#buy anything more recent than 2018 would be great

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

I mentioned recently that I think it would be cool to see John Robins on Taskmaster, because among other things, we haven’t had enough of the properly self-loathing comedians on there. By coincidence, today I was reading something on a different site that discussed potential future Taskmaster contestants, and I saw something that made 100% sure I want him on there. It was someone saying his pedantry and competitiveness might annoy everyone, and someone else saying he would definitely ruin the show, with his tendency to not let a single thing go, and be too serious about it.

This reminds me of when I was trying to decide whether to buy Jon Richardson’s book. My favourite version of Jon Richardson is one of my favourite versions of any comedian in the world, I absolutely love him. That would be radio show-era version, the 8 Out of 10 Cats version, the first few years of Catsdown version. Since then, he’s been steadily watered down. It’s not been all bad, parts of Ultimate Worrier were good. But that’s not the Jon Richardson I loved in earlier years.

His book was published in 2011, which is definitely a Jon Richardson era I liked. But its title and cover and descriptions made me hesitate. All those things made it look like something that packaged Jon Richardson’s neuroses into this palpable thing that they’ve become now. I didn’t want to read that. I didn’t want to read Jon Richardson write a guide for how to date while being vaguely quirky.

To decide whether to buy it, I looked at the 1-star reviews on Goodreads and Amazon. That’s what made me really decide to buy it. All the reviews that said things along the lines of: “Well, I find him funny on panel shows, so I thought this would be like that. But it’s not like that! It’s dark and miserable and depressing!” I think the review that made me decide for sure I wanted to buy it was:

I was pretty disappointed by this book - if this is how Jon lives his life then he really needs therapy. There are only so many times that you can read about how this might go wrong and that might not go so well. I finally finished the book but it was hard going. I did not really find anything about it amusing - more of an insight into how his “perfectionism” takes over his life and the trouble it can get him into. I had read the reviews prior to purchasing - however I thought that, as I enjoy his dry wit on TV, it might be OK. His dry wit comes through but just makes him appear to be a thoroughly irritating person. Not for me but others might enjoy it more. 

Great. That is what I want out of a Jon Richardson book. And I bought it, and that is exactly what I got. Honestly, I’m surprised the thing got published. It was a totally undiluted bit of Jon Richardson’s most fucked up era, absolutely nothing palpable in that. No perfectly pressed and buttoned cardigans in that, just stories about genuinely uncomfortable things that came from getting unreasonably angry about everything that goes wrong.

I’ve recently heard John Robins’ stand-up shows from 2014, 2015, 2016, and the big award winning Darkness of Robins one from 2018. I really liked all of them, especially that last one (understandably, I think, that’s why it won the awards). This makes me think I could maybe really love his radio work with Ellis James, but the problem with that is my brain has difficulty getting into a bit of something but not starting from the beginning and hearing/seeing/reading all of it, and I’m pretty sure there are about 15,000 hours of Ellis James and John Robins on the radio. So John Robins is a dangerous entity for me, I really like him but if I get too into him it could lead to me losing 15,000 hours of my life.

However, I somewhat recently read a negative opinion on his stand-up. Someone who said they liked him on the radio, where he seemed like a nice and upbeat guy, so they checked out his stand-up, and were disappointed that that was quite a bit darker and less nice than his radio stuff. That comment made me think I’d probably still enjoy his radio shows, but I’m not missing out on the best parts of him by not getting into that.

Sometimes, on the Taskmaster podcast, Ed Gamble will make jokes about how his own hyper-competitive approach to the show annoyed people. And I’ll think, “Yeah, okay, it’s a bit weird when comedians do this sort of thing, but I know it’s common. When they take something about themselves that’s obviously beloved by fans, and self-depricate about it, talk about it like it’s a bad thing. Fine, I guess Ed can do that with his competitive nature, even though he obviously knows that’s what made him one of the most entertaining contestants.”

But when I actually read things about Taskmaster, I remember that most people don’t see it that way, and Ed isn’t really off the mark by saying his intensity puts people off. Which is fine, if anyone reading this dislikes that sort of thing. Obviously we all watch this stuff for different reasons, and everyone else’s reasons are fine. I just forget sometimes that other people are seeing it so differently than I am. I tend to agree with the way I’ve heard Ed Gamble describe Taskmaster before, when he says contestants can try to win or can try to be funny, and it’s better to do the former. Because if you try hard enough to win, that will naturally come out as something funny.

Reading about people who thought Ed Gamble took things too far does also make me think… “We’re all watching this for the same reasons, right? We’re all really into Taskmaster because COVID took away our access to actual sports, and watching people get intensely and dysfunctionally competitive about this fulfills whatever void in us has been left by that? We all feel empty without watching some people tear themselves and others apart for something with arbitrarily assigned value and artificial but still powerful stakes, and we found this television show that seems to hit those points?” Yeah, apparently that’s not why everyone is into it. And that’s fine. We can all have our different reasons.

I just really want to see John Robins ruin Taskmaster with his pedantry and competitiveness that would annoy everyone, with his tendency to not let a single thing go. Come on, Alex. Cast your angry fucked up golf buddy. I didn’t get really into following comedy to see people’s palpable sides.

...I do realize this might be, like, problematic. It’s not ideal to specifically want to see comedians who will do damaging things due to some psychological problem. I’m very pleased for Jon Richardson that he got married and had a child and went to therapy and worked some stuff out, and I at times feel genuinely guilty that I preferred him before all that. Because the idea that people should suffer for art is a bad one. It’s a better world, now that Jon Richardson is happy. But I still want to see if John Robins can equal the James Acaster level of self-loathing destructive fury on Taskmaster, maybe break a camera with a golf club.

While I’m at this, I really wish Alun Cochrane hadn’t gone fucking right-wing. From the stuff I’ve heard of his before he went that way, I think he could have been one of the ones I really liked for this sort of reason. Which shows that marriage and kids don’t necessarily preclude being the kind of intensely fucked up comedian I like (meaning I don’t blame Lucy Beaumont for any dip in my love for Jon Richardson’s comedy’s quality, I blame TV executives for making him button up his cardigan so tightly that all his flaws got ironed into quirks), because Cochrane had plenty of years of being that, after getting married and before going all Comedy Unleashed. Unfortunately, I now can’t enjoy anything he’s ever done because I know where it ends up.

[icedfae]

(—) ★ spotted!! WAVERLY LOCKHART on the cover of this week’s most recent tabloid! many say that the 24 year old looks like SYDNEY SWEENEY, but i don’t really see it. while  the ACTRESS is known for being LOYAL my inside sources say that they have a tendency to be RECKLESS i swear, every time i think of them, i hear the song MONICA LEWINSKY by UPSAHL  {she/her / cisfemale}

wanna make history

basics

Name: Waverly Andromeda Lockhart Age:  Twenty-Four DOB: July 4, 1998 Gender: Cisfemale Sexuality: Bisexual Occupation: Actress and Aspiring Singer Parents: Preston and Delilah Lockhart Siblings: Roxanne and (SISTER) Lockhart

like who? like britney, like linsday

biography

If there was one thing that Waverly was taught in her life, it was that family mattered more than anything in the world. Her entire childhood was one that was eccentric but they had always been together. It only got better when Waverly received another little sister in the form of Roxanne. Until the young girl joined their clan, Waverly had always felt as though their family circle was incomplete.

Throughout her life, Waverly was used to moving around constantly. She didn’t have many chances to live a normal life and as she got older the more she appreciated the life her parents gave her. She had adventure from a young age -- who else could say that their parents were nomadic witches. She felt as though she had the coolest life possible. To her, her parents were superstars.

While Roxanne was their mom’s little shadow, Waverly was attached to Preston’s hip. It was where her love for being the center of attention fully formed. Watching her hero perform in the circus for years and truly make people happy was all she needed to figure out her path in life. She slowly began putting together plays to perform in their motel rooms and on the road, wanting to be the constant entertainment for her sisters.

This love continued to grow with her and Waverly couldn’t picture doing anything else. When she got her first role, the first thing she did was jump and scream into her sisters’ arms. It didn’t take long for her to realize that this was an easy way for her to also help take care of her family, even in small ways.

When Roxanne’s business began to take off, Waverly was that annoyingly proud older sister who constantly told anyone who would listen to her to ‘look at my baby sister living her dream’. 

Making the move to relocate to LA was not an easy one but it was necessary. She still calls her parents three times a week to check up on them. 

stunna like monica lewinsky

things to note

Waverly is still easily starstruck when she comes across someone she’s a fan of. It’s almost comical how she nearly fainted seeing her first A-List celebrity on a movie shoot.

Trained for a while as an acrobat when she was younger and still has a lot of that flexibility to this day. Had acting not worked out, Waverly planned to fully follow in her father’s footsteps.

Definitely a bit more of a party girl than she’d like to admit. She’s constantly trying to find somewhere exciting and is always down for adventure.

Once got lost and ended up in Nevada. Still has no idea how that happened. She’s also pretty sure she contemplated proposing to one of her co-stars.

Wishes she could remember what the different tarot cards mean but she’s useless without a book. She usually just begs Roxanne to give her a reading when she’s feeling down or needs clarity on life.

Her favorite color is forest green and she has a tendency to buy anything that color. It’s a bad habit.

no really that stone cold, hot girl feeling

filmography

2012 - girl, interrupted. role: daisy randone

2014 - solstice, role: zoe

2016 - mamma mia!, role: sophie sheridan

2017 - the girl next door, role: danielle

2018 - mamma mia! here i go again, role: sophie sheridan

2019 - someone great, role: blair helms

2020 - fathers and daughters, role: katie davis

2022 - anastasia, (live action version), role: anya (filming)

television credits

2014 - law and order: svu, role: emily, 1 episode

2014-2022 - charmed, role: phoebe halliwell, main cast

2016-2018 - scream tv series, role: emma duval, main cast

2022 - supergirl, role: kara danvers, main cast

unapologetic with a fucked up mind

connections

Flings - She’s been known to hook up with anyone she finds attractive, which is most people. She just wants to fall in love one day and live a life like her parents showed her. Problem is, she also has a tendency to fall a little too easily. These could either be normal flings, one night stands, etc. or it could a time where Waverly got a little attached and ended up getting hurt. 

Professional Hero - This person is the one she nearly fainted meeting. Probably still someone she has an problem pushing away the starstruck tendencies. 

That Co-Worker She Nearly Married - This one we could talk about a little more but this would be one of those people she got attached to easily and would have done something stupid had she not been stopped.

#hillzhqsintro #waverly | about

[acicis]

I think this is one of the best skincare lineup for my current skin condition. 🧊🩵💧

Lately, my skin broke out again after I was being too carefree in what I consume. 🫠 Surely it's anything but good, but I'm trying to handle the stress now so it won't get any worse than this.😵‍💫

I didn't use any skincare products for about 4-5 months because I was using my doctor's prescriptions to heal my skin, and then I didn't repurchase any of those products for about 3 months because they made my skin look dull. 🥲

After weeks of having some thoughts and learned bits about skincare ingredients, I finally managed to buy some products that I think are necessary for my skin condition:

SOMEBYMI AHA BHA PHA Toner

Jumiso Waterfull Hyaluronic Toner

True to Skin Niacinamide TXA Serum

True to Skin Multi Hyaluronic Serum

The Originote Hyalucera Moisturizer

These products mostly has hydrating ingredient that can help my skin produce less oil (I have oily, acne prone skin type). I've been using the moisturizer for some time now and it does a great job in moisturizing my skin. However, the rest of the products are essentially new products that I just tried this year. 💐

I believe that something's wrong on my skin barrier, so I'm trying to fix it with hydrating products. I'm currently reducing my skincare routine to just exfoliate and hydrate to prevent even more breakouts. I had this thing called skin cycling before where I need to "cycle" the routines once every 3 days and I swear to God, it was one of the most stressing skincare routine I've ever had. 😂 But these methods are each to their own, I guess. Simplicity fits me more in so many things, including my skincare routine.

Before anybody jump at me, I know that AHA BHA PHA toner was so famous in around 2018. They were literally everywhere and people talked about it so often. Back then, I was afraid of using the product because I was new to skincare and I didn't want to over-exfoliate my skin. Just about 6 years later, here I am, praising that toner for how good it is on my skin! 🥺💞 It didn't give the tingling sensation when I applied it on my skin, unlike the previous exfoliating toner I used. It was so gentle and it did its job properly on the first try. I'm in love with this toner, it's obvious, and it's a very late response to a trend, lol. I would totally recommend this to anyone who's looking for an exfoliating toner.

And then, the Jumiso Hyaluronic toner. I saw the ad everywhere and I was so curious about it. I watched around 3-4 reviews on YouTube and dug some informations online. They succeeded on convincing me to buy the product, and here I am, loving the product as well. I don't know much about this brand, but I love this toner so much! I used another brand's hydrating toner before for around 1 year and it didn't give the very same result as this toner did! This toner's very refreshing and hydrating on my skin, it gave a bit of plump effect after I did some CSM on my skin. Loving it! 🥰😍❤️

And then, True to Skin's serums. I knew this brand way before when I visited my friend's house. She was using this brand's niacinamide serum. I wasn't a big fan of niacinamide, until recently after I tried reformulated niacinamide serum from this brand. It's called TXA Niacinamide now. I haven't learned much about this ingredient, so I don't know much about things that changed in the formula. 😅 My skin absorbs the products easily and they didn't leave a sticky feeling on my skin. They did their job properly and I'm here to see the improvements on my skin!

