#thought if i had the interview anyways why not translate it
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joeloverture · 3 days ago
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tlou s2, racism, & neocolonialism
hi. im vetty. i'm a diehard joel defender and i also have thoughts on that but that's not why we're here today. above all, i'm an indigenous mexican-chilean and tlou is (unfortunately) my special interest. in my time at uni i've taken a lot of classes about neocolonialism in latin america, and i also have my lived experiences. so let's talk about it and how it applies to tlou season 2.
severe spoilers for tlou2 below (the big one, mainly, but also some explanatory stuff about the wlf. if you are confused you should scroll) there's more to critique than just this but it's what im most qualified to talk about so here we go.
tw: racism, colonialism, mentions of torture, mentions of rape (very small), mentions of violence
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pedro pascal. yep. pedro pascal. what's there to say about him other than almost everyone in hollywood saying he's as nice as he seems? many know that pedro is chilean, and is the child of socialist immigrants to the U.S. who fled pinochet's rule. being latino is an important cornerstone of his identity — he talks about it often, unapologetically so.
in a variety interview with clayton davis, pedro says, "...the best way to continue representation is, exactly as you put it, just casting a person into a role that isn't limited to opening, not limiting a character to its racial identity, especially if its an IP we're familiar with or a book. people get so butthurt about this stuff but who cares?"
joel isn't explicitly latino, but honestly, i think it'd be worse to strip away pedro's identity from joel than conflating their identities*. in the game, joel does say "adiós" in the whitest way ever (without an accent), but i forgive him and call him latino anyway. i'd argue, with pedro and gabriel both being latino and cast as brothers, he is latino in the show. i'd also argue that joel's death, as it is in-game, doesn't translate well onscreen with pedro as joel. not in implication.
to understand the implications of what we may see in the show, first, you have to understand what happened in chile. a us-backed coup occurred in chile to get rid of the elected marxist. said marxist was replaced by augusto pinochet. numbers are not exact since it was such a large scale population, but under his rule approximately three thousand people were killed or 'disappeared' (never seen again) and almost forty thousand became political prisoners. most of whom were tortured.
had pedro's family, balmecadas and socialists, not escaped, they very likely would've been added to that count. think about that.
that brings us to how, when abby kills joel, she doesn't just kill him. ellie walks in on joel having been brutally beaten for likely hours. we don't have an exact time, but abby goes from having subdued joel while wearing her coat to having taken it off, implying she was sweating for a prolonged period. (keep in mind. it was in a BLIZZARD).
abby is a white girl. not only that, she is a white girl who joined up with the WLF (washington liberation front) following the death of her father. the WLF is a militia group that fought against FEDRA in seattle. it's a compound of soldiers, heavily militarized, and one must think of how it compares to U.S. militarization.
the school of the americas is a school in georgia where people are trained to become mercenaries. whether they be killing or torturing techniques, they were learning how to commit war crimes, primarily against vulnerable brown populations in latin america. dictators installed in latin america sent trainees there — for a few examples, cadets were sent from chile, bolivia, peru, panama, and honduras. there's absolutely more countries that were involved, but the cadets that were sent back went on to enable dictatorships through rape, massacres, torture, and murder.
while the WLF is taught how to fight their turf wars against the scars, the school of the americas teaches their cadets how to perpetuate war crimes in the global south.
so let's say they keep joel's death scene the same in length and context. joel, latino and chilean in this case, is on the ground for hours, surrounded by white people, while he is being beaten to death and brutalized.
it's a disgusting reflection of all that has been done to people like us in the past, and with the connotations of war that coat tlou2 like viscous slime, it's a reflection that's impossible to look away from. do not let season two blind you from these implications, if they are realized onscreen.
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more info:
*- it's not as if i hold any of this against pedro. that's the last thing i'm doing. he took a job, he fulfilled it. this is work for him. im just elated to see someone like me on tv, but beyond upset with the writing packed into this. this isn't a critique on abby (that'll come later from me), rather the writing behind her and her crew. it's got revolting undertones. don't put words in my mouth. tlou2's anti-palestinian messaging is another topic, one i'm less equipped to discuss. i encourage you to look into this and be mindful about it if you watch the season at all. when doing so, do so elsewhere.
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further reading/material:
chile, the cia, and the cold war: podcast featuring a guest speaker who authored a book of the same title (tried linking but wouldn't work, can be found on apple podcasts for free) the farming of bones by edwidge danticat: i'm not linking this because if you're interested you should order it from a small bookstore in your community instead of supporting amazon or b&n, but this fictional angle of the aftermath of the parsley massacre in the dominican republic is a must-read the inferno by luz arce: linking because you can order directly from UW press! memoir that follows arce's story of being tortured and detained by the chilean intelligence service.
if you hate me because i posted about this, good! i dont want you here.
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lucyandalexiafan · 1 year ago
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Could you write something where Alexia is obsessed with the reader boobs please
Movie night | Alexia Putellas x reader
I wrote this few days ago and I find now the time to post it🫠. I don't know if you wanted a more smut work, but the result was something really fluff and cute; I don't know why but it came out so sweet, even though the initial idea was something more sexual. Maybe it's because of all the tweets and TikToks that make me watch thousand times the interview she did for the top 11 and I keep hearing 'thank you' and 'Are you a Manchester City fan', which make her seem so cute; or maybe because I'm feeling so single ahah.
Anyway, I'm sorry if you wanted something more smut and less cute, and thank you for the request!
Do not copy, translate or claim my works and fics as your own; if I find out I will report them and block you. Instead, write to me, my directs are always open, and ask me if you can publish your work/fic inspired by one of mine. However, you can reblog them!
I bite my lip trying to hold back a moan.
Ale's hands on my breasts, her fingers caressing and playing with my nipples.
It had all started very innocently.
Since this morning Ale had been very clingy, very physical.
As soon as the alarm went off she pulled me tighter into her embrace, her hands squeezing my chest, muttering jokingly about how 'I don't love her enough' as I wanted to get up, then kissing my neck just below my hairline every time I stayed a few minutes longer in bed with her.
After almost being arrived late at the training, she tried to be paired with me during both the gym and athletic training, finding every time an excuse to touch me.
Her hands had always been on my thigh, arm or hand at lunch.
It was as if she had an extreme need for physical contact, to touch me, but not necessarily sexually.
On the way home we stopped at the restaurant near our house, my favorite Chinese restaurant, and Ale took there our takeaway dinner that she had ordered while she was waiting for me at the end of the second training session. She composed it with my favorite dishes.
We went into our apartment and had dinner on the sofa laughing in front of a stupid American talk show (even though she seemed to understand one word in ten and only laughed when I laughed).
Once we ended our dinner, Ale asked me to watch a film, one of my favorite dark academia films, and I agreed; so, she helped me to clean the table in front of the sofa and the dishes and we lay down on the sofa.
After a few minutes from the start, she lay between my legs, her head on my chest and her hands at her sides. The position itself wasn't uncomfortable, my back was resting against the couch and my head was on a pillow turned towards the television, my hands caressing her back.
I felt her body relax second by second, the tension from the training slowly flowing out of her body. Every now and then she let out a few moans or gasps, but nothing overly sexual.
About a quarter of the way through the movie, she had moved a little lower, her navel touching my inner thigh, her right temple against my sternum; her hands had started to caress my torso under my shirt, to lightly scratch my hips.
The contact had given me shivers, her cold fingers tracing light circles with her nails.
“I thought you wanted to see the movie amor,” I say, chuckling.
She moans into my chest, her hands gripping the edges of my shirt.
I lift her torso, allowing her to push it over my breasts, braless.
Ale she starts kissing my skin, leaving endless little kisses on my boobs, she draws wet paths that connect one nipple to the other.
Her fingers squeeze my breast in a light grip, playing with my nipples.
"What happened Ale? - she looks at me confused - You are so physical"
"Since when I can be more physical with you? - she asks smiling - I love your boobs so much amor" she says assorted while she squeezes them with her hands.
I gasp, seeking contact with her, and grip her hair between my fingers.
My neck arches back when she bites my right nipple.
She grins against my sternum.
She runs her nipples between her fingers.
"Your boobs are so sensitive - she gasps and then kisses a nipple - That's one of the reasons why I love them… I just need to touch your nipples and you're soaked for me" she whispers absorbedly while she kisses them.
"Only for you, amor - I moan - only for you"
Ale smiles satisfied.
She bends down and kisses a patch of skin just below her nipple. She sucks it, leaving a clear purple mark on me, releasing it with a dull sound.
"When you're really horny you can have an orgasm just by me playing with your nipples - she bites my right one, passing it between her teeth and making me moan- It's never happened to me before, but it's so… so-"
I gasp when her fingers squeeze a nipple tighter, too tight.
My hand shoots out and grabs her wrist, not knowing if I want to stop her or ask her to do it again. Ale bends down to kiss the fingers surrounding her wrist, leaving small sweet kisses on my skin while she whispers to me that she's sorry.
I arch my back towards her asking her to touch me, to keep touching me.
“They're so soft – she whispers as she leaves a hickey on my other tit – and just the right size for my hands.”
I bite her lip looking at her.
She raises an eyebrow.
"Are you saying they are big? - She looks at me confused - Alexia, I've never had a girlfriend with bigger hands and longer fingers than yours"
She opens her mouth wide in offense, her eyebrows raised dangerously, while the sides of her mouth turn up in a smile.
Then, suddenly, she lowers herself towards my breast, biting it.
I groan in surprise.
It's not a painful bite, but it will leave a mark.
She smiles satisfied as she watches it.
"Looking at how you ask me to fuck you with my long fingers I wouldn't say it bothers you" she replies in a mock offended tone.
The tongue touching the edges of the bite.
I turn my head towards the couch, trying to avoid her gaze, my embarrassment clear from the color of my cheeks.
"Ale…" I gasp, not knowing exactly what he wants.
"Keep watching the movie, amor" she tells me, her voice betraying a trace of excitement, before resting her head on my sternum.
Her hand continues to play with my breast, the one towards the television, playing with the nipple, running it between his fingers, pulling it towards her.
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torahoes · 1 month ago
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(IDOLiSH7) Haruka Isumi - 16PRODUCERS Rabbit Chat
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Please note that I am not a professional translator. If you come across any mistakes, feel free to let me know and I will make the necessary corrections.
Haruka Isumi:
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Haruka Isumi:
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Haruka Isumi: Oh, you read it already
Torao Mido: What’s this? You’re early, Haruka
Haruka Isumi: So are you! Are you done with your shoot already?
Torao Mido:
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Torao Mido: Are you happy?
Haruka Isumi: I'm
Haruka Isumi: I'm not not happy....
Haruka Isumi: 😑😑😑
Torao Mido: What's with that, lol
Haruka Isumi: It’s nothing!!! 😑
Torao Mido: I was supposed to do the interview during my commute, but the shoot ended earlier than expected, so I’ve got some time to kill
Torao Mido: Your text popped up the moment I opened my phone.
Haruka Isumi: Hmmmmm
Haruka Isumi: We’ve still got time. Wanna talk about something?
Torao Mido: Let’s play Word Chain [1]
Haruka Isumi: LMAO
Haruka Isumi: Are you looking to lose to me again? 🥴
Torao Mido: I'm determined to win this time. I’ve come prepared with a strategy
Haruka Isumi: That's hilarious lolol
Haruka Isumi: Well, whatever 🥴 I'll take you on! Let's start with the letter “L”!
Torao Mido: Lip
Haruka Isumi: Princess
Torao Mido: Soup
Haruka Isumi: Print
Torao Mido: Tomato ketchup
Haruka Isumi: Wait, why do you keep attacking me with words that end with "P"?!?!?!?!
Torao Mido: That’s right. Now you know I’m not the same person you're used to facing. I’ve even overcome my fear of “H”
Haruka Isumi: Why am I being repaid for that one time right now!!!
Haruka Isumi: Plastic!
Torao Mido: Crepe
Haruka Isumi: UGHHHHHHH [2]
Shiro Utsugi: Great work today, you two! Are you getting fired up talking about foods starting with “P"?
Shiro Utsugi: Pudding! I’ve been really into it lately. The firmer ones are just so delicious
Haruka Isumi: Oh
Shiro Utsugi: Eh?
Torao Mido: Guess the game’s over now
Shiro Utsugi: Wait, were you playing Word Chain?! Ahhhh, I’m so sorry!! I totally ruined it for you guys!!!
Haruka Isumi: Not at all, it's fine. Actually, I should be thanking you!! 🥴 You saved me from losing
Torao Mido: That’s alright, I’ll just keep honing my skills for the next time
Haruka Isumi: And I’ll just beat you again then! Anyway, isn't it time already? Let's begin, Utsugi-san!
Shiro Utsugi: Thank you very much 😭 Once again, we’ve been asked to capture your usual relaxed interactions, so we'll be conducting the interview in this format using Rabbit Chat!
Shiro Utsugi: Isumi-san, please tell us how you felt when you heard Mido-san would be producing you!
Haruka Isumi: To be totally honest, I really had no idea how he was going to go about producing me!
Haruka Isumi: I mean, when I think about how Torao sees me, I imagine stuff like “good at singing,” “knows a lot about sweets,” or “really good at Word Chain.” I figured he’d be thinking along those lines lol 🤔
Torao Mido: Yeah, I guess we've never really had a proper conversation about what I think you're like as an idol and all that
Torao Mido: But after listening to the song, did you get a sense of how I see you?
Haruka Isumi: Mhm. I mean, sorry if I’m wrong, but...
Haruka Isumi: Torao, do you maybe actually like me quite a bit...?
Torao Mido: Well, it's not like I dislike you, right!? What do you take me for?
Haruka Isumi: RIGHT!? That's what I thought too... it's just that the lyrics and melody were so straightforward
Haruka Isumi: It felt like you really captured me in a song. Even though it was my first time hearing it, it didn’t feel like the first time at all
Shiro Utsugi: It really is a passionate song with a strong message! Mido-san, could you please share how you decided on the direction?
Torao Mido: Haruka has always been radiant
Torao Mido: He never lies to himself about his feelings. Whether he's happy or sad, he expresses those emotions openly. I've always kind of admired that about him.
Torao Mido: He possesses the kind of overwhelming power that can pierce through the pitch-black night and propel us toward the bright blue sky. Haruka was always at the forefront, leading us to brighter places. Like a hero.
Torao Mido: I packed that strength of his into "Aoku."
Haruka Isumi: You think I’m like a hero?
Torao Mido: Yeah.
Haruka Isumi: I see... I didn't know. It’s pretty rare for you to say such things openly, so it makes me really happy
Torao Mido: I'm glad we're doing this over Rabbit Chat
Haruka Isumi: I’d rather you said it to my face!!!
Torao Mido: No way! That’d be way too embarrassing.
Haruka Isumi: Well, fair enough 😆 But y'know, I think you’re like a hero too, Torao
Torao Mido: Me?
Haruka Isumi: You faced your feelings, your scars, head-on. Ever since that day, you’ve challenged yourself in so many ways and expanded the possibilities for us — for ŹOOĻ. You’re seriously so cool
Torao Mido: Well
Torao Mido: I really am cool.
Haruka Isumi: We’re cool, you mean!
Torao Mido: Yeah. We’re cool!
Shiro Utsugi: I am currently taking a screenshot of this conversation.
Haruka Isumi: Ah, I should too!
Torao Mido: Guess I’ll do it too, then.
Shiro Utsugi: No matter what the future holds, I'm sure ŹOOĻ will be just fine. And if you ever feel disheartened, please reread the Rabbit Chats from this project.
Shiro Utsugi: Though, of course, I’ll do my best to make sure that doesn’t happen...!
Haruka Isumi: Thanks. We're counting on you, Utsugi-san
Torao Mido: Please keep looking out for us
Shiro Utsugi: ŹOOĻ is the best!
Haruka Isumi:
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Torao Mido:
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Haruka Isumi: It’s kinda funny seeing Torao use King Pudding stickers lmao
Torao Mido: Come on. What’s wrong with using them once in a while?
Shiro Utsugi: This happens to me as well. Whenever I use stickers while chatting with the staff, they always ask, "Is something wrong?" with concern. I guess some things just suit certain people while others don’t
Haruka Isumi: Yeah, if Utsugi-san suddenly sent me a sticker while we were talking, I’d probably wonder what was up too
Torao Mido: But his emoji choices are already so weird; isn't it too late to be surprised?
Shiro Utsugi:
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Haruka Isumi: That’s kinda cute lmaoo
Shiro Utsugi: Let’s get back to the main topic. Next, I’d like to ask about the photoshoot and the costumes. The use of wires and CGI really made for such a dynamic shot!
Torao Mido: I wanted to express Haruka’s energy and strength. You can really feel that sense of him piercing through the sky, right?
Torao Mido: Even in a stifling world that's buried in asphalt and moving at a dizzying pace, with Haruka's voice, we can take off and soar anywhere.
Haruka Isumi: Hehe, Torao just keeps saying things that make me super happy
Torao Mido: Was it scary? I remember you weren’t too thrilled about bungee jumping before
Haruka Isumi: At first, I was a little nervous about whether I'd do a good job, but it turned out to be SO much fun!!! I was like, “Woah, so this is how Torao always films his stunts too? That’s awesome” 😂
Haruka Isumi: Oh, and when you called out to me, saying, “I know you can do it,” it made me really happy.
Torao Mido: I meant every word. I believe in you, Haruka
Haruka Isumi: Yeah! Thanks. By the way, how did you decide on the costume? I didn’t think both my knees would be exposed like that 😆
Torao Mido: Heroes usually show some leg, don’t they?
Haruka Isumi: The heck? LOL. Then you should've had both your knees out too!!
Torao Mido: Listen. Try imagining me with both my knees out first
Haruka Isumi: It looked-
Haruka Isumi: It looked great! The Torao in my head totally pulled it off!!! 😂 LMAOO
Torao Mido: You’re laughing though, lol
Haruka Isumi: Show it to me next time, okay? 😂😂
Shiro Utsugi: Please show it to me too! 🐾 Well then, sadly, we've reached the end of the interview. Before we wrap up, could I ask the two of you to share a final message with your fans?
Torao Mido: I’m sure you fans have noticed it as well. When you listen to Haruka's voice, it stirs up an impulse within you, a feeling that makes it impossible not to keep moving forward. Haruka's voice guides us.
