#the lighting in this performance is so dramatic to match this program

[hanyusan]

yuzuru ╳ camera angles

→ 20140830 24jikan TV: Romeo & Juliet

#yuzuru hanyu #gif* #romeo and juliet #anxiously awaiting gift #so it's r&j hours #the lighting in this performance is so dramatic to match this program #+ this camerawork has a cinematographic touch

[blackbat09]

i'm normal about @shepscapades' dbhc au. and uh. wrote a thing that's very much not canon but equally as much a love letter to everything shep's done. it's xbralis because of course it is.

“Shiswammy, I don’t think - Hm. Is this really necessary?”

[Voice Identified: Hermit Keralis1]

“I mean - maybe not. But, if I’m honest, it’d make me feel a bit better if you did use it?”

[Voice Identified: Administrator xisumavoid]

“It’s just - what does it even do, Shishwam? All this - this redstone and wires and bluey goopy stuff. You keep giving everybody robots this season - like, what am I even gonna use it for?”

“Well, we can just - here. It’s online. Can you hear us, XB?”

[Question: Audio Processor Functionality.]

“Yes.”

“Wonderful! Will you please give Keralis your initialization text?”

“Hi! I’m an XB2000 android. I can carry out basic tasks such as resource gathering and crafting, but my functional specialties are combat and exploration. I’m designed for high-stress environments, like deep oceans and naturally generated structures, and am enchanted with Aqua Affinity and Depth Strider, though I may be upgraded at your discretion.”

“At my discretion? Really, now.”

XB figures now’s as good a time as any to look at the Hermit he’s being given to. He’s been programmed with a knowledge of all this season’s Hermits, as well as the other androids Xisuma has brought to this world, so there aren’t really any surprises in store - but it is the first time he’s actually laid optical units on the man, in the flesh, and he quickly updates the player data from the previous season with the new input he receives as he looks Keralis over.

The Hermit’s wide eyes meet XB’s gaze, and his mouth twists in a smile, leaning his body a few degrees in XB’s direction.

The motion is not a threat - XB’s Hermit cannot register as hostile - so it goes mostly ignored.

“And what are you looking at, prrrincess?”

XB stares at his Hermit for a moment, watching the man’s smile falter and his eyebrows draw together, before Xisuma speaks.

“Oh! He means you, XB - Keralis likes his nicknames, he does.”

And while XB is aware of this already, has a certifiable database of aliases Keralis has given other Hermits, being given a new designation already is -

Well. It makes sense, actually. Keralis has just acquired a nameless android, and model numbers are unwieldy at best for casual address.

[Question: Visual Stimuli.]

“I’m looking at you, Keralis. Your appearance has changed since your documentation was last updated in season seven. My personal files will now match your current physical appearance.”

The furrow in Keralis’ brow smooths, and his smile returns, leaning in closer before he murmurs, “Anytime you want a closer look, princess? All you gotta do is ask.”

“Keralis!” Xisuma’s tone is scolding, but he also seems to be laughing, and Keralis snickers as he pulls away from XB, winking at him as if they’ve shared some sort of secret. He doesn't think they have.

“I’m being good! I’m being good, Shishwam, I promise.”

—

“Has anyone ever told you you’re beautiful, XB?”

His motions don’t pause or falter as the question registers, the light at his temple flickering as he cycles through his memories - it’s a short search, one XB doesn’t really need to perform, but it’s good to be thorough, for Keralis’ benefit.

“No.”

The man gasps, the sound of a second pick falling silent as Keralis stops in his mining. XB continues - the andesite Keralis requires won’t mine itself, and the vein XB is working away at is still projected to be decently large.

“No?” Keralis repeats, voice raising as he continues, “No? XB! How could this be?”

There’s - emotion, in his tone, that XB decides is best categorized as aghast. In talking to DocM and Xisuma during routine maintenance, he’s been assured that Keralis can be prone to dramatics - that his words and feelings are sometimes not as grand as he projects them to be. But XB doesn’t mind it, really - Keralis being demonstrative with his feelings, even if it pushes the line into exaggeration, makes them easier to react to in a way that pleases his Hermit.

“I mean, before you, I spent all my time with Xisuma and DocM. They must not have felt it was pertinent to tell me,” XB suggests, and Keralis huffs, his pick resuming its rhythm - XB’s answer is satisfactory, then.

“Well I think it’s necessary,” he declares, pauses between his words dragging on a bit longer to catch his breath between speech and exertion. It’s something XB has grown accustomed to; sometimes he’ll need to stop and compose himself even when he’s not working, simply growing too animated and tripping over rapidly-spilling syllables until he’s half-wheezing. “I can’t just - just send you off in the world, not knowing you have beautiful eyes! They’re like the sea, XB. You could drown a man in them.”

Along with his exaggeration, Keralis likes his figures of speech, his simile and metaphors. Technically, XB can sort of grasp what he’s saying - Xisuma has been rather accommodating when it comes to updating his verbal and linguistic processing, trying to make sure he understands what Keralis means beyond the base definitions of the words he says (in whichever language he decides to use that day - his Hermit was rather delighted to discover XB’s fluency in both Polish and Swedish) - but, sometimes, even with everything XB has access to, he still can’t quite parse the why of what Keralis says.

[Eyes: like the sea: blue? Wet? Could drown in them: deep? Dangerous? Negative?]

XB is quiet for a moment longer, watching the steady swing of his own pickax before he offers, “If my appearance is unsatisfactory, you can ask me to change it.”

“XB!” He sounds horrified, and this time the sound of his pick is replaced with the heavy stomp of his boots as he bullies his way into XB’s space, taking his face between work-roughened hands. XB’s arms lower gently to avoid hitting Keralis with his pick, obediently meeting his eyes as the Hermit usually wants, when he holds XB like this. “I would never!”

“But you can,” XB points out. Keralis’ face only folds more, stern frown seeming - almost out of place.

His Hermit usually smiles.

[Software instability.]

“But I won’t, XB. And that’s that. No buts.” He stares back at Keralis for a long moment, committing the serious face to his memory.

XB would rather not have many examples of the expression. Among his top priorities are his Hermit's health and safety, after all, and his happiness is a decent indicator of both.

“Yes, Keralis."

#xbralis #my fics #dbh hermitcraft au #i'm normal about this and certainly don't have a bunch of headcanons and shit. #nope. not me. #sorry i'm annoying about xb.

[abingtoncenter22]

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[hyungieyoongi]

See You

Pairing: Professor!Hobi x Professor!Reader

Genre: Enemies to lovers + fluff + angst + Hobi and Reader have some personality conflicts at work but should really just make out or something and stop acting like they dislike each other + this entire fic is inspired by Hobi’s look in that gum commercial I mean he screamed professor with that turtleneck and plaid blazer (thank you @moon-write​ for encouraging this vision)

Word Count: 3.2K+

---

“No, no, please tell me you’re joking,” you groaned, eyes scanning over the classroom assignment list posted on the faculty board in the hallway over again, hoping you were seeing things wrong. A third look at the paper confirmed that your fears had in fact come true – you and Hoseok were teaching next door to each other the entire fall semester.

Hoseok was the History of Dance Professor in your department. He was hired at the beginning of last year, three years into your career as one of the youngest faculty members in the Music & Arts program at your university. While he was bubbly and energetic, you were the more typical academic – down-to-earth, a little bit serious. He was beloved by his students for his positive personality and passion for teaching; you were well-regarded as being a natural talent who wanted to hone your students’ abilities.  

It wasn’t that your students didn’t like your course. No, it was well-reviewed and relatively popular considering it was an elective. But once Hoseok arrived, you felt like you were competing with the star of the program. Every student, even the ones who didn’t like dance, were lining up for his course, pushing your class and others into smaller classrooms with dwindling numbers. He, of course, got the large lecture hall this year.

He was the pain in your side, constantly flashing his bright smile to get his way in the department, dazzling your colleagues. Students would often be buzzing in the hallways about how they didn’t have to take an exam in Professor Jung’s class like they did in Professor Y/L/N’s. They got to go to a local show instead and analyze the dance performance. Hoseok was creative and intelligent – that much you could agree with – but you rolled your eyes every time you saw another one of his students attempt to flirt with him.

Hoseok and you figured out you got on each other’s nerves pretty quickly. He would always play music too loud in his office while you were grading papers – he timed how long it took you to show up at his door to tell him to turn it down every afternoon. You would make it a point to have your students play samples of their pieces they’d written on the piano while he was in the middle of a lecture, leaving your classroom doors open so the notes of the instrument would float down the hallway to the lecture hall. You’d have a satisfied grin on your face when you heard the telltale noise of the lecture hall doors slamming shut.

The entire department knew about this little game the two of you would play with each other, not to mention the sarcastic comments from you and teasing jokes from him that were on repeat any time you were in the same room. The bickering was bound to get worse with the two of you in such close quarters all semester.

“Y/N!” you heard a loud voice call down the hallway. You hadn’t heard that voice in two and a half months thanks to your summer vacation. You gritted your teeth, turning with a tight-lipped smile toward your least-favorite coworker.

“Hoseok,” you greeted with a nod. As usual, your semi-chilly behavior toward him didn’t faze him.

“Y/N, come on, I thought I told you to call me Hobi!” he said cheerfully, his eyes squinting from his smile. He was wearing a cream turtleneck tucked into his khakis, plaid blazer over his shoulders. He had dyed his hair from the black you were accustomed to, his strands now a platinum blonde. You realized, begrudgingly, that he looked more attractive than he did last year.

“Well would you look at that, we’re neighbors,” Hoseok said after scanning the list on the board.

“Try to keep the gaggle of screaming fans away from the hallway when I’m teaching, would you?” you said sarcastically. Hoseok’s hand flew to his heart, acting like you had personally attacked him.

“Y/N, I cannot believe you would accuse my students of being so frivolous,” he said dramatically. “Just because we have more fun in my class, doesn’t make it any less serious than yours.”

“Oh, please, save the theatrics for the students who signed up thinking your class would be an easy ‘A’. I know for a fact that you gave out four D’s last semester.” Hoseok’s eyes twinkled at your challenging tone.

“And how many did you give out, Professor Y/L/N?” Hoseok asked in a sweet voice.

“None, thank you very much. Since my students actually learn something in my class, I don’t have to give out such low grades,” you quipped. Hoseok chuckled, running a hand through his wavy blonde hair.

“Maybe I should sit in on one of your classes this year. Learn a thing or two,” Hoseok said, stepping toward you. You flushed momentarily at his low tone, immediately stepping back. He smirked at your reaction.

“It’s invite only to audit my class, Jung,” you said before turning on your heel to walk toward your office down the hall, “I would say I’m sorry, but I’m really not!” you yelled over your shoulder.

You heard Hoseok laugh, and you cursed yourself for giving him the satisfaction of knowing that his teasing had gotten to you.

You had promised yourself at the end of the summer not to play into it this year – you were going to be professional, courteous. But the first time you see Hoseok, bam, it goes right out the window. 

You would just have to avoid Hoseok as much as possible.

You sighed once you closed your office door behind you. It was going to be a long semester.

---

Two months into the semester, the leaves had turned to burnt oranges and red, signaling the return of fall. Hoseok was sitting in one of the auditorium seats, his legs crossed over each other, looking down at his fingers with a soft smile playing at his lips. The delicate notes of the piano were playing from your classroom, the noise piercing the thin walls separating your classroom from his.

His class had been dismissed half an hour ago, and, based on the lack of students having straggling conversations in the hallway, yours had, too. He often waited after he was done teaching to see if you would play when you thought no one was listening. The notes you played sometimes indicated your mood; the music was soft and flowing, other times dark and intense.

Today it was, melancholic? He couldn’t quite place it, but it made him think about the change in seasons. He wondered if that was on your mind. The song was fluid, making him want to choreograph a piece to it, the dancer’s body matching the tempo of the music. He shut his eyes, picturing the movements behind his closed lids.

He’d never admit that he indulged in this as often as he did – he knew you wouldn’t be playing if you found out he was your only audience member. You had been avoiding him this semester. He had tried all of his old tricks – the loud music during office hours, teasing comments during staff meetings. But you wouldn’t blink.

He opened his eyes, the song transitioning into something light and happy. It made him think of sunshine.  

---

You stopped playing, your hands lifting off the keys like they burned you. You had been playing mindlessly, your fingers starting to pluck away at the keys in the melody that you had thought of when you would think of Hoseok.

The more you avoided Hoseok, the more you seemed to miss his overly positive personality. You would see him at staff meetings, always giving you a big smile. One day you came in late after a meeting with a student ran long, and you came into the room to see that he had saved you a seat next to him, the last one left empty in the room. 

He was still playing his music too loud, but you had stopped bugging him about it, and you noticed that it was gradually getting quieter.

You closed the cover over the keys, willing the thoughts about Hoseok to go away, packing up your papers and laptop. He was just your annoyingly happy colleague; there was no reason he should be taking up this much space in your mind.

---

“Are you honestly suggesting that the music composition class shouldn’t be considered a prerequisite for all music program students going forward?” you questioned angrily. You and Hoseok were at a standoff in the department meeting, his normally pleasant features tense, arms crossed in front of him.

“If that means that it prevents funding from getting diverted from the dance program to the instrumental students, then, yes, that is what I’m suggesting,” Hoseok countered.

“That’s ridiculous! Music composition is a fundamental building block for all students – including dance, Jung!” your voice had risen, and the department head looked between you both, deciding that the meeting had gotten too out of hand to continue.

“Professor Y/L/N, Professor Jung – why don’t the two of you take a walk around the building, get some fresh air. The rest of you, dismissed. We’ll resume this conversation, civilly, next week,” the department head declared.  

You were fuming, angrily shoving your notebook and pen in your bag before storming out of the building. You felt someone else’s presence, and you turned, groaning when you saw the last person you wanted to see standing behind you, a shit-eating grin on his face.

He opened his mouth to say something, but you held up your hand to stop him.

“Give it a rest, Jung, I’m not in the mood,” you said grumpily.

“I was going to ask if you wanted to go to the bookstore to grab a coffee and put this behind us,” Hoseok scoffed, smile wiped away. “But, I guess not.”

“Not everyone wants to just roll over and play nice when you flash them a smile, Hoseok.”

“Well, not everyone wants to act like they have a superiority complex, either.”

Your lips pursed, hands beginning to fidget with how angry and upset his comment made you. The two of you had been annoying last year, sure, but you had never been mean to each other. Until today.

“You don’t know anything about me,” you said quietly, heated tone still evident despite the low volume.

“The feeling is mutual,” Hoseok said harshly. “It’s not like you’ve even tried to get to know me. You immediately disliked me from day one. You never even gave me a chance!”

“That’s rich coming from you. All that shit with the music and the comments – it’s like you wanted me to dislike you,” you replied.

“I wanted you to talk to me, Y/N,” Hoseok said, exasperated. “Forget it, I can see now that it was useless to try.”

“I was trying to play nice this semester,” you said, glaring at Hoseok. “You came in like a damn bulldozer last year, disrupting everything in the department. And everyone just did what you wanted because you’re ‘mister nice guy’, and you make people laugh and people just think you’re perfect. Well, I don’t buy it.”

You took a deep breath, leveling your gaze at him.

“Stay out of my way, and I’ll stay out of yours,” your voice was stone-cold. Hoseok’s eyes flashed, lips in a thin line before he responded bitterly.

“Perfect.”

---

Things had been quiet between you and Hoseok since your fight outside of the building a few weeks ago. You politely nodded at each other in the hallway when you passed by, avoiding eye contact. You would grimace when you heard his laugh during lectures next door to yours, wanting to block the sound out.

