#I really think it was just the biased view of country music | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

skylarsblue · 1 year

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✦Random C.o.D Headcanons✦

(Random Headcanons that I have no where else to put. Also because I can't properly wrITE WORTH SHIT, UGH)

✧Price can swing dance. And very well, mind you. ✧Johnny’s dad gripes at him for not drinking whiskey. “Bout the only Scotsman who won’t drink scotch! ‘hat’s like an Irish man not drinking Guinness!” He’ll say. But Johnny handles liquor really well. He could down three tequila sunrises without a single waver. ✧Gaz used to do ballet as a kid, gymnastics in secondary school. He’s less flexible now because he doesn’t stretch like he used to, but he could probably still manage the splits. ✧PRICE LIKES OLD WESTERNS AND COUNTRY MUSIC. TRY TO TELL ME OTHERWISE, I DARE YE- ✧Ghost’s autistic hyperfixations consist of; Birds, the chemical affects of drugs(of any kind) on the body, the process of decomposition, bones/skeletons, and how different cultures view Death. (Ex; Grin Reaper, Cu Sith, Thanatos, etc.)

✧Gaz is the one that has the most vast music taste, but admittedly he’s got a bit of a favorite spot for what I call “ass shaking music”. Things like Doja Cat to T-Pain, ya know?

✧Johnny whole heartedly believes in ghosts, and while he likes horror, he’s most scared by paranormal ones.

✧Ghost’s go to snack is apples. He is so obsessed with apples he can differentiate each kind with one bite.

✧Price hates being called Johnathan, the only one allowed to call him that is Laswell. And she only uses it to scold him. Like a mom. ✧Alejandro owns a cowboy hat. He bought Rudy a matching one, but he assumes Rodolfo got rid of it since he never wears it. It’s not true. Rudy is just really worried he’ll ruin it, so he keeps it pristine in his closet. He’ll even ensure it doesn’t collect dust. ✧König has a fear of horses. He had a Celtic mythology phase, read a spooky story with a Kelpie in it, and now they scare him. ✧Horangi used to have a gold tooth, and at one point his gambling debt got so high, he pulled it out and sold it. Also Horangi has bad teeth, lots of fillings & cavities. ✧Diabetes runs in Gaz’ family, so he constantly watches his sugar intake. But it’s really hard because he loves sweets. ✧09 Ghost is a trans man. This isn’t a Headcanon, it’s just true.

✧Johnny has oddly soft hands. He doesn’t do anything to them, and objectively, he should have tons of callouses. And yet? Nah, super smooth.

✧Gaz runs warm and prefers warm weather, Price runs warm and prefers cold, Johnny runs cold and prefers warm weather, Ghost runs cold and prefers cold weather. ✧Ghost hates being spooned cause he’s usually bigger, and the feeling of a body against his back, even if warm and alive? Reminds him too much of the feeling of a deadman pressing on his spine. He’d prefer to be the big spoon if he has to cuddle like that.

✧Rudy owns playboys & playgirl magazines. He just hides them SUPER well, because he’s kinda ashamed. He thinks people owning porn is fine, but his mother visits often and she’s a bit of a snoop. ✧Piggy backing off the last one, that’s also why Rudy is so sneaky. He wasn’t necessarily a super bad kid, and his parents weren’t necessarily unbearable. But he often got roped into trouble by others, and his parents were a bit strict, so he got good at sneaking. ✧Valeria & Alejandro are exes, and while there are many reasons they broke up? One was Valeria realizing she’s hella sapphic.

✧Valeria has a collection of naked women paintings. Like, super expensive ones? No one questions her because she’s a cartel queen, they think she just likes art. And she does. But she also is hella biased towards pretty painted ladies.

✧Gaz definitely has at least one crazy ex. Like “I’ll stalk your number, call your mom, and make a scene in public even if we broke up three years ago” crazy. ✧König was a pot smoking metalhead in high school, I will not elaborate. ✧Ghost tends to be clean shaven because the sensory feeling of stubble is uncomfortable, especially under his mask. But he likes facial hair on other people. ✧Farah is on the aroace spectrum. She’s not completely closed off to romance or sex, but like…it’s very very rare for her to experience those kinds of attractions. (Personally I think Alex is her exception, but I’m biased) ✧SPEAKING OF ALEX, man owns a cane. He decorates it, he also decorates his leg. With stickers. Some of them are kiddy/girly cause his niece gave him them. Do not question the Pinkie Pie on his prosthetic, reminds him of what he needs to come home for.

✧Nik & Price definitely have sucked each other’s dicks at least once. Look, besties bestie however they please. Also, c’mon. They’re military men.

✧Johnny somehow manages to miss something someone is telling him when they’re right by his ear. Yet! He’ll catch a random comment from across the room.

✧Also. Johnny is afraid of dogs. But he also likes dogs. It’s a very hard thing to deal with when he wants to pet what gives him heart palpitations.

✧König doesn’t talk to his mother at all. He occasionally talks to his father, but not much. But his grandma?? Every day. He will won’t miss a single day of contact.

✧Gaz writes poems or short stories sometimes as a coping mechanism. But he hides it cause he's embarassed. ✧Johnny had a full out punk phase in high school. He had spikes on a denim jacket, he had an anarchy pin on his rucksack. Full out. And though he didn't get caught, he probably did some teenage delinquent shit like graffiti. Thankfully, the more destructive stuff is more out of his system...mostly anyway. ✧Price didn't have a full hippie phase when he was younger, but he did have friends in that circle, so he picked up one or two things. ✧Ghost didn't have any aesthetic specifically growing up, but he thought Trad Goths were super cool to look at and he definitely got a lil inspiration from them in his everyday life. ✧Gaz also didn't have a particular aesthetic he fell into, but for some reason he was picked up by a group of scene kids in middle school. If you go through his oldest music playlist, EDM is in there a suspicious amount. ✧König is allergic to bees, so, anytime they're around he'll freak the fuck out and sprint away. If it weren't for the fact he had a reason to fear them, it'd look really silly. ✧Soap has ADHD, Ghost is autistic, Laswell has OCD, Rudy has AuDHD, and König is autistic.

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patrocles · 1 year

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What are your thoughts on the Martells and Starks and a potential North/dornish alliance ? I must admit I'm biased as those two are my favorites houses, yes there are no "good guys" but that who we would should be rooting for imo. For me they both represent the struggle of indigenous people and a satisfying end for both of them should be their freedom. They're far from being friends but as a reader it's so frustrating to see because they have no actual reasons to not work together, quite the opposite. A lot of their goals align, and they have for a while and it's even more obvious with the Stark/Lannister war. And I must admit I love Preston Jacobs dornish master plan videos. I might not agree with all of it but I love the depth and importance it gives dorne and the Martells, one that should've been Central in the series imo. I can't help but think of an alternative version where Robb survives and somewhat ends up alone in Dorne. A Robb x Arianne relationship/alliance would've been amazing to see, they would learn so much from each other.

And ofc he/him lesbian older sister Robb otherwise it's not fun skskskskks

A stark/martell alliance is literally my AU of AUs. like will it plausibly ever happen in the story, no but it's something I've always wanted!

i think one of the big failings of GRRM is not significantly establishing the North/First Men as essentially an indigenous culture, because... they are! They're meant to be wholly different than the rest of the country and that's how they're codified in the text both in how their culture differs from the rest of Westeros and how they're perceived. But no, the most that we get is Fur and York Accents.

I think also it matters to the Starks in how they individually relate to their culture; you have Catelyn as the outsider, they way in which the kids all take after her, except for Arya. I think for Sansa as well, the one who embraces her mother's culture the most, who would essentially "pass" as Southron yet still feel so othered and pushed back to her Northern heritage-- I think there would be so much to explore by really fleshing First Men culture as more than just ideals about honor and justice.

The opportunity to draw from Central Asian influences was RIGHT THERE george. THE EASTERN SLAVS ARE RIGHT THERE GEORGE.

Not to mention, the Red Wedding should really be regarded as genocide, not just war crimes. I mean, EYE personally view it as a such, as the point of it was to break the power of the North, wipe out its next generation and humiliate them beyond repair. Not to mention the desecration of Robb Stark was meant to mock the entire identity of the North, not just a specific family

And then you think of the history the Dornish conquests, which blows an entire hole in the "Targaryen Imperialism is Good Actually".

But yeah, I really wish the Dornish have more cultural details besides just hair and skin colors and how they’re just saurrrr excotique and sexy~ (I want regional accents and languages George, I want region-specific clothing, food, music, all of it!!) But I think the Dornish and Northern code of ethics compliment each other well despite how fundamentally different they still are! I would love to see how these two groups would interact. Actually, put Dacey and Obara together in a locked room and lets see what happens

It is interesting to think about how the Starks and Martells suffer very personal losses at the hands of the Lannisters and never being able to have vindication for it. My dream AU is an Alliance of “You Hate the Lannisters, We Also Hate the Lannisters, Lets Have a Pact of Mutually Hating the Lannisters Together”. And then Oberyn rescues Sansa before she can marry Tyrion, just SOMETHING.

Robb ending up in Dorne would also be insane because it would be the third time a Stark was there-- Rickon, son of Cregan who died. Jon who was born, and now (girl) Robb who lives. Things would probably get just a wee bit messy with the Young Griff alliance BUT ARIANNE HAS TWO HANDS. And also Robb and Sansa can reunite there and that could be rly sweet too.

god im sorry this went so off topic but STARK/MARTELL ALLIANCE, I LIKE IT!!

#asoiaf #long thots #asoiaf ask

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wordsbymae · 1 year

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Oh what about Farmer with a horse girl? Does he have horses. My dream is to basically be a hometeader so I keep wondering what his farm has.

Oh yeah, he has horses!! Ok, so this is how I view his farm. He has the homestead of cause, which is this pale yellow colour (for some reason? it's not even a colour I like, but it's what I imagined it as when I wrote the first one). It's two stories with a wrap-around porch and has big white shutters with those pretty shaped cut-outs.

Then the infamous barn is the stereotypical red and white barn. But it's seen better days. The red is more of a dull/brownish red and the white has chipped away and now it's more wood than paint.

I see him having a few fields of wheat/barley. This is more of a way to feed his animals rather than a profit. But if he has enough left over he will sell.

His main profit is his bulls. I don't see him being able to sell cattle for meat or anything too intensive. It's mostly just him and he only gets seasonal workers to help with the harvest or just when he needs them. So instead he runs a bull stud. Breeding the best bulls in the state. It's a small operation but he charges a hefty price for quality so it works. He has about 2 bulls he keeps for 4-5 years before replacing them, and about 30-50 cows/heifers depending on the season.

Then he has his pigs, thats how his father made his money breeding boars, but pigs are noisy as all hell, so the farmer has it more as a side project rather than the main source of income. He has a pair he keeps and he then sells the litter.