Torao Mido: From there, I came to realize that even we could become someone's hero someday. The future you reach after all your struggles is bright, beautiful, and blue. I hope you guys listen to the song a lot too.
Haruka Isumi: The lyrics, “The words I caught amidst lights that emerge and fade, now dwell in my heart,” are my favorite.
Haruka Isumi: There was a time when I used to tell myself, "I'm never going to pay heed to anyone's voice", "I'm never going to let myself be swayed by someone else's words." But now I realize I was wrong.
Haruka Isumi: I’ve always been supported by our fans’ words. Whenever you said, “Thank you,” my body felt lighter. Whenever you said, “You can do it,” I honestly felt like, “Yeah, I can!”. That’s why these lyrics resonate with me so much.
Haruka Isumi: Your words always reach us directly. Thank you so much for everything! Torao called me a hero, but to me, my members and our fans are the real heroes! I’ll make sure to treasure “Aoku” together with Torao!!!
Shiro Utsugi: Thank you, Isumi-san and Mido-san. I’m very excited for ŹOOĻ’s future...!
Haruka Isumi: Me too!! Let's keep doing this together, Torao!
Torao Mido: Yeah, of course. I’m looking forward to my future with you guys.
Torao Mido: So, this marks the end of ŹOOĻ's part in this project, huh. Should we do something to celebrate?
Haruka Isumi: Good idea! Let’s have another party together! At your place, Torao!
Torao Mido: Sounds good. It’s winter, and for a big group, there’s really only one answer, right?
Haruka Isumi: Hot pot party!! 🤩
Shiro Utsugi: That sounds wonderful. If I’m not mistaken, I believe everyone’s schedules line up next week...!
Haruka Isumi: It won't be just us — Utsugi-san, you're joining too!
Shiro Utsugi: Eh, is that really okay...?! I’d be honored
Torao Mido: We’ll need a really big clay pot. Guess I'll go look for a good craftsman
Haruka Isumi: You're going to start by making the pot first? LOLOL
The End.
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[1] - They're actually playing Shiritori here, the Japanese version of Word Chain, where players take turns saying words that begin with the last syllable of the previous word.
[2] - The word "Crepe" (クレープ) in Japanese ends with "Pu" (プ), so Haruka is once again frustrated to be given another word that ends with "P."
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ily-fictional-women · 4 months ago
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Bloody but Beautiful
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Summary: The night can bring in many dangers, many monsters, and many realizations. 
Pairing: vampire!Kate Bishop x fem!reader
Warnings: Talks of blood, minor implications of abuse, and a small dash of spice
Word count: 1448
a/n: Been gone for a long time lol. Was at a mental health low, got good, had my birthday, and got broken up with. Anyways, I’ve been obsessed with Interview with a Vampire so ya’ll are getting a vampire au! (Reblogs are welcome and critiques/advice are heavily encouraged, but please no translating.) 
Kate stands at the top of the rooftop listening for any type of commotion. But the thumping hearts coursing with rich red blood are too distracting. It’s been over a month since she treated herself to any good blood. Animal blood works. But it can only keep the urges down for so long. Tonight is the night, she's sure of it. 
Or, that is until she smells a familiar scent. “What are you doing here Y/n?” Y/n lets out a dramatic groan before laughing a little, “I swear Kate, I’m gonna be able to jumpscare you eventually.” Kate keeps her view on the city, “You are welcome to try. Again though, why are you here Y/n?” 
Y/n moves closer to Kate, wrapping her arms around her neck from behind and resting her chin on her shoulder, “Before Clint left he emphasized it was good to not go on patrol by yourself. And you weren’t at your apartment.” She’s too close Kate thinks to herself. 
It’d be so easy to do a quick turn and take a drink from her pretty neck. But her phone buzzes with a police alert before she can give too much thought to the idea of draining one of her closest friends. Y/n moves her gaze to Kate’s phone, “What is it?” 
“Hostage situation not too far from here, the tracksuit mafia is holding a few girls. Did you bring your knives?” Y/n lets go of Kate quickly flashing one of her many daggers with a grin, “Did you bring enough arrows?” Kate rolls her eyes at the tease, “Always.” 
//
Y/n takes out an electric arrow drawing it back and releasing it to take one of the guards at the front entrance. “That should be the last one on the outside, you ready to go in?” Y/n gives her an affirming nod. Kate takes another arrow shooting it to create a zip-line. 
Making it across the way the two observe the scene through the glass rooftop. If it weren’t for Y/n being here this could be quick for Kate. She could use her strength to easily knock out all the men. Then used her speed to bring the girls to safety, leaving her enough time to drain at least three of the men and dispose of the bodies before any police would find the girls safe. 
But, she also does love a challenge. “Looks like there’s about seven of them on the inside, three with guns all aimed at the girls. Four with bats or crowbars. How do you want to do this Kate?” 
“I’ll use a few of my smoke arrows giving us enough time to get in. You take out the ones without guns with your knives, I’ll use my arrows to get the ones with guns. But I’ll need you to get the girls out of there before I tie them up just in case one of them gets up. Just in case any backup arrives.” 
Y/n looks at Kate with slight concern, “Are you sure you can handle them all?” Kate grins assuringly, “I’ll be fine, are you ready?” With Y/n nodding Kate breaks the glass of the rooftop the sound already triggering the tracksuit mafia to look up. Quickly shooting a few smoke arrows though and their vision is compromised. 
Y/n drops down first based on the memory of where each man was she throws her first knife in the direction of a man with a crown bar. Hearing a loud yelp once the knife made contact she ran in the direction being able to see him from behind she put him in a chokehold long enough for him to pass out. 
With Y/n now occupied Kate aims from the rooftop as the smoke starts to clear. Before the men can start shooting she draws her arrow making sure to not aim at any lethal areas for the men. She shoots two in the shoulder with tranquilizer arrows. Then the last in the foot with a glue trap arrow. Using another arrow to knock the gun out of his hand. 
As the smoke fully clears Y/n looks up at Kate as she begins to untie the girls, “Everyone’s out like a little kid. You can come down.” Making her way down Kate gives Y/n a serious look as she unties the last girl, “You should go right now. They probably already called for backup. Get them as far away as possible, okay?” 
Y/n hesitates for a moment, “Fine.” As she leaves with the girls Kate knocks out the man she stuck with the glue trap. Beginning to pile them up so it would be easier to tie them together Kate pulls out a knife from one of the men Y/n took down licking the blood clean off of it. 
The rich taste was definitely something incomparable to animal blood. She can feel her fangs start to slip out, but she manages to control herself tying up the rest. Making her way outside she hears some yelling in a nearby alleyway. Taking a quick peek she sees a man yelling at a woman. Then he slaps her.
Wasting no time Kate uses her speed to take the woman a few blocks away noticing bruises all over her. Some old. Some new. Making her way back to the man before he could even notice the woman was gone she used her strength to toss him so hard into a nearby dumpster it leaves a dent in it.
She picks the man up by the jaw lifting him to his feet. He groans in pain, “What the fuck are you.” Kate slams him down on the ground, “Someone just trying to good. You on the other hand. You’re a monster.” She draws out her fangs, “I don’t like monsters.” Lifting him up again she sinks her teeth into his neck sucking out his blood, draining him dry. 
As she drops the man feeling satisfied she looks up to see Y/n her mouth agape. Panic immediately rises in Kate, “Y/n I- I can explain. Just don’t-” Y/n cuts her off. “You’re beautiful.” Y/n looks at Kate admiringly. Covered in blood, the moonlight giving it a slight shine. Y/n repeats again moving closer to Kate resting a hand on her bloodied cheek, “You are beautiful.”
Kate leans into Y/n’s touch, “You’re not scared?” Y/n leans closer to Kate her lips only a breath away from hers. “How could I be afraid of a beauty like yours?” Kate closes the space between them the kiss slick with blood. As things became more heated Kate pulls away looking at Y/n, her lips now tinted with red. 
“So you knew? And you don’t care?” Y/n wraps her arms around Kate once more, “No I don’t care, and I assumed you were either a vampire or a narcoleptic recluse with a hobby of archery.” 
Kate giggles kissing Y/n again, pulling away for a breath Y/n smiles. “How about we clean this up,” she gestures to the man on the ground, “then you take me back to your apartment.” 
“Deal.” 
//
Tossing their gear on the floor not wasting any time getting into the apartment Kate pushes Y/n against the entrance door kissing her like she needed it live. As Y/n’s hands move to grip at Kate’s waist Kate's hands wander up to the zipper of Y/n’s jumpsuit. 
Tying the top half around her waist her sports bra exposed, but more importantly, her neck exposed. Y/n pushed Kate away for a moment, guiding her to sit down on the couch. As Kate sits she watches as Y/n takes a seat on her lap. She rests her hand on Kate's cheek again lightly brushing her thumb.
“You can take a small drink, if you want.” Kate squits her eyes for a second, “You trust me enough for that?” Y/n nods and Kate begins kissing her again. But slower this time, as her hands move across Y/n’s body she moves her lip’s attention from Y/n’s lips to her cheek, then her jaw, but as she reaches her neck she pauses. 
“Are you sure?” 
“Yes, I’m sure.” At the confirmation, Y/n can feel Kate’s fangs slowly enter her neck. The feeling causes a sense of excitement to swell inside her. This blood was different for Kate though, it was so much better. Blood always tasted good, but blood with lust– no. Love, rushing through it. It’s a rich delicacy. A delicacy Kate could get used to. 
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mxtxfanatic · 4 months ago
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Hi! If you don't mind me asking:
What does mxtx says about jc's character? Like some jc stans claim that she has said he has a knife tounge and tofu heart, (I don't believe it still) is it true? I don't know where to find her interviews, so I asked you instead:)
Thank you 💕
MXTX speaks on Jiang Cheng’s character in two places that I know: the old version of the postscript of the novel (absent from the official 7seas release) and an interview from before she left socials.
In the postscript, she only has this to say about Jiang Cheng:
Everyone should know what Jiang Cheng’s keyword is without me saying it. In the beginning, I thought with with XY’s [Xue Yang] existence, Jiang Cheng’s negative energy would definitely seem skimpy. Who knew he became the ultimate superstar of the comment section? Compared to him, XY was almost a poor, has-been idol. Only now and then would someone decide to drag him out again. Of course, in the end, under the combined PDA attacks of WWX and LWJ, the past and present superstars were obliterated.
And in this interview, she goes more in-depth. Sidenote: while I appreciate the interview for what it, I do not appreciate the ways in which they insert their own opinions about how they think MXTX should feel about Jiang Cheng into the actual interview commentary, and it shows how much of a bias even the interviewer had towards his character to have asked so many leading questions in an attempt to get a positive response out of her about him.
Anyways, here's some expansion by @jiangwanyinscatmom on the nuance of what mxtx meant by “not heinous/evil” that was lost in translation here and some more re-translation (still of the same interview as above):
墨香铜臭:本性不是特别坏,但是有人要讨厌他的话,那也没办法。因为你讨不讨厌一个人,也是……也是自己的问题。
He is not a 坏 (basically spoiled broken, corrupt) person by nature, but if someone wants to dislike him, there is nothing I can do about it. Because whether you dislike someone or not is also... your own choice.
MXTX's answer about why Jiang Cheng never could marry and how she sees him as a character (parenthesis section for jiangwanyinscatmom's own translation notes):
墨香铜臭:就性格比较差劲吧,谈了几个,吹了。 (He just has an 差劲 (average/lame/disappointing, let down) temperament, he dated several times but they were all failures) 墨香铜臭:我眼中的江澄……我眼中的江澄,就……其实没怎么样,我写文还是比较客观的。我看他……我看他就、就像是在看一个作品。 女主持:如果让大大本人来介绍江澄这个人的话,你会怎么介绍他? 墨香铜臭:我觉得他是一个负能量比较……重……的人。 女主持:这么简单吗? 墨香铜臭:对,负能量比较重,但是也不是个、也不是个十恶不赦的人吧。对。 MXTX: In my eyes, Jiang Cheng... In my eyes, Jiang Cheng is... Actually, it's nothing special. I am relatively objective when writing. When I look at him... When I look at him, it's like looking at a work of art. Female host: If you were to introduce Jiang Cheng, how would you introduce him? MXTX: I think he is a person with a lot of negative energy... Female host: Is it that simple? MXTX: Yes, he has a lot of negative energy, but he is not a heinous person. Yes.
In short: MXTX describes Jiang Cheng as a character that is filled with negativity and unable to date, but he is not inherently evil nor to the point of being irredeemable. He is a product of the story and fulfills the role he was created to fulfill in the plot. He's not a good person, not overtly and not secretly. That's it.
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ladyluscinia · 1 year ago
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What Exactly Did David Jenkins Say?
Look, I'm still staunchly of the opinion that Word of God statements and creator interviews are overvalued in fandom, especially when they get pulled out mostly as gotchas without then continuing to analyze whether or not the show canon is successful at getting across that same message. Death of the Author is good, actually, and we should remember that. But they are worth looking at in the context of evaluating intent vs execution, and for future speculation - just, like, please with less of the whole mile high pedestal idolizing and backlash cycles.
But if overvalued "Word of God" is annoying, then overvalued "supposed creator statements that have gone through three rounds of telephone and any given blogger has only heard about a quarter of them, which they'll use confidently anyway" is worse. So, since I'd already looked up interviews for various reasons...
Here is a fairly comprehensive list of interviews David Jenkins has given and statements he's made during them, presented without commentary (save curating which statements get highlighted). All provided with links. I definitely missed some, so if you have any that you want to add, please do - though if you could trim off any commentary and save it for tags / your own post with a link that would be cool.
Also, again, just because he said it doesn't make it incontrovertible canon that only a blind person wouldn't understand. Some of these even arguably contradict each other. The creator's intent doesn't always translate to what the show is doing, nor do you even have to think it was a good idea.
(Listed in chronological order from oldest to newest - post contains spoilers below the cut)
Pre-S1
Gizmodo - Feb 22, 2022 - with Cheryl Eddy (io9) - Link
Why this story - Really, it was the enigma of Stede that drew him in. "I think actual pirate stuff is fine, but it's not necessarily my cup of tea. And I think Taika [Waititi] felt similarly. But hearing about this guy and reading about him and seeing that, you know, he left his family, then he met Blackbeard, they hit it off, and we don't know any of the details in between. So filling those blanks in, and having a very human story, and then being able to do it with the pirate genre, that was like, 'Oh, this would be cool.'"
Post 1x01 - 1x03
Polygon - March 5, 2022 - with Tasha Robinson - Link
David Jenkins, Taika Waititi, and Rhys Darby interview
About Stede running off to sea - "Stede thought he could outrun his baggage, and you can't outrun your baggage."
About S1 - "I don't think there was enough improv on set! We had an insane schedule, with a huge amount of plot. We were budgeted and designed as a one-hour show, but with a half-hour production schedule, which means we really had to chase these episodes to get them shot. And then there are certain emotional beats that we really needed. So trying to find places to find the fun was hard."
Mashable - Mar 5, 2022 - with Belen Edwards - Link
About the show concept - "It was Jenkins' wife who first told him about Stede's adventures; she thought it would make a good TV show."
On casting Rhys Darby - "Stede did a terrible thing to his family. If you cast it wrong, he's a very hard character to get behind," Jenkins said. "Very quickly, the only person I thought of for this was Rhys [Darby]. He has this childlike quality that's endearing."
About the story - "Seeing them discover a need for each other that neither anticipated and charting how that relationship goes is the meat of the story." + "If you're on this ship, you're running from something, and you're running to something that you can't be on land"
Mentions of matelotage - "In fact, one of Jenkins's favorite pirate facts that he learned while working on Our Flag Means Death was the term matelotage, which was a civil union between same-sex pirates. "The more you look at it," he explained, "the more you write to the fact that this is a queer-positive world.""
Discussing piracy careers - "Something else that astounded Jenkins about pirates was "just how fast it all moved — their lives were quite short," he said. "Your career [in piracy] wasn't very long.""
Post 1x09 - 1x10
Decider - Mar 24, 2022 - with Kayla Cobb - Link
David Jenkins, Taika Waititi, and Rhys Darby interview
Pitch for the show - "That was in the pitch," series creator David Jenkins told Decider. "That was the reason, to make them fall in love with each other."
About the romance - "The main thing to me was to side-step coming out," Jenkins continued. "I just want a romance. I want a Titanic romance between these two people. We don't have to do the coming out story and then the non-binary story for Jim [Vico Ortiz]."
About S2 and the show - "The show is the relationship," Jenkins said. "So, we end in a place where there is this breakup. What happens after a breakup between these two people who, one’s realized he's in love and the other one is hurt in a way that he's never been hurt before? What does that do to each of them in an action, pirate world with them trying to find each other again? So again, I really love those rom-com beats."
Collider - Mar 24, 2022 - with Carly Lane - Link
On making it a romcom - "It's the only reason to make the show. If you didn't do that, it would just be weird. I mean, you're using the rom-com beats. You're using these like they're together. And it's funny because so we're so habituated to be like bromance, bromance, bromance, and it's such a simple move to put them together."
Discusses focusing on romance - "I guess I really... I get kind of bored. How much pirate can you do? They're going to rob stuff. They're going to steal ships. There's only so many pirate stories you can do. So if you're going to do a workplace story, I mean, you're essentially having this... You'd have this same amount of relationships in Grey's Anatomy in the ER. So it's standard. It's the most standard. We're making a soap opera on a pirate ship, and to use those soap opera beats... I like it, and I like the flavor in a comedy when you have something that's played genuinely up against very ridiculous things."
Discusses history and kissing scene
Discusses importance of going home to Mary - "Yeah, that was the problem for me in the story. I knew that I wanted to have the end where he goes home, because you need to give Mary her day in court. I just wanted to know from Mary's perspective what happened and then to see that, yeah, they're friends."
Is Lucius dead? - "You got to wait."
EW.com - Mar 25, 2022 - with Devan Coggan - Link
David Jenkins, Taika Waititi, and Rhys Darby interview
Pitch for the show - "To me, [Stede and Blackbeard's relationship] is the reason to make the show," Jenkins explains. "When Taika and I were first talking about it, he was like, 'Oh yeah, that's the show.' I first started reading about Stede and how he befriended Blackbeard and we don't know why. Very quickly, it was like, 'Oh, it's a romance.'"
