#can we revisit the conversation about the CHOREOGRAPHY

[freshoutthemfslammer]

delicate...... what a VIDEO

#man im baked #and i saw a gifset and had to go watch the mv #can we revisit the conversation about the CHOREOGRAPHY #like goddamn #how amazing #top tier music video

[mantra4ia]

I mean no offense to the people who enjoyed "The Witcher" Season 3: Vol 1 on Netflix. No judgement. And also no offense to the cast and crew who I am sure worked hard to bring this to the screen.

I love the Witcher, mostly from the books and some gameplay, so from my own personal perspective...

What in the actual hell did Netflix do?!

There's so much eloquent dialogue in the source material to draw upon and this steaming pile of ****e is what they came up with? It telegraphs so much without a whiff of subtlety or craft— not unlike Sabrina in 3x5— that I want to puke, the only exception being that Yarpen Zigrin is still no nonsense and true to form.

Emhyr, as is evidenced by his cringe, overlong speeches and dull drawl, is not written as cunning or menacing by any stretch of the imagination as he ought to be, and the lack of a strong villain does nothing to drive the pace of the season.

Why are we waxing on about Vissena to try and strum up audience feels? We don't need to revisit that unless it serves a purpose for the characters. It doesn't. If the audience has been watching any of the previous two seasons, we don't need Geralt's childhood memories of his mother to impress upon us that he takes newfound parenthood seriously and would spill blood and make sacrifices for his family.

If that weren't painful enough, Yennefer — who we know is cunning when she schemes— lacks all of her razor edged wit when "groveling" before the Brotherhood to form a conclave. The recycled dialogue with Tissaia about chaos and control has lost its potency, as lukewarm as the mages' council of armchair tapping, and even her speeches to Ciri like "my ugly one" have so much wasted potential because there's a speed run montage about how much Yen and Cirilla care for eachother in episode 1 rather than letting us growing into the emotions ourselves, so that by the time we get to Yennefer disclosing her past, the emotion is lost. Also, Cirilla is supposed to be in a little awe of Yen and her power of influence, which is what makes "ugly one" so endearing, because it's the ends way of saying that Cirilla is powerful but magic isn't all she is / she doesn't need to rely on it like the mages rest on prolonged youth. It's her way of saying I love you, and for all the exposition that season three uses to elaborate feelings, this most essential part is completely lost. It's like we're playing house with emotions that haven't been earned their screen moment. "Lilac and gooseberries, now that I can tolerate," but I cannot abide these trash conversations.

These were the action sequences, the fight choreography, and the monster concept visualization they came up with? Like, for example, a failing mass of conjoined limbs and disembodied heads! The idea of Ciri's doppelganger from the books has been so corrupted.

On top of that, the cuts from scene to scene are so rough it's like whiplash. Chase scene - recycled Geralt /Ciri hug - dark portal nonsense - crash through ceiling. No finesse.

The Belletyn festival, which is so meaningful and beautifully described in the books, was butchered in execution of costume (Yen's is a season 1 throwback but never underwhelming way), with ridiculous "masks" (it irks me so much that Yennefer tells Cirilla had to cover her eyes and hair for a low profile and then we speed cut to the next scene where neither occurs and the costume department decides that they aren't even going to attach Cirilla's mask to her face, she just carries it around in her hand because that makes sense), unnecessary mazes to separate our characters and engineer a sense of peril, the whole lot. They used Belletyn as a setup to engineer a subsequent bait scene, which was an appallingly insult to intelligence and fight choreography. PS: Yen can I do more than throw a knife, can we please utilize her a little better?

Speaking of choreography, Ciri descending from mid air to stab the CGI aeschna in 3x4 with the overlong shot pull of monster blood on her face was so poorly edited I wanted to fast forward the entire episode thereafter.

Lastly, this farce for humor is what they came up with?! They made layered source characters like Dijkstra into single line fodder, and they wasted so much time on sitcom rubbish like Queen Hedwig's Redanian funeral, and Phillipa's bedroom shenanigans, and Fringilla as a drunken poison tester. I want to slap someone. It's as if the whole of season 3 thus far is a live-action adaptation of Ciri and Jaskier's satire of Yen and Geralt. Except that no one left the audience in the joke.

Also, for a series called The Witcher there is surprisingly little in the way of meaningful dialogue and action for Geralt to do, and that's a shame

I'm angry.

Season 1 was fantastic, season 2 was good but with notable divergence to character integrity, and Season 3 so far is the refuse pile of Aedd Gynvael. The only highlight was Ciri telling Valdo Marx to shut up, like I wish I could do for the rest of the dialogue in the series. After "Sherrawedd" I kept thinking to myself, it will get better. Ironically Sherwood was probably the best episode so far because at least it kept the essence of idea in "dear friend" from the literature as a foundation. After which it kept sinking down into chaos.

But more than angry, I'm disappointed. I'm sad that the Yennefer/Jaskier frenemy dynamic ("Hello again witch) —a highlight of season 2— has been shirked; the only decent byproduct of which is the Ciri/Jaskier relationship. And I'm depressed that this is Henry Cavill's sendoff as Geralt.

#Netflix: the Witcher #the witcher season 3 #is this a parody? #is it satire or is it the Witcher? #jaskier x yennefer #ciri and geralt #spoilers: the Witcher #henry cavill #geralt of rivia

[lcksndkys]

Pairing: hobi x reader

Rating: NSFW

Genre: dancer!hobi x bff reader

Word count: ~4.1k

Warnings: explicit sexual content, unprotected sex on a kitchen counter (bffs who trust each other, but still should wrap it before you tap it!!), brief masterbation, nipple play (cus duh, it’s me)

A/N: When I wrote Permission, I thought I’d leave it semi open ended, but there were a few people who wanted some closure ( @btsarmy9593​ @junghelioseok ) and I was happy to continue this story!! S/o to my people @jinpanman and @wwilloww for the song recs and the figurative pom poms!! If you liked it, feel free to talk to me about it!!

01, 02

The next few days had passed without word- carrier pigeon, smoke signal, or otherwise- from Hoseok. 

If you’re being honest with yourself, you’d admit that it appears neither of you are willing to revisit the events that had transpired in the small studio any time soon. You still can’t believe Hoseok kissed you as part of his audition routine. A year spent romanticizing what it would be like, and he ruined it so recklessly. 

You had heard from Seokjin, a mutual friend, that Hoseok nailed his audition and was offered a job at The Pied Piper. Bitterly, you wonder who he locked lips with during his routine, and immediately banish the thought from your mind. 

According to your sources (read: Jin), Hoseok has been rehearsing choreography with the rest of the cast over the last few weeks. Part of you knows that he’s busy, and the other part wonders if he’s just using his busy schedule as a means to avoid you. 

Either way, it doesn’t stop you from missing him. Conversations have been short with Hoseok replying with one worded responses and no attempts to keep conversation flowing.

Logically, you know that you could confront him. Half of you is dying to, but the petty side of you refuses to cave first. 

You’ve spent the past few weeks burying yourself in work and chores. You almost forget the feeling of his body grinding against you, his hand wrapped around your neck, his lips on yours. 

Your skin prickles at the memory. 

I wasn’t talking about you. 

What was that supposed to mean? Who was he talking about? 

Hope is a dangerous thing, and you refuse to believe what Hoseok was possibly implying. Because if his affections were surface level, it would crush you. 

You dive back into your work, taking on as many projects as possible to keep from dwelling on thoughts of Hoseok. 

At work the following morning, your phone vibrates with a notification breaking you from your muddled thoughts. 

You feel around your desk for your phone tapping the screen to see that Jin has texted you.

[11:21am] WWH: it’s friyay. 

[11:22am] WWH: We’re goin to The Pied Piper tonight!! Pick you up at 9 ;)

Groaning, you discreetly check your periphery noting that your colleagues appear to be too absorbed in their work to watch you try to decline a very insistent friend.

[11:24am] You: No, Jin… I don’t really feel well :(

Several minutes pass with no further pleading from Jin, but then your phone buzzes again.

[11:34am] Yoongi: If you don’t come to Hoseok’s opening night, he’ll be crushed.

[11:39am] Yoongi: Come with us. Please

You sigh. It’s not often that Yoongi begs, but you know he’s right. Although things between you and Hoseok have been tense lately, you know you can’t miss the opportunity to support your best friend. 

[11:41am] You: Fine.

[11:42am] Yoongi: Atta girl

The Pied Piper isn’t what you thought it would be. It’s less of a strip club and more of a small concert venue with tables and booths of various sizes surrounding a raised stage. You let Jin lead you towards your seats with Yoongi following close behind.

To your dismay, the small table you arrive at is frighteningly close to the front row where you’re sure Hoseok could see you. 

Taking your seat flanked by your two friends, you cross your legs in the attempt to tamp down the nervous bouncing of your foot.

To your right, Yoongi places a calming hand on your knee to stop your fidgeting. 

“It’s just Hoseok,” he reminds you. His knowing eyes stare deep into yours. 

You take a deep breath and let Yoongi’s words soothe you.

On your left, Jin is trying to talk over you to Yoongi about checking out the strippers on the other side of The Pied Piper after the show.

Just after 9:30pm, the lights begin to dim, setting your nerves alight.

Soft music starts as a dozen or so men saunter through the crowd to take the stage. 

You feel the swoosh of air behind you as one of the dancers passes by the back of your seat. Coming around to the front of your table, you’re mesmerized by the fluid way his body moves. Blond hair slicked back, he dances in front of your table for the remainder of the song and sends you a flirty wink. 

Mesmerized by him, you watch as he spreads his legs in a deep squat, arms crossed over his chest as he thrusts his hips to the beat. At the end of the song, he blows you a kiss with his full lips, turning to focus his attention to a different table of patrons.

You feel a pointy elbow nudge against your side and you turn sharply to your left to see Jin’s smug smile as he waggles his eyebrows suggestively at you. 

Rolling your eyes, you focus back on the show.

The men have gathered around on stage as the intro song fades. Once in formation, another song starts up. More upbeat, the men break out into the next part of the choreography, each following the routine to complement his own style. 

Some have started unbuttoning their shirts to show more skin.

Your eyes dart around, stalling on a particularly handsome dancer as he rakes back his long, dark hair with a heavily tattooed hand while swaying his hips to the music. Slowly unbuttoning his black shirt and swaying his hips and thick thighs, he flashes his doe eyes and muscles to the crowd, looking equal parts boyish and lethal. 

Your gaze follows his powerful body as he moves across stage, undressing his upper body to reveal the smooth, inked planes of his torso. He throws his shirt somewhere behind the audience (probably for staff to pick up) and you watch him until he passes by a familiar figure. 

Dressed in a white button down with sleeves rolled up his forearms, Hoseok catches your eyes with his dancing. Your breath stutters in your chest, skin heating in memory of his hips grinding against yours. 

Trying to focus on a different dancer, you settle on watching Blondie while he drops to his hands and knees humping the floor slowly and sensually to the beat of the song. You remember this move when Hoseok performed his audition piece for you, and you can’t help but recall the way desire had pooled deep and hot in your belly. Watching this beautiful man dance tonight, while pleasing, does not move your heart. 

As the night progresses, the dancers move seamlessly through the choreography jumping from one routine to the next. Most of the dancers are now topless, in nothing but fitted jeans with underwear bands peeking up over their beltlines.

You try to keep your eyes off Hoseok. 

Try.

Until the group breaks formation to disperse into the audience for a more close up look at their, ahem, dancing skills. Hoots and hollers fill the air as the men spread out and start giving lap dances to their audience. 

At your left, Jin cackles loudly at the sight of Tattoos straddling a middle aged woman against her chair. His prominent front teeth are on display as he smiles at her, leaning down to whisper in her ear over the booming music. Seconds later, you see her nod her consent enthusiastically while he presses her hands against his rippling pectorals. 

Hoseok has been watching you watch Tattoos with a frown. 

Distracted, you don’t see him rapidly approach your table until he stands before you. Of course Jin bought tickets in Hoseok’s section. 

You tense up and think about running, but Yoongi’s calming hand briefly returns to your knee, encouraging you to stay. It’s just Hoseok, you remind yourself. 

In front of your table, Hoseok locks eyes with you, slowly starting to undress his upper body. Leaving his shirt open, he pushes his sleeves further up his elbows revealing his sinewy forearms.  

Although the room is dark, you can feel the flush of blood creep up your neck and face at Hobi’s intense stare. You swallow down a whimper as he grips the back of your chair and spreads his thighs wide over yours, hovering several inches over you. There’s no contact between his body and yours, yet you can feel his warmth.

“May I give you a dance?” he asks huskily into your ear.

You shiver at the contact as your body betrays you. Feeling your nod of consent, Hoseok grins and slowly drops his weight onto your lap. 

Bare witness to my evolution

Violent moans, untamed contusions

We’re not really here it’s all Illusions

Vaguely you hear and feel Jin howling in delight at the sight unfolding next to him.

Holding you close, Hoseok pulls your hands off your lap to wrap around his waist while he grinds his hips against you. He tucks his face into your neck, dragging his perfectly sloped nose against the sensitive skin there. At this distance, you can’t see his face and pray that he can’t feel the bounding of your pulse.

You grab me there your fingers sink

We breathe, we tense, no time to think

I take you 'til you’re on the brink

Then we dive off the edge in sync

Sliding up and down your body, Hoseok encourages your hands to wander across his hips and lower back.

You bite your lip and allow your fingers to ghost their way under his open shirt, up along the ridges of his ribs and down to his ass, feeling the way the muscle contracts as he moves against you. 

Make love, fuck

Lick me up

Petals, pluck

Drive me, clutch

You feel the rumbling in his chest as your wandering hands explore his body. 

Hoseok eagerly rolls his hips against yours to the beat of the song. Goosebumps litter your neck as he pants into your ear.  

What’s your pleasure, what’s my name?

Blend and merge until we’re same

Nothing much of us remains

As the song winds down, Hoseok pulls back from you to stare into your eyes. He gently removes your hand from his waistline and presses your palm into his chest- left of center- over his thrumming heart. 

Your breath catches in your throat at the look he gives you. Hand still trapped against his chest, all you can focus on is the pounding underneath your fingertips and the burning in his hooded eyes.

In this moment, there’s no strip club, no Jin or Yoongi, no audience or dancers. Everything fades away and it’s just you and Hoseok.

Until the song changes yet again and Hoseok dismounts from you without a second glance, swiftly moving on to the bachelorette party next to you. 

You can still feel the heat of his body as you watch Hoseok dance around them, hips thrusting wildly as he artfully maneuvers his body to the bass. He smiles at the blushing bride-to-be and her entourage.

Hoseok picks up her hand as if to inspect her engagement ring before pressing a kiss to her knuckles with a wink. He’s clearly flirting with her, but with the noise of the club, there’s no way to tell what he’s saying. 

Teeth clenched tight, you remind yourself you have no right to be jealous. 

Your gut wrenches at the sight of him wrapped around another woman as his body undulates against her. He backs off slightly only to pick up her legs, spreading them to wind around his waist to better grind against her. Peals of laughter ring out higher than the music. An unpleasant weight settles deep in your stomach as you watch Hoseok basically dry hump her.

There’s a brief lull in the song, barely long enough for Yoongi to hear the pained gasp that leaves your lips when he moves on to one of her friends.

The comforting hand on your arm prompts you to drag your watering eyes off Hoseok. You meet Yoongi’s furrowed brow. 

“Wait. Do you- ” he looks from you to Hoseok, and back again. His eyes widen as he rapidly deduces the reason for your sudden mood.

You quickly glance at Jin who is still busy watching Hoseok entertain the table of bachelorettes. 

Biting your lip to hold in your sniffling, you nod once up and down in quiet confirmation.

“Holy shit,” he whispers. 

Instead of relief, it feels like your chest caves to the pressure of admitting your feelings. It was easy to lie to yourself, but you don’t think you keep up the act now that Yoongi knows. 

Suddenly the club becomes unbearably stuffy. 

You lean over to Jin, raising your voice over the music. “I’m gonna go get some air,” you shout and quickly make a beeline for the exit.

With your back turned, you don’t see the pair of longing eyes follow your figure as you leave.

Outside, the air is crisp as it nips at your exposed skin. You take a few deep breaths letting the sharp air soothe the ache in your heart. Deciding you can’t stay and watch the rest of the show, you sent a text to Jin and Yoongi to let them know you’ve called an Uber to go home. 

Freshly showered and lying in bed, you browse through your work emails to keep your mind busy. You’re determined to fall asleep without the memory of Hoseok grinding against random women tonight. 

As the minutes tick by, your eyes grow heavy with sleep and you roll over to put your phone on your bedside table. 

Thump, thump. Thump. A firm fist pounds on your door insistently, ridding you of any drowsiness as adrenaline floods your system.