Then he has his chickens, a good 20 of them. One big red rooster and all the rest hens. He sells the eggs he doesn't want either as produce or as incubator eggs. He has this huge chicken coop he built himself.

Then he has one or two dairy cows. He breeds them with his bulls and shares the milk with the calf. Or sells the calf depending on if it's a bull calf. Doesn't sell the milk, but uses it for himself (after pasteurisation of course). He'll most likely sell the heifer calf later on.

Then there are the horses. He doesn't have many. Maybe one or two and they're used as transport mainly through his fields or to round up the cattle. They aren't anything special either just quarter horses, but they get the job done. I can see the horse girl reader just falling in love with them and getting mad when they find out he calls them Horse, and Also Horse. Reader will braid their hair and beg farmer to let them go for rides. He agrees as long as he's with them.

Then he's got a cat that just roams around. He doesn't even own it really. It just showed up and never left.

Then there are his working dogs. If I hadn't implied he was from the Us south/Texas, I would have given him kelpies. They are the best working dogs! At least in my biased australian opinion. I was thinking of giving him cattle dogs (blue/red heelers), cause they are recognised in the States but cause his cattle are breeding stock he won't want the dogs to be overly aggressive and bite their heels (they can be trained out of them but easier to get another breed).

Ok, I did some googling and cause I have three kelpies myself, I'm giving him some. I don't care if the us doesn't recognise the breed (rude) but it's not unheard of for them to be used in the States. So yay! Anyway, he only has two cause he has such a small herd. They aren't inside dogs cause they are primarily working dogs so they get this nice kennel outside. And cause I love country music and by extension, he does too, they are called Pancho and Lefty.

He also has a veggie garden and grows most of his own food. If you are a vego/vegan DO NOT go into the small shed out the back. That chicken he took in there does not come back out alive.

Anyway! Hope you liked it. I got a bit over the top

tag list: @floraroselaughter @psyche-entwined-in-love

#star :)#farmer oc #farmer yandere

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gunsli-01 · 1 year

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just wanna say since I've been away from fixating on milgram for a month or so and came back for a skim (I got my therapist hooked, so its on the mind).. I wanna say how the fuck did this happen but I've similar enough that like, I hope you're taking care of yourself, congrats on the marriage (thats recent right?), your posts are always nice to see, I hope Organ Thief's Dance Party is entertaining for you too

I got so carried away beneath this cut that it's just a new Mu post I'm sorry in advance! Before any of that though I'll try to answer your points to the best of my abilities!

I'm so happy to hear about the therapist thing! I hope more people can enjoy Milgram so many that getting to a million views is pretty much immediate during trial three!

I think conflicts appearing in the fandom in and of itself isn't a bad thing it just means people care about the material, but I hope people can do that in a fun and respectful way. Not only to make the environment comfortable for old fans but newcomers as well. I don't believe it's good for fandoms to become exclusionary or too closeknit since that can lead to terrible forms of conflict down the line.

A fandom should be full of various people and opinions. So, I always wanna remind people to look at the views of others outside of mine since it helps form a more well-rounded opinion. It's even helped me better reflect on my own biases. I do like passion, but too much of anything in one direction can be bad, and I want more and more people to like and watch Milgram! So, regardless of what happens, I want people to see the fun in it not just from the content but its fans who do great things in a passionate way every day.

I'm taking care of myself and my dad to the best of my abilities he surgery went smoothly too! I'm still very much enjoying Milgram all the way! I hope none of what I said about the fandom comes off as pretentious or too serious because I know it'd be easy to read it that way. When it comes to the marriage, I assume you're referring to my blog description.

Ah, Star and I have known each other since late 2013! We met through Tumblr actually. That's why I was so upset to have my blog shadow banned because it has a lot of sentimental value and I'd hate to lose it. We started dating maybe three years after and we got engaged two to three years after that. Though, since we live in different countries, we haven't officially tied the knot yet. She's my best friend, confidant, and we hang out often. Even meeting up in person whenever we can manage/afford to.

Actually, she's the reason anybody even gets to see me talk about Milgram at all right now. She introduced it to me! She wanted me to look over the entire series. Because she was very well acquainted with my penchant for deductive reasoning and love of solving mysteries. Because of thar she wanted to know what I would think was going on based off the trial one music videos alone. I was a bit miffed at her at the time, so I was like, no, I don't wanna.

Though she went if I didn't want to watch all of it then she'd at least like it if I looked at Mahiru's song. Causing my response to Mahiru's first trial song to pretty much be you trying to say something about me, huh?! However, I really loved it and pretty immediately went okay I'll watch the rest. However, that was only after she asked what I thought happened and the only thing I could think was with the focus on food, probably poisoning, but other than that I'm unsure.

So, I'm very nostalgic when it comes to Mahiru's song since it's related to a person I love.

If you don't want all the personal stuff here's the Milgram stuff!

I think the thing I'm looking most forward too is hearing Shidou's cover of Delusion Tax given how the VA handled Liar Dance! Shidou's voice tends to be more reserved when it comes to singing his original songs but go hard in his covers. Mu is the exact opposite, her voice being stronger in her original songs but going to a gentle whisper in her covers.

Showing the dichotomy between how she presents herself and how she may be inwardly. That outward appearance of dominance breaking into a soft-spoken stint. While Shidou's soft demeanor breaks way into a more domineering tone with hard enunciation that's so good to hear. So, I'm really curious if that will stay in Delusion Tax just like it stayed for Mu with MKDR.

I like Mu's covers far more than her original songs because of that vocal change and the subtle gentleness like holding porcelain. Especially the scream here and how it directly contrasts with the one here. Her covers really highlight that similarity between her and Futa of putting on a tough front but having an incredibly soft interior that needs a lot of nurturing from their environments.

Something also highlighted by her being represented as Parasitic Wasp in It's Not My Fault.

One of the insects that build cocoons on a host and use the nutrients off them to feed their young. Meaning It's Not My Fault we are literally seeing an artistic rendition of a Parasitic Wasp nest being built on a beehive.

Explaining why Mu is so large in comparison to the others. It's a literal hostile takeover until she gets enough of what she needs and leaves.

This also explains why she's so quick to leave and nothing remains when she does in the end. Since they eat everything and go. Yet, it has another meaning too! Mu being a parasitic wasp can be read as her leeching off of a society of course but it can also be read as her needing external validation to support her own beliefs. Showcasing that she lacks the mental fortitude necessary to defend or rationalize her own behavior or past actions.

This is highlighted in After pain when she's literally drowned in her own negative opinion of herself. Something that used to be feeding her is now eating away at her. Because it doesn't come with that sweetness of external validation. No one else is saying that she's right so she'll always wonder if she's wrong on some level. Because she's incapable of validating her own behavior this is even shown in It's Not My Fault when she basically begs the viewers not to hate her or even look for her bad side the source of her pain.

In a, "Just keep liking me, keep feeding me, I can't do it I can't take it on my own." In a way, reminiscent to the way Mikoto freaks out when everybody, but Kotoko wishes him a happy birthday. It also feeds into why her victim ignoring her bothered her so much and she couldn't let it go. The reason she's behaving this way is perfectly illustrated at the end of It's Not My Fault where she's literally reformed by the previous verdict and breaks away from her host, in this case the hourglass.

Something that very much comes through in the tone of her cover songs. While Shidou- Ah, his are so full of that usually restrained animosity of his that I just love! So, that mixed with Delusion Tax may just get me.

#milgram #kirisaki shidou #kusunoki muu

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olderthannetfic · 2 years

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honestly, the whole conversation about stitch and, by proxy, americans feeling like they have some sort of authority to speak about cultures they only know tangentially reminds me of how lantines reacted to hispanic diaspora who saw encanto. i'm also black. i'm also hispanic. i've lived in the states, and in different places in latin america. i think it really speaks to a sort of western, very american, idea that anyone because they have ancestry from a place is capable of speaking about a culture in another country.

concerning encanto, i remember a lot of hispanic diaspora got upset with me and others for saying what a lot of us in these other countries feel: just because you have ancestors who might've come from our country x-generations ago doesn't mean you understand anything about us or the deep intricacies of our culture. culture is more than just language, food, and music, contrary to what a lot of americans think. culture is influenced by geography, education, methods of socialization, even things you wouldn't think of in other countries can impact culture over time. sorry, but it's just a fact. for instance, americans tend to be very individualistic (which is reinforced through american history and education), but my culture is one that is based around community, largely because geography once made it the most advantageous for survival. we also don't think about race the same as americans. different history and no jim-crow or segregation=different definitions on race and cultural practices about race.

that doesn't mean diaspora in america do not or cannot practice cultural events and things, but understand that you're x-generations removed, and you've likely been socialized to view things as an American. even the assumption that you are fully capable of speaking for others for honestly did not ask just because of some ancestry when you've never visited or lived in a place is a very American idea. it implies a sort of racial essentialism that implies that just because you're not a part of the white majority, you are vastly different in outlook or perspective... even though you went through (roughly) the same education system to be socialized with the same values and biases.

(there's also something to be said about differences in watching things as an ethnic group in a country where you're the majority of the population vs being diaspora where americans are more sensitized to views specific traits as stereotypes when the rest of us are just having fun.)

yeah, stitch is wrong and very weird. what right or insight does she have to speak about this? or, how does she think she has more insight than someone actually of that culture?

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comequicklysir · 1 year

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Hi hello, I have nothing to gif, and I attended my fifth kpop this weekend, and thought I would rate/share my experiences for no reason other than maybe help others figure out the way of kpop concerts and etc BTS - 9/10 I attended their “love yourself world tour” in Berlin in 2018, I travelled to Berlin from my country (Denmark) to attend the concert. The ticketing experience to bts is a nightmare, even back in 2018 - I still don’t know how we managed to get tickets, because everything was sold out in minutes. I’ve heard it’s even worse now. The cueing for bts outside the arena and merch is an even bigger nightmare, I don’t know if Mercedez Benz Arena has fixed their “we let everyone in the seated areas through the same ten doors) issue but the line was so long it wrapped around the buildings and we only got in like twenty minutes before start, I didn’t go for merch but my friend I travelled with did and she stood in line from six in the morning till four in the afternoon and she got none of the things she wanted and only got a small keychain with a members name on (not even one of her biases), I hope bighit/hybe fixed the merch hell. The concert itself though!! Sadly we were one of the ones affected by Jungkooks foot injury, so he was seated, but he slayed the vocals from his seated position and did little dances in his seat it was cute. The boys can dance though, have incredibly energy, and are so in sync, but I will say the one thing about bts when they go on stage is they are such a unit, when they interact with each other and in each others presence you can feel how much of a close relationship they have with each other and it really brings everything to the next level. I have no complaints to their performance at all, and will always recommend that anyone should go to a bts concert before they die because there is nothing like it. The only dislike I had (which will be a common theme with two other bands too) is that the translator was ofc german, which meant for a good portion of the concert (whenever there was talking) me and my friends had no clue what was going on. But this isn’t really something that brought down their performance or my overall view, it was just kind of like “ugh” not knowing what they were saying, but that comes with travelling to other countries to see concerts. Monsta X - 8/10