Polygon - Mar 25, 2022 - with Tasha Robinson - Link
Discusses 3-season intent - "I think three seasons is good. I think we could do it in three."
Discusses acts within S1 - "To me, when you see him get stabbed, and the blood runs through his fingers, it’s like 'Oh, no, the clown got stabbed! And not comedy-stabbed, he got stabbed stabbed!' That to me is cool. And then having Blackbeard find him as the end of what would be the first act of our story felt good to me."
Discusses kiss scene filming and the national moment around gay rights
What to focus on a rewatch - "I think Con O'Neill does such a great job. He's such a complex character, and it's such a tortured relationship. And that's a love story too, between him and Blackbeard. It's a very dysfunctional story, but it's fun to watch. Watch that maybe, on a rewatch, looking where their relationship ultimately goes."
TV Insider - Mar 25, 2022 - with Meaghan Darwish - Link
Discusses show pitch - "When I was pitching [the show] to people, I'd be like, 'Okay, so it's about Stede and Blackbeard, and then they hit it off and then they fall in love.' And then people are like, 'Okay, cool,' Jenkins shares. "And then they really fall in love, and become intimately involved."
Discusses historical inspiration
Discusses S2 direction - "But when [Stede] goes to find [Blackbeard], he's gone and his crew's been abandoned. And so watching them try to negotiate that, that's a good rom-com beat," he adds.
The Verge - Apr 15, 2022 - with Charles Pulliam-Moore - Link
Discusses being surprised by queerbaiting legacy - "...part of me knew that, yes, Stede and Ed's romance was going to be real. But one part of me felt like, 'We're going to do this story, and they're going to kiss, and maybe that's not even going to be that big a deal. Maybe it'll just be a blip.'"
Discusses writing romance - "I'd never written a romance before this one, but I think with Ed and Stede, the question's always 'what's the need for each other?'"
Discusses falling in love and Stede's accidental seduction - "It made sense to have that love be almost like a teenage version of falling in love — one with all these intense and conflicting feelings. They're middle-aged, but Stede's young. Ed's young. Emotionally, they're like 16, and they've both got a lot to learn."
Discusses Con O'Neill as Izzy - "He plays an exhausted quality that's really lovely because this character could just be generically evil, and the way Con plays, it is like, he's credible. I believe that he can do some damage if he wanted to. My favorite thing I've seen about the show is somebody saying that Con's playing the only human with a bunch of Muppets. It does feel like that a bit where he's like Charles Grodin in The Great Muppet Caper."
On Izzy being in love with Blackbeard - "I think Izzy's deeply in love with Blackbeard, and it's a very dysfunctional kind of love, and he's like the jilted spouse who's losing his man to fucking Stede Bonnet, and he can't believe this is happening."
Discusses masculinity and piracy as an escape from that
Discusses diversity and trauma based stories - "And the consensus in that very diverse room was that we wanted to show that isn't just wallowing in trauma. We don't have to do a coming out scene or focusing on the trauma of it — not to say that those stories aren’t valid."
Gizmodo - Jun 20, 2022 - with Linda Codega (io9) - Link
Musing on fandom response to the show - "I'm wondering if the fact that because the queerness of this show isn't gaslighting the audience, and isn't a function of wanting to do something, but not being able to produce the results because of network standards. I think we just happened to be in this lucky spot where the show is actually queer… and I do think that people are responding to that."
Comparing fanfiction to writing - "And Con O'Neill's audition was one of those things I would go back to. I would watch that and be like… Oh, right, that's the show. And in a way, you're writing fanfiction for a certain actor and character because you want them to do something, and you're like–" at this point, it must be said, Jenkins let out a maniacal little giggle. He’s just as thrilled to show off Con O'Neill's ability to seem both deeply exhausted and menacing as the rest of the fandom. "And you [as the writer] you're like… And then Izzy does this now."
EW.com - Dec 13, 2022 - with Devan Coggan - Link
Discusses The Chain sequence - "I had initially wanted that end sequence to be like the FBI raid in a mob movie, where the feds come in, and they've got boxes of stuff, and everyone's running, and someone makes a dash for it," Jenkins explains. "So, it's like a mob movie or FBI raid story, and then it's also a story of Stede's lover coming back."
Pre-S2
Collider - Oct 2, 2023 - with Carly Lane - Link
Discusses fan reaction to S1 - "I thought that they'd kiss, and people would be like, 'Oh, cool, cool!' I kind of thought people would know a little bit more [about] where we were going, but then in hindsight, no, people have been hurt and burned on so many other shows and then made to feel silly."
Discusses starting S2 dark - "One of these characters is very, very damaged and has never made himself vulnerable in this way before, and I don't think [he] would react very well to having his heart broken in this way. I don't think it would be cute, and I don't think it would be funny. I think it would be scary as hell to watch a very damaged guy that we've established in Ed, who killed his dad and thinks he's not capable of being loved, deal with rejection and see that Stede really hurt him."
Discusses adding more female characters
Discusses S2 needle drops including "This Woman's Work"
Discusses 3-season arc
Post 2x01 - 2x03
Mashable - Oct 5, 2023 - with Belen Edwards - Link
Discusses fandom response to S1
About the canon gay relationship - "To watch the explosion of enthusiasm around [the kiss] was disorienting, almost," Jenkins said. "I thought people would react to it, but I didn't think the reaction would be that big. And then it was moving, because I didn't realize that this audience felt so unserved in general, as far as storylines go."
Insider - Oct 5, 2023 - with Ayomikun Adekaiyero - Link
Tease on leaning into the Stede / Ed / Izzy love triangle - "I think Izzy, in a certain way, got the worst deal in the first season," the showrunner tells Insider. "He gets jilted and then he still is in spurned spouse territory at the beginning of the second season."
Discusses Izzy's arc - "What is that relationship about? And I think by the end of the season it kind of becomes a little unexpected of who they are to each other and what they mean to each other," he teases
Discusses addition of Zheng - "He likens Zheng's way of pirating to a successful tech startup, compared with the garage sale vibe Stede had going on the Revenge."
Discusses introducing Hornigold - "I thought Hornigold was the most obvious because he was the person who made Blackbeard what he is. And Blackbeard has a father complex, so it's natural that he's going to bring his former captain back," the show creator said. "It's a struggle with him because he and dad figures don't historically do well."
Discusses importance of the mermaid scene
Inverse - Oct 5, 2023 - with Hoai-Tran Bui - Link
Reveals he didn't commit to the romance until shooting 1x06 - "Jenkins always intended his pirate comedy to end with a romance, but he'd envisioned it as an unrequited love. "It was going to be about Stede learning what love is, and Ed making himself vulnerable and getting burned," Jenkins says of his original pitch. But Darby and Waititi's choices in the scene, which they played without diffusing the tenderness with a joke, made him wonder if they could take the show in a new direction."
Discusses mermaid Stede idea from S1 - "We talked about Stede as a mermaid very early on in the writers' room," Jenkins says. "At some point, yeah, I want to see Rhys Darby as a merman." + "They wanted us to come up with a Season 2 pitch during Season 1. And that was one of the ideas we hit on, and I can't quite remember how we got there, but it was us asking, what is a pirate world? Are there mermaids? Is there magic in this show? With pirate stuff, I don’t know that I want there to be magic, but there was a way where it was something really beautiful about a mer-person, and I like the idea that their coming together would have a mythic size to it."
Discusses historical divergence
Discusses matelotage and pirates as weird outsiders
TV Guide - Oct 5, 2023 - with Allison Piccuro - Link
About the shipping culture - "It's the meat of the show, so it's great to have people bought into the central romance. If it were a bromance that we were trying to make look like a romance, that would suck."
Discusses playlists he makes
Discusses opening dream sequence - "I just like that it started with something badass. Stede, Blackbeard, and Izzy are on an arc together. Whether they're in stories together or not, their ultimate arc is together. I think, by the end of this season, the last episode, that first scene will be gratifying. I won't say why, but their fates are tied together."
Discusses Kraken arc - "But I think the thing that's good about this show is that it can go to really sweet comedy land, but I want there to be, like, if someone loses a body part, for instance, they lose a body part. To do justice to the fact that this guy is a killer and a monster, and dealing with heartache that he doesn't know how to deal with, I think you really need to go there."
Discusses Izzy in S2 - "I mean, he's jilted. He had a partnership with Blackbeard, and he knows he can't live up to this person that Blackbeard fell in love with... Who is that guy? What are his hobbies? What does it look like when he's not totally subsumed with his boss's love affair with somebody, and heartbroken?"
On S2 reunion - "The second season is them being a little bit more mature... It's the thing where you're in your 20s or 30s and you're like, "Well, should we move in together?" They have to make up some time because neither of them have been in a functional relationship before."
About genre of pirate stories - "...is a show about multiple relationships. That's what I want to see when I see this show. I don't want to see a bunch of pirate things that I've seen in other things, I'll just go watch another thing if I want to see that. That's not really my thing. I like the genre, but it's a very hard genre to budge. I want to see relationships in a pirate world."
Discusses the A Star is Born aspect of seeking fame / retiring
Mashable - Oct 7, 2023 - with Belen Edwards - Link
About the mermaid scene - "You need something expressive for when they come back together," Jenkins said. "Their reunion moment has to feel big and mythical. This is not a world where mermaids actually exist, but their love for each other has that size that you can get [a mermaid] in there somewhere."
About Kate Bush - "I love Kate Bush, and I love that song, and I know Taika loves that song," Jenkins explained of the choice. "So I wanted to find a place for that song somewhere in the second season."
Polygon - Oct 9, 2023 - with Tasha Robinson & more - Link
Compares S2 and "Golden Age of Piracy" stuff to Westerns, lists 5 he was thinking of - "Every Western that’s good is that story," Jenkins says. "'This way of life we made is coming to an end. It can't last. It's a blip in time. We created this thing because we need it to exist. We're outlaws, and we need a culture that suits us, but it's running out of time.'"
Gizmodo - Oct 9, 2023 - with Linda Codega (io9) - Link
Short tease on leaning into the love triangle
About Stede, Edward, and Izzy - "I think the three of them are on an arc together that's pretty inseparable," Jenkins said in an interview with io9. "And to watch Izzy try to process what's happened [in season one]… to watch him kind of grow and figure out what's his own story, if he can separate himself from this kind of toxic relationship, is interesting to me and I think gives him a lot of room for growth."
Post 2x04 - 2x05
IndieWire - Oct 12, 2023 - with Sarah Shachat - Link
Discusses directing and show creation
"The limitations of the show also naturally push it back towards moments with the ensemble and plot problems that it would frankly be irresponsible to tackle if you had a giant budget and a fully working ship-of-the-line to sail and then blow to bits. "That's the fun of the show to us, I think. If you open this up and you're like, unlimited budget, that would be terrible because I think you can get seduced," Jenkins said. "[It could be like,] 'Oh man, it's all leading up to a climatic battle on the sea.' And those things are great. But that’s not this show.""
"The nice thing about that, though, is you get to be the lo-fi show that’s like, 'Hey, we’re making The Muppets.'"
PopSugar - Oct 12, 2023 - with Victoria Edel - Link
About S2 Stede - "I like the idea that he learns and grows and he doesn't just stay a bumbling captain. He might be ridiculous, but he is getting better at it."
Discusses genre challenges - "How do you have a show that's a romance show but it's also a workplace show and they're criminals?"
Discusses Edward's redemption - "But Blackbeard still has to come back and apologize and be part of the community again, and give his little press conference. It was fun for us to look at that in the context of piracy, where they all do terrible things to each other. But even by their standards, what Blackbeard did was a bit much."
Discusses Izzy in S2 - "When Izzy shoots Blackbeard and they all mutiny on him, that's Izzy breaking up with Blackbeard. And they're both having their own journey in the wake of it, and Izzy's having his own redemption arc. He's trying to figure out, "Who am I if I'm not Blackbeard's first mate? Who am I outside of this relationship?"" + "If Stede's Spongebob, he's Squidward. I don't know what that makes Blackbeard. But there's a real pathos to Squidward."
Discusses trauma-based narratives - "As a diverse room in terms of sexuality, socio-economic background, and race, we thought, "Wouldn't it be nice to have a non-trauma-based story for these characters who don't get that historically?""
Variety - Oct 13, 2023 - with Hunter Ingram - Link
Discusses three act structure and making Stede work for a relationship - "The way I like to look at a season is in threes. The end of the first act is when they find each other, and this is the beginning of the second act. They've found each other, but they are pissed. Stede thought it was going to be [Kate Bush's] “This Woman's Work,” but, in reality, it is this headbutt –– literally."
Discusses the central romance - "It was always part of the pitch... that is the reason to make the show. The pirate genre is fun, but I wasn’t dying to make a pirate show. Taika wasn’t dying to make a pirate show. But the thing that was interesting to me was that Stede finds love, and he finds it with Blackbeard."
Discusses 2x04 plot - "This episode is based on a very, very thumbnail sketch of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?." Anne and Mary are Martha and George, and they are Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton."
Discusses adding historical pirates
Discusses Buttons exit - "I just love the idea of him turning into a bird: I love the idea of Buttons somehow being the one character that is able to figure that out."
Discusses Izzy and the crew's trauma plot - "We liked the idea that there is something about trauma and getting past that trauma, even on a pirate ship. They have been through two very different ways of living and they have to get used to each other again. But it's also a family that was separated, and becoming one family again is painful."
Discusses bringing characters back - "We could bring Calico Jack back, who, if you remember, was hit by a cannonball last season. Anyone who is that fun to play with and wants to keep playing, you always find a way to bring them back."
Polygon - Oct 14, 2023 - with Tasha Robinson - Link
Discusses 3-season arc and how keeping them apart with some plot device was never in the cards - "at the end of the first season, they're 14-year-olds, emotionally. In this season, it's more like they’re in their late 20s."
Discussing New Zealand production and ensemble cast writing - "It's pretty organic, because as we're going through and tracking everybody's journey for the season, we're watching the thing that holds us together — what stage of Stede and Blackbeard's relationship are we in? Because the overarching arc is, are these guys going to learn how to settle into a relationship?"
"The second season is more overtly about romance, and more a relationship story."
Energizing aspect of fan reaction
S3 is about "love is work"
Gizmodo - Oct 16, 2023 - with Linda Codega (io9) - Link
About the story - "I want to see them become a functional couple or fail to become a functional couple," Jenkins said. "Those are the most interesting parts of the show."
Discusses fandom engagement - "...ultimately the writers are also "the fans in the room." He goes on to say that, "We're fans of the world. We're writing fanfic about our own characters, our own worlds… It's paid fanfic, but it's fanfic." He gives another example: "If you're writing a season of Succession, you're writing fanfic Succession. You're just getting paid to do it. We, as writers–" it's clear that he's not just talking about the writers in the writers room, "become fans of the world and we all have things we want to see these characters do. What we do is not that different."
Discusses the A Star is Born aspect of seeking fame / retiring
Discusses Zheng Yi Sao
Villains of the series - There are a lot of new villains this season, but, Jenkins says, ultimately, "the antagonist on this show is normalcy… These pirates have a way of life that they're not finding in normal life. They've found a way to live and support each other and be there for each other. And that's always threatened by these larger, tyrannical forces that want to shut them down."
Post 2x06 - 2x07
Mashable - Oct 19, 2023 - with Belen Edwards - Link
Discussing drag performance in 2x06
"It is nice to see with Izzy's arc, where he finally breaks through whatever he's been doing to himself. He lets himself have that moment, which I just love. It resonates for Izzy, and I think it resonates for Con. Just personally, it made me feel good to see how it turned out."
Consequence - Oct 19, 2023 - with Liz Shannon Miller - Link
Discusses intent for romance - "...telling a love story in a serialized medium like television has its perils, largely because it's tough to know how much you can draw out any unresolved tension. "I think we take it episode by episode and we try to not piss people off in taking too long and doing double beats and triple beats," Jenkins says. "You can only do Will They or Won’t They for so long. Then you have to deepen it.""
Discusses pirate setting - "The emphasis on relationships also fits into the show's high-seas setting, which Jenkins finds similar to post-apocalyptic narratives. "It is a little bit like you're doing Mad Max, except there's relationships," he says. "Stuff's shitty, so you gotta try to find some joy. Of course, people are going to have a need for each other in these extreme circumstances, and I like the idea of these characters finding some level of a healthy relationship in these extreme circumstances.""
Discusses Jim x Archie
Discusses 3-season arc
Polygon - Oct 21, 2023 - with Tasha Robinson - Link
Discussing gender and power dynamics in Jackie x Swede / Zheng x Oluwande / Blackbeard x Stede + A Star is Born aspect
Jim not being jealous of Oluwande - "I think that relationship was always seen in the room as a friend relationship that got romantic."
About adding a villain - "I think a lot of the internal forces in Our Flag are the villains." + "I think this is a story about the age of piracy coming to an end. This way of life is coming to an end. And every Western that's good is that story: This way of life we made is coming to an end, and it can't last. […] I think every story about outlaws is about trying to preserve a way of life against normative forces that are kind of fascistic."
Historical accuracy - "The balance of the show is 90% ignoring history, and then 10%, bring it in, whenever we're like, Ah, gotta move the story forward! Remember, the English are out there, and they're really bad!"
Post 2x08
AV Club - Oct 26, 2023 - with Saloni Gajjar - Link
Killing Izzy was always the plan - "We wanted to show the depth of that character. Izzy is one of my favorites. He's like middle management who is in a sort of love triangle [in season one]."
Discusses how they really wanted the happy ending for S2 - "I think with season one's end, it was a gamble to leave it the way it was. Everybody stomached through it. Now if it turned out they didn't want us to make more, I just didn't want to have another story where the same-sex love story ends in tragedy, unrequited love, or if one or both of them are being punished."
