#so I added in my own little creative flair | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

blk-chauvinist · 10 months

Text

At HoochieCon, Black women’s sexual power and agency take center stage

(I did not make this up. This is an article taken from the LA Times

Event creater and curator Zorine Truly dances at the HoochieCon party on Saturday in Glendale. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

BY MARTINE THOMPSONJUNE 23, 2023 9:53 AM PT

When taking in the images of Black women that adorn the gallery space at HoochieCon, it’s clear the creator and curator, Zorine Truly, 37, has a major soft spot for hoochie mamas — fly Black women who harness the power of their sexuality and creative expression as they see fit. Photos on the walls of the Glendale event space Junior High depict women with artful multilayered updos reaching for the heavens, big smiles sparkling with gold embellishments, vibrant acrylic nails as imaginative as they are long. Nostalgic portraits of friends turning up before the social media boom are spotlighted along with cherished TV and movie characters.

These women may not have an abundance of money, but they draw on their unique flair, swagger and innovation as a tool to show up authentically and claim space in a society that tells them they should shrink. Truly knows these women — often classified as hoochies — have always been more than a punchline in a movie or a mood-board fixture divorced from their humanity. Hoochies flip narrow, misogynoir-fueled ideas of what a good or respectable or fashionable woman can look like and look damn good while doing it. And as Truly explains to The Times, hoochies — in their many iterations over the decades — have long set the blueprint for popular trends and it’s high time they received their flowers.

“Simply put, hoochies are pioneers — for so many different genres of things,” says Truly, a North Memphis, Tenn., native and self-anointed Hoochie Historian who translates her research on hoochie culture into bite-sized videos. Interspersed with glimpses into her personal life and adventures around Los Angeles (like casually cutting up with Janelle Monaé at their Age of Pleasure party), Truly’s posts range from celebrations of prominent women and rituals in hoochie culture and their undeniable impact on fashion, beauty, art and pop culture to thoughtful deep dives that contextualize significant cultural moments, like Brandy and Monica’s ’90s smash hit “The Boy Is Mine.”

Graphic art on display Saturday at HoochieCon, a gathering celebrating Black style, culture, femme artistry and sexual freedom. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

The pull to honor this rich legacy in a major way compelled Truly to launch HoochieCon, a group exhibit featuring mixed-media art and music honoring Black women pioneers at the center of hoochie culture. The exhibit, which was co-organized and hosted by the popular queer community space Junior High last weekend, kicked off with three days of activations. The exhibit’s opening day featured the type of moody bisexual lighting that promises a good time. Attendees from near and far came decked with joyful energy and their interpretation of comfortable hoochie attire, and a stripper pole that was added to the gallery for the special day was put to good use thanks to the trio of dancers (Phoenix, Ziyah, Brooklyn) who blessed the space with their skills.

The intention at the heart of HoochieCon resonated with a range of Angelenos on their own journey of discovering and embracing their authentic self and sexual agency, including Earyn McGee, 28. “I am the oldest daughter in a Black family and definitely felt like I had to perform a certain way of being and show up physically a certain way,” she says, noting the baby steps she’s been taking toward less filtered self-expression now that she’s grown. “Even with my outfit for today, I was a little bit nervous but I was just like, ‘I’m trying to be in theme. This was an idea that I had and I’m just gonna go with it.’ I’m trying to do all the things that would’ve made kid-me happy.”

The next two days had a little something for everyone: a panel discussion moderated by Truly, a dance party (more on that shortly) and an outdoor market featuring Black vendors. Chef Rochelle Tyler of Selah Bakery served up vegan cookies with flavors like Hollaback Girl (banana pudding) and Babycakes (strawberry shortcake), while Cake Chemistry offered its boozy miniature red velvet cakes with Hennessy-infused caramel sauce and cream cheese buttercream. There were beanie purses and clothing designs by Beautiful Soul Childz for the avant-garde fashionista who’s gonna serve a look if nothing else, handcrafted jewelry by Skiin & Tones and Studio Ebunoluwa, Hooch Juice travel tumblers by High Standards Cosmetics to help the hoochies hydrate in style, and more.

With music being so deeply intertwined with hoochie culture, Truly knew she had to have space devoted to everybody coming together, dressing up and having fun on the dance floor. The experience of dancing and moving her body to good music in the company of new and old friends makes her feel tapped into a particular feeling of power. “There’s something powerful about dancing despite everything that’s going on outside and despite what’s in the news or maybe what’s happening when you go back to your house,” Truly says. “There’s freedom in getting together in community and seeing Black faces celebrate, regardless of what circumstance they face every day. There’s power, there’s freedom and there’s happiness in it for me.”

DJ Space Age was on music duty for HoochieCon’s dance-floor celebration and did not disappoint. Bangers from the ’90s and early 2000s that stand the test of time boomed through the speakers, eventually teasing out the most committed of wall huggers to let loose and shake a little something.

Dani Daniels poses for a portrait at Hoochie Con.(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

For Danielle Daniels, 29, the visual nods to the ’90s throughout HoochieCon resonated instantly. “My style of dressing is ’90s style so I love the environment of HoochieCon. The bamboo earrings, the jackets, the clothes and the nails — it’s nice to come out and see a lot of girls with the same culture and idea of things and to be able to express ourselves together as Black women,” says Daniels, who considers Halle Berry and Natalie Desselle’s iconic BAPS characters major hoochie inspo for herself and her best friend. “I wanted to come and celebrate ourselves and the beauty that we bring to beauty culture and everything.”

Art on display at HoochieCon.(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

As Truly takes in the fruits of her labor, and the community that has formed around her first HoochieCon, she’s mindful to acknowledge the importance of giving respect and reverence to women who have pioneered and “touched popular culture for so long” without reaping the benefits or even receiving credit. “Not only did they pioneer it, they also had to suffer for it,” Truly says. “They had to suffer to wear their hair the way they wanted to. They had to suffer to wear their nails the way they wanted to, and gold teeth, and to be sexually liberated. They had to suffer to shine.”

One day, years later, people will look at images of Truly’s HoochieCon celebration. “What do you hope they take away?” I ask the Hoochie Historian.

“I hope they take away from HoochieCon the importance of being yourself, no matter what people might judge you by,” says Truly, releasing a deep exhale, eyes watering as she processes the idea of HoochieCon reaching people generations into the future. “It’s important to be happy with how you look, how you feel, how you dress, and the choices that you make, and that is the most important thing. I want people, especially Black women, to take away that they can be fully themselves no matter what that looks like and still be worthy of all the good things.”

#Racial Stereotypes #Self-Sexual Exploitation #Negative Imagery #Self-Degradation #Feminist Lies #Women Objectifying Themselves #Women As Sex Objects #Double-Standards #Gender Double-Standards #Dumb Bitch Logic

3 notes · View notes

canyouhearthevoices · 11 months

Note

I was reading your analysis of the BOUNCY MV and loved it (your comments also made me laugh eheheh)! Also since you said you weren't sure about the red lights in the bike part of the MV, I was talking to a friend about the MV and they mentioned how SeongSang's shots are very reminiscent of AKIRA (the manga/film). The plot goes something like post-apocalyptic Tokyo which is corrupt and there's anti-government protests, terrorism, and gang violence etc etc. There's a bunch of biker vigilantes etc etc etc~ And the scenes are also very reminiscent of the MV itself, which I found super cool (I once mentioned how it'd be super cool if ATEEZ had footnotes for all the references they make lolol)

Ahh thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it :)

Yes, I completely agree with it being similar to AKIRA. I've never actually watched AKIRA (which is probably why it didn't come to mind) but I agree that the themes and aesthetics are similar. The shots you have included are great examples. I imagine that KQ/ATEEZ/the creative directors did this on purpose - AKIRA is very influential and impactful on anime media, so this is yet another visual shortcut they've used for storytelling. Thank you for bringing this to my attention... maybe I should watch AKIRA.

We know that ATEEZ have a lot of inspirations from influential texts from various cultures - Britain, America, Korea, China, Japan - so it makes sense that they have done this. I think it's amazing, because, as I said, it synthesises and plays with older media to make something new, and it uses those medias to make the story easier for the audience to understand.

One of my film professors is big on the idea of using conventions of a genre to make your story easier to understand, while adding a unique flair to it - and that's exactly what ATEEZ do.

As far as their references - yes I would love to see them (although I think we can get a pretty good idea just from the way they express these inspirations). Believe it or not, I have had a not insignificant number of dreams that just involve me grilling Hongjoong on the storyline and begging him for the answers. I wake up in the middle of the night sometimes and see my ATEEZ poster and break out in a cod sweat because Hongjoong is staring at me and I know that he knows all of the little details of the storyline and gleefully watches us get it wrong but will never tell us...

It's a love-hate relationship.

Cromerteez also added this;

I think I probably forgot to add this but the Z logo on the wanted posters is very zorro logo-ish 👁️👄👁️ (again, I'm pushing the footnotes agenda lol)

For those (like me) who don't know - the Zorro logo looks like this;

Or at least, I hope this was the one you meant.