I can’t remember what this world tour was called, but it was the one in Berlin in 2019. I was a casual fan of them when I went in, and boy did I come out loving them and their performance energy. This concert also had absolute hell cueing outside the arena, I generally hope this has gotten better with the years and as the arena has held more kpop concert, but this one we got in an hour before even though the doors opened two hours before. Me and my friend wanted to get lightsticks at the concert, and they were sold out, and at first we thought they must have sold a lot then, but when we sat down in the arena ... no lie, so many people were without lightsticks, and it just seemed like the company had underestimated how many people needed lightsticks in the crowd. Major minus point to the company. HOWEVER, the boys were amazing! they had so much energy, their vocals and rap were 100% live (which bts were too, didn’t mention that, but you could clearly hear with both these bands that everything was live), I genuinly came out a bigger fan than when I entered and listened to their music so much afterwards, it was such a good experience and if they came to my country I would totally go see them again. This concert ofc also had the german translator, except for I.M who spoke in english, which again was like “ugh” but again not really something that affected my view of the group or their performance. Would totally recommend going to see them if you have the chance, you won’t regret it. Got7 - 4/10 Now, before I start I will say this was one of their last tour if not the last tour before they left JYP and I think that might have affected their creative vision of how they wanted this concert to look and sound like, and JB was also sick during this concert and left before it was over, so I think you should keep that in mind because I definitly think that affected a great part of why this concert didn’t work, for me atleast. I have been a casual fan of got7 since their debut, me and my friend who also saw monsta x, have listened to them since their debut and now a lot of their songs and also have seen a lot of variety content for got7, so we went in with higher expecations than we went in for Monsta x. But something just felt slightly off for this concert, the stage itself was kind of boring - they didn’t really have anything that set it apart visually form other concerts, it was mostly just screeneffects and then them. The mood also felt a little bit off, not like they didn’t wanna be there, but just it felt like it wasn’t like their prime that night and it might have been because their leader was sick for a big portion of the concert. Dancing wise they were amazing, vocal wise - though live and no backing track - they didn’t always sound as clear as monsta x and bts, but I think that could also just be circumstancial, I don’t think bts and monsta x have sounded perfect every day in their career, so. One of their vcr’s was a comedy bit, which is ofc on brand, but it was quite long and they had put on german subtitles for the berlin tour stop, which meant me and my friend spent a lot of very long minutes amongst laughing people not understanding what was going on at all, and the people around us we asked if they could translate just ignored us, which was quite rude. Overall just not the best concert experience for us, I probably wouldn’t go see them again, but I do think people should go see them and make their own judgement especially because I’m quite sure we might have just caught them on a bad day or year. I will also add that Bambam basically carried the energy of this concert, he has incredible crowd control and really knows how to interact with the crowd and make them laugh and have energy, and he’s not even my bias. Blackpink - 6/10 Now I saw blackpink in december in my home country, and there’s several points I wanna make. I don’t think Blackpink are bad performers, dancers or singers as some commenters on social media would make it out to be, but as someone who attended this tour I do think with the time in their hiatus ... this could have been better. Now first for plus sides of this concert experience, it was the first concert in my home country and it was just nice that I could go home afterwards and not to a hotel. Yg has their merchandise under control!! there was basically no cue, they had every size left even though me and my friend came very last minute when the doors opened. Blackpink had an entire section where they spend several minutes showcasing their dancers and band, letting them have the stage alone and I have never seen this at a concert before and I loved it and it really showed respect to the people they work with. They also had practiced several phrases in danish, which I also felt was so respectful to the country they were in and the people they were performing for. Their vcrs are amazing, beautiful and stunning and practically look like etherial perfume commercials. Rosé and Jennie were overpowering the backing track several times. Jennie and Lisa have incredible stage presence in terms of how they are in their facial expression, they really know to navigate that according to what song is being performed and what is being sung. Jisoo can dance!! she nailed that choreography for her solo performance, not just nailed it, she was incredible. Now for negatives: Let’s be honest, if ur going to a blackpink concert for choreography, ur in the wrong place. At most their choreographys is them swinging their arms around a lot, doing varies forms of catwalks whilst singing or rapping, and ocasionally you’ll get minimal footwork. They aren’t really a dancing choreography hard hitting group, and I think that’s fine and I think it’s time blinks admit that and just roll with what we get. For me I do think at times the girls could benefit from ditching the catwalking waving arm choreo for some of their b side tracks and just lets the dancers do their thing while sing and rap and be artists, I don’t really think they need to have choreo for all their songs, and sometimes it feels like they shove some easy choreo in their just to have it. Jennie’s solo is amazing, and I love the direction for it and the sound of it, BUT I do think it kind of sucks that you go out of the concert not being able to hear it (probably ever again bc lets face it yg aint releasing shit unless they really have to), where as had it been “solo” being performed u could go home and listen to it and repeat it, you can’t really do that with this. Jisoo not having her solo before this tour started, is criminal, yg had two years to get that out and I absolutely think that should have been a priority, because even if Jisoo nailed her liar performance it feels off that there are three bandmembers performing original work and then one member performing covers. I’m not the biggest fan of Lalisa and Money (mostly Lalisa, because I find it highly annoying that she says her own name over a 100 times, and I think she deserved a better solo than a song that just screams at you to say her name over and over again) but I will say they do really well in concert settings even if you don’t like them, HOWEVER, it did bother me during money how little Lisa had that microphone to her mouth, even when she wasn’t dancing - she practically threw out a phrase once in a blue moon, and I wished they instead would have said “okay this is a dance performance” and just put the mic down entirely and just had her go off with the background dancers, because it would have worked better and it just feels off when she only does half the lyrics. The girls are not good at crowd control during talks, at all, you can really tell they are all kind of shy people because a lot of the time they look at each other and you can tell they just hoping not to be the next one to talk. Jennie and Rosé talks most, probably because of the english, but i wish they would have put a translator on then so Lisa and Jisoo could have been freely speaking too. Yg needs to ditch that backing track for blackpink, it keeps coming back in every live event blackpink does and I hate it, they can perform perfectly fine without it and its annoying to hear the echoing of a backing track. I didn’t attend their first world tour, but I have the dvds from it, and I honestly like those better than this one, and i wish I had been on that one. But that being said, I am a blink forever at heart, and it’s always an experience to go see them, but I do think if you go on hiatus for two years planning an album and tour, I expect more from it. There are kpop groups who have a quarter of that time planning it, and money, and they manage to produce better staging and setup and concept. Ateez - 9/10 I was not a fan until I saw them on saturday in my home country. I had listened to a lot of their title tracks, because I’m the type to put on kpop playlists and find new tracks that way to listen to, but I didn’t really know their names or anything like that, went because my friend was a fan. But boy did they change my mind. First of all, this was the first group who did not!! have any solo or unit stages in between group stages, they were on stage all eight for the entire concert, and I think they basically only didn’t have choreography for a song or two, it was insane how much ENERGY they had! Jongho (I hope I am spelling his name correctly) is insane live, his vocals are beyond stable, and he is without a doubt the best kpop vocalist I have heard live. I also love that their choreographies seem to have a common theme to them, I called it “stumble choreography” to my friend in lack of better wording, but a lot of the choreographies have this theme of where they stumble to one side of the stage to another, and it just cool it kind of ties together. The entire section with the pirate ship as a graphic, where they mimicked stumbling on a boat each time the boat graphic moved was beyond cool. They all spoke english even though they clearly aren’t fluent, and I respect that!! the only time they used their translator was when one of the members cleared up something that didn’t come out right in english, otherwise they spoke entirely in english. I don’t a single complaint about this concert at all, and I think just like I said with bts, everyone should go see them once, they are incredible. also I would like to add at the end, most of my critique is mostly aimed at the company, I don’t think in most cases that kpop idols gets to have a lot of control or say in how they want things done, and I think that should be taken in consideration when critiquing a concept, album, music video or concert or anything that is being put out. Unless of course you are dealing with groups like bts who have had a lot of creative input to how they should like and sound and perform. for the end here are groups I really want to see life if they come to europe, so if you have experiences with them please tell me yours <3 : le sserafim, new jeans, shinee, exo, twice, seventeen, txt, gidle, nct 127 and as for solos, I really wanna see Taemin he’s very high on the list (but sm is allergic to europe)

#kpop #blackpink #monsta x #ateez #bts

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fiercestpurpose · 2 months

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Thoughts about music + cultural context

Been thinking about how cultural context really shapes how obscene or upsetting something is. Which is very obvious but. I listen to a lot of country music. A lot of country music is about drinking. And sometimes that bothers me, but a lot of the time I can slot it neatly into a cultural slot that has actually very little to do with my alcohol related trauma.

Like there are enough songs about “I’m drinking excessively to try and forget my girlfriend but it isn’t working” that that is a narrative. A song that fits into that narrative doesn’t have to be processed by me bc I already know what it says, so the alcohol part is in a sense already processed. But if I hear a different type of song reference excessive drinking and I can’t sort it as easily, I actually have to think about the message and I’m more likely to get upset, because it’s less familiar to me.

I also think about this with reference to rap music and sexuality. I think because I listen to less rap music, I am less familiar with the way sex is talked about in rap, so it comes across as more jarring and obscene than the way it is discussed in country music, even though it might not actually be any more blatant.

The racial aspect is obviously also present, but I think they compound each other. If you have a bunch of white country fans and they are already implicitly or explicitly biased against black people, they might view behavior from a black person as more explicit/obscene than they would the exact same behavior from a white person. But also, if these fans don’t listen to rap, then when a black rapper says something, the inherent bias against black people would combine with the listener’s lack of a framework to put it in. It seems obscene both bc it’s unfamiliar and bc it was said by a black person.

Started with the alcohol thing to illustrate that I don’t think it’s JUST about sex. Lots of things get talked about in different ways in different cultural contexts, whether that’s indie folk or blues or country or rap. But something can seem shockingly blatant just because it’s talked about differently from how you’re used to, even if it’s not actually more blatant.

#m.txt

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thisismewritingsstuff · 2 years

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I watched James Somerton's video essay about Young Royals after seeing Lisa's insta story. I've watched his videos from way back, so I was glad when I found out that he'd done a review of a show that I've come to really love.

The analysis was...interesting. I don't know if that's the right word, but it'll do. It was well structured and immersive, as his videos often tended to be, but while I did enjoy listening to it, this is one of the rare times where I found myself disagreeing with most of the points being made. Don't get me wrong, he made a lot of good points. I don't want it to get twisted and make it seem like I'm against the issues presented here because I'm most definitely not— but we'll get to that later.

