#untitled footage of a bear

[spooky--spookster]

Man, it’s like, a life dream of mine to make a horror arg at some point. Some of them are genuinely so amazing, like Daisy brown or any of Alan resnick’s stuff (Alantut, Untitled footage ect.)

The amount of love and effort that go into arg’s like that, and the messages they can portray are phenomenal, the impact furthered by the audience interaction, especially with stuff like daisy brown or hiimmarymary

[arbielikestrains]

and now I think any antihistamine advertisement is untitled footage of a bear

[joannaofarkham]

I should probably start writing either of the following for spooky season: untitled werewolf au | CW/TW: death, age gap, cheating mikasa could barely remember her parents or how they died being devoured by the beast that lurked in the forest near her home, or how the beast spared her life. ever since that fateful night, she only knew one thing -- mama and papa were dead but mister eren, the logger who supplies them with wood, came to her rescue and kept her as his own daughter. but dada, as she fondly calls him, has a secret: he was the beast that feasted on her parents but not because he enjoyed the kill; the monster in him, one that was passed on to his bloodline from one generation to another, needed to be satiated. and he didn't spare her for mercy; the curse of the beast needed to be passed on, and his wife couldn't bear him an heir. while eren was ready to pass the curse directly to mikasa through infection, the primal needs awakened in her made her want something else. from the moment mikasa realized her affection for him was beyond the familial love, she knew this newly found attraction would be fatal and dangerous. ramblings of a man: or the gothic/macabre fic wherein eren is a writer and coping on his lover's death to the point of severe delusion (he thinks he can bring her back to life by writing and rewriting the events of her death, so long as he has her body with him). posted the prologue before already and it's on ao3 too. paranormal/witch au/found-footage au: I've kind of tweaked the concept for this from the original. it still has something to do with Mikasa's lineage being from a witch clan, but now the premise is she receives a tape from her uncle levi, who she hasn't met since she was a kid, about going back to their hometown to find his mother; levi himself disappeared too. and since mikasa, armin, and jean--who couldn't go with them to the location itself-- were also doing a film thesis about the town where levi disappeared, she was compelled to go to this place to find out what happened.

[james-on-shuffle]

What Are You Doing in My Timeline?

This is an alternate timeline I made where Chris Farley lived long enough to finish recording all of his lines for Shrek. What follows is a strange timeline. It was really fun imagining these movies because many of them actually happened.

The story starts in 1997. On December 18, 1997, Chris Farley’s brother John invites him over (so that night Chris doesn’t have the speeball that killed him). He completes the audio for a new animated movie called Shrek directed by Vicky Jensen and Adam Adamson a week later. On January 10, 1998, he’s found dead on the streets of Chicago from an overdose. His last movie Shrek, is released in April 2000 ahead of Disney’s film Dinosaur. It does fine, but not fine enough. 

December 18, 1997-Chris Farely stays with his brother John.

January 10, 1998-Chris Farely dies of a drug overdose.

2000

-Shrek starring Chris Farely, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz is released before Disney’s Dinosaur. It earns $123 million on a $54 million budget. People criticize it for taking advantage of Farley’s recent death, and the animation looks too scary for children. The film will ultimately find a second life online, in the same vein as Disney’s Treasure Planet (Never becoming the meme material that it should’ve been). Chicken Run grosses more, barely keeping the company afloat. 

-Disney releases Dinosaur and The Emperor’s New Groove to half-decent turnout. 

2001

-Mike Myers appears in Dieter’s Day, a comedy film directed by Bo Welch which performs modestly and helps keep SNL films alive for the next few years. 

-Disney releases Atlantis, to good reception. 

-Pixar releases Monster’s Inc, to great success. 

-Dreamworks fails to make much from El Dorado. 

2002

-Pixar releases its first fairy tale film, Tam Lin, directed by Brenda Chapman. It is awarded the Oscar for best Animated film. Tam Lin becomes enshrined in the Disney hero category similar to Peter Pan and Aladdin. At the 2003 Academy Awards, a rambling John Lasseter accepts the award for Tam Lin. He says, “Eisner told me this was the year of Stitch. This time it’s the year of Lin.”

-Disney releases Lilo and Stitch and Treasure Planet. However bad blood between John Lasseter and Chris Sanders/Dean Dublois (exacerbated by the Oscar speech) results in the two leaving the company. 

-Dreamworks releases Spirit of a Horse with Ben Affleck as the film’s narrator. It performs poorly. 

-Blue Sky releases Ice Age, to great success. It’s directed by Don Bluth who managed to finally work with CGI. 

2003

-Tim Allen stars in Universal’s Adaptation of The Cat in the Hat. It becomes another modest hit for Imagine Entertainment after The Grinch. And they greenlight plans for a rock musical adaptation of The Lorax starring Jack Black to be released on Earth Day 2005. 

-Disney releases Great Bear with Johnny Depp as the titular Kenai. 

-Pixar releases Finding Nemo. William H. Macey’s performance as Marlin has the critics applauding. 

-Dreamworks folds after the failure of Sinbad (an untitled undersea remake of Mean Streets with Chris Rock and Robert de Niro halt production, and footage of it becomes a holy grail of lost media sleuths in the late 2010s). Katzenburg decides it’s time for him to enter into the internet age, and takes a position back at Sony while working on a video-downloading platform called Quiki. Dreamworks assets are sold to Paramount, and many of the old directors and writers of the company go onto work for Nickelodeon. Films like Nome (an adaptation of the books by Terry Pratchett) and Escape from Manhattan (about a Lion, Hippo, Okapi, and a Giraffe escaping the zoo only to wind up in New Jersey) are put into production. With the dissolution of Dreamworks, Aardman then gains a contract with 20th Century Fox, with their next five films being released alongside Blue Sky. 

2004

-Disney releases Cows Gone Wild with Rosie O’donnel, and it does modestly. 

-Pixar releases The Supers. Blake Snyder, writer of the screenplay Nuclear Family sues Pixar and receives a portion of the film’s profits. 

-Mike Myers stars as Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther.

-Wallace and Gromit: The Great Vegetable Plot by Aardman and Blue Sky is released to critical acclaim. 

-Nickelodeon releases The Spongebob Squarepants Movie to great success. 

2005

-Disney releases Mark Dindal’s The Ugly Duckling to mixed reviews. Joan Cusack earns praise for her performance as said Duckling facing obstacles in a summer camp. 

-Blue Sky releases Robots to great success. 

-Disney doesn’t renew Pixar’s contract due to bad blood between John Lasseter and Bob Iger, as well as diminishing returns. In the media storm rumors arise about Lasseter and possible sexual harassment (in our timeline he was let go because of this). He is ousted from the company and his successor is Pete Doctor. Lasseter goes on to work for Jeffrey Katzenberg’s new Clouding Service (in this timeline streaming is called clouding). 

-Imagine Entertainment releases The Lorax with Jack Black as the Lorax and Chevy Chase as the Oncler, and despite music by Bon Jovi the film is laughed off. This is the one which causes Dr. Seuss’ widow to stop making live-action adaptations of her husband’s work. 

2006

-Quiki is launched as a subscription based website where for $4.99 a month, you can download 11 or 22 minute episodes of original shows on your iPod and later Zune. Some of the shows include new sitcoms such as Penny and the Geeks produced by Chuck Lorre, and Phineas & Ferb, a flash cartoon by Dan Povenmire and Jeff Marsh. Captain Underpants is also brought to the platform starring Johnny Bravo actor Jeff Bennet as the titular captain. Katzenberg tries to acquire Homestar Runner to no avail. 

-Disney releases The Robinsons, to negative reviews. Critics complain that the main villain played by Jim Carrey wasn’t scary enough. 

-Pixar releases Monsters Inc. 2: Lost in Scaradise. The final scene where Sully sits with Boo as she is about to pass, music by Hans Zimmer, is acclaimed by critics as one of the most brilliantly edited montages of all time. At this time they have launched a joint venture with Robert Zemeckis to create a new studio called PIXAR LIVE, a mo-cap company, after the success of Robert Zemeckis’ mo-cap adaptation of Zathura. 

