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elizabethsharmon · 4 years

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Now that s5 has ended what do you think about it? I remember seeing you be quite vocal about the season and then you just stopped and I was just wondering what your general opinion is. Did the fandom scare you away? :(

hey there! I kind of stopped being so loud about the show here cause at some point I just gave up about s5 and don’t worry, it would take a lot for fandom to scare me away and i’ll be back with my usual bullshit in 2 weeks with s6 clip by clip reactions ✌️ anyway, i was going through my archive while writing this to remind myself of what happened in each clip and what were mine and fandom’s reactions to it and somehow when I started writing this, it turned out I can’t stop and it got quite long so I'mputting it under read more:

So first of all may I just say that the trailer/firstclip was one of my favourite clips of all times. It was just SO GOOD and to meit was like a dream come true cause I was talking about dropping a clip andstarting a season on New Year since July AND THEY DID IT AND IT WAS E P I C,such a power move, I love it. Honestly everything worked there, the music wasamazing, it was so wonderful to see both squads partying together, it wasperfect, 11/10.

Then the season started and I absolutely loved thefirst two episodes, we really started to get into Arthur's head, to get to knowhim and his family, find out how insecure he is and how well he's hidingeverything from others, and Arthur and Alexia clips!!!! They worked so welltogether and were so cute and supportive, I said it back then that if they ruinthem I will never forgive them for that because what was the point of makingthem a couple in the first place?? I still don't understand that, I don't thinkI ever will... Fast forward to the first Wednesday of the season aka underwatermale gaze aka the moment I knew we're in for a ride and it won't be a goodone... When the clip started I was over the moon, I'm a swimming hoe myself andI loved that they used the pool for actual swimming, the cinematography wasbeautiful and I loved that they found a way to incorporate Lisa into the story.That was until Arthur dived and saw Noee... and sadly, this was the firstmoment I emotionally yeeted out from the season. Don't even get me started howwrong it was - 1. using the pool which is a sacred place in the show’smythology; 2. using piano music; 3. peak male gaze, objectifying Noee, andArthur staring at her even though HE HAD A GIRLFRIEND; they were setting it upas a love triangle from the beginning and after those 10+ weeks I still havethe same question about it as I had back then: why. It was also the first timefandom started to be hostile and the shipping war began, some people werecoming to my and my friends' inboxes, sending us anons to stop thinking theworse about Arthur, that love triangle will definitely not happen and thatDavid explained on his insta that they used the setting of pool in another waythan it was used in og s3... Well, jokes on you cause we were right. Anyway thatWednesday clip was to me the first red flag of the season, the first momentwhen some people started attacking others, when the fandom police started formingand suddenly you couldn't say anything because someone would jump on you andsend hate.

But I decided to let it slide, hoping that they reallywouldn't go there (spoiler alert: they did) and then we got Friday clips withelu housewarming (i'm still emo!!!) and Arthur losing his hearing permanently.It was absolutely heartbreaking to find out he lost hearing in his left ear 2years ago, it was a real game changer back then and suddenly everything changed- why he was looking at Alexia so intently, why he didn't cover his left ear atnye party, etc. I absolutely LOVED the way they handled the topic at thebeginning with Jerome explaining everything to Arthur and to us and I LOVED thepositive discourse it started within the fandom with deaf/hoh people teachingothers and explaining things without getting mad at silly questions - tbh to meit was one of the best parts of the first half of the season and I'm reallygrateful for it ❤️

Sunday clips with gang were one of my favourite in theseason, I think Arthur took us all by surprise when he went to elu's flat totell the guys that he can't hear and they were chaotic and supporting andamazing and wow, I really don't understand what the fuck happened and wherethey disappeared in the second half of the season. I loved that they hinted aturbex king Eliott and I kinda feel like that might come back in s6....... butanyway. The 7 amclips were absolutely one of the highlights of the season. They helped to buildsome sort of routine and Robin absolutely nailed them, I could feel howpowerless and more frustrated he was feeling AND I also felt betrayed that wedidn't get one on Thursday and Friday. Even though after the first pool clip Iwas dreading every single next clip there, I really liked that they were showingus that Arthur goes there every Wednesday, it really helped to get inside hishead and to understand him more and I kinda wish they hadn't stopped thatbecause it would be a really power move to keep showing that. Alexia in episode2 was just WOW, i can't believe there were people who were saying she andArthur don't have chemistry or that he should break up with her because she'snot supportive - well, she proved you all wrong. Too bad Arthur was too dumband self-absorbed to appreciate that.

BASILE/ARTHUR FRIENDSHIP. All their clips were solovely and heartwarming, I loved how different Basile was in Arthur's pov toBasile we knew at the beginning of s3; when he didn't want to leave Arthuruntil he said back that he loves him :'))) wholesome. I kinda wish we got tosee more of those two, they're definitely hanging out just the two of them andthat's what was lacking for me, those 3 or so clips of just the two of thembeing wholesome buddies were great but they were not enough.

The party clip on Thursday of ep2 was great, I lovedhow they're giving us little insights of deaf/hoh community and showing usArthur getting drawn to it. I wish that it wasn't overshadowed by love triangleand we got more of it, but I'll be back to it later...

Now, episode 3 and 4 were strong in the term of clipsbut those two weeks were incredibly boring when you were watching it in realtime. The breaks were too long, there were three clipless days each episodewith hardly any social media update and at times it made me forget about theshow completely. The bar clip in ep3 was great until they started sayingproblematic shit and tbh I was really starting to stress over Eliott then -first we got a hint that housewarming party was canceled because he wasn't feelingwell, now over a week later he's not feeling well again and Lucas' "he'smy boyfriend and i love him" was very cute and I loved it but it alsostarted to lead to misery porn and this dread didn't leave me until the end ofthe season and I'm still worried that it will play a part in s6 and it won't behandled well (disclaimer: this is not about the fact that they're talking aboutEliott's MI, it's about how Lucas started to act like a martyr and the way theystarted to show him acting almost like Lucille).

Episode 3 was also the time when I think it becameobvious that Arthur's short outburst of communication was gone and we'll haveto deal with next few weeks of miscommunication, sulking and hiding. Beginningof ep4 was another moment for me when I wanted to escape from this seasonbecause of the fandom police - they created as hostile atmosphere for the fanswatching in real time as druck stans did during s3, when you couldn't commentanything or say anything without other people jumping on you, calling you outand hating you, that for a moment again I was ready to give up on the show. Ireally wish I had done it.

As much as I liked stupid gang content in thecafeteria the whole clip was kinda odd and the 1,5 days break between the clipand laser tag was too much. I feel like the pacing in episode 4 really didn'twork in their favour and the clips could've been placed in another order sothat the breaks weren't so long. The laser tag was such a strong clip withbeautiful cinematography and colouring and it showed us Arthur's problems withsensory overload and again - I wish we could find out more about it because inthe end the clip was too short and cut abruptly only for Arthur to go to Noeeto see her dance in a scene that was pure male gaze, where the camera lingeredon her flat, bare stomach, a few times showing close up of her boobs. And yes.I am aware sing language is a bodily language. But the thing is that itcould've been shown differently, without so many objectifying shots, with Noeewearing different clothes, without Arthur staring at her with his jaw dropped.Arthur who - may i remind you - had a girlfriend at that time. I can watchgore, I can watch open surgeries, I can watch blood, and fight, and beating,and all that without the blink of the eye. i could barely watch the clip ofNoee dancing. I've never felt so sick after watching something in my life, Ihad to go offline for a few hours cause I was feeling so unwell. This was sucha fucked up scene to film in such a way, to objectify her, to use male gaze, touse piano music, slow motion, man looking at her in a predatory way, and thisscene was so wrong on so many levels itself but when you add to it the factthat Alexia NEVER got scenes like that and all her dancing scenes showed her basicallyas a quirky friend having fun at parties. And that's disgusting.

But let's move on to episode 5. I loved all the scenesin the asso, I loved that they showed Arthur actually going to LSF classes, Iloved how he confronted his father about it later. Though episode 5 was alsothe start of the boy squad becoming brainless idiots, lying to his friend,plotting behind his back, going to a concert without him. Episode of beautifulcinematography and skating scene that I watched trying not to think about thefact that Arthur is basically having a date with another girl while hisgirlfriend is studying for her bac, of an oblivious guy not wanting to stop itbefore it's too late and everyone's hearts will be broken.... I loved that hesnapped at the guys in the detention clip. I liked the following clip withAlexia, when they made her talk about her insecurities, showed us how strongshe is but also how fragile she is at the same time. But that Sunday of episode6 was the moment I ultimately realized I don't care any more about this season.It was already ruined for me. Alexia opening up, Alexia asking Arthur aboutNoee and him saying the worst ableist shit ever, Arthur breaking Noee'sheart... Those three clips made me realize that for me it's too late, thedamage is done, and I won't be able to enjoy this season for real. Alexia wasbound to get her heart broken, I was pitying Noee because it wasn't her fault aguy she had a crush on kept on leading her for weeks, and Arthur... I dislikedhim more and more and I just wanted it to be over.

I loved all clips with Laura and Melchior, the playfuldynamic in their interactions with Arthur was one of the best things of theseason and I can't stop but think that we could've had the same thing but withArthur, Noee, and Camille. Meanwhile Noee was reduced to manic pixie dreamgirl, a homewrecker, a plot device, and Camille was there only to translate(and later to be Mika's boyfriend). I really liked the clip with Noee andArthur reading her letter about cochlear implant, it was very informative andit was the kind of content I really wanted to see in this season. The onlything I hated about it - which was a recurring theme in clips with Noee... - isthat Arthur kept forgetting about Alexia and this was so unfair to her.

Now. The Valentine's Day. I loved the sourd datingclip, again, it was something that I wanted to see in the season and it was avery strong clip. But then the rest of the episode... I really wish it didn'texist. Jumping to the pool in clothes???? Arthur sharing his deepest trauma andNoee kissing him??? NOEE AND ARTHUR SHIPPERS JUMPING ON PEOPLE SAYING THAT SHEDID IT TO COMFORT HIM???? Sorry guys, I don't know about you but when myfriends are sharing something traumatizing to me I hug them or hold their hand,I don't kiss them with tongue. Also using a flashback??? It doesn’t go wellwith the show’s format, why was it even used???

Episode 8 was... Episode 8 was wild. And weird. Andstrange. And I don't really know what was the point of it. But despiteeverything crackfic farm au was at least entertaining and it was kind ofsomething we needed then after weeks of will they/won't they and hating Arthur.Whipped elu was everything, the fifi saga was hilarious and I rewatched itaround 50 times and it still makes me laugh - Maxence nailed it but ?? what wasthe point? they killed Eliott's bunny so that he would become vegetarian? Theywanted to traumatize him and cause him to have an episode that was cut in theend? (I really wouldn't be surprised, there are 2 clips missing from firstepisodes each, and probably more in the others). I really don't know what wasthe point. The 6h15 or sth clip was funny but if Lucas and Arthur hugging itout cause sorry bro / it's okay bro / bro / bro is what they're considering aproper apology then I'm sorry but it isn't. What's more, the pacing of thisepisode was incredibly off and the clips didn't add up and there wasn't anynatural flow to it - they should've madetwo clips on Sunday - with Arthur getting to the van and them arriving to thecountryside, two clips on Monday with 6 am and then Daphne and Basile, Fifitrilogy on Tuesday and then right after midnight on Wednesday Arthur and Alexiain the barn. Now, the cheating excusing convo... I was absolutelydisgusted by the boy squad and the fact that YANN who was cheated on in s1advised Arthur to not say anything... wow. Also I really don't like what Eliottsaid there, I understood it in that moment that he was mainly talking from aphilosophical pov that humans are never satisfied in general, but he was sayingthat during the cheating convo, right after he said that he cheated on his gfto get with his bf, he said it while Lucas was right there, knowing that he hasdeeply rooted abandonment issues and this is what made the situation worse. Ithink I'll talk more about the fandom reaction and team's comments later causethere will be a lot to unpack there so yeah, I'll leave it for now.

Because now let's move on to February 21, aka theFriday that changed everything. Can I just say that I have never seen a worseclip ever in my life? That wasn't skam. That was soap opera. And not even agood one. I can't even comprehend how they wrote THIS and thought it was good.I despise the choice of making Noee speak out loud with every fiber of mybeing. First they objectified her, reduced her to the plot device and 1/3 ofthe love triangle, and now they stripped her of her integrity for a guy who wasconstantly leading her on, who has a girlfiend. They made her so desperate tomake him stay with her that she lost a part of himself for him. And for who??For a guy who didn't give a fuck about her? Who constantly played with herfeelings? Who mocked her and her language and her culture and didn't do so onlywhen it was convenient for him? Honestly fuck him, fuck Arthur. And then A CARCRASHED INTO HIM LIKE ????????????? Someone please explain to me what was thepoint of that cause the only one I see was to provide a fandom with a greatfree entertainment.

Now, episodes 9 and 10 were overall much stronger thanthe past few weeks but it was already to late to salvage the season. We gotanother cheating apologists scene which was - again - absolutely disgusting,especially coming from Lucas - who gave Arthur the same advice he gave to Emma- and Yann - who was cheated on and knew from his own experience that stufflike that always come out in the end. It's like all their character developmentfrom previous seasons went down the drain. Arthur on the other hand seemed tohave a character regression with each passing week. I'm still appalled by whatLucas said - that Alex is their friend but Arthur is part of the gang. It wasdisgusting. And it was out of the character. And it was the worst possiblething that could've been said.