You couldn’t get what he said to you out of your thoughts – you really didn’t know Hoseok very well. All you knew is what he presented to the rest of the world. He was bubbly and positive and optimistic; he probably thought you were just some brooding, academic stiff.

Hoseok noticed the songs you were playing lately were rather intense. Sometimes he would hear you smash against the keys like you were angry with the piano for not producing the sounds you wanted to hear.

He knew the feeling. He was spending more time in the dance studio lately, dancing aggressively to loud hip hop music, trying to drown out the frustration he was feeling at not being able to make you crack and talk to him.

That’s where he found himself tonight, trying to get rid of his stress. You were stubborn, but you were also beautiful, intelligent, passionate, tenacious. He turned his music up louder, drowning out the thoughts of you.

---

You had re-read the same sentence four times, red pen poised in your hand ready to edit the student’s paper. The loud beats were still audible from the practice rooms. It was late, and the building had been closed to students for the past two hours.

You decided to go down there. You weren’t going to get them in trouble for staying past close, but with finals coming up, you were sure the students needed a gentle reminder that sleeping was just as important as practicing.

You walked down the dark hallway, going down the steps to the practice rooms on the floor beneath the faculty offices, finding the one with the light on, music blaring through the glass panes separating the space from the hall.

You glanced into the room, seeing Hoseok dancing. You had never seen him in his element before, and it was captivating. He was wearing a black pair of sweats, an oversized yellow t-shirt adorning his slender frame. The music seemed to be moving through his body. He was grounded in the floor, an intense expression on his face as he hit heavy movements on the beat, fluidly moving through other parts depending on the music. You felt like this was personal, like you weren’t allowed to be watching, but you couldn’t tear your eyes away from him.

Hoseok looked into the mirror, his eyes looking toward the shadow in the hallway. His eyes met yours, his gaze burning into yours through the glass. You gulped.

He turned, grabbing a bottle of water and pausing the music. You figured that was your cue, opening the door to the studio and stepping inside.

“Was it too loud?” Hoseok asked, voice light despite the obvious tension in the room.

“No, it’s okay uh – I was grading papers, and I thought a student was still down here,” you explained softly. “I thought I’d tell them to go home, get some rest.”

Hoseok had a curious expression on his face. If he was surprised to hear why you were down here, he didn’t mention it. You felt the need to fill the silence, so you spouted the first thing that came to mind.

“You’re really talented, Hobi,” you said quickly. His eyebrows shot up at the sound of the nickname you never called him. “Hoseok – sorry, I meant Hoseok.”

“Watch out, people might think we’re friends,” Hoseok joked, but it came out strained.

“Hoseok – Hobi. I’m sorry about what I said a few weeks ago. I was heated, and I apologize,” you said, looking down at a scuff in the hardwood floors.

“I’m sorry, too. What I said was uncalled for, and I didn’t mean to upset you. Last year, this semester. Anything I’ve done that has made you mad or annoyed. I’m sorry,” Hobi said sincerely. “I-um, well…”

You looked up, waiting for him to continue.

“I just wanted your attention.”

“What?”

“I wanted your attention. I wanted you to want to talk to me. I wanted you to get to know me. Not the version of me that I show my students. I wanted you to see me. Really see me.”

You gulped, Hobi’s vulnerability making you nervous. He took a step toward you, and you willed yourself to stay in place.

“I know you do the same thing; you hide. Hide behind this persona you’ve created. I think it goes away when you play piano.”

“How do you–what do you mean?” you asked incredulously.

“I hear you play. After class. I never told you because I selfishly wanted to keep listening. Your music it – it tells a story. About your day, your feelings. If you didn’t tell me yourself, at least your music did.”

Your cheeks burned knowing that he was audience to all of the time spent in your classroom, working out your feelings on the piano like it was your therapy.

“Everything goes away when I play,” you stopped, thinking about how distracted you had been lately trying to compose. “Well, most of the time, anyway.”

“That’s how I feel when I dance,” Hobi admitted with a gentle smile. You nodded, realizing that the two of you had this in common, at least.

“I’ll leave you to it,” you said, backing away from Hobi toward the door.

“Wait –,” Hobi said, slightly flustered. “Dance with me.”

Your eyes widened. Hobi laughed, and you hated to admit that you had missed the sound.

“Come on, just trust me, Y/L/N.” You waited while he picked out a song, holding out his hand. You placed your fingers in his, and he pulled you close to him, leading you around the studio floor to the song. He made you feel light on your feet despite your lack of dance experience, his hand tightly gripping yours, his other floating over your waist. Your skin tingled from the contact.

He spun you around twice, your hands landing on his chest as you tried to regain your balance. You looked up at him, genuinely enjoying yourself. His bright smile you used to roll your eyes at lit up his features, causing your smile to match his.

“Can you see me now, Y/N?” Hobi asked, referencing his earlier confession. “Because I see you when you play. When you tell a student crying in your office that everything is going to be okay. And I see you now when you’re dancing with me like this.”

“Yes, I do.”

“Remember when you said I didn’t know anything about you?” You nodded, recognizing his reference to your fight outside of the department building. “I don’t think that’s true. But I know there’s so much more to know. And I want to know everything.”

Hobi’s hand came up to your cheek, softly placing it on the side of your face.

“I want to know you, too, Hobi,” you whispered.

He leaned forward, his breath fanning over your lips, “Want to start now?”

You gripped his t-shirt in your hand, pulling him the last few inches to your lips instead of answering. You felt him smile against your lips, wrapping his arms around you and holding you close to him.

He pulled back, his forehead resting on yours as you caught your breath.

“Does this mean I can start playing my music loudly during office hours again?” Hobi teased, his fingers playing with the hem of your sweater, brushing against your skin.

You made a face at him, causing him to laugh. He kissed you on the forehead, then on the lips again to make you smile before answering.

“Not a chance.”  

---

Check out my other work! ❤️

Taglist: @alpacaparkaseok​, @delacyrose224​, @moon-write​​

If you’d like to join my permanent taglist, let me know!

#bts fluff #bts angst #bts x reader #bts x y/n #bts fanfic #bts oneshot #bts jhope #bts jung hoseok #bts hoseok #jhope #jung hoseok #hoseok #hobi #bts hobi #hoseok x reader #hobi x reader #hoseok x y/n #hobi x y/n #hoseok oneshot #hobi oneshot #jhope oneshot #jhope fluff #jhope angst #bts professor au #hobi fluff #hobi angst #hoseok angst #hoseok fluff #bts enemies to lovers #jhope enemies to lovers

[feralphoenix]

NO ONE IS HAPPY WITH THIS: Leitmotif & Sound Palette In “Sealed Vessel”

whats UP hk fandom i am back with—“more picante takes?” WOW YES HOW DID YOU KNOW!!!

CONTENT WARNING FOR TONIGHTS PROGRAM: today we are discussing the hollow knight boss fight, and all that entails for all the characters involved. relatedly this post does not have anything nice to say about the pale king, so if you’re very protective of his character, you may want to skip it.

FURTHERMORE, i would like to iterate that this essay is working from a place of compassion for ghost, hollow, radiance, AND hornet, because every single one of them is miserable at this point in the game and doesn’t want the events of this boss fight to be happening at all. this post is not an appropriate place to dunk on ANY of them. if you want to do that, please do it elsewhere.

thanks for your understanding.

ALSO, AS USUAL: if youre from a christian cultural upbringing (whether currently practicing, agnostic/secular, or atheist now), understand that some of what i’m discussing here may challenge you. if thinking thru the implications of radiance and the moth tribe’s backstory is distressing for you, PLEASE only approach this essay when youre in a safe mindset & open to listening, and ask the help of a therapist or anti-racism teacher/mentor to help you process your thoughts & feelings. just like keep in mind that youre listening to an ethnoreligiously marginalized person and please be respectful here or wherever else youre discussing this dang essay, ty

NO ONE IS HAPPY WITH THIS: Leitmotif & Sound Palette In “Sealed Vessel”

A while back @grimmradiance​ made a lovely essay about comparing and contrasting Hollow’s moveset in their Hollow Knight and Pure Vessel boss fights and using what can be gleaned from the differences to speculate about their psychology. (This essay is currently their pinned, but I’ll attach a link in a reblog.) It is extremely good, and it made me want to look at the Hollow Knight boss fight my own self through one of my own areas of expertise, meaning music!

As we are all well aware, Christopher Larkin's soundtrack to Hollow Knight rules ass. There are two specific ways in which it rules ass that are relevant to this essay: Leitmotif, and sound palette.

Quick rundown for folks who aren’t familiar with these terms: A leitmotif is a melody associated with a character or event or mood that's incorporated into songs in different ways based on what's happening in the story. Undertale is an example of a game with an incredibly strong use of leitmotif that’s really only possible because Toby Fox is both the composer and the game creator, so he can synchronize the subtleties of the writing with music and scene scripting too.

The phrase “sound palette” can have a lot of meanings, but in this case I’m using it to refer to specific instruments or groups of instruments that are associated with certain characters. If you’ve watched Steven Universe and seen interviews/production commentary by its composer team Aivi & Surasshu, you’ll hear them talking about part of their approach to scoring episodes being how each main character is represented by certain instruments: Steven with the triangle wave, Pearl with jazz piano, and so on.

Hollow Knight is a small team project rather than a one-person show, so Christopher Larkin can’t go quite AS over-the-top with leitmotif integration as Toby Fox can on simple virtue of Team Cherry having to communicate what they want to him. But Larkin is Hollow Knight's sound designer as well as its composer, so he folds leitmotif and character sound palette together with striking use of stems to create a very immersive and cinematic musical experience that enhances HK’s story and gameplay.

This brings us back to the track Sealed Vessel, which has EXTREMELY tight and cinematic sound design and uses leitmotif and sound palette to not just sock players in the feelings during a charged and dramatic boss fight, but also tell us a lot about what Hollow and Radiance are experiencing emotionally, especially with the gameplay in mind.

So, let’s play the soundtrack version of Sealed Vessel (and some other stuff) and talk about what’s going on in the game during it!

You may want to get out your copy of the OST or visit Christopher Larkin’s Bandcamp page so that you can listen along.

LEITMOTIF & SOUND PALETTE

Before we actually get into analyzing Sealed Vessel, let’s talk about the involved characters’ leitmotifs/sound palettes so we know what we’re listening for.

Both of these things are easiest to identify when characters have a distinct theme song. Ghost does not. However, the main theme of Hollow Knight (see: the title track, Hollow Knight) is used as a leitmotif for the vessels as a whole. Most pieces involved with a vessel character include this leitmotif somewhere. For instance, you can find this leitmotif and variations on it in Broken Vessel’s boss theme. The Vessel leitmotif is led by a cello solo here, so we can identify that the cello is the central part of Broken Vessel’s personal sound palette.

When the Vessel theme is associated with Ghost in specific, it tends to be performed by viola and/or piano, as it is on the title track and in other places like the opening cinematic.

Moving on to Hollow, their specific sound palette is established not in Sealed Vessel but in Pure Vessel, their pantheon boss theme. (Sealed Vessel was composed first, since the Godmaster DLC didn’t drop until over a year after HK’s initial release, meaning Pure Vessel was reverse-engineered/extrapolated from relevant parts of Sealed Vessel. But we’ll get into that later!)

The major instrumental fixtures in Pure Vessel are choir and tubular bells (i.e., those dramatic vertical fellas that sound like church bells or a carillon), with some soft background instrumentation: bass drum, woodwinds (appropriately led by flute in the main melody’s “falling motion” - flute is the centerpiece of TPK’s sound palette), strings, and high/mid brass. Hollow’s overall sound palette has a very Christian choir-esque sound (in the Pure Vessel theme this is very idealized and saintly: soft and slow and tragic) and the beginning of their leitmotif has a very distinctive climbing melody that mirrors their ascent from the Abyss. The Unbearable Vesselness Of Being leitmotif is absent from the Pure Vessel track.

Meanwhile, Radiance’s boss theme is a very fun expression of her character upon which Larkin evidently went ham. Her sound palette is expressed through full orchestra (plus choir and pipe organ) that has a special emphasis on the bass part of the brass section, which does not see much use in the HK soundtrack. Her leitmotif has also got cute and distinctive touches: It’s full of triplets to match her tiara-looking antennae, and also has a repeated “fluttery” pattern of background sixteenth notes as countermelody, often spiraling downwards.

The majority of the piece is loud and bombastic and in a minor key to play up the “resplendent and terrible” wrathful aspect of herself Radi is pushing during this section of gameplay, a very quintessentially moth intimidation tactic: Try to look as scary as possible to keep your enemies from messing with you, since you’re not built for fighting. These blasts of intensity from the brass section match Radiance’s strategy of Overwhelm You With Bullet Hell Spam To Make Up For Lack Of Battle Experience/Poor Aim. But in between said intensity spikes you can hear traces of softer instrumentation and major key, little glimpses of a gentle warmth we can otherwise only infer from her backstory and the implications of Moth Tribe lore.

0:00 - 0:41 - OPENING AMBIANCE

The Sealed Vessel track begins with the ambiance of the Black Egg Temple’s interior: The faint tones of the glowing seals we hear when we pass by them, the only light in a pitch-black world besides the floor lighting up under Ghost’s feet.

Then a slow string tremolo fades in, slowly growing louder. In the track new notes join the tremolo progressively, while in-game a violin joins the anticipatory chord every time you snap one of Hollow’s chains. Which, may I say: A+++++++ sound design!!!!!! Rules ass!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The tremolo reaches a peak in dynamics - all three characters present are extremely tense - and then cuts off to allow for Hollow’s boss battle opening, i.e. Radiance screaming. Team Cherry kindly demarcates each phase of the battle with a Radi yell.

0:43 - 1:39 - PHASE 1: HOLLOW ON AUTOPILOT

Phase 1 opens immediately with Hollow’s leitmotif in bells, but with brass, piano, and percussion backing them up; grand and tragic. In the background the bass section of the orchestra's strings flutter in a repetitive pattern of 16th notes, i.e. Panicky Radi Noises. The violins harmonize with Hollow's leitmotif as it climbs, but then join the rest of the string section in fluttering 16th notes, transmuting what in Pure Vessel is the flute leading Hollow back down (8th notes) to a slightly louder “a” from the backseat.

In actual gameplay, the only attacks Hollow uses are their basic nail skills. Building on grimmradiance’s analysis of the window their attacks provide to their psychology, and pairing that with the Pure Vessel leitmotif booming over the metaphorical loudspeakers, we can tell that this is Hollow reacting automatically to a threat the way that their father trained them to. Their conscious mind might still be making dialup noises at Ghost’s sudden reappearance jumpscaring them with murky childhood guilt and trauma, but that’s only let muscle memory take over. Slash, parry, charge and thrust. Their time spent at bee bootcamp (which we can assume because Hornet was trained at the Hive and Hollow’s form while nail fighting is identical to hers on their shared moves) has served them well.

Radiance, meanwhile, has frozen completely for this combat phase, and contributes nothing here except the anxiety of the string section.

As the strings continue to go “a” the piano (Ghost) and woodwinds harmonize on something between Hollow’s personal leitmotif and the Vessel leitmotif in the backdrop.

However at around 1:29ish, the key changes, building into an overall color change for the Sealed Vessel piece.

1:39 - 2:15 - PHASE 2: SHE’S AS SCARED OF YOU AS YOU ARE OF HER

In actual gameplay, the part of Sealed Vessel used for phases 1 and 2 of the Hollow Knight fight is the Entirety of 0:43 - 2:15, possibly because there’s no easy transition spot like there is between phase 2 and phase 3. But the changes to Hollow’s moveset are clearly tied to this specific part of the piece.

