#I’m going to have to rewatch that one luv…. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

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love.fm | h.rj

genre ❥ fluff, angst, coworkers to lovers pairings ❥ radio show host!renjun x fem!reader word count ❥ 7.2k warnings ❥ none author’s note ❥ had this sitting in my wip for a while after rewatching renra on akdong seoul....just thought it would be a really cute idea!!

My love's so young, I'm young, at a sweet age I can't only look at you

As the ‘ON AIR’ sign flickers to life, you pick up the familiar pair of headphones at your seat, colourful stickers decorating the headband to separate it from the rest. The other guys at the station don’t particularly mind sharing headphones, but you find having a personalized one more enjoyable.

Seulgi, your program director, stands behind the glass wall, flashing a thumbs up from where she’s comfortably nestled in her chair. Jeno is just beside her, but he’s much more focused on the music controls, ensuring that it’s broadcasting smoothly. There’s a teleprompter in front of you, but you know you won’t need it. You’ll probably go off script anyways.

Which is why your partner flashes a warning glance at you, and you simply grin. He’s the one who keeps track of time and attempts to stick to Seulgi’s meticulously planned program sheets, reigning you in when you go off tangents.

Huang Renjun has been your partner host for the past year, and the both of you make a good team. A wonderful team, actually, if the listener numbers are anything to go off by. You know it’s partially luck that the both of you got an interesting show to helm, but surely part of it is due to your efforts as well.

Renjun’s dressed in a comfortable black hoodie today, already wearing his reading glasses as he looks over the script. You had teased him for his poor eyesight until he finally caved and bought the white frames that now rest comfortably on his nose.

A cue from Seulgi jolts you out of your thoughts, and you quickly take a sip of water before turning on the microphone. Renjun flashes an encouraging smile at you, even though it’s practically routine at this point.

“Welcome to The Love Club, where we provide a solution towards each and every dilemma you have about romance. It’s your favourite DJ, Y/N, along with Ren-D. I hope your Friday is going good, dear listener, so grab a cup of tea and let us accompany you until midnight!” The words flow out of your mouth smoothly, from weeks upon weeks of practice. Even then, the rush of excitement that fills you each time you speak into the microphone still remains as new as the first day you stepped into the studio.

“Thank you to everyone who sent in their stories! Today, we’ll be discussing the topic of first loves. Our first story is from user jiyeonluv.”

Dear Ren-D and Y/N-D,

I’m Jiyeon, a high-school student. I have a crush on someone in my school, and I really, really like them. But we’re graduating already, and I think we’ll be going to different universities. Should I pursue him?

You hum gently, thinking over your reply. The letter causes a fond smile to make its way onto your face, just from how adorable it is. “I think you should go for it. After all, if both of you really like each other, it’s possible. Besides, it’s better to try and be rejected, rather than not and worry about the what ifs.”

Renjun nods. “Besides, I heard long-distance relationships are the trend now,” he adds.

“I’m not sure where Renjun gets his trends from, considering he barely uses the internet,” you contradict, and Renjun scoffs slightly. “However, I hope everything goes well for you, user jiyeonluv! On that note, the first song of today that we’ll be playing is Young Luv by STAYC.”

“Good job today,” you say, and Renjun quickly returns your tired grin. He pushes open the glass door, you following behind him. Your tote bag lies on the shelf outside the office along with your sneakers, and you quickly put your shoes on, smartphone in hand.

Seulgi and Jeno wave goodbye to you as you leave, both of them already preparing for the next programme. Their schedules run a bit differently from yours and Renjun’s, considering they manage the night programmes until two in the morning. You wouldn’t be surprised if the both of them were almost nocturnal at this point.

The hallway is dim at this time of night, the broadcasting station void of much activity except for the room you just exited. However, there are still footsteps here and there, likely from interns or security patrolling the building.

It’s a short walk from your studio to the carpark, but you’re already shivering by the time you exit the building. It’s coming to fall, and the leaves are already transitioning to shades of autumnal red and yellow.

It’s quickly halted by the feeling of a jacket over your shoulders, however, and you quickly look up at Renjun, a silent protest in your eyes. “Don’t worry. I’ve got a hoodie on. You, on the other hand, should really start remembering to bring your own jacket.”

“I don’t need to, when you lend me one anyways,” you reply, and he huffs a laugh, rolling his eyes.

However, you’re quick to move your hands towards the heating vents of Renjun’s car once you’re inside, sinking into the plush leather seats comfortably.

“You don’t need to send me back, you know. The public buses are still running,” you mutter, your breath fogging up the window. You draw a smiley face on it absentmindedly, watching as the cityscape flies by.

“It’s not that safe. Besides, you’re on the way anyways.” Renjun’s lying, because you know where he lives, and it is most definitely not on the way. In fact, it’s likely added an extra fifteen minutes to his journey home, but you’re not going to protest with him further, especially when the rides are in your benefit.

Even though the both of you are able to continue an entertaining banter throughout the entirety of the radio program, you and Renjun seem to lapse more into silence once alone, likely due to fatigue as well. You suppose it’s also due to the fact that there’s not much need for words to be exchanged for you to feel comfortable in Renjun’s presence, him focused on the road and you with…well, nothing exactly. The drive is always a good time for you to clear your mind, considering Renjun’s careful enough and you completely trust him to get you back home safe.

