#absolutely the breakout star of the event

[luvhughes43]

presidential escort | trevor zegras x reader

luvhughes43 masterlist🌷

request: Trevor Zegras x Mexican!reader where she’s the daughter of a famous singer and actress in Mexico. Reader is also a famous actress and slowly making a name for herself in the US. Her and Trevor meet at like a charity event and she’s taking him home to meet her family and when they’re at the airport he’s shocked to see that him and reader practically need a presidential escort out because of how many people showed up at the airport to see her once word got out that she was coming home. Like Trevor knew reader was famous but he didn’t realize how loved her and her mother are.

word count: 1.3k

you couldn't remember a time where you hadn’t been in the limelight. you were used to the harsh light of the camera as hundreds flashed in your direction, and the symphony of excited shouts and screams that all called your name. your mother was and is an iconic actress and singer in mexico, and so you and your family have always been in the public's interest. you easily followed into your mothers footsteps as you carved your name into hollywood and across the world. 

your big break in the hollywood came with your lead role in a massively successful disney film. you were this year's breakout star, and therefore were invited to every charity and red carpeted event.

“y/n! over here!” your publicist ushered you away from the red carpet. she pulled you aside, quickly explaining to you how the press for this event was going to work. “there's a rep from the anaheim ducks who’s going to do a quick interview-” you nod along to her words, already used to how these charity events work. 

it was not less than a minute later that you were standing in front of a gorgeous boy with a microphone in his hands. “uh, im trevor!” the boy introduced himself clumsily. it was clear he had absolutely no experience in the world of interviewing. 

“hello, im y/n!” you smiled at trevor and watched as his cheeks burned a brilliant shade of red.

“im uh, clearly not used to being the one interviewing people” he said sheepishly, hand coming up to run through his hair. 

“maybe start with asking a question,” you prompt him, giggling quietly as you look at how dumbfounded trevor looked.

“yeah, that's probably a good idea,” trevor nodded, “uh so ! y/n what's like… your favourite memory of being an actress?” “my favourite memory…. i love walking onto the completed sets and seeing everyone in costume and makeup… it's so cool to see everything come together after only reading scripts. seeing everything put together for (your film) was so surreal.” you gave your real answer before messing with trevor. “but… talking to you has also been really fun! I think you should become an interviewer,” you smiled cheekily up at trevor who once again blushed.

the rest was history after that interview. before moving onto the next interviewer, you asked trevor to see his list of interview questions. when he passed the sheet over to you, you wrote your number down for him to call. he called you the very next day. 

7 months later…

trevorzegras

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trevorzegras summer lovin’

tagged: ynoffical

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ynoffical my favourite interviewer🫶

trevorzegras my favourite actress!❤️

jackhughes finally ig official

user11 HES DATING YN LN???

user67 HELLOOOO?? 

user99 bro is just casually dating yn ln

user31 who is she?

user99 an iconic mexican actress. she comes from a super well known family. her mom is also an insanely popular actress and singer

user52 MOTHERRRRR ynoffical i love u😫🙏🙏

ynoffical

liked by trevorzegras, jackhughes, _alexturcotte, and others

ynoffical my boy ❤️

tagged: trevorzegras

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trevorzegras my girl❤️

trevorzegras love you

ynoffical i love you

jackhughes cant believe u decided to date him im ngl

ynoffical hes charming idk what else to say !

user44 this hard launch omggg😓😓🙏

user01 now post a selfie we dgaf about trevor ! user88 YN YN YN

user92 TREVOR???

a few months into dating and your family in mexico were already asking you to bring trevor home to meet him. with it now being off season, and you being in between projects, you had some free time to make the trip to visit your family. 

you had tried to warn trevor about your family's level of fame, but no amount of stories or video proof could really explain the insane pull your family had with the public. 

trevor held your hand tightly as you two exited the plane. “are you nervous?” you questioned him lightly, staring up at him to see his genuine reaction. trevor smiled down at you before nodding. “what if your family doesn’t like me?” 

“they’ll love you,” you easily reassure trevor in the short amount of time you have before you need to step outside and find your car. you squeeze his hand three times, and then your designated airport security guard ushers you further through the airport. 

“Y/N! Y/N!”

“Y/N L/N OVER HERE!!!”“Y/N!!!” 

you heard the crowd before you saw them. luckily, your mom had sent her security to the airport once she caught wind that your flight details were leaked to the public. her security joined you at baggage claim, and trevor looked at you in shock. he knew you were from a very famous family, but he didn’t anticipate all the screaming fans and glaring flashes of the camera as they tried to photograph you two in the airport. 

“your car is waiting outside Ms. L/n” one of the security guards spoke and you nodded in response. 

“are you ready trev?” you asked, taking a minute to gauge his reaction to the crowd he no doubt heard screaming too. Trevor was tense. his shoulders were pulled back and he was standing straight, something he did when he was nervous. trevor nodded to your question but you knew he was lying. “It's okay to be nervous there's a lot of people,” you easily reassured your boyfriend who let out a breath. he nodded a few times, before seemingly relaxing.

“hold my hand again?” trevor asked, holding his hand back out to you. you easily take his hand and bring it up to your lips. 

“okay, we can go out now,” the security guard from before motions for the other guards to be alert as you begin to go outside to your car. 

“YNNN!!!” 

everyone was shouting your name, you and trevor were being blinded by the flashes of cameras, and you swore you had never seen a larger crowd in all of your life. with you being gone in the usa for the past two years, yours and your families fandom in mexico were going crazy over your return. 

“there's so many people!” trevors shocked voice was loud in your ear as he leaned down so you would hear him. before you could respond, the crowd started to shift as they pushed against the barrier that was separating them from you. all of the security guards were quick to step into action as they pushed against the crowds and blocked them with their bodies. 

you gripped trevor's hand tighter as you quickened your pace to the car that you were less than a foot away from.

as soon as you and trevor were in the car, and the doors were closed, trevor laughed. “that was insane!!” he giggled, looking out his window. “babe, there are so many people here! like i know you said you had a lot of fans but this…” he trailed off, looking at the rows and rows of people who were still screaming your name.

“SUV 1 you can drive,” your driver said into his phone. 

“there's more than one car??” trevor exclaimed, now looking ahead through the front window as a black car started pulling ahead. you couldn't help but smile at his astonishment. “this is literally like a presidential escort… OH baby look!” trevor's voice was loud with excitement as he started to point at various things in the crowds. 

fans were holding posters with your face on it, there were various posters of your mom as well… trevor couldn't believe what he was seeing. 

“this is crazy!” trevor gushed again, detailing every little thing that he was seeing in the crowd to you. he had never seen anything like this before. 

trevorzegras

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trevorzegras had the most insane time in mexico with my love

tagged: ynoffical

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ynoffical ❤️❤️

ynoffical i had the best time with you

trevorzegras ❤️

jackhughes i wanna go next time ynoffical 

ynoffical i'll book the tickets👩‍💻

user42 okay but is he mom approved? ynoffical

ynoffical she absolutely loves him

user33 u guys look so good im cryinggg😭😭🫶

user77 CUTIESSS

user21 i got to see u guys at the airport! yn was stunning🫶🫶

liked by trevorzegras

you couldn't have dreamed of a better trip. you got to show trevor all around your hometown, and he got to meet your family who were all so excited to meet the boy you were always talking about. you couldn't wait for the next time you got to go home to mexico again.

#trevor zegras x reader #trevor zegras imagine #trevor zegras fluff #trevor zegras fic #nhl fanfiction #nhl blurb #nhl imagine #nhl fic

[d-criss-news]

Video: Little Shop of Horrors' Darren Criss on How Howard Ashman Is His 'Roman Empire'

Following his first week of performances as Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors Off-Broadway, Darren Criss (sporting perfectly thematic lime green nail polish) took the time to chat with Playbill about his endless enthusiasm about the role—plus, his musings on the brilliance of the academic undertones of the show's story being set to a timelessly catchy score. 

"I'm just pleased as punch to be part of the legacy that is this show, not just this production, but the legacy that everybody [has] known since the 1980s," Criss shared in his interview with Playbill. 

Prior to his breakout role on the musical television series Glee, Criss was known by his fans not only for his part in pioneering the viral theatre company StarKid Productions, but his YouTube covers of Alan Menken-Howard Ashman standards. For nearly two decades, Criss' deep admiration for the Ashman-Menken theatrical canon has been evident. "It's a very special show because of Howard Ashman. His fingerprint is such a huge part of my own relationship to creativity and he's been a north star in my life for as long as I can remember. As the kids say, he's my Roman Empire," Criss says, referring to a viral TikTok trend where users share the historical event they contemplate at least once a day. And now Criss is singing Menken and Ashman's songs eight times a week at the Westside Theatre, opposite longtime friend Evan Rachel Wood as Audrey.

While the Emmy winner, in some ways, admits that this long-awaited opportunity feels surreal, he is also confident in his ability to handle the material. "As a lover and ravenous consumer of the Ashman-Menken legacy, I have put in the hours of absolutely loving and being invigorated by this stuff stuff that it stands to reason that I could be here. It is surreal, but it also makes perfect sense," he shares.

With such a long-established and beloved role, countless performers have had the opportunity to leave their mark on the role of Seymour, and each interpretation offers infinite possibilities within the larger mold of the character. For Criss, his take on the character is rooted in theatre history.

"In the past few years—I don't know if it's a coincidence, and I don't know what it says about me—I seem to have played a lot of guys that are willing to do anything for greatness," muses Criss. "This is an ancient tale. I think people forget that Little Shop, for all its fun and catchiness, is a Faustian tale. All that very academic stuff is baked into this cake and I think that's why Howard Ashman was a genius. He could really toe that line between academia and accessibility...It is very smart, as fun as it is."

To see Criss' full interview with Playbill's Jeffrey Vizcaíno, watch the video above.

Criss joined the hit Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors at the Westside Theatre January 30. Wood and Criss succeeds Constance Wu and Corbin Bleu, who played their final performances in the long-running revival January 28.

Criss came to global fame on the Ryan Murphy musical television series Glee, and since appeared on Broadway in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and most recently, American Buffalo. He is an Emmy winner and Golden Globe winner for portraying murderer Andrew Cunanan in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.

#darren criss #playbill #little shop of horrors bway #little shop of horrors #press #video #feb 2024

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 06/01/2024

Wario's Hampster Mine

Season 6 Featured on: SiIvaGunner's Highest Quality Rips: Volume DQ

Credited to Wario

Requested by MtH! (@mth-emma)

It really has been fascinating to follow SiIva's timeline of events, and in the process also follow the timeline of what comes in and out of fashion with that certain demographic of internet users. During Season 3, with the original King for a Day Tournament, the clear breakout star was Unregistered Hypercam 2, and his setlist of immensely charming sources all meant to evoke the earliest of times on YouTube. I've covered my affection for plenty of these on the blog already - YACKER TOILET, Never Gonna Give Up Mahjong, Unregistered CyberSpace 4-5: Arrow of 2009 and THIS. IS. SOLEANNA. have together pretty much covered most bases of Hypercam's particular brand of rips.

