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fandom · 1 year

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Queer TV

This is a strange time to be writing an editorial on queer representation. While the past year has seen an incredible uptick in queer stories being told with humor and heart on the small screen, 2022 has seen a record high of 238 proposed anti-LGBTQIA+ bills in the US—nearly half of them targeting trans folks. Representation is important, though, and demand for more queer stories is growing (and, to some degree, being met), with a lot of good books and comics making it to our screens. With that in mind, think of this as your selective chronological tour of all the times we won in the TV landscape of the last year (October 2021–October 2022).

Our dataset year started off with the much-awaited adaptation of Robert Jordan’s fantasy epic, Wheel of Time. With such extensive source material (15 books if you count the prequel, which is where the seeds of the sapphic storyline in Rafe Judkins’ adaptation are to be found), the viewership, generally speaking, was divided into book fans and show-only fans, and both camps shitposted and meme’d and reviewed with abandon.

The biggest queer-centric show we saw in the last year was the adaptation of @aliceoseman’s comic Heartstopper (@heartstoppercomic). Co-created by Alice Oseman themself, this adaptation was very sensitive to the much-loved source material. And, being native to Tumblr, these characters were bound to be welcomed with open arms when they hit the screen in an ebullient explosion of queer joy.

A run-down of the past year would be incomplete without the incredible queerdos of the Revenge who swashbuckled their way into our hearts. We’re referring, of course, to Our Flag Means Death’s Gentleman Pirate and his merry band of (living-wage-paid, no less!) shipmates. Your favorites included genderqueer Jim ‘not-a-fucking-mermaid’ Jimenez and Oluwande, Lucius Sprigg and Black Peter, Frenchie who just hates cats, and The Swede, who keeps his heart but loses his teeth. Then, of course, we have Blackbeard himself, or simply Ed, who is struggling with his identity (villain or softboi).

Based on the story by @veschwab and produced by @belletristbooks, First Kill was another adaptation that fans of vampire stories got very excited about. Add to that the fact that this was very much a sapphic enemies-to-lovers scenario between hunter Calliope and young vampire Juliette, and the pre-show excitement was palpable. The post-season disappointment even more so as fans turned to their dashes to vent about the lack of good lesbian and wlw representation in 2022’s TV landscape.

Where the cancelation of First Kill left us reeling, the Rockford Peaches from A League of Our Own came in clutch and soothed our sapphic souls. You love the show which you affectionately shortened, in good old Tumblr fashion, to a silly little acronym: aloto. Whether you’re in it for the gal pal aesthetics, the butch energy, or Uncle Bert, or some good old fashioned baller drama, there truly was something for all of your wlw whimsies here. Let’s go, Peaches!

@neilgaiman’s The Sandman series finally came out to much acclaim, and came out so gay that armchair reviewers of the homophobic sort really struggled to wrap their minds around quite how gay it is. We got pansexual serial killing Corinthian! Pansexual, demon-hunting, women-kissing Johanna Constantine! Some very loaded moments between Morpheus and Hob Gadlin! This is what dreams are made of (sort of)!

This whole list would be nothing, nada, a crumb of zilch whizzing around a black hole, if it weren’t for the writers who created many of these stories in the first place. So thank you to them. And to you, Tumblr, for celebrating the good and standing up for each other through another year. Here’s to a kinder 2023.

#year in review #queer tv #tumblr2022

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neil-gaiman · 1 year

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Dear Mr. Gaiman,

I’ve been meaning to write to you for a bit and today - May 1st - is a prefect bit of timing.

I’d like to address 2 1/2 things if I may: You recently posted a conversation you had about losing a cat and how much the death of a pet hits you. My spouse and I have and have had a number of pets - best friends really - pass away. One of the ways we have come to deal with their moving on is to make up a story.

(To be honest, yet another story. Our friends live very full lives, indeed.) Our Tuxedo cat, Tybalt, is now playing bass in a Journey cover band that tours. I travel a lot for work and that allows “Tybalt” to send us postcards telling of his latest adventures. Since today is May Day and the expiration of the Writer’s contract I wanted to say bravo to you for posting about it and the subtles of the issues at hand. Most people looking at Hollywood will not give carful consideration to what is at hand.

Since you have the currency of a celebrity that is thoughtful and nuanced your voice carries over much of the rhetoric. I thank you for that. I should say at this point that I also work in film and television and have for most of the last 30 years. I am a grip and enjoy the craft of my job.

