#their outfits and sets and performances have all been phenomenal

[candlelightceremony]

The Last Dinner Party on their UK/Eire tour via instagram

[the1gayteen]

Pink Pony Club Episode-911

Thanks to @speaknowbuckley I gained the motivation to finish this plot idea for what I picture for a queer central episode (Gay club, because its LA and I am desperate for ABC to allow us to see that side of the city!)  for 9-1-1!  (Also im back from vacation yay!)

Title: The Pink Pony Club (Please know that its been a Chappell Summer for me truly) 

Main Plot/Episode Dynamic:  

I see this following a bit after Bucks initial coming out as Bi (I initially had this before he actually was confirmed bi so I saw him coming out alone, but I can still see this with the buck/tommy coming out as well!). Takes place during pride month and Hen is watching as Buck is excited for his first pride month as not and ally™. I see her wanting to take Buck out with her and Karen to the bars to celebrate, and of course Chim and Eddie may have overheard and become jealous to join (letting them all come along for support and just fun). Overall its an episode that explore a lot. Buck feeling scared to feel accepted into the queer community finally, that maybe he isn't queer enough (possibly exploring Bi hatred within the community) (for me bi hatred and eraser is something that I would love to see touched upon especially now with how people have been reacting to bi characters becoming a norm) and scared to head out to the bars. But having a Buck and Hen brother sister scene where she convinces him that he should celebrate and love himself. Eventually planning outfits together. I see buck finally letting go as he walks into the first bar. People dancing around without a care, queens, men, women. Standing on the floor and letting the music mute his racing mind, finally letting himself sway to the music with a content happiness. Hen and Karen smiling proudly as they join in.  

Oh but don't think this whole story is just on Buck and Hen. I love a queer Eddie arch and if I was a writer for ABC this would be the first fucking stone cast for this arch. Eddie walking into that bar initially without any worry. He was an ally and doing this for his best friends, no worries there. Why would he be? He’s straight... right? But why as he's watching buck dance with men does he have this pain in his chest. Or seeing other men dance together with such joy and ease. Why as he sips and chats with a drag queen at the bar does he feel the most like he’s at ease and belongs somewhere than ever before? Why does the episode end with Eddie sneaking off back to the very same bar the next night without the rest of the 118 as a soft melody of pink pony club plays, a smile etching across his face as the lights over cast his face (I NNEEEDDD). 

Oh and Chim, having a fucking blast as per usual with Maddie.  

Songs Used/When they would be used: 

9-1-1's sound track to me at least has always been phenomenal for storytelling and setting the mood. So for an actual pride episode like this I would want some good bangers (I made a playlist that I may post later lol) 

1. If I Had You- Adam Lambert 

2. Pink Pony Club – Chappell Roan  

3. Rush- Troye Sivan (See this as more of a background song) 

4. I Know a Place- MUNA 

5. Its Raining Men- The Weather Girls 

There is more but these are *my* essentials 

Possible Emergencies: 

I would love for the conversation of Buck wanting/starting to look into queer culture and history after coming out to be shown on a call at a drag show/club. The same club that the 1(gay)teen shows up to later in the episode. Something about the dimensions of how certain heels are made for drag performers or how thick costumes (tights, tucks, etc.) can be and how that queen or queens ended up in that situation.  

A pride parade incident? (I wrote a possible scenario where there is one with Take me to Church over it and gods let me be a writer, PS I don't think I'm a good writer at all lol) 

Again thank you for coming to my Ted Talk I will take my exit..

[birdkeeperklink]

So since you watched Hammer HOTB for the first time…

THOUGHTS? 😆

(It’s one of my comfort films hehe so I’m very curious! :D)

Yeeess, I will gladly share my thoughts!! (Honestly it's probably one of my comfort movies now, too, I loved it, so that's the conclusion to all my rambling to follow 😂❤️)

So, the atmosphere was just fantastic, I was really impressed with how spooky it actually was. The setting really helped with that, of course, with the ruins and the mire and the "feel" of the house easily switching between comfortable and hiding things.

I loved the costuming (why didn't they always put Christopher Lee in riding boots?? And omg Peter Cushing's various outfits and his cloaks and just 👏👌 Andre Morell I thought I'd have a hard time buying as Watson after watching Cash on Demand first, but the costume helped with that, too - he immediately looked like Watson.) So definitely props to the wardrobe people and whoever did Peter Cushing's hair in this one. (Not for any particular character reason, I just really liked this hair.)

I don't think there was a single bad performance in this? I feel like literally everyone was good in their roles. I know people disliked changing Frankland to a bishop, but he cracked me up, so I didn't care. Making him an absent-minded insect-collecting guy just made him delightful. Mortimer made me bristle every time he was onscreen, so props to de Wolff.

And of course, it goes without saying that Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing were phenomenal. Andre Morell (to return to him) is also very underrated, I think - I hated him so much in Cash on Demand, and then in this movie, he convinced me as Watson and I just felt so warm towards him in a very short time.

In fact, the dynamic between Cushing and Morell was so wildly different that it's a testament to both of them and how well they worked together. I can see why they were cast to play off each other more than once, and I love seeing it.

On the subject of Watson, I was really, really pleased with how this version didn't make Watson a slack-jawed idiot - he gets things to do, he has knowledge to contribute, we can see why Sherlock trusts him and values his input. And their dynamic was one of my favorites in all of the adaptations I've seen - the true, relaxed warmth in each other's company is even present when Sherlock's in a mood and being snappish - this Watson gives as good as he gets, but they're not ever malicious, so it comes off more as old married couple or bickering sibling vibes, and I'm here for it.

Christopher Lee's Henry Baskerville is an absolute puppy and he deserves a hug and a free horse. Even when he's going after Cecile - on paper it could've been uncomfortable, but the way he plays it, it feels more like someone leaping at the first sign of romantic attention they've possibly ever had, and so even if he's still quite forward, it doesn't feel icky, which it very well could have in another actor's hands, so full kudos to him for making this character just feel like an occasionally grumpy but overall marshmallow sweetheart.

Peter Cushing left all other Sherlocks in the dust for me. I fully expected to be underwhelmed, having hyped myself up because I love him as an actor already, but I was not, not at all. His is the best Sherlock, to me. He feels so complete, despite being in about half of one short movie - like we saw all of the shades of this very complex character. Beautiful ❤️

I didn't mind the changes to the story. I thought the mine scene was fun, actually, and led to one of many lines that made me laugh (this was an unexpectedly funny movie in some parts, mostly because of Sherlock being such a sass queen and Peter Cushing making use of his rarely-displayed comedic chops!), so even though I know other people criticise that scene, I enjoyed it.

I also liked how obviously fake the dead dog was - being able to easily see that it's not a real dead animal is hokey to some people, but comforting to me. 🤷

I've rambled enough, so, negatives? I didn't like that Mortimer was involved in some way but left a loose end. Cecile was poorly handled as a character from start to finish, but I do give them credit for trying something different. The tarantula 😂 That just won't stop being unintentionally funny because it's definitely not deadly, but - that's okay. 🤷😂

Overall, I loved it, it's definitely a new favorite! ❤️❤️❤️

Since it's one of your comfort movies, any thoughts or headcanons you'd like to share about it? I'd love to hear them if you do! ❤️😍

[thatgirlinskullz]

The Acolyte SPOILER THOUGHTS after the s1 finale

okay, now that the season is over, i guess i can try and sum up my thoughts on the show overall..

is it a perfect show? absolutely not. but what Star Wars is perfect? NONE OF IT. and i say that as someone who LOVES all the star war i've consumed so far.

wonky dialogue and delivery IS an essential part of sw at this point, starting with the originals and don't even try to argue with that. no point. but we love sw anyway, right? because of the overall story, the characters and the messages it tries to convey.

so yes, the acolyte does have some weird dialogue in parts, delivery is not always perfect, seems a little.. unnatural? might be the best word i can use for it.

there's also pacing issues, which can mostly be attributed to the UNBELIEVABLY SHORT episode runtimes.. most episodes were 30-35 minutes EXCUSE ME???? of course they can't fit in story, character moments and scenes that set up the world/environment they're in. omg that annoyed me so much. establishing shots have ALWAYS been a huge part of sw, showing the scenery, the sky, multiple suns or moons, showing space, the area in which our characters will appear, showing the animals and people of the planet, etc. that has always been important to make the galaxy feel real and lived-in, but this time, with the short runtimes, unfortunately it all feels like wasted time, that we could instead be spending with our characters and progressing the story. and i kinda hate that. don't get me wrong, i loved all the establishing shots but i couldn't help but feel like "damn, move along, i wanna see the story, we only have 10 more minutes left". and i think that's one of the biggest issues with the show. not the wonky lines or their deliveries, but how it feels like it didn't get enough time to shine, and some parts feel unnecessary, while others feel rushed. and i'm about 90% sure that this is NOT on the writers but the executives who only gave them 8x 35min episodes....

but i don't want to just focus on the """bad""", because the show IS GOOD!! firstly, all the actors are gorgeous, talented people, and imo gave the best performances they could given all the above as their circumstances, i wouldn't be surprised if some of the deliveries felt off because cuts were made. the actors all embodied their characters fully, they made you fall in love with them right away, and THAT is an accomplishment.

Lee Jung-Jae is a phenomenal actor, who stole my heart immediately as Sol, and i was 100% convinced he's like Qui-Gon, BOY WAS I WRONG. but he made me believe in him, and love him. all his lines carried so much weight, because he IS JUST THAT GOOD! he sold me on Sol with his first minute on screen and i didn't want to believe he could ever do anything wrong. I loved this character and Lee Jung-Jae's portrayal deserves awards imo.