Yet...there was one song that was suspiciously missing - one that, even in my time exploring this old age of the internet that I was just shy of participating in, I hadn't really heard before. This is the Hampster Dance, and Wario's Hampster Mine.

It's kind of nuts to think that The Hampster Dance's origins as a meme precede the shift of the millennium - its often cited as one of the earliest memes ever made, and was originally just a joke website playing a sped-up Disney song with a bunch of Hamsters. But, that was enough to grab people's attention, the sheer force of "SO RANDOM!!" humor turned the site into an internet-wide in-joke, and in the year 2000 we'd get an official Hampsterdance theme, based on the site's original 7-second looping music. A meme had officially been born, and exploded in popularity.

The King for a Day Tournament was over five years ago at this point, yet it to me was the first sign that nostalgia for the old internet was going to become a very real thing - the novelty that Hypercam introduced has now become an immensely popular aesthetic, and its one that I'm very much a fan of. Hell, it was thanks to this new uptick in popularity - thanks to rips like Wario's Hampster Mine - that I even learned what the Hampster Dance meme was. Despite being such a crucial piece of early internet history, it had completely slipped me by until Season 6, and the 22nd anniversary of the official theme's creation. SiIva celebrated the occasion with an event filled with rips like this one, and it was an immensely fun time.

Of course, I mainly covered this one for being a request, but I'd probably have picked this rip from the event as well due purely to my Mario Kart Wii bias. Wario's Gold Mine is an absolute banger of a track in every sense of the word and already has such an inherently silly energy to it, that it only made sense to be arranged in this fashion. And, yeah - though I don't know who exactly to thank to it, the arrangement is very well done, in line with the spirit of the original meme whilst still following every part of Wario's Gold Mine seamlessly. Its a truly excellent tribute to perhaps the oldest of internet shitposting culture, the seed that would eventually bloom into the random, zany, silly internet culture of the early 2000s. The one that helped start it all.

#todays siivagunner #season 6 #siivagunner #siiva #ripper unknown #wario #wario's gold mine #mario kart wii #mario #mario kart #mario music #mkwii #hampster #hampsterdance #hampster dance #hamster dance #hamster #old internet #2000s internet #cringecore #cringe culture is dead #Youtube #Bandcamp

[secretsolarsystem]

I would love to see an actor+Obikin au from you. I loved the interviews ewan and Hayden agve us an I would love to see Anakin and Obi-Wan in the modern world or any other world being actors. Do you think they would like each other?

bestie thank you sm for your patience...obviously got this a hot minute ago BUT!!! I am happy to say I have a short little something for you <3

this is inspired both by my refusal to let my time doing oral history go to waste and the fact that Ewan and Hayden are Aries men (it's actually only briefly mentioned but I think it's something we as a community need to acknowledge)

so pls enjoy this 1.5k modern au, actors au, my oral history skills have struck again! >:D mwahahahaha, welcome to my headcannon that Obi-Wan would absolutely be an Elton John stan, "we're both gay and british" !!! :D

–

This week, the Coruscant Sun was lucky enough to snag interviews with the main cast of the new film coming later this year, Luminous Beings. Ever since the trailer dropped last week, giving audiences riveting teasers of action, romance, and a story sure to keep viewers on the edge of their seats, no one can stop talking about how much they can’t wait to see this star-studded movie.

Although, star-studded may not be the only thing this cast is – could they perhaps also be star-crossed? As the Sun sat down with leading lady Padmé Amidala and breakout actor Ahsoka Tano, we couldn’t help but ask what everyone else has been chomping at the bit to know: what is the deal with Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi?

Ever since the press tour began, fans couldn’t help but speculate that the relationship between Skywalker and Kenobi may be more than professional. With lingering glances, smitten smiles, and familiar touches, it seems these two may have stepped out of their characters as friends and work partners and have become more-than-friends and perhaps even partners, sans ‘work.’

Here’s what Amidala had to say on the matter in her exclusive interview with the Sun last week:

CS: Can you tell us about the dynamics of the cast? You’re working with a familiar face, aren’t you?

PA: Yes! It’s so nice to work with Anakin again. You can tell he’s grown so much since that short film last year. I mean, if he hadn’t, he wouldn’t be the lead of a full-length feature, right? He’s brought a new depth of emotion to his acting, but he’s still his charming, goofy self when we’re not rolling. Always playing pranks on everyone, doing silly stunts and getting himself hurt…It’s never a dull moment with Anakin, to be sure.

CS: We’re just as happy to see you two reunite! Have you made any new friends on set?

PA: I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I do think I’ve become really great friends with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Of course I’ve seen his work and seen him at events and such, before but to work with him has been such an honor. He brings so much to this film aside from his name: his grace, his knowledge, his understanding of the inner workings of movies and their characters. I think he’s really elevated everyone’s work without stifling anyone’s interpretation. And outside of work, he’s just amazing. So many stories, and – don’t tell anyone I told you this – he’s really good at karaoke.

CS: Oh, you have to tell us more.

PA: All I’ll say is he’s a big Elton John fan.

CS: So when are we getting an Obi-Wan Kenobi and Elton John collab?!

PA: [laughs]

CS: While we’re on the subject of these co-stars of yours, we’ve got to ask: do you know anything about what’s going on between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi?

PA: Oh you have to ask, do you?

CS: [laughs] The readers will have our heads if we don’t!

PA: [laughs] Oh, I believe you. I’m afraid it isn’t my place to speculate on what they do outside of work, but there is a sort of magic between them when we’re on set. It’s like they’re each a half of the same mind. When one suggests a line change, the other has a new line in response in seconds. When one tries changing up the blocking, the other meets them move for move. And Anakin, you know, is a bit newer to the acting scene, and you can see him just absorbing every word of advice and praise Obi-Wan has for him. Obi-Wan, too, is eager to not only encourage Anakin throughout filming, but learn a thing or two himself. You can tell they genuinely respect each other and like working together, which has made the overall process of working all together really wonderful.

CS: So they’re all smiles when they’re together? That’s very cute, wouldn’t you say?

PA: Sometimes it’s cute, sometimes it’s nauseating.

CS: [laughs]

Later that week, we managed to sit down with Ahsoka Tano to discuss her first ever movie role. Of course, though, we had to ask the young star what she thought about the rumors surrounding Skywalker and Kenobi.

CS: You’re working with some pretty big actors for your first ever movie. That must be exciting!

AT: It is, and everyone’s been so welcoming and helpful. Anakin’s become a sort of older brother, always looking out for me but ‘making sure I stay humble’ – which is his nice way of saying he can pick on me, but no one else can.

CS: [laughs]

AT: And Padmé’s been so nice. She’s someone I can really confide in and go to for advice about a lot of things, acting-related or not. And Obi-Wan – he’s the best, but also intimidating.

CS: Intimidating?

AT: I mean, not in the way most people think, I guess. He does come to work on a motorcycle in a leather jacket and all that, but the second he’s not on his bike he’s in big sweaters and he wears these ridiculous glasses when reading over the script. But I guess because of his experience and the faith he puts in us as colleagues, you just really don’t want to let him down.

CS: Wow, that’s a lot of pressure to put on yourself, especially as someone who’s starting out.

AT: Yeah, but like you said, I’m putting it on myself.

CS: Do you think any of your co-stars feel similarly?

AT: I think Padmé’s always been sure of herself and her skills, which I really admire. Anakin is the cockiest guy you’ll ever meet, but I can see him looking for Obi-Wan’s approval a lot.

CS: Speaking of which, what do you think of the two of them? Of their dynamic?

AT: Well, first thing’s first: both of them are Aries men. So it’s utter chaos with either of them around, and it’s just impossible when they’re together.

CS: Oh? What makes them so ‘impossible’ together?

AT: When they’re getting along, it’s disgusting. All their smiles and the whispers in each other’s ears to make the other laugh, the way Anakin will rest his chin on Obi-Wan’s shoulder to read over the script in Obi-Wan’s hands even though Anakin has his own copy, the way they have to sit on the same end of the couch, even if no one else is sitting on it.

CS: That sounds pretty adorable.

AT: I think it’s gross, but I haven’t even gotten to when they aren’t getting along. They’re equally stubborn, even if Anakin goes hot where Obi-Wan goes cold. When they disagree about something, you do not want to be in the same room as them. Anakin yells, sometimes he throws things. Obi-Wan gets this really severe look and tone, and can say some nasty things. It’s hard to watch, honestly- Oh shit, this is all on the record, isn’t it?

CS: It is, is that alright?

AT: Eh, I guess their lovers’ spats can be known beyond the set.

CS: ‘Lovers,’ you say?

AT: [rolling her eyes] Nice try. Ask them about that, ask me about my job.

Ouch, but fair enough. We’ve done our best to get these possible love birds to sit down and talk, and readers, we have succeeded! Be on the lookout for an exclusive Obi-Wan and Anakin – or ‘obikin’ as some devout believers have dubbed them – next week!

–

“Jesus, Snips,” Anakin groaned, resting his elbows on his knees and dropping his head into his hands. From where he sat next to him on the same end of the couch, Obi-Wan ran a soothing hand along his back.

“It’s really not so bad,” he tried, earning a muffled scoff from Anakin. “Really, what’s so bad?”

Bringing his head up, Anakin shot Obi-Wan a look of incredulity. “The way we’re always together? Our lovers’ spats? The way this paper claims we’re a couple and their interviews did nothing to dispute that?”

Laughing, Obi-Wan brought his hand up to caress Anakin’s cheek. “We’re not so subtle though, darling. We have to take some responsibility.”

Anakin pouted. “Never.” Rolling his eyes, Obi-Wan moved his hand to tug at Anakin’s shoulder until he was tucked under Obi-Wan’s arm, their temples pressed together. “I just…I like our little bubble, Obi-Wan. I don’t want it to burst yet. I don’t want this to not be just ours anymore.”

Running a soothing hand along Anakin’s arm, Obi-Wan turned to press a kiss to his hair before smiling. “Then we’ll just have to have some fun in our interview, won’t we?”

Pulling away, Anakin looked to Obi-Wan with wide eyes. “We don’t have to pretend to hate each other, do we? I’m a good actor, Obi-Wan, but I don’t know if I could pull that off. Well- No, I definitely could, I just don’t want to.”