While the concerns of your Guild are valid and should be addressed i would like to point out that your voice and those of your colleagues are heard. All the national pages and news outlets are carrying the story. As they should. In 2021, IATSE (the union the covers all the below the line craft people in the United Staes and Canada with approximately a 150,000 members) was set to renew our contact that August. Our asks for that contract were minimal and most of us assumed the contract would be updated with little haggling. The producers balked. They, in fact, wanted to get rid of a number of long held points in our contract. This went on for four months. Something that never happed in my 30 years of work. I won’t go into all the details. I assume that you have a passing familiarity with the issues.

My point to all of this is that our voice was never heard. All the news outlets merely interviewed the producers and only gave their side of the story. And this happens every time the is a contract or safety issue (Think “Rust”. Reporters never interviewed other armors. The closest that came to a below the line voice was an essay written by a Prop Master - who happens to be Martin Scorsese’s daughter.)

Most producers have little idea of what it takes to make a show. But they are the only ones who are quoted. Overlapping during these 4 months was the John Deere strike (with just over 10,000 members). And good for them.

It should be noted that their coverage was far greater than ours.

There are 7 stories about the John Deere strike in the New York Times morgue. There are none for the IATSE contract negotiations. I can go on but I feel I should wrap this up. If you’ve read this far, I thank you.

I have an ask for you. The half of my 2 1/2 things to say. When the IATSE contract comes up for re-negotiation next year, would you please put a posting on your social media sites about it?

The same as you have done for your Guild? It would give us a voice we have not had before. Thank You, Spider Goat P.S. Also thank you for all the wonderful stories you've written. I do so love visiting the worlds you've created.

I was pushing IATSE on Social Media last time -- for example

and pushing things like the @ia_stories Instagram link -

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by IATSE Stories (@ia_stories)

instagram

I will do it again. And I was disappointed by the outcome of the negotiations last time, too.

#IATSE

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wilbursoot-updates · 11 months

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Lovejoy is in this article!

Wake Up! Lovejoy are already a phenomenon

Squashed into a tour bus somewhere in Berlin are the biggest band that – unless you’re as chronically online as us, Dear Reader – you’ve maybe never heard of. With sold-out tours across the UK, Europe and North America, millions of monthly Spotify listeners and a spot in the UK Top 40 with their latest single ‘Call Me What You Like’, Lovejoy could be mistaken for veterans.

Far from it. Their first proper bit of press is, well, this very cover interview. They’re gearing up to release only their third (or maybe fourth, depending how you count their just dropped ‘From Studio 4’ collection, released under the name Anvil Cat) EP, ‘Wake Up & It’s Over’, and those sold-out tours? The first shows they’ve ever played. It’s rare this amount of hype surrounds a guitar band these days, so who the fuck are Lovejoy?

Formed during the early 2021 UK lockdown, Lovejoy consists of Will Gold as the frontman, Joe Goldsmith on lead guitar, Ash Kabosu on bass, and Mark Boardman on drums. Seemingly brought together by sheer luck, their epic ascent is the result of a lifetime of individual hard work and some serious fan devotion over the past couple of years.

It’s taken a while to pin the band down, and we catch them just after their first full UK tour as they embark on the European leg. It’s all been a bit of a whirlwind.

“I think it was our 32nd show yesterday, which is just nuts,” says Ash, who introduces himself as the one who doesn’t talk and proceeds to lead the interview. “Literally every show we’ve played, we’ve been like, ‘That was the best one!’ Then the next one, ‘Oh, that was the best one!’”

“I’ve especially been enjoying acclimating myself to not knowing where I’m going to be falling asleep every night,” says Will, “which is a very hard thing to get around. But it’s a lot of fun. I’m really enjoying it. And I love seeing everyone’s faces because we’ve been somewhat of a lockdown band. To now be able to put faces to the numbers is great; it’s lovely to see and speak to them.”

Describing their very first live shows at the end of 2022 as “teething”, Lovejoy admit they’re still getting to grips with it all. Although the size of their fanbase means they could’ve easily sold out bigger venues than the humble Electric Brixton they headed up on this tour, they didn’t want to skip steps for a good reason.

