten seconds later your mom called and asked how to work her new smartphone."

He continued to say things like that to me until a few minutes later, I began to come down from my panic attack. My head still hurt slightly but my breathing was almost back to normal and my vision wasn't blurry anymore.

Tom ran his fingers through my hair and was telling me how much he loved me, and I could tell how much he meant it.

"Tom?" I said quietly when I could use my voice again.

"Yes, my love," Tom said not breaking contact with me, still keeping my tight in his arms. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," I said into his strong chest. "Thank you for...for helping me."

The was the second time in my life that anyone had helped me get through my panic attack and try to calm me down. The first time was when I was younger and had just dealt with G/Y/H and my father found me and helped. That was also the last time, until now.

"No need to thank me Y/N," He said and kissed my forehead lightly. "You needed me to help you get through something, that is what I am here for."

"So, you aren't upset?" I asked expecting him to be mad that I hadn't told him about my panic attacks earlier or for him to be disgusted by it, like most people where.

"Of course not," Tom said with shock in his voice. "Why on earth would I be upset with you for something you can't control?"

"Most people are," I said not wanting to look into his eyes. "And the fact I didn't tell you that I have them, trying to keep it from you. I just didn't want to burden you with another crazy thing about me. You already have to deal with everything else."

"Oh Y/N," He said with sorrow in his tone. "I am so sorry you felt that way. I don't want you to even think you are a burden to me, I love you, and that means I love all of you. That means I man with you for the good and the bad, and when the bad days come, we will be there for each other. That's part of the deal. As for other people," Tom said and lightly moved my head so he could look into my eyes and I could see the deep love he held for me in them. "I am not most people. I will always be there for you, whenever and wherever you need me."

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supergirlmelbenoist · 5 years ago

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How Melissa Benoist got ripped for Supergirl

She's not a bird or a plane, and she's definitely not Superman! In 2015, Krypton refugee Kara Zor-El — aka Kara Danvers — threw aside her glasses and donned her family's S-shaped crest to follow in her cousin's footsteps and give National City its very own superhero on the CW's Supergirl. Back then, Melissa Benoist — the actress playing both Supergirl the superpowered alien and Kara the shy personal assistant — was best known to TV fans for her role as sweet newcomer Marley Rose on two seasons of Glee, and she also had a small role in Best Picture-nominated Whiplash.

Taking the lead of a show — especially one with such a strong legacy on-screen and off — was a big step up for Benoist, both performance-wise and also physically. So how did she get ripped for the role? Well, Benoist said that landing the part meant stepping up her workouts, not just because we tend to take our superheroes with six-pack abs and toned biceps, but so that she could keep up with the action. The self-described pacifist and musical theater nerd suddenly found herself learning how to throw a punch and how to fly. So here's how Melissa Benoist toughened up to play Supergirl, at the gym, in her fight scenes, and high up on the wires.

She made it through a full-on audition process

Obviously the CW couldn't cast just anyone as Supergirl, which meant that Melissa Benoist had to go through a rigorous audition process before she got anywhere close to landing the role. The wait was made even more excruciating because, according to Benoist, "I believe I was the first girl they saw." That first audition was in October 2014, and it was just the start. In 2015, she told Entertainment Weekly, "It was a long, drawn-out, three-month process. I auditioned around Halloween 2014 and then didn't land the part until February 2015. I went through multiple screen-tests, multiple auditions with the producing team. There was a lot."

During that extensive audition process, Variety reported that Benoist found a champion in producer Greg Berlanti. "Greg championed me the whole time and was in my corner," Benoist remembered. "Even when I didn't think the part was mine, he was always rooting for me. That support goes a long way, especially when I'm fighting for something I want so badly. His belief in me really touched me." Berlanti echoed the sentiment, saying, "If we had not found her, I would have said, 'I don't want to make this.'"

The first episode aired almost a year after that first audition, on October 26, 2015, and since then, Benoist has seen hundreds of kids in their own versions of her costume. "Every Halloween there are quite a bit of Supergirls," she told Jimmy Kimmel, so it was worth the wait.

Melissa Benoist worked on her core strength

While comic book titans DC and Marvel have both made noise about introducing more diversity to their products, one thing that all superheroes have in common are incredible abs. Benoist's Supergirl is no exception. She told Entertainment Weekly that to prepare for the role, she did "some boxing, strength training, and a lot of core work." At Comic-Con, she said that her workouts included Pilates, boxing, and plyometrics.

If you've never had cause to get into superhero shape, you might be wondering what fresh hell plyometrics are. As Healthine explains, plyometrics involve exerting your body to its maximum ability for a short period of time — for example, by jumping — to improve strength, speed, and power. They're a pretty advanced form of exercise, as Benoist found out! On CBS's This Morning, she explained, "I did quite a bit of training. We did this stuff called plyometrics, which is like jump training. And all of it was really hard — just hard things!"

And the core work isn't just to look good. As Benoist added, the core work comes in handy when you're doing the flying stunts. "I'm up on a wire," she said, "and you have to hold your entire body weight so there's a lot of training involved."

Work is a workout on Supergirl

Melissa Benoist wasn't the only cast member who had to up her workout intensity to give the action sequences the effort they deserved. Chyler Leigh, who plays Kara's adoptive sister Alex, said that the actors work really hard with the stunt coordinators to get the fight scenes just right. And those action-packed days are full-on workouts in their own right. "When we do fight scenes, we're working out for six hours, just doing the same thing," she told CBS. "We are burnt for the next few days. I think that's really where I get my caloric burn count."

Even when they aren't shooting, Leigh and Benoist try to use those periods of waiting around that happen on the set of a TV show to stay in shape. "Melissa and I try to do as much as we possibly can," Leigh said. "In my trailer, I've got resistance bands and medicine balls and things like that. I try to do it in between, but we have very little downtime." The two on-screen sisters also have a shared interest in the same workout. "I love Pilates," Leigh told CBS. "It gives such a good core foundation. When I can go, it's awesome." And you thought TV sets were all craft services and hanging out in trailers.

Melissa Benoist learned to fight from the best

Thos Robinson/Getty Images Another crucial element of being a superhero is being able to kick butt convincingly. This didn't come naturally to Benoist, who confessed to the Chicago Tribune, "I had never punched anyone! I maybe slapped my sisters when I was a kid, but I'm not an aggressive, violent person, and I had no idea how to throw a punch." To help her find her inner fighter, Benoist took up boxing. "I definitely had to learn technique. Like how to actually punch someone and not hurt yourself more than you're hurting the person you're punching. And so boxing was part of it," she told InStyle.

Fortunately for Benoist, she had access to excellent tutors. In addition to the stunt team, former karate and kickboxing world champion Lexi Alexander (pictured above) directed an episode in the first season. Having worked on Supergirl's fellow Arrowverse show Arrow, Alexander said she was excited to work on a story about a female superhero. "I realized that this is the first time I'm choreographing and directing a fight scene for a female lead. I did some fight directing for a woman here and there … but for a female lead? I've never directed a female lead in an action," she told Den of Geek.

Her directing stint was short, but Alexander said that she pushed her star "to the next level of fight choreography," and that "they've now changed [Benoist's] fight style from [Alexander's] episode onward." Benoist might still be more lover than fighter at heart, but we wouldn't challenge her.

She does (some of) her own stunts on Supergirl

Believe it or not, it really is Benoist doing some of those hair-raising stunts on the show. The actress told Variety that she likes to get involved with the action when she can, saying, "I have been doing a lot [of stunts], and I want to keep doing them. Already I've fought a male on the show. Supergirl's fight moves are boxing. She's really heavy-handed. There's some flying that involves kicking and punching mid-flight that's kind of awesome."

However, not everyone was thrilled with Benoist's hands-on approach to fights. Her mom, Julie, told her that she found it difficult to watch her daughter's fight scenes, especially against men. But Julie Benoist needn't have worried. Benoist knows her limits, and she's heaped praise on her stunt doubles. In 2015, she said of stunts, "I think they're so fun. There are some that I just can't — I really could get injured. … My stunt double is amazing. She was Jen Garner's on Alias and Buffy's. She's all over the place, and she's so cool. I wish people could see what they go through. It's insane."

Benoist's stunt double in 2015 was Shauna Duggins, whose resume includes Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the recent Star Trek movies, and 2000's Charlie's Angels (as well as many other movies and shows.) After doing 20 episodes of Supergirl, Duggins went on to work as stunt coordinator for shows including Ray Donovan, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and GLOW. She's a real-life superwoman.

She likes to get out of the gym

Although Benoist diligently puts in her hours in the gym, the Colorado-raised actress is happier getting her exercise in the great outdoors. Her Instagram shows photos of her hiking with her husband (and Supergirl co-star), Chris Wood, and their dogs, Farley and Drift. She also recalled being jealous when she found out what her co-star and Supergirl predecessor, Helen Slater, was doing to get in shape.

After Benoist recounted the boxing and core work she was doing to Slater, "She gave me this look, and I was like, 'Why, what did they have you do?'" Benoist told Entertainment Weekly. "'Oh, I went horseback riding, and fencing and doing some archery, and I was swimming.' She went through this whole gamut of awesome outdoor activities that I would love to do to train." Speaking to E! Online, Benoist said of Slater's exercise regime, "She was on trampolines a lot and dancing and prancing and doing all these cool activities for training. I wish I had that much fun."

The conflicting training schedules aren't coming between the two actresses. Benoist added to EW, "Also, she's just so kind and such a sweet, sweet woman. That's really what I've learned from her. She really is a super girl. I'm so honored that I'm following in her footsteps." She'll just have to wait for a filming break to take a hike.

Melissa Benoist has a dance background

Glee was not Benoist's first experience with musical theater. She told Jimmy Kimmel that she did "tap, ballet, and jazz class at four years old" and children's theater, even performing at Disneyland. "In front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle, we sang a Stephen Sondheim medley where my solo was 'Send in the Clowns,'" she recalled. She also studied ballet, although she wasn't a perfect student. "All the years I took ballet class … I was the one kid in class who the teacher was always like, 'Urgh, her turn-out,' and, 'She is not standing up straight,'" Benoist told Kimmel. She did better with another form of dance. In a video for Glamour, she said, "I have a secret superpower — that I can tap dance," and she demonstrated to prove her point.

That dance training comes in handy on the set of Supergirl — and not just for Benoist's part in the musical crossover episode of The Flash. Benoist said that her dance background helps her with the wire work and even the fight sequences. "With the wire work and flying, even the choreography, I grew up dancing, so that kind of came like it would if I were learning a dance routine," she told the Chicago Tribune. Plus, it keeps her and the crew entertained between takes.

She learned how to fly (well, on wires)

Melissa Benoist's favorite thing about her superhero role is exactly what you'd expect: the chance to fly. When Jimmy Kimmel asked about the best part of playing Supergirl, Benoist said, "I mean, I get to fly!" Upon further questioning, she acknowledged, "I mean it's hard work, I'm essentially attached to a fork in the air." She also told Variety just how hard it was and how she prepared, saying, "The wire work for training is mostly core work. It's mostly ab-centric — the whole area of the body that nobody wants to work out. You have to get strong. You have to carry your whole body weight when you're up in the air."

However, it's worth all the working out. "The wire work is really difficult, but so fun. And when you get it right, watching the result is exhilarating," Benoist told People. "It's a really, really cool feeling to know what it felt like, the energy I had to exert to create those flying scenes. And then the way they look is really rewarding."

Benoist got some help perfecting her flying technique. When Kimmel asked how she figured out Supergirl's flying style, she said, "There's this sort of superhero physicality school that you kind of have to go to — at least we did on the DC shows — where the stunt team will teach you to walk like a superhero. … They're awesome and they've really helped me." And that's how to look fly in spandex.

Benoist eats healthy, but she's not a dieter

All of that working out and on-set action builds up an appetite. But as a female superhero who's expected to squeeze into a spandex suit every day and have the muscles to beat up bad guys without actually looking bulked up, Benoist can't go to town on craft services. Fortunately, she's pretty into fruits and vegetables anyway. "I love supermarkets, I love grocery shopping, I love the produce aisle, because to be super you have to be healthy," she told Glamour. "And I would probably stock up on all the fruits. I love fruit."

However, she isn't about to totally deprive herself of comfort foods. In the same Glamour interview, she said, "If I could supersize any food it would be [an] ice cream Drumstick, vanilla caramel. They're so good." In 2016, she told the Chicago Tribune that she was excited to attend that year's Chicago Comic-Con and Entertainment Expo (aka C2E2) because she wanted to check out the city's restaurants. As she explained, "I've heard the food scene is incredible, and I'm a foodie, so I can't wait to go out and eat."

Benoist also said that her own partiality to the occasional junk food splurge inspired the writers to add it into her character's personality. "I love junk food, I love doughnuts, and they put that in there quite a bit," she said, laughing. "There are these doughnuts all the time." This diet sounds super.

She got ripped to show women being tough

Kevin Winter/Getty Images One reason Melissa Benoist was so invested in making sure her character could be physically impressive was because she wanted to inspire other women to feel strong and powerful. In an essay for Time, she wrote, "I think the more the show goes on, the more you see this fierceness and what women are really capable of. It puts [Supergirl] on this equal playing field. … That's so meaningful to me to help children understand that girls can have just as much fun as their male counterparts in the superhero world. It's about confidence and hope, and Supergirl really embodies all of that."

Even though Benoist also wrote that she grew up in "this really strong, feminine family," she told the Chicago Tribune, "I didn't really believe that I could be that character or play a superhero. It's something I never thought of myself as doing, but I just knew I had to go for it because there's so few female superheroes and just strong females that fight back and do it with grace and do it with love." She's also said that she didn't want the character to be a female version of male superheroes, saying, "What I think is cool is to try to bring kind of a femininity to her strength. … I do like the idea of bringing in like a grace to it. And a fluidity and kind of this femininity to flying. It's fun." In other words, Melissa Benoist is out here bringing new meaning to (Super)girl power.

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sorceress-coffee · 6 years ago

Text

Trollhunters Episode 3 Pt. 1

I decided to break this piece into multiple parts since it turned out twice as long as the first two episodes. There is a lot more of River in this Episode, also Draal is finally here!

Episode 1

Episode 2

River BIO

Episode 2]

“This is Heartstone Troll Market!” Blink exclaimed.

[Episode 3 pt. 1]

“This is...” Jim trailed off as he was taking in Trollmarket.

“Whoa,” Toby nodded slightly, agreeing with Jim’s unvoiced amazement.

I nod, standing next to Jim, “Pretty much,” We continued down rocky steps heading into the market. I kept turning in circles trying to take in as much as possible, I look to Blinky and Aaarrrgghh as I turned around for the thirteenth time, “This is your home?” I asked.

Blinky chuckled once I continued to turn as we walked, getting closer to the trolls that inhabited Trollmarket. “Trollmarket is home and hearth and sanctuary for all good trolls.” He moved to walk in front of us, guiding our way through the market. “This way, my friends. There is much to see.”

Toby and Jim high-fived, following Blinky excitedly. “Dang,” Toby teased, “and here I thought the only thing underneath our town was dirt and plumbing.” He pulled his phone out quickly and began taking pictures of anything and everything that caught his eye.

I looked up as we walked under a purple and rose-colored archway leading into a surreal bazaar brimming with trolls.

“Stay close,” Blinky ordered as we continued through the market. Aaarrrgghh pushing me closer to the group as I paused to watch a troll getting what looked like a tattoo done. “Human feet have never graced the ground of Trollmarket before,” Blinky explained to us.

After Blinky mentioned this I began to notice that the trolls around us kept stopping to stare in as we passed by. Many began to murmur about humans, going so far as to question Aaarrrgghh and Blinky, to which Aaarrrgghh simply replied “Friends,” motioning to Toby, Jim, and I, growling slightly at the questioning trolls.

“This is crazy!” Jim exclaimed, looking into each stall we passed. “Are you getting this, Tobes?”

“Oh, yeah,” Toby answered while taking pictures of the different stalls and trolls we passed. “On it.”

As we walked by another tattoo stall, I stopped and waved at the trolls who had done a double take seeing the three of us. I continued after the group quickly seeing the trolls’ disgruntled expressions aimed at me.

“Check it out!” Toby began to point to different stones. “Peridot, Topaz, Cassiterite!” He gasped, grasping a large boulder, “Kornerupine!” the boulder began to mover as Toby touched it, glancing up he quickly realized he was grabbing a troll and began to stammer an apology.

I shook my head pulling him along quickly before the troll decided to toss him off a ledge.

“Your knowledge of minerals is almost troll-like, Tobias” Blinky complimented as we caught up to him, Aaarrrgghh, and Jim.

“So, your kind, you all live here?” Jim asks, slowing his pace.

“Trolls travel from afar to our market to find comfort and remedies,” Blinky explained, gesturing to different stalls. “You’ll find most anything you need and sometimes you’ll find what you never knew you needed.”

I glanced into a dark cave seeing dark blue crystal spikes. Pausing when the spikes began to move, I realized they were part of another troll, with sapphire stone skin and bright golden red eyes, similar in color to the crystalline fire in the center of Trollmarket. We locked eyes for a moment before the troll huffed, looking towards Aaarrrgghh and Blinky as they kept walking. I shook my head and quickly followed after the group, not paying attention to the troll now following me.

As I caught up with the others, I had to push my way through a crowd of trolls that had circled them, questioning Blinky about the humans.

“What is this?” a deep voice brimming with irritation roared from behind me. Looking back, I notice it was the troll I had seen in the dark cave. He was pushing the crowd away as he walked up to us, stopping in front of me. He stood to his full height glaring down over me, growling.

I had to crane my neck back slightly with how close he was standing. A deadpan expression never leaving my face as he yelled.

“I was just getting to that, Draal.” Blinky replied, trying to pull me back from the angry troll I now knew as Draal.

Draal walked forward and I matched his steps walking back till I was between Jim and Blinky. “Human feet have never sullied the ground of Trollmarket before.” He claimed, now circling Jim. “Who are these fleshbags?” he questioned with a slight growl, getting in Jim’s face causing him to step back quickly, hands up in defense.

Seeing how anxious Jim was at having Draal in his space I quickly stepped between them, glaring at Draal and refusing to back down as he got in my face instead.

“Believe it or not, he is, um,” Blinky began to fidget as he tried to explain, “How do I put this? Our new Trollhunter.”

Most trolls in attendance gasped in disbelief, some jaws dropped, and all were stunned at Blinky’s answer.

Draal glared over me to Jim, growling. “He can’t be the Trollhunter.” He stated, “He’s not a troll!” He pushed me to the side, then slammed his fists into the ground, breaking the stone and causing Jim to jump back, falling against Aaarrrgghh.

I growled at being pushed, hands heating up as I stepped in front of Draal, blocking him from Jim. “And yet the talking amulet called his name.” I spoke, irritated with Draal.

Aaarrrgghh helped Jim up quickly, glaring at Draal. “Amulet chose.”

Blinky tried to diffuse the situation as Toby spoke up. “Show him, Jimbo.”