Tapping your phone, you see it’s much too late for any decent social visits. There are no missed notifications; nothing to suggest you may have a visitor tonight.

At your hesitance, the rapping continues more adamantly. 

You cautiously approach the front door and peer through the peephole.

Hoseok. 

Relief washes over you, followed closely by frustration. Weeks of near-silence and he shows up unannounced at your door at 2am??

Throwing open your door, you’re ready to send him away.

The words die on your tongue at the sight before you. Eyes downcast, hair messy. 

“I know it’s late, but can I stay?” he asks quietly. 

Your heart lurches in your chest as you swing the door wider and step aside to allow him entry. From the smell of his lightly floral shampoo you can tell he must’ve showered after the show. 

Your eyebrows raise in alarm when you note a slight wobble in his gait as he makes his way to your kitchen. He's clearly been drinking.

He pulls a glass from the cabinet and pours himself a cup of water. Taking a small sip, he nervously passes the glass back and forth between his hands. 

“I- uh- I went out with Yoongi-hyung and Jin-hyung after the show,” he explains. 

Arms folded over your chest, you nod in understanding. 

“I’m sorry,” he croaks. “I’ve been an ass.”

There’s a tense moment as you both regard each other.

“Yeah it fucking sucks to have your best friend ignore your existence for weeks at a time” you retort.

He flinches at your harsh tone. “I just… I didn’t know how to be around you after… that.”

“After what? Your audition? Hobi, I don’t care that you want to dance in a strip show!” you lie easily through your teeth.

“It’s not the dancing,” he pauses to take a deep breath, steeling himself. “I meant… the kiss”

His adam’s apple bobs as he breaches the topic. “It wasn’t part of my audition routine. I kissed you because I wanted to. I want more” he whispers.

Eyes rounded in surprise, your mind is both loud and silent at the same time, short circuiting at his confession.

“And you kissed me back, but like, it didn’t seem like you were that into it and I just- I let you think it was part of the routine” he babbles on. 

“But- “

“I like you- really like you” he says earnestly. Fingers wrap tightly around his water, cutting to the chase.

“I had no idea,” you insist.

“I literally told you how I feel back when I practiced my audition piece for you” 

“Yeah, well, it wasn’t clear.” you bite back. 

“My kissing you wasn’t clear enough?” he shoots back with a quirked brow. 

You sputter. “I really thought it was part of your audition!” you exclaim.

“Forgive me for being old-fashioned, but I don’t often kiss women I’m not interested in,” he says, setting down his glass to take a few steps closer to you. 

Your head spins. “So, you’re still interested?” 

“How many times do I have to tell you I’m into you before you get it?” 

“Maybe one more time” you grin up at him suggestively.

Hands hovering over your waist, he smiles as he leans in, nose gently grazing yours as he breathes you in.

You tilt up chasing his lips when he suddenly pulls back.

“I need to know this isn’t just some fling for you. If we’re going to do this, it needs to be the real deal.” His eyes search yours and he must see what he’s looking for as he grins, dimples on full display.

Hand sliding up his chest and cupping his jaw, you hold him close. 

“I’ve liked you for months” you confess quickly. “It’s real, trust me” you say, pulling him back into you. You slot your lips against his, eager for another taste. Suckling gently on his lower lip, you feel his chest rumble with a growl as he presses into you with ardour.

Hoseok’s hands find their way around you, feverishly mapping out your body as he allows you to mold your mouths together. 

He immediately tilts his head, deepening the kiss. 

Your fingers pull at his dark strands and eagerly caress his neck. You feel the way his jaw moves as his mouth opens wider to send his tongue out to press into your mouth.  

His hands turn frantic, pawing at the curves he's been fantasizing about over the past couple of years. 

You let him push you up against the counter top as you continue kissing, his hips pinning you in place as his hands continue to greedily rub up and down your back and sides before slowly creeping up your front. 

"Can I?" he rasps, fingers staying below your ribs,waiting for your consent. 

"Please. I want you to touch me, Hobi" you beg. 

He growls at your enthusiasm and roughly cups your breasts. Even beneath the layers of clothing, he can feel the way your nipples pebble with desire. 

Pushing his hands aside, you reach down and pull your sweater and top up and over your head exposing your bare torso to him.

“Fuck,” he grunts, hands returning to roll and pinch at your sensitive buds.

You shiver with need as he plays with your tits, enjoying the way pleasure shoots down to your cunt. 

Hands leaving your breasts, he swats at your bottom. “Up,” Hoseok commands.

Obediently, you hop up onto the counter top, careful to avoid his barely touched glass of water. He spreads your thighs to slot his body against you. Legs pulling him in closer, you feel the evidence of his arousal at your center as he presses his erection against your quickly dampening panties.

His arms wrap around you bringing your chest to his face and suckles your nipple into his hot, wet mouth. Moaning, you send both hands into his hair as he continues his erotic assault on your body.

Hoseok grinds his hips against your core as he laves equally at both tits, leaving your nipples perked and shining in his saliva. 

“On or over the counter,” he rasps.

“I want whatever you want,” you pant, desperate to feel him against you.

“Fuck,” he huffs. “Can I take these off? I wanna see all of you” he pleads, tugging at the waistband of your sleep shorts.

Instead of responding, you push him back a step to slowly slide off your remaining clothing and scoot back on the counter top. You part your thighs giving him the perfect view of your glistening cunt. 

To entice him further, you slide a finger up and down your slick, swirling around your clit, and dipping into your sodden entrance.

“Holy shit, I want you so bad,” Hoseok groans with his eyes focused on the way you fuck yourself open with your fingers.

He allows himself a moment to enjoy the sight of you pleasuring yourself for him, studying the way you touch pussy. Having enough, Hoseok pulls your hand off yourself and wraps his lips around your digits, moaning at your taste. 

“Fuck me, Hobi, I’m ready,” you whimper.

Unable to hold back any longer, he growls, pulling you down from your perch and flipping you to face the countertop. With gentle pressure against your upper back, he encourages you down to your elbows, bending you forwards to present your cunt to him.

You hiss at the feeling of cold marble against your hardened nipples.

Distracted, you don’t hear the rustling of clothing as Hoseok tears himself free, eager to feel your skin against his. 

You gasp at the feeling of the blunt head of his cock sliding against your slit, bumping against your clit to send tingles of pleasure through you in waves. 

“Is this ok? I’m clean,” he promises.

You trust him.

“Me too. I’ve never had anyone bare,” you moan, pushing your hips back in the attempt to slide him into you.

“You want me, baby?” he asks one last time.

“Yes, Hobi, yes, just fuck me-” you whine, cut off when he takes his first stroke into your quivering walls, going slow so you feel every inch of him.

He thrusts gently a few times into your heat until he finally bottoms out inside you. 

Eager for more, you push your hips back against him to fuck yourself on his cock. “I like it rough,” you urge him.

Growling, Hoseok sets a brutal pace, desperately drilling his cock in and out of you.

You whimper in pleasure at his handling. Hoseok caresses at your back and hips and ass as if attempting to memorize the feel of your skin as he sinks into you over and over. Curling his fingers around your hips, he pulls you onto his length as he surges forwards, your breasts bouncing with the force of his trusts.  

Eyes clamped shut in pleasure, you feel your legs shake with your impending release.

“Hobi, I’m getting close,” you whimper. 

He grunts in approval, suddenly hoisting you up onto the counter so that your toes barely skim the floor. 

You squeal in surprise. In this position with your legs dangling, you wildly grasp at the smooth marble in the attempt to hold onto something. Hoseok pounds into you and you are unable to do anything but accept the pleasure he gives you. 

“Cum on my cock,” Hoseok urges. “I need to feel you cum first”

“So deep, ah- fuck! You feel so good, Hobi” you gasp as he continues to thrust into you. 

Your toes curl as his pace increases, desperate to get you off before he blows.

“Touch me, please, I’m so close,” you beg.

Sending his fingers between your legs, he rubs quick circles as you showed him earlier around your throbbing clit.

Your walls flutter wildly around him as you begin to unravel. 

“That’s my girl,” Hoseok grunts as he feels your walls tighten around him. 

You cum with a strangled moan of his name, puffing against the marbled surface as you clench rhythmically around his turgid length. 

Ears ringing in post orgasm haze, you feel Hoseok continue to thrust desperately into your wet heat. 

Panting he asks urgently, “Can I cum inside?”

“Fill me up,” you whimper, nodding enthusiastically. 

With your permission, Hoseok lets go. Draping his front against your back, he buries deep into your cunt and releases into your velvet heat with a loud, drawn out groan. 

Lying prone over the marble and still speared on his cock, Hoseok peppers sweet kisses along your nape and shoulders, gently suckling against your skin as you both revel in post-coital bliss.

“Mmm,” you keen at his attention as he presses one last lingering kiss behind your ear.

“You were serious earlier, right?” he asks softly. “You really want more, too?”

Craning to look back at him, you see a line of worry between his brows as he waits for your confirmation.

“I just wanna be yours, Hoseok,” you affirm with a shy smile.

He beams down at you, and like a flower to a sun, you can’t help but smile back.

#hoseok fanfic #hobi fanfic #hoseok smut #hobi smut #dancer hobi #exotic dancer au #f2l au #who wants a lapdance from hobi

[lebritneeey]

Second Chance (3/??)

inspired by don’t wanna cry, lie again and second life & a little idea from reply 1997 and 1988.

genre: romance. fluff, angst, love rivals etc lmao

pairing: y/n x ??? (svt)

a/n: hi guys! so my imagination started running after listening to dwc, lie again and second life on repeat lmao. i’ve always love reading angsty fics and so i came up with this series based on these three songs! disclaimer!! if there’s any similarity with other fics, it is coincidental, everything written here is based on my idea! no to plagiarism!! also, pics and gifs here are NOT mine! hope you guys enjoy this series i might be posting this on aff too so don’t be alarm if you come across it on aff! enjoy!

SERIES MASTERLIST

What if you could get a second chance at love? What if it was the wrong time but the right person all along? Would you take it? This second chance? 

Meet y/n, a 25 year old girl who had to revisit the city she once loved, Seoul. It was a city filled with both good and bad memories for her. When she left, she swore never to return. But here she is, back in Seoul, hoping to not run into a certain old flame that might reopen old wounds and remind her of how broken hearted she was back then.

chapter 2 | chapter 3 | chapter 4

chapter 3: she’s back?

nov 2020, seoul, 1:39pm (KST)

Y/n’s eyes widened as she froze. Choyi and Hana gasped as they stared at the three familiar faces in front of them. 

Seventeen Dino, Mingyu and Jeonghan were picking up their coffee orders for the rest of the group. 

“Oh! Noona!” Dino and Mingyu chimed as they greeted her excitedly. They turned to Hana and Choyi, waving at them as well. 

Jeonghan’s eyes was fixated on Y/n, his gaze turning soft. 

“Hi, Y/n.. long time no see.” 

////

The members sat down with the girls as they waited for their orders. Jeonghan took a seat opposite Y/n who anxiously drank her coffee while silence filled the air. 

“..long time no see noonas!” Dino broke the silence. Mingyu joined in, “yeah, it’s been a few years!” Hana broke into a smile, nodding. “Yes, it’s been a while.. Heard Seventeen has been getting first place recently! Congratulations!” Choyi agreed, “This year is really you guys’ year! Congrats!” 

While the four of them chatted away, Jeonghan constantly fixed his gaze onto Y/n. He gently asked, “how have you been?” Y/n looked up from her drink as she forced a smile. “I’m.. good. You?” 

Jeonghan chuckled, “well you know, busy as always. We’re preparing for our upcoming tour.” Y/n nodded, taking a sip of her drink again. 

“You still looked the same from the last time I saw you. Beautiful always.” Y/n blinked in surprise, cheeks turning slightly red at the statement. She said nothing and continued looking at her coffee. Silence filled the air once more. 

////

“Ah, lunch time is over, we gotta go now.” Hana said as the girls stood up to leave. “Aw, that’s sad. But we had fun catching up noona!” Dino chirped as he waved them goodbye with Mingyu beside him doing the same. Just as Y/n was about to follow them out, Jeonghan gently grabbed her wrist. “Y/n!” She turned and stared at him, brows raising. 

He let go and rubbed his neck awkwardly. “Um.. how long are you going to be in Korea for? We should all catch up soon, the rest of the guys missed you and they would be delighted to see you again.” 

Y/n pursed her lips together, hesitating. “If I’m free.” She gave the three guys a small smile before leaving the cafe. 

Jeonghan sighed as he watched her leave. Damn it, I never thought I would miss her this much. 

////

“Hyung.. should we tell the rest that we saw y/n again?” Dino asked in their van. The three were on the way back to the company with their coffee orders in their hands. 

“I don’t know.. We need to prepare for the tour soon, y/n’s return might affect some of them.” Jeonghan rubbed his face, feeling a tad stressed. 

“I think we should tell them. What if they bumped into y/n on the streets again like today?” Mingyu chipped in. “Aigoo hyung, Seoul isn’t that small you know.” Dino shooked his head as he replied Mingyu who pouted and continued texting on his phone. 

Jeonghan stared outside the window as he sighed once more. If fate allows it, then we will all meet again. He thought as the car ride continued in silence all the way back to the company. 

////

Flashback to march 2017, 3:53pm, PLEDIS building

Choyi, Hana and Y/n looked around in awe as they walked around the building of PLEDIS Entertainment, home to Seventeen, NU’EST and After School. Hana’s boyfriend had invited the girls over for lunch as he’s busy helping SVT prepare for their album comeback.

“Never in my life would I expect myself to be in freaking PLEDIS building where it’s the home to Seventeen!!!!!” Choyi whispered excitedly as she did a little dance while they were finding the practice room that Joohyeon was in. “Please calm down Choyi or else we’re gonna get kicked out for disturbance!” Hana shooked her head, Y/n chuckled as she follow the pair behind.

“Room 3.. room 3.. ah here it is,” Hana pointed at the practice room they found. The girls peeked through the windows.

Seventeen members were in formation while Joohyeon was in front showing them what seemed to be a choreography for their next title song. “Can’t believe I’m getting the very first look at the upcoming comeback dance..” Choyi sighed with pleasure as she fixated her eyes through the window panels.

“Okay, let’s take ten boys!” Joohyeon announced as he spotted Choyi’s face planted against the window. He walked over to the door and welcomed the girls. “Hi oppa” Hana gave him a hug while Y/n and Choyi waved at the members.

“Oh, hello, nice to see you all again!” Dokyeom waved as the rest of the members followed suit while they grabbed some towels and water bottles.

“Sorry to disturb but we brought some lunch for all of you!” Hana announced as Joohyeon took the bags she was carrying. “YES WE HAVE FREE FOOOOOD” Dino and Hosni jumped up and down pumping their fists with excitement. Y/n beamed, feeling a little surprised by their energy even after what seemed like hours of dance practice.

Jun ran up to Y/n after seeing her with two big bags of lunchboxes, “here let me help you with that!” Y/n gave him an appreciative smile and thanked him. “We didn’t speak much backstage that day but nice to meet you, I’m Jun! Are you a Korean by the way?”

Y/n shooked her head, “I’m from Singapore.” Jun nodded, mouth forming an ‘o’. “Wow but your Korean is good! Wait.. so does this mean you can speak chinese?”

“Yup, 我可以说中文 (I can speak chinese)“ Jun got even more excited and started conversing in chinese with Y/n as they sat down on the floor with the others as they took out the lunchboxes.

“Are.. those two speaking in Chinese?” Seungcheol asked The8 as he glanced at the pair. The8 looked over and nodded, “Y/n’s from Singapore I think so she’s able to speak chinese if I’m not wrong”

Seungcheol tilted his head as he watched Y/n laughing at something Jun was saying. Wonder what they’re talking about that is so funny.. He pouted slightly as he started eating.

“Yah Jihoon ah, where’s your Polaroid camera! This calls for some fun picture taking!” Jeonghan asked. Woozi walked over to his bag and took out the camera. Y/n noticed the Polaroid model, “oh is that the latest model?” Woozi turned to her and nodded. Y/n stood up and walked over looking at it. “Can I see it? I’ve been saving up for one cause my previous polaroid broke!” Woozi handed his camera over with a small smile.

Y/n clapped her hands enthusiastically as she gently held the camera. “Can I test it out?” Woozi chuckled as he gave her the go ahead. What Y/n did next was unexpected to the boy — she pointed the camera in front of him and snapped a pic, “say cheese!” Woozi stared blankly at the camera with surprised as he frozed. Did she just.. took a picture of me? Suddenly?

When the polaroid picture started developing, Y/n giggled as she showed Woozi. “What’s with the blank look!” Woozi stared at Y/n, feeling captivated by her adorable action. He blushed as he rubbed his neck sheepishly, “I was just surprised that’s all..” Y/n grinned as she return the camera to him. “I think I’ll get this model, thank you Jihoon!” Woozi blushed even more as she calls him by his actual name.