“No, we don’t have to pretend to hate each other,” Obi-Wan assured. “We can just…Be our normal selves.”

“But that’s what got us in this mess,” Anakin frowned.

“We’ll be our normal selves,” Obi-Wan repeated, “but if they ask us anything, we don’t give a straight answer.”

Anakin’s frown deepened. “But if we’re our normal selves, they’ll think we’re dating.”

“But they won’t get confirmation that we are. Keep them guessing.”

A small smile started to form on Anakin’s face. “Why would we do that, Obi-Wan?”

Obi-Wan shrugged, smiling still. “It could be funny. Plus, it’ll be great press for the film.”

Now smiling fully, Anakin moved to straddle Obi-Wan, resting his hands on Obi-Wan’s shoulders while Obi-Wan’s rested on his waist. “Oh, Obi-Wan, I’m so lucky to have a friend and coworker as smart as you.”

Laughing loudly, Obi-Wan voiced his agreement before surging up to kiss Anakin’s smiling lips.

prompt collection on ao3

#to answer ur question...I think they'd bite each others heads off #sometimes out of anger sometimes from aggressive kissing :] #ask #prompt #my writing #obikin

[im-no-jedi]

3, 6, 13, 15, 16, 24, 29, 33, 39 for the Star Wars ask meme! GIVE ME ALL OF THE INFORMATION~!

aaaaaaaah so many numbers!! but I will GLADLY answer everything! 😁

3. Favorite character from the prequels: ANAKIN OF COURSE. I had a HUGE crush on him (and both of his actors) when I was younger. he quite quickly became my favorite character of all time after watching the original trilogy, so I have to say him for this 💙

6. Do you have any ships?: a few, yes!! mainly the ones that are canon, like Han/Leia, Cut/Suu, and Anakin/Padme, or ones that were semi-canon like Obi-Wan/Satine and Rey/Finn (despite what anyone says otherwise!!). there's also some that I wouldn't be mad about like Fennec/Boba and Din/Bo-Katan. my OTP though? Kanan/Hera. by FAR. like legit, that is one of my top OTPs in general. I love them so much 🥺💙

13. Would you want to be a Force user?: YES. VERY MUCH SO. being an empathetic and neurodivergent person, I often feel like I have "special powers" like Force users do. and who wouldn't want to be able to make stuff float all the time? (also, just sayin', if anyone has read any recent MLWTBB stuff, then this answer shouldn't be any surprise 😜)

15. Did you play any Star Wars video games?: yes!! I've played all the LEGO games and still play the newest one to this day 😁 also, the Podracer game for N64, Rogue Squadron for Gamecube (didn't care for that one though 😝), Battlefront 1&2 (2 is better!! and I LOVE the story for that one!!), and Squadrons! we owned both of the Force Unleashed games at one point, but I never tried playing them cause my bro said they were bad LOL. also, we own Fallen Order, but my bro said it's basically unplayable due to loading times, even on our PS5 😩

16. Have you read any Star Wars books?: only a few. I've read Phasma (my longest sigh ever 😞), Before The Awakening (the Poe story is the best!!), and some of the Breakout Squad books! I also have the first Poe Dameron comic, and LOTS of visual guides 😌

24. Would you want to be human, or from another species?: well I kept myself as human in MLWTBB so 😬 my favorite species are Devaronians though, so if I could be anything else, it would be that 😋

29. Which character doesn't get enough credit or screentime?: there's honestly a lot of characters I could put here, but I'm going to be completely biased and say Phasma and Crosshair. as much as I had... feelings about the Phasma book, herself as a character was one of the only interesting things in that entire story. she absolutely fascinates me and is such an interesting villain; that story really drives home just how cruel and selfish she is. also I just adore her and want to see more of her 😩🙏🏻 and I shouldn't even have to explain myself for Crosshair. he's one of the most interesting characters EVER created for SW. I want an entire series about that man. GIVE ME MORE OF HIM DANG IT 😤

33. Which movie have you watched the most?: honestly? it's probably The Phantom Menace. I've watched the original trilogy several times, but overall I'd say TPM has all three of those movies beat. mainly cause my bro liked to watch it as a kid haha

39. If you wrote a 'fix-it fic', what would you write about?: funny you should ask! I actually already am writing a fix-it fic! 😌 this isn't spoilers cause I've already talked about it before, but I'm changing Plan 99 for MLWTBB. despite wanting to keep that series as close to the show as possible, I simply can't remove Tech from the story. despite whatever might happen in season 3, Tech is making it out of Plan 99 in one piece. I've actually already written several chapters in this far-off future fic and have most of the rest of it planned out. idc if I have to completely alter the events of season 3 because of this, I refuse to lose my favorite nerd tyvm 😤 honestly, at this point, it's not even so much me condemning the choices of the writers, it's me showing grace and love to the character. Tech literally changed my life in the absolute best way possible, and I can't let anything bad happen to him because of that 🥺💙

#thank you for asking friend! 💙 #this was fun 😁 #star warz #powerovernothing #ask

[300iqprower]

I am so mad that Learning with Manga Assassin doesnt even get to be Her(?) Own playable unit. She just gets tacked on to a lowkey unnecessary 5 star version of Bunyan..... Like, Assassin and Rider were the only 2 I was kind of happy to get a Riyo event for but of course like every character I've wanted (Summer Kama, Koyanskaya) the monkeys paw curls 😭

yeah Assassin and Rider seemed to be the two everyone wanted (i wanted Rider that's for sure because I'm a fcking nerd who unironically took film studies in high school), so Delightworks pulled a Delightworks and went about in the greediest/dumbest way possible: By tacking them onto an SSR.

My theory for the REAL reason behind this is that one the "lore sticking points" for them, since there seems to every now and then be a piece of lore they absolutely refuse to go against despite constantly breaking other worldbuilding, was that afaik they've been very insistent that all the Learning With Manga servants are lorewise bronze rarity by their nature as throwaway gag characters (with some anti-western sentiment thrown in) But you can't make people pay over bronze rarity...Not yet anyways, give em time they already have Izo/Mori, Salieri, and Katsu's respective situations... The other Learning With Manga servants also dont have the same level of breakout popularity Bunyan specifically has.

So how can they engineer a new SSR Exclusive WhaleBait out of this?!

Well it's easy. Make all three a high servant that has Bunyan in control. Now they can say they TECHNICALLY did put more Riyo servants in AND they have an excuse to make a powercreeping SSR Exclusive alt of one of their breakout low rarity characters!

#fgo #fuck fgo #fuck delightworks #nasu is a sellout #riyo is a class traitor #fgo paul bunyan #never thought i'd get an ask

[sketchfanda]

A Little Moxxie Love:2 Squirrels and an Imp!!

Skullfuck Productions was an enigma to some, a production and publishing company for material of the adult entertainment variety, or to be more blunt and direct, they did porn. Porn of a very high quality at that, enough to have fans equally among the heterosexual and lgbt community alike in terms of its demographics and have established working partnerships with notable studios such as Double Z, owned and operated by the one and only Zigzag herself. It was said that SF Productions own CEO was an enigma, any to nobody but a select knew who he was or what he looked like but his fans and critics could agree on one thing. The man knew how to make some smut!!

Mr.Sketch as he was known of course, had more that his share of secrets and chief among them was that he wasn’t event human and his studio was based in Hell itself!! And every once so often he was always on the lookout for new talent or for his current roster crop to prove they had what it took to be sexy bitches and absolute unit studs. Especially at the monthly parties he’d host in his personal penthouse in the living world, which could be considered the lewd equivalent to Queen Bee-elzebub’s regular get togethers, a veritable sea of bodies human, demon and furry alike enjoying some good food and drink and a little casual consensual fun. It was also a good chance for regulars to more or less show off their talents and prove to the flaming skull headed head honcho they had what it took to be the next big thing for future projects.

Which of course brings us to the latest ongoing party and a dispute that was drawing quite a few eyes and ears for attention as a pair of squirrel babes were busy glaring at each other with such intensity thst if they were lasers? They’d have no doubt burned each other’s heads off, but what did you expect when it came to Marika and Sarita? The bimbo and the shortstack squirrel were both nympho sluts and proud of it, far as they were concerned God had blessed them with their bombshell bodies and the libidos to match but as Hughlander once said, there could be only one!! Yes indeed Marika and Sarita’s arguments were a regular occurrence at gatherings like this and naturally these disputes could only be settled by what could be called slut-offs!!

Among the guests eavesdropping and rubbernecking on this ongoing war of words between the nympho squirrels was Verosika Mayday herself, as ever in tow with her entourage of succu-bitches. Reclining like the boss slut she was on a couch with a drink in hand, (nothing liquor loaded of course, she promises, just some Shirley temples and Roy rogers) as she observed with a devious eye. Before turning to sneak a glance at one of the bodyguards she’d hired for extra security currently standing on either side of Tex in the form of Moxxie and Millie (Blitzo was willing to be reasonable for the high price his pop star ex was offering for this gig), the former to be exact who was looking as stylish and adorable as ever. Shooting a little wink and blowing a kiss his way at how shy he seemed at the current environment he was in, no doubt the casual sexual nature of the part and the near to full nude dress code was a it overwatch for him.

Millie of course had been beyond ecstatic and excited when she found out their job was being a security escort for the succubus pop idol at a party hosted by her favourite Smut provider. She was a fan of the works of Mr.Sketch’s body of work so the fact they were at a soirée like this with a chance to even see and meet him in person was a dream come true. Hence how and why Moxxie came along, he couldn’t disappoint his wife and cost her a chance to meet her personal fave writer and director so he was willing to endure being around so many bombshells. He figured the worst they’d have to deal with was a possible cat fight brawl set to breakout between the two squirrel babes, it was looking to be as unpretty as it sounded before Verosika suddenly spoke up, catching everyone’s attention as she tapped a fork against her glass.

Verosika:*Soon as she saw all eyes in her, Sarita and Marika included, she smiled as she spoke up.*”You know, if you really want to have a slut off, I know just the guy for the job…”*The succubus pop star gestured to Moxxie, much to the sweet possum’s equal parts shock and confusion.*”This little stud would be perfect for a game of endurance, first of you two fuzzy tailed hoes to outlast the other and milk him dry is the winner, and the boss man can decide the prize…” *Moxxie could only drop is jaw and not be able to muster a word at the fact Verosika was setting him up like this, feeling like he on a platform for a hangman’s noose when the two squirrel hotties turned their eyes on him. No doubt they were thinking of calling bullshit on him but nope, it was clear they were at their point of their argument where they’d take any kinky idea on board.*

Before he knew it, Marika and Sarita bother grabbed him by his cute little bow tie, Millie cheering her man on while Verosika shot him a wink and a smile as the party goers hooted and hollered knowing they’d be in for a show if they managed to find a monitor to view. Mr.Sketch had private rooms set up with hidden cameras for the voyeurs among his guests, after all you can’t host a party with porn stars and those of the sexually liberated persuasion and not expect a free show to happen. Moxxie soon finding himself in one such room as the squirrel hotties threw him onto the bed as Marika and Sarita battled to be the first to get him naked, starting with his pants. Not able to much but pray for his survival if these two’s combined libido would kill him.