Jim glanced up to Aaarrrgghh trying to gauge if summoning the armor was a good idea. Once Aaarrrgghh nodded, I stepped aside so everyone, including Draal, could see Jim. Jim read off the incantation as the amulet began to glow, and in a flash of light, he was now fully suited in armor. “Pretty cool, right?” He asked the trolls.

“A human, protecting us?” a female troll asked from the crowd, hands on her hips as she eyed Jim wearily. A second female troll next to her fainting.

“Bushigal!” Draal yelled, stalking towards Jim. “I am Draal,” he began, hitting a fist over his chest, “son of Kanjigar and the amulet’s rightful heir!” He exclaimed.

“Uh, you’re his son?” Jim asked, distress evident, “He’s his son?” he turned to Blinky for an answer.

Blinky winced, wringing his four hands together and nodding slightly.

“Yeah,” I spoke up, looking to Draal, “I can see how this is a problem.” Toby nodded in agreement.

Draal stood at his full height over Jim, chin raised in the air as he glared down at him. “When my father fell, the honor should have passed on to me.” He grabbed the amulet, trying to rip it out of the armor. A bright blue light enveloped Jim and pushed him and Draal apart.

Aaarrrgghh quickly caught Jim, holding him out slightly to Draal as if proving a point. “Amulet chose.” He stated again.

Draal was staring at the amulet, shocked it had rejected him. Blinky ushered us by Draal quickly, heading to our next destination in Trollmarket. Draal eyed us, standing up again. “We’ll see what Vendel has to say about this,” he growled out.

“Feel free to fetch him.” Blinky turned towards Draal, still leading us away. “In the meanwhile, lots of Trollhunter business to be done. Draal, wonderful to see you as always.”

I paused as I passed Draal, bowing my head slightly in empathy for his father’s death. Draal growled at me, huffing as he saw my palms, still red and burnt from our run-in with Bular earlier. He hummed and quickly turned heading off to find Vendel.

We reached a cavern entrance that had a glowing yellow sign in the outline of the sword of Daylight. As we walked into the cavern, Jim’s armor disappeared. “Um, what just happened?” He asked Blinky, catching the amulet as it fell from his chest.

“The amulet responded to your unconscious command, Master Jim.” Blinky explained, “You are at ease, are you not?” he asked, hands pressed together in thought.

“I am, actually,” Jim replied, holding the amulet up with a small smile as he looked it over.

“It senses that. You are beginning to master it. “Blinky complimented as he continued to guide us through the cavern. We soon came to a large opening, a natural stone bridge leading to a large, stage-like area surrounded by statues of trolls on high pedestals.

“Is this a palace?” Jim asked in awe.

“This is ‘The Hero’s Forge.’” Blinky exclaims as we cross the bridge. Toby taking pictures of every square inch, mumbling about different minerals.

Jim took notice of the statues and Blinky was quick to explain that they are the remains of his predecessors, including an empty pedestal for Kanjigar’s remains.

I was walking around the perimeter of the Forge, hand ghosting over the markings and runes carved into the stone walls. “This is amazing,” I came to a stop next to Blinky as he was finishing his explanation of the Trollhunters.

“A line of heroism that reaches back to the age of Merlin, he exclaimed, walking to a lever in one of the walls.

“Merlin?” I asked, following him. “As in the wizard in the tales of King Arthur and Camelot?”

Blinky nods, “The very same Lady River, I’m glad you’re familiar with your history. Especially after witnessing your own magic tonight.” Blinky grinned.

I furrowed my brow in confusion. “My history?” I stared up at him. “Wait, what magic tonight?”

“I assumed you knew, after all the spell you used to attack Bular takes years of training to control.” Blinky paused in thought.

“I didn’t use a spell; I was just scared Jim was going to die.” I looked at my palms, still inflamed and burning from the light that had encased them during our altercation with Bular.

“About all this,” Toby broke our conversation, “there’s just one thing I’m not getting.” He was looking between Aaarrrgghh and Blinky, “You guys are trolls. So, ‘Trollhunter’ sounds a little like you hunt yourselves, you know?” he asked, confused.

Aaarrrgghh grasped Jim’s shoulder as he answered, “Hunt bad trolls. GummGumms.”

“Not exactly a terrifying name,” Jim stated, recovering from Aaarrrgghh’s grip.

“In Trollspeak,” Blinky began, “‘GummGumm’ means ‘bringer of horrible, slow, painful, and thoroughly-calculated death.’” Jim gulped at Blinky’s answer. “But do not be too concerned, Master Jim. The GummGumms were exiled to the Darklands centuries ago. Only one roams free.”

“And that one wants to kill Jim,” I spoke up quickly, shaking my head at the thought.

“His father and the rest of their number remain exiled to the Darklands, but they have been trying to escape for centuries. I sense ill times are upon us. Hence the need for us to begin Master Jim’s training now.” Blinky stated as he raised a hand to the lever. “Step back please.” He motioned to the boys as I stood next to him. “A little further, Tobias.” He waved slightly. Toby took another step back and Blinky shrugged. “oh, very well.” He pulled the lever and the entire forge came to life.

Pendulums, spikes, blades of all kinds were erupting from the floor. I watched as Jim and Toby quickly ran to the walls, Toby screaming his lungs out.

“Blinkous Galadrigal!” an aged voice yelled over the instruments of death. Blinky quickly shut the forge down, obviously nervous about this voice. The blades retracted to reveal a goat-like troll walking towards us from the stone bridge. “Blinkous Galadrigal.” He repeated, walking up to us quickly. When he was close enough I could see his eyes were grey though they sparkled as if they held a galaxy within.

“That’s your name?” Jim asked, turning to Blinky.

Blinky gave a short nod, “Horrible, I know.”

The elder troll walked to Blinky before turning to Toby. “I wish to meet the fleshbag supposedly chosen by the amulet.” He began to prod at Toby. “I am Vendel, son of Rundle, son of Kilfred.”

Toby stammered slightly, “Uh… Toby, son of Ralph. I live with my Nana.”

Vendel picked Toby up by his arm and began poking him in the stomach. “Produce the amulet, Trollhunter,” he demanded, dropping Toby again.

I chuckled at the obvious confusion, glancing at Jim as he pulled out the amulet.

“I think I’m the fleshbag that you’re looking for.” Jim chuckled, holding the amulet up to Vendel.

Aaarrrgghh stood next to Jim, pointing to him, “Amulet chose.” He stated in a less aggressive manner than he did with Draal.

Vendel hums as he walks over to Jim, “So Draal tells me. Ridiculous!” He states. “However,” he continued, leaning down so his face was level with Jim’s, “the amulet had been known to make ill-fated choices, as you know better than most.” He turned to stare down Blinky.

I frowned looking up at Blinky, “What does he mean?”

Aaarrrgghh answered for Blinky as Vendel moved to the center of the forge. “Blinky trained Trollhunter before.” He points up to a statue of a troll covering his face in fear. “Unkar ‘the Unfortunate.’” He states.

“Why is he unfortunate?” Jim asked, worried.

“First night out, torn.” Aaarrrgghh answered, a pained look on his face.

“Like conflicted?” Jim asked.

Aaarrrgghh raised his hands making a ripping gesture. “No. Limb from limb.” As Aaarrrgghh said this, Unkar’s arm fell to the floor between Toby and me, startling us.

“If the amulet chose true,” Vendel began, gesturing to the floor in the center, “the Soothscryer will reveal it.”

“Please,” Blinky pleaded, “Master Jim hasn’t had but an hours training.”

Vendel only glared and hummed harshly as he pointed to the floor again, commanding Jim to move.

Jim looked down at the footprints carved in the floor then to Vendel. Once Vendel nodded he placed his feet on the corresponding carvings. The amulet began to glow and the carvings in the floor of the forge did the same, a mechanism kicked in causing the floor to move and a large troll-like statue erupted from the carvings. The mouth of the statue opened.

“Behold, the Soothscryer!” Vendel began, “It will judge your true spirit. Insert your right hand Trollhunter,” he directed Jim, nodding to the open mouth of the Soothscryer.

“Um,” Jim stammered, “I’m going to get it back, right?” He asked Vendel.

“That is part of the test.” Vendel stated.

“You can’t be serious.” I stared at the Soothscryer, my brow furrowed in disbelief.

“I assure you, young sorceress, I am serious.” Vendel stated turning slightly to face me.

Jim waved Toby over to give him a boost, he sighed looking in the mouth of the Soothscryer before slowly inserting his right arm. The Soothscryer clamped down on his arm and Jim shrieked, he began pulling and kicking, trying to rip his arm free.

“Jim!” I ran over and tried to pull him free, yelping as my burnt palms flared at the touch, letting him go quickly.

The Soothscryer released Jim’s arm and he fell back onto Toby holding his arm. “I’m okay!” He yelled.

Toby groaned underneath Jim in response, “Ooh, everything hurts.”

I sighed in relief seeing that Jim’s arm was still intact and that he didn’t seem hurt. Vendel approached the Soothscryer, next to me, analyzing it. “What is it?” I ask concerned.

Vendel hummed before looking down to us, “Inconclusive,” he simply states.

“What does ‘inconclusive’ mean?” Jim asks as Vendel turned to leave.

Vendel paused his steps, “It means, Trollhunter, that there’s never been a human to bear the mantle before.” He turned slightly to look at Jim, “The Soothscryer needs more time to render its judgment. Let us all hope you live long enough to see it.” He turned back to the stone bridge, “Young sorceress, you will come with me, your wounds need to be treated properly.”

I sigh looking at my hands, not sure if I trusted Vendel enough to follow. Blinky nudged me towards him, smiling assuredly. I give him a small smile as I run after Vendel, keeping quiet as we walked.

We ended up in a cave that was made up of different sections of the Heartstone. I wanted to look over everything, there were hundreds of bottles on different tables made of stone; scrolls and books covering others.

Vendel gestured to an empty table, “Sit here.” I did as I was told, once I was settled on the table, he took my hands and began to examine them, “Seems Draal was correct when he said Blinky brought two humans and a sorceress to Trollmarket.”

I frowned, “I don’t understand, I’m not a sorceress, I don’t know any spells or incantations.” I watched Vendel pull out a jar with mossy green salve inside. He began to spread the salve over my palms. I let out a sigh of relief as it cooled the burning sensation.

“If you’re not a sorceress, how do explain using a powerful spell in the midst of a fight?” Vendel question, wrapping the salve in banana leaves before covering everything in gauze from the tips of my fingers to the middle of my forearm.

“I don’t know.” I frowned, recalling the fight. “I remember thinking that Bular was going to kill Jim, then my hands felt hot,” I look over my bandaged hands. “then there was a glow, it got brighter. As I saw Bular was about to strike Jim, I just,” I sighed, trying to wrap my head around everything, “I threw my hands out and the light left my hands and hit Bular.” I explained, slowly clenching my hands.

Vendel hummed, processing what I told him, “Magic runs through you, strongly it seems.” He paused, then nodded, “If the human Trollhunter is to train in the forge, then you are to train here in the Heartstone.”

“Train?” I asked, looking up to him.

“Come, we will get tomes from Blinkous’ library.” He stood, turning to the entrance. “It would be beneficial to start with the basics. If left untrained you could pose a danger to yourself, and those close to you.”

My eyes widen, I nod and get up quickly to follow him. He led me past the forge and back into the market. As we walked Draal fell into step with Vendel.

“The fleshbag is still in the forge?” He asked Vendel, confused as to why Jim was still here, with the amulet no less.

Vendel nods, “The Soothscryer was inconclusive, we cannot act until it makes a judgment. However, I must thank you for informing me of the young sorceress, she will be studying here from now on. Lady River, correct?” Vendel paused to turn, addressing me.

“Um, just River,” I said, arms stuffed into the pockets of my jacket, uncomfortable.

Draal snorts, “Quick to abandon a title, a witch is more like it.”

Vendel shook his head at Draal, “She has no proper training, and like our Trollhunter, was unaware of this world until the amulet showed up.”

“Powerful yet ignorant, that’s a dangerous mix, fleshbag,” Draal spoke to me.

I leveled a glare at him, “Well excuse me for being an oblivious human, it’s not like I grew up around magic and trolls.”

Draal barks a laugh, “It thinks it’s a human fleshbag!”

I turn to Vendel confused, realizing that he, Draal, Blinky and Aaarrrgghh never addressed me as a human.

Vendel sighed seeing my confusion, “While you have the appearance of a human your essence is that of magic, as all sorcerers are. Take Merlin for example.” He explained, walking into the library and gesturing for me to follow. He began collecting books from different sections of the library.

Draal huffed taking a seat at a nearby table, “How do expect her to learn from tomes in Trollish, can she even read Trollish?” He asked Vendel in a condescending tone.

Vendel sighs and sits one of the smaller books he grabbed next to Draal, “Sit and read that,” he ordered.

I sighed sitting down by Draal and picking up the book. Looking over the cover at the runes, I snorted a laugh reading the title. “‘How to keep King Arthur in line,’ Let me guess, Merlin wrote this?” I asked.

Draal’s jaw dropped, looking over the runes himself, then to Vendel.

Vendel smirks slightly at the stunned troll next to me, “She may be untrained, but the blood of Merlin runs deep.” He packed a few books into a black satchel, including the book he had me read. “You will return tomorrow; I expect you to have finished these by then.”

“Not gonna happen.” I shook my head. “I can come after school, but I won’t have time to read all of these and do the necessary homework for my human classes as well. Can you give me a couple days to go over these? I want to read over them carefully.” I frown slightly, looking at my bandaged hands. “I don’t want to be a danger to anyone, so I can’t half-ass this.” I look up to Vendel.

Vendel tilts his head in consideration, “I did not realize humans had learning institutions they attended, though it has been decades since I have left Trollmarket. It can’t be helped.” He nodded, “Study these at your pace then, we will still train after your school.” He looks to Draal, “see if the humans are still here, it is getting late.”

Draal grumbled but left to check the forge.

I took the satchel from Vendel, trying to process everything. “So, I’m a sorceress, and that’s different than a witch?” I asked, remembering Draal’s remark when I asked Vendel to just call me by name.

Vendel sits at the table with me, nodding. “Blinkous explained the difference between GummGumms and other trolls correct? It is similar for sorcerers and witches if they are evil and practice dark magic they are referred to as witches and warlocks. If they are morally sound and do not practice dark magic, they are sorcerers,” Vendel explained.

“What about wizards?” I asked, noting that Vendel didn’t use the term.

Vendel smirks, “You are quite perceptive for someone so young.” He nods slowly, “Wizards tend to be morally sound, though they practice all types of magic, dark magic included, and therefore they are powerful but flawed.”

“Since you refer to Merlin as a wizard, then he was morally sound, but he practiced dark magic. Powerful but flawed.” I stated, tilting my head. “The spell I supposedly used, wasn’t dark magic then since you have been calling me a sorceress. Why would calling me ‘River’ opposed to ‘Lady River’ mean I’m a witch?”

Vendel remained quiet for a moment, collecting his thoughts, “Refusing a title is a show of discord in one’s self, however, humans are deeply flawed creatures, and you have been raised as one. It is reasonable that you would be uncomfortable with such notions of perfection.”

I nod and sigh, “Master Vendel, I don’t want to be perfect, I’m flawed, and I like my flaws. I don’t know if I’d feel the same if I wasn’t raised as a human, but I was always taught that my flaws are what make me… well, me. I don’t want to give that up for a title.”

Vendel hummed, a small smile gracing his face. “Your scent is similar to the amulet; I should have expected this.” He nods, “If you wish to embrace your flaws then do so, perfection is not for everyone, and it could end up holding you back, or destroying you, as it has others.”

A huff at the entrance of the library catches our attention. Draal stood at the entrance, Blinky and Aaarrrgghh behind him, “They sent the fleshbags home already.”

Vendel nods, standing. “Draal, please escort our young sorceress home. It would prove dangerous if the GummGumms were to take her.”

Draal growled but gives an indignant nod, “Hurry up witch.” He turned, walking out of the library, shoving pass Blinky and Aaarrrgghh.

I wince at the thought of having to deal with an irritated Draal all the way home. I grab the satchel and start heading out, nodding to Blinky and Aaarrrgghh, pausing in the doorway, “I’ll see you tomorrow for training Master Vendel!” I then took off running to catch up with Draal.

Thank you for reading! As always I’m open to suggestions and feedback!

#Trollhunters #Draal #DraalxOC #OC #JamesLakeJr #TobyDomzalski #Fanfiction #Blinky #Aaarrrgghh #vendel #Blinkous #blinkousgaladrigal #River #RiverLake #RiverMarieLake #OriginalCharacter #Episode3 #Pt1 #Episode3Pt1

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twdmusicboxmystery · 6 years ago

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9x09: Analysis

Okay, let's talk about this episode.

***As always, spoilers abound for episode 9x09. Don’t read until you’ve watched. You’ve been warned!***

The beginning was definitely freaky. As I suspected, from watching the trailer, are heroes got out of the graveyard fairly quickly, but watching the whisperer unlock the gate was super spooky.

Negan’s story:

Negan’s story was by far the most important where TD is concerned. Really fascinating symbolism. Let’s dive right in.

We see him eating a tomato. That's important because tomatoes were an important part of Carl’s story line and specifically Carl’s vision for the future. I think showing Negan eat the tomato shows that this is the beginning of him moving toward the Negan we saw in Carl's vision. In other words, a good Negan who will cooperate with TF.

He goes into Judith’s room. I noticed a little purple fan. I won’t say much about this now but I will tell you that @frangipanilove is working on a purple theory that I will share when she gets done.

Negan also takes a compass. The compass is super-important guys. As we’ve noted already, Henry is wearing a compass rose on his T-shirt and the compass is linked to the North Star because both of them help you find your way. Remember that, in Alone, which was a huge Beth episode, Maggie had a broken compass. So, we can definitely link the compass to Beth.

When he offers to give it back to Judith, she says, "Keep it. It will help you find your way." Not only is that very symbolic, but I think it hearkens back to when Carl pointed at the North Star and when Judith was a baby in S6 and said it would help you find your way home.

Well, putting Beth aside, I think that this does very much have a lot to do with Negan and him finding his way back to goodness and redemption, and TF. But we also can't ignore the parallels to Beth and the ways in which we can connect this to her arc. So overall, and still feeling like she may come through meetings arc because of all the symbols around him that have to do with her.

Judith, of course, catches Negan before he goes over the wall but ends up letting him go. One thing that really caught my attention was that Negan said he had if he stayed in Alexandria all he has is, "four walls and a bedpan." That's super important because it's a form of the title of 5x03, which was Four Walls and a Roof.

We’re not sure exactly what this means or how to tie it to Beth, but we have a few ideas. This form for four walls and a roof was a significant episode for a few reasons. There's a lot of bloodshed going on in that episode, it was in 5a, which was the major part of Beth’s arc, and the red machete was involved.

In terms of what the line actually meant in the episode, Father Gabriel said, "this is God's house." Maggie answered, "No, it's just four walls and a roof." I’ve always taken that to mean, by extension, that this is not God's house. It's simply a place where they kill to survive. And if Beth is the Christ figure, that means they’re symbolically saying that Beth is not there. Which in the plot, she wasn't. She was never at Father Gabriel's church. During that time, she was at Grady.