“See you tomorrow,” he says once the both of you are in front of your apartment building and you wave to him before stepping out onto the pavement, watching as his car gradually disappears down the winding path.

When you reach home, you’re quick to fall into bed, already exhausted. You’ll shower tomorrow, you think, but for now, what you need is a good night’s sleep.

“Well, someone looks cranky.”

“Shut up, Haechan.”

“Even I don’t mess with Jaemin, Haechan. You should be careful,” Mark says, and Jaemin just nods. Haechan sighs dramatically, sinking back into the chair, and his antics are the first thing you see when you step into the office.

“Well, I hope no one’s cranky after what I bought,” you announce, paper bags with recognizable green logos in your hands. Jaemin immediately perks up, looking at you gratefully.

“You’re so much better than Haechan,” he says, a sound of indignance coming from the other boy at his statement.

“Eight shots for you- I don’t know how you actually drink that, by the way, an iced tea for Mark and a latte for Hyuck.” The boys mutter soft thank yous as they take the cups from you, leaving two inside. Your caramel macchiato, and someone else’s-

“Speak of the devil.” Renjun is quick to grab his drink from your outstretched hand, raising a brow at you. It takes a while for you to realise you said it out loud, and your cheeks turn red, quickly shaking your head. “I was just wondering where you were, and you walked in right after,” you explain, and he nods, stealing a sip of your drink before he goes to his seat. You’re used to it at this point, even if Renjun has already gotten his own cold brew. You had been the one to persuade the boy into trying your macchiato a few months ago, to no little amount of effort. After a while, he had caved, but Renjun would never admit that he liked your drink more than his own.

“Today’s meeting is quite important, which is why I asked you guys to meet early.”

“At nine in the morning, no less,” Jaemin mumbles, and there’s barely audible laughter from the other two boys in the room. You had been wondering why Mark had texted the groupchat asking all of you to come down to the office early.

This morning, you had stumbled out of bed groggily when your alarm awoke you, running to the bathroom when you realised you might be late. The coffee had simultaneously been an apology and a distraction, but it ended up not mattering as much, since Renjun had arrived later than you.

“We need to discuss our plans for the second half of the year. If you guys want to revamp your programmes, change something about it, or anything.”

Haechan raises his hand quickly. “I think 37.5MHz should be extended to four hours.”

“No one wants to hear you talk for four hours, Haechan,” Renjun replies, and Haechan looks at him incredulously.

“Just because you can’t appreciate the masterpiece that is my voice, doesn’t mean others won’t-”

“Let’s stay focused, guys,” Mark reminds, but even he’s struggling slightly to maintain a serious expression on his face. The five of you are already familiar with each other at this point, being the ones to host the weekday special programs.

Mark’s in charge of the broadcast from ten in the morning to noon, his programme aptly titled Mark’s Music Space. You had come up with it at a meeting once, and he ended up liking it a lot more than you expected.

At two, Jaemin’s the one in the studio, a cup of coffee always by his side. Which is accurate, you suppose, since his entire programme is cafe-themed. He’s the one in charge of curating most of the playlists for the station, considering how well-versed the boy is in picking songs based on the mood.

Haechan takes over at five with 37.5Mhz, brightening the natural lull of the afternoons with his cheery personality. The boy runs it almost like a podcast at this point, often spending more time chatting than playing music. Still, if his ratings are anything to go by, you suppose there is an audience that he appeals to.

And then at nine, it’s you and Renjun’s turn, with Love.fm. The most interesting program, in your opinion, but you’ll never tell the other guys that, because they’ll definitely begin arguing with you incessantly. Still, you’re proud of how much work you and Renjun have put in, taking hours to plan out your themes and filtering through the listeners’ letters personally.

“Y/N, Renjun. Anything you guys want to change?” You look up at Mark, shaking your head. “I’m happy with the program.” “Me too,” Renjun replies, and you grin at him.

Jaemin lets out a slight chuckle, Haechan right after him, and you cast a pointed glance at the two. “What?” Jaemin quickly shakes his head, expression becoming blank once again. “Nothing.”

You look at Mark’s hesitant expression, and decide to just bite the bullet. “Mark, what is it?” The boy’s expression is stricken as he meets your gaze, and he coughs slightly before continuing. “Oh..um…I was gonna ask if you and Renjun wanted to make Love.fm a viewable broadcast.”

”Why don’t I get a viewable broadcast?”

“Because you post everything on your Instagram already. If I was your fan, I wouldn’t want to see your face anymore,” Jaemin responds, and Haechan huffs petulantly.

“Like….a live stream?” Renjun asks hesitantly, and Mark nods. “Yeah. Your program is already so popular, and I think a lot of the listeners are quite curious about what you guys look like. It would be a good idea for publicity. Of course, you don’t have to do a viewable one every day, it could be once a week, or something,” he explains, and you consider the idea briefly. It isn’t a bad one. You’re not someone who’s particularly afraid of the camera, and neither is Renjun. The idea’s almost exciting, the fact that you and Renjun are something like mini-celebrities because of your programme.