I can't wait for the final result on my skin after months of using these products. This lineup is so good that my skin gets super better within days. 😭💓 I hope they don't discontinue these products!!

[novoplata]

Mini retirement?

I've been wanting to go on a sabbatical since 2018 -- only to take a short 1-month break before resuming with a different role I didn't enjoy.

In my earlier 30s, there was a lot of 'what ifs' to consider before going on a sabbatical and possibly not getting much (any?) income throughout. What if I suddenly decide to move to a different city? What if I'm starting a family soon? With all those possibilities, I just had to make sure that I'd have enough contingency plans (aka savings) to stay afloat.

Well, now that I'm turning 40, I'm 99.99% sure that I won't be doing any of those things. This leads to the next conclusion: I can finally afford to take that sabbatical! Whee!

I read on a research paper somewhere that single people on average are already half a million dollars richer than married people with children, thanks to us already skipping big-budget spending like weddings and child-rearing. I used to be paranoid about what if I don't have enough, but I guess, now I can rest assured that it will all be fine anyway.

Knowing that I can take a break if I'd want to gives me plenty of peace. And as I've discovered after 35, peace is always good.

Of Dorothy Perkins and Kate Spade

Before Zalora stopped selling the Dorothy Perkins brand of women's apparel, I used to get almost all of my dresses and sandals from that brand. The brand catered to my preference for no-ironing-needed jersey floral dresses and genuine leather strappy sandals. Best of all, the brand is pretty affordable. I spent an average of RM55 on a dress and the quality was pretty decent as well.

Recently during a company trip, a colleague of mine sported a floral dress that I thought could've been a Dorothy Perkins number. I complimented her on it and was about to ask whether it was a Dorothy Perkins dress.

Before I could ask, she replied, "Thanks, it's Kate Spade."

Now, I've never owned anything by Kate Spade but I am aware that the average Kate Spade dress would cost probably upwards of RM500 -- 10 times more expensive than a Dorothy Perkins number.

So, I thought to myself, if a Kate Spade dress looks just like a Dorothy Perkins dress, why not just buy a Dorothy Perkins dress and save your money? Besides, isn't the reason why people spend money on branded stuff to impress other people? It made me realise that most of the time, people don't even notice how expensive the things you own are.

There was a time in my youth (when I was a lot less frugal) when I would splurge on expensive skincare products and jewellery. Then, one day, during a facial session, my beautician asked me what skincare products I used and continued to guess, "Did you buy them from Watsons?"

Another time, my well-meaning colleague complimented my Thomas Sabo charm bracelet (RM300 for the bracelet + at least RM120 for each charm x 6) and asked, "It's pretty. How much does it cost? Like RM200?"

Burn.

Truth is, most of the time, nobody would know how much you spend on something except you. I soon took my beautician's advice and started getting skincare products from Watsons. Saves me a lot of money, and guess what? I still look the same!

These days, I hardly shop. If I do, they're all thrifted. I guess, this is also what's great about getting older: you no longer have any desire to impress people.

Rather than splurging on something expensive, I'd rather save that money on remodelling my kitchen sink that keeps getting clogged since time immemorial!

#life #work #random

[less-than-three-3]

god of PEAK

[𝐄𝐗𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐘 𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐃 𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐁𝐔𝐙𝐙𝐄𝐑]

PEAK of war?   [𝐄𝐗𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐘 𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐃 𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐁𝐔𝐙𝐙𝐄𝐑]

god of war (twenty eight-pea-   [𝐄𝐗𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐘 𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐃 𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐁𝐔𝐙𝐙𝐄𝐑]

this was funnier in my head anyways I beat god of war (2018) in like a week this shit sucked me in and did not let me go I was enthralled. I totally get the GOTY and GOAT claims. Is it my favorite of all time? ....I’ll think about it more and more. But the fact that it has me entirely rethinking my entire top 5 is super telling. 

tldr buy and play this fucking game. I might get a playstation just for ragnarok (and I guess hfw, and spider-man 2, and bloodborne). it’s THAT good. it’s so good I didn’t mind using epic games launcher for it!! Full braindump below, spoiler warning.

Alright where do I even start with this? This is a perfect game, it dragged me in and left me begging for more. I find that those two are one and the same to me, the last time I was so plugged into a game was Fallen Order, and before that was Triangle Strategy in recent memory. It’s so hard to find a game that genuinely feels flawless. Yet, even compared to those, I felt that GoW surpassed even what I previously considered to be “perfect” in many aspects. This might just be recency bias, but I have no qualms at least putting it up there in my top few games.

The biggest example of that is definitely the character writing. I previously wrote about how much I loved the characters in games like Spider-Man and Fallen Order, but Kratos and Atreus, despite being so much more godly than Peter or Cal, had arcs that just felt so human. And it not only affects their like internal monologue, or the plot progression, but the entire character performance and their interactions. For Atreus it might feel a little on the nose, and if there’s anything anyone has to complain about, I would probably bet it’d be angsty Atreus being a little... much. But he’s a kid for gods’ sake! It felt uncomfortably accurate. But Atreus is basically learning about the world and literally world-changing information and I felt like his growth was very clear. He shows growing maturity, explicitly and implicitly. 

But the person really growing is Kratos, alongside his son. Clearly regret-ridden, grief-stricken, and figuring out how to save his son from his own (and, apparently, most gods’) fate, he tackles the world’s hardest problems of how to be a dad. He’s essentially a traumatized war vet with a son asking every question in the book and glorifying war, with a good ol’ heaping serving of generational trauma and cycle of abuse. He is, at all times, diametrically opposed with Freya, who is protective of those she cares about to a fault. At the beginning he feels callous, cold, unloving. But by the end you realize that he isn’t a monster, he’s legitimately trying to love and protect his son, and though he needs a good amount of guidance and... some extenuating circumstances, he has a great point, and it’s just really hard to properly strike the balance. I still wouldn’t call him a great father but you understand the issue he faces and the mistakes he’s made and that, in the end, he does not know. On the other hand, Freya, who remains so adamantly protective of her child despite everything, can’t see the harm she’s done and will continue to perpetuate in being overprotective... literally. What is this, some kind of direct allegory?

And despite all this, their arcs aren’t just closed and sealed shut. They’re still growing as people, and you can feel that their learning as people aren’t done. Not just because Ragnarok approaches, but because there is just still a lot left unsaid. But at the same time, it felt complete? Despite the fact that the climax did not boil to the same kind of gutting, brutal decisions like in Spider-Man (those still fucking hurt), or an epic finale like in Fallen Order, the characters’ journey felt complete, but I wanted more. It just felt like the end of Act 1, not the end of the story. Cory Barlog you clever bastard.

Also, obligated to say, Christopher Judge and Sunny Suljic absolutely killed it. They deserve all the praise in the world.

Combat and gameplay was phenomenal. For the record I played on the more challenging mode (Give me a challenge?). I was kind of worried it’d sorta be a mashfest but no it was genuinely pretty awesome. Every hit and move felt super impactful, every option is viable, there is a lot of direction for building your playstyle but it’s not overwhelming. The Valkyries were fucking awesome bosses and I wish there was more of that, but I get why that kind of boss isn’t a required boss in this kind of game. After Yakuza and Spider-Man which had good enough combat but nothing to write home about, I started thinking that maybe I am genuinely just Platinum-pilled when it comes to combat but no, other studios can absolutely get to that level too (Platinum remains on top though). The only tiny tiny gripes I have about the overall gameplay is just that I wish I would zoom faster lol like climbing and running could definitely have been *faster* but I am like brainrotted or something it’s not a particularly serious complaint it was fine.

And before I forget, I know people have complained about the music being like “generic epic” music or whatever but like idk out of every game I think fucking Kratos deserves the epic ass music alright? (I may have said this exact thing about spider-man... lol) The vocal performances are incredible, and while yes the instrumentation isn’t exactly breaking new boundaries like in some of my favorite soundtracks, it’s still damn good at setting placement, tension, and delivering high energy. It’s one of those dilemmas where it’s like it’s not really trying new things but what it delivers it executes and places very well. Not a goated OST by any means, but I think deserving of high praise for sure. Let’s see what it was up against in 2018.....

oh. octopath traveler. yeah now that’s a soundtrack. didn’t win though because the game awards panel is full of HACKS

Anyways before I just ramble about how incredible the octopath soundtrack is I’ll end this off by just reiterating that this game is absolutely a must play for anyone, whether or not you’re interested. You must play this. It is required reading. There is a reason it is regarded as one of the gold standards of the current gaming industry. Absolutely phenomenal game. I can’t wait to eventually play Ragnarok.

#god of war 2018

[slowmotionjazzhands]

Question to fellow POC who are/have sought out therapy or any other kind of mental health treatment:

Did you feel that your psychiatrist/therapist/mh professional was very reluctant to discuss prescription meds? Or like actively, if not weirdly, discouraging about it?

#a genuine question #bc in my personal experience and from what my poc peers have observed we seem less likely to be prescribed anything than white people #studies are welcome #I’ve already looked at a few #buy anything more recent than 2018 would be great #mental health #mental heath support #psychiatry #psychology #mentally ill #therapy

[nctsjiho]

Just LuHo Things (Lucas x JiHo)

Kun (and Ten)’s Children

"LuJi!”

Though Lucas and JiHo are knowns as LuHo in the fandom Kun, the only person who really calls them by a “shipname”, calls them LuJi

Whenever the two are together they are usually goofing around a lot which ends up with Kun being on high alert and scolding the duo sometimes

Lucas is already really playful and he really likes JiHo so he gets her to do stupid things with him a lot

You’ll find Kun cleaning their mess they left behind with an annoyed expression

(no one is asking Kun to do it, JiHo has already told him she’ll tidy up after herself, but the leader has no patience when it comes to those kids)

Ten is the more chill parent who tells Kun to calm down and “let them be kids”

Both of them have heart eyes for Lucas and JiHo together because the two younger members always have such a bright smile on their face when they hang out

Dream’s lost members

We all know Lucas has said he wanted to be in Dream multiple times before

JiHo has joked about it before as well

On multiple occasions, whether it was a VLIVE, NCT daily content or on fancams, they have been seen singing and dancing to NCT Dream’s music as well as fangirling about the group

Multilingual messes

Honestly anyone in NCT who speaks more than 2 languages has a hard time speaking some times

Even though this isn’t specific to LuHo, for some reason when the two are together they have such a hard time saying at least one sentence which is completely correct

Lucas isn’t the best Cantonese teacher out there to be completely honest I’m sorry Lucas but you know this as well

So after a few attempts of trying to teach JiHo some Cantonese he just gave up, thankfully because the Cantonese he did learn JiHo wasn’t all correct either

On the other end of things, JiHo has given up teaching Lucas other languages as well

She’s a pretty good teacher if you’d ask the other members, but Lucas’ motivation only stretches out to about 15 minutes until he’s done “learning” the language

It’s their incredible amount of energy that makes it so hard for them to communicate properly

They’re always laughing and cracking jokes, never really being serious, so they just kind of fumble with their words and make hand gestures in the hopes the other person understands

And they do!

JiHo and Lucas seem to be able to understand each other 95% of the time, even if their conversations are unintelligible to anyone else in the room

Gifts

Lucas spoils JiHo with expensive gifts

We’ve been knew

JiHo doesn’t ask for anything ever, which is just ridiculous in Lucas’ opinion

Which is why whenever her sees something pretty that JiHo would like while shopping for himself, he’d buy it for her no hesitation

At this point JiHo’s closet is at least 1/3 courtesy of Lucas

JiHo wants to return the favour, but she never knows what to buy him

When she does find a cool hoodie or bag to buy Lucas she always checks it with him first to make sure he likes it, which results in either of 3 options

“I already have it, but thank you”

“I don’t really like it” He really doesn’t like it that much

“I don’t really like it” Lies because it’s a bit too expensive and maybe will end up buying it himself so JiHo doesn’t have to make a huge dent in her wallet

There’s one thing JiHo is really good at though

She’s quite observant, so whenever Lucas mentions something small like, “I lost my favourite cologne” or “I recently finished my cleanser” she’ll write it down and the next day she already bought it for Lucas

Those small things really mean a lot to Lucas which is why he keeps trying to repay her with way too expensive gifts

JiHo’s nothing more than a human sized teddy bear

The amount of times the boys have been worried about Lucas hurting JiHo is pretty impressive

The way Lucas tackles JiHo or throws his whole body weight on her, like he isn’t a 183 cm, 65 kg (that’s not even that heavy at all 😭😭) man

It’s concerning

It’s like he’s a Great Dane that doesn’t know his size, but he loves JiHo so much that he just needs to throw himself on top of her

He also doesn’t know his strength sometimes because he will literally just pick JiHo up with one arm and swing her around like she weighs nothing

Lucas seeing JiHo after not having seen her for a month is... dangerous

She always has to brace herself for Lucas coming at her running to just hug her

At this point she just let’s him pick her up and swing her around, because resisting him raises the probability of her accidentally getting hurt

The girl also really doesn’t mind it and secretly likes it a little, even though she wouldn’t directly admit it

Here some quick-fire LuHo things/facts to end this

I guess this is how I end these kinds of posts now

Isn’t fact checked but: Have each other saved as Prince and Princess on their phones

In 2018 had each other as their phone wallpapers for at least a month

When WayV has schedules overseas or JiHo is touring with NCT 127, they call each other at least once a week for a few hours before they go to bed (at least the person who is about to sleep)

JiHo loves Bella, Wayv’s dog (okay quick side note, I don’t know if she’s actually all of the members’ dog or one member...) and comes over to the dorm a lot to play with Bella, Lucas has said that JiHo is officially Bella’s mom and that they (JiHo, Bella and Lucas) spend a lot of time together

LuHo loves to play with each other’s hair and do each other’s makeup or skincare routines -> results in sleepovers 

---

Side note: I am completely burnt out from writing 😭 it really sucks so if my posts are less entertaining, for lack of a better word, I’m really sorry.