Coline's song was so beautiful and I was so happy thatArthur finally realized what he's lost, though I feel like all those intensestaring between Arthur and Noee was unnecessary again, it's like they couldn'tjust give us a break for one clip from them, it's like she was constantlystealing Alexia's moments, whether she was on screen at the time or not.

The clip with elu was sweet and gave us greatwholesome content, but it only confirmed that Lucas' abandonment issues woke upfrom their nap and I'm already dreading what they're planning to do with thatin s6, especially that according to the latest news Lucas is not very presentin the next season... The polyamory talk... It was odd. It felt force. Thebuildup to it wasn't done very well and what' more it was built on cheating.And that's doesn't bode well. It's also quite ridiculous how it took 1 minuteconversation with Lucas or even one sentence from him tbh for Arthur to go"oh yeah I'm poly. I think." and tell Noee that he loves her eventhough he spent the last couple of weeks denying that and pushing her away. IHATE that yet again they made her be so desperate and cry when he was tellingher this. That's not Noee they gave us in the first half of the season. Ireally liked the clip of Laura and Melchior and Arthur giving the presentationto the students but Arthur's grandiose speech to students and then to girls wasso strange, there wasn't any buildup to it, or more likely Arthur that we werehaving on screen from the end of ep 4 till the end of ep9 was gone and the oldArthur finally showed up. But nevertheless it was strange and not very fittingto the way how the story progressed.

NOW the last two clips - first was a little bit shortand I can't say I was a huge fan (though Eliott's kermit-like dance waseverything jdskjdkjjd) but the second clip was absolutely beautiful, we finallysaw Daphne talk, I'm still not sure what to think about Noee/Arthur (not reallya fan of how the story was resolved... or how it wasn't resolved), AND THEMURAL! LUCAS CRYING BECAUSE HE'S PROUD OF HIS BOYFRIEND! ELIOTT ONCE A YEARMAKING A MURAL OUT OF PURE LOVE! EVERYONE CRYING! ELIOTT NOT PAINTING HIMSELFBECAUSE HE DOESN'T CONSIDER HIMSELF PART OF THE SQUAD (although he is, I don'tknow why they don't understand it) and... Lola. But I guess I'll be back to itlater.

So now, I can't say I'm a fan of the season. I enjoyedsome of the clips, but overall it was a mess, love triangle and fandom and crewbehaviour ruined the season for me. I was absolutely disgusted but howprivileged fans acted on tumblr and on twitter. And yes. There are privilegedfans, fans who were shutting others up because they "don't want us to getour hopes up when we don't know what might happen", fans who were sayingthat "you don't know anything haha i can promise you don't know shit hahano i don't know anything and no i'm not jealous haha you just don't know buthaha tell me this oh how stupid you are", fans who were acting like afandom police all the freaking time, yelling at everyone to "wait and see!you don't know what will happen!". Well. We didn't. Because contrary to 5%of the "little ones-fans", the rest 95% is not privileged enough toget a special treatment, to be invited on set for filming, to know the detailsof the plot before the season airs, to know the bigger picture. It's not fair.If you really know everything then great, I'm happy for you, but let the otherswatch the show how they like, let them react to it clip by clip. Because mostof us don't know the bigger picture and don't know what will happen and how theissues will be resolved. And you are aware that the format of the show itselfencourages viewers to react to the events of the story as they resolve onscreen and through transmedia content, right? That's the essence of skam.Taking that away from the regular fans because you've been let in to some innercircle and know it all is absolutely disgusting. Don't interact with the fandomif you can't stand seeing people not agreeing with the writing choices,questioning what they watch and theorizing about what will happen. If you're soabove it, then just stick with the people like you, with those 5% or so ofknow-it-all and "enjoy" the show with them. Don't ruin the fun forothers. You're not better than anyone else. Don't act like it. Don't be ahypocrite. Don't act publicly as a fandom police, criticize everyone who sharesspoilers and call them out and write hateful posts, if you're doing the sameprivately, if you can't shut up when someone sends you a dm or a message offanon and suddenly you spill everything. Don't be fake. If you know stuff, thengreat, I don't know admit it and say that you want say anything or don't sayanything but then don't spread the spoilers and don't write cryptic comments inthe tags. It's not helping anyone and it's definitely not doing anything good.And to people on twitter currently posting what I guess they assume are vaguetweets about cast’s personal lives? Fuck you. You’re so loud, you know? Maybeyou think you’re talking in a special code only you and your friends can guessbut it’s so obvious and so disgusting, you really have no shame. Grow up andget a life.

Another thing that ruined the season for me was theway the crew was acting on twitter and instagram and I’m so so so disappointed by their behaviour,especially that I’ve always considered them as one of the most open-mindedteams who respect their fans and their opinions. Turns out they do that butonly when the reactions to the clips are positive. I mean, I kind of get it,obviously everyone wants to hear the praise, but you cannot ignore thenegative comments and fans’ concerns, especially that there were plenty of themthis season. And during social media age when it takes one click to see theliked posts or comments, it becomes obvious that the crew was only interacting (evenin such a passive way like liking comments or tweets) with fanswho were praising the show. All the negative comments and questions werebrushed off, saying that “the season will reveal its own truth” and that iffans will have any questions they will be answered after. Well, franklyspeaking, me and my friends have a list of questions that we’d love to get ananswer for:

- why was love triangle necessary?- why did they make Alexia and Arthur a couple in the first place if theywanted him to go after Noee?- why did Noee say she doesn't like talking out loud cause sign language is howshe communicates only to yell at Arthur to stop him from leaving, losing herintegrity for a guy who doesn't care about her?- car????????????????????????- cheating convos - why are they excusing it like that- treatment of Alexia & why did they include numerous comments about Alexia'sbody?- THE MALE GAZE - why did the camera focus so much on Noee's body, why was sheobjectified and why was she presented as a stark contrast to Alexia?- fifi?- p*trick and why the abuse was introduced so late in the plot and overshadowedimmediately by cheating and then followed by crackfic farm au?- why didn't we see any Arthur centered clips where he shows he likes art?- why did Arthur and space have no relevance in the season???- why are Lucas and Yann saying shit every time they open their mouths and whydid they forgot about everything that happened in s1?- the whole convo with the boy squad on valentine's day and how shitty theirreaction was - why?- why we didn't see any actual squad interactions on holidays and no realapologies?- why does the life of the characters always has to revolve around romanticrelationships?- why can't men and women be friends unless the man is gay?- what was the point of all the ship wars and skamlaserie photo withArthur/Alexia and Arthur/Noee *especially* after all the comments on twitterand on Instagram when fans were fighting already and it only made thingsescalate? Why not stop it, why pit fans against each other, why let it escalatelike that?- why draw parallels between elu and Arthur/Noee?- Why was Noee reduced to love interest and Camille to translator 90% of thetime and why don't give them similar dynamics with Arthur as Melchior and Laurahave?- how can Arthur see underwater?- Catherine - was she just a queerbait?- tuturo comment from the forum and Arthur's 'relationship' with 34 yo - whywasn’t it mentioned ever again?- how could noee not know arthur has a girlfriend since she was following himon instagram and he had photos with alexia there?- what happened with basile's birthday since they never celebrated them??- in samedi 11:04 (5x10) eliott says "i've got some croissants, do youwant me to heat them up?" which implies that he's already bought them andbrought them back to the flat BUT he's putting his jacket on as if he was aboutto leave and then he leaves and slams the door so what's the truth?

The crew completely invalidated the feelings andconcerns of the fans and what added fuel to the flame for me was thatskamlaserie post with Arthur/Noee/Alexia and caption that they can’t choosecause they love them both and… Honestly, who the hell works there. There’s beendrama for the whole week on twitter and under David’s posts on insta andinstead of finally end it, idk block the comments or just make a statement ORWHATEVER, they posted THAT on the official show’s account?? Why haven’t they stopped it? Why did they keep on pitting fans against each other up to the point that one twitter user started getting DEATH THREATS only because they translated some video??? Absolutely disgusting.@skamlaserie and @fr team: hate to break it to you but there's nothing wrong with being single andthere's plenty of teenagers who aren't in relationships in high school andthat's okay... maybe that's how Arthur should've started the season instead ofbecoming a cheater and leading on two girls at the same time just for the sakeof having unnecessary relationship drama which literally only created somepointless ship wars and put half of the fandom off watching the show... just saying.

Then, another things that rubbed me the wrong way werethe whole “canceling” discourse (that never really happened and I still standby what I said in the comments to this post so I’ll just direct you to it) and imposingthe one “right” interpretation on the fans - I specifically have the cheatingconvo from episode 8 in mind now. We all have a right to our owninterpretations of every scene, here many people saw it as Eliott’s commenthaving an effect on Lucas and his abandonment issues and started commenting onthat on twitter and David had to rush to explain that he hadn’t meant Lucas,that Eliott won’t cheat and that they won’t break up and will stay together.Well, the thing is that there’s such a concept as “the death of the author”which I suppose you can already guess from its name says that the author, theirbeliefs, backstory, opinions, etc. shouldn’t be taken into account wheninterpreting the text because writing (or in this case - a show) and creatorare separate entities and shouldn’t be correlated. First of all, thismetaphorical extinguishing of fire seemed pointless and like a mockery, seeinghow two episodes later it turned out people were right and Lucas really tookEliott’s comment personally and his insecurities and abandonment issues wereshowing up again; secondly, after that there were many comments from the crewabout how Elu will stay forever and never break up and maybe it’s just me but Ithink that was obvious, right? So why would they keep repeating that? Unless…something will happen in s6 that will make us doubt that and it’s a preemptive damagecontrol 🙃

So to sum up this monstrosity that I have no idea ifit even makes any sense BUT ANYWAY: I liked some of the things in s5 but overall Ireally really didn’t like it, some people in the fandom were incrediblyannoying and turned out to be fake and complete hypocrites, and the crew’s behaviour on socialmedia leaves a lot to be desired and I can only hope they will acknowledge anycriticism of s6 and won’t blatantly ignore fans’ criticism again. So that’d beit. If you read it till the end then you’re stronger than Sabrina giffingArthur getting hit by a car and I respect you for that cause even I haven’t reread it, have a nice quarantineand stay safe!

#skam france #skamfr #anon #answered #maggie talks

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razberryyum · 5 years

Video

The Untamed/陈情令 Rewatch, Episode 2 (spoilers for everything)

(covers MDZS chaps 6 - 10 and a bit of 13)

WangXian meter: 🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰

(a 🐰 is earned every time there is a WangXian scene or even when they’re just thinking of each other)

I always tell people when I’m trying to get them to watch The Untamed that when they get to this particular scene in the second episode, they’ll know if they will be into the show. To me, this is the game-changer moment: you’re either in or out after this. If this scene doesn’t emotionally move you enough to at least continue on with the drama, nothing else will. It is seriously one of the most romantic scenes I have ever seen captured on screen. This was the moment that made me realize not only was I now fully committed to CQL, but that I had also found a new obsession and was ready to devote myself to Mo Dao Zu Shi. After all, something that can lead to the creation of such a beautiful scene MUST hold other invaluable treasures. So into the MDZS rabbit hole I went, happily diving head first.

Even now I’m still amazed that this scene exists in the intact form that it does. I started The Untamed with little to no expectations, especially knowing the restrictions it was under AND having just finished Guardian and experiencing how poor creative decisions can arise due to censorship (or at least, using that as an excuse for their dumb story choices). As I mentioned previously, the first episode was a hard sell since they definitely did not put their best foot forward first, but I liked Xiao Zhan immediately and Wei Wuxian as a character was interesting enough that I wanted to learn more about his past that led to his death and rebirth. The small glimpses we saw of his relationship with Lan Zhan also fascinated me, but then with this second episode, the weak points of the pilot still remained: there was still bad CGI (the statue) and very amateurish technical mistakes (in the recognition scene, at one point, in a close-up shot they’re holding onto each other, but in the next far away backside shot they’re clearly standing apart from each other, only to return to holding each other once again once the camera cuts back to a close-up...whoever the editor is on CQL probably should dunk their head in the toilet every time these editing errors pop up) that made my initial viewing of this episode a frustrating one for most of its runtime. I think I spent most of my initial viewing just distracted, playing on my phone or something, until the big WangXian moment happened and then I was shocked and awed. I know I wasn’t paying close attention that first time because when I rewatched the episode later on, I realized I missed a lot of dialogue and details. I have since revisited this second episode numerous times more, and I do feel bad about how dismissive I was initially. It’s a pretty loaded episode: it has funny, poignant, creepy, mysterious, and cool moments while still feeding us bits of the overarching plot. I definitely have developed an affection for it since my first viewing and it’s become one of my favorite episodes in the series.

Of Pining & other Heart-achy Things

This simple line from Jiang Cheng is enough to make my eyes well up with tears: I can’t help but imagine Lan Zhan traveling around the world for sixteen years, most likely all alone, stopping at different places to play Inquiry, fervently hoping that maybe one day he’ll finally receive an answering chord from Wei Ying, only to be confronted by a deafening silence again and again and again. How utterly sad and disappointed he must have been every time, and yet still, he never gave up and just went to the next location to do the same thing and experience the same heavy disappointment all over again. If that doesn’t make your heart ache, I’m sorry to tell you, your heart is no longer functional.