Phase 2 is where Radiance pushes herself past her freeze response and starts trying to hit Ghost. Hollow gains two attacks here, which we can tell are Radi because they’re often accompanied by her crying (a softer and more abbreviated sound than her full scream): These two attacks are the Infection blob blast and the Light/Void pillar attack that hits for a full 2 masks damage (which appear to be Radi’s take on Hollow’s Pure Vessel-exclusive moves, their grabby tentacles & silver knife pillars respectively).

In the Sealed Vessel track, this part of the piece is almost entirely Radiance’s fluttering. The strings start by following the descending motion of Hollow’s leitmotif but in 16th notes, then ratchet up to start spiraling down again while straying further from Hollow’s leitmotif. This section ends in a back and forth between hard blasts in a one-two-(rest)-one-two-three pattern and gasps of fluttering between, with piano and low brass building behind it. Eventually the nervous fluttering of the strings becomes less frequent between the blasts: Radiance is inexperienced with fighting and very very afraid, but she’s also FUCKING PISSED and prepared to defend herself.

The OST version of the piece punctuates the break between the first half of the piece and the second with Radiance’s scream.

2:16 - 4:04 - PHASE 3: “I’M HELPING! :)” SAID HOLLOW; “HOLY SHIT PLEASE DON’T,” SAID LITERALLY EVERYONE

Phase 3 opens with Hollow stabbing themself repeatedly, a movement pattern they repeat throughout the phase. It is shocking the first time you see it, and never stops being horrible and sad no matter how many times you do this part of the fight.

Here, Hollow’s mind has finally come back online after their own freeze response, and they choose to destroy themself and bequeath the duty of sealing Radiance to Ghost. Even if they can’t be the one to make their father proud, they can still make sure their directive gets carried out.

Radiance knows exactly what they’re up to and why, and she reacts to this by completely losing her head and mashing buttons in a panic. This is something we see out of her at the ends of her boss fights too, where she’s feeling too threatened and afraid to do anything but spam optic blasts. In the Hollow Knight boss fight this manifests in two horrifying-looking but easy-to-avoid new attacks: The Infection blob sprinkler and the ragdoll.

Ghost does not react visibly because we're in gameplay, but their horror and grief at their sibling’s choice is echoed in the BGM. The Sealed Vessel piece goes soft and sad, with Ghost’s associated viola leading the bass strings in the Unbearable Vesselness of Being leitmotif. At 2:51 the violin comes in with Hollow’s leitmotif, and gradually the choir appears in the backdrop. The ensemble’s overall dynamics build in a slow crescendo, and at the very end of this segment the other instruments begin to join in.

This segment of the piece is also used in phase 4, which occurs if you don't have Hornet’s help or miss your cue to Dream Nail Hollow. Phase 3 ends when Hollow reaches 0 HP; in phase 4 they are for all purposes already dead. But Radiance manifests an extra 250 HP out of terrified, unadulterated FUCK YOU FUCK THIS!!! even though all she can do is get Hollow to fall on their face trying to slash and ragdoll them around. The BGM continues to play as Ghost absorbs Radiance from Hollow and Hollow’s body loses its shape and dissolves into liquid Void.

And there’s one other place in gameplay Sealed Vessel (Unbearable Vesselness of Being) is used: The Path of Pain, the completely evil kaizo-level obstacle course which presumably featured in Hollow’s childhood training, and behind which the Pale King has hidden his last and most terrible secret—that he had realized on some level that Hollow was a kid with feelings who loved him and wanted to make him proud, and condemned them to death despite it all by using them to imprison and torture Radiance as he’d always planned.

The OST version of Sealed Vessel includes the music for both normal ending cinematics, so we’ll be looking at them too.

4:05 - 4:35: ENDINGS 1/2: NO ONE IS HAPPY WITH THIS

In the BGM for The Hollow Knight and Sealed Siblings endings, the Vessel leitmotif is played by violin, viola, and choir while the cellos and contrabasses—and then the brass bass section too—play a slower version of Radiance’s downward spiral. But once Ghost is pierced by the Black Egg’s chains and Radiance’s struggle to free herself ends in failure, the soprano and bass sections harmonize. The animation zooms out of the temple and the seal reforms. They are stuck together now until the end of Ghost’s life. Hooray.

The OST version of the track immediately segues into the BGM for Dream No More.

4:36 - 5:45: ENDING 3: THANKS, I HATE IT

Here, Hornet’s associated instrument, the violin, plays one long sustained note with a few notes of Ghost’s piano alongside as she wakes up.

TPK’s goddamn flute comes in at 5:00 with his leitmotif overpowering the backdrop Vessel leitmotif on piano while Hornet surveys the carnage: The temple has been destroyed, Radiance is dead, and what’s left of Ghost’s corpse is smeared across the floor. The Void may have taken umbrage with his horseshit and unceremoniously vored him, but the motherfucker still got what he wanted in the end; the Pale King has ended the Infection by completing his genocide of the moths, using the children he abused and abandoned as his proxies, and wasting two of their lives. Can I get a hearty THIS SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! in the chat.

Given that Hornet herself is canonically unsure if bringing the fight to Radiance is really a just course of action, one can only imagine how she must feel when she sees the cost of that decision.

Our only real moment of catharsis is in this shit situation comes in at 5:13, where the flute gives way to a solo from Ghost’s associated viola, playing the Vessel leitmotif as the Siblings curl up and sink back into the mountain of their corpses. Goodnight, kiddos. You deserved better, and so did literally everyone involved in this whole stupid boss fight.

This is where the OST version of Sealed Vessel ends. Even without the gameplay and story context it slaps, but now that we’ve taken a look at how this 5:45 piece is wall to wall misery and fear on the part of literally every involved character, hopefully it will have even more impact!

#hollow knight #sealed vessel #the hollow knight #the radiance #hk radiance #ghost hollow knight #hk ghost #hornet hollow knight #hk hornet #essay #hollow knight meta

[maxwell-grant]

Speaking of Tod Slaughter... any thoughts on Grand Guignol theater..?

Looking back on it, the first time I encountered the term Grand-Guignol was also the first time I looked at Fantomas, when I picked up the book above titled The Theater of Grand Guignol, which is all too fitting as Fantomas is Grand-Guignol to it's core. It's also a term that I've seen applied a couple of times to The Spider as well as some darker fan reinterpretations of Batman. Like film noir and sword-and-sorcery, it's a term for a type of storytelling that's associated with dime novels and pulps, influenced and was influenced by them in return, but isn't really the same thing and is, in fact, a separate "genre" (not quite the right term).

Indeed, if the common cultural association of pulp is that of something trashy and violent and darker than it's contemporary culture, one can see Grand-Guignol as perhaps the darkest of it's adjecent family, the Dario Argento to pulp's John Carpenter, the cracked mirror to all that exists.

Short and full-length plays were based on the hot topics unseen onstage at this extent before, from graphic scenes of murders, tortures, sexual violence to psychological thrills like resurrections of the dead, incest, suicide, characters being hypnotized, trapped or guilty of their loved one’s deaths. In most cases, it was a combination of several of those themes in one piece, which of course, multiplied shows’ popularity - AngryFishTheatre's article

‘At one performance, six people passed out when an actress, whose eyeball was just gouged out, re-entered the stage, revealing a gooey, blood-encrusted hole in her skull. Backstage, the actors themselves calculated their success according to the evening’s faintings. During one play that ended with a realistic blood transfusion, a record was set: fifteen playgoers had lost consciousness. Between sketches, the cobble-stoned alley outside the theatre was frequented by hyperventilating couples and vomiting individuals.’

Despite of its scandalous nature, for France Grand Guignol was more than a theatre: it was a tradition, an institution, and an attraction like the Eiffel Tower or the Folies Bergères, and Maxim’s... It was then highly fashionable. Celebrities of the day, South American millionaires and errant royalty went there assiduously to be scared out of their wits.

Going to the Grand-Guignol was less a social act than a private one and certain audience members preferred not to be seen. Some witnesses reported that the iron-grilled boxes in the back of the theater encouraged a certain ‘extremism.’

The cleaning staff would often find the seats stained - — Mel Gordon, The Grand Guignol: theatre of fear and terror.

It lasted almost the exact same time period as the American pulp era (from the late 1880s to 1950s), and even in it's origin, as the theater itself was built out of the ruins of a church, and it would attain fame and legacy as the shadow opposite to Moulin Rouge's glamour and spectacle. It's original intent on being focused on naturalistic theater led to breakthroughs of horror that made it the whole selling point, and much like the pulp lords of terror I talk about, their staged and spectacled terrors were still no match for the horrors of reality that followed.

“We could never equal Buchenwald,” the Grand Guignol’s final director, Charles Nonon, told TIME magazine that year. “Before the war, everyone felt that what was happening onstage was impossible. Now we know that these things, and worse, are possible in reality.”

And of course it goes without saying that the Grand-Guignol's influence on storytellers long transcended it's original lifespan. Gore for gore's sake is hardly something I enjoy, but I've definitely enjoyed many, many films that reached to extremes of horror and violence and gore for horror and comedy alike. I would not claim the Grand-Guignol started this because I could very well be missing out on something, but they are undeniably a huge part of the history of horror as we know it, along with the German Expressionist works of the 1910s that were as well both inspired by, as well as influential, on the Grand-Guignol.

Time and time again we see the pattern emerge, of creators or outlets or mediums that emerge as cheaper and less critically-reputable alternatives to the mainstream attain extraordinary and influential success both in their circles as well as those who would never admit to looking at them for inspiration otherwise. In fact, you could very well argue that it’s alive not just through films and comics and so forth, but in newfound forms of media created by people with all the freedom to put together whatever their imaginations and limited resources and lack of restraints can create.

Like Youtube Poop.

Now maybe I'm biased here because I grew up with YTP, but really, the main intent behind every YTP is to twist the media it's using to provoke a new reaction from you, every YTP is varying levels of a rollercoaster of jokes and edits and little narratives stacking up and flowing together, references and poop jokes and murder jokes and slurs and parody and criticism and SuS and literally anything the creator thinks is gonna get a reaction that wasn't in the original material. And it doesn't even have to be exclusively about jokes, there's a lot of YTPs that are centered on horror or drama or even are just completely original narratives using the assets at hand, sometimes even clocking in at almost movie-length.

There's no filter or censors or teams making sure it's tested to the audience, it's just as much chaos as someone with video editing skills can manage to create, and more so than anything else nowadays, it's the medium that abides and amplifies the same principle that ruled and defined Grand-Guignol: "The Hot and Cold Shower"

Grand Guignol, was not the inventor of this concept, but probably the first performing arts company that used it as its main programming principle. Every evening at the theatre was programmed with plays heavily contrasting in their nature. In the 6 plays presented on a regular night, every 2 horror plays were followed by a light comedy and the light comedy by another horror play or two. Using this contrast the creators aimed to give their audiences a fuller range of emotions. They called it a "hot and cold shower".

You could also make a similar argument for creators that used Garry's Mod or Source Filmmaker to create Youtube content, many of whom either followed the styles of YTP or created their own which ended up influencing others in return, and you can definitely see how YTP as well as these have influenced our current generation's taste in comedy as well as the editing styles of many prominent creators. It even seemed for quite a while that GMOD and SFM content of this type was dead, but it definitely seems like it's gotten a revival recently, and really just never went away. Likewise, a lot of people think YTP died circa 2012 or 2015, which is completely false, it just changed a bit, as things tend to do if they are to stick around.

The entire approach of extreme hot and cold, extreme horror and comedy shuffling per second and extreme absurdity overriding is something you definitely get nowadays a lot more out of these newer forms of media than anything that film and television's capable of giving, and just as Grand-Guignol started out relatively ordinary (focused mainly on naturalistic horror) before it completely spiraled into a perpetual race for excess, we've gotten so desensitized so quickly to surprises that you can see in real time the growing needs for content that's faster and more chaotic and funnier and more dramatic and more absurd and more well-produced but also worse produced and, yeah.

I definitely wonder how we may see future filmmakers and cartoonists and creators be influenced by, not just the above, but also the rapidly changing landscapes of meme culture and social media and the gradually less-funny theater of the absurd that reality's become. I definitely imagine we'll be in for some interesting times.

Y'know, if we make it that far.

Alternatively you could also argue Jackass is also a modern Grand Guignol and they just cut out the narrative middleman to get straight to the "people getting fucked up for your amusement" part, but at this point I'd just be inviting a retread of all the "Is -X- pulp" questions I got for "Is -X- Grand Guignol", and I may have stepped straight into a rake with this one.

#replies tag #grand guignol #fantomas #pulp fiction #tf2 #team fortress 2 #poultrygeist #youtube poop #ytp #sus

[mintseesaw]

harana | jjk

translation: n. the act of wooing/courting someone by serenading him/her

pairing: jungkook x reader

genre: fluff, f2l au, drabble

word count: 3.5k

warning: none // rating: pg-13

requested by bebe athena @rookiegukie​. Im sorry it took a while, but i hope you like it hun! You may still submit your requests for the drabble game Paraluman Playlist until the end of August. ✨

note: this didnt turn out as initially planned changing after jk released his latest cover so i highly rec u to listen to 10,000 hours by jjk (cover) while reading it hjfjgdjdkgm  also it’s a first for me to delve into f2l trope ljggdhd yall forgive me if it’s too cliche bwahaha

“Hyung! ______-noona is here!” A kid who opened the door for you announced your arrival rather loudly, recognizing him as one of Jungkook’s cousins. You pushed through inside the nostalgic interior of the Jeon’s household. Nothing much has changed in the past two years.

Soon after, Jungkook appeared from the doorway you remember as the door leading to the kitchen. He’s decently dressed and when you say decent, you meant he’s not in his usual attire of anything black and over-sized. Nonetheless, he’s handsome as ever. You’re not gonna deny the fact.

“Hey!” He greets, face lighting up at the sight of you, biting back a smirk as he skims the length of you adorning a cute, yellow dress. He glances down at your hand holding a gift-wrapped present for his mom before draping an arm over your shoulders.

He feigns a frown, “You shouldn’t have bothered. Mom will appreciate you making it on her birthday.”

“Well, unlike someone I know, I’m thoughtful enough to prepare something for Auntie.” You tease, knowing he possibly bought nothing for his mom.

He scoffs, only proving your assumption right. “Yah! Don’t sound too enthusiastic, I’m the son here.”

“So what? I’m your mom’s favorite!” You retorted back.

“No you aren’t!” He snapped, while his mouth unconsciously juts forward in defeat.

Your eyebrow arches. “Is that a challenge I hear?”

Jungkook nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders. “Forget the competition. We’re here to make my mom happy.” He quickly dismisses, distracting you as he leads you straight to the garden area which you could already see where the guests are gathered through the glass doors.

As expected, the said small party looks simply classic with a touch of Mrs. Jeon’s sophisticated taste. Average-sized square wooden tables are neatly scattered in the expanse of the garden with uniform vintage table setting that coordinates well with the floral decorations in the vicinity. In front, a makeshift platform was made behind a decorated linen with pinned letters “Happy Birthday Mom!” Behind all the tables is where the buffet table was placed.

You’re actually relieved that your simple puff sleeve dress matches with the theme of the party, forgetting the guilt of having to wear the dress without borrowing it from your sister.

Mrs. Jeon was happily chatting with her guests but when the sliding door breaks open revealing you tucked under Jungkook’s arm, the present smile on her face stretches wide and immediately shuffled towards you and Jungkook’s way. 