Point is, I thought the review was rather reductive in a sense that it took one aspect of the show and decided to look at it through a narrow lens. It discussed the show in its most basic sense, presenting YR's world as this black-and-white setting. It was also rather biased towards its view of Wilhelm, while also completely reducing Simon's character into—using his own words—an "emotional support poor" when he's clearly more than that.

So let's get down to business, shall we? (Note: I'm writing this while at work and on the spot, so bear with me if it's kind of all over the place.)

The forbidden romance brought about by class divide is a trope that's been used a million times. Believe me, I'd know. I came from a country where all of the shows on TV had a plot revolving around a wealthy guy falling in love with a poor girl that his mother and another rich girl (that's always evil) may or may not torment. It's nothing new. It's been overused, done before. YR falls into the same trope, with Wilhelm being the wealthy guy and Simon the impoverished love interest in this scenario. But Wilhelm isn't just some random rich kid—he's also Sweden's crown prince. And that, I think, made the difference (which the review decided not to incorporate.)

While I do agree that media almost always portrayed wealthy characters as emotionally stunted due to cold detached parents and the poor characters as those with higher EQs caused by warm loving families (something that is not at all the case irl), the main root of Wilhelm's problem isn't wealth, but status. His gilded cage isn't made up of money, but of duty: as a royal, a crown prince, and most importantly and what I think is most damning, a public figure.

It would be easy to dismiss Wilhelm's problems as inconsequential, especially since we as viewers could never relate to being a royal, but that would be unfair to his character's purpose and journey. YR never tried to hide the fact that Wilhelm is privileged in every way, as it's reflected in both his words and actions.

Example: when he told Simon about the private tutoring lessons, he said it in an almost conspiratorial way, just some topic to get to talk to him. He had good intentions, but it was still upsetting to hear for someone like Simon who could not afford to pay for those (unfair) lessons. To Wilhelm, such a thing was normal, while for Simon, whose grades were directly tied to his opportunities, it was a punch to the gut. This disconnect was most evident during their fight at the Music Room, when Wilhelm was quick to scoff at Simon's drug dealing when he himself was guilty of using them. Although he said he did not want to put the blame on Simon, as was suggested by his peers (also note that Wilhelm aligned himself with them by saying "...and the guys think we should let you take the fall"), he did heavily imply that he was to be removed from this, that the situation was riskier for him because it would damage his reputation, family, and image.

Does that excuse his actions? No, but it does put it into perspective. Privilege had always been in Wilhelm's life, so the only way of living he's ever known is one that moves according to its hold. He does this unknowingly, sure, yet all the same it's there. It controls him the same way the institution that bestowed it upon him does. Fvck the monarchy

And that had always been the issue, wasn't it? Wilhelm's life was never his own. He won't get to live as a 'normal' person. The people would always be interested in his affairs and he'll always have to give a piece of himself to them. That's the price he had to pay for all the privilege that came with his title.

Wilhelm could never be himself—I don't think he even knows who he is, really—because one wrong move could trigger a chain reaction of negative press, only contributing more to his anxiety. Is this a "first-world problem", as the internet liked to jokingly call it nowadays? Yes, but not quite. While this type of dilemma is unique to persons with Wilhelm's status, the themes of societal and familial pressure, grief, and being lost and confused in your teen years, are universal. There's no set guidelines for what situations can be considered deserving of our empathy or not; we don't get to judge people on what makes them sad.

When I was a kid, I couldn't help but resent well-off friends of mine who got depressed, because as someone whose parents had to work over more than 12 hours every day just to make ends meet, I thought, "how could you, whose life never seemed to lack for anything, dare feel down?" But as I grew up, I learned that it wasn't a choice, that sadness and grief and paranoia didn't discriminate with its victims. Everyone's feelings are valid.

It's easy to get lost in the resentment and to be dismissive of someone else's trauma, but tragedy isn't a competition. There's no point in comparing baggage because everyone has different circumstances, and at the end there are no winners here.

Wilhelm's entire character arc was leading to his realization that the institution he'd chosen over someone he loves doesn't care about him, and it's time for him to take command of his own life. The thing is, up until that point, Wilhelm never had a say in his life, contrary to Simon's accusation that everything was on his terms. Wilhelm was moving in a limited capacity, trying to find compromises where he could, and even that's a hard task to do. Him wanting to continue the relationship even in secret (which was completely unfair to Simon and he was right to reject) was him trying to reconcile what he wanted vs what the monarchy would tolerate. But then again, even if Simon did agree, would that truly make them happy? Simon was right when he said that Wilhelm had to figure out what he wants, like what he really wants. Because while Wilhelm can't see it yet, a relationship with Simon is just one aspect of the thing he's truly craving for: a life where he can act, speak, and love freely.

Which led me to my next point: Simon is, and never was, Wilhelm's emotional crutch. While Simon does help a lot in regard to Wilhelm's anxiety and overall mental health, he never thought of him as the solution, nor expected him to be the one-all fix to his problems. One of the things I loved the most about their relationship was the amount of communication between them. Sure, they fight and walk out and may be prone to petty remarks as teenagers often are, but they make sure to address their issues right away and give constant updates. No one's kept in the dark when it came to matters concerning them both.

Their social standing is something they both can't ignore, but when they interact it barely matters. When Simon stands his ground, as seen in the Music Room Fight and the Break Up Scene that hurt me a lot, Wilhelm doesn't force him to stay or demand anything, because he's under no delusion about his title. He knows Simon doesn't give two shits about him being prince.

I agree that YR is a modern retelling of the classic prince/princess x pauper story, but only to a certain extent. Something like YR, which presents a narrative that is pretty simple and straightforward, could have easily been a mediocre piece of media if handled incorrectly. However, the creators of the show does a good job of taking common tropes and cliches then completely turning them around their heads. It isn't ambitious, but it is genuine in its delivery. It cares about its characters and manages to make them fleshed out enough—a feat for a series that only consists of six episodes—for us to stay with them.

Simon is no exception. He's written like the typical fairy tale love interest: he's poor, loves and takes care of his family, smart, and dreams of going beyond the confines of his town. But he's also outspoken and sassy, can lose his temper and resort to violence, makes stupid decisions that land him on hot water. It's those things and the little details they add, like always eating clementines and having close childhood friends, that makes him feel real and a person that exists outside of Wilhelm's character.

He has an entire storyline of his own that doesn't intersect with Wilhelm's. His interactions with his father are some of my favorite scenes in the series. I wish we could have seen more of Simon's story, but I suppose it would be difficult to fit in everything in six episodes, and Wilhelm is the main protagonist. Still, from what we've seen so far, you could tell that Simon has mix feelings of anger, shame, and resentment towards his father. He's not a bleeding heart, and he doesn't have to be. He's very much flawed, but that's what makes him a compelling character in his own right.

I could see why they'd think Simon was perfectly shaped to fit the poor-love-interest character type, one that showed, to quote, "emptier bank accounts, fuller hearts", but that was because Simon was never ashamed of their social standing unlike his sister Sara.

Sara's character and storyline was the antithesis to this idea. Her insecurities stems from being poor. The emptiness in her could only be satisfied by climbing the social ladder; her actions were slowly building up to this and culminated in her betraying her own brother for a chance to be a boarder at Hillerska.

The scenes with Simon's family are uncomfortable to watch sometimes, because I've been there. I know the feeling of not being able to afford a more expensive, better quality brand like Sara had wanted with her jodhpur, of feeling inferior in a school that caters to rich children (I studied at a private school on scholarship I am Simon) and feeling like a desperate person when asking after someone you know is at a better place than you.

I disagree that YR romanticizes poverty and forces us to empathize with the wealthy. I think it's because Simon's life, where he's living in a somewhat nice house and a present single mother, isn't the picture of poverty we have in mind, so we never really gave much thought to how his social class impacts his daily life. I've done some research and while Sweden is not perfect, their services is leagues above my country where there's not even something you can officially call middle class because there's such a huge disparity between the rich and poor. But the experiences are something that we collectively share, and I do think that YR did a good job showing the problems brought about by Simon and Wilhelm's social standings.

(Omg I didn't think it would be this long. If you read it until the end, THANK YOU. This is just me being really bored at work and deciding to write this down rather than actually checking my emails. Sorry for this and when will we get some yr content, I'm starving. Lisa, give Omar his phone 😭.)

#young royals #prince wilhelm #simon young royals #wilhelm x simon #sorry for the rant #is this a rant?#Analysis sounds formal I'm no professional #I'm just a fan with opinions

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zeta-in-de-walls · 3 years

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Tommy and the role of ‘hero’

Hey, this little essay is discussing how Tommy’s character has struggled with being called a hero and hows it’s been a significant part of his character arc for Season 2 of the SMP. It’s not a title he ever gave himself yet it’s a title he’s burdened with all the same.

Funnily enough, I don’t recall Tommy ever being called a hero before Technoblade’s damning speech on Nov 16th, where he compared Tommy to Theseus.

Tommy you just did a coup. You just did a hostile Government takeover and then immediately instilled yourself as President. And then you gave it to your friend but that’s still a tyrant Tommy.

But the thing about this world Tommy, is that good things don’t happen to heroes. Let me tell you a story Tommy, a story of a man called Theseus. His country, well his City-State technically, was in danger and he sent himself forward into enemy lines. He slayed the Minotaur and saved his city. You know what they did to him Tommy? (”What did they do?”) They exiled him. He died in disgrace, despised by his people. That’s what happens to heroes Tommy. The Greeks knew the score. But if you want to be a hero Tommy, that’s fine.

Do you want to be a hero, Tommy? Then die like one!

Technoblade’s speech is a frustrating one at first. It begins by essentially calling Tommy a power hungry tyrant despite that being far from the truth - Wilbur was the one who formed the Government and Tommy rejected power. He trusted it to Wilbur who then chose Tubbo. Schlatt wasn’t even killed by Tommy, he died of a heart attack after being abandoned by every one of his allies so it wasn’t even really much of a takeover at all and it wasn’t Tommy. Yet this speech was entirely directed at Tommy.

But the latter half is different, accusing Tommy instead of trying to be a hero who thinks he’s saving the world and that he’s doomed to have a bad end. It’s interesting as never has Tommy claimed to be much of a hero. Tommy’s always just fought for the things he cared about. Indeed his response to Techno’s speech suggests the same.

“I’m not the hero. No one’s the hero! We’ve got L’Manburg for each other.”

But of course, Techno’s words stick with him all the same. Particularly the bit about a tragic end as Tommy becomes very, very aware of his own mortality in the arcs that follow. To Techno, a hero seems to be a naive figure who tries to do good but is destined for failure and tragedy.

But there’s another path Tommy fears even more. One that he’s witnessed firsthand. Becoming the villain.

Let’s be the bad guys. Tommy, why not? Our nation’s gone. our nation’s far behind us, Tommy. Let’s blow that motherf*cker to smithereens. Tommy, I say if we can’t have Manburg, no one - no one can have Manburg! ...L’Manburg.