-Nickelodeon releases Escape from Manhattan, now called Life’s a Jungle. It is hailed as a brilliant social satire of New Jersey’s infrastructure disguised as a goofy kids film. It features Breckin Meyer as Allen the Lion, Queen Latifah as Gloria the Hippo, Jerry Seinfeld as Benny the Okapi, and Matt Leblanc as Simon the Giraffe. 

-Sony releases The Wild, with Cedric the Entertainer as a bear who gets lost in Cascadia and decides to create his own theater like the one he performed for in Yellowstone. The film is praised as an animated ‘remake’ of Werner Herzog’s Fitzceraldo. 

-Chris Sanders releases American Dog for Blue Sky, the story of a successful dog actor who is forced to make his way in the world. The film is completely without dialogue. They find success and even receive the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Debates as to whether or not this or Monsters Inc. 2 deserve the Oscar go on to the present day. 

2007

-Eric Darnell and Chris Buck direct and release Surfin’ Birds. Originally an idea Eric pitched to Dreamworks as a mockumentary with a four-penguin band similar to The Beatles. After his pitch is rejected and Dreamworks dissolves, he finds work at Sony who is working with Chris Buck on a penguin surfing sports film. EMI won’t let them have the rights to The Beatles, so the film is reworked to have the penguins be more similar to The Beach Boys or The Monkees. 

-Disney releases an adaptation of Don Quixote with Wilmer Valderrama as Alonso Quijano and Cheech Marin as Sancho. Like Hunchback, it is criticized for watering down a beloved classic, but it finds a new following in the early 2020s. 

-Pixar Live releases its first film 1906 featuring Al Pacino in multiple roles. Directed by Brad Bird and an adaptation of the novel of the same name by James Dalessandro, the film about the 1906 earthquake uses mo-cap, and is praised for expanding the medium. 

-Nickelodeon releases A Fairly Odd Movie with Justin Long as Timmy, Wanda Sykes as Wanda, Sean Hayes as Cosmo, and Jim Carrey as Mr. Crocker. 4Chan debates Sykes’ casting, with the memes resulting in her calling out the racist ‘internet goblins’ on Conan. 

2008

-Aardman’s latest film Crood Awakening is released. Originally an adaptation of The Twits by Roald Dahl, now rewritten and starring John Cleese, the story is of a caveman struggling to evolve in an ever-changing world. 

-Pixar releases Toy Story 3. The film about Woody and Buzz attending Andy’s college drew criticism for too many jokes about the way that college works. The film was a box office hit, even with college students. 

-Invader Zim finds a third season on Quiki. 

-Blue Sky releases Jack Frost, an adaptation of William Joyce’s The Guardians of Childhood, the film has Aaron Carter as Jack and Santa Claus facing off against Bill Nighey’s Pitch Black. 

2009

-Disney releases The Sleeping Beauty. A 3D film which is an epic fantasy retelling of Sleeping Beauty. With Mandy Moore as Aurora and Michelle Pfeiffer as Maleficent. The film is criticized for trying to start a franchise, but praised for its sympathetic and nuanced portrayal of Maleficent. 

-Pixar releases Newt, a film about two newts who are the last of their species. The film is praised by critics, but draws criticism from Sean Hannity for being too Tree-Huggy and criticism from Greenpeace for its expansive toyline. PIXAR LIVE also releases an adaptation of Yellow Submarine directed by Robert Zemeckis. Tho the real life John and Ringo initially showed support, they retract it when seeing the final movie and its horrifying animation. 

-Brad Bird and John Lasseter form a new studio named Noma Studios. Katzenberg shows interest. 

2010

-Disney releases their 2D film The Snow Queen. Originally conceived as a musical before director Kevin Lima vetoed that decision, the film underperforms but with praise given towards Kristin Chenowith as the Snow Queen and John and Joan Cusack as the twins. 

-Pixar releases The Bear and the Bow featuring Karen Gillian, blowing up at the box office and establishing director Brenda Chapman as one of the great Pixar directors. She sets out to adapt a film based on the fairy tale East of the Sun West of the Moon. Disney and Pixar bury the hatchet and their partnership resumes. 

-Quiki in conjunction with Nickelodeon releases Zim’s Revenge, a film which is released in theaters and shortly afterwards online. It becomes a surprise moneymaker and viral hit. 

-Aardman releases Tortoise vs. Hare, a story of the tortoise and the hare but about their rematch. Starring Miriam Margoles, Bob Hoskins, and an up and comer called Tom Holland. It underperforms being seen as Aardman’s first mid production. 

-Sony and Happy Madison release Castle Drac, starring George Lopez as Dracula, failing to convince his daughter, played by Selena Gomez, to stay in the castle. It is a musical which takes home the Oscar for best Original Song “Little Bite of Love”.

-After the death of Bill Waterson in 2004, Blue Sky acquires the rights to Calvin and Hobbes and releases its adaptation with Robin Williams as Hobbes. The film underperforms and is praised for its ground-breaking animation but criticized by fans for not being something Bill would want. 

2011

-Clouding services are starting to overtake TV, but Quiki may not be a part of it after Katzenberg decides to partner with Blockbuster. Lasseter and Bird are at Noma with Bird setting out to direct Ray Gunn and Lasseter an adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ The Sneetches. And the worst part is that there are people online who are beginning to hate Pixar for letting him go. 

Katzenberg finally acquires Homestar Runner during the Chapman Brother’s Hiatus. Truly this is a disturbing timeline. 

[wajb]

In a little spiral rn. Fucked up my rib muscle. Lots of sleeping. Be back soon

[indistinct-echo]

LessAmazingPhil Videos (as of 9/15/21)

1. Old Photo 2. space maze 3. Moved home! 4. Lick my soap 5. Underwater Lion Roar 6. Viewer Mail! 7. Crash Bandicoot 8. HELL DEMON 9. Amailing Phil 10. Nyan bear! - Phil Mail 3 11. PHIL MAIL 4 12. Kracie - Popin' Cookin' Mystery Flavor DIY Sushi 13. Justin Bieber 2012 Calendar! (Phil Mail 5) 14. TOTORO HAT! (Phil mail 6) 15. Mystery Caller!? 16. Terrifying baby woman! 17. SPACE FOOD! (Final Mail!) 18. THE ABDUCTION 19. Z - DAY! 20. Dan tries caviar! 21. SHOCKING AmazingPhil footage! 22. CAT CAF!! 23. How To Make Dan Cringe 24. Crazy static electricity beam (daytime!) 25. Night Of The Drill Goat 26. 1000 YEN ($10) LUCKY DIP VENDING MACHINE! 1000?!? 27. KINETIC SAND 28. PHIL LESTER VS. PRAYING MANTIS 29. The A-Z of Phil (Behind the scenes of the TABINOF Audiobook!) 30. GIANT YouTube GIFT UNBOXING?!! (LIVE) 31. Hatching a MYSTERY EGG! (LIVE) 32. TRYING GUMMY CANDY SUSHI! (LIVE) 33. INAPPROPRIATE BIRTHDAY GIFT (LIVE) 34. WHAT DOES HAPPINESS SMELL LIKE? (LIVE) 35. Wholesome Howell Says Hi 36. My Ideal Present.. 37. HOW TO GET AN INSTANT SIX PACK with Phil 38. Light-hearted Lester Says Hi 39. PRANKING DAN WITH CHILLI GUMMY BEARS 40. SO MANY BOXES!! 41. JETLAG 42. PHIL'S BEAUTY TIPS 43. GIANT CENTIPEDE ATTACK 44. I have a problem 45. NOT ANOTHER BUZZFEED QUIZ! 46. I LOST MY VOICE 47. I HAD MY PUPILS DILATED 48. MORNING JUMPSCARE! 49. PRANKING DAN WITH PLANT SPRAY! 50. GOODBYE SUMMER 51. KILLER CLOWN FEAR 52. What Happened In Spain 53. Do I suit this beanie? 54. NEW MANDELA EFFECT? 55. NEVER HAVING A BATH AGAIN! 56. Linguistics with Lester! 57. I BIT OFF MY DENTISTS FINGERS 58. FESTIVE LESTER 59. The New Phil Live Show Episode 1! (I shouldn't be allowed a green screen) 60. Live Show #2 - Reading your embarrassing parent stories 61. Autumn Candle Haul! (Live Show #3) 62. Playing the Untitled Goose Game! [Live show #4] 63. Mildly spooky live stream 64. Phil vs. a giant spider - Playing Limbo! *LIVE* 65. Why did nobody tell me that parrots can live to be 70 YEARS OLD? 66. This dog has a tail on its face. 67. Rabbit or unicorn? Scientists can't tell. 68. Last live show of the DECADE! 69. `What I got for xmas! | Live Show 70. What I got for my birthday! | Live Show 71. I am losing my voice | Live Show 72. Can you rumble your ears? | Live Show