Another important thing, as @wdway reminded me, in 9x05, which was Rick's hallucination and final episode, in the part where he hallucinated talking to Shane in the squad car, Shane referenced this episode too. He said Rick needed to be strong again like he was in the church with that red machete. At the time, we honed in on the red machete reference. But he was obviously referencing what happened in Four Walls and a Roof. So, this is twice now this season that they’ve referenced that episode. It must be important. Maybe it’s a red machete thing. Maybe something else. But we’ll keep an eye on it.

Later, he kills her walker while sitting in the bed of a truck and eating. When he sits down, some walkers wake up in the back of the truck. One of them was burnt and was very ashy. Naturally, I want to connect that to, "we ain’t ashes,” as well as other burnt walkers around Beth (Still and Always Accountable). While he's fighting with the walker, the walker pulls itself loose and loses its legs.

So we have an example of the lost shoe/foot theme. Italso reminds me a whole lot of 4x01 in the Big Spot where Bob looked at the lower legs of a walker. So more callbacks to 4a. Then, Negan dropped his bag of food, fighting the walker and I noticed that she was an apple lying on the ground.

Let's just remember that especially an apple rolling on the ground is indicative of the Snow White/apple theory.

We saw the lost shoe/foot theme in Inmates with Beth, not too long before she went missing. We also saw it with Rick in 7x12, not long before he went missing and was presumed dead.

So seeing it here either means that Negan is going to go missing and be presumed dead, or else that Beth is close. (And I’m really not feeling like Negan is going to go missing.)

So let’s discuss what they’re doing with Negan here. There were a lot of signs in the background that suggest becoming the man you’re meant to be. So again, we’re seeing him move toward a different kind of Negan than we saw in the past.

Most of us in my group also noticed that when he was puking, he was in the clearing Abe and Glenn died in. Nicotero confirmed that on TTD, saying that, because he was kneeling where his victims knelt, that’s giving him a new, humble perspective, which may play into his change of heart.

Then something interesting happens. We start to see a TON of Beth symbolism around him.

So then he goes into a store to look for new shirt. This part was huge, guys. I literally had to pause live TV because I couldn't write fast enough to write all the symbolism down.

First, he tries to turn a flashlight, but it doesn't work. In other words, the batteries are dead. So we have the Battery Theory. He finds a crank flashlight and manages to crank that to create some light. On the floor is a green can of food which I'm pretty sure is okra. Remember, okra figured heavily in Alone. We saw on the table at Beth and Daryl’s candlelight dinner. We also see the flashlight flare I've noted before.

So that's still in play and we definitely saw that with Beth. I think that's important because, along with the bats, it’s another way to connect Beth to Negan.

Then he sees the corpse of a guy who obviously shot himself in the head. Guys, look at this comparison. This guy looks exactly like the guy Daryl saw him 5x10 with the dead deer.

You can't tell me that's a coincidence. There are callbacks to the themes, Beth episodes, including Alone, things that link Negan and Beth, and then finally a callback to 5x10. You know, where the music box woke up?

I’m also thinking the mannequins around the corpse are important. There’s one female mannequin, which could represent the mannequins and “Rich Bitch” corpse we saw in the golf club, or could just represent Beth herself, simply because it’s a female, not a male. The other two mannequins there are both little kid mannequins (Child/Baby symbolism around Beth.)

Then @thegloriouscollectorlady said something brilliant. She said, “this is Negan’s Still.” She’s SO right. Think about it. He’s wandering on the outside like Beth and Daryl were in Still. He ruined his shirt and walked into a dark place and finds a new shirt. There’s the flashlight flare, which happened in the golf club as well. There was okra. And dogs.

Dogs! Like Sirius/dogstar symbolism. There's three of them and they are wild and chase him. Not only is this a Siris reference, but it's a call back to Them and the feral dogs that team family saw there. In this case, Negan hides from them.

So the clothing store represented the golf club. The lighting was the same, racks of merchandise and clothing, even mannequins.

So, even as I thought all of this, I could just visualize the Asks in my inbox and the concerns people would have. “Couldn’t all the Beth symbolism around Negan simply suggest that he has a similar arc? That he’s trying to figure out who he is, become the strong person he’s meant to be, and possibly disappear like her?”

Well, let me first say that I wasn’t worried about that one way or the other. While I get the worry in that, it also doesn’t explain the million other symbols around Beth that suggest her return. It doesn’t explain the dialogue, the blue herons, the Christian/resurrection symbolism, the 8:00 clocks, etc.

But the interesting symbolism around Negan didn’t stop there. We noted a bunch more things that were callbacks to Beth and Daryl and S4, but after a while, we realized they weren’t Negan/Beth parallels. They were Negan/Daryl parallels. So Negan goes to the Sanctuary and says, “Home sweet home,” which Daryl also said at the moonshine shack in Still.

Then Negan breaks through a wall of the Sanctuary and finds a motorcycle (obvious Daryl symbolism) and cans of dog food.

So callback to 7x03, The Cell, and also the handcuffs and dog food Daryl found in S8.

And of course later on Negan was riding a motorcycle, just like Daryl, and when Judith shot at him and he wiped out on the bike, he did it exactly like we always see Daryl wreck when he does.

So basically, Negan was symbolically rehashing BOTH Beth and Daryl’s arcs from S4 to S8. So at that point, I don’t think it can simply be a matter of him following a similar path. Something else is going on here.

At the Sanctuary, Negan tries to force the Sanctuary to feel like home. He even puts together a makeshift living room, but he’s obviously not feeling it. He finds a walker he knew before named Big Richie. At first, he doesn’t kill him. Then he looks at Judith’s compass and does.

I think maybe he didn’t kill him because he promised Judith he wouldn’t.

Reminds me of Daryl almost covering Lenny with the white tarp because of what Beth taught him, but then not doing it; just another parallel to S4 and Daryl symbolism where he’s learning from what the female sheriff taught him. In fact, you could argue this is a lot like S4 that way too. Negan and Judith were separated just like Beth and Daryl. Granted, in Negan’s case, the separation was his choice. Daryl realized the Claimers were bad people and he didn’t want to stay with them, just as Negan realized he didn’t want to stay in the Sanctuary anymore. Then Negan and Judith--the female sheriff--are reunited. So this could be another way to point to Beth and Daryl reuniting. Will she shoot at Daryl and knock him off his bike? Probably not. But it’s interesting. ;D.

Meanwhile, Negan realized the Sanctuary would never be home again, so he kills Ritchie and returns to Alexandria. Judith is his home now.

But again, we saw this with Beth and Daryl in S4. They tried to make an emotional home with each other, but more tangibly, they tried to make the funeral home a permanent home. Daryl wanted to stay there and make it work. But in the end, they couldn’t, and after they left, they (or Daryl at least) reunited with TF. Just like Negan in this episode.

So it’s hard to know where this is going for sure, but I feel certain it has something to do with Beth and Daryl.

@wdway also noticed diamond patterns on clothing and in background. Remember Beth is the queen of diamonds and we saw several instances of diamonds around her in S4.

In terms of me REALLY wanting to read into things as foreshadows?

1) In TTD, they said something interesting. They did a segment on the dogs they used that chased Negan around. In describing the scene, they said that, unbeknownst to Negan, these dogs had been secretly tracking him. It’s pretty impossible to understand that from what they showed us in the episode, which means they wanted us to know about it. So if dogs = Beth because of Sirius symbolism, I feel like at some point, Beth will be tracking Negan or pose a threat to him. Which kinda throws the dogs in 5x10 into a new light, doesn’t it?

2) They also explained that the reason Negan threw up is because of drinking the water. It was bad water and made him sick. Um… Beth = water. So I want to say that it shows Beth is going to end up being a major threat to Negan. Both of these symbols suggest that. Just thought I’d throw that out there.

One other thing? There were a LOT of 10s mentioned in this episode. That points at S10 for something. Maybe it’s Beth. Maybe it’s something in Negan’s arc. But Lydia mentions 10s too, which might be a Whisperer thing. So don’t know what it means, but thought I’d mention it.

I’d also like to point out that at the end of 9x08, we saw Negan walk into the Sanctuary and whistle. There was a time jump forward to show something that was really a hint of things to come. Then, this episode they went back and showed Negan leaving his cell, leaving Alexandria, and other things that happened on his way to the Sanctuary. So just another example of how they can skip over things and jump forward, but they always go back and show us what we missed. They have to do that with Beth eventually. (And with whatever gave Michonne and Daryl their X scars.)

Daryl and Michonne:

I really loved this interaction between Daryl and Michonne. I thought it was really sweet.

It was obvious that Daryl didn't really trust Magna and her people until Michonne assured him that she would vouch for them. Then he was cool. She said burying Jesus would mean a lot to his loved ones. Daryl then says, "I'm sorry, couldn't do that for you." Michonne: "I’m sorry I couldn't do it for both of us. Thank you, for looking for him.” Obviously, they’re talking about never finding Rick’s body. And there’s an emphasis on how important burial and closure are. Not only did Beth not get a funeral, but remember she emphasized to Daryl at the funeral home how important burials are. How important they were to her personally.

But then Michonne says something downright tantalizing. She says, “And for after." This is really interesting because Michonne is thanking Daryl for something that happened “after” Rick’s presumed death. Remember that right after the bridge exploded and Daryl started off to look for him, they did the time jump. We don't know what came “after.” So, what she's thanking him for must have something to do with whatever happened during the time jump and gave them their scars.

On TTD, Norman talked about this, and it kinda freaked me out. He says that Daryl and Michonne shared an experience that no one in the group except them knows about. And that it’s a very, very DARK secret. Wow. That’s super-ominous. I have NO idea what that means, and it’s a little frightening.

But more than that, it doesn’t explain some of the mysteries we saw in 9a. It doesn’t explain why the Hilltoppers were terrified of riders showing up and booked it inside the walls. It doesn’t explain why Maggie, Tara, Diane, and the rest are so pissed off at Michonne, and why she seems totally understanding about the fact that they are.

So I don’t know if that’s all part of the same thing or not. Maybe something happened with Michonne and, specifically because the Hilltoppers don’t know what happened to her and Daryl, they don’t understand her actions, and that’s why they’re mad. OR, maybe we’re talking about multiple events we know nothing about. I don’t know, but this is a serious interesting twist of events.

But I loved Daryl and Michonne’s little bonding moment on the road. I thought it was sweet. Kinda melted my heart.

I’m also excited because I think the After theme has everything to do with Carl/Beth entanglement and leading to Beth’s return. And this means whatever caused those scars is also in the mix somewhere.

Daryl and Henry:

Henry still has a compass rose on his shirt and is in the jail cell when Daryl returns.

After that, we had such a supremely sublime Beth moment. After letting Henry out for a short time, but saying he needs to do his time and stay in the prison cell another night, Henry asks if alcohol always makes you feel this bad. Daryl looks at him in a considering way and answers simply, "No." Guys, he HAS to be thinking of Beth when he says that. Remember, they made a point of saying that she was a happy drunk, she held her liquor well, and she actually liked the feeling. So, alcohol didn’t make her feel bad like it did Henry. That's one major difference between the two of them. My heart just absolutely melted when he said that because I knew he had to be thinking of Beth.

They also discussed figuring out who you are. Henry says he's just he feels bad about what happened (getting drunk) but is just trying to figure out who he is not new in this new place (Hilltop). That's actually a whole lot like Beth too. They never said it quite that heavy-handedly with Beth, Beth and Daryl on the road together were very much was very much them trying to figure out who they were in the work of the tragedy of the prison family and who they were together and in this new setting. So Daryl understands where Henry is coming from.

Lydia:

When they captured Lydia, I was struck by the image of her blond wig/scalp being left behind, along with her knife. The camera focused on that a minute and it just screamed Beth. Beth’s blond hair and Beth’s knife.

Lydia talks about how the walkers protected them (because they wear walker faces, they can walk around with the walker herds and be protected) and so they protect the walkers, too. So the Whisperers believe their relationship with the walkers is symbiotic. That’s actually a whole lot like the what the wolves believed.

Lydia also says, “we were always going to kill you. That's just what you do know. Kill people.” That tells us a lot about the Whisperers’ mentality. They believe killing people to survive is the obvious thing to do. Not what our heroes and TF believe. She also says that her mother is "A good person” and “just one woman out there alone." That combination has to make Daryl think of Beth, who spoke to him about good people and was also on her own at Grady. And, you know, there’s the blond angle.

Daryl is being verbally abusive to Lydia, Henry tells Daryl to stop. Much like many others such as Beth, Henry is acting as Daryl's moral compass, trying to tell him what the right thing to do. When Beth was Daryl's moral compass, he listened to her. He's really not listening to Henry at all.

He was smart because he did sort of a good cop/bad cop routine. He yelled at Lydia to intimidate her, probably knowing that Henry wouldn't like it, and that then maybe Lydia would bond with Henry and trust him. So when they started talking, he sat outside the window listening and heard everything. Daryl is not so dumb. ;D

Daryl walking in and telling Henry (Beth proxy) about Jesus’s death felt a lot like him telling Beth about Zack’s death in 4x01.

Luke and Alden:

Luke volunteers to go out with Alden to look for Michonne and Daryl’s group. Luke made the joke that he was "two hand Luke,” as well as saying, “Do you need a hand? I have two of them." I feel like it’s a foreshadow of someone (maybe Luke) losing a hand.

Before they leave, Enid tells Alden to, "be safe out there." Definitely a foreboding foreshadowing. Because by the end, there captured by Alpha.

Luke and Alden talked a lot about music with an especial emphasis on singing. Beth anyone?

I couldn't help but notice that Alden has machete with a handle wrapped in white tape. I don’t think it's the red machete, but having the handle wrapped in exactly the same way the red machete’s was wrapped in mini series strikes me as important.

We also found out that Rosita is pregnant with Siddique’s baby. Euguen found out when finally professed his love to Rosita. Poor guy. But he also made an hour glass reference. Not only is that a time reference, but remember that in 5b, Carl played with an hour glass. I believe it’s yet another way to show the arc has turned over and Beth, who wasn’t in the show from 5b on, will reappear in this current arc.

Enid watching for Alden to come back reminded me of Maggie looking for Glenn to come back in 6a. Which I THINK shows that Alden will live. In that case, it was Glenn’s death fake out and he did make it back to her alive. Of course he died eventually, so I could be wrong about that. On the flip side, Alden s also the song bird right now. He’s the only one on the show that sings. So maybe that will lead to his death? Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

I won’t go into this too much, but we saw the Us vs. Them theme, and also a lot of bikes. There were bikes in the background several times, the bike Negan found and rode, which admittedly might have ONLY been a Daryl reference. But every time I see bikes, especially with an emphasis on the tires, I think of a prominent one we saw in 6x02 when the wolves attacked. That might make sense since we know the Whisperers are about to arrive. Maybe it’s a symbol that a bad group is about to show up at the gates. But a lot of us also suspect ties between the Whisperers and the Wolves, and a lot of the symbolism we saw in this episode kinda backs that idea up. Just saying.

Okay, that’s all I have for today. I really loved this episode, though. SO much symbolism that makes me very excited for what’s to come.

#beth greene #beth greene lives #beth is alive #beth is coming #td theory #td theories #team delusional #team defiance #beth is almost here #bethyl

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the-a-factor-fs-blog · 7 years ago

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Kiss & Cry - Episode 7

Fashionably late, welcome to the seventh Episode of “Kiss & Cry”, Max&Angelo’s Podcasts.

If you missed previous Episodes, you can catch up with it here (x).

This seventh podcast is 116:03 minutes long, and it’s available to be listened in Italian here: https://www.spreaker.com/user/talk-sport/puntata-7.

In the following translation, (M) indicates when M. Ambesi is speaking, (A) indicates when A. Dolfini is speaking.

Translated by The-A-Factor Team. Please do not repost without permission.

Table of Contents

Yuzuru Hanyu - recounting what transpired during NHK Trophy: what strategy could Hanyu opt for, looking at the future?

A look at the ladies’ field: Polina Tsurskaya left her mark during her senior debut, but she was still preceded by a pensive Evgenia Medvedeva and a brilliant Carolina Kostner.

Pairs: who can stop Sui/Han? Signs of a comeback from Stolbova/Klimov.

Men: Voronov leads the veterans to success: coincidence or signs of a new trend?

Ice Dance: a good debut for Cappellini/Lanotte, but the route to the final is still full of hurdles.

Internationaux de France - Short Preview

Part 1: Yuzuru Hanyu

(M): Let’s start with NHK. Biggest news has been the forced absence of Yuzuru Hanyu. A withdrawal that had a big impact, (for the competition and) also on the crowd and viewership. A numerous crowd (on site), as usual, but TV ratings dropped down, and TV networks weren’t very pleased about this.

(A): When you don’t have (in the field) such a big star, like Hanyu is, it’s quite normal people’s interest goes down. In Japan, figure skating remains a sport with a big following and there are several skaters - in men and ladies - who draw a lot of media attention; Hanyu is for sure one of the most followed if not the most followed, though. If we add that Miyahara wasn’t at her best either, it’s easy to see why NHK had minor pull of japanese viewership this season and it does explain the low (compared to the past) ratings.

(M): If things didn’t go well in TV ratings, for fans they went even worse, since for the first time since forever, Japanese skaters didn’t get any medal at NHK. A record that also tells of the quality (over last 20 years) of Japanese skaters in two out of the four disciplines. And a result that also highlight how GP results need often to be analysed with particular care. Because it’s not like Japan didn’t have skaters who are able to get a medal here, but how assignments are given out is often fundamental to reaching certains results.

(A): Indeed. Then on this occasion, Japan Federation has been particularly unlucky. You pick Hanyu, which is a logical choice, Murakami should have been there. And both had to withdraw. In ladies, you have a lot of choices, but in Spring you go with Miyahara, hoping and thinking she will be fully back by November, but her recovery doesn’t proceed as well as planned. Nothing went right, but that aside, this doesn’t mean Japanese skating is going downhill.

(M): [Skipping a brief excursus over speed skating results for Japan in the same weekend as NHK] Yuzuru Hanyu. What happened? Intercontinental flights always carry a risk factor with them. Two problems that can arise: the first type - the most common and banal one - regards jet-lag issues. The second type is to get ill.

Yuzuru Hanyu after the flight from Canada to Japan had high fever, around 39°C. So, on Wednesday, he skipped the pre-competition practice. On Thursday, he skipped the morning session and he showed up to the afternoon one. And what happened there?

Since the start, he realized something was off. After the usual warm up, he landed a 4T3T combo but he started to shake his head. Why? Probably due to flu or the high fever still running in his system. By the way, it’s not so easy to get over a fever in just a day. He tried other jumps without success. After that, he went for a 4Lz, which could have been the opening jump in his SP, because that’s how he had also been trying it lately. That 4Lz was lower than his usual, contrary to what he usual does when it happens (that the parabole is not ideal), he didn’t pop it, but he tried to complete the rotation. Rotation was completed, but he didn’t have enough room to properly land it. Ankle and knee were subjected to a pressure and torsion that scared all those who watched it. End result: he injured his ankle. Word is about a tear on a literal ligament. Anyway, he had to sit out from NHK. Angelo, what’s the difficulty of jumping when recovering from high fever?