This is a new era! We burn the place to the f*ckin ground, I want no crops to grow there ever again. I want f*ckin mycelium and cobblestone, it all covered, Tommy. I want it all gone!

Tommy, let’s be villains.

Wilbur was Tommy’s hero. He loved Wilbur dearly and wanted nothing more than to be a good right-hand to him and make him proud. But when they lost L’Manburg and were banished, Tommy saw Wilbur changing, saw him giving up home and deciding he’d rather destroy the thing they’d worked for and blow it all up. After Wilbur made this speech, Tommy argued, making it clear he was entirely against his plans. Even saying that it wasn’t the moral thing to do. He said not to give up hope, that everyone wasn’t against them and that Wilbur’s ideas were reckless. But he stayed with Wilbur and continued to support him, hoping that he could convince him to change his mind. Tommy failed. And Wilbur died.

So, the Tommy at the start of S2 just wants to go back to his old life, a simpler time where he doesn’t have to worry about L’Manburg anymore as it’s in safe hands and he can focus on his personal concerns once more - like his music discs. He doesn’t want to be a hero or a villain, he merely wants to be happy again in a world without Wilbur.

But there’s someone else watching him. Dream.

I think it’s no coincidence that Dream wanted Tommy exiled by his own people. I think he was deliberately trying to make Techno’s speech into a reality. Dream had become rather obsessed with Tommy and treated all their interactions like a fun game where he played the villain and Tommy, the hero. It’s not a narrative Tommy himself liked but all he could do was play along.

Dream had him exiled and this seriously pushed Tommy to his limits. On the first day, Techno briefly visited and asked him why he was still trying and he answered that he always gets back up and he would keep on fighting Dream. But as his exile progressed he slowly lost his will to fight. Slowly Tommy stopped believing that his exile would ever come to an end and that people still cared.

In exile Tommy had a lot of time for reflection. Here’s something Tommy says days into his exile when he’s begun to lose all hope and is starting to accept that maybe Dream’s his only friend.

Everyone always tells me I was the- the hero of this server. The one that came and f*ckin fought Dream - the only one that ever spoke back to him. But maybe I was just... maybe this was just meant to be.

Tommy’s got complicated feelings about being a hero. To him it means standing up to Dream, never giving up - that’s what he believed people expected of him. But in his exile, he began to give in to Dream. He begins to express how no one cares and that the only reason they ever pretended to care was when he had status - when he was part of L’Manburg. There’s this implication that he felt like people only cared about him when he was being the selfless hero. When he was trying to be selfish for once, causing trouble like he used to and wanting to focus on his personal disc war rather than on L’Manburg, he got exiled. (Of course, this is Tommy’s biased perspective not how others actually viewed him.)

Tommy eventually escaped his exile, finding renewed courage to fight against Dream. Except, he’s still scared and uncertain and feels confused about Dream. He feels lost and clings onto Technoblade for support.

With Technoblade, Tommy starts to feel more like himself - but Techno also influences Tommy, turning him more against his friends. (I think Techno’s character genuinely thought they didn’t truly care about Tommy, likely not realising how much they had also been manipulated by Dream.) Technoblade gently encourages Tommy to be more violent and wants him to help blow up L’Manburg.

This is where Tommy’s fear about becoming more like Wilbur come into play. Tommy did not want to become a bad guy - he’d had nightmares about it even. But in his time with Technoblade, after how helpless he’d been during his exile, being given some power lead Tommy to start lashing out more violently, he began to get more aggressive - alarmingly so even. Technoblade’s path was one of revenge, dealing with his own pain by causing others to suffer (for noble goals, fighting corruption etc I don’t want to get sidetracked though this is about Tommy). Technoblade’s presence was helpful to Tommy, helping him to get over much of his fear but he still lacked in agency and still felt lonely knowing he hadn’t made up with his friends.

Tommy finally came to his senses at the festival, where he realised he was fighting his best friend and putting his personal attachments - his discs - over Tubbo. And that was wrong. He realised he was becoming just the sort of person he didn’t want to be - he had been on the path to becoming like Wilbur. And he rejected that path. He wasn’t going to be a bad guy. Just because he was hurt didn’t justify hurting others. So he reconciled and once more committed to protecting L’Manburg, having put his personal desires aside. It seemed like he’d put himself into the role of selfless hero yet again.

And he failed. Again.

Dream tells him how it was a fun game to him. And how their story was not over. Tommy though, had become extremely tired of it. He didn’t want to play Dream’s game.

They meet up again. And again, Dream talks to Tommy like he’s important - like he’s the key to everything. He wants Tommy to play the role of hero and has been manipulating events for a long time to keep pushing him, to keep taking things from him. Being a hero, which Dream believes Tommy wants, simply means playing along with Dream’s narrative.

Tommy, you want to be a hero, right? You want to be the hero of the server. And every hero needs an origin story, right? Batman had his parents, Spiderman had uncle Ben, you have Tubbo, right?

In the end, Tommy refuses to play Dream’s game anymore though. He called for help and got saved by everyone else. Then he killed Dream twice and had him locked away for good.

And once more, Tommy decided to do things for himself again. He decided to live peacefully, working on a project, talking to various people on the server and trying to avoid making waves and getting into any more conflict. It’s a good end.

He rejected Wilbur’s path and he defied Technoblade’s predictions and he didn’t lose his best friend to Dream. And now Tommy’s trying to avoid playing the role of hero anymore. It’s not a title he ever gave himself but one thrust upon him. Yet it’s one he’s keenly aware of. And one that, despite everything, he can fulfil.

Tommy’s arc has been in some respects about defying the expectations of others - but he also can’t help but fight for the things he loves. He realises his troubles were not that his friends didn’t care or that he had to play a role but that his life was being controlled by Dream and now he’s free of that. No longer is he so weighed down by expectations but when there is a sufficiently threatening enemy, he has not lost his determination to challenge it.

#tommyinnit #meta #analysis #uh feel like i didn't have a great conclusion #anyway i love tommy's character #and his arc has been great this season #i especially appreciated how the exile arc really showed another side to his character #and dream's a great antagonist #driving much of this conflict #dream smp #exile arc #i didn't really talk much about love and attachments which are also impornant to understanding his character this season #and also his grief and thoughts on death #anyway this is about tommy not techno or dream or wilbur so i'm not analysing their actions except in regards to how they affected tommy #but feel free to add or correct me on anything #cheers!#the disc war

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beyond-far-horizons · 4 years

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Analysing the Zutara Cave Scene from a Writing and Psychological perspective

Forgive me, I’m an enthusiastic newbie to the ATLA fandom and Zutara (mainly because I knew the ship was perfect for me but was not canon and so I held off watching it for years.) So I know you’ve heard it all before but I wanted to break down this famous scene in more depth from my background as both a writer and a student of psychology. It’s also important since the age old ship wars are being resurrected (which I want no part of) and Zutara and this scene has been looked down on and belittled from some quarters.

Warning - Wall of Text TM incoming!

The main thing that gets most people is these mortal enemies going from hating each other to being open and vulnerable in about five minutes of screen time. I get the impression more time and therefore more conversation has gone on off screen, but it’s amazing that Katara goes from tirade at the literal face of the Fire Nation (a country whose plagued her people and killed her mother, and Zuko himself who has hunted her and her friends, captured her at least twice and has had several intense fights with her)

to tenderly touching Zuko’s face and “let me use our one of its kind Holy Water TM to maybe heal your face.”

Also as others have pointed out Zuko lets this ‘peasant’ (who defeated him, wounded his pride and foiled his lifelong goal several times) touch his scar when he doesn’t let anyone else do that at this point, even girls he’s been close to.

I doubt many Zutara shippers think this happened because the two suddenly decided the other was hot, even though there might be an unconscious physical attraction under all the animosity. But no-one can deny the writers were trying to show a shared connection that makes them open up to each other. That to me makes the relationship much deeper whether it’s platonic or romantic.

Katara, despite her understandable rage at Zuko, is surprisingly open to forgiving and helping him as soon as he -

a) mentions they have something in common - the Fire Nation being responsible in some way for the loss of their mothers.

b) his resolution to make his own destiny and overcome his difficult past associated with the scar.

I just love this about her character. She’s passionate, feisty and full of integrity but she can’t stop herself wanting to help make things better, even to one of her worst enemies. Her compassion is such a strength and it comes out even more when she realises she’s accidentally hurt his feelings re his face.

Zuko in turn is softer with her than I’ve ever seen him with others, even Iroh most of the time. He doesn’t get angry or even really defensive and he opens up about his mother for the first time. Extraordinary considering he’s talking to an enemy.

But this isn’t the first time he’s tried to win Katara over against his normal combative persona. When he captured her in Ep 9 you’d expect him to threaten her, especially surrounded by his men and bloodthirsty pirates. Instead he asks for her understanding and tells her (the little peasant and enemy of the Fire Nation) about his lost honour.

He then goes momentarily into full skeevy villain mode (which I loved) and offers her necklace back by placing it round her neck. (As an aside, yes this was totally the wrong tactic considering it was her mother’s who the Fire Nation killed, but I do love that he unknowingly offered her a Water Tribe betrothal necklace.)

Analysing it more deeply from a writing and psychology perspective, I’d say Katara represents the integrity and vulnerability that is at the core of Zuko’s character - the thing that got him that scar and banishment from his warlike family.

The same side he struggles with and that Iroh tries to heal and encourage within him. It’s masterly from a writing POV that they brought this mirror up and allowed Zuko to connect and own this aspect of himself again briefly before Azula (the opposite representation and Zuko’s ‘shadow’) literally crashes the party. This is truly his ‘crossroads of destiny’, raising the stakes and therefore making us - the audience - ache all the more when Zuko makes the wrong but understandable decision to choose Azula and his family’s version of him and betray not just Katara but Iroh too (dat angst.)

(As an aside look at the framing of the above shot. They do this alot showing him literally caught between two sides. In the previous scene with Azula and Iroh, they show both the unscarred and then scarred profile of Zuko to show the ‘two sides of him’ symbolically represented by Azula and Iroh.)

Two sides, Fire and Water, the battle of opposites and the bringing of balance is of course the core of ATLA, and Zuko and Katara’s fraught relationship sums this theme up perfectly. Another reason so many still ship them and feel aggrieved by the non-canon ending.

I think Zuko is so wounded by Katara’s refusal to forgive him and so determined to earn that forgiveness is because she represents his true ‘honour’ - the right way to be - to fight for balance and justice with integrity no matter what. Thus he must make amends to her, not just as someone he has wronged, but as the mirror of that aspect in himself.

Thematically this is tied up beautifully in him asking her to join him to defeat Azula in the final season and them working together to do so.

(As another aside, the theme of balance and Yin and Yang is also mirrored in Zuko and Katara’s relationship and character development. At the start Katara is the caring, altruistic almost motherly sort and Zuko is the angry, aggressive pursuer. However like Yin and Yang that contain an aspect of the other within them, whenever Katara meets Zuko she becomes more aggressive and is allowed to process her grief and anger, unlike with her friends. Zuko, in turn is often softened by her, reawakening his compassion and deeper feelings. Yes these aspects are also fostered by others, but Season 3 highlights this dynamic to Zutara allowing Katara to address her anger and Zuko to practice caregiving and support.)