It’s a detail I don’t remember if the novel covered, but I’m assuming that Lan Zhan was the one to bring Wei Ying’s inventions like the spirit attraction flag and the compass back to Gusu and incorporate them for use in his sect’s normal cultivation practices. I know other people have use his tools as well since that nameless cultivator at the start of the episode was also using the spirit compass, but I feel that with Lan Wangji, he probably purposefully acquired and adapted WWX’s techniques so that every time they’re used, they can serve as a reminder of Wei Ying for him. Though it does make me wonder how Lan Zhan managed to get those approved by his uncle; I can’t imagine Lan Qiren being ok with using anything that was created by the man whom he blames for the corruption of his beloved nephew and model student. Did LWJ just pretend he created them instead? That doesn’t even sound right. Maybe Uncle Lan decided to be merciful and just let Lan Zhan win this one since he was probably obviously miserable after Wei Ying’s death. Yeah, I can buy that scenario, especially since the flag and compass are pretty useful tools.

I wondered did LWJ already suspect “Mo Xuanyu” was Wei Ying before he started playing Wuji on his flute. It’s curious that he happened to be in that part of the forest at that time. I’m guessing his Wei Ying senses were tingled when he heard about Mo Xuanyu’s skills from Sizhui and the boys so that’s why he was hanging around the vicinity just in case MXY reveals his true identity. After waiting 16 years for this reunion, it’s no wonder Lan Zhan had no qualms about holding onto WWX’s wrist in public for much longer than socially appropriate.

I actually get a little emotional every time I rewatch this episode and watch Jin Ling display his mad archery skills because I would always think of how much he takes after his dad. His parents would’ve been so proud to see him all grown up like this; Shijie would’ve been so happy she probably would get teary-eyed as well every time she saw her boy in action. Sure, he’s a spoiled little princess, but he is also a pretty skilled princess with a heart of gold and I just wish they had more time together as a family.

They looked so happy, look at all those smiles. It really makes me so sad that Wei Ying will probably never be able to hug JC like that again, and of course he’ll never be able to hug Shijie period. Great now I want to cry again.

Lan Jingyi Appreciation Section

I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned this precious boy by name so far, so I wanted to take this opportunity to show him some much deserved love. Lan Jingyi with his resting bitch face and steady stream of snark was really the MVP of this episode. He actually made me laugh out loud a few times...in fact, he almost always makes me laugh as soon as he scrunches up his face like he’s smelling something bad. I recently saw someone mention that he’s really the most un-Lan of the Lans (sorry, I forgot who posted that so I apologies for not giving proper credit) and that is really the perfect description of him. I love this kid as much as I love Sizhui and Jin Ling, and I am also sincerely fascinated by him. I mean, who raised him in the Gusu Lan sect? Cuz I cannot imagine Lan Qiren being the one since Jingyi undoubtedly would’ve had all his snark driven out of him at an early age. Hell, the amount of disciplinary action he probably had to have gone through would’ve probably killed him at a young age. Did he join the sect when he was already fully formed so that’s why he’s still breaking Lan sect rules right and left? He threatened an old man and is like rude to everyone. I don’t know all 3000 rules but I’m pretty sure being mean to the elderly and insulting to supposedly mentally unstable people are probably not allowed. If anything, his disposition would make him more suitable for the Lanling Jin sect and yet he’s with the stuffy Lans. WHY? I could watch a whole spin-off series with just him and the other juniors as long as we get to learn about how he came to be with the Gusu Lan sect. He’s hilarious and adorable, and among the many the reasons why I wish we had more episodes for the present-day arc, one of them is because I wanted to spend more time with the juniors, especially Lan Jingyi, even if it meant the screenwriters would’ve had to go off book and create new scenes for them. It would’ve been well worth it to hear LJY throw more shade at people.

Random Bits of Randomness

It’s kinda crazy how WWX just stood there with his back turned, oblivious to Jin Ling’s attack. If Lan Zhan’s blade hadn’t blocked JL’s sword, that would’ve been the end of our main protagonist. I just thought that was such an odd scene...I would’ve felt just a little better if Wei Ying had at least had a little more awareness that an attack was heading for him and made some attempt to get out of the way.

Ugh, that mask. First of all it’s ugly AF, and secondly it’s so freaking ill-fitting it was distracting. Would’ve been nice if the production team gave him a mask that actually fit his face. I mean, did it HAVE to be THAT damn big? I’m amazed they don’t have bts clips of Xiao Zhan tripping and hurting himself because the stupid mask blocked his vision.

Other than being a brilliant mastermind and Oscar-worthy actor, Nie Huaisang has got to be one of the greatest cultivators if not THE greatest cultivator of all time to be able to conjure up an illusion like that. That thing was doing real damage to people. If it was just a phantom, what the heck was holding up those two cultivators in midair like that? And what kicked Jin Ling around? I know Wei Ying was able to drive people crazy with his flute during his Yiling Patriarch phase, but his handiwork still felt more grounded and reasonable than this.

Questions I still have (please feel free to answer them):

- Who was that old man at the grave? Someone NHS paid to just hang around the graves until the juniors and WWX came by?

- So NHS basically fucked up Yan’s entire family and God knows how many other people just to get WWX to eventually play his flute to lure Wen Ning out from wherever he was hiding?

- How did JGY not know Wen Ning escaped? Or did he just leave those details to Xue Yang so he didn’t really care about what happened to Wen Ning? I’m trying if this was addressed in the book but my mind is coming up empty. I don’t think it was brought up in the show though, or I just completely missed it.

Overall Episode Rating: 9 Lil Apples out of 10

#The Untamed #陈情令 #spoilers #Untamed Rewatch #WangXian #Mo Dao Zu Shi #CQL #MDZS #魔道祖师 #Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation #Lan Zhan Lan Wangji #Wei Ying Wei Wuxian #Lan Jingyi #Jin Ling #Nie Huaisang #Jiang Yanli #Jin Zixuan #Jin Guangyao

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btsandvmin · 5 years

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Vmin – Pushing the boundaries

Ok, so I got an ask, but I kind of have been wanting to make a proper post about this, so I decided to go with a mix of both. I might do a longer more proper post and analysis on this later on, but since I also want to answer this ask I will share at least some parts of my thoughts on the subject now. (The best way to look at this would probably we through video, but I don’t have the time for it)

This will basically be about how Vmin seems more open with their affection lately, and how a lot of things have become “Vmin things” and what that actually means. This is a vmin analysis, but remember that it’s just my own interpretation and I have no way of knowing how accurate this is. 😊

The ask: I just saw the video jimin posted where he's sending hearts to Tae and, apart from the fact that he does things like this only with Tae, it made me also realize that lately it seems like he'll catch every opportunity to tweet sweet things to him (how many times has he posted 'i love you' in the past six months already?) I'm wondering what changed, since there was a long period where they wouldn't even post a selfie tgt 🤔 (have you noticed too or am I overthinking it?)

Firstly, the finger heart thing is so cute. They started doing this a lot around 2016-2017, most noticeably at ISAC and after that it has truly become a “Vmin thing”. Which means it’s something people associate with Vmin and see them do a lot and in most cases more with each other than anyone else.

And I agree that it seem like Vmin, and perhaps Jimin in particular with the “I love you” has started to do these things more openly. I think they have always done it, but now they just show it more, so I don’t personally think anything really changed. Though there could be underlying reasons that we don’t know. Personal reasons, like maybe Tae needs more love and encouragement for one reason or the other, or perhaps for PR, we don’t really have any way of knowing if there are more complex reasons behind BTS’s actions.

I know what you mean though, and I have quite a few personal thoughts about this. What I feel is that Vmin constantly push at and try to expand their boundaries, kind of like testing what they can or cannot do. Where do they draw the line of what is ok for two male best friends to do and what isn’t? For example I’ve seen them jump at any chance to hug, in scenarios where it’s ok to do it, like it’s something they don’t want to miss out on. At times it even seems like they go out of their way to do it. But to be fair, both Tae and Jimin are very affectionate with all of their members.

The way I see it is that if they notice that they can get away with something they will simply keep doing it until it’s so normal people barely react anymore. The finger hearts, the I love yous, the hugging, the hand holding and the cuddles are all examples of this. People don’t bat an eye at Vmin doing these things, partly because it’s so engraved into the fandom that everything they do is platonic. Which means, Vmin can do more than most others and still get quite a mild reaction. This is something that has existed for a long time, but now more people are starting to notice.

Sometimes they have done things before, but it just slipped by, and no one really grabbed on to it. A lot of the things vmin do just seem to come natural to them, and they sort of forget where they are.

Sometimes though I have even gotten the feeling that Vmin do things in a provocative way on purpose to get a reaction, but usually that’s one-sided and get blocked by the other person (insert panic gay mode here when one of them aren’t prepared). It could also simply be fanservice. Or perhaps Vmin want people to notice, I have no idea if there is an agenda behind their behavior, but what I do feel is that they do it just as much for their own sake and enjoyment. Even if some of it is fanservice as well.

I think the increase of “I love you” can also be an effect of Vmin understanding how important it is to talk and actually say things out loud to each other. From BV2 where Jimin says “Although you are very close to someone, the other person cannot know unless you talk” and Jimin’s reaction to Tae saying I love you to his Hwarang hyungs I get the feeling that they have become more vocal in general with their love for each other because they understand that sometimes just showing it isn’t enough. Jimin in general is also very vocal and supportive towards all his members. But yes, the amount of times Jimin has said I love you recently has of course made me react.

I think that Vmin, with a lot of the things they do, have held back from doing certain things but has then gradually become more open with showing these things (even though there are of course still plenty of things they won’t do or show).

One good example of this is hand holding. Looking at compilation videos of Vmin holding hands now I think we can all agree that it has become a “Vmin thing”, which means the general fandom just accept it as normal behavior between the two of them now. It’s just another thing they do, and it’s still seen as platonic by most of the fandom, partly because they are so open with it.

I think most of these moments they do it for themselves, as it doesn’t at all come off as fanservice for the sake of the fans. It’s not in your face, they just do it. But it’s not like Vmin has always been this blunt about it and I think it’s a great example of how Vmin realize they don’t have to hold back, because no one really reacts, so they keep doing it. They stop holding back and show it more openly because they notice that they can. Perhaps to the point where they even stop thinking about it themselves.

If we go back I think we have a two good examples in particular of Vmin and hand holding that show this change. The first one is when Taehyung habitually held Jimin’s hand when Jimin was just trying to fix his jacket.

Tae reaches for it naturally, as if on reflex, but then notice the camera and lets go. Holding hands was at this point still not something they knew if it was ok or not to do. (There are of course other early examples of Vmin holding hands, but personally I feel those are mostly either without them noticing, when they are holding other things together or they simply are supposed to hold hands so it’s nothing strange about it.)

Moving on we have the Run episode which to me seems to be the game changer that made Vmin realize that holding hands was okay.

All of the members are supposed to hold hands in the intro, so there should be nothing strange about it, but I can’t help but notice Vmin’s behavior here. I think you should watch the clip and come to your own conclusion, but here is my biased interpretation of this moment.

First Taehyung is doing one of the two things that I feel Vmin (or the other members) usually end up doing in a slightly “romantic or shippy” situation, he plays it up. Draws attention to them holding hands, and in this case almost makes it into a joke.

Another recent example of this is Jimin’s “Your breath stinks” in Namjoon’s vlive, where he deflects attention from the actual intimate moment and interrupts it with a crude joke. It’s an excuse Jimin has used before when he gets flustered, both with Tae and Hobi.

You can even see Jimin unable to keep from start smiling after acting upset. Again, I suggest watching the clip on you own. After Jimin holds his hand up towards his face, an natural reaction when you feel embarrassed or flustered to hide your face. Then he eventually also turns around completely.

But back to the hand holding in the Run episode.

What I find interesting here is that Tae is looking to the side, possibly at a staff member/manager with an almost defiant look. As if he knows he’s doing something he probably shouldn’t but there is nothing that can be done about it in front of the crew without drawing unwanted attention.

I wouldn’t think much of this if it wasn’t for Jimin. Because he is looking at the same place, which makes me think there is a person there who keeps track of them so to speak. Jimin does the other thing here that Vmin usually do in these scenarios, which is similar to what Tae did in the first hand holding example I gave. Which is trying to keep a straight face and not draw attention to what they are doing, act like it’s no big deal. Because why would it be a big deal? The fact that they do this so differently here is quite fascinating to me, if we compare it to lets say Hobi and JK holding hands in BV1 when they both just have fun with it. It could just be mood or something else, but again, this is my biased view of it. Jimin also looks like he is trying to hold back a smile, and this is another common thing that Jimin in particular does that I have noticed a lot in his interactions with Taehyung. (He also tends to hide his face when he can.)

Later in the same episode Jimin holds Taehyung’s hand again, but this time for comfort, and I think this time he does it instinctively because he is actually too scared and nervous to keep his emotions in check. The fact that he curls Tae’s fingers around his own looking absentminded tells me this is at the very least not fan service, it’s because Jimin needs it. Then if it’s based in a platonic or romantic bond is another thing, but Jimin specifically asked for Tae to sit next to him.

Then after the fandom watched this episode, people found it cute, but no one really reacted that much to it. I personally think they saw that as an ok sign to keep doing it. That they don’t have to hold back that part of them as much anymore, so they are more open with it now even though they have likely always done it. The fact that people see it as completely platonic, and that it could also be played off as a joke or as for comfort made it easier to dismiss. The same goes for BV3, where the hand holding can be seen as a way of comforting due to Taehyung’s situation. But remember that Jimin almost seemed to be the one that needed it the most, like he couldn’t wait or hold back.