Discusses S2 progressing the 3-season romance - "They’re a couple who is like in their late twenties right now as opposed to being teens at the end of season one." + "It was an interesting tension of, which one gives up their dream? A lot of times in relationships questions can come up, like who is going to give up on their dream to take care of the kids? Obviously, no one wants to, but someone ends up giving up more than they want to at some point. What's wonderful about a mature romance, and what I'd want to see more of in season three, is Ed and Stede making these tough decisions." + progressing past the getting together point
Discusses parallels, Republic of Pirates, and Zheng Yi Sao
Short bit about fan response
Collider - Oct 26, 2023 - with Carly Lane - Link
Discusses Ed leaving fishing - "I like that he had a little prima donna moment where he thought he could go and be a simple man, and then it's revealed that he really isn't a simple man; he's a complicated, fussy, moody guy. No, he's not gonna be able to catch fish for a living. For him to be told that, "At your heart, you're a pirate. You have to go back and do it," he doesn't want that to be true, but it was true."
Discusses Izzy's speech to Ricky - "I wanted to give Izzy a proper eulogy for himself. He gives a eulogy for himself, but it felt true writing it."
Discusses Izzy's death scene - "In a way, it's very much for Ed, that speech. The "we were Blackbeard" is claiming that he is also Blackbeard, that Blackbeard is not just Ed’s creation, and I like that for him, too, because he's worked so hard for that — and then just to say, "You can give it up." There can never be a Blackbeard again as far as Izzy's concerned because he's dying, and they did that together."
Discusses Republic of Pirates / music parallels from premier to finale
Discusses finale wedding - "We knew we wanted a matelotage in the season, which is the real term they had for marrying crew members. And yeah, they've always been in relief to Stede and Ed, and they're a little bit ahead of Stede and Ed in how much they can talk about things. So to have a bunch of family things in the season, like a funeral and a wedding, and have the parents kind of watch the kids sail away, felt right, and all of those things seem to work well together and build on each other."
Discusses retirement ending - "That will-they-or-won't-they is interesting to a point, but the real meat of it is always like, "Can they make the relationship, and can they do better than Anne and Mary?""
"Frenchie's in charge of the Revenge" + teases Stede struggling to give it up
EW.com - Oct 26, 2023 - with Devan Coggan - Link
Discusses Izzy's death and telling Con - "It feels like the logical end of Izzy's arc. It's heartbreaking to me because he's my favorite." + "I told him in the middle of shooting because I didn't want him to find out at the table read, obviously. I also didn't want it to leak. He was lovely about it."
Discusses Izzy's final arc - "You know, I didn't expect him to become kind of a father figure to Ed. I think we hit on that while we were breaking the [final] episode. He's in such a weird position: He's like a jilted lover, and then he's a middle manager who has to work for a terrible boss. He gets thrown away, and then he comes back. He really develops, and he becomes a part of this family. I think the biggest surprise was the extent that he was a mentor to Ed. They were both Blackbeard. They both made Blackbeard happen."
Discusses the happy ending intent - "With this season starting so dark, I kind of wanted to reward them for the work that they've done and the character growth that they've had. I wanted to leave them in a place where they're really going to try and make this work. I don't think it's going to be easy for them, necessarily. They're both still immature."
Discusses the wedding - "We knew we wanted a matelotage in the second season, and pretty quickly we landed on Lucius and Black Pete. It seems like they were ready for that. We made up a ceremony and everything, where they call each other mateys, and it was just fun to make our own version of a pirate wedding ceremony."
Discusses potential S3 and Frenchie's Revenge - "But it felt like a good place to end the second season. It felt like a contrast to the first season. If it turns out we don't make any more, I'm comfortable with that being a resting place."
Variety - Oct 26, 2023 - with Hunter Ingram - Link
S3 endpoint - "I love things in threes," he says. "That first act, second act, third act structure is so satisfying when it is done well, and you don't overstay your welcome. I think this world of the show is a big world, and if the third season is successful, we could go on in a different way. But I think for the story of Stede and Ed, that is a three-season story."
Discusses the draw of a "Golden Age" and it's ending
Talks about father figure Izzy and wanting a real sense of loss - "There is a nice parallel to have Ed treat him so badly at the beginning of the season and then come all the way around to where Izzy is this sort of father figure he doesn’t want to lose — because Ed usually kills his father figures."
Gizmodo - Oct 26, 2023 - with Linda Codega (io9) - Link
Teasing future Izzy - "Jenkins looked slightly sad himself, saying that "Ghosts exist in this world." I told him not to make promises he couldn't keep."
"Jenkins said that he doesn't see Izzy as a pure antagonist in season one because on some level… Izzy was right in his hesitations about Stede."
Discussing Con O'Neill & Rhys Darby acting
Jenkins confirms the season was always 8 episodes due to budget cuts
About S2 finale vs S3 - "The first season ends on such a downer, so it made sense to end the second season in a kinder spot." + "I think there's plenty of story left for season three, but I think that it was important to end this as if it was the end of the show, and on upbeat note and avoid the kind of "kill your gays" trope. I don't want to see Stede and Ed punished for giving it a go. I want to see them really say, 'yeah, we’re going to we're going to try to have a relationship'."
Teases S3 revenge against Ricky and going to the Americas
Vanity Fair - Oct 26, 2023 - with Sarah Catherall - Link
About the ending - "It's bittersweet. There's death and there's the rebirth of Stede and Blackbeard's relationship; there's a funeral, there's a wedding, and the idea that this family is going to keep fighting even as they lose members. And then it's about belonging to something." + "A lot of times, with this narrative of characters, same-sex relationships end on a dour, downbeat note, where one of them dies and it's unrequited or it's unrealized; something horrible happens and they're punished in a way. So it was important to leave it open and a lot more show to go, but also leave it in a place where it's happy."
Discusses Izzy as a mentor / father figure - "We felt like Izzy's story had reached its conclusion, where we put him through enough. And then there was the realization that he is kind of a mentor to Blackbeard and that he is kind of a father figure to Blackbeard." + "And it's also a pirate show, so he's got to die."
Discusses filming challenges - "It's a big show; it's basically a one-hour show that we're doing on a half-hour budget."
Discusses adding Zheng Yi Sao
Is the show a queer romance? - "For this show, it's important to me just to write a really bold-bodied romantic show that happens to be between two characters of the same sex. I think that the story beats don't matter, because if you've been in love and you've been hurt and you met someone you love—hopefully we all know what those feelings are."
Blackbeard's arc in S2 - "...the second season is about Blackbeard's midlife crisis. And then when they both have their midlife crises, they can open a B&B together." + "I don't think Stede and Blackbeard are ready to be married. They're emotionally saying: 'Let's give this a go.'"
Discusses historical piracy as "counterculture" that's been straightwashed and whitewashed
Did he feel responsibility to the fan community? - "As opposed to responsibility, it feels more like relief—that people feel seen and they feel good about it and they liked what we did. And so it feels like, Okay, somebody's out there and wants the show. The makeup of the writers room looks a lot like the makeup of the fan base. So as long as we're true to our stories in the writers room, I think we just feel excited that there's somebody waiting on the other end to enjoy it."
Paste Magazine - Oct 26, 2023 - with Tara Bennett - Link
Discusses whether fandom expectations felt weighty - "I think particularly for this season, that "bury your gays" thing… I didn't want to end on a downbeat for Ed and Stede. We did that in the first season. I like that there's a lot of different flavors. It's even a little melancholy because the Republic of Pirates got blown up. But there's still more good things."
Discusses production and plotting - "I wanted to start at the Republic of Pirates this season and end at the Republic of Pirates. And I knew I wanted the Republic of Pirates to be destroyed, ultimately. Within that, we are making a one-hour show on a half hour budget, on a half hour schedule."
Discusses planning the ending - "In terms of ending this season, it all felt right just in talking through it when we were in the room. It felt pretty intuitive. When you get to the third act of the story, things kind of settle in. There's gonna be a funeral. We always knew we wanted a wedding at the end of the second season. And I knew that I wanted Stede and Ed to start an inn together. So once you have those beats, it's kind of locked in."
Discusses Izzy's arc - "It's kind of a strange arc in that I knew we were going to put him through all these things, and I knew he would ultimately die. But I think him becoming a father figure to Ed in the last episode didn't really dawn on us until we were breaking the last episode. Asking what would this man say to Ed at the end because they've been together through everything? He went from a troubled and downtrodden employee to a jilted lover to a discarded employee, to someone that is just trying to find his footing again—no pun intended—to actually becoming this guy's parental figure on some level. And he's one person who kind of raised Ed right, because Blackbeard usually kills his parental figures. So, it felt right and it felt like that's how the mentor dies. The mentor in a story usually dies in the second act and then our hero has to go on and try to do it without them. It felt like the right journey for Izzy and a gratifying one for Con."
On leaving open for S3 - "I don't think it was a very hard thing to do. I think it was more that I felt a responsibility to leave Ed and Stede in a good place, at least for now. It's not gonna go well. They're not going to run a business well. Ed's too much of a talker. Stede can't focus. It's gonna be challenging."
Vulture - Oct 28, 2023 - with Sophie Brookover - Link
Discussing Izzy as a "father figure" and his S2 send-off being a priority
Meaning of piracy - "...what our pirates stand for is a life of belonging to something larger than they are in the face of a crushing, slightly fascist normalcy."
Re: Con O'Neill & Izzy's death - "I had to tell him about halfway through the season"
Third season about the work of a relationship between still damaged main characters
Discusses middles as about change and transitions, and wanting characters to change instead of reset, have them experience permanent consequences
About the final scene - "...Ed and Stede as the parents kind of watching the kids take the ship. Frenchie's the captain now..."
Objective of the crew - "...have had terrible things happen to them at the hands of colonial forces, so they want some payback. Party, plunder, and payback — the three P's."
Metro Weekly - Nov 1, 2023 - with Randy Shulman - Link
Discusses historical premise of S1 and easing into the romance
Discusses S2 genre - "In the second season, it was great because we know it's a romance and we can lead with that. It's a workplace show essentially. I wanted it to be more in the vein of early episodes of Grey's Anatomy or something where there are all these relationships on those shows. That's what you’re following — relationships and friendships that are taking place in a hospital, procedural. That's Grey's Anatomy. This is less procedural for the pirate stuff — and you need the pirate stuff."
Discusses not being into pirates - "But I'm like you. I'm not a big pirate person. In general, it's a big creaky genre that's hard to budge" + "Pirates of the Caribbean, those movies are great. That's not necessarily what I hunger to see, but in that genre, it's great. You're not going to beat that, especially on something that's lower budget. We've seen a lot of this stuff, so it's fun to take it then and don't do any of that stuff."
Discusses adapting historical piracy - "You don't want to see them punch down. You don't want to see them do terrible things to people who don't deserve it, which is not what they really did. So, in the show's world, I think piracy is like a stand-in for something. I think it's a stand-in for being an iconoclast and an outsider and queer in some ways and just different." + "Yeah, I mean, the British are there to be Stormtroopers, or Nazis in an Indiana Jones movie. I mean, they're in there to die essentially."
Discusses diversity staffing
Discusses performative masculinity
Discusses Izzy's death, happy endings, and openness to S3
308 notes · View notes
sarahivi · 3 months ago
Text
youtube
This is a loong interview, i'll try to translate some parts
Min 0:00 - 8:12
Pati – In This occasion I have the huge privilege that in front of me is one of the most important actors in the last decades in this country and I’m talking about Tenoch Huerta. Welcome to the YouTube channel, thank you so much for being here, however only few people know that your first job after you finished the career of journalism in UNAM was of cameramen here in Azteca, how did you get here?
Tenoch – That’s right, some friends, well I was learning in a cable channel and some friend came here, the calls were opened for “La academia” and I came here as cameramen, and it has been one of the funniest experiences in my life
P – Really, why?
T – I loved it, I loved the camera, in fact I have thought if I wasn’t an actor I would have end up as camera director or film photographer
P – But you decided to be in front of the screen, it was to please your dad or because truly the interest of being an actor was born in you
T – Taking the classes was a little so my dad stopped bothering me ,truly, cause it wasn’t to “please him”, my parents are more like do whatever you want as long it makes you happy, so it was so he stopped bothering me, but I liked it and I remember that once I asked him, why you insisted so much? and he told me, because I saw something in you, and I was satisfied with his answer, above all the first part “I saw you” my dad was looking at me and it was like, lovely my dad has always been looking at me and with that I was saved of a lot of traumas and a lot of money from therapy
P – but I don’t think you save money because I heard that you are in therapy
T – Yes, usually I go to therapy, it is a personal discipline, but now it has had to be a little stronger
P – Why?
T – because dragging a lot of topics, evidently everything that happened to me in the last couple of years, are situations of a lot of stress, because not only hits you, it hits your entire family environment.
P – We are talking about Miss Rios case?
T – Yes, because with this accusations my life, my career and my work and family environment were affected, and the hardest part is when you face a lie , when there is a lie, when there are inaccurate data, and the worst part of a lie is not the lie itself, A totally fictitious construction, but when you take elements that are real and misrepresent them and move them so they can fit with things , that's the worst part because even the person that is receiving the attack, in this case myself, it puts you in a state of alert, confusion, pain, you question yourself a lot of things, even there is a self-punishment, a lot of thing mixing and for that you need a therapy
P – What kind of relationship you had with her?
T – we were colleagues in Poder Prieto, I admired her, I hadn't had the pleasure of meeting her, then we attended an event, some collectives were invited and we met there, that’s when we started to get close and at first she seems like a fun girl, very strong, very attractive too and that’s it, the relationship was always like a relationship that was not exclusive
P – An open relationship
T – An open relationship yes
P – So you had relations but you both could have other relationships
T – Yes, even that, I mean in all groups there are other groups of closer friends, in this group of closer friends she told us that she was seeing other people, which it was ok, I too saw other people, there was no problem, simply maybe it was something that we should have talked more precisely, put labels
P – Exactly
T – It could be that, but anyway, not putting labels doesn’t give you the right to destroy a person's life, so that was the kind of relationship, it lasted a few months until there started to be some attitudes, more aggressive.
P – From her?
T – Yes, there was a moment where I got closer to a colleague that is my age, we saw the same cartoons when we were kids and it was fun to talk, and she didn’t like it even if this colleague was only a friend, also it was a friend of hers, and this kind of frictions started to show a weird behavior from her, until she started to attack me within the collective
P – So first was an attack, let’s say in relation with the person within the collective, without posting it on twitter nor social media
T – Nothing, and that’s when I talked to her, we met in a park and in this conversation that we had, she suddenly told me, we were talking and suddenly told me “ ok enough, what are you willing to give to calm all of this?” and I told her, a public apology if you want , I can talk with the people, I don’t know you tell me , I thought that we didn’t have a problem, simply we should have talked more, I don’t know but whatever you say and that was it, some time later when everything exploded and I’m in a huge stressful moment, I had a reunion with some friends, I met a person, that maybe by fate he was sitting next to me and he is a therapist specialized in supporting families that are victims of extortion and kidnaps , so in the conversation the topic arose , I told him and he said, in my experience that was an extortion, the “what are you willing to give?” and I told him “ she didn’t ask for money” and he told me, no, the professionals are very subtle , anyway he didn’t know my case in detail, so I simply took it from there, then time passed, we found some information, the lawyers started investigating, we realized that indeed there were shady things of which I cannot point directly to someone because it will be doing the same that was done to me, I only can say that there are proof that are verifiable, file numbers, and that’s the job of the authority to get to the bottom of those affairs that have years, there are files that have more than 10 years
Update 8:12 - 20:32mins
P – What were the legal actions that you took
T – Legal actions, first I got a solid lawyers team in different stages, a 1st stage was a team of lawyers then a 2nd stage another team of lawyers even in USA, 1st the lawyers, they gatherd information , but also put some legal mechanisms of which I can not talk about but are legal mechanisms that are activated that are carried out, that are like a kind of, I don't know what to really call it, it's like a kind of antecedent, like putting a warning, like that there is a record that this is happening those actions have been carried out, but more important we have been monitoring this last year, 2 years, every week if there is something against me if there is a lawsuit, a complaint, something
P – She has not raise a complaint
T – No one, there is nothing against me , I don’t even have traffic violations.
P – Tenoch, what happen with you when suddenly in social media they are lynching you?
T – Is painful, is scary because once someone filter information about my daughters, with pictures and more , and in anonymity is hard to track , when the lynching started, from real people , bots, troll and more they start to attack my family , we received some direct threats that threatened the integrity of members of my family, and things of that kind so you put yourself in a state of permanent alert, you can’t let your guard down , and as i told my team, is like carrying a dragon breathing in your ear all the time , that you don’t know what might happen because with the topic of anonymous complaints you can take advantage of that, I understand where is coming from, I understand from the desperation of a lot of people that cannot achieve justice for many reasons sometimes they are only left with this, then there is a whole system that favors the men that provokes that people have to resort to this methods that at the beginning might sound good that I even say that, yes they are there for something but when you take advantage of them, you start to use it for personal purposes, politics, economic, electoral or to have better jobs, is when it start to be a problem, because is public, there is no need to prove anything there is non an authority to tell you , mr please you came to make an accusation, if you don’t show proof doesn’t proceed and if does not proceed you are affecting this person , those mechanisms doesn’t exist in social media, simply people believes it or not and that’s it, it’s over, there is no contrast, there is not a method to see if this works, to see if this is real or not and that’s the problem, I think the problem, not talking about my case, talking in general that i also want to clarify that I’d like that my case is not used to demerit the feminist movement,
P – Those are different things
T – Absolutely, and I’m glad that you are saying it, because it comes from a woman and it’s ok, and are different things, the feminist fight and the media lynching are 2 different things that’s why I don’t want that my case is taken to demerit the other, also I understand the reason why there are anonymous complaints and public complaints , but there are not regulated
P – they are not valid
T – they are not valid, and they are being used for other purposes , I think there should be another protocol , I don’t know, for example in usa to make a complaint first I have to have a formal complaint or lawsuit before the authorities, and then with my file in hand I can make a public complaint, not here in Mexico, here in Mexico you made the public complaint and if someone believes in you good and if they don’t too. I think those are the topics that are complicated and for me it was not only the personal impact, you get used to it and you take it and you say, well I’ll take care of it, the problem is when you see that your family
P – How old are your daugthers?
T – 4 and 11
P – They are so young
T – Yes, the older one had 9 and the younger one had 2, fortunately the younger one doesn’t know yet a lot of things, but the older one yes and that is so painful, also my parents,
P – They have suffered
T - *nods* my sisters
P – You being a man, this situation affected how you approach other women?