Coming back to the Cave Scene - the most poignant part for me isn’t actually the face touch (even though I love it). It’s the final glance between them as Katara and Aang leave. Katara looks back worried, it’s as if she can sense the threshold Zuko is on and feels torn between staying and supporting him and her duty to Aang. I feel if they had had more time together Azula would have had less chance to turn Zuko.

He looks back at her softly and there’s a beautiful musical cue, hinting at things unsaid and unfinished, she gives him a final lingering glance, still anxious, then goes.

We all know what happens next.

Conclusion

Looking at this from a purely plot point of view it -

raises the emotional stakes and therefore make Zuko’s betrayal hurt worse.

Sets up Zuko knowing about Katara’s healing abilities and Spirit Water so he knows there is a possibility the Avatar could be saved. This all plays into the shenanigans of Book 3, letting Zuko go back to the Fire Nation, Azula giving him the credit and then letting down her father etc.

Giving Zuko more character development work to earn everyone’s trust esp Katara’s when he finally makes the right choice.

However I’m surprised that Bryke didn’t realise how this episode would look to the eyes of most fans esp Zutarians. Yes you could say it’s hetero-normative and why can’t they be just platonic etc but it was the Noughties, it’s a kids show and they are blatantly playing into those well known tropes - Zuko’s previous verging-on flirtatious treatment of Katara, his uncharacteristic softness and openness with her, her touching his scar, the music, their lingering glances, Aang’s jealous look (you could argue it was animosity towards his enemy but while we get this from Zuko, it is definitely played as suspicion about a potential rival so close to ‘his girl’ from Aang’s side.)

Ultimately the writers didn’t choose the romantic route, which I feel is a real shame and missed opportunity because of the depth of feeling and potential there. But what I really resent is when people act like Zutarians were stupid and/or biased for seeing and loving that potential. I hope this analysis has shown that the romantic subtext was strong (and much more believable for me than with Katara and Aang) and in line with the core themes of ATLA itself. This also refutes the suggestion that Zutara was somehow dark, toxic or shallow cos ‘he’s a bad boy’ or something.

Zuko was owning his own struggles, emotions and destiny in this scene, it’s why Katara finally opens up to him. She doesn’t have to ‘do the work for him’, but she supports him in it as he supports her later on when he earns her forgiveness. And that’s why I love it!

Thank you for coming to my TED talk...

#zutara #zuko #katara #atla #avatar the last airbender #meta #my meta #my writing #long post is long #wall of text tm #anti-kataang #better put that in there even though I don't really go into the rival ship #antis please don't interact I respect your right to ship let's be civil

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phoebe-delia · 3 years

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If you had to make a jukebox musical with Taylor songs, what three would have to be on the playlist?

Tee, thank you for what is truly the greatest ask I think I've ever gotten. Truly I cannot think of a question I'd rather answer.

Because I am a little bit insane obsessed with both Taylor and musicals, I think I will have to answer this question in two different ways. Because if this is a jukebox musical, is it about Taylor's life à la "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical" or is it like "Mamma Mia" where it's all her songs but the plot has nothing to do with her?

So, I will answer both scenarios because as established I am batshit a big fan.

First, if there were to be a musical about Taylor's life using her songs, it would have to represent her career, right? It would have to cover her different eras and greatest hits while still being true to her journey as a person and artist.

So, that being said, here are the three most important songs that I think would have to be in that musical (in chronological order of where they would happen in the show):

1. "You Belong With Me" (represents when Taylor really broke out, has the kind of pining country song she was known for)

2. "Blank Space" (a great start to her calling out the media as she would during rep, but it also combines the specific element of slut-shaming that rep doesn't discuss as much)

3. "Daylight" (shows her transition in how she views love, and how Joe has become so important to her)

Now, as for a musical that has its own plot that has nothing to do with her life, there are obviously a variety of directions this could go. I won't spend time trying to create a jukebox musical with a plot out of just her songs, although I would if given the chance, but for this part, I will simply list the three songs that I think would make for great additions to a jukebox musical, not necessarily all in the same show. They just give me musical vibes. This part is in no particular order.

1. "Haunted" (which makes sense since she said the whole Speak Now album was inspired by broadway)

2. "All Too Well" (Yes, I'm biased, but this is some of her best songwriting, so how could it not be on this list? Also it would make for a great power ballad, like "She Used To Be Mine" or "Burn.")

3. "exile" (GOD this duet would be great for the stage. Imagine the drama! The incredible blocking for this scene! The arrangement with the orchestra and their voices!! This would be incredible).

Tee, I want to thank you again so much for asking this and making my day. I loved answering it and I hope you had as much fun reading my rambling as I did writing it.

Please send in your asks! My pinned post has some questions for inspiration if you want ideas. <3

#taylor swift #musicals #broadway #ama #ask box #musical theater #swifties #swiftie

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shmegmilton · 4 years

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Can you explain how Aaron and Alexander stopped being friends and started fighting?

They were never really ‘friends.’ I assume you got that idea from the play, but I have no idea why the play tried to push that narrative. Civil? Sure, but that was necessary. New York was less than 50,000 people at the time, and they were both accomplished lawyers & statesmen who had to work and interact with each other on a daily basis. Politics is politics, look at how people are acting right now during our election.

As for your question, it’s a long line of policy & personal disagreements, mostly. They were on opposite sides of the aisle on pretty much everything. Lots of small things, but a lot of big, BIG things.

Burr was (ironically) kind of a pacifist; he kept mostly to himself, didn’t really speak much publicly & didn’t necessarily go out of his way to confront people unless he’s been pushed long enough (everyone ‘snaps’ at some point, y’know?)

But that’s why the ‘Burr is an evil mastermind’ myth is so pervasive today. Burr just… didn’t bother defending himself, or correcting anything, because he (mistakingly) had faith in the inherent goodness of people that someday people would see him for his true character. So for that reason, we don’t really have a good timeline from Burr’s perspective as to how he felt about Hamilton—but BOY howdy did Hamilton never shut up about Burr.

----

Trespass & Confiscation Acts (1782ish)

During the Revolution, the British confiscated the property of patriots that fled the city. New York did the same thing, & for a while it was this game of: ‘Oh, you’re gonna take my stuff? **draws a line in the dirt** Well, everything behind this line is mine now.” It was all very bad, and after the way Tories & Loyalists faced a lot of honestly very fucked up discrimination & forfeiture of their rights. Hamilton (like most Federalists) was pro-British, so he represented a lot of these people in court. I’m sure it wasn’t purely out of the goodness of his heart--most of his clients were loaded--but the sentiment is there. On the other hand, there are multiple records of Burr buying up property around this time, most likely confiscated Tory property, which he would usually flip or give away to people that he knew, so he was taking full advantage of this. Burr also, most likely, went head-to-head with Hamilton on a few of these cases, because Burr tended to work with the ‘common folk.’

French Revolution (1789ish to 1799ish) & Proclamation of Neutrality (1793)

Burr (like most Democratic-Republicans) was pro-French, so much so that he took in French refugees fleeing the Revolution into his home. He was very sympathetic to the cause.Hamilton was not. He basically saw it the same way that right-wing Conservatives see the Black Lives Matter movement is the best way I can explain it. He also hated it for the amount of immigrants that were now fleeing to the U.S.

Burr Gets Chosen For NY Senate (1791)

Key word: chosen. As in, he didn’t actually run. That wasn’t how politics worked back then. The Hamilton musical just fucking lied outright about that, let’s be clear. He also never switched parties. Ever. Back then you were nominated by the people who were already in government--usually by one of the powerful families like the Clintons or the Livingstons, or yada yada. So Burr didn’t actually do anything. He didn’t even really want the position either, if I recall. But back then if you were ‘called to serve,’ you were obligated to do it. Hamilton was furious either way because it meant that Burr was replacing his father-in-law, Phillip Schuyler, meaning that he wouldn’t have that extra ear in government that he wanted. Burr also had a lot of views that were considered ‘extreme’ at the time, like getting extra rights for women, immigrants & black people, but I have no idea what Hamilton thought of those individual policies other than he just didn’t like women, immigrants or black people.

1792 & 1796 Presidential Election

Burr wasn’t really that serious about either of these elections, I don’t think (in ’92 he wasn’t that well-known & barely got any support, but it’s worth noting the fact he was nominated to run at all was really impressive. He’s tied with William Jennings Bryan as being one of the youngest people to ever receive an electoral vote, at 36 years old.) In ’96 he faired a little better—he got 30 votes, which is nearly half of what you need to get the ticket nomination, also very impressive.Hamilton was super staunchly opposed to both of these runs, though, and did his typical Hamilton thing of openly campaigning about how the people shouldn’t vote for Burr, yada yada.

Jay Treaty (1794)

I highly suggest looking up supplemental information on this because it’s a bit complicated, but it was basically a treaty between us and Great Britain to reaffirm that we were going to continue to not mess with France, as well as a couple of other weird hang-ups. It was not popular, at all, especially with the Demo-Republicans. There is a specific instance (that is actually kind of insane) where Hamilton gave a public speech in defense of it, and the Democratic-Republicans in the crowd started pelting him & the other Federalists with rocks. Hamilton got SO mad that immediately challenged a man to a duel, and threatened to fight each of the Democratic-Republicans one-by-one.

Reynolds Affair (1797)

Burr had a personal relationship with Maria Reynolds; he was her divorce attorney in 1793/1794, helped her out financially, & successfully petitioned (+paid for) her daughter Susan to attend a boarding school. I believe they also stayed in his him with him during the divorce proceedings, but don’t quote me on that. He never said anything publicly that I could find, but Burr probably had a personal investment in the Reynolds Pamphlet, since it painted Maria in a really damaging light.

Alien & Sedition Acts (1798)

These were some of the most worst laws ever passed in the history of the country. Like, these were AWFUL. It not only limited immigration, but it limited the freedom of the press and freedom of speech (ESPECIALLY immigrants, my god.)

Burr was right on the front lines helping defend people in court, he actively opposed it & is probably the thing that propelled him into Jefferson’s orbit as a potential Vice President.

John Barker Church Duel (1797)

John Barker Church had accused Burr of taking bribes (which was unfounded & untrue) and they ended up dueling. JBC was the husband of Angelica Schuyler, Hamilton’s sister-in-law.

Neither was injured (though, JBC apparently put a hole in Burr’s coat), but it supposed infuriated Hamilton & his associates so much that they would send out fake letters “from Burr” challenging people to duels.