Amandla Stenberg has been someone i've admired for years now, they are such a talent, so underrated and underutilized in film. they can evoke such emotion with just one look, it still blows me away. i really like both Mae and Osha, tho i wish they had more time together so we could have seen more of their dynamic, instead of just misunderstandings, fights and running away from each other - but i guess that's part of their dynamic too. Amandla did a great job with the emotional scenes AND the fights (tho i'm never sure when it's them or a stunt person), and i can't wait to see more of Mae and Osha's story. I am so happy Amandla is in SW.

Manny Jacinto is one of the most beautiful men on this planet, AND he's talented, and i am so happy people are finally realizing it! he pulls you in no matter what version of his character he's playing. he just makes you want to know more and spend more time with his character, and i find that incredible. The costume department also knew what they were doing cuz DAMN that outfit showing those arms and his physique. DAYUMMM. (i'm sorry) I don't think i've had such high interest in a dark side user since Maul, and that's saying something. i really hope to see more of Qimir in SW and Manny Jacinto in more films/big shows because HE IS SO GOOODDD. he deserves the recognition he's finally getting 100%!!!

some other things i loved about the show that are very spoilery:

more force witches because the nightsisters can't be the only ones!!

the returning idea of twins, possibly a force dyad.. love how twins are utilized throughout sw, kind of showing the duality of a person in a more physical way.

the use of "a certain point of view" was incredible in this show. i loved how they showed different perspectives of the same events, and how they emphasized that the jedi are not always the "good guys" if you're looking at it from the outside. i dont think this undermines anything about the jedi, only expands on the idea of the jedi imo.

a wookie jedi swinging a lightsaber -- we've only seen Gungi until now as far as i know, so having Kelnacca actually do stuff, (even if not exactly the way i wanted it to happen), was such an amazing experience. GIVE MORE WOOKIES LIGHTSABERS PLEASE!!

bleeding the kyber crystals. OMG I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS FOR SO LONG and it was beautiful. they did such an amazing job with putting it on screen. what a time to be a sw fan.

lightsaber throwing!!!! OMG THAT'S MY MOVE IN ALL THE GAMES!!! no, but seriously, that's such a cool thing to see in a canon sw show, i don't think we've seen a lot of lightsaber throwing in sw outside of the games, and it was so fun to see on screen!

lightwhip?! hellooo??!! i really wanna see more of it, and i wanna learn how and why it exists and how it works (i guess i need to read the books, huh?)

a variety of saber designs for all the jedi to signify their personalities and styles, AND cool-ass lightsabers like Qimir's???? omg that was was a really good design, how he could pull it apart into a big and small saber.

possible plagueis cameo??? idk if its him but damn that was cool. would be a shame if we didn't get a s2....

yoda in high republic era???!!! i knew it would just be a cameo, and i knew it would be right at the end, but it was still nice to see his lil green head

i've had the whole day to process the episode and think this over, but overall, despite its issues i loved this show.

i think they had some really great ideas, amazing actors and costumes and sets, the only problem is, the show was not given enough time. and i don't know what the problem was - highly doubt the writers or showrunner wanted it this way but i could be wrong.

i think this story, this era in SW has a lot of potential, and if/when we get a season 2 i really hope the creatives are given more freedom and more time to delve into more aspects of the world and characters. this COULD BE one of the greatest Star Wars stories IF given enough care and time. idk if it will be. so far so good, in my opinion, but there's definitely room for improvement, and i just hope they will take all the actual valid criticism from the actual fans, and make this a SW story that will live on for generations.

anyway, I LOVE STAR WARS

i did not come here to fight or argue, so if you don't agree or don't like the show, good for you, just let others enjoy it and share their opinions.

be nice to each other please.

and watch more star wars.

[scribble-dribble-writes]

So apparently it's because "it was eligible for the jury to watch" which is just stupid imo. Also these award shows are heavily hypocritical, racist and biased as hell AND AND AND it's cause James Cameron has his named tied to it 🙄 im tired of them

I'm not discrediting James Cameron's status as a good director. He's made some good movies, Avatar was phenomenal when it first came out. But don't get me wrong, I don't remember anything from it apart from the animals, the beauty of Pandora and the mild thread of human beings going to destroy yet another indigenous planet and then some guy saves it.

Now if way of water had been released before Wakanda forever and it did well or I got to witness what it was all about, like yeah I'll be ok with any nominations they get. BUT the movie hasn't even come out yet? It's needs to make 2 billion to break even? All while we have this stellar movie, that dealt with the loss of a larger than life person and character, indigenous representation, stellar performances by women of colour, amazing scores when Ludwig researched and collaborate with Mayan musicians to recreate a SOUND that had been lost YEARS ago???? Can you believe how beautiful that is??? This movie should win purely for that alone

But wait there's more! The costumes, all the people who worked on each of those dresses, they're all works of art. The VFX team who did such a great job on the whole Talokan sequence? Making me believe that it actually exists. The screenplay, the sets, the BLOODY EFFORT??

I watched the behind the scenes for Way of water, the actors were submerged, yes but they didn't wear heavy ornaments. The monologue of Namor's speech to his people was filmed under water with the whole head piece. Alex's head piece for Attuma was literally so heavy. Mabel was underwater as she wore that beautiful ceremonial outfit? Like most of the scenes we see, were captured as they are.

And yes a movie's merit is that the people love it and we cherish it but it also feels nice to see the actors, directors and literally everyone else you've supported, get their chance to win. I get sore with all these awards, because I get reminded of that time La La Land didn't win because I was rooting for it. And by all aspects it was amazing, the songs, the cinematography and the writing. So I've learnt first hand that these award shows are a farce.

But with this movie it feels so apparent, because it's not just marvel or anything like that. This movie represents so many things for so many people and technically award shows, marketing and media should be behind it cheering it on. Except what I've seen so far is it trying to demean this movie's quality at every turn 🙄

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals: In The Air Tonight

Now this is a song that many people know, at least partially! Even if the name doesn't ring a bell for you, you almost definitely know the part that some people call "one of the most iconic drumlines in music", so really it's no surprise that this was an arrangement from The Human Drumkit himself, Mr Layne Stein! Voiceplay's cover of In The Air Tonight premiered on YouTube on the 17th of June, 2023, and features J None, back again! I will of course say more about the video when we actually get into it, so let's go!

Apparently the style/aesthetics of this video plays homage to a classic 80s cop show called Miami Vice, which used the song "In The Air Tonight" in its pilot episode, in a scene which (so I've heard) has been referred to by some as one of the most iconic in the history of television.

(Also the car belongs to Layne's dad, and likely would have been sitting in the garage since the early days of 4:2:Five, at least)

J looking very cool and fresh in that red blazer! (Reminds me of the Walk Like A Man section of the Boy Band Medley!)

Geoff is, once again, the only bare-shouldered/sleeveless one of the group! (A back-to-back occurrence if you don't count the Peaches video!) (Also peep the necklace!)

A cool audiovisual effect thing to transition into the "modern-day" filming style!

Cesar is vibing, and Eli is back at it again with the unworn-sunglasses-as-accessory!

Cool necklace! And he's got earrings, too!

I won't lie, this may be one of my favourite Geoff Looks of 2023. It's not even anything particular about the outfit, he just looks so pretty in this one! (And his hair is looking very nice here, too 👀😁)

"Well if you told me you were drowning, I would not lend a hand"

Of course I had to acknowledge Cesar's powerful side-eye here! Like seriously, if anyone ever asks you what a side-eye is, just show them this moment! 👌

Group shot!

I believe I read a comment somewhere saying this was filmed outside PattyCake Productions or something, like outdoors? And apparently it was a bit warm outside, especially with the lighting rigs, but if they were sweating/partially melting at all during this, you really can't tell! They did great!

(And shoutout to both Layne and Tony for set design and direction!)

Cesar never fails to put his whole self into his performances, and I love it every time

Voiceplay love adding brief little moments like this into their videos sometimes, just to keep things interesting and/or keep viewers on their toes 😄

Get it, Layne! Go off!

I wanna post screencaps from Geoff's little vocal solo and/or Layne's epic drumline-recreation immediately after, but still images don't do either justice! Go (re)watch it yourself!

"I been waiting for this moment, for ALL my liiife!"

The retro filming style/aesthetic is back! Happening so quickly and smoothly that you would be forgiven if you didn't immediately pick up on it! (*cough*)

Sure, why not?

"Well I been waiting for this moment, for all my life, oh loooooo o r r r d d"

(Pretty Boy!!!!!)

J None is freaking amazing, and I really hope he becomes a permanent Voiceplay member again someday; both he and Cesar are fantastice vocalists and performers, and they both have vocal ranges wide enough that they can both easily take the role of baritone and/or tenor!

In my opinion, the original song does not really start getting interesting until the "bass drop" drumline like 3 minutes into the song, but Voiceplay's cover is not even close to dull for a single moment! We get incredible vocals from everyone in this one (and I didn't talk about Eli much at all here, but vocally he was of course phenomenal), and the arrangement has a fair few complexities and interesting stuff to it, like the stomp-clap-click percussion moment which I still struggle to actually keep in time/on beat with! Definitely a very strong cover from Voiceplay, and frankly it's a crime that it "only" has 500k views on YouTube! It deserves a million! At least!