T – Yes, it affects, undoubtedly, but I’m not of the idea that things happen for a reason, I believe that things happen and you give them a reason and you take the lesson and learn from it, so the way it affected is that I tried to approach in a better way, be more careful and more selective, not everyone deserves our heart , not everyone deserves our vulnerability, not everyone deserved that we are open with them, not everyone deserves it, you have to take the time to know the person and now I’m more careful, more selective, but now I’m more clear, I have always been clear with people, I have always been like “I’m here to work, we are going to be here 2 months it might something happen between us, maybe not” you know, I have always been clear, now I’m more clear , now I’m more straight and basically I stopped interacting with many people, I’m scared that’s a reality
P – Is natural
T – there’s this alert of get to know the people little by little, I don’t interact further than a friendship ,for example at the moment I don’t have a partner , It is not my intention to have a partner in the medium or perhaps in the long term, but that’s it I have to be more careful, and yes it changes everything , changes your vision, but I believe , the people you interact with is reduced, but those relations are more rich, more profound, more beautiful, at least that’s what I have been trying to work with my therapist
P – at this moment this affected your career in a devastating way
T – Look, there were 2 things, I don’t know if I should say “fortunately” but during this period there was a strike in USA, most of my work is in USA, so is not like I was able to work anyway and the strike ended 10 months after the scandal, so anyway I didn’t had the chance to work so there was not too much problem, but once the strike is over and things started to re-activate, above all in Mexico, it becomes complicated for me , because this scares and puts in alert to producers, platforms, brands and more, even events, events that commonly actors are invited, they start to put some distance, but I don’t feel that is a distance of rejection, but more like a distance of alert, like saying look we don’t have any problem with you but solve this, the thing is to solve this topic, when we start to get the information it was like wait, here are shady things.
P – Let’s say when the bomb exploded, did you had the chance to talk with miss Rios?
T – the first time that she talked within the group, yes, I talked to her
P – But when it exploded on the internet?
T – When, the first, let’s say the first time that she talked publicly it was a week and a half, a week after I had a reunion with the president in the national palace, then when that happened it was like , wait, 2 or 3 weeks before you just sent me a beautiful message telling me that you loved me, that you admired me , that you were glad that we met she told me beautiful things in that message, after, I was in the period of interviews, tours and more (note: this was during the time of BPWF press tour) when I go back to normal, I met the president and 10 days after this appears and it was like wow, so the last communication I had with her was like “what happened?” and her replies were very aggressive, so I called the lawyers and they told me “zero contact, we understand that you want to fix things, we understand that she is important to you but us as lawyers we have to tell you that this , this cannot be fixed in a personal way, you have to stop here because from now you have to think that this person is dedicated to harm you” , we didn’t understood yet what kind of harm , that came after, when information starts coming and it was like ah! So there are bad intentions
P – at this moment you feel that you are restarting your career?
T – Yes, but not only the career, the life as well, everything and I feel , it might sound weird but I’m feeling positive, happy, and above all I feel with a lot of energy like with euphoria to start my life you know, I have always had a beautiful relationship with my daughters, but now the teenager is now a little person a little adult , with her my relationship has become super endearing, the little one always had mamitis (Mexican expression for wanting to be only with the mother) and now she has papitis (same with mamitis but with the father) so you know that
P – You spend much time with them?
T – Yes
P – You live together
T – No but the older ones is one week with me and one week with her mother
P – Are they from different mothers?
T – Yes, and the little one, she was born during the pandemic, her mother and I didn’t have anything else to do so we put ourselves to…. Kisses to her mom, she is a beauty
P – You live with her?
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sotwk · 2 months ago
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Fanfic writer interview
Thank you @emmanuellececchi for the tag!! 💖 I've been tagged on this game a couple of times in the past, but I never answered them because looking at my Ao3 Stats just made me feel sad.
Stats are a little better now, and I have thicker skin about it, so here we go! :)
How many works do you have on AO3? 23
What's your total AO3 word count? 72,658
Your top 5 stories by kudos/likes:
Taken (Eomer x OC) *most popular by a large margin!
Greenleaf's Day Out (Child Legolas and family)
The Task of Living (Thorin x Reader)
Breathe (Boromir x Reader)
Dandelions (Boromir x Reader)
Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Umm. I am shamefully REALLY bad at responding to comments. More often than not, I just don't get around to it! I know that's a terrible thing to do as a writer, because commenters deserve so much appreciation! It is definitely one of my resolutions in the coming New Year to improve on this flaw.
What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending? The Broken Shield - It's a Thorin fic set during the War of the Dwarves and Orcs, and shows the death of both Elvenqueen Maereth and Frerin, brother of Thorin.
What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending? I like to think most of the fics I write have happy endings, but I've received feedback about Dandelions being particularly "feel good".
Do you write crossovers? Crossovers are not my thing, BUT I did receive a fic request for one from a friend, so I'm going to deliver it just because they asked.
Have you ever received hate on a fic? Never, thankfully. I don't think my reach is wide enough to attract the notice of haters.
Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Nope, I leave smut to the experts. M-level spice is the most I can manage.
Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I know of.
Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope, and I can't imagine anyone would want to.
Have you ever co-written a fic before? @scyllas-revenge and I sorta accidentally co-wrote a sort-of fic. LOL. Maybe we'll formalize the partnership eventually. @heilith and I have been discussing a (her)Lindir x (my)OC collaboration for ages now, but we're both so busy offline! I would love to co-write fics, but only with friends I'm confident can tolerate my slowness and focus issues.
What's your all-time favorite ship? I enjoy MANY ships across different fandoms, but none really stand out. On a personal level, I really love my Thranduil x Maereth ship. It means so much to me that I will forever be insecure about sharing it with others, for fear of rejection or criticism.
What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will? I want to finish ALL my WIPs and I don't think about ditching any of them. Hope springs eternal!
What are your writing strengths? If you ask me? Worldbuilding and integrating my AU into canon. If you ask others? I've been told I can deliver a decent gut-wrenching piece of prose or dialogue here and there.
What are your writing weaknesses? I am the SLOWEST WRITER YOU WILL EVER MEET. Tons of WIPs. Updates on long fics are a miracle. I honestly question whether I'm cut out for multi-chapter fics, but I keep trying anyway.
What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? I only do it sparingly, usually using short phrases here and there.
What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to? I am chomping at the bit to write for ASOIAF/Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon! I have fic requests waiting for HotD; I just need to get my butt moving on them.
What's your favorite fic you've written? I have yet to write a fic that stands out above the others; I love my fics equally for different reasons.
Bonus: Live shots of me trying to write:
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Tagging: @hobbitwrangler @from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras @heilith @lathalea @missiemoosie
@emyn-arnens @celeluwhenfics @dilettantefeminist @cycas @scyllas-revenge
@cuarthol @entishramblings @lucifers-legions @torchwood-99 @softboiledwonderland
....and anyone who wants to share! I'm not sure which of my writer Moots are on Ao3 or just on Tumblr. :)
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f-oighear · 25 days ago
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Fanfic writer interview!
tagged by @ashenaura. Merci bien ! ;)
How many works do you have on AO3?
145.
Your top 5 stories by kudos/likes:
I'll Follow
Where The Heart Is
Your World
Everything and More
Brittlest
(... yup, it's all SAU and those numbers will never not shock me)
Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?
Of course. It might take me forever (my inbox is staring at me dead in the eyes), but I will respond. It means the world to me and if anyone makes the effort, they deserve a response. Easy.
What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?
I need happy endings with my angst so... yeah. I think... Yesterday I died (tomorrow's bleeding) is quite sad.
What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?
I guess the SAU has the happiest ending. Everything And More's last chapter is literally sunshine and calmness which, yk, is needed after the whole thing.
Do you write crossovers?
I've just gotten into it! I didn't see the hype before but um that was because I never tried to mash together the right verses I think. The Arkham Horror x Black Clover crossover is very dear to me.
Have you ever received hate on a fic?
*touching wood* Nope.
Do you write smut? If so, what kind?
I've written steamy but never full smut. Well, I've written bits. But they're unpublished and I don't think I ever will publish them soooo yeah.
Have you ever had a fic stolen?
Not to my knowledge, no.
Have you ever had a fic translated?
Yes! Someone translated Her Most Precious Memories in Russian (Её самые драгоценные воспоминания).
Have you ever co-written a fic before?
Just like crossovers, I'm just getting into it. And just like crossovers, I'm absolutely loving it.
@kalolasfantasyworld knows. We've written that Olympics Swimming one, Silver Scorching Interdimensional Slash: the Magical Medley Relay of Doom, and we're writing the most wonderful Formula for a Crush.
What’s your all-time favorite ship?
All time favorite... royai probably.
it's just the angst... it's just the sillies... it's just the war criminals... there's a dog... they're both so stupid... i love them...
What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?
fhjfhds all of them. If I start a wip it's that I want to see it finished (because I want to read it). Sadly, I often don't have the motivation to. The wip list is ever growing.
What are your writing strengths?
Dialogue and internal monologues, I think.
What are your writing weaknesses?
Besides everything syntax and grammar-related because what even is English, I'd say description, especially of action scenes. It takes me forever to even dare put down a few words and I always feel like I'm describing like a 7yo would (no shade to 7yo but surely with 20 more years on this planet I should be able to do better).
What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?
I did it in Formula for a Crush for Vanessa and Helena because Helena typically does it so it felt normal to As long as it's one word or one expression I don't really mind. (my Italian is non-existent and my Spanish is uhhh not good so, there's that.).
In my own work, I prefer to keep it in English and italicize. Less risk to completely fumble a whole language.
(I just realized that Zora doesn't even utter one word in French in FFAC and I'm French [I dare think I can speak and write the language relatively well]. so it's less down to messing up a language than personal preferences in writing ig..? I never really thought about it.)
What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?
Nothing comes to mind. Rarepair Week was a great occasion to tick some of these boxes too.
What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?
I've had this question ten thousand times and I think I reply differently every time dhjfdjskj. It's a tough one.
Right now I'm having a lot of fun with Formula for a Crush (nah, you can't tell with how much I'm talking about it).
what even is football anyway will always be very dear to me and I'll probably say it's this one.
Blue Hours (and its sequel, I might even like the sequel more simply for the rant about the dishes) is special because I loved the concept and I experienced a bit with the narration.
Thicker Than Blood because it's a longer one and it was a really non-pressure kind of fic (I expected no one to read it so I really had fun)
Yesterday I died (tomorrow's bleeding) and posing questions to a silent universe (my very thoughts a curse) for some nice Mia angst.
Lost in a storm, It’s a big office, chief, for some nice Phoenix angst.
Tell Me About Cruelty means a lot to me.
(you might realize: I cannot choose. I'm looking at the 145 fics and I'm like. they're all special to me in some way. even those I wish I could erase from the face of the earth I'm like. I like that line, that scene, that hug. it's terrible and it's wonderful.)
--
tagging (no pressure, do it if you want) @kalolasfantasyworld (because ofc I'm tagging you), @wildflowerwoodsworld
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laura1633 · 2 months ago
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Fic writer interview thank you for the tag @481boxboxbaby and @souvenir116
Tagging @saviour-of-lord and @ilyarozanove (not sure if you have been tagged already and no pressure if you don't like tag games!) and anyone else who wants to do this feel free to use this as your invite.
How many works do you have on AO3? 155 - Wow okay I don’t know how I ended up writing so many.
What's your total AO3 word count? 1,076,320
What are your top 5 fics by kudos? 1. Preloved  2. Good Boy 3. A million times over 4. Weak 5. My Pretty Princess
Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? I try to respond to comments and I have gotten a lot better at it. If I have ever not responded it's because I have left it too late and then panic over whether it's still appropriate to respond!! I read all comments though, it’s the biggest motivator so thank you to everyone who leaves comments on fics, I appreciate you all <3
What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending? Either ‘One last night’ or ‘Hitching a ride’ Both are open ended though. 
What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?There are a lot that have happy endings but off the top of my head I will go with ‘A million times over’. It’s just an overall short cute one-shot.
Do you write crossovers? No
Have you ever received hate on a fic? If I have then I have forgotten about it because I can’t recall any hate coming in. I am sure there are plenty of people who hate my stories though, I’ve just been lucky they haven’t told me about it! 
Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Yes I do and lots of it. Almost any kind. Dom/sub, pain play, tentacles, omegaverse, lots of kinks, nice soft sex, loss of virginity. I would definitely say varied!
Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not stolen but hmmm I have seen something very close to what I have written. 
Have you ever had a fic translated? No, not that I have seen anyway. I have had people ask before but I am not sure if they ever actually translated them.
Have you ever co-written a fic before? No but I have spoken about it with @481boxboxbaby unfortunately I am disastrously disorganised so I don’t know if I should really inflict that on other people 😂 I do think it would be fun to have a fic with a set up and then multiple authors taking a chapter each to write the scenario from various drivers points of view. That would take a lot of organising though.
What's your all-time favorite ship? Lestappen
What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?There are so many of them, I have a folder full of random wips that will likely never be finished. At the moment I am fighting my way to try and finish a cowboy Max au one shot, I have started it and deleted it soooo many times, I will finish it though, it’s just not clicking right now! 
What are your writing strengths? I guess maybe just having a certain level of creativity when it comes to coming up with ideas. That can also be my downfall because there are too many ideas pinging around for me to concentrate on one! 
What are your writing weaknesses? I always say that my writing style is more about a general vibe rather than it being grammatically correct 😬
What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? I’ve personally never done it. I’d have to use google translate and I wouldn’t trust that it would read properly.
What was the first fandom you wrote for? F1
What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?Charles/Oscar or Max/Rico Verhoeven. I will get around to writing them eventually
What's your favorite fic you've written? It’s probably recency bias but the fic I am writing and posting right now “Preloved” is probably my favourite. I think it's also super encouraging when people are commenting and enjoying the story so it has made the whole thing more enjoyable. I will definitely be writing some more multi chaptered fics going forward. Of the one shots maybe The Sweetest Deal because it plays into my love of babygirl Max.
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aois-amaterasu-painting · 6 months ago
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Black B- PASS- Special Issue - The GazettE - NINTH Reference book - (part 3 - Members interview translation)
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■ Interviewer: Finally... after three years, a new original album!!
Aoi: Why are you trying to force the excitement? (laughs)
■ Interviewer: Please don’t tease me (laughs). Since this band interview will introduce the magazine, can you tell us your first thoughts upon completion?
Ruki: First thoughts? All I could think of was "death." There was nothing but death (laughs).
Uruha: (Laughs)
■ Interviewer: Death, you say (laughs). So you felt utterly spent.
Ruki: It felt like a posthumous work.
Reita: (Laughs) When it was done, it felt like, “Ah, we made it through.” When you’re extremely sleepy, it’s like…
Ruki: Turned to "nil" (laughs).
Reita: Yeah. And it’s amazing we finished in time.
Ruki: Anyway, I was thinking, "We have to make it in time!" But even when we did, it didn't feel like we could take a breather.
Kai: That's true. There was a sense of relief, but also a feeling of, “Did we really do everything we could?” (laughs). Now that some time has passed and I’ve listened to it repeatedly, I feel like we made a good piece of work. Of course, there were no issues (laughs).
Uruha: For me, after the mastering was finished and I listened to the final version, my first word was, “Fast.”
■ Interviewer: What do you mean?
Uruha: It’s about 45 minutes long, but it felt shorter. Like, “That was quick.” Even though we spent so much time on it, I thought, “Is that all?” (laughs). There was a sense of ephemerality in those 45 minutes.
Ruki: Your words just summed it all up... Thank you very much.
■ Interviewer: No, we’re not done yet (laughs). What about you, Aoi?
Aoi: If I only talk about the moment we finished... it was like I passed out, and then it was over (laughs).
Reita: That’s right (laughs).
Aoi: But everyone really did their best. By the end, everyone was working purely on willpower. The mixing took a long time, working from noon to morning, and then starting again at noon. But those behind-the-scenes stories don’t really matter to the listeners.
■ Interviewer: Since you’re all saying it was that tough, does that mean this was the hardest production process ever?
Aoi: The production process seems to get harder each year. Not just the music, but everything we release takes a considerable amount of time.
■ Interviewer: In recent years, it’s not just about judging the music but also doing more hands-on work yourselves, right?
Aoi: We want to release something we think is cool... because we are people who want to show everyone something we find cool. It’s a natural flow for it to take time. It’s not about how others evaluate it, but about showing everyone what we think is good. We want people to listen and feel it, so we get particular about it regardless of the time it takes. Of course, the workload varies, and we hardly saw each other towards the end, but being together for 16 years made it possible... Is it okay if we wrap up here?
■ Interviewer: Hahaha! So, we're still in we're still in the introduction part (laughs).
Ruki: Please structure it with bold letters like this.
Reita: Shall we move on to the personal interviews then? (laughs).
■ Interviewer: No, no (laughs). Let's go back to the topic. the GazettE is often seen as a band that emphasizes its worldview, but you are also a band that follows what you want to do at the time, making you quite free. From "TOXIC" to "DIVISION. BEAUTIFUL DEFORMITY," and "DOGMA," what direction were your desires headed in with "NINTH"?
Ruki: "DOGMA" was a conceptually strong album, so the songs had a certain direction. This time, we wanted to show that this is our ninth album, something that reflects our journey from the first album to now. Rather than focusing on a musical genre, it’s more about showing our life perspective—something that reveals the history of the GazettE.
■ Interviewer: So it’s a condensation of the GazettE’s trajectory.
Ruki: Yes. We’ve done many things to get to this point, and now we’re straightforwardly showing that. Without aiming for a particular image or how we want to be seen, we wanted to say, “This is the GazettE now.”
■ Interviewer: When this kind of guiding principle—being both a theme and not a theme—was presented, what did you all think?
Kai: It fit perfectly with being a theme yet not a theme. However, we didn’t specifically discuss it like we did with the "DOGMA" concept.
Ruki: Yeah.
Kai: It wasn’t something that could be understood simply. I kept wondering if there was something more to it. Of course, I knew it was our ninth album, but I initially thought the title “NINTH” was temporary. But when it was officially decided that the title would be “NINTH,” my thinking shifted to what RUKI mentioned.
Ruki: Regarding each song, I think we were talking about their positioning in live performances, whether they were fun, intense, or whatever.
■ Interviewer: I see. So, while it's full of aggression, there are also ballad-like, melodic, and melancholic songs.
Uruha: Yeah. At the initial stage, it was like deciding a setlist, keeping live performances in mind. That was always the foundation. Since the previous work "DOGMA" was such a strong image-driven project, we knew we weren’t going in that direction again. We thought it would be natural to go in a more straightforward direction this time. So, we naturally came up with songs while considering live performances. As the songs gradually came together, we sometimes felt a certain atmosphere was missing and created new songs to fill those gaps. But the basic approach was natural.
Aoi: So, while we were mindful of live performances, there wasn’t a clear overall vision. It was more about putting out songs and adjusting as we went along. Even when you talk about a “live feeling,” there are many different forms that can take.
■ Interviewer: So, as time passed, "NINTH" gradually took shape, and everyone started to share a concrete overall vision at the same time?
Uruha: Well, we might not have had a clear overall vision until the very end (laughs).
Aoi: Yeah, I think we didn't have one this time.
■ Interviewer: That’s surprising. Didn’t that make it more challenging?
Ruki: There was the difficulty of creating songs that fit, but we weren’t particularly aiming for a unified world view throughout the album. When you listen from start to finish, the flow was already good. It’s because we had “DOGMA” that we ended up this way. Instead of a single story like “DOGMA,” this album is more purely about the current the GazettE.
Aoi: That's right. It's different from saying we have no concept.
Ruki: Exactly. If you ask if there's no concept, it's more like, "Hmm..."
■ Interviewer: So, because you have 16 years of experience, you can naturally express what’s inside and shape it into an album?
Ruki: Yes… So, it was like making a typical album. Creating a piece with a beginning, middle, and end. The title reflects this too. It's not about having some big overarching theme, like the title suggests, but rather each song has its own world, expressing what "the GazettE of 2018" is about, I suppose.
■ Interviewer: I wonder if there's a deep meaning behind the word "NINTH" here.
Ruki: Well, that might have been typical for us in recent years. But honestly, I can't really say anything much about it this time (laughs).
Reita: Haha, yeah, that's true (laughs). Also, we've always been conscious of making something that shines in live performances, but I feel like that standard keeps getting higher each year. So, this album might just be a collection of things that meet that standard.
■ Interviewer: When the songs started coming together, did you all naturally understand and play them in sync with each other?
Ruki: How was it?
Reita: In terms of being in sync... This time, we really only gathered for pre-production at the very beginning (laughs).
Uruha: Well, there were parts that went smoothly and parts that were challenging. But we introduced a system for smoother data exchange this time, which made interactions between members less stressful than ever before.
Reita: Yes, we’re fully modern kids (laughs). It was very convenient.
Uruha: In the past, we’d email files, and if you missed the email, it could be a problem. This time, we had a place where the latest data was always available, so we just had to check there.
Ruki: Certainly, when the members gathered, there was always the task of taking something home with you, so the process of finalizing things was probably less than usual.
Reita: And (with emails), sometimes when you tried to download the data, it would already have expired.
Ruki: That happened a lot.
Reita: But that doesn’t happen anymore.
Uruha: It's hard to ask for a resend, so sometimes you just had to wait for the next one (laughs).
All: Hahaha!
■ Interviewer: You wouldn’t have to say, “Send it again,” which can delay things (laughs).
Aoi: Haha. But, it's really convenient, huh? Especially because corrections could be made quickly.
■ Interviewer: It seems like this approach really suits the current state of the GazettE. Just from this segment, it sounds like everything went incredibly smoothly, but...
Ruki: Actually, it was quite difficult (laughs). Especially the process of producing the songs. It’s like harvesting vegetables.
■ Interviewer: I see, starting from planting the seeds.
Ruki: Yes. And the cooking after harvesting is quite challenging too, waiting for the final product to be good.
■ Interviewer: So here we have 12 carefully selected masterpieces.
Ruki: Yes. There were some songs that weren't completed until the very last moment to ensure they were satisfactory. It's like that song from “Kiteretsu Daihyakka” - “What happened to the cabbage?” (laughs).
■ Interviewer: Which song was completed at the very last moment?
Ruki: ……………… Oh, it just smoothly went by. (laughs).
Reita: Ahahaha!
■ Interviewer: Oops, I should have reacted more! (The interviewer was not familiar with the opening theme of “Kiteretsu Daihyakka” called "Cooking March")
Ruki: It's okay. The 11th song, "ABHOR GOD."
Reita: That one was tough.
Ruki: It's the crucial part that leads towards the very end.
■ Interviewer: I heard that the whole band composed this song together, which is rare for the GazettE.
Ruki: Yes. Because I was working on the lyrics, I wasn’t able to join the band for that part.
Reita: Well, he was kind of like remote control (laughs).
Uruha: There were about three different versions... no, maybe more.
Kai: Yeah, there were more.
Reita: And in the end, it mutated suddenly.
All: Hahaha!
■ Interviewer: I see (laughs). The sing-along chorus “Wow - Wow” is also fresh for the GazettE.
Ruki: I recorded that part after everyone had already heard it. I didn't have time to let them hear the demo, so I presented it after recording it, saying, "Here it is." On the contrary, I was curious about how the four of them had created it together. When I asked Uruha, he said, "REITA jumped around..." and "We made it so that it would be jumpable."
Reita: Well, I just jumped around. And the next day, I had muscle pain.
All: Hahaha!
Aoi: I watched the process closely without getting too involved.
Ruki: This part was handled by Kai, this was what REITA mentioned, parts where members were involved are well reflected, I think.
Reita: When I sent the data and asked, “How is it?” RUKI responded with, “How do you all feel about it?” (laughs). He wrote something like, "Are you guys having doubts?"
Uruha: Well, we were (laughs).
Reita: RUKI probably had a different idea in mind. It wasn’t quite that… more like…
Ruki: Well, rather than different…
Kai: It was more like I received directions from RUKI saying, "I want it to feel like this," so I gathered up those keywords and started thinking from there.
Ruki: I thought it should be fun and intense, but the first sounds that came were quite maniacal. I thought, “Oh, maybe they’re struggling with it.”
All: Ahahaha!
Aoi: Especially these two (URUHA and KAI), they really felt responsible (laughs).
Uruha: We felt it, we felt it.
Kai: Yeah, yeah, yeah (laughs).
Ruki: When the song started to come together, it was quite dark at first, which made me feel a bit down.
Reita: (laughs) Sorry about that.
Ruki: There was just one phrase, an intro part in the original song. I personally thought, "Oh, that's good." So, I called and asked if it would be okay to use that as the intro.
Aoi: The rest was no good (laughs).
Ruki: No, no (laughs). We kept that part and just made the tempo a bit faster.
Uruha: Speeding up the tempo was tough.
■ Interviewer: That’s really a collaborative process for a song.
Ruki: If you say so (laughs). It might look like we flipped the table.
Reita: It felt like someone just ate the strawberries off the shortcake.
All: Ahahaha!
■ Interviewer: I see (laughs). That fun atmosphere can be felt in the sing-along parts.
Ruki: I thought it would be good to have that kind of vibe.
Aoi: So, it’s not us but the audience singing that part?
Ruki: I didn't think about it that far. Do you think they’ll sing it? In our case, even if we include such parts, our fans don’t usually sing along.
Reita: That’s true.
Ruki: It's like with "Maximum Impulse.” The members' faces just get redder and redder.
Reita: Yeah, especially me (laughs).
Aoi: Oh, I need to listen to the new chorus parts.
■ Interviewer: Yes, the new work seems to have a lot of chorus parts.
Ruki: We’ll verify it during rehearsal.
Aoi: Are there any parts that seem too difficult?
Ruki: I don’t think there were any.
Reita: Well, you say that every time (laughs).
Aoi: Sometimes, if the rhythm is completely different while playing, it’s the most tricky part.
■ Interviewer: I see. The new album also features melodious and emotionally charged songs with a straight beat, like "UNFINISHED," which might not have been possible in the previous album. Were you concerned that such impactful songs might overshadow others?
Ruki: No, not at all.
Aoi: Oh, we have a new perspective here.
■ Interviewer: Oh, really? (laughs) Did you also have the intention of showcasing the original coolness of visual kei, which is your forte?
Ruki: No, we didn’t have any intention of appealing outwardly. We just did what we thought was cool at the time. Things that might have seemed unconvincing or outdated before now feel better. We’ve always thought it’s better to be a band capable of various types of songs. After “DOGMA,” people might have assumed we’d continue in a certain direction, perhaps towards a more metal sound, but we didn’t think that way at all.
■ Interviewer: So, it wasn't intentional.
Ruki: Even if we’re good at something, it’s not intentional. On the contrary, sometimes we intentionally avoid certain things. During “DOGMA,” we purposely didn’t include audience singing parts. So, this time, it's more standard, I suppose.
■ Interviewer: Understood. And this time, you released the music video for "Falling," the practical opening track, ahead of the album. This is unusual for the GazettE, but it seems to show your unwavering confidence in the band now.
Kai: We weren’t particularly conscious of confidence in the band, but when RUKI created “Falling,” we all recognized it as the prologue of "NINTH." We felt it was the beginning.
■ Interviewer: Ah, so it's similar to the fans' perspective.
Kai: So for me, during the process of creating the song, I listened to "Falling" with the mindset that this is the prologue.
Uruha: And by not selling it, but instead choosing to release it for free, I think it definitely increased awareness. I think "Falling" was good because I heard that the evaluation of the song was high, which raised expectations for "NINTH." So, that song became a very good introduction, and I hope the album will continue to surprise with different approaches from "Falling" to "UNFINISHED." It feels like it was well-calculated, so it's ultimately alright.
■ Interviewer: Showing a glimpse of the album in advance didn’t have any negative impact; it made it more effective.
Uruha: Exactly. The album doesn’t continue with the same type of songs, so there’s no disappointment.
■ Interviewer: Aoi, how do you feel about the songs lined up in the album?
Aoi: There were parts where it was difficult to grasp the overall picture until it was completed, but the final result is very satisfying. Honestly, I didn’t expect it to fit together so well, but it turned out to be an album with a solid story.
Reita: Yes, it’s easy to listen to and has everything. We will perform other songs on the tour, but there won’t be any sense of discord when they’re combined, and I think this is the current ideal form of the GazettE.
Kai: As for me, the process was unusual and we were pressed for time, so I had mixed feelings. There were moments of anxiety, but also relief when it was finished. This album is packed with those feelings, and it’s different from anything we’ve done before. The process felt simultaneous with our emotions, rather than trying to catch up with them. The songs felt like they progressed alongside us, and I felt that strongly this time. It’s quite refreshing.
■ Interviewer: I see. How about you, Ruki?
Ruki: I poured a lot into each song, so I can’t look at them objectively yet. I have strong feelings for each song. But I can say that I put everything into it. Even though we were pressed for time, there was no compromise. It was a situation where we either compromised or didn’t sleep, and I think we managed to push through to the end. This applies to the staff and engineers as well. If I were in their shoes, I would have definitely quit. Normally, engineers don't stay overnight.
Kai: Haha, they might have felt like we were punishing them.
Ruki: So, I think what we've done up to this point won't happen again, and I feel like this album embodies that dedication.
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All scans are from The Archive (rad-is-more) Interview translation is ChatGPT.
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i4bellingham · 2 years ago
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MORE THAN JUST AN INTERLUDE: pedri x reader
SYNOPSIS: in which a relationship thought to be a fleeting moment lasted for more than they'll ever know.
CONTENT: incorporated with a slight social media au! + obsessive hateful fan speaking shit. conversations are in (google translated) spanish and english + gavi being an adorable child + innuendos by pedri :’p / also NOT PROOFREAD please don’t sue me. read part two here
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pedri
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❤️ 💭 ↗️       • •
Liked by gavi, alejandrobalde and 1,768,923 others
pedri el más feliz contigo. feliz aniversario mi amor. the happiest with you. happy anniversary my love.
tagged: yourusername
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user1 wait what- one year ???? 😧
user2 y'all been together for one year i-
user3 remembering the days where your fans thought this was just a fling 😭 you guys are celebrating one year with each other now congrats 😭❤️
gavi happy anniversary!
fcbarcelona sending love to you and yourusername ❤️
user4 another month now and you'll break up anyways 😐
user5 shut yo stanky ass
user4 let's bffr here besties they're not gonna last ☺️
user6 user4 and this is why your father left you, your mom hates you, you failed school and you're single meanwhile yourusername is here living the absolute best of life 🤷🏻‍♀️
   
yourusername
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❤️ 💭 ↗️       • •
Liked by jamalmusiala10, neymar, pedri and 195,986 others
yourusername here's to many more small midnight talks about life with you. happy anniversary bebe ❤️
tagged: pedri
View all 4,679 comments
_rl9 never let the haters ruin such a beautiful relationship!
pedri never
gavi the second picture is when you text him and his focus is not with us anymore :/
yourusername i always tell him to stop texting me when he's out with you guys though ☹️
gavi i know, pedri just doesn't listen because he's annoying like that
yourusername say sorry pedri :/
yourfriend1 happiest anniversary to you both! ❤️❤️
pedri i love you
yourusername i love you more
pedri i love you the most
yourusername i love you more than most
pedri i love you so much that no words could ever describe to which extent
alejandrobalde pedri we get it man 😃 (anyways happy anniversary yourusername)
gavi pedri simp (i don't know if i used that word correct)
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Pedri was still high on adrenaline when he was whisked away for an interview just after their game.
His football jersey clung onto his skin in an uncomfortable but familiar hug with grimes and sweat all over his body. If people looked closely, they'd find small specks of dirt on his cheeks from the amount of time he tried intercepting a ball pass from the opposing team. He still looked good nonetheless, not that he needed someone to remind him that as he stood carefree in front of the multiple camera shooting his every angle as he waits for the first question to pop up.
“So... what a game huh?” The reporter chucklesㅡ for what reason, Pedri doesn't know but he simply chuckles alongside him. “How do you think of your performance today Pedri? And how do you think that contributed to the win tonight?”
Pedri scratches his nose bridge, then placing both hands over his waist as he takes a lean back to keep the mic near from his lips.
“I think this is one of the best games that I’ve played entering this season. I think that defensively I’ve gotten a lot of progress and it showed in this game tonightㅡ but I believe there is still room for improvement. I think that I had made a few bad calls during the game as well so I’ll definitely look into that as to not make the same mistakes again but overall, I’m pretty satisfied and happy with how my performance played out tonight and contributed to our team’s win.”
The reporter nods his head behind the camera, seemingly impressed at the response he got from one of Barcelona’s golden boys.
“Any celebrations happening tonight for this big win? For another 3 points on the board?”
Pedri smiles but he shakes his head. “No, the guys will get into that but I will be celebrating something else tonight, this is a special day for me and for my girlfriend after all so I just want to spend this night with her.”
“Speaking of girlfriend...” The reporter trails off, flicking through his card with a teasing glint and smile on his face as he follows through with his statement. “It’s your guys’ anniversary today yes? Made quite a lasting impression on Twitter, this one.”
Pedri nods his head, eyes steering away from the media crew momentarily when his eyes catches a familiar figure walking towards them alongside Gavi.
“Yes, it's our anniversary today so not only do I get to celebrate the win tonight but I also get to celebrate an entire year of love and happiness with my girlfriend.”
Pedri shoots you a smile when you catch his eyes, mouthing ‘wait for me’ as he tends to his media tasks by finishing off the interview with a few more remarks for the game, team improvements and whatnot before he walks over to you and Gavi in brisk steps when he's finally done.
He's a few mere foot away when you immediately open your arms for a hug, not minding that he's still dirtied up from his previous game, all with the sweat and gunk clinging onto him. Pedri immediately falls down into your embrace, and Gavi takes that chance to slip away when he sees the cameras pointing to you both while still airing live.
You plant a kiss each to his cheeks and nose, leaving more than a swift peck to his lips that he returns gratefully and with glee.
“I’m so proud of you, do you know that?” You tell him as he leans his forehead against yours. “You did so well today baby, I’m very very proud of you.”
Pedri wraps both of his arms around your waist, locking you snug against him as you snake your hands around his shoulders.
“You always tell me that, no?” He leans down to whisper in your ear. “But you can always show how proud you are of me yeah?”
You don’t say anything but you do slap his chest when Gavi comes in barreling through your hug, jumping behind your boyfriend while he's got both hands over Pedri’s shoulders.
“Happy Anniversary to the two of you!”
Pedri shakes the younger one off before moving to walk away, pulling you behind him. “Too loud Gavi.”
“But we won! And it's in your anniversary and you guys should all be loud!”
Pedri smiles tight-lipped, another whisper going through your ears before he's leaning back up as if he never just said something to rouse you up.
“Oh you'll definitely be loud tonight, that's for sure.”
Not only did the media capture you lip-locking live with your boyfriend after his post-game interview, the interaction with Gavi and Pedri’s whispered suggestive comments that left you stunned and bothered definitely made it to the trending topics on Twitter for the next days to come.
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mirai-e-jump · 1 year ago
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ViVi Magazine, February 2024 Issue Murakami Erica x Hirakawa Yuzuki Interviews (translation below)
Publication: December 22, 2023
Erica and Yuzuyan's rambling talk
The close combination of Hirakawa-chan, known as Yuzuyan, and Erica appear for the first time in ViVi. During this photoshoot, we could feel the close friendship between them, as they giggled and talked the whole time. We asked alot about these two, who are a hot topic right now.
-Our youth is now! Anyway…I'm so glad we met~!-
"What do you call each other?"
Erica: Everyone calls her Yuzuyan.
Yuzuki: I've never had a nickname before, but I got one for the first time on set (laughs). I call her Marie.
Erica: I think everyone at ViVi was surprised to call me by that name. Actually, my real middle name is Marie, and everyone on set of the show calls me Marie. I'm so happy about my secret name~
"What is it like on set?"
Yuzuki: We chat alot while waiting to film. There's the 6 of us filming together, and when we've all gathered, it's like break time at school (laughs). It's so loud and noisy!
Erica: Someone will get into things, someone else will join in and do something stupid, and so on and so forth (laughs). Every day is jam packed with inside jokes. It's silly, but the 6 of us spending time together is so much fun~.