The Manhattan Company (1799)

Burr was getting sick of the difficulty he was having getting loans from the Federalist-run banks and decided to do something about it. There had been several seasonal epidemics of yellow fever—caused by mosquitos but, at the time, it was thought to be caused by improperly treated water, miasma (‘bad air’) or (if you asked Hamilton) stinky evil immigrant refuges who were fleeing France and Haiti. Burr saw this and spearheaded a campaign to get a proper water treatment plant, even getting Hamilton to help him. Through some really weird loophole that I don’t quite understand, Burr was somehow allowed to use the ‘surplus capital’ for banking, which essentially turned it into a bank. The actual water treatment portion of the company was plagued with problems due to improper management and things like that. We’ll never know his exact thought process on this (people normally assume it was malicious trickery because people are biased to hate Burr anyway) & I highly doubt that Burr knew the extent of the issues (he was on the Board of Directors, but so were a dozen others--INCLUDING John Barker Church) so I don’t entirely think it’s his fault, but the fact of the matter is that it most likely exacerbated the existing problems & indirectly led to more people getting sick/dying until they finally fixed the problems.I would say that it’s completely justifiable for Hamilton to be mad at Burr, but, as we established, Hamilton hated both poor people & immigrants (two groups most likely affected by this) so he wasn’t actually mad at him for the reason a… y’know, a normal person would be mad at him. He was mad at him because Burr destroyed the monopoly that Federalists had on banks, making it easier for Democratic-Republicans & others to get loans. He was literally mad at him for making the economy fair.

1800 Election & 1804 NY Governor Election

These two are self-explanatory, I think, and I’ve already been writing way too long, lol. My hand hurts.

#Aaron Burr #Alexander Hamilton #Hamilton #AmRev #History #American Revolution #Long Post #Anecdotes #THIS TOOK SO LOOOOONG

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nctinfo · 4 years

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[TRANS] Chenle & Jisung’s interview with ELLE June 2020 issue!

It's the first time for Chenle and Jisung to do a magazine shoot together. Both of you seemed to have given your fans spoilers ahead of the shoot. Jisung: Really, the time went by so fast. Rather than a shoot, it felt more like I was just playing around with Chenle. Chenle: <ELLE> is a magazine known by many people. I've known it since long-ago too. So I was even more excited about the shoot. Jisung: Me too! Ah, but how old is <ELLE>? 28th anniversary this year? Wow...

We are much older than you two, aren't we? Is this year your 5th summer together? Jisung: We've known each other since 2016, so yes, that's right. Chenle: We should stop seeing each other (laughs).

Although you get along as friends [same-aged friends], Chenle is in fact born in November 2001. He is one year older than Jisung who was born in February 2002. What was the reason to become friends [to drop formalities]? Chenle: Our birthdays are only two and a half months apart, and since we get along so well, I felt like there was no need for formalities [a hyung/dongsaeng relationship]. Of course, I regret having made that decision now. I mean it. (laughs). Jisung: I jokingly said, "Can't we just be friends?" but he took it seriously. Thanks to this, we can now comfortably talk with each other like this. Chenle: It's definitely more comfortable. In Shanghai, where I grew up, we don't mind much if there's a one or two year difference. And since the NCT team has a lot of members from overseas, the atmosphere is a bit more open.

Still, it must have felt weird to see your friend Chenle become a legal adult a year earlier than you. Jisung: I've seen the older members of NCT DREAM become adults one after another so I felt relatively indifferent. It's not like people suddenly change when they turn 20 years old. But, since we all debuted as teenagers, it is kinda weird that I'm the only minor left now.

How did the YouTube content 'ChenJi's This and That', that you two do together, start? Jisung calls it 'JiChen's That and This'. Jisung: Thank you for acknowledging it (laughs). It started from the thought that it would be great to make content that uses the advantage of us two who are like real friends. We make gifts for the members, stack dominoes, and also make menus that are popular on SNS Chenle: Although we also bring up ideas here and there, the staff ideas are always more fun. Ah, it was our idea to visit my home in Shanghai.

Chenle went to a lot of rides alone at the amusement park right. Chenle: He says he is too scared to go on rides that are hard, but thinks rides that are easy are lame. Isn't it really funny? Jisung: The easy ones don't look cool (laughs).

You just finished the promotions of your 4th mini album <Reload>. You have achieved many good results such as ranking first in the domestic music chart and music shows, ranking first on iTunes in 51 countries, and selling over 500k albums. How do you feel looking back? Jisung: I always have regrets whenever we finish promotions. Even though I have worked hard and had fun, when I look back, I feel like I could do better? Chenle: I'm completely the opposite. When the album promotions finish, I think 'It was really fun this time again, I'm satisfied!' I think especially for 'Ridin'' the stage was very exciting, and it was even better because I had fun with the members.

'Beyond Live', a live-streamed concert and video call fan signings are promotions that were not imaginable last year. Jisung: I'm glad that we can do something, but it's a shame we can't meet the fans in person. Chenle: It was a new and very exciting experience. Although it was through a video, you could clearly hear the voices and see the faces of the fans like this.

You also performed solo stages on ‘Beyond Live’ Chenle: I prepared our song 'Best Friend' on the piano, but the staff made the stage really cool. On the stage the moon was floating over the sea, it was very pretty and I'm really grateful and satisfied Jisung: I danced but I don't think it was to the extent of 'Awesome~ I did a great job!'.

With you two being the youngest out of NCT’s teenage team NCT DREAM, your growth is bound to be the most impactful. You must be surprised when you watch videos of when you just debuted. Chenle: Actually, as soon as we met today, Jisung had watched an old video of mine and said 'You were so cute back then but why are you like this now?'. Jisung: It was videos of him during promotion interviews for our debut song 'Chewing Gum' and 'My First and Last', and he was so cute. It was also when Chenle hadn't been in Korea for that long yet so he was still bad at speaking. Chenle: I couldn't watch the videos at that time. Still, when I look at the other members, I think everyone was so young and cute.

I heard that Jisung played a significant role in the fast improvement of Chenle's Korean. Jisung: Yes I was Chenle: I admit he helped. Although it's a problem that my weird Korean skills are also improving (laughs).

You have done TV shows and stood on stages before debuting at 15 and 16 years old. When did you feel like this is something you're good at and wanted to do something music-related? Chenle: I love to sing, so I released my first album when I was 7 years old. However, at that time, I thought it was a hobby and an experience rather than thinking of wanting to be a singer. After coming to Korea, I knew for certain that this was the path I wanted to take. Jisung: Rather than realizing it at some point, I think the expression 'right now' is right. While watching sunbaes at SM, my desire to be like that grew and I've come here doing what I wanted to do.

For broadcasts or special stages, Jisung has danced with the hyungs of SM's 'Dance Line' such as Super Junior Eunhyuck, SHINee Taemin, and EXO Kai. Jisung: They are really good at dancing and have a lot of experience on stage so it's really helpful when they watch me dance and talk to me [about it]. It felt like I was taking years of dance lessons all at once. Chenle: For me, I learn quickly thanks to Jisung. These days, Jisung is working hard on learning how to sing so I try to help a little too. I would say things like "I think this would be better?'. Jisung: Don't you tease me when I sing though. Chenle: Me? No, not me.

What song would you like to perform if you were to do an NCT stage together? Chenle: Since there are two of us, how about NCT U's 'Baby Don't Stop'? that Taeyong and Ten hyung did together. Jisung: Uhm, that's kind of a sexy song, don't you think we should do that in a few years? For me, I would like to do NCT U's 'Without You'. I think it's a good song to sing for us together.

NCT DREAM members have often said they still lack the skills and think they can do better. Where does that ambition come from? Chenle: There are times when I feel like I'm not good enough when I watch a video clip [of myself]. Other people might not see a big difference, but I do. In that case, I really concentrate and work hard. Jisung: I think everyone has that kind of desire because we debuted at a young age. When I watch the stage of the sunbaes, I feel like that even more.

How does it feel to be the youngest in a big group called NCT? Chenle: It's so good! Originally, I'm the type to prefer when it’s crowded. It's also fun to chat and play together when we practice. Jisung: I don't have a lot of friends from school. [NCT] is like a replacement for those relationships so I feel reassured. It feels like I have a bunch of people or hyungs who are close to me. Though the dinner costs are enormous (laughs).

What's the reason that two people with different personalities can be good friends and teammates? Jisung: Oh, now that I think about it it's really interesting. We're really the opposite Chenle: I think we get along so well because we are so different. The thing we have in common the most is that we like to play around with each other? And we're the noisiest. My voice is loud and Jisung talks a lot. A while ago he was talking to himself in the car while watching the night view. It's really funny to see it from the side Jisung: If you say it like that it makes me seem kinda weird, doesn't it? (laughs) I love to fantasize. What would I say if I were to go on a program like that? I think I was playing around while thinking about those kinds of things.

Are there any aspects of your friend that you want to be more known? Jisung: There are a lot of people who think of Chenle as a bright mischievous boy with a lot of laughter, but he also has a lot of serious conversations with me. He also has a lot of ambition. Unlike the introverted me, he is cool and outgoing so I learn a lot of things through Chenle. He is much cooler than he looks. Chenle: I'm a chic person (laughs). Jisung is the type of person who worries a lot about himself, and he is also evenly worried about the members' concerns. After taking care of this and that he proudly says 'Ah, why do I look like a leader'.

There are many adults and role models around you. Since you achieved your dream of debuting early, you must be worried about growing up well. Chenle: Instead of following someone with the burden of having to grow, I want to grow up naturally while keeping what I want to protect. I can learn good things and keep regretful things to consult, but I think my own standards are important. Jisung: When I first made my debut, I wanted to be a good adult and a good influence, and I still feel the same now. Sometimes I feel sorry for someone's behavior or words, but I don’t think that anyone can be perfect. Regardless, I try to absorb the good and positive aspects only.

When do you feel like you've grown? Jisung: When I have serious conversations with Chenle and the hyungs. The spectrum of the conversations has widened. I also think I have grown when I'm able to objectively look at myself without being too biased. Chenle: When you're going through puberty, you don't know that you're going through puberty. If you think you're grown up, I think it's because you're still young. I think you've grown up when you can admit to your shortcomings and immaturity.

How will the summer be for you this time? Chenle: First of all, Jisung will have 6 ice creams all at once. Jisung: (Back then) I had them throughout the day!

Translation: Esmee @ FY! NCT (NCTINFO) | Source: ELLE Scans — Do not repost or take out without our permission!

#NCT #chenle #jisung #t:trans #t:interview #ELLE #ELLE: July 2020

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seekesotsibteadmist · 3 years

Text

miscellaneous headcanons

Asks from @squirreltastic - Just a whole lot of information about Saima. Long post ahead

🧛‍♂️- what is my muse’s favorite kind of movie monster?

Saima is .. kind of biased towards ghosts. They’re kind of a restless spirit sort themselves so they can understand a lot of what movie ghosts tend to deal with. They are also pretty found of shapeshifters, they really like those as well. The notion of really just changing forms and all that really speaks to them for more than one reason.