“Rock music has always been what me and Joe were the most interested in” -Will Gold

“We didn’t want to be bad,” says Ash, frankly. “It’s a completely different ballpark to just, you know, playing guitar in your bedroom, and there are so many moving parts and so many things you don’t think about that you need to learn and understand. We didn’t want to deliver a show to the fans that wasn’t good enough, so we’ve been deliberately ramping it up step by step and going through the process as naturally as possible.”

“It’s so much more personable and fun to make mistakes in front of a crowd of a couple hundred people who are along with you for the ride than when you start to get into the larger crowds,” adds Will. “Making a mistake, at least for me, really gets to me, but if I’m in a room with less people, and they’re there for the story, I feel more ready to make mistakes.”

Will and Joe cut their teeth playing with a folk punk band a few years prior to Lovejoy forming. After what Will describes as a “very dramatic first gig”, they went their separate ways, but his lust for live never went away. Finding one another at the beginning of the pandemic, Joe came to visit Will before the lockdowns kicked in and decided to sleep on the sofa rather than risking taking public transport back and forth to London.

“We wrote our entire first EP in my basement and very quickly decided we’re going to need a drummer and a bassist because all the stuff we were writing was band stuff,” Will explains. “It wasn’t our normal folk stuff that we were used to – and rock music has always been what me and Joe were the most interested in; even when we were in that folk band, we used to implore the lead singer if we could write some indie music please, and he would always be like, nah, not really into Arctic Monkeys actually.”

So they set out to find both a bassist and a drummer. Fate did its thing, and upon walking into a Smashburger in Brighton, Will met Ash, bass guitar in tow, and asked him if he’d like to be in a band.

“Ash is not one to say no to many exciting adventures,” says Will, “so he said yeah, and I gave him my address. Joe was very sceptical at first when I said I found a bassist in a burger shop.”

“I think for me personally,” adds Ash, “I’m living in Brighton – which is kind of a young, creative place – you often have conversations in pubs and places where people are like, we should do this, we should do that, and I genuinely thought that this was just another one of those conversations. Like, ‘Hey, I’m in a band, do you want to play?’ I never thought in my wildest dreams anything would even come of it. I didn’t even think we’d practice, let alone be playing shows in front of thousands of people.”

As for Mark, he was booked for the day via the freelancer hiring website Fiverr. When they couldn’t pay him the fee he was owed, they instead offered him a spot in the band.

“I said, look, you’re sick at this, do you want to just join the band?” Will explains. “Mark thought about it for a good five seconds and then said yes.”

“I was really determined, playing acoustic guitar and learning stuff from YouTube and Arctic Monkeys songbooks” -Joe Goldsmith

Echoing Ash’s sentiments, Mark recalls, “I thought it would be another band that I’d join that wouldn’t even release on Spotify. Now we’ve sold out tours in the UK, Europe, America….”

Life before Lovejoy was very different for most of the boys. Mark was at university studying editing, hoping to work in visual effects, letting drumming take the back seat. “It would have been a grind for like 40 years to get a good paying job, and Will came along and saved me. So I’m very grateful for that,” he says.

Ash was working in broadcasting as a producer for TV, a job he’d gotten into after studying film production at uni, and had taught himself animation as another means of income. “Unlike Mark, I actually enjoyed it,” he adds.

As for Joe, he was working as a tree surgeon, which is a flashier-sounding name than what the job actually entailed. “I was literally just cleaning up branches on the floor,” he says. “I wasn’t even allowed to go up the trees.”

Will isn’t such a stranger to the spotlight, as he edited for the YouTube channel SootHouse in the late 2010s, later creating his own channel as Wilbur Soot and amassing a sizeable following on the streaming platform Twitch (although the other boys say they had no idea about his following when they joined the band, Ash noting, “I just thought he was quite a tall, handsome man, we’re just here because we fancy Will”).

With the band assembled, they started recording together in Will’s bedroom. In early 2021, the UK was still firmly in lockdown, so with all studios closed, it was their only choice. When they finally made it to a studio, the group had two days to record five songs, the ones that would make up their first EP, 2021’s ‘Are You Alright?’.

“We didn’t get enough done,” says Will, “which is why the first EP actually has scratch vocals. We just used my draft vocals that are then doubled up and thickened out. And also because it would have been far too expensive to just keep going back.”

“Which is why, little easter egg,” adds Ash, “some of the lyrics are wrong. We don’t sing those anymore, so the fans get very confused when we perform some of the earlier songs.”