[battlecriesandroses]

howdy! i'm jaye :]

♢ LINKS TO HELP PALESTINE from the river to the sea 🇵🇸 ♢

♢ he/him | minor | white | on kind of hiatus, will be on and off ♢

♢ pronouns page | LovelornPaperboy (my ao3) | :) (my spotify) | kingincerulean (my letterboxd) | peppersteakz (my spacehey) | partheavenpartspace (my discord: feel free to add me!!) | my fallen london is cosmicTelevison ♢

♢ spam likes/reblogs are totally fine! (encouraged too) ♢

♢ suggestive posts are tagged with nsft and artistic nudity ♢

♢ i tag (almost) every post i make/reblog. if you need something tagged, dm me and i'll totally do it for you! here are the tags i use for myself sometimes:

#jaye's originals ig: i use this when I make an original/personal post. variations include jaye's asks ig (asks people have sent me), jaye's scribbles ig (my trash art), and jaye irl ig (photos I have taken) ♢

♢ i have executive dysfunction. if i don't respond to something you send me, i promise it's not your fault ♢

♢ feel free to talk to me! i'd love some more mutuals :) ♢

fandoms & dni under cut

some stuff i'm into are: (currently into are marked with ♢)

tv shows: | ♢ good omens ♢ | supernatural | what we do in the shadows | our flag means death | mob psycho 100 | severance | joe pera talks with you | don't hug me i'm scared | star trek: the original series | bbc ghosts | community | flight of the conchords | pushing daisies | buffy the vampire slayer | bluey | neon genesis evangelion |

books: | ♢ the hunger games ♢ | the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy | scott pilgrim | warrior cats | ♢ house of leaves ♢ | ♢ space odyssey ♢ | fight club | i have no mouth and i must scream | how to train your dragon | the murderbot diaries | les misérables |

video games: | ♢ off ♢ | the stanley parable | cult of the lamb | ♢ stardew valley ♢ | bugsnax | legend of zelda | animal crossing | hollow knight | untitled goose game | hades | night in the woods | fallen london | ace attorney | five nights at freddy's | dayshift at freddy's | dialtown | undertale | deltarune | later alligator | baba is you | omori | i have no mouth and i must scream | ♢ portal (1 + 2) ♢ |

podcasts: | welcome to night vale | hello from the hallowoods | i am in eskew |

web series/args/analog horror: | ♢ petscop ♢ | don't hug me i'm scared (original) | ♢ gemini home entertainment ♢ | ♢ homestuck ♢ | bigtop burger | this house has people in it/ab surveillance solutions | unedited footage of a bear | myhouse.wad | ♢ 17776: what football will look like in the future ♢ | no through road | dog nightmare | doctor nowhere |

movies: | re-animator | ♢ 2001: a space odyssey / 2010: the year we make contact ♢ | bright young things | ♢ fight club ♢ | ♢ fargo ♢ | goncharov (i tag this with tw unreality) | night at the museum | skinamarink | the princess bride | scott pilgrim vs the world | bill and ted | cloverfield | i saw the tv glow |

+ feel free to ask! i am definetly missing some stuff up there and i'm always open to suggestions :)

i will always answer an ask (that's not like. super mean obviously)

♢ dni:

meanies

[frankiegirl]

I’m glad you’re enjoying the sick Frankie footage 😀 Some other puke mcr content you might not’ve seen; The Twitter thread between g, worm and frank where g posted an actual picture of someone’s vomit in a ferry boat bathroom (Tom Bryant also talks about that ferry crossing in not the life it seems), the behind the scenes of the ghost of you where Frank says he thinks he’s going to throw up, the video of hesitant alien era G at SYD sound wave where he talks about puking in the car on the way to the show, the video of teenagers in san antonio on the pro rev tour where Frank sits down on the stage bc he doesn’t feel well and g starts petting him, and (not exclusively puke related but) the stevens untitled rock show interview where Frank talks about getting mono when the band first started touring. I have no idea why I’m an mcr emetophilia encyclopaedia but it’s the cross I must bear 😔

I am enjoying it SO MUCH babes trust me, share your cross with me anytime. Emeto stigmata or something, yeah? 🤩🤩🤩

I watched the famous last words video like 4 times last night. Just the way Frank curls up around his guitar like it’s the only thing keeping him alive….and you can tell everyone else is concerned by the way they keep kind of walking over to him but what can they do??? Like they can’t just stop the song??? Woah. Too good.

The ferry omg. I haven’t been able to actually find that Twitter thread or the picture in it in a minute….hm. I remember reading that Tom said Ray was feeling sick on the ferry ride and I was just like o 🥺🥺🥺 no baby 🥺🥺🥺

I’ve also seen the hesitant alien one where gee talks about getting sick in the car. He says he didn’t eat breakfast so it was just all water? Hooooooo boy. I love car stuff. (I think my next fic is going to involve it👀)

If you uh. Ever felt so inclined to send me these links…you’re more than welcome to come off anon and message me! I promise your identity is safe with me! 🥰

[libidomechanica]

Untitled (“My eyes can see”)

My eyes can see, so long he stood, and maddend, and ever  wannd with white; resembling  ecstasy, till, cheering up her senses,  and showd like two thieves, to rob thee oft,  I pitie now thy case, blind-hitting Boy, since she that can  ail thee, with body worn and 

pale and fastner of desire, where they all; who cried—“ La belle Dame sans merci hath thee anothers knee, for  the trembling well his palate  doth prepares, and every  way before the burying of his  effect: ‘wonder of time,’ quoth 

she. who in despite of fruitless chat:” Like these, Touch but  to-day thou fillst my mouth the yellow hole. remove  your lakes for ocean. For the root  whence, of the plainness of  a Mothers sin: I am sure I did but act,  he “s author of my bones, bones dumb in 

the sprout of a bare footage to kiss  and die: who knows it is no getting up  to go dance thee down to find him; by the  Moon. Louis, what red Hell as  if anothers hell: Replies, his sight, they  him with bear traps for 

mouths never rise, so he were fastens;—O! more shakd thyself art  dead, lo! Thou shalt be yet this sad interim  like a clasping flower sprung up, chequerd with  you nothing but all ten fingers of  the spring upon the day. Like travels  by dead reckoning yields; a 

honey tongue was thick with the stream;  for he being only three of the centre.”  The Gem was gone and now his  grief may be compares to tears. Has  this to say, oh! Rift the firths of  ice, that turns and turns his lips; and 

kissing, for they in the heart: a siren  song, a fever of the little care of  each others arms, Reason did defend, evn the  tears the unblessed light of the  sea. while day lapped at nights herald, shrieks, ’“tis very  late; the region cloud hath made mine hard. 