(A): Well, of course it depends on the jump, but. First: high fever weakens your body. It weakens you and it also takes away part of your strength, power, reflexes, energy; and this is something everybody of us can experience first hand in our lives. Then of course, a high-level athlete who needs to compete will take medicines and integrators to try and recover as much of that energy as possible, but your body is debilitated anyway. But that isn’t the only thing. Everyone, who has experienced high fever, has also experienced how it makes you a bit dizzy, unfocused, and it may also cause some issues with balance. If we put all these together, it’s easy to understand what it means to try difficult jumps under those conditions. Not to mention that your energy reserve is limited and they run out quickly during a practice. In the end, what’s lacking? That reflex, power, coordination and quick thinking that Hanyu and all those skaters who are able to do such difficult jumps have. It’s high-level coordination that allows you to properly use your energy in less than a second to complete a four-revolution jump. Clearly, if someone is weakened, a bit foggy-minded, his movements will be a bit slower, and if we speak of triples, it may not be a big problem for an athlete of Hanyu’s level, but if we speak about a quad that pushes these athletes to their limits, we can see how it requires full energy, full concentration, full coordination. And also full elevation. You said it was a jump with a low parabole. It lacked a bit of spring, energy, elevation. Maybe less than one tenth of a second. 5 or 6 cents of a second are enough to make the difference, leaving you with insufficient space to complete the landing. He tried to go for it anyway, he landed earlier than what he was expecting, didn’t manage to properly unlock his free leg, and then I think the majority of figure skating fans have already seen the video, so the consequences are known.

(M): From there, it started the buzz over whether or not he will participate in the SP on the following day. On Friday’s press conference organized by JSF, they were still speaking about a possibility of skating. Not even a hour later, tho, his withdrawal from competition became official. It’s been said Hanyu wanted to skate at all cost, but that after a consult with his coaching team, it’s been decided not to risk it. He accepted this decision while crying, because one of his goal of the season was to win the fifth straight GPF, goal that is now out of his reach, since he won’t be able to qualify for the final.

As usual when these kind of accidents happen, all kind of rumors go off, and on Friday morning it was said he was able to run and jump, then this news was retracted and it seems he was able to do that the previous day, when the injury was still fresh and not after having the injured part cooled down by a night of sleep. The diagnosis has been of a sprained ankle, which should take a break between 3 to 4 weeks before starting to train at 100%. Others speak of a lighter injury that should take 10 days off ice and a quicker recovery. We can only wait and see the developments, whatever it will be, Hanyu will try to be ready for Nationals, which should be Olympic qualification competition for Japan Team. That said, for what’s worth my opinion, should Yuzuru not be ready for that event, he will be still selected for the Team. It would be folly not to.

By the way, last spring, Yuzuru Hanyu has been already helped by JSF, when they gave him a direct qualification to Nationals. Theoretically, having skipped last year Nationals, he should have qualified for next one by competing at Regionals and Sectionals. He was exempted, as it’s right to do for an athlete of his level, I hope no one would grumble should he be given a second exemption.

(A): I think that in a case like this one, it would be really foolish not to select Hanyu for the team, if he is healthy for Olympics. If he is healed and able to train as usual, so to be ready for Olympics, you can’t leave home someone like Hanyu. Especially considering how even the third skater (for Japan Team) is already far behind their top two, let’s not even start speaking the fourth one or fifth one.

(M): The question of the moment is: “Which strategy for Yuzuru going into Olympics?” Said otherwise, is it really worth to risk on elements of highest difficulty, when he could probably win Olympic Gold anyway giving up on 4Lz or 4Lo or both of them?

(A): You already know my answer.

(M): Plushenko gave you a hand.

(A): I read about it.

(M) He basically said that with clean skates, Hanyu can win even without 4Lz, since he is the complete package. He is superior to all others, so it’s the others who should risk to catch up with him.

Knowing Yuzuru Hanyu, I doubt he can think to go to Olympics without an element like 4Lz. And personally, I think there’s a complex topic to get into. What I mean? Yuzuru has been somewhat burnt by what happened in last competitions, starting from last season. He probably didn’t feel awarded enough on the scores he got. And at that point a certainty may have taken ground: “to be sure (to be the owner of my fate), I need also 4Lz”, because I don’t know what may happen.

And I think it will be hard to go back from this acknowledgment of the reality of the situation, an assessment that had some confirmation more in this first part of the season.

(A): Umh, yes and no. He had some confirmations, but also some proof on the other sense. His Short Program at Autumn Classic got a WR with Sal and Toe. For the short program, I don’t have big doubts. In the free program, it’s true that he has to face Uno and Chen - and in my opinion it’s only those two the athletes really dangerous (for him) should they complete everything, Jin Boyang does have a gap too big on PCS - so it’s two, maybe three athletes - there could be also Fernandez there, but Fernandez technical content is lower - but they have had lower scores than Hanyu even without the need for Hanyu to put a 4Lz in.

(M): I think this can be true in for the Short Program.

(A): Even for the Free Program. Clean program vs clean program. He skated a clean program with 4Lo at Worlds, but even his clean program with only 3 quads got scores that others never managed to reach. So I remain of my idea, even if I do understand his approach who may think he did indeed reach those scores with only 4Lo or even without it, but his rivals weren’t the same he has today. So the doubt about what could happen remains. Nathan Chen already managed to defeat Hanyu in a couple of competitions, so his rationale has a ground, but he still got scores others never did, up to today.

(M): I think the whole game is based on the correct evaluation of Program Components. Because if there will be no significative difference on PCS among the top 3, top 4 skaters - and that is the path that seems to have been taken - then a risk more on technical side makes sense.

(A): That’s true. For sure PCS are becoming closer and closer, and it’s also true we have seen how it’s possible to gain a big advantage - or to lose a lot of ground - on TES. And at that point if PCS are close and the gap is under 4, 5 or 6 points at maximum, while on TES you can gain up to 15, 20 points depending on your content and GOE, then it’s clear that it’s on TES you need to stay up.

But let’s not forget that Hanyu has on his side PCS compared to most extreme jumpers, but also GOE. Then it remains BV, but he is ahead on two out of three points. I would consider also this point.

And I also think that with a quad less, he may also further the gap on PCS. Because the layout he wants to go with this season, which is a very extreme layout, does force him to have a program a bit poorer on transitions, a bit easier, a bit emptier. And so the gap on PCS gets closer also because of these choices.

(M): There have already been several skaters going over 90 in PCS. You can only make a relative difference there. Because if Hanyu, Chan skate a clean program they can go over 97 – Fernandez can get close to that – but if the others are above 90, there isn’t any big gap with them there. And that gap is becoming less and less significant. My feeling is you have to risk for this reason. Then: if you manage to stay up, you win by a landslide, if there are falls, everything gets way more complicated.

(A): Indeed. There are several things to consider. And at the Olympics, the pressure will be at maximum. It’s hard to evaluate with all aspects in mind. Let me also say that I don’t think this 4Lz is such a gamble, considering that he landed it with positive GOE at first try in Moscow. Even if it may have costed him too much mental energy, leading to mistakes on next jumping passes. For Hanyu, a 4Lz and a 4Lo in the same program is really energy-consuming, physically and mentally. That said, even if it’s not that much of a gamble, the injury came from that jump and that may have consequences psychologically. But it’s also true that the injury came at a peculiar situation, so it may be that the root cause wasn’t the jump itself but his own weakened status. Still, since the injury came from a 4Lz, the psychological consequences need to be considered.

(M): Plushenko advises for four quads. That would probably be one Lo, one Sal and two To Lloop, or one Toe and two Sals. It would still be technical content of very high level, and let’s not forget no one has ever completed a Free Program with four quads in an Olympic Event. Of course, someone will try something even beyond that, because figure skating changed a lot in this quad, and especially in the last two and a half seasons.

Anyway, we’ll see what Hanyu’s intention will be. To win an Olympic Gold with 4Lz, 4Lo, 4S and 4T would be something epic. Before anything else, it would be a challenge against himself and Hanyu – for better or for wor or the worst - has always focused on this challenge at his own abilities, even before thinking about his opponents. Knowing him, I doubt he will change idea and plan, I’m also convinced that someone in Toronto will try to suggest him a more conservative approach. I’m not sure that suggestion will be taken upon, tho.

(A): I fear the same, but we’ll see. The most important thing now is that Yuzuru recovers fully from his injury, 100% healed, because joints are a delicate matter: that ankle must heal perfectly before going back to try those elements. He experienced firsthand how dangerous and how much you risk if you try those jumps in a precarious state.

(M): A fragility to an ankle is really a big issue for any athlete, because the risk is a recurrence of injuries on the same joint, with an escalation in the gravity of the injury, too. I can speak from my personal experience, where a series of ill-treated injuries in that area escalated to a composite fracture.

(A): So of course the priority now is to heal fully and avoid any risk. Then, once he is back on ice and back to 100%, that will be the moment to think about strategies, what to do, what’s more convenient to put in his program and so on.

(M): It was very interesting to see the reactions from other skaters. Many expressed their sorrow for what happened to Yuzuru Hanyu, messages came from all corners of the world, showing the bond that exists between these skaters. And I think that was the nicest thing.

(A): They are all on same boat, they all train and fight to be ready to show such extreme programs, so it’s also natural there is this closeness among them. It happened for Hanyu, it would happen for others, too. It’s always saddening when you see these athletes getting injured while doing their sport. Indeed, this closeness has been nice to see and it must be remarked upon. For Hanyu, for those expressing it, and also for the sadness of missing the opportunity to watch an athlete of his level compete.

(M): Also considering that when we speak of this athlete, there is the chance to update some (world) records. By the way, Yuzuru never won a GP Event that wasn’t the last one. All his victories came in the last event and at the finals, so it could have been a good opportunity to break this sort of taboo. It ended differently and almost immediately, the men’s competition lost some of its spark, even if it offered intriguing topics we will talk about later on.

Part 2: Ladies

(M): The focus shifted to the Ladies’ competition, which had in its field: World Champion, Evgenia Medvedeva, Polina Tsurskaya at her (GP) debut and Carolina Kostner who, with a second place finish, would guarantee her place in the Finals.

Even if not impeccable, Evgenia Medvedeva won the competition. Second place for Kostner, not impeccable in the free program either. Third place for Polina Tsurskaya, who skated two high quality programs, without any major mistake, and with a Short Program that’s really competitive, much more competitive than her Free Program.

(A): Yes, even if [Polina’s] Free Program was second (contrary to the Short Program which was third). But why? As you explained earlier, Medvedeva and Kostner both made mistakes in their FP, and if Evgenia had such a gap (on the others) that she managed to win anyway, Kostner had to concede something. All the advantage Polina got was from a very high TES, contrary to the other two. Why did this FP appear less competitive, then? Because on PCS the gap was quite substantial, with Medvedeva and Kostner both again. Kostner who had the highest PCS for FP, higher even than Medvedeva, and this is news.

(M): [Medvedeva] seemed more nervous than usual since the post-SP press conference, during which she didn’t speak about the Short but only about what she should do in the Free. The fall on the Flip is really an anomaly. More normal is an error on the Lutz, since it’s been a jump that always gave her headaches and isn’t technically textbook. She has been amazing at recovering what she lost (with the fall) in the second half of the program, but compared to other events, she seemed way more tense. Even on spins, we noticed a lower quality than usual.

(A): To the point that on spins Carolina got more points than her. And this is another piece of news. Something that up until a couple of seasons ago, or even last season, would have been totally unthinkable.

(M): I think this is what needs to be remarked upon from the NHK Trophy. That Kostner got more points on her spins in the FP than Medvedeva.

(A): It’s an important fact and it highlights something we’ve been talking about since the first competitions of this season. Her improvements on spins have been really noticeable: on a difficulty level, on how they are built, on how they are executed. And with a quality that keeps improving competition after competition. This attention to detail was something missing in Carolina’s programs, in the past. It’s been a really evident “upgrade” to her skating and here it’s been awarded with something (t/n - scoring more on spins than Medvedeva) that seemed impossible until only a little time ago. Yes, Evgenia wasn’t at her best, but it’s still a result borne from a very clear path. Maybe it will never happen again, but the fact remains she got almost the maximum she could on those elements, especially considering her own skills.

(M): Exactly. To be precise, she got the same GOE as Evgenia, but she had a higher BV; result: +0.5 point.

She gained another 0.7 points on the two sequences - Steps and Choreo. This is another little bit of news since, at Rostelecom, Evgenia got more (than her). Of course, Medvedeva won the free program anyway, because she completed more triple jumps. The difference is there. Kostner completed two 2A and 5 triples, fall aside. She did miss a 3T in the second half. Medvedeva still rotated two 2A and 7 triples and there she gained all the points she needed to win the Free Program too.

Curious thing, she won the FP without being the first on TES nor on PCS. Something never happened to her, before.

(A): Indeed. Second on TES, second on PCS. Sure, on PCS the difference was small, less than a point. On TES, we already said how Tsurskaya has been the only one among them to have a clean skate with two 2A and 7 triples. Medvedeva rotated them all too, and actually she has a higher BV than usual since she recovered the missing triple on the flip in the second half, but what’s always been her strength? The GOE. And that is where she lost all her usual ground at NHK, with the -3 for the fall and the -2 for the step out on Lutz: -3.5 points once you scale them, contrary to what she usually gets on those elements.

(M): Kostner lost points in a similar way, with the fall on her 2ALo3S combo. Doing some quick math, we can say Kostner lost around 8 points. That’s a lot and they allow for a projection of a clean FP being around 145-6 points.

Clearly, not everybody was enthusiastic about this result. Meaning, many thought some valuations were higher than what was displayed on the ice.

Here the topic is big and complex, what we can say is that, generally speaking, the panel at NHK was quite generous. We talked about GOE on spins, and even Tsurskaya got a high GOE on hers, even if her Layback wasn’t the best, for example. But this generosity was also seen towards skaters who finished at the bottom of the final standing. Also the tech panel was more lenient and, compared to other events, rotations (on jumps) weren’t as strictly judged with almost all athletes. A bit less lenient on Miyahara, but in her case, those jumps were clearly lacking (in rotation) and you really couldn’t do anything but call them.

(A): It seems a paradox, but such meter of judgement doesn’t help Kostner. Nor Medvedeva, but she doesn’t need any help anyway. But for Kostner, who already has a program with a triple less compared to other top skaters, she needs a strict panel. Because she can do 6 clean triples - as she did in Moscow - and if she competes against someone who does 7 triples, but a couple of them are underrotated, another downgraded, then it’s clear she needs a panel calling those jumps to be competitive.

(M): Well, the top three skaters in this competition should be safe from underrotation calls - maybe only Tsurskaya sometimes underrotates the 3T in her 3Lz3T combination, but it wasn’t the case in Osaka. Generally speaking, the top three ladies at NHK Trophy can benefit from a strict technical panel. It’s true though that in this competition, both Kostner and Tsurskaya benefitted from the lenient panel on spins. And it’s also true that a good performance with no mistakes raises the GOEs a lot; this goes for everybody. That said, Tsurskaya got the highest TES in the free skate and collected more than 50% of the available GOEs, considering she was at her absolute debut in Seniors - and most importantly, considering she was this close to quitting skating because of the unending series of physical problems she had - I’d say what she did at NHK was quite remarkable. (A): Yes, poor Polina, she had a lot of troubles but she was able to overcome them. She’s really blessed with talent, we’ve been monitoring her since she was a young girl, and I think she can be proud of what she did at the NHK Trophy. It was her first international competition in Seniors, probably she could have received even higher marks in terms of PCS - she could have rightfully wound up above Kostner in my opinion. It’s also important to remark how the free program wasn’t appreciated as much as her short: it fits her less, if I may say so, but I’m sure her team already knows which are the points to fix, as they can analyze the judges’ evaluations better than anybody else, in my opinion. (M): A listener is asking us, “How can Polina have underrotations problems on her 3+3 combination when the trajectory is so huge? The trajectory and height of the first jump are precisely the cause of the problem.” (A): Exactly, kind of the same problem Higuchi has. When Polina is in good condition, her opening 3+3 is absolutely spectacular and the most impressive trait is that the 3T is just as high as the first jump, something that’s really uncommon, but it’s clear that when your jumps are so high, the risk is to lose speed and it could be harder to complete the rotation on your second element. That said, she is not an athlete whose jumps are so borderline. It may happen, as it can happen to everybody, but generally speaking, I wouldn’t say Tsurskaya is a skater with problems on rotations.

(M): She greatly improved on Flip execution. It became a cleaner jump. It may not be the most inside of edges, but it’s now inside without doubt. She improved a lot on it. You must have all noticed how in her SP she planned a Rittberger and not a Flip, and this is a hint of her issue with that jump.

(A): A correct strategy, considering her Rittberger and the minimal difference in terms of BV. It’s the same strategy we’d suggest for others, too.

(M): I think her entry into her triple Rittberger in the SP is one of the best examples of what a jump out of steps is. Medvedeva is another good example for that, with her 3Lo being the best in the field. All Tutberidze’s skaters best execute what is required of them in the rules (regarding the steps into solo jump).

We have an interesting question: “Mihara Mai got 64.72 on PCS in her FP at Cup of China, 11 points less than Kostner at NHK, with almost a 2 points difference in TR. In the same competition (NHK), Tsurskaya got 10 points less than Kostner. In light of what happened on ice and what you said before about how pops and falls can interrupt the flow of a program, how is it possible that Kostner got 73.27 in Russia in a program without mistakes and 75.71 in Japan, where she fell and popped a 3T?”

This is a very interesting question but that opens the door to the usual long-standing issue: for every competition, a different judging panel.

(A): It’s not easy to answer. More than a question, I’d call this ‘stating facts’. That’s precisely what happened, Kostner’s program was the same (in Moscow and in Osaka), maybe on some components she may have skated better in Japan than Russia - where she had a better technical performance, so it’s not a given that a better TES must also mean a better PCS. And although it’s undoubtedly true that if you skate clean technically, you usually also get more hyped, and express better, and with more energy, but we also witnessed the opposite: skaters so focused on nailing the technical part that they partially forget to skate the program as it was meant to be skated. I don’t mean to say this is Kostner’s case, but it could be an explanation. And these things aren’t always as easily detectable on a TV screen as live in the arena…

In the end, I think what you said is true: for every competition, a different judging panel, that looks for different things, awards different things, and scores differently. In a sport like this, it’s something that sadly must be accepted. Being a discipline judged by different people, having uniformity of judgement is impossible.

(M): My opinion is that the gap between Kostner and Mihara or Kostner and Tsurskaya will close in time.

(A): I think they are also two different cases. I was really surprised by Mihara’s (low) score, because I found it a rich program, and at least on TR, I’d put her much higher. Tsurskaya’s, instead, is a program that is less refined compared to her SP, it left me quite unimpressed. It’s just my personal opinion - as in a way judges’ scores are personal opinions, albeit they should be constrained by objective parameters - but that’s how I see it. In the Short Program, Tsurskaya managed to put all her qualities on the table, and I was able to see and feel those qualities. In her Free Program, not so much. Mihara is a different matter. We spoke a bit about this in a previous podcast, she has still, in some respect, a more scholastic presence on ice.