[whiskeyswifty]

Tell us how your renaissance tour concert was!!

omggggggg absolutely SPECTACULAR. I've seen bey a few times, mrs. carter and the formation tour, and every time has been better than the last but this...... this was on another level. the crowd was like a live wire, totally jam packed metlife stadium (we did not win the on mute award though because new yorkers are are STUPID. my hometown of DC won though i'm proud to say :)) Every single minute of it, was expertly paced, even down to starting with ballads which is kind of an insane move??? She sang like idk 4-5 ballads to open the show and honestly that was a very smart choice. Most people leave slower stuff for the end, but Bey's show is also 3.5 hours so by hour 3.... yeah you're already tired so a slow song is NOT the move. Also, to open with her voice just BOOMING like that, absolutely stunning and her riffs!!! her adlibs!!! as the sun sets!!!! MY GODDDDDDDD it's life changing to hear her live. I cannot recommend it enough, especially when she sings ballads. the piano player was also this hot woman that my gf and i were like oh???? kiss???? they didn't but bey sat ON the piano for most of the ballads so i'll settle for that.

then the show really started and it was PHENOMENAL!!!!! mind blowing what she did with some of the robot arms and the set pieces she had. There was this one part where the robot arms "painted" stained glass onto her and the dancers outfits???? it was't actually painting it, but I HAVE NO IDEA HOW THEY DID IT???? The show was so high energy, so joyful, and also so funny??? i haven't laughed that hard at a fucking stadium tour show like.... ever?? like not even her banter, which she doesn't do much of, just that the show had BITS. America has a problem has the famous news desk that i'm sure you've seen, which says KNTY News.... cunty news..... SCREAM. she also comes out in this stupid ass bee helmet that's sooooooo funny to see on her. There's one part where a giant sliver vertical mattress is brought out seamlessly, pillows and all, and they wrap her in it like in a split second and SHE PRETENDS TO TAKE A NAP STANDING UP!!!! FOR NO REASON. IN BETWEEN SONGS. she's just having sooo much fun, making such silly faces, saying silly shit. it really felt like a huge party and was just the most joyous and cathartic show i've ever been a part of. not a single second where you wanted to sit down or stop dancing. les twins were SOO GOOD and this one part at the end of america has a problem they got up on huge poles and were like swinging over the audience?? some real cirque du soleil shit. and the end of heated live... screaming with 65k people.... THAT is gay culture. AND IN THE END SHE RIDES ON A GIANT BEDAZZLED HORSE. IN THE AIR. The stage as well was really cool, how they used the visuals to transform it into sets and the giant circle in the middle, which YES turned into a cyborg's open vagina because why not??? just.... unreal. god i could gush about it forever, if you can manage to get tickets, go see it. it's dazzling and unreal and the production value, the spectacle of it all, the pacing and the energy, not to mention Beyoncé is the single greatest singer/performer currently living and she's incredible to behold. the voice, the choreo, the art direction of it all, just beyond compare.

i have to take a minute to just say..... the interludes...... oh fucking BITCH they were soooooooooooooooooo galaxy brain genius. works of art!!! every single one!!!! like short films!!!!! some of them were abstract and some of them were actual footage. There's one part where cyborg beyonce taps the camera lens and it's a VERY cool moment and was the one on the NY exclusive merch. one was a short film of the ballroom scene from the 80s/90s, i'd venture to guess, and i got so emotional seeing all of those queer people back then, most of them black and brown, full of joy and life. to spotlight them during this show like that was so beautiful, celebrate them now in front of all those people and see that despite the horrors our community has always faced, they always found joy and happiness, i couldn't handle it i got teary. Immediately afterwards they went into the Pure/honey section where the dancers did the ballroom portion and HONEY BALENCIAGA CAME OUT EVEN THO SHE WAS INJURED THATS A HOMETOWN GWORL. anyway i had a fucking phenomenal time if you couldn't tell. there's an amazing photo my best friend took of me and my gf where i'm just standing there gobsmacked, jaw on the floor, and my gf is a blur in the background cuz she didn't stop dancing the whole night. one for the ages!

[kiroenthusiast]

Final Elysium: Stranger

The 36th Day of Spring, Year 2028 of the Pangaean Calendar, Dawn.

The report that they received from Prince Gabriel had said the new base was being built just a few kilometers away from Svarta, right next to Pilgrim Falls. Kai had lead the assault team, and while they had run into a few snags here and there, the entire team had managed to come out mostly unscathed. However, the same could not be said for their enemy.

Kai looked overhead as they made their way back home. They had set out for the assault a little past midnight, and now, as dawn was approaching the horizon, they trekked through the woods on horseback, his squad mates blatantly disregarding the peace the night brought, laughing and chattering like they would in broad daylight.

Under the cover of darkness... That's how the Corp. of Ashes had always functioned.

“Have you guys heard of the new troupe that’s come to town? My sister says they put on some phenomenal performances,” One of the guys in the back, Simon, managed to grab everyone’s attention with those words. While Kai didn’t make any effort to turn and look behind, he trained his ears to listen in on the conversation.

“Oh yeah, I’ve heard they’ve already performed in three other nations before coming here,” added Keith, a young lad who had joined the order not long ago. “There’s this one dancer they have that’s got every guy in the kingdom buying up their tickets just to catch a glimpse of her.”

“Not just guys! She’s charmed a lot of girls too!” Cried Ruth, a former mercenary that had joined them as one of their first members. Her muscular build and brute strength put even most men to shame. 

“Makes you wonder if they’re actually good performers or the reason for their fame is all because of one girl’s beauty,” Kai added skeptically, having heard about this matter for the first time. The others laughed heartily at his words, and then Simon, having something more to add, found his voice to speak up. “Oh, that reminds me, I heard that the King would be inviting them to perform at the upcoming banquet this weekend.”

The entire group erupted in a series of cheers and hoots, scaring away whatever small animals and birds that may have been nearby. Kai just shook his head, already used to their chaotic antics, the hint of a smile playing on the corner of his lips. And despite the cheery mood, a small dark corner of his mind still wonders how much longer they’d be able to spend time like this.

Suddenly from a distance, he spotted a patch of red and gold on the ground, a bit of flowing satin, the color of the setting sun. As he focused his vision, Kai vaguely made out the outline of someone’s body, and his eyes widened upon the realization. 

“Everyone be quiet! There’s someone over there!” Kai shouted as he signaled his horse to pick up the pace, closing the distance between him and the collapsed figure. He felt his comrades follow close behind him, their laughter now completely dissolved.

As he got closer and closer, the figure’s features grew clearer and clearer. He first spotted slender hands, then long, rich golden locks that was mostly seen among nobles and the upper echelon. But what stood out even more were the clothes she was wearing.

“Speak of the devil, it’s her! The dancer we were talking about!” Simon gaped as Kai got off his horse. Indeed the girl on the ground was dressed in attire one would typically see dancers wearing. An exquisite muslin sunset red skirt that reached all the way down to her ankles, and a matching top that exposed most of her slender waist. The entire outfit was embellished with a splatter of sequins and a strip of gold that ran across the edges of the skirt which matched the colour of her hair.

Being as careful as possible, Kai knelt down and gently shook the girl’s shoulder to try and wake her. But the moment his fingers grazed her skin, he felt a burn that singed his fingertips and almost made him bolt back in shock.

She was burning. The girl had collapsed from a fever.

Seeing as it wasn’t his place to go any further, Kai called out to one of his comrades. “Brina, can you help me out here? This girl has a fever.”

With almost cat-like swiftness, Brina was next to him in no time, putting her hand to the unconscious girl’s forehead. “Should I carry her on my horse? Her condition seems pretty bad.”

He nodded. “We don’t have a choice. She’ll have to bear with it till we get to the nearest doctor.”

“Does anyone here have some water left?”

“Here.” Ruth tossed to her her water flask and with a little difficulty, Brina managed to get the liquid down the girl’s throat, who passed out again soon after taking it. 

After making sure that both, Brina and the dancer were sat safely on her horse, Kai got back onto his own horse and shouted loud enough for the others to hear, “Listen up, once we get to Svarta, Brina and I will head to the nearest doctor to get this girl treated. The rest of you will head back to the barracks and get some rest, is that understood?!”

“Yes, sir!” came the chorus of answers. Satisfied, Kai turned towards his right-hand-man and nodded at him. “I’m leaving reporting to His Highness to you, Hans.”

Hans nodded hesitantly. “Are you sure Gabriel won’t be upset that it’s not you reporting?”

Kai looked forward, taking in the sight of the rising sun, suddenly feeling distant from everything else. “Well, he should start getting used to this from now on,” he said, his voice so soft, even the wind struggled to catch it. But he had to make sure at least Hans heard him. “Sooner or later, the position of ‘Captain’ will be yours to keep. It’s only a matter of time.”

[rhysdarbinizedarby]

25 years of standout storytelling and stand-up

by Madelaine Empson

Rhys Darby is one of New Zealand’s most successful comedy exports. It all started with stand-up for the world-famous comedian and actor, who set out on the scene in Christchurch in the 90s. In 2004 after his move to the UK, Darby landed the BBC radio series Flight of the Conchords with Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. He returned to the role of band manager Brian-now-Murray in the 2007 HBO American television series that jumpstarted a phenomenal career in the entertainment industry and helped fulfil his long-standing dream of becoming a comedy actor.

“I guess all my stand-up was building up to that moment of being able to act and thankfully with my friends”, Darby tells me. “We had a good laugh and we created a really, really cool show. Everything else kind of came after that.”

There’s a lot to cover in that “everything else”, including starring alongside Jim Carrey in Yes Man (2008), joining the star-studded cast of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) and Jumanji: The Next Level (2018), moving to LA, and scoring something he always wanted: “to be a lead in a comedy series and getting to dress up in historical outfits” in Our Flag Means Death (2022).

Through it all, Darby never strayed far from his stand-up roots. He’s performed his distinctive brand of physical comedy, zany storytelling, and obscure observations all around the world and now returns to New Zealand with a retrospective show featuring the best bits of his five specials almost in order – from early robot and dinosaur impressions right through to material from Mystic Time Bird (2017).

“You’ve seen my stand-up, now see it again!”

Darby invites Wellington fans old and new to The Opera House on the 19th of August to join the 25-Year Celebration Club, which he just came up with on our Zoom call.

“Yes, I’m just starting that now.”  