Mrs. Jeon audibly gushes just as you handed your gift and welcomed you with a warm, tight hug. “Thank you, dear.”

Jungkook took it as his cue to leave you two for a second.

When she draws back, she appreciatively give you a once over. “Oh, you look so lovely on your dress!” Mrs. Jeon clapped her hands. You smiled shyly in return.

“Thank you for coming, dear. It’s been ages since the last time I’ve seen you. Come here and get some food.” She says.

It’s true. After you’ve been in college two years ago, you’ve hardly stayed in your hometown for more than two weeks, hence, you couldn’t squeeze your time here to pay the Jeons a visit. Mrs. Jeon became your guardian whenever your parents were in business trips back in the days, and during the times of your stay at their house, you’ve grown much closer to her just like your second mom.

By the time you reach the buffet table, Mrs. Jeon caught Jungkook in the act of getting a piece of sushi straight from the chafing dish, and his poor soon right away earned a whack on his arm from his mom.

“Use the tongs!” She reproaches which made him flinches dramatically.

Such a baby.

You bit back a chuckle as Mrs. Jeon went on with “Go to the kitchen and refill the dispenser!” Jungkook pouts but obeys his mom without complaining. However, he made sure to shoot a fake glare at you before he disappears from the doorway.

Mrs. Jeon then handed you an empty plate. “Here, ______. I know you like pasta.”

Your eyes widened a little. Perhaps, you have not recovered from the surprise painted on your expression, hearing it come from her that she caught a glimpse of your slight shock state. Why should you be surprised when Jungkook knows it as well? He might have told her or something.

“Oh don’t be surprised, dear. My boy always asks me to cook pasta whenever you come around.”

Isn’t it his favorite food? “It’s… his favorite... right?” You began but ended up questioning the validity of your knowledge.

She laughs, “You know he could eat anything edible but cannot live without his portion of meat every day.”

“Oh.” It was only that moment it registered to you. His mom is right. He’d always make it a point to consume all your stocks of meat whenever he shows up in your dorm in the most unexpected days. His university is not too far away from yours. Yet, this guy thinks it’s worth the two-hour drive just to get to your dorm and pester the shit out of you.

“I’m so happy you’re able to make it on my birthday. Will you stay in town for the rest of your break?”

“Uhh… I was supposed to focus on saving up through my part time jobs this summer but my mom threatened to disown me if I don’t stay here during summer break.”

“Oh she’s being reasonable, honey. Believe me, I’d do the same thing if Jungkook refuses to go home at least once a month, unless of course, if he runs off with you.” She remarks in a teasing manner, earning a profuse blush to appear on your cheeks so abruptly.

Since you left home for uni, you actually believe Mrs. Jeon had forgotten about your shared interactions back then. Yet, here she is, still having faith that his son has actual feelings for you. She told you many times that she’d want a daughter like you or, at least, be her in-law. She always regarded it in a playful tone so you used to get mixed signals whether she was really serious or not. But then, you’d say the overused line: “we’re only friends”. She would then give you a knowing look and insisted that she knows her son well. Fortunately for you, she made it a point to only tease you whenever Jungkook was out of earshot.

By the time Jungkook came back a few moments later, you’re already seated in a vacant table at the farthest back. Jungkook occupied the seat next to yours, taking notice of the half-finished food on your plate.

“What time are you leaving?” He asks the moment he plopped down the chair. Your head cocked to the side to meet his gaze.

“Are you trying to make me leave early?” You prompted suspiciously.

He rolls his eyes. “I’m gonna drive you home, idiot.”

“Well, you don’t have to. I can… walk.”

“It’s not like I have a choice.” He mutters under his breath.

Your eyebrows quirked but you spoke no more. He lifted his shoulders in a nonchalant shrug. Did he mean his mom will force him to drop you off at your house just like the old times?

As the night progresses, the small celebration has pumped up with lively cheers from their relatives, incited by the impromptu program prepared by Jungkook’s cousins which was mostly filled with fun games. At some point of the said program, a small commotion on the side of the makeshift platform started to build up. The next thing you know, his cousin, the mastermind behind the entertainment portion of the party, caught yours and Jungkook’s attention when she announced his sudden participation in the program through a performance.

“Our boy Kookie here recently recorded a cover and he’s here to perform the live version and showcase his talent to our dear guests. Everyone, let’s welcome our very own Jeon Jungkook onto the stage!” His cousin enthusiastically says through the microphone. On cue, everyone in the garden, particularly his cousins, roared in earsplitting screams of cheer.

He blinks, completely perplexed. He was not given a heads up prior, much less told that he would perform a song in front of an audience. Hesitant due to his nerves, he backed away subtly just as he reaches the side of the supposed stage. However, his cousin caught up with his attempt and pushed him not too gently toward the platform, and even placed the microphone stand in front of him, giving him no room to say no. The expectant look of his relatives left him no choice but to just— his eyes suddenly caught your figure at the back when you stood up and went to the buffet table.

His heart thuds so hard against his rib cage that he’s afraid everyone can hear it through the mic, including you. He’s sure he’s as white as a paper by now more so that his nerves are getting the worst of him.

That song is not just any song he simply did a cover of. It was the song he meant to sing for you when the right time has come, when he’s ready to pour his heart out to you.

He sucked a deep breath once more, and slowly breathed out once more. Instinctively, his eyes fluttered closed when he heard the music began playing.

Ready or not, it’s now or never.

 Do you love the rain? Does it make you dance

When you're drunk with your friends at a party?

At the sound of his voice filling the air of the summer night, you spun back around to face him. That’s how he missed the look on your face just as how you missed the chaotic cheering of his cousins as they piled up to the side of the platform.

What's your favorite song? Does it make you smile?

Do you think of me?

Hearing the beautiful lyrics wholeheartedly sang by Jungkook, the same one who stole your heart a long time ago, you couldn’t control your heart as it started racing so wildly, tiny specs of heat slowly spreading in your chest. Thoughts began to swirl in your mind – giving you the anticipation. The possibility. The potential love affair. That the friendship would develop into something more.

Before the next verse comes, Jungkook peeled his eyes open, however, he didn’t expect to see you awestruck there across his line of vision from the back, and meeting your expressive eyes. If he didn’t know better, he would have mistaken the glint in your eyes for something else.

Maybe just… maybe you like him too.

When you close your eyes

Tell me what are you dreaming?

Everything, I wanna know it all

You look so beautiful. That the thought of you alone could easily make his heartstrings twist so cruelly in his chest. Oh how he wishes you’d let him spoil you the way he’s been dying to. He’d be the luckiest man to ever live to have you as his girlfriend.

Jungkook didn’t know how he managed to put up the courage to return your gaze, never have you looked at him the way your pretty eyes are staring back at him now with the genuine fondness in them. Somehow, as he gets lost to his emotions, he suddenly couldn’t find the strength in him to take his eyes off of you.

I'd spend 10,000 hours and 10,000 more

Oh, if that's what it takes to learn that sweet heart of yours

Butterflies erupt crazily in your stomach, goosebumps start to appear on your skin and your cheeks heat up as he held you captive under his wistful stare. The longingness and the passion they hold, the twinkle of his orbs as his doe-like eyes are digging straight to your soul, what it is all for?

And I might never get there but I'm gonna try

If it's 10,000 hours or the rest of my life

I'm gonna love you

He’s always been a constant figure in your life since the moment you two became friends. He didn’t miss any important celebrations that involves you since then. And even though Jungkook has been vocal about being overprotective of you dating guys he didn’t know, none of you ever tried to address anything remotely related to romantic love. It gave you the temporary relief, because you’ve been pushing your feelings back in the depths of your heart since the moment you realized you’ve fallen in love with him.

You never had the guts to test the theory, but leaving wondering what if… When have you visited the thought, again? You have long disregarded the possibility because you believed he loves you like his sister. Nevertheless, you’re lucky to have met him and be the only constant in your life.

Do you miss the road that you grew up on?

Did you get your middle name from your grandma?

When you think about your forever now

Do you think of me?

Jungkook’s face stretches in a subtle smile, forgetting about his nerves, his sweaty palms and the guests who kept looking back and forth between him and you in curiosity while he seems magnetized at his view. You.

When you close your eyes

Tell me what are you dreaming?

Everything, I wanna know it all

You smiled, recalling the times you two were inseparable. The times he let you cry on his shoulder, when he used to help you sneak out in the middle of the night, be your chaperone, witnessed you getting drunk for the first time in your life and even that one time a senior stole your first kiss. It was the first time you saw Jungkook that angry, beating the shit out of a poor guy two years ahead of us over a single peck. Your memories with him didnt end in high school for he didn’t stop making efforts to see you, regularly visiting you frequent enough that he’d made himself home at your place.

Ooh, want the good and the bad

Everything in between

Ooh, gotta cure my curiosity

In the midst of serenading you, he recollects the memories he shared with you. The day you two were introduced to each other was still as good as new in his memory bank, or the times that you encouraged him to push through to audition to his dream role that you even learned to play his audition piece just so he could practice with you every day after school. His basketball games with you as his personal cheerleader, the times that he couldn’t hide his jealousy when you dated someone else, the immature fights that always led him to drink his heart out as if you two had broken up, and you nursing him back to sobriety. When you two were separated in college, he’d always make a way to bother you whenever he’s drunk and you’d end up going to his place and ceaselessly irk him while he rotted from hangover.

His angelic voice singing the rest of the song lulls you further into your thoughts, gathering each memory like a missing piece in the puzzle. Why didn’t you see all the signs back then? Were you blinded by your then-infatuation over him that you failed to hint his own feelings? He never gave you a reason to make you think he likes you more than a friend nor tried to hide anything from you, right?

Shortly afterwards, you were pulled back into the reality when you hear the cheers of the guests, signaling the end of Jungkook’s performance. Your eyes silently follow him as he sheepishly walk out of the platform, going onto the same path he took before.

Jungkook didn’t meet your gaze as he strutted toward the ice cooler on the side of the buffet table to get a bottle of alcohol which is just a few steps away from you. Twisting open its cap with such urgency, he took a long swig from the bottle to calm his traitor nerves, then pretends to busy himself on the variety of food laid on the table while feeling the weight of your stare on his back. Nervous that you understood the purpose behind his impromptu performance and that your silence was your hint of your rejection to his feelings, he didn’t try to talk it out to you the entire night. Yet, he feigned indifference when he sat on the same chair in the table next to you.

As the rest of the night rolls, the tension undeniably grows in between you two. Yet bearable enough to have you two stay glued on your seats despite the countless times you caught him staring at you, or you at him all throughout the night.

None of you dared break the silence and somehow, along the way, the tension has particularly become unbearable inside the car while he drove you home. Your house was just two blocks away and you bet it would take him faster to get there should he not intentionally slow down his driving with only a hand on a steering wheel while the other rested on the open window of his door as his fingers anxiously pinch his lips.

You chose to break the tension, feeling the need to speak up before your heart bursts out of your chest. And the moment you did, Jungkook coincidentally started to talk too.

“So…”

“About that…”

You met his eyes when your head jerked to the side to peer at him.

“What?” You immediately ask, curious to know what he would want to say after that, his heartfelt singing.

“Uh—“ He drawls, suddenly losing the words he was supposed to utter the second he made an eye contact with you. He shifts his eyes back to the road, feeling himself cower under the weight of your stare.

He clears his throat, putting up a pretense of a courage. “What do you think of... my performance?”

There was a moment of dead air inside before you manage to form an answer. “It was beautiful… I like it. You know I’m in love with y-you– I mean your voice. I love your voice.” You laugh awkwardly, while you’re incoherently screaming in your head at your almost slipped up.

Jungkook’s face flushes and he could already visualize the sudden boost of serotonin in his system hearing the validation he needs the most, the one coming from you. “Thank you.” He mumbles shyly.

It was that moment when the car arrives in front of your house. You shoot him a look, said your thanks and bid him goodbye before you climbed out of the car. You couldn’t deny the disappointment that was rushing so abruptly into you while you pad the distance across the gate of the house. For the nth time, you have hoped for something that was not even real to begin with.

However, your heart jumped out of almost joy when you heard Jungkook’s voice call your name out just as you’re about to close the fence gate.

“What’s up?”

“Okay before I tell you something, do you promise to remain best friends with me if… if you don’t… if somehow… oh god whatever— just promise me!” He panics, making you frown in return.

“I-I promise?” You say in an uncertain tone.

Jungkook held his pinky out.

“Pinky swear?” He prompts. You raise an eyebrow but let him hook your pinky finger with his to seal the promise of a lifetime friendship. 

“What is it?” You say in the most gentle way possible. If this is the moment you’ve been dreaming to happen since you were in high school, you have to encourage him to talk before you could stop yourself from advancing to his personal space just to kiss him without any further ado.

“_____I-I tried my best not to… n-not to see you in a different way. But god you’re always making it difficult for me to forget about it when you keep giving me reasons to want things I shouldn’t have–”

“Jungkook–”

“Please, let me finish before my legs give out.”

You chuckle all the while your vision blurs from the moisture in your eyes. The anxiety on his face gradually dissolves into relief when he saw the smile creeping into your face.

“I can’t keep dating anyone and pretending they’re better than you. I’m an idiot, I know.  But it’s always been you, ______. It’s you that I want and I can’t possibly live this life without you–“ You didn’t let him finish when he finally said the words you have longed to hear for years. You lean in to touch his soft, inviting lips with your own.

Jungkook staggered back at the suddenness of your move. Once he had recovered from shock, he cupped your jaw to deepen the kiss. He sighed against your supple lips. And for the first time since he has nurtured his feelings for you, the weight in his chest has been lifted off, replacing it with warmth and relief that only you could bring in his longing heart.

*unedited

 mintseesaw © 2020 | photo credit

#jungkook x reader #jungkook fluff #bayanihanboost #paralumanplaylist #btsguild #goldenclosetnet #btswritingcafe #bangtanarmynet #btsbookclub #cypherwritersnet #jungkook imagines #jungkook scenarios #jungkook fanfic #jungkook drabble #friends to lovers trope

[yasbxxgie]

The Artist’s Way: Writer-director Radha Blank ruminates on creative frustration and rejuvenation in her debut feature, The Forty-Year-Old Version

Fair warning: This interview with Radha Blank isn’t business — it’s personal. Right now, like at this very moment, Radha is being introduced to the world as the writer, director, and star of the remarkable new Netflix film The Forty-Year-Old Version. But I remember Radha in the 1990s, smashing open mics at Brooklyn Moon in N.Y.C., rocking a fitted N.Y. Yankees cap and big hoop earrings. I remember her jumping into cyphers and catching wreck (read: she can dance her ass off) at Club Kilimanjaro. I remember sitting in the audience of her play Seed in 2011 and thinking, Damn, homegirl can write. I remember witnessing the rise of her emcee alter ego and one-woman show RadhaMUSprime at Joe’s Pub in 2014 and thinking, Damn, Radha can rhyme. AND she funny AF. Because Radha was (and is) a part of a close-knit artists’ community, I also recall her hustle, the keeping-the-lights-on-while-trying-to-make-your-dreams-come-true shuffle we know so well. Radha worked as a teacher, she wrote for children’s television and for shows such as Empire and She’s Gotta Have It.

So when The Forty-Year-Old Version won the U.S. Dramatic Directing Award at Sundance earlier this year, the community rejoiced! This wasn’t just a win for Radha, it was a win for the people. Here was a film rooted in Radha’s own story, about a woman at 40; a Black artist trying to get her stories told — as a playwright and as a rapper; a daughter grieving the death of her mother. Radha told her story her way, down to shooting the streets of New York on 35mm film in black and white. The result is a whole, liberating mood. There’s even a nod to Prince’s Purple Rain.