Yes I definitely see it. I had a little Google and it seems that Zorro is about a man who is hunted by the authorities but continually outwits them, and uses his sword to carve the 'z' into his defeated enemies. I can definitely see the similarities to ATEEZ's storyline. The only question I then have is - did they write the symbol on their own Wanted posters - to show that they would never be caught? Or is someone/something (Guardians?) else hunting them and has put the symbol on the posters as a threat?

The scene is ambigious enough that it could be interpreted either way - and we might need to wait for another MV, the Diary version of the album, or the next comeback to get an answer.

But thank you so much for sending this ask in! I really appreciate it and it definitely sorted out some of the questions I had about the MV. And reinforced my point about visual shorthand in storytelling.

#ateez #atiny #ateez theories #say our name #first ask thank you <3 #outlaw #bouncy #akira #zorro #mv analysis #the world #the world ep 2: outlaw

2 notes · View notes

n3wmoonradio · 2 years

Text

An Interview with Dead Possum Girlfriend

On May 9, 2022, I had the pleasure of interviewing Patrick Glynn of the up-and-coming folk punk band, Dead Possum Girlfriend! After performing alongside them at Unity Fest, a community gathering dedicated to celebrating the unionization of local Starbucks stores, I knew that I had to have them come on the show. The band is self-described as sometimes folk, sometimes punk, and always fun, singing songs from the river.

Isabella Stevens: Patrick, thanks so much for being here with me today.

Patrick Glynn: Thanks for having me!

IS: I’m curious to know, how did your band get together, and how did you all start making music?

PG: Well, Dead Possum Girlfriend really started out as a pandemic project. It was just me, sitting on my porch with an acoustic guitar, playing the same improv songs multiple times. Then, I started writing some of my own music, and I was able to find the two other members that make up, I would say, the “core” of the band: Patrick, and my other friend, Hayden, who actually works at Starbucks with my wife. We were able to work together, and they added their own specialty flairs to everything, helping to evolve our music into what you hear today.

IS: That’s so awesome! Branching off of that, is there a story behind your band name?

PG: Not really, I wish that I could have a really funny story. But, I think, I was actually just singing a funny song about taxidermy and possums, and I just said that and thought, “Man, this is a great band name!” We just kind of stuck with it.

IS: Sometimes, that’s how the best band names form.

PG: Right!

IS: On another note, how did you become involved with the Richmond music scene and what has your experience there been like?

PG: So, for this band, the performance at The National was our first real show, because this project was really born of the pandemic. We really haven’t dived into the local music scene really yet. But we’re hoping to, and we have a couple of shows lined up in the Richmond area, so, we’ll see how that goes.

IS: Great, that’s so exciting! Any shows that you want to shout out?

PG: Not quite yet, they’re all still in the works, but hopefully soon!

IS: Awesome. I’m curious, what does your creative process look like, and how have you gone about writing your songs so far?

PG: So, the band is kind of in a transitional area. I had, I’d say, 5-7 songs by myself before I even had the other two members of the project. So right now, we’ve been kind of focusing on those songs. Since then, our writing process has kind of been... well, our guitar player, Hayden, is just a killer guitar player. And Patrick is a genius with lyrics as well as percussion, and I can keep a few tunes in my head occasionally, especially with some lyrics, right? So, we kind of just honestly jam and find a rhythm the we like and play around with it. I’m mostly, you know, our “studio man.” So once we jam, I’ll be looking back at sounds and stuff that we have previously created, like chord progressions, and I’ll record those and start building songs from there.

IS: Yeah! Kind of branching off of that, what’s the recording process look like and how do you go about producing your songs?

PG: So... my process is a little, well extremely, tedious. I actually do it all on an iPad, with just like two mics, a lot of time and effort, and a lot of EQ-ing and mixing. But, I usually just start with an acoustic guitar, and I just strum the chord progression and start adding layers, layers, layers... and next thing you know, you have a song. The only problem with me is like... remember when you would make a painting and people would say “no negative spaces?” Well, the second I hear a negative space in the music, I’m like, “Oh, there should be a tambourine right here,” or something, and next thing you know, you have like 83 tracks. I can’t stand a moment of silence in any of my songs.

IS: It’s kind of nice though; I like songs with a lot of layers like that. It’s really cool to hear!

PG: Yeah, definitely.

IS: Is there any common theme or idea in your music? Or, anything you’re hoping to write about with this new band?

PG: Mostly, my stuff, especially what I write, is just about my life in Richmond. I like to think of Dead Possum Girlfriend as, like, the folk band of Richmond. It kind of has songs about how you would feel about Richmond, places that people have been to... like, my one song, Bitsy’s Rock, is about the journey when you’re walking around the river, all the crazy things you see that I think you only get in a Richmond river. It’s kind of like, music for Richmonders, about Richmonders.

IS: Yeah, I love that! Is there any specific reason why you picked folk punk as a genre to convey that?

PG: Punk played a huge part of my entire life, I’ve played in mostly punk bands for most of my life. And folk, I think, is music for people especially in the working class. Sometimes, folk gets construed as this, like, “high-brow music,” when I think deep down that folk is traditionally music of lower-class people. And that’s what punk is, and I think the merging of them sounds really cool. Acoustic guitars and an angry message works just as well as heavy guitars and screaming.

IS: Yeah, I think that’s really interesting. Have there been any particular influences on your songwriting and the type of music you try to produce?

PG: For my music, Rancid was a huge band growing up for me. I love 90s and 2000s punk, as well as one of my favorite bands of all time, Old Crow Medicine Show, which is kind of a faster, looser side of the bluegrass movement. And then, of course, Bob Dylan. He’s a genius about everything. And I think, although those are all very different sounding types of music, they all convey a similar message. They’re true songs about true people and things.

IS: I love that. What do you think has been your favorite piece you’ve written so far?

PG: Oh, so you’re making me choose between all of my favorite children.

IS: I know, kind of a broad question, but...

PG: I don’t know, the problem I have is that I have made a lot of music for a long time. I have made music in punk bands, in metal bands; I’ve made electronic music for a long time. But really, I think Dead Possum Girlfriend is the truest thing to what I would call “my music” and how I feel.

IS: That’s great! Do you have any releases coming in the future with the band?

PG: Yes, we do have our first album coming out in July. And also, we’re going to be on a folk punk collab with a bunch of people from around the United States as well as with a couple of people from the Netherlands and stuff. It’s helping out the Trans Lifeline charity, and all of the money from it will go to them and help out people in the transgender community.

IS: Wow, that’s really great.

PG: Thank you.

IS: What do you think have been some of the challenges that you’ve faced as an up-and-coming band, so far?

PG: Really, COVID has put a huge dent in all music establishments, for new bands... it’s so hard to get shows nowadays, because all of the bands are looking to play now. You know, especially in Richmond, it’s a very oversaturated place with music. Which, is not a bad thing, but makes it hard starting out. Really, getting shows is a difficult thing and I feel like you have to know people and have a reputation. But, if you don’t have a reputation, it’s hard to get started.

IS: Have you thought about trying to play at the Richmond Folk Festival?

PG: Oh no... maybe one day. I would play anywhere really. I just love playing.

IS: Kind of on the other end of that question, what do you think have been some of your greatest successes as a local artist and what does it mean to you to be a Richmond band?

PG: I think Richmond is a beautiful place for music, arts, nature, life in general. It’s my home and it always has been my home. I’ve enjoyed sharing that with other people. I would say, when we played at Unity Fest, it was a great moment. We played a lot of union songs and hearing people sing and be passionate about it was very cool. Like, we played “Solidarity Forever,” and I don’t think we actually finished the song. We got maybe two verses in and then the crowd just kept singing the chorus, and we just let them do their thing. It was a really cool moment and it was beyond what we were playing, it was a whole thing in itself.

IS: That’s really amazing. I have one more question for you today, what direction do you hope to see the band moving in for the future?

PG: So, adding Hayden and Patrick has really opened up the musical world for me. Our first album has a little bit more of the folk-y side of it, but we’re beginning to play more jazz-y stuff, blues... I’m starting to play the accordion in some of our stuff. So, I think we just want to keep branching out, all three of us. I can get super bored playing the same sounds and the same thing, so I think it’s just going to be a future of trying new things, experimenting, having fun, and continuing to make music.

IS: That’s awesome! Thank you so much again for being here!

PG: Yeah, thanks for having me!

#radio #college radio #interview #folk punk #band #folk #rock #indie #music #music interview #band interview #punk #new music #richmond #dead possum girlfriend

3 notes · View notes

kroashent · 11 months

Text

Kroashent Commission: FrogQuest

A commission for https://www.deviantart.com/srgntdrew , finds the perpetually cursed knight, Sieur Michelle (formerly Sieur Michel), previously turned into a frog by their rival, Claudia d'Artois, but partially restored. Realizing, and coming to terms with their strange fates, Michelle sets off into the world on a pilgrimage of self-discovery to find out who they really are after all their changes, leaving Aulnay in the capable hands of their lover and friends. Where will their journey take them next? ----------------- Val's Notes: I've had the pleasure and opportunity of drawing Mike's adventures in Alvez for some time now, with the generous support of Srgntdrew to make Michelle, Thierry and the others as living, breathing characters in the world of Kroashent. Sir Mike, as they are more commonly known has quite a collection of adventures and transformations outside of Kroashent's world though, and I decided it would be a fun challenge to push the envelope a little further and give Michelle a little extra push in their design to set apart their Kroashent appearance and make them a little more unique to Alvez. This seemed like a great conceptual piece to start that experiment, as Michelle sets out from home on a quest to define their new life. I am a big believer in using colour as a part of a character, so I wanted to keep the colour palette of Mike's iconic and striking black and gold armour. Because this is cloth, not specially forged armor, I diluted the colours somewhat, and added in a brown gambeson with polished bone clasps, a simple padded armor often used for travel, light combat and everyday use by medieval knights. Gambeson in Alvez are worn by both male and female persons, as the world supports a wide martial tradition across all genders, and it seemed like a perfect fit for Mike as they determine their own identity between the man they were and the woman they have become, (among other changes) and they determine who they want to be. The Gamberson, longcoat and pants is a functional outfit for any of the situations Michelle finds themselves in, between travel, fighting and the fairly new role as their lover's companion at court. Its not too formal, but is acceptable in a wide range of situations, stylish but lacking ostentatious flair that the simple soldier would frown upon (unlike their rival, Claudia, who is all about that flair) Let me know what you think about this new look and I hope you enjoyed this little behind the scenes peak into my creative process. -----------------

To see more adventures of Michelle, check out this gallery: https://www.deviantart.com/kathalia/gallery/82972514/kroashent-visitors

To support Kroashent on Patreon, check out the page here: https://www.patreon.com/Kroashent

#kroashent #character design #Sieur Michelle #transformation #Frog #Alvez-ized characters #Fantasy #commission

1 note · View note

littlebitoffoolishness · 2 years

Text

Sunseeker Pullover

Back in the spring I saw this Sunseeker Pullover by Sara Dudek on WeCrochet. For the yarn, I used my Manos Del Uruguay Fino, that I’ve had in my stash for years. I worked on this sweater most of the spring and into the summer. I finished it during this years Pittsburgh Creative Arts Festival. I love this pattern. It was so easy. I love the sleeves and I added my own little flair to them. (Ignore…

View On WordPress

#Crochet

1 note · View note

will-o-the-witch · 2 years

Text

What the Heck is a Dybbuk Box?

In short, it's an entertaining bunch of bullshit. Here's the backstory!

Dybbukim

A Dybbuk (spelled דיבוק in Yiddish) derives from the Hebrew word דָּבַק, to cling. (The suffix -im or makes it plural.) It's a displaced human spirit of a dead person that possesses a living human in order to accomplish a goal, then leaves once finished (unless you exorcise it beforehand.) These possessions are always nonconsensual, typically forcing you to act on negative repressed impulses (often of a sexual nature.) This is in contrast to Ibbur, where a righteous soul possesses a consenting individual in order to perform a mitzvah. Historically, dybbukim served as a warning against improper behavior or unorthodoxy, which would open your household to the risk of dybbukim. It's also been viewed as a folk explanation for "hysteria" in women.

While it's been written about since the 1500s, it wasn't a super popular concept until S. Ansky's play The Dybbuk in the early 1900s (a classic in Yiddish theatre!)

The Box

The dybbuk box was first created on eBay, 2003. A man named Kevin Mannis was selling a refurbished wine cabinet he got from a yard sale, adding the story in the item description to give it a little flair. People bought and re-sold the cabinet, each adding their own paranormal claims to how the dybbuk had given them nightmares and bad luck.

The hoax became an urban legend, then a sensation, even as Mannis publicly admits to having made the whole thing up. He's even said if anybody could find reference to a dybbuk box before his post, "I’ll pay you $100,000.00 and tattoo your name on my forehead." Even still, the legends/paranormal claims surrounding the box continue to this day! (Post Malone even had a run-in in 2018.) Mannis said to Input Magazine in 2021: "I am a creative writer. The Dybbuk Box is a story that I created. And the Dybbuk Box story has done exactly what I intended it to do when I posted it 20 years ago... Which is to become an interactive horror story in real-time." Which, as a writer, I will admit is pretty dang cool.

Other Neat Stuff

The concept of a dybbuk box might be a wash, but there are lots of other similar legends of super-haunted/unlucky dolls, gems, etc. Just think of the hope diamond, or how people write apology letters to Robert the Doll for disrespecting him after a string of misfortune post-visit! Spirit anchors are a fairly common practice for modern-day witches/magic practitioners, so a malevolent spirit taking up residence in a wine cabinet isn't that far-fetched. It's just not going to be a Dybbuk. The dybbuk box inspired the horror movie The Possession (2012.) It... got pretty middling reviews. While I wouldn't call it a particularly good movie overall, the horror film The Unborn (2009) portrays dybbukim in an interesting way much more accurate to the original folklore (plus it's written by a Jewish author!)

#dybbuk #dybbuk box #paranormal #urban legends #witchcraft #witch community

2K notes · View notes

downtonabbeyrevisited · 3 years

Text

Season Two Episode Three

Conversion of the Abbey into a convalescent home for Officers is underway, ushering in a territorial battle that at times makes what is going on on the other side of the channel look like a mere scuffle. With the chain of command yet to be set, the floor is open for some of the best Isobel v. Cora v. Violet action that Downton has to offer. However, Isobel’s hostile takeover is slowed by a combination of O’Brien’s Machiavellian urges and Robert’s love of hierarchy. O’Brien tees up Thomas to take charge of Downton and coaxes him into the fray as he leans on an archway smoking his way into a wide variety of lung problems in later life. In an almost implausible about face (the key word for King Julian here is almost), Robert, Major Clarkson and Carson agree that Corpral Barrow is now trustworthy(ish), should be bumped up to the rank of Acting Sargent and be allowed to use the front door (although Carson remains unsure about the last bit). With Thomas in place and Major Clarkson at the hospital, Robert is on the hunt for another “tier” having looked at this microcosm of society and decided that there was not enough division. Evelyn Napier’s request to stay at Downton prompts Major Clarkson to enact border controls that would make Priti Patel look on in envy and neatly demonstrates the bind in which the Crawleys now find themselves. It is perhaps fitting, if predicable, that by the end of the episode Isobel and Cora are to share responsibility for Downton in what will remain the worst coalition of all time until 2015 when Cadbury will get together with Vegemite. Look it up. Trust me, it was rank.

Having an equally tense episode is Lavina who, fresh from behind manhandled behind the laurels, is now under Rosamund’s microscope with Violet declaring her to be an object to be removed which is a bit harsh even for her. It is rumoured that Lavinia stole secrets from her Uncle for Richard Carlisle to publish as part of his uncovering of the Marconi Scandal, a historical event whose name is said loudly and clearly at least three times so that we can all Google it in the ad-break. Sensing a potential weakness, the Crawley women (who I am resisting the urge to call Robert’s Angels) dig deeper as Mary hunts out Lavinia to give her the third degree. Lavinia admits that she did start the uncovering of the scandal but not in the pursuit of a transparent and accountable government. Instead it was to save her father from financial ruin. And all of her sudden, in exposing corruption and hypocrisy just to save her own skin she has gone from being a Department of Health and Social Care security guard to Dominic Cummings.

Violet’s concerns about the potential carnage that mixing ranks could let loose are not unfounded as Major Bryant confuses the Abbey with the Villa and Ethel takes one look at him and thinks “He’s a little bit of me”. Sadly/fortunately Ethel’s tucking in of Major Bryant’s blankets is halted by Mrs Hughes before Laura Whitmore can ask everyone to gather around the fire pit.

Apparently more romantically reticent than Bryant is Bates, who has taken to hiding behind a tree in the Village on Wednesdays just to catch a glimpse of Anna, demonstrating a behaviour pattern that does not throw up any red flags at all. Richard Carlises’ network of spies find him in a pub in Kirkbymoorside which Anna describes as “odd” despite the fact that of all the things he has done (or is about to do) in this episode, let alone the Downton Abbey canon as a whole, this is definitely the most sensible decision he has made. It means he does not have to navigate the staircases that formed a fair amount of his plot in the previous season for a start. Rather than leave him be, Anna takes an alarmingly shiny bus to an almost forensically clean pub where she orders what turns out to be a very horrific looking glass of cider from an eternally conflicted Bates. Bates tells Anna his plan to divorce Vera and declares that he does not care about gender discrimination in the law. In return Anna shows off her attempt at using this week’s bit of new technology, the curling iron. Asked for his opinion, Bates replies that he would love Anna “however, whatever, wherever”, cleverly avoiding the question in a way that simultaneously shows the depth of his amour but also indicates that he thinks it’s hideous.

Edith finds herself lacking purpose and direction like most people in their mid-twenties. Sybil, the annoying over-achieving younger sibling, tells her to work out what she is good at which turns out to be being a scribe, and getting books and carcinogenic substances for Officers. Edith’s quiet industry enables her to gain a good working knowledge of all the key protagonists on General Strutt’s tour which earns her a toast at Lunch. For Edith, this is the equivalent of getting an M.B.E.