How does it feel to be celebrating your silver jubilee in stand-up?

It’s really bizarre. My last special Mystic Time Bird was about my mother’s passing. My own therapy was to create that show, to see the lighter side of everything and to think about how we may live again, what our spirits really are, and who we are as beings on this planet. Once I’d done that, I felt like the world had gone in such a transformed and a very positive way, but also a bizarre way whereby I found that I was less relevant – as a comic, as a performer, as just a middle-aged white guy. I felt like, and rightfully so, it’s not about me anymore so I would take a step back. I felt like [Mystic Time Bird] was a good one to end on.

When it comes to stand-up, I only realised this year that it has been 25 years. All these new fans that have watched Our Flag Means Death hadn’t seen my stand-up and started looking at it online. I was just inundated with comments and people retweeting stuff, a lot of TikTok stuff, people discovering me for the first time. It gave me a rebirth in a way, made me feel like my stuff must still be relevant. I looked at it and it really is just pure happiness. There’s nothing offensive to anyone. It’s just about laughter for laughter’s sake, me taking the piss out of myself in awkward situations, me as a human, and me being confident enough, without realising it, over time, to just put my weirdness out there and be proud of it. I think that resonated with a lot of people, especially the LGBTQ-plus community. They really started loving my stuff, and I felt like I was becoming a captain in a way.

So I spoke to my wife – let’s do some gigs. Let’s celebrate 25 years, set something up and just see if people come. This is in the States, where I haven’t done much stand-up because I wasn’t famous enough over there. It was an experiment of sorts. Anyway, experiment goes really well. They all sold out. There was an army of mostly queer, but all absolutely stoked to see me, fans, and with gifts. I was just in tears most of the nights. I felt good that I was sort of championing them, and amazing that they had discovered me and were wanting to see me live.

Looking back over those 25 years to your very first stand-up gig, were you always putting that weirdness out there?

I’ve always been honest with myself and have performed what I think is funny. I’m definitely quirky. I’m not for everyone, and I understand that, but it does frustrate me because I think it should be for everyone! Some people do want darker stuff or something different. I have always had stuff that is unique in some ways. I’m a massive fan of Monty Python, surreal comedy from Rowan Atkinson and Spike Milligan and those guys from the 70s – alternative comedy that was definitely weird, and there’s probably a bit of that in there. My stuff was original, New Zealand-based, I talked a lot about things in this country that I found really silly and baffling after going overseas and coming back. It’s kind of a celebration of how weird I think we are. I think that’s what made the comedy that me and The Conchords and Taika [Waititi] do become world-famous, because we have a different take on life. It is positive. We don’t belittle anyone. We just like to take the mickey out of who we are, because I think we’re confident that we live in a country that we’re blessed with, because it is a good place.

At the start, did you imagine what might be on the cards for you?

I honestly believed that I was gonna go all the way, because I just had the passion and the drive for it. When I got to the UK, it was the best training ground ever. There are over 300 comedy clubs in London alone. I was working five nights a week, two or three gigs a night. You’ve got to train yourself to be able to repeat things. The UK, they are the most experienced audience in the world, and because they’re British, if they don’t like something they’ll just heckle you straight away. They’re smart and they’re drunk. I had to learn to be quick. And if something didn’t work, you drop it and change it. I had the novelty of being from here, so I had a different voice. But the main thing I had going for me was that my style, my impressions of jet aeroplanes, stories, music, sound effects, bizarre monsters, different characters and things was I think something they hadn’t seen before. What’s this guy doing? He’s not just telling jokes.

I was headlining some clubs, I’d done six, maybe seven Edinburgh Festivals, I’d done This Way to Spaceship, which was my most successful show internationally. But my main goal was to get onto television, onto a sketch show. I wanted desperately to act. The comedy acting side of things didn’t happen for me in the UK. Getting The Conchords radio show with Bret and Jemaine, while we were in Edinburgh, and then turning it into a TV show, and that opening the doors to me coming to America was something I didn’t foresee happening. But it opened up everything and I could be the comedy actor I always thought I’d end up being. I thought it would be England, but they were still like, ‘Who are you, you’re from some colony down the other end of the world?’ The US has been so good to me. They open their arms up to everyone. I’ve never looked back.

You’ve worked with some huge names. Do you get starstruck yourself?

With actors, yeah! I don’t know how it’s happened, but my first movie was with Jim Carrey. I just had to suck it up and meet the guy. The scenes we did together were so special because I got to act alongside my idol and do some pretty zany stuff. Watching his physicality was just something that I was in awe of. He did one scene at this bar where he had a tray of drinks, and he knows exactly where the cameras are and how to manipulate them as an actor. He would come in and he did something where he fell over with the tray of drinks. He fell out of shot and back into shot and fell out and back in again, some sort of weird physical moment, which looked amazing on screen. And then he told me he broke a rib doing that scene like two weeks later. What!

Then it was The Boat That Rocked [2009]. Emma Thompson, Bill Nighy, pretty much anyone in that cast. Philip Seymour Hoffman, that was a big one. Rest in peace. Meeting him and knowing that he was one of the best actors in the world, and he had no idea who I was... I just felt like I had won a competition. ‘Hi I’m the guy that won the competition to be in the movie with you!’ He ended up going and watching Conchords. I think Richard Curtis gave him the DVD and all of a sudden he was like, ‘Oh yeah, I'll act with you!’ It was a rite of passage.

I’m okay with meeting my heroes. But The Rock. I mean, guys, come on, ridiculous. Can I do a movie where there aren’t the most famous people in the world? Dwayne was lovely. Jack Black as well, just very open to having a chat. But I’ve been prepared for meeting those people. I think it’s part of being an actor, when you meet someone you’re absolutely starstruck by, you just pretend you’re not. And then you go home and cry. I went to Monty Python live in 2014, I was very, very lucky. I was just sitting there crying. Oh my god. I felt like those were my dads, you know? I’ve met one or two of those guys briefly, but they would be the ones where I would probably struggle the most to act as though I’m not excited to see them.

‘This is fine, this is absolutely fine.’

I’m fine, I’m absolutely fine! Here, I’ll quickly share a selfie! And then I’ll run away and you won’t see me crying!

What are you most looking forward to about bringing the ‘new-old show’ back to New Zealand, particularly Wellington?

I’m excited to bring it to New Zealand because this is where it all began, where my biggest audiences always were. In this day and age in time, where everyone seems to be down because the world’s imploding on many levels, hopefully they can forget about everything for an hour and a half and just laugh at the silly guy on stage.

The Opera House is, in my opinion, the best room in the country. Welly has a real heart for theatre and a heart for performance. It’s magical to be able to return there and just take it all in.

Photo: Kate Little Photography

Source: Regional News: Eyes on Wellington

[jahayla-parker]

Austin x singer gf smau concerts

Touring Love: An Austin Butler x Singer!Reader SMAU

Warnings: none!

Join my tag list here!

Thanks for joining the celebration!

liked by austinbutler, _ashleybee_, taylorswift, and 672, 710 others

yourusername: First night of the tour is done 🖤 tysm Orlando, I hope you enjoyed yourselves! And thx baby @/austinbutler for this photo

View all 346, 192 comments

austinbutler: you were PHENOMENAL 👏❤️

taylorswift: woah congrats! I’m sure the fans loved it!

austinbutler: first hand account, yes we did 😍🤩

_ashleybee_: looks like you had fun! Can’t wait till you’re in town💙

yn_fanz: ahhhhhhh ilysm please come back

liked by yourusername, _ashleybee_, zendaya, and 821, 639 others

austinbutler: one week into this tour and still so blown away at every performance. Baby you’re a wonderful artist 😘

View all 720, 185 comments

Yourusername: best boyfriend ever 💜 thanks for joining me and taking these great photos

austinbutler: you can thank me by using my proper title: y/n fan club president 😘

yourusername: 🙄💜 stooppp

zendaya: this outfit pops 😍

Austin_and_yn: omg is he touring with her?

ylnupdates: I think so! How cute🥹

liked by austinbutler, zendaya, taylorswift, and 942, 581 others

yourusername: Houston you were great⭐️

view all 649, 310 comments

austinbutler: miss you baby! I’ll be there soon😘 I’m sure you did incredible!

yourusername: focus on your reshoots Aus cause after that I need my cute photographer back 💜

bazluhrmann: Austin hasn’t stopped showing up photos and videos between scenes 🙄 fortunately you are very talented

Yourusername: omg I’m so sorry Baz 😂 but thank you 😊

taylorswift: love the superstar stance 👏

liked by austinbutler, yourusername, ynfansonly, and 529, 347 others

enews: Austin Butler spotted today in Houston following Y/n y/l/n’s concert last night and prior to her show tonight, sporting his brown hair. 👀 are we to expect more concert photos?

view all 173, 492 comments

ynfansonly: ohhhh I hope so! It’s so cute and he’s right in the front so the photos are always so good!

austinbutler: I take my job seriously 😏😂

austinbutlersonelove: why has he dyed his hair again?

himynameisemily: I think it was still dark, they’re just finishing reshoots 🤷‍♀️

yourusername: the cutest paparazzi photo ever 💜

somemusicluv: going to the show tonight, can’t wait!

liked by austinbutler, _ashleybee_, taylorswift, and 893, 267 others

yourusername: nearing the end of the US leg of this tour, you’ve all been so incredible! New York (night 1) thank you so much for tonight 🤍🖤

view all 476, 129 comments

austinbutler: how do you always look so beautiful even when mad / having attitude? 😍

zendaya: can I borrow that skirt when you get here?! 💞

taylorswift: excited to see you tomorrow!