“Hyung, I can help us take a few pics!” Mingyu walked over, taking the camera from the flustered boy. “Woah, why are your ears so red?” Woozi shooked his head and passed the camera to Mingyu before returning to his food, “nothing, here ya go. Don’t drop it or else I’ll come after you.”

Mingyu sighed as he went around taking pictures of the entire gang. “Say kimchi everyone!!!!”

///

Nov 2020, choyi’s apartment, 4:19pm (KST)

Y/n dropped her bag onto the sofa as she plopped on it. Choyi walked to the fridge to get a bottle of soju. Y/n looked on quizzedly, “isn’t it a bit too early for alcohol?”

Choyi took two soju glasses and sat on the sofa beside Y/n. “it’s for you.” Y/n raised an eyebrow, looking at the soju, “for what?”

“In case you wanna talk about what happened out there just now?” Choyi poured the soju into the glasses and handed one to Y/n, who took it begrudgingly. “There’s no need for any talk Cho.”

“It’s been what.. two years? I just thought seeing them might you know, sparked some past memories again” Choyi shrugs as she downs her glass. “I’m okay. It’s in the past and I’ve moved on. Really, I’m fine Cho” Y/n gave a tight smile as she refilled her glass.

“Besides, I won’t be staying in Korea for long anyway. I’m just here for work and work only, after which I’m gonna head home.” Y/n took a shot of soju as she let the bitterness taste linger around her throat hoping she would let it distract her from the heavy feeling around her chest.

“... Do you still have his number saved?” Y/n blinked a few times at Choyi’s question. She would be lying if she say she has already deleted them. The truth is, she still has it. After all these years, she still has it saved onto her phone, she just couldn’t bear to delete it. All she did was renamed it to “Ignore” just in case he calls again, but he never did.

“… nope I deleted it the day I left.” Silence filled the air as Y/n took another shot of her drink.

“You know.. the guys were shocked and sad when they heard you left without saying goodbye” Choyi added as she refilled their glasses.

“I heard.. that he was upset too” Choyi continued a she took a shot.

Y/n paused as she reached for her glass. He was upset? What right did he have to be upset?

#seventeen scenarios #seventeen #svt #seventeenxreader #kpop scenarios #svt scenarios #seventeen angst #kpop fluff #kpop imagines #seventeen fluff #svt and reader #seventeen and reader #y/n imagines #y/n x seventeen #y/n x svt #scoups #jeonghan #joshua #jun #wonwoo #woozi #hoshi #the8 #seungkwan #vernon #mingyu #dokyeom #dino

[kiarcheo]

It’s All Coming Back to Me Now    5/?

To read on  Ao3 click here

You can read the previous parts on Tumblr click here

‘Does this mean that I’m finally going to see you at home again?’ Catalina asks as they are once again walking back home.

‘Ehh,’ Kat grimaces a bit, ‘I’m helping Anna.’

She knows from their previous life together that Anna never learnt how to play any instrument. She could dance well enough and Kat had fond memories of that, and she had a lovely voice albeit clearly not trained, since she had been raised with the concept that music education was not proper for a noblewoman. Anna didn’t even have to say anything out loud. She just asked her when she was free to meet, the reason implicit yet understood by both.

‘That’s fine.’ Catalina bumps her hip against Kat’s. She doesn’t want her to feel bad for spending time with her friend. Friends. Family. Fellow queens. Whatever. But she misses having her around the house. ‘Just don’t forget about your old mother.’

‘You’re not old!’

Catalina would lie if she said that her heart didn’t skip a beat, dreading the last word would be two instead...my mother.

‘Anyway!’ Catalina knows from the tone that Kat is trying to distract her, probably having noticed her mood falling slightly. Perceptive kids these days!

‘I was talking with Cathy...do you think that us getting a PhD in history, Tudor history, would be cheating?’

‘Cathy, uh?’ Probably not the part Kat wanted her to focus on, but a mother has to take her fun where she can.

‘What?’ Kat is confused at first, before turning her head and seeing the look on the older woman’s face. ‘It's not like that.’

‘Okay.’ Catalina immediately accepts the answer. Not being believed is something that at best deeply upsets Kat and at worst triggers panic attacks. She doesn’t have all the details, Kat is reticent to talk about her life after Catalina’s death if not in broad general terms and Catalina has never forced the issue. She knows Kat would tell her, Kat said it herself. But every time she offers, she looks so dejected that she always refuses. But it doesn’t take a genius to connect the dots and blame Henry. It had been on her mind a lot, especially after Anne’s song and her talk with her. Whether Kat’s experience had been similar to her cousin, besides the ending, or not. Catalina isn’t sure she wants to know, to be honest. ‘But if it was...it’d be okay, you know.’

Kat shrugs, a subtle hunch in her shoulder. That won’t do. Catalina puts an arm around her shoulders and draws her in, kissing her temple. ‘Want to get a slice of cake to celebrate you writing yet another brilliant song?’ She said her piece. Short, sure, but that’s all she wants Kat to know. All the rest doesn’t matter. She’ll be there if Kat will ever want to revisit the topic again.

 .

Right from the start it’s clear that Anna has decided to go for a modern take too. Music is once again streaming from Kat’s laptop, the young queen snapping her fingers as her predecessor sings.

Where my hounds at? Release the bitches (Woof)

Anne claps her hands, howling with laughter at Kat’s first venture into the song, which will also be all the other queens’ part. Jane shakes her head, rolling her eyes. Say one thing once and they will forever use it against you. She is ready to bet that Kat’s song will also include a swear word, just disguised enough that you can argue it’s not really swearing.

Lookin’ cute,

(Das ist gut)

All eyes on me,

(No criticism)

I look more rad than

(Lutheranism)

Dance so hard that I’m causing a sensation.

Okay, ladies, let’s get in reformation.

Anne is hollering, quickly followed by Cathy and, to everyone’s surprise but Kat’s, Catalina. Religion puns and Beyonce reference deserve a holler, queenly composure be damned.

Kat shoots a beaming smile at Anna. The fourth queen had been worried about her song not measuring up to the others, but the reactions are proving her wrong. She actually gets a standing ovation as the last ‘I’m the queen of the castle’ fades away.

‘Have you thought about choreography?’

‘Not really.’

‘Can I?’ Catalina exchanges a look with Anne. ‘Can we?’

Anna looks at the first two queens, both almost vibrating for the excitement. ‘Sure.’

Anne whoops and Catalina looks like she is one step away from doing the same. ‘It’s going to be glorious.’

‘Before we lose those two,’ they do look like they are ready to bolt, eager to start working on Anna’s song, ‘can I point out the,’ Cathy stops to look for the right word, ‘whiplash of going from Jane’s song to this. Both songs are amazing just…quite a different vibe?’

‘What about having an interlude? We would have three songs, well four with the intro. Interlude. Other three songs. Conclusion.’ Catalina proposes, her head seemingly back in the game and not on the dance anymore.

Cathy looks at Kat. They had sort of taken the lead on how to structure the musical…and Kat on writing the songs, having a hand in all of them so far. ‘We can give it a try.’

‘Also,’ Anne seems to be back among them too, ‘was that a Tinder reference?’

‘What’s Tinder?’ Jane sees the mirth on Anne’s face. ‘Wait. Do I actually want to know?’

 .

The whole process is going surprisingly smoothly. Sure, it has been months, but considering they have no experience whatsoever with writing musicals, having 4 songs (out of 8 planned) mostly hashed out is impressive, in Cathy’s humble opinion. And that’s not even taking into consideration them being 16th-century queens reincarnated in the 21st century figuring out the modern world...and how to get along.

Unexpectedly, since she has been the one moving everything along, it’s with Kat’s turn that the smooth process comes to a halt.

‘Why the change? Not that I mind.’ Catalina specifies. Katherine had requested them to show up at a different location instead of the usual one. This one is more like a proper recording studio, with a live room with mics and instruments and a separate control room. ‘You know we have no idea how to use all of this, right?’ she jokes, gesturing to the mixing equipment. She frowns when Kat doesn’t even attempt to give her a smile at that.

‘I need you to be in another room. I know you will hate the song and-’

‘Impossible.’ Catalina scoffs.

‘I’m sure we will love it.’  All the others have joined them, and they chime in, agreeing with Jane. She has helped them all, whether with music or lyrics or both, and it is evident to everyone, even to Cathy, the only who still hasn’t worked with her, that she has a way with music.

‘No, you won’t.’ Kat is not looking for reassurance. She has no doubt about it. ‘It’s already going to be hard. If I have to worry about your reactions too...I can’t do it with you in the room. All of you.’ She had just recently managed to go through the whole song without having a major breakdown before the end.

While the first three queens appear confused, Cathy and Anna share a look. Having lived through Katherine’s reign as queen, they are the only ones with some knowledge about her past. They even had a brief conversation about it, not wanting to betray Kat’s confidence or their ‘vow’ not to look into each other’s past, but also needing to share their thoughts with someone who could understand them. Their conclusion had been easy: even if the charges levied against her had been true, which is not a given, as Anne’s example shows, considering her age she would have been a victim and not the temptress she had been portraited as.

‘Kat.’ Cathy takes a step towards her.

‘Please.’ Kat raises her hands in front of her. ‘Don’t.’

Cathy stops, nodding, slightly dejected, Anna laying a hand on her shoulder.

Catalina had noticed Kat was worried, but she didn’t think it had reached this point. And she doesn’t know what to make of Anna and Cathy’s solemn expressions. ‘Why don’t you show us and let us decide?’ She tries to encourage her daughter with a smile.

So that’s what she does.

All you wanna do All you wanna do, baby And ever since I was a child, I'd make the boys go wild

Kat had decided to use a backing track while playing the keyboard. She hopes that having to focus on playing and singing at the same time (and actually breathing, if things go as they went during her previous practices), she will be physically unable to think about the other queens being on the other side of the glass listening to her song (she angles herself so that her back is to the window and she is also physically unable to see them, even if she were tempted to look).

He just cares so much, he's devoted He says we have a connection

Her voice breaks and by the time she reaches the last chorus she is sobbing and hyperventilating. The effort required to finish the song definitely takes her mind off the others’ reactions…but everything comes crashing down as soon as the last note resonates.

She bows her head, shoulder shaking, hands frozen on the keys. She takes deep breaths, trying to calm down. Once she has it under control, or as much as possible in the situation, she pushes herself up. Time to face the music. Or not. What if she opens the door and they had left? They wouldn’t do that...right? Her...Catalina would not do that, right? She told her she would never be disappointed in Kat…but she never knew the truth...

But what if they are still there and are...disappointed? Angry? Ashamed of her? Would that be better? Or worse? One way or another, she has to know. And regardless, she has to leave the room sooner or later. It would only be delaying the inevitable.

#six the musical fanfiction #six the musical #catherine and katherine #six fanfiction #six the musical fic #six fanfic #fic: It’s All Coming Back to Me Now #my posts #mywork #six writing #six fic #six the musical fanfic #my ideas #my six posts

[dangerouscommiesubversive]

E with Kaito, Zack and Peco? If you’re alright with that

E is for equal and I am more than all right with that, this is a good ship.

Being slightly in love with Kumon Kaito isn’t an entrance requirement for Team Baron as much as it’s an inevitability, as much standard-issue as their red-and-black jackets and gray waistcoats. Some of it’s probably purely physical--he’s handsome enough, he’s got poise and grace, there’s a sort of giddy rush that comes with the matter-of-fact movement of his hands on your arm or leg as he corrects a move or gets you back on time. But just as much of it is the sense of certainty, the clear knowledge that he knows what’s going on even if you don’t. It’s intoxicating.

He knows it happens, too, knows that everyone on the team is nursing at least half a crush. Peko’s actually gotten the impression that he’d rather they didn’t. He’s not exactly someone who welcomes affection. He barely even likes most of them.

Except Zack. He definitely likes Zack. Well, everyone likes Zack. That’s not even a team thing, that’s just a general fact of life, if you’ve met Zack there’s at least a seventy-five percent chance that you like Zack. Still, sometimes when Kaito’s talking to Zack he almost smiles, which is a big deal.

So.

Kaito likes Zack, in his particular impenetrable Kaito way which could be friendly and could be something more. Zack has a very natural and obvious crush on Kaito.

And Peko, proud owner of both the best slingshot aim and the worst luck in Zawame, is desperately in love with both of them, and has been considering eating his nicest hat for several days now in the hopes of making it stop.

At least he can talk to Zack, who nearly chokes on his smoothie when Peko says, as innocently as possible, “So what were you and Kaito talking about the other day? You were busy for a while.”

Zack coughs, swallows the rest of his mouthful of banana-and-mango smoothie, and says, “Oh, you know. Team stuff.”

--

At first Zack kind of hated Kaito. Who did he think he was, barging in and taking over Azami’s team like he had any right to it? Zack had briefly considered leaving for another team, but then again, that would have meant leaving Peko behind, and that was entirely unacceptable. So he’d stayed. And by the time he’d realized that he was having feelings about Peko that Azami would probably kill him for, he’d come around on Kaito, too.

Or, more accurately, he’d fallen slightly in love with Kaito, because Kaito just has that effect on people. Which seems to be more of an irritation to him than anything; it’s not as if he likes most people.

Except Peko. He definitely likes Peko. Granted, you’d be an idiot to not like Peko, everyone does. Peko is inherently likeable. He’s cheerful and good-natured. Zack’s considered petitioning the city to make it illegal for him to wear hats that make his hair flop in his eyes.

What had he been thinking about?

Right. Kaito, inasmuch as he has friendly feelings towards anyone, likes Peko. Peko has a radiantly obvious crush on Kaito, slightly more so than most of the other members of Team Baron.

Zack is left trying to figure out when the hell he fell in love with the two most wildly different people he interacts with on a daily basis and how he can make it stop. Having a crush on Peko is bad enough when he has dinner with the guy and his sister every couple of weeks and thus has to weather Azami’s knowing looks; being simultaneously continuously distracted by the set of his team leader’s mouth is just. Obnoxious.

And then, of course, everything gets very confusing, so when Peko asks him a perfectly reasonable question he nearly chokes on his smoothie in an effort to stop himself from saying, Well, Kaito and I were talking out some new choreography and then I think he nearly kissed me. "Oh, you know," he manages after a moment. "Team stuff. New moves, new music."

Peko nods enthusiastically. Why does he have to be so cute? "That's pretty exciting! I mean, not that I don't like our current choreography, but it'd be good to change things up a little, right? To keep people's interest?"

"Yeah, definitely, I--" --can't stop thinking about Kaito except when I'm thinking about you. "I think it's going to be good. Here, I’ve got samples of some of the potential new music on my phone.”

--

Kaito doesn't like people. They are, for the most part, useless, obnoxious, and weak. Zack, however, is neither weak, nor useless, and his obnoxiousness is variable and mainly connected to how good he looks on any particular day.

Peko's weakness is arguable, but he's...

Kaito doesn't generally like to think of anything or anyone as "cute," and is trying not to make a habit of it.

In any case, Zack and Peko are transparently interested in each other, and perhaps if they start dating then Peko will be on time to practice more often. Kaito has decided that he's not going to examine the odd feeling he gets when he thinks of them together. He's certainly not going to let himself have any more lapses in self-control like the other day's. He's sure that Zack would have allowed the kiss, but he's not interested in being simply tolerated.

Peko is most likely better for Zack, anyway, and Zack is definitely better for Peko. Thus, Kaito resolves firmly not to pursue his own absurd infatuations any further.

After barely two days, though, he finds his resolve being thoroughly tested when Zack manages to corner him after practice and open the conversation with, "Hey, look, Kaito, about the other day."

Kaito looks up at him, quietly resentful of the fact that looking up is even necessary, and says, "Were you interested in revisiting the new musical choices?"

Zack's eyes narrow. "You know that's not what I'm talking about."

"I don't see any need to discuss the other aspects of our conversation."

“Not even the--look, you know.” Zack gestures incoherently, looking frustrated and slightly embarrassed. A momentary glance around to make sure that none of the other members of the team are lurking nearby before, “Did you actually want to kiss me or am I imagining things?”

Kaito glares at him. “Whether or not I did is immaterial, you’re interested in Peko.”

A suspended pause. “I’m--I mean, I am, yeah, but he’s got the worst crush on you, so it’s not like that’d go anywhere. Besides, his sister would kill me.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Zack, Azami thinks you’re--repeat that first part.”

“...did you not notice that Peko’s got it bad for you?”

“For how long, exactly?”

At which point, of course, Peko rounds the corner already saying, “Hey, we were looking for you guys, did you want to go to Drup--” and stops dead when they turn simultaneously to stare at him, and Kaito briefly considers leaving dance completely and going into something which causes less emotional turmoil. Politics, perhaps.