Jimin is also basically whispering to Tae in this moment, so he is at the very least subconsciously trying to not draw attention to it.

The thing is that now people are so used to seeing it that no one really reacts anymore. It has become “A vmin thing”, it’s just something they do and it can easily be dismissed as just another part of their lovely friendship. And maybe it is, I can’t possibly know for sure. But at least it looks like they have stopped to hide a lot of things that they have always done, and that we have seen glimpses of, but that have now become the norm for them to show outwards as well.

We know all of BTS are careful of shipping moments, as we can see edits for all ships and moments where they wonder if things are ok or not to show. I think another good example is the punishment of kissing on the cheek. I think all members are clearly overreacting because they are supposed to find it disgusting, but let’s talk about vmin. Jimin’s acting here is one of the fakest things I’ve ever seen.

Tae just looks happy, but Jimin’s overreaction is hilarious. Especially since we know this is something they can do of their own free will.

I don’t know if it’s just the shipping that makes them hold back, or if it’s because there is something real between Jimin and Taehyung. But it does seem like they keep doing the things they want to do when they notice that they can. Which is why their affections seems to be shown more and more in public. There is also the fact that BTS has gained popularity and is more in the spot light, so maybe these moments were frequent before as well, but there are more moments captured in general now. (This of course doesn’t apply to the things they upload themselves on twitter or fan café).

There are are so many small moments for Vmin where they or the members try to defuse moment that might be seen as too romantic/shippy, but a lot of them really go unnoticed. I still think the snow globe in BV2 is a great example. Look at the clip yourself. You might see something else, but to me it looks like Jimin makes it seem like it’s no big deal while hiding the snow globe after properly seeing what’s in it, notice how he checks first before he picks it up, meanwhile the other members deflect. As he realizes there is a couple in it, he puts it back, he doesn’t show it off to the camera.

And that is just one out of many many time Vmin has given me reason to look closer. Here’s another example of Jimin subtly looking to the side after realizing that he might have showed too much.

Jimin has a certain smile when he tries to act casual but fails… I really should have the original videos for all of these examples. But sadly it will have to do with pictures and gifs.

And here is another example of Jimin trying to hold back his smile and keep his emotions in check, an example where he fails miserably. (I am so sad I couldn’t find a gif for this one, it’s a really interesting moment.)

So, what I think is that Vmin still holds back a lot of things, and they still feel awkward with showing everything openly, and probably still aren’t completely used to not showing things. But they have noticed that some things are ok to do. And because they like doing these things and it seems like it is ok for them to do them publicly now, they keep doing it. Simple.

But again, this is my way of seeing it, and there could be a million small reasons for why this change has happened. They are real people after all, and that makes everything complex and hard to understand completely.

I think we can expect more and more of these things from them up ahead. If they realize that they manage to push the boundaries too far they might back off. Unless they are doing it actively for other purposes as well, but that is beyond what I can speculate about properly at the moment.

Thank you so much for the ask. I’m so glad I finally got to talk a little about these things.

Just remember that this is just one Vmin shipper’s personal view and that I could have read it all wrong. I hope you all enjoyed this Vmin analysis. Let’s keep on shipping Vmin as much as they ship themselves. Please like, reblog and reply. I would love to hear your own opinions. <3

#vmin #taehyung #jimin #vmin analysis #btsandvmin #vmin gif #vmin photo #vimin video #my post #Vmin – Pushing the boundaries #vmin things #vmin isac #vmin run #vmin bon voyage #vmin finger hearts

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keriskz · 5 years

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@jebentnietalleen tagged me in her fun Elu questionnaire (I say in Lucas’ voice) and I owed an anon something so here it is and per usual, it is a hot flaming pile of emotions.

The moment you fell in love with Lucas

This is easy. I fell in love with Lucas at the same time Eliott did: during the piano scene.

This is also the scene that I love more than any other scene of this season and it’s one I think we overlook.

I’ve joked that Lucas and Eliott didn’t hide their attraction to each other in the beginning and their interactions this episode is proof of it. We had Eliott playfully teasing Lucas at the bus stop (and letting us know he also has done some stalking. We see you, Eliott). We then had Lucas MAJORLY flirting with Eliott when they were talking about Eliott’s drawings.

(I mean seriously. Lucas asked Eliott, a guy he barely knows, what animal he would be. AND THEN RAISED HIS EYEBROWS WHILE SMIRKING. My boy. My dude. My little love. You’re not hiding it. At all.

Oh also about this interaction. Lucas is inviting Eliott to get to know him better. Because how else could Eliott draw his spirit animal without really knowing what type of person he is, both inside and out? I also feel like Lucas was daring Eliott a bit? And Eliott was clearly up to the challenge.)

Under a read more because I don’t know how keep these short.

The dubstep clip is also immensely flirty. And majorly embarrassing. I think all of us have major second-hand embarrassment when watching this clip. But I watch it because I love the look on Lucas’ face when he sees how absolutely dorky Eliott is (and how horrible his music taste is. Because really? Dubstep?). He found it endearing. Intriguing. Lucas was expecting Eliott to play jazz or classical music because of the record player and the overall aesthetic of Eliott’s living room. So when Eliott put on dubstep it was absolutely a curveball. It was, to steal Eliott’s words, surprising.

(I need to take a moment over the contrast of Eliott blowing the smoke circles (majorly sexual) and Lucas’ DJ face (majorly dorky). It’s a lot.)

Okay, so we knew Eliott was already intrigued by Lucas and we knew Lucas was equally intrigued by Eliott. But I don’t think either really quite knew the level those feelings were until they had the opportunity to spend time together. They fell into this natural and easy rapport. They were together for several hours and it was so easy for them to be around each other. Telling stories and jokes. Learning more about one another. Smoking a couple joints and drinking some beers.

But then Lucas throws his own curveball and asks about the piano. I’m curious about this backstory. Was he forced to take piano lessons? Did he like playing it? When did he give it up? Does he miss playing? Why have they deprived me of this backstory?

Had it been a minute since Lucas last played and that’s why he seemed hesitant? Or, was he a cocky son of a bitch and only wanted to pretend to be bad? Regardless, when he started playing, Eliott’s entire body language changed. I get overwhelmed thinking about it. How he leaned forward to really watch Lucas as he was playing. The way his face relaxed, his lips opening ever so slightly, his eyes…oh god his EYES. The way they just stare at Lucas, drinking him in. You can see the exact moment he fell in love with Lucas. He isn’t hiding it. He’s so in awe of this man in front of him, someone who he clearly liked and was attracted to, but had no clue what to expect.

When Lucas looks back at Eliott to gauge his reaction, Eliott has the most beautiful smile on his face. Y’all are picturing it now because it’s the most perfect face to ever exist! He’s telling Lucas everything in that moment.

When the song ends and it’s just…quiet. Lucas tentatively turning around and Eliott is just STARING at him, mouth agape, eyes soaking it in, it’s an absolute game changer. It was this beautiful tension-filled moment and one Eliott, Lucas, or us didn’t want to break. I watch this scene holding my breath because I’m terrified of breaking this moment.

Eliott wrote Polaris before he ever knew Lucas. He knew then that Lucas was his Polaris. He had been waiting for him.

Like Eliott, I ended up falling for Lucas. I became so invested in him. I needed him to find the strength and courage to be true to himself. I needed him to experience true love and find happiness within himself and those around him. I was ready for his story to unfold, just like Eliott was.

I know I joke about this a lot but I am absolutely serious when I say I would like Vendredi 19:34 to play at my funeral.

#oh god i am so so sorry #skam france #lucas x eliott #keri's skam france ted talk series

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skamamoroma · 5 years

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You Are Not From Milan - Thoughts (Part 1)

So this one was always going to be a game changer and I’m sorry for taking a while to write my thoughts. I didn’t think people were too interested in more of my ramblings but then I got quite a few requests so here we are!

First off, I’m so grateful to those people who have helped shed light on what Nico might be experiencing and the illness he lives with. Education on this stuff is so important and I really found it so interesting to read about people’s experiences because only then can you really appreciate what the show is trying to do. Some of that information really did inform us and enabled so many of us to really understand Nico a little more and ESPECIALLY some of the moments in this clip... because yeah, Bessegato might be a bit arrogant etc (!) but nobody can deny that Skam Italia have worshipped Marti and Nico as characters (and others - especially Gio) and I feel the love for these characters in each clip and this one was absolutely no exception despite some of it being very difficult stuff.

This is long. I’m making myself clear right now because if you fall asleep mid way through or even before then, NOBODY could blame you, but some people asked for it so here it is! <3

First off, Bessegato with this cinematography. I love that we get a really poppy, upbeat song with the two of them on the train either kissing or taking selfies or both. It’s youthful and cute and fun to see them spending time together and doing pretty typical sweet stuff with one another.

I think the main thing I felt when I watched the start of this clip was the comfort they have together. We’re straight off the back of Nico being upset, his mother behaving as she did, Marti being a little uncomfortable and Nico apologising and telling Marti he wants to sleep next to him. That broke my heart. The way he said it was so simple but said SO MUCH. When we were in his room with him and he was asking Marti to leave, you could hear two things so clearly: how much he DIDN’T want that to happen and also how much he desperately wanted comfort. I keep coming back to that because I didn’t feel that with Even. I felt different wants and desires from him but with Nico I just always get this overwhelming feeling that he needs comfort and someone to just SEE him and gather him up. When Rocco said his word was ‘vulnerability’ with Nico, it shows. A lot.

So the fact that straight off the back of that comment from Nico, we have him being able to spend time with Marti with nobody else there is something we KNOW will be very special.

And that’s the key thing. NOBODY ELSE THERE. This is Milan. Day and night time and the only other person we see during the entire clip, despite them being in the open, in a central location, is the lady introducing the flat.

Now, I’ve said this before but I love Skam’s realism. It’s why I’m drawn to it so much. But I also love how Skam Italia has stuck close to realism but drawn a little more on the cinematic aspects. I’m down for that. I’ve adored it. This clip, for me, was by far the most cinematic and I’m kind of thrilled because I often feel like, to depict mental illness, things like camera angles, light, sound, shot length, cinematography tricks and metaphors are WONDERFUL. Something from the original (and the og had much less of a cinematic feel which worked perfectly for it) that I adored was the impact the scene changes were when Even was taking deep breaths and unable to sit still. Those breaths going straight into a black screen was genius and still gives me chills to this day. Those effects, you can say so so much with them and it seems they used that but in really subtle ways. It’s not really STARKLY obvious that nobody is around until you really think about it.

We kind of have a first introduction into them being the Last Men on Earth.

The little kiss Marti gives Nico is a lovely book end moment to their scene outside the school, isn’t it? Marti feels a little more able to be open but again, THERE IS NOBODY AROUND. Not a soul. When I watched the clip again after realising nobody was visible, it changed it all for me. I actually got shivers because it was EXACTLY like Marti explained... if you’re the last person on earth - WHAT WOULD YOU DO. Possibilities are endless.

I loved the giddy teenage response to the fancy apartment. It was so sweet and that VIEW. The fact that Nico specifically asks for the skyscrapers was SO DAMN SWEET. Ah. It’s such a youthful thing to do - SHOW ME THE BIG BUILDINGS. Tbh I’m the same, I’m a sucker for a good view.

I think it’s here we realise how expensive this must have been.... the apartment with THAT view. We know that Nico was, at this point, experiencing an episode due to his illness but what is so telling is that he chose to rent an apartment. That was his choice in that moment and he wanted a safe and quite space with Marti with pretty views. I mean. NICO. Romance runs in his veins.

THE NOSE BOOP. So familiar, so bloody cute and so playful. This is NOTHING new to them but just confirms how they are together and they are LOVELY.

AND THEN THE CURTAINS. Now @only-in-dreamland wrote a pretty special post about the curtains that I LOVE. Go read it. When I watched this back I wondered what the point of including that was. It’s not really a throwaway comment, it’s said a couple of times and I think this wonderful post on the meaning could be pretty spot on because those curtains are so important later on.

I loved the music in the background too. It’s whimsical, plinky plonky kind of music. It made the whole scene feel film-like, alongside that purple blue sky and the little lights from the cool buildings. Contrasted with the scene taking place, it made it a little disconcerting too because towards the end, you can see Marti’s not entirely sure how to behave because Nico is being pretty forward and a little different to how we’ve seen him before.

AND THEN THE SCENE WHICH RENDERS ME SPEECHLESS.

First off, that gorgeous moment of the two of them leaning on the balcony looking at their pretty view that’s all theirs.... it’s so child like with wonder but also so damn romantic. I love that Marti says they’ve been to one of the buildings opposite as it means they spent time together during the day. Knowing that is such a comfort.

Nico looks so calm with Marti, really happy and very smiley as we know him to be so when Marti looks back and they just giggle... it’s a really beautiful moment. They are always happy to be together, always smiling. It’s like their trademark THING at this point. Marti just looks so smitten, so at ease and completely mesmerised by Nico. It’s almost dream-like again.

And then we have the RED. Everything till this point is so BLUE. The sky, the buildings, Marti’s clothes (OF COURSE), the view.... and then there’s this BOLD RED and it’s also another of their things. This sharp change in colour which normally means a change in mood.

This moment with the neon sign is one of my absolute favourites so far this whole season.