If you’ve noticed I’m back on posting every other day (besides that one time that Tumblr didn’t show my posts in tags so I delayed that post another day) and even with that schedule I’m struggling. I’m trying my hardest not to quit writing though, because that’s not what I want in the grand scheme of things, even if I do feel like I have absolutely nothing to write. I started about 13 posts in the last few weeks which are now in drafts unfinished... I’ll stop complaining now 😅 but I just wanted to let you guys know, because I do feel a sense of responsibility with this blog and that it would be unfair to just stop posting or post less, or continue posting “bad” posts without an explanation.

So that was that, I’m sorry for that 😅

I hope you all have an amazing day/evening/night 🤍💚🤍

#jiho.guide #nct 24th member #nct addition #nct imagines #nct scenarios #wayv imagines #wayv scenarios #nct fluff #nct lucas fluff #nct lucas imagines #wayv fluff #nct female member #nct extra member #nct additional member #kpop!addition #kpop!oc

[thepriceofbeingaroseisloneliness]

Toshiya Personal Interview Special Headbang Vol.27 Translation 1/2

The upcoming new chapter of the bassist who established himself while evolving his playing style in the middle of fierce battles he experienced overseas “We want to challenge both, our activities and songs, while constantly incorporating what seems new to us. Right now, once again, we want to try it with the feeling that Dir en grey can do anything”

Notes before reading: This is the personal interview of Toshiya from the magazine  Headbang Vol.27 released on 18th August. Toshiya’s interview is the last one after Kaoru and Die.The interview is 11 pages long, this part covers the first 5 and a half. You can read the second part here. You can buy the magazine at Amazon Japan or CDJapan Feel free to correct me if you spot any mistake or any confusing parts. ------ “For example, when we were making the album “DUM SPIRO SPERO”, the Great East Japan earthquake (March 11, 2011) happened. I remember clearly that our mood was ‘Is it ok to play music now?’. But this time, with this Corona situation, unlike that time, on the contrary I feel positively the only thing we can do now is music”  Text by Hiroko Goto The last featured member is bassist Toshiya, boasting a magnificent presence while sustaining the base of the sound. Placing “Ochita koto no aru sora” as a new chapter when they started the production, he talked about the “past, present and future” of the band  which can be a very important content to know the present position of Dir en grey. Also, he approaches his roots, which he has never talked about very positively so far, in a “Albums that inspired you” interview that starts with the story of the encounter with the band GUNS N' ROSES,  taking a look at the style of DEFTONES and KORN with whom they went on tour together as an example while he reiterates his own style, making it a interview in which you can see exactly his real image. “We wanted to think about what we could do until the last minute. At first, we didn’t think about simply postponing it” -Looking back, because of Corona, the tour scheduled for March “Tour20 Sogai” and the PIA Arena MM final performance "THE INSULATED WORLD"-THE SCREAMS OF ALIENATION-" scheduled for July have been cancelled. Toshiya: Right. -Thinking about your past activities, it’s like the flow of the ’The insulated world'（2018）is completed at this point. That’s the image I’m getting. First of all, when you were getting ready for the “Sogai” tour, what kind of thoughts did you have about it? T: 'The insulated world' tour had been done quite a few times until last year, so I was thinking about the set list changes for this “Sogai” tour.  So, as I thought it would be interesting because there would be new elements, I was very disappointed because we couldn't tour. -Rather than a continuation of the tour from the last year, were you looking ahead of the album? T: “Sogai” is also a tour of the album but, when I thought about the final Pia Arena performance, I imagine it as a concert that would connect with that. -Does that mean the Pia Arena performance was the culmination of 'The insulated world'? T: Yes, I think that idea was there. -After all, it was a shock that it had to be cancelled due to the current circumstances. T: For me too. If you ask me if it was a shock, at some point, it was. But it couldn’t be helped as we couldn’t do it. I had no choice but to put my feelings behind and move on. Rather than that, the biggest problem was wondering what we could do for the fans who were looking forward to it.  That’s why we wanted to think hard about what we could do until the last minute. At first, we didn’t think about simply postponing it, on the contrary, we were thinking how we could make it possible (the performances) but after all, as expected, in the end it was difficult. -In that sense, you did a live without audience, ‘The world you live in’, on the day when there was originally a live concert in March. In May, you did a live stream ’Dir en grey audio live stream 5 days' with setlist planned by members and broadcasted a talk ’Dir en grey live archive & Special talk’ . I think you were moving forward in many positive ways. Did the members propose any idea about what moves you wanted to make? T: Yes. How could I say it?.... In this situation, on the other hand, we thought there were quite a few things we could do only now, we tried to think in that direction. As there are things we couldn’t do anymore, what should we do now, so the idea of ‘what things could we do in the current situation?’ came up. -For you personally, during the period of the voluntary lockdown (Japan’s declaration of emergency state), did you have that mentality? T: That’s it…. I guess I didn't feel much  the impact of being in that situation in my private life . I don't usually go out so much (laughs) To be honest, my daily life didn’t change. -(Laughs) T: It was very disappointing that my plan of going on tour and eating delicious food all over Japan was gone (laughs) I was like…. “But I was thinking of eating delicious food, drinking delicious sake, and doing my best at the concerts”. “It was fun. If you talk seriously as usually, it won’t be interesting” - Actually, how did you feel about the voluntary lockdown (stay-at-home)? T: The tour was cancelled, and after all, I was making songs and within limitations, there were many things to do. As I was doing those things, I felt like I was always at home. So, if you ask me if my routine changed much, it didn’t. -In the broadcasting of the set list and the live streaming of the talks among the members, there was a feeling of being closer with the members than the Dir en grey we had seen until now. T: I was very concious about that, so thank you for telling me that. That’s why we made the talks like that, I thought people would enjoy it more if we show the parts that we don’t usually show. -In the talk, I got the impression that you were relaxed while having a drink. T: (Laughs) That’s true. - Were you conscious of that feeling of naturalness/raw feeling ? Were you trying to create it? T: Hahaha. It was fun. Well, I did it like because I thought if you talk seriously as usually, it won’t be interesting.  For things like that (serious), it’s better to use properly the power of the media and magazines. -Twitter was really excited about it, I enjoyed it too. T: Thank you (laughs) -Also, at the time you announced the release of a single ‘Ochita koto no aru sora’. Was this single originally scheduled to be announced at this timing? T: Since last year more or less, it was decided it would be released around that time. Originally, as it felt like we weren’t going to play it during the “Sogai” tour, we started working on it at the beginning of the year. But this time, I was able to spend a significant amount of time due to the Corona situation, so I think as a result I was able to concentrate on it very much. - So, was there any aspect of your recording style that was influenced by corona? T: The recording style is always done member by member, so it doesn't change. I didn't have any particular influence because until preproduction, the work was done in each member’s home and recording was done one by one, so there was no particular impact.  As it didn’t feel like when we are in the middle of a tour or between rehearsals, rather, I felt that I could dedicate the whole time to it. - The previous single was a magnificent song called "The world of Mercy", which was a continuation of "The Insulated World" and had the image of the final chapter of the album. What were the expectations for the new single? T: It was discussed between the member which type of song it would be, if it was going to be an upper (upbeat) song or a downer one with calm feelings. There were about 4 candidate songs, so doing them, this was the one that worked the best for us. - The feeling is that it is the next image of "The world of Mercy" or is it in the direction of something completely new? T: Personally, it felt like something new. As I said earlier, I personally think that "The World of Mercy" is the final chapter of "The Insulated World". -The world of "The Insulated World" has being going around for a long time, so from there, did you imagine switching to a new feeling immediately? T: I try to imagine it every time but after all it is still vague, and I don’t know. After finishing “Ochita koto no aru sora”, and as result of its final shape,  there was a response to those questions but during the process of making it,  I was worried about how it was going to land. -From previous two choices, the upper/upbeat song was selected. T: That’s right. Only because there was a sensation that it fits nicely. “Unlike that time, we felt like ‘we can only do music now’”. -In terms of playing, as a bassist, what position were you dealing with? T: Basically, unison* is the main one. While playing the same phrase as the guitar, I had the feeling that it would be good if I could play in order to stand out at every important point of the song. That's the position I've taking in recent songs. *Unison: It’s the simultaneous playing of a note (or a series of notes constituting a melody) by different instruments. -It's a song that feels like a beginning, but still has a certain amount of 'The Insulated World' energy. Looking back at the album 'The Insulated World', what kind of album was for you? T: When we released the previous album "ARCHE" (2014), I had an image of the band returning to the origin, I think the album for taking a new step from there was ‘The insulated world'. After all if a band continues, it may be like going around in circles,  a similar circle may come around but, there was also a feeling that the band had regained a fresh feeling and was taking a new step. -During the tours of the album, was there an actual feeling that you could certainly take the new step you just mentioned? T: There is, there is. That's why I think there is enthusiasm for the next single. -Furthermore, when it comes to timing, it’s running in parallel with the Corona virus disaster. Did that affect you? T: That’s right. We were making it while the world was in a situation like that. As one would expect, it's something that really impresses you. For example, when we were making the album “DUM SPIRO SPERO”, the Great East Japan earthquake (March 11, 2011) happened. I remember clearly the mood was ‘Is it ok to play music now?’. But this time, with this Corona situation, unlike that time, on the contrary I feel positively the only thing we can do now is music. We can’t go anywhere, weird stories around, we have nothing to do. So, when we asked ourselves what we could do, as the response was “music”, there was a moment  we thought positively “well, let’s make music”. -Also, for the coupling side, a reconstructed version of "CLEVER SLEAZOID" with Japanese lyrics was recorded. T: This was during the European tour, while talking about what to do with the coupling song, we narrowed it down to a few songs and we actually decided to try to do it at the time of the rehearsal. We made a rough framework of how it would be. At that rehearsal, when we were sitting silently, it felt like all the members decided to do it. -Rather than the reconstructed songs you have done so far, it’s an arrangement that uses the original song as it is very well. T: When we were matching it at rehearsal, we were trying out to change the rhythm a bit. As a result, the tempo was a bit faster than the original song. It was refined with the arrangements. Certainly, we used to change the arrangement quite a lot, but recently, our mode is that we don't change it that much and we take a slightly softer approach. -The simplicity of using the current sound of the band. I feel that mode as you can put the song out as it is. T: I can’t explain how that happens in that mode, because we do it in an intuitive way. Also, since this song has originally English lyrics, it’s seems like he wanted to sing it properly in Japanese. -That’s something big. How did you feel when you heard this song with Japanese lyrics? T: Mmm…. His (Kyo’s) lyrics and melody are an instrument in my mind. Everything feels like an instrument that once is put all together, it’s called a “song”. That’s why, whether it's Japanese or English lyrics, it may not change much. -I see. Also, at that time, this song was released as a single at that time, after the album 'Withering to Death' (2005), when it was a time when you were moving into a new phase. In that sense, I think it could be said that it was the same mode as you are now. T: Certainly, at that time, it was when we started to think about overseas as a band. Now that you have mention it, it’s not the same thing that we’ve talked before but, there is a feeling of bouncing around from one place to the next. “At that time, there was a moment where we wanted to somehow to leave claw marks of a band called DIR EN GREY” -You would say that the band is about to change? T: That’s right. I think there are some parts that are about to change. When we first released ‘Clever Sleazoid’, in ourselves as well, there was a feeling of ‘Let’s spread our work at overseas!’, I think it was a turning point that was about to change everything. So, now ‘The Insulated World’ was released, and we are trying to get to the next phase, so in that way, it’s connected. Well, there is a feeling of trying to find our new weapon in order to fight something. - Comparing how you were at that time and how you are now, have you changed your way of thinking/mindset? T: To be honest, the way of thinking is completely different (laughs) At that time, we had a strong feeling of going to overseas.  In order to go overseas, there was a feeling in ‘Clever Sleazoid’ and the songs around that time,  like we wanted to compose music with a conscientiousness of overseas music. In that sense, I think there was a moment in which we were very conscious of overseas. Right now, we are constantly playing overseas, but on the contrary, the idea of ‘What activities should we go based on overseas?’ is no longer there. It’s not because of overseas, it’s not because of Japan…. the way we are doing it from now on is  what we want to deliver to the people. -In other words, you were in a more glaring moment? T:  That’s right. More than glaring, at that time, there was a moment where we wanted to somehow to leave claw marks of a band called DIR EN GREY. I think that feeling was something that only could appear at that time, it was something that it only could be done at that time. Now, I think that there are several ways to do it (laughs) - Certainly, I've been watching your live performances in recent years, and instead of standing somewhere, it’s feels like your stance is making use of your originality. It seems that it has become a natural thing for the band without forcing or changing anything. T: That’s true. That’s why when it became a circular thing that you catch a hold of it, as a band that it’s in a mature point, I think the important point is  what we can release or not. - Even as the start of a new chapter, I think it will be a great time for those who have been waiting for it. I’m looking forward to the reactions of the new single. T: That’s right. Also, this time, it’s the first time we are releasing a single in this way, so I wonder how is going to feel. It's a little wait-and-see. (Second part here)

#dir en grey #toshiya #interview #Headbang Vol 27 #translation #toshiyatranslations #completed

[nightswithkookmin]

I loveeeee the way ur brain works and i like all ur posts and love reading them. Its Jimin day today and i wont lie that i am feeling a bit sad about whole JK not posting on JM bday because he was getting active on Social media again and i thought its because of JM bday coming soon but i hope they are happy and JM had a blast celebrating his bday.. it annoys me how other ship( u know which ship) is happy and making fun about this situation and calling Jikook bond fake and nonexsistant. 1/2

Ahhhhhh this topic!