Peko is blushing. Zack is also blushing. Kaito feels somewhat warm, which means he’s likely blushing himself, which is not to be borne, so he cuts directly to the point. “Peko, I need you to settle a question.”

A slow nod. “O...k?”

“Zack is under the impression that you’re...interested in me.”

Peko jumps. His hat nearly falls off. “I mean. Uh. Yeah. But you’re sort of obviously into Zack, and he’s definitely into you, sorry, Zack, apparently we’re just talking about this now? So it’s not like I was going to bring it up or anything.”

“I had gotten the distinct idea that you and Zack were--I’m sorry, Zack is what?”

Zack stares fixedly into space for a long moment, long enough that Peko begins to look visibly worried and Kaito allows himself the beginnings of concern. When he finally speaks, it’s very quietly. “So if I’ve got this straight, I’ve been twisting myself in knots for a while now because I was interested in both of you and thought you were more into each other, and you’ve both been doing the same thing.”

Kaito scowls. “That seems to be the case, yes. I don’t believe I signed up to be the protagonist in some sort of romance comic.”

“Oh, no, if this was a romance comic one of you probably would have slapped the wall already.” Both Kaito and Zack turn to look at Peko, who grins awkwardly and scratches the back of his head. “I’m just saying. All I know is it wouldn’t be me, it’s always the tall guy and I’m kind of the opposite of that.” He adjusts his hat, avoiding both of their gazes. “So did you want to come to Drupers?”

Intensely irritated in a way that he can’t quite pinpoint, and which is only made more confusing by the overlaid sense of relief, Kaito says, “Yes,” and grabs Zack’s hand, ignoring the startled noise the gesture produces. He grabs Peko’s hand as well in passing, and Peko lets out a squawk that’s offensively charming and stumbles along after him. “I’m going to get the largest parfait Bandou will make me, and we’re going to discuss this later.”

Peko has to quicken his pace to keep up with Kaito’s quick steps, while Zack shortens his stride a bit in order to stay with them and says, “And you’re not concerned about people staring at us walking down the street holding hands like this?”

“They can stare if they want to.” Kaito is feeling distractingly pleased, and it’s taking more effort than he cares to consider to keep a smile off his face. “It’s not any of their business.”

#kumon kaito #gaim zack #gaim peko #fanfiction #anonamouse

[borisbubbles]

Eurovision 2010: 35 - 31

35. KEiiNO - “Spirit in the sky” Norway 2019

During the preshow I posited that "Spearwhil”  would be the Rasmussen but as it turned out-

I HEAR YOU CALLING ME AT NIGHT

No, Tom NOT NOW!!! I’m in the middle of my sentence. 🙄 Wait your turn Anyway, it turned out that ‘the Rasmussen’ really ought to be called ‘the KEiiNO’. Observe this Michal-esque rise up the scoreboard:

OutSzpak’ing Spzak. 😍 Let’s be honest though, it was-

I HEAR YOU CALLING ME AT NI-

- COMPLETELY DESERVED TOO.  Fred was especially great, who delivered EPIC yoik solo that I am sure won KEiiNO the televote on the spot. 😍

This particularly pleases me because I was worried Tom & Alexandra (who are both very good performers) would take the spotlight away from Fred, but no did the weakest link pre-show turned not only turn out to be the strongest one, but he was arguable the single strongest performer of finale night. SO PROUD OF THEM ANGELS. 😍 Let us all sing along

*cough* I said, “let us all sing along”

... 

(k Tom, now is ur cue)

I HEAR YOU CALLING ME AT NIIIIIGHT

THE NORTHERN LIGHTS ARE DANCING

HÅ LA HEI LOI LÅ

A lot of the criticism from KEiiNO comes from your typical value-seekers who can only enjoy themselves in public if their shallow trash comes coated in a thick layer of novelty gimmicks and Deep Meaning, so they don’t have to admit to others and themselves than they tune in to have fun, like everyone else. There’s nothing wrong with novelty gimmicks & the like, but applying that standard to everything is taking it a tad too far. Sometimes, simplicity is key and that’s exactly what KEiiNO were: unpretentious, highly-addictive EDM adorned with epic yoiking. 😍 

_______________________________________________________________

34. Gianluca - “Tomorrow” Malta 2013

"Tomorrow” is, to use Gianluca’s own words, a curious delight: I always, always, always forget about it. Then I rewatch 2013 as I do at least once per year, and each time it’s like a Céline Dion song IT’S ALL COMING BACK TO ME and I’m in love again. 😍 “Tomorrow” is such a clever twist of the typical love song by telling the story from the THIRD PERSON PERSPECTIVE by an all-knowing narrator. It’s world’s merriest audiobook. 😍

Naturally, this works because Gianluca has TONS of charisma. He’s one of the most magnetic humans ever on a Eurovision Stage? 

It’s hard to believe that he ages like the rest of us, I’d assume he was birthed fully formed and clothed, at age thirteen, in whatever rests at the end of a Neverlandian rainbow. 

“Tomorrow” could’ve so easily been one of those “Annoyingly Positive songs”, but because he’s so relentlessly jolly, Gianluca injects “Tomorrow” with limitless happy energy, enough to melt the polar icecaps. I am happy that I don’t revisit Gianluca between watches, as I do with others, because each time I rediscover him it’s like finding a four-leaf-clover. 🍀

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33. Elitsa Todorova & Stoyan Yankoulov - “Samo shampioni” Bulgaria 2013

IMA LI MLADI? IMA LI LYUDI? TSYALO SELO DOIDE PEITE NE SE BOITE

Let us continue with one of the most glorious trainwrecks EVER in Eurovision. 😍 Of course, this being the GOD-tier the severity of wreckage (aka the Sennek Factor) is even higher than normal. In the case of “Samo shampioni” the messiness began DURING THE PRESELECTIONS. 😍 Okay you may not remember or know this backstory, so allow me to enlighten you:

Okay, so *initially* BNT selected Elitsa & Stoyan and for some reason decided to hold an NF: They introduced: first a terrible rapbomination, second a boring ethnoballad (think Iriao + percussion) and then pulled out an experimental fusion of ethnic bagpipes, polyphonic singing and dubstep, which Elitsa openly pointed as her favourite. 😍 Obviously, the audience had to choose for the latter? NOPE The audience chose the iriao-esque ballad 😍 and in one of the most hilariously open displays of riggage, LESS THAN A DAY AFTER THE NF (and after Elitsa allegedly threw a huge backstage temper tantrum threatening to withdraw LMFAO), BNT produced a statement that was all like “well. we can’t send “Kismet”. 🤓 You see... it has come under our attention that... the songwriter from Argentina (lmao) can’t agree to the copyright terms we demanded of him 🤓but that’s fine because it means we can send “SAMO SHAMPIONI” instead 😊‘ <3333333333333333333333456789 who the fuck is Christer Björkman, fucking NOBODY that’s who. And of course, once “Samo Shampioni” finally got to Malmö it was an utter disaster. 😍 I say "disaster” in the best meaning of the word though. I LOVE when countries showcase their musical traditions, but Elitsa and Stoyan do it so aggressively, BLASTING the unassuming viewer with loud af bagpipe noises, following it up with a menuet of polyphony, a clarion of “AAAAAAAAAAAA-YUUUU” and a finale of dubstep and mayumaniacal percussion. “Samo Sampioni” was loud, abrasive, a clamour of ethnic noise but by the same token such a catchy, infectuous, delightful fucking BOP. No surprise it got jurypwned but it was well worth the effort. 😍

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32. Nadav Guedj - “Golden boy” Israel 2015

Welcome to the Dicedrome, ladies and gentlemen: Introducing the man who put Israel back on the map after four straight NQs. But Nadav is more than just a Hebrew Tom Dice. 

For starters, “Golden boy” is also the first time we were ever subjected to Doron Medalie (and also Imri Ziv but lol Imri), who is at his BEST here (apart from that moment when he brusquely shoved Cesár out of the way as if he were Krisse Salminen lmfao 😍): “Golden boy” has everything I could want in an uptempo party song: Drama, catchy rhythm, limitless fun, chanting, dancing and an absolutely ridiculous premise: sixteen year old boy gets wasted after fruitlessly flirting with all sorts of femfolk on his first night out. Yes, THIS

is sixteen years old. 😍 But what I mostly love about “Golden boy” is the humour. Intentional humour is really hard to get right and “Golden boy” NAILS it for me. From self-deprecating one-liners, to that choreography to b-roll material like the sound effect of beer being pourn as Nadav gets further into the song, to of course the epic finale of “THREE MINUTES! BYE :selfie”. 😍

A wild ride which, as serendipity demands, is topped off by Nadav kicking off a strong Israeli streak that indeed ENDS up with Israel winning the contest (with a worse Doron composition :-/) and him showing us around in Tel Aviv. Funny how life works sometimes, huh? 

OKAY GOTTA GO  THREE PARAGRAPHS BYEBYE

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31. Jessy Matador - “Allez ola olé” France 2010

Did you know “Matador” is Eurospeak for “SLAYER”?  😉

Speaking of EPIC party songs, I was looking “Allez Ola Olé” up for my usual ranking purposes and this song.. is one of the most successful Eurovision songs EVER? I am not surprised, because “Allez olla olé” OWNS, but at the same time random 12th placers becoming massive off-season hits <3

(yes I am aware it’s because it was the French “Waka Waka” but that’s even more hilar, actually. What on earth is it doing in Eurovision <3)

Anyway, “Allez ola olé” definitely DESERVES all praise it can get. ETERNAL THORN IN THE SIDE OF THE EUROVISION ELITISTS <3 it is of course the anti-Proud, being all rhythm and no story, literally having no purpose other than making people dance (which I LOVE doing to “Allez Ola Olé”... within the confines of my bedroom, with the curtains closed because I have the dancing skills of drunk JarJar Binks) and honestly, what a spectacle. 😍

It features, in order of ascending awesomeness, male twerking (gender equality <3)

witty references to sex (which I don’t mind here because it’s clearly consentual, and therefore, healthy, ICKOLAS)

“Je sens le truc monter/..😏 ALLEEEEZ 😱”. 

DAM BA DAM BA DAM BA DAM DAM

A fucking HAKA????? (btw, the female backing doing a salute is also lowkey great <3)

Actually, TWO HAKA’S????

This song may not have relevant meaning but my weave flew all the way to French Polynesia. “Allez, ola, olé” is nothing less than fucking AWESOME. 

In this update, we pay our final respects to Norway, Malta and France: Read more about them below:

NORWAY

I don’t feel like this chart reflects my true feelings on Norway, because I like them a LOT more than what their average implies. They’re largely just dragged down by a few bad entries in the first half of the decade. Norway in the second half of this decade has shown a lot of promise and they are on my list of countries that I expect to win in the upcoming decade. 

MALTA

Malta are a very average Eurovision country imo. As you can see, they very often select songs that are not worth giving a fuck about, but conversely the few times that they do, they’re usually excellent happy-go-lucky gems. I could see them winning if they find that rare 1-in-50 entry (by one of their jesc winners preferably), but only if they keep internally selecting their entrant because lmao MES(s)C <3

FRANCE

This is a really good chart for France and roughly what I expected. Not my favourite country but solidly upper tier. France really have reinvented themselves post 2016 and are reaping the rewards with generally higher results. I hope it gets topped off with another win soon. They deserve it. 

#Eurovision #Eurovision Song Contest #France #Jessy Matador #Allez ola olé #Israel #nadav guedj #Golden boy #Bulgaria #Elitsa Todorova #Stoyan Yankoulov #Samo shampioni #Gianluca Bezzina #Tomorrow #Malta #Norway #KEiiNO #Spirit in the sky

[nyfacurrent]

Business of Art | Tackle Creative Block

Four generous and surprising ways to work through a creative impasse.

If you’re an artist of any discipline, you are surely well-acquainted with creative block. You may dread its coming at times, and appreciate its ability to challenge you to improve or innovate at others. Many factors can cause the blank state of creative block, including: exhaustion, a temporary lack of confidence in your ideas, or simply what many describe as the natural ebb and flow of creativity.

Whatever the cause, we’re including advice from a range of multidisciplinary artists in NYFA’s community to help you beat, harness, or simply sit with and accept creative block. Every creative person may find different strategies work for them at different times. The techniques you relied on two years ago may seem unhelpful today, and a strategy that works for you while you’re starting a new project at a residency may fall flat when you’re back at work, trying to squeeze your practice into a demanding schedule.

With a willingness to get creative about your creativity and experiment with new approaches like the ones below, you can have confidence that creative block won’t stick around forever.

Take a Break

Like our bodies, our minds need rest. If you keep hitting a wall, it’s not always helpful to persist with the same approach. There’s merit to the idea that putting your work down and doing a rote or physical task, like washing the dishes, showering, or taking a walk can help you become unstuck.

This kind of mentality can also apply to your long-term planning and your daily schedule. Comic artist and illustrator Maxine Worthy relates: “A good friend has begun to schedule ‘fallow periods’ after exhibitions and artist residencies. During the fallow period she doesn’t try to make “art” with a capital A. Instead she explores, plays, and looks for inspiration.” Accepting that you may not be able to sustain single-minded, focused activity full-time, week after week, could be a great first step to unleashing new sources of creativity.

While creating often and regularly is extremely helpful and productive, it’s also important to be patient with yourself sometimes. “In principle, regularity and discipline are nice ideals, but I feel that I’m a human being, not a robot,” says Hanna Varga of the collaborative sculpture duo Ashleaf. “Some days, weeks—despite my best intentions—I can’t be productive. All I can do is wait patiently until all that’s fallen apart comes back together again.”

Be Multidisciplinary

In addition to resting from a current project, try to step away from your primary medium or discipline, or your customary techniques, from time to time. When writer Danielle Krysa, known as The Jealous Curator, feels blocked, she rethinks her process “by trying to do the opposite of what I normally do—if you work small, go big—if you paint, try using clay.” Veering away from your creative routine can help you “let go of your typical tropes and INVENT something you’ve never come up with before,” confirms Design Matters founder and host Debbie Millman. In this way, creative block can be a blessing in disguise. It can make you more willing to experiment and fashion you into a more well-rounded creator, the virtues of which were recently extolled in Why Artists Who Dabble in Other Professions Find Success, an Artsy article inspired by David Epstein’s Range (Riverhead Books, 2019).

Embrace Constraints, Embrace the Random

There’s a reason why prompts are helpful. We all need instructions sometimes, a bit of guidance. And prompts that include a random restriction—like a poet writing a poem that can’t include verbs or the letter “o”— can be surprisingly fruitful. Try incorporating arbitrary rules as well. Krysa recommends rolling die and following their instructions, based on a few predetermined rules. She explains: “Roll dice and then walk or ride as long as the dice tells you to. 1 & 3 would be 13 minutes. Then get to your destination and sit for an hour, take it all in” by sketching, listening, or collecting impressions and sensory data.

Then, there’s always repetition. Wendy Perron (Fellow in Choreography ’85, NYFA Hall of Fame Inductee ’11) says dancers can “walk across the floor in 50 different ways” and see what happens, or a visual artist can try altering a photocopied image a set number of times, a technique inspired by Pop artist Trey Speegle.

The possibilities are endless but most constraints will help you cultivate a sense of openness, put less pressure on yourself, and open the door to inspiration.

Make Bad Work

The blame for your present creative standstill may rest squarely on an inner critic with too much power. If the pursuit of perfection is holding you back from creating anything at all, give yourself permission to create something that seems terrible. When illustrator Laura Baran allows herself to do this, she feels relief and thinks, “Now I’ve got momentum. And I might as well keep going and see what else I can do.” What’s more, you may be surprised when you revisit those “failures” later; they may provide fodder for something great or be the promising beginnings of a brand new creative direction.

- Mirielle Clifford, Program Officer, Online Resources

This article draws inspiration from #ArtistHotline, an initiative dedicated to creating an ongoing online conversation around the professional side of artistic practice. Our goal is to help artists discover the resources needed, online and off, to develop sustainable careers.

Have an arts career question? You can contact NYFA staff directly via the NYFA Source Hotline at [phone], from Monday - Friday, 3:00 - 5:00 PM EST or email [email protected].

This initiative is supported by the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation.

Images from top: Diana Markosian (Fellow in Photography ’19), Allison Janae Hamilton (Fellow in Interdisciplinary Work ’18)

#business of art #businessofart #professional development #artist professional development #mirielle clifford #nyfa source #nyfasource #emily hall tremaine foundation #creative block #creativeblock #instagram

[knightedrogue]

Can you tell us about the whole process behind your writing? How, when and where do you write?