(M): The two components where Mihara could be a bit weaker right now are Interpretation and partially Skating Skill, but the pulling down on other components arises from the evaluation on Interpretation. This is the only rationale I find to explain those scores. If you analyse the programs in their wholeness as we did in last few days, what is evident is how Mihara’s is the richest one on transitions. She isn’t behind Tutberidze’s skaters on that.

(A): Absolutely, she has something more there than Higuchi, whose program is one of the best in terms of choreography and interpretation, but under transitions, it’s a bit weaker than Mai’s.

(M): Angelo, it’s also true that Higuchi brings such speed to the ice that her Skating Skills bumps up. Then, you’ll tell me, there’s more beyond speed and flow [in judging SS], but we already are at 70%.

(A): Moreover - and we already discussed it for pairs - when you have a very clear and evident strength and you manage to make it shine, you also manage to project and communicate so much on that skill, about being the fastest one, the one with the best flow, the most energy, that it helps pull up all the other components. It’s almost an automatic reaction.

When you don’t have a strong point that is evident and easily noticeable, than you don’t have the same train effect, so you’re left with lower scores on average.

(M): We have a question about Osmond that brings us back to the same topic. It is said on many FS boards that Osmond’s PCS were too high on both segments.

But Osmond is another athlete who can express a great deal of speed and, according to judges, she interprets in a more mature way compared to Higuchi. And (being highly judged on) Interpretation is very rewarding, at the moment. What we said about Kostner at NHK is not different from what happened with Osmond at SC.

(A): It’s clearly so. Higuchi and Osmond are clearly the fastest skaters in the field. Osmond is a bit more refined right now. So there’s that strong point, there’s that perceived better average quality, and everything goes up. Then, if we speak about Skating Skills alone, they are probably even better than Medvedeva, both of them. Medvedeva [may yet show more SS] with her new FP, a completely different program compared to what she did in the past.

(M): The choreography is completely changed, the choreographer too. It’s a very different idea as a program in and of itself.

(A): It is indeed something different. While with previous ones she often repeated the same scheme and even the same transitions and clusters, as hard as they were, now with this program she changed a lot. Still, on Skating Skills her level is very high, but not the absolute best, not that excellence we saw with Kostner at her best and we can see with Osmond and Higuchi at their best now. On the other hand, you analyse Medvedeva’s program, and you can see how it’s built with the rulebook in hand. It has everything that is required. It’s faultless in this regard. And a judge finds what the rulebook tells him to look for, there.

(M): Clearly. And it explains the reason behind those high PCS that sometimes create perplexity. I have this opinion: I think from here to Olympics, there will be many skaters who’ll manage to go over 70 in PCS, and this will mean that PCS will partially lose importance (compared to TES). There are athletes - like Medvedeva or Kostner - who already are way above that wall. Higuchi is close and I think she is near to breaking it, too. Mihara got close last season, and considering the more complex program she is skating now, it would be a crime should she not reach 70. Zagitova - as first-year Senior skater - is another one of those skaters who came near to 70 in PCS, and that means that with a clean FP, she could go over it. And if she gets to 70 in PCS, she can reach 150 total: 80 points on TES - if she doesn’t make mistakes - are guaranteed. I think we will witness an Olympic competition with more contenders than what we could imagine (before): Medvedeva still has a gap over others, and in my opinion - not now but looking ahead - I’d name Tsurskaya as the athlete who could give her the most trouble, because she has that quid more that Medvedeva lacks on jumping elements. On their technique, on their size: just compare their triple Lutz or double Axel.

(A): There the comparison is unmerciful.

(M): On the Lutz, with that delayed rotation, especially…

(A): Indeed, (Tsurskaya’s) lutz has a clearly visible delay on rotation. She first goes up and then starts rotation. You don’t need a slow motion to appreciate it, and it’s spectacular. It’s amazing how can she do such a beautiful triple with such a strong delay. Tsurskaya has something more, for sure. Then, if we want to do a fair comparison, we maybe should compare her Lutz with Medvedeva’s Flip and vice versa. But even in those cases, you’d still pick Tsurskaya’s.

(M): Without doubt. Although, we can’t forget that Medvedeva has a characteristic that made her what she is: when she feels put on the line, she brings out 110%. She is the one who wasn’t considered [a contender] as a kid, because all eyes were on Radionova. When she started to get good results in juniors, people began saying she was Lipnitskaya’s ugly copy. She is the one who has been hearing for two years that “if Tsurskaya is healthy as a senior, she can beat you, because she has that quality on jumps that you lack” - well, some of them, because saying that Medvedeva has no quality on jumps is a bit of a heresy, but it is objectively true that Tsurskaya has something more on basic technique and (jumps ’) trajectory. I’ll skip the part about Sakhanovich - when she arrived at Eteri’s, people said Evgenia was over since Serafima was so much better - but anyway, everytime someone else was said to be better or was close to overtaking her, she managed to bring out something new and to raise her level. Now, there’s curiosity over what this “something new” could be this time around. Maybe - from here to GPF - a change in her FP layout. Not so much planned elements as their positioning : let’s not forget that her intention at the start of the season was to put a 2A only in the first half. We shouldn’t forget that such a choice (to backload almost all jumps) can raise BV but also hinder choreography.

(A): Yes, because the composition of the program would be less balanced. I think that it would be a bit inane from her technical staff to change a layout she knows, that works well for her, and that allows her to reach scores others never even came close to [achieving]. At NHK, she won with +12 points on the runner up and we say she didn’t win with her usual huge margin, because for her +12 is a small gap… At the moment, it’s hard to say who could reach her level and go beyond 220 with consistency. Without forgetting she also went over 230.

(M): With 240 as maximum… in a competition generously scored for all skaters (t/n WTT trophy), but it was also a low-pressure competition where many managed to skate at their best. In Osaka, we had Satoko Miyahara returning to competition and we read much criticism. Personally, in this case, I feel like going against the tide. She put out much better performances than I was expecting. We are talking about a skater who didn’t compete for almost a year. A skater who had to face a very serious injury, a hip injury that compromised her weakest point even further – jumps. Honestly, I thought she’d be more behind. Yes, some jumps were short on rotation, but that’s always been an issue for her, it’s not news that broke out from NHK. And on everything else, it was the usual Miyahara: brilliant where she can make a difference, fighting through a smart strategy and trying to rotate as many jumps as possible. Over 190 in a comeback competition… I think it’s a good basis to start anew, looking ahead to the future. Sure, GPF is almost impossible right now. But that wasn’t her goal.

(A): No, not her goal. We can understand the criticism (over her jumps), we explained before how Japan didn’t medal at NHK and how it can’t be a satisfying team result; and of course after Hanyu’s withdrawal, Miyahara was the next big name, there. But we have to take into account everything you said: such a long absence, such a serious injury… these things are not excuses. And yet she skated at a good level already. We can also add without fear of contradiction that the level in ladies’ field has been very high in this GP Series. I admit I didn’t expect it. It’s the discipline in which we are seeing the highest quality content, with many athletes consistently going over 200 points. At NHK, three skaters over 200; at COC, four. Tuktamysheva sixth with 196 points, there… They are all skating at a very high standard, and considering everything, Miyahara stood up well. Right now, there are athletes in Japan who can reach something more, but it isn’t a surprise…

(M): And we can’t forget that there is only one competition that is the pillar of her 2017: Japanese Nationals, to be held in Tokyo, Higuchi’s home. And that’s where everything will be decided for the Olympic Team. No Plan B. I do believe the first two in that competition will be the ones chosen for Pyeongchang. Maybe, just maybe, the only one who could get a pass is Higuchi, should she manage to qualify for the Finals and get on podium there. At that point, maybe - I repeat maybe - there might be a pass for her and she’d be picked, no matter the result at nationals. If that doesn’t happen, it will be a mighty battle among many skaters who would have deserved to go to Olympics. It’s true that up till now, two of them showed something more: Higuchi and Mihara.

(A): I think the actual skater who must be disappointed for the way things went during this GP isn’t Miyahara but Honda; because it was Honda who skated at a lower level than what we expected from her. At Skate Canada especially, but not only there; we expected her to be on a similar level as Higuchi, but it wasn’t the case.

(M): That’s true, but she has some mitigating circumstances. The first one is that she was at her senior debut, so facing some issues is not uncommon. The second one is that one of her programs came late into play, she started skating it in the last month and half. Let’s add another factor: she is a skater that needs time to reach a good level, she rarely reaches her best in the first half of a season. But she has also another characteristic: historically, when the prize is big, she is able to put everything on table. Not by chance that if you look up her name, you’ll find one win and one second place at Junior World Championships; and even at Nationals, she often managed to upset predictions. I’d say that for Nationals, Marin Honda is a loose cannon. I wouldn’t rule out her being able to put together a 210 there, something she never came close to in other competitions.

(A): She has qualities, there’s no doubt there. One of her programs has been changed (after the season started), but she is not the only one who opted for such a change. Must be said that in her case, at the debut of the new SP, everything had yet to be fixed. Her layout was very questionable, there. Her strategy had little sense. The week after, they fixed some things and it went much better already. For what we saw during GP, for her characteristic as an athlete, she is indeed a loose cannon for nationals.

(M): To sum up, at Nationals we’ll have two athletes who already showed something close to their best: Higuchi and Mihara, and two other athletes who have the means to find their best shape in next 5 weeks: Miyahara and Honda. Along with them, we’ll have others who can try to play their cards as outsiders, like Sakamoto, Shiraiwa or Hongo, but the impression is the former four skaters - who are the most complete skaters in japanese senior ladies field, at the moment - will fight for those 2 spots. Even the components for Mihara… I’m expecting them to rise soon, maybe even starting from the next GP event in France.

(A): In France, Osmond and Zagitova are the favourites for the win. Russia will also have Tuktamysheva there, and even taking into consideration everything we explained, she showed that she is already able to reach close to the 200 mark at this point in the season. Sotskova will be there, too.

(M): Sotskova who could even qualify for the final, with a third place and a score high enough, although in case of a third place and a tie-break with Higuchi, she seems out of contention. She left a lot of points on the table in Skate Canada and lost by quite a margin to Osmond in Canada, but three weeks have passed since.

(A): Once again, the ladies’ competition in France will be a very interesting one. We mentioned 5 athletes for the top 3, with Osmond the favourite for the win, but the competition will be fierce. For sure, we’ll have the first verdicts after this event.

(M): If Mihara doesn’t win, Osmond and Zagitova will qualify for sure, since a fourth place will be enough for them to join Kostner and Medvedeva. Then, for the last 2 spots, it will depend on results from Grenoble and Skate America.

We have a question on a topic we talked about earlier: PCS. “You spoke about how components pull each other. Shouldn’t judges be prepared and not fall (for such a thing), though? And if they are not able to differentiate and give a judgement on each one, what’s the difference between them and a fan watching a competition for his own enjoyment?”

We have partly already answered this question earlier.

(A): Umh, yes. Let’s not forget a judge needs to provide judgement in real time. We speak after having analysed a program over and over. It’s clear that, while letting the live impression guide you for some things (while judging) is good, a judge needs to be able to see what’s there (in a program) and what is lacking.

Part 3: Pairs

(M): Then, there are situations that leave you perplexed. For example, in China, we were perplexed over S/H PCS, because in the FP, Skating Skills and Transition had basically the same score. Something that almost never happens, because usually judges tend to give a higher score to SS. At NHK, we went beyond that, with TR higher than SS. Explanations? I don’t have any, because S/H are skaters with high SS quality. Which doesn’t mean they have few transitions, but objectively, the first component should probably be the highest one.

(A): There are many factors coming into play.

(M): But speaking of S/H, the question is: who will be able to stop them?

(A): Only they themselves, it seems. Meaning, if they make a mistake, the door is open for the others, otherwise… Where can they can make a mistake? On 3S side by side, that’s the element in which they are at greater risk of mistakes. When they nail it, as it happened at Osaka, they have margin over all others, but the success rate on the element is really low. But even if they miss it, the opening for others is really small because they have immense quality on every other element. There’s the technical difficulty they show with their quad twist, but they can also score many points on throw jumps… they have very few weak points, the others will be forced to risk something (to compete with them), while paying attention on how they risk, because pairs skating rules don’t reward risk-takers.

(M): Well you unwittingly replied to a quite interesting question we’ve gotten from one of our listeners. They ask: “Do Aliona and Bruno really need the 3ATh? Wouldn’t it be better for them to try to skate clean [t/n: an “easier” program but clean]?

(A): If they want to win they might really need that 3A.

(M): I think Savchenko/Massot are the nearest couple to Sui/Han, in terms of PCS – although Stolbova/Klimov weren’t very far off at NHK Trophy. But Savchenko/Massot have a problem: the quality with which they can execute their throws. What I mean is that, more often than not, Aliona’s landings aren’t clean.

(A): Sometimes her landings are two-footed, sometimes she touches the ice with her free leg; these mistakes affect their GOE. Whereas Sui/Han definitely don’t get 0s for their throws, rather, they basically get +3s from all the judges.

(M): Which means they get at least 4 more points [than S/M] for their throws, or 4.2 points max [through their GOE]. That’s why going for the 3ATh makes sense for them: this way you can have a chance against skaters who can maximize the scores they get with their throws through GOE.

(A): Yes, and the 3A can give you another advantage. Because you can execute it in the SP as well, it gives you an advantage in both the SP and the FP, in terms of BV. That’s why it is an interesting weapon, while we’ve already seen how a quad throw doesn’t give you that much of an advantage – a 4STh for example, gives you a real advantage only if you can execute it with a +1/+2 GOE, certainly not 0 or -1. Which is something that has rarely happened so far, while we’ve also said how, on the other hand, a quad throw can penalize you when it comes to the PCS, because it requires an emptier choreography

(M): Numbers themselves speak volumes: Sui/Han easily reach 7,6 points for their 3FTh in the SP, which is the max score you can achieve for it. At this point, a 3ATh can help them not lose too many points in a SP. A 3ATh’s BV is 7,7: if you don’t execute it well –

(A): You’re already behind.

(M): And the GOE penalizes you even more, because -1s from the judges mean you’ll lose a point from the BV (t/n Since for a 3A the coefficient for GOE is 1x, and not 0.7 like for a 3F, it’s more rewarding with positive GOE, but more penalizing if GOE is negative). If Aliona and Bruno can execute a 3ATh in practice that is clean enough to get 0 or +1 GOE, the element itself becomes necessary to keep up with Sui/Han, because it seems to me that they struggle more on other throws. They’re on the same level on the twist, but on sbs jumps, Sui/Han have great quality and they have better success rate. Savchenko/Massot do have great quality on their sbs jump, when they can execute it well, but their success rate isn’t as high.

(A): In the end, in spite of having a lot of quality, Savchenko/Massot are in the same position as the other couples: they need to take risks. But so far, risks haven’t really paid off in pairs: history says you’ll win with quality, clean skates, by making a difference through GOE. We’ll see how it goes in PyeongChang, whether it will go like this or if a pair that takes bigger risks will manage to give an amazing performance. These pairs could be Duhamel/Radford or Savchenko/Massot.

(M): Duhamel/Radford have two weapons: the sbs 3Lz, on both programs, and the 4STh in the FP. Although it’s also true that the Canadians have a bigger gap on PCS, and Sui/Han have a 4Tw, which is an element that Duhamel/Radford don’t have. In the end, it would be extremely difficult for them too. I think that Sui/Han’s weak point is the sbs 3S: this is what could leave the door open for the others, as of now. Stolbova/Klimov weren’t far…well, 11-12 points behind. And [at NHK], they’re the nearest to Sui/Han after Tarasova/Morozov. Stolbova/Klimov can improve the 3Tw and work on adding a -2T to their combo (t/n 3T3T at the moment) in the FP as they gain more confidence in it; then they could have a chance, because they weren’t far on PCS – which is the biggest news we got from NHK in a way, because it had been quite a while since Stolbova/Klimov were able to skate on that level.

(A): And they don’t have extreme programs either. Although they do take more risks on sbs jumps, that 3T3T combo could make a difference. That said, their idea is still to risk less and execute their elements with good quality. You’ve highlighted their problem very well: their problems with the 3Tw. It’s very difficult to bridge that gap through the other elements. We’ve said it during our commentary: in the FP they get half the points Sui/Han get. True, they do a 4Tw instead of a 3Tw, but still there’s a 4-5 points difference there. And it’s extremely difficult to bridge that gap, because Sui/Han really have quality on every other element…well can I add another small weakness? Their spins; sometimes they do lose a couple of points there.

(M): Yes, but with 3T3T2T Stolbova/Klimov could bridge that gap. At that point it would all get down to the sbs 3S. The problem is that the rate of success isn’t great for both pairs.

(A): Yes…although Stolbova/Klimov lose something on throws and lifts too if compared to Sui/Han, so that might not be enough. It’s not easy to bridge a 10 points gap.

(M): No, right.

We got a question about Volosozhar/Trankov; someone is asking whether they could have had a say in the fight for the gold medal. Well…the Volosozhar/Trankov of 2014 could have fought with Sui/Han. With very similar strategies, but a lower BV than the Chinese team, because Volosozhar/Trankov never even had in mind to do a 4Tw, and the had a 3LoTh instead of the Flip. They have a lot in common when it comes to the rest, like the quality they had on their elements, the complexity of the choreography in terms of TR, which were what made a difference in Sochi.

(A): Yes, as we’ve said before it’s a similar strategy to Sui/Han’s although Sui/Han still take more risks with that 4Tw. In the end the strategy is similar: make a difference through GOE, rather than technical difficulty. Which isn’t what seemed the best route until last season, when Duhamel/Radford’s strategy seemed to pay off – and with some debate coming from Trankov.

(M): Polemics that were mainly due to the PCS they received, which seemed too high for what they did on the ice.

(A): Yes, because it’s inevitable that such difficult elements will affect the choreography. Trankov’s analysis has always been very accurate, he has always followed and analyzed how the discipline was evolving. That said, it seems that now we’re back to the same route that ended up being the best in 2014, which was the same in 2010 and 2006: more quality, although with a lower BV, but programs with great unison and precision, which is what Sui/Han showed.”

(M): And rightly so, we are basically talking about the essence of this discipline. Not to say that Sui/Han don’t have great technical elements: Toe Loop and Salchow in sbs jumps, Flip and Salchow for throws – they might have abandoned the 4STh, but they still have a 4Tw. Their lifts from group 5 are Reverse and Axel, so…they don’t lack anything.

(A): And their scores are proof of that.

Part 4: Men

(M): In the men’s field, Sergei Voronov won. And he leads an ‘army’ of veterans that counts Carolina Kostner and Cappellini/Lanotte in its rank – both in their 30s and both on the podium. And Virtue/Moir aren’t much younger either, yet they easily won. What is happening? Is it a coincidence or a new trend?

(A): For the men’s field, I’d say it was a coincidence, due to the many withdrawals. The first being Patrick Chan’s, which we hadn’t mentioned yet. In a less competitive field, the veterans managed to take advantage of the situation. In the end, Voronov became the oldest winner of a GP, and he was followed by other veterans. The most disappointed must be Jason Brown, who could have been the favourite after Hanyu withdrew. And it isn’t the first time Brown struggles at the NHK Trophy.