The whole journey has been a learning curve for all four members. With none of them coming from a proper musical background, there was no one to guide them in the process. “We kind of had to jump headfirst in and see what we can do off the back of it,” says Will.

That isn’t to say they haven’t put the work in, though. With each of the boys picking up their instruments in their childhood or teenage years, it feels like they’ve been setting up their own individual dominoes, hitting the ground running when they were knocked down in perfect formation.

“There’s a photo of me when I was a baby,” Mark begins, explaining where he got his start in music. “I couldn’t even walk, and I’m on my auntie’s lap, who originally taught me drums. I’ve been wanting to play since I could speak, basically, but we could never afford a kit. And then I got to about eight years old, my parents finally got me an electric drum kit, and my auntie started teaching me. I caught up with her quickly, which was crazy. I always wanted to be in a band, but I was thinking more realistically, it’s the same odds as becoming a famous football player or something like that. Then along came these boys, and it all changed.”

“I was really determined from when I was about 13, 14?” Joe recalls, “Playing acoustic guitar and just learning stuff from YouTube and Arctic Monkeys songbooks, working out tabs and things like that. I was pretty dead set on at least giving it a shot to try.”

Ash’s start was similar, learning to play guitar with his dad. “When I was very young, my dad found an old Spanish guitar in the attic of our family home that wasn’t ours,” he tells us. “I’ve kind of always played guitar, and I’ve always been interested in music; my dad is in a band as well, bless him, doing dad rock. It’s always been a part of me, but I never ever thought I’d do anything with it.”

“Not for me,” Will jumps in. “The minute I first started learning guitar, I was like, this is what I want. When I was a teenager, I used to follow around bands and go to all their shows, and I knew from that moment I want this as my creative outlet. This is where I want to put my creative energy. I literally remember I shut myself in my room and practised guitar for like ten hours a day in the beginning. I missed two summers doing that. To finally be in this position I’m in now, thanks to all the wonderful support we’ve gotten from people, a lot of them have come across from the YouTube space, is just absolutely humbling. I’m trying to give it back in any way I can.”

“I like to make rumours amongst the fan base; we’ve made up a bunch of nonsense” -Ash Kabosu

It’s fair to say Lovejoy have been pulled substantially further up the ladder by a deeply devoted fan base, but that’s part of what makes their trajectory so exciting. There hasn’t been a new guitar band that’s had venues bursting at the seams like this for a long time. Just two self-released (on their own label Anvil Cat via AWAL) EPs, debut ‘Are You Alright?’ and follow-up ‘Pebble Brain’ garnered enough love to have fans queuing around the block for hours on end when the live shows finally came. It’s reminiscent of what 5SOS were seeing at the start of their career ten years ago, or that other numbers band.

And the devotion goes both ways, too; Lovejoy play games with the fans, leaving puzzles on social media for the fans to solve, firing confetti with QR codes printed on every other piece out at their London headline show. Their involvement hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“Oh, man, I love them,” Ash gushes. “One of the best feelings for me is when we create something, even if it’s something as simple as a little photo shoot, the response is incredible. And to inspire other people to create through our creativity is just so rewarding. My favourite part of it is seeing the writing, the poetry, the paintings, the drawings, like all the art that comes back to us is incredible.”

Joe adds, “Every single person that I’ve met after a show or before a show, they’re all so respectful and all so lovely. And they’re just so generous.”

Ash continues, “They make such an effort and go out of their way to listen to the support bands’ music and show up for them; they show up on time and fill the place out for everyone. And then they go crazy jumping around and singing to everyone’s music, and that’s just so fucking cool.”

With new EP ‘Wake Up & It’s Over’ on the horizon, it’ll be their first proper release since 2021. A break away from recording to do the touring part of being a new band has led to Lovejoy’s longest writing phase yet and has played a part in shaping the sound of their new material. This time around, being able to take more time to record and more studio options, they’ve fined tuned their sound and brought it closer to their personal ideal.

Aiming for something a little heavier this time, the boys wanted to pull in their individual influences more drastically. For Will, that’s shouty British lyrics and overdriven guitars (he calls Arctic Monkeys the most famous example), with Ash also growing up on the late 2000s indie of Foals and Bombay Bicycle Club. Mark, on the other hand, was introduced to bands like Bring Me The Horizon and Asking Alexandria by his sister at a young age, pushing him into heavier territory when it came to discovering his own tastes and allowing the band to take on the slogan of ‘the only indie band with a double kick drum’. (Joe simply adds, “In the words of Brandon Flowers, it’s indie rock and roll for me.”)