Thank you for the question, anon! I love getting these questions!There are two kinds of writing for me: the steady-drumbeat kind of writing that we saw for C&P and the inspiration lightning bolt that we see in some of the one-shots and snippet fics. While writing C&P (and trying to stick to the Friday posting schedule), I had to actually schedule time to write. These would be intentional, required writing times. The C&P soundtrack of choice was The Bourne Supremacy by John Powell (don’t ask me why, that’s just what made it work). I would write on the mornings in which I didn’t have to go to work (usually Mondays and Thursdays). I would aim to have the skeleton first-draft chapter ready by Thursday, so that I could make second edits, let it sit for 24 hours and then make final edits on Friday. Before I clicked “post” every Friday, I would turn off all social media and read the story out loud to make sure that the characterizations made sense, that Leia wasn’t suddenly yelling things like EGADS! or any such nonsense. :) That made a big difference; if you haven���t done this before, I would highly suggest it. Something about hearing my words gave me a clearer vision of what my readers would be seeing. I made a LOT of changes to dialogue when I read the conversations out loud.The inspo-writing is so much looser in structure. This is when I have an inconvenient moment to write but the inspiration strikes and one has to follow. “Ride” happens like this; so did one-shots like “Weak Swinging Light” and “Catch Me By Surprise”. Somebody sparks something (an image in my head of Han on a motorcycle, a light in the cafeteria of the hospital in which I work, @organanation needing happy fluff) and I work on it when I can. If you don’t know me personally, you might not realize that I am a chronic over-scheduler: I am busy all the fucking time. So when inspiration strikes, I will throw words on a google doc whenever I can: on my lunch breaks, before I go to bed, in the bathtub. Wherever I can. Most of the time the first drafts of these inspo-writings are complete rubbish and I set them aside for weeks at a time. Occasionally I go through my google docs and find the snippets I like and then start scheduling writing time to finish them. I’m a big fan of just writing the damn words and then let the ideas simmer. Editing is fun for me, I like shelling the words and getting the heart of the matter. I should say editing always happens when I’m alone and sitting on my couch with light piano music playing. Always. Anything else sparks too much distraction.

I hope that answers your questions, anon! Writing is not my only creative outlet and I find that my process for choreography is very similar to my writing. In general, I believe creators simply need to learn to follow their inspiration: don’t put it off, it will disappear. Throw something down and revisit it later. That’s the only way to capture the excitement that happens at the most inconvenient moments!

#Anonymous

[prolapsarian]

Conversation with David Panos about The Searchers

The Searchers by David Panos is at Hollybush Gardens, 1-2 Warner Yard London EC1R 5EY, 12 January – 9 February 2019

There is something chattering. Alongside a triptych a small screen displays the rhythmic loop of hands typing, contorting, touching, holding. A movement in which the artifice strains between shuddering and juddering. Machinic GIFs seem to frame an event which may or may not have taken place. Their motions appear to combine an endless neurotic repetition and a totally adrenal pumped and pumping tension, anticipating confrontation. 

JBR: How do the heavily stylised triptych of screens in ‘The Searchers’ relate to the GIF-like loops created out of conventionally-shot street footage? DP: I think of the three screens as something like the ‘unconscious’ of these nervous gestures. I’m interested in how video compositing can conjure up impossible or interior spaces, perhaps in a way similar to painting. Perhaps these semi-abstract images can somehow evoke how bodies are shot through with subterranean currents—the strange world of exchange and desire that lies under the surface of reality or physical experience. Of course abstractions don't really ‘inhabit’ bodies and you can’t depict metaphysics, but Paul Klee had this idea about an aesthetic ‘interworld’, that painting could somehow reveal invisible aspects of reality through poetic distortion. Digital video and especially 3D graphics tend to be the opposite of painting—highly regimented and sat within a very preset Euclidean space. I guess I’ve been trying to wrestle with how these programs can be misused to produce interesting images—how images of figures can be abstracted by them but retain some of their twitchy aliveness. JBR: This raises a question about the difference between the control of your media and the situation of total control in contemporary cinematic image making. DP: Under the new regimes of video making, the software often feels like it controls you. Early analogue video art was a sensuous space of flows and currents, and artists like the Vasulkas were able to build their own video cameras and mixers to allow them to create whole new images—in effect new ways of seeing. Today that kind of utopian or avant-garde idea that video can make surprising new orders of images is dead—it’s almost impossible for artists to open up a complex program like Cinema 4D and make it do something else. Those softwares were produced through huge capital investment funding hundreds of developers. But I’m still interested in engaging with digital and 3D video, trying to wrestle with it to try and get it to do something interesting—I guess because the way that it pictures the world says something about the world at the moment—and somehow it feels that one needs to work in relation to the heightened state of commodification and abstraction these programs represent. So I try and misuse the software or do things by hand as much as possible, and rather than programming and rendering I manipulate things in real time. JBR: So in some way the collective and divided labour that goes into producing the latest cinematic commodities also has a doubled effect: firstly technique is revealed as the opposite of some kind of freedom, and at the same time this has an effect both on how the cinematic object is treated and how it appears. To be represented objects have to be surrounded by the new 3D capture technology, and at the same time it laminates the images in a reflected glossiness that bespeaks both the technology and the disappearance of the labour that has gone into creating it. DP: I’m definitely interested in the images produced by the newest image technologies—especially as they go beyond lens-based capture. One of the screens in the triptych uses volumetric capturing— basically 3D scanning for moving image. The ‘camera’ perspective we experience as the viewer is non-existent, and as we travel into these virtual, impossible perspectives it creates the effect of these hollowed out, corroded bodies. This connects to a recurring motif of ‘hollowing out’ that appears in the video and sculpture I’ve been making recently. And I have a recurring obsession with the hollowing out of reality caused by the new regime of commodities whose production has become cut to the bone, so emptied of their material integrity that they’re almost just symbols of themselves. So in my show ‘The Dark Pool’ (Hollybush Gardens, 2014) I made sculptural assemblages with Ikea tables and shelves, which when you cut them open are hollow and papery. Or in ‘Time Crystals’ (Pumphouse Gallery, 2017) I worked with clothes made in the image of the past from Primark and H&M that are so low-grade that they can barely stand washing. We are increasingly surrounded by objects, all of which have—through contemporary processes of hyper-rationalisation and production—been slowly emptied of material quality. Yet they have the resemblance of luxury or historical goods. This is a real kind of spectral reality we inhabit.  I wonder to myself about how the unconscious might haunt us in these days when commodities have become hollow. Might it be like Benjamin’s notion of the optical unconscious, in which through the photographic still the everyday is brought into a new focus, not in order to see what is behind the veil of semblance, but to see—and reclaim for art—the veiling in a newly-won clarity. DP: Yes, I see these new technologies as similar, but am interested in how they don't just change impact perception but also movement. The veiled moving figures in ‘The Searchers' are a strange byproduct of digital video compositing. I was looking to produce highly abstract linear depictions of bodies reduced to fleshy lines, similar to those in the show and I discovered that the best way to create these abstract images was to cover the face and hands of performers when you film them to hide the obvious silhouettes of hands and faces. But asking performers to do this inadvertently produced a very peculiar movement—the strange veiled choreography that you see in the show. I found this footage of the covered performers (which was supposed to be a stepping stone to a more digitally mediated image, and never actually seen) really suggestive— the dancers seem to be seeking out different temporary forms and they have a curious classical or religious quality or sometimes evoke a contemporary state of emergency. Or they just look like absurd ghosts. JBR: In the last hundred years, when people have talked about ghosts the one thing they don’t want to think about is how children consider ghosts, as figures covered in a white sheet, in a stupid tangible way. Ghosts—as traumatic memories—have become more serious and less playful. Ghosts mean dwelling on the unfinished business of the past, or apprehending some shard of history left unredeemed that now revisits us. Not only has no one been allowed to be a child with regard to ghosts, but also ghosts are not for materialists either. All the white sheets are banished. One of the things about Marx when he talks about phantoms—or at least phantasmagorias—is much closer to thinking about, well, pieces of linen and how you clothe someone, and what happens with a coat worked up out of once living, now dead labour that seems more animate than the human who wears it.  DP: Yes, I’ve been very interested in Marx’s phantasmagorias. I reprinted Keston Sutherland’s brilliant essay on how Marx uses the term ‘Gallerte’ or ‘gelatine’ to describe abstract labour for a recent show. Sutherland highlights a vitalism in Marx’s metaphysics that I’m very drawn to. For the last few years I’ve been working primarily with dancers and physical performers and trying to somehow make work about the weird fleshy world of objects and how they’re shot through with frozen labour. I love how he describes the ‘wooden brain’ of the table as commodity and how he describes it ‘dancing’—I always wanted to make an animatronic dancing table.  JBR: There is also a sort of joyfulness about that. The phantasmagoria isn’t just scary but childish. Of course you are haunted by commodities, of course they are terrifying, of course they are worked up out of the suffering and collective labour of a billion bodies working both in concert and yet alienated from each other. People’s worked up death is made into value, and they all have unfinished business. But commodities are also funny and they bumble around; you find them in your house and play with them.  DP: Well my last body of work was all about dancing and how fashion commodities are bound up with joy and memory, but this show has come out much bleaker. It’s about how bodies are searching out something else in a time of crisis. It’s ended up reflecting a sense of lack and longing and general feeling of anxiety in the air. That said I am always drawn to images that are quite bright, colourful and ‘pop’ and maybe a bit banal—everyday moments of dead time and secret gestures.  JBR: Yes, but they are not so banal. In dealing with tangible everyday things we are close to time and motion studies, but not just in terms of the stupid questions they ask of how people work efficiently. Rather this raises questions of what sort of material should be used so that something slips or doesn’t slip—or how things move with each other or against each other—what we end up doing with our bodies or what we end up putting on our bodies. Your view into this is very sympathetic: much art dealing in cut-up bodies appears more violent, whereas the ruins of your abstractions in the stylised triptych seem almost caring.  DP: Well I’m glad you say that. Although this show is quite dark I also have a bit of a problem with a strain of nihilist melancholy that pervades a lot of art at the moment. It gives off a sense of being subsumed by capitalism and modern technology and seeing no way out. I hope my work always has a certain tension or energy that points to another possible world. But I’m not interested in making academic statements with the work about theory or politics. I want it to gesture in a much more intuitive, rhythmic, formal way like music. I had always made music and a few years back started to realise that I needed to make video with the same sense of formal freedom. The big change in my practice was to move from making images using cinematic language to working with simultaneous registers of images on multiple screens that produce rhythmic or affective structures and can propose without text or language.  JBR: The presentation of these works relies on an intervention into the time of the video. If there is a haunting here its power appears in the doubled domain of repetition, which points both backwards towards a past that must be compulsively revisited, and forwards in convulsive anticipatory energy. The presentation of the show troubles cinematic time, in which not only is linear time replaced by cycles, but also new types of simultaneity within the cinematic reality can be established between loops of different velocities.  DP: Film theorists talk about the way ‘post-cinematic’ contemporary blockbusters are made from images knitted together out of a mixture of live action, green-screen work, and 3D animation. I’ve been thinking how my recent work tries to explode that—keep each element separate but simultaneous. So I use ‘live’ images, green-screened compositing and CGI across a show but never brought together into a naturalised image—sort of like a Brechtian approach to post-cinema. The show is somehow an exploded frame of a contemporary film with each layer somehow indicating different levels of lived abstractions, each abstraction peeling back the surface further.  JBR: This raises crucial questions of order, and the notion that abstraction is something that ‘comes after’ reality, or is applied to reality, rather than being primary to its production.  DP: Yes good point. I think that’s why I’m interested in multiple screens visible simultaneously. The linear time of conventional editing is always about unveiling whereas in the show everything is available at the same time on the same level to some extent. This kind of multi-screen, multi-layered approach to me is an attempt at contemporary ‘realism’ in our times of high abstraction. That said it’s strange to me that so many artworks and games using CGI these days end up echoing a kind of ‘naturalist’ realist pictorialism from the early 19th Century—because that’s what is given in the software engines and in the gaming-post-cinema complex they’re trying to reference. Everything is perfectly in perspective and figures and landscapes are designed to be at least pseudo ‘realistic’. I guess that’s why you hear people talking about the digital sublime or see art that explores the Romanticism of these ‘gaming’ images.  JBR: But the effort to make a naturalistic picture is—as it was in the 19th century—already not the same as realism. Realism should never just mean realistic representation, but instead the incursion of reality into the work. For the realists of the mid-19th century that meant a preoccupation with motivations and material forces. But today it is even more clear that any type of naturalism in the work can only serve to mask similar preoccupations, allowing work to screen itself off from reality.  DP: In terms of an anti-naturalism I’m also interested in the pictorial space of medieval painting that breaks the laws of perspective or post-war painting that hovered between figuration and abstraction. I recently returned to Francis Bacon who I was the first artist I was into when I was a teenage goth and who I’d written off as an adolescent obsession. But revisiting Bacon I realised that my work is highly influenced by him, and reflects the same desire to capture human energy in a concentrated, abstracted way. I want to use ‘cold’ digital abstraction to create a heightened sense of the physical but not in the same way as motion capture which always seems to smooth off and denature movement. So the graph-like image in the centre of the triptych (Les Fantômes) in this show twitches with the physicality of a human body in a very subtle but palpable way. It looks like CGI but isn’t and has this concentrated human life force rippling through it. 

If in this space and time of loops of the exploded unstill still, we find ourselves again stuck in this shuddering and juddering, I can’t help but ask what its gesture really is. How does the past it holds gesture towards the future? And what does this mean for our reality and interventions into it. JBR: The green-screen video is very cold. The ruined 3D version is very tender. DP: That's funny you say that. People always associate ‘dirty’ or ‘poor’ images with warmth and find my green-screen images very cold. But in the green-screened video these bodies are performing a very tender dance—searching out each other, trying to connect, but also trying to become objects, or having to constantly reconfigure themselves and never settling. JBR: And yet with this you have a certain conceit built into the drapes you use: one that is in a totally reflective drape, and one in a drape that is slightly too close to the colour of the greenscreen background. Even within these thin props there seems to be something like a psychological description or diagnosis. And as much as there is an attempt to conjoin two bodies in a mutual darkness, each seems thrown back by its own especially modern stigma. The two figures seem to portray the incompatibility of the two poles established by veiled forms of the world of commodities: one is hidden by a veil that only reflects back to the viewer, disappearing behind what can only be the viewer’s own narcissism and their gratification in themselves, which they have mistaken for interest in an object or a person, while the other clumsily shows itself at the very moment that it might want to seem camouflaged against a background that is already designed to disappear. It forces you to recognise the object or person that seems to want to become inconspicuous. And stashed in that incompatibility of how we find ourselves cloaked or clothed is a certain unhappiness. This is not a happy show. Or at least it is a gesturally unsettled and unsettling one. DP: I was consciously thinking of the theories of gesture that emerged during the crisis years of the early 20th century. The impact of the economic and political on bodies. And I wanted the work to reflect this sense of crisis. But a lot of the melancholy in the show is personal. It's been a hard year. But to be honest I’m not that aligned to those who feel that the current moment is the worst of all possible times. There’s a left/liberal hysteria about the current moment (perhaps the same hysteria that is fuelling the rise of right-wing populist ideas) that somehow nothing could be worse than now, that everything is simply terrible. But I feel that this moment is a moment of contestation, which is tough but at least means having arguments about the way the world should be, which seems better than the strange technocratic slumber of the past 25 years. Austerity has been horrifying and I realise that I’ve been relatively shielded from its effects, but the sight of the post-political elites being ejected from the stage of history is hopeful to me, and people seem to forget that the feeling of the rise of the right has been also met with a much broader audience for the left or more left-wing ideas than have been previously allowed to impact public discussion. That said, I do think we’re experiencing the dog-end of a long-term economic decline and this sense of emptying out is producing phantasms and horrors and creating a sense of palpable dread. I started to feel that the images I was making for ‘The Searchers’ engaged with this. David Panos (b. 1971 in Athens, Greece) lives and works in London, UK. A selection of solo and group exhibitions include Pumphouse Gallery, Wandsworth, London, 2017 (solo); Sculpture on Screen. The Very Impress of the Object, Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon, Portugal [Kirschner & Panos], 2017; Nemocentric, Charim Galerie, Vienna, 2016; Atlas [De Las Ruinas] De Europa, Centro Centro, Madrid, 2016; The Dark Pool, Albert Baronian, Brussels, (solo), 2015; The Dark Pool, Galeria Marta Cervera, Madrid, 2015; Whose Subject Am I?, Kunstverein Fur Die Rheinlande Und Westfalen, Düsseldorf, 2015; The Dark Pool, Hollybush Gardens, London, (solo), 2014; A Machine Needs Instructions as a Garden Needs Discipline, MARCO Vigo, 2014; Ultimate Substance, B3 Biennale des bewegten Blides, Nassauischer Kunstverein, Wiesbaden, (Kirschner & Panos solo), 2013; Ultimate Substance, CentrePasquArt, Biel, (Kirschner & Panos solo), 2013; Ultimate Substance, Extra City, Antwerp, (Kirschner & Panos solo), 2013; The Magic of the State, Lisson Gallery, London, 2013; HELL AS, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, 2013.