Yuzuki: We've been filming together almost every day for 10 months, so our friendship levels are amazing. From the very beginning, when we first started filming, we were all in perfect sync and got along well. But, when the cameras start rolling, everyone gets serious. It's amazing how everyone's faces change so quickly!
"What kind of personalities do you two have?"
Yuzuki: Marie is, in a single word, a bomb (laughs). Marie's explosive power when she's tired is insane (laughs). She'll suddenly explode and become cheerful. And, we all get caught up in it and get excited too (laughs).
Erica: We spend so much time on the set, that if we don't talk, I get sleepy, so I feel at ease exploding because everyone will pick up the pieces (laughs).
Yuzuki: She does things that go way beyond what you'd expect, so I never get tired of watching her. I'm like, "Even though you're so cute, why would you do something like this?" She's constantly one upping how interesting she can be (laughs). I can't tell if she's trying to be funny or if it's all natural.
Erica: Thanks for letting me do it, and for being on the receiving end (laughs). Yuzuyan is everyone's "straight man" older sister, but she can also be everyone's little sister.
Yuzuki: I'm often described as being a 5th grade boy~. We're the "mess around" combo.
"What does your existence mean to each other?"
Erica: After becoming an adult, I never thought I'd meet someone who I could mess around with so much, even more so through work!
Yuzuki: I'm so glad that someone like her exists, where we can joke around and laugh like this as friends 💜.
"What were your first impressions and current impressions?"
Yuzuki: I knew of Marie's modeling from reading ViVi, and I thought she was just so~ cute and looked like a doll. But, the more I learned about her, the more I thought she was like a bomb (laughs).
Erica: My first impression of Yuzuyan was that she was a very refreshing person. But in reality, she talks alot and is hyperactive (laughs). She notices things that other people don't see and takes the initiative to follow up, and is very considerate. From the very beginning, I felt like she was a dependable older sister. She's also good at remembering directions (laughs).
"How was today's shoot? How do you like Erica as a ViVi model?"
Yuzuki: When I look through ViVi, Marie is so cool…..she doesn't always look like this! It makes me want to get involved (laughs). She wears cool clothes and her expressions are amazing! It's so cool!!
Erica: This was the first time for the two of us to do a photoshoot together for a fashion magazine. I was happy to be able to work as a model like I usually do. We were able to shoot as our usual natural selves, which was alot of fun and very fresh. I thought it would be so much fun to shoot with someone who understands me.
Yuzuki: For today's shoot, she led me around alot, and I was impressed by the fact that she was such a great ViVi model!
"Do you see any similarities between yourself and the role you play in Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger?"
Erica: I think we share the same caring nature. However, I myself am not strong willed, so I admire her for that.
Yuzuki: I think we're similar in that we have humanity. We're both basically no nonsense, and we have our "on and off" switch. However, while my role is to be immovable, I'm actually extremely hyperactive, which is the complete opposite.
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mithrilhearts · 11 days ago
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Fanfiction Author Interview Game
Thank you for the tag, @pomgore!! It's been so long since I've done a proper tag game, it feels like lol
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How many works do you have on AO3?
32 currently, though I'm tempted to trim some of that down with some works I'm not really fond of anymore (orphaning I guess? I'm not sure yet lol)
What's your total AO3 word count?
784,858, with a good handful of words written down unfinished and unposted
Your top 5 stories by kudos/likes:
May Your Forge Burn Bright
(Take Me Back To) The Night We Met
Dragonhearted
Forget-Me-Not
An Ink-Stained Vow
Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?
I try to anyway!! I may not get to them in a "timely" manner, but I try. Even if it's simply reacting with an emoji - I like to let people know I see and appreciate their kind commentary!
What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?
I am a happy ending type person, so I don't have any angsty endings, I don't think?
What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?
See above lol they all end happily, and I want to keep it that way!
Do you write crossovers?
I haven't written any, and as of now, I have no intention to. Not my vibe
Have you ever received hate on a fic?
I have a few times now, yes. Honestly, it just goes back to my philosophy of "don't like, don't read", but hey, not all of us can be reasonable and not leave hate when we don't like something. The back button exists for a reason!
Do you write smut? If so, what kind?
I do yep, as for what kind...soft? I don't know how to describe it 🤣 it's not exactly a strength of mine.
Have you ever had a fic stolen?
Not that I'm aware of
Have you ever had a fic translated?
Nope
Have you ever co-written a fic before?
As far as actually WRITING it together, yes! @sunnyrosewritesstuff and I did a collab last year for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Collaboration!
What's your all-time favorite ship?
Bagginshield, I would say. I have some other OTPs, or ships that I enjoy, but they're the one that have their claws deep in my skin at this point
What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?
This is such a hard question. I genuinely don't want to leave a started (as in, I started posting it on ao3) fic unfinished, but I have no idea where life is going to take me. I have an assortment of fics started, and plot bunnies fleshed out, but no idea where I'll get with them.
What are your writing strengths?
These questions are so hard to answer! I think maybe dialogue, sometimes? And maybe descriptions of emotions.
What are your writing weaknesses?
Run-ons are a huge issue for me during the actual process, but I also struggle very much with battle sequences. I would also throw smut under this as well lol
What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?
I think it depends! I throw in Khuzdul for dwarves, but offer in translations, but never really go beyond that. I think there are cases where it works, and others where it becomes too much.
What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?
Baldur's Gate 3 and Dragon age! I have stuff drabbled out a little bit for the latter, but haven't posted anything yet. I'm ready to expand my horizons!
What's your favorite fic you've written?
Asking me to pick my favorite child, I see. It can change from day to day, and for TODAY, I'm going to say Kurdu 'abadaz - it gave me an opportunity to do my own take on a "fix it fic", but also held something unique and unseen before which is amazing in a 10+ year fandom lol it was such a huge accomplishment that meant a lot to me.
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Tagging @elvain @chaoticangel666 @fantasyinallforms @sunnyrosewritesstuff @imakemywings and any other writers who want to participate!
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celeluwhenfics · 2 months ago
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Fanfic writer interview
Thank you @sotwk for the tag! I'm somewhat of a beginning author, so let's see if I have anything to say...
How many works do you have on AO3? 6
What's your total AO3 word count? 17,293
Your top 5 stories by kudos/likes:
pHORSEuasion (Éomer / OC)
Perfect (Théodred / Boromir)
The Creek Game (gen)
Spoons (Éomer & Théoden)
Morwen Steelsheen and her daughters (gen)
Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Yes!!! There might be a delay if I'm busy, but I make a point of responding to every single comment, even if it's just to say thank you! I love comments!!!
What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending? That would be Caeeli aux mains bleues, an Arthurian fic I wrote at 16. It's kind of cringe... and yes very angsty. I keep it around because there's no use being ashamed of where you started (although.....) and anyway most of my followers don't read French so they can't witness that weird teenage trainwreck for themselves 🙃 I also have plans (and lots of drafts) to re-write it entirely into something much, much more interesting, but it will have to wait after pHORSE is done.
What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending? Perfect! Although it's merely a double drabble. But pHORSEuasion will have a sweet, happy ending and will sicken everyone around with sugary fluff!
Do you write crossovers? Does pHORSEuasion count as a crossover? I know that technically it's an AU (Jane Austen's Persuasion set in LotR universe), but it kind of has the spirit of crossover? Unless I misunderstand the concept.
Have you ever received hate on a fic? Never.
Do you write smut? If so, what kind? No... But never say never! 👀
Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I know of.
Have you ever had a fic translated? No, but I could translate them into French myself. Or turn the Arthurian fic into English. We'll see.
Have you ever co-written a fic before? No! Alone in my head, so far.
What's your all-time favorite ship? Hmmm I really like Borodred, but at the moment I'm entirely taken by my Éomer/Rowena(OC) ship!
What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will? I WILL FINISH pHORSE I WILL FINISH pHORSE I WILL FINISH pHORSE I WILL FINISH pHORSE even if it takes me a decade.
What are your writing strengths? Erm, I think that one of my strengths is that I can draw from a wide variety of real-life experiences to make different settings and topics feel real and describe them with realism and depth?
What are your writing weaknesses? I'm sloooooooow. Wow I'm slow. Perfectionism, busy life, second language, complex plots, put all that together, and you get the pace of an arthritic snail on sleeping pills.
What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? Old English is just too pretty! But I try to stay readable. (As if I had to restrain myself from fluently writing in Old English hahaha)
What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to? I'm happy with LotR, Austen and Arthurian legend! Maybe one day I will extend to Silmarillion!
What's your favorite fic you've written? Finished: Spoons. Quite proud of how I treated a difficult, rarely addressed subject there! But overall: pHORSE is my baby!
Tagging @konartiste @dreambigdreamz @from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras @emmanuellececchi @torchwood-99 and who else wants to play?
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jokeroutsubs · 8 days ago
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[ENG SUB] 🎈Birthday special🍰 Bojan Cvjetićanin and Jan Peteh for Radio Sora (07.11.2024)
On the 7th of November 2024, Jan and Bojan were interviewed by Radio Sora. They talked about what they achieved in 2024, signing up with a booking agency, working with producer Žare Pak, the tour offers from Australia and New York and the importance of being vocal about what’s happening in the world.
They also played 'Bluza' live and at the end recorded a sweet message for new year!
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Transcript by X coffeebiscuitxx and drumbeat, translation by drumbeat and @chaosofsmarty, review by drumbeat and IG 10_anja, proofread by X klámstrákur and IG Gboleyn123, subtitles by drumbeat and IG marija_rocen. Slovene proofreading by X coffeebiscuitxx.
Transcript below the cut! 👇
Host: Good morning. The show 'Sveže Praženo' ('Freshly Roasted') is back on the air. Just like every Thursday, we’re serving fresh music, but only the kind of music that’s seriously captivating. And if I can be a bit kitschy right now the most global Slovenian band, Joker Out. Joining me in the studio are Bojan and Jan. Even though an early hour is a Slovenian musicians' nemesis, you two look pretty good for just a bit past eight.
Bojan: Good morning. Thank you very much for the lovely compliment.
Jan: Good morning.
Bojan: You don’t look shabby yourself. Yeah, great introduction, thank you so much. It seems to me, though, there... that this title should really go to Laibach.
[inaudible] bands? Why Laibach?
Bojan: Well, the most global, right?
Aha, okay, okay. If we’re talking about the present, though...
Bojan: But you said you’d be overly sweet, so yeah, I accept it.
Yeah.
Bojan: It's us.
I drink coffee without sugar, so now I have to sweeten this interview. The first one was 'Everybody's Waiting', everyone is waiting to shine, but once we shine, we get overwhelmed with unease, anxiety, we yearn for peace, searching for a lighthouse, to guide us back to normalcy. Now I want to know where you are, where Joker Out is, where you both are, if we separate the private from the band? You've been shining, you went abroad, made it abroad as well. And then, as you say in this song, when you get into the limelight, the pressure gets to you, and you start longing for the peace you had before. Can you find it? Maybe start with Bojan.
Bojan: I’d say yes... yes, you can... you can find peace. But you have to reconcile with a few things first, let's say, reflect on the things happening around you. At first glance, everything seems really, I'd say, enormous, like a wave that will sweep you away. But then you realize you’ve got a surfboard, and you are able to ride that wave. To refer to...
Portugal.
Bojan: Right, yeah, referring to... to our conversation before recording started.
Well, by the way, he was on vacation, in Portugal, and surfing. Everyone assumed he was...
Bojan: I was just watching, I was watching, watching the surfers.
Just watching?
Bojan: Yeah, I didn’t surf.
Oh, okay. But they thought you were a pro, and then you said you’re a pro somewhere else, but not in surfing, right?
Bojan: Yeah.
Well, let’s get back to the first...
Bojan: Let’s move forward. Anyway... yeah, a lot of new feelings awaken in you when things start happening on such an unexpectedly large scale. A lot of fears you weren’t aware of emerge, a lot of doubts you didn’t know you had also... also surface. And in a short span of time,under great pressure, you have to deal with it all, and you... you manage. And... I don't know? It seems to me that this album is a reflection of a very turbulent period for us, practically a year and a half since we made 'Carpe Diem' and went to Eurovision. It will also be evident in the music that a lot of different things were going on in our heads during this time.
That’s just it. At the beginning of the year, you went to the UK, went for a Queen-style retreat, well, if we're... I try to refer to Queen, who also needed a break to create in peace, right. But you landed there and suddenly found yourself in a foreign environment where you discovered your primal nature. You can hear it in the music, at least in what you’ve released so far, the Balkan nature. Even Stefanovski would be proud of certain riffs.
Jan: Stefanovski, yes.
Maybe... maybe...
Jan: Now you’re... you're really sweet-talking us.
That’s a compliment, isn’t it, for...
Jan: Yes, absolutely.
... for a guitarist?
Jan: It's absolutely a compliment, that’s why I’m saying... Vlatko Stefanovski... one of my favorites.
He is, right?
Jan: At least... at least from this...
I agree. Ehm, so how was it? You got there, what did you do?
Jan: We arrived at a pretty nice... actually, actually at a very nicely organised part of North London. We rented a house where we...
Bojan: A tiny house.
Jan: Yeah, a former stable.
Bojan: A former stable.
Jan: We rented a former stable, which...
That’s even more Queen-like, isn’t it?
Bojan: Yes.
Because they made 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in a stable, right?
Jan: Yes, exactly.
A prettier stable.
Jan: So...
Bojan: And a bigger stable.
Jan: And a bigger stable, right. But yeah, in that stable we lived—both literally and metaphorically, we also... we also rented a rehearsal space under a bridge, it was a damp room where everything was half covered in mold, so...
Bojan: And, by the way, the owner of that space was, by a stroke of luck, an immigrant from Serbia to the UK.
Jan: Yeah, right.
I believe wherever we Slovenes go, in the first pub or house, we meet either a Serb, a Bosnian, or, I don't know, maybe a Kosovar.
Bojan: Or a Croat or just one... one of our own.
A brother.
Bojan: Yeah, a brother.
Jan: Just recently... I was in Paris...
And again.
Jan: As soon, as soon as I landed in Paris, I went for a drink at the first pub I saw, the waiter was Bosnian.
Bojan: Of course.
Jan: Right.
Bojan: You remember Malmö.
Same?
Jan: From Postojna.
Bojan: The hotel waiter was from Postojna.
There you go, at least... at least you get to meet a Slovene everywhere.
Bojan: Yes.
So, we Slovenes are almost a global nation. Anyway, you got there, had the stable, had the place, had...
Jan: We didn’t have any song ideas yet. We tried to come up with them somehow, because, if you... if you want to record ten songs or at least eight, which I think we did, you need to have some ideas before entering the studio. So we tried to use the two months we spent in London to focus on that.
That’s it. I mean, when a musician looks for inspiration, and doesn’t even have one riff ready, what do you do? I mean, if your mind is blank, you go...
Bojan: You go to London.
And party, right.
Bojan: Yeah.
What do you mean, yeah?
Bojan: We didn’t even party that much.
I mean, do you climb a hill or something, do you try falling in love a little bit, and look for inspiration that way? Where did you find inspiration for the first song you created up there? Come on.
Bojan: Yes, the first song was 'Šta bih ja'. I only had 'Šta bih ja u ovoj crnoj noći bez tebe radio' ready, and then everything came together really well with the fact that we were in a foreign city, so I believe that soon after the riff came  'U ovom gradu nemam kuće ni adrese' and 'U ovom gradu nemam nikog koga znam', and then... Damjan Jović told me that once you have the main verse of the song, which already clearly outlines the story, you have the song. He told me once when I said, "Oh, I don’t have the song, I have the story though," and he said, "Then don’t worry, you already have the song." And actually, he’s right. Once you... you have... when you know what you’re going to talk about, you have the song. You just have to put it into words, but you already have the song.
That’s true. I think it was Noel Gallagher who said: "Write the fucking chorus," right.
Bojan: Yes.
And... that’s the essence of the song, right?
Bojan: Yes.
Yeah, then everything else builds around that, the music probably came...
Bojan: Absolutely.
... from all of you, right? Now, if we go back to the beginning, 'Gola' was a real hit, right? I was honestly really into music back then, but I was into different music, drum and bass, but I remember this girl who was always into house music, and every night she’d dance to her playlist and then came this banger 'Gola', right, and she said, "This is really good." The song 'Gola' really propelled you forward, right.
Bojan: Yes, 'Gola'...
Was that the first song you made with Žare, or have you made one prior to it? The first one, right?
Bojan: Yes, actually, it was interesting. I went with Žare to the premiere of a Tabu band film at Kino Bežigrad in 2019, I'd say, that is...  in early... in the pre-summer months, I'd say,
That was the early phase of COVID, right?
Bojan: No, no way? That was 2020.
Oh, right.
Bojan: April 2020, March. But I went with... anyway, we and Žare started working on 'Gola' then and we went together to the movie premiere and no one really knew me there, from the people in the music industry. Some people even asked if I was Žare’s son, and then 'Gola' came out, a few months later, in September if I’m not mistaken, and it really took off very quickly...
I think it caught on.
Bojan: Yes, it was a very noticeable leap, suddenly, almost everyone knew, I'd say, at least in this world, what was the most shocking thing for Žare. He said... actually, Žare said that he had never seen such an effect so quickly before.
Yeah. I feel like Žare knows how to remove the ballast, right, and leave just the parts that are essential. But now I need to ask you something I've been told by a lot of people "Žare Pak can be harsh," right. Now Deklevc, Peter Dekleva, told me what he was like with Polonca. But Polonca was a bit of a diva, so he had to ground her a bit. I've heard a story though, that you showed up to sing, right, and he told you, "Come on, Bojč, go home and study a bit more."
Bojan: Yes.
Is this true?
Bojan: He didn’t say, "Go home and study a bit more." but I came to the studio to sing 'Gola', and he stopped me after, that is, I hadn’t even finished singing 'Zimsko jutro hladno gre skoz mene'. I mean, I sang it, and he already stopped me, gave me maybe two tries, then he asked, "How do you say 'zimsko'?" I said, "Zimsko." "No, 'zimsko'." "Yes, 'zimsko'." "No, 'zimsko', 'zimsko'. The word 'zimsko', you know i' [pronounces with a long 'i'], not i' [pronounces with a short 'i']. Articulation." Anyway, I was recording that vocal part for probably about a month, maybe even a bit more. In between, when I... Sometimes I stepped in front of the microphone, after two seconds he’d send me home. Until the day I came home and started listening...