Opening track ‘Portrait of a Blank Slate’ pulls in those influences most brazenly, employing the mathy Foals-y lead guitar, ‘Favourite Worst Nightmare’ era Arctic Monkeys fiddly bass, and wordy vocals a la The Wombats. “I can’t wait to play that for thousands of people,” says Joe.

They’ve been road-testing some of the other tracks too, the poppier (see: jumpier) ‘Consequences’ and ‘Warsaw’, as well as the single ‘Call Me What You Like’, but the rest have been kept a secret, one track particularly well.

Initially beginning the recording of this EP late last year, the boys weren’t 100% satisfied with the tracks. Having already played some of the tracks live, fans developed a particular affinity for one called ‘It’s Golden Hour Somewhere’, and up until the EP drops, have been under the impression it isn’t going to be released.

“I like to make rumours amongst the fan base,” says Ash, “I sort of said yeah, it’s scrapped, we just don’t like it, it’s not up to scratch, it doesn’t fit the nature of the EP, blah, blah, blah. We’ve just made up a bunch of nonsense. And they’ve bought into it. And as I expected, they’re also campaigning to bring it back. We’ve seen signs at shows saying ‘PLAY GOLDEN HOUR’. It’s just a bit of fun, and I think the relief and the excitement they’ll feel on the day that it comes out to just see it in the tracklisting will be worth it. I think for the amount of time that the fans have been waiting, we want it to be as special as possible.”

Even with ‘Call Me What You Like’ landing at No.32 on the UK Top 40 – an enormous feat and a rarity for a new band these days – it’s still what the fans think that means the most to Lovejoy.

“It was very validating to see it go that far,” says Will. “I think that was our longest-ever lyric writing time; we had the tune down for about ten months before I even penned the lyrics that ended up going in the final release. To see that time pay off is amazing, but we had no idea it would get that reception. It’s more important that our fans really love what we’re putting out. We’re aiming to create music that will really connect with our fan base, and you know, we’ll give them back what they’ve given us.”

With formative years that any new band would dream of, a knockout first tour and an audience hungry for more, Lovejoy are keen to maintain the hype. Currently using soundcheck time to write new material, every spare hour is used wisely while they’re on the road, Ash hinting they’ve already got new songs saved up for when they return home. This summer, they’ll be hitting the festival circuit, playing Reading and Leeds for the first time and undoubtedly not the last. The path may not be fully paved yet, but it’s definitely leading somewhere exciting.

Will says, “We’ve felt that wave of energy from the audience singing our words back at us, and that’s really influenced my lyrical style and our music instrumentally, which took a lot longer. 2022 was a sort of foundational year; I feel like this is the launch in 2023 into this next era of Lovejoy.”

#thanks for spending actual money on this one mia lmao #lovejoy #wilbur soot #ash kabosu #mark boardman #joe goldsmith #articles #dork magazine

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xxstraykidsaikoxx · 10 months

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sᴛʀᴀʏ ᴋɪᴅs

• ℍ𝕪𝕦𝕟𝕘 𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕖

➷ BANG CHAN (AiChan)

• Father-Daughter

• EnglishRacha

♡ His contact name: Channie❣️

♡ Her contact name: Baby Kangaroo💗

From the moment he saw her talent, he knew that she had to be apart of SKZ. Was the only one out of the boys to fully believe she could make a name for herself being the only and youngest female member. She looks to him for guidance and always follows his lead to a T. Channie was the first person besides her childhood friend to see her cry, and ever since, he's always been the person she goes to whenever things get overwhelming.

ICONIC MOMENTS:

During ISAC, Aiko was spotted sleeping on Channie's lap as he rubbed her head gently which melted the hearts of many STAYS

During the Food Wars episode of SKZ CODE, Aiko was on Chan's team and when he, Ai and Felix were crowded around a pot complaining in english with eachother which earned them the name 'EnglishRacha', Chan got 'annoyed' with her and called her by her korean name

In the 5-STAR Intro video, when the topic of 'Youtiful' was brought up, Aiko said she had wrote it with a double meaning, one of those being a reflection of her relationship with Chan

During a concert during the MANIAC tour, when Chan had jumped on the platform to perform 'Charmer', Aiko jumped after him and while she struggled to get up, she still did, STAYs nicknaming her 'Baby Kangaroo'