[unadulteratedchaosdimension]

Presentation Slides part 1 of 2

½. Title/ Contents – Meela

Hi everyone. I’m Meela and this is Kay and these are our key learnings. If you look at the contents you might notice that we haven’t included wireframes. This was because we personally felt like we didn’t have a lot to take away from that week. Kay and I looked at what we did each week and these were the topics and conversations that were the most memorable and knowledgeable for us from each lesson. Essentially, highlighting our takeaway points.

3. IA terms - Kay

in the first lesson we learnt about the three concepts that underpin information architecture, which are ontology: which involves defining distinct entities, taxonomy: which is classifying those entities, and choreography: which is making sure everything works together in a meaningful way for the task at hand. as someone who's never worked in the field of information architecture before, i thought these three concepts helped provide a good contextual framework to determine if information was being organised effectively for the task at hand. and this is why we chose to structure our original infographic around these three concepts.

4. What we learnt through website in-class presentation - Kay

Next we analysed the websites and i chose to present blackboard, a website which i found to be perfectly usable, but everyone was quick to point out that it was designed in a way which could be described as wrong, and also bad. it had issues adapting to different platforms, and people found it particularly hard to navigate on mobile devices. this helped remind me that in today's technological landscape, digital design needs to be able to work on multiple platforms, and also that user interfaces always have room for improvement, though users testing them and giving feedback.

5. What we learnt through the card sorting activity - Kay

After learning those concepts in theory, the card sorting activity where we recorded our interactions for the morning provided an opportunity to apply these concepts. First, we defined the individual interactions, which is ontology, then we could organise them any way we saw fit, which was creating a taxonomy for those interactions. then when we had to re organise them for a specific purpose, we needed to consider the choreography: were the groups divided in a way that was helpful for the user, and did the groups work together to create a delightful experience? `

6. What we learnt through the in-class interaction presentation (at hop kiosk, film camera) – Meela

For my interaction presentation I chose to investigate my film camera. Challenging myself with a physical item put me in a position to pay attention to features I could touch and feel, rather than features on a screen. A good feature I noticed was how the shutter automatically locks itself when the camera is closed. A bad feature was how there’s no indicator that tells you whether the camera is on or off. Telling apart the positive features from the negative taught me that something as basic as a camera with one button can also have bad UI features.

7. Typefaces, why choosing the right typeface matters - Kay

When we studied the typeface, i studied one called cooper black. i learnt about its history and the many things it's been used in over the years. now since its been used so many times over the last century, it would seem like a desirable option to pick for pretty much any project, but what i found after plugging it into our original infographic, it didn't work at all. it felt much too informal for the clean professional look we were aiming for. it was also a display typeface, and ruined the legibility when used at a smaller size.

8. Typefaces, talk about the typeface of the presentation as an example – Meela

On the other hand, the typeface I studied, which was Frutiger complimented the redesigned infographic really well. It collaborated well with the content because the type is intended to be formal, professional and clear. This helped us when choosing a typeface for the presentation, because we knew we were after a typeface that illustrated clarity. This meant finding a typeface with consistent X and Cap heights, and consistent stroke widths.

9. Grid systems, why it's important – Meela

Our session about grids was a great recap for me as what I had learnt from the year before has been pushed to the back of mind. A quote that stuck with me from an article was how “a grid is like invisible glue that holds a design together” which I think is an important element to remember when you’re organising information. A moment where we realised that grids are important was when we had to redesign our infographic. Using a grid system created more clarity, consistency, and improved the design comprehension that our original infographic lacked.

10. Grid systems, talk about the grid system of the presentation – Meela

G also mentioned how a grid is “not limited, but enabling” which shifted my understanding of grids. I always saw grids as a barrier, or something restricting, but in fact they’re an aid that help tie design elements together. Using this presentation as an example, we were able to work remotely and still keep consistency with little effort, all from using a grid system. These points really broadened my prior knowledge of grid systems.

11. What we learnt from revisiting the infographic - Kay

We decided to base most of the design ideas for this presentation on the comments people had left on our original infographic from the formative. the was a resounding number of comments that we had too much text in large paragraphs, so we condensed down to bullet points in order to minimise the amount of large chunks of text. people also told us there was a lack of visual elements, so we've created these icons, illustrations and photographs in order to give people a visual anchor for each slide.

12. Le Epic Ending – Meela

We have combined our overall feedback from our formative infographic and our learnings to convey our new understanding of organising information. Basically, what we have done is presented you a deconstructed version of an infographic, so each slide represents a section of our learnings. Overall, this class has been insightful into the UI world and what we have learnt from this class will help us effectively design interfaces that are visually appealing, but also functional.

#work #assessment

[kmmasnuproject]

SNU - Research:

I want to understand how I can use body language effectively in my animated sequences, so I have researched the psychology of body language, as well as the uses of body language to see how I can apply this to the characters’ performance.

I found an academic article that identifies different emotions through body language for photography. The author gives descriptions of the emotions based on the body language used to portray them, such as boredom, which is described as having a blank expression whilst also being slouched; or contemplation, when the body is relaxed whilst the eyes are concentrating on something, and a hand touches the face whilst thinking. The eyes and facial features are used in all the examples given, suggesting that this is the most direct body language that is easiest to notice. The head is also used to further push these emotions, such as looking down, hunching over, or looking away by turning the head in another direction, which could suggest that the head expresses direct body language in collaboration with the eyes. The author also talks about the relation of the composition of the photograph with the model’s body language, as the composition of the shot will also affect how the photo is perceived. For example, the author states that angles and lines will affect the atmosphere of the piece but also the mood of the character, whilst the environment the character is placed in will also change how the image is perceived. The number of characters in a shot will also change the atmosphere of the piece, but also show their relation to each other. The author suggests that factors like distance and proximity, as well as the shape of the group will affect how their relationship is interpreted, as well as the atmosphere of the photo. The author also comments on psychologist Paul Ekman’s studies on emotion, who has deduced that there are seven emotions that can be visually shown through expressions that audiences can easily recognise in relation to that emotion; these are: sadness, surprise, anger, contempt, fear, disgust, and happiness. The expressions described only include facial expressions, which whilst effective in communicating the emotion to the audience, I would argue that the facial expression may be misleading, and that the whole body’s language along with the facial expressions would show how the person truthfully feels, and possibly indicate the cause for the emotional reaction (Suler, No Date).

I also looked at another article about body language, which states how people should be aware of their body language when communicating to people, as it is more effective at communicating. Studies have shown that at least 65% of non-verbal communication is more effective than what is spoken, again suggesting that body language is effective at communicating emotion. The author states that whilst body language is an unconscious reaction, body language can be controlled, however in critical situations, such as stressful ones, it can be more difficult to control. Student Emilie Suter states that ‘the importance of body language is reflected in the ability to help people in the process of communication. It helps people have a better understanding of the overall situation, and thus adjust the content of the conversation and voice intonation. ‘Body language’ is the best interpretation of the behavioural psychology of the individuals and groups.’. This suggests that body language emphasises clarity in non-verbal communication, which implies that body language reflects how we truthfully feel. When creating my animated sequences, I should use body language to emphasise how the character feels, possibly also relating this to their characteristics, as for example a confident person is unlikely to look unconfident. I will need to show in my work how the character’s personality changes using the two emotions in the sequence, as I think that this will help to make the audience emphasise more with the character, as they will be able to understand how they feel through their recognisable actions and non-verbal communication (EHL, No Date).

Additionally, I have looked at how studies and reports have been experimenting with using coding to allow technology such as AI and robot/androids to identify and understand gesture, emotion and body language. The report mentions that Charles Darwin wrote about expression and gesture in humans and animals, and analyses the reason for the behaviour. In this report, the author identifies issues with applying nonverbal communication to AI, which is referred to as ‘virtual humans’, and solutions to how this can be coded for virtual humans to recognise it. The report focuses on recognising the effectiveness of body language for communication, why body language is recognisable by humans, and how humans create readable body language. A debate by Ekman (1965) and Friesen (1967) over the effectiveness of body language is also discussed over whether it can convey emotion, or whether it only improves clarity of an emotion. I would argue that my research into body language as of current suggests that body language, posture and gesture enhances the clarity of an emotion, though I aim to experiment with my own work to determine whether body language can communicate emotion without facial expression and dialogue, so I will be able to reflect upon my findings at the end of my project.  

The author of the article also discusses issues with the presentation of body language, one of which is the issue between natural encoding and ease of decoding. They describe natural encoding as how someone would behave naturally when experiencing an emotion, such as through their tone, facial expression and body language, versus ease of decoding, which they describe as someone controlling their non-verbal language so it has more clarity, such as an actor performing to an audience. This implies to me that true body language is an unconscious reaction, and therefore the ability to control the non-verbal language must come from a state of conscious reaction, such as an actor performing to an audience. However, my research on Stanislavski’s acting technique suggests that real experiences of emotions can be revisited to make an actor’s performance reflect a required emotion. This would require the actor to have experienced that emotion to accurately reproduce a similar and realistic reaction in their performance. I will research other acting techniques for my project to determine how emotion can be used effectively in ways other than emotional recall, as this may help me to understand how and why actors may choose to imagine or create a different emotional reaction rather than recreate the expressions reflective of the real emotion.

The author mentions how Laban’s Movement Analysis method was studied to understand movement in dance. The movement analysis is organised into 5 categories for dance to show how movement has been analysed for different purposes, such as dance choreography. I will research further into Laban’s movement analysis to understand more about the purpose of the 5 categories, and how they enhance movement for dance. I think that researching dance will be beneficial to my project, as it is a different type of performance to acting in film, and it would be interesting to compare how they are used to determine how body language, movement, and gesture vary for different media.

I also found categories for three types of hand and arm gesture in the report, which suggests that gesture is influenced by different factors. The types of gesture are:

Emblems – intentional gestures, often symbolic and culture-based.

Illustrators (conventional gestures) – gestures that accompany speech. Beats have no relation to speech, deictic involves gesturing to an object or space (such as in a presentation), iconic and metaphoric gestures refer to an existing concept, indicated by the author as ‘drawing a square to represent a frame’.

Adaptors – two types of gesture, one being self-adaptor (or body-manipulator) - gestures that involve the body doing something to another part of the body, indicated by the author as ‘scratching one’s head’ – and object-manipulator, which is a gesture involving holding or using an object, for example a book.

In the report, the author discusses that there have been experiments to code gestures using The Body Action and Posture Coding System (BAP), using coded reference of professional actors as the basis for their study. The author argues that actors may not be an effective source for the study, referring to Atkinson (2004, as referenced in Calvo et al, 2014), ‘exaggerated expressions enhance emotion recognition but produce higher emotional-intensity ratings’, and Wallbott (1998, As referenced by Calvo et al, 2014), ‘leading the observer to judge the performance as inappropriately portraying the emotion’. The author discusses methods to create a fair and effective result, using references to studies such as Gross, Crane and Fredrickson’s study (2010), which their results found that audiences feel exact or similar emotions to a character in a performance, however I would argue that the most relevant to my project is the author’s solution to isolate posture and gesture by removing facial features. For coding, their solution is to remove or mask the facial expression, so the code cannot detect it. Additionally, the author also considers how voice tone can be edited to not affect the factors of the study, suggesting that the dialogue can be edited to sound like gibberish. In my own experiment, I am using a character model that does not have any facial features, so that it does not distract from the body language used in the performance. In addition, I will have no dialogue, therefore I will not need to edit it, however this will result in being unable to use a tone of voice in my performance.

The author discusses that some studies have shown that emotion can be reflected in body language, such as through pride, where multiple gestures showed that the posture is shifted to expand, and the hands are often placed on the hips. This shows me that it is possible for body language to be represented without facial expressions. The author concludes that virtual humans are likely able to be coded to recognise emotions and body language, however the complexity of emotions, as well as how each person’s personality varies depending on environment and culture, is a factor that needs to be considered in future (Calvo et al, 2014). In animation, factors like this can be considered and worked into the character’s performance.

Darwin states that: ‘[c]onventional expressions or gestures, acquired by the individual during early life, would probably have differed in the different races, in the same manner as do their languages’ (Introduction, p.15). This suggests that different cultures may have different expressions or body language, and may express these in a different way to Western culture. I will need to research this to determine how body language may vary, as this will be important to how I communicate my characters’ body language in my animated sequences (Darwin, 1872).

Suler, J. (No Date) Body Language in Psychology. Available at: http://users.rider.edu/~suler/photopsy/body_language.htm (Accessed: 2nd March 2020)

EHL (No Date) Why is body language so important? Available at: https://blog.ehl.edu/why-is-body-language-so-important (Accessed: 2nd March 2020)

Calvo, R., D’Mello, S,K., Gratch, J., Kappas, A. (2014) Expressing emotion through posture and gesture. Available at: https://people.ict.usc.edu/~gratch/CSCI534/Readings/ACII-Handbook-GestureSyn.pdf (Accessed: 2nd March 2020)

Oxford Handbooks Online (2015) Expressing Emotion Through Posture and Gesture. Available at: https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199942237.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199942237-e-039 (Accessed: 2nd March 2020)

Darwin, C. (1872) The Expression of Emotion in Man and Animals. New York: Appleton and Co. Available at: http://darwin-online.org.uk/converted/pdf/1897_Expression_F1152.pdf (Accessed: 2nd March 2020)

[swirlingdisobedience]

Exercise # 1 - Agitated bodies interrupting

In the making of new work we will come across two major aspects to be decided upon: Content and Form. These two components do not exclude each other, on the contrary they inform and enrich the development of each. 

Therefore, while thinking about form (material/inmaterial) we will be constantly reflecting and questioning the meanings, readings and effects that a form may have on the content and vice versa. 

For our first practical encounter, we will doing some body exercises that intended to make us loosen up and set the tone for some of the explorations we will do during the course. 

During the course of the day, I want us all to think about our bodies and voices and how they can occupy a space. Think of rhythm, pace, tonality and volume. We are in the public space, sometimes intimately concentrated in our own thoughts, but in the public space nonetheless. We feel and acknowledge the presence of the other with a gaze, looking, reading the other. We hear whispers or mumblings in the distance, or sometimes fully engage in their conversations, despite us being uninvited. In the public sphere, our attention is prone to move from everyday life and expectations of ‘normality’ to what some theorists have called ‘interruptions’, to refer specifically to actions done by artists and activists in the public space. 

“Interrupting the city is one way of forcing the public sphere to renew itself; or if not renew then at least to rehash itself (...) an interruption can be the starting point for reorganization, a re-evaluation and creative recombining of the social, media and economic forces that make up the public sphere (...) In the city nothing ever really comes to a halt. Quiet to the contrary, the moment a square is occupied city life is intensified: police are sent out, media pay attention, passers-by take and interest in what is going on, discussions take place. Interruption means first and foremost the interruption of the solidified structures according to which public life in the city takes place day in, day out.”  (Bax, Gielen, Ieven, 2015)  

Today we will think of interrupting the city by first interrupting our bodies in the public space.

Here are some quotes from texts I feel could shine some light on these exercises and some questions to think of:

How is our body affected by the use of antagonistic, oppressive and classifying discourse?

What is the role of our body in our activism? and, what can we do with it?

Will our associations to meaning change If we agree to ignore terminologies and words for a moment, and instead appeal to our gestures and our bodies to speak and relate to each other? If words have been over charged with meaning and designations, can we resort to our bodies to unlearn and dis-interiorize such meanings? Will we be able to discover hidden sensibilities and affections in what isn´t verbalized and spoken?

How are our bodies implicated in the political exchange of relating to the world?

Cambridge Dictionary.

Gesture is “a movement of the hands, arms, or head, etc. to express an idea or feeling.” 

The Body and social theory, Chris Chilling:

“The body is affected by society, but it also shapes social relations”

“The mind’s conceptualization of the body is closely related to people’s experiences of bodies.”