Also me:

Packing my bags off these shipping streets. Jk don disgrace us. Lol. Kidding. If more than anything today has solidified my faith in JK and Jikook and while y'all are jumping ship imma hold the fort. Hashtag Jikook for life!

I've been receiving a lot of questions about this, about JK not posting for JM's birthday and I haven't answered any of them because- well I passed out. So...

Anywho,

Jk didn't post true, but have you thought about what it would have meant for him and JM if he had posted?

Now I see a lot of people running through the ship streets shouting Jikook broke up, something was off between them, Jikook was never real, jikook this- Jikook that- y'all need to calm your horses or I swear to God!

I mean I am down for all that wild gossip and angst but I think y'all is tripping.

Do I think they are in a bad place, HELL NO. Do I think they are not real? HELL NO! Do I think JK don lost his minds? ABSOLUTELY.

Lol

No but seriously, I'm fascinated by all of this. I'm in pain, can't process shit but when it comes to Jikook I'm always intrigued and fascinated by them.

I'm mostly fascinated by why JK pulled a 5/8, geared up for JM's birthday but then posts crickets on Jimin's birthday as you've said.

Is it me or does this whole thing feel like the tattoo girl scandal all over again? Lmho.

Up until now, I've avoided addressing Asks about Jikook coming out, JK proposing and stuff like that because those territories are a bit tricky for me- to speculate on those, I find I'd have to speculate on whether marriage is something both of Jikook want, whether both of Jikook want to come out but these are conversations I don't think y'all are ready for with me.

Not when I believe one of them, if you've been following my train of thoughts you'd know which, is not ready to make such commitments, joking about marriage and shit- yes, that tiny man. Lol.

I mean the backlash I get for the tamer things I share on here- chilee, y'all is about to eat me up for this. Here goes nothing. Mama pray for me.

I have said, late 2018 to the middle of 2019 is one of the moments I sincerely felt JK was going to 'out' Jikook just based on the way he was moving through that era until that impromptu hiatus and the following scandal.

Out Jikook as in OUT Jikook- I've told y'all Jikook have been asserting themselves against eachother. JK has been asserting himself and part of that self assertion ties in with his sexuality. He is tired of hiding. He's been tired since 2016- trouble this one.

Do I think JM is ready to come out- No. He doesn't want to come out but he doesn't want to hide hide either. Dude just want to stay in that glass closet.

Throughout my posts, I've speculated this has been a huge part of their on and off dynamics since November last year. Jk coming off too strong, JM asking for space- yall know don't make me repeat myself.

November 2019 up until today is also one such periods I felt JK was going to out Jikook, inspite of all the ups and downs they've experienced this season.

JK scares me to be honest with you. I keep saying people are looking at him wrong. Hell, people are looking at Jikook dynamics wrong I feel.

All the times Jikook have almost been accidentally outed, who's been the most terrified? It's not JK.

Jimin's face when RM said JK sneaks into JM's bed at night, his face when they walked into JK's room on Bon V and saw the cameras. I have an entire dissertation on this on my wall please get with it. Lol

Whatever silent protest JK's been on since JM's birthday last year- Not gonna lie, I felt JK was not posting for the others so he could post on JM's birthday this year as a way of coming out with him? You know, make a bold statement like he's done over the years? I'm delusional but also dead serious.

Each time I feel JK's come close to this pivotal moment, something's happened. I swear Jikook is taking years off my life- I'm exhausted.

Why is he trying to out their relationship on his own and not do that with the consent of Jimin? I'm gonna pray to God, y'all can read my mind with everything I have been saying since my posts because this is cutting it too close for me- and I'm exhausted so maybe another post next time.

Like I've said, I really believe they are in a good place this time around. Y'all know me, I don't shy from angst, I'd say if I felt there's been something off with them since they fixed whatever they were going through early half of the year.

The only tension I've sensed between them lately was on day two of the online concert when JM got a little too excited with trying to sell the sexual tension fantasy in his other ships and JK didn't look like he was happy about.

Later during the curtain call you could see dude cold stoning JM resulting in JM doing what he does best in such instances- clinging on to JK for their life. Lol.

He vanished from Namjoon's side real quick to take the bow next to JK but JK- Y'all check that moment out for yourself, see what I'm talking about.

Is that why he didn't wish Jimin a happy birthday? I don't think so. I think he put a lot of thought and preparation towards this moment to make something like this undo all of that- that is if my suspicions about what he was trying to do this year is right.

Jimin gone wake up married one of these days he won't know what hit him! Lmho.

It is why, I don't buy this whole he didn't post for the others which is why he didn't post for Jimin narrative. When have you known Jk to care about things like these?

The man literally got a birthday present for Jimin gave it to him in the presence of some of the members without doing same for them. Singling JM out like this is nothing new to him. He has done so consistently over the years to let this deter him.

The question y'all should be asking is why he didn't post for the others in the first place. They are all friends and posting for eachother's birthdays is a long standing tradition in BTS so why is he breaking from this culture all of a sudden?

Is he rebelling? Is he protesting? What is he trying to do? Right?

This moment has been building up since last year after JM's birthday and I honestly believed he was going to go through with it- hell I bought a wedding dress and shit- Jikook you son of bish!

I have said the company is giving them much room to be themselves, RM isn't breathing down their necks, JM looked like he was finally committed- everything looked great between them in my opinion except perhaps for the growing tensions between JK, V and Namjoon- If you've been paying any attention to their recent Twitter war.

I hate speculating based on nothing, so I'm just going to point out to you my observations without drawing conclusions- I'll share my thoughts on what these moments means when I've had more content to peruse and analyze from now- but for now you can make of it what you will:

1. JK starts a count down on Twitter, JM responds and continues the countdown.

Now I clocked, the moment JK posted this on the 5th that he had something up his sleeves with regards to Jimin which I shared with y'all. He was going for a 5/8/13 it's not news now.

2. After Jimin posts day 4 for the countdown, who ever was going to post after him was going to have to post day 3 to continue the countdown right? But Tae posts a V-cut instead breaking that chain.

Now I remember joking about this moment with a friend, rolling my eyes exclaiming, here they go again! V is trying to sabotage JK yet again, and he'd turn around and ask why their friendship is dwindling. The pettiness and passive aggressiveness of it all!

That moment reminded me of when he called JK out for attempting to eyefuck JM through the viewfinder in the Dynamite MV reaction video. Remember that? Same energy to me.

They do shit like this and their shippers will not take note but will turn around and act surprised when we say Taekook ain't all that- rolling my eyes.

3. Hobi continues the countdown with day 3 and RM posts something random the next day but I think it was to neutralize the Taekook shenanigans. Neutralizing is what RM does best- we been knew.

4. Jk posts his Savage Love cover on the 8th and equally doesn't partake in the countdown he himself initiated because- Savage.

5. Suga posts day 2. RM and Jin posts day 1 and Tae posts D-Day on the D day to promote the concert. Yadda yadda yadda.

Now I didn't think much of this moment to be honest- i merely took a mental note of it for future reference, and was paying close attention to their interactions at the concert- which we will talk about soon..

I didn't make much of this bit until VJoonKook became a hold out on Jimin's birthday. They were the last three to post, two of whom ended up not posting at all for Jimin"s birthday- fucking traitors.

It was at this point I felt compelled to put on my tinfoil hat. And reevaluate the situation.

Why were these three people the same trio engaged in that little squabble just a few days ago on the timeline? I wondered.

It felt as if Taekook were engaged in a Russian Roulette racing the clock while Joonie stood by waiting to neutralize whatever shit those two were going to pull on the timeline.

Call me delusional but I felt JK was going to post, Tae was going to try to one up him with a ridiculous post or counter his post- V and his fucking VMin agenda! Lmho

RM was going to end up mirroring whatever JK was going to post to neutralize it as per usual- leave me alone. I said I'm delusional. Let me be. Lol.

There's just a lot going on all at once and it's easy to lose sight of subtle moments like these when they happen.

Like Jimin saying he would be on VLive soon, which first of all- yay!

Y'all know I've been keeping my eyes on the app, most especially how the members are going to use it post IPO, post Soop- I have a lot of questions; will they be monitored like they were in May? Will they be able to have intimate interactions with the fans like before?

Y'all know my theory about Jikook and the VLive stuff so I'll leave it there.

Now as for what this moment here means, I think it's a humbling experience for all of us but mostly for Jimin-JK you sonova bish! Lol

Jimin is the one who loves to flex his bond and relationship with JK, he loves to show off their relationship. He is the one who's been called all sorts of names under the sun just because of his relationship with JK- even if they are friends.

None of the members have suffered and paid a price for their relationship with JK the way Jimin has throughout the years. It is why I hate it when people compare the others to him. Even if it placates you and lessens your insecurities please don't.

I'm not pressed about no ship wars. Hell, I often start one myself- what? fun.

I'm worried for Jimin mostly.

I think JK more than anyone knows how this looks. Which is why I really don't think this is what he was aiming for all along. To make Jimin look this way- again not to say JM is better than the others he didn't post for.

I don't know what's going on with JK now but I am not about to tell you this moment is nothing. It is not nothing.

I know people want to console themselves with the whole my partner don't gotta show off on social media on my birthday to show he loves me- please shut up. Or may be don't. Y'all con shippers confound me.

This is Jikook here, showing is an integral part of their dynamics. Isn't that why people call them a fanservice ship? Because they show so much? Because they do so much?

Jikook like to show off their bond, they like claiming eachother, they like reassuring eachother and I'm sorry but Park Jimin's father set such high standards for his son's birthday for anyone who claim they love him to pull stunts like this. Do y'all know Jikook at all?! I have to ask.

Jimin loves to be treated like he is different and special. It's his love language. We know this, BTS knows this, JK knows this- don't make excuses for JK if at the very least you can't see what he was trying to do here.

Even if you don't think they are a couple they are best friends- at the bare minimum. It doesn't take more than a few seconds to login and wish a friend a happy birthday- Hobi made four and he is not dating Jimin. Just saying.

You can't yell Jikook show us a lot hence there's no need for wild theories and assumptions and bully people who come up with wild theories and then in the same breath say they don't have to openly show us they care about eachother for them to be real- Y'all are going to ship by faith now? Chileee.

I have said JK likes to retract and conceal and only shows what he chooses to show and this was his choice. It's as simple as that. He chose not to post.

He didn't do it because of no damn other members.

He occupies a huge space in JMs life to not know what this moment says about him and his highly publicized relationship with Jimin- chileee, whatever did park Jimin do to you, JK?! Jesus Christ!

Havent heard of a betrayal this grand since the birth of Judas Iscariot- Judas is that you? Lmho.

I joke but I don't find this funny at all. Bless them.

It's one thing to not post for the others, but it's different for Jimin. And this is not to say the others don't matter to JK, they do. He's called them all family but then again he hasn't placed any one of them on a pedestal the way he's placed Jimin on a pedestal now has he? So we cannot assume Jimin means the same to him as the others mean to him.

Isn't that why we ship them?

Personally, I'm hurt by all of this. It hurts me that some people are going to use this as an excuse to tease and bully Jimin, call him a liar, call into question the years of friendship between Jikook, call into question any future interactions between them- I don cried my eyes out all day for Jimin but also for JK.

It hurts that I have to defend JK and Jikook to anyone. The task wasn't easy before all of this- not that anybody sent me. Who died and made me their spokesperson. Chileee

But please let's not dismiss this moment or belittle it. It's monumental- to me anyway.

JK was on to something I'm just curious to know what stopped him this time around. I want to know if he plans on not posting at all for anyone in the future. How long is he going to keep at it?

He's tried to out them twice. Will he do it again? How is he going to do it? What is Jimin going to do if indeed this is what JK had been planning, how is this going to affect their dynamics- I'm excited for their journey however it goes.

It's their journey unauthored. I'm just here to observe and report- and may uWu while I'm at it.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, we gotta ask ourselves, had JK posted anything at all today knowing full well he hasn't posted at all for anyone in the group all year, that what would that have meant for their relationship? What message would that have sent?

While we lament about this moment, let's also take a minute to ponder over what this moment might have signified if JK had actually posted.

Everything he did in the days leading up to Jimin's birthday pointed to the fact he was definitely going to post. To me it felt he was gonna come out. He was. And if he had done it- my god!

JK isn't my favorite person right about now. He can go ahead and step on leggos. No kithes for him🙄

But I have faith in him. Always. He's consistently shown and proven his love and loyalty for Jimin through out the years. You don't nibble on a man's ear in front of sixty thousand people, to find posting a simple message on his birthday tedious. This is Jikook. If it feels wrong, it is wrong.

I wish I could tell yall, this moment means nothing, that JK not posting is not a big deal but I can't. This moment is everything.

Signed,

GOLDY

#jikook #jikook theories #kookmin analysis #jikook analysis #kookmin #jikooktheories #kookmintheories #jikook is real #ask goldy #ask response #ask about jikook #goldy #nightswithkookmin #jikook scenarios

[defensefilms]

Embiid, Sixers And Everything Else In A Wild NBA Post Season

1. Sixers And The Joys Of The 1 Seed

This is it.