First off, the music. From the RED PILL BLUES album. Come onnnnnnn! Perfect. The song is one I’d have NEVER considered but my god, it’s perfect. some of the lyrics “keep me connected to you” and “you wanna be reckless, restless right until tomorrow”.... but lastly “WHEN WE CLOSE THE CURTAINS”. God damn it. THOSE CURTAINS AGAIN.

Not to mention this song is sexy as hell. It’s just one of THOSE songs with that slow beat... amazinggggg song choice, I can’t even cope with how good it is.

But then you have Nico asking Marti about the sign and there’s something so sweet about Marti’s “um, how?” and you can see Nico feels the same. He’s endlessly charmed by Marti but in this moment he chooses his own version. It’s like he wants the scene to be perfect, to be THEM and only them for this short period of time. It’s like a title to a tv show, like he’s making this time MARTI AND NICO and nobody else, so much so that it’s written all over the wall to make it clear. The way he does it though, the way he points and walks slowly and smiles and laughs a little at Marti’s confusion before catching him in a kiss... it’s so cinematic my heart couldn’t handle it but it’s that kind of overwhelming, bowl you over kind of sensual cinematic moment that has you swooning but the music makes it more than that, it’s actually intoxicating. I usually hate that work but god does it explain this scene.

HOW ANYONE CAN COMPLAIN ABOUT THIS SCENE NOT BEING ENOUGH IS HONESTLY BEYOND ME. I’ve rarely seen a heterosexual love scene with intimacy like this nevermind a same sex couple.

The slow kisses are completely perfect especially considering their happy bouncy kisses in the cabin. This is a ‘take your time’ kiss. Rocco and Fede floor me in this scene. Truly. Every moment is so full of LOVE and CONNECTION and it is almost difficult to watch because it feels very private. They’ve always had this instant easy kind of chemistry but this is a change from the cabin’s frantic kissing, this is soulful and full of touches that say so much without words....! They barely stop touching. The fact that they always touch each other’s faces is painfully sweet because it’s that awe and gentle sweetness they’ve shown time and time again.

For Marti, it makes me so happy because this is what he deserves. He looks SO comfortable, so happy, so into every moment that it’s kind of breathtaking to see. I couldn’t help but feel so emotional for him because he’s getting the physical part of a relationship he has no doubt wanted but never known if it was possible for him...

The “private dancer” moment is actually intimate as hell and crazy sexy with Nico helping Marti slide his clothes over his head. People cannot watch this and feel they’re being shortchanged in terms of depicting same sex love and intimacy because it is painfully intimate.

Lets have a moment to appreciate Rocco’s insane and beautiful curly messy hair because it’s wild in this moment and such a lovely touch in comparison to Marti’s own hair. The shadow effects are absolutely stunning because you focus in on what is important and the detail is simply not necessary.

AND THEN NICO KISSES MARTI’S HEART and my own heart hurt. We know Nico is a romantic. We know he adores Marti but god. GOD. He does it in such a way that it’s obvious he has chosen to kiss over Marti’s heart, he’s trying to say so much without saying it.

There’s something they both have done since day one and that’s hold the other in place when they kiss and it makes me a bit emotional!!!! Marti does it quite a bit in this moment, keeps Nico close with his hands or guides him closer to him. Those details are what impress me so so much about Rocco and Fede’s acting. This is really really intense stuff to show, especially to do it well but they make it look absolutely real. I don’t question it for a second and I’m normally someone who is snapped out of scenes when acting is awry or something doesn’t sit right. Never with this season. Not once.

Again with the smiling, the giddy blissed out smiles that are a Martino Rametta staple. His smile is so lovely and to see him happy is what we all want so all you want to do is keep that smile on his face!

I ADORE the little moment when Marti is hovering over Nico and Nico’s finger drags along under his chin. It almost stopped my heart with how intimate a detail that was, how in love they seemed in that little moment alone.

The last shot of this scene is so gorgeous that I KNEW, I knew watching it the first time that it was going to be the last time we saw them like that. I just had this awful sinking feeling seeing them slotted together to happy and lazy and cuddled together that it wasn’t going to last but what a truly gorgeous shot that was. Nico looked tranquil as hell and that’s why what happens afterwards is so painful for me and for us all because all of that intense comfort that Nico wanted and was seeking and that Marti loved... they didn’t get it. They didn’t get their time to sleep next to eachother. It was so SAD for me because that comfort is what I keep coming back to... life got in the way and stole that from them and I felt so unbeliavably sad. I KNOW they will get it. I am certain and I can’t wait to see that but, for now, my heart hurt so much.

#skam italia #wow this is so long #as promised #ep8 #thoughts etc #nicotino #I'll post the other part tomorrow as I'm pretty tired and it's after midnight and i carried a mahoosive xmas tree too far today

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andimackfaneditsss · 6 years

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Mama Earp Could Be After Waverly

So after 3x03 and the promo for 3x04 there’s a lot to unpack, my theories about Mama Earp and Waverly in particular have quadrupled.

Let’s go back to that clip of Waverly — with powers?

Firstly, our baby has powers!

Secondly, how? It’s been an ongoing theory across some parts of the fandom that she could be an angel. I’ve speculated she’s either angel or demon. But after “Colder Weather” I’m not so sure she could be anything but an angel or somewhere between. A demon-angel hybrid?

I made a post before about all the times Waverly has been called or regarded as an angel so for brevity’s sake: she’s been called or regarded as angel quite a lot across both seasons, season 3 is no exception.

Recently we’ve learned more about the new addition to the show this season, Kate, and all about her love of tarot cards. Waverly has two readings she never asks for. Her first reading is when she’s dealt the upside-down angel card. Try as I might, I couldn’t find the proper meaning for that specific card or what it means when upside-down. However, if memory serves me right, I believe Kate tells us its meaning in the same episode. Meanings aside the word “angel” here stands out. As for Waverly’s second reading, Kate pulls a card the audience doesn’t get to see and says “She’s sure something.”

It’s still possible Waverly could be a demon but at this point, with the amount of times “angel” has cropped up in regard to Waverly, making her a sweet demon would be almost predictable and cliche. Some could argue her being a full on angel could also be predictable and cliche. True. I’m sure we’ve all imagined Waverly as literally every supernatural creature we can think of so anything will probably be predictable. But them saying “angel” whenever on the subject of Waverly would make her being a demon with a heart of gold safe-predictable. Anything predictably safe, in my opinion, is something “introduced” that has always been there and so the plot and overall narrative — the universe a story has created — doesn’t need to change or grow or expand. Wynonna has only ever seen/fought demons and Waverly just being another one isn’t so much a shock but also doesn’t explore more of what’s out there. It’s safe. It stays directly in the realm of Purgatory and what we’ve come to know about it: only demons live and die there. But angels coming onto the scene would completely shift everything. It could open up so many doors for plot and narrative, chart more on this map of what’s possible and impossible. Angels and demons usually always coexist in a lot of fiction so it can be seen as predictable. But because the World of Wynonna has only shown having demons, angels hopping off the bus would be new territory.

The theory I’ve come up with and have been entertaining for awhile is: what if Waverly is an impure angel? Sort of like Lucifer and his brethren who fell from grace but maybe she was actually ripped from it? Stolen? It could make sense as to why she was burned awhile after holding peacemaker, why she can cross the GRT line and not burn, why she’s basically an angel but has her limits. But then I’m not even sure how one could go about that storyline. Where would one go to rip an angel from grace? Is it possible she could have fallen from it accidentally? There’s a lot of exposition that would come with that and I’m not so sure it would be worth it. Or how it would even be done. They could do it, but it might be easier to combine the familiar with the new. That’s where her being a demon-angel hybrid makes sense! She could also be an entirely new creature the WE universe hasn’t yet touched or one the writers have created from scratch. It’s all up in the air until we get more info — which I’m 99.9% certain is coming.

Another thing is: Waverly has to be a big piece of this puzzle. A very important piece this season or future seasons. Which could be due to her power. Both in the physical sense, since she can seemingly throw people like rag dolls without touching them, but also metaphorically. She has a standing in this game with Bulshar and for whatever reason he’s out to get her. The cannibalistic hunting Revenant in 3x02 wasn’t a minion of Bulshar and was terrified at the mention of his name so him kidnapping Waverly was an act driven by his own selfishness and hunger. Not a task for Bulshar. But Waverly is seen many times in S3 promos screaming bloody murder and in the presence of a creepy foe. None of these instances seem to be by coincidence. But then that scene where Waverly and Nicole are looking through Dolls’ hotel room completely changed the game. Nicole divulged about her past and Waverly chalks up her coming back to Purgatory without any concrete recollection of her past as her “having no control over any of her actions/decisions”. Waverly goes even further to state that maybe none of them have had any real control over any actions or decisions they’ve made so far and everything has been planned by some outside force or power — probably evil. That would mean Waverly being captured in 3x02 and every other time may not be because the foe consciously wanted to. Maybe there was a voice in their head that told them to and nobody noticed it wasn’t their own. Sort of like a Jedi Mind trick.

Which brings me to Mama Earp. Michelle Gibson.

She said in 3x01 she hears a voice that tells her about Bulshar. She never said if it told her actions she needed to take for him or against him. Wynonna seems to think she has all the answers and could help them, which could mean that come next episode Michelle is broken out of prison if this summary and the following picture are anything to go off:

So then what of her holding peacemaker while looking hysterical? Can she even use it? If she could that would be a real big game changer.

Who is she aiming the gun on? There might be an explanation for that in the scene where Waverly throws someone with the Force. It’s been theorized she was throwing Michelle since it looks like her from behind. It’s theorized that this happens because she’s evil. I have a new theory: she’s being used by Bulshar to get rid of Waverly.

There’s a line Michelle says in 3x01 that stuck out at me.

“You’re gonna get your baby sister killed.”

To paraphrase. Since I forgot what was actually said. But it was along the lines of this. She warned Wynonna she would put Waverly in jeopardy if she kept chasing Bulshar. At first it seems like she’s just wanting her youngest daughter to be safe and is angry at Wynonna for compromising that safety. But then we learn how she never wanted Waverly to visit her in prison. She didn’t talk of Willa but she specifically didn’t want Waverly to visit her. We also learn that she was taken out of the house when Waverly was really young because she was crazy? It wasn’t said if she did anything but because she’s in prison I can assume she did. If she hadn’t and was just a nuisance to the town by spreading wild theories of Bulshar, she would have been admitted to an asylum like Wynonna. Why did she get prison instead? Not even jail, she skipped that and went to straight up prison. She had to have done or at least tried something that would have landed her there.

There’s also Waverly throwing her (presumably) and Michelle (possibly) aiming a gun on her youngest daughter before or after being thrown? We’re also shown a clip of Michelle tied up and peacemaker back at Wynonna’s side.

Michelle is definitely crazy...but is she dangerous? Personally, I believe Michelle is going to be broken out of prison because of Wynonna wanting to learn more about Bulshar from her. But that voice that tells Michelle of Bulshar will overcome her when she’s in the presence of Waverly and she’ll lash out, trying to kill her.

If in fact the voice is tied to Bulshar and, like many others, Michelle has no control over her actions or decisions then it’s clear Bulshar wants or needs Waverly dead. That could mean he wants to pull the cliche villain thing and kill Wynonna’s baby sister to get to her, or he could genuinely be afraid of Waverly because she’s an actual threat to him or his plans.

Sorry this is such a long theory! I needed to get all this off my chest. I was watching the promo for 3x04 again and my mind was buzzing with theories. Lmk what you think and any theories you may have.

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grimelords · 6 years

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I just realised I wrote up my June playlist and forgot to post it at all, which benefits no one. July coming soon, but for now please enjoy three hours of two month old thoughts on the new Kanye, the Red Dead Redemption soundtrack and two songs about drinking beer.

Ghost Town - Kanye West: Now that the dust has settled around Kanye's month of chaos I can safely say Ye is great and Ghost Town is the best song on it, though it's not a coincidence that the best song is the one where Kanye says the least.

DLZ - TV On The Radio: I've been obsessed with this song for a long time. The combination of the absolutely hypnotising drums and very good cryptic lyrics about impending doom is exactly my shit. Also the whistling right at the very end is a perfect moment.

Hyph Mngo - Joy Orbison: Someone had a thing on twitter the other day that was like 'quote tweet this with a phrase you remember that if you told a younger person they wouldn't understand' and someone said Hyph Mngo and I felt age 100. This song really was such a game changer and that whole wave of stuff like this, Koreless and Jame Blake's EP's around then was such an incredible time to be alive. I am aging decades by the second and will not be around much longer.

The Shootist - Bill Elm & Woody Jackson: I've been thinking about game soundtracks a lot the past month or so for some reason and Red Dead really is an all timer. They did such a great job capturing the whole feeling without it just being a straight Morricone rip-off (though obviously it is mostly a Morricone ripoff).

Touch Me - Wish & Fonda Rae: This song is so fucking good to begin with but then it gets really really good in the middle part and where they just start going hogwild with the sampler on her vocals, and then again at the end when it starts sounding like a Battles song.

In The Vespers - Colin Stetson & Sarah Neufeld: Ever since I finished MGSV again I've been thinking about open-world stealth as a genre and how I'd do it, and this song is really the perfect kind of soundtrack to the game I'm thinking of. It's already got four alert levels built in, all the way from Tense to FUCk and back down to Calming Down But Still Scared.

Human After All - Daft Punk: Human After All is still a beguiling album in sound and vision after all this time. The amount of noise emananating from every single element in this song, and songs like Technologic is just so strange compared to everything they'd done before and since, but I think that's what I like about it. It sounds like it was made in 1979 when electronics were a novelty and everyone accepted that they'd be noisy as hell. Also I had an emotional moment this month while I was driving and listening to this song and reflecting on how we are all, human.. after all.. so who knows what's up with me.