Karen Good Marable: First of all, Radha, congratulations! The Forty-Year-Old Version is amazing. Your success feels so much like a win for Brooklyn. A win for us all. Thank you for writing it. Radha Blank: I really did make it for us — us being Black women, Black women of a certain age, Black women artists of a certain age. I didn’t think I’d be starting a whole new career in my 40s, but I think it speaks to what’s possible if you let go of other people’s ideas of where you should be in your life. If I listened to other people and gave credence to their ideas, I would not be here.

Amen. When you were younger, did you have the boxes to check, i.e., “I need to get this done by 30, I need to get this done by 40”? Were you that girl? RB:

I think I was that girl. And I always say this about aging: It’s never really about the person; it’s about other people’s perceptions that you then take on. I thought by 40, I would be married with a couple of kids, all of my work being published, theaters asking, “Can we do a revival of this play now?” I really thought once I decided to be a playwright, which was probably my mid-20s, I thought, Oh, by 40, I’m going to be set up. I will have a house. And I do have a house, but that came from Cookie and Lucious Lyon. They got me a house.

Come through, Empire. RB:

I feel like we’ve all been conditioned to think that 40 is: You’re an adult, you’re accomplished, you’re established. What me and my character share is there’s still all of these “who am I” moments, questions around identity. Especially when my mother died, I really had to figure out who I was, because so much of my life as a woman, as a person, as a Black American, as an artist, was tied to this woman. When she died, I really had no sense of myself. So I feel like my personal experience propelled me toward telling the story. We just don’t see women of that age saying, What do I do next? Am I happy? Is this enough?

Your mother — curator, visual artist, cinephile, and arts teacher Carol Blank — figures prominently in the film. She is a goddess and a guide, but she also represents a complicated lesson in what it means to be an artist. RB: Oh, listen, I feel like everything I’ve learned, I’ve learned from my mother — from my frustration as an artist to being a teaching artist for so long. That’s where I learned how to be a director, honestly. I didn’t go to film school. I did stand-up comedy and all this performance stuff, and my first example was my mother. She knew how to turn a phrase or a joke to get the kids interested, and if they weren’t, she wasn’t going to push it. I learned from her first, and I tried to match her energy.

I don’t know what my mother went through when she turned 40, as an artist. I know she was a mom of two by that time, but I gathered — especially because she was a teaching artist for so many years — that she was hustling, jumping between these different roles, trying to make sense of something for herself. In that way, I feel like the movie and my journey as an artist brought me closer to her. I was like, Oh, this is what you had to go through. And then you had two kids on top of that?

In the film, your character is also a teacher. As much as she tries to model support and positivity, sometimes the frustration seeps through. One line stayed with me: “Don’t think that because you created something, people will appreciate it.” RB:

Yeah, I have been bitter. I was able to transform that into a film; it gave me a story to tell. But I did feel that theater as an institution didn’t pay off, there wasn’t much of a dividend. I had done a play in 2011 called Seed, and everyone was like, “Girl, this is your breakout! This is your moment! This play is going on Broadway!” None of that shit happened. Theater was not responding in the same way. I was quietly devastated by it, and I think the movie is my exploration of the why. How come things didn’t happen for me? Here’s someone who has been trying for 20-something years and my biggest accomplishment was 10 years ago when I was 30. That’s why I invented the 30 Under 30 award for my character: The idea that accomplishments are amplified by one’s proximity to youth. There’s no 50 Under 50 award. Or 60 Under 60. Being young and doing something as an artist seems more of a cause for celebration. You know what I mean?

There’s also this theme of displacement that runs through the film. In addition to your protagonist feeling out of place in the classroom and in the theater community, she’s also setting a play, Harlem Ave, that deals with gentrification. RB:

So, my parents were gentrifiers in their own way in the late 60s and 70s, when they moved to the south side of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. They didn’t displace people, because what they and their artist and jazz musician comrades would do is take over dilapidated spaces that were considered unlivable — broken-down lofts and factories and storefronts — and create community. There was an investment in engaging the community that came before you, whereas now I think gentrification really is just about an opportunity for the person moving in — “Oh, look at this dope, cheap brownstone that I can get” — with no regard for what came before.

Right. RB: The same thing happens with these artistic institutions: They find a dilapidated space, they revive it and put a million dollars into it. Then when it comes to programming, the people on the stage don’t look like the people outside of the gate. They’re thinking of their silver-haired patrons, because those people can afford a $100 ticket, and that is who I feel most of the theaters cater to. So when diversity shows up on the stage, it’s a version of diversity that protects the audience from feeling bad about racism or sexism. They can still remain in a comfortable place, so they can come back next week or next month and see something for the $300 membership.

But then you brilliantly juxtapose said institutions with the battle rap in the Bronx. RB: I wanted to show these different hubs of art in New York. This film is about capturing an authentic New York experience, and so we shot that battle rap scene at a warehouse space at the tip-top of the Bronx. Art and culture are happening in these spaces that we’re not always focusing the camera on and that don’t have the multimillion-dollar renovation fund of a downtown theater. But this is theater. This is art.

Is that battle based on an actual show? RB:

Yes. Well, we recreated that. Babs Bunny, who people may recognize from Making the Band, created this brand called Queen of the Ring. If you go on YouTube, you’ll see their battle raps. I would watch them because I just needed to see women slaying shit and not being proper or polite. I just wanted to put it into a cinematic world.

Your pen is equally hard-hitting, Radha. Rhymes like “Poverty Porn” and “This Some Bullshit” do so much in revealing character, advancing the narrative. RB:

Thank you. I mean, I feel like if we’re stopping to listen to a song, it should still be about advancing the narrative. We’re still moving forward, riding on this person’s frustration, but into the next scene, next act, or what have you. I think it comes from being a playwright, making sure that everything is earned and not just thrown in there for novelty or because it’s colorful and interesting. I feel like RadhaMUSprime is probably an explosion of her consciousness, the things that she’d been suppressing.But yeah, I’m an emcee. I rhyme. The beautiful thing about the film is I didn’t have to become a professional rapper. I don’t feel like the movie is 8 Mile. I say the movie is 2 Mile,

because she’s not trying to go that far. She’s not trying to be a hip-hop star. For her, hip-hop is a meditation and it shows up in many ways, from the trap beat floating outside her window, to her freestyling in the mirror, or with the dudes in the basement cypher at Arlene’s Grocery.

In some ways, the moral and artistic struggles of The Forty-Year-Old Version remind me of Hollywood Shuffle, Robert Townsend’s 1987 classic. RB:

I appreciate that you bring up Hollywood Shuffle, because I know that because I’m Black and I’m shooting in black and white, people always make the comparison to She’s Gotta Have It. But I feel like my film calls back to Hollywood Shuffle, about a Black artist confronting the white gatekeepers on who gets to tell a Black story and how.

Exactly. And like Townsend, you wrote, directed, and starred in your own first feature film. How was that experience, and do you think you would do it again? RB:

I wouldn’t say I regret being in my film, but I think that there’s probably more of a fascination with my film because I’m in it. And I have too much respect for actors to call myself one. I don’t come from training. I don’t sit in these auditions day after day. I don’t have to endure seven callbacks for a role. I just think that when an audience is familiar with a face, it might make it easier for them to go down the line with this person. So while I don’t plan on being in another one of my films, I do plan on mining my family legacy for storytelling, and on telling stories where music is a driving force.I really want to be an auteur. I’m hoping that my stories get quieter. Very quiet, but very potent. A slow burn, but such a beautiful payoff. I want to make work like that.

Amen.

Photographs:

Radha Blank on set, t & m

Radha Blank with her fellow cast members

#radha blank #the forty-year-old version #the forty year old version #hollywood shuffle #robert townsend #netflix #netflix queue #radhamusprime #black comedy #black playwrights #comedy #burn hollywood burn #black cinema #black film #black films

[papermoonloveslucy]

OLD GOLD COMEDY THEATRE

“A GIRL, A GUY, AND A GOB” ~ February 11, 1945

The Old Gold Comedy Theatre (aka Harold Lloyd Comedy Theatre) was NBC Radio’s attempt to replicate the success of CBS’ Lux Radio Theatre. It debuted on October 29th, 1944. Silent film star and producer (and Lucille Ball’s mentor) Harold Lloyd introduced condensations of movie comedies. This film happened to be one of his own. NBC programmed the series Sunday nights at 10:30PM for east coast audiences. The series was cancelled on June 10th, 1945. 

Lucille Ball had done the second episode of the series, starring in Ball of Fire on November 5, 1944. Ball took the role originated in the 1941 film by Barbara Stanwyck while Cary Grant reprised his role for radio. 

A Girl, a Guy and a Gob is a 1941 RKO film produced by Harold Lloyd and starring Lucille Ball, George Murphy, and Edmond O'Brien. Ball and Murphy reprise their film roles for radio. 

The film had previously been dramatized for radio on “The Screen Guild Radio Theatre” on October 9, 1944, also starring Ball and Murphy. 

Synopsis ~ A shy, quiet executive for a shipping firm who finds himself with a dilemma: he's become smitten with his young temporary secretary but she's the girlfriend of his Navy buddy - and the buddy is scheduled to be discharged in only a few days.

Note: “Gob” is a slang word for a sailor. This term first showed up in regard to sailors around 1909 and may have come from the word gobble. Reportedly, some people thought that sailors gobbled their food. The term also may come from the word gob, which means to spit, something sailors also reportedly do often.

CAST

Lucille Ball as Dorothy (Dotty) Duncan aka ‘The Girl’

George Murphy as Claudius (Coffee) Cup aka ‘The Gob’ ~ was in four films with Lucille Ball between 1934 and 1941. In 1959, Murphy served as guest host of “The Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse” when Desi Arnaz took a role in his own anthology series. He was also a performer in “The Desilu Revue” aired in December 1959. As the host of “MGM Parade”, he interviewed Lucy and Desi in February 1956. 

Will Wright as Pop Duncan ~ would appear with Lucille Ball in the 1949 film Miss Grant Takes Richmond, and played the locksmith in “The Handcuffs” (ILL  S2;E4) in 1952, and the Bent Fork Sheriff in “Tennessee Bound” (ILL S4;E14) in 1955.  The role was played on screen by George Cleveland. 

EPISODE

The announcer introduces the evening’s play and its stars as well as the director, Harold Lloyd. Lloyd states that he has recruited the original stars of the film version. Murphy and Ball take the microphone. Lucille’s next film, MGM’s Without Love, is briefly mentioned.  Llloyd sets the story,

Executive Stephen Herrick is taking his date to a piano concert at Carnegie Hall when he discovers people are already sitting in his usual box seats. It is Dotty (Lucille Ball) and Coffee Cup (Murphy). Lucy whacks Mr. Herrick in the head with her handbag when he threatens to call the manager. Coffee Cup admits that he did not exactly purchase the tickets legally and they decide to make a hasty departure.   

COFFEE CUP: “For my money, Count Basie’s got it all over this guy Josie Iturbe.”  

José Iturbi Báguena (1895-1980) was a Spanish conductor, pianist and harpsichordist. He appeared in several Hollywood films of the 1940s, playing himself in the 1943 musical Thousands Cheer, which also featured Lucille Ball.  Lucille Ball mentions Iturbi again on an October 7, 1949 episode of her radio show “My Favorite Husband.”  William James "Count" Basie (1904-84) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer.

Next day, at Mr. Herrick’s office, his new secretary arrives - it is Dotty!  Herrick threatens to throw her out if she won’t leave and Dotty quickly explains that she gave him the money for the tickets but he lost it on a horse. Herrick reluctantly agrees to hire her anyway.

Sailors Coffee Cup and Eddie meet Dotty for lunch. He begs Dotty to allow him to get a tattoo like Eddie. She is adamant - no tattoos.  Eddie claims he can grow four inches right in front of them - with his heels flat on the ground. Mr. Herrick comes by and sees the growing crowd watching this. A bet is wagered if Eddie can truly do it. Dotty borrows five bucks from Mr. Herrick so that Coffee Cup can make the bet.  

When Eddie succeeds, the assembled crowd soon turns into a mob and there is a fist fight and a broken store window. Mr. Herrick gets knocked out by a big lug, who in turn is knocked out by Dotty’s lethal purse. 

END of ACT ONE

A live Old Gold Cigarette commercial touts that the tobacco blend includes apple honey, to prevent dryness. 

Earlier in her career, Lucille Ball was a spokes model for Chesterfield Cigarettes. Later, she would be associated with Philip Morris when they agreed to sponsor “I Love Lucy.”  Despite this, Lucille Ball herself remained a Chesterfield smoker for most of her life. 

“And remember, when the gremlins gang up on you, why be irritated? Light up an Old Gold.”

ACT TWO Eddie and Coffee Cup have taken Herrick back to Dot’s busy brownstone to calm his nerves, giving him a sleeping powder. There he is watched over by Mr. and Mrs. Duncan, Dot’s parents. Her father is listening to “The Lone Stranger” on the radio while Mrs. Liebowitz (an upstairs neighbor) is about to have a baby! 

“The Lone Stranger” is a comical reference to “The Lone Ranger.” The masked cowboy first appeared on radio in 1933 and proved to be a hit. It spawned a series of books and later an equally popular television show that ran from 1949 to 1957.

Coffee Cup comes by to check on Mr. Herrick, who is only concerned with finding his pants. Dotty comes in to help him find them. They are about to set the table for dinner - corned beef and cabbage - when Liebowitz number 9 comes in to the world. Mr. Herrick wins the baby weight pool. He agrees to go out on the town and celebrate with them. 

A few days later, Dotty is late back from lunch, showing off her new engagement ring. She tells Mr. Herrick that Coffee Cup has a wrestling match that night. If he wins, the prize money will pay for their wedding. Mr. Herrick confesses that he hopes Coffee Cup loses.  

At the wedding chapel, Eddie wonders why he asked Mr. Herrick to be their best man when he is obviously in love with Dotty. Mr. Higgenbottom, photographer, interrupts to get a photo, mistaking Mr. Herrick for the groom. The sailors need to get back to the ship, so Coffee Cup allows them to give Dotty a farewell kiss before the wedding. Mr. Herrick gets in line. Dotty suddenly feels awkward and runs out. 

Coffee Cup follows her to talk privately. She has been crying. He wonders if she has feelings for Mr. Herrick. While she fixes her face, Coffee Cup steps out and tells Mr. Herrick he should go in and console her. Coffee Cup tells Eddie to inform Dot’s mother that he went to get cigarettes. 

END of ACT TWO

Another live commercial for Old Gold Cigarettes.  The announcer reminds listeners that the men in uniform get first consideration in the distribution of Old Gold Cigarettes. 

ACT THREE

Harold Lloyd sets the scene. The bride and the best man are at the alter, but the groom is nowhere to be found. Mr. Herrick realizes what has happened and rushes out to follow Coffee Cup, who has driven away on motorcycle. Mr. Herrick yells at him from a taxi cab. 

Suddenly, Coffee Cup crashes, but is unharmed. When Herrick threatens to bring him back to the alter, Coffee Club slugs him and tells the cabbie to take them back to the chapel. He writes a note on the unconscious Herrick’s shirt front and with a loud honk of the taxi horn, speeds away toward the ship yard. Dotty and the wedding party find Herrick on the street and she reads the note: 

“Dot, this guy loves you and I know now you love him. It’s a good thing I found out before it was too late. See you next time I’m on leave. ~ Coffee Cup. PS: The wedding’s all paid for, why don’t you use it and you and him get married.”