This is what it’s all about. I can’t remember having this type of optimism about the Sixers during any post season. The 2018/19 Sixers were close but they didn’t validate that optimism the way this year’s team has as far as regular season performances.

These guys have done that and then some.

We’re no longer a team devoid of shooting or ball movement. We’re no questioning what our best line-ups are and who our best player is. We now have an experienced post season coach with the cache to make demands of these players.

This is the best any Sixer team has looked in any post season. We put the mollywhopping on the Wizards. From the head coach Doc Rivers, his staff and then all the way down to Shake Milton and Mike Scott off the bench, no one even entertained the idea that we weren’t going to sweep these guys.

Now we’re facing an obstinate Atlanta Hawks squad.  The Hawks have no way to stop Simmons or Embiid 1-on-1 but they got shooters for days and Trae Young’s averaging 27.7 points on 48.4% from the field. We need to put some respect on his name. Get the ball out of Trae’s hands because he was doing too much in game 1.

First there’s the fact that we’ve had our struggles defending elite scoring point guards this season. Then there’s the fact that Trae Young has done us dirty a few times before. The Hawks gave us hands in game 1 of the 2nd round. We we’re down early and didn’t get close to coming back until it was too late buts its far from curtains in this series. 

One thing that has definitely been of huge concern is the health of Joel Embiid.

How is it possible that a man tear his meniscus on May 31st and then drop 39 points, 9 boards and 4 assists in the playoffs on June 3rd? How? He can’t be healthy and I don’t know if it’s smart for his long term health to play right now. He was one of the bright sparks of the game. It’s not just this specific injury either.

This season has been hell on Embiid’s body. You have to wonder how much their gonna risk it or if the team are even halfway considering giving him a rest. Embiid spoke about managing his injuries after game 1 against the Hawks. Honestly doesn’t sound good. He’s talking about managing the swelling in his knee. This on top of ACL injuries sustained towards the end of the regular season. He’ll have had five days rest before game 2 so hopefully that helps remedy what is way more alarming than the Sixers front office is making it seem.

2. Lakers Flame Out

It’s been a dramatic season for the 2020/21 Lakers and typically speaking I don’t think that a team seeded so low are worthy of a list or breakdown like this but this is a special case. These Lakers are likely a way better team than seeding suggests.

Injuries to their 2 best players, saw the Lake-show lose number 1 seeding and then slide further down.

Roster-wise the Lakers tried their utmost to replace the production that they got out of Javale McGee and Dwight Howard. Marc Gasol just can’t be an active defender anymore and his inability to cover the perimeter and post at the same time became a huge issue. Montrezl Harrell has averaged 23.7 minutes off the bench and Dennis Schroder stretches the court as a shooter and a tertiary scorer but is more turnover prone than Rajon Rondo was.

The signing of Andre Drummond was a great idea and his rim protection and big body offense are valuable assets but he was never on the court with the team’s top stars long enough for any kind of chemistry to develop. 

The big issue is that as a team they are not the defensive powerhouse they were last year. The issue with that is that this team doesn’t have the kind of offensive scoring and 3-point shooting that can allow them to rely on blowing teams out the water and outscoring the opponents.

The signs were ominous from pretty early on but stop lying to yourself. More importantly, stop lying to the people. Don’t pretend you knew the Lakers would lose this series to the Phoenix Suns.

Anthony Davis has had his well covered and documented struggles with injuries throughout the season. As a an on looker, I gave the Lakers the benefit of the doubt every step of the way. I felt like we knew how this goes and the team with winning pedigree would get it together. LeBron’s injuries were something I felt he could overcome because he’s LeBron. It just never happened. That moment when Lebron takes over like he did against Boston in 2017, just never happened. 

I’m hesitant to say it’s over for LeBron or anything even remotely similar to that. However it might be a wrap for him in Los Angeles.  

3. Brooklyn Looking Nasty

Are the Brooklyn Nets Nasty or are they playing against a team that lacks versatility?

I’ve watched a lot of this team since 2017 and you know what I realized, that they’re a well oiled, championship caliber team until oppositions shut down the 4-out-1-in strategy. The meltdown they suffered in the 2018/19 post season against the Toronto Raptors was bad but still left room for optimism. The massacre they suffered against the Miami Heat in last year’s second round was a signal for change.

Yet I don’t feel there has been a lot of change. So the onus falls on Mike Budenholzer to come-up with a convincing second act to his game plan. Two games in to the 2nd round series against these Nets, Bud has failed spectacularly.

Then there’s the flipside of the coin, which I hope just isn’t true.

The Brooklyn Nets are looking untouchable. Kevin Durant is among my least favorite players but he’s killing it. The confidence he’s showing taking defenders off the dribble and pulling up is incredible and to be fair he’s always been really good at that. 

Durant slapped the Bucks up for 32 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists in game 2 and then had one of the snidest post game interviews you’ll ever witness from an athlete. 

The hope here is that Giannis and the Bucks can get it together because we need someone to take some of the steam out of this Nets squad.

4. Kristapz Porzingis Hates Being A Mav

There is an absolutely hilarious 5 minute clip of Luka Doncic just refusing to pass the ball to Porzingis throughout the 2020/21 season. Click here and witness basketball comedy.  

Luka Doncic absolutely dominated in a losing effort against the Los Angeles Clippers in round 1. However it was clear that he was only going to push the Clippers and the only way to do better than that would be to take the pressure off of Luka and some one else to help carry the scoring. If only the Mavericks had a big man to compliment Luka, you know, a guy that can create his own shot and still be a mismatch when Luka forces bad switches and he finds himself guarded by smaller guys. Oh wait.

The world has finally taken notice of everything happening in Dallas and most importantly everything that’s not happening in Dallas. Luka’s growth and development is something for the organization to be proud of but this was supposed to be complimented by the growth of Kristapz Porzingis and that just isn’t happening. 

The word on the streets is that Porzingis is frustrated with his role on the Mavs and may seek a trade but after some of his performances in that round 1 series, I think the Mavs will have a hard time convincing anyone to take on his contract.

5. The West Can Call Itself Wild Again

This here is by far the most open Western Conference playoffs in over a decade, 

I don’t buy the hype about how the Western Conference teams are better and more competitive but the record is the record and it can’t be argued with.

No so this year.

The Lakers falling out of the race has definitely gifted us a conference where we just don’t know who is going to emerge as the representative in the finals. 

The Phoenix Suns have definitely racked up the most street cred by beating Lebron’s Lakers in 6. Devin Booker is simply awesome and I don’t say that as a fan of his. He average 29.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists against the Lakers and they also overcame an injury scare to Chris Paul. They have a very interesting 2nd round series against the Denver Nuggets, who lost Jamal Murray to injury and found a way to keep winning and also overcame a near super human scoring output from Damian Lillard in round 1.

Then there’s the 1st seed Utah Jazz, who will go down in history as the most disrespected and underrated 1 seed in recent memory. They’ve been matched up against the Los Angeles Clippers who looked like they were reeling in the early part of their round 1 series against Luka Doncic and the Mavericks, then Kawhi and Paul George composed themselves and took the series in a thrilling 7 game series. The redemption story is definitely still in progress.

That’s 3 different 2nd round playoff match-ups that will probably provide a high quality of basketball. Well worth the watch.

#nba #nba 2021 #nba playoffs #philadelphia 76ers #joel embiid #los angeles lakers #lebron james #brooklyn nets #kevin durant #dallas mavericks #denver nuggets #utah jazz #phoenix suns #los angeles clippers

[evanonearth]

Why it’s okay to not have your life together in your 20′s

A blog piece I recently wrote for The Juice Academy

It’s August 2018 and I’m sat in my bedroom surrounded by my suitcase, hand luggage and a duffle bag still covered in tape with the FedEx customs label wrapped around the handles. What I’m supposed to be doing is unpacking and settling in back at home after landing in the UK 48 hours ago from New York. What I’ve actually been doing for the last hour is scrolling through my phone, revisiting the endless photos and videos that I’ll end up viewing multiple times again and again, over the following year.

I’ve spent the last 12 weeks at a summer camp in America, photographing camp activities 5 days a week before spending the weekend visiting the Lake, our favourite diners, or during one memorable weekend - zip lining over Niagara Falls. When camp finished, I spent the next 4 weeks travelling across America. Feeding crocodiles in the swamps of Louisiana, spending Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and road tripping up the coast of California. I learnt how to line dance at Honky Tonks in Nashville and lived my Elle Woods fantasy in Boston. I’d had the best experience of my life, but all it took was a 9-hour flight to bring me crashing back down to reality.

I was 22, freshly graduated from university and not a clue what I wanted to do with my career. All I knew was that I missed the care-free days of camp life. In fact, I’d had such a great experience that I pressed ‘pause’ on my life and knew that I had to go back for a second summer 10 months later.

It was an easy decision to make because it came from the heart. It was simple; I was choosing what made me happy. But then my brain caught up with the idea and all of a sudden, I was filled with a sense of panic, guilt and all-round helplessness. Why was I spending 10 months of my life working in a supermarket, just to save enough money to go back for 3 months to something I’d already done? How was any of this contributing towards a career? Why wasn’t I doing anything with the degree that took me 4 years to get? Surely, I should be saving for a house? That’s what everyone else was doing, right?

In the lead up to my second summer in the States, these were constant worries. Comparison is a killer, and I was questioning everything, feeling completely out of the loop with my friends who had gone straight from uni into graduate jobs. But I knew that I’d probably never get the opportunity again to travel for this length of time without any attachments.

Fast forward to present day, and I’m so grateful that I made that decision to return for a second summer. Without sounding cliché, it changed my whole perspective on life. I met people who were older than me and just starting uni, people who were in their early 30’s and had taken a career break, and people who - like me, just simply weren’t ready to settle. By the time I got home, all of my friends seemed to have stepped into the ‘real’ world. The world of careers, and serious relationships and finally moving out of your parent’s house.

But this time round, it didn’t bother me. I was creating my own timeline and choosing my own path. I was nearly 24, with no idea what was next, but I was happy with the unknown because I knew that whatever was meant to be, would be. By choosing to change my expected path, I’d opened up a whole new chapter of my life where I was content with doing things at my own pace. After camp, I’d planned to go travelling around Asia with some of the friends I’d made over the last two summers. We didn’t have a plan, just a rough idea of locations and the idea that we’d stay out there until we only had enough money left to buy a plane ticket home. Of course, due to the pandemic hitting, this never happened. Instead, I used lockdown as a chance to think about what I really wanted from the next few years. I realised that travelling and having a career don’t need to be independent books but can be part of multiple chapters in my life. So, I brushed up my CV and got excited about beginning a career in the creative industry, because this time round I felt ready for it.

Society has conditioned us to believe that we have to be constantly hitting these specific milestones at certain ages, and if not then we’re somehow failing at life. We should be going to university, or getting on the property ladder, having children by 30 and choosing one career to stick to until retirement at 60.

But guess what? There is no time limit on any of these things! Only a socially constructed ‘ideal’. And there is more to life than ticking boxes.

It starts when we’re little and we get asked “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and then it’s “What A-Level options are you picking?” How are we supposed to know at 15, what’s going to make us happy at 25? At 50? I’m not even the same person I was a year ago, let alone 10. Even more so as women, we get told that our lives won’t be ‘fulfilled’ until we have children (which, by the way, has to be by a certain time because you don’t want to be an old Mum right?), or that the only reason we’re single is because we ‘just haven’t met the right person yet’ rather than by actual choice.

People talk about using your 20’s to ‘find yourself’, but that’s not really how it works. You’re not lost, you don’t need finding. Your true self is right there, it’s just buried under pressure from society, what you’ve been told is the right thing to do, and other people’s opinions of what you should be doing.

This isn’t to belittle those people who have taken the expected path, because for those people that might be their dream. Some people want to settle down with a family by the time they’re 30, or go straight from university into a job; the same way that I knew it was exactly what I didn't want to do. For them, that’s their own happiness. No one else but you is responsible for your own happiness and deciding what your definition of that is. Your timeline is yours to create, it doesn’t matter what other people your age are doing, focus on building your own happiness and everything else will come in time.

Creating your own path in life isn’t easy. Especially if it feels like you’re somehow not at the same point in life as all of your friends are, it’s hard to break away from the flow and realise that you can do something different. Breaking the ‘rules’ and doing your own thing can feel scary but deciding to live life on your own terms is ultimately the best reward.

A close friend of mine said to me recently “What is meant for you won’t pass you by and what passes you by wasn’t meant for you”.

Trust yourself and trust the universe. You never know where life will take you, and that can be a wonderful thing.

#juiceacademy #apprenticeship #digital marketing #cheshire #north west #manchester #camp america #grad life

[photolover82]

The Masked Singer Season 6 Episode 1 Recap: Group A Premiere Baby!! (Commentary & Guesses)

Hello everybody and welcome or welcome back to Ana's Masked Singer recap, where I, Ana, recap every single episode of The Masked Singer. The time we have been waiting for is here, the season 6 premiere (ooh that rhymes)! If you don't know how these recaps work, pretty much I talk about the reveals first (major spoiler alert by the way ⚠️) and then get into the remaining contestants, what I thought about their performances, guesses to who I think it could be with the clues to back it up the best I can. Anyways, having said that, let's get started with the 1st recap of season 6 (which is covering the Wednesday episode, Thursday's will be covered separately):

In this episode, Group A performed which consisted of Bull 🐂, Skunk 🦨, Octopus 🐙, Pufferfish 🐡, and Mother Nature 🌬 and 2 of them were eliminated, but only one was revealed this episode, damn cliffhangers, and that mask was:

Octopus 🐙

Performance Commentary: I was honestly so sad to see him go this early in the season, because I really enjoyed his performance of Tutti Frutti by Little Richard. He probably wasn't the most technical singer but for (spoiler) a non singer he did pretty great! I would buy his album.