Another character looking to take advantage of General Strutt’s sojourn is Branson whose plans to be a conscientious objector are scuppered by a heart murmur. His flair for the dramatic takes him to the courtyard of deceit (a location looking to form an alliance with the tree of emotional conflict and the platform of romantic uncertainty) where he polishes headlamps and gathers intel about the impending visit. The lack of footmen leaves an opening for Branson to cause if not the downfall, certainly the minor humiliation, of the British Army. A cryptic “forgive me” note prompts some some Blair Witch style camera work to underline the sense of urgency as Anna pelts it downstairs. The costume department breathe a sigh of relief as Branson manhandled out of the dining room before he can upend a rather creative concoction which invites the question, how did he get so much ink?

As William shows off his uniform, Daisy, coached by Mrs Patmore, continues to lead him up the garden path. William admits he is nervous about the prospect of facing the brutal reality of World War One and Mrs Patmore gently weeps across the table bringing her episode:crying ratio up pretty high even for something on a Sunday evening on ITV. Luckily, there is an opening for William to become Matthew’s solider servant which is good news for William and the budget as the exact same section of trench can continue to be used for both characters. Before he leaves, William proposes to Daisy and, naturally, Mrs Patmore accepts. Daisy’s “go on then” is hardly the most ringing of endorsements and her face resembling that of a rabbit who has taken a wrong turn and finds themselves on the fringes of the M4 cannot be reasonably described as elated. Daisy does manage to gather herself to delay the now inevitable wedding and so becomes possibly the only person in Britain who was not hoping for it to be all over by Christmas.

Lang and his ever present mournful violin accompaniment continue to have a rough time of it. He repays Mrs Patmore’s kindness by outing Archie to the rest of the servants, causing her to leave the room in abject misery. But this reaction could also have been caused by the prospect of a mistimed crumble. It’s difficult to tell. Lang’s nightmare enables the women to bust through the hitherto impenetrable divide between the male and female staff quarters and it is clear that his days at Downton are numbered. Lang collapses as the General and his entourage retreat and his use as a plot device in this very much smoothed over view of the past is at its end. He is dismissed with a decent wage package and a good reference and is never to be spoken of again.

Romantic declaration of the moment

William and Daisy do not get this one as this is a coercion free zone. Instead Mary and Matthew get it. Matthew being back at Downton gives Mary the chance to stare at him longingly across a room but it is her decision not to rat out Lavinia as a reluctant whistleblower that earns their spot here. Only an almost unfathomable amount of love would make Mary place Matthew’s happiness above her own.

Expressive eyebrow of the week

Regular winner Carson claims the prize again this week. His blind fury at Branson’s then presumed to be assassination attempt is glorious.

Wait, what?

“Marmaduke was not a rough diamond” No-one called Marmaduke can be called rough anything. Sort of reminds me of a picture my brother showed me of his then partner’s friends when they were younger spelling out the name of their public school boarding house in gangster sign language. Zero self-awareness.

“Acting Sargent I believe” Aloe standing by.

“The bastard had it coming” I think I need to revise my previous curse word estimate.

No particular quote for this bit but Branson delivering news from Russia made him seem like a man who had read the headline and maybe the first paragraph (at a push) of an article and is now holding forth on the topic, ready to take on anyone with a P.h.D in the matter. I do like Branson but increasingly it’s when he shuts up.

The least believable bit of this whole episode was Isis being completely unbothered by an incoming pingpong ball. I once stayed in a friend’s house where an absolute catastrophe was disguising itself as a dog. She would eye up the limes on the sideboard expecting them to vault across the room. When any even vaguely spherical object did achieve airspeed velocity, she would lose it. And I mean lose it.

General Strutt’s tour of Downton has an air of a politician doing a ward round. Should you yourself fear an encounter with our current premiere, you can pick up one of these cards from the News From Nowhere bookshop in Liverpool (other retailers may be available but this is the only place I have seen them).

#Downton #downton abbey #downton rewatch #Mary Crawley #Matthew Crawley #tom branson #sybil branson #edith crawley #thomas barrow #john bates #anna bates #Charles Carson #elsie hughes #Isobel Crawley

91 notes · View notes

evafrechette · 3 years

Text

I hope you're a plumber because you’ve got my pipe leaking

↠ seokjin x jungkook | smut | golddigger!jk, plumber!seokjin | 18+ | 3.8k

↠ Summary: Gold digger Jungkook is frustrated his decrepit husband can't give him good dick. Enter plumber Seokjin who is slightly oblivious to Jungkook's invitation for sex and just thinks the whole house has bad indoor plumbing if the constant calls to their office about a leaking pipe is to go by.

↠ Warnings: rimming, anal sex, creampie, cheating, butt plugs, size queen jk, bottom jk, top seokjin, loads of plumbing jokes, mario reference, spanking, anal play

↠ Written for the BTS Porn Cliche Fest ↠

Jungkook sighs as he plonks down onto the lush gold velvet Chesterfield sofa. His long blond hair falls into his eyes and he puffs it away dramatically. This wasn't how he pictured his life when he married one of the most powerful and rich men in the city. Jungkook thought it would be lavish cocktail parties, expensive cars, jet setting around the globe and attractive half naked pool boys. What he got was a grumpy elderly workaholic husband who forbids him from staying out late, a pool cleaner who looks like John Wayne Gacy and a husband who can't get his dick hard. At least he gets free reign of the black card!

He picks up the remote and points it towards the TV. The screen flicks on to loud moaning. It's a bondage scene - some skinny twink is tied up and a big burly leather clad man is thrusting into him at incredible speed. Jungkook yawns and changes the channel. He watched that one earlier in the day. He flicks unimpressively through various channels before deciding to turn the TV off. He's bored, SO bored. He hasn't had sex all week, he hasn't had GOOD sex in years. His husband needs help via a little blue pill to even get it up and since he has been too busy with a big case load at work recently Jungkook's been left to his own devices and he's starting to get antsy. Just then a brilliant idea pops into his head. A few weeks ago they had trouble with a clogged drain and the most beautiful man alive was sent to work on it. Jungkook remembers the way his broad shoulders strained under his work uniform, his big plush lips pouting as he concentrated, and those big feet. They were huge. Big feet, big cock as they say. And Jungkook was longing to find out if that was the case with the statuesque plumber. He rushes up the stairs, taking two steps at a time and flings himself into his husbands office. He skips over to the desk and throws open every drawer to find the address book containing the mystery plumbers number. "Ugh, where the hell has that old bastard put it..." Jungkook whines throwing important documents in the air. He continues searching drawers until he finds the book he was looking for. "Tada!! Okay, now to find his number." a giggle escapes his lips, Jungkook is euphoric. He knows his husband wouldn't be happy with his sinful plans, but that's what is making it all that much more tempting to him. Jungkook is being a little brat. He misses feeling like this. Married life has well and truly stifled his exuberance for life. He reaches over to the telephone on the desk and dials the number, but no one answers. He tries again and still no answer. He slams the receiver down and pouts, with his arms crossed in front of him. This is his punishment for thinking of fucking another man. Of course it would never happen, what was he even thinking? *ring ring* Jungkook eyes the phone suspiciously, has his husband somehow found out he's in his office and is ringing to yell at him? He quickly scans the room to spot any security cameras before picking up. "Hello yeah sorry I missed your calls, who is this?" "Who is this?" Jungkook enquired sceptically. "Uhh you rang me? Is this about a plumbing job?" Jungkook's eyes go wide, he's talking to handsome plumber, oh shit this is his chance. "Oh yes, sorry, Hi, yes we have a problem with the . . . pipe, yeah the pipe under the sink. . um in the kitchen. There is water everywhere I don't know what to do.” "Okay, I'm actually not working tonight. . . " "OH NO PLEASE I need you . . uh I mean I need your help!" His eyes roll into the back of his head, he sounds like such an idiot right now. "Text me your address and I'll be there in about 40 minutes. This will be an after hours service so I have to charge more." "That's fine! That's okay, thank you so much." Jungkook hangs up and fist pumps the air then quickly sends his address to the man. His plan is in motion, now all he has to do is cause some damage.