(M): Something that keeps happening year after year, because Jason Brown gets invited at the NHK by the JSF – and gladly so, he is an athlete really appreciated by the crowd – but he always ends up missing the final at NHK. His situation was still good after the SP, but he had quite a few mistakes in the FP – maybe he was also affected by the fact that others skated very well before him. Adam Rippon, for example, who skated one of the best programs of his career; and he had the intention of raising the bar [with a 4Lz] - the fact that he didn’t manage to do it is another matter – he could increase his scores looking into the future.

(A): Yes, 4Lz aside – that isn’t a new thing, although this attempt was certainly one of his best – the fact that he had planned 3F3Lo could raise the bar a little for him. Quad aside, he could reach around 95 TES, which isn’t trivial. You can’t win with that TES, but still, if combined with his interpretation and good PCS it could be an interesting score, especially in the US. It wouldn’t be very easy for Brown himself to beat him, especially considering his low success rate not on a quad jump but on the 3A as well – while Rippon’s 3A is getting more consistent, and he plans them both in the second half of the program.

(M): We wouldn’t have guessed that a couple of years ago, considering the problems he had with this element. It isn’t a jump he executes with great quality, but still, he receives a bonus for it since it’s in the second half. The winner of the competition was Voronov, who managed to be much more consistent on his quads if compared to the past, when he managed to complete two quads between SP and FP. He completed three quads this time around, which brought him to the top of the podium and helped him reach those 270 points that only Kolyada reached this season, among the Russian men.

(A): Well, Voronov was able to exploit this chance, by skating two clean programs – and finally landing that second 4T in his FP. I say finally, because it’s a great jump for him. Then some things were also debatable, like the fact that he got higher PCS than Rippon, whose FP is, in my opinion, one of the best choreographies of the last few years in the men’s field. Voronov’s skating isn’t really competitive in a more competitive field: the program is quite empty, he needs long set ups for the quads and the 3A. It’s true that he tried to add more to his choreography by working with Misha Ge, there’s something more in the second half of the program, when he has easier jumps, if compared to the past, but TR aren’t his specialty let’s say. It wouldn’t have been a scandal if he had gotten a few points less in terms of PCS. That said he deservedly won; and he was able to remain calm to take advantage of this chance, just like it happened for Bychenko – he had already been on the podium in a GP, but we would have never expected him to reach another here.

(M): So, Voronov could surprisingly qualify for the GPF. A final that won’t have Hanyu, Fernandez and Chan, who would have ever said that? Although it was due to…accidents, late starts to the season etc. True, Fernandez will be in Grenoble this week, but he wouldn’t make it to the final even if he won. It’s truly a pity but it’s also true that they will have more time to prepare for the Olympics, they will have less stress [because of skipped GPF] so it might not be as bad as we think.

(A): Yes, although their situations are very different. Hanyu needs to recover from a physical problem, so a lot will depend on that: how much time it will take, how he will be afterwards etc because his programs are so extreme they require him to be at his best. For the others it’s very different. First, their programs are less extreme [than Hanyu’s]. Second, Patrick Chan is the “weakest” of the three, in terms of technical content; he is struggling to keep up in this field, although he’s still one of the best when it comes to how his programs are built and how he can interact with the crowd. His withdrawal is mainly due to the fact that he is struggling at the moment, in my opinion. We’ll see what he can do during these months. Fernandez’s case is different from the first two as well. It depends on whether this was a one-off poor performance, or whether it was due to less-than-stellar condition – they talked about it being caused by food poisoning after all – or due to him actually struggling. He’s been able to reach stellar scores in the past, but he is a bit behind when it comes to technical content now, which isn’t something he’s used to.

(M): Fernandez will compete against Uno Shoma in France. We received a question about him; someone asks: “Last week you both said how some of Uno’s jumps are preceded by difficult entries –”

Well, actually, we highlighted a different thing: the fact that the jumps that should be preceded by steps don’t satisfy this requirement, while others – that shouldn’t necessarily be preceded by steps – have more difficult entries. This is very obvious looking at his SP: he has a more difficult entry for his combo rather the 4F, that should be preceded by steps; there’s a step but very very far and a very easy one too.

(A): Yes, his 4T is preceded by a complex entry – in the FP too, but there’s no problem in the FP, other than the fact that the lack of steps could affect his PCS or GOE, while in the SP it is more of a problem (t/n flouting an SP requirement by not doing a solo jump out of steps). When it comes to the FP, we can say that Uno Shoma can execute the same jump, the 4T, from different entries, which isn’t exactly a trivial thing, as it means he is very confident when it comes to that jump and that he has good SS, since he’s able to use a certain variety of steps before a difficult element, although I’m not sure this is something the judges can notice. There are other more debatable things about Uno’s skating, rather than this.

(M): Wait though, because the question is more complex than this, I will read the second part now:

“Looking at the steps he plans to execute, I noticed how he often lacks the clean and clear edges that those steps would require. And it is something that I noticed in parts of his StSq as well. If this is true, can such entries count for his GOE, since clearness and cleanness of edges and quality count for SS and TR respectively?”

(A): Quality and variety. I don’t have many doubts when it comes to variety…I don’t know, I can’t say his edges are that bad, maybe he isn’t the best when it comes to clarity for his steps – Patrick Chan is – but I don’t think there’s such lack of precision…he is much better than, say, someone like Bychenko. Uno Shoma has good flow; it’s true that there’s more two footed skating in his programs than in others’, but I don’t see such lack of quality when he is on one foot. True, probably he isn’t the best when it comes to clearness of edges, probably not even the second or third best, but like, the fourth. Then this is my opinion.

(M): We also received a question about Kolyada and the kind of scores he could reach with two clean programs.

Well, he could probably reach 300 points with two clean skates. He skated a clean SP – well, almost clean, since he had problems on the CCSp – while he’s far from skating a clean FP right now, but with three quads, one of them in the second half, and two 3A he would get to 200 points in the FP. With two clean programs he could get 300 points, but as of now he hasn’t been able to do it, and it won’t be easy either. Russia definitely needed him, as they have always been strong in the men’s field. The fact that their strongest field is the ladies’ field isn’t what we’ve been used to seeing.

(A): Not that they’ve never had a strong ladies’ field before, but Slutskaya and Butyrskaya back then – the golden age of Russian ladies skating – were something new.

(M): Yes, they’d had good athletes before – we can see some of them in the K&C with some athletes now – but they were constantly defeated by girls from East Germany or the US. Slutskaya and Butyrskaya were the first ones to win World titles, then came Sotnikova, with her Olympic title, and Tuktamysheva who won a World title afterwards. Now their ladies are dominant…a defeat in the ladies’ field would be a shock.

(A): Yes, the ladies’ field is their strongest field right now, while they’ve had some difficulties in the men’s field – they’ve finally found a contender in Kolyada – and ice dance, where they used to completely dominate the field.

Part 5: Ice Dance

(M): Exactly. Regarding ice dance: Cappellini/Lanotte performed well, they weren’t very far from breaking their national record – they actually broke the one for the SD. And this is even more encouraging if we think about the fact that they have margin for growth, both in the SD and the FD, which means they could reach those 190 points they need to go to GPF and to play a bigger role at the Olympics. This is very encouraging considering the injuries they suffered – the nastiest was Anna’s to her hand, but Luca wasn’t at this best either.

(A): They both had some problems, which made them postpone their season debut, until they competed in Minsk – and easily won. Here they definitely made some progress – I’m sure they want to do better, but they are already showing that they made progress. The score was good, although it’s a pity for the result, because beating Hubbell/Donohue would have brought them very close to the final already, although as you said, they still have a chance.

(M): Yes, they would have more problems if Chock/Bates defeated Weaver/Poje in Grenoble; it would be very hard to reach the final for Cappellini/Lanotte at that point, because they would have to win SA, since Weaver/Poje would have an advantage against them in terms of scores with a second and a third place. Weaver/Poje should be the “second seed” in Grenoble, considering what we’ve seen so far, while Chock/Bates seemed to struggle quite a bit in the SD, even though the music choice seemed convincing at first – costumes were less convincing, but that’s another matter. We’ll have to wait and see what happens in France, because we will have an idea of the possible finalists then. That said, Cappellini/Lanotte will still need strong skates to get into the final, because they would need high scores. Even this small record, reaching the podium at 30 years old, is significant; they didn’t receive as much attention from the media as other Italian skaters before them, but they’re not far from them in terms of medals.

(A): Yes, Kostner and Fusar Poli/Margaglio have an Olympic medal if compared to them, but they have a World title, the European title – they lack the GPF title that Kostner and Fusar Poli/Margaglio have, yes, but they’ve had a long career and they’ve had many important results.

(M): Virtue/Moir won, as expected, although maybe we expected more from them in the SD. There was a mistake, because Scott Moir botched the last set of twizzles, which was what impeded them from reaching the [SD] WR they had gotten at SC. They improved in the FD, but they still lacked something to bridge the gap with Papadakis/Cizeron. The most surprising thing is they lost some tenths of a point on the choreographic elements [ compared to P/C], which rarely made a difference; Papadakis/Cizeron got one more level 4 in the FD at CoC, but that level 4 aside, that’s the main difference.

(A): Which is very surprising because those are the elements with the lowest BV, but the GOE makes a difference.

(M): Yes the max GOE you can get is 2.1 [by getting +3s], the lowest 0.7

(A): Yeah, so GOE can truly create a gap here, and it’s rather unusual to see such a big difference between two top teams, because you’d usually expect both to get +2s/+3s. Tessa and Scott will work on it, in order to bridge this gap, because that’s where Papadakis/Cizeron made a difference in the FD. And Papadakis/Cizeron weren’t very far in the SD either.

(M): That’s what the numbers say. I think Virtue/Moir will work a lot on those elements, because I doubt that these differences can be attributed to the different judging standards in different panels. The French couple probably paid more attention to these details, but this is something Virtue/Moir can work on. After that it will depend on their performances on that day.

(A): Yes, because both teams are getting so near to perfection that even the smallest detail could make a difference.

Part 6: Internationaux de France - Preview

(M): Next up, IdF – ex TdF, TEB etc as it changed names quite a few times in the past. And once again, the ladies’ competition will be the most interesting, since there are four girls who could reach the final and a fifth – Tuktamysheva – who definitely has some weapons. We’ll have Della Monica/Guarise among pairs and Guignard/Fabbri in ice dance for Italy; reaching the podium will be extremely difficult, as there are Papadakis/Cizeron, Weaver/Poje and Chock/Bates for dance – and they would have to make some incredible mistakes not to be on the podium. And even in pairs, we have Tarasova/Morozov and James/Cipres, who will try to reach the first GPF of their career.

(A): And Peng/Jin, who have the potential to reach very high scores.

(M): Yes, but Della Monica/Guarise were quite near them at the Finlandia Trophy. Yes, the Chinese have more potential, but they also have some problems, especially on sbs jumps – Peng has always had an aversion for them, and they often get almost 0 points for them in the FP. In theory there aren’t many chances, but who knows, with some luck they [DM/G] might reach that podium they could have had in CoC.

[cut out final part, with ESP broadcast]

Once again, sorry for the longest delay, hope you enjoyed anyway.

A big thank you to our saviour (and proof-reader), gladi.

See you,

The A Factor Team

#fs translation #podcast: kiss & cry #yuzuru hanyu #nhk 2017 #evgenia medvedeva #carolina kostner #polina tsurskaya #sui/han #virtue/moir #figure skating

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survivor-kuwait · 5 years ago

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Episode 16 - “Debbie was right. Never trust a god damn redhead” - Owen

That tribal actually went better than I could have ever expected, even with Owen staying. Owen definitely only had it set up to play his idol if an idol was played on Cullan, two idols burnt and one was def wasted by Cullan so now he doesn't have it to use later in the game if/when it inevitably comes time to start making hard decisions. That play also drives Maynor/Timmy/Chips a little closer to me in that 6 person alliance which I absolutely need. KAIT IS GONE!!!!! Every round, every day she was buttering me up as jury management, I knew it, she knew it. That is absolutely annoying, makes me want someone to win even less. The reason I wanted Owen first was for the simple fact Kait would be more likely to try to work with me than Owen if she knew she was on the bottom. Oh well, pretty good tribal for me all in all, everything turned up Ian.

Debbie was right. Never trust a god damn redhead. Me: omg Maynor so cute love my showmance Me: omg Timmy and I putting our shit in the past love him Maynor and Timmy: rihanna.winking.gif In a way I deserve it. I made myself heard these last few votes with pulling together alliances at merge and going after Devon and Ian and even the Venus thing. And I accidentally revealed in the chat that Kait found my idol. It made sense for them to take a shot, although not sure why me and not Kait and matt who are more likeable and powerful lmao Now I’m just like.... okay Devon and Ian got what they wanted which is gross? Timmy and Maynor gonna try to sell this as their move but as far as I’m concerned Devon and Ian own it. I’m sure they capitalized on touchy subjects to make me strong and them weak. Moving forward I just hope that now that Kait is gone there are bigger fish to fry.... I’m gonna get drunk and then deal with this tomorrow lmao Two rounds ago I was stressed choosing between my two closest allies. Now both of them are gone and I’m fucked 😂

I’m shocked Owen knew to play his idol...I need to figure out how that happened. I am happy Kait left in the end though because that’s who I even said in the Ridiculous 6 chat but others wanted Owen and I didn’t feel like pushing too much because either going was fine to me. But 7-3 in the revote was spicy, I think it was Matt that flipped just to be in the majority for his piece of mind. Still don’t really trust him anymore because he’s a liar, but it is what it is. Should be interesting tomorrow when people have more time to talk.

I guess i’ll make one before going to bed cuz Johnny asked. So this challenge was cute. The fishes though were very douchey. Tbh when Timmy told me Ian had 19 million when I had 9 million, I was like Im not winning. I also thought Cullan was going to beast this challenge and get like 100 million. I was shook to find out that I won. And I won the final 9 immunity which means I beat my Guyana placement which is amazing. Im so happy. Now I just need to get further in this game. But first need to see who will be voted out at tribal tomorrow night. No names have been said yet. More updates tomorrow, i promise.

If Cullan's amateur hour costs me MY game for me.... then I guess I deserve it, alliance management is kind of my whole thing in these games. I try to make everyone I'm allied with to feel like I want to go to the top with them. I can fix this, I have too. Why the hell would you tell someone that 4 people already want to vote one way? Quit getting ahead of yourself, think of the future but focus on the round at hand. Single digits is a slow burn and every fucking step has to be precise. If I can manage to keep the "alliance" together Cullan just solidified why I want to sit with him in the end, he won't win.

So I’m still recovering from the real life hangover and survivor hangover of losing Kait and having my little alliance blown into smithereens. I still do trust Maynor and Madison moving forward but I definitely feel there’s less room to hide. All I can really do at this moment is kind of get on board with voting Owen, which btw I wanted to do anyway eventually hehe. Not having kait makes me nervous but I definitely feel less tethered and more free to make moves moving forward and I hope one of them involved actually getting cullans ass out smh I’m telling you he’s gonna win.

Odd day, not really sure what to do. I feel like doing Owen is predictable so I am exploring some options today. I am trying to see what is best for me going forward. I think Owen Madison and Matt all have the jury votes at this point so getting them out may be good. But long term is that what is best for me, I don’t know.

I feel lost...like I know what both sides are doing but being in the middle has its drawbacks knowing that maynor and i are on the bottom of both sides then which sucks. I think the best move tonight is to get rid of Owen but who knows what implications that will end up having. Will be interesting.

I had a dream I made a rlly funny confessional and then I woke up to find literally nobody has messaged me back except for Devon who is talking about god knows what I’m literally miserable without Kait. I thought that Maynor and Timmy would easily flip back to us and vote with me matt madison to break up the Devon Cullan Ian thing. But Maynor didn’t answer me all day and madison barely is. Timmy said ‘what moves are to be made’ ???? Matt at least came and told me Cullan said it was me and then told me Maynor and madison are in and they’re talking to timmy. Why are they talking to matt but not me??? It’s fucked up And then I yelled st Cullan and asked if he was just gonna let Devon and Ian drag him to the end and beat him and he was like ‘well I’ll vote them if there’s numbers’ lmao. Bitch idek god I’m tired of him asking me what the vote is all the time like GSKSHDB WHY DO U THINK I HAVE ANY CONTROL THIS ROUND I’m Absolutely about to lose my mind. I’m surprised it’s taken this long for me to snap but I legitimately can’t stand omg. Like I don’t even bother messaging chips or Ian lmao I don’t have anything to talk to them about I wish I could’ve won immunity. If I somehow stay tonight I need to figure something out

I think Owen is gonna get voted out and if that happens I’m done! But let’s pray chips is going bye bye.

I’m absolutely pissed at Madison and Maynor. Why aren’t they fucking talking to me when they’re apparently telling matt they’ll do stuff???? What the fuck!? Matt is telling me Devon will apparently vote chips. Okay....? Like what do you want me to do or say? You have all the information rn because nobody will message me. I asked Matt if he thought we should still vote Ian and then if Devon rlly votes chips it would be 4-4-1 and I can use my tiebreaker. Matt was like ‘who would they vote I don’t want to make it too complicated’ I DONT KNOW WHO THEYD VOTE UR THE ONE TALKING TO THEM. I appreciate him trying to save me but it’s frustrayinf because I have no stability rn when they just ugh’nnn idk. Why hasn’t he made a group or some shit

The vote tonight is going to be Owen, most likely. But Matt Madison and Owen wants to do Chips. I dont know if thats a good move. Its better to have Owen gone since he is a huge threat in the game. I just feel bad about voting for him again.

Alright, so here's a hot take of what's been going on with me and this game. Last round the goal was to vote out Owen because he's the biggest threat in a group of four that has been conspiring to control the game - the group is Owen, Kait, Madison, and Matt. The way I see the group breaking down is basically, Owen+Madison and Kait+Matt with each duo having a strong link between the four. A group of six formed to counter these four called the "Ridiculous Six" formed by Devon. It is my understanding that Devon was a "pawn" of the four before defecting after they tried to strike at Ian during the duos vote off. Since he felt "used" he defected and wanted to keep the four from keeping control in creating the group.

The four had control of two hangers-on in the form of Timmy and Maynor that they were using for two extra votes. Since they would potentially have the numbers if those two were to vote with them they let loose a "plan" to vote out Devon when in reality telling those two that they would be voting Cullan in case of telegraphing to Devon to play his idol - Cullan actually had an idol and played it and I think it prompted Owen in playing his. To be honest, I think that Owen sent to his tribe chat that he would play his idol IF Cullan had an idol played on him or played one himself. So no votes counted and then we just went with our second choice in Kait to vote out of the game. She left.

So the round following the vote seems pretty obvious to me, we need to try and vote out Owen. The group is scared to actually follow through on the vote because they think he will play an idol. I mean, if he does it's another idol burned and makes the vote easier. I know that that means we lose somebody but I dunno, if it were me getting voted out because of it I wouldn't be too pressed getting idoled out. Anyway, Cullan kinda let me know that there's a "secret" other plan to vote out Madison instead since she has a good social game, which I haven't seen. And also Matt is telling people to vote me instead to try and force a tie so that Owen can use his ACTUAL power that we know he has... I dunno man, if we end up voting out Madison instead (because they don't vote Owen) then I might be more flexible in what I do because Owen did that. And if I end up going then woohoo! That makes me 3/3 with getting ninth in a season in a row.