To yourself.
Bojan: ... to myself. and he also told me to stop singing, but to tell the story that I was singing. And after that whole grueling process, I cried at home once under the shower, literally, and listened to what was going on, and started discovering how the shower vibrates differently if I...
Sing differently.
Bojan: ... sing differently, so I came back the next day to the studio and sang the whole song. He let me do the whole take. And I was like, "Okay, this is it, right, I... I recorded it, right." Then I came out and asked, "So, how was it?" And he said, "It was a mess... But now at least you know what you’re singing."
Yeah, yeah. How much does Žare...  how much leeway does he have? I know that when a producer begins working with a band... I know that back then you were young, a blank canvas, he really shaped you and you created something extraordinary together, like the song 'Gola' and all the other songs that followed. But now you know a thing or two, right, about the music industry about how songs are made. Do you still, when he tries to refine the songs, do you let him or do you go: "Whoa, whoa, whoa"? Or basically... do you just cooperate together in a...
Jan: I think he...
… symbiotic way?
Jan: ... still has a very apparent influence... still on us. For instance, with 'Šta bih ja,' we came to Hamburg to the studio on the first day. We had been playing the song during the whole of the March tour, which was, I believe 21 concerts.
Across Europe, right?
Jan: Across the whole of Europe, yes. We came to the studio thinking, "We’ve got this song," right, we’d been playing it for a month now. We got to the studio, started playing, Žare was about to have a nervous breakdown or something... I don’t know exactly what his initial reaction was, but... but it was...
What... was it too much guitar?
Jan: No, it wasn’t too much guitar.
Bojan: Not enough song.
Jan: Not enough song. So, we do know something, but we do... he's still an important... important part.
The producer, right. Now, before we get to the music, if I can summarise: you finished the European tour, you sold out the vinyl from the sold-out Stožice arena, which was also a leap forward. You played at Križanke, sold out, moved to Stožice, sold out, and as far as I’ve heard, also the concerts on the European tour – most were sold out, right? Is that right? Those were... what, concerts the size of...?
Bojan: Mostly concerts the size of Cvetličarna or Štuk.
The best.
Bojan: Yes.
So, around 1000 people, right?
Bojan: Exactly.
Yeah, yeah. Then you signed a contract with an agency.
Bojan: Yeah.
What does that mean?
Bojan: Well, yes, I mean we signed a contract with an agency, but in reality, we signed a deal with booking agent Ryan Penty, who is a British booking agent, working for this big global booking company Wasserman, which handles from Coldplay onwards...
Jan: NBA players.
Bojan: NBA players are on their roster, yes, totally, because they deal with bookings and being agents not just in the music industry but across different industries.
Oh, okay.
Bojan: But, to sum up, Ryan is the booker for Lewis Capaldi, whom we also met in England, as he came to our gig in London. And at that time Ryan said it was amazing, because he came to the gig and expressed interest in working together, so we had an online meeting. We confirmed the collaboration and since then, we’ve been very, very satisfied with his work, as he operates at a top professional level. He's completely eliminated any doubts one might have, such as: "This is someone in England working with big names, will he take time for us? Will it mean anything to him?" Actually he’s constantly in touch with us, makes time for meetings, he's proactive, so we're really very, very happy with Ryan.
Exactly. In Finland, you received a gold record for the single 'Carpe Diem', and last year, it was the most-played domestic song back at home. Then there was Sziget, Exit...
Bojan: Ruisrock.
Ruisrock.
Bojan: Ruisrock.
Yes, I mean, when you perform at Sziget and Exit and that other festival, which sounds pretty big, the only thing left is Glastonbury, right?
Bojan: Yeah, English festivals are really hard to get into. Namely, British organisers truly prefer local acts, which is such a nice mindset, I'd say, and it’s something to appreciate, right, because they have a lot of talent and musicians there, so of course, the big names come from all over the world, but for that minor league and middle league...
They prioritise locals for that?
Bojan: They prefer local acts, so it’s a bit harder to break in, but we absolutely hope that we’ll somehow...
Yeah, but my friend was at Sziget and said... what was it, it was just after the storm, right, was it right after the storm?
Bojan: Probably the day before, if at all.
Oh, that’s how it was. And it was comfortably hot, but when you’re on the big stage and the audience doesn’t know you, of course the Slovenian audience knows you, the main thing is to draw people to the concert, right, and you managed to do that, which means that... that the music works, even abroad, despite having to break the language barrier.
Bojan: Yeah, festivals are a bit weird, because the reactions are so diverse. For instance, when we arrived at Exit, we had practically 20,000 people singing along, right. At Ruisrock in Finland, we had a packed stage half an hour before midnight when we started playing... which is basically in broad daylight, because in the summer, the sun never sets down there, but the energy was truly, truly insane. When you hear 7,000 Finns singing during the entire concert, it’s insane.
Finns singing in Slovenian.
Bojan: Absolutely.
Jan: Yes.
Amazing.
Jan: It’s quite a phenomenon.
Can they manage 'č', 'ž', 'š'?
Bojan: Full throttle.
Jan: A bit softer, like 'š', 'š' [pronouncing soft 'š'].
Bojan: When they’re together, you can't hear the difference.
Jan: No, no.
The best.
Bojan: Romania.
Jan: Romanians.
Bojan: Insane. Like, there were a few of those. Poland...
Wow.
Bojan: So I forgot what I was talking about, but it was really great.
We touched on festivals,  we moved on to more local concerts, but now... let’s play a bit of music to take a break. 'Šta bih ja,' as already mentioned, you can feel a nice Balkan musical theme here... Stefanovski for a guitarist...
Jan: Vlatko Stefanovski, yeah.
But actually, I leaned more to 'Suada' by Plavi orkestar. I know Saša was still a teenager at that time, and it really launched him, in a way, as well.
Bojan: Yeah.
To the starry skies of Balkan. It happened to you too, but yes, it's about a long-distance love, you were heading to UK, as we’ve already mentioned. As Bojan describes in the song - well, you all describe it... lonesome strangers, searching for love on the streets of London at night like musical streetwalkers.
Bojan: Yeah, that’s exactly who we are, musical streetwalkers.
Here we go, a music break, and back to the 'Sveže praženo' show.
'Šta bih ja' and Joker Out, in the early hours, on air at Radio Sora, with me in the studio are Bojan and Jan. We’ve already discussed where they’ve been, what they’ve done, where they sold out, now let’s move on to questions we've all been wondering about. Your colleagues and musician friends listen, they talk proudly about the Jokers, this is hearsay, I may be exaggerating a bit, but nevertheless, I’ve heard all of this, now tell us what you can: Australian tour, New York, opening act  for Kings of Leon next year on the European tour.
Jan: What... what would we choose from all of that?
No, what of it is true.
Bojan: What of it is true. Yeah, it’s true that we had two offers for the Australian tour. We should have played in Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne. We turned both offers down, because timewise and planwise they just didn't fit into the bigger picture. We hope, of course, we get to go one day, but the timing really wasn't right this time. Actually, if I’m not mistaken, right now we should have been in Australia, and that would mean we couldn’t be on 'Sveže praženo', and that would be awful.
Here we go, Škofja Loka, that’s how... that’s how cool we are.
Bojan: Absolutely.
Thanks, Bojan.
Bojan: New York - we also had a confirmation for a concert at Mercury Lounge, but unfortunately, we sealed the deal a bit too late, to obtain the work visas for performing in New York in time, because our musician friends, both Slovenian and two British, warned us that they can reject your entry at the border without a work visa, or even give you a ban on entering the USA for a year, which is what one of our colleagues got for five years, if I’m not mistaken.
Jan: Mhm.
A musical colleague?
Bojan: A musical colleague from... actually from Northern Ireland. So yeah, we didn’t manage to pull it off in time, unfortunately, and we couldn’t go to New York. But I believe that one day we’ll go, because based on the statistics we have about our listeners, we can see that we actually have a pretty good number of listeners in the USA. New York, is a bit of an epicenter, I think there are about 12,000 active listeners, which is... pretty solid. I mean, for one show, it should be enough, right.
And New York is also a great gateway to the rest of America, right.
Jan: Kings of Leon still haven’t called us though.
Bojan: Kings of Leon haven’t called us, I don’t know which... who started that rumor.
Isn’t it interesting in a way? I heard it from two different sources, but hey, maybe now we’ve wished on a little star, and they’ll hear it.
Jan: Because Kings of Leon will be listening to...
Bojan: 'Šta bih ja'?
Jan: Yeah.
Bojan: Can you imagine if Kings of Leon are now listening to 'Sveže praženo'?
Jan: Yeah, sure.
Crazy. And they don’t understand a word, but...
Bojan: But they totally love it.
Totally, yeah. With everything...
Bojan: When Kings of Leon heard [inaudible].
I'm curious about this: last time... last time I caught you, actually you and Kris, at Gušti's gig. At the end he was quite blown away because time really flies, and when you're young you don't realise you're living in the spring of your life. Fed Horses actually sang that, but it's a good point. Do you ever say to yourselves, or do you two ever say to yourselves, when you're with the band after a good gig: "Darn, that's it. Let's stop a bit and take in the moment, let's breathe a little, so everything doesn't... pass too quickly."
Bojan: I'd say that this decision, to present the album only in the area of, let's say, the Balkans, and on smaller stages, is sort of that kind of moment. The big question was "what do we do now?" Last year we did Stožice, blah, blah, blah, blah. And we had, I think, the best time at Cvetličarna, when we were presenting our first album - we really really enjoyed it. You're close to the fans, there's just enough of them so it's not a small space, and there's just too little of them to make it feel detached, so...
Do tell, the first one is sold out...
Bojan: Oh, yeah.
... at Cvetličarna, a bit of promo.
Bojan: Yes, Cvetličarna was sold out, the first one.
On the twenty-second.
Bojan: That's right. And we added the 23rd of November and I think there's about a third of the tickets left, so around 500. And now I want to say that out loud again, because so many people keep messaging me, because they've only seen the first one and it sold out, but they haven't...
Gotten to the other...
Bojan: Gotten to the other information, so we've added another concert.
The 23rd of November in Cvetličarna. Whoever wants to join a Balkan tour with you, they can catch you... No, Belgrade is sold out, of course.
Bojan: Yes, Belgrade is sold out. They can catch us in Zagreb, which is on the 3rd of December at Tvornica Kulture.
Good venue.
Bojan: Very good venue.Last year we played there twiceand it's really awesome.So there, too, there'sabout a third of the tickets left.They can catch us... I don't knowabout Novi Sad, I think they...
Jan: Novi Sad is the 26th of November.
Bojan: On the 26th of November they can catch us in Novi Sad.
Jan: And in Maribor, of course.
Bojan: Oh.
Jan: At Štuk.
Bojan: Štuk.
Jan: On the 6th of December.
There, we've listed a few dates now.
Bojan: And in Vienna.
Well, if we go a bit northern.
Jan: Or in Skopje.
Or in Skopje. If you'd prefer going to the South. Tell me this, too: a band has to be critical to all the crap happening in the world, right, but sometimes you get the feeling that today, because of all this information and because of the fact that a certain bit of information, which stands out, quickly spreads across all media, right... a lot of bands are quite careful here, because you can quickly offend someone. You also touched on the topic of Palestine in one of the upcoming singles, right?
Bojan: Yes, the album will have the single 'Sonce', which was this very direct... very direct reflection of how I experienced everything that was going on. A lot of... Really this sort of information bombing on a daily basis in terms of everything, but yes, these wars that've started all over and are sort of passing by like trends, and we all follow them, while at the same time we're booking dinners, searching what to buy ourselves with the biggest discounts possible online, and watc... well really this...
Instant.
Bojan: We're living an interesting double life. One moment, we're looking at the number of...
Casualties, right?
Bojan: how many... how many people died somewhere for totally no reason and people whose literal basic human rights are being violated. On the other hand we still have our comfort and our luxury, right?
Yes, and as a musician you can do something, get the word out about it. Have a sort of power, actually, do you have it?
Bojan: I don't know. Given that musicians have always sung about war, right, if... if Lennon's 'Imagine' didn't do anything, then I doubt Joker Out's 'Sonce' will manage to achieve something, but for those few, who listen it might change...
Or send them to the streets.
Bojan: I hope so. Yes.
Who knows?
Bojan: So yeah, there will be... there are two songs on the album, which are a reflection of these times, I'd say. Even 'Carpe Diem' really already pointed towards it. A lot of people heard just "We'll dance all night long We'll love each other and play," and not the whole lyrics, but thissong was actually the start of it.
Politically tinged.
Bojan: That's right.
Yes. Now, before finally moving onto the album, and finish this conversation and you play 'Bluza' live... What are your personalities like? Do you have little boxes with checkmarks, or do you simply set goals as you go? Or, as dad said, you're the happiest when you set on a road to a goal, when you reach the goal you immediately have to set your next one, so you don't get lazy.
Jan: I'd say that more from... when I freestyle life a bit more, a bit like... Yeah, exactly that, right, when you get to a goal, you know... what's coming next.
You know? Or do you just wish?
Jan: Yes, I think you know, what your next step is, or at least I do. Okay, of course I also have... some general goals in life, but I don't know, I don't plan out everyday tasks.
No, not that. But in general you have... you know what you want in private, in public, in the band, right?
Jan: Yes.
Yes. Bojan?
Bojan: I'd say that this year I've accomplished all the goals I've had in the bigger picture, when it comes to my musical endeavours. We really got much further than I'd dared hope when we... when we were starting this journey, so actually these goals now become more of this sort of, how to say, sort of achieving an inner satisfaction. You see the enjoyment in the future, that you'll be able to achieve more than a sort of goal. I don't know, it's.. that's about how I imagine that.
Jan: Well, maybe that's how it's always been.
Bojan: Oh? I don't know? I'm not sure. I sort of don't have this pressure... I won't be sad, even if I don't achieve anything else. That's how I'll put it.
Good. I hope we all someday reach that. Now... every time I have an interview, it's actually better to get to know the personality of the singer or the guitarist or whoever comes, right, because everyone knows the music. And when a 15-year-old, a 25-year-old, a 45-year-old listen to your song, they create their own picture of the singer and band in general, right, and sometimes ideals are created. But when they listen to the voice, the conversation, the personality, they actually feel the... the person more. How much do you present yourselves on a silver platter after the concert? Because (female) fans are probably there, right? Well, they certainly exist.
Jan: They exist.
They exist. Do you have a certain ritual after... after the concert, first as a band, and then how much do you let the fans in, or are you actually fed up with this sphere and just want peace and quiet?
Bojan: No, generally... generally after a concert it's nice to calm down for a few minutes, change clothes and shower, if we can, or shower and then change. Now, not every concert is the same, in terms of the conditions to meet and greet fans. Sometimes we're in a hurry to our next stop, like if we're on tour and there's a 12, 14-hour journey by bus in front of us, we have to pack up and leave really quickly. But sometimes... time allows us to, so I think we've hung out with the fans quite a lot so far. Sometimes we unfortunately have to make a break, and say we can't do it, because there's clearly too many people, who we wouldn't even be able to control, and often people find it hard to understand, but it's genuinely not a safe situation, with that many people piled together, who can't be... We don't exactly have superpowers, to be able to...
Everyone...
Bojan: Everyone... to handle everyone. But when we're able to, we're always, we're always available. So I'd say, especially after talking to some other musicians, that we've spent a lot of time with fans, especially on the tours in winter, when it's -8 °C outside after the gig, an hour or two have passed after the concert outside, so...
Bojan and Jan are giving me their autographs for my children today, but whoever wants to, can come here and can copy it, there.
Bojan: Absolutely.
For the ending, let's... we've said, again, November 22nd in Cvetličarna is sold out, November 23rd is still available, afterwards you can catch them in Štuk or on their Balkan tour. The album is coming on the 15th of November.
Bojan: Yes.
That's the correct date?
Bojan: That's it.
Jan: It is.
You've mentioned ten songs.
Bojan: That's true.
Ten songs. We know four so far.
Bojan: That's right.
'Everybody's Waiting', 'Sunny Side of London', 'Šta bih ja' and 'Bluza'.
Bojan: No, actually it's 'Carpe Diem', 'Everybody's Waiting'...
Aha, 'Carpe Diem'.
Bojan: ... 'Šta bih ja' and 'Bluza'. 'Sunny Side of London' isn't on the album.
Oh, I see, I see. So there's six entirely new songs coming. Now, you'll be playing 'Bluza' today, if you'll want to hear the next single, is that from the 15th of November onwards, or is there more coming before that?
Jan: Let's keep that a secret.
There, we're being secretive. Now, thank you for visiting this studio.
Bojan: Thank you.
I've got to admit, we were waking up together. Darn, I need quite a few hours to put myself together, I don't know how you two handle these early, early hours?
Bojan: Beautifully.
Beautifully. But do you go to bed early? Do you actually...
Bojan: Early in the morning.
Jan: Yes, early, yes, at about four AM...
Bojan: We go to bed early in the morning.
But the album is already now... the difficult things are done and now you can reap the pleasant part, right?
Bojan: That's true.
Yeah. Bojan, Jan, thank you for your visit. Now you'll play something live, too: 'Bluza' Now everyone, who'll hear 'Bluza' and Joker Out, will say: "Yeah, these guys really love to open and unbutton their blouses" but actually I interpret this song as more of like we sometimes close a button too much, and then you feel short of breath in life.
Bojan: Interesting, because the title 'Bluza' actually doesn't have any connection to a blouse as a shirt.
It doesn't?
Bojan: In the song it's 'ja u ritmu tvoga bluza'...
Oh.
Bojan: And the song's title is 'Bluza', but other than that it doesn't have any blouses in it.
I see.
Bojan: But there is the blues.
There is the blues. Have a nice day, and see you next time in the show 'Sveže praženo'.
Bojan: Woohoo!
Jan: Same to you, thank you.
Live playing of ‘Bluza’
Extra clip at the end with Bojan and Jan:
Jan: Hi.
Bojan: Hi, hi. In the name of the band Joker Out, we wish you a love, peace and health filled 2025. We hope to see you soon.
Jan: Happy new year.
Bojan: Bye bye!
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