Marika:*Face to face with Sarita as they were stripping The imp, throwing his coat, bow tie and shirt aside. Their efforts for his pants being offset by one another’s hands smacking and slapping each other away.*Back off bitch!! I get first dibs on this shrimp!! He’s gonna know heaven from me over a shorty like you!!”*The back and forth wasn’t helping Moxxie’s growing fear induced boner as the pair of stunner’s movements was making their big furry fits bounce and jiggle, risking inevitable nip slips from their bikini tops. Not to mention the overwhelming scents of their perfume was as intoxicating as the pheromones Verosika and her girls gave off, which was really wesring down his resistance.*

Sarita:”As if you wanna be!! A runt like this needs a real classy lady like me to get him off!! One round with my hand and tongue and he’ll be-!!”*Whatever Sarita was about to say next and any retort from Marika came to a halt as got Moxxie’s pants off, boxers and all as they beheld his fully nude body. Eyes wide as they felt their pussies gush and soak their things and thighs, looking in with erotic shock and awe at his imp cock in all its erect glory as inches of crimson red, veiny womb hammering pussy pounding fuckmeat pulsed and twitches as If sensing the presence of two very horny ladies. Suddenly it became clear to them why Verosika nominated this little dude as their personal judge for this slut-off as their hands grasped and began to stroke it. Making him groan and and shudder as their bimbo brains flipped switches off into full on horny mode, telling them to get right to having this slab of sexmeat rock their world.*

Which they certainly did as they got right to conducting fellatio upon Moxxie’s cock as they assaulted his length and girth with sloppy licks and kisses. Shifting between battling for control and dominance or just going with the flow and tolerating one another’s presence as they sucked and blew on his cock and balls, drowning them in their saliva. Lipstick marks designating their battle to claim this imp as territory as the imp could only groan against being caught between their competitive onslaught but he coild only handle snd endure so much. He wasn’t some sex toy they were going over using, he was a man damn it!!

Before Marika and Sarita knew it, they found him sitting up and grasping them firmly by the fur or hair in their sweet sexy little heads and proceed to unleash his pent up lusty frustration. Masacara tears flowing down their pretty faces as they found themselves on the receiving end of deep, powerful facefucking. Those heavy crimson balls slapping their chin as inches of his length and girth shoved and jackhammered into their mouths as he forced them to deepthroat it. Choking and gagging on it as flowing hearts began to form in their eyes at such assertion of dominance.

Marika has had her share of big cocks, certainly a fact and not an understatement especially ranging from partners with bodily sizes going big to small. From rhinos and dogs, particularly hellhounds to bulls and stallions and Moxxie was putting the latter two to shame and then some. Sarita much as she was loathed to admit was quite the size queen herself with a taste and presence for well endowed parters that could use her like a fleshlight and split her in half and yet the imp was definitely a whole new level for her. Their juices soaking their thongs and thighs with sticky warmth as their mouths and throats became an oral preview for what awaited their pussies.

But oh to say nothing of the flavour of his pre as it dazzled their tastebuds, making their nerves tingle with erotic delight. More so as their dominant little possum came and blew his load, showing their faces and ties and spraying into their mouths with his jizz. Gasping and moaning as they made out and snowballed, swapping the cream between them with a metal, shared sloppy desire. Gazing in awe at that saliva soaked alpha male imp dick as it twitched and pulsed, still hard and ready to go.

As the squirrel duo cleaned off one another, forgetting their mutual contempt for one another, they proceeded to remove their bikinis and things, exposing their tires and snatches before moxxie in all their furry naked glory. Brains having gone fully into bitch in heat mode as they began making out with the imp, caressing snd groping as they sandwiched his compact red frame between their warm furry figures. All the while hidden cameras within their private little love-nest broadcast and streamed this little threesome to a few select monitors scattered throughout the penthouse. First come first serve for those who wanted the best view of the action.

Marika”Aaahn, damn daddy….I can barely sandwich your whole slab here..You liking these big furry titties daddy? Aaahn You bitch..” *That last remark was directed to Sarita who was eating out her pussy while she gave Moxxie a titfuck. Hands clasped together with his as he thrust his shaft between her furry mounds, making her kiss and lick it whenever it reached her dicksucking lips. Sarita shooting a cheeky wink and a smile her way as she teased Marika for having such a tasty and pretty pussy gushing so much. Mutual as their lust was, they were still rivals.*

Sarita:”Oooh fuuuckfuckfuckfuck!, I’ve never felt this good before don’t stop fuck me me daddy! Fuck me hard, harder!!” *The high class squirrel slut cried out with little to no shame or sense of inhibition as she bounced on Moxxie’s jackhammering dick. Arms and legs draped around the imo as he performed a standing fuck, feet firmly planted on the mattress as his hands squeezed her juicy furry bubble butt. Marika kneeling and hugging their little stud judge from behind as her tits massaged and pressed against his back as she kissed and licked along his neck. Taking delight in seeing Sarits reduced to a total whore state.*

Marika:”Ooooh good dsddy I think I’m seeing heaven!!”*Not that she was any different or better herself of course as she was flat on her back, taking it from Moxxie in a mating press. Her ass feeling the force of those heavy balls smack against them as his cock jackhammered into her greedy snatch. Sarita laying behind them, lounging on her front as she licked and kissed where their loins met and connected. Her tail wagging sensually and seductively as she awaited her next turn while shaving her self some schaudenfraude at Marika’s expense.*

Sarita”aaahn you’ve cum so much and you’re still so hard…wreck me daddy…”*The shortstack squirrel pleaded as she laid on her back, head hanging off the edge of the bed as she found Moxxie shoving that addictive dick of his right into her mouth. Her mascara tear streaked face burning with her lust as her eyes twinkled with lust at those balls smacking her forehead. Her throat swelling from now deep and filling his cock was all the while Marika ate out her pussy as her bimbo arch rival returned the favour from before. An eye for an eye as they say,*

minutes passed into hours as Moxxie fucked the two squirrel sluts either one on one or two on one depending who had the need or not to catch their breath and recover their energy. Seated lotus to sideways spooning, to having one sit on his face as the other rode him cowgirl style to fucking one in missionary or doggy style as she ate the other girl out. Their fur becoming sleek and sticky with his cum, that is when it wasn’t being pumped down their throats, up their booties or filling up with wombs. Millie, Verosika and her crew among those who got a good monitor viewing spot as they enjoyed their man prove himself an absolute sexual unit, and they weren’t the only notable figures watching, for in the private room of the host himself at this moment….

Sketch:”I want a name to go with that face and find out where he lives. A guy like that is too good to pass up, GET!! ME!! THAT IMP!!”*The skullheaded smut magnate declared on his phone and to an assembled crew of employees, non chalant to the fact he was doing so naked in bed while having his succubus personal assistant deepthroat him. Never let it be said that their boss didn’t enjoy the luxury and perks of his work, you didn’t put out the kind of work he did without around the clock hands-on experience. The creative enigma liked what he saw and right now, he knew he wanted Moxxie as his next big star. You didn’t get an imp like thst every century or so!”

#sketchfan #sketchfanda #sketchfan85 #helluva boss #teer #eltonpot #Elton portilho #Marika #sarita #sexyfur #moxxie #helluva moxxie #moxxie helluva boss

[thejacksmit]

First Take: Shazam!: Fury of the Gods - one in, all in

SYNOPSIS: Two years on from the events of the original film, Billy Batson and his band of foster kids turned superheroes take on a new enemy - the Sisters of Atlas - as only they know how

We all remember where we were on that weekend in 2019. You know the one. I was in a radio studio at UCLan reviewing the first Shazam film, and bigging up DC’s latest combobreaker at the time- a lot has happened since then, as we have waited for the sequel to arrive. After a lengthy delay, partly due to Covid, but mostly due to the restructure currently underway at DC’s film department (spearheaded by James Gunn), it is finally here. And sadly it just isn’t quite as playful as the first one was.

David F Sandberg returns to helm this sequel, and coming in at 2 hours 10 minutes, it packs a lot in to a relatively short runtime (for this kind of film), but like with a lot of DC’s output lately, it doesn’t know which kind of film it wants to be - sure, the light nature of the first one is still there, but the script from Henry Gayden and long-time Fast and Furious writer Chris Morgan takes the ‘Shazamily’ to darker places, ones which could be worthy of 15 certificates rather than 12s, but sadly the key problem it has is with the predictable plot. We have literally seen all of this story before- luckily it passes the 6 laugh test, which is all you can ask for with a movie of this nature. As for the other technical aspects, Gyula Pados’ cinematography is great, and taking over scoring duties is Christophe Beck - a man who knows how to score a film like this.

The cast are brilliant though, with Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Adam Brody, Grace Caroline Currey, Ross Butler, Ian Chen, DJ Cotrona, Jovan Armand, Meagan Good and Faithe Herman all returning as the heroes and kids respectively, and joining them this time round is a real triple threat of Lucy Liu, Dame Helen Mirren, and last year’s breakout star (and hot off the heels of working with Spielberg) Rachel Zegler as the sisters of Atlas. It is mega obvious that they all had a lot of fun on set, especially when it comes to certain major plot points, but with the wider DC reset looming, just where will the Shazam franchise lie in Mr Gunn’s priorities? Only time will tell.

THE VERDICT

It feels like the sheer amount of delays have hit the momentum of this franchise - we’ve seen lots of these kinds of sequels, especially with some of the ‘connect the dot’ plot points we have in this film, but it’s ultimately gonna break even, which is all Warner are fussed about at the minute. Whether DC can return to the absolute height of their power (like last year’s The Batman did) all hinges on The Flash now.

RATING: 3/5

#first takes

[wisowners]

#WisOwners – Wisconsin Business Owners

[egophiliac]

whoops I did another one

I’m getting used to Spine 4.0, and figured why not do a Najma while I’m at it! despite all the issues I think she came out a lot better and more on-model than my past attempts (maybe someday I’ll go back and redo poor Che’nya a third time). the secret really is to just throw gradients onto everything!

I had planned on trying to do the little dance from the rhythmic but...time vs effort and all that. :’) so imagine she’s just over to the side clapping along!