Having said that, he was revealed to be:

*FIRST DRUMROLL OF THE SEASON PLEASE*

🏀Dwight Howard 🏀

Ok I kinda figured it out even though I don't know anything about the sports world... But he is one of the few names I do know in the NBA (my dad's a huge sports guy and I might have seen a meme of him falling so that too). Anyways, can I for one second, point out how tall this guy is?! He makes Nick Cannon look tiny…and Nick is 6 feet! It was so funny… I also was surprised at how funny he was… but yeah Clues, here are some you might have missed or gotten idk:

Survived a hard core fall= yup like he legit fell and hurt himself, which really hurt his game & probably his career

Gold phone= won the 2019-2020 championship with the Lakers

Magic playing card= eight seasons he played for Orlando Magic

Also, I gotta note that Ken got it right and is in the lead for the Golden Ear and that shocked me more.

Next, this mask was also eliminated, but wasn't revealed until episode 2, so I'm just gonna talk about the performance and that was:

Mother Nature 🌬

Performance Commentary: I'm not going to say I didn't see this coming, because her performance of I'm Coming Out by Diana Ross was the weakest one vocally of the night. However I still enjoyed her as a performer/entertainer and that costume is unreal like wow it reminds me of Te Fiti from Moana (look it up if you don’t know what I am talking about)

Anyways, let's get into the remaining 3 and my guesses for them *

*I just want to preface that I knew I wasn't going to have time to do this recap in between the 2 episodes, so I wrote my guess for this one mask down before they were revealed

1. Skunk 🦨

Performance Commentary: The beginning was super cool and so well staged, kudos to the producers on that one, but I was pretty underwhelmed with her performance of Diamonds by Sam Smith. Like, that's a great song, but I don't feel it suits her voice & range of what she's capable of doing. All in all, it was ok, nothing wowing about it, even though I do think her voice is very strong.

As for my guess, I think Shunk is:

Faith Evans

Ok, so this was a guess I got thanks to Twitter, voice matched it, and I am sold honestly… idk who Faith was until now, she was married to Notorious B.I.G, but that’s all I know. Anyways, let’s dive into those clues, shall we:

She was on a train to Seoul, South Korea= Soul Train! = she was honored with a lifetime achievement award in 2018 by Soul Train

Duality/yin and yang of the Skunk= she has a song that references Ying Yang in the lyrics called Goin’ Out

Her connection to Elvis= she devoted a song to her late husband Biggie called “The King & I” and Elvis is the king of rock and roll

2. Pufferfish 🐡

Performance Commentary: She sang Say So by Doja Cat, which I mostly know the entire song due to Tik Tok, so I hope people also use her version because it’s super solid. When I was watching at first, I was thrown off by the rapping, but now watching it back, I embraced it. It wasn’t the best rapping ever but it was dope ngl seeing a woman like that also kill a rap. I really enjoyed tbh more than I did the first time when I thought her voice wasn’t really at its full potential.

My guess for the Pufferfish is:

Toni Braxton

After voice matching Pufferfish with Toni, the voice is uncanny! But you need some clues baby boos so here we go:

Voice stands out, she was different, tried to blend in= no like seriously, because everyone knew it was her because Toni has a super distinct voice no one else has

Disco ball= home girl performed on season 7 of Dancing with the Stars, get it disco ball, mirror ball like the trophy they win

Guitarra= she has a hit song called Spanish Guitar, and guitar in Spanish is you guessed it Guitarra

3. Bull 🐂

Performance Commentary: He sang Drops of Jupiter by Train, and wow HE GOT VOCALS FOR DAYSSS (what he ain’t is shy so stop lying my guy). He is absolutely my favorite of the night, his voice is absolute butter, raspy butter… yes I did just say that but you know what I mean (if you don’t, it’s those nice raspy voices that are so smooth like butter). You could tell he is used to performing and singing, because wow that performance was absolutely fantastic.

Even though he was amazing, he was also super easy to guess because from the first damn note (actually from the first damn sneak peak preview they gave us of him singing), I knew who this was:

Todrick Hall (finally those hours watching YouTube as a teen are paying off lol)

Before I even get to the clues, just so you guys know, I have been watching Todrick since like 2014 on YouTube and I know his voice and his mannerisms and how he performs and that Bull ticks all the boxes… I don’t even need clues but to show you my point in the form of evidence, lemme back myself up with these sweet, sweet clues (side note: I could even hear his voice through the modulation, which was crazy):

Grew up in a small town filled with cows= yes sir, he grew up in Plainview, Texas which is a small farming town with less than 25,000 people living there (and I am sure when he lived there it was smaller than that) and filled with cows which at first I thought was a metaphor but looking into it I find out Plainview has the largest beef processing plant in the country… hence cows lol

Heard no again and again and again= reference to how he was on American Idol and then lost the show

Didn’t give up, became his own boss= that American Idol loss got him to start YouTube hence being his own boss

Hollywood and Forbes took notice= he has appeared in the 30 under 30 successful people list by Forbes in 2014

Astronaut aka Hunter Hayes= he covered Invisible by Hunter Hayes on his YouTube channel (which is my absolute favorite Hunter Hayes song so you go Todrick… but that video was actually recently sent to private so you kinda can’t see it… also that was a bit sus)

Anyways, that’s it my friends! Sorry it took so long, have had a lot on my plate with school, work, and just life you know? Anyways, I will try to get episode 2 up tomorrow, but expect it before Wednesday for sure 🤞🏼… Anyways, bye guys! Follow me for more Masked Singer goodness, give this beautiful blog a like if you enjoyed reading it, and comment below your guesses, do you agree with me? Did I convince you? Bye y’all!! 👋🏼

#the masked singer #themaskedsinger #celebrities #music #hollywood #the masked singer season 6 #dwight howard #tv shows

[vanessakirbyfans]

Defying expectations, challenging Hollywood’s norms and facing one’s own fear of failing emerged as central themes when Michelle Pfeiffer, Kate Winslet, Rashida Jones, Vanessa Kirby and Andra Day met virtually in December for The Envelope’s Actress Roundtable. Collectively, they represent four decades in film and more wild experiences than we can fit in one discussion — and they’re also behind some of the most complex characters in film right now.

Pfeiffer is eccentric, wealthy New York widow Frances Price in the quirky drama “French Exit,” which opens this week in limited release. When Price blows through most of her inheritance, she flees to Paris, where she attracts an odd assortment of friends. Winslet is rough-hewn paleontologist Mary Anning in “Ammonite,” a period drama that explores the hardships of a female pioneer in 19th century England’s patriarchal science world and the challenges she faced hiding her love for another woman.

Jones is Laura, the dutiful daughter of an eccentric father in the comedy-drama “On the Rocks.” Despite their complicated history, daughter and father embark on a covert mission to find out if her husband is cheating, but self-discovery may just be the biggest reveal. Kirby conveys anger, sorrow and grief following the death of her newborn baby as Martha in the emotionally wrenching “Pieces of a Woman.” And singer Day makes her film debut in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” a period drama streaming on Hulu later this month that chronicles Holiday’s battles with law enforcement, drugs and the crush of systemic racism.

Their conversation here has been edited for length and clarity.

Your films are built around narratives of complex women, many of whom face challenges that aren’t often explored on screen. “Pieces of a Woman” is a great example of a film that is so specifically female, it would have never made it to the screen in the past.

Vanessa Kirby: It definitely feels like a different time right now ... we want to represent women that we identify as being us and the weird parts of us. In the movie, my biggest intention was to make it not a sanitized, movie version of a birth. So [she] felt super sick and burped a lot. She was really nauseous ... things that we might think are unpalatable or not comfortable. That’s all the facets of being human, and particularly being a women. I’ve read so many scripts where it was a version of a woman that I don’t know. It was a film version as opposed to my sister or my best mates or me.

Kate Winslet: That’s what is great about now ... the world is making space for all of these stories. We’ve always tried to tell these stories, but the world is more receptive to hearing them now. That is a shift.... It’s such a moving, seismic time to be doing this job.

Michelle, your character Frances Price is the perfect example of an imperfect female protaganist. She is a mess, and fantastic, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

Michelle Pfeiffer: I was just was so curious about this woman, and I thought she was so odd and not like a character that I had seen or that I had played. And then the dialogue is very stylized. So you have to give in to it but, at the same time, not too much. It was made up of these disparate tones of absurdism and melancholy, and it was funny, and it was tragic — these oddballs sort of living on the fringe of society and trying to make some sort of human connection, all of them, in some way.

Rashida, in “On the Rocks,” you play a reserved writer with a charming, flamboyant father. Your real father is Quincy Jones. What sort of parallels did you feel playing Laura?

Rashida Jones: I very much related to this idea of coming of age with a larger-than-life father who commands presence and changes the atmosphere of any room he walks into, and how that in itself can be something you have to untangle from. Because in order to be your own person, in order to find your life, in order to figure out who you are in the world, not relational to anybody else, you have to separate yourself from all that charm and the warm light of your father’s love. That part of it I very much related to. But Laura is unlike me in the sense that I’m pretty outspoken. This character, I think, has a lot of restraint. That was a challenge.

Andra, stepping into the shoes of Billie Holiday must have been a huge challenge, and this is your first film!

Andra Day: It was definitely terrifying. First of all, I’m a fan of hers. And I’ve always loved movies and had such a great respect for the craft of acting. My biggest terror was that I was going to suck. So I was like, “OK, I’m going to take two to three years off of music just to study and focus on acting.” I auditioned at the end of 2017, landed the role at the beginning of 2018, and then we shot at the end of 2019. So I had time to really live in her [shoes]. The film isn’t a sanitized version of Billie Holiday. She is raw. She is a fighter. She’s a hero, in all of her real humanness, even as a fractured figure. All of the emotional pain. It was the most challenging and rewarding thing I’ve done in my life — and the most terrifying.

Winslet: It never goes away.

Day: That’s actually my question. I mean, do you ever really, really shed all of it or let it go?

Winslet: Honestly, it does not go away. But I feel so excited for you, Andra, that in this moment you are connecting with other people, having these kinds of conversations, because we all learn on the job. All of these experiences that we are sharing are the things that will hold you up and buoy you through, and this is a time when we have to hold each other up. But it doesn’t get any easier. And I’m afraid you will always be terrified. I f—ing am.

Pfeiffer: When I first started acting, probably for the first 10 years, I literally on the first day would shake so terribly that I was sure you could see it on film. Fortunately, you couldn’t. I don’t shake any more, but I still have those jitters. I still think the first week of shooting I’m going to be fired and replaced.

Jones: Yeah. So congratulations on that, for a lifetime.

Day: This is a roundtable, but also a therapy session.

Let’s talk about the risks that jangle those nerves. Those of you who have been doing this a while have tackled a wide variety of characters and survived, and thrived. That’s unusual in Hollywood, especially for women.

Pfeiffer: Like all actors, you sort of choose the best of what is available to you, and go for as long as you can without working, until you need a paycheck. It’s also that thing where, depending on what your last role was, that’s how the industry sees you. It’s really up to you to try to find those things that shift it in the direction you want it to go. I did “Grease 2,” and that was one thing, and then was lucky enough a year later to get cast in “Scarface.” People were very upended, because nobody expected that turn. And then when I did “Married to the Mob,” that [was] another seismic shift, like, “Whoa, wait a minute; who’s that?” I remember when I met Marty Scorsese for the first time, he expected this dark-haired girl from New Jersey to walk in. That was one of the most flattering things anyone ever said about my work. It’s just looking for those opportunities, and sometimes they’re very small, but those small opportunities end up having the biggest impact on the direction that your career goes in.

Jones: I just want to interrupt and say how cool this is. Michelle, obviously, you’re an icon and a legend, but the fact that you did [those films] back to back; such different things, such different audiences, such different characters. To me, that is the success of the art form.

Pfeiffer: Well, thank you. I spent lots of time being unemployed and waiting and really stretching it out, but it is, for me, the most exciting thing about being an actor. And that’s why we’re always terrified, because we’re always trying to do something different.

Day: As music artists, people are always trying to put you in a box, like, “This is what you do,” and we’re constantly rebelling against that, because life’s not like that. I can’t be the same. This role changed me, and I wouldn’t have been the same [person] as three years ago anyway. As a fan of yours, [Michelle], it’s exciting not to know what you’re going to come out with next.

Kate, your recent leap into the unknown is playing Mary Anning.

Winslet: She was a woman of scientific brilliance who made pioneering discoveries in the fossil world. But she was an unsung hero, because she lived in the early 1800s, and the world of science and geology was, like so many worlds back then and still now, dominated by men. And those men would buy her finds and claim them as their own discoveries, actually put their names on them. But there was something incredibly stoic and accepting of her lot in life. Mary was self-taught. She was extremely working-class, actually impoverished, lived a very harsh life. I just loved her even though she is cantankerous at times and quite difficult.

Vanessa, in “Pieces of a Woman,” Martha is emotionally distant and hard to read even after going through significant trauma. Was that challenging?

Kirby: In her nature, [Martha] tries to never show anything she’s feeling. So I was really scared, because I thought, “Oh, my God, what if it looks like I’m feeling nothing or nothing’s going on?” I just had to trust that if I really felt it, and I really thought those thoughts [it would come through]. I’ve never given birth ... so a lot of women spoke to me about their experiences of miscarriage or stillbirth or losing children. I owe them everything, because they allowed me to sit with them and try and understand how it really felt. At the end of the shoot, I was like, “I hope it’s done them justice,” because it’s definitely something that’s not spoken about. There’s so much silence around it. I hope that the film will help start conversations that really need to start happening.

Andra, Billie had an exceptional life that was also quite brutal. How did you go about trying to convey that while still honoring her greatness?

Day: She is musically, my foremost inspiration. I already knew a lot about the government going after her. The early war on drugs, and the subsequent wars on drugs, were wholly entrenched in race. I was aware of that, but I didn’t know about how deeply they went after her, even up to her death. Yes, she was an addict and, yes, alcohol and drugs ... but they wanted her to die. And not just kill her, but to actually eradicate her legacy. It’s why I call her the godmother of civil rights, because she was doing it alone. Her singing “Strange Fruit” and the death of Emmett Till reinvigorated the civil rights movement. She was innately a fighter, a character with resilience and tenacity.

Kirby: Kate, can I ask what it was like being so young in “Titanic”? Did it like blow your mind after it came out and you realized that that many people were watching you in the cinema? Did you know at the time when you were making it —

Winslet: I didn’t. I was playing an American for the first time. And working with Leo, who I’d seen in "[What’s Eating] Gilbert Grape” and “Basketball Diaries.” So it was like, “Oh, my God, I’m Kate from Reading.” I was the overweight girl who would always be at the end of the line. And because my name was a W, sometimes I wouldn’t even get in the door of the audition because they’d run out of time before the Ws. And I was in “Titanic.” It’s mad.

Jones: How were you smart enough to know, even with all of that pressure and then getting hit with all of that fame, how did you know to back off and not take the big paychecks? You were so young. How did you know to shoot for longevity?

Winslet: The honest answer is I was scared of Hollywood. A big, scary place, where everyone had to be thin and look a certain way. And I knew that I did not look that way or feel like I fit there, so if I was ever going to belong, I had to earn my place. And to me, I hadn’t earned it. “Titanic” might have been a fluke. I had done “Heavenly Creatures.” I had done “Sense and Sensibility,” which I was nominated for an Academy Award for at the age of 19, but still I had this feeling of “maybe that was just luck.” When I became a mother at 25, all of that stuff evaporated completely. Then two years after she was born, I was asked to do “Eternal Sunshine [of the Spotless Mind].” I do believe that was a huge turning point in my career, because from then on people suddenly went, “Oh, she can do that?!”

Kate, what if anything did you learn from “Ammonite”?

Winslet: It really opened my eyes to wanting to take responsibility for this sort of shared voice that we have as women. To try harder to not be objectified.

Jones: But we take it for granted that things will be the way they’re supposed to be. And that’s what’s been cool about the last five years is there has been a complete and utter subversion of just having that existential moment of like, “Wait, what is it that I’m supposed to do? What are the societal norms? What are the professional norms that I’ve agreed upon that actually don’t feel comfortable?”

Kirby: I remember when I first started reading scripts, the character descriptions. The man, it would always be “articulate, intelligent, high-powered.” And then the woman would be “attractive, dark, beautiful hair, and all eyes look at her when she comes into the room.” It was so subtly objectifying. Often, the woman would be just ever so slightly moving the man’s story along, rather than necessarily having her own journey.

Day: I think we so often write this [young] generation off as like, “Oh, it’s the social media generation, and all they care about is selfies and dah, dah, dah.” But I think we can partly attribute this shift to them. I don’t think this generation wants the glossy, clean, the sanitized version of life. Also, with the internet and social media, everyone’s still connected; the globe is so much smaller now.

Rashida, you’ve not only acted, you’ve written, produced and directed. Do you think that kind of representation behind the camera is making a difference in what we are seeing?

Jones: The good news now is there definitely is an appetite, at least within Hollywood, for female content creators. And what’s nice is what all of you have been saying is the more women there are around, the more comfortable women feel advocating for themselves. If you don’t have that representation around, you’re less likely to speak up, because you don’t feel like you have any backup.

Day: One of the things we learned is that certain audiences would wince at [Billie] getting beat, but I was like, “If we don’t have that in there, then we’re continuing to retool her narrative, the thing that she’s been a victim of her entire life.” Suzan-Lori Parks cowrote this movie with Lee Daniels. Women’s stories have always been told through the lens of masculinity, through how they view us or how they want us to be. Most of our stories need to be told by women, written by women, done by women. Not to write men out of the picture, but for them to understand that it is a collaborative effort.

#Vanessa Kirby #Pieces of a Woman #Kate Winslet #Michelle Pfeiffer #Rashida Jones #Andra Day #Interview #Articles #Roundtable #Videos

[recentanimenews]

FEATURE: How the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami Influenced Anime Over the Past Decade

Image via Netflix

  In a single moment, everything changed; after one great shake of the earth, the world was never the same again. Today marks the 10th anniversary of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, also known as 3.11 in Japan. At a magnitude of 9.0, it was the biggest earthquake to ever hit the island. The earthquake, and the subsequent tsunami that followed, also killed an estimated 15,899, injured 6,157, and was the most expensive natural disaster in history. The meltdown of the Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Plant followed — rendering parts of Japan uninhabitable to this day — with many still unable to go back to their home even ten years on.

  The shaking was felt all the way in Tokyo and beyond, leaving physical scars on the world’s biggest metropolitan area. This was nothing compared to the devastation seen in the prefectures of Miyagi, Fukushima, and Iwate. For those who lived through the event, whether that be in Tohoku or Tokyo, the feelings of that day have left psychological scars that have influenced their daily lives. 

  Image via Netflix

  Aftershocks from the seismic event can still be felt even today: a magnitude 7.3 earthquake hit the region a little under a month ago, raising fears that another big quake could shake Japan at any time in the near future. 

  For creators living in Japan, these overwhelming emotions have manifested in their works. Creators such as Hayao Miyazaki, Masaaki Yuasa, Hideaki Anno, and Makoto Shinkai have internalized the events that transpired in their backyard and used 3.11 to help spread awareness, unravel some of the hanging threads, or even try and bring hope and happiness to fans. 

  Hayao Miyazaki looking at the debris leftover from 3.11 in an NHK documentary 

Image via NHK

  Hayao Miyazaki isn’t one to mince words and always just gets on with the job. A few weeks after 3.11, the Studio Ghibli director introduced his son’s latest work at the time, From Up on Poppy Hill. While Miyazaki tried to keep the press focused on the film, inevitably the topic of the tragedy from two weeks ago arose. Responding to why he felt it was okay to hold a press conference after the earthquake, Miyazaki spoke about his local bakery, explaining that “the old man at the bakery where I always buy dumplings and sweets has continued to make bread. That's why I think we should keep making movies.”

  At the time, Miyazaki dismissed the thought that 3.11 would affect how he made his next work. But in a 2013 interview with Jiji upon the release of his then “final work” The Wind Rises, the director said the film “has not been affected by the earthquake or the nuclear accident. [The idea] was there from the beginning. I think that the times have caught up with us and overtaken us.” The Wind Rises contains a very realistic – almost chilling – interpretation of the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake.

  The earthquake scene from The Wind Rises

  For Japan Sinks 2020, Masaaki Yuasa used some of his own experiences to highlight how characters would be feeling in the moment. In multiple scenes, the main characters are left worrying about what is going on without a clear line of communication – in fact, sometimes getting misinformation from sources not fully aware of the situation. 

  Yuasa himself explained in an interview in AnimeAnime that he felt like he didn’t know what was the “correct information” when he felt the quake in Tokyo in 2011. As he looked for information online, he heard rumors that Tokyo was in imminent danger. He was scared. Reflecting, Yuasa knew in his “heart” that he wasn’t as scared as those in the Tohoku region, but was “horrified” by what he saw on the news. Yuasa used a lot of those emotions he felt at the time to aid in telling the Japan Sinks 2020 story.

  Image via Netflix

  But it wasn’t just anime creators who were affected by 3.11. The 8th part of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure manga series, JoJolion, debuted only a few months after the quake in 2011. Set in a town called Morioh (similar to the town in Diamond is Unbreakable), the location is based on manga creator Hirohiko Araki’s hometown of Sendai. The manga was being conceptualized when the earthquake occurred and Araki felt that he “couldn't avoid” touching on the subject in the series, he said in an Asashi Shimbun interview in 2014.

  Araki’s family home, which had been around for 14 generations, was also swept away in the tsunami. He added that was shocked at the loss of his childhood home and felt that he should draw manga to bring entertainment to readers and fans.

  Araki wasn’t the only manga creator to touch on the events of 3.11 in their long-running series. Tetsu Kariya’s long-running series Oshinbo touched on some controversial aspects of the aftermath of the tragedy, with one of the characters in the series suffering from a nosebleed after being in the town of Futaba – a town that is still not open to the public.

  This caused an outcry with government officials on the national and prefectural level, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe saying that “the government will make the best effort to take action against baseless rumors” in reference to the manga. These protests saw the collected volume version of the arc change some of the wording slightly as to “clarify the intention of what was said," and that "some of the characters' lines have been altered.” The series has been on hiatus after the arc ended two chapters later in May 2014.

  Image via Netflix

  The Japanese government was also at the forefront of Hideaki Anno’s 2016 film Shin Godzilla, with many reviewers noting the similarities between the government in the film and what had occurred in the aftermath of 3.11. As Godzilla walks the neighborhoods of Kanagawa, waters rise, boats come ashore, and people are fleeing en-masse, meanwhile, the government is claiming that everything will be okay.

  This sharp social satire of the events may be skin deep as the film goes on, but exposes the fact that Japan has a recent event that is very real and emotive to reference. Shin Godzilla Producer Akihiro Yamauchi explained in a 2016 Nippon.com interview that 3.11 “changed Japan more than anything else in the past 12 years.” He went on to say that the film had the option of “escaping into fantasy...but Anno-san and I talked it over and we both agreed that an approach like that would be meaningless.” 

  Image via Netflix

  Makoto Shinkai’s 2016 movie Your Name, was directly influenced by the 2011 earthquake and the change in the psyche of the Japanese people. Taki, the male protagonist, at one moment in the movie says “You will never know when Tokyo could become like this,” vocalizing the fear that festers away in many people living in Japan. 

  Genki Kawamura, a producer on both Your Name and Weathering with You, explained at a discussion at the Aoyama Shachu think tank in 2019 that “Your Name is aware of the Great East Japan earthquake.” Shinkai later explained in a 2017 interview with Huffington Post Japan that the disaster aspect of Your Name is only the underlying layer of the film, and the film had to end the way it did for it to feel complete to both him and the audience.

  In a 2018 Makoto Shinkai Exhibition in Sendai, the first prototype sketch drawn of Your Name by Shinkai was shown to the public. It depicted the area of Yuriage in Natori City, Miyagi prefecture, which was completely wiped out in the tsunami. The population of the area only had 30 minutes to evacuate before waters overtook the town. There weren’t many survivors.

  Image via Asahi Shimbun

  Shinkai visited the area of Yuriage in July 2011 and drew the sketch shortly after, which later became the springboard for what then became Your Name. He said solemnly in a TBS program “This could have been my town.” 

  Shinkai explained in the Huffington Post interview that 3.11 changed the way people in Japan thought about the world. "Before they’d think that “somehow...Japanese society will continue as it is," he said. "But since 2011, I think that idea has collapsed. The town does not remain a town forever.” 

  Because of this, Shinkai decided to focus on the little things that made up life: A late train, cutting up food, texting. Shinkai thought it was “necessary to draw meaning from the monotony of daily life.” Nowadays these beautifully crafted moments from Shinkai’s works are shared online as some sort of social media anime ASMR. 

  In the end, Shinkai’s main driving factor for the film was to make the audience “happy.” And it struck a chord with a wide audience, as the film would later go on to become the third highest-grossing anime film of all time worldwide.

  Image via Netflix

  As we look back at how one event changed the world view of many, it’s good to know that despite the hardships faced in the unexpected, the desire to create and bring smiles to audiences perseveres. Many creators have used 3.11 as a chance to reflect, and it's only to be seen how the long tail of 3.11 continues to impact creators and their works.   

  The Tohoku region is still feeling the effects of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, with families torn apart and homes unable to be returned to. Japan NPO Center has a website set up with ways to donate to local charities and not-for-profit organizations within the Tohoku region that has been set up to serve affected communities.

    Daryl Harding is a Japan Correspondent for Crunchyroll News. He also runs a YouTube channel about Japan stuff called TheDoctorDazza, tweets at @DoctorDazza, and posts photos of his travels on Instagram. 

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features.

By: Daryl Harding

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

[yeoldontknow]

some authors i follow and like reading have moved their fics to a place where you have to pay to read them and i understand but a lot of it is because of feedback. i’ve been reading your fics since 2018 but i’ve never said anything or liked them, and i’m worried you’re going to do that too. i figured you don’t need me to say it because you have so many followers and because i’m not very good with words (as you can probably see here) so i’m sorry. i really like your fics though 😭😭

hey anon~ i can understand why you or any other reader invested in those stories would be surprised or shocked, or maybe even a little sad, but i think more than anything im hoping you can respect the authors decisions to make those choices. its not unheard of for a fanfic author to have a ko-fi (i have one), a patreon (MANY authors do) or even to stop writing fic during the time they are attempting to write a book (which, yes, people will have to pay for). so while i can understand why it might be shocking or hard to process because its a sudden change, ill just reiterate i hope you respect it. i know you say you understand their motives, which is reassuring. but for the brunt of this message i will tell you this -

it does not matter the number of people following a person, every artist, writer, painter, singer, dancer, glass-blower, carpenter, etc etc wants someone, anyone, to engage with their work. they are creating something from their heart and their mind, putting in the work even if they are not necessarily inspired, pouring their free time into something, and being told ‘you have x amount of followers you dont need me to say anything about it’, at least for me, is kind of hurtful. not only to me but to you, dear anon. youre assuming your voice doesnt matter - as a content creator, i literally dont care if i have 100 followers or 100k. every voice of a person who reads my work matters. if you tell me you love it, i want to hear it. if you tell me you hate it, i want to know why so i can improve and consider how to make the story better. if you felt no way about it, but just want to say thanks for sharing thats also great. i want to hear from you!

this is not something you mentioned, but i did think about it while typing out my response here. its different for me here than on ao3. i think of ao3 as literally just an archive. there is not necessarily a community surrounding the fandom. on tumblr, there community is here. ive made friends from being in this fandom. even if i dont post or even if i dont say anything, im checking this app at least a few times a day to see the gifs, check on my friends, see if any updates have been announced. there community here. and engaging with the things creators produce encourages community. i joined tumblr in 2017 and lord god the mindset around sharing a creators work was wildly different. everyone wanted to support each other - everyone was excited to read works. i know im behind on my reading list and i know im behind on reccing works, but the point is that, at some point, im going to share what i love. and ive seen so much less of that in recent years.

im not saying this problem is because of you, but it is because of a lot of readers assuming a blog has a lot of followers so they dont need the engagement. thats not the way to look at art. if youre an exo or bts fan, do you not buy their albums or listen to their songs because someone else will so i dont need to listen to it? thats what that sounds like. i should also say im not necessarily angry, but i am appreciative that youve read my works and enjoyed them - i just wish you would have said something sooner so we could have had a great time talking about things you and i both enjoy. a lot.

#the cutest anons! #Anonymous

[zashamalkin]

Translation of Anna Kasterova’s live interview on 5/29/20.

Thanks to my amazing Gino Anon, the entire interview is translated below the cut. Final word count, btw, is 2405 so like, send big thanks their way. Holy shit! 

Anna got sick few days before the interview. Not covid, just a cold, that later turned into otitis. It was very painful, but now she’s feeling way better, though she still has some trouble hearing with her left ear. They talk a bit about the weather in Miami (it’s been raining there for a few days, but it’s still pretty hot). Igor asks if they’re allowed to swim during the quarantine. Anna says that the 1/ 

beaches were recently open, but there are obviously rules about keeping the safe distance. “Is Zhenya a good swimmer?” “Yeah, he’s great. He’s spending a lot of time with Nikita, teaching him how to swim. More in the pool though, than in the ocean.” “How do you and Zhenya feel about the latest news in NHL?” “I think, the idea is pretty good. Everyone has been waiting on some news about this season. I asked Zhenya if he preferred for the season to be cancelled. He said, he wanted to finish it 2/ 

properly. This season has been great for him, he’s in a great shape. And even though he hasn’t been skating for 2 months, he’s still been training pretty hard, running, roller skating and he didn’t lose his shape.” She thinks everything is turning pretty good so far and it’s great that the teams will have a time for training camps and a chance to go to playoffs.“In your opinion, were the players mentally prepared to continue the season?” “I think, those, who genuinely want to go to playoffs, 3/ 

have been working very hard to be ready, when the time comes. But, for sure, there are some players, who spent more time relaxing, rather than training. A lot of teams are asking their players to come back and start training on the ice and not all of the players follow their instructions.” “What are the rules about practice right now? Are they allowed to train in groups or…?” “There are no details about it yet. It haven’t even been decided yet, what cities will be chosen as Hub cities. So far 4/ 

the coaches are asking players to stay in shape. They have video calls together, where they go through different footage every time. But, as far as I understand, the organization and the coaching staff are ready for the players to come back.” “How do the players feel about the new rules for playoffs this season?” “No negative feelings. They’ve been under a lot of mental pressure, not knowing anything about the season and the playoffs. Everything seems pretty logical and they’re very happy to 5/ 

get back on ice and to have a chance to fight for SC.” “Is there any inside information about what cities will be chosen as Hubs?” “No one knows anything for sure. But I know that they’re very carefully considering epidemiological situation in the cities and will choose the safest options. ” *I SUCK at translating hockey terminology from Russian to English, so I’m sorry if anything is incorrect.* “Do you think it would’ve been fairer to include the numbers of “play-in” (I have no idea what he 6/ 

means by “play-in”) as well as the Robin Rounds into the statistics of regular season? Because it would give the players, like Ovechkin and Panarin, and Malkin to gain more points.” “It’s a very difficult question. But I’m sure NHL and NHLPA have gone over all the possible scenarios and have chosen the best one.” “How has Geno been handling the quarantine?” “He’s been very calm and collected. He’s been doing great mentally, smiling and cracking jokes, and keeping us safe and happy.” “Why did 7/

your family (meaning Geno, Anna and Nikita) decide to do a covid testing in early April?” “I had a pneumonia in November and wanted to find out for myself, if it was covid-induced, if I had any antibodies for the virus. But all the testing came back negative. None of us had it.” “What books did you and Zhenya read during the quarantine?” “Zhenya likes to read fantasy books. He’s been reading “Quantum Warrior: The Future of the Mind” by John Kehoe.” “Does he read in English?” “No, in English 8/

he’s mostly watching TV shows.” “I was very impressed by the story, that after his 1st season in NHL, Zhenya hired Russian language and literature teacher.” “He’s had a lot of free time these past 2 months and he’s hired 2 tutors: English language tutor to work on his grammar and Russian language tutor. (*Sorry, I don’t know if I need to explain this, but Geno obviously knows how to speak Russian. What I think Anna means here, is that the pronunciation of the words in Russian changes depending9/

on where the person is from. Every region has its own accent. I think, what Geno is trying to do, is lose his Magnitogorsk accent and start to speak clearer Russian, like ppl in Moscow of St. Petersburg do.*) He has classes with his tutors Monday to Friday. I’m very happy for him.” One of Geno’s friends in Russia has been robbed recently. Igor is asking Anna, if they ever considered buying a gun, since it’s allowed in US. Anna says no, they feel safe and they live a good neighborhood. She 10/

doesn’t think it necessary or appropriate. They talk a bit about Ovi’s second child being born recently and if Geno and Anna are planning on having a second child any time soon. “Of course, we wouldn’t mind having another child. If it happens, we’ll be very happy. I would like to have a girl, though.” “What’s the best way to describe Zhenya’s and Ovechkin’s relationships today? Are they friends or rivals” “Both. And healthy rivalry is very important in order to reach their personal goals.” 11/

“When Caps and Pens play each other, is it possible for them to go have dinner after.” “No.” “What can you say about the relationships between Zhenya and Sidney Crosby? When we talked with Zhenya last year, he said very nice and kind things about him. Even though Zhenya is in Sid’s shadow a lot of the time.” “I can talk about it for hours. They push each other and make each other stronger. But they also can step in and do more than anyone, when the other is hurt and not playing. Off the ice, 12/

they are very good friends and they support each other. Have I ever thought about what his life would be like, if he was the only star player in a team? I think, he’d be the best player in the whole NHL. He’s very intelligent in terms of building a game, always plans 2-3 steps ahead. He’s very fearless in his game, very talented and vey multilateral player. He’s very unique. They won together THREE STANLEY CUPS! No one's saying Crosby is less talented. He’s an incredible player, he works very13/

hard every day. They are 2 number 1 players in this team. If Zhenya ever asked me if I’d like him to play in New York, f/e, I’d say, no. Pittsburgh is his city, his home. And management and coaching staff are also a very important part of team success. The relationship inside the team is very important. And Pens are the best in that, imo.” “You two watched Super Bowl at Sid’s place. What’s it like there?” “It’s a tradition. Every year Sid invites the team with their wifes/gfs/kids to watch 14/

Super Bowl. His gf Kathy does all the cooking. She’s a very geart person, very hospitable. *omg, this is the first time I hear any1 talking about Sid’s gf 😀, aww* Everyone on the team is very open, very kind, they are great guys. It’s the best thing about Pens. So we’re always happy to accept Sid’s invitation and we always have a great time.” “Do you want Nikita to become a hockey player?” “We’re not gonna push him to it. If it’s something he wants, sure. But I have big plans for his 15/

education. I’d like him to know 2 languages, (English) and Russian, especially grammar, not just being able to speak it freely. I’m studying with him and for an almost 4 yo he already knows quite a lot. And it’s always very hard for a child of a parent, who has achieved so much, to surpass that kind of success. And I don’t want my son to have this kind of pressure on him. I don’t want him to be known solely as “Malkin’s son”. For me it’s very important for him to get a good education and to 16/

choose his path in life.” “Talking about the tv series about Michael Jordan, would you like a bio series to be shot about Zhenya?” “I know he wants to act, in a tv series or in a movie. He talked about it many times. As for a biopic, of course I would like that. He has a huge success story. A man from a simple, working class family. It’s very expensive to play hockey. And he was so talented even in a young age, that his coaches would sometimes bring him a puck, or a stick, or a uniform, for 17/

free. Add to that a story about him finally getting to NHL.” “Zhenya said once in an interview, that you fight sometimes about him not being open enough w/ you, not sharing his problems etc. Has it changed during the quarantine?” “Everything’s been great during quarantine. During the season, he’s under a lot of pressure and always takes it hard if the team loses or if he doesn’t score. Right now he’s very calm and happy, and everything is great.” A question about a conflict around Geno having18/

a USA passport (a lot of people in Russia, his celebrity friends especially, weren’t happy with that, and judged him for that). What does Anna think about it? “He’s a patriot. He loves his country and his city. We were in a hopeless situation, when I needed to get all the documents ready ASAP, and we needed to get married, and him having a US passport would speed that up. You could say, he did it for me. On the other hand, America is his 2nd home. He spends here more time than in Russia. He’s19/

been working here for years. Why is that such a big problem? It’s not like he turned his back on Russia or anything.” Then she talked about Geno’s donation to families in Magnitogorsk, who suffered bc of explosion that happened there in December 2018, and how much he gives to his community in Russia, that ppl don’t know about, bc he prefers not to advertise it. Then Igor keeps asking political questions and Anna is getting more and more irritated by them. Geno publicly supported Putin’s 20/

reelection whenever that was, and interviewer is asking whether him having an American passport is appropriate, considering that he’s a part of Putin team? “Why is it inappropriate? America and Russia are not enemies. Yes, there are some unresolved political issues. They are 2 huge countries, of course they will always feel threatened by each other. But I don’t see any serious political confrontation. Maybe bc we’re in US right now. But Zhenya has a great respect for his president. *bleh, I 21/

don’t like Putin. I know, she has to say nice things about him, bc as long as Geno is a part of Team Russia and wants to have a life in Russia, they can’t be openly against him. But both Geno and Anna don’t strike me as ppl, who will support Putin’s ideals. Sorry for me butting in w/ my opinion*” Question about Geno’s new diet after 18-19 season. “He never drinks alcohol during season. He doesn’t eat potatoes anymore. It’s very hard to cook him a soup w/o any potatoes in it. No sweet things,22/

no gluten. Now before games, he eats gluten-free pasta.” “Is he very superstitious? Do you try to wean him off some of them?” “No, if it makes him feel comfortable, why would I do that?” She declined to name any of them, bc it’s a personal thing for Geno. “Do you put in any work in Zhenya’s image and style?” “I think so, a bit. His sense of style has become better, his taste in literature.” “Zhenya’s favorite music?” “Russian pop-music mostly.” Question about Geno’s gaming habits. Anna 23/

doesn’t try to control him or tell him not to play, bc for him these computer games are a way to relax. She doesn’t mind. It’s his personal time. He doesn’t have his computer in Miami, so he found another way to spend time – studying with his tutors. Question about Olympics. “Yes, he’d like to win a gold medal with Team Russia, when the time comes.” He doesn’t feel jealous about Datsyuk or Kovalchuk, who have an Olympic gold. “Do you think, Zhenya’s last hockey season before retirement will 24/

be in Magnitogorsk?” “Sure, I don’t see why not. He’s very grateful for everything Metallurg gave him and it would seem logical for him to come back there before retiring.” “What is Zhenya’s biggest motivation right now?” “He’s very self-critical (she means Geno’s words about his skills in 18-19 season). He always has a high bar for himself and je always tries to reach it.” Question about Geno reaching 1000 pts. “It was a very big moment for us and a big win for him. He was very inspired 25/

by it and it gave him a lot of self-confidence.” ‘Was Zhenya mad about not making NHL’s 100 players list?” “I was. I was very angry. But he knows his value and what he’s achieved as a player. But it was very strange for me.” “Who do you think Zhenya wil be after his career ends? And how will your life together change? Will you spend more time in Russia or in US?” “It’s a tough question. I imagine a house by the lake, in Russia, with kids and, later, grandkids. With a big fireplace. I think, 26/

after finishing his career, we’d like to travel a bit. But I don’t know. It’s something you should ask him.”

#Anna Kasterova #Evgeni Malkin #Gino Anon #You're a freaking saint omg #This thing is massive