During a Channie's Room where Ai was a guest, a STAY asked if Aiko could replicate Chan's accent, Aiko asked what word do Aussie's use most often to make it believable, and before Chan could answer she made sure to say 'A word that's appropriate'

➷ LEE KNOW (MinKo)

• Brother-Sister

• Dance Better-Speak English Better Duo

♡ His contact name: Cat hoarder™

♡ Her contact name: Leader of Paboracha©

Hated eachother from first glance. Okay not really but they didn't really hit it off when they met. Even so, they stayed civil until the Survival Program. They had been forced to spend time together since they were eventually going to be bandmates. She enjoyed his comfortable silence, and he made her laugh, while she didn't push him to speak out. Ever since then, the two were close. Today they've become to what some STAYs call 'Unrelated siblings'. They are always at each others throats, some thinking that the two actually hate eachother.

ICONIC MOMENTS:

In 2021, Aiko had collapsed on stage due to a new diet JYP Staff had put her on, and Minho was the first one to rush to her side

Only one other than Jisung he trusts with his cats, and during the 'Two Kids One Room' she said she'd kidnap them one day

On multiple accounts, Aiko has been the one to help Minho with his english and even japanese, and she gets so happy whenever he gets sentences right

When he was struggling to read japanese letters during a live she was silently laughing at him and when he looked at her with an annoyed as fuck look she lost it and started laughing

During the Variety Game where they couldn't say english words, Aiko was on Minho's team and when he said an english word she tackled him and jokingly said she regretted teaching him english

During a stage during the MANIAC tour, when they got to FAM and it was Minho's turn and verse Aiko lightly pushed Minho as a joke, he escalated the gesture and pushed her harder then the two started to play fight on stage and when his verse finished, he put Aiko in a headlock and begun to sing his part while dragging her around in the headlock.

➷ CHANGBIN (AiBin)

• Chaotic Shorties

• RapRacha

♡ His contact name: binnie🐽

♡ Her contact name: kukuma🐈‍⬛

Thought she was okay when they first met. Didn't really get to know eachother too well since he was busy with 3Racha. But as time progressed, they realized they had something in common, they were both the shortest members. While the others and STAYs tease them about it, they've bonded over it and there are many moments of them being chaotic together. He always helps her perfect her rapping skills since in her eyes, Binnie's the best rapper she's ever heard.

ICONIC MOMENTS:

During SKZ-X LOVESTAY live, when Binnie said he was the tallest out of them all and everyone stood up besides Aiko and immediately started laughing

Also during the live when Binnie was asked if he liked having tracks written by JYP, Aiko suggested that he hold up the X and have the staff edit it out since the two both have a strained relationship with JYP

➷ HYUNJIN (AiHyun)

• Enemies to lovers

• Padoracha leaders

♡ His contact name: Cupid💕

♡ Her contact name: Muse💓

At first, they were anything but a happy couple. Always getting into petty arguments and going at each other for the littlest things. It was when Minho and Felix's elimination when the two had begun to grow close. Ai had major survivor's guilt, and she felt like if she hadn't been made part of the project so late, then the two would've been safe. Hyunjin had felt bad for the youngest member and decided to comfort her. Officially became a couple in 2020, and in March of 2023, their three year long relationship had been revealed.

ICONIC MOMENTS:

During the MANIAC tour, Felix and Channie had begun to 'fight' over who's maknae Aiko was, and before she could process life, Hyun went behind her and picked her up, claiming that she was his maknae

When they went to do the event with baby Rowoo, Aiko was very hesitant since she wasn't really great with small kids, but when she saw the baby with Hyun, she got a bad case of baby fever

During the SKZ CODE where they went to the haunted school, when the lights had gotten cut for a few seconds and Hyun went to hug the maknae line, Aiko immediately clung to him and when the lights came back on, Aiko was clinging to his waist

On a recent IG post, Hyun posted him and Aiko on a date, with the caption 'no one can replace you, my muse❤'

ᴍᴀsᴛᴇʀʟɪsᴛ

#stray kids 9th member #female addition #kpop added member #skz female addition #skz addition #skz female member #stray kids added member #stray kids scenarios #fake kpop idol #fake kpop oc

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jelliclekay · 2 years

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A Goodbye and Thank You to US Tour 6 ♡

First off, what sick joke was it to have both Vienna and the first leg of US Tour 6 to end on the same day? It's a very hard day for the fandom.