Disparate Youth - Santigold: The production on this song is insane. The drums, the guitar, the bouncing piano, it just has so much momentum the whole way through and holy shit I just realised that the video I was talking about last month that referenced The Holy Mountain that I couldn't remember is L.E.S. Artistes by Santigold what an incredible two for one.

Violence - Parquet Courts: This song has the potential to be embarrassing but it's saved from itself by the specificity of the lyrics and the backing vocals that sound like a smiling swing band saying 'violence is daily life!'.

Jane Says - Jane's Addiction: The steel drum as the central melody line in this is such a strange and beautiful choice and also this song has two chords and no chorus. There are truly one million ways to make a good song.

Heatstroke - Calvin Harris feat. Young Thug, Pharrell Williams, Ariana Grande: I really can't believe I missed this song that came out like a year ago, so thank god my girlfriend told me about it. It's incredible. Everyone is operating at full capacity in this song and the structure is so good, the Pharrell/Thug pre-chorus could be a chorus on its own but then Ariana and Pharrell trade lines foe the actual chorus, amazing. Also when Thugger says 'she got every read bottom like a baboon’ the way the backup says '..baboon' slightly apprehensively cracks me up.

Maximum Black - Bohren & Der Club Of Gore: More Bohren, carrying over from last month. This is one of my favourites of theirs, mostly just for the choir sound and the all-time great sax intro at about 4:30. When you start at absolute zero, dialling it up to a 1 sounds like bomb going off.

Dust Bunnies - Kurt Vile: This is like most Kurt Vile songs in that it's sort of just about hanging out and feeling kind of funny, which is a mindset I really relate to.

Here For The Beer - The Sloppy Boys: A bunch of guys from The Birthday Boys have a band now and it's really great. Comedy music is hard but this album is the best kind where it's just dumb ass rock and roll story songs and odes to partying. The way he says 'autographed baseball' makes me laugh every time.

Beer Pressure - Municipal Waste: Anyway that song reminded me of this song, which is almost the exact same song with a slightly different mindset.

Credulous! Credulous! - BATS: There's really something to listening to a song for ten years and then having it suddenly dawn on you one day that it's about an epilleptic 16 year old in the distant past getting treppaned by a mystic and a team of scientists in the present figuring out what happened.

Please Take Your Hand Away - Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross: Everyone's (me) always talking about how good The Social Network soundtrack is but nobody's ever talking about how they did a sequel that's just as good and goes for longer than the actual film when they released the nearly 3 hour Girl With The Dragon Tattoo soundtrack a year later. What an achievement!

What Does Your Soul Look Like Part 2 - DJ Shadow: This song is really on a whole nother level. It is really a kind of magic that you can get a 15 minute song out of a two note bassline and a drum loop, but when they're this good it looks easy. The drums especially are just absolutely hypnotising.

One Of One - Kamasi Washington: Kamasi somehow outdid himself on this one my god. The groove in this is just amazing, and the way it twists and turns into something darker and darker before the sun shines through and the hook comes back is incredible. The way the theme comes back all twisted up with strings near the end. Great stuff.

My Exit, Unfair - mewithoutYou: I honestly very nearly got converted in high school just because I was listening to so much mewithoutYou, and it still informs a lot of my religious thoughts. A running theme through a lot of their songs is wrestling with and trying to accept the idea that God has a plan for you that you definitely don't understand and getting extremely upset about it and that's about where I'm at.

Stand - R.E.M.: Apparently this was the theme to a show called Get A Life and it's funny because it really does sound perfect for a 90s tv theme. It sounds like it's two and a half minutes too long. Release the 30 second TV theme version REM.

BFG Division - Mick Gordon: I was watching a guy speedrun Doom on GDQ and the music for that game is so amazing, but it sounds really funy when the whole sppedrun is just clipping through a wall and rocket jumping halfway across the level to trigger the checkpoint. Mick Gordon really nailed this soundtrack, it's a massive part of the atmosphere of the game and it's really the logical expansion of the MIDI themes of the original, it sounds like the original in HD, this is what you thought you were hearing.

Angel's Rest - Marisa Anderson: Marisa Anderson's songs are so loosely structured they often seem dreamed up on the spot, but the sounds and moods seem so carefully considered that the notes themselves aren't so important.

Looks Like I Picked The Wrong Week To Quit Oxygen - Michael Giacchino: If Michael Giacchino doesn't get an Oscar for The Incredibles II soundtrack I'm going to riot. The climax of this is so big I had to stop myself from applauding in the theatre, it's irrepressible.

AM // Radio - Earl Sweatshirt & Wiki: I was having a week where I was really feeling like the phrase "I don't like shit, I don't go outside" and so I suddenly remembered this album. This beat is so, so good. It sounds like nothing else, and it only adds to the alien flavour by giving the second half of the track to an instrumental.

World In Harmony - Adebisi Shank: Adebisi Shank are really the perfect band. They love to have fun and have a big time and they started out with a perfect first album and only got bigger and better by the time they got to the third and broke up. This song is so powerful, and my billionaire dream is to finance a new F-Zero game and get Adebisi Shank back together to do the soundtrack.

Make Luv feat. Oliver Cheatham - Room 5: I'm slowly putting together a playlist of songs that sound like Music Sounds Better With You by Stardust in order to invoke some kind of euphoric 'best night ever' and ascend to heaven but this song is the only other one I have so far.

A Love Supreme Part II: Resolution - John Coltrane Quartet: I don't feel qualified to say anything about A Love Supreme, so I don't think I'm going to. I literally don't know where to start with this. It's damn good music.

"You Got A Killer Scene There, Man..." - Queens Of The Stone Age: This song is a real vibe. This should be a whole genre but I've never really found anything else like it. It's like if The Doors were good I suppose. It's shocking that this song only goes for 5 minutes because it really feels like it could go for 20 and you wouldn't mind. I remember a few years ago I opened this in Audition and slowed it down to 75% and I really recommend it, it makes the whole thing feel as sludgy as I think it's supposed to be and makes all the breaks that much more impactful.

Never Let Me Go - Sarah Blasko: A friend sent me this and said it sounds like a Bond theme and he's absolutely right, especially towards the end where it all starts stacking up. Maybe it would need a bit more brass to be a proper Bond theme but still, I love it.

Protection - Emma Ruth Rundle: I love Emma Ruth Rundle so much and I'm so excited that she's got a new album coming out. The absolute textural thickness she can conjure up in a song like this blows me away. I don't know what it is about her voice but it sounds like the 90s somehow. Does that make sense? This feels like 90s music, like the grunge female songwriter thing went a slightly different way and I love it.

listen here

#playlists

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imeugene · 6 years

Video

vimeo

A few articles ago I said the last time I saw a Grizz Air was a clip of George Dossantos. I refute that now. It’s definitely by this guy which I had the pleasure of rewatching again. Up until now I can easily classify a rider into a single section and say that’s the one that I think best represents him. That’s usually the case but as I was resisting Alex Vazquez, I couldn’t choose one. Do I choose the one where he does a nollie turndown off the roof? Or the one where he does a manuel to nosemanuel to crankflip years ago? Or some other one where he does the longest wheel duster line to a surprise manuel 180 flat? It honestly was the hardest decision I’ve ever made in a choosing a section cause honestly every single one of them was great in their own way.

https://vimeo.com/search?q=alex+vazquez

That’s the filmography. I suggest if you have the time to check it all out. Just some crazy stuff in there. Ultimately I chose this premiere section for him. Cause it was the first and there’s definitely no shortage of real technical outsider riding that hits the point.

The Trip Promo in 2010 was a game changer. It momentarily brought a new flavor and crew into the spotlight of BMX. It was a real eclectic team consisting of underground names mixed with up and comers, mixed with ams but maybe they’re pros I’m not quite sure and Patrick King and Garrett Reynolds. It really brought that whole crew into the attention of the mainstream. It really was a great video with an amazing natural vibe. It had a lot of haters saying they were trying to be Deathwish and it seemed like the first time a brand pushed pot to the masses but I remember doing “the trip pound” so I was about it. It was a cultural phenomenon for sure.

I think it’s safe to say that Alex Vazquez was virtually unknown before this section. Which isn’t too weird cause this was before Instagram, where everyone and their sister whose trying to learn how to bunnyhop is known. He brought such a high caliber riding that was a mix of weirdo tricks like the Grizz Air, one handed manuels and manuel 180s on flat. Also he did a lot of crankflips which is normal now but back then definitely a less common trick.

He had this style where it was above any type of rule or guidelines. Manuel 180s on flat were a trend earlier in the 2000′s but the BMX community came to a consensus that they were wack and it died out. Grizz airs like I said were pretty much dead tricks and one handed manuels were so “freestyle” it almost hurt. But somehow he made it all work cause he was technically really proficient. It goes back to the whole idea “you gotta know the rules, to break the rules”. Which I think really applies to BMX.

It’s like the art equivalent of some guy who can’t draw at all but he’s constantly justifying his “art” by calling it abstract. Some riders simply suck and their riding sucks. They might call it “East Coast” or “Less is More” or “Freestyle”, which it may all be but for an outsider to judge.. it still sucks. Alex Vazquez takes these weirdo tricks and utilizes them in a very technical way. Like look at his banger which is a double peg to crankflip to manuel 180. Crankflips were not a common place yet and manuel to 180s were determined to be wack but by being able to link these unsavory tricks, he created a style that defied common standards and made it work. You couldn’t say the manuel 180 was cheating cause he just did a crankflip into it. You couldn’t say crankflips are easy trick cause he did between a rail and a manuel 180. You cannot not like any of it but any sensible person will realize that this is a very hard combo. And there is merit in that. Plus he rocks some Skytops with some crazy colored jeans which only makes him sweeter cause it’s just another thing to hate but lowkey furthers his outside riding status. He’s just dope in being a BMX weirdo which is what BMX really needs more of. Like one handed manuel to icepick on a rail is just the wildest maneuver that I don’t think has ever been done or will ever be done again.

I’ll be honest though, when this came out I didn’t really enjoy it like I do now. I was 20 then which is still a very impressionable age. I liked thing that were cool cause other people determined they were cool. I don’t think I hated it though, I might’ve hated the Skytops but the riding was just too out there for me to properly judge. It had it’s merits. Like I said before, he’s certainly not some cop out rider but it was just too different and at that age I didn’t know how to appreciate things like that. Which I think is the case with anyone whose young. I look back now and I rarely ever watch every video for a single rider these days but I did with Alex Vazquez cause he’s really that good. He’s off the radar now but the few sections we got of him is an absolute treat. Like I said if you got the time run through them. There’s something new and something completely uncalled for in every single one of them.

Alex Vazquez

Call Me The Breeze by Lynyrd Skynyrd

The Trip - 1st Promo (2010)

Edited by Miles Rogoish

#Alex Vazquez #bmx

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droneseco · 3 years

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Rode Wireless Go II Review: More than an Upgrade. It's a Game-Changer

Rode Wireless Go II

9.50 / 10

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The Rode Wireless GO II is a no-compromise compact wireless microphone system that gives you the most flexibility and peace of mind when recording audio.

Key Features

200m range (line of sight)

Dual channel recording

Universal compatibility - 3.5mm TRS analog, USB-C and iOS digital output

7 hours battery life

On-board recording – over 40 hours of compressed or 7 hours uncompressed

New Rode Central app compatibility

Specifications

Brand: Rode

Type: Series IV 2.4GHz digital transmission, 128-bit

Pattern: Built-in omnidirectional condenser

Power: USB-C

Battery: 7 hours

Connector: 3.5mm TRS analog, USB-C

Pros

Internal audio recording

Safety channel

Incredible wireless range

Rode Central app adds several new features and recording modes

Windscreens attach securely and allow for clean outdoor recording

Cons

Transmitters do not have displays

Lapel microphone is not included

Non-line of sight range is significantly less

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Rode has recently released the successor to their very popular and industry leader Rode Wireless Go. But have they made added enough new features and tools to this upgraded model to make it worth checking out?

If you’re looking for a no-compromise compact wireless microphone system that gives you the most flexibility and peace of mind when recording audio, Rode’s new Wireless GO II should be at the top of your list.

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After using the Rode Wireless Go II for the past few weeks, it will now be replacing two major parts of my existing audio recording kit. I'll share the unique advantages of using a wireless system like this and how it has helped me more efficiently and reliably record audio compared to my past solutions. Watch our video review of this wireless system for audio tests and comparisons.

Improvements and Key Features

In its updated model, the Rode Wireless Go II has increased its range and stability to 200m/656 feet with a direct line of sight (more than double that of the original Rode Wireless Go at 70m). It's added dual-channel recording with its second transmitter which allows you to now record two microphones simultaneously. And even more importantly for content creators like myself, the transmitters now can record audio directly and automatically with their built-in memory. This last update is the biggest game-changer and has allowed me for the most part to not need a separate external audio recorder like the Zoom H1n to save files.

There are also several other great features either carried over from their previous model or improved upon that when combined with those first three points, make the Rode Wireless Go II an extremely versatile tool for recording high-quality audio wirelessly and my new Go-II choice.