Gender Trouble, Judith Butler:

(...) performativity is not a singular act, but a repetition and a ritual, which achieves its effects through its naturalization in the context of a body, understood, in part, as a culturally sustained temporal duration... what we take to be an “internal” feature of ourselves is one that we anticipate and produce through certain bodily acts, at an extreme, an hallucinatory effect of naturalized gestures. (preface 1999, Pg XV)

there is nothing radical about common sense. (preface 1999, Pg XVIII)

On the one hand, representation serves as the operative term within a political process that seeks to extend visibility and legitimacy to women as political subjects; on the other hand, representation is the normative function of a language which is said either to reveal or to distort what is assumed to be true about the category of women. (Pg. 3)

(...) the body is figured as a surface and the scene of a cultural inscription: “the body is the inscribed surface of events.” (quoting Foucault, pg. 165)

Douglas suggests that all social systems are vulnerable at their margins, and that all margins are accordingly considered dangerous. If the body is synecdochal for the social system per se or a site in which open systems converge, then any kind of unregulated permeability constitutes a site of pollution and endangerment. (Pg. 168)

According to the understanding of identification as an enacted fantasy or incorporation, however, it is clear that coherence is desired, wished for, idealized, and that this idealization is an effect of a corporeal signification. In other words, acts, gestures, and desire produce the effect of an internal core or substance, but produce this on the surface of the body, through the play of signifying absences that suggest, but never reveal, the organizing principle of identity as a cause. Such acts, gestures, enactments, generally construed, are performative in the sense that the essence or identity that they otherwise purport to express are fabrications manufactured and sustained through corporeal signs and other discursive means. That the gendered body is performative suggests that it has no ontological status apart from the various acts which constitute its reality. This also suggests that if that reality is fabricated as an interior essence, that very interiority is an effect and function of a decidedly public and social discourse, the public regulation of fantasy through the surface politics of the body, the gender border control that differentiates inner from outer, and so institutes the “integrity” of the subject. In other words, acts and gestures, articulated and enacted desires create the illusion of an interior and organizing gender core, an illusion discursively maintained for the purposes of the regulation of sexuality within the obligatory frame of reproductive heterosexuality. (Pg. 173)

In what senses, then, is gender an act? As in other ritual social dramas, the action of gender requires a performance that is repeated. This repetition is at once a reenactment and re-experiencing of a set of meanings already socially established; and it is the mundane and ritualized form of their legitimation.71 Although there are individual bodies that enact these significations by becoming stylized into gendered modes, this “action” is a public action. (Pg. 178).

Oliver Marchart, Political reflections on choreography, dance and protest.

In the course of the last protest cycle, largely defined by the actions of the global justice movement and, more recently, the Occupy movement and other radical democratic movements, dancing has become an intrinsic and, indeed, ubiquitous part of protest. It is inseparable from the movement’s protest repertoire. Where protests occur, as a rule, there will be trucks with sound systems and a crowd of dancing people following them, there will be samba bands or drum bands such as Rhythms of Resistance, there will be radical cheerleaders of whatever gender exercising and waving their pompoms, perhaps there will be soldiers of the Insurgent Rebel Clown Army marching and pantomiming. In other words, there is all sorts of performative pomp and circumstances involved in today’s political protest.

(...)  what if something of the order of dance was inscribed into the very structure of political acting? In other words, what if political acting had the same structure as dance? What if political acting was not so much about “doing politics”, but about, as it were, dancing politics? This might sound like a rather eccentric idea, but interestingly, it has been said before about politics. It is an intrinsic element of Hannah Arendt’s concept of political acting.

Let us, for a moment, revisit Arendt’s highly original and, I would claim, subversive account of political acting that runs counter to most aspects of today’s commonsensical notion of politics (politics as a boring if not dirty business, politicians as a corrupt cast of untouchables, hated by everyone, etc.). According to Arendt, the idea that doing politics is a burden rather than something exciting only came into the world with Christianity. While she agrees that nobody would want to spend his or her whole life in the “light of the public”, a life spent in what she calls the darkness of the private – a life without politics – would be equally deficient. On the contrary, political acting gives a particular quality to life. She therefore comes up with a claim that flies in the face of our accustomed understanding of politics. As she says in an interview about the student protesters of May 68, these students have experienced what in true politics is always experienced: It turned out for them that “acting is fun”.

(...) acting takes place on the stage of the public and is therefore compared by Arendt, in The Human Condition, to theatrical acting – an idea for which she draws, of course, on Greek antiquity. For Arendt, the space of acting is “a space of appearance in the widest sense of the word, namely, the space where I appear to others as others appear to me, where men exist not merely like other living or inanimate things but make their appearance explicitly.”6 While public space only comes into being wherever men act together, it disappears as soon as they stop acting. For this reason, the space of appearance, the stage of the public, is a precarious and fleeting thing as it only emerges during the moments of acting. These moments might not endure, since political acting is nothing stable nor does it produce anything stable. 

First: “I don’t know what you are going to say” Erik Hagoort

In groups of 5 people, you will gather in a circle and have a conversation without asking any questions.   

Duration: 20 minutes. 

I don’t know what you are going to say. Erik Hagoort. Middleheim Museum. Mobile Autonomy Summer Residency. 2015.

Second: Talking Musical

Each person in the group most formulate a question and address it to one of the other members of the group by singing it. The person who responds, must also respond singing. All member must ask and all members must respond

Think of key, tone, pace and melody. It does not have to follow a song, it just needs to be melodic. 

Feel free to DRAMATIZE and keep in mind: NO MUSICAL BACKGROUND NEEDED.

Duration: 20 minutes

Highly recommend to look and listen to the spoken-word works of:

MARLON RIGGS (us) and KARL HOLMQVIST (se)

[ethanalter]

‘The OA’ Choreographer Emmy Q&A

Patrick Gibson as Steve Winchell and Brandon Perea as French in Netflix’s The OA.

(Photo Credit: Netflix)

Netflix’s cult sensation The OA was filled with wild, “What did they just do?” plot twists. But perhaps none were wilder than the sequence that awaited viewers in the Season 1 finale, when the central characters — an unlikely team of five oddballs and misfits — prevented a school shooting with the power of… modern dance? During the course of the eight-episode season, created by they dynamo indie filmmaking team of Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij, the group slowly, but surely masters the art of “The Movements,” a series of dance moves taught to them in pieces by their mysterious guru, Prairie Johnson (Marling). It’s not until the finale, though, that they put the whole routine together and prevent a deadly tragedy in the process.

Despite the improbability of this turn of events, the dance sequence feels entirely plausible within the world of The OA. The person tasked with bring realism to an otherwise fantastic situation was Ryan Heffington, a celebrated choreographer who has collaborated with such artists as Sia (those are his moves in the “Elastic Heart” music video featuring Shia LaBeouf) and Arcade Fire. “My goals was to make sure it was believable,” Heffington tells Yahoo TV. “I can’t please everyone, and I know that, but if [viewers] believe that it could be real, that’s our success.” We spoke with Heffington about building “The Movements” from the ground up and exposing audiences accustomed to glitzy, competitive dancing shows like Dancing with the Stars to some new dance moves.

What were your initial conversations with The OA‘s creators about what they wanted for “The Movements”? We’d worked together on their 2013 film The East, so I’ve known them for some years now. They had an idea of the quality of the movements they wanted, and it was a true collaboration [between us] about what exactly those movements would become. They didn’t come to me with a defined product, like “We want this.” It was more like, “What is this, and how can we create this?”

Phyllis Smith as Betty Broderick-Allen in Netflix’s The OA. (Screengrab: Netflix)

The series is so intricately constructed from a storytelling point of view. How did they actually describe the script to you? [Chuckles] They did share a bit of the script with me. We sat down, and they briefed me on mostly what my work would be and how it would fit in. They were still developing the final details of certain episodes, so it wasn’t a completely finished product. It was more about them wanting to develop what the movement could become together. We all decided that it needed to resonate as reality; it couldn’t be too abstract or it wouldn’t make sense. It couldn’t be super-recognizable, either. It needed to be precision-based and emotionally driven.

Did they tell you the context in which “The Five Movement” would be performed as well: a school shooting scenario? Absolutely, so it took months to determine would what would be realistic or what could work. What would take someone off guard? What would make someone empathetic about what they were seeing, even if it might be a little abstract and strange? What would be a distraction? We thought about all those questions, because if someone just did a modern dance routine, they would have shot in two seconds — for good reason! [Laughs]

Netflix’s The OA. (Screengrab: Netflix)

Is there a name for the kind of dance they’re doing? I don’t think so. Post-modern I guess? I don’t want just fill in the blank–there’s not really a name for it yet. I think it’s jut human and gestural. We went towards the angle of there being something about art that’s primal. We thought about what feels universal, and we determined that breaths felt universal if used a lot, as well as singing and meditation. We talked a lot about our personal stories. I’m not usually inspired by dance; it’s more about humanity and how other people respond to each other, what makes them feel the most.

Netflix’s The OA. (Screengrab: Netflix)

What sort of rehearsal process did the cast go through? We tried to get as much rehearsal in as possible prior to shooting. This movement is super-challenging even for professional dancers — the detail and speed of it, plus matching the breath to the movement is not common in dance. Luckily, we had the time to really work on it. They were drilled over and over; I had many assistants on this, because everyone was living in different places. If it looked like they were marking it or having difficulty, it wouldn’t have come across. It was very important that they nail it.

Like anything, people digest information through repetition. And it’s not only teaching movement, but allowing them to see how it was formulated, what this movement means this to me. When I teach movement it’s very visual; I’ll speak about a certain shape or an animal. For a lot of people, that’s much easier to digest.

When was the sequence shot during production — towards the end or earlier? And how did you work with the camera crew to stage it? Towards the end for sure. It was like a normal long shoot day. The only real restriction was that we needed to use natural light. It seemed to go pretty smooth. We had the conversation upfront with the camera crew. I needed to know if it would be more impactful if the performers were closer to the gunmen or if it would make more sense if they were standing in a line. We talked about everything in terms of graphics and formation and who would be doing it.

Netflix’s The OA. (Screengrab: Netflix)

Would they perform the dance straight through each take or did they perform specific movements for specific camera angles? No, it would only make sense if it was done to completion. To get the feeling of where you’d need to be, you could only do it from doing it from the beginning. By that time, the cast was pretty in shape. The cast was so dedicated, and I feel like they gave their all on every take. It was a long day, but they rose to the occasion and really nailed it. I’m super proud, because most of them didn’t have dance background, but I feel most of them took it on and were serious about it. Their dedication is so evident.

Speaking to the Emmys, the nominees in the Choreography category have tended to be reality shows like Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance. Are you hoping that The OA, if nothing else, shows how dance can be used in a narrative way? Sure, why not? I think people are hungry for a different angle on dance. They’ve seen it presented so commercially for so many years, which is great for choreographers and for dancers. It pays our bills! But I think there’s a new alternative that people are excited about.

Do you personally watch shows like So You Think You Can Dance? I don’t watch them, and I don’t get inspiration from them. That was my world growing up; I was a competition kid. I learned a lot through that process, and it’s great that it exposes so much of the mainstream to dance. I think that’s been really great for our community.

Netflix’s The OA. (Screengrab: Netflix)

Have Marling and Batmanglij reached out to you about the second season of The OA? Yes.

Can you tease anything about your approach to the dancing that may appear in the new season? Of course not. You don’t want to be spoiled, do you? [Laughs]

The OA is currently streaming on Netflix.

Read more from Yahoo TV:

Emmys: ‘Stranger Things’ Music Supervisor on the Need for ‘Heroes’

Emmys: ‘Stranger Things’ Star David Harbour Revisits Hopper’s Tough-Guy Moment

Emmys: ‘Feud’ Star Susan Sarandon on ‘The First Time I Really Felt Like Bette’

Emmys: ‘Westworld’ Star Jeffrey Wright Revisits That Reveal

Emmys: ‘Legion’ Star Aubrey Plaza on ‘Trying to Act Like Beyoncé’ in Dance Scene

Emmys: Alexander Skarsgård Revisits His ‘Big Little Lies’ Therapy Session

Emmys: ‘OITNB’ Star Laverne Cox Revisits Sophia’s Brave Pushback Against Solitary Confinement

Emmys: ‘Gilmore Girls’ Star Lauren Graham Revisits Her ‘Scariest’ Scene

Emmys: ‘This Is Us’ Star Milo Ventimiglia Gets Misty Revisiting ‘The Pool’

#_revsp:wp.yahoo.tv.us #_author:Ethan Alter #the oa #netflix #emmys #_uuid:3395cef7-7cb9-3af8-b743-aebbae2d425f #_lmsid:a0Vd000000AE7lXEAT

[alargebear]

Tell Her

Summary:  You always had a hard time being open about her feelings, especially with Chika.

Pairing: ChikaYou

Links: AO3 FFnet

Note: A late birthday gift for You. Originally wrote something else, but it focused on Chika so I decided to go with something centering on You. 

"Do you even need my help with anything today?"

The question shook You from her absentminded scribbles. She set her sketchbook down and glanced around the clubroom, only finding Kanan sitting in front of her. The entire meeting seemed to have passed her by, and looking down at her crudely drawn outfit designs, she must have lost any semblance of focus as soon as she sat down.

"Where did everyone else go?" You asked, looking up at Kanan.

Kanan sighed. "You missed the whole meeting, didn't you?"

You scratched the back of her head and shrugged, eyes wandering back down to the table. She was having more trouble focusing recently, but Kanan didn't need to know something like that. It wasn't all that well kept of a secret anyway.

"Dia wanted to split everyone into groups today. She said something about making our work and practices more efficient," Kanan said. "Everyone else is working on different things for our next live. I was supposed to help you with the outfit designs since we've already finished the choreography, but you've been out of it for the past ten minutes."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I spaced out a little bit." You chuckled and took another quick peek around the room, trying not to make too much of Kanan's disinterest. "Where did Chika go?" She asked without thinking.

"She went with Riko and Hanamaru to work on lyrics for the song." Kanna quirked an eyebrow and stared.

"Oh, well that makes sense I guess." You's voice was smaller than she wanted. Hiding behind false bravado with Kanan never worked, she always had a way of seeing through it.

You knew she messed up, Kanan knew her too well not to notice. She tried picking up her pencil to get back to the drafts that were tossed aside earlier, but her fingers couldn't move and her thoughts wouldn't cooperate. Her palms started sweating as Kanan kept up the knowing and invasive look. Mentioning Chika when alone with Kanan was something You always knew to be a death sentence of uncomfortable talks she never wanted to revisit.

"So you really don't have any ideas?" Kanan asked.

You tapped the pencil to paper, she couldn't look up. "I've been in some kind of a slump lately."

Kanan knocked her knuckles against the table, still staring. "Do I even have to ask what the problem is, or is it what I'm already thinking."

"I don't know what you mean."

It was a boldfaced lie, and You knew better than to test Kanan with it. Years of this same conversation played over and over in her head. Each time she would deny until Kanan pressed, and it seemed this time would be no different. They were always the only times that You's emotional immaturity would be on full display.

"This is about Chika again, Isn't it?" Kanan asked, but the question was more of a statement than anything.

You shirked back as if having been physically struck. Her throat tightened, deciding it best to stay quiet.

Kanan sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "How many times have we had this talk, You?"

"A whole lot of times," You answered, her voices usual energy now nonexistent.

"Too many times," Kanan sharply corrected. "And what have I told you after every single one of our talks?"

"That I should tell Chika about how I feel about her." You surveyed the room as she said it, double checking that nobody else was around.

"Well, have you told her yet?"

"Of course I haven't. Do you think I'd be feeling like this if I had?" You asked, shoulder tensing as she looked up to Kanan.

Kanan continued to keep up her pointed look. "Then why don't you tell her? I hate seeing you sulking all the time. It's even starting to affect our club activities, too."

"I want to, but it's not as easy as you make it sound." You leaned back into her chair with a huff.

"All you have to do is say 'I like you Chika'. I could even help you write a letter or something if you need me to."

"That isn't the problem and you know it." You was getting just as frustrated as she always did, these talks had a way of following the same course each time. Even from years back in their shared childhood, it lead to a strange sort of tension.

"Then what is the problem?" Kanan asked, voice more forceful than before. "Because you're always trying to find an excuse not to tell her. Ever since you told me about it when we were in elementary school, it's always been something or someone that made you not want to confess."

You clenched her hand on top of the table, frustrated at how true everything always was with Kanan. "I can't tell her because it wouldn't do any good, and I don't want things to change between us. I know Chika's never thought of me as anything more than a friend."

"You always say that, but how do you even know that things would change?"

"Because I know Chika better than anyone else." You rose her voice louder than intended. Kanan went wide-eyed, You gave an apologetic look before continuing. "I just know, alright?"

Kanan rubbed her eyes. "You always do this, You."

"What does that mean?" You asked. She hadn't heard something like that from Kanan before, and the odd sense of frustration was new.

"Every single time you have a problem with Chika, you wait until she notices it and fixes it before you have to say anything. You've been like this ever since we've been friends, You, and I want to see you get over this."

"No I haven't, and I am not waiting for her to notice," You meekly said, she couldn't buy into her own hollow retort.

"Yes, you have always been like this." There was a weariness to Kanan's words that You wasn't sure she had heard before. "It works because Chika is really good at noticing stuff like that and fixing everyone's problems, but even she might miss some things. So if you do love her, you have to tell her yourself." Kanan shrugged and shook her head. "Chika might even start to get the wrong idea about this if you keep waiting and acting so weird."