ynisthebest: the attitude 😂🙌

liked by yourusername, bazluhrmann, taylorswift, and 538, 710 others

austinbutler: first night in Sao Paul, what better way to spend the night? ❤️🎵

View all 372, 905 comments

yourusername: such a beautiful place and the crowd was great 💞

yourusername: thanks for traveling with me hun 😘

taylorswift: internationally loved queen 👑🤍

bazluhrmann: have fun guys!

ynfansintl: thx for the photos, we’re making a set from each show!

liked by austinbutler, _ashleybee_, zendaya, and 741, 692 others

yourusername: so thankful for all my fans but today I got a free day to spend in Paris with this cutie and I’m going to make the most of it 🥐💖

view all 482, 961 comments

austinbutler: always catching my eye darling 😘

zendaya: OMG love Paris, have so much fun! 💙

_ashleybee_: jealous (of Paris, not my brother 😂) 🥲

yourusername: you’ll just have to come next time 😉

austinbutler: umm not if she’s being mean 😕

liked by yourusername, tomholland2013, bazluhrmann, and 824, 318 others

austinbutler: love seeing her sing her heart out and bring her message to the world🗺💚

view all 685, 167 comments

yourusername: you’ve seriously been my rock this whole time! I can’t believe it’s nearly over but so glad to have spent it with you 💜

austinbutler: I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else! 🤗

Yourusername: seriously so blessed to have you 😘🥹

bazluhrmann: where was tonight?

austinbutler: Madrid 🤩

zendaya: she’s always so beautiful

Austinbutler: honestly right! 🥵😍

ynfansonly: mvp Austin 📸

liked by yourusername, austinbutler, ynfansonly, and 176, 452 others

Ynmydear: guys Austin was spotted as seen here outside her venue for the last night of her tour 🥹

view all 56, 328 comments

yourusername: bless whoever took this photo, he’s so cute 😍

yourusername: and to address the earlier comments, yes that drink is mine that he went to get so I could wake up 😂 #mvp

ynfansonly: OMG they both liked this photo!!!

Austinbutler: where else would I be? 😉

marrymeyn: can’t wait for her to see my sign tonight!

ynisthes_hit: I’m so jealous you get to see her! Hopefully she comes to phoenix next year!😣

liked by austinbutler, tomholland2013, zendaya, and 951, 492 others

Yourusername: leaving tour like 😎 Seriously though, ty all sm! This was a dream! 🤍 hope you all had a great time 💜🎵 until next time!👋

view all 742, 186 comments

taylorswift: 👑❣️

zendaya: @/austinbutler this shot is🔥 p.s. ily girly❤️‍🔥

ylnismyluv: what I wouldn’t give to switch places with Austin

Lexithedogmom: Austin gets to see this every night? Totally not jealous 🙈

austinbutler: once again baby I’m so proud of you! Loved each night 😘

justynandtswift: I had pit to 4 shows and can attest he was screaming and signing along with her nightly folks like 👌

———

Hope you liked it!

[twopoppies]

[Submission]

Raleigh Concert Report!

Hi Gina -

Thank you for all of your wonderful fic recs & posts. I thought I would send in a concert report!

I was, admittedly a little bit nervous about going this go around since there had been a lot of chatter about the crowds at the concerts and how different they are from the first tour. It is true! The crowds are different. Lots of people were very dressed up. I have never seen so many cowboy hats outside of a country concert. Many Boas as well, LOL.  there were feathers all over the place. I did not encounter any rude people. Maybe it’s just where I was but all of the little groups of dressed up girls seemed to keep to themselves. It seemed like everybody was just dressed up and going and getting ready to have fun. I found everyone to be extremely polite. In line for merch, in line for food, when scooting in and out of the rows. Everybody was just kind.  that was definitely a relief!

Now, Harry! He was the happiest little jumping bean. I was also nervous that he was going to be grumpy but he seemed like he was in an absolutely great mood. Smiling and laughing and genuinely enjoying himself. There was not quite as much fan interaction in terms of talking like there are sometimes is but he seemed like he was having a good time. I cannot believe how much energy he has. He must be in phenomenal shape because he did not stop moving the entire 90 minutes. It would be like running a half marathon while singing on pitch.

Speaking of singing - his voice is so incredible right now. The falsetto in Sign of the Times was so pure and lovely. I am just amazed. His voice is so much stronger than it was for the first tour. It seems like he has worked so hard on it and it has paid off. Kudos to the sound people who make it possible for us to actually hear his voice over everybody singing. I think the sound is definitely improved over the previous tour. And the big monitors had wonderful video of good quality. I was torn the whole time between watching him jump around and watching him on the video screens. You see so many more of his little expressions and funny things if you watch some of the time on the screen. it is really fantastic to watch him dancing. And just having fun.

Carolina is not my favorite song but oh my gosh it was really fun to hear him sing it in North Carolina and more fun with how hard the crowd went for it. The entire stadium was shaking. The floor was shaking. It was bananas. it was really special to be in a room with everyone having so much fun. You could tell that we had all waited a long time for this, including Harry, and that we all wanted to have the most wonderful time.

Before the show started I was thinking about how I have some tickets for the Halloween shows and they seem very close together with this one. But I’m really glad I’m gonna go to those and I’m glad I went to this one. Each one of these shows even though he plays the same Setlist pretty much, is an opportunity for new interactions in new things to happen and new little expressions and new funny pictures. Even with the same set list and not a whole lot of variation in outfits, every night is different. It might not seem different to people watching it on live streams. I have watched several live streams (thank you live streamers!) I think it’s important for all of us to remember that he’s putting on a fantastic show for the people that are in the room with him. He’s not putting on a show for all of us at home. Sure, we can enjoy it from home, but it’s really a phenomenal experience in person.

It must be completely exhausting for him and the crew to do this right now. I know that they have a very strict Covid protocols. I know that they are being very careful. What I got to witness was such a class act top-notch performance that everybody involved took extremely seriously. The band was wonderful, Harry was wonderful, and the crew did an amazing job setting up a big operation.

We should all pray for each other when it is time to buy tickets for the next tour because I think it’s going to be a bloodbath. His shows are not to be missed and I feel pretty lucky to be able to go to them and be alive at the same time as Harry.



----

I literally have NO idea how I missed this, sweetheart. I'm so sorry! I swear things go missing in my inbox sometimes. I'm so glad you have a blast and I hope you had fun at Harryween, too! I am absolutely NOT looking forward to trying to buy tickets for whenever he tours for HS3. It will be The Hunger Games for absolute sure.

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

20 WOMEN VOCALISTS IN METAL WHO ARE A DRIVING FORCE FOR THE GENRE

Lzzy Hale

If you haven’t heard of the colossal Halestorm and their show-stealing frontlady Lzzy Hale by now, how’s it been living under that rock? Out here in the real world, both rock and metal have been battling to claim Halestorm and Hale’s presence since the band’s first EP, (Don’t Mess With The) Time Man, in 1999. From the vitriolic masochism of “I Miss The Misery” to the heart-wrenching “Here’s To Us,” Hale’s vocal range reaches each extreme of moving emotion and devastating attitude. We couldn’t pay tribute to Hale without also recognizing her guitar talents. Check the sassy leading line from “Love Bites (So Do I)” as an example of this phenomenal lady’s ability to step beyond musical expression and into aural artistry.

SKYND

True crime has never been more compelling than at the hands of Australian electronic-metal sensation SKYND and their mystifying frontwoman of the same name. Tackling a new real-life mystery with each track, covering the disappearance and mysterious death of “Elisa Lam” and the doomed cult following of “Jim Jones,” SKYND’s haunting vocals tell each tale as if they were acting out in front of you. SKYND’s dedication to her theatrical persona (plus the ability to keep her real identity a secret), her iconic look and the creation of lore around her exposition of real-life crimes is a mystery the metal world may never solve, but perhaps it never should.

Taylor Momsen

Gossip Girl? We don’t know her—we know Taylor Momsen as the sultry tones commanding metal’s sassiest frontrunners the Pretty Reckless. With her gravelly vocals offset by her signature blacked-out eyes and suspenders, Momsen is an all-around powerhouse frontlady who bends all of your stereotypical expectations of a female vocalist. Take the hissing attitude of “Make Me Wanna Die,” the iconic summer anthem through “Messed Up World (F’d Up World),” the doomed “Going To Hell” and the gloriously filthy “My Medicine”—she’s not here for your entertainment, simply to make music in her own inimitable devil-may-care way.

Sharon den Adel

Where symphonic-metal outfits go through vocalists like water, Within Temptation’s Sharon den Adel has held on to her throne at the very beating heart of the genre since 1996. The band that introduced you to the dark side in high school has come a long way from “Angels” and “Our Farewell” to their most recent sensation “The Purge,” but the enduring talents of the angelic den Adel at the helm remain as moving as ever. Whether your heart breaks or races along with the captivating stories told through her cherubic vocals, den Adel’s talents have kept this legendary band alive and relevant for 25 years. We’re hanging on the edge of our seats for a new album.

Amy Lee

Most millennials were introduced to the world of metal through Evanescence’s invasion of radio airtime in the early 2000s, making vocalist Amy Lee an initial encounter in female presence in a heavily male realm. With an unforgettably haunting vocal range that can reach into your chest and pull out your heart with a single note, Lee’s trademark sound has lived in our minds since 2003’s Fallen and has no intention of letting go. From the iconic “Bring Me To Life” to her solo career’s “Speak To Me” and most notably the captivating “My Immortal,” Lee’s inimitable voice of an angel showed metal how to truly capture the mainstream.

Melissa Bonny

You’ve never seen symphonic metal quite like Switzerland’s Ad Infinitum and, consequently, you’ve never seen a frontwoman quite like Melissa Bonny. With her compelling vocals at the helm, each track tells a story steeped in historic struggles and triumphs as the band members each adopt a story of survival during the time of the Black Death in Europe. Every member appears in a plague doctor’s mask except Bonny, commanding the narrative as her show-stopping range transitions from heavenly cleans to venomous screams with ease. Ad Infinitum and Bonny’s towering talents begin an epic quest through the ranks of metal, and nothing will stand in their way.