He runs down the stairs and straight into the kitchen, his knee high socks helping him slide to the sink. He drops down onto his knees and throws the doors to the sink cupboard open. Jungkook knows absolutely nothing about plumbing, so he starts to unscrew whatever he can find. He stands back up and turns the faucet on then crouches back down to see if his wicked plan has worked. He can see a trickle of water escaping the pipe, but it's not enough so he unscrews it more. All of a sudden water is gushing everywhere. He thinks it's still not enough to have needed to call a plumber out (and he does have a flair for dramatics), so he grabs a bowl, fills it to the brim then splashes it all over the floor, he does it again this time splashing inside the cupboard. He stands back and takes a look at his handiwork. Not bad he thinks to himself. Jungkook runs to the laundry and grabs a few towels, placing them around the floor, to look as though he had attempted to clean the mess then scrampers his way to his bedroom to get ready. He removes his sweats and puts on a cute pair of pink panties, followed by an oversized hoody. He goes to head out the door when he stops and spins back around. He walks to his side of the wardrobe and brings out a purple box. Inside are a range of toys, but there is one in particular Jungkook is looking for. A black butt plug with a beautiful glistening pink gem. Before he puts the box away he grabs a bottle of lube and then makes his way to the bed to undress. He lubes up his fingers, reaches down and slowly inserts one inside himself, he pumps in and out a few times before adding another. He scissors his fingers, stretching himself out perfectly for the plug. He grabs the butt plug and slathers it with lube before pushing it into his pink hole. Jungkook let's out a small moan when it's in and pulls his panties back up. Just then he hears the door bell ring. Shit, has it been 40 minutes already?! He pops the lube into his hoody pocket, wipes his hands in the duvet cover then takes a quick look in the mirror, brushing down his long blond locks with his fingers before making his way down the stairs and towards the front door. Jungkook can feel his heart racing, he's starting to second guess himself now. What if Mr Plumber isn't even into guys? The doorbell rings again, so he takes a deep breath and opens the heavy front door. Jungkook looks around curiously, the man in front of him has a terrible fake moustache and is wearing some kind of costume. He's seen this costume before, but where exactly . . . oh that's right! "Uhhh, why are you dressed as Mario?" The taller man let's out a loud laugh before gesturing to be let in. Jungkook's cock is as confused as he is, but he steps aside allowing the man entrance. "I was at a fancy dress party when you rang. I didn't have time to get changed, is that okay? I mean, I am technically in a plumbers work uniform . . just not my own." Jungkook studies him. He's wearing a red shirt underneath blue overalls, white gloves, an oversized red hat and that hilarious fake moustache. He's such a beautiful man, that he even makes the costume look good. Jungkook never thought he'd ever get hard over someone wearing work overalls, but here he is, swelling up already. He coughs nervously, "No that's fine, sorry for calling on your day off but I just had no idea what to do, there is so much water everywhere." The plumber smiles "Which way to the leak?" Jungkook let's out a squeak and leads the man into the kitchen, he takes small deliberate steps, swishing his hips, looking back with an innocent smile. As they enter the plumber pops his toolbox down on the bench and crouches down to see the damage. "You know us plumbers always take our work very seriously. We plunge straight into it.” the laugh that follows is the cutest laugh Jungkook has ever heard, it reminds him of windshield wipers. He can't help but laugh at the cheesy joke. "I know a good plumbing joke." Jungkook exclaims. "Oh yeah? I'd love to hear it.” his attention now solely on Jungkook. "I once gave a

carpenter, plumber and a bricklayer a hand job at the same time. I guess you could call me a Jack off all trades." The plumbers ears go red immediately and he turns his attention back to the sink. Jungkook groans quietly, that didn't go down well. He thought it was a fantastic joke too, one of his best. He leans over the bench and absentmindedly twirls his hair in between his fingers. The man is truly irresistible, his shoulders are so incredibly wide, arms toned, and he has a fantastic ass in those overalls. "So what's your name anyway?" Jungkook murmurs. "I'm Seokjin, you can just call me Jin though. And you are?" "Jungkook..." "Is your dad home? I've been here a few times before." "My dad? Ooohh you mean my husband, umm no he's at work. . . late . . again." Jungkook huffs and throws his arms down on the bench, his head follows until his torso is leaning completely on the bench top. In this position his hoody rides up showing off the pale pink of his underwear. Out of the corner of his eye he can see Jin peek before looking away. A smirk appears on Jungkook's face. "So tell me another joke! That was a good one before." Jin clears his throat "I knew a plumber that was working on the side to become an artist. Unfortunately, he couldn't find a faucet for his creativity." Jungkook let's out an over the top laugh which causes his ass to jiggle. That joke was incredibly lame, but clearly Jin is into this shit so he's gonna play it up. He slowly leans up from the bench and walks over to the fridge. "Would you like a drink?" "Water will be fine thanks, if you have it.” Jungkook reaches as far back into the fridge as he can, bent over in a way that isn't necessary, drinks are on the top shelf after all, but he wants to give the attractive man a little show. He walks over and holds out the bottle of water for Jin. When he grabs it their fingers touch gently causing one another to lock eyes. "Ya know, I've been doing this plumbing thing for years, I'm used to seeing all sorts of leaks. This one though is unusual.." "Hmm really? How?" Jin stands and places the bottle in the sink, he walks over to Jungkook and stands uncomfortably close to the blond. His breath warm against Jungkook's ear as he whispers. "Well I can tell someone got under that sink and loosened the locknut and coupling nuts and I'm thinking it may have been a certain someone parading around in hardly any clothes, showing off his pretty little ass at every chance." Jungkook's breath hitches in his throat, the man smells like beer and woody fig leaves and even with that ridiculous moustache on his face his entire aura right now is intimidating as fuck, and it's got Jungkook getting harder by the second. "Does your old man not treat his little boy toy right huh? I've seen you around whenever I've been called here for a job. Always checking me out, is that why you called tonight? To think I thought you just had really terrible plumbing here..." Jungkook can't even get any words out, so he just nods his head like some stupid dog toy you'd pop on the dash of your car. This causes Jin to laugh, his fingers tracing along Jungkook's jaw. He tilts the younger man's face up and smashes their lips together. The kiss is rushed and frenzied. Their teeth knock against each others and they are left panting, but it's perfect and Jungkook hasn't felt this alive in years. Jin's soft velvety lips brush against Jungkook's earlobe as he purrs "What do you want me to do?" "Whatever you want, please, anything." Jungkook tried to keep his voice steady, but it was no use, he was desperate to feel the attractive man inside him. "Anything?" Jin cocked his head to the side, a wicked smile planted on his face. "I want you up on the dining room table, on all fours," he clapped his hands together twice "Chop chop, let's do this. And take the panties off too.” Jungkook was too aroused to even question the strange request as he walked a little too eagerly through to the dining room. He quickly removed his panties then pulled back the dining room chair and used it to step up

onto the table. He got into position, his knees already aching a little as they dug into the wooden table top. He could feel the calloused hands of the plumber running over his soft ass, before a hard smack was heard echoing through the room. Jungkook yelped, not expecting to be spanked but it felt so fucking good, so he wiggled his ass in the air hoping Jin would get the hint and do it again. Jin got it alright, and gave Jungkook 5 hard smacks right across his left ass check. He could feel pre cum leaking from his hard cock pooling onto the table below and his face flushed red from embarrassment. He could feel Jin's hand on him again and braced himself for the next set of smacks, but instead his fingers lightly traced over the marks admiring his reddened handprint, slowly his fingers made their way to Jungkook's hole, where the plug was fully on display. He pushed on the gem causing Jungkook to let out a choked whimper. "Did you put this in just for me?" Jin queries as he slowly pulls out the plug before pushing back in, amazed at the way Jungkook's hole seemed perfectly made for the toy, stretching easily to fit around the the widest part and then sucking the rest in. "Y . . yes, for you." Jungkook gasped as Jin removed the toy completely leaving him feeling empty and open. He didn't have much time to get used to that feeling as Jin begin to kiss the back of his thighs, nipping and sucking sure to leave marks. His kisses trailed up to Jungkook's ass, lightly nibbling on each cheek. Jungkook was a mess already, panting and leaking pre cum, he so desperately wanted to reach between his legs and jerk himself off, but he wanted Jin to be the one to make him cum. Not his boring old, overly used hand. Jin spread Jungkook's ass cheeks apart and ran his tongue over his open hole. Jungkook's needy whining spurred him on, so he fucked his tongue deep into his ass. Jungkook was in ecstasy he'd never had anyone eat him out before. It was a feeling like nothing he had ever experienced, lost in the feeling he pushed his ass back onto Jin's mouth and begged the man go faster. Jin enthusiastically grabbed onto his ass and spread his cheeks even further apart as he added a finger beside his tongue, fucking Jungkook's ass in tandem. Jin removed his mouth from Jungkook's alluring hole, and continued to fuck him with his finger. "My mother always said you should eat every meal at the dining room table. And that was one of the best meals I've ever had." he casually removed his finger and watched as Jungkook's hole puckered open from the loss. He gave his ass a quick pat before standing back and getting undressed. Jungkook's knees were red and irritated from the pressure of being on the table, so he finally moved off his hands and knees and sat back on the table with his legs dangling over the side. His already big eyes went even wider when he saw the naked man in front of him. He was right, so fucking right. Jin was huge, massive, enormous, mammoth, super sized. It was the biggest fucking cock he had ever seen. "Why are you in plumbing? You should be in porn. Look at that thing!" Jungkook pointed directly at Jin's cock. A look of utter amazement on his face. "Why do you think plumbers and therapists make so much money?” "I have no idea?" He shook his head, blond hair flailing around his face. "Because no one else wants to deal with other peoples shit. Now lay back on the table for me will ya.” Jungkook didn't have to be asked twice, he pushed himself back and lay flat on the table, Jin sauntered over and pulled Jungkook down so they were flush with one another. Jungkook's entrance was shiny and wet from Jin's earlier tongue escapades, but he knew it might still not be enough, so he reached into his hoody and pulled out the lube. "Umm just in case." he shyly looked towards Jin who smiled affectionately and took the bottle from him. He squirted a generous amount over his hard cock and positioned himself against Jungkook's entrance. Jin pushed in slowly, allowing Jungkook time to adjust around his large size. He pulled out and