You laced her fingers together and twiddled her thumbs, doing whatever she could to pull away from her thoughts. It was more truth than she had been prepared to take in. She kept her eyes down on her hands and couldn't find her voice.

"I'm probably not the best person to tell you this." Kanan chuckled, doing a bit to ease the tension. "But I do think you should tell Chika how you feel before she finds out herself, and you know she will if you keep waiting. Who knows what she'll think the problem is if she notices that you can't even draw new designs anymore."

You propped her arms on the table and buried her face in her hands. She wanted to cry at how close to home it hit but now wasn't the time. Had Kanan always been able to see through her so easily? It was comforting and scary at the same time, a bit frustrating too.

"How would I even tell her something like this?" You mumbled into her hands, eyes closed.

"There we go." Kanan smiled, eyes softening and expression more welcoming. "I think the best way to do it would be to tell her. Chika's pretty simple like that."

You kept her face buried, now trying to hide the growing blush. "You're probably right."

"Just stop being so scared," Kanan said. "What do you think Chika would do if she saw you worrying about something like this?"

You looked up from her hands, timid smile pulling at her lips. "She would make a big fuss about it, and try really hard to make me feel better. I wouldn't even have to tell her what's wrong because she would already know."

"I think you're right about that."

There was a moment of comfortable silence. Confessing was still an idea full of fears and trepidation that You knew she would struggle with, but at least now she might be able to do it. There was a strange sense of guilt spurring her on. Telling her to make up for all the years of being the one on the receiving end of understanding and consideration. Love was a big and intimidating idea, but You owed it to Chika to at least try and come forward with it on her own.

"Can you promise me you'll at least try and tell her?" Kanan said with nothing but warmth and encouragement.

"I'll try and do my best." You's smile and new confidence held strong.

You was nervous and finding it harder and harder to hide it. In the countless times that she had sat in Chika's room, never had she been so anxious to be alone with her friend. The built up confidence that Kanan helped with only a day before had all but faded. Only memories of their talk and a small amount of hope keeping her from breaking down.

She sat and watched in silence as Chika scribbled away at the lyrics in her worn notebook. Their bodies close as they sat on the same side of the table in the center of the room. You always did love to watch Chika when she was focused and determined. A rare sight as her lips contorted with every new idea and her face lit up at every new line. A side to Chika that You only got to see only every so often.

It was inviting and so beautiful, but You did her best to not dwell too hard on those distracting thoughts. They only continued to make it harder to focus. Harder to find the confidence that she was desperately in need of to be open.

A nudge at You's side forced her attention to Chika

"It doesn't look like you've got any drawings for our outfits," Chika said, setting her pen down. She peered over to You's open sketchbook, the pages blank outside of some rough doodles.

In one swift motion, You flipped the book closed and slid it off to the side. Cursing herself over her own carelessness. "I haven't had any good ideas lately."

"Is something wrong?" Chika's concern was clear in her voice and slight frown.

You rubbed her forehead. There wasn't much hope in avoiding it anymore, but she would still try. "It's just a little bit of a slump. I should be able to get over it in no time." She tried forcing a smile.

"Are you sure that's it?" Chika tilted her head, You looked away. "You've been a little weird lately when it's just the two of us. Like right now, you won't even look at me. I'm a little worried, you know? And if you can't think of any designs, it must be pretty bad."

It was the one thing You didn't want. Chika noticed. She couldn't look at Chika now, not trusting that she wouldn't blurt something out, or say something she didn't mean. The confidence from Kanan now replaced by unease, but she still wanted to be the one to say it. Chika deserved at least that much from her.

"Would you look at me at least." Chika grabbed You's cheeks, forcing her attention. You's eyes still couldn't meet Chika's. "What's wrong?"

You's cheeks flushed, mind going haywire as her face was forced only a few inches from Chika's. "I'm being honest, nothing's wrong Chika," You mumbled.

Chika released her hold on You. "Why do you keep lying to me?"

Chika's words hurt, and You's only defense was more hiding. "I'm not lying, honest."

"How long have I known you?" Chika released a long held sigh, a hand sliding down to You's offering a light squeeze. "We've been friends forever, so I know when something's wrong."

More silence and You couldn't find anything to say. Her heart trying to push toward a confession of years of pent up feelings, but the rest of her body wouldn't cooperate. She tried licking her lips, but her dry mouth made it tough, and the budding tears at the corners of her eyes began to blur her vision.

"I wish you would tell me things like this." Chika's thumb stroked the back of You's hand, her eyes wide. "Normally, I can find out what the problem is on my own, but I don't know what's wrong this time and it's frustrating. So please tell me, You."

You tried to swallow, her voice was strangled. "I don't know how to tell you."

Chika clenched at You's hand harder. You couldn't tell who it was for anymore.

"You can tell me whatever it is. I won't get mad at you, I promise." Chika sniffled and shook her head. "I'll always be your friend. So even if I did something that made you upset, you can tell me. I won't get mad, and I'll do whatever it takes to make you feel better."

Chika was starting to blame herself, and You couldn't stand that she was the cause. It was what Kanan had warned could come from her irrational indecision, but hearing it firsthand was something else. You couldn't bring herself to look up, fearing that Chika's light sniffles were leading the way toward actual tears. She couldn't handle something like that now.

"You never did anything wrong, Chika. All this is my fault." You offered a reassuring squeeze of her own.

"Are you sure?"

"You could never do anything to make me that upset."

"Then what's wrong?" Chika asked, her voice quiet.

"It's hard to say," You started. It was her time to be open and honest. She looked up and was met with Chika's inviting smile, head tilted to the side. "I've been having these feelings that make it hard for me to focus."

"What kind of feelings?"

"Feelings for you, Chika."

You waited for some kind of reaction, but Chika's face was unreadable. It scared You. She prided herself in picking out the emotions of her closest friend, but in a moment where she laid all her feelings bare, she couldn't read anything from Chika.

Seconds went by, and they felt like an eternity. You turned her head away, fidgeting only inches from Chika. Everything had tumbled out.

"You have feelings… for me?" Chika spoke up, every word slow and deliberate. Hand still holding onto You's.

You could only nod.

"Romantic feelings?" Chika shifted to directly face You, another nod was her answer. "You mean like dating and kissing. Stuff like that?"

You covered her face with her free hand. "Yeah, I want to go on dates with you. Even k-kiss you."

"I didn't know."

There was a lull. You wanted to leave, not wanting to wait for an answer that she had long convinced herself would be no. She tried to pull her other hand away, but Chika only tightened her grip, lacing their fingers together even tighter. It meant she would have to face what she always imagined would be a gentle and heartfelt rejection.

"I'm not sure what to do? But I'm happy that you actually told me this" Chika broke the silence.

"You don't have to say yes or do anything." You wiped away a stray tear. "I understand if you reject me."

"That isn't what I meant." Chika waved a hand in front of her face. "I've never thought about it. I never thought you of all people would love somebody like me. It sounds kind of nice when I think about it."

You tentatively lifted her head, Chika smiled back at her. A genuine and heartfelt one that helped ease the grueling pain in her stomach. She could almost smile back.

"So you really do want to kiss me?" Chika mumbled, blushing. You nodded. "Can we try it?"

The words couldn't be processed in time to offer a well-reasoned answer. You said a quick and almost inaudible yes. Despite fears that this could all lead to bigger disappointment, You couldn't stop herself.

It happened in a mere instant. As soon as she noticed Chika leaning in, You screwed her eyes shut and her free hand squeezed her thighs. Their lips met for a moment, one You was sure to etch into her memory. It was nothing more than a quick peck, the feeling lasting no longer then it went, but it was everything You had dreamed it would be.

You slowly opened her eyes. Chika's blushing face was all the only thing she could see, cute and possibly all hers.

"W-Well?" You stammered, still in shock.

Chika tapped her lips. "I liked it. I liked it a lot."

"What does that mean?" It sounded so much like a yes. Like the sound of You's feelings being reciprocated, but she couldn't let it go unsaid. She wanted to, had to, hear it.

"I love you."

It was so simple, yet You had never once given it any consideration. Chika liked her back, and they even kissed. Even her own dreams about this moment hadn't been so sweet.

You let her tears fall free. "I never thought you'd ever say yes, even if I did find a way to tell you. I can't believe this."

"Hey, stop crying." Chika cupped You's cheek, wiping away the stray tears streaking down. "Isn't it supposed to be a happy moment when the girl you confess to says yes."

You smiled, shaking her head. "You're right. I'm so happy, I guess I started crying."

"This is why you should open up and tell me things yourself. It can lead to good things like this." Chika said, still rubbing You's cheek.

You chuckled. "I've learned my lesson."

Before You could react, Chika had already leaned in for another kiss. This one holding for a moment longer. You wanted to lose herself in the feeling, love, and compassion that was felt as their clumsy lips felt one another out. A kiss that meant so much, but You was sure was far from their last.

#Chika Takami #you watanabe #chikayou #youchika #love live #love live sunshine #love live fanfiction

[two-browngirls]

A DANCE WITH THE FUTURE :: RISING KATHAK STAR VIDYA PATEL

Since competing in the finals of the first ever BBC Young Dancer platform, Vidya Patel has gone from strength to strength. Performing at the Ravi Shankar Festival in India and touring with one of the top contemporary dance companies, Richard Alston Dance, Vidya reflects on her debut Kathak solo and what is means to be a British BROWNGIRL immersed in a classical Indian dance form. 

What was the build up to your Rang Manch Pravesh like?

Most of my summer 2016 was geared toward training for my Kathak Manch Pravesh. Under the guidance of my Guruji Sujata Banerjee I was preparing for my Kathak Manch Pravesh, a North Indian classical solo recital, dancing for around one and a half/ two hours, with live musicians, performed to an invited audience of family and friends.

My intentions and motivations to do a Manch Pravesh was purely to put myself through the process of focused rigorous training in the Kathak style. It seemed to be the most appropriate time to do it- I had time to commit, blessed to have a wonderful guru willing to teach and guide me, and a family who let me do what I needed to in order to achieve without asking too many questions but still being the greatest supporters.

Thinking back on it, the training was intense but so enjoyable. Leading up to my Manch Pravesh I would spend six out of seven days a week with my Guruji trying to soak up as much as I could learn and be immersed in an atmosphere of the arts and discussing related subjects. Days consisted of my own practice, trips to the gym with my Guruji and more riyaaz and then rehearsals as well as evening class whilst it was still term time. Guruji having studied a masters in Sports Science, knew very well what my body needed so every week I would receive a weekly plan of training, related study and rest days fitted in accordingly. I had my personal trainer, guru, mentor and advisor all in one guiding me through it, all I needed to do was learn, do and repeat whilst maintaining my focus. Sounds straight forward but it was more difficult than said.

A huge driving force in the event were my family who were so patient and encouraging. Not having seen me for very long time leading up to the big day they managed to organize it all- the invites, the venue, running of the event which required so much- it was nothing less than organizing a wedding but one where the groom was ‘dance’. A few days before the performance I returned back to my home in Birmingham, had a rest day, followed by a final rehearsals with all the incredible music artists…before I knew it the day had arrived.

One huge thing I really appreciated was all the gurus, family, friends and dance family who had attended to experience this special occasion with me. Whilst performing I could feel the warmth from the very beginning and was just very grateful for those who had came or sent their good wishes.

2. How do you feel your Rang Manch Pravesh has enhanced or changed you as a performer? 

From this one experience I know I have changed as a dancer.

The training, long periods of time spent with my Guruji and most of all dancing with live music has improved me from where I was before I began. Dancing with live music is so important which we don’t always get to experience here because of the circumstances, nevertheless whenever possible our teacher does make an extra effort to have tabla in our weekly classes. I remember waking up early in the summer mornings, I would light the essence stick in Gurujis dance studio and begin. The aroma instantly setting the intention to begin my daily riyaaz. Practicing with accompaniment from Anu da (Aniruddha Mukherjee) on tabla was a joy and looking back was such a luxury. The continuous support and encouragement was a blessing and made performing on the day even more enjoyable.

Then Anirban Da (Anirban Bhattacharya) arrived from India who is the vocalist who sang for my Manch Pravesh. At this point everything seemed to be getting more real and the pieces were all weaving together to make a clearer intricately knitted programme.

The great thing was that we were all (Anu Da, Anirban Da and myself) living under one roof with my Guruji, so even after rehearsals there would be talks and stories of dance and music and I’d be listening in to conversations which were so fascinating with so much to learn from. Not to mention the small amount of ‘Bangla’ I had indirectly picked up from just listening and started to understand more or less all conversations spoken.

After doing my Manch Pravesh I have something to base classical choreography on after watching my Guruji’s creative process first hand. The thought that had gone into creating my pieces was meticulous, the attention to detail in choreographing followed by corrections to my execution of it. Seeing the way Didi worked with the musicians was really insightful, not having seen the process of this before of how to organize and orchestrate a long programme. I was joined by amazing artists, Aniruddha Mukherjee on tabla, Anirban Bhattacharya vocals, Shammi Pithia on bansuri, Kirpal Singh Panesar on Eshraj, Jasdeep Singh Degun on sitar, my brother in law Bhavin Solanki who accompanied Anirbanda in vocals, and vedam which began the programme by Shivam Mistry, Mukund Prajapati and my brother in law. They all added so much to making it a memorable experience and joy to dance to. We had quite a few rehearsals together beforehand therefore performing on the day was like a team performance even though I was dancing solo.

3. What’s on the horizon for Vidya Patel?

Its now my third ‘gap year’ after completing sixth form and not going to university-something which has become a permanent decision for the meantime. I am currently touring with the Richard Alston Dance Company for their Autumn/ Spring tour performing ‘Italian in Madrid’ til mid May 2017 nationally and internationally. It’s now approaching the last performances with RADC the next being in Germany which I’m really looking forward to. Watching the company in rehearsal and on stage has been a fantastic experience for me to be surrounded by such incredible artists who continuously strive for excellence and deliver it always too. Each and every one of the members at RADC are an inspiration for me and sharing the stage with them has been very special. I’ve really enjoyed taking part in company classes so hoping to continue with ballet and contemporary classes locally after the tour in over.

I was recently part of Magdalen Gorringe’s new work ‘If I Could Reach Home’ inspired by the refugee crisis, mainly focusing on a group of women asylum seekers from the Hope Project- this has led on to other projects- one involving doing more work within my community in Birmingham and bringing about more awareness of Indian classical dance. This has led onto another exciting dance project in the pipeline which will be taking place January 2018.

Going to London for Kathak classes still continues. There will be a few major festival organised by my Guruji taking place this year so definitely will be busy with those and is something dance and music lovers should keep a look out for.

I’ll be revisiting some collaborations which I had began last year to create a longer duration of work from with the aim of sharing it with more audiences in the UK and internationally.

It’s only the beginning of a long journey ahead which I’m willing to endure since I know the experiences along the way will be unique with a lot of unexpected events and rewarding experiences. From my experiences in the early beginnings of my career I can tell you that it’s an unpredictable profession but so far I know I wouldn’t have these moments which I’ve had so far from any other profession. I really hope I can inspire people, if not to dance professionally then to create awareness of the importance of dance and the arts in hope that they make it part of their lives in one way or the other.

4. As a BROWNGIRL growing up in the UK, how do you think Kathak has helped you to understand your cultural identity?

My mom was born in Mumbai, India and my dad in Uganda, Africa, making me and my siblings the first generation born the UK. For both my two older siblings and myself dance played a huge part in our childhood. My parents wanting us to stay connected to our culture- encouraging us to attend dance classes was one of the options they took us to classes especially being art lovers themselves. They themselves took every opportunity to go and listen to Pandit Ravi Shankar in concert and other very well known music and dance artists whilst living in the UK. My parents took us weekly to classes on Saturday and Sunday. Being too young to participate I remember watching my sisters in class at the back of the class until I was old enough to participate. One of the things dance did was to create an environment were you’re given the opportunity to learn more about the culture behind it. Pronunciation, articulation and knowledge about dance, your exposed to a lot you otherwise wouldn’t be and then it’s up to you how much you further investigate around the subject and it’s rich history. I know that my interest in Indian Classical music has only been a lot because of dance- it’s all interrelated to each other.

Kathak has been a reminder of what my cultural identity is and not. For me my cultural identity is an even mix of my upbringing in the UK with teachings from my parents and Kathak- which is deeply connected with rich history in the country which is my homeland. It’s a privilege that I am training in something which originates from India and makes me feel part of another community other than my Gujarati community.

Some people say being born in the UK makes it less possible to create the same environment for dancers here too. My teacher a few times has commented on how there are superb ballet dancers training in all parts of the world, similarly Kathak dancers can also be from everywhere and don’t necessarily have to come from India and Indian origin. Of course the hard work and extra effort needs to be applied but everything is in reach if you have guidance, believe and do.

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Photo credit: Indy Sagoo

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