Simone Simons

Symphonic-metal outfits face a constant challenge to stay relevant and move forward with the scene around them, more so than any other subgenre. However, the dreamy contributions of Simone Simons have kept Epica at the forefront of their genre since 2002. The band that once created “Storm The Sorrow” have matured to the lofty heights of “The Skeleton Key” with Simons’ operatic tones at the helm, bringing her angelic range to the band’s cinematic instrumentals and occasional death-metal infusions.

Maria Brink

Since their inception in 2005, In This Moment have redefined performance art and metal all at the same time, thanks to the command of iconic vocalist Maria Brink. Challenging religious imagery alongside feminine stereotypes, Brink’s presence both on and offstage has decimated the white male dominance of the metal genre. It takes a certain conviction and attitude to pull off the likes of “Whore” and “Blood” without trivializing their core moral messages, but Brink has rewritten the book on expectations of women in the heavy music industry. Long may she reign.

Larissa Stupar

Vicious, teeth-baring uncleans are the domain of Venom Prison’s Larissa Stupar, death metal’s brightest rising star. Whoever said women had to be the saccharine, angelic feminine contribution to metal clearly never met Stupar, who belts savage growls as if delivered from the gates of hell itself. The likes of “Uterine Industrialisation” and “Slayer Of Holofernes” prove devastating both live and in the studio when this unrelenting powerhouse gets her chops around them.

Alissa White-Gluz

Arch Enemy’s screamer-in-chief makes belting superhuman notes look easy. Alissa White-Gluz’s cord-shredding talents are the result of a career that started when she formed the Agonist at the age of 19. Joining Arch Enemy in 2014 gave White-Gluz a platform to showcase her range and also gave us her contagious live presence on a bigger stage. Providing her distinctive tones to regular collaborations with Kamelot and Delain, the voice behind Arch Enemy’s “War Eternal” and “You Will Know My Name” is no stranger to framing racing riffs with her guttural chops and showing off her heavenly cleans when the instrumentals allow.

Cristina Scabbia

The dual vocal onslaught we know and love from Lacuna Coil compels and fascinates, thanks to the storming presence of Cristina Scabbia. Dominating the metal scene since the ’90s, the enduring Italian crew pour richly gothic melodies over devastating riffs. Scabbia’s heavenly clean vocal is the cherry on top. From unforgettable classics such as “Our Truth” to their latest show-stopping “Save Me,” her dream-like range has been an invaluable gift to metal for over two decades and hopefully many, many more.

Tarja Turunen

The thought of losing founding Nightwish vocalist Tarja Turunen to the abyss of former symphonic singers when she left the outfit in 2005 was too much to bear. Luckily for us, Turunen kick-started her solo career the following year, and she’s been a mainstay of the metal scene ever since. The heavenly operatics that once heralded classics such as “Wish I Had An Angel” and “Nemo” now belts “Innocence” and “Tears In Rain” with the most celestial, earthbound vocals the genre has seen to date.

Suzuka Nakamoto

Easily the youngest member of our ranking, Suzuka Nakamoto, known as Su-metal, is the founding member of Japanese sensations BABYMETAL. With all the maturity of an artist twice her age, this 23-year-old puts us all to shame with her consistent energetic vocals and seemingly endless energy supplies while performing impeccable dance routines onstage. Between the iconic “Gimme Chocolate!!” and BABYMETAL’s latest “Kingslayer” collaboration with Bring Me The Horizon, there’s no denying she has a long and prolific career ahead of her.

Amalie Bruun

Myrkur has become a relentless hot topic in metal since its inception in 2014, and we have only recently discovered the identity of the haunting vocals at its heart. Now we can credit multi-instrumental composer Amalie Bruun with the rise of this mysterious Danish project, led into the wilderness by her raw screams bursting through cherubic cleans just when you least expect it. Often singing in Norwegian as an authentic twist on her own style of black metal, the theatrical “Ulvinde” and “Juniper”’s lingering atmospherics merely scratch the surface of Bruun’s compelling storytelling talents.

Elize Ryd

Amaranthe’s triple-threat vocals fetch their lighter tones from Elize Ryd, the Swedish outfit’s not-so-secret weapon who brings cherubic notes to their modern take on organized metallic chaos. Also known for her additions to Kamelot, both live and in the studio, Ryd’s heavenly cords and quirky songwriting add a bucketload of atmosphere and depth to the likes of “Amaranthine” and “Maximize,” making Amaranthe’s unique versatility one that continually sets trends for years to come.

Cammie Gilbert

Houston doom-metal upstarts Oceans Of Slumber have found themselves on a near-vertical trajectory over the last few years, a movement fronted by the tireless energy and boundless talents of their powerhouse vocalist Cammie Gilbert. Upon joining the band in 2014, Gilbert’s towering range came to the surface as her vocals neatly expand the lulling melancholy of “Winter” and the desperate cries of “A Return To The Earth Below,” as if her vocals project both fragility and strength at the same moment.

Heidi Shepherd and Carla Harvey

We couldn’t separate the two ladies commanding Butcher Babies, so this slot goes out to both Heidi Shepherd and Carla Harvey as the double-trouble onslaught who have brought us “Monsters Ball” and “Magnolia Blvd.” If you’re looking for a nonstop, indulgent party with the possibility of a snapped neck or two, look no further than L.A.’s dirtiest metal export that have become a staple on everybody’s festival bucket list. This versatile pair have made thrash their own ever since their 2013 debut, Goliath, showed the metal scene what it had been so desperately lacking—two relentless ladies who know exactly how to have a good time.

Chelsea Wolfe

Surprisingly the only strictly solo appearance on this list, Chelsea Wolfe has made metal her very own since her arrival in 2010, draping a veil of folk-y atmosphere and gothic depth over seductive doom-metal undertones. Combining her boundary-smashing approach with a sadistically dark visual style, Chelsea Wolfe somewhat ironically injects life into doom by refusing to conform to the genre’s ’90s stereotypes. She wraps her smooth vocal swathes around the compelling melancholy of “Feral Love” and “16 Psyche,” as if redressing the world around her in her own image.

Tatiana Shmayluk

You’d be forgiven for thinking Ukrainian outfit Jinjer tell their lyrical tales through the voice of three separate individuals covering melodic cleans, ear-splitting screams and guttural snarls and somewhat effortlessly slipping between them. The single towering voice behind this band’s meteoric rise belongs to Tatiana Shmayluk, flexing her multi-talented chops on “Perennial” and “Sit Stay Roll Over” just to increase your vocal envy. We’re still not sure how she pulls off such smooth transitions between the polar opposite personas onstage, but we can’t seem to look away.

Floor Jansen

Taking on the mammoth task of fronting the pioneering outfit Nightwish in 2013, Floor Jansen donned her new role as if she was born for it. Jansen’s inimitable honeyed tones ushered in a new age for the symphonic-metal icons, weaving her slick melodic range through the band’s trademark cinematic instrumentals. The theatrical atmospheres tracked on “Élan” and “Noise” give Jansen the room to flex her operatic range while she narrates the vibrant, tall tales we know and love from Nightwish.

[umbrellasareforever]

18. Best Doctor monologue?

24. Best TARDIS Team?

31. Favourite episode ever?

45. Favourite series opening?

46. Favourite series finale?

51. Favourite monster/villain?

57. In your opinion, what makes a monster good?

100. If you could write an episode of DW, any ideas for what you’d do?

WOW MORE QUESTIONS YAY!!

Okay some of these get looong so I'm gonna put them under a read more haha

18. Best Doctor monologue?

I answered every other question before this one because I honest to God cannot think of one! I mean I can remember plenty of monologues but there's never really been one that stands out to me to the point of being a favorite! I know this isn't the most interesting answer, but it's the truth at least? haha

24. Best TARDIS Team?

This is such an insanely tough questions because there are so so so many good TARDIS teams like come on! I mean 7 and Ace are just absolutely phenomenal, I adore them so much, 4 and Romana II were one of my first Classic Who TARDIS teams so I gotta show them some love, and I mean outside the TV show even you've got 6 and Evelyn or Warner!Doctor and Benny, they're all just so good! But, the TARDIS team I always think about, and never shut up about, is 12, Bill, Nardole, and Missy.

I just freaking love those three so much. They're energies work so well together and they just make me so happy and I would've watched so much more of them. I don't want to blabber for too long, but they really were just such a wonderful concoction of characters and varying dynamics.

31. Favourite episode ever?

AGAIN A VERY DIFFICULT QUESTION BECAUSE MY ANSWER CHANGES SO OFTEN okay I'm not going to take forever on this one and go with Shada. I love Douglas Adams, I love 4 and Romana II, I adore Professor Chronotis and his Type 12 TARDIS, the villain's outfits are hilarious, and the concept of Shada as a prison is so wonderful and it's such a shame that it hasn't been properly used in New Who (yes I know it was in Revolution of the Daleks but that was just a name drop it could've been any prison).

45. Favourite series opening?

Season 25 with Remembrance of the Daleks. What an episode! I know it's not a unique opinion but I absolutely love this episode and, while it's a shame it's not considered the official 25th anniversary episode, it does mean I get to say it's my favorite series opener because damn what a way to open the series! Apart from being an absolutely incredible story with some wonderful visuals, I think it also sets the tone for what 7's era really could be very well. Not to mention, the Imperial Daleks in Remembrance are my all-time favorite design. If you haven't, really look at the lights on the top of their domes in that one. They're so cool!! So unique!! Also, who doesn't love Ace beating the crap out of a Dalek?