pushed back in again even slower this time, inch by inch stretching him out, making Jungkook feel so full he felt as though the room was spinning. Jungkook was speechless, he looked up at the exquisite man above him and decided he must have slipped on the wet kitchen floor, died and gone to heaven. He was being fucked by an angel with the biggest cock humanly possible. Trembling, shaky sobs left his chapped lips as the man thrust into him long and slow. Jungkook pushed down onto Jin to meet his thrusts hoping that the man would speed up a little, but Jin just grabbed onto his hips and held him down into place. He was truly at Jin's mercy. The two men were a sweaty, panting mess. The sound of their skin slapping against each other ricocheted around the dining room. Jin lifted Jungkook's right leg and hooked his foot over his shoulder. A bolt of heat shocked Jungkook's insides as Jin's cock hit his prostate over and over again with every thrust. "Oohh fuck, I'm gonna come." he cried out. Jin picked up the pace as his large hand curled around Jungkook's swollen cock, pumping him in time with his own thrusts. Jungkook's sensations were heightened the minute that tough-skinned fingers were being drawn up and down his length. He felt his balls tightening and knew that just a few more thrusts would be all it would take to reach his release. He closed his eyes tightly and let out a drawn-out needy moan as his cock pulsated in Jin's hand, spurts of his hot cum landing on his stomach and all over Jin's tight grip. Jin stopped his movement and allowed the younger man to come down from his high before he started to thrust even harder inside Jungkook's tight ass. Jungkook was oversensitive, his ass tightening with every twitch of Jin's cock inside of him. Jin didn't hold back though, thrusting hard and deep inside of him. "Ahhh fuck, you feel so fucking good, so tight on my cock." Jin grunts between thrusts. Jungkook's whines were stirring him on towards his own release. Jin grits his teeth and sweat drips down his forehead as he finally comes inside Jungkook's tight hole. He is absolutely spent and leans down to kiss the blond. Their kiss is weak and slow, but incredibly sensual. Their sweaty forheads bump which causes a giggle from both men. "Eww you're sweating on me.” Jungkook pouts. "Wow, you're worried about that? I just came in your ass! Speaking of . . " Jin reaches over Jungkook's head and grabs the butt plug, he slowly removes his sizable cock from the blonds ass and teases the plug around Jungkook's hole, watching as it flutters open and his cum start to freely drip out. He pushes the plug in easily, trapping his cum inside. "Since you clearly wanted me inside you for a while now, you can enjoy my cum in your ass when I'm gone." he playfully winks at Jungkook.

The two men get dressed, casting each other looks of utter fondness. They walk back into the kitchen and grab their long abandoned bottles of water. Jungkook gulps his down, not realising just how thirsty he was. He forgot that good sex can wear your ass out. What a workout, why would anyone go to a gym when you could just fuck instead? A noise from the foyer startles them both, it's the sound of the front door being opened and closed. Jin grabs his toolbox and looks at Jungkook nervously, the blond smiles sweetly at the plumber and whispers "Just follow my lead"

An older man with a full head of grey hair, deep wrinkles, glasses sitting atop of his wide nose and wearing an over sized suit ploddingly makes his way into the room. "Oh honey, it's so nice to see you I thought you'd be at work all night?" Jungkook says as he kisses his husband on the cheek. "Mm yes well, I got as much done as I could tonight. Did we have trouble with the plumbing again? Why is Mr Kim here . . dressed like that?" "Yes sir, sorry I was at a dress up party and didn't have time to change. Your kitchen sink had a leak. It was an easy fix though, took only 10 minutes or so. I'll email through an invoice first thing on Monday morning.... Okay, I better go now." he tensely glances in Jungkook's direction. "Let me walk you out." he smiles back sweetly. When they reach the door Jungkook looks back to make sure he's not being watched by his doddering husband before he leans in and kisses Jin chastely on the cheek. "We should do this again next weekend, maybe the pipes in the pool house will unexpectedly play up hmm?" Jin flashes him a ravishing smile and winks at him as he exits the mansion. Jungkook watches Jin's enticing firm ass walk back to his car and feels the stirring of butterflies in his belly. He's starting to get feelings for a plumber with a terrible sense of humor but with a cock so large it should be illegal. He chuckles to himself as he closes the door, his entire night could be the storyline of some cheesy C grade porno film. But he can't wait to experience it all over again next weekend.

71 notes · View notes

twistedtummies2 · 3 years

Text

Count-Down: Number 6

Welcome to Count-Down! All throughout the month of October, I’ve been counting down my Top 31 favorite portrayals and reimaginings of the King of the Vampires, Count Dracula! We’re getting closer to the end. Today’s pick, Young or Oldman, is always interesting. (No, I make no apologies for that TERRIBLE joke.) Number 6 is…Gary Oldman.

Oldman played Dracula in the 1992 adaptation of Dracula – often referred to as “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” – directed by Francis Ford Coppola. While not a perfect film – at times it’s perhaps a bit too over-the-top for its own good, and Keanu Reeves, bless his heart, just isn’t fooling anybody as Jonathan Harker – it’s widely regarded as one of the best and most accurate takes on Bram Stoker’s novel put to film. It keeps nearly every major detail from the book, in terms of characters and plot, while also adding in a fair share of things all its own, all within a runtime just a little over two hours, including credits. That’s a pretty impressive feat, and the film pulls it off with a lot of style and a unique aesthetic and directorial flair all its own. As we’ve seen already, this portrayal of the Count of Transylvania was not the first to make use of the “starts old then turns young” idea presented in the novel, nor was it the first to reinterpret Dracula as a more tragic and sympathetic villain, with a romantic sensibility, NOR was it even the first to present the idea of the fictional Dracula and the historical Dracula as being one and the same within this universe. Yet by combining ALL these elements – making Dracula still a frightening villain but one who you could feel sorry for and understand, and with these other little quirks added as well – the makers of this picture created what many consider to be something of the modern day equivalent to Bela Lugosi or Christopher Lee. Oldman’s is one of the most often spoofed and referenced takes on Dracula, and more modern takes seem to draw blood (so to speak) from this film than from any other recent adaptation within the past two decades. A big part of this, naturally, is Oldman’s performance, as well as the many creative choices surrounding his portrayal. Oldman’s Count is one of my top three favorites of his performances, and the only word I can think of when I think of his take on the Count is “decadent.” His Dracula is both tantalizing and terrifying all at once, with an unhinged mentality and a dangerous temper, yet a sort of alluring vulnerability underneath it all. He’s just as believable and fascinating cackling cruelly at his capture of Jonathan as he is caressing Mina Harker and cooing sweet nothings to her. He is a tragic and sad figure, but a deeply unsettling one as well; the raw sensuality of the vampire is captured here in rather carnal glory, but so is the real dread and horror the monster can spread. So often, especially nowadays, attempts to make Dracula more sympathetic and sad lead to making him more heroic, or turning him into a figure of fun. Oldman does neither, and it is this wonderful blend of sinister cruelty and genuine love and passion that makes his take on the vampire king so compelling. The film also goes out of its way to avoid making Oldman’s Dracula LOOK like the typical take on Dracula, and while I’ve never particularly liked the “Old Dracula” look in the film (it always makes me think of the Queen of Hearts), he looks rather dashing in his Victorian getup in later parts of the picture. He’s pretty much everything you could want Dracula to be: a savage beast, a powerful ruler, and a darkly mysterious lover, all rolled into one. Honestly, I feel bad for not placing Oldman higher…but the fact of the matter is, while in many ways he’s the most “complete” Dracula, he’s not necessarily the first version I think of when I think of Dracula in general. Which is to say, this isn’t a version I’m likely to reference in writing very often, myself, or take much inspiration from in terms of makeup and costume. He stands on his own and is iconic in his own way, but I think other versions just come quicker to the forefront of my mind when I think of the name “Dracula.” He’s absolutely brilliant and totally unique, and I cannot recommend this portrayal enough…but after much deliberation, I felt the one in the Top 5 were simply more iconic to me PERSONALLY, if that makes sense. On that note, tomorrow we move into the Top 5! I hope you’ll join me as I discuss my 5th Favorite Dracula! Hint: Often Imitated, Never Duplicated.

#count-down #top 31 draculas #dracula #count dracula #bram stoker's dracula #coppola dracula #dracula 1992 #halloween advent calendar #october special #number 6 #francis ford coppola #gary oldman

39 notes · View notes

magicpotatothoughts · 2 years

Text

REVIEW | My Thoughts on Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!