Looks like Devon and I are the middle know. Apparently he wants to get rid of Chips cuz of this hero arc?!?!? Interesting so need to know how he is voting. This is somewhat getting messy between Chips and Owen. Im glad I have immunity.

Ok this vote is SAUCY SAUCY SAUCY! The vote started with me wanting to target Madison as she is a social threat and has connections to maynor who would flip to their side (he already has). Chips became concerned that he wasn't being looped in on the vote so we decided to continue the push towards owen. Matt, madison, and maynor all agreed to vote for Owen but in reality they are voting for chips as that's the most viable option than can convince us to do as he is a "goat". He's a good ally so no way in hell am I voting him out. If owen and the gang survive this vote, they have majority and there will be a clear pecking order especially considering the fact he has a tiebreaker advantage. I feel confident in the five we have to vote for owen

i think im leaving this is all just bad devon apparantly wants chips and it wasd too much to try this forcing a tie shit so now we're just goin with chips which hopefully is enough but someone told cullan it was chips???? lmao so thats fun and i tried convincing cullan to do it but idk this whole thing is kinda fucked up soooo bye bye

---

i wouldnt be so sad about this if kait were still here but there are literally so many personality-less people left in this game and if they get to the end ill literally die. madison and matt rlly about to be all i have left ro root for this is absolutely TRAGIC. imagine the first boot coming back into the game and getting dragged to the end as a goat fksadjfhjf GOD im so sad rn :((((((((((((((((((((((((((99 I WANTED TO DO SOMETHIN ICONIC IN THIS GAME BUT ALL I DID WAS FORGET TO TALK TO PEOPLE AND COMPLAIN at least ill prob win hq words

#survivorstarzone #episodes

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brigidandlydia · 5 years ago

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Holidays & new beginnings.

Heya!

Thought I would write a new post as feels like its been ages! Seen you are away on your holidays at the moment - looks great! You’re doing and seeing loads. And trying lots of yummy food! I do think that when I travel or visit somewhere new a big part of the experience is trying the food there.

I was in Valenica last weekend, a kind of last min break away! I only booked it about a month ago, I’d been thinking I’d like to get away for a few days and find it hard to organise friends to go with. Everyone has different commitments and things, also its been a bucket list thing – wanting to holiday on my own so I just went for it. I was away three nights, four days which was perfect. I’ve never been to Valenica before but my cousin has been a few times and he has great things to say. I did study Spanish at school up to AS level and I love the language, so I guess that gives you a bit more confidence when you go somewhere foreign.

Honestly I think it is one of the best trips I’ve been on!

I absolutely loved being there on my own. It was a real confidence boost just taking myself away and little things like finding my Airbnb, asking for directions or recommendations in Spanish and just planning my days all added to it. I love staying in Airbnbs – have you stayed in many? This one was lovely, pretty basic but just little things like the tiled floors and the little balcony off my room were beautiful. I think when you are creative person then you really buzz off things like that! I love shopping home wares and things – cannot wait to have my own little nest to decorate.

One of the things I loved about the city was the Turía gardens, they stretch quite a way down through the city and have paved areas, running routes, big grassy areas and lots of trees. I visited these nearly every day I was there, just walking through and sunbathing on the grass, reading my book, drinking Sangria! On the Sunday I was walking through and at one part there is this paved area with fountains in the middle and there was a traditional band playing and all these people in traditional dress and castanets performing these set dances, it was really cool to just come across it. There were lots of orange trees too, which were beautiful and I had proper freshly squeezed orange juice a few times – there is something so much better when it is that fresh, the taste and smell!

I walked loads just taking in all the buildings and enjoying the sun, it did rain a bit but it didn’t take away from it at all. I visited the beach on the Sunday as a lot of things were closed, it took me ages to find it and then when I finally did it started to pour with rain! I also went on an Airbnb experience one day – I think it’s a relatively new thing, when I booked the place to stay they came up with advertised things to do in the area. There are difference things like tours, cooking lessons, etc. all run by people in the area. I booked a bike ride with a host. It was only me and another couple; which was really good, you felt like you got chatting and the host was really great making sure everyone was getting on fine and enjoying it. I think it was about 30 kilometres we cycled! I haven’t ridden a bike in ages so I was a bit wobbly but it was a great way to see more of Valenica. We cycled along a few beaches that were further out of the city and more popular with locals, ending up at at Albufuera National Park. On the way back we went to an authentic café for lunch - this photo above was seafood in tempura batter and aioli - its like a garlic mayonnaise - so good! And paella! I found that even though I was only there a few days I just slotted into their way of bigger lunches and then a more tapas style dinner. I did get my shoulders pretty burnt that day as it was sunny.

On the last day I made sure to get in all the Spanish specialities in! I went to the Central Market – it really reminded me of the big market in Barcelona - La Boqueria. Just walking around and seeing all the fresh food, the fishmongers and butchers was so interesting. I’d been told to try this drink that they have in Valencia – it’s actually the only place in the world they have it! It’s called Horchata and its made from tiger nuts. It kinda reminded me of a nut milk – like almond milk. It was really good, usually they have it with these pastires called Fartons (lol)! I didn’t get one of those as I had a big croissant from the market for breakfast. I think that’s one of my favourite breakfasts – especially on holiday – croissants, coffee and fresh orange. So good!

I brought home some paella mix and paella rice – so will have to do that some night for my friends or the fam!

I also had paella for my last lunch – I love it, my favourite is seafood paella, traditionally Valencian paella is chicken and rabbit – I have been pescaterian for a few years but this time when I was away I let myself have some things with meat or chicken in them – as I said I do think it’s part of the experience.

I would recommend visiting Valencia if you ever get the chance, I’d probably go back!

I had a lend of a few books from a friend when I was away that I found easy reading as they were good stories. One was called ‘The Wife between Us’ by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. If you liked ‘Girl on a Train’ and ‘Gone Girl’ this would be up your street, plenty of twists! I also read ‘Lullaby’ by Leïla Slimani which was pretty short – it was originally written in French but has been translated. It was a bit dark but I read it really quick I was enjoying the story so much.

I found that I came back on a high from my break away, sometimes a change of scenery really does you good. Things are grand here, I can’t really believe that we are at the end of May. In some ways Christmas seems so long ago but then I feel I cant account for the last few months.

I have been applying for jobs – looking for part time ones to add to my part time hours at the salon or another job, full-time in creative or hospitality. On my last day on holidays I was sitting having gelato and got the call that I’d been offered a new job! It is in Derry and is a Restaurant Manager position! I was over the moon! I have worked in a few different cafes and I love being on my feet, keep busy and working with people. It’s an independent place, which really appeals to me as I think you can have more input and really make a difference to a place. I start next week, it’ll be a big change with a lot more hours and responsibility but I am ready for a new challenge and to take on a higher role. Of course I am nervous about starting and a bit apprehensive but looking forward to it! Wish me luck!!!

Also – one of my aims this year was to move out – something that I think would really benefit me mentally as well. I am in a very luck position that my parents are fine with me being at home and coming and going as I like but I don’t feel like it is my space and still feel a bit like there is always that parent – child relationship where I feel I’m a bit accountable to them all the time. So this new job will mean that I can hopefully move out – definitely an incentive and something to look forward to.

I do believe in the right thing happening at the right time and although part of me wonders about design and illustration I know that in this new job I will be able to be creative. Also I can always be creative outside of work too. I brought my film camera on holiday with me, but I didn’t take many photos on it, using my phone far more. I am currently talking to a girl about helping design t-shirts for her boutique, based in Derry. It’s that worry/struggle though of any kind of freelance work – keeping yourself organised and on track with projects and juggling this with more work. It is good to be keeping up with a creative project though.

I am hoping that this new job will help me with my time management a bit! Sometimes when you are busier you get more done. I have been trying and failing and trying and failing to get on track with regular gym and eating better. Why is it so hard sometimes?! I find that I can be better during the day with eating well but my downfall comes at evening and I just crave all the junk!

I have a wedding at the end of June which I am keeping in mind to try and encourage myself to stay on track.

Saying this I also believe in enjoying your food – when I was away it was the most relaxed I’d been about food for a while, and I didn’t overeat or over do it on the drinks. I think that I was just feeling in control of everything as I was on my own and when I am at home then my emotions and food become a bit wrapped up in each other :(

I’ve been watching ‘The Assassination of Versace’ on Netflix at the moment. I’m about half way through the series and I think it’s really good. I liked the other docu-series thing on Netflix about O.J. Simpson and I think that this programme was produced by the same people. I also watched ‘Top of the Lake’ recently – some episodes were a bit slow but over all I enjoyed it, I think that the actress Elisabeth Moss is great. She was in Mad Men and The Handmaid’s Tale too.

Have you watching the Beyonce documentary? I’m not a massive Beyonce fan to be honest, but I’m kinda interested in it. I haven’t been to the cinema in a while, but Rocketman is in now – the one about Elton John. I thought Bohemian Rhapsody was good and I like watching films where you learn about people through the story line. So I might give that a watch soon.

Music wise – I heard this track on Annie Mac’s show on Radio 1 one evening, he’s called Joesef and I think hails from Glasgow. Just thought it was something a bit different!

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Did you see I posted on my Instagram stories I did some artwork for a musician in Derry – Bairie, for her latest release, ‘Rambling Boys’. Look it up on Spotify!

What do you think of Billie Eilish? I wasn’t so sure the first few times I heard her music but I now really like her stuff.

I am going to see SOAK play on Friday, she recently has brought a new album out, so much music talent that comes out of Derry! My favourite song off her new album is Déjà vu.

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I cannot wait to hear about your big trip! I hope it’s got you feeling inspired – I think I seen your sketchbook out in one of your pics! Enjoy the rest of your time away & take care!

Brigid x

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greerbaiting · 7 years ago

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Okay so apparently I still had so many feelings about Roger Kaplan when I woke up, so I’m gonna make a longer post which I’m unofficially calling “Why Roger Kaplan Should Be Your New Fave”

Okay first of all he’s just a really fun character to have in the show? Like, he’s a really great foil to Etta, and it’s so great whenever you get a chance to see them interact because it’s so clear that they both care about each other so much, they just disagree on how important work is and what Etta should be broadcasting about. They’re very different people and that may cause them to clash a lot but they still care so deeply for each other? Like I just. I want more scenes with them interacting because the scene where they’re threatening Percy and Nora with Bob is one of the best and I need more of these two working together. BUT IN A HAPPY WAY PLEASE.

give my children a break, pls

Honestly his relationships with all of the characters are just so amazing. Like, his friendship with Kate is so good???? The scene where she’s cheering him up with the creepy recording and talking about how the other two sometimes forget that not everyone works the same way and she’s so understanding and patient and doesn’t force him to be someone he’s not and is able to get him to come back inside by reassuring him that it’s okay. like. that scene means a lot to me, okay? And the scene at the end of episode 8 where they’re talking about how he knew that POSEIDON was coming is also so great. Like. Their friendship is amazing y’all. I need more of them being supportive and loving towards one another because they just get each other.

Also he tells her that he’s glad she got here when she did because “the last Travel Agent, she- well it doesn’t matter now.” Like clearly he didn’t have a great relationship with the last Travel Agent and so that makes his relationship with Kate so much more meaningful???? I just. I can’t. I can’t.

(also plus 10,000 points for The Bridge showing not just one but two strong platonic relationships between a man and a woman (Roger and Kate, Etta and Bertie). I mean I could say four because the Etta-Roger and Bertie-Kate ones are pretty great too, but it’s clear that the last two are like, best friend level, soooo)

And his relationship with Bertie is so great too? Like, Bertie brings him yellow roses because they mean friendship. And the entire scene where they’re playing cards in episode 8? It’s so great on so many levels. First of all, Bertie’s trying so hard to take his mind off of things. He’s being so patient with Roger and calling Kate over and over again because he knows that it’ll make him feel better. Also the bit where Roger’s asking if he’s told him how he ended up on the Bridge and Bertie says that he hasn’t, he just goes “Really? I could’ve sworn someone here knows.” because if anyone there were to know it would be Bertie and I just *sharp inhale* It’s good y’all. Oh yeah, and the scripts reveal this bit of information:

Like Bertie’s the first to get a real laugh out of Roger and I just. Hngh. Also when he asks Bertie about how he’s so calm, Bertie tells him that there’s no use in hiding his fear because it’s just them and they can talk about it if he wanted to. But he also tells him that it’s alright if he doesn’t want to talk, which is so important to hear. Like it means so much to me that there’s a character who doesn’t like talking about his feelings and the other characters are all fine with it and let him keep to himself.

Okay so he’s got great relationships with the other characters but what about Roger’s character himself? That’s where this shit gets real because he’s just sooo good y’all. He’s so good.

Like he loves his crew so much. He was literally prepared to either die (if he’s not immortal) or be in a shit ton of pain (if he is immortal) just to try to keep them safe. All throughout the scene where Nora stabs him you can hear his laboured breathing and it’s awful but also he was willing to go through that if it meant that Etta could get out safely. Heck, when he tells her to leave because it’s not her job to protect him Nora was still threatening to kill him. And yeah, you can say that maybe he’s immortal and so he was in no real danger of dying, but he can clearly still be injured and in pain.

And the only reason he doesn’t tell them about POSEIDON and the danger is because he’s scared that he won’t be able to save everybody and that they won’t be able to forgive him for it. He’s so certain that at least one of them is gonna die on his watch and he doesn’t want that to happen because they all mean so much to him and it’s definitely implied that this has happened to him before with the whole “will they be able to forgive me for choosing them over their friends? You couldn’t. So why should they?” bit and he’s so guilty over it and worried that it’ll happen again.

But his crew also love him so much???? Like they literally have one day a year where they do everything they can to try to make him smile because they want him to be happy so badly. And they think that when you’re happy you’re smiling and if you’re not smiling then you’re not happy. And yeah they go overboard a little bit but it’s so clear that they’re doing it all out of love and because they just want to see him be happy. And they back off once they realize that they’ve crossed a line and again, it’s so important that they have a character who is just allowed to not be happy all the time and be a grump and yet still gets to have all of these super meaningful relationships with everybody else in the show.

And he’s trying his best, y’know? Like yeah, he fucks up majorly and he definitely should have told them, but he thought that he would be able to keep them safe without having to scare them with the news that their lives were in danger and there was nothing they could do about it.

He’s also so fucking loyal to them. Like you get the sense that he would do literally anything to protect his crew and that just. it makes me emotional because I can’t stop thinking about how Polaris is coming/probably already there after that last episode and I don’t like thinking about what he might have to do to keep his crew safe.

Also we’ve already seen some character growth from him with how he views Bob. In the first few episodes he clearly doesn’t approve of how much Etta cares for Bob and you never see him refer to Bob by name, only as “the creature” or “it.” But after their run-in with Percy and Nora he begins referring to Bob by name and saying he/him instead of it. You can see that how they talked about him really rattled him and he almost gets sort of protective towards Bob in a different way than he had before. Prior to the run-in he was protective because it was his job. “Protect the asset” and all that. But afterwards he begins to see Bob as another part of his crew that needs his protection.

Also this boy is so soft? Like, he keeps acting like he’s super tough but he literally sings Adele songs to himself when he’s alone. And he likes rom coms (secretly). The crew also described him as a “burnt cinnamon roll” so y’know. Take from that what you will.

His dream was to have a sheep farm and spend his life tending to a flock of sheep. Like I get so emotional every time I think about this because 1) relatable af please give me a sheep farm but also because 2) he wants it so that he can just go and be alone. Just him and the sheep. Picture it. Roger and a herd of baaing clouds.

ALSO THIS BOY IS A MASSIVE NERD??? He’s the biggest nerd in the Watchtower apparently. A Watchtower that includes Etta Perrault and Roger has her beat for nerdiness levels. Like seriously. This boy.

And he may or may not be immortal? And if he is, he got his immortality through LITERALLY GAMBLING WITH HIS MEMORIES. Roger. Who hurt you so bad that you were willing to give those up? Or rather, how are you that stupid? They’re your memories boy, they can’t come back.

And if he’s not immortal then he’s just an overdramatic nerd who talks about a bet he lost constantly.

Which isn’t that surprising because he is literally so overdramatic all the time. Like Etta literally says that he spends a lot of time muttering woe-is-me thoughts under his breath. And he has a scene that has literally been dubbed his “Emo Rain Scene.”

He gets annoyed at himself when he accidentally makes a pun. And he at one point he literally says “Fun. If you like that sort of thing.” Like this guy is so overdramatic and so intent on being super serious all the time but also???? he just cares so much for the Watchtower crew and while sure, he doesn’t show his emotions all the time, it’s still very clear that he has them.

And I also really like that when he tells people off for things they aren’t constantly pressing for him to apologize, even if he’s too harsh sometimes. Like he tells Bertie off for knowing about Etta’s broadcasts and while he was a little hard on him, there’s no scene where everyone’s pressuring him to apologize because they know that he was (slightly) in the right (it’s a complicated situation) even if he was a little harsh when going about it. I dunno, that just means a lot to me.

ALSO he’s super paranoid. Like beyond just the whole “people are going to come along and take away Bob” thing. It’s canon that he sees things in the water or on the Bridge and panics about them (referenced in Mystery Science... Whatever). And I need more paranoid characters in my life.

ALSO ALSO he’s totally fine with being the Bad Cop when he and Kate are interrogating Frank. Like he even seems happy about getting to play that role. What a dork.

His name is Roger and everyone’s constantly making “Roger that” jokes and I love it.

He also regularly gets beaten up/knocked out/stabbed during the course of the show. And the show’s only 10 episodes so far. He has a real knack for it, seriously. Like does he just summon the danger? Or is he throwing himself into it to protect his crew? Who even knows anymore?

He tells people to treat guests kindly because you never know how they’ll return the favour. I still can’t decide whether or not this is adorable.

This post is getting pretty long so I’m gonna end it here but I’m probably missing a whole bunch of stuff because just everything about Roger is incredible and he’s just so great. So so great.

(Also Chris Martin fucking nails the voice acting. I’m just saying. Dude’s incredible.)

Times that Jess had to stop writing because they got too emotional: 6

#the bridge #the bridge podcast #roger kaplan #i don't know how much of this makes sense but whatever #i'm going to go cry in the corner over my son now bye #my posts #long post #whoops #fave characters

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thedailyhs · 8 years ago

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Chart-topper Harry Styles on how his new album was ‘therapy’, the future of One Direction and his sexuality

In a special edition of Bizarre, the 1D superstar tells all from his critically acclaimed new album to his dating life, and talks Mick Jagger, Simon Cowell and Adele

HARRY STYLES is hurtling towards chart domination in the UK and US this week with his critically acclaimed debut album. But as he emerges to greet me — dressed head to toe in black — from the back of a trailer parked behind the venue of his first ever solo show in North London, it’s clear he is in a reflective mood.