46. Favourite series finale?

I mean New Who it has to be Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways. The way it culminates so many different bits of Series One from Satellite Five to the heart of the TARDIS, it's all just really wonderful and you can tell that they took the time to make sure it all felt important and connected as a whole. On top of that, the performances are phenomenal all around, I mean obviously Eccleston, but Billie Piper and Camille Coduri knock it out of the freaking park in this one. The two scenes that will always give me chills are when Rose tells Jackie she was the blonde woman who held Pete when he died and Rose's freakout in the chip shop.

And, now that I'm really thinking about it, both episodes have some really funny jokes too?? I mean who can forget "did you hear a new pizza place just opened up?" "oh that's nice, what're they selling?" "Pizza." I MEAN COME ON! IT WASN'T EVEN THE FOCUS OF THAT MOMENT! THAT'S FUNNY!

51. Favourite monster/villain?

I feel like this is a super basic answer, and they've really not gotten a lot of great episodes for a while now, but I really do love the Cybermen. The concept of them just chills me to the bone and when they're done right they are REALLY done right. Just the idea that they don't believe they're evil and are, in fact, the next step in evolution, is so interesting and really sets them apart from races like the Daleks or the Sontarans. Not to mention the older voices from the 70s and 80s are very pleasing to me. I just love hearing them talk or do that scream they do when they're hit.

57. In your opinion, what makes a monster good?

That's a really tough question!! From a writer's perspective, I think an important factor in making a monster/villain for Doctor Who is making them genuinely connected to the story. So many times, a villain/monster just feels like they're there because the writer's were told or felt like they needed to have a physical antagonist present and they just end up feeling bland.

Sure, there are some exceptions to this, but overall I feel like the best monsters/villains are ones that feel deeply engrained in the story and make an impact beyond just being a monster/villain for the Doctor to fight.

Apologies if that didn't make sense I'm kind of rambling and I just woke up about an hour ago.

100. If you could write an episode of DW, any ideas for what you’d do?

... I have written so many Doctor Who episodes I could make at least one full series at this point. Not a 10-episode series either, a full 13 episodes. I even wrote one as my final project for a spec script class my senior year of college. Got an A, so that was a pretty solid confidence boost!

[samyelbanette]

Ranking All The Concerts I Attended In 2022

Because it’s the end of the year, and, damn, there were a lot!

Yungblud (Cleveland, OH. February 5, 2022)

Rating: 3/5

This one gets an extra star because Palaye Royale were the opening act. It was a small venue, so that was pretty cool. And I bought a Palaye Royale beanie that I still wear all the time. But, my friend and I were really disappointed, because Yungblud signed autographs for a few fans, but by the time we made it outside, he was already gone 💔

Blind Channel (Warrendale, PA. March 3, 2022.)

Rating: 2/5

I hate to rate my favorite band so low!! I mean. It was the first day, of their first US tour, and it felt incredibly special to be one of the very first Americans to see them live.

But, as I mentioned earlier, they were the third of five bands to take the stage. After BC’s set, I had to sit through two more bands, that I really didn’t care about. During From Ashes To New (the headliner)’s set, someone pushed me and I almost fell down. Towards the end, I was really in pain and just wanted the show to be over. ;_;

Blind Channel (New York, NY. April 11, 2022)

Rating: 5/5

Their headliner, on the other hand, was fucking incredible!! This was their first headline show in the US, and it was amazing to be part of that.

I got to meet Niko and Joel after the show!! Oh, and I also met @pastlink :)

Machine Gun Kelly (Cleveland, OH. August 13, 2022.)

Rating: 4/5

This was a hometown show, and MGK really pulled out all the stops!!

He zip lined from one end of the arena to the other, which was crazy to watch. He also broke a wine glass with his face and performed the last quarter of his set covered in blood. He’s truly unpredictable.

Oh and Avril Lavigne opened for him. She was amazing too 💕

Black Veil Brides (Cleveland, OH. September 8, 2022)

Rating: 2/5

BVB’s actual set was phenomenal. I have no complaints about that! But I’m ranking them low, because they were the third of four bands to perform. (It was We Came As Romans, then Motionless In White, then BVB, then Ice Nine Kills.)

MIW’s set was actually decent, but I didn’t care about the other two at all. The show was just…too fucking long. By the end of it, my feet were really sore and I just wanted to sit down ASAP. 😭

The crowd was also really unruly and I got pushed and shoved a lot. :(

My Chemical Romance (Detroit, MI. September 13, 2022)

Rating: 3/5

I was in the waaaaay back of a huge arena. Like, my seat was so high off the ground that it literally gave me vertigo. 😨 My friend had to buy a beer to calm herself, because it was setting off her acrophobia that bad.

But, this was the show where Gerard wore a nurse outfit. I fucking love Nurse!Gerard. The look has inspired so much fan art. Also, I had been waiting like….almost a decade for this band to reunite. I was thrilled to see them live at all.

Palaye Royale (Detroit, MI. October 1, 2022)

Rating: 5/5

Remington and Sebastian performed an acoustic version of “Ma Cherie” prior to the actual show, for the VIP ticket holders. It was amazing, even tho Rem sounded sick. Their actual set was fire. ❤️‍🔥 At one point, the stage caught on actual fire, but they just kept going. 😂 Oh, and Mod Sun was a great opening act!

The merch line after the show was stupidly long (it wrapped up a whole flight of stairs!) but the merch guys felt bad for the people who waited for an hour or more, and started just giving them free shit on top of their purchase.

My friend and I got separated at one point and she met Sebastian while I was somewhere else?! But, I got to meet Remington and he hugged me 🖤🖤🖤

Måneskin (Detroit, MI. November 18, 2022)

Rating: 3/5

I was once again seated in the balcony section, in the back of a huge arena. 😭

But, the actual performance was amazing. They had so much energy. Oh, and I also met @lnights before the show, which was pretty cool!

[thexfridax]

Wynonna Earp Boss Hopes Syfy Finale Made You Feel 'All the Things' — Plus, Scoop on One Happy Wedding Accident

By Matt Webb Mitovich, tvline.com / April 9 2021, 8:02 PM PDT

The following contains spoilers from the Syfy finale of Wynonna Earp.

After four years of protecting Purgatory with her Peacemaker, Wynonna Earp got to quite literally ride off into the sunset. And she did so while straddling a motorcycle, with Doc Holliday seated behind her.

Mind you, the two almost didn’t wind up together. Following the simply beautiful “WayHaught” wedding, Doc (played by Tim Rozon) was determined to put Purgatory in Charlene’s rear view mirror and get to living life as “just a man,” and Wynonna (Melanie Scrofano) felt compelled to stay put as Purgatory’s protector. But with an empowering nudge from li’l sis Waverly (Dominique Provost-Chalkley), Wynonna caught up to her man and professed her love, after which they decided to travel light, for the first time in a long time, and pay their daughter Alice a visit in MIracles, Montana.

TVLine spoke with series creator Emily Andras about crafting this very fine finale, at least one “happy accident” that wound up stirring many emotions, and more.

TVLINE | The finale has just aired…. What emotions do you hope the fans are feeling at this moment?

Just head-to-toe body warmth, and love, and affection, and wistfulness…. And a little bit of bittersweetness. I feel like joy has to be paired with nostalgia, so I hope they’re feeling all the things. But hopefully not hungover!

TVLINE | At what point over the years did you ever envision Wynonna and Doc riding off into the sunset?

Ahhh! I almost never even let myself envision it, you know? It’s so funny — when you start doing a show, you have all sorts of ideas about what pairings are going to rise to the top, who’s going to end up with whom, and one of the joys of Earp is that so many different things have happened. But those two characters have certainly earned the chance to try to be happy, whatever that means to them. I never knew that I would be allowed to end such a romantic pairing with the woman driving the motorcycle and the guy on the back.

TVLINE | I’m watching that final sequence and it almost feels alien, seeing the two of them head off into what I think of as “the real world.” But I also found that viscerally exciting, to see so much ahead for them.

That’s so lovely, thank you for saying that. I feel like having the world ahead of them and being such an unusual couple, I would love to see what happens next for them. I’m sure there will be lots of crazy sex and crazy arguments and crazy laughter. So, godspeed! Godspeed.

TVLINE | When throwing a season-ending wedding, what is Emily Andras’ marching order? “Above all else, this wedding has to be…”?

It has to honor to all of the characters — and by that, I mean it has to try to find a moment for every special pairing on the show, not just WayHaught. I think it’s important to pay due respect to how far Waverly and Doc have come; she never gave up on him, she always saw a better man in him — and now he gets to be the best man! Nedley (Greg Lawson) and Nicole’s (Kat Barrell) relationship, that paternal/daughter bond is so special, so honoring that was very important.

And at the end of the day, I still think the real love affair of the show is the Earp sisters, so I ended to make sure that that was honored. I really love the parallel with the pilot, where Wynonna came into town against her will and was so hungry to leave but was forced to stay. And now you have Waverly secure enough in how their relationship has evolved, that she knows Wynonna deserves to leave again — because she’ll come back.

More than anything, it was about giving every character a moment of happiness. Even Jeremy (Varun Saranga) becoming deputy chief of Black Badge and maybe finding a new date…. It was all about finding everyone a moment of potential joy, after they’ve gone through so much after four seasons.

TVLINE | Talk about the decision to have empty guest chairs laid out with the names of those who are no longer with us or didn’t make it to the wedding.

That was such a happy accident. We were on-set, it was very much in the middle of the pandemic, and we knew we were going to have a limited number of people for the wedding. But then we put out chairs so you could understand where the aisle was, and they looked really empty. So my incredible director, Paolo Barzman, who also did the pilot, and my art director Trevor Smith, pitched this idea to me. I had sort of joked about, “Wouldn’t it be cool if you had the ghosts of characters past?” In the moment, they said, “What if we hung names on the chairs?” and it was just one of those goosebump moments, like, “That’s brilliant.” So then we have people writing up these cards, rushing them out, and it’s honestly one of my favorite things. Whenever I see that Dolls chair, I just can’t help but feel things.