MENTIONS: Eizouken spoilers

I got recommended Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! from a uni friend. She said that it's pretty chill and she surprisingly enjoyed it. At the time, I was knees deep in Haikyuu third season, which was an entire season featuring ONE MATCH and it was incredibly intense, so I kept this anime in the back of my mind as just something chill to watch before going to bed. What I got instead was an adventure-filled, imagination-provoking, inspirational, fun, surprisingly educational masterpiece, a tribute to the delicate and beautiful craft of animation and all the intricacies that comes with producing animation shorts. It made me really appreciate the work of Animation studios and as a composer, I even learnt a thing or two about writing music for animation. Watching this anime was a productive use of my time! PLOT AND ANIMATION For an anime about the art of making anime, it would be impossible to talk about these two categories separately. I was immediately intrigued by the unique artstyle of the animation from the get-go with the art-style of the world in a sort of Howl's Moving Castle-like flair. I absolutely loved being taken into the imagination of Asakusa by experiencing her fantasies through gorgeous watercolour animations. It felt incredibly exciting to be immersed in this child-like wonder of the innovative potentials of every-day objects, from seeing a street post turning into a drone or cleaning a warehouse into a mechatronic battlefield, it's the kind of wonder and innocence that most people have lost, including myself, little by little overtime as they grow up. It reminded me to keep exploring outside of the box in my own art and to never lose a sense of play and wonder. I also absolutely loved the level of detail of the animation reflected the plot or the character for example, when the characters are explaining initial concepts, certain panels are extremely detailed while others are really rough, showing that obviously some scenes were more thought out than others. That's some great level of detail to 'show not tell' the 'non-linearedness' of the creative process.

I love that the story was divided into three arcs, each animation project bigger than the previous with a better plot, components than the previous. I actually learnt so much, from having a clean space, developing a pitch, keyframes to marketing, sampling music to plot and character. It's incredible how well the visually represented certain tricks in animation and music that would be well-understood yet kept interesting for audience members that may not have a background in the arts. Like as a composer, I actually never knew that the bang of the music and the bang of sound effects sometimes is better if they're not synced together. I was so impressed especially in the second arc, at how they managed to make a chase scene in the setting of a highschool to be incredibly exciting. One thing I find so funny is holy heck this school must be some of the richest private schools in the world, they have freaking high-level equipment and facilities for sound recording and animation making yet they give a dingy, falling-apart, safety-hazard warehouse to their students? hahahah. Also where does the school get their SWAT team from HAHAH?!! I just find it so funny, it actually added more levels of comedic elements to the anime. Character design was really interesting. It's unconventionally not quite what we expect of the common anime style, but is similar to the character design we see in 2D Pixar or dreamwork shorts. I really liked that, the distinct differences between character design, world design and water colour visualisations of ideas made it easy to tell when we are in a story, when we are taken into someone's imagination or when we are viewing an anime short that the team has made. CHARACTER The start of the anime felt a tiny bit slow to me because there was a strong focus on the explanation of animation itself, which is totally fine and probably needed. But I really started to enjoy Eizouken when a little background of the characters started to peek through. I love the three main characters. I love that for the most part, they actually act like kids and eat like kids, except they have the work ethic of professionals. I wish that they are a real animation team that I can work with because in reality, animation and film studios require composers to make ridiculous last minute changes while they took responsibility and respected the music and changed the story to fit with the music. Also I want Kanamori as my business and marketing manager. She has such wisdom in those areas, and at first, I was fooled into believing that she was just money-hungry, but she is the powerhouse of the trio. Without her, nothing would get done. Funding is absolutely needed to make creative projects happen. I loved her quote,

"Money is just a way of quantifying creative output".

I loved Mizuzaki's arc as well but the final animation short brought tears to my eyes, it showed real maturity in Asakusa's development as an artist but also as a story-teller. The highlighting of the friendship between Kanamori and Asakusa was pivotal to show Asakusa's growth, someone who doesn't just do before she thinks but someone who reflects on her own experiences in order to make a better story. That was so touching to see. The anime was fantastic in visually demonstration the improvement of the animators' artskills from flashbacks of when they are children to the development of their skills throughout each of the three animation projects. The opening and ending animation was so colourful and fun and reminds me of doodles that I would do in my homework books. SOUND Opening theme is so catchy and ending theme gave me this inexplicable feeling of nostalgia, making me miss my childhood and highschool days. It was a perfect slice of life anime ending theme in my opinion. The BGM used simple music for the most part but effectively and uniquely. I loved this one particular track that had polyrhythms of 2 on 3, it was really interesting. I loved that besides Mizuzaki who is an idol, the voices of the other two are less that typical 'high-pitched' girlly voice. The way they phrased their sentences also really added to their characters. I loved how when they are showing the conceptualisations of their animations, the characters are voicing their own onomatopoeias like "kshaaa" "pow pow pow" to add that the extra child-like wonder and excitement. And bless the animators for being able to visually depict sampling of music and crafting of music in a way that is exciting and digestable to the audience (genius to call it 'sound-hunting') because man, the technicality of composing at least to me, would have been wayyyy too complicated for me to try and explain to someone without a lot of musical training. Overall, I loved it, it's very well thought-out. The pace definitely picked up towards the end but the leisurely pace at the beginning is not a bad thing because it was really fun and exciting to watch what the three main characters were going to creatively cook-up. I really hope that a season 2 comes through!

#keep your hands off the motion pictures club!#keep your hands off eizouken #anime thoughts #kanamori eizouken #mizuzaki eizouken #eizouken #asakusa eizouken

23 notes · View notes

pokemoncreepypasta · 3 years

Text

My Shining Star

[STORY SOURCE]

Up until some recent events, I used to be an aspiring shiny hunter. Technically I was pretty good at it, too, at least by encounter standards. But even though I was great at finding my fair share of shiny Pokémon , I’ve never been able to keep any of them.

The first one of these shiny Pokémon I found was by a random encounter. I’d gotten lost in Rock Tunnel after forgetting to bring Flash, and spent so long in there that I ran out of Repels. Just as I was giving up hope that I’d be able to escape on my first run, she appeared.

I knew about shiny Pokémon, but hadn't ever thought I'd encounter one of my own in the wild. I was unprepared, and after a moment of staring in surreal wonder, I concentrated on figuring out how to catch her with my limited supplies. Thankfully it wasn't very hard, and soon I had my first legit shiny.

I normally wasn't creative with naming my Pokémon, but I wanted her to have a special name. I asked my mom for help, and she suggested "Star." I liked it, but the name itself seemed short and boring, so I added a couple stars to the ends to give her name a little flair.

I was beyond excited to put my first shiny into my team, and plowed through the rest of the cave. She was the light at the end of the tunnel, and I had to get out to the nearest PC, because I knew a shiny baby Cubone was waiting for me to adopt her.

I quickly fell in love with the little green dinosaur, and soon she was the shining star of my team. I used her more than my starter, and neglected the rest of my party a bit in the process, but still made it through the game alright. Setbacks didn't matter when I had a shiny.

Lots of time and multiple trips through the Elite Four later, I proudly turned ★Star★ into a level 100 Marowak. She was the first Pokémon I ever raised to level 100, and I couldn't have been prouder of her.

It had been a couple years, and I was starting to feel unsatisfied with just ★Star★. I was itching for more, and felt like I probably should have found some other random encounters by now, with all the time I'd spent playing.

Feeling inspired by all the shiny hunter videos I'd been binging on YouTube, I decided to start taking up shiny hunting. I was feeling ambitious, and decided to go straight to hunting for a shiny legendary Pokémon. I was a weird player who didn't really bother going after the birds or Mewtwo in my HeartGold, since I planned on transferring up my legends from my LeafGreen. I decided to rework ★Star★'s moveset for capturing legendary Pokémon.

The moveset I settled on was Bonemerang, False Swipe, Stone Edge, and Swords Dance. I decided to keep her moveset mostly offensive because she was still a member of my team, and not just a shiny-catcher. I planned on replacing False Swipe with Aerial Ace at some point, but I never got the chance to.

I decided to pick Mewtwo as my target. Lots of people find green shiny Pokémon overbearing and unattractive, but ★Star★ made me fond of them. Plush, Mewtwo was awesome, and I thought the two of them would look great together.

I spoke to ★Star★ aloud, saying, "Are you ready to do some shiny hunting, ★Star★?"

"★Star★ let out a roar!"

I thought she was just as enthusiastic as me.

I made it to Mewtwo, saved my game, and started the tedious process of soft resetting.

I’ll spare the details of how long it took, but eventually I came across the sparkling green Mewtwo.

I led with my team's Ampharos to paralyze it, and switched to ★Star★.

I remember being very lucky with this fight at first, with Mewtwo being fully paralyzed every turn.

I used Swords Dance to fully buff ★Star★'s attack stat so False Swipe would do as much damage as possible.

But even though I swore that I had chosen to use False Swipe, ★Star★ proceeded to use Bonemerang.

Shocked, confused and distressed, I watched as ★Star★ mercilessly beat the shiny Mewtwo down, knocking it out in one hit with her increased stats.

I felt crushed and dejected as I went back to the overworld. I blamed myself, thinking I had misclicked the wrong move and killed the Mewtwo myself. In my wave of disbelief, I absentmindedly talked to ★Star★.

"★Star★ is green with envy!"

I decided to go back to square one and start over.

A dozen thousand resets later, I saw it sparkle again and I was shaking with anticipation. Part of me felt twitchy and paranoid, like I should have used my Master Ball right away.

I decided against it because I wanted to hunt the birds later, but decided that if the Mewtwo seemed like it would run low on moves, then I'd use it as a last resort.

I probably should have listened to my guts though, because the same thing happened all over again. I knew for certain this time that I had chosen False Swipe, but the game purposefully made ★Star★ use Bonemerang. I saw it completely clear.