At the shipyard, Eddie catches up with Coffee Cup, who reports that Dot did indeed marry Mr. Herrick. As they board the ship, they discuss plans for Coffee Cup’s new tattoo. 

END OF EPISODE

Harold Llloyd, George Murphy, and Lucille Ball bid audiences goodnight. He reminds them to tune in next week for Jack Haley, Jimmy Gleason, and Eve Arden in The Milky Way.

The Announcer thanks RKO, producers of Experiment Perilous.

George Murphy appeared courtesy of MGM, producers of National Velvet.

#Lucille Ball #George Murphy #A Girl A Guy And A Gob #Radio #Old Gold Cigarettes #Harold Lloyd #RKO #The Lone Ranger #Thousands Cheer #Will Wright #1945

[oberlincollegelibraries]

Weekend Edition: Non-Fiction

The great thing about non-fiction books is that we have lots of them in our libraries on almost any topic you can imagine. You can find one that interests you in the Main, Conservatory, Art or Science library. Here are a few recently published ones you might want to consider for your bingo box prompt, Non- Fiction.

God Rock, Inc. : the business of niche music / Andrew Mall “Popular music in the twenty-first century is increasingly divided into niche markets. How do fans, musicians, and music industry executives define their markets' boundaries? What happens when musicians cross those boundaries? What can Christian music teach us about commercial popular music? In God Rock, Inc., Andrew Mall considers the aesthetic, commercial, ethical, and social boundaries of Christian popular music, from the late 1960s, when it emerged, through the 2010s. Drawing on ethnographic research, historical archives, interviews with music industry executives, and critical analyses of recordings, concerts, and music festival performances, Mall explores the tensions that have shaped this evolving market and frames broader questions about commerce, ethics, resistance, and crossover in music that defines itself as outside the mainstream”

Frederick Douglass : prophet of freedom / David W. Blight. “The definitive, dramatic biography of the most important African-American of the nineteenth century: Frederick Douglass, the escaped slave who became the greatest orator of his day and one of the leading abolitionists and writers of the era. As a young man Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) escaped from slavery in Baltimore, Maryland. He was fortunate to have been taught to read by his slave owner mistress, and he would go on to become one of the major literary figures of his time. He wrote three versions of his autobiography over the course of his lifetime and published his own newspaper.” (publisher).

Video/art: the first fifty years / Barbara London “The curator who founded MoMA's video program recounts the artists and events that defined the medium's first 50 years. Since the introduction of portable consumer electronics nearly a half century ago, artists throughout the world have adapted their latest technologies to art-making. In this book, curator Barbara London traces the history of video art as it transformed into the broader field of media art - from analog to digital, small TV monitors to wall-scale projections, and clunky hardware to user-friendly software. In doing so, she reveals how video evolved from fringe status to be seen as one of the foremost art forms of today.”

Grassroots rising : a call to action on climate, farming, food, and a green new deal / Ronnie Cummins “A book that should be in the hands of every activist working on food and farming, climate change, and the Green New Deal."--Vandana Shiva A practical, shovel-ready plan for anyone wondering what they can do to help address the global climate crisis Grassroots Rising is a passionate call to action for the global body politic, providing practical solutions for how to survive--and thrive--in catastrophic times.”

Hot pants and spandex suits : gender representation in American superhero comic books / Esther De Dauw  "Hot Pants and Spandex Suits looks at representations of gender and its intersection with sexuality and race through the figure of the superhero. It places superheroes in their socio-historical context, particularly those published by the 'Big Two' publishers in the industry: Marvel and DC. The superheroes are: Superman, Captain America, Iron Man, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Wiccan, Hulkling, Batwoman, Luke Cage, Falcon, Storm and Ms Marvel. Focusing on superheroes' first appearance in World War II up to their current iterations, author Esther De Dauw looks at how superheroes have changed and adapted to either match or challenge prevailing ideas about gender, including views on masculinity and femininity in the US military, attitudes towards American national identity, how gender intersects with sexuality for gay superheroes and how the lack of representation of minority communities impacts the superhero of color. What do superheroes say about and to us? Considering how gender, race and sexuality are often inextricably enmeshed in representation politics, this book offers an analysis that examines how all these different identities intersect and how that intersection itself produces ideas about gender. What is it that superheroes teach us about what it means to be a man or a woman when we're white or gay or Black? Following this analysis, it offers strategies and solutions to the question of representation within both the comic book industry and comic book scholarship. This book will be of interest to anyone interested in superheroes, including comic book scholars, gender studies' scholars, Critical Race scholars and scholars in the field of American Studies"-- Provided by publisher

Stamped : racism, antiracism, and you / written by Jason Reynolds ; adapted from Stamped from the beginning by and with an introduction from Ibram X. Kendi "The construct of race has always been used to gain and keep power, to create dynamics that separate and silence. Racist ideas are woven into the fabric of this country, and the first step to building an antiracist America is acknowledging America's racist past and present. This book takes you on that journey, showing how racist ideas started and were spread, and how they can be discredited"--Dust jacket flap "A history of racist and antiracist ideas in America, from their roots in Europe until today, adapted from the National Book Award winner Stamped from the Beginning"-- Provided by publisher

The undocumented Americans / Karla Cornejo Villavicencio. "Traveling across the country, journalist Karla Cornejo Villavicencio risked arrest at every turn to report the extraordinary stories of her fellow undocumented Americans. Her subjects have every reason to be wary around reporters, but Cornejo Villavicencio has unmatched access to their stories. Her work culminates in a stunning, essential read for our times. Born in Ecuador and brought to the United States when she was five years old, Cornejo Villavicencio has lived the American Dream. Raised on her father's deliveryman income, she later became one of the first undocumented students admitted into Harvard. She is now a doctoral candidate at Yale University and has written for The New York Times. She weaves her own story among those of the eleven million undocumented who have been thrust into the national conversation today as never before. Looking well beyond the flashpoints of the border or the activism of the DREAMERS, Cornejo Villavicencio explores the lives of the undocumented as rarely seen in our daily headlines. In New York, we meet the undocumented workers who were recruited in the federally funded Ground Zero cleanup after 9/11. In Miami we enter the hidden botanicas, which offer witchcraft and homeopathy to those whose status blocks them from any other healthcare options. In Flint, Michigan, we witness how many live in fear as the government issues raids at grocery stores and demands identification before offering life-saving clean water. In her book, Undocumented America, Cornejo Villavicencio powerfully reveals the hidden corners of our nation of immigrants. She brings to light remarkable stories of hope and resilience, and through them we come to understand what it truly means to be American"-- Provided by publisher

#reading challenge #oberlin college libraries #oberlin college #reading recommendations #new books #OCL reads #nonfiction #non-fiction

[violetliddell]

CANDIDATE

Description: You’ve been chosen as a Candidate for the most important centre of research, the Academy. You don’t know what they’ll do with you, but you hope to be the best. Dream date: 03/04/2021. Publication date: 08/04/2021 Time to read: 8 minutes.

Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash

When the plane landed, your body was sore and your eyes were dry. The door hissed as it finally slid open, revealing a dark cube of a building under a clouded sky; not the promising destination you had hoped for.

You had heard the rumours about the Academy. Mysterious, confusing stories of a place where only the brightest and most capable Candidates went in and…well, you weren’t sure what happened next. The rumours started so vividly but always ended in shadow. Of course, you understood why: no one knew what happened to the Candidates because, if you were lucky enough to be accepted into the Academy, you would have no reason to come back out.

You stood, with the other young hopefuls, worn down by a long journey and huge expectations, facing the austere building. Shuffling off of the plane in stiff white uniforms, you were promptly greeted by a man and a woman, wearing starched lab coats and matching expressions of fatigue. All the Candidates were watching the adults, desperate to be noticed, to be validated.

“…ten…twenty…yes, alright.” The man said, tapping his clipboard with an irritated sigh.

The woman scanned the crowd as though looking for a stand-out Candidate. Her eyes drifted over you so easily that your cheeks flushed with shame. If she didn’t find out that you were the best Candidate, you would fail to pass the tests. You could never return home. You could never be anything. That was what you had been told for all your life, in preparation to be selected: Be the best or be nothing at all.

“They’ll do,” the woman sniffed at the man, before turning to face you. “Welcome to the Academy, Candidates. We will shortly assign you to your test cells. Any questions?”

One boy raised his hand high, his white uniform rustling.

“What is it you do here?”

A thrill ran through the crowd. On the plane, the others had whispered of experimental, ground-breaking research: journeys into other dimensions, tests of mind control, exploration and transformations. But how could the boy ask such a bold question? Maybe that was the first test—maybe you should have asked first. You started to sweat. You might already be failing.

The man in the lab coat glanced at the woman, before pushing his square glasses back on the bridge of his nose.

“We’re trying to find god.”

There was immediate silence. You had never thought about god before and you weren’t about to start now.

“Yes,” the woman sighed. “We, the Researchers, will assign you tests. Candidates who proceed through the tests will help us to get closer to finding a god. Any more questions?”

There was a hum of excitement that ran through the crowd, but no one could voice anything concrete.

“That’s right,” the man said. “In we go.”

The Candidates all filed indoors, creating a block of white against the dank concrete. As soon as the steel doors opened, you found yourselves bathed in blistering light. The harsh lamps overhead made you squint. The white uniforms blended into the floors, walls, and ceilings, and you struggled to make out your fellow Candidates.

The Researchers split you into two groups and led you through the halls, giving each Candidate a cell-like room containing a bed, a bathroom, and one particular feature. You noticed, as your group passed by each room, that some contained musical instruments, like a piano, a flute, or a violin. Some contained what looked like circuit boards. Some had strange machines. Art supplies. Clothes. Yours, the final room, had nothing at all. You glanced behind you. Every other Candidate had been assigned a room and you were alone with the Researcher. He looked at you curiously.

“This is your room,” he said. “Are you ready to go in?”

You frowned. There was nothing special about it, nothing in it. You opened your mouth to ask something, but you knew better. The key to being the best Candidate was what had always made your teachers, your parents, all adults value you: obey. If you didn’t obey, you would fail, and be nothing. Just like they had always told you. You entered the room and the Researcher closed the door.

Over the next few days, weeks—months?—the Researchers conducted experiments. The tests each Candidate performed involved an injection to the neck of some magenta liquid, followed by demonstrations with whatever object was in that Candidate’s room. One by one the Researchers went through the rooms, testing each subject. You heard the piano playing. Singing. You heard the crackle of electrical equipment. Voices of explanation, demonstration. The drumming of moving feet, as though dancing or fighting. Activity. Performance. Success. The Researchers would hold their clipboards and write on them, frowning all the while. You watched them from the small window of your locked door.

Every time the Researchers entered your room, they would stare at you for a heartbeat, silent, before taking out a syringe with that strange, magenta liquid. You knew better than to ask. You obediently exposed your neck, they injected you, and, after the initial sting, you felt a wave of emptiness. No more pain. No more anything. Not quite peaceful, but free. Then there would be a series of tests—blood, arithmetic, flexibility—all kinds of papers and instruments would be produced, and after the man or woman had finished with each test, they would frown at you and purse their lips. The Researchers would scribble something on their clipboard before leaving you to your empty mind and numb body. Eventually, the feeling would return, and then you would be swallowed by despair; you weren’t being the best Candidate. You were failing.

Soon you began to notice the Researchers spending more time with the other Candidates, though they were spending less time with you. One day, they forgot to go to your room. The panic was hot and sticky—you were being forgotten. You were not worthy of their attention. You were not the Candidate they wanted. What would happen if they forgot you completely? If you didn’t matter anymore?

You couldn’t unlock the door, but you tried. You had never been disobedient before, but you wanted to run to the Researchers and beg them to consider you, to see what you could do, what you could offer. You wanted to be the ideal Candidate, but how could you be if they wouldn’t let you?

There was a vent in the corner of your ceiling, a large square void with a steel grill. You would have to go to the Researchers to show them, prove to them what you were. You stood on the bed and gripped the steel vent grill tight in your fingers, wrenching the thing off and cutting your skin, blood dripping onto your white uniform. With an effort, you pulled yourself up into the vent and began to crawl through the dusty, dark system, trailing blood as you went. You passed by each Candidate’s room, looking down through each vent.

The other Candidates had books, paint sets, tools and creations. They had everything when you had been given nothing. You stifled your bitterness and despair, squirming forward until you reached the last room. It was much farther than any of the cells, and you understood immediately that it was the Researcher’s room.

You broke through the grill and dropped down, glancing around. It was empty, apart from walls covered in note boards and fridges packed with syringes, each one containing that familiar magenta liquid. You paced around, examining the note boards. They had statistics on every Candidate. You didn’t understand the meaning, but the notes seemed to be measuring each person on different tests, before and after injections—how well the Candidate played music, how well they performed exercises, their geometry scores…the hectic, angry scrawls from each of the Researchers suggested that the injections improved results dramatically. Notes like near-divine and sublime stuck out to you. The Researchers were trying to make these Candidates the best at something: at science, at art, at thought…they wanted them to be perfect.

You quickly found your notes tacked up on the wall. The phrase base measurement occurred repeatedly. Then, no specialities and standard sample. You felt a hot flush in your face and a cold drop in your stomach. You were not chosen because you were the best—you were chosen because you were nothing. You wiped your stinging eyes as you read a final note: Control Candidate: Do not advance in program. Not worthy.

You roamed around the room, heart beating hard against your chest. You felt stupid. Silly. Worthless. You were shaking as you went to the fridges filled with syringes with a rash desire to smash them. You grabbed a handful, tears splashing onto the glass. Then you spotted, as you wiped your eyes, the label on the fridge:

God serum. One dose per day for advancement of Candidates.

Your eyes slid from the label back to the fistful of syringes in your trembling hand. You wanted to advance. You wanted to be the best. The Researchers wouldn’t let you, but if they could see just what you could do, what you were capable of…

You took the syringes, full of swirling magenta liquid, and one by one, you pierced your neck with the fine needles, squeezing. The familiar sting and the waves of relief began to fade entirely by the third syringe, and your mind grew clearer and clearer, the thoughts that had once crowded your head vanishing. A growing void consumed your senses. You no longer felt your body, no longer saw the room or heard the whirring of machines. But after the tenth syringe, something began to change.

The world turned fuchsia, violet, crimson—a kaleidoscope of blistering, brutal colours. In your ears was a thrumming, drumming noise so heavy and deep that it vibrated through your whole body. A pulsing point of white light broke through the shifting colours in front of you, widening and yawning. Your body was spinning, lifting and sinking. You felt as though you were drifting through the kaleidoscope, becoming part of it.

Veiled through the magenta cloud you could see the figures of the Researchers running into the room, stumbling towards you, their mouths widening in awe or horror, their eyes fixed on the point of white light. You reached out a hand and the light leeched towards you, pooling into your form, soft and warm. All your yearning and wants and needs were devoured as the light finished sinking into you, and you were finally free of any human feeling at all.

Grinning at the cowering Researchers, you finally understood why they had wanted to find the best Candidates and make them perfect. They weren’t trying to find a god at all. They were trying to make one.

#short story #original writing #writers on tumblr #writeblr #writing #horror stories #weird fiction #dream journal #dream diary #sci fi short #violet liddell #tw needles #my writing #original fiction

[nicolewoo]

The Big Day Part 1

Pairing: Joe Anaoi X Reader (Roman Reigns X Reader)

Synopsis: Although Joe hasn’t kept the destination a surprise, he’s got a few tricks up his sleeve, and one knocks the Y/N off her feet.