“I’m down if Renjun is,” you say, smiling, and Mark looks relieved, turning to your partner. “Sure,” Renjun says, and Mark claps his hands together. “Great! We can do the first one on Monday? For everyone else, Seulgi’s also discussing with the publicity team about getting us to film additional content, so I’ll keep you guys updated on that.”

You realise now that this is likely Seulgi’s idea, and it makes sense, really. When you had first started the job, you hadn’t expected the listeners to show so much support for their show hosts. Jaemin, Haechan and Mark have something of their own following as well. The five of you have potential as media personalities, and it's obvious that Seulgi’s making good use of it.

“Want to get breakfast?” Renjun asks, leaning over to your seat. “Yes please, I’m starving.” You grab your things and follow him out, waving goodbye to the others in the room.

As you pass by the recording studio, you hear faint voices filtering out of the room.

“Welcome to Chenji’s this….”

“And that!” You immediately recognize Jisung’s baritone and see the two younger boys inside, already rehearsing for their show. “They’ve improved a lot,” you comment, a fond smile on your face as you watch the two.

“I remember when they first joined. Jisung couldn’t even say one sentence without stuttering,” Renjun adds, and you let out a soft giggle. “Well, it’s thanks to you that he’s so good now. Don’t act like you didn’t stay up practising with him.” Renjun’s cheeks redden at your comment, but you know it’s true. Despite his colder exterior, Renjun is caring to the ones closest to him, and has a soft spot for the nervous youngest. It’s something you’ve noticed about him after spending so much time together, his quiet acts of service.

“What are you thinking about?” Renjun asks as the both of you step out into the bright morning sunlight. He looks nice today, brown corduroy jacket over a white shirt and jeans.

“I like your outfit today,” you comment, not catching the way Renjun’s breath hitches, his pulse speeding up just barely.

“Are you just saying this because you want the jacket?”

“No promises.”

When I see you happy Naturally, I'm laughing along I get excited by your actions and toss and turn

Technically, you shouldn’t even be nervous. But you can’t shake the tension that grips you, despite the two cups of hot chamomile that you’ve already consumed. It’s okay, you tell yourself. Today is like any other broadcast, Y/N.

“We just hit fifty thousand listeners,” Seulgi announces, and you sigh shakily, hearing Mark let out a low whistle at the news. You take it back. Today isn’t like any other broadcast. That’s close to double your usual number. Your train of thoughts- more like a nervous trainwreck at this point, really- is brought to a halt by the feeling of a warm hand on yours.

“You okay?” Renjun asks, his gaze warm, and you feel your heartrate slow down slightly. It’s not that you don’t want this- you’re quite excited, to be honest, but there’s also a little fear at the viewers’ reactions.

“We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” he continues, out of earshot of the people outside. However, you’re quick to pull yourself out of it, shaking your head at Renjun. His concerned gaze doesn’t leave your figure, but you smile at him reassuringly.

“I’m fine. Ready as ever. Seulgi, shall we start?” You ask, and she nods, turning on the cameras. There’s a screen in front of you that shows the comments, but you decide not to look, instead focusing on your script and the camera.

“Hello, everyone! Today is a very special day. As you can see, Ren-D and I are meeting everyone for the first time via live stream.” Renjun waves shyly at that, and you automatically grin, nervousness easing slightly as you fall back into the routine of hosting.

“I feel like someone doing a face reveal,” Renjun points out, and you laugh slightly. “Yeah, me too. Honestly, I was so nervous.”

You’re feeling much better now, and it feels like any other evening in the broadcasting studio, Renjun next to you, script in hand.

“Let me read out our first letter today, from user tyongya.”

Dear Y/N-D and Ren-D,

You have no idea how excited I was for the broadcast today! I wrote this letter because I’ve been in a relationship with someone for two years, but we haven’t told each other we love each other yet. What is love to the both of you?

Thank you for this program, and I’m cheering both of you on!

“Oh…” you trail off as you think over your reply, head tilted. “Wow, that’s a big question,” Renjun comments, and you nod.

“I think love is wanting to see the other person happy, no matter what. Like, seeing them smile makes you smile too. That’s the simplest way I can put it,” you finally state, and Renjun makes a sound of agreement.

“Y/N said it well. If I love someone, I think I would place their happiness above my own. Personally, I would say that loving someone means that being with them makes you want to be a better person, both for them and for yourself.” Renjun’s looking at you as he says it, and his voice takes on a noticeably softer tone. You’re suddenly unable to look at him for some reason, gaze darting downwards to your script nervously.

Once you regain your composure, you continue, even though the back of your neck still feels warm for some reason.

“Yes, don’t forget that self-love is important too, guys,” you say, and Renjun chuckles, causing you to inevitably let out a laugh of your own as well. He’s smiling brightly, and you’re not sure whether it’s because of the excitement of doing a live video broadcast, but you can’t hold back the wide grin that appears resolutely on your features as well.

“Now, our next song is Love, Maybe by Melomance. User tyongya, this is for you. We hope you find love soon!”

“I knew you would recommend Love, Maybe,” Renