#you are voting based off of PERFORMANCE not based off of if someone has an oscar or not

[cinematicexcursions]

dear god these are the type of people voting? are you kidding me right now?

[jonquilyst]

Total Drama Sims: Season 2

That's right, baby! We're back. Is your teenaged sim bored and wanting something epic and awesome to do to spend their summer? Does your teenaged sim want a brush of fame and notoriety? Well, you've come to the right place. Total Drama Sims, the freshest, awesomest reality show on simblr, is back for a 2nd season, and I'm ready for you all to send 14 more teenagers to compete in crazy, wacky challenges (safety/lack of danger not guaranteed) in pursuit of the grand prize!

WHAT'S NEW THIS SEASON?

To keep things fresh, TDS2 will be set in a new location and will have new gameplay mechanics! TDS has claimed an abandoned film lot in Del Sol Valley because this season, our challenges will be based off of movie genres, just like the 2nd season of TDS's inspiration!

As for our new gameplay mechanics, TDS2 will be introducing a double elimination (two people are eliminated rather than one), a team swap elimination (someone is eliminated, but instead of leaving the game, the eliminated person joins the other team), and purge challenges (instead of a vote, the worst-performing contestant of a challenge is automatically eliminated) to mix things up and keep the game interesting!

I am primarily looking for people who did NOT participate last season, or their sim got out early. However, everyone may still participate! I just want as many people as possible to get a chance to have their sim play 💖 A lot of people were interested last time and unfortunately spots filled up so fast that some people weren't able to participate because of it (That being said, to promote transparency, I am now REQUIRING RESERVATIONS! That means if you want to participate, you MUST contact me before submitting your sim. You can do this by DM'ing me or sending an ask).

Read on for a refresher on what this competition is all about and UPDATED submission rules (so if you had a sim compete last season, make sure to read them again!)

THE GIST:

This competition is, obviously, based off of the Total Drama series (a show that’s near and dear to me), but you do not need any background knowledge of this show to participate! The show (and this competition) functions similarly to a Bachelor Challenge, where contestants will be routinely eliminated until there is a sole winner.

This competition will also focus on the contestants building relationships with each other (hence the drama part, which is bound to happen when you put 14 teenagers together!)

SUBMISSION RULES:

Reservations for spots are first-come-first-serve. If for any reason you'd like to give up your reservation, contact me ASAP so I can give that reservation to someone else!

Your sim must be a teen

If you had a sim compete last season, you may not resubmit that same sim. I'm looking for an all-new cast!

No occults; contestants must be human only (to prevent unfair advantages)

Contestants must not have high-level skills (they can have some level of skill but nothing above lvl 5; also to prevent unfair advantages)

Any amount and type of CC is fine, just make sure to include it when you send your sim over to me ^^

Only one outfit per category please

Must be okay with slight changes in sims' appearances (as I may use different mods/presets than you do)

Must be okay with me writing dialogue for your sims (for confessionals (example from last season here). I read all entries down to the word and will try my very best to keep everyone in their intended character)

Must be okay with the possibility of your sim entering romantic relationships with other sims (PLEASE SPECIFY THEIR SEXUALITY/ROMANTIC ORIENTATION. Sims with unspecified sexualities/romantic orientations will be assumed to be pan). Nothing NSFW will be shown or mentioned, as of course I'll be portraying minors, but please let me know if you don't want your sim to enter any romantic relationships!

Please give your sims a backstory. The more detailed the better. Describe what they're like, why they're competing on Total Drama Sims, etc.

Your sim can have any traits/aspirations

HERE IS HOW THE COMPETITION WILL WORK:

The 14 contestants will be split into 2 teams of 7

The 2 teams will compete in challenges in attempt to win invincibility (safety from being voted off). The losing team will have to vote someone off (the winning team will not be part of voting)

This process continues until 7 contestants remain. Afterwards the teams dissolve and everyone competes individually (this is known as merge). This means that only 1 contestant can win invincibility; everyone else will be at risk for elimination

When merge occurs, all eliminated contestants at that point will be eligible to rejoin the game through a special challenge. The winner of that challenge will rejoin the game (bringing the number of contestants back to 8)

This process again continues until 2 contestants remain. In the finale, all eliminated contestants will vote for a winner

Challenges will occur half the time. The other half of the competition will be socialization days, where contestants are free to socialize with each other as they please

The competition will start with a socialization day first to establish relationships before the first challenge

If the numbers between teams get too uneven, then a team swap will occur to one random contestant on the larger team

Voting will be determined by relationship dynamics and how everyone did in the challenge. Contestants who do poorly are more likely to get voted. Contestants who have a negative relationship with each other are also more likely to get voted. Conversely contestants who have a positive relationship with each other are less likely to get voted. The contestant with the most votes at the end is eliminated. All of this will be determined by a spinner (in case of a tie I will use a random number generator to determine who’s out). This will also determine who wins at the end of the competition.

REWARD FOR THE WINNER:

This competition is mostly for the funsies, but whoever wins this competition will personally receive an actual reward from me! You have a choice between the following options:

Discord Nitro for 1 month

A tumblr badge

NO DEADLINE! Submissions will close when all 14 spots are filled/reserved. Please provide your sim's tray files as soon as convenient! (Lmk if you need help with this. I will teach you if you don't know how!)

I will be updating the number of spots reserved periodically and will announce when all 14 spots are taken, but if you're ever unsure, don't be afraid to DM me/send an ask!

That should be it! Please comment, DM me, or send an ask if you have any questions, and feel free to reblog or share this with anyone who might be interested in participating!

[imthepunchlord]

I think I know why Miraculous is so addictive even to people who don't like the show. Miraculous is a show that had a lot of good interesting concepts and ideas with a lot of potential. Like the kwamis and miraculous as a concept is a creative playground where you could do almost anything with it, and a lot of the characters in the show at their cores had a lot of potential and could have gone in really interesting directions. It's just that the show and its writers fumbled the execution of a lot of these concepts and characters, taking in probably the worst directions. I think that's why you see a lot of people re-imagining the series with these characters and concepts. Heck it's also probably why quite a few people take the base concept of the kwamis and miraculous, re-imagine them, and create a completely new story, like @callimara Wildward au and even your animula au.

Essentially so!

Concept wise, it's really, really great.

Everyone likes animals, and this is a chance for your favorite animal to pop up and have a hero worked around them. And that animal can exist as a cute little plush to sell with them being little mascots. Additionally, because animals can be visually interesting or be tied to certain ideas, you can do some really fun designs or ideas. Lions could be tied to kings or knights. Butterfly or Peafowl could be tied to formal attire or something with a performance motif. You could even use animals as a means to work around disabilities or limitations. Like, someone who can't walk or has trouble walking, if they want mobility, they could get Horse and become a "centaur" with the "miraculous" giving them a mecha horse body they can sit inside and it'll move for them. Not remove the disability, but offer enhancements to give them a way to work around it.

And what's clever is that animals are important to people, all over the world, we all have some mythology and folklore about animals, they represent certain symbols for us. And when you factor that in, hey, this animal could offer an idea for a power, and you could make a superhero character working off all that animal represents across the globe, or even just working off what your own views of that animal is.

Foxes are often portrayed as tricksters everywhere, so being an illusionist is a natural fit.

Horses across the globe represent travel, so doing a power based around movement works, be it super speed or teleportation. You can also work off horses tied to bravery, knights, and facing dangers and do something with the white knight idiom.

Rabbit's are fast, so super speed could be a natural fit. Or if you want to reference Alice in Wonderland, I would've voted dream hopping as the power, as one of the things that stuck with me was Alice thinking it was a dream, and dreams can be bizarre and random.

Owls are often tied to death, so something related to death could go to Owl, or you can work off owls commonly tied to clocks and it could have time powers.

And then you got the merit that with all animals can represent and be tied to, they can play a part in a character's growth. They can be their foil, challenge them as they are, and help pave the way to improvement.

Like, take my concept hero, Humdinger.

She's planned to start out as a "Lone Ranger"/the Loner, thinking she doesn't need to rely on others or only she can solve issues herself. And she's paired with Bee who is about community and teamwork. So you have a nice set up on how she's going to start, and how Bee will help her grow as a character.

And what's extra nice, is that writing wise, animals can give you some light guidelines to work off of, on what their roles can be.

You need a villain? Well, there's the "Big Bad Wolf". Snakes and spiders are also big symbols of fear.

This can also go into the Five Man Band if you're not sure how to do a group.

You need a Leader? There's Lion and Eagle to work off of.

You need a Lancer to challenge the Leader? Well, could do Bear or Wolf.

You need a Smart Guy? Fox, Owl, and Raven are all tied to intelligence.

You need a Tank/Strong Man? There's the iconic Bull, could also do Turtle.

You need the Heart, who's usually the love interest and keeps the group together? There's Ladybird, Dog, or Swan. Those are heavily tied to love.

And there's the fun of the little animal beings that power these heroes. You can write them based on animal archetype, you can write them based on their mythology and symbolism. You can tie them to mythical figures. You could delve into the unique morals and views they have. Like the snake could understand duality, or promotes the stance of duality, toeing the line between good and justice, or doing something bad and chaotic. The bee wants humans to live with integrity, work with others, see work done. The lion wants humans to be leaders and to face obstacles bravely, ect..

Additionally, based on folklore and mythology and how animals are in real life, you can get into some really interesting dynamics to explore between these little beings. The truthful rooster hates the deceptive fox. The wolf has a rivalry with the fox and the lion. The bee dislikes the bear cause the bear eats all of her honey. Turtle and snake are best friends. Eagle and horse are best friends. Ect..

Concept wise, this is brilliant for a series. By their symbolism, folklore, cultural views, and mythology, animals can give you so much to work with. And you can have nice guidelines to work off of, or you can do a different spin on those guidelines, like maybe the usually noble Lion is the villain and the often villainous Snake is the hero.

There's just so much you can do with the concept, so many possibilities. And it's a shame that it's used in this romance focused show, which isn't even a good romance, and it's just so uninspired and lazy, and where kwamis easily could've been the most fascinating part of it, they're just pointless inclusions.

And you just see that potential and how it's wasted.

At least for me, that's what has me wanting to do my own take on the concept and do something with the animula. There's a lot of possibilities for what they can do, and could easily be so interesting if given proper attention.

[hotvintagepoll]

I am adoring all of these polls and gif sets and just being fed so many hot vintage people. As someone who really hasn’t watched very many classics, are there any movies you’d recommend for someone just starting to dip their toes in older media but unsure where to start?

Sure! I don't want to sway any voting, but I'll put an incomplete list of favorites that involve hot men not still in the bracket below the cut.

Something to note that applies to most of these old movies—older movies have different pacing than modern movies, so some of these might seem really slow or weird to start. There are also different ways of framing gender and agency, for better and for worse. I've italicized the ones that I think are the best for starting with, but go with whatever genre/aesthetic sounds best.

The Court Jester (Danny Kaye, Basil Rathbone)—a circus performer working for a quasi-Robin Hood infiltrates the royal court. Fun comedy that's incredibly accessible and still so light on its feet. Swordfighting, glamorous medieval costumes, court intrigues, and silly accents.

Singin' in the Rain (Gene Kelly)—fun polyamorous musical comedy. The dancing is incredible, but so is the sense of joy and camaraderie between Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds. Genuinely captures the feeling of hanging out with your best friends. 1920s Hollywood, big movie studios, backstage drama, goofy hijinks.

The Adventures of Robin Hood (Errol Flynn, Basil Rathbone)—classic swashbuckler/romance. It could read a little slow to modern tastes but the action scenes are absolutely killer, as is the sentiment of seeing little guys pull down big capitalists evil monarchs. Swashbuckling, labor activists merry men hanging out in the woods, hot men in tights, social commentary swords, a Maid Marian who really holds her own and falls in love with the socialist

Charade (Cary Grant)—thriller/romantic comedy. Audrey Hepburn's husband dies and leaves her a hidden inheritance, and she's racing some skeevy characters to find it. A little bit scary but mostly charming and gorgeous, and you can find it high quality virtually anywhere because they fucked up the copyright trademark in the opening credits. Romance, murders, Paris, 1960s fashion, chases in the night.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Dick Van Dyke)—this movie is divisive for some reason—I personally like peace, love, and joy, so it makes the list. This is a James Bond movie if James Bond had two kids, lived in a windmill in the south of England, and was into cottagecore inventions more than martinis and racism. This is very much a kids' movie so go in with that expectation, but enjoy the gorgeous production design, the wonderfully silly performances, and Lionel Jeffries pulling out every stop as an insane old man. Dick Van Dyke has excellent DILF energy. Magical cars, big musical vibes, fun inventions, and romantic fantasy.

To Be Or Not To Be (Jack Benny)—comedy/drama. A ragtag Warsaw theatre troupe stands off against the Gestapo after the invasion of Poland. TW for Nazis, obviously, but overall this is a comedy with some heft, and kind of shocking to be this ballsy about fucking hating Hitler's guts in the 1940s. Hambone actors, Shakespeare, spies, 1930s gowns. It's been a minute since I watched it so I don't think there are any TWs here, but go forth with caution.

Witness for the Prosecution (Tyrone Power)—mystery/legal drama based off an Agatha Christie story. The performances are campy fun and the twist would be at home in something like Knives Out. Big dramatics, hambones, lots of talking, a bit of a mindbender.

The Lady Vanishes (Michael Redgrave)—mystery/suspense/romantic comedy. It's a little slow to start but roll with it—once the action moves to the train the pacing really picks up. This gets slotted as a thriller sometimes but it's much funnier and gentler than that. There's some period-typical snarkiness directed at anyone Foreign™ by some of the British characters; the British characters are also made fun of. Trains, British people, international shenanigans, mystery, and humor.

All About Eve (absolutely none of these hot men, lots of hot women though)—a legendary actress fights for her life against the rising star who supplants her. Big drama, big performances, lots of gasp! and dahling! and vicious little quips. New York, theatre pronounced theahhtah, drama queens and plotting.

The Philadelphia Story (James Stewart, Cary Grant)—talk-heavy comedy, lots of quick banter and period transatlantic accent fun. It's a bit shouty and conflict-heavy at times, but I don't think James or Cary have ever been hotter, and Katherine Hepburn is just wow. Very funny dialogue, relatable characters, incredibly hot across the board. There is one instance of a racial slur (not directed at anyone but still there) and one shove. Some people won't like the discussion of Hepburn's character's choices as a daughter and a wife. With all of these movies you'll see a a range of how female characters are presented and treated, and while some period movies fall hard for sexist tropes, I personally think the performances, direction, and subtext of many of these films actually prioritizes the experiences of the female characters and shows them as living, breathing people, even if they're not framed the way they would be today.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Charlotte Alter at Time Magazine:

The soundtrack suggested a Beyoncé concert. The light-up bracelets evoked the Eras Tour. And the exuberant crowd—more than 14,000 strong, lining up in the rain—resembled the early days of Barack Obama. Inside a Philadelphia arena on Aug. 6, Vice President Kamala Harris was greeted with a kind of reception a Democratic presidential candidate hasn’t gotten in years. Fans packed into overflow spaces, waving homemade signs made of glitter and glue as drumlines roared. When Harris introduced her new running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the cheering lasted more than a minute.

If you’d predicted this scene a month ago to anyone following the race, they would never have believed you. But Harris has pulled off the swiftest vibe shift in modern political history. A contest that revolved around the cognitive decline of a geriatric President has been transformed: Joe Biden is out, Harris is in, and a second Donald Trump presidency no longer seems inevitable. Democrats resigned to a “grim death march” toward certain defeat, as one national organizer put it, felt their gloom replaced by a jolt of hope. Harris smashed fundraising records, raking in $310 million in July. She packed stadiums and dominated TikTok, offering a fresh message focused on the future over the past. Volunteers signed up in droves. Trump’s widening leads across the battleground states evaporated. Over the span of a few weeks in late July and early August, Harris became a political phenomenon. “Our campaign is not just a fight against Donald Trump,” she told the cheering crowd in Philadelphia. “Our campaign is a fight for the future.”

Where has this Kamala Harris been all along? For years, Democratic officials questioned her political chops, pundits mocked her word salads, and her polling suggested limited appeal. Her performance in the 2020 presidential primary was wooden, and her turn as Biden’s No. 2 did little to inspire confidence. Even this summer, as party insiders chattered about possible replacements if Biden stepped aside, “it was explicit from some of the major donors that she can’t win,” says Amanda Litman, the co-founder of Run for Something, an organization that trains young Democrats to run for office. “They didn’t think people were ready to elect someone like her.” Harris may still be the underdog. Trump has arguably the clearer path to 270 electoral votes and an edge on the issues that voters say are most important to them. Harris will have to answer for the Biden Administration’s record, including on inflation and border security. Republicans are casting her as a coastal elite, pointing to positions she took in the 2020 primary—arguing for gun buybacks, a ban on fracking, and an overhaul of the health-insurance system—that may indeed be too liberal to win over many of the swing voters who decide elections. Harris has yet to do a single substantive interview or to explain her policy shifts. (Her campaign denied a request for an interview for this story.) She has to repair ruptures in the party coalition, galvanizing the Black, Hispanic, Arab American, and young voters who migrated away from Biden. Though her early polling numbers are far better than Biden’s were, she lags his 2020 support with some key demographic groups she needs to win.

Harris has less than 90 days to prove that she can convert the momentum of her successful launch into a tough, smart operation capable of beating a former President with a dedicated base of support and a knack for commanding the stage. She inherited a campaign infrastructure and policy record from her predecessor, but the energy is all hers. Picking Walz as a running mate over more conventional choices signals a belief that this race is as much about feelings as it is about fundamentals. Harris’ brand shift—the happy-warrior attitude, the viral memes, the eye roll at Republican “weirdos”—has already done what no Trump opponent has ever been able to do: snatch the spotlight away from him.

She may seem like an overnight sensation, but Harris’ moment was years in the making. Quietly, her small team of top aides had been laying the groundwork for a future presidential run. After the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, the Vice President added reproductive rights to her portfolio. Abortion was never a comfortable issue for Biden, a devout Catholic, but it was a natural fit for his No. 2. Harris believed that with Roe gone, Republicans would turn their sights to restricting both birth control and IVF. In the months after Dobbs, she traveled the U.S., talking about abortion rights as a matter of “reproductive freedom.” As far back as the 2022 midterms, aides say, she argued for making this the core of the party’s national message, even as the White House focused on jobs and the economy.

[...] The list was intended for 2028. But when Biden dropped out on July 21 and quickly endorsed Harris, it was instantly pressed into service. The Vice President—clad in a Howard University sweatshirt, munching pizza with anchovies—spent the next 10 hours on the phone, dialing delegates and wrangling endorsements. A day later, the nomination was all but hers. Even though other presidential hopefuls had ties to swing states or big donors, “the list was the thing that we had that they didn’t,” says a top aide. “It wasn’t a fairy godmother waving a magic wand.”

Harris’ ability to sew up the nomination so quickly was a triumph of work ethic and political dexterity that foreshadowed what was to come. “To consolidate the Democratic Party in a matter of hours, to do as many visible events and establish that presence without putting a foot wrong, is a feat,” says Pete Buttigieg, the Transportation Secretary who ran against Harris for the 2020 nomination and was a finalist to become her running mate. “I don’t think anybody expected her to be so flawless.” With Biden no longer atop the ticket, the moribund Democratic grassroots came to life. Harris was capable of delivering a message that never felt quite right under Clinton or Biden: that theirs was the party of the future, and Trump was of the past. Her campaign raised $200 million in the first week, in what it said was the best 24 hours of any candidate in presidential-campaign history. More than 38,000 people registered on Vote.org in the 48 hours after she became the presumptive nominee, eclipsing the voter-registration surge encouraged by Taylor Swift last year. Within a week, Harris erased Trump’s polling dominance in key states, turning a burgeoning landslide into a dead heat.

[...] The shift is perhaps most visible in the digital sphere. While millions of hardcore Democrats would crawl over broken glass to keep Trump from re-election, less reliable voters in Gen Z are especially attuned to online trends. For months, President Biden’s online supporters have been on the defensive about his support for Israel’s war against Hamas. Comments about Gaza flooded pro-Biden content posted to social platforms, making it difficult to create what digital strategists call a “permission structure” to support him. To many, it evoked the online mobs who would mock Clinton supporters in 2016, preventing her from building traction on social media. “In 2016, if you wanted to be an online supporter of Hillary Clinton, you did it in a private Facebook group,” says Litman. “In 2024, you blast it on TikTok, and you’re part of the K-Hive and you make your username the coconut tree.” Even if Washington was taken by surprise, the energetic fighter of the past two weeks matches the Harris whom allies say they have known for years. Louise Renne, a former San Francisco city attorney, recalls that when Harris took over the city’s interest in adoption cases in the DA’s office, she brought an armful of teddy bears to court on her first day. Andrea Dew Steele, a donor-adviser who snacked on wine and cheese with Harris as they typed up her first political bio sheet for her 2003 campaign for San Francisco DA, remembers Harris sitting outside grocery stores with an ironing board stacked with campaign literature. Those who made it through her 2020 primary recall that after she dropped out, she joined the last of her staff in a dance party in the campaign headquarters. Harris’ early allies in California may have seen glimpses of Barack Obama, but her turn on the national stage has seemed more Selina Meyer. After a splashy kickoff in 2019, the Harris 2020 campaign stalled, then sputtered out. Aides say she took advice from too many different advisers offering conflicting guidance. Her record as a prosecutor was unwieldy baggage for a Democratic primary shadowed by a movement for racial justice. In a contest defined by Bernie Sanders on one side and Biden on the other, she never found her lane. Her operation was plagued with mismanagement and infighting. Harris seemed tentative and insecure, terrified of putting a foot wrong. “We did a disservice to her in 2020,” admits Bakari Sellers, a state co-chair on that campaign. “We Bubble-Wrapped her.” Enthusiasm waned; the money dried up. She dropped out long before the first votes were cast in the Iowa caucuses.

[...] Republicans admit Harris will be harder to beat than a diminished Biden. But they believe the candidate riding high the past few weeks will soon, under sustained attack, come down to earth. “If she runs the same kind of campaign she ran in 2019 and 2020, her campaign will collapse and Donald Trump will waltz into the White House,” Republican pollster Whit Ayres says. “On the other hand, if she has learned as much as her allies and friends say she has in the last four years, she will give Trump a real run for his money.” Harris campaign officials say they remain focused on the seven key battleground states—Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. With Harris atop the ticket, those states “are even more in play for us, stronger for us than they might have been otherwise,” says Dan Kanninen, the campaign’s battleground director. Harris is more popular with younger, Black, and Latino voters than Biden was when he dropped out of the race, according to polling, which puts her in a stronger position to win the Sun Belt states. At the same time, she may be losing ground with older white voters, which makes her more vulnerable in the trio of “Blue Wall” states—Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin—that form that core of the Democrats’ Electoral College strategy. To shore up those states, Harris is leaning on her major labor endorsements and making multiple visits to the upper Midwest.

Harris inherited Biden’s campaign infrastructure, including more than 260 outposts across the battleground states. In Nevada, the Harris campaign has 13 field offices to Trump’s one; in Pennsylvania, it has 36 coordinated offices to Trump’s three, according to a campaign memo.

Time Magazine has an insightful column on the resurrection of Kamala Harris and her rising political fortunes.

Read the full story at Time Magazine.

[bird-inacage]

CALL ME BY FIRE (SEASON 3): Participation of Jeff Satur

Now this has been the most uncanny crossover I never saw coming. A show I've been watching for years, and my introduction to thai BL which initially put Jeff's name on my radar. Here's some context for any fans who have heard of his participation and want to know more.

Call Me by Fire is a mainland Chinese TV competition show. They invite 33 established male celebrities with the goal to form an ultimate "boy band" by the show's conclusion. What tends to be the incredible pulling factor is they'll invite a combination of singers, musicians, actors, dancers, idols, presenters - incredibly well known faces in the industry - many of them hugely respected OGs in their field. (The demographic is usually late 20s+) so there's an intentional sense of maturity, experience and wisdom amongst the ensemble. The emphasis isn't really on forming this 'fictional' boy band, it acts as a mechanism for us to get more up close and personal with these artists. Allowing viewers to appreciate their creative genius, as well as who they are as people.

This show came as a spin off of another series 'Sisters Who Make Waves' which has the exact same premise but for female celebrities. Because it became such an instant hit, they made a male version shortly after.

As a Chinese speaker, I've been watching both shows since they started in 2020. Both are in their third season (with Call Me by Fire broadcasting right now). This year they've decided to include more participants (of mainly Chinese/Asian descent) from America, Korea, Japan, Vietnam and Thailand - along with the majority from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Why I find this show both incredibly entertaining and compelling is because you get to watch spectacular collaborations between some of the most talented artists of this generation, and witness them embark on a journey of brotherhood through a shared love for performance (they live, work and perform together for the duration of the show). For me, theres also a massive nostalgia factor, because a large portion of these artists will be people I grew up watching.

There will be a lot of new attention on this show due to the Jeff's involvement (whose dubbed ���Luo Jie Fu’ in Chinese). We’re only on Episode 2, and he's already making a huge impression, earning one of two MVPs spots after their first live performance - his group ranking 2nd out of 8, and his personal ranking being 7th overall (based on the live audience popularity vote).

The show is uploaded onto Youtube in full (post-broadcast on a Saturday). Just to warn you, the episodes are usually very, very long (sometimes between 2-3 hours in total), but I personally really enjoy that. There are English subtitles but the translations don’t always capture the nuances.

Jeff is doing a superb job so far and he's very brave for taking this on. He brings something distinctly unique in his showmanship and personal sense of style. It's a daunting prospect for someone who can't speak or understand Chinese, but the other brothers are doing their best to help him feel as welcome and settled in as possible.

If anyone has any questions about the show or clips featuring Jeff they'd like to know more about, I'm more than happy to translate.

[dorokora]

Chapter 15 Episode 1 Part 2

We begin with the Wanderers and others managed to escape thanks to the route Prometheus provided. Prometheus says he used to this sort of thing. We get Prometheus backstory. He was once worshiped in his hometown as a being who bestowed upon humans the great power of fire. However, in Olympus, ``fire'' was a power that was granted only to superior beings. In his hometown, there are 12 people who are said to be the closest to God. It was managed and kept secret by Zeus, the true world rep of Olympus, and his lightning, which was the power of the sky. However, the sacred artifact that Prometheus wields has had the power to evade even Zeus' surveillance. It is the sacred artifact of a needle or lightning rod. No matter how thin it is, if it exists, it will pass through a single route. Remembering the past makes Prometheus sad. Back to the present, Prometheus told them time and time that he doesn’t like using his sacred artifact. Barguest apologizes and says he understands. Q'ursha ask what should they do next and that Gurangatch is missing. Barguest says he saw him talking to someone (Raven) and that there was an order from the fire department. Barguest says the others should be safe at the Missionaries safe house.

We cut to that safe house, with MC, Toji, Yuma, and Maria. More than a day has pass since they escaped, the other spilt off into smaller groups and are in hiding. Gabriel, Azazel, and the other Missionaries have also dispersed. They also avoid communication using the apps as much as possible to not get caught. The situation is quite bad. Toji goes over what info he has. The humans of Tokyo have all been captured including some of the guild masters. Also it seems the guild masters have been captured without any resistance from the them which is strange. MC says they’re human so why haven’t they catch them. Toji isn’t sure how to answer that, whether if MC is truly human or not. Maybe it’s because they were battling the Entertainers at the time. Toji also brings up that he’s a half-breed so maybe that why he wasn’t targeted by Rule Makers. Some of the humans, Maria and others, were probably not targeted because they were dealing with the Entertainers.

But even so, the Missionaries have suffered a lot of damage. First Arsalsn was captured (back in CH9) and Jacob is currently chasing after Isafril. It seems the humans captured were taken to the east part of Tokyo where the Rule Makers is. Currently the Warmongers have 5 World Reps, The Invaders have 3 (if you count Shinya), the Rule Makers still have all seven of theirs.

The total number of world reps in the other two guilds has already been reduced to at most 8 people. If something were to happen from here, the majority vote might suddenly lean towards the Rule Makers. The others try to think why are the humans being kidnapped for. Motosumi pops in asking for help to save his guild master who was also kidnapped. His name is Sanzo Mihokawa.

Speaking of Sanzo, we cut to a futuristic prison where Sanzou and the other humans are being held captive. Two people show up in the hallway. Baphomet and someone refer to as Professor Onyankapon. Baphomet explains to the humans that they are in the rule makers base and that they will be performing surgeries on them (Oh no!). She tells the human that they will become new gods. We cut to back to Prometheus who remember Amateratsu words. Bringing people to closer to becoming Gods will only bring disaster. He remembers that as a god he couldn’t die, so Zeus tortured him for 30000 years, all because he gave fire to humans and brought them slightly closer to godhood.

[dwtsfun]

Dancing with the Stars Season 33 Week 2: Sending Off an Ingrate and a Shocker

Work is still awful, but I need to come on here to talk to you all about the show this week. A lot happened and we need to discuss. I'm gonna rank the stars based on my enjoyment of each performance (mostly) combined with how I feel they may fare with votes. But before that, let's address the elephant in the room. That elimination. So first of all, I was SHOCKED to see Tori Spelling out in the first week. Was she amazing? No. But I think she did enough to cement a third week. I guess I underestimated the fact that she seems to be really disliked. Because between being a part of Beverly Hills 90210, being the daughter of Aaron Spelling and being constantly talked about for decades at this point, I thought she was gonna be around til week 5 at least. Y'all know it takes a lot to shock me with regard to this show. The double did her in and that's why I always hate double eliminations in week 1. It always takes out one person that maybe needs a little more time to get going. As for Anna? Well it was expected. What I wasn't expecting was her parting words. I feel for Ezra mostly, because that man was riding for her since the day he met her. He took amazing care of her and I know it was hard for him to see the heat she was taking. And you're telling me she couldn't even thank him for showing her that she was more than her crime. Or CAI who tried uplifting the past two weeks? What a waste. Even I didn't go in like I could've and really wanted to because I think people deserve a second chance after committing certain crimes (not drugging, murder, sexual assault, trafficking and your third time physically assaulting someone).She played in all of our faces. You know who I don't feel bad for? Conrad and the rest of the producers for DWTS. I said on twitter, "play stupid games, win stupid fucking prizes". She got on that show, on that platform that y'all gave her and bent over backwards to make it work for her, just for her to spit in your faces and tell y'all that y'all ain't shit, ain't been shit and will never be shit. And honestly, that's the one positive thing I can take from her response. Showing them that they are fools for casting her was great. Hate that this show has fallen so far that someone can say that and the show deserves it. Alright, let's get into these couples:

Top Four

Chandler and Brandon might be my favorite partnership in quite some time. They work well together. Chandler is an incredible dancer with the most gorgeous movement quality. And Brandon is creating some great dances. That was a beautiful rumba. I want them to go far. I think they can go far. I don't want another Tinashe situation to happen. But so far, they are doing exactly what they need to do.

Stephen and Rylee are super fun to watch together. They mesh well and Rylee is definitely choreographing some good numbers that showcase Stephen extremely well. I have a concern though. Stephen is a very awkward mover. That was super obvious in this paso. His hips and shaping looked strange. His footwork made me scratch my head. It was a little strange. His timing is still a bit off. He's got a lot of potential, but they really need to work on finetuning these dances. I can see this being a bigger problem in the more fluid Latin dances and the Argentine tango.

Ilona and Alan are just so much fun. I'm glad Ilona let her guard down a bit more this week. She wasn't moving as small in this salsa and really settled into and owned her sexy more. I love that Alan added a couple of lifts for her as it may have helped her feel more comfortable. She has a ton of potential too and I'm super excited to see their dances once she really lets loose. I actually feel like she might shine in a ballroom dance. I know they have that coming up next.

Dwight and Daniella actually did a great job with the foxtrot. Dwight really really wants to do well and you can tell. He is paying so much attention to the details. He connects his moves. He finishes his lines. And he really handles Daniella with so much care. Two things though. I know that the height difference definitely affects this, but he's gotta work on tucking his butt under him. Second is the footwork needs to be cleaned up.

Middle of the Pack

Joey and Jenna made a believer out of me this week. He is definitely one to watch for sure. He is charming. He seems to be a fast learner. He has great movement quality, especially for a man this early on in the competition. He's still gotta work on his hip action. It isn't natural. Once he get that figured out, I'm a little scared about how good those Latin dances will be. Because this rumba was really really nice.

Danny and Witney are my dark horses of the season. Danny is light on his feet and he stays on time (mostly). Witney is doing great choreography and his technique in this jive was great. I still want him to loosen up more, but I can tell that he made a big shift from week 1 to week 2 in comfortability and confidence. These two, as well as the 5 above them, have me super excited for this season. I can't remember the last time I was this genuinely excited for 6 different couples in one season.

Phaedra and Val are interesting to me. I don't think Phaedra is very good. And I don't think Val is choreographing to her dance strengths that well. That section of their foxtrot that was super fast exposed A LOT of Phaedra's technical setbacks. She was super hoppy. That said, I like their partnership. Phaedra is a larger than life personality, so she makes up for the lack of ability with her performance. I want Val to slow things down though. I think that would better suit her at this point.

Jenn and Sasha are an interesting couple. While Jenn handled some of the production issues like a pro, some of the choreographic choices were a choice. I do not understand why there was a cartwheel thrown into this dance. Or jumps and side by side choreography? I'm cool with that stuff being thrown into quicksteps, but a tango? Why? And why are we using these types of songs for tangos while we're at it? There are so many movies that have been nominated for Oscars that have actual tango music in them. Moulin Rouge comes to mind immediately. I feel like that could've forced Sasha to not make stupid choreography decisions. So this is what I'm going to say. Jenn is a good dancer. A lot of her undoing and early departure (because I'm feeling a "shocking" elimination from her) will be due to his choreography. Because again, why?

Bottom Three

So I'm just going to make this easy for these three. Eric and Reginald are both terrible. There's really not much that either Britt or Emma can do for either one of them at this point. They really won't get all that much better, if at all. In fact, I can see both of them getting worse as the season goes on. The one thing I can say is that they both improved this week.

Brooks and Gleb are interesting. Brooks is good. But that quickstep was not it and Gleb is relying way too much on this STUPID SHOWMANCE that they keep trying to shove down our throats. We're TIRED! It sickens me to my core. The fact that Derek clocked that they did a tango hold instead of the correct hold lets me know exactly where his priorities are. So I say that it's time for us to take a stand. We have to stand against showmances on this show. We gotta let these folks know that we are TIRED. We are not stupid. You cannot play us for fools. I'm ready for them to GO!

So that's it. No show this week. Two shows next Monday and Tuesday. Let me know your thoughts and I will talk to you all soon.

[dragonflight203]

Mass Effect 2 replay, Thane’s loyalty mission:

-Bailey says they don’t get many drell.

Logical enough. There aren’t many drell to start with, and presumably many stay close with hanar. Considering hanar are aquatic, how many enjoy traveling to terra based societies?

Those that visit the Citadel are likely on political business and would go to the presidium.

-“Duct rats” are a nice touch in world building. Of course the poor kids would play in the vents, and of course there are numerous ways for that to kill them. But who’s going to force them to stay out of the vents?

-Why do keepers maintain protein vats? Bailey just casually throws out their existence… Is that the raw material used to clone more keepers?

-I’m not fond of Bailey, but I respect his willingness to assist Thane because Thane is trying to save his kid.

-Thane: You didn’t tell him that kolyat plans to assassinate someone.

Renegade Shepard: I also didn’t tell him what you do for a living. Do you normally discuss assassinations with the police?

Good line.

-Mouse: I got some quarians that can strip the copy protection.

What’s the story here? Quarians on pilgrimage? Quarians on the fleet with a side hustle?

-Mouse turned around and saw a known assassin and the dead savior of the citadel. That would strike fear in anyone.

-The renegade interrupt is pretty brutal. You just go straight to beating the information out of him without even trying to talk him into it.

Given his history with Thane, that’s pretty shitty.

-There’s an extra layer of tragedy in that Mouse got Kolyat the assassination job as a favor to Thane, and that he refuses to tell you how he knows Thane because Thane hasn’t told you.

Mouse is far more loyal to Thane than Thane is to him.

-I’d argue that the upper right option to persuade Mouse is better than the blue paragon.

Blue paragon leans on his fondness for Thane to freely give the information.

Upper right, you pay him so he can get off the Citadel to somewhere safe.

-Mouse thinks Kelham will kill him for telling. He’s probably right.

If you go renegade, he asks Thane to kill Kelham if Thane has any fondness for Mouse.

And Thane… Never takes any additional steps to help Mouse. Considering the lengths Mouse goes to help him, you think he could repay him by pulling some strings to get him better work or the like.

-Bailey is so damn corrupt. Of course he takes bribes.

He acts tough and world weary and insists you need a strong hand to police a ward, but he doesn’t have the conviction to follow through.

-The interrogation room has a torture chair. What kind of “interrogations” does C-Sec normally perform?

-The whole interrogation is silly. Shepard should lead with that they’re a spectre. That should not require a high level of renegade.

I suppose it can be argued that the Council told Shepard to stick to the Terminus space, so they’re trying to avoid using their spectre status on the Citadel.

-How does Khalim not know what a spectre is and that they can operate outside the law?

That seems like criminal 101. He should be actively avoiding spectre attention.

-Renegade Shepard: I’ll cut your balls of and sell them to a krogan.

Another really good line.

-Khalim uses the insults frog and tadpole for drells.

-The reasons for anti-human sentiment that Bailey gives probably work better in a run where Shepard killed the Council.

Why did a human fleet guard the Citadel for months? Are you telling me the turians couldn’t divert one of their fleets to do so?

The increased number of humans in C-Sec is also a baffling. The presidium was attacked in the Battle for the Citadel; do you expect me to believe that’s where most C-Sec recruits come from?

Recruiting after the battle should have been normal for any post-crisis situation. The only reason I can come up with is that prior to the battle the number of humans on the force was restricted, and that was removed/relaxed after.

-I dislike paragon Shepard’s line about Talim being elected: If a majority votes for him, like it or not, that’s how the system works.

That is beyond naive. Plenty of elected officials have down awful things.

-I’m not fond of this part the catwalk part of the mission. I’d like to see all the outcomes to dealing with Kolyat, and that requires replaying the entire section.

-One of Talim’s campaign platforms is C-Sec corruption.

Since the Shin Akiba enclave opened, there’s been a 24% increase in racial crimes despite 116 more officers being assigned. Most of those are human, and human officers will turn a blind eye to human crime. Don’t expect a captain to behave any differently.

Khalim runs the Shin Akiba enclave, and he bribes Bailey to turn a blind eye to him.

Corruption does inspire more corruption. Even if Bailey treats everyone equally – and we have no proof that he does or does not – watching him take bribes sends a message to his people that ignoring regulations is okay.

-And of course, we immediately learn afterwards that Talim is also corrupt.

I wish he wasn’t. That dilutes the impact of his criticisms of Bailey. Which is probably the point.

-Why does Talim sprint at one point?

The section from the krogan intimidating the human shopkeeper to the bar where the barkeeper is shaken down is bizarre. There’s no reason for Talim to run through the ward. What message does that send to voters?

-Does Kolyat have any kind of plan? It looks like he positioned himself to shoot Talim in the back then make a run for it. That’s awful. The krogan bodyguard could just shoot him.

-No matter how you handle Kolyat, he’s obviously not an experienced criminal.

He’s very lucky Thane came to save him. The prison system or the underworld would eat him alive.

-You can feel the spite and anger when he speaks to Thane. Good voice actor.

Why did he even want to become an assassin? That’s never said. He’s furious at Thane; did he become an assassin to spite him? In hopes he might run into him if they’re both in the field?

I don’t think he wanted to be like Thane. At least not consciously.

-A running theme through this mission is that Thane is tired of violence. He’s not happy if you beat up Mouse, he’s not happy if you beat the target’s name out of Khalim, and he questions the morality of killing Talim to prevent Kolyat from doing so.

Thane’s comfortable with violence in his life, but he wants better for Kolyat. Part of that is keeping him as far away from it as possible.

-If you go renegade when speaking to Kolyat, he asks what right Thane had to kill all those people.

Thane: I was six when the hanar began to train me. I didn’t know any better.

Still insisting that you have no responsibility for those murders, Thane?

The cracks are starting to show.

-Thane admits to killing his wife’s killers in front of C-Sec.

Not the best choice, Thane. There’s going to be enough of an uphill battle getting Kolyat off the hook without adding you to the fire.

-I appreciate Bioware repeatedly stating that this does not fix the relationship between Thane and Kolyat. It’s a start, but they’ll both have to keep working to improve it.

-You can lean on Bailey to keep Kolyat out of jail.

Not the most moral choice, but nothing about this mission has been.

Normandy

-Aria gave Shepard’s email address to Diana, Nif’s mother

I am amused that she keeps giving all these random people Shepard’s email address. How does that go? Does she have them brought to afterlife? Does an email with the information arrives in their email box? Does she have a courier send them a datapad?

And they just go, Welp I guess I have to send an email to Shepard now. Don’t want to find out what will happen if I don’t…

-How did Irikah come to terms with Thane being an assassin?

He was still taking work when they were together, so he didn’t quit.

Was she okay with it as long as the targets were only bad people?

-Thane accepted death when he was 12.

That’s also the age where he first killed someone.

I’d love to hear the story of how those two are related.

-Shepard tells Thane that by his own rules he doesn’t need to feel bad about killing his wife’s killers since he was on autopilot.

Thane insists he is responsible since he made the choice to hunt them.

Apparently, the same does not apply to making the choice to accept a commission to kill someone.

Those are some thin lines you’re drawing, Thane.

-Hitting on Thane right after he explains to you how his wife died is rather creepy. I wish Bioware had handled that better. Maybe they could have left the option out of this conversation and given Thane an additional conversation where starting a romance was an option.

-Samara fought Nihlus because he killed an unarmed civilian.

Nihlus eventually got away be creating a situation where she had to choose between letting an innocent die or pursuing him.

Nihlus was definitely a renegade spectre.

-Samara also respects him for using her code against her so well.

There’s a running theme with Samara where she respects strength even if she disagrees with morals.

She regards Morinth the same way.

-As a mercenary Samara killed the rest of her band to prevent them from turning slaves over to collectors.

Samara has always been firm in her convictions and unwavering due to personal connection, even prior to becoming a justicar. It’s probably one of the reasons she made it through the training.

-She also lectures the slaves on strength and the ability to defend oneself, then gave them supplies and released them on the Citadel.

This makes me snort every time. These slaves were probably deeply traumatized, and then this asari who murdered all of her companions gives them weapons and armor, tells them to get stronger, and dumps them on an unprepared city. That must have been an experience for everyone. Did she even warn city officials?

I’m sure there are societies set up to help former slaves adjust to freedom. Samara probably could have found one with chapters in her system if she had run an extranet search.

[mihai-florescu]

Hiiii could i ask about what exactly happened between leo and izumi? I've read checkmate, but I don't quite get it about how it's izumi's fault why leo started to lock himself up and all that stuff, especially when leoizu started talking during the performance. It's a bit confusing, but from what I understood, leo crumbled because of knowing the fact that he's been used and not loved, and chess breaking up from the inside. Thank you!!

Hii I'll start by saying that this is what I've made sense of this plotline for myself based on what i've read but I am welcome to other interpretations or insights or anything from anyone, it's also likely i could be forgetting things etc so if you have different views I'm curious to listen🫶 i totally welcome the possibility that i could be interpreting or piecing things together wrong (i'm mainly going off of checkmate, hortor night halloween, and next door) so, yeah, putting the disclaimer out there.

Let's see...

Things start going downhill since Leo realizes his music is seen as a weapon and chooses to act accordingly, and to make himself into one too. There's a response to rejection and to a world that doesn't think and feel like he did. But Leo loves bringing joy to people and doesn't actually like destroying others, so the pressure adds up. That's not what breaks him quite yet though (we'll return to that). He has Izumi he's vowed to fight for, a lifeline. But Izumi is driven by his pride and that gets bruised the more they fight, the more opponents' resentment follows them. They were doomed since the moment they started fighting through the dreamfes system. Making enemies out of fellow students when the system is based on student votes is bound for failure, let alone the mental turmoil being constantly surrounded by hatred and fighting brings.

So... Izumi and Leo are on edge more and more, sinking further with every battle. They already struggle with not really understanding or getting through to one another, or to interpret each other. Izumi believes Leo's breaking point came from being hated by others, and that he caused it alone by bringing the sensitive, trusting Leo to fight with him against the other students (taking advantage of Leo, even though Leo himself offered it. And he's not as blameless or stupid as one would think...). He never shows Leo gratitude or love anymore, is always unhappy and the 2 start arguing more seriously, their mental states plummeting the more they struggle, knowing it's futile. So when Leo breaks, Izumi can't help but blame his actions, his ambitions, him using Leo, him and his pride.

On the other hand, we only get Leo's pov in the Next Door monologue, where he reveals what broke him was using his genius songs as weapons and thus drowning out every other individual song that wasn't as skilled but could've been loved by someone. And at some point he starts doing it knowingly, in a way selling out. The unbearable atmosphere of wanting to win that sucks all joy out of music. While Knights is getting resented, Leo uses his composing of songs for others as weapons, drowning out their own voices and creating more destruction. So... it's still his love for people that breaks him in the end, in my opinion, just not what we originally thought through Izumi's view, or at least not fully that.

Leo's breakdown comes with a musical slump. And having tied so much of his worth to his songs, it takes the biggest toll on him. But... I really think it's a combination of everything. Leo's surprisingly self loathing the more you read stories with him so I don't fully believe his monologue in Next Door where he says it's all his fault, especially considering the state he was in during those chapters. I don't believe any of the characters when they say it's all their fault, too many little things were at play and piling up into tragedy, and none of them are really...reliable narrators. They're all in terrible headspaces when they thinks about what happened. But that's also why I feel like I myself could still be interpreting things wrong and welcome new insights and views.

Also... imo Izumi doesn't quite realise how much he cared for Leo until he's out of the picture, broken down, and they can't get back what they had. Ah i got side tracked. What was the question again. Did i even answer the question at all. All these guys are self loathing unreliable narrators...

[02zhoonie]

sorting enha into my college dorm houses because i can and i will ! and i based college bf! heeseung off of my own college dorm experiences and now i can’t stop thinking about it okay bye

i guess this is also my enhypen college au! lore LOL

(not using the actual house names for obvious reasons)

yellow house:

jungwon

this house is full of leaders and so of course jungwon is here. not the college dorm president but head of the dorm events committee and he does a damn good job every time. everyone loves his events and he’s always receptive to feedback to make it better. outside of his leadership role, everyone in his house babies him because he’s cute but they all still respect his drive to get the job done. though he’s an overall college dorm leader and not a house leader, the house captains usually depend on him for advice from an outside perspective. in my prime this house was my second favourite (besides my own hehe). he’s always studying in the student lounge and gets disturbed by the rest of the boys from time to time.

purple house:

heeseung

ranked first place college dorm eye candy. obviously he’s basketball team captain but also dabbles in a bunch of other sports as well (annoyingly good at all of them). performs once in a while at the showcase or open mic events, either as lead singer or pianist in a band. he was quiet and unassuming when he first entered but the minute alcohol entered his system at his first drinking session his housemates started to realise how insane and goofy this man was. is the life of the party. everyone always knows when he’s otw to the club cos he’s already bright red from pregaming alone. has his whole pc set-up on his desk, got noise complaints from yelling too loudly while gaming in first year. most probably vapes.

jaeyun

this house is the party house. hence why jaeyun is house captain. okay no but genuinely i think he has house captain vibes is it just me. mr fast reflexes plays dodgeball competitively and i take no arguments on that, i just think he’ll be hella good for that and football but it’s kinda a dead sport in my dorm so we don’t talk about it. football would probably be him just fucking around with his friends while dodge is something he’ll take more seriously. he’s a kind hearted softie who’s always ready to give advice to those who need it which is why he got voted as house captain but also always down to have a good fucking time which is also why he got voted. drinks most often but is extremely lightweight and somehow always hitting the club with his housemates every wednesday.

riki

i honestly debated where to put riki cos i felt that he would fit in anywhere but this house has the best dancers and therefore he is here. future dance captain, did his first open style choreo class like 6 weeks into the semester and everyone died because it was so hard but also the choreography was so good. legendary first year choreographer for showcase, does kpop performances for fun and gets the loudest cheers when he’s in the center. so ya he’s still and always will be the dance prodigy. doesn’t play sports much but got convinced to play basketball for inter-house championship (and the house won obviously with these three on the team LOL), busier with the uni wide dance team ngl.

red house:

sunoo

house with the most TEA. and i just know sunoo is the best gossiper out there. social butterfly, gambles as a social event more than liking the game itself. always signing up for a performance event whether he’ll be singing or dancing or BOTH LOL. if you ever need someone in your item, you look for him. this house is the house that is very active but keeps within themselves the most but sunoo is the one who basically has friends from every house while still keeping the close knit vibe. the boys drinking and tea spilling sess goes crazy i know, and he always has the most detailed stories. probably knows everything about everyone. marketing head of the students committee because he just connections everywhere. very well liked and very resourceful, also probably down for supper if you asked.

blue house:

jongseong

not me putting my biases in MY house. okay but for good reason. also house captain like jaeyun and they giggle like besties every time the house captains meet up to discuss things even when it’s serious (totally not based on my real life friendships) more serious and straightforward and he will get shit done no questions asked. (he’s here because he reminds me of my senior LMAO.) the one unafraid of calling others out on their bullshit when they don’t do their jobs properly. loves his house deeply, fiercely and openly and tries his best to make sure that everyone feels safe and accounted for which is the house culture he wants to maintain. never pushes any one to win things, would rather they have fun instead. his silly side comes out more with his close friends because he feels the need to maintain an image around others. ate up the hiphop item at the showcase though. sings casually when he can too. dedicated house shef and his housemates are always lined up for his food cause it tastes way better than what the dining hall serves.

sunghoon

second place college dorm eye candy. only after seung because he chooses to be less visible. the type of pretty face that people look at but no one dares to actually pursue him. the house gives him the ability to the loud and crazy person he is while also having the down time for himself to recharge. always at the gym, basically has his own regular gym booking time slot. the protein powder in the pantry is most definitely his. makes 02z pose for gym thirst traps on ig story with him. no interest in joining any dorm committee but knows all the drama that goes down because he’s friends with basically the entire student government body. illegally owns a fridge also illegally the dorm alcohol supplier. gets dragged along to the club once in a while if jaeyun is really persistent, it’s when his craziest side jumps out. likes to tease jongseong in the house group chat while still being a massive team player and his best confidant.

[afpwestcoast]

Bearsville Theater, Bearsville, NY, 10/26/24

Happy Birthday to MEEEEEeeeeeee!

Things got off to a festive birthday start as we were lined up before the show and the greatest venue security guy ever - Reynaldo Gayle, aka Rey - was going over the rules and warming up the crowd when someone told him it was my birthday, so he led the entire line in a rendition of “Happy Birthday to You!��� Heavy foreshadowing.

Before we went in for soundcheck Michael McComiskey (Amanda’s man Friday and all-around stellar human being) handed me a copy of “All the Light We Cannot See” signed by Amanda for my birthday. We watched the mini series based on the book and it was awesome, so I’m really looking forward to reading it. Since the Dresden Dolls began performing together again in November of 2022 there has been a heavy emphasis on new material that they were workshopping and preparing for the new album. That album has been put on hold and so tonight the focus shifted not just to old material, but to some truly deep cuts from the vault. But this was more therapy session than nostalgia tour, as it was clear that Amanda was working through some things. Overall the performance was crisp and tight and thoroughly enjoyable, but lacked the manic energy that characterizes the Dolls at their best.

But then again … birthday shot! So …

Annotated Set List:

Science Fiction Double Feature (Richard O’Brien and Richard Hartley cover) The opening theme to The Rocky Horror Picture Show served as notice (warning?) that this would not be a normal night.

Sex Changes

Gravity

Coin-Operated Boy(!?) VERY early in the set for this one!

Backstabber

My Alcoholic Friends Midway through this song it is traditional for (Tour Manager) Jaron to bring two shots onstage for he and Amanda to do together. I have fantasized about being Amanda’s shot-delivery boy; that didn’t happen, but the next-best thing did! Jaron brought out two shots for him and Amanda, as usual, but Michael brought out two for him and … ME! Amanda said, “Happy Birthday, Tom!” and we all did our shots together. Happy Birthday indeed!

The Kill This is a deep cut that I haven’t heard them play in an age.

Missed Me

“It’s about to be time to vote. And it has come to our attention that there are a lot of people out there in the world with a lot of money who are going to very possibly influence this vote in one way or another and the most important thing as all of these things are happening around us and all of these wealthy people who own all of these newspapers and all of the space and the sky because any day now we are going to look up; we’re going to look up and we’re going to see the moon. And it’s either going to say ‘Google,’ or ‘Amazon.’ We wrote a song about this a long, long time ago so we’re going to play it for you!”

Modern Moonlight

Thirty Whacks

“Sometimes it takes going all the way to New Zealand and living there for a couple years to realize that Lizzie Borden really did have an effect on your childhood.”

Pierre (Carol King and Maurice Sendak cover)

Welcome to the Internet (Bo Burnham cover)

There were two children front and center and someone pointed them out to Amanda saying that they were 9 and 11. “Oh my god! My 9yo wanted to watch a movie tonight instead … and I don’t blame him. He did do an incredible interpretive dance to ‘Pierre’ during soundcheck. Full seven-minute interpretive kind of tacky, stretchy goth dance.”

Mein Herr (from ‘Cabaret’ by John Kander and Fred Ebb) (Brian on guitar)

“I wrote a lot of songs especially towards the very end of the time that I was living right here in this neighborhood in a house that at this point feels completely fucking haunted. And they’re ALL incredibly fucking sad songs. I wonder why? But this one’s actually like the least sad, I think. And it’s really sad. … I wanna say one last thing about Rey, our amazing security guard tonight. I’ve been crying a lot lately because of all sorts of things … I’ve cried a couple times today, but Rey made me cry. … He asked me, you know in that like casual way, ‘How are you doing?’ and I was like, ‘I don’t know. I’m not great. I’m pretty fucked up; I’m dealing with a whole family crisis.’ And he said, ‘Oh but that’s out there. Now you’re with your family.’”

Another Christmas (Brian on guitar; Amanda on jingle bells) This one hit with a little more emotional impact than usual tonight.

“This is a song, also from our second record, back before I learned how to write a powerful song about abortion in a non-sarcastic way. This was like 2.0, before we got to 4.0. You should VOTE.”

Mandy Goes to Med School This one included both a bit of Cab Calloway’s ‘Minnie the Moocher,’ and a brief excerpt from ‘Careless Whisper’ by George Michael tonight.

-crew thanks and merch commercial-

Amanda gave a big shout-out to Nikki McQueen, who has been designing amazing posters for the Dolls’ tours for the past couple years and was brought to the show from South Africa by a successful crowd-funding campaign.

The Jeep Song

Massachusetts Avenue (Grand Theft Orchestra cover)

“This is a break-up song, but it’s a really weird one because it’s about that time when you know the break-up’s gonna happen, but it hasn’t quite happened yet. And you’re still like luxuriating in the agony of ‘We’re still fucking’ but it’s over.”

Boston

Half Jack The extended instrumental intro to this one started with Brian solo on the drums for quite a while before Amanda joined in on piano. It was effective at building tension and anticipation. — — Girl Anachronism

Sing (Brian on guitar to start)

Photo Gallery:

Before the show Michael delivered a birthday present from Amanda!

Soundcheck!

Just point a camera at Brian Viglione and you will get something good.

BIRTHDAY SHOT! (photos by Melissa Smith)

Amanda doesn’t have a thousand-yard stare. Not at all.

Blue period.

The Dresden Dolls!

Mein Herr (upper right photo by Deanna Aliano)

Another Christmas (photo by Deanna Aliano)

Good night, Bearsville!

In a final act of birthday kindness Michael hand-delivered the set list to me after the show. They followed it closely for the most part, but veered off toward the end, as is tradition.

[makangerous]

Visual Novel Gush #1: Gnosia

I downloaded Gnosia on a whim mostly based on that cover art, because some part of me loves well-drawn psychos trying to ruin my day. What I found was a hidden gem that, while a bit rough around the edges, finally scratched an itch I've had since finishing the Zero Escape series. Time loops, a host of colorful characters who wouldn't be out of place in one of those games, a story evolving from deceptively simple gameplay, Gnosia has it all.

The premise of the game is that you, along with your crewmate Setsu, are onboard a starship that faces an imminent threat: several crew members have been infected and had their minds taken over by Gnosia, insane aliens that will kill everyone on board until they are the only ones left. There is no quick way to tell if someone has been infected, and anyone with the means to identify them is targeted quickly. Therefore, your crew is basically playing Werewolf (or as it was called in my area, Mafia) to try to determine who the Gnosia are and put them in cold sleep. No one is safe, not even Setsu or you.

However, this is more than just a Werewolf simulator (though you can play it as such, and it's pretty fun). You can take on a variety of roles besides just a crew member: cause chaos by being Gnosia yourself, take on roles traditional to Werewolf such as Guardian Angel, or try out some interesting new roles that seem specific to this game. One role in particular competes against both the crew and the Gnosia, though will likely ally with one of those sides to achieve their goal. Gnosia calls itself a "social deduction game", and this is because unlike Werewolf game generators you may find online, your crewmates have consistent personalities and their own sets of tactics, and learning these is just as critical to winning as logical reasoning is. For instance, one character is obsessed with rationality and is very strong there, but they have a tendency to be so rude and abrasive, the crew is quick to vote them off. Another loves to use devastating emotional pleas to deflect suspicion back onto you.

Your crew starts small, but grows to a total of 15 including you. The first handful of people you meet seem relatively normal, but as more crew members are added in new loops, they become increasingly bizarre. I won't spoil it for you, but some of them really push the definition of "human" (a recurring theme in this game). They are intriguing people, though, and even after beating the game, I found myself wanting to know more about them. You can choose to collaborate with one of your choosing, as long as you gain their trust. Some of them will be your favorite allies, and you'll be mentally shouting "noooo" when they get killed or put in cold sleep. Others seem custom built to annoy you, and you'll cheer when they go away for the round.

As for the player character, you can select your name and gender: male, female, or nonbinary. (A quick aside on this game's handling of NB: your main ally and implied love interest, Setsu, is NB, and at least one other crew member also is. I'm not NB myself so I can't speak to how good the representation is, but besides one instance of misgendering and one instance of body type phobia that are both shut down quickly, the crew widely accepts the NB members' identities. However, there are a couple romantic events (for two female crew if playing as male, two male crew if playing as female) that are pretty small, but I've read you won't get at all if you're NB. They should've added an option for choosing which gender(s) you are romantically interested in.) You also choose a star sign which is mostly aesthetic, but behind the scenes slightly affects characters' affinities for you. Most important are your stats: Charisma, Intuition, Logic, Charm, Performance, and Stealth. For instance, Intuition and Logic are great for being a detective: sussing out lies and proving your point with evidence. Meanwhile, high Charm can help keep you out of cold sleep. You do have to build yourself a certain way to gain access to all debate skills, but you can reallocate stats, and in the early and mid game it is fun to play around with your build.

The story manifests itself in the repeated gameplay loops, which you and Setsu are aware of and trying to escape. Once you play through the tutorial loops, your mission becomes gathering information about each crew member, both to get to know them better and to find a way out. These tidbits are called Notes, and they are obtained during Events, which are cutscenes that play out if certain conditions are met. Some of these notes are fun, while some are dark and disturbing. By collecting these, you get a sense of the world that exists outside your spaceship, who the Gnosia are, and the motivations driving your crew. Some of these notes require protecting certain characters, or even acting against your own interests, but getting them is usually worth it.

This gets to the game's biggest flaw: finding Events, especially during endgame. I would highly suggest using a spoiler-free walkthrough once you get stuck on finding the last few notes. There is an Event Finder in the game that will tweak your settings to make it more likely for Events to occur, but there are issues with it. 1) It does not tell you which Event it thinks it found for you or the initial pre-requisites, even if it's one you've started before. 2) It does not guarantee the involved characters will have the roles you need, or take the action you need them to do to trigger the event. 3) It does not guarantee that you or the involved characters will last long enough to complete the event, so you may fail them due to the RNG being out of your control. I think this is the main reason this game isn't more popular, especially since you will likely need 100+ loops to complete the game. My suggestion is to not restart the loop, even if you fail it, because I've noticed the game starts putting some guardrails in place if you trigger then fail the event multiple times, like having the Guardian Angel always choose to protect you or outright removing the requirement to view an initial scene you've already gotten.

Overall, I'd recommend giving this a try if you like mystery, sci-fi, logic puzzles, or even just playing Werewolf.

[lovesongbracket]

Reminder: Vote based on the song, not the artist or specific recording! The tracks referenced are the original artist, aside from a few rare cases where a cover is the most widely known.

Lyrics, videos, info, and notable covers under the cut. (Spotify playlist available in pinned post)

A Thousand Years

Written By: Christina Perri & David Hodges

Artist: Christina Perri

Released: 2011

Alternate version included: A Thousand Years Pt. II feat. Steve Kazee, 2012

“A Thousand Years” is about an eternal love. It was written by Christina Perri, specifically for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 soundtrack. Christina Perri explained her inspiration for writing the song in a 2012 interview. She said “The producers came to me in 2011 and said, ‘can you write a song for Breaking Dawn – Part 1?’ So I went and saw the film six months before it came out, and wrote ‘A Thousand Years’ for Edward and Bella. I’m not a vampire, even though I wish I was, but I tried to step into their love story.”

[Verse 1] Heart beats fast Colors and promises How to be brave? How can I love when I'm Afraid to fall? But watching you stand alone All of my doubt Suddenly goes away somehow [Pre-Chorus] One step closer [Chorus] I have died every day waiting for you Darling, don't be afraid, I have loved you For a thousand years I'll love you for a thousand more [Verse 2] Time stands still Beauty in all she is I will be brave I will not let anything Take away What's standing in front of me Every breath Every hour has come to this [Pre-Chorus] One step closer [Chorus] I have died every day waiting for you Darling, don't be afraid I have loved you for a thousand years I'll love you for a thousand more And all along I believed I would find you Time has brought your heart to me I have loved you for a thousand years I'll love you for a thousand more [Bridge] One step closer One step closer [Chorus] I have died every day waiting for you Darling, don't be afraid I have loved you for a thousand years I'll love you for a thousand more And all along I believed I would find you Time has brought your heart to me I have loved you for a thousand years I'll love you for a thousand more

Tainted Love

Written By: Ed Cobb

Artist: Soft Cell

Released: 1981

Originally recorded by: Gloria Jones, 1965

Soft Cell’s 1981 synth-pop hit “Tainted Love” is a remake of a 1964 Gloria Jones song. Jones’ song was a B-side to “My Bad Boy’s Comin’ Home,” a Motown single that flopped. Jones’ “Tainted Love” blew up in the UK’s Northern soul scene in the ’70s after British club DJ Richard Searling bought a used copy on a trip to the US. After “Tainted Love” got a boost from the Northern soul scene, Gloria Jones recorded a new version in 1974, but it failed to chart. When Soft Cell decided to give the song a go in 1981, they changed the key and slowed the tempo. They worked with producer Mike Thorne to create the electronic arrangement for the song. Thorne told Sound on Sound: “You could smell the coke on that second, Northern soul version, it was really so over-ramped and so frantic. It was good for the dance floor, but I didn’t like the record…when Soft Cell performed the song I heard a very novel sound and a very nice voice, so off we went.”

[Intro] [Verse 1] Sometimes I feel I've got to Run away I've got to Get away From the pain you drive into the heart of me The love we share Seems to go nowhere And I've lost my light For I toss and turn I can't sleep at night [Chorus] Once I ran to you (I ran) Now, I'll run from you This tainted love you've given I give you all a boy could give you Take my tears and that's not nearly all Oh, tainted love Tainted love [Verse 2] Now, I know I've got to Run away, I've got to Get away You don't really want any more from me To make things right You need someone to hold you tight And you think love is to pray But I'm sorry, I don't pray that way [Chorus] Once I ran to you (I ran) Now, I'll run from you This tainted love you've given I give you all a boy could give you Take my tears and that's not nearly all Oh, tainted love Tainted love [Bridge] Don't touch me please I cannot stand the way you tease I love you, though you hurt me so Now, I'm gonna pack my things and go [Chorus] Tainted love, oh, tainted love, oh Tainted love, oh, tainted love, oh [Outro] Touch me, baby, tainted love Touch me, baby, tainted love Tainted love, oh Tainted love, oh Tainted love

[purgemarchlockdown]

for the milgram ask game!!! i looked through your answers but if anything repeats im sorry😭

9,10,11 - kazui

15,16 - amane

9,10,15,16 - muu

Its alright! Everytime someone sends me an ask for an ask game my power grows...

Kazui:

9. do you forgive/not forgive their crime on its own?

Hm, well, gonna be honest I'm not super sure what his crime is now. I know what I find the most interesting storytelling wise but Kazui is also a Lying Liar Man.

If were referring to specifically lying to his wife...I think id forgive him...I think.

Like its a horrible fucking thing to do but...I understand that "if you just lie it'll be Fine Eventually" mindset pretty well. I see how he got here. Still: Horrible thing to do! Im a bit conflicted here! I should have an easier time with this considering characters who I've forgiven before but damn, me not being really sure what he did is Getting To Me.

Though its also (presumably) NOT ACTUALLY MURDER and I know law isnt a big deal here but ALSO I dont think he should be tortured and possibly given the death penalty for this, yknow? Bit Much I Think.

10. is the answer to the previous question different from your vote(s) on the character themselves (do you vote them based on anything else aside from the crime)?

My forgiven gets a bit stronger if thats the case? I vote him forgiven because of a lot of things. For example: Even if I didn't like his character so much Id have forgiven him for Amane's sake...

11. what are your favorite points about their story and the narrative surrounding them?

I Love It When Characters are Horribly Resigned To Their Situations!!!! "Tragedy Enjoyers when The Tragedy Happens" Moment Fr. Kazui's super interesting to me since he's basically...given up. He's given up on getting anything he wanted and he has horrible self-loathing and is just resigned to never being really Happy, and yet he still Wants and that Wanting is already "bad" no matter if he acts on it or not.

Jupiter: But if it's only what I feel inside that matters, what am I supposed to do? I can't stop that kind of touch.

(this is an ask I get to put in appropriate quotes from Jupiter)

He's unsatisfied and disillusioned and self-destructive and it be so much easier if he was just...not "like this". Whatever This is. His family seems to be very traditional overall too and there's a lot of discussion going on about societal normal and standards.

Also also! His relationship with love fucks me up, both him and Mahiru's. It's like an obligation of sorts. Something that makes them more marketable and presentable. Their love can feel so...impersonal as a result if that makes sense. Like it's just a quota they need to fill.

Even Mahiru's actually! It's weird to think about considering how loud Mahiru is about it but there's something so vaguely impersonal about Mahiru's love. Like "This is how to be in love with you" as a title plays off that in a way. The other person doesn't get to put any input into it, this is how your Supposed to be loved.

Kazui's relationship with love is so interesting to me as a result, it's so performative and is used for his own Marketability as a person. I'm still obsessed about how Kazui and Mahiru portray love as something that is sold to people-

Plus all of this gives him some Fun Parallels with the other cat person he's paired up with. It's interesting to see how both of them deal with being perceived as inherently sinful in some way and against societal norms.

I dunno I just think Kazui is super interesting! He's an interesting fella!

Amane:

15. what do you think of their voice?

I love how she sounds so much! She can sound so happy and cheeky and sweet in one moment and then ominous, angry and downright terrifying the next. Her VA is great, Tanaka Minami does such a fantastic job as her. Amane can sound so very different and yet still sound like Her. Compare Animal to Positive Parade or Magic to Purge March and even though they sound so different they still sound like Her! Magic's mostly consistent tone and emotions making it feel restrained and carefully presented vs Purge March's various different emotions and tones and just how Different it can sound depending on the part is So cool! She can go from angry to sad to bitter to defeated to joyfully ecstatic and all of those at once!

Like at the end of Purge March, Amane always sounds like she's at the verge of crying to me. The emotional catharsis was so very real there!!! It's so good!!! It's so good!!!!

16. how do you think they actually sing in regular life?

Once again directing people to how Amane seems to be in Choir.

I know people who were in choir those people can Sing Alright. Out of everyone in the cast she is probably the most likely person to know how to actually sing properly. Plus I always think it's funny that Amane quietly calls the cult's music boring in an interrogation. I choose to believe she can Sing Really Well and that when she gets out of the cult she gets Really Into Metal.

In the wise words of my dad: "Metalheads are the happiest because we let out all our anger through the power of METAL!!!!!"

Muu:

9. do you forgive/not forgive their crime on its own?

I Do Not Forgive Her! Sorry Muu but the Consequences of your Actions are here! I know you have a lot of problems and that the murder seems actually pretty impulsive overall but like...sorry Muu can't really forgive you if we're judging my your crime alone.

10. is the answer to the previous question different from your vote(s) on the character themselves (do you vote them based on anything else aside from the crime)?

Hmm, maybe? I still want to not forgive her honestly for some personal reasons but I do know that not forgiving her might not be the best decision overall...I dunno very conflicted I guess.

15. what do you think of their voice?

Kouri Arisa is a wonderful singer and I'm incredibly impressed with her vocals and acting. I don't have much to say on her compared to Amane but I love how she sounds so much. There's something kinda...floaty about it I guess? I dunno how to describe it, it's just sort of airy and whispery like, Muu is telling you a secret. I think it's really cool and it makes the parts where she sounds more confident and loud contrast really well.

It's so good I love it hhhhh-

16. how do you think they actually sing in regular life?

Decently I think? Like average overall. I think she knows a few songs by heart though and for those in particular she sounds really good.

[boysplanetrecaps]

Build Up, Episode 5: First Eliminations

Welcome back to the recap series that’s never early: BPR Recaps MNET’s Build Up! In the previous one, we covered the four performances that MNET chose not to cover. In this one, we’ll cover the elimination that took place in the middle of episode 5 and give some love to the ten eliminated contestants. Let's do it!

Here we see all our candidates for elimination. 

Top row: Donghyun, Sunyoul; Neon, Seunghwan from CIX; Bitsaeon from M.O.N.T., Jay; Seokhwa from WEi, Woong from AB6IX; Kim Sungjung the musical actor and Lee Gwangseok the freelance model.

Bottom row: Hong Sungjeong, Kim Seohyung; Taehwan from Vanner and Hong Sungwon; Trainee Park Joohee and Kwon Euibin; KNK’s Jeong Inseong and FAVE1’s Hyukjin; and Hwanhee from Up10tion and soldier Jo Hwanji.

The other 20 are safe. 

Of those twenty, if I could keep 10, I’d keep:

Jay

Bitsaeon from M.O.N.T.

Woong from AB6IX

Taehwan from Vanner

Neon

Hong Sungwon

Kwon Euibin

Jeong Inseong from KNK

Lee Hwanhee from Up10tion

Kim Seohyung

I don’t like having to choose though, and my heart would want to keep all of them. But those are the ten I’d pick if push came to shove. I’d especially feel sad about losing Donghun, Sunyoul, Seokhwa, and Hyukjin, because I’m worried about Donghun’s mental health, because Sunyoul and Seokhwa are super lovable dudes, and because Hyukjin’s path as an idol is extremely heartbreaking. But I just chose based on whose singing I want to hear again the most. 

So, this whole time, I’ve been wondering, how will the surviving 10 be chosen from those 20? I assumed that the fan voting would matter in some way, but nope, apparently, it’s the judges. Yeesh. Why is voting happening again, then? 

VCG, who is apparently the head judge, says that they’ve taken the situation seriously and discussed it carefully amongst themselves before they made a decision. Well, I should hope so.

The first survivor is someone who the judges say has an unfairly good voice, a different vibe, and a nice physique. That’s obviously Jay.

Everyone is just like, well, yeah, obviously. It would be pretty unfair if Jay was sent home after that performance, especially when his team outscored every other team except for the team they went up against.

Jay interviews, “I showed that I can sing pop music well, but next time I want to show them proper Korean style singing.” I mean, if you must.

Correctly, the judges also save Neon and Bitsaeon, both of whom did really well. And I’m not that mad that they also save Seunghun from CIX, especially since the fan vote for him is strong. But I'd have saved someone else when there are limited spots.

Bitsaeon interviews, “It wasn’t just Jay – I thought I also showed something in that performance.” You did, Bit, don't worry. Jay interviews that Bitsaeon also being chosen to survive lifted a weight off his shoulders. 

The next person they’re going to save is someone who made a mistake, but Solar says that the judges wanted to hear his voice again anyway. They tease us that it might be Seokhwa...

... but of course it isn't. Who else could it be but wild horse Lee Gwangseok? I just knew the judges would save him. They also save Park Joohee, despite his crying moment. 

Musical actor and Best Sweater winner Hong Sungwon interviews that as the names are being called (and his isn’t,) he feels like he’s being shot. “One person, bang. Second person, bang.”

The next two people the judges are saving are (1) someone with a unique voice and (2) someone else with a pretty low-pitched voice: Sunyoul and Kim Seohyung. I can’t be mad at them saving Sunyoul, as he also has a great voice and I find him particularly lovable. And I had Seohyung on my list too, so again, decent choice. 

Neither of them can believe it.

Sunyoul interviews that it’s hard to be happy since Donghun’s name hasn’t been called. (No loyalty to Hwanhee? I don't notice the two of them interacting much.)  But then the ninth name is called, and it’s Donghun! Again, I’m not mad at it – Donghun also has a great voice.

As for the tenth survivor, they say it’s someone who hasn’t shown his talent yet, so they’ve decided to give him another chance. We see the judges discussing it, and Solar says, “Regardless of the skill level, there are people who attract the audience.” Oh, so we’re picking an idol, I guess? VCG wonders what would happen if this person teamed up with a different guy? (Throughout, the translation says “friend” because they’re saying “chingoo”, but a better translation would be “guy” instead of "friend".)

And I mean, it’s obviously Woong. For one thing, the previews have shown him in the next portion of the show, and for another, the description fits really well – a popular idol who has more talent than what he’s shown and should be teamed up with different people. And sure enough, they call Woong. 

I'm glad, because I actually really like Woong's singing voice a lot and agree with the judges that he hasn't really shown it yet. He bows to everyone and vows to do his best.

So, here are the ten survivors.

So, the ten eliminated guys are still great vocalists and took the time to be on your show and do their best, so obviously the least MNET could do is give them a chance to give a brief goodbye speech.

Oh, wait, sorry, I'm getting word that... no. No, MNET is not doing that. No, instead they've decided to... what's that? oh yes, I understand now. They're just going to NEVER SHOW THE OTHER TEN GUYS EVER AGAIN.

So we lost Seokhwa, our leaping lizard Kim Seongjeong, Hong Seongjun from BDC, smiley Taehwan from Vanner, Hong Sungwon of the ombre blue sweater, Kwon Euibin, Jeong Inseong from KNK, Hyukjin from Fave1, Lee Hwanhee from Up10tion, and Jo Hwanji the soldier.

Ok, let’s talk some math for a bit. A few “ifs” to explore…

If...

they had just chosen the top fifteen teams based on scores, rather than having this rivalry thing, then the ten eliminated candidates would have been (and I’ll put the ones who didn’t really get eliminated in bold):

Lim Junhyeok and Yeo One

Taehwan from Vanner and Sungwon of the blue sweater

Hyukjin and Inseong

Hwanhee and Hwanji

Seokhwa and Woong 

This would have meant keeping the following guys who we didn’t actually get to keep:

Kim Seongjung, the leaping lizard

Hong Seongjun from BDC

Kwon Euibin

I would have been sad to lose Woong, but it would have been worth it to keep Kwon Euibin, and I think both Kim Seongjung and Hong Seongjun are stronger singers than either Lim Junhyeok or Yeo One. 

If...

they had decided the rounds based on average score, throwing out one high score and one low score, then Taehwan and Sungwon would have won their round. (All other results would have been the same.) 

If....

Team Hwan-hee-ji had challenged Seokhwa and Woong, and the maknae had gone up against Sanghyun and Taewoo, then team Hwanheeji would have won and the maknae would have lost. 

Ok, that's enough "ifs" for now.

It’s a bummer that any of them have to go home. It’s especially galling that Inseong, Hyukjin, Hwanhee, and Jo Hwanji not only get sent home like this, but also didn’t get to have their performance really shown. I hope that the experience of being on the show was ok for all of them, and that every one of them finds a nice soft place to land. And let’s all try to support them in whatever they do next, ok?

I’m really going to miss Taehwan’s smile, but luckily I can watch Vanner MVs any time I want. Here is Vanner performing Adore U (my favorite song by Seventeen) live in Busan. Their mics are ON. 

If you’d like to give Hyukjin a stream, his group’s latest single has only 4,733 views at time of writing. The video was shot on (I assume) an Iphone 5, at a warehouse near a train station (I assume). Let’s all give him a stream or two, ok? If everyone who reads my recaps watches their video, we could get that total up to maybe 4,740 or something. That’d be awesome! And here's Hyukjin's Instagram.

If you want to check out KNK to support Inseong, here's the song of theirs I remember hearing a few times in the past -- Sunset. It's full on house music, if you like that kind of thing. I do.

If you want to check out BDC to support Hong Seongjun -- I mean, the group is basically disbanded (I think they might still perform in Japan?) but he might get residuals -- my favorite song of theirs is Moon Rider.

If you want to check out WEi to support Seokhwa, my favorite song of theirs is Spray.

If you want to check out Up10tion, I will again say that I really like their song Spin Off. And here is Hwanhee's instagram -- at least, I think it's his. It has a blue check.

Here's a performance of Kwon Euibin on a previous show. He talks 10x more on this show than he does on Build Up. Turns out he used to be a baseball player, but he kept getting injured and got interested in music while he was rehabbing.  Then he sings Tomboy by Hyukoh, the same song that was done in the Pre-4 mission round of Build Up. He sounds great! And here's his Instagram, teasing an upcoming single.

Here's a performance of Jo Hwanji singing a year ago or so. He's wearing a military outfit here too, and singing to a group of soldiers. His MyDrama List page has this photo of him with longer hair, which blows my mind for some reason.

I found what I think is his Spotify page if you want to check it out.

Kim Sungjung and Hong Sungwon are both musical actors, meaning that they perform in live theater in Korea, and I couldn't find any social media or anything for them. If you find some, let me know!

So, that's it for now. In the next one, I'm going to award some BRAPPIES! Something to look forward to. See you soon!