After seeing the Mewtwo go down a second time, I just cursed and slammed my desk a bit. I glared accusingly at my Marowak.

I decided to put my shiny hunting on hold. I used an Escape Rope to leave, and decided to place ★Star★ in the PC, quarantining her in an empty box for a time-out.

As I dejectedly hunted for a third time, I thought to myself what was wrong with my game. I wondered if it was just glitchy, or if I was misinterpreting the situation. I decided to convince myself that it was a mistake on the game's part; otherwise I wouldn't have been able to handle killing the Mewtwo twice in a row.

Finally, it sparkled one last time. I decided not to screw around while reclaiming this shiny. I had hunted it twice before, and decided to just use the Master Ball on it.

I had earned this.

After the initial rush of finally obtaining the shiny, I decided not to nickname it until I thought of something good, and watched as it got sent to the PC. I excitedly saved my game, and made my way out of the cave and to the nearest Pokémon Center.

But when I got there, the Mewtwo wasn't anywhere to be seen.

I shouted curses in confusion as I scrolled through every box in a state of denial. Where did it go, what could I have possibly done? I thought of all the ways I couldn't possibly messed up, did I have an evil hacked Pokémon from the GTS that deleted it, was this actually a bootleg game and Nintendo's anti-piracy revenge was to delete my legendary?

After a few minutes of searching, I gave up. My Mewtwo was gone.

I scrolled back to ★Star★'s isolated box and looked at my only green shiny in mourning. Obviously it wasn't something wrong with just her, but the game itself. In a game as glitchy as this, I was seriously worried that I might lose her, too.

After looking at her for a bit, it seemed like she might've been looking at me? I wasn't sure if she was supposed to do that, but in a game that was acting up like this, I didn't doubt it.

I took her out of the PC and put her at the front of my party to talk to her, to see if anything else was up.

"★Star★ nodded slowly."

She only did more random friendly things after that. Quite chipper for someone whose life might be threatened, I thought.

I decided to trade her over to Platinum for safe keeping. I wasn't sure what to do about the rest of my Pokémon on HeartGold, but ★Star★ was the most important one to me right now.

As I traded her over, I noticed that her eyes were red now, instead of the green I was just looking at. I was off-put by this inconsistency, especially with the recent events surrounding her. I forced myself to brush it off, however, notice I could do about it.

Even though I had an unfortunate experience with my HeartGold, my thirst for more shinies still persisted. Maybe it was the fact I had lost my shiny three times that I really had to fill the void, now. A couple weeks later, I found out about a method of shiny hunting called chaining, and wanted to try it out. I felt a little more at ease, since if you accidentally killed a shiny with this method, the chain wouldn't break, and you could keep going. Plus, Platinum should've been fine.

I chose Route 208, as it had a good selection of Pokémon for me to choose from. I wasn't picky, so I just started chaining whatever Pokémon I liked until I got a decent chain. I heard that the shiny odds max out at a chain of 40, so after that you can just keep resetting the radar until the grass sparkles.

I landed on Roselia, and sent out my shining star Marowak.

I started with False Swipe, since I wouldn't need to buff up ★Star★ for a LV. 19 Pokémon.

"★Star★ used Swords Dance!"

Oh no.

I panicked as memories of the last incident came flooding back, and how it had started out with her disobeying. Not giving her a chance to kill it, I frantically switched to the items menu to start throwing PokéBalls instead.

(Name omitted for personal reasons.)

I had plenty of them, so I stared throwing Ultra Balls, since they had the highest odds. At least one of these would probably work.

" blocked the Ball!"

"Don't !"

I tried throwing one, but it failed, as if I tried using it on a trainer's Pokémon.

I had no idea what in the world was going on, what could be stopping me from catching a wild Pokémon? Was my Platinum glitched out too? Was I cursed??

I tried using different balls, but nothing would work.

Eventually, I ran out of PokéBalls to throw. I'd failed the shiny.

Frustrated, but not enough to kill the Roselia, I fled the battle.

I had no idea what to do after that, and was exasperated. I wanted to berate myself, and that I should've tried test catching a normal Pokémon in Platinum first to make sure it was going to work okay. But really, how was I supposed to know that was going to happen? And always, conveniently when I was in the middle of hunting a shiny. I thought of berated my parents instead, if they had bought all my Pokémon games for me on eBay.

Was it really my games, thought? I don't even know if you can trade Pokémon from fake games. Was it my DS could it have been hacked? Can you even bootleg a DS? I tried going to the Internet for answers, and read some Reddit and random Pokémon forum posts about glitches and bootlegs for an hour, but gave up without finding a real conclusion.

So, I'd given up hunting for some time. But, I hadn't gotten tired of Pokémon. I bought Black for myself, and played through the story just fine.

I found out you could get a Shiny Charm if you completed the Pokédex. That made me excited, until I remembered my past luck. Was it worth trying again?

Shortly after transferring up all my Pokémon, I decided, yes. It was. I went for the hatching method this time, since the Pokémon ends up right in your party afterwards- no catching, no PC transfer. It would be my final test, and if THIS didn't work, I would officially give up on ever getting nice things.

Foreign Ditto in hand, I went to work. I went for a shiny Flygon, since they were one of the best looking, and it'd be a nice addition to my competitive team.

One long hunt and a really late night later, eyelids barely able to stay open, I saw it.

I'd never seen anything more beautiful.

Skipping the nickname, I rushed to immediately save my game, wasting no time. I checked my party to see my Trapinch was still there, and chalked it up as a success. I was an official shiny hunter now.

Since ★Star★ was level 100, I figured she could battle for my baby Trapinch until she could hold her own in battle. I only wanted to take her up a few levels, so I could personally train her afterwards. Just raising her immediately into a Flygon would be too soon.

I attached an Exp. Share to her, and started running around in the tall grass. After a little bit of grinding, my Trapinch made it up to level 8 before I accidentally stepped into the thick grass and triggered a wild double battle.

Knowing the wild Pokémon were too strong for the underleveled baby Trapinch, I wanted to flee, but I first noticed ★Star★'s sprite as it asked me what to do.

The end of her bone facing the wild Pokémon was no longer symmetrical, being sharpened at the end of it. I'd seen her sprite enough times to know it wasn't supposed to look like this.

I tried to flee, but it failed.

"★Star★ used Swords Dance!"

"The wild Pidove is watching carefully!"

"The wild Patrat is watching carefully!"

"Trapinch is watching carefully!"

★Star★ had started using moves on her own. Stunned, I tried to switch out.

"★Star★ can't be switched out!"

Giving up, I told ★Star★ to use Stone Edge on the Pidove, and told the Trapinch to use Bite on Patrat.

"★Star★ ignored orders!"

"★Star★ used Bonemerang!"

I gasped as she struck my Trapinch instead.

"★Star★ is green with envy!"

As soon as I read that text, it hit me. This wasn't any ordinary friendly fire.

"Trapinch fainted!"

It finally allowed me to run, so I immediately tapped the button and rushed to my party to see the damage.

My Trapinch was gone.

I tried resetting to bring her back, but it was hopeless. My shiny new baby had been murdered.

Connecting all the dots in my head, I realized the reason I'd failed every encounter was because of ★Star★.

My grief and fear quickly turned into outrage. I couldn't believe she'd done this to me. She'd made me suffer hunt after hunt, just to take every shiny away from me.

This was the source of my games acting strange, and I knew there was only one way to correct it.

Feeling rash, I rushed over to the PC and hovered over the "Release" option for a few minutes.

"★Star★ was released."

It hurt to let her go, but I didn't want my game behaving strangely with her around.

"★Star★ came back!"

"★Star★ will never leave you."

But she refused.

Resorting to desperate measures, I did the only other thing I could think of.

I traded the stubborn Marowak over to my nearly empty White version that I never got around to playing, and deleted the save file.

"Deleting all saved data... Don’t turn off the power."

"★Star★ will n"

Sayonara, ★Star★.

After deleting the save file, I thought things would start working like they should. Sometimes, I'd replay other Pokémon games just for the fun of it, hoping I'd find other shiny Pokémon with ★Star★ gone.

Almost comically, I somehow thought it would be a good idea to go full circle and try hunting on HeartGold for a shiny starter. I had heard from other shiny hunters that it was an easy hunt, and it was, only taking a few days.

I affectionately named him "Chico."

My first step into the tall grass, and...

"★Star★ is green with envy!"

I had never been so unhappy to see a shiny.

I guess she's been out in the wild all these months. And looking at her sprite, I can only wonder what she's been up to. I wonder how she feels to see me again?

Oh, no.

“Can’t escape!”

"★Star★ used Bonemerang!"

"Chico fainted!"

Of course, Chico was no match.

The game froze after I blacked out.

I figure it was because ★Star★ killed my only Pokémon.

"The save file is corrupted. The previous save file will be loaded."

My save file, corrupted with the loss of my starter's data, brought me back right to this spot that I was all too familiar with. Through frustrated tears, I begrudgingly went to pick a normal starter so I could play the game normally.

“I dare you to love again.”

And I’ve never found a shiny since.

#Pokepasta #Pokemon Creepypasta #Marowak #My Shining Star

38 notes · View notes