In my experience, this has been the easiest, the fastest, and most reliable wireless system I’ve used to record audio. Throughout this review, I’ll focus on the key areas that make this possible, which include:

Various recording modes

Connectivity options

Range and reliability

Many of these updates and new features are reliant on Rode's new Windows/Mac app called Rode Central. And while this updated Wireless Go II is a fantastic upgrade, there are of course a few quirks and areas (mostly related to the Rode Central software that I’ll cover later) that I think can be improved upon.

What's Included?

The main part of the kit consists of one receiver and two transmitters. They are about the same size and weight and all three have clips on the back which double as cold-shoe mounts.

Three short USB C to type A cables are included which support charging, data transfer, and live recording to compatible devices.

There's also a short red TRS to TRS cable. It feels durable and designed to last a long time. It’s designed to bend and hold its shape for easier connectivity and to help keep it out of your shot.

Specially designed to fit over the internal mics, you three windscreens are provided to help reduce low-frequency noise usually caused by wind. I like how they securely twist on to the transmitter's mics to prevent them from accidentally falling off when in use. It’s also nice of them to include a third windscreen as a back up too.

Lastly, you have a nice soft carrying pouch to store and transport everything. At first, I was a little concerned by it not being a hard case, but in my experience, it offers sufficient protection from external forces. I figure this also helps keep the overall size of the kit as small as possible. On the other hand, I would have liked for the inside of the pouch to have individual pockets or dividers to better keep the receiver and transmitters from bumping up against each other.

That said, when you tightly pack everything up in the carrying pouch, there isn’t much room for anything to slide around, but I could potentially see this leading to more dings and scrapes down the road. The entire kit isn't much larger than my iPhone 11.

Notably Missing

Unlike every other similar wireless audio kit I’ve reviewed and tested, the Wireless Go II does not include a lavalier microphone. For pro users, this likely isn’t a big deal as they might already have a preferred microphone they want to use. Often the microphones included with wireless kits aren’t the highest quality, so they’re replaced with better and more expensive ones, especially for higher production shoots. But an included budget microphone is still better than none at all, especially if you’re just starting off and don’t have one already.

As with the original Rode Wireless Go, I wish that the transmitters themselves also had a display on them. For times when reaching and looking at the screen on the receiver isn't practical, having your key information displayed on the transmitters would be very helpful. Comparable systems at a minimum display battery life, signal strength as well as audio levels.

Similarly, other systems I've tried out also include gain control levels on the transmitters themselves for added flexibility and ease of use when you can’t access the receiver or need to make quick changes.

Optional Accessories

Rode offers a wide selection of first-party accessories which you can also pick up to expand the versatility and compatibility of your kit.

In my case, I got the USB-C to Lighting cable as it allows me to directly record into my iPhone 11. This was plug-and-play and worked flawlessly.

The MagClip GO also looks very interesting and seems like it would be a convenient way to attach your transmitters to talent or yourself more easily compared to their basic clips.

A Budget Comparison

A few weeks ago I reviewed the Bietrun WXM22, a $99 wireless system that on paper seems to be very similar to the Rode Wireless Go II. At their core, they are both compact systems that transmit audio wirelessly with virtually no latency. These tools both market themselves towards the mobile creator who wants the flexibility to record without wires.

And so, at about three times the price of the budget Bietrun, does the Rode offer enough to justify its price?

Basic Similarities

Both systems are about the same size and share many of the same ports and buttons on the receiver. The transmitters have Omni-directional mics for recording audio as well as have support for 3.5mm TRS inputs for compatible external mics.

Gain control is supported, however on the Rode this is done via the receiver itself vs on the transmitter with the Bietrun.

Both lack a dedicated headphone jack for monitoring audio. Depending on how you plan to use this setup, it could make it trickier to get your levels right without the need for additional adaptors.

The "Rode" to Success

Now here’s where things start to differ and we see the Rode flex its features.

As far as what’s included, the Rode Wireless Go II kit includes two transmitters instead of just the one with the Bietrun. The benefit of course is that you can record two audio sources at the same time instead of just one.

Most will likely use the two transmitters to mic up two different talents, but beyond that, it can also be useful when recording a single source but with a backup or alternative track as well.

The range is advertised to be four times that of the Bietrun (200m vs 50m). As I demonstrate in my range test in the video review, 200m is probably more than you would ever need. Even in my original review of the Bietrun WXM22, I mention that 50m is also plenty for most realistic uses with these wireless systems. At 200m I’m not even visible on camera, but of course, I’ll never complain about having too much range.

Something to note, though, is that this range claim is heavily reliant on having a clear line of sight between the transmitter and receiver. In my tests, I found that with the transmitter attached to my collar, turning my back to the receiver resulted in dropouts from about the 40m range.

I was a bit surprised with this limitation even at these closer ranges. It seems though, turning my body was enough to completely cut out the signal as I was able to get decent connectivity all the way up to about 600ish feet when I had the transmitter facing the receiver.

No Interference

Aside from that one downside, though, its wireless connectivity did not seem to have any noticeable impact on sound quality. When indoors, the Bietrun had a faint low-frequency static/hiss sound that was especially noticeable during quieter recording sessions when I was just doing voiceovers. While I couldn’t exactly pinpoint the source, it would seem that some assortment of wireless interference was to blame. I had similar issues with another competing wireless system, the Comica Boom XD. While it's more comparable in quality and features to the Rode, it was very susceptible to interference from other electrical devices including my non-wireless Zoom H1n audio recorder. This made using the Comica much more difficult to set up and get clean audio out of due to this weakness.

Luckily the Rode Wireless Go II excels here. Even indoors, where I usually have the most difficultly eliminating these sources of interference, its wirelessly transmitted audio sounded as good compared to the internally recorded files it saved. This is the first of many peace of mind features.

Game-Changing Features

In addition to sounding great and working very well in those dense wireless areas we just discussed, the Rode Wireless Go II will continue to record audio internally even when it has weak or no signal at all.

After you update your transmitters and receiver via the Rode Central app, you will be able to use its new features.

More Control

When connected via their USB-C cables to the app, you can opt to use a 10-step gain level adjustment, which changes by 3dB, compared to the standard three-step.

Playing it Safe

You have the option to enable recording a -20db safety track to one of the mono channels while the regular audio levels record to the other mono channel. This is especially great when dealing with highly inconsistent audio levels and you want to avoid peaking and clipping.

Keep in mind that with this option enabled you won’t be able to separate your audio from the 2 transmitters as they will be recorded together. You will need to disable recording a safety track if you want to keep them in separate mono channels.

Auto Recording Changes Everything

Most exciting, though, is that the app can enable recording directly to the transmitters with its built-in storage. This is a very big deal and in my opinion, the Rode Wireless Go II's biggest feature.

In every microphone or audio recording review I've shared, I make a point to mention if the product in question either helps or is more frustrating to set up and make sure I have the audio recording correctly. The biggest culprit in my personal experience is remembering to hit the record button on my Zoom H1n or even remembering to bring spare batteries for it.

With the Rode, I don’t really need an external recorder now as its core functionality is built right into each transmitter. Sure, I don’t have the same level of control and file types to choose from, but I am willing and able to give that up in a heartbeat if it means there is one less piece of gear I have to remember to bring, setup, and of course, hit record on.

Via the Rode Central app, you can choose between recording 40+ hours of compressed audio or about 7 hours of higher quality compressed. I have mine set to compressed as that’s all I need to make these kinds of review and tech videos.

At first, I thought I’d dislike that the transmitter automatically starts to record audio when it pairs with the receiver. But going back to what I just said, the biggest thing that frustrated me and took the most time with my old setup, was that I always forget to press record. As simple as it was, every now and again I'd forget and I would have to re-record everything when I realized my error. Now that the Rode is set to record automatically, this is one less thing I have to worry about.

On the other hand, I sometimes feel that I want the option to hit stop and start and have more control over when the transmitters are actually recording. And while that might at times make it a little easier in post to edit my audio files as they are more condensed, I would rather have peace of mind knowing all my audio was recorded.

As far as the recording limits go, 40 hours and even 7 hours of recording is more than enough for an entire day of shooting for most people. After each recording session, I connect the transmitters to the Rode Central app to download and export my files.

It's great that the app can connect to all your devices at once instead of one-by-one. The app displays your file's waveform and allows you to quickly scrub through it and listen. It also shows markers which are either indications of the transmitter going out of range or manual ones you added via the transmitter itself by clicking the power button.

On the off chance that I forget to delete my old recordings, the transmitters automatically will begin to overwrite your recordings in order of oldest. Going back to wishing the transmitters having displays, the remaining storage space would have been another thing for them to display.

I Walk a Lonely "Rode"

Finally, I want to discuss some of the minor quirks with the Rode Central app. The added features it can enable or change are great and definitely are a big part of what makes the Rode Wireless Go II my favorite wireless audio system currently. It offers a simple and clean interface that works well... for the most part.

Most likely due to it being a relatively new app, I found the experience to a bit buggy at times. Connecting the transmitters specifically to the app frequently required me to unplug and reconnect the USB C cable a few times until the app would detect and allow me to browse its internal storage. Oddly, it detected the transmitter each time and showed its battery life, but said it wasn’t able to browse the recordings.

Another more annoying bug was that one saved recording on my transmitter always seemed to have issues when exporting via the app. I ended up with two identical partially exported clips which failed at the same exact timestamp. I’m not entirely sure why this was. All of my remaining clips exported without issues on both transmitters. Unrelated to exporting, I did have a few other random times where the app completely crashed and I had to restart it.

Moving past those issues, the app is still a welcome addition to the recording experience. I imagine with future updates many of these issues can be easily ironed out. I would also like to see Rode release a mobile app that can change these settings with your phone or tablet, devices that are more accessible when out shooting, instead of needing a PC or Mac each time.

That said, it would have been even better if these features could be enabled or changed on the “GO” without the need to connect to the companion app at all. Going back to my earlier points, a built-in screen on the transmitters and some additional buttons likely could have achieved this.

Is This the "Rode" for You?

Compared to every other comparable compact wireless audio system I’ve tested out, the Rode Wireless Go II offers the most complete, easy to use, and reliable experience. Despite a few of its quirks, many of which related to early software bugs, the Rode provides the best sound quality and performance. In addition to not having any noticeable signal interference, a common issue I've had with similar systems, it also is the only one to offer built-in audio recording as either a fail-safe or your primary source.

Rode Wireless Go II Review: More than an Upgrade. It's a Game-Changer published first on http://droneseco.tumblr.com/

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aircoil50 · 3 years

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Do Not Use your Cell phone in Sociable Environments

Is incredibly common for all of us to use somebody else's cellphone also to be each of our very first time. In doing so , were looking to duplicate that initial sense of independence a mobile phone provides. A family member in another express was in the hospital. It was a Saturday nighttime, and I have been invited into a party. Rather than being away having fun I was sitting in my apartment, waiting for the phone to call, restless for reports. It was a pal who lend me his cell phone to make certain I will understand any reports as soon as possible, and in addition, be able to go to the get together. Obviously there was no reason for myself to be connected to my own landline. My spouse and i look backside at that occasion, and in addition in wondering at how gracious my good friend was in loaning me his phone intended for the night (who would volunteer their cell phone away these days? ), I actually couldn’t has stopped being amazed at the freedom this cellular phone gave me. I was able to step out and be cultural - although still becoming accessible at the same time. This is the kind of freedom cellphones provide. But today our telephones are about much more than audio communications, and they are will no longer an optionally available possession. They are integrated into our lives in ways not really their creators thought. But screen period is the fresh sitting in a office chair for hours at a time, which I happen to concur is a awful thing. I have a standing table and it’s been a life-changer. In a time when we are electronically connected nowadays, yet sense even more disconnected than ever before, we are being taught, even admonished, to reduce each of our dependence on cell phones. To limit our amount of time in front of monitors, to put the telephone down and still have a real discussion with an individual, in the flesh. Avoidance of products and display screen time has become becoming a luxurious item; to be able to disconnect from your phones to get an extended time period bestows a status that a lot of us can’t find the money for or attain. Get it done, we are told, for your sanity if not humankind, and also for your neck: regularly looking down at your cellphone strains the lower back, that leads to all kind of physical soreness. I’ve actually experienced recurring stress symptoms with my hand from excessive scrolling, and i also could vow my forearm sometimes is painful in a strange place in the event I’ve employed my mobile phone for too long. Nevertheless is usually using our cell phones a lot really so bad? Does being addicted to each of our phones genuinely disconnect all of us from other folks as much we think? Are not generally there rewards for the actions that occupy us while we are clutched to our cell phones? When we use our phones, perhaps there is something we are missing that we would be carrying out otherwise? We get a lot out of using my own cell phone, so no, Dont really want to place it down. The answer is not to be socially shamed in to using my cell phone fewer. The solution is to be sure cellphone use is hard to kick and beneficial and entertaining, not a distraction coming from boredom or perhaps isolating you from cultural or professional settings. The key is to be deliberate and aware about how youre using your phone, not whether you’re using it at all or perhaps too much. Each of our minds will be constantly operating, processing each of our many thoughts, worries, concerns, plans. We really need a distraction from everything, but at times, life is not so clear cut. Take those movies. We go, nearly exclusively, into a movie theater using a strict simply no phones, no texting insurance plan. They will chuck your rear end out when you use a mobile phone in the theater. However when I was having a friend, in which theater, who was being endlessly texted by his partner. As it happens her mother is at critical well being trouble. This individual wound up leaving the movie to organize to go to the airport. As wonderful as a continuous movie encounter is, it doesn’t trump emergencies when they arise. Few experiences with some other person will be as romantic and connecting as a shared meal. (Hang on, I’ll get to sexual intercourse in a day. ) If perhaps there was at any time a moment once you would need to bond with another individual, directly, eye to eye, without distraction, it would be over a food. Yet, much like everything, there may be exceptions. Imagine if, over the course of the conversation, you begin referring to taking a trip together, or perhaps about countrywide parks, or perhaps about decreasing in numbers species? Looking up photos showing your companion can add to the conversation. Quickly Googling a well known fact or reference point can help inside your argument. Writing a social networking post you found provocative, interesting or perhaps important could be a launching point of a chat. In those occasions, you aren’t distancing yourself or putting something among you and another person, you are sharing your thoughts. Believe me, sharing can be a good factor. What Im not arguing is that the both of you should be taking a look at Facebook, individually, without interesting together. What I am stating is that your phone can be a conduit, a guide, a personal resource intended for source material, to bring and help the talk. In the event the focus continues to be on the both of you, the smart phone is a prop. If the focus is usually centered on the phone, the gadget is the main seduction and you’ve dropped bond. The previous is wonderful, these is not really. All of our phones are a device. Just how all of us choose to use this device is actually give them all their benefit. One could think the past place you would want cellular phone distraction could be the bedroom. On the surface, two people lying down in bed following to each other, every with cell phones in their hands, all but neglecting each other, feels like one of the most gloomy, soul-hurting scenes one may easily think of modern life. Nevertheless would it be naturally negative? If I’m reading the New York Times, what does it matter if perhaps I’m examining the actual paper or the digital version in the cellphone? If I’m checking e-mail, what does it subject if I possess a notebook computer or mobile phone? If I’m practicing games or otherwise distracted, what does it matter if I am browsing a book of playing some game? https://www.macworld.com/article/3278585/apple-smartphone-addiction-ios-12.html And besides, would not we occasionally glamorize studying in bed together? I love studying books, and discover it kind of hot my partner will too. Carrying out that during sex together, after that talking about what we’re browsing, is a great intellectual turn-on. So with all due admiration to plenty of experts, in this case, the medium can be not the message. What matters here is not the device itself, but the activity you’re engaged in, either jointly or separately. There can still be togetherness when two people are on their very own phones, in the same way there is when ever reading books. Their challenge arises when utilization of a phone changes something, or triggers a split up when a point of interconnection would otherwise take place. Might removal of your mobile phones from understructure mean more sex? Maybe. Should likewise lead to somebody getting out of bed faster in the morning hours, or perhaps sleeping faster at night. And while we’re while having sex, did you know that through your phone, you can watch video clips? Or perhaps look at photos of…. what ever it can be that arouses you? Or work with applications intended to foster discussion or activity with a loving partner? The product is a device. It is present without inherent judgment, qualities or worth. What we label of it is about us. Must i really need to tell you this? Certainly there are times when you must absolutely hardly ever touch your smartphone, beginning, certainly, with traveling.