#art #twisted wonderland #gif warning #gifs that will steal jamil's lunch warning #do i just...like characters who steal food #maybe #absolutely the breakout star of the event #imagine people starting twst post-event and being like #...who the heck is najma #if she shows up again please let her wear something easier to draw #that shawl pattern KILLED me

[musicallisto]

hi, clara! i’m starting french class next week and school.. but no one needs to hear about my panic and i was wondering what are your favorite french shows, musicals, or movies, etc? i want to surround myself with the language to hopefully be more comfortable with learning it in class and i thought going for its entertainment would be the way to go!

✧˖°࿐ ohh nixie, you did not get me started on french musicals... jk jk but first of all, good luck with french classes! and second, most of this might be intimidating at first (it was made by and for francophones, so you will probably be intimidated by the language if you're a beginner) but you will understand and learn in no time, don't worry!

➤ french shows;

this department is pretty scarce because i don't watch many french shows (mainly because i've been traumatized by a few that were very cringey, oops) but here are some i recommend/have heard are really good:

Kaamelott (2005-2009). i absolutely have to mention this one because it's more than a comedy show, it's a staple of french culture - I've yet to meet someone who's never seen at least one (1) episode. it started off as a comedy show about king arthur and his quest for the grail, but in the latter seasons evolved in a much more compelling and layered fantasy story that deals with magic, depression, and suicide. it's made by Alexandre Astier, who is kind of like our LMM except he writes plays instead of music and doesn't have ~controversies~ or whatever. also a much-anticipated (for 10 years) Kaamelott movie came out just now in theaters!

Lupin (2021-). also very famous but in a widely different register. I haven't seen it yet but only heard good things about it, and it has the merit of starring Omar Sy who is everyone's favorite actor. it's about this thief and son of a wrongfully accused man who sets out to get revenge on the rich businessman who put his father in jail, using his knowledge in forgery and theft to expose the entrepreneur's crimes, all while being inspired by French literature hero Arsène Lupin. it will give you great insight into french society today (also features a lot of useful and accurate slang) as well as really beautiful shots of Paris!

Le Bazar de la Charité (2019). a historical drama mini-series about the true event of this fire that ravaged a charity event in Paris and killed many. I haven't seen it either, though I really want to, but I've heard good things about it, and the historical accuracy is probably best since it's a show about French history written by French people. also, features Camille Lou my beloved <3

lastly, here's an article on French tv shows that you can all watch on Netflix! (though I wouldn't recommend Emily in Paris unless you want to get eczema from second-hand embarrassment, lol)

➤ french movies;

similarly to french shows, I haven't seen that many (though I have seen more) because french cinema has the reputation of being... either Not Good (read: Really Bad) or Really Pretentious And Incomprehensible. but there are some really good films that I have to mention:

first, of course, the staples of comedy that every French person has seen, and will earn you shocked gasps of "you've never seen X??????": Astérix et Obélix Mission Cléopâtre, La Cité de la Peur, OSS117, Les Visiteurs, Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis and many others... namely everything Louis de Funès has ever done. it's definitely... absurd humor or parody for the most part, because it's what we like best, but personally I think the first two movies are some of the funniest things I've ever seen so I can attest to their quality.

of course, Intouchables, which was the highest grossing French film of all time for a while and remains the most-viewed French film abroad. Also starring Omar Sy (♡), it was his breakout success actually; it tells the story of this very wealthy quadriplegic man who hires a young man from the "rough area" to be his live-in aid; you may have seen the American remake The Upside, but... nothing beats the original.

Personal recommendation here: Le Chant du Loup (ALSO HAS OMAR SY MY BELOVED!). It's a military thriller about a recruits in a submarine and especially this one soldier who is the "Oreille d'or" (gold ear) and can basically identify any enemy vessel or animal based on the sound they emit alone. it's a veeery tense film (reminded me of Nolan's work esp. Dunkirk, which is one of my favorite movies!) with high stakes that I truly enjoyed; and I have... contacts... who know people... who know stuff... can't say much more before the State finds me lol but even though some parts are very far-fetched, the military jargon and procedures are pretty accurate to the reality of a submarine!

Cyrano de Bergerac. It's the most famous adaptation of the eponymous play, which is a legend of French literature. The whole movie is in verse, taking its dialogue directly from the text of the play. 100% recommend if you're into beautiful literature, swashbuckling stories, passionate tragic romances and antiheroes. Would recommend watching this when you're more advanced in your French-learning journey, and reading the book first, because the language is dated and formal, but incredibly beautiful and it would be a shame missing out on the poetry!

a special mention for animated movies that were all of my childhood, and also that of many French people of my generation: Azur et Asmar, Kirikou et la Sorcière, Kirikou et les Bêtes Sauvages. Imo children's movies are the best way to learn your target language because they use tropes and archetypes that are easy to recognize, are often super whimsical and entertaining, and don't feature super technical concepts or vocabulary.

On a related note: Disney movies!!! I can't stress this enough: watch Disney movies in French!!! you probably know them already by heart and will learn the language super fast by learning the songs. or if you can't watch the movies, just listen to the songs. Watching Tangled in German was an amazing experience for me.

➤ french musicals;

should probably preface this by saying french musicals are scarce compared to broadway ones, because France has a culture of classic theater much more than musical theater. the songs are more poppy and less extravagant belting fests, but not any less entertaining!

Notre-Dame de Paris. Based on Victor Hugo's Hunchback of Notre-Dame, it's one of the most famous French musicals and the closest to a Broadway one I'd say. Features huge names of the Francophone musical scene in the main roles (Garou, Daniel Lavoie, Hélène Ségara and Patrick Fiori are all famous outside of their roles). the story is very famous of course but still a joy (or a pain, because it's just so sad) to follow. Most famous songs: Belle, Le Temps des Cathédrales. (Both of these have transcended the musical sphere and are well-known through all of France even by those who really despise Broadway)

The original production of Les Mis was French as you probably know, and it's worth checking out! Especially À La Volonté du Peuple, which is the original Do You Hear The People Sing? I've talked about the lyrical differences between the two versions and how they evidence different characterizations of Enjolras and Les Amis, but the truth is it's just really good in an "empowering anthem" type of way. Also I will literally never recover from Michel Sardou as Enjolras like I think that's so funny and,,,, ill-fitting but also not like asdkdjdj

Mozart, l'Opera Rock. which as the title suggests is a rock opera about Mozart's life and his rivalry with Salieri, but if Mozart and Salieri were vampires with a gay bdsm relationship lowkey. this is NOT what happens in the musical in reality but the subtext is THERE asixdjsj. the songs are ICONIC and so is the aesthetic, more than one French kid's bisexual awakening before we got Måneskin tbh. Most notable songs: L'Assassymphonie (an absolutely canonical BANGER), Tatoue-Moi, and my favorite, Le Trublion.

1789, les Amants de la Bastille. It's my favorite and it's most definitely not the best but I hyperfixated on it when I was 10 and my life has not been the same since. I mean, star-crossed lovers during the French revolution??? Hello???? Camille Lou my beloved is here (remember, from the Bazar de la Charité?), also Louis Delort on whom I had a little bit of a crush ngl. (actually had a crush on both but s: Ça Ira Mon Amour (my favorite since 2012 😔🤟), Pour la Peine, and just like. Generally all of them are bangers

Roméo & Juliette. pretty self-explanatory as to what it is about, I've never listened to all of it, just the most famous songs, but what I know from it is SO GOOD, I have this friend who is the most dedicated fan of this musical so I had to mention it. Les rois du monde and Vérone are a bop and a half! Big Broadway vibes with this one musical, with super talented singers and ensemble casts giving it their all, so I'd recommend starting with this one (or the first two I mentioned) if you don't want to feel too out of the water.

there's also Le Roi Soleil which is about the life of Louis XIV in Versailles and it's very very famous probably on the same level as Mozart or Romeo & Juliette and it has Emmanuel Moire in the lead role and I Respect and Cherish him but I never really cared for it? Je fais de toi mon essentiel is still super famous so I'm including it here and the costumes & staging are great!

I'm forgetting many (La légende du Roi Arthur, Robin des Bois...) but these are the main ones. My musicals playlist has all my musical faves, and a good proportion of them are in French! (And you will find some familiar faces in English, too.)

➤ and one last rec;

read the Little Prince.

I'm dead serious, read The Little Prince in French (which isn't the original version, funnily enough). Not only is it one of my favorite books ever, it's also one of the most well-known and widely-translated works of French literature. You've probably already read it in your native language and if you haven't, it's really easy yet incredibly poignant and full of truths about life and philosophy. I treasure this book with all my heart, and it was the first book my mom read when she was learning French. It helped a lot!

I really hope this is useful! tell me if you need anything else. and good luck! 💜

#french #france #langblr #french movies #french literature #french shows #french music #french musicals #french language #french resources #˚₊·͟͟͟͟͟͟͞͞͞͞͞͞➳❥ nixie

[all-that-jazz-93]

American Dragon Timeline

I’ve been trying for a while now to figure out the timeline of this show, because it makes no sense in the order that Disney Channel originally aired the episodes. It also makes no sense in the episode list on Jeff Goode’s website, which he claims to be the proper chronology of events.

I had to come up with a few convoluted headcanons to make this work, but I think I’ve finally pieced together a coherent timeline (note that for a lot of the filler episodes, it doesn’t actually matter that much when they take place, I was just trying to stick as close to Jeff Goode’s chronology as possible.)

September 2004

Old School Training

It’s implied in this episode that Jake got his dragon powers very recently. They don’t say how recently, but given how new the whole thing is to him, I’d say it’s probably only been about a week or two.

Here’s where we come up against our first issue with canon. In The Legend of Dragon Tooth, Jake says he got his dragon powers when he turned 13, and in Shapeshifter, he says he’s a Pisces, which means his birthday would be in late February, or March. There’s no way the timeline makes sense if that’s the case, so my headcanon is that Jake is just like…really bad at astrology, and he somehow confused Pisces with another star sign.

We also have the issue of how far behind he seems to be in school (he’s 14 in early season 2, but still in 7th grade). So, two more headcanons to explain that. Number one, Jake’s birthday is actually sometime in early September, so he missed the cutoff to go to kindergarten when he was 5, and had to wait until he was 6, placing him a year behind (some places don’t allow kids to start kindergarten if they turn 5 after September 1st. I knew a boy in my old youth group who was almost a year older than everyone else in our grade, because he had an October birthday). Number two, at some point in elementary school, Jake was held back a grade. So the first episode takes place shortly after Jake’s 13th birthday, at the beginning of his sixth grade year.

Since Trixie and Spud are supposed to be the same age as him, that would mean they must’ve both been held back at some point as well (that especially makes sense for Spud—anyone who’s purposely failed as many tests as he has would almost definitely have to repeat a grade).