😇- does my muse believe in an afterlife?

Complicated. Saima tends to think the afterlife’s existence really depends on the views of those actually going there. Or not going there depending on what is believed. They know there is a land of the dead, and they are familiar with Tooni who looks over that. But would that be considered an afterlife kind of brings into a lot of questions that they don’t always have a clear answer for. Besides, when they’ve ‘died’ and not been able to actually stay in the land of the dead, that kind of puts a weird view over how they approach the notion of the afterlife.

[more headcanons below the cut]

♾- does my muse believe that history inevitably repeats itself or can we influence events to shape something altogether new?

[A small sigh from Saima in response to this question]

They do believe that there is the possibility to influence events to shape something altogether new. They don’t think history neatly repeats itself, but there is some things that rhyme, certain things that resurface albeit in different ways due to the different conditions that arise ever since the original event.

🌍- does my muse like to travel outside of their home country?

Saima does enjoy it and tends to do somewhat on a regular basis. Although for shorter trips they tend to stay around the Baltic Sea and northern Europe in general. They always enjoy the chance to head further east, or south, or west - just as the occasion calls for it. It really does further their context to really get to see more of the world and how it has shifted over time. And what are the things that stay very consistent.

🧖‍♂️- does my muse like to pamper themselves? What do they do?

It’s actually taken Saima a long time for them to actually accept the notion of pampering themselves. But they do enjoy the idea and have started to subtly incorporate more in their lives. Like they just take time to be in nature and be away from those that would demand much on them. That’s a form of pampering, enjoying some great music and letting the sound rush over them - that counts. Having a warm drink, or taking nice walks, or having good food. That all counts.

⚛️- how much faith does my muse place in science? Do they believe science and religion are at odds?

Saima having had a lot of experience in scientific fields does place a certain respect and faith in science. However, they don’t really trust how science tends to be used more often than not - because.. it tends to be used for the sake of control and exploitation. Like so many innovations in science came at a cost that Saima can’t help but consider when they learn more about it. So they’re like.. they respect science but they are also kind of hmm. About it. And it’s actually very similar how they feel about religion - although they have personal bad experiences with Christianity particularly, they are generally appreciative of the value varying religions have had in many lives. Although they’ve also seen how religion can be used as a force to control and hate that. So. .. they can be at odds. But also Saima is really more about who is really wielding science, religion in specific ways and why. That seems to be the more pertinent question there.

☸️- does my muse believe in reincarnation?

There are parts of them that kind of wants to believe in reincarnation - maybe not in the come back to life as another person. But maybe as part of nature in some form or fashion. Um, they really aren’t sure how to approach this belief even if it is a strong belief. It’s more of a possibility but not something they can truly confirm.

🕎- does my muse celebrate religious holidays?

Are there folkloric traditions associated with the holiday? Then yeah, Saima will probably find a way to partake in religious holidays. But given where they live it may not be in a particularly religious fashion - more than just continuing some of the stories and already existing traditions of celebrating that already are there.

👽- does my muse believe in intelligent extraterrestrial life?

They think it’s possible. But they also think it’s probably besides the point to worry too much about it. Have enough things to deal with on Earth as it is.

#asks #headcanon #long post

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thewanderers-world · 3 years

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Nicaragua vs. South Korea: Which is Better?

By: Lilyan Sanchez Silva

Many just want to explore, some may feel the need to escape their reality. Here, I’ll be breaking down two touristic countries. Comparing and contrasting, while also going in depth with their economic systems. At the end, you will choose which you’d make an escape to and which will remain unchecked on your travel list.

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NICARAGUA

This Central American country, neighboring Honduras and Costa Rica, holds a number of titles, and you can add the largest lake in Central America to the list. With a view to both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea on opposite ends of the country, it’s no wonder Nicaragua means “here united with the water”. Imagine a nice walk down the beach, doesn’t it sound amazing?!

----------------------------The Culture----------------------------

The merging of different cultures within Nicaragua has caused the dawn of a creative, lively and blissful culture. Rhythmic marimbas and folkloric dances give vibrancy to fiestas across the country and the beautiful works of skilled artists spread an understanding of their history and nature.

The culture of Nicaragua reflects the mixed Ibero-European and Indian ancestry of the majority of its people. Diversity, I love it!

---------------------------The Weather---------------------------

Nicaragua has a tropical climate, hot all year round.

Temperatures are quite stable; however, there is a relatively cool winter from November to January, a hot spring from March to May, and a sultry and rainy summer from May to October. On the west coast, it's hot all year round, but there are the sea breezes. However, you may notice a certain temperature increase in the spring. On the Caribbean coast, there is no real dry month; owing to both the rains and the trade winds, the temperatures are a bit lower than on the west coast, but relative humidity is consistently high.

What’s a little rain to this magnificent view?

----------------------The Economic System-------------------

Nicaragua's economy is very active and has experienced great changes during the past decade or so. Its economy was truly a phoenix emerging from the ashes. The cause behind Nicaragua’s past economic problems stemmed from the earthquake of 1972 as well as the rule of the Sandinista regime. Nicaragua’s economic situation improved dramatically with the 1990 election of Violeta Chamorro and the establishment of a democracy. Nicaragua has a mixed economic system which includes a variety of private freedom, combined with centralized economic planning and government regulation.

Despite the expansive growth in Nicaragua’s economy that took place after the new form of government came in, Nicaragua remains one of the poorest countries in the region and faces issues such as unemployment, low per capita income and great foreign debt. Nicaragua’s economy is working towards improvement in the future, focusing on potential growth in the agricultural sector, energy generation, tourism, export manufacturing, mining and construction, as well as the sale of consumer goods.

With all this budding potential, Nicaragua is the perfect place to invest in, especially in the tourism aspect.

---------------Where to go & What to do---------------

Fun activities to do in Nicaragua include, but are not limited to: Eco-tourism; adventure and sports activities, including surfing, deep-sea fishing, swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, diving, volcano sand-boarding; historical and agricultural sites; cultural activities; agritourism; volunteerism; nightlife. Just enjoying the sun and all the different smells wile walking down the market would be wonderful. Nicaragua has lots to offer.

Towns like San Juan Del Sur on the Pacific Ocean's Emerald Coast near Costa Rica are top places to visit, famous for their colorful architecture and surf scene. Many things to do really lie in the smaller cities, like Leon and Granada, which are known for their colorful architecture and churches, and natural attractions such as Lake Nicaragua. It is the largest freshwater lake in Central America and home to hundreds upon hundreds of islands, including some with amazing ecolodges. Here are the Top 5 places to visit while exploring Nicaragua!

1. Islets of Granada

2. Corn Island

3. Masaya Volcano

4. El Cerro Negro

5. Mombacho Volcano Natural Preserve

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SOUTH KOREA

South Korea is a country in Eastern Asia occupying the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. It borders the Sea of Japan, the Yellow Sea, and North Korea. In the year 1934, Korea was given the title "Chaohsien" which meant morning freshness. The title was well suited to South Korea because of its natural beauty of stunning mountains, clear waters and splendid peacefulness – particularly in the morning. Because of this, Korea was also called "Land of Morning Calm."

In a country filled with city lights and multitudes of people, a little calmness in the morning is just what you need to start the day out right!

------------------------The Culture-------------------------------

Korea is all about education, constantly ranked world-best in terms of education system and the knowledge of students as studies such as the PISA and the World Top 20 Poll suggests. They’re also quite unique when it comes to asking their age. In Korea, everyone is already one year old at birth. And not only that: on New Year’s, everyone simultaneously turns a year older! That means, in turn, that in Korean age, you could already be two years older than you are in an international age. In Korea, people love to have a good time and they also love entertainment. But they are not crossing the line—pun intended. Even in bustling Seoul, you will rarely see non-tourists jaywalking or misbehaving. It’s part of the identity and the culture to not cause too much trouble or problems for others.

The Korean entertainment industry is also becoming one of the biggest in the world. K-pop, k-movies, k-drama, k-beauty… the K’s all around! The catchy beats, colorful soap operas and gripping dramas are invading countries around the world with a massive force, and they are here to stay. No genre of media is excluded: Film, literature, graphic novels, language, food, fashion…you name it. But arguably the genre with the biggest global impact is the new wave of Korean pop music, commonly referred to as K-pop, with its addicting melodies and innovative choreographies. You know BTS?

----------------------------The Weather---------------------

South Korea has a temperate climate with four distinct seasons. Winter, from late November to mid-March, is freezing in the north and in the interior, while it’s milder, but still with night frosts, along the southern coast. Spring, from mid-March to May, is initially cool, and gradually becomes milder, but the rains become more frequent because of the formation of low pressure systems. Summer, from June to August, is hot, humid, and rainy. Autumn, from September to late November, is a pleasant season, especially in the month of October, when it’s not too cold or too hot.

Serious droughts occur about once every eight years. About two-thirds of the annual precipitation occurs between June and September. South Korea is less vulnerable to typhoons than neighboring countries. Typhoons usually pass over South Korea in late summer, especially in August and bring torrential rains.

The weather may be crazy, but the sights are worth it, rain or shine!

-------------------The Economic System------------------

South Korea’s economy continues to maintain its ranking among the mostly free countries. It has a mixed economic system in which the economy includes a variety of private freedom, combined with centralized economic planning and government regulation. South Korea has achieved rapid growth in a short period. The country has displayed global competitiveness in various fields such as mobile phones, semiconductors, automobiles, chemicals, and steel making. In recent years, its cultural content, including music, gaming, and webtoons, is emerging as an essential industry in itself, taking the lead in the Korean economy.

South Korea's rigorous education system and the establishment of a highly motivated and educated populace is largely responsible for spurring the country's high technology boom and rapid economic development.

-------------------Where to go & What to do---------------

Travelers will want to indulge in all that South Korea has to offer like: Enjoy delicious Korean food, Explore Seoul on foot, Witness the grandeur of Changdeokgung and Gyeongbokgung Palaces, Learn about traditional Hanok architecture, Be a street artist, Check out free museums, Glide down the ski slopes from the 2018 Winter Olympics, Visit the temples, Take a trip to Busan, Experience a botanical garden island, and visiting Jeju-Si Island. The different architecture between residential places and the city alone is astonishing!

South Korea offers everything a traveler could want in a destination. It has a long and fascinating history, a wonderful culture, amazing food, friendly people, and an excellent tourism infrastructure. Here are the Top 5 places you must absolutely think back on when planning your trip:

1. Changdeokgung Palace

2. Gamecheon

3. Jeonju

4. Seoul Tower

5. Bukchon Hanok Village

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So Which One?

This may be a very biased answer, but being from Nicaragua, I’d say take an off-grid vacation. Although known for its tourism, you don’t loose the quiet peaceful atmosphere. Its rural landscape extends even to the most populated cities, adorning the country in a cloud of green and crystal blue waters everywhere you look. The gates are open, which life-thrilling destination will you choose?

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