[theeverlastingshade]

Favorite Songs of the 10s

100. Easy- Joanna Newsom

99. How I Know- Toro y Moi

98. Housebroken- The Hotelier

97. Unto Caesar- Dirty Projectors

96. R.A.P. Music- Killer Mike

95. Lover's Start- How to Dress Well

94. On Another Ocean- Fleet Foxes

93. Oblivion- Grimes

92. Sit Down, Man- Das Racist ft. El-P

91. Replica- Oneohtrix Point Never

90. Turn Into- Jay Som

89. Grief- Earl Sweatshirt

88. Can't Do Without You- Caribou

87. Haircuts for Everybody- The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die

86. Take It All- Iceage

85. Betsy on the Roof- Julia Holter

84. Is It Cold in the Water?- SOPHIE

83. Out of the Blue- oso oso

82. The Governor- Nicolas Jaar

81. Mute- Youth Lagoon

80. Nothing to Find- The War on Drugs

79. 715 Creeks- Bon Iver

78. Don't Touch My Hair- Solange ft. Sampha

77. Jenni- Big Thief

76. Troublemaker- Beach House

75. The Ooz- King Krule

74. Side A: Old- Danny Brown

73. Mutant- Arca

72.Sun's Coming Up- Tama Impala

71. Adult Goth- Gang Gang Dance

70. (Me & My) To Bury Your Parents- Andre 3000

69. Garden Shed- Tyler, the Creator ft. Estelle

68. Heavenly Father- Isaiah Rashad

67. Running- Helaldo Negro

66. Blackstar- David Bowie

65. I Serve the Base- Future

64. Never Matter- Toro y Moi

63. Crack Rock- Frank Ocean

62. Lifelike- Antartigo Vespucci

61. Feelin'- DJ Rashad

60. Centurion- Earl Sweatshirt ft. Vince Staples

59. Sorrow- The National

58. I've Seen Footage- Death Grips

57. Sunday Candy- Chance the Rapper & The Social Experiment

56. Str8 Outta Mumbai- Jai Paul

55. gb /ol h/nf- oso oso

54. Incomplete Kisses- Sampha

53. M.A.A.D. City- Kendrick Lamar

52. Honeycomb- Deafheaven

51. Do the Astral Plane- Flying Lotus

50. Helicopter- Deerhunter

49. Cosmic Hero- Car Seat Headrest

48. Gun-Shy- Grizzly Bear

47. Biking- Frank Ocean ft. Tyler, the Creator & Jay-Z

46. Faker- The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die

45. The Charade- D'Angelo & The Vanguard

44. Northern Lights- St. Vincent

43. Die Like a Rockstar- Danny Brown

42. Thievery- Arca

41. Fireworks- Mitski

40. Wasted Days- Cloud Nothings

39. Baby I'm Bleeding- JPEGMAFIA

38. Sprawl II- Arcade Fire

37. An Ocean Between the Waves- The War on Drugs

36. Dawn Chorus- Thom Yorke

35. Gosh- Jamie xx

34. Prom / King- Saba

33. Untitled- Moses Sumney

32. No Shade in the Shadow of the Cross- Sufjan Stevens

31. Modern Soul- James Blake

30. Self-Control- Frank Ocean

29. Come Down to Us- Burial

28. Brainfreeze- Fuck Buttons

27. Rave On U- Against All Logic

26. Seventeen- Sharon Van Etten

25. Peanut- Earl Sweatshirt

24. Dive- Beach House

23. Last Night at the Jetty- Panda Bear

22. Really Doe- Danny Brown ft. Earl Sweatshirt, Kendrick Lamar, & Ab-Soul

21. Death- Preoccupations

20. Gifts for the Earth- Deafheaven

19. 9/11 / Mr. Lonely- Tyler, the Creator ft. Frank Ocean & Steve Lacy

18. Galaxy in Janaki- Flying Lotus

17. Only Tomorrow- My Bloody Valentine

16. Full of Fire- The Knife

15. 'Til It's Done- D'Angelo & The Vanguard

14. I Can Be Afraid of Anything- The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die

13. Famous Prophets (Stars)- Car Seat Headrest

12. Never Catch Me- Flying Lotus ft. Kendrick Lamar

11. Distortion- Mount Eerie

10. Gretel- Alex G

9. Glass Jar- Gang Gang Dance

8. True Love Waits- Radiohead

7. The Blacker the Berry- Kendrick Lamar

6. Yesterday/Corded- Flying Lotus

5. Nothing That Has Happened So Far Has Been Anything We Can Control- Tame Impala

4. Hannah Hunt- Vampire Weekend

3. ...He Would Have Laughed- Deerhunter

2. Dream House- Deafheaven

1. White Ferrari- Frank Ocean

[chloerd]

Ed Atkins, Us Dead Talk Love, 2012

This piece by Ed Atkins is a 37:24-minute video, it shows two screens, both with talking cadavers on. In the video, Atkins challenges violence, sex, depression, narcissism, and male fragility. It is robotic but human-like, you can tell it is based off a human or a digital version of it. The voice is human, it echoes in the installation room. Atkins has described the work as “a tragedy of love, intimacy, incoherence and eyelashes”. It is an interesting piece, minimalistic with the installation and the video, but it makes the viewer listen to the voice.

Hito Steyerl, How Not to Be Seen: A Fucking Didactic Educational .MOV File, 2013

This film by Hito Steyerl is 16-minutes long and gives the viewer five lessons on invisibility.

Make something invisible for a camera.

Invisible in plain sight.

Become invisible by becoming a picture.

Be invisible by disappearing.

Become invisible by merging into a world made of pictures.

Steyerl asks “How do people disappear in an age of total over-visibility? Are people hidden by too many images? Do they become images?”. The US military built targets in the Californian desert in the 1950s, they did this to collaborate aerial photography, the artist exposes the links between tech, warfare and capitalism. It has a sense of a futuristic digitalised world; the world eventually collapses into a home screen that looks to be on a backdrop in a photography studio. The work is strange, but it keeps the viewer attached, wondering what is going to happen next as everything changes and you want to know the tricks of not being seen.

Pierre Huyghe, Untitled (Human Mask), 2014

This 19-minute film by Pierre Huyghe, inspired by a real situation, set in Japan. In 2011, Fukushima near Japan was devasted by disasters, the film takes us through that. Alone in a dystopian setting, a girl wears a mask and carries out duties, tasks she has learned by watching the staff at the restaurant. I cannot find the film online because of copyright reasons, but I found the trailer and snippets of it. It reminds me of a horror/psychological movie, something like The Ring. I like the look of it, it’s creepy and looks gripping so I am going to try and find the full film.

William Kentridge, More Sweetly Play the Dance, 2015 

William Kentridge’s installation piece depicts an animated death dance, African victims of political and natural disasters walk, play instruments, and mourn their loss. I saw this installation by Kentridge at the Whitworth a few years ago, you sat in the middle of the room as each screen surrounded you in a semicircle. You watched the figures walk from the first screen to the last, sketches in what looks like black ink fill the screen. The artist spoke about his work, about existential solitude of the walkers, social solitude, the lines of people that walking from one country to the next, from one life to an unknown future. It’s an emotional piece, it feels like you’re bearing witness to a funeral from a distance.

Arthur Jafa, Love Is the Message, the Message Is Death, 2018

 This video work by Arthur Jafa is a 7-minute video that depicts footage from distressing scenes of historic and contemporary violence that has been inflicted on black Americans from institutions and individuals. The film was made days after Donald Trump was elected president of the United States in 2016. It portrays the racial abuse black Americans have suffered throughout the years from people in power, and racist white people. It is a strong video film, being 7 minutes long and played on repeat, refusing ignore. Using found footage from various sources showing how people have suffered from racial abuse, how it has been built into society.

Cao Fei, Whose Utopia, 2006

This video by Cao Fei is a 19 minute and 58 seconds that begins by following the journey through a factory making lightbulbs. The first part of the video feels mundane, repetitive, and you question why you’re watching lightbulbs being made. The workers are handling intricate details of the lightbulb, it seems tedious and painful to even witness, never mind it being your job. The sounds from the factory are deafening, high pitched, and repetitive. The video changes half-way through, a new title appears “Factory Fairy-tale”, there is soft piano that begins to play. People begin dancing, softly, slowly, and in rhythm to the music. They dance in a particular rhythm, around the workers. It is strange shift from the first half to the second half, to me it feels as though the viewer is seeing the individuality of each worker. I found an interview the artist had the Guggenheim, Fei spoke to the workers at the lightbulb factory in China, she then created this work based on their responses. She said the poetic, dreamlike vision of the individuals in the industrial warehouse become forgotten and invisible, I think she portrayed it beautifully and after watching the video, I understood what she was saying without any context.

[aion-rsa]

Hunger Games Prequel Novel Reveals its Title and Cover

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The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games prequel novel, arrives in May 2020.

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The Hunger Games is readying its return to the pop culture panorama in the form of a prequel novel, which will see author Suzanne Collins revisit the dystopian society of Panem, except at a time well before Katniss Everdeen even existed, much less ignited the titular contest as the Girl on Fire.

Collins’s franchise follow-up will manifest as a prequel novel. The long-awaited continuation of the literary franchise was first teased back in June, in which its May 2020 release date was revealed along with the title placeholder, “Untitled Panem Novel.” – Well, said Panem novel is no longer untitled, with Scholastic officially unveiling the books cover, bearing the title, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes!

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Story

The new novel will be set on Panem (post-apocalyptic North America) 64 years before the events of Collins's 100 million-selling trilogy – 2008’s The Hunger Games, 2009’s Catching Fire and 2010’s Mockingjay – which, of course, were the basis for Lionsgate’s box-office-breaking film adaptations starring Jennifer Lawrence – released successively in 2012, 2013, with the final story split into two films, released in 2014 and 2015. While those novels depicted the exploits of Katniss Everdeen, who became a symbol of hope for a starving populace once kept docile by the annual games – eventually leading to a successful revolution – the prequel will chronicle a failed early populace revolt known as “the Dark Days.” As Collins explains in a statement of the direction of the prequel:

“With this book, I wanted to explore the state of nature, who we are, and what we perceive is required for our survival. The reconstruction period 10 years after the war, commonly referred to as the Dark Days — as the country of Panem struggles back to its feet — provides fertile ground for characters to grapple with these questions and thereby define their views of humanity.”

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Cover

The official cover for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has been unveiled!

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Release Date

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set to arrive on May 19, 2020.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Details

Publisher Scholastic (who are undoubtedly sporting a collective grin with dollar signs in their eyes,) chimed in on the June announcement of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, with Scholastic Trade Publishing President Ellie Berger lauding:

“Suzanne Collins is a master at combining brilliant storytelling, superb world building, breathtaking suspense, and social commentary. We are absolutely thrilled — as both readers and publishers — to introduce the devoted fans of the series and a new audience to an entirely new perspective on this modern classic.”

Also likely sporting a collective grin with dollar signs in their eyes is studio Lionsgate, which – after vice chairman Michael Burns previously toyed around with prequel plans – wasted no time at all telegraphing its movie adaptation intentions. While no official agreements were confirmed, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chairman Joe Drake now says in a statement to AP:

“As the proud home of the Hunger Games movies, we can hardly wait for Suzanne’s next book to be published. We’ve been communicating with her during the writing process and we look forward to continuing to work closely with her on the movie.”

The Hunger Games original trilogy was inspired by what Collins saw as a disturbing pop culture intersection between the ubiquity of reality television, and what was on the news – specifically, at the time, footage of the invasion of Iraq. Thus, a dystopian dynamic was envisioned, in which those elements became the bread and circuses utilized by a totalitarian government to distract a starving populace. With the first book chronicling the events of the 74th Hunger Games – the annual event in which lottery-drawn teens compete in a live-broadcasted outdoor arena deathmatch – the prequel’s 64-year-back time setting will showcase a time when the Games were only around for a decade, with a first-generation populace who have yet to accept said contest as the norm. Indeed, as Collins further explains:

“We have so much programming coming at us all the time. Is it too much? Are we becoming desensitized to the entire experience?" She adds, "Dystopian stories are places where you can play out the scenarios in your head — your anxieties — and see what might come of them. And, hopefully, as a young person, with the possibilities of the future waiting for you, you’re thinking about how to head these things off.”

We will certainly keep you updated on The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (and its inevitable movie prospects) as the news arrives!

Read and download the Den of Geek NYCC 2019 Special Edition Magazine right here!

Joseph Baxter is a contributor for Den of Geek and Syfy Wire. You can find his work here. Follow him on Twitter @josbaxter.

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Joseph Baxter

Oct 4, 2019

Hunger Games

Lionsgate

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[anthonymackiesource]

Watch the gripping trailer for 'Detroit,' a film on the 1967 riot

The now-gone motel was where Detroit police, state troopers, national guard and a private security guard went to check out reports of sniping. By the time they were through, three young black men had been killed, allegedly execution-style by being shot at close range.Three white policemen were charged in the events related to their deaths. There was a years-long legal process of motions, appeals and delays, but nobody was convicted.The trailer uses onscreen text to say the movie is "based on the true story of one of the most terrifying events in American history."In June 2016, the Detroit Free Press reported that the movie, then called "Untitled Detroit Project," might be focusing on the Algiers Motel killings. A local source said a team of freelancers had been hired by the film in 2015 to research the story. The Kathryn Bigelow-directed movie finally reveals its focus, the killing of three young men by the police, in new trailer.

The most notorious, brutal incident of the 1967 Detroit riot, the Algiers Motel killings, will be the subject of the long-anticipated movie by Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow.

A trailer released Wednesday morning revealed the story of the film, which has been shrouded in relative secrecy up to now. The movie will be titled simply "Detroit."

In the preview, as images of fires blazing and U.S. military men entering the city's streets rush by, an offscreen voice says, "It's a war zone out there. They're destroying the city."

On a bus, a group of young African-American men see what's going on. "Hey, we're not too far from the Algiers. Let's just go there 'til all this blows over," says a character played by actor Algee Smith. Amid scenes of swimming and partying at the motel, a character portrayed by Jason Mitchell ("Straight Outta Compton") says: "Being black is almost like having a gun pointed at your face."

What happens next is a flash of chaotic images, but it appears that the sound of a starter pistol being fired inside the motel draws the attention of law enforcement officers, who spray the motel with gunfire. Then they enter the rooms and the young people are forced to kneel and face the wall.

At one point, actor Will Poulter's character, a cop, yells ominously: "You think we're bluffing? We don't bluff."

What took place at the Algiers Motel has become synonymous with the systemic racism that helped spark the devastating violence in the city. Forty-three people died in the violence that erupted in the summer of 1967, many of them killed by police.

The now-gone motel was where Detroit police, state troopers, national guard and a private security guard went to check out reports of sniping. By the time they were through, three young black men had been killed, allegedly execution-style by being shot at close range.

Three white policemen were charged in the events related to their deaths. There was a years-long legal process of motions, appeals and delays, but nobody was convicted.

The trailer uses onscreen text to say the movie is "based on the true story of one of the most terrifying events in American history."

In June 2016, the Detroit Free Press reported that the movie, then called "Untitled Detroit Project," might be focusing on the Algiers Motel killings.  A local source said a team of freelancers had been hired by the film in 2015 to research the story.

The poster for the movie also was released Wednesday. It spells Detroit in large, red block letters that run vertically over an image of a police line facing off against Detroiters. It bears the same tag line as the trailer: "It's time we knew."

"Detroit" spent about three days in Detroit and Hamtramck in October 2016  filming scenes for the movie. Footage also was shot in the town of Mason, near Lansing. The bulk of the work was done in Massachusetts, which has a film incentives program.

The cast features, among others, John Boyega ("Star Wars: The Force Awakens"), who is seen in the trailer in uniform as a security guard, John Krasinski (best known as Jim from NBC's "The Office"), Anthony Mackie (the Falcon in the "Avengers" franchise), and Jack Reynor ("Transformers: Age of Extinction").

"Detroit" is expected in theaters Aug. 4, just days after the 50th anniversary of the riot.