But, I wanted to make a post expressing my love and gratefulness to the current US tour. While I'm not a fan of the revival choreography changes (and probably never will be), this cast and this production has meant the world to me and it doesn't feel right to not make a goodbye and thank you. Note: this is going to be long, so if you read it in its entirety, I love you.

2021 was not a great year for me (not really for anyone honestly), but around late September, I was reminded from watching some video essays on the subject about Cats 1998. I hadn't seen it since I was a child, so I decided to rewatch it as an adult.

Something clicked rewatching it. Being autistic, my hyperfixations come and go, but I knew this was special. Immediately upon rewatching it, I looked up if Cats was going to be coming to a city near me. I didn't know anything about the cast, the revival changes or anything of the like. I just knew I needed to see it in person.

And I lucked out, Cats was scheduled for Columbus, Ohio in January of 2022. I was beyond excited, bought two tickets for me and my sister and anxiously waited to see it live. All the while watching Cats 98 at least once or twice a week. I didn't think about joining the fandom at that point, only occasionally lurking on the tumblr tags and liking art.

I was sort of hoping that seeing it live would satisfy me enough that the interest in it would fade. My friends are not really musical people and I could tell they thought the Cats interest was a bit strange, so I really wanted to just see it and forget about it.

Once the date finally came, I was so excited. Again, I wasn't aware of the cast besides Zach because of his TikToks. I also didn't realize I was seeing a performance consisting of almost every swing (below is the cast for the show):

The seats I had were not the best and were pretty far away. But even then, I was captivated by the performers and the show. I screamed, I clapped, and I cried by the time Memory came on and didn't stop until the end of the show. Any hope I had of not hyperfixating on this show was dashed and I immediately knew I had to find others in the fandom to talk too.

I joined Mistocord that night and created my Cats tumblr as well. I became familiar with the cast and like so many of you, became attached to them all. I also knew that their last date would be in June and I was devastated that I wouldn't get to see them again.

Until I took another look at the tour schedule and saw they were having one show in Roanoke, Virginia on April 14th, the day after my birthday. The drive to Roanoke is 5.5 hours, but it was also the closest date to me. Plus with it being the day after my birthday, I knew I had to go.

I asked my best friend who likes musicals but has never seen Cats if she would go and thankfully she agreed. I also took along another friend with us who is named Victoria and has loved Cats all her life but has never seen it live.

Almost everyone in my life thought I was insane to be driving so far just to see Cats of all things. Even more so when the new dates for the upcoming cast were announced and the closest city to me announced 3 whole weeks of shows. But I wanted to see this current cast one more time, especially since I was familiar with them unlike when I went in January.

The drive was stressful, but I was thrilled when we made it and I saw that besides Allison Teazer, I was going to be seeing the principal cast perform. I love the swings and they were all amazing in Columbus, but I also really wanted to see Lauren Demeter and Chris Skimble. (And yes, I was bummed I never got to see Devon Munk but was excited to see Nick Munk).

Below is the board for the Roanoke show (sans Allison who did not have a name card yet at this point):

The show was incredible, of course. The crowd was also great (Not sure if it's Southern thing or if it was because of the cheap beer the venue was selling) but everyone got the cheers and applause they deserve. Big shout out to whoever screamed "FUCK YEAH MUNKUSTRAP" when Nick first slid on stage.

It was amazing. My friend Victoria and I held hands during Memory and it was nice to have someone to cry with. My best friend who doesn't know Cats also enjoyed it more than she thought she would which was nice!

Once the show was over, we stumbled to the stage door because I was determined to at least meet Zach. I occasionally talk to Zach on insta and he knew I was at the show, but I was unprepared for when he walked up to ME and said "We get to meet finally!" He signed my playbill and let me snap a picture with him. And yes, I sobbed the second we walked away and basically did not stop the entire 5.5 trip home.

Truly one of the best nights of my life and one I will never forget.

Without this cast, I never would have fallen so much in love with this musical. I never would have joined this fandom and made friends. Over a decade of being in online fan communities but this is the first time I've ever made online buddies that I talk to on a daily basis.

I've never truly loved something as much as Cats. It helped me out of such a dark place and continues to provide me with comfort when I'm feeling down.