(Guilty as incurred: I often use the Roadmaps programs on my phone to assist me acquire where I’m going. It isn’t really so straightforward, is it? ) I think religious services must be device-free areas, as should particular spaces, like gym bathroom rooms, where privacy needs to be respected. I have a distaste for those who use all their phone at the health club; I don’t need to hear your company calls while I’m lifting weights. On the other hand, I realize a lot of persons using work out and workout applications on the smartphone, demonstrating the point, that once more, these kinds of mini-pc systems within our pockets will be what we label of them. If you’re among those individuals that attend a live performance and insist on documenting video clips and shooting photographs the complete time, I actually ask how most of that is important. Experiencing the moment in time for yourself, not merely through a device, is highly recommended. But…. have got I ever watched live concert footage on YouTube taken by someone else? Yes, I've. Just a few years back I was for a field hockey game with my Dad. I have been in the habit of checking Myspace during games to follow along with the city of followers and mass media to help boost my experience of the game, also to know more about the fact that was going on. And that’s perfect for when watching in the home. But I had been there. My spouse and i didn’t need that network - I had been with twenty, 000 persons, and my father. Thus I set my mobile phone in my pocket sized. I missed the discourse. I skipped the details of items I didn’t see because live, you miss more than you think. Nevertheless I was able to soak inside the setting. I had been able to talk to my Dad as to what we believed would happen following. And later, during the night, when we mentioned the game, we all reflected in so many different moments, details I would have missed had We looked at my personal smartphone even more. So there is always a trade off. You will discover moments when your smartphone may distract you. That frenzymadness, desperation, hysteria, mania, insanity, delirium, derangement can be a poor thing (when you should be talking with a liked one) or possibly a good thing (when you’re miserable and alone and want something to cheer you up). It can detach you (when you avoid another person simply by diving in social media) or provide you with together (if you look up a joke to share or make use of your cellphone to turn on music to dance to). Let us not keep our products responsible for the human condition. A couple, lovers, let’s say, laying in bed. In one moment, they are both on their cell phones, lost inside their own sides. In the next, their very own phones happen to be off, for the bedside stand. What happens next? Anything can occur. It’s up to the two people included. That’s true whether you have your phone in your hand or not. And if you do, in addition, you choose using your telephone: in a disconnecting way or possibly a sharing way. If you’re feeling bad or guilty about being on your own phone, you know what you should perform. You are required to trust your instincts. Is undeniably critical to keep the person holding the cellphone liable, do not blame the product.

#smart phones

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joulethieves · 6 years

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found family drabble in which balthier’s been flying all across ivalice avoiding coming to terms with vaan (again, probably age 25) and the orphan girl (age 4 or 5) in rabanastre - until finally a heist gets the best of him and he breaks a leg, pretty badly. fran flies them back to rabanastre where he is bedridden for quite some weeks. insert vaan and orphan bab - who i’ve temporarily named cisne - taking care of him. which means a whole lot of cisne being adorable and working through the many walls of balthier’s resolve. this also does wonders for the gap cleaved by balthier’s hand between him and vaan. throughout the weeks the tension slowly works away until nothing is left but everything unsaid. will balthier stay? will he go? vaan needs to know. ty @kujicoo for talking with me randomly about it until we asploded into headcanons and bs. idk why this shit is like candy to write. *POINTEDLY AVOIDS OTHER FIC OBLIGATIONS WITH THIS SHIT*

across the room, vaan sits upon the tired velvet chair in a slump and wrings his hands. “balthier,” he begins, voice quiet and taut, “i know that i’ve...been putting this off-- for a while.” boy, his hands sure are interesting. “but cisne, y’know, she’s nuts about you more than ever now. and i think--i think you like her too.” vaan allows himself a ghost of a smile here as he stares down at his hands and recalls the last few weeks, watching the sky pirate slowly fall victim to her whims. it’s been, truth be told, wonderful to see. he wants to see it every damn day - vaan knows this is what he wants. and this is why he’s here. “look. i know this isn’t really ideal for you, i mean--” a laugh, almost self deprecating, “i pretty much have you trapped here in a room with a broken leg. but, i can’t keep her in the dark any longer. she... she wants to know if you’ll stay.”

it’s harder than it should be, to drag his eyes from his hands to meet the sky pirate’s gaze across the room, but vaan manages. balthier’s eyes bore straight into his, unreadable and stoic, but the dalmascan says it anyway -

“and so do i.”

predictable silence stretches between them, a thread across the room vaan can practically see. he wants to grab it between both fists and pull until it snaps and everything between them unsaid can make sense again. balthier has always been a puzzle of a hume that vaan's had no qualms accepting with all his unclear, jagged pieces; he’s been content to leave the mismatched image as is, if balthier is happy enough with the picture he’s composed thus far. but that was then, before cisne... and whatever chasm grew between him and balthier during these months.

now, vaan needs answers, and there’s a guilt that digs through the very centre of him in asking balthier to hand them over. but it’s not just his heart on the line anymore. it’s another orphan’s too, and vaan won’t keep her waiting any longer. he sees her falling in love with balthier, every day more that they spend together,

just as he sees himself falling more in love with him as well.

in the dim light of the inn room, balthier’s tired features are soft. the shadows curve along his cheekbones to dull his edges, and all that stands out in the warmth of the room is the crisp white of his tunic and the rumpled sheets pooled around his waist. vaan’s hands tighten with his throat as the silence pries at him. and then balthier moves, suddenly, shifts on the bed with a stiffness that he cannot hide - he winces, sucks in a breath through his teeth, and slides from the center of the bed to one half.

and then he expectantly pats the spot he just cleared.

“come join me on the bed, would you? you’re awfully hard to reason with from across the room.”

vaan’s feet carry him before his mind can catch up, and soon he’s stretched alongside balthier on the cozy mattress certainly not meant for two men. still, they manage, and balthier is quick to wrap and arm around vaan to bring his blonde head to his chest. vaan obliges the motion, and lets out a long sigh through his nose as he settles against him.

“i’ve been giving it much thought myself, as of late. i’ve certainly had the time for thoughts,” balthier offers, still maddeningly full of pretense. vaan wants to shake him and he would were balthier not already bedridden from his heist-induced injury - instead vaan finds his impatience smoothed down as the older man runs his hands through the mess of vaan’s long hair, working out the knots between the strands, and between them both. “she’s infectious, the girl. much like another once-orphan i know. hm,” a fond hum warms the room further, and balthier presses his lips to the crown of vaan’s head. “i admit you have quite a knack for mussing my script about in ways i’m ever hard-pressed to make sense of. and now indeed you have me trapped like a hare, with both yourself and cisne having at me mercilessly; show’ring me in affections, tales, company alike that makes these drab days in this wretched sickbed seem almost tolerable. pleasant, even,” he adds, and vaan can hear the very rise of his brow as he speaks.

“i did tell her to be extra sweet to you,” vaan grins, “but she took her own liberties and then i couldn’t stop her. i created a monster.”

“don’t give yourself so much credit,” balthier snorts, “you know i’ve a way with the ladies in such a manner i can’t even begin to make you understand.”

vaan swats at him dismissively, and balthier’s rich chuckle makes him want to smile. talk about infectious.

“cisne is special; i’ll give you that, certainly. i was skeptical at first, lending most of your good word to that irrepressible heart of gold you’re ever-cursed with.” vaan smiles against balthier’s chest and recalls their conversation many months ago about her where he said just that. “but it would seem your affections are well-warranted. i can see why you’re so enamored - whatever spell she has you under has, damnably, spread to me.” here, vaan wants to preen - he knew she’d pry her little fingers into his heart if they could just get him to sit still long enough to pull it off. this broken leg business really ended up being a boon for all three of them.

“but vaan, the sky is no place to raise a little girl.”

the reality slices through vaan and his smile drops like a marionette with severed strings. balthier continues.

“she’ll do well to be raised here in rabanastre, what with your flat and all that can accommodate her and yourself both.”

rabanastre. home. rabanastre has always been that, whether vaan is in the heart of it or thousands of miles away in a sky he’s never known. home has always been here. outside the inn, the sounds of the royal city still weave through the streets below as night settles in, a richness vaan cannot hope to unearth in any sort of treasure.

but he cannot make balthier see this.

distantly, amidst the white noise filling his head and heart with trepidation, vaan can feel balthier’s fingers run through his hair again - though the knots have given to his ministrations and they slide through the flaxen tresses with ease.

“there are, as you can imagine, a multitude of issues with this.”

the dalmascan sighs in defeat and screws his eyes tight, tight, tight - here it comes. the answer he’d been dreading. he told himself not to hold his breath, told himself not to, damn it all. but he couldn’t help it. it was all too good to imagine, again, infectious - to picture a life where the past few weeks, barring the injury, could be a way of life for all three of them.

vaan knew it was too good to be true. but he’d hoped nonetheless. that’s what orphans do, and he’ll always be one at heart - a foolish dalmascan boy who hopes for a family again, one that he can keep this time. he moves to rise from balthier, the bed, this room, this very place--but balthier keeps him pressed to his chest as he continues.

“first thing’s first, that bed of yours in your flat is terribly small. i’ll not be sharing it with you unless we replace it with something suitable. if that means i have to go purchase one myself and haul it up the stairs then so be it.”

vaan’s head shoots up so fast he nearly clips balthier’s chin. suddenly the white noise in his head switches to a ring, but the pirate continues, as if he hadn’t just said the start of an absolute game-changer.

“secondly, she’ll need to be placed in schooling. proper schooling, mind. surely our dear queen has implemented some arrangement these many years to rebuild your once less-than-stellar education programs.”

the ringing grows louder and vaan’s heart is in his ears as balthier drawls on.

“third, we’ll need some breed of proper documentation for this. now i know you, by technical terms, stole this homeless child from the very streets of rozarria and smuggled her across several borders, so don’t fret; believe it or not i’m not terribly against forgery. just don’t tell dear fran, heaven forfend. her fragile disposition won’t hold out on the shock.”

vaan feels dizzy. that heartbeat thrumming in his eardrums has taken over his very pulse and he comes alive on the bed to wrap balthier in his arms, and vaan presses his face against the man’s neck to hide the wetness of his eyes. “balthier,” vaan breathes out, and he curls his hands around the man’s soft hair like a child would, “d’you mean it?”

there’s no use hiding, vaan knows this. he lifts his head from balthier’s throat and locks eyes with the older man, whose gaze looks back at him this time with no walls; a puzzle rearranged in such a way that vaan can see the picture clearer now, one where they both fit, this time with no jagged edges.

“i do.”

#this is the worst #help #bv foundfamily #i'm sorry #why are you reading this

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