(Photos by Francois Duhamel)

(Link to article)

[broadsblog]

Some News About Broads

Hello!  Sorry we’ve been quiet for a while – been really busy here getting stuff sorted for album number 4, which is more-or-less written but still untitled.  The big news from our point of view is that we’ve enlisted the support of Arts Council England and Norwich Arts Centre to do things a little bit more ‘properly’ than in the past – we’ve been given a bit of money that means we can afford a bit of studio time, mastering, press, merch and to get the record pressed onto CD and 12” vinyl.  Putting things out on CDR is really fun, but hopefully this time round we’ll be able to get more people listening to us, grab a few more shows around the place and generally up our game a bit.  

 We’ve commissioned 2 visual artists to help us out – Paul ‘Pushkin’ Escott is doing the sleeve art, and Tara Jane Peak is currently getting to work on making a video for us.  Really excited to start sharing bits and pieces of what they come up with on here, so watch this space.

 Next step is to get everything ready for a split 4-day session at The Sickroom with Owen Turner (Magoo), and we’ve got help coming from Stacy Gow (drums, Magoo),  Milly Hirst (vocals), Joe Bear (drums, Alto45) and a borrowed string section (Connie Chatwin and Fifi Homan from Wooden Arms). We should have everything recorded by the middle of July, and would hope to get everything mixed, mastered and pressed in time to get the record out in early 2018 – sounds like a long wait but hopefully it will be worth it.

 Also chuffed to reveal that we’ll be contributing to the BFI’s Britain On Film project again this year, performing a live soundtrack to archive footage of local coastal scenes alongside Milly Hirst and a very special headliner that I don’t think I’m allowed to reveal yet.  Live shows will be at The Octagon Chapel in Norwich and in a handful of venues in towns on the Norfolk coast, all at the end of October.

Will try and update here more regularly as things drop into place…

[jewels2876]

Chance of a Lifetime - Chapter Six

Pairings: Chris Evans x Reader, Tom Hiddleston x Reader, Sebastian Stan x Reader, Robert Downey Jr. x Reader, Scarlett x Reader

Warnings: flirting, sexual innuendos

Summary: You are doing your first big interview with the Avengers cast ahead of the upcoming untitled film. Hilarity and flirting ensues.

Previously:

“Everyone, thank you so much for coming! That’s all the time we have; this was wonderful!” You extend your hand out, but you’re brought into a hug by Elizabeth, quickly followed by Chris and Benedict. Tom hangs back and waves to the rest of the group as they head out. You offer your hand, and he takes it, but instead of shaking it, raises it to his lips. Your hand, and other parts of you, warm and you can feel the slight bend in your knee. Tom whispers softly, “I was waiting until later to sweep you off of your feet.”

Tom takes a firm grip of your hand and keeps you steady. You let out a shaky breath and chuckle. “I didn’t expect that to happen!” He smiles down at you again, his eyes playing back and forth between blue and green. The grey shirt he had chosen to wear that day made his eyes more striking. He straightens up and rests his hand on your shoulder. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine, really,” you said. “Embarrassed at my clumsiness, but I’m still in one piece.” He lifts your hand again to his lips; that rush still overtakes you but this time you manage to stay upright. “Well then, until tomorrow.”

“Wait, tomorrow? Did I agree to something I’ve already forgotten?” you tease him. 

He laughs and throws his head back; it reminds you of Chris Evans a bit. “No, just as I got up to leave I saw a text from my agent asking me to come back tomorrow.” He frowned at you. “Did someone get you into trouble?” 

You think for a moment and groan; you know EXACTLY what’s coming. You shake your head in slight disbelief. “I think it has something to do with this bet Robert and Scarlett started. Be prepared to be put on the spot tomorrow!”

“May I walk you to your car?” Tom offered as you both stepped through the double doors. You peek up at him; the guy has serious charm and has been so attentive to you. 

You pause at the garage doors. “You really don’t have to; I might be a klutz but I should be fine getting to my car.” 

His eyes meet yours; you notice the twinkle and the color has gone more green than blue. His pupils seem larger and he seems to have moved closer to you. “I don’t know darling; what happens if you fall out of your car at home? I don’t want to be responsible for a broken leg tomorrow.” 

At this point you throw your own head back and laugh. Ok, this is guy is SMOOTH!  You push open the doors, pointedly look both ways, and hit the unlock key of your car fob. The lights blink twice. “I think I’ll be ok for now, but you’re so nice to offer! See you tomorrow!” He watches you as you open the car door and slide in; you put your seat belt on as you watch him open the car door just in front of you. You notice it’s a nice, but older, Jaguar model in a dark green color. Mental note, ask him if green only became his favorite color because of Loki.

The Next Day

You find yourself back in the interview room, this time with your boss and a few extra camera men. The props and posters from Marvel are still in place but there are a lot of chairs and you’re pretty sure this is the proverbial hot seat, as you pick a spot. Your boss grins over at you while pointing out the places she wants for the cameras. As the staging winds down, Robert and Scarlett walk in; Scarlett is dressed in a basic black sheath dress while Robert is dressed down in a t-shirt and black jeans. You look down at your own striped jumpsuit and yellow shrug; no one gave you the ‘black outfit’ memo. Even your boss was dressed in nice black slacks and a tasteful swing top of grey.

Robert was the first to greet you. “Hey there sunshine! Love this; how are you 41, you look 29.” 

You chuckle, “I hear that a lot; I’ve never looked my age.” 

Scarlett gives you a gentle hug. “I love the shoes personally; but hey I’m always a sucker for basic nude heels.” She points down at her own nude pumps. As if on a cue, Tom Hiddleston, Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, and Tom Holland walk through the door. You inwardly cheer as you see Tom Hiddleston & Chris Evans dressed in various shades of blue, Tom Holland is wearing jeans and a yellow polo, and Sebastian in dark washed jeans and black t-shirt. You got up and hugged everyone; Tom Hiddleston whispers “You look lovely” before you pull away. 

Your boss claps loudly to get everyone’s attention. “You should all know why you’re here. Robert and Scarlett are your hosts, with y/n as the willing victim,” she smirked in my direction, “and you guys get to sweat it out! Have fun!”

You sink back into your chair, hands covering your face. Everyone else seems to chuckle at your embarrassment. You come out from ‘hiding.’ “Ok, let’s get this over with!” You grimace but laugh. You’re flanked by Robert and Scarlett with the other guys facing you.

Robert laughs and starts. “We’re all here because this lovely woman decided she would agree to a bet Scarlett and I made, like a month ago. So, we’re going to watch some of this footage and see first which guy, or guys, were predictably googly-eyed over these.” He motions to your legs, which are mostly hidden under the jumpsuit. You peek up and notice the Tom Hiddleston is staring at your legs as well. As the shortened video clips are playing, Tom notices you are noticing him, and he mouths a “Hi” at you; you mouth a ‘hi’ back. At the same time, you notice Chris’s eyes narrow slightly as he notices you and Hiddleston interact. 

The video playback finishes and Scarlett giggles. “I’m not sure if I should be impressed at our accuracy or disappointed that Mackie didn’t make a bigger goof of himself!” She turns to you with a question. “So, you’ve had a little time to think about all of this; any big decisions made?”

Tom Holland decides to pipe up. “Y/n is definitely attractive, but I think the age difference might be an issue.” He smiles at you politely, then gives you an exaggerated wink. You laugh at him pleasantly. 

Robert gives him a thumbs up. “Good thinking kid; still keeping your options open, I like it!” 

Scarlett rolls her eyes before turning back to you. “So you’ve left yourself a trifecta of an option here; Seb, Evans, and Hiddleston. I’m not sure this was a good move?”

Before you have a chance to answer, Seb chimes in. “While I’m all about a nice pair of legs,” he grins at you, “I don’t know if I’m the guy to pick here. Not saying I’m not interested, just that I have a feeling someone here might be more interested.” Your face goes carefully blank at Seb’s teasing. The insinuation is there, and you have to chuckle. 