Warnings: Nothing. Just fluff and mention of a bad childhood.

Who the hell uses an alarm on vacation? I thought to myself as Joe’s phone beeped until he grabbed it and stopped the alarm. He rolled over and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me in until we were spooning. As he settled back down, Joe grumbled for a second before quickly remembering what day it was and popping up excitedly. “C’mon babe. We’ve got big plans today.” Joe hopped out of bed quickly and tried to pull me up. Just as I was going to protest, there was a knock on the door.

“Out of bed, sleepyheads!” Dwayne yelled out. “Vanessa is here, Joe.”

Joe called out, “Do you ever sleep, dude?” We heard Dwayne laugh. “Be out in a minute.”

We quickly got dressed and were getting ready to join the others when Joe wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me to a stop. I turned around to see what he wanted. “Now,” he kissed the tip of my nose. “Today, we are going to a Samoan Independence Day celebration, and you’re going to need a traditional, Samoan dress. Vanessa and Lauren are going to take you to a special store to get it.”

I didn’t know what to say, I didn’t know Vanessa was here, and I’d only met her once. I knew the Samoan Independence Day was a big celebration. That must be the reason Vanessa, Dwayne and Joe came here. “Is this some sort of reunion?”

Joe nodded, “Yes. In our family, Independence Day is also a time to return to the land of our ancestors to reconnect to the land and each other.” I accepted his answer, but something was still off. He wasn’t telling me everything, but I trusted him. “They’re going to take you shopping now, and then we will meet you back here so we can get ready to go to the celebration.”

=============================================================

I’m not sure what I expected. The words “family reunion” conjured up a picture of people huddling in pavilions of parks with plastic tablecloths flopping in the wind and tacky matching t-shirts. Honestly, I’d never been to a family reunion, but this wasn’t what I expected to see.

We’d parked in a church parking lot and made our way to a giant house across the road, but instead of going in, we went around the side. As the party came into view, I was blown away. The ocean was just a couple hundred yards away from the house. A tent large enough to house a small village was set up in the middle with a small temporary stage under it. Another gargantuan tent was filled with tables, and food, set up in a buffet style. More giant tents dotted the beach between the house and the ocean. There was beauty everywhere. Honestly, it looked like a luau. Tiki torches, floral leis, rattan, flower arrangements on the tables and people dressed in everything from traditional Samoan clothing to shorts and t-shirts. There had to be at least 100 people there, and I’m pretty sure we were in someone’s back yard.

“Um. I forgot to bring a dish.” Joe admitted.

Dwayne put his hand on Joe’s shoulder. “I got ya covered.” He passed Joe to go greet people and called behind him, “We bought the pigs. You owe me $400.”

Joe put his hand on the small of my back chuckling, and explained that in Samoan culture, you never show up to a gathering empty handed.

“It’s Fa’a.” I smiled at him, and he looked surprised. “I’ve been researching Samoan customs since we got together.”

He grinned in delight. “Are you ready?” I wasn’t elated at the prospect of being around this many people, but I nodded yes. Joe kissed my forehead before we walked toward the party.

  =============================================================

“Leati!” Joe’s dad greeted us with a surprised look. “I didn’t know you were coming.” He wrapped Joe in a giant hug.

“Thought I’d surprise you.” Joe beamed at the older man. “I brought a few people with me.”

“Dwayne!” Sika said as he hugged the bigger man. “Where’s your family?”

Dwayne called out to Lauren and she walked our way. “Lauren is here, and my daughters will be here soon.” His daughters would be here soon? I didn’t know that. “They’re coming with mom.”

Sika and Lauren greeted each other, and then the older man’s eyes fixed on me. “Leati, you’ve brought a young lady?” There was a deeper meaning to the way he said it.

Joe’s face lit up in the brightest smile, and he leaned over to whisper to his dad, who nodded back. Joe turned to me and introduced me. “Dad, this is Y/N.”

“Y/N, this is my dad Sika and stepmother Patricia.”

I gave them the warmest smile I could, even though Joe was keeping a secret from me. “It’s an honor.” I shook hands with them.

“Vanessa is here, and mom is coming today too.” Joe explained, and as he did Sika’s eyes got wider.

“We’ll have a fine time.” He smiled at me.

We stayed close to Sika and his wife as we ate, and that allowed me to relax and get used to everything. We didn’t start mingling until Joe was sure I was ready. He really was the sweetest.

=============================================================

We spent the first few hours talking to everyone. I knew I wouldn’t be able to remember everyone’s names, but Joe assured me it was ok. It didn’t take long though, before everyone knew my name. I gathered this was the first time Joe brought a date to this.

We ate, drank, talked, played with kids, and laughed. A variety of music played over a speaker system I couldn’t see; both what I’m guessing was traditional Samoan to current R&B hits and everything in between. There was a lot of laughter and good times. Everyone was so welcoming, that my normal social anxiety began to fall away.

As the party went on, more and more people arrived, including Dwayne’s daughters and Joe’s mom.  I gave up trying to count. There were people everywhere. Children played freely, watched by all the adults. The elderly were waited on hand and foot, and everyone was having a great time.

The sun was low on the horizon when everyone took their seats. On the stage was a row of chairs with a larger, throne type seat in the center. I wasn’t sure what was about to happen, but there was an energy running through the crowd.

Joe guided us to a table off to the left side of the stage, and we waited as the guests settled down, some at tables, some on blankets laid out in the sand. “Vanessa,” Joe pointed to the other side of me. “Sit here, please.” She did and Joe’s mom sat on the other side of her. “Vanessa is an expert on Samoan culture and is way better at the language than me, so I’ve asked her to translate and explain the show for you.”

I turned and thanked Vanessa before asking, “What did he have to trade for your services tonight? She and I both laughed.

“Tickets to Super Bowl,” she answered.

“Nice!”

Men in traditional Samoan garb got on stage, and drums began to pound, bringing cheers and applause from the crowd. The men on stage lined up into two rows and began to dance. Vanessa leaned toward me, “They’re starting tonight’s program with a Fa'ataupati or Samoan slap dance said to have evolved from the moves involved in slapping away mosquitoes.”

  =============================================================

We sat enjoying drinks as the show went on. Three dances later, and the seats on stage began to fill up with elders of the family. Vanessa translated as the high priest prayed for the island, it’s people and the state of the family.

3 young men and one young woman all in traditional clothing took the stage and lit batons on fire. Vanessa explained that in the past Samoans were explorers, who brought light and love to islands around the South Pacific, and the family honored them by sharing their light with us. The performers were amazing, and I couldn’t take my eyes off them, but as they began to throw fire batons to each other, I was mesmerized.

After the dances, everyone calmed down. The high chief sat on the throne type seat and greeted the crowd. Vanessa translated the whole thing. He began reciting the history of the family from generations ago until now. I listened intently while Vanessa translated. I’d done a lot of research on Samoan culture, but there was no way I could find out the history of the family, so I drank in every bit of information I could. After his opening speech, the dancers did 2 more dances.

The High Chief stood and addressed the crowd again. “It is tradition in our family that when a Samoan warrior finds his mate, the couple shall come to the elders of our family for a blessing on the union. Each elder will talk to them and counsel the high chief. After the elders, a witness can advocate for the couple. Then the chief takes that counsel and decides if the union will be blessed.” The high chief called a name out, and a young Samoan man dressed in traditional garb came to stand before the chief. He spoke a few words in Samoan, and then the chief called out another name. I watch as a stunning Samoan woman in traditional dress came forward, joining both hands with the man standing before the chief. She spoke a few words in Samoan. “What did the couple say?” I whispered to Vanessa. “They are declaring their love, much like wedding vows. Each person writes their own.”

Next, an older woman came to stand next to the couple. She looked just like the young lady, leading me to believe she was probably the woman’s mom. She placed her hands on the couple’s and spoke. Vanessa translated, “My beautiful daughter has grown to womanhood, and is ready to become a wife and mother. I am proud of the woman she has become, and Rangi has been a blessing to her. I feel this union will strengthen the family. I beseech the elders and our high priest to bless this union.”  

The chief dramatically pondered, finally raising a staff like stick and pounding the bottom against the ground 4 times. The whole party erupted in rowdy cheers and applause. Immediately, two young girls no older than 6 or 7 came forward with leis they placed on the couple.

Then the chief came forward. He wrapped another lei across the couple’s hands. He laid his hands over theirs and began to speak. Vanessa was quick to translate, “The chief says that the elders of the tribe have observed the couple, and feel that the union will be a blessing to the family, and it is his honor to bless the union.” She paused for a second as she listened to him speak before smiling and saying, “As a family, it is our responsibility to mentor and counsel this couple as they journey through life. It is the family’s responsibility to help them raise the next generation of Samoans. He’s asking the tribe to pledge their support. I listened as the whole crowd recited something.

Finally, at a quiet word whispered by the chief, the couple kissed. Without warning, the young man knelt at the foot of the lady, catching a ring box tossed to him by a member of the family, and although I couldn’t hear them, I could tell he proposed. Her hands flew to her face and his smile lit up the whole party as she said yes.

Everyone went wild. There was applause, wild war cries and stomping and loud drums. After a few minutes, the chief banged his staff against the floor, causing everyone to settle down. “Settle down. Settle down. We will celebrate in a bit, but we have more business to handle.” I don’t know if I was more shocked that he was speaking English or that he was able to take control of the rowdy crowd so easily.

As the crowd took their seats again, he began speaking Samoan again. Vanessa translated, “It is our responsibility to care for those who are alone. I have been alerted that there is an orphan who is seeking admittance into our family. Please make your presentation.” Joe rose and took place in front of the chief. He began speaking Samoan, and this time Vanessa didn’t translate. Wait! Was he? Was he talking about me? Joe wanted me to join the family? Before I could even think about everything that meant, the chief called my name.

“Y/N. Please come stand by Leati.” He said in English. I did, feeling a bit of my social anxiety again, but when he took my hands and stared in my eyes, I relaxed. “Leati, you have asked that the counsel consider accepting this orphan into our family. Y/N,” the chief turned to me. “Have you parents to care for you.” The question was weird. I’m an adult… not a child, and yet, the answer was no. “Members of the family have observed you. Who in our family would like to accept Y/N?”

I was shocked as Joe’s father stood. I hadn’t noticed he was seated on the stage. He was an elder. Behind Joe, I saw his sister, Dwayne and Lauren stand. Then I noticed others standing. I scanned the room to find Joe’s mom, The Fatu brothers and Naomi, who I didn’t know were here, all standing as well as many of the people I’d met today. I hadn’t even seen The Fatus arrive. My heart swelled as the high chief smiled at me. “Y/N, it seems there are a number of family members who wish you to join our family. “Elders, what say you?” He turned to face the row of seats behind him. Answering one at a time, each member said “Ioe.”

Joe smiled at me and said, “That means yes.”

I was all smiles now. This show of support was beyond heartwarming. “Y/N. Our family is offering to accept you as one of our own, to care for you when needed, to support you when warranted and to love you unconditionally. Will you accept our invitation?”

“Ioe.” I answered and the crowd got rowdy again. The applause was drowned out by the cheers.

When the chief settled the crowd, Joe looked expectantly at him. “Leati has also asked for a blessing on this relationship. Do the elders agree to this blessing?

I listened as each one said “Ioe.”

“And who among the family will stand up for this couple? Suddenly a chorus of voices rang out yelling “Ioe. Ioe. Ioe.” I looked to find the Fatu families yelling the loudest, and I smiled sweetly at them. Sika stood, coughing to get the attention of the Chief, before saying, “Ioe”.

“Then it is an honor to bless this union.” The two young children came out to put leis on Joe and me before the High Chief laid a lei across our hands and spoke the same words he’d spoken with the other couple.

There was a terrifying moment as I wondered if Joe was going to propose as the first young man had, but when the Chief was done, Joe led me back to our table. Everyone stood for hugs and congratulations. I hugged and thanked everyone for their support. The Fatu families joined us now. “I can’t believe you’re here!” I said as I went to hug Naomi.

“We wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” John said to me. “Welcome to the family Sister Uce.”

Joe wrapped an arm around my waist from behind and pulled my body against his chest. “Welcome to the family Sister Uce.” He whispered in my ear.

I turned to face him. “I can’t believe you did all this.”

“This is the family you deserve.” He kissed me softly.

Then I heard a voice I knew, but there was no way….. I found Jimmy had his cell phone pointed at me, and I realized we were in a group chat. Seth, Becky, John Good and Renee were all on the screen cheering me.

“Guys? You knew?” I grabbed the phone.

“Yeah! Dis is w’at we were hidin’ from ya’” Becks laughed.

“Well, you did it. You all really shocked me. Thank you!”

@mindofasagittaruis​ @lclb13​

#joe anaoi #roman reigns

[heartlandians]

Throwback Thursday: DOP Craig Wrobleski answers fan questions! (August 2010)

Q: Hi Craig! What is your favourite kind of episode to work on? What I mean by that is, like, do you like episodes with lots of action, ones with lots of animals in them or you name it. Thanks so much! Posted by Jenna on July 25, 2010 8:45 PM

A: Thanks for the question Jenna. One of the many great things about Heartland is that each episode offers so many different aspects - drama, comedy, stunts, animals, beautiful locations and the list goes on. I enjoy all the aspects of shooting but I have to say that I feel I have really done my job when the images connect with the audience on an emotional level, whether that is the tension of an action sequence, the uplifting comedy sequence or the dramatic weight of a scene like the death of Pegasus. If you feel something - then I have done my job.

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Q: On some tv shows and movies I see they use a second and sometimes a third camera. Does Heartland ever do this? and why would you use more than one camera? Posted by sandy91 on July 26, 2010 9:08 AM

A: Observant question. Heartland has two talented camera crews on what we call "A: and "B" cameras. Some scenes only require one camera (or perhaps there isn't space on the set for two cameras) but I would say 75% of the scenes on Heartland are shot with two cameras. We shoot this way because it allows us to film the scene more efficiently by capturing an actor's performance from more than one angle. This helps to capture a single performance without that actor having to try and repeat and match the same nuances and actions again and again from multiple angles. Repetition is part of the actor's job but two cameras definitely makes it easier for them. Often when we are shooting large, complex sequences (like last season's Ring of Fire episode - 317 - for example) we will bring in a third camera to capture another angle on the action and give the editor more to work with.

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Q: Hi Craig, My question for you is: What kind of education/experience path have you followed to get to where you are now as a D.O.P.? Posted by Teresa4 on July 26, 2010 3:12 PM

A: Thanks for the question Teresa. Are you asking because you want to be a DOP? I would highly recommend it - it's the best job in the world! I went to Mount Royal College in Calgary and graduated from their Broadcasting program. I then got a job at CFCN Television in Calgary where I was a cameraman in their studio. After one year at CFCN I quit and went freelance and did just about every job there is to do in the television business (production assistant, sound, gripping, lighting, etc.). I slowly started getting jobs as a cameraman on corporate films, documentaries and music videos. That transitioned into shooting commercials and second unit work on feature films and TV movies.

I then moved into shooting main unit on feature films and TV movies in addition to commercials. That was a long journey (I've been in the business for 21 years) but it was (and is) a lot of fun and I met and worked with so many amazing people on the way and traveled all over the world with my camera. I decided early in my career that I wanted to create my own path to being a DOP but there are many different ways to get there such as the Camera Trainee program offered by IATSE (the camera union). To be honest, the best way to learn cinematography is to get out there and shoot, make mistakes and learn from them. The most important thing is to train your eye and find your own voice as a cinematographer. That will allow you to create images that are unique.