TVLINE | But Mercedes (Dani Kind), to be clear, is still with us.

She’s just out, like, being her best vampire self. She’s out being an amazing vampire, yeah. I still have that spinoff if you want to help me sell that!

TVLINE | If anything caught me a bit off-guard, it was us getting a song from Rachel (played by Martina Ortiz-Luis).

The thing about Martina is that she is a phenomenal singer. She is the anthem singer for the Toronto Maple Leafs — so she’s quite a star here! — and she was on Pilipinas Got Talent back in the day…. It seemed like a waste to not have someone with such an exceptional voice perform! And what better song to lay over the necessary wedding montage than a WayHaught classic (Fleurie’s “Wildwood”), the song that was playing the first time WayHaught kissed. It’s a bit of an Easter egg for those hardcore WayHaughters!

TVLINE | I don’t think anyone would have ever felt like a “Dark Angel Waverly” detour was missing, if you hadn’t spent time on it the episode prior. Why did you feel it was important to go there during one of the final hours?

The truth of it is that honestly we’ve been balancing the spectre of whether we were going to have a Season 5 or not. When we started breaking Season 4 two years ago, we were looking down the barrel of about 24 episodes, so [when you get half that] you’re like, “What are we going to keep, and what are we going to pitch overboard? What can we live without learning about?” I would argue that this idea of Waverly having a darkness inside of her did have to be highlighted after four seasons. I completely agree that in a perfect world I could have done eight episodes of Dark Angel Waverly, exploring that and seeing it come to pass. But if we ever get more story, I don’t know if Waverly has complete control over that part of herself. I dont think it’s “gone.” If Nicole puts mayo instead of mustard on her sandwich, who knows what’s going to sprout out!

TVLINE | I mean, if only to see what other outfits Dark Waverly has.

As long as she keeps her thigh holster, she’s ready to go.

TVLINE | Looking back at these last few episodes, what are you most proud of?

‘m so proud of this cast. It’s so boring, but God, just to see them grow and thrive and shine…. performing comedy and emotion, seeing their commitment to the show, and the feelings…. It’s just been such a joy to see such an amazing group of people get their due. They really are that wonderful, off-screen as well.

I’m also pretty happy — in this day and age, and despite all the fights the show has been through — that if this is the end, I feel like that’s a pretty nice finale, a pretty good topper on the cake. I feel like the fans will feel like they went on a journey, and they left the characters in an interesting, good place. And look, that’s really rare in TV, to end your story the way you want. How can I be anything but grateful, at the end of the day?

TVLINE | When I was writing my tweet the other morning, I wanted to call it a “very fine finale,” but I worried you’d think I was saying it was only “fine.” But it was a very fine finale!

No, you have to keep me hungry! You get to challenge me, Matt. Listen, I just didn’t want to risk…. I’m the queen of 75 cliffhangers, but I feel like the fans have worked so hard for us, for so many years, that it was more important that they got closure, just in case. But there’s always another demon, there’s always another thing to trigger Dark Angel Waverly. There’s always more story, but at least you have this, no matter what.

TVLINE | And if some network or streamer does ride to the rescue, would there be something that brings Wynonna and Doc back to Purgatory? Or might a Season 5 be without the two of them?

Look, the show is called Wynonna Earp, so you need Wynonna Earp. She’s still the champion, she’s still got the magic gun and the best hair on the show — sorry, everyone else!

There are a couple of unresolved issues. We still have Eve, who we kicked out the the Garden very early in the season, and who can kind of shapeshift; she could take on the appearance of any one of our characters! That would certainly throw a wrench in the works in Purgatory. There are a million different reasons to bring Wynonna back, to help out her sister.

TVLINE | And lastly, was there anything you had to cut or just didn’t have room for, or any returning cast you couldn’t fit in?

Oh, tons. But look, you kind of hit the nail on the head earlier. I’m always striving to be better, and some stuff at the end felt a little rushed, with Dark Angel Waverly. I think if it hadn’t been a pandemic, there would have been more people at that wedding. I would have loved four more episodes to round the bend there. But look, that’s Wynonna Earp, man — perfectly imperfect! So that’s what we did, and what a ride it’s been. The ride of a lifetime for me.

[welcome-to-the-cafe]

Lust, Caution (2007)

What a good movie. Very stressful, suffering watch though. I will never look at Tony Leung the same ever again. Not that I've seen that many of his works (I'm sorry), but going into Shang-Chi after those bedroom scenes....hmhmhm.

Let's get into it.

The setting is my favorite period of Chinese history, Republican Era, partially because elicits strong feelings from yours truly, and partially because it has great aesthetics. The dresses. The cars. The gap between rich and poor. The impending invasion and atrocities you only know about in retrospect. The intrigue. The nationalism. What an awful time for living, what a great time to make art about later.

The students and their patriotic play reminds me of the my own college life and my own amateur play. Of course, theirs had much more public appeal and impact...and darker inspirations. Wang Leehom (who I recognized instantly but could not name until much later), was phenomenal as the wide-eyed idealistic Kuang Yumin who yearned to make "real contributions" to his country. This was his natural undoing of course, and that of his friends, being sucked into his charisma, and love interest, the main character Wong Chiachi. They were all doomed the moment he came up with the naive assassination plot.

The crux of the scheme is Chiachi, who is a phenomenal actress in all levels of story and metatext. An interpretation of her skill is that she injects true feelings into her performances; when she acts as Mrs. Mai, she really thinks of herself as a young lonely socialite, not an innocent college student. This is also her undoing, I believe. As Mrs. Mai, Chiachi is not fully able to isolate her heart from her target's advances. When she tells Mr. Yee she hates him, she is telling the truth, because she does think he is evil, but what following seems also to be honest; that she hates him for being away.

This is one criticism I have of the plot; I do not believe the movie did enough to show how Chiachi and Mr. Yee bonded emotionally. Like, they fucked. They fucked kinda gruesomely to be honest, because it seemed mostly to be sexual abuse (though mutual). I guess that's the point, that it was just lust that bound them together, but at the same time, I felt it should not have been enough to infect Chiachi to the point of giving it all up for him. Maybe that is just my own disappointment in her.

Perhaps it's a combination of push and pull. Chiachi is pulled by lust toward Mr. Yee, but it may not have been enough without the push from her "allies". More strongly portrayed than the fucked up lustful affair, I think, is the growing resentment and internal feelings of betrayal that Chiachi felt for her allies. Mr. Yee used her body for rough sex, but the revolutionaries (or "terrorists" as we started out calling them) used her body too for murder. Whether it was justified murder or not is moot; murder itself was horrific, something that all these students all knew they would hesitate execute. They openly worry about this multiple times: in their initial planning, when practicing shooting, when their prey is almost in the clutches. The wide-eyed idealist tries to convince everyone that it is easy, because he know it isn't. During the fight with Mr. Yee's chauffeur confronts them, Kuang Yumin stabs him less out of practical necessity I think, but as a learning opportunity to take life; to "blood" himself, and the group, to push everyone over the edge of hesitancy. Each of the students took turns to stab the dying chauffeur in order to cross the murder threshold. Traumatizing themselves together, they would be more willing to take on Mr. Yee. Chiachi, however, is truly horrified and runs away. This was what she was being exploited to do, and she couldn't handle it.

Her exploitation by allies is honestly to me the most heartbreaking part of the movie. She joins the outfit because of her crush on Kuang Yumin, but it was Yumin's scheme that set her as the honeytrap. It was Yumin who let one of his friends take her virginity, instead of stepping up to the role himself (Bruh! You like the girl! Go fuck her! 我的天呀。。。). Yeah, yeah arguments for authenticity so need someone with more experience, but that friend only screwed a prostitute once. It just adds to the suffering, for Chiachi and for the viewers. And then it was Yumin who brought her back into the scheme. Of course, she consented, but he knew two previous undercover mistresses were killed, so if he truly wanted to protect her he would've left her alone...or like banged her properly. By the Heavens. We know this bothers Chiachi a lot too because she tearfully asks him about it after a heated exchange with the mission controller. Speaking of which, what an asshole. "We move when I say we move". Like sure dude, we feel for you that your family got killed and you want to make this scheme count, but can't you see you're betraying this woman again and again every time you let her get raped and don't make a move? Of course not, he's blinded by rage. And yet the wuss doesn't have the stomach to listen to her recount her trauma. What an asshole, jesus.

I think it is frustrating to think about, because it all makes sense in a fucked up way. It is like solving an equation that returns an unfavorable answer, and yet you cannot find sufficient fault in each step.

So yeah I believe Chiachi betrayed the cause more because of push than pull.

Although...I only now remember the tender moment at the Japanese geisha house, where she sings for him the sweet folk tune. Previously he commented on the Japanese being afraid of the Americans, suggesting that he's just a nihilist resigned to his job; the sweet nostalgia of her opera bit may have cracked him for real for the first time in a while.

The final shots of Mr. Yee being sad about Chiachi...yeah, I still have zero sympathy for him. My headcanon is that for consorting with mistresses so much, the Japanese betrayed him to the Republic and he is led into a trap, where he is injured in a brutal confrontation, but is successfully captured. He is then jailed until after the Second War, where he is released to work for the KMT's counterespionage. However, he is not as sharp as he used to be, and he is led into another honey trap, only this time, he is busted the very first time he tries to rendezvous with the girl. He is captured again, and when his past is revealed after the Liberation, he is paraded to the middle of Shanghai and shot in the back of the head.

Looking forward to Tony Leung once again in Shang-Chi.