This would also make Rose younger than them. She’s very bright, and she seems like a good student, so it’s unlikely she was ever held back. But we don’t want her to be too much younger than them, so I’ll headcanon that she also has a birthday in early September, making her a year younger than Jake. If that’s the case, she’d be 12 in season one, and 13/14 in season 2.

Adventures in Trollsitting/Fu Dog Takes a Walk

The dogcatcher says that it’s September.

 September/October 2004

Shapeshifter Dragon Breath The Legend of Dragon Tooth The Talented Mr. Long Professor Rotwood’s Thesis Act 4, Scene 15 The Long Weekend Body Guard Duty Dragon Summit

This episode has to take place after Shapeshifter, Dragon Breath, and Professor Rotwood’s Thesis, since the Dragon Council makes references back to Jake’s actions in all of those episodes. It also has to take place before The Halloween Bash, which places it sometime in September or October.

 October 2004

The Halloween Bash

Jeff Goode’s website lists this episode as taking place between Ski Trip and The Hunted, but there’s no way that’s possible, because Ski Trip takes place close to Valentine’s Day, and The Hunted takes place during the Equinox (they don’t specify which Equinox, but it would have to be the one in September; it’s the only way the timeline makes any sense, even with the generous liberties I’m taking with these headcanons). So The Halloween Bash has to take place before Ski Trip. No one in this episode makes any reference to knowing Rose’s identity, so it works out just fine.

 February 2005

The Ski Trip

Valentine’s Day was actually on a Monday in 2005, so presumably this episode takes place the weekend of February 11-13.

 March 2005

The Egg/The Heist

Easter was on March 27 in 2005. This is how I know The Hunted takes place during the Autumnal Equinox; Rose was still in the city during Easter weekend, a week after the Vernal Equinox.

Eye of the Beholder Ring Around the Dragon Jake Takes the Cake

 May 2005

Fu and Tell/Flight of the Unicorn

Flight of the Unicorn takes place on Memorial Day, which was May 30th that year

 May/June (or September) 2005

Keeping Shop

Hong Kong Nights

I know Jeff Goode’s website says this is the last episode of season one, but I absolutely cannot accept any episode besides The Hunted as the season finale, so I’m just gonna recognize that the council has made a decision, but elect to ignore it.

 September 2005

The Hunted

The Autumnal Equinox in 2005 was on September 22

 Late November/Early December 2005

Half Baked

Jake says it’s been three months since Rose left. It couldn’t be exactly three months, because that would place this episode in late December, and school would be out for the holidays. So presumably it’s late November or early December, and Jake is rounding up when he says three months.

The Academy

This one would pretty much have to take place very soon after Half Baked, like within a week or two.

 Late December 2005

Breakout

This episode establishes that 88 and 89 are in the city working as apprentices to the Huntsman, so it has to take place before the Christmas episode, which they also appear in.

Hairy Christmas

January/February 2006

(Most of these don’t actually have to take place in January or February, aside from Dreamscape and Fool’s Gold. The rest could be pretty much any time during Jake’s 7th grade year. I’m just trying to stick to Jeff Goode’s chronology, and keep at least some of the episodes in the order he listed.)

Hero of the Hourglass Bring It On Family Business Something Fishy This Way Comes The Doppelganger Gang Dreamscape Fool's Gold

 February 2006

The Love Cruise

They never explicitly say it’s Valentine’s Day, but the whole concept of the Love Cruise seems like something a school would do for Valentine’s Day. Also adds an extra layer of heartbreak, because it means Jake and Rose’s breakup happened on the one-year anniversary of Jake finding out Rose was Huntsgirl. Ouch. February has not been kind to Jake.

On the other hand, I’d prefer to headcanon that Jake and Rose got to spend the whole summer together before their breakup, going on dream dates every night and not having to set their alarms for school in the morning (can we just let them be happy for a little while? PLEASE?!?!?!?), so maybe the Love Cruise wasn’t on Valentine’s Day, and instead was just some random school event at the beginning of their 8th grade year.

 May 2006

Feeding Frenzy

They spend three days visiting Jake’s family, so it’s either Memorial Day weekend, spring break, or summertime. Most likely Memorial Day or spring break, since Jake says in this episode that he’s been the American Dragon for a year and a half.

 May/June 2006

A Befuddled Mind The Rotwood Files Haley Gone Wild Switcheroo

This one takes place after The Love Cruise, because Jake and Rose’s recent breakup is a minor plot point, so it only takes place at this point if we headcanon Love Cruise taking place in February.

Young At Heart

I know this is supposed to be a later episode, but going by this timeline, Jake would be 15 for most of his 8th grade year, and in this episode Jake, Trixie, and Spud talk about being 14, so it has to take place during 7th grade

 Summer between 7th and 8th grade

A Ghost Story

 Late September/Early October 2006

Homecoming

I never went to public school (I was unfortunately homeschooled), but it’s my understanding that middle schools don’t do Homecoming. So my headcanon is that it was actually just a junior high prom or something, but a few students on the planning committee approached Sun Park and begged her to let them model it after the Homecoming dances at their older siblings’ high schools. Sun was delighted by their enthusiasm, so of course she agreed.

 Any time during their 8th grade year

Supernatural Tuesday Siren Says Shaggy Frog Nobody's Fu Game On Bite Father, Bite Son Magic Enemy #1

 February 2007

Year of the Jake

Chinese New Year was on February 18th in 2007

 March 2007

Furious Jealousy

Trixie and Spud put together a Daylight Savings themed school event, so this episode takes place either in October of 06 or March of 07. We’ll go with March because it’s closer to the end of the series.

 June 2007

Being Human

Haley and Gramps both say in this episode that Jake is 14, but he would actually be 15 by this point (even if my whole timeline is wrong and he actually is a Pisces, he still would’ve had his 15th birthday already). Presumably the writers just weren’t paying close enough attention to their established timeline, but the in-universe explanation is…sometimes family members forget your age; my best friend keeps saying her youngest sister is 15, when in fact her sister is turning 17 this year. Sometimes you lose track.

 Summer after 8th grade

The Hong Kong Longs

Presumably this episode takes place around July or August, which means Jake and his friends would be almost 16 by this point (and Rose would be almost 15, assuming my headcanon about her being a year younger than them is accurate).

#no i didn't spend three hours on this what are you talking about #american dragon: jake long #american dragon jake long #ad:jl #adjl #jake long #trixie carter #arthur spudinski #rose adjl #adjl rose #haley long #lao shi #sun park

[peekbackstage]

I noticed in one of your responses that you speculated that Xiao Zhan is currently the #1 star in china and his agent is probably not inclined to request talent buyers but rather command top pruce. Can you expand a bit on your thought process? I always feel like without the usual modes of exposure through various high end endorsements and appearances in shows and stage, he has lost a lot of influence and power. Granted he finally has The Wold air, and attended two live events, but rest of the year he has has no new endorsements, shows or appearances. Is it just the various ranking charts that would lend him his influence? How do talent buyers figure out the ‘pull’ any actor would have??

Disclaimer: The following response includes both facts and speculation that is informed by my 10+ year career in the music industry. 

“Xiao Zhan is currently the #1 star in China” is probably not what many fans would expect to hear after the year Xiao Zhan has had. In fact, it wasn’t too long ago that I also did not believe this, but quite a number of factors have moved my assessment. 

There are a few factors that determines how a talent buyer might assess an artist. These factors include:

HARD DATA

Social media following 

Sales and streaming figures 

Viewership 

TV rankings

Awards rankings 

Brand deals 

Media reach 

SOFT DATA

Internal projections 

“Hype” 

Overall marketability 

Market sentiment 

Media sentiment 

All of this culminates in a general assessment that helps to determine how much an artist is “worth.” Essentially, you might as well call all of these key performance indicators (KPIs). 

If you consider that artists are a brand, and all brands can either appreciate or depreciate in value depending on market sentiment, you might be able to get a better understanding of how artists are evaluated. 

To provide a concrete example that might help everyone understand how this works a little better, think for a moment about how public companies increase in value and how stock prices rise and fall. If a company reports solid earnings (hard data) and announces that they will be releasing a new line of highly anticipated products (hype), this increases market sentiment, which then results in a direct increase in positive price action for their stock. Conversely, companies that have bad earnings reports and lackluster product offerings might see a sell-off that results in a drop in price (and therefore, in value) when information hits the news cycles.

Like companies, artists are evaluated much the same way. Consider that Xiao Zhan was, prior to the 227 Incident, at the very top of the game in China. He held a huge amount of brand deals and was highly sought after, especially after his popularity skyrocketed due to the international acclaim he received from The Untamed. All of this created an intrinsic “value” that translated to a specific guarantee price.

(Guarantee: the price a talent buyer guarantees an artist when they are booked for a performance.) 

The 227 Incident for Xiao Zhan is what we would call a “Black Swan” event. Another Black Swan event is COVID-19, which decimated the stock market in March 2020. Over 90% of companies listed on the S&P 500 had “distributed large negative returns.” Did this catastrophic event mean that it was the end for all of these companies? Absolutely not. Was 227 the end for Xiao Zhan? Absolutely not. 

These are basic fundamentals that talent buyers understand, especially if an artist hasn’t been blackballed or been subjected to a career death. Sometimes, artists have scandals. Some have a hard time coming back from them, but Xiao Zhan’s enduring popularity has not waned, even if he did lose brand deals and has not really been in the spotlight. 

The following KPIs are what a talent agent would notice for Xiao Zhan: 

#1 selling single in 2020 - 光点 (Spotlight) sold over 40.9 million copies with pretty much no promotion, which is actually insane. (This actually qualifies him for an RIAA diamond certification!!! There are only 44 other singles that have earned this ranking.)

 The Wolf became the #1 streaming show in China the moment it was released, entirely because of Xiao Zhan’s popularity. It immediately led to a significant amount of positive media coverage, both domestically and worldwide. 

TV viewership surged dramatically when Xiao Zhan appeared on December 5 as a surprise guest. (I forgot the exact figure, but I think I read it was 17 million? Please correct me if I am wrong.) This positive statistic is another solid green check mark for talent agents. 

Xiao Zhan’s Red Sea was a top trending topic and had massive media coverage. This is essentially what agents are looking for when they book artists. It means HYPE HYPE HYPE, and HYPE means MONEY MONEY MONEY 

Positive media coverage over Xiao Zhan’s fans cleaning up the entire arena

Massive award sweep - In 2020, Xiao Zhan won every single major award he was nominated for, and took #1 in pretty much all other smaller media award lists, except for 2. Here is the list: Jinri Toutiao Awards - Most Noticed Male Celebrity Weibo Awards - Hot Figure of the Year - The Untamed Weibo Awards - Weibo King China Literature Awards - Actor of the Year - The Untamed, Jade Dynasty China Literature Awards - Heartthrob Actor - Jade Dynasty China Screen Award - New Actor of the Year - Jade Dynasty 27th ERC Chinese Top Ten Awards - Top Ten Songs “Unrestrained” with Wang Yibo 27th ERC Chinese Top Ten Awards - Top Ten Songs “Remaining Years” Weibo TV Series Awards - Most Popular Actor - The Wolf Tencent Entertainment White Paper - Male Singer of the Year - “Spotlight” Tencent Entertainment White Paper - Star Power of the Year Tencent Video All Star Awards - VIP Star WeTV 2020 Awards - Best Wuxia Drama - The Untamed  WeTV 2020 Awards - Best Male Lead TCC Asia The 100 Most Influential Faces of 2020 - #1 TCC Asia The Most Handsome Faces of Asia - #1 Weibo The Most Beautiful Charity Ambassador in 2020 - #1 Starmometer  The 100 Sexiest Men in the World 2020 - #1 TCC Asia The 100 Most Handsome Face in Asia Pacific 2020 - #1 Top Beauty World The 100 Most Handsome Men in the World 2020 - #1 WeChat 2020’s Top 10 Handsome Idols - #3 TC Candler The 100 Most Handsome Faces in the World 2020 - #7  Yes, even despite everything that happened in 2020, Xiao Zhan still took home quite a lot of awards! Note that a number of these awards were won after the 227 Incident, notably, the Weibo TV Series Awards, the WeTV 2020 Awards, and Tencent Video All Star Awards. 

Changing market sentiment - Overall market sentiment with Xiao Zhan is trending more positive than negative. Essentially, if Xiao Zhan were a company, they would describe this as a “bullish crossover” and a “bull trend.” 

In general, all of the above helps to form a talent buyer’s assessment of the intrinsic value of an artist. And this is largely why I personally believe and would assess Xiao Zhan to be China’s #1 star that will provide any stakeholder with the #1 ROI, which has already been statistically proven by the strength of his sales and continued award wins. 

Of course, I can’t say with absolutely certainty whether or not Chinese talent buyers absolutely, positively see it this way, but this is more or less how most talent buyers evaluate talent. If Xiao Zhan were to be evaluated as an asset at this very moment, he would essentially be rated as asset that is in the process of “mooning.” (I.e. Going [back up] to the moon. Breakout positive trend! It’s raining money again!) 

I have a very hard time imagining that any talent buyer worth their salt would somehow miss the clear indicators that show the tides are changing and a trend crossover has occurred. 

I have strong faith in a full comeback for Xiao Zhan. I believe that he will soar once more - not only in popularity, but also in success. While he will always have antis who will try to dim his shine, I fully believe that there is nothing that can stop the brightest star in the sky from ascending to new heights. 

I only see blue skies above.

#xiao zhan #talent buyers #artist valuation #music industry #industry speculation #Anonymous #ask #peek answers

[luuurien]

Wet Leg - Wet Leg

(Indie Rock, Post-Punk Revival, Noise Pop)

The self-titled debut from breakout indie band Wet Leg is a perpetually tongue-in-cheek, self-aware piece of comedic indie rock that buries the joke in deadpan singing and noisy guitar madness. They constantly poke fun at the conventions of the genre while simultaneously indulging in them for their own delightfully twisted purposes, making their debut one of the most understatedly genius albums this year.

☆☆☆☆

Wet Leg toss seriousness like it's yesterday's lunch. They're a band constantly on the verge of telling you nothing, but through that they're able to make incredibly engaging songs through it, taking post-punk experimentation and putting a guitar-pop spin on it. It's hard to listen to them without this sense of being baited with every song, like they're in on the joke and you've got absolutely no clue what they're talking about, a one-way musical conversation where you have to embrace the chaos for things to work right. Leading up to their self-titled debut, the viral lead single Chaise Longue gave you everything you needed to know about Wet Leg: Rhian Teasdale asking if you'd like someone to "...butter your muffin" and "...worry your mother," lines with an implicit innuendos nature to them that Wet Leg don't state outright, their motorik drum grooves and rowdy guitar leads in between verses never letting you get the full picture. It's the best way to understand the world of Wet Leg, and what makes these 12 songs so eventful and curious despite how nonchalant Teasdale and Hester Chambers present themselves. While the structures of Wet Leg's songs are often the same, verse-chorus-verse rock songs with the occasional bridge and refrain in between, it's how they use this industry standard sound to their advantage that makes a majority of these songs so memorable. Teasdale's mellow, faintly feminine presence as a vocalist contributes to the massive contrasts in these songs, but the explosive dynamics of songs like I Don't Wanna Go Out or Convincing, where the quiet trickles of instrumentation in the verses are replaced with massive distorted chords and bubbly hooks with a sharpness that makes it all work incredibly well. It's the sound of a band dusting off their parents Pixies and Sonic Youth records while growing up on the commercial pop of the 2000s and 2010s, using their fussy effect pedals to make some of the catchiest songs this year, the throbbing rhythm guitars on coy single Oh No keeping a groove alive while throwing all those yummy textures into the mix while the loose, lackadaisical acoustic strums on penultimate track Supermarket add to the drugged-out joy Teasdale professes on the track. It's very bog standard indie rock stuff, sure, but Wet Leg never stumbles through it, and by adding their unique thematic spin on it all, it makes the album a ton of fun to hang out around. Teasdale and Chambers have said before that it's a bad idea to take their music too seriously, but there's too much to explore in their abstract writing to not at least ponder what it all might mean a little bit. Though passive, they consistently find themselves looking at themselves in the mirror and questioning the status that comes with being breakout music stars while still trying to figure out your own emotions outside of it. They do this in a variety of ways, from the rowdy intro track Being in Love's juxtapositions between complete emotional emptiness and the hit of dopamine that can come with becoming absolutely obsessed with someone to Angelica's attempt to escape the flowery house parties that find their way onto every rock album, Teasdale's passing remark that she only came for the free beer hinting at the fact that being a forever youthful rock band like so many others have tried to be over the years (looking at you, Modest Mouse and Blink-182) would put Wet Let in their personal hell. It's not a subversive album as much as it is a purposefully avoidant album, Teasdale and Chambers so bored of what everyone else is doing that their jam out sessions and silly songwriting end up a killer retreat from 90% of their peers. Even when they're making fun of guys who try to be too sappy on Wet Dream, taking another shot at them on Ur Mum, or using the bridge of that same song to try their hand at scream therapy, they never seem worried about the fact that this is their debut, the thing that often defines a band for the rest of their careers. Because they don't self-aggrandize like most of the others, the music turns out better without them having to play a single note, capturing the easygoing spirit so often forgotten in modern indie rock like it's the easiest thing they could ever do. Wet Leg, as disinterested an album as it may come across, brings out the best in the band because they aren't trying to be anything they're not. Teasdale and Chambers are two incredibly charming performers, ones who use their candid personalities to make their music solely theirs, even if it doesn't have the same punch a wilder performer might have. You're always chasing something in the dark when listening to Wet Leg, this unexposed energy source driving their music along, but that's half the fun of it all. They take solace in the fact that they aren't going to be the band they are right now forever, taking on their current millennial angst and anxiety while understanding you can't be like that for the rest of your life. Wet Leg captures a moment without trying to make it the be-all-end-all, these songs a way to feed their artistic needs while never turning it into anything bigger, and if you can free your spirit and expectations the way Wet Leg themselves have, you'll know exactly what kind of party they're throwing here. Is it a particularly exciting one? No. But it is one you'll be able to remember and enjoy the morning after, yes, without a doubt.

#wet leg #domino #alternative rock #indie pop #indie rock #noise pop #pop #post-punk #post-punk revival #rock #2022 #8/10

[music]

Music Spotlight: Hayley Orrantia

On television, Hayley can currently be seen reprising her celebrated role as Erica Goldberg in ABC’s sitcom, “The Goldbergs,” but she’s also widely recognized for her successful music career. Hayley discovered her love of music at a young age and soon managed to take up both piano and acting at age 14. After nearly five years of performing at local festivals and events, Hayley came into the national spotlight on the first American season of “The X Factor” on FOX. Hayley was an immediate breakout artist and her time on the show not only established her musical talent, but also furthered her interest in acting. In honor of Women’s History Month, we had the chance to check in with Hayley and learn more about her interests and advice for women in the entertainment industry. Check it out. 

Can you tell us about the inspiration behind Find Yourself Somebody?

Find Yourself Somebody was inspired by a past relationship of mine that ended where we still had love for each other and wanted the best for one another. You could say this song is about a happy breakup. They’re rare, but they exist!

Did your experience singing background vocals for Demi Lovato and Miley Cyrus at such a young age have an impact on your career?

Well, technically, I just sang on the tracks, not with them in live performances. But having the experience of recording on such cool projects like that was a big step for me, and especially at such a young age. I got to see how my love of music had the potential to become a career for me.

Are there any women in particular that inspire you in the music/entertainment industry?

Absolutely! As far as artists go, I love Sara Bareilles so much. She is my biggest songwriting inspiration. I grew up being inspired by big vocalists like Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, and JoJo. But I can’t exclude the incredible women who are a part of my core team. I’m blessed to have such hard-working, strong, and talented women in my circle that I work with every day.

Can you describe your experience working on The Goldbergs? Any favorite moments?

There are way too many favorite moments to count! They happen daily. I was so lucky to have had The Goldbergs be my first real acting gig, not only because of the success of the show but more for the camaraderie between the cast, crew, writers, and producers. I’ve heard from many cast mates and guest stars who have worked on numerous other projects that there’s just no energy anywhere else like there is on our set. If I had to pick a favorite moment though, it would be the scenes where the entire cast is together (usually season finales) because we end up just dancing and laughing the entire time.

What advice would you give to women who are just starting out in the entertainment industry?

My advice for women starting out in entertainment would be to stay true to who you are. It is way easier to sell out and adjust your morals or beliefs for a job or opportunity that lends itself to that, but it is worth it, in the long run, to look back and know that while you’ve grown as a person, you’ve stayed true to yourself at the core of it.

If you weren’t doing music or acting, what would you want to do?

Interior Design! I have such a love for it! Every other day I’m wondering if I go back to school for it or not. However, my dad and I just started a business together flipping houses in the Nashville area and I’m finally getting to live out a dream I’ve had of designing homes. I hope I can make a career out of it.

Lightning round! Describe each of the following in one word: Who you are, what you value the most, and what you’d be if you were a food item.

Honest

Relationships

Biscuit

Check out Hayley’s newest track Find Yourself Somebody right here.  

Photography: The Riker Brothers Hair: Gui Schoedler Make-up: Anton Khachaturian Styling: Lo VonRumpf

#Hayley Orrantia #Music Spotlight #Women's History Month #WHM #Music #Entertainment

[hopeymchope]

Godzilla Singular Point

I came into Singular Point with some trepidation because Godzilla’s history in anime is both very recent and extremely bad. The three anime movies released between 2017 and 2019 are easily the worst work of famed writer Gen Urobuchi and honestly contain more bullshit than I can even get into here. Those movies and this series were both Godzilla anime properties commissioned by Netflix, which didn’t get my hopes up very much. Thankfully, Singular Point is a very different beast from the anime trilogy. One could argue it’s very different from most Godzilla media, actually — at least from my perspective. And I’m still a pretty entry-level fan of Toho’s Big G, all things considered.

Let me just warn you right up front: This smartphone-based virtual assistant is basically the breakout star of the series. 

When you think “Godzilla,” you probably don’t think “incredibly dense sci-fi concepts,” but with the big G’s first-ever anime series, the writers clearly set out to change that perception. Before the first kaiju even appears, the lead characters are plucked from obscurity and dropped into a mystery that involves fourth-dimensional time travel, physical objects that look different from all sides, theoretical math concepts, self-propagating A.I., and a whole lot more. And it’s NEVER made clear how all of it connects to the rampaging kaiju! Although we spend a lot of time investigating a red dust or sand that is very obviously tied to the monsters in SOME way, no one ever makes a connection that explains the relationship. Maybe we’re supposed to wait for a later season to connect the threads... but let’s get into the idea of “another season” later.

I like to think of myself as someone who typically enjoys hard sci-fi, but even with the characters spending loads of time trying to explain the high concepts driving the story, I was never able to fully wrap my head around what was going on in the mystery at the center of GSP. I rewound and rewatched a few explanations, but I still walked away feeling lost. I eventually settled on some vague, loose understandings of most of the ideas mentioned, but those understandings were subject to being ripped apart in subsequent scenes when I was shown or told something completely at odds with what I thought I knew. I can’t say I was ever bored with the thick, dense scientific concepts on offer — trying to find purchase with these far-out ideas kept me glued to the screen — but damn, I sure wish I was able to comprehend them.

What do we want?! DENSE SCIENTIFIC DISCUSSION AND DEBATE! When do we want it?! AFTER THOROUGH RESEARCH, TESTING, AND PEER REVIEW!

Another weird thing about this show is that the lead characters remain in separate locations and on separate tracks for the entire duration. We have Yun — a mechanical engineer and programmer who has an amazing grasp on physics and human behavior. And we have Mei — a grad student who is deeply invested in theoretical science, UMAs, cryptids and other far-flung concepts. Both of them are basically geniuses in their fields, and even though they take opposing views of just how flexible reality is, their shared ability to think “outside the box” becomes the crucial component in solving the mystery at the core of the series. Because they don’t even know one another (despite being separated by like, ONE degree), they only ever interact via text messages and behind screen names, which feels pretty damn weird. At least  I immediately liked both of them, with Yun being the standout to me because of how his lowkey reactions to crazy shit generates a lot of humor.

This soundtrack cover LIES; you will never see these characters in a room together like this. 

Alas, we don’t get to know the characters a whole lot beyond what we learned of them in the first two episodes. It’s not long before they’re trapped in a series of complicated exposition dumps, endlessly attempting to explain the high concepts of the show to other characters as well as my dumb ass in the audience. The fact that I liked them in the first couple of episodes carried me through more than half of the show, but I was always hoping to see them share more of themselves or just display more emotion. Anime as a medium excels at emotional storytelling. But despite the major, world-altering events the characters are constantly warning us about, none of them seem to have many emotions about said events. 

Further complicating matters is how, when major events finally occur in this show, they are often kept off-screen. One character shockingly dies, but the portrayal of that death is so piss-poor that I didn’t even realize it’d happened until someone mentioned their death in the next episode. After that vague death, I was particularly sensitive to anything that looked like it might possibly be lethal. Yet a later event that is played up as a tragic, fatal occurrence ends up... fine, somehow? It’s not clear how the character survives, because — even after one of our heroes is left screaming their name in despair as they seemingly die — nobody ever talks about or explains how he’s just fine a couple of scenes later. And near the end of the series, there’s a major transformation that occurs for one of the characters, and we never see it happen nor do we understand HOW it happened. It’s just that suddenly, this character is extremely different due to off-screen reasons that are only vaguely verbalized.

I guess these two really bonded at some point for some reason? And what you are seeing here is literally the height of emotion shown in the entire show.

Even though the overarching story of the series so far pretty clearly wraps up in episode 13, we then get a post-credits tease for a potential second season. So the question becomes: Would I watch that?

Well... Godzilla Singular Point is a series with a lot of issues that kept me at arms’ length from it — tons of extremely confusing dialogue, highly frustrating choices in direction that lead to baffling storytelling, characters who are mostly exposition-dumping — and yet there’s still some foundational work here that I appreciated a lot. When the action occurs, it’s pretty cool/fun. And when urban destruction occurs, it can be awe-inspiring. The human characters, though little-explored, have likable and interesting foundations to them that could be expanded upon. And I didn’t even mention the soundtrack, which features a variety of musical styles combined with the classic Ifukube theme music and an OP that is an absolute banger. (I have a weakness when it comes to music; a good soundtrack can carry me through even the blandest series sometimes.) Even the core idea of centering a Godzilla series around hard science and mathematical concepts is a compelling one, I think! I just hated the execution of it; they went waaaaay too far on poorly explaining incredibly complex, mind-bending concepts for my pea brain to handle it. They spend so much time trying to explain things, yet somehow they never succeeded for me. 

Ultimately, I’d probably give the show another chance. But if I do give another season a chance, it’ll be on probation. I wouldn’t watch the entire season unless I could see within four episodes that they’d definitely improved things.

Would I recommend that anyone watch the series as it currently stands? I mean... not really? I guess if you really dig complex math, hard theoretical science, and/or Toho’s stable of monsters, then maaaaaaaaaaybe give it a shot. But otherwise? Naaaahh. It’s not good enough at anything to make it stand out from the anime crowd. I didn’t hate it like I hated the Godzilla anime films, but Singular Point is still something that both casual viewers and most fans can comfortably ignore for the time being. It’s not a complete disaster, and it’s not without its highlights... but it’s definitely disappointing in my opinion.

OKAYOKAYOKAY, so let’s talk about the kaiju for a bit! 

Below will be SPOILERS revealing all of the kaiju that appear in Godzilla Singular Point and giving my feelings on them. 

Godzilla — It’s interesting to see a version of Godzilla that borrows some ideas from Shin Godzilla. Shin G has been incredibly unique until now, but this Godzilla manages to fold some of Shin’s distinctive aspects in with the more classic/typical versions to build a fun new depiction. Be forewarned that Godzilla doesn’t show up until the series is halfway over, and he doesn’t get a ton of screen time, either. He’s used quite sparingly and kept in hazy settings, often framed from the neck-up when they show him. It’s a little frustrating that they felt the need to shroud him so much, but I respect the fact that whenever Godzilla is shown, the destruction he causes is on a scale far beyond anything that the rest of the kaiju ever do. He is pure devastation. 

Rodan — He’s easily the biological kaiju with the most screen time in Singular Point. Rodan is first introduced as one gigantic pterosaur, but if you’ve seen ANY trailers for this show then you already know that his depiction transitions into an asston of smaller pterosaurs, all of whom are also called “Rodan.” (Apparently the word Rodan is both singular and plural, like the word “buffalo.”) Although he looks kind of cool at first, pretty soon Rodan showing up isn’t special or threatening anymore. Rodan appearances go from “a big goddamn deal” to “some bland background noise” before the series is even 1/3 finished. The design might be a little too far removed from the original for my own taste, but even if I didn’t think that, I wouldn’t be able to care for this Rodan simply because he’s rendered so unimportant and unimpressive.

If you go out in the woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise... 

Anguirus — Now check this guy out! Anguirus gets one of the coolest fights in the show and also demonstrates some powers that are well beyond anything we’ve seen him do before. Because he sticks to unpopulated areas, we never see him do much damage to Japan, but he is definitely holding all the attention when he’s on-screen. He’s a highlight for me — a total badass who is very unique in his abilities. And the stated origin for his name is goddamn adorable.

Manda — Yup, Manda is in this series... but I don’t have much to say for him. It seems like the creators of the anime didn’t have much to say about him either. His role amounts to little more than a repeated cameo, and in most of those cameos you only ever see his tail. When we finally see his full body, it’s done so briefly and kept at a distance, leaving me with no real impression. I had to look up his design online and... yup, that sure looks like Manda. Final score: MEEEEHH.

Kumonga — I definitely did not see this appearance coming! Kumonga is much smaller here than you may be used to, but she gets to star in the most suspenseful sequence in the series and easily earns the most exciting cliffhanger moment at the end of an episode. I was utterly glued to the show during her screen time, which comes with a lot of icky twists. Good ones! I honestly like Kumonga here more than I ever have previously.

NEW PHONE WHO DIS

Salunga — Uh, who? This is the one monster that isn’t based on a classic Toho kaiju but instead is a brand-new creation. I suppose that everybody who touches the Toho Kaiju franchise wants to make their own mark on it in some regard. But a big part of the fun of this series for me personally was the anticipation of seeing new interpretations and designs of classic Toho monsters. And so, given that he kind of resembles both Baragon and Gabara, I never stopped wishing they’d just used one of those guys as the basis and namesake. Taken on his own, however? He’s... pretty neat. Not unique or exciting, but solidly above par.  He resembles a cross between a lizard/dinosaur and an ape, plus his head has some nifty coloration. 

Our Jaguar!

Jet Jaguar — I guess Jet Jaguar isn’t exactly a kaiju in the traditional sense because he’s a Giant Robot. However, if you want to consider him one, then I wager he probably gets even more screen time than Rodan! We meet him almost immediately when the series begins. Initially an odd pilot-driven robot that was constructed at the whim of a quirky old factory-owner with too much disposable income, Jet Jaguar grows and changes over the course of the show, ultimately undergoing a transition in episode 7 that makes him pretty damn impossible to dislike. In fact, I utterly adored him by then. This is definitely the best Jet Jaguar I’ve ever seen. His design is recognizably similar to the original yet utterly distinct, too. Like many of the other kaiju here, he’s not nearly as big as he was when he was first introduced to the movies, but his size is ideal for battling the smaller-scale monsters that we spend most of the series on.

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