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Q: Hey there! Thanks for doing such a fabulous job on the series we all love! My question for you is what is the most challenging part and the most rewarding part of your job? Thanks for answering our questions!! Posted by Free Spirit on July 26, 2010 4:46 PM

A: Thanks for the question. Glad you like the show - keep watching, this season is going to be full of surprises. Speaking of surprises, I would say the challenges of the job lead to the rewards. There are many aspects to consider when shooting any scene for the show (the tone of the scene, mood, how bright or dark, number of shots, colour, lensing, camera movement, location, make-up, hair, weather, animals, the appearance of the actors, the time we have to shoot the scene, budget, etc., etc.). These elements and more all have to be thought out before we roll the cameras and the incredibly talented directors and crew of Heartland face all of the challenges and more with the utmost professionalism, dedication, speed and, importantly, humour. The most rewarding part of the job is when the entire cast and crew collaborate to overcome all of the challenges and deliver a scene that transports the viewer into the world of Heartland. Watching it all come together is an amazing experience.

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Q: Are you the actual cameraman when filming is going on, or are you just setting up the scenes and telling them what to do? Posted by Andrea on July 29, 2010 2:12 PM

A: As Director of Photography on the show it is part of my job to collaborate with the camera, lighting and grip crews to bring to life the director's vision for the scene. This process involves many talented people including our camera operators Rudy Katkic and Jarrett Craig. Rudy and Jarrett are the people who actually operate the cameras, compose the shots and follow the action during the scenes. They work with focus pullers Kirk Chiswell and Schane Godon who keep the shots in focus as the cameras and actors move through the sets. After we rehearse the scene, the director and I discuss the angles we would like to shoot and I work with Rudy and Jarrett to make sure the shots work well with the lighting. Rudy, Jarrett, Kirk and Schane are very good at their jobs so I don't need to tell them what to do, instead we collaborate to create the images you see at home.

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Q: Hi Craig, You do a wonderful job of bringing Heartland to life. Thank you so much!! My question is: What do you like to do in your spare time that has nothing to do with work? Thank you! Posted by Phoebs on July 26, 2010 6:35 PM

A: Thanks for the compliment. It is always inspiring to hear from fans of the show. Good question - shooting Heartland is a very demanding but fulfilling job that doesn't leave a lot of spare time. I love being in nature and am fortunate enough to live on an acreage in the foothills outside Calgary so I spend a certain amount of my time looking after that (mowing the lawn, gardening, pulling weeds, etc.). For exercise and to decompress I like to walk our three dogs, ride my bicycle around the highways near my home, swim, golf and do yoga. I have a bunch of other interests including art, architecture, music, wine and I love reading books on these subjects. I really enjoy cooking as well. Of course I love watching movies but watching movies is kind of like work though so I'm not sure if that counts. It's also great to sit at home on Sunday night and watch Heartland!

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Q: Hi Craig. My question for you is what has been your favorite scene to direct/shoot?? Thank you very much! Posted by Ashley on July 26, 2010 12:04 AM

A: That's a tough question Ashley. There are so many scenes that I am proud to have been a part of. I would have to say I have a soft spot for last season's "Quarantine" episode - 313 -as it was my first episode of the show and there are many scenes involving Pegasus' illness, death and memorial that hit me emotionally. We have two horses of our own and those scenes really hit home. I also really enjoyed the scenes shot at the Hanley Barn for the "Second Chances" - 304 - episode last season. Creating the "Ring of Fire" show was also a highlight. It was great to see the whole set and lighting plan come together. It's always a pleasure to capture the beautiful landscape of the Alberta foothills and share it with the rest of Canada (and the world).

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Q: Hi Craig! Awesome of you to take the time to answer some questions. Creating the right mood must be challenging at times, but (as you know!) is definitely essential. You do a fantastic job, which everyone who enjoys Heartland episodes can testify to! I have tons of questions which I would love to ask, but for the sake of having a complete list of ALL the cast and crew's answers, I will have to ask my typical question: What's your favourite comfort food? This question, as you can tell, is directly and absolutely related to your field of work and expertise. ;) Thanks for taking the time, and I'll be looking forward to seeing your work in season 4! Posted by Twe on July 26, 2010 9:00 PM

A: Thanks Twe. Strange as it sounds, a warm bowl of oatmeal has always been comfort food for me since I was a kid and I usually start my day on Heartland by grabbing a bowl full from the catering table on my way to set. I'm also a fan of a good old peanut butter and jam sandwich!

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Q: My question for you is: Do any of the horses ever get in the way for close-up shots? I think I once heard that Stormy, or "Spartan" does. Thank you for your time, and hopefully I'll hear from you! I CAN'T WAIT for Season Four of Heartland!!! Posted by Rachel on July 28, 2010 3:54 PM

A: Your wait will soon be over - season 4 is coming together wonderfully. The horses of Heartland certainly are characters unto themselves. They each have unique personalities and though they are well trained by our wrangling team they have been known to "break out of character" and steal close-ups from our actors, leave the shot suddenly, decide that grass is more interesting than acting, or want to join their friends in the fields. Horses are herd animals and don't like to be alone so one of the tricks is to have a "companion horse" close to the horse in the scene so they feel more comfortable. The Wranglers have many other tricks and treats they use to give the horses their "motivation".

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Q: hi craig! I have a question: about how many minutes or hours of film footage go into one episode - before its edited? Thanks! Posted by heartlander on August 4, 2010 9:02 AM

A: Excellent question. I asked Chris Bang and David Gordon, our second camera assistants who manage the film that we shoot, and they told me the average is twelve rolls of film a day. That means we shoot an average of 90 rolls per episode which translates to approximately 18 hours of footage to create a one hour episode.

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Q: hey craig! I read here on the blog that heartland uses film instead of digital hd - I thought that digital was the trend now, especially on TV. Why do you choose to use film? Is it better? Posted by mag-pie on August 4, 2010 9:07 AM

A: Another excellent question. We shoot Heartland on Super16mm film instead of a digital format. Simply put, film is much better at capturing all the nuances of light, colour and texture in our beautiful sets. Film is a technology that is constantly being improved upon as well and the newest Kodak film stocks that we shoot have amazing dynamic range (the ability to capture everything from bright highlights to dark shadows) and that ability enables us to make the most of the natural light in our exterior locations. The difference between digital cameras and film is like the difference between a grand piano and a synthesizer. You can get a synthesizer to sound very close to a grand piano but it never quite matches the magical quality of the real thing.

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Q: Hi Craig What's the funniest blooper you've ever caught on film? Thanks for answering all of these questions! Posted by Milly on August 4, 2010 12:32 PM

A: That's a very tough question Milly. There are so many funny things that happen on set with our cast (all of whom are very funny) and the animals that it is hard to narrow it down to which one is the funniest. The animals are always doing funny things. There always seems to be a scene every once in a while where one actor gets a case of the giggles and can't stop laughing. This is usually contagious and it is always funny to watch the actors try and keep it together when you know they all want to burst out laughing. I know that doesn't really answer your question but let me just say that I have a lot of laughs at work every day.

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Q: Hey Craig, I was curious what cameras you guys use to shoot the show? What all is involved in setting up the shoots, from lighting, lenses, and audio? Posted by Kenrick on August 4, 2010 3:28 PM

A: We shoot the show on Super16mm film with Arriflex SR 3 cameras, Angenieux Optimo and Cooke S4 lenses and Kodak film stocks. The second half of your question is a very complicated but I will give you a basic rundown of the process. Each director preps their "block" (2 episodes) in pre-production for three weeks - this involves casting new actors who are appearing for the first time, choosing locations, props, cars, wardrobe and everything else that will appear on the screen. Then when we are in production, we first "block" the scene with the actors - this is where the director and actors work out how the scene is going to play out. Then the director, camera operators and myself work out how we will shoot the scene (how many shots we will need, which lenses we will use, how we will move the camera, etc.). Then, while the actors are in hair/make-up and wardrobe, I work with our gaffer Marty Keough, key grip Rick Schmidt and their lighting and grip crews to light the scene. The actors then return in their wardrobe, with their hair and make-up done. We rehearse the scene, put the final touches on the lighting, hair, make-up and wardrobe and then shoot. We repeat this process numerous times every day.

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Q: How do you control the colours in each scene? For example, using warm colours in a happy scene, and dark and cold ones during a sadder moment. Or to what degree do you use colour to establish mood in different settings? Posted by Hypothetical Twe on August 4, 2010 5:56 PM

A: Great question. Many of the colours in the show are dictated by Production Designer Rick Roberts in the sets he creates and the actor's wardrobe created by our Costume Designer Carol Case. These are the basis of the Heartland look. I then choose, based on a number of factors (the content of the scene, the time of day, the season) how I will work with the colour in my lighting. The overall approach to Heartland is a look of "magic realism" that feels natural and authentic but also has a magical quality. Like a fond memory.

I believe that all people have a subconscious relationship with colour that makes them feel a certain way when exposed to different colours and tones. The examples you mentioned in your question are examples of that. I really enjoy using subtle gradations of colour in my lighting to help support the actors performances and transport the audience into the world of Heartland. I also work very closely with our on-set dresser Chris Smith to make sure that all of the objects on-set that will appear in the shots are not distracting in their colour or brightness.

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Q: As there are multiple directors for Heartland, do you find yourself trying to achieve different looks for each episode based on their perception or does that not affect anything? Posted by 3blindmice on August 5, 2010 5:13 AM

A: I work with many different directors on Heartland and they all have their own working and shooting style. It is part of my job to ensure that we embrace the shooting style of the individual director but also to make sure that the way the show is photographed is consistent so the episode still has the Heartland look that audiences are accustomed to. I meet with the directors while they are in pre-production and we discuss the scenes we have to shoot. From these discussions, I get an idea of how the director perceives the script and how they would like to shoot the scenes. It is these discussions, combined with the content of the script and the look of our shooting location that dictate what the scene will look like. Every director has their own individual take on the material and that is always the starting point for how I will approach the shooting of the episodes.

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Q: I am 11 years old and I watch heartland so I can tease my sisters! I like making movies with the webcam and join still shots to make cartoons and just got a sony handycam for my birthday and get my friends to act in scenes we make up. what would be the next step for me..what kind of camera or computer program should I ask for so I can make better movies? thanks Posted by rory on August 5, 2010 7:10 AM

A: Thanks for the question Rory. Always great to hear from the next wave of directors and cinematographers. I have to admit that I am not the most up-to-date on all of the computer programs for editing, etc. but I know that it is easier than ever to put images together with simple programs that will run on your home computer. Professional editing programs like Final Cut Pro will run on a laptop and there are simplified versions of those programs for home use.

Camera technology is changing and evolving so quickly now. Even the new iPhone has a high-definition video camera built in! Digital SLR cameras like the Canon 5D and 7D can produce striking hi-def video images and enable you to use high quality lenses. Sony and Panasonic are producing some amazing cameras that will produce high-definition images and allow you to import the footage directly into your computer via FireWire. There are some informative websites (such as Cinematography Mailing List) that allow people to share information about new equipment and techniques.

As for the next step - that is up to you. The equipment is only part of the equation - it is very important to develop your skills as a visual storyteller. If you love film-making then keep making your movies, screening them for your friends and family and asking them for constructive criticism on how they can be improved upon. Watch your favourite movies and try to figure out how they achieved certain shots, etc. There are a lot of great magazines out there (like American Cinematographer) that give an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at how movies are made. There is so much information on the Internet about how movies are made that I find it an invaluable tool.

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Q: Hey Craig, I'm interested in doing photography and filming as a career when I'm older. So, I was wondering the qualifications you need to do, to do such an amazing job as you do. Do you know any particular universities or degrees excel that in that sort of thing? I think you're doing a fantastic job! Posted by manulover on August 5, 2010 7:42 AM

A: Thanks for the kind words - glad you like the show. Also glad to hear you interested in cinematography. The first qualification you should have is a love of the process of creating images. Filmmaking is a lot of hard work (we shoot an average of 12 hours a day on Heartland) but if you love it, it is not like work at all. I have been shooting for more than 20 years and still love going to work and I still learn new things every day.

I'm not sure where you live but there are many great film schools all over Canada. Some, like SAIT (the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology) in Calgary, focus more on the technical side while others put more emphasis on producing or directing. Depending on your interest and location, a little research will help you find the school that best suits what you want to do. Cinematography is a life-long learning process and the best way to learn is to just get out and shoot. The technological advances of recent times make it easier than ever to produce beautiful images but it all starts with the eye behind the camera. I hope that helps.

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Q: Hi Craig! Your work on Heartland is absolutely breathtaking. My question is: what has been the hardest scene for you to shoot/direct so that it looks amazing (as always). Thanks! :) Posted by Siyetka on July 31, 2010 8:14 PM

A: Thanks for the compliment Siyetka. Every scene has it's challenges but I would say the most difficult scenes to shoot are longer scenes that we shoot outside. The weather in Southern Alberta changes very quickly and it is a constant challenge to try and maintain a consistent look for the scene. Some outdoor scenes on Heartland can take as long as 3-4 hours to shoot and in that time the weather can go from sunny to cloudy to raining and back to sunny again. Some scenes have started in sun and ended up in snow! Hopefully the audience at home doesn't notice this! We always have an eye on the skies and work very hard to make the scene look seamless.

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Q: how do you think about all the elements that goes into a scene? such as amy stroking a cat while in mid conversation, or the bridles hanged on the wall, etc. btw - every scene is so authentic and truly makes the show such a success! Posted by natalie on August 4, 2010 1:54 PM

A: That is a complicated question. I'm glad you notice the attention to detail Every element you see on your screen at home has been carefully considered and planned by many people along the way: - the Production Designer designs the sets, - the construction and paint crews build the sets , - the greens department plant trees, gardens, flowers, etc. , - the Set Decorators place all of the furniture, pictures, lamps, books, hay bales, bridles, etc. in the sets, - the Props department supply the actors with everything they need to be carrying or holding in a scene (like all of the plates, cutlery and food in a dinner table scene!), - the Wranglers supply the animals and tack that they require, - the shooting crew then work to put all of these elements on the screen in the best light possible.

As you can see it is truly a team effort!

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Q: Dear Craig, I was wondering when filming horses, it is bound to create some challenges to ensure that they don't poop or pee on camera. How do you film so that the horses are being filmed at their best and not stopping to poop/pee during filming a particular scene and how do you recover if it happens? Also, have there been any embarrassing or funny situations that occurred during filming involving the horses with or without the actors that we might find amusing? Posted by CindyG on August 2, 2010 7:52 PM

A: Hi Cindy. I think you have pointed out the funniest (and potentially most embarrassing) situation that can occur with the animals - when nature calls in the middle of a scene. When horses have to go, they have to go and it doesn't really matter to them if an actor is in the middle of an emotional scene. There have been many instances when one of our cast is pouring their heart out in a difficult scene and we see the tell-tale sign that a horse needs to make a "deposit" - the tail goes up in the air. Everyone on set knows what this means and they make sure they get out of the way - sometimes they find themselves in the danger zone near the back end of the horse and have to make a quick getaway. There is always a crew member close by with a shovel to clean up the set to we can carry on with the scene.

The horses always seem to find the most quiet moments in a scene to pass gas as well which, needless to say, can throw the actors off just a bit! We usually cut the cameras and start again as that sort of thing is a tough act to follow. Sometimes we begin to think the horses do it on purpose! We do everything we can to make sure the horses are being filmed at their best but this is the one area we can't control so we just have to let nature run its course.

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