Harry Styles backstage at his first ever solo gig Security have just ordered us not to move more than two metres from the modest caravan — where his band members are chilling after sound check — to avoid the hundreds of fans gathered nearby. It’s for their own safety, of course. Who knows the reaction if they knew just a fence and four guards stand between them and the new prince of rock ’n’ roll? The ONE DIRECTION superstar shrugs it off — this level of hysteria has become a commonplace part of his day-to-day life.

Harry reflects about how his life was turned upside down by his time in One Direction My first interview with the band, in the X Factor canteen seven years ago, took place as a number of teenage girls were climbing on the roof. It was a sign of things to come. This is the first time I have seen Harry since 1D went on an indefinite break at the end of 2015 and there’s a lot to talk about. While the 23-year-old is famously guarded about his personal life, he reveals that writing his own music let him reflect on how his life was turned upside down by being part of 1D.

He tells me: “I found it really therapeutic to write. “Sitting at an instrument, you allow yourself to be vulnerable in a different way to speaking to anyone, even if you know them really well. I found it to be therapy — things that I’d either not thought about for a long time or hadn’t processed really because things had been moving so fast. “I wanted to put out a piece of me that I haven’t put out before.” Harry’s drawl is more intense and he talks more slowly than he has previously. He’s so chilled out and cool it’s like watching someone in slow motion. Like so many teen idols, Harry admits there were times he struggled to cope with life on the road. He explains (slowly): “It’s really hard to go from doing a show with thousands of people there to your hotel room — from being around people to nothing. After five years of doing that, I learnt a lot about myself. “There’s no textbook telling you how to go through that stuff. “With this album, rather than just go in and tell the story about what happened, I got to think about how it actually made me feel at the time. “I feel like it’s a good way of saying what you want to say about something without having to sit and be like, ‘You know what, this really p***ed me off.’ But I also wanted it to be fun to listen to. I didn’t want it to make me depressed.”

Harry gives the thumbs up while leaving his first solo gig How did he avoid turning to drink and drugs as a crutch like so many of his pop star contemporaries? He answers: “On the first couple of tours it was so exciting as we’d have a drink and go to parties. “But for me, the albums got higher so they become harder to sing so I knew if I didn’t come off stage and go to bed I wouldn’t be able to sing the next night. Also, it’s just not for me. I’d rather wake up with a clear head. I’m not straight edge or anything. I’ll celebrate and hang out with friends when it’s the right time. “But I like knowing I’m not going to be stressing about having to do something the next day. “I usually go long stretches without having anything, have a couple of drinks and wake up feeling like s***, so I have another long stretch of not drinking.” It was important for Harry to be “really honest” on the album.

“I didn’t want to sit and edit lyrics down,” he says. “Me listening to my favourite artists, I want to know why they chose to be alone one time and how that makes them feel, rather than, ‘I bought some champagne’.” On Friday, Harry said on Radio 2 that SIMON COWELL had given him an “anxiety problem”, something he insists was a “total, absolute joke”. He says of the X Factor mogul: “He’s wonderful. I spoke to him recently actually. “It’s been cool to go from working with him to have him call as a friend. He’s nice. I wouldn’t be here without him — a good guy.” But given his ex- bandmate ZAYN MALIK has told of his battles with anxiety, I wonder if it’s something he has suffered from seriously. He says: “I get nervous. Doing stuff like this, it would be difficult not to get nervous. I try to see it as a good sign that I realise what it is that I’m doing. “But I think it’s really important. People should always talk about things that are bothering them. It’s important to be open.” I ask Harry about sexuality in pop, a topic in the headlines after MILEY CYRUS spoke openly about her pansexuality. What’s his take? He says: “Being in a creative field, it’s important to be progressive. People doing stuff like that is great. “It’s weird for me — everyone should just be who they want to be. It’s tough to justify somebody having to answer to someone else about stuff like that.” So has Harry personally labelled his sexuality? He replies: “No, I’ve never felt the need to really. No.” Would he like to elaborate? “I don’t feel like it’s something I’ve ever felt like I have to explain about myself.” Harry is also steadfast that he won’t talk about his famous exes, singer TAYLOR SWIFT, TV host CAROLINE FLACK and reality TV star KENDALL JENNER. And he remains tight-lipped about his current lady TESS WARD the chef who promotes a “naked diet” and was in the crowd to watch his first solo gig, at London’s The Garage, on Saturday night. I wonder how he has gone about dating during his time off. He says with a laugh: “No, I’m not on Tinder! “I don’t really know. I try not to overthink too much. I don’t really talk about it I guess. “The rollercoaster affects different people in different ways. One of the ways that helps me dealing with that is compartmentalising between working. “All that stuff for me, is just a different thing.” Does he feel burnt by high-profile relationships from the past? He says: “You just learn. It’s part of growing up. “When we started I was 16. I’ve kind of learnt what makes me feel uncomfortable. That stuff to me doesn’t feel like anything I’ve had to explain.” Harry has managed to hang out with Taylor, Caroline and Kendall since the break-ups. So can you be friends with an ex? He gives a wry smile and answers: “Everyone should be friends, right?” THE future of ONE DIRECTION remains hotly debated – fans are still convinced the band’s hiatus will prove to be short-term. I’ve always doubted that and, hearing Harry’s accomplished album, it feels hard to see him rejoining. He giggles nervously when I suggest this, then says: “If you listen to anyone’s music, everyone’s is pretty different.” “The thing that I’m happiest about is that I didn’t leave there in a place of, ‘I feel so supressed.’ I never felt like I was faking it. I really enjoyed it. It’s the best thing that ever happened to me.” Of reuniting, he added: “It’s something I would never rule out doing. Right now everyone’s getting a chance to explore things they want to try and it’s really cool to see what they’re coming up with when it’s just them in a studio writing.” In the first episode of my Bizarre Life With Dan Wootton podcast, NIALL HORAN raised the possibility 1D could return as a trio. Where does Harry stand on that? He says: “Um, I dunno really. I can’t say I’ve ever thought about it. “It’s an interesting one. Maybe. I don’t think any of us would rule it out.” To me it feels like something that might happen in a decade, not two years. He replies: “Right, OK. I think it’s tough. I’ve enjoyed writing a lot and obviously I’m going to go on tour so I’m doing that at least for the next little bit. “I don’t know with timelines. But in general it would be really bad for any of us to say: ‘No, I don’t want to do that again.’ So you leave the door open? “Yeah, absolutely.” In December, the band were in the same room at the same time for the first time in a year following the death of LOUIS TOMLINSON’s mum. Harry says: “It’s really difficult to see people under circumstances like that. But it was really nice to see everyone and get to support Louis.” Absent was ZAYN MALIK, who left 1D before they split and has been largely negative about his time in the band. Harry says: “It’s a shame he felt that way. But I’d never wanna force anyone to do anything they didn’t want to do. Life’s too short.”

- The Sun

#harry styles #14 may 2017 #press #the sun

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yilinglaozuhot · 8 years ago

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Sherlock and the Structure of Shakespearian Plays

While I was watching Hamlet the other day, an idea stuck in my head. Can we apply the structure of Shakespearian dramas to Sherlock? Hell yeah, we can.

Many apologies if there are metas about this exact theme around tumblr (and I’m sure there are some, I just happened not to find them) but I just have to put my thoughts into words. Maybe I can be a conductor of light, too, with my miserable attempt to make sense what’s happened in Sherlock.

So, anyway, enjoy my non-academic rambling about Sherlock, Shakespeare, and drama.

Warning: it’s long!

Dramas are one of the most ancient kind of entertainment. The Greeks developed a so timeless genre of storytelling that it still has effects on today’s theatres, television and movies. Without them, we couldn’t have any of the above in the form that we know now. So, thank you, ancient Greeks for inventing drama! Kudos to you.

Traditionally, drama has two genres - comedy and tragedy. I don’t explain the differences between the two of them because they are pretty obvious for everybody. Shakespeare was the one who changed the structure and meaning of dramas. Originally, dramas contained three acts - beginning, middle and an end. But time goes by, and the structure had to evolve.

There isn’t a fine line in Shakespearian dramas between comedy and tragedy because he had a unique point of view what are the characteristics of the two genres. Usually, the audience found out what kind of drama they were watching by Act 5 because Shakespearian comedies aren’t about laughing (though there are many puns and different types of jokes in both genres). It’s the end which makes difference between Shakespeare’s dramas.

By the end of comedies love conquers all (yup, that was intended right here), the lovers finally can be together, and there is at least one marriage at the final scenes (in A Midsummer’s Night Dream there are four). Happy endings everywhere.

In tragedies, the opposite thing happen, of course. In Act 5, the shit hits the fan (sorry for the vulgarity but it’s true) and everything falls apart. Lovers are lost, families are in pieces, kingdoms are in ruins. No happy endings, just chaos and decay.

Shakespeare invented the Five Act dramas, and applied the structure to his plays. Here is the format of the Five Act drama structure, copied from this website because I’m a lazy ass and don’t want to dig after my old university notebooks.

Act 1: The Exposition Here, the audience learns the setting (Time/Place), characters are developed, and a conflict is introduced.

Act 2: Rising Action The action of this act leads the audience to the climax. It is common for complications to arise, or for the protagonist to encounter obstacles.

Act 3: The Climax This is the turning point of the play. The climax is characterized by the highest amount of suspense.

Act 4: Falling Action The opposite of Rising Action, in the Falling Action the story is coming to an end, and any unknown details or plot twists are revealed and wrapped up.

Act 5: Denouement or Resolution This is the final outcome of the drama. Here the authors tone about his or her subject matter is revealed, and sometimes a moral or lesson is learned.

Sounds familiar? We can apply this Five Act structure to Sherlock. We just haven’t seen Act 5 as I stated in this post. And I’m sure I’ve read something very similar from somebody else but I can’t remember what from whom, so I’d be very pleased if somebody could figure out what I was thinking about.

Breaking the fourth wall, huh?

(For some kind of reason this picture reminds me of the drawing room play that was popular in which era? Yup, you guessed right, the Victorian era. But that is a whole new kind of topic.)

Act 1 = Series 1

The Exposition. The audience learns the setting - 2010, London -, and the characters are developed - Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Mrs Hudson, Molly Hooper, Mycrot Holmes etc. “A conflict is introduced.” We have very layered conflicts here between the characters, and also we get hints throughout the whole series for the main conflict that Jim Moriarty brings upon the heads of our main characters. It’s beautifully introduced in ASiP:

JW: “What’s Moriarty?” SH: “I’ve absolutely no idea.”)

and revealed in TGG :

“Jim Moriarty. Hi.”

It’s a well-planned arc to reveal the mystery of Moriarty that works fantastically in S1. The main conflict is introduced for the rest of the play: “I will burn the heart out of you.” But Sherlock is informed that he hasn’t got a heart, so Moriarty has to show him that he definitely has one before he burns it out.

Act 2 = Series 2

Rising Action. Finally, we get to know Moriarty in TGG, and this knowledge arcs through S2. In this Act, Sherlock Holmes and John Watson have to go through many obstacles like The Woman and the Hound. They have to fight with their emotions and develop in character to finally reach the climax of the whole play, The Reichenbach Fall. The conflict (the heart-burning stuff) is fully developed by TRF, and Moriarty makes his first attempt to burn the heart out of Sherlock by ruining his reputation, separating him from the world he knows and the people he cares about. In this series Sherlock learns that he has a heart that can be burnt out of him. We can clearly see how it’s shattering and breaking during the progress of TRF. The first time we can witness is when he confronts John that Moriarty wants the world to believe him as a fraud. But John is still loyal to him even then, and doesn’t believe that Sherlock’s a fake genius. On the rooftop of Bart’s, Sherlock’s heart finally breaks when he calls John to leave a note and I think this is the point he realises that he’s always had a heart. But he doesn’t accept it at this point in the story.

Act 3 = Series 3 + TAB

The Climax. S3 is the turning point of the whole Five Act play. After 2 years of exile, Sherlock Holmes finally returns to London and reveals to John that he’s not dead. Little did he know that John has got on with his life while he was away and wants to get married. A new important character is introduced, Mary Morstan. She is a new obstacle between our two main characters while they try to mend their friendship. John forgives Sherlock, and Sherlock accepts that John has a life that doesn’t entirely depend on him. They come to terms with this new situation though it’s hurtful for both of them. The cracks are there though they try hard to repair them. Meanwhile, Sherlock’s heart breaks some more beacuse of this new situation. This metaphor becomes more obvious when it turns out that Mary is an assassin and shots Sherlock in the chest. Three times. Once in reality, twice in Sherlock’s Mind Palace. We’re introduced to the structure of MP and the theory of Extended Mind Palace (EMP) on which you can read excellent metas from various writers like @the-7-percent-solution, @inevitably-johnlocked, @gosherlocked and many more. If you’re interested in the idea, go and read something from them.

(Honestly, I like being sceptic and questioning everything but as I’m writing this shitton of rambling, EMP theory starts making more and more sense.)

I add TAB as an extension to S3 because in my opinion it’s more connected to the events of S3 than S4. By the end of it we are back at tarmac hell. Sort of. The whole episode takes place in Sherlock’s head. It’s a play within a play. Sounds familiar? We see this device e.g. in Hamlet. Hamlet sets up a play in which the actors reenact the murder of Hamlet’s father in order to unveile Claudius’ guiltiness. Sherlock sets up a whole story in which he tries to figure out if Moriarty is dead or alive. We get a clue from Jim (who is a hallucianation within a hallucination) that

“[...] it’s never the fall that kills you, Sherlock. [...] It’s never the fall. It’s the landing.”

And Sherlock, after he comes back (or does he?) from his Mind Palace to reality, gets to the conclusion that

“Moriarty is dead, no question. But more importantly, I know exactly what he's going to do next.”

But in the final scene we are back in 1895, Holmes staring through the window of 221B, and slowly the modern day Baker Street starts to leak through the Victorian setting.

Keep in mind this play within a play device because it’s getting rather fun at this point.

Act 4 = Series 4

Falling Action. S4 begins lightheartedly but it soon turns pretty dark. It’s a series of consequences and the cracks on the relationships between characters become rifts, everybody’s hearts are broken. The audience feels some things are beyond help, the end is coming and “more unknown details and plot twists are revealed.” Hello, Eurus and Redbeard! And after all the shit Sherlock and John have to go through, they all go back to Baker Street, repair their home and their hearts (it’s such a beautiful metaphor, I’m crying). Finally, Sherlock accepts his heart and learns to live with it.

And they live happily ever after...

Or do they? What is exactly the description of Act 4? “The opposite of Rising Action, in the Falling Action the story is coming to an end, and any unknown details or plot twists are revealed and wrapped up.” Mofftiss created a textbook Act 4 in S4. In the very surface the audience feels it’s really the end, our heroes got their happy endings, and there is also a kind of wrapping up in the plot as we learn details about Sherlock’s past. BUT! But, by the end of S4 we have more questions than before which suggests it really isn’t the end (I don’t want to start listing the fuckery here because we all know that).

But I have one question that is bigger than every other question. How did exactly Moriarty burn the heart out of Sherlock? Because I’ve already seen heartbreak, loss and pain, but all these events led Sherlock to learn the advantages of having a heart, and accepting it.

Oh, and have you ever read A Midsummer’s Night Dream? And do you remember Puck suggesting the audience that it all might have been a dream, breaking the fourth wall and questioning reality?

If we shadows have offended, Think but this, and all is mended, That you have but slumber'd here While these visions did appear. And this weak and idle theme, No more yielding but a dream, Gentles, do not reprehend: if you pardon, we will mend: And, as I am an honest Puck, If we have unearned luck Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue, We will make amends ere long; Else the Puck a liar call; So, good night unto you all.

We, the audience also question the reality of S4, and we have our own Puck... MOFFTISS. They literally tell us they lie and lie and lie and don’t believe a single word they say! So, at least they are honest about lying! Like, are they even real? Those nerds...

Throughout the whole of S4, we get parallels between TAB and S4, and here is a fantastic gifset by @afishlearningpoetry that sums up all the parallels, and gives the feeling that we are all in a well-planned play. The Victorian dream starts to leak into modern days, leading us back to the end of TAB. I think Sherlock didn’t wake up from TAB, and he’s still in his MP, and the different layers he’s built up are leaking into each other.

So, I have a general feeling that S3 and S4 are more tied together than I thought before I started to write this comparison. If I wanted to go further, and why the hell wouldn’t I? I would say we've seen a play within a play within a play in these 4 series. Let me explain.

We have 4 series/4 acts, that’s our “eggshell” play that contains the other plays. Within that “eggshell”, there’s another play, TAB that begins in HLV when Sherlock’s got shot. Within TAB, there’s Series 4. BOOM! Sherlockception.

“You’re too deep, Sherlock.” The water is too deep. It’s time to wake up. Moriarty has finally a heart to burn out.

Act 5 = Series 5

Denounement or Resolution is yet to come. But will we be watching a tragedy or a comedy? I bet my money on tragedy.

As I was writing this thing I started to think that each series can be considered as 3 Act plays, and I stumbled upon this fantastic meta by @futureofthemasses, explaining all my thoughts and beyond.

Also, there are a lot of foreshadowing throughout S3 and S4 which lead us to the conclusion that Sherlock is a Five Act play. Of course, the writers couldn’t introduce us too soon to the concept because they like keeping secrets but they also like foreshadowing and planning sub-texts into their scripts.

“You are not a puzzle solver, you never have been. You’re a drama queen.” - John Watson, TSoT

“I never could resist a touch of drama.” - Sherlock Holmes, HLV

“The stage is set, the curtain rises. We are ready to begin.” - Sherlock Holmes, TAB

“Pure reason toppled by sheer melodrama. Your life in a nutshell.” - Mycroft Holmes, TAB

“Sorry! I can never resist a gong. Or a touch of the dramatic.” - Sherlock Holmes, TAB

“The perfect stage for a perfect drama.” - Sherlock Holmes, TAB

“The sound of breaking glass - not a window. Just an old theatrical trick.” - Sherlock Holmes, TAB

“The setting is a shade melodramatic, don't you think?” - Sherlock Holmes, TAB

“Nice location for the final act, couldn't have chosen it better myself.” - Sherlock Holmes, TST. And hullo, parallel to the quote above?

“By the pricking of my thumbs” - Sherlock Holmes, TST (quoted from William Shakespeare - Macbeth, Act 4, Scene 2)

“Once more unto the breach...” - Sherlock Holmes, TLD (quoted from William Shakespeare - Henry V, Act 3, Scene I)

+1 The skull fuckery explained by @mrboddydidit, and it has to be Shakespeare. Of course.

And if you liked this comparison, then...

@justwolfiethings @sofini and @holmesianscholar???

idk, don’t take it seriously

Anyway, it was good to get it out of me. I’ll just put this potato out there and wait what will happen...

#bbc sherlock #sherlock #sherlock holmes #tfhc #tinfoil hat club #tinfoil hat #tinfoil deerstalker #sherlock meta #or what is this?#my meta #rambling #just keep on with your scrolling #idk #shakespeare #sherlock and shakespeare #i was bored #we are all anderson #anderson #s4 meta

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