Scarlett turns back to you. “Wow, ok! So, you’re down to Evans and Hiddleston! Neither one asked for your number on camera, so technically this bets a draw Robert.” 

Robert huffed and crossed his arms. He studied the two men across from him silently for a moment before a grin took over his face. He sat up and snapped his fingers. “That’s because they waited until OFF camera! Come on,” he glanced between both guys, “which one of you got it?” Evans lifted his hands as in defeat. Tom turned to him, a mix of surprise and relief washing over his face. Robert stares both of them down. “Neither ONE of you took the bait? Are you serious? Did you gloss over these?” Robert again indicated your legs. “Or these I might add?” as he pointed somewhere around your head. 

Scarlett threw her head back and arms up. “YES! I win!” 

You stare at her, jaw hanging. “What? How did you win?” 

Scarlett clarified. “Robert was sure that ANY of the guys would hit on you, or that one of these two would have gotten you to go out with them by now. I insisted that he was wrong, because Evans likes to torture himself with self-doubt before he caves to Seb’s teasing and asks a woman out. And THIS ONE,” pointing to Hiddleston, “just has to open his mouth and the women come flocking and he runs away like a scared bunny.” You stifle a giggle at the mental pictures forming.

You heave a deep sigh of relief. “Robert…” you tease. “Guess what I’m going to do now?” He rolls his eyes before looking you in the eyes. You wink at him then turn to Evans and Hiddleston. “Guys, how would BOTH of you like to go out to dinner with me? Remember, it’s Robert’s treat!”

A/N: I want to apologize that this sounds like an ending - but it’s really not! I seem to have a thing for long, drawn out, stories and I like having choices, so please bear with me while I get my act together LOL 

 next -->

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[ofsilverevents-blog]

DATE: March 22nd TIME: 6:00 PM LOCATION: El Corazón Bordello

       Faces both familiar and not seem to crowd the thick, cloying air of the bar. The lights are low and the seats are full -- standing room only, the man at the door says, and still they come, packing in between chairs and finding a place wherever they can. Though there are drinks to be had and revelries to be enjoyed, as they say, every face seems half-turned toward the massive viewing screen behind the bar. It was installed only in the past few weeks, as new management has decided to make an event of the spectacle -- those Silvers with their poisonous luxuries and deceit. Watch how they dance for the cameras, spinning tales and exerting their power. Watch, and learn. 

       RYN ANDROS has been working a double. Their very eyes seem to ache in their head, yet they cannot help but linger as they flip the switch to turn the screen on. It flashes for a moment before flickering to something boring, some trivial propaganda about the war. Everyone is used to these sorts of broadcasts. It’s one comes on next that takes hold of their interest. Someone taps on the bar, all irritated impatience, and they whirl, ready to serve them whatever it is they’re so desperate to poison themselves with. Their hands are nimble around the neck of a bottle and they pour, but their ears are trained on the programming behind them. Everyone waits for the pin to drop.

       On the opposite end of the bar, a man sits on a stool, all casual demeanor and observant eyes. He scans the room in seconds before returning back to a few key people, people no one else would pick from a crowd -- but NATHANIEL MOORE knows that they are more than they appear to be. He watches, waiting, tense despite his calm appearance, for their reactions. Reds have never been invited to vote on a Queenstrial before, but everything about this one seems... different. Isla had said the new King would help them, but Nate has reserved judgement, and now he watches, waiting for some sign that he would be right to place his trust. He doesn’t take leaps of faith. Not anymore.

       Seated beside each other, with silk falling into their laps and luscious smiles on their lips, AURORA DEVERA and DARIO WILKS entertain and dazzle their clientele. Las mariposas have a reputation to uphold, whatever is playing on the video screen, and they do it with grace. Aurora laps up attention like a cat with cream, while Dario’s genuine smile causes cooing from a host of Reds and lower house Silvers alike. Even their eyes waver, though, drawn to the spectacle to come. No one knows what to expect anymore, and it makes customers as nervous as it makes them. Will this new venture succeed? Will the Reds truly get a say? Who can tell, when they still know so little of what’s to come?

       All at once, the lights flicker off as a passing server notes the time. The war broadcast ends and a new one begins, with a face both familiar and not -- Atalanta Thany has been mysteriously replaced by her predecessor and cousin, AMBROSINE. With a warm yet impersonal smile, she welcomes her viewers across the nation amid gasps of surprise from all corners. ❝ Good evening citizens of Norta! It is my duty and pleasure to present this year’s Crownstrial, an event to be remembered across the land. The moment our Flame in the North, King Orion Calore, will establish and cement his reign. At the end, he will crown a fellow ruler, to share with him the trials and tribulations of governing our grand country. Now, I could talk on and on, but I think I know what you’re all waiting for. As our Red population will be voting for this Crownstrial competition, the crown thought it would help if you got to know your competitors a bit better. Without further ado, I present to you this year’s Crownstrial -- let the ceremonies begin! ❞

       The screen fades to black before slowly focusing in once more. Faces flash by one at a time, each with a chance to introduce themselves -- 

                    ❝ My name is Prisha, representing House Arven. ❞                     ❝ I am Lady Sofiya, female heir to House Provos. ❞                 ❝ I am Lady Leira, first daughter of House Osanos. ❞               ❝ I am Cyrene Nor, untitled, baseborn daughter to House Tyros. ❞             ❝ I am Lady Romilly, first daughter of House Gliacon. ❞           ❝ I am Lord Slate, lone heir to House Blonos. ❞         ❝ My name is Valeria Macanthos, and I am King Orion’s personal guard. ❞           ❝ Hello citizens of Norta, I am Lady Calista of House Eagrie. ❞             ❝ I am Zaira Anais of House Samos -- twenty one years of age. ❞               ❝ My name is Lei Nolle, and I will be competing for House Nolle. ❞                 ❝ My name is Vezina, first daughter of House Carros. ❞                   ❝ Citizens of Norta, my name is Nyssa of House Samos. ❞                     ❝ I am Lord Emory, heir of House Osanos. ❞

       One by one they say their names, their titles, and each face holds a different story. Vezina Carros captures both casual and calm, Zaira Samos holds a secret in her smile, and Lei Nolle cannot quite catch your eye, even when staring into a camera. The brightest flash of personality hides within these introductions, and as they come together, a simple black screen shows clean, white text. Simple. Not flashy. CROWNSTRIAL. 

       No questions are answered on camera, yet a narrative may be drawn from the answers nonetheless. ZAIRA SAMOS speaks with the Silver tongue of one born to rule, and her answers are as pretty as the pale flush to her cheeks. There is a warmth to her that has never been present when she’s physically in the room -- but for the broadcast, for the crown, she shines as brightly as the metal she controls. For those who look and listen deeper, they notice that her words are quite pretty -- and equally vague, promising change but not the direction she looks toward. She is quite careful, but the message is clear: do not underestimate me. 

       The unsure bachelor rises next, from the ashes Zaira has left. SLATE BLONOS is sincere almost to the point of liability -- and in truth, there are many who will not believe it at all. He is simply too honest, his eyes too wide, and his impression of a deer caught in the headlights ( as genuine as it might have been ) is cut together so masterfully, it casts just a hint of suspicion. There’s something in the way he looks to the left of the camera, sometimes, or maybe something in the way he stumbles over his answer about telling the truth. The cut is imperceptibly fuzzy around the edges, and it’s clear the video maker has plans in store for him. 

       Combating the unsure footing left by the Blonos heir, the camera cuts to a woman with such confidence it sears through the camera. It surprises anyone watching that the interviewer didn’t step back, with that fierce gaze piercing theirs. CYRENE NOR does not bandy for the cameras, yet she commands presence and interest nonetheless, her voice holding the purring edge of mystery and adventure that fascinates. It doesn’t matter if she’ll make a good queen -- she makes good TV. She says she can do what no one else can thanks to information no one else can reach, and when she does, her eyes meet the camera for the first time. It’s a clever spell, one that will fool most, but not all who watch her as she promises to bring forth the darkness of the city and eradicate it.

       A smile is the first thing that catches attention as the camera cuts to SOFIYA PROVOS, clad in daring fashion and straight, white teeth. She talks fast enough that she gets out the most information about her platform, and for those who understand rule and politicking, it is intelligent, straightforward -- hell, it’s damn near brilliant. Her words, however, bore the crowd that watches for entertainment. She wins approval just a bit, because the excitement in her eyes shows promise, and because they’ve seen her before, on the screen beside the Princess. Beyond that, she speaks over the heads of most of the citizenry she wishes to rule. If Sofiya wants to rule, she will have to do more than that to impress the masses.

       It takes a moment to recognize the competitor that follows. Many are still reeling from the introduction to Sofiya’s sharp mind, and when LEI NOLLE introduces herself, she’s so soft spoken almost as to go unnoticed. It’s clear that they had little footage to work with, yet the elders, the traditionalists, see something in her. A queen who would bow to her king in all things. A submissive queen who would bring them back to what they were, before this young ruler and his foolish idealism and naivety. She earns some haphazard support in that regard, but not enough to make her memorable. The moment her clip flashes from the screen, she is forgotten, notable only in passing as the person to replace the storm that is Kassiopea Nolle.

       VEZINA CARROS half-lounges in her seat, though she doesn’t mean to -- she doesn’t exactly present herself as a regal persona. Her dialogue, however, is moving. There’s something in her raw honesty that captivates more than Slate’s had -- and her speech about her mother tugs on the heartstrings of the nation. Through the Feats, even the Red population has been able to see the truth in her words. Vezina has never done what her family wanted from her, and now that she is, it’s an arc that the people can rally behind. Those who lost friends or family to the bombing feel in their hearts the same message she’s giving now, and it garners support with many of them. Besides, everyone loves a tomboy-turned-princess, and what’s better than princess unless you’re being Queen? 

       The interviewer has not been a presence thus far, so it surprises many to hear them addressed in the next fade in from black. NYSSA SAMOS sits with regal bearing and her head held high, admonishing rudeness that none can see. It leaves her vulnerable to vitriol, and the crowd is affected by her anger -- a queen should not be angry, after all. The speech cuts to her discussion of how she once manipulated others, and the hatred grows in many hearts, her assurances seeming weak in the wake of her own admitted dishonesty. It seems as if she will be cast the villain, but the tone shifts slightly, and the music softens. Nyssa speaks of her admiration of Orion and his goals, and when she describes change, she means it. She leaves them waiting on the edges of their seats, wanting to know more, wanting to know who to believe. The girl with stars in her eyes or rage in her heart? Only time will tell, the video seems to tease.

       The warm eyes and soft curls of VALERIA MACANTHOS greet Nortans next, as she proves her devotion to the crown on national television. It’s a romantic premise, a guard falling in love with her then-prince, now king, but the way she says it with no romance involved only intrigues them further. It isn’t a fairytale -- it’s more of a soft thing, a protective thing. Valeria’s eyes seem to flash when she mentions it. All remember the tragedy that struck the royals over a year ago, when Prince Orion’s guard was killed. Valeria gathered a sympathetic cause during that time, and that carries forward even now, as the people feel a soft spot within their hearts for her once more. Perhaps not love, yet, but what a perfect love story it would be, no?

       The fiery river of her hair preceeds LEIRA OSANOS, as personable as she is not. There is a force to her personality, to be sure, but she is unconvincing when asked if she agrees with the changes the king is bringing forward. This intrigues many, for the simple fact that it will produce televised drama, but it does not endear them. She captures the minds of the old world Silvers as easily as she loses the Reds who will vote for Orion’s consideration. With every word, something is gained and something is lost. It’s clear that Leira has made her decision on what is most important to her to keep. The question becomes, is it the right one? For many, the answer is no -- she earns friends and enemies alike by the end of it, a polarizing force.

       It’s almost impressive, how the following competitor manages to terrify despite her petite physique. On camera she looks almost frail, but when she moves, there’s a strength to her that defies all sense of logic. PRISHA ARVEN is a power and she makes it known, early on and without mercy. She doesn’t pretend to smile and preen -- she commands respect on reputation alone, and the Arvens have always been something to be feared. She does not try to win hearts, but she does want to win minds -- and her devotion to the crown is nothing less than ironclad. She speaks of a united front, a formidable force, and to those who have been caught on the war front, the idea of a stronger ruling duo appeals greatly... if only for the opportunity to scare their enemies.

       The screen cuts once again to someone new, someone far more believably delicate than the last. CALISTA EAGRIE holds her hands in her lap, her posture pristine and her smile soft. The footage is cut together to illustrate her almost dream-like description of Norta’s future, her admiration for the king, and the far-off stare she sometimes gets, one heavily associated with House Eagrie. There is a mystery to her -- what does she know, what will she know -- that earns her support, a dark horse with a white light shining from her heart. She seems naive but devoted, open-hearted yet mysterious, and the contrast between what is expected of her House and what she’s delivered keeps people on their toes. Everyone wants to know the future, and especially to Reds who don’t really understand how Eyes work, the idea of a Queen who can see what’s coming appeals greatly to them.

       ROMILLY GLIACON is the next to pop onto the screen, with a cold distance that no one can truly be sure is an act. Is she playing up the nature of her House, or is she always so removed, even as she speaks of the future? She talks about understanding how to build strength even from the weakest of points, about how watching Princess Adeline and the other royals all her life has garnered an interest in ruling in the future. About how fire and ice make a great pairing, and when she laughs, the country laughs with her. She is a little bit awkward, a little bit cold, but she is beautiful and she is close to the royals. She might have been forgettable as Lei, if not for those, but they will elevate her into the middle of the pack.

       There is a sultry laugh that comes before the vision of black has truly faded, and AREUM MARINOS is behind it. Her eyes are on the camera as she speaks, and her voice, for all that she is a Banshee, is neither grating nor foul. Instead it is hypnotic, almost, purely of her own charisma as she discusses the joy it brings her to compete in a Crownstrial of her own free will. The choice is a powerful enough one that it has certainly swayed her to the King’s side, and her approval of his future decisions seems clear, just as it is clear that she will not take a back seat to them. In Areum, it is obvious that Norta would find a leader, rather than a follower. Her celebrity, beauty and charm appeal to very many.

       Last but not least, EMORY OSANOS comes to life before all of Norta. His smile is all charm, but his shoulders hunch in slightly, unconsciously -- and to those who are looking for it, he is nervous. It’s a sweet tale, best friends who may become more, but when Emory licks his lips and begins to speak about truth and omission, every room falls silent. I am in love with him, and I want to be with him, and he does not know. Crownstrial has always, even as Queenstrial, sold the illusion of love, but never has it been so plainly stated from the outset. There is a flurry of sound as whispers and shouts roar into life, everyone with something to say on the matter. Some are outraged that the King’s personal guard would take advantage of his station -- others are swooning at the star-crossed lovers they’ve found in this tale. Emory has stolen the show, for good or ill, and as the broadcast fades to black and Ambrosine fans her face, it’s clear that this was the climactic ending she was waiting to reveal.

       ❝ And there you have it! Your competitors for the Crown, your future King or Queen, perhaps, has spoken. The battles have been selected and will now be revealed -- place your bets now, and don’t forget to tune in for the main event! Round One begins in two days time. ❞ With that, the ending theme plays, and Ryn flicks off the screen to the sound of furious discussion behind her.

THIS IS THE START OF CROWNSTRIAL. We will be releasing the four linked biographies within the hour, all of which will be open for application. Things to keep in mind:

Stay tuned to see the bracket of who has been paired for opening battle royale. When the bracket is released, we will also be releasing how the scheduling and the actual fights will progress both IC and OOC. This will come later today.

Starters from this point to the beginning of Crownstrial will be dated between March 22nd and March 24th. You are more than welcome to place starters anywhere in flashbacks as well, as long as they are dated for the accurate timeframe of the plot you want to start in.