So thank you, first leg US Tour 6 cast, from the bottom of my heart. You're all incrediblely talented performers who brought so much heart to the characters and show. Happy trails and I hope to see you return back to the Junkyard again ♡

#im so sorry this is so long #cats us tour 6 #cats us tour 2021 #cats the musical

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cryptidvoidwritings · 2 years

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Mr Bravo woke up and chose violence this morning, huh?

That's fine, I didn't need my heart today.

Post is here. Chelsea Mitchell’s fiancée is a fantastic photographer.

Caption from the post under here

#zach bravo #rum tum tugger #cats us tour 6 #cats us tour 2021 #stage cats #curtain call #zach bravo woke up and chose violence

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junkyard-gifs · 1 year

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A little animated Tuggershanks from Zach Bravo and Chris Salvaggio!

2021 US tour, 23 December 2021. Video here.

@tuggershanks

#tuggershanks #cats the musical #rum tum tugger #skimbleshanks #skimbleshanksxtugger #c: rum tum tugger #c: skimbleshanks #chris salvaggio #zach bravo #2021 us tour #211223

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wineauntie · 5 days

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JUNO! THE ALBUM — q. hughes x singer!oc

a look into juno blackwood’s debut album

masterlist

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

cover/back cover:

prelude:

“How beautiful the earth is still, To thee —how full of happiness! How little fraught with real ill, Or unreal phantoms of distress! How spring can bring thee glory, yet, And summer win thee to forget December’s sullen time! Why dost thou hold the treasure fast, Of youth’s delight, when youth is past, And thou art near thy prime?”

— the first stanza of Anticipation by Emily Brontë, sung by Juno, accompanied by Julian Rowe on piano.

tracklist:

king

sinner

when I die

born to die

because the night

young and beautiful

type of guy

kiss with a fist

sunday

look at us now ft. Julian Rowe

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

about the album!

This album was produced in the summer of 2021, however it is a collection of Juno’s writing from dating back to when she was 16 to the age of 20.

It was produced by Julian Rowe, who cowrote and sung on the track “Look at Us Now”. Julian Rowe, pictured below, is a five-time Emmy winning producer and singer. Known for his work with notable artists such as Harry Styles and Taylor Swift. He has grown into a close friend of Juno Blackwood and the two are thick as thieves when it comes to the music industry.

The album’s cover photo was taken by Juno when she dropped her phone, which was set to take a timed photograph of her and her cat. The back cover was taken by Julian Rowe during one of the album’s late night mixing session.

Over 132 songs were narrowed down into the 10 released, and Juno Blackwood has stated: “it’s not their (the other songs) time yet, I can feel it.”

The album demolished the charts upon its release on September 23rd, 2021, with Rolling Stones Magazine even naming it number 87 in the best debut albums of all time.

Juno has claimed that the album is an eclectic collection of sounds and “has something that anyone could enjoy.” It is a pop album with country and rock twists, drawing inspiration from bands such as Fleetwood Mac and singers such as Joni Mitchell and Patti Smith.

“I like to think of my songs as aspects of my soul,” Juno said, in an article with Rolling Stones Magazine. “Every musical thought I have has been a result of the iconic music of the past. I want my music to reflect the respect and passion I have towards the history and impact of these artists…and I feel like this album encapsulates that level of admiration I hold for them.”

The album stood in the top five of the charts for ten weeks, with the singles “Young and Beautiful” and “Look at us Now”, alternating number one on the charts for eight weeks.

“It’s great to hear music like this again,” Stevie Nicks remarked for Times Magazine, when asked if she’d heard and liked Blackwood’s album. “It has that deep, soulful and transcendent sound that often gets lost in the modern music culture.”

Juno! by Juno Blackwood was well-received all around the world and led to her EU/US & Canada tour.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

(a/n— below are the original songs/artists juno’s album is based on)

King by Florence and the machine

Sinner by the last dinner party

When I die by fanny lumsden

born to die by lana del rey

because the night by patty smith

young and beautiful by lana del rey

type of guy by daisy jones

kiss with a fist by Florence and the machine

sunday by the cranberries

look at us now by daisy jones and the six

#wineauntie #quinn hughes imagine #quinn hughes fluff #quinn hughes x oc #Quinn hughes x singer!oc #juno blackwood x quinn hughes #wineauntie – juno universe!#quinn hughes fic #quinn hughes fanfic #quinn hughes fanfiction #quinn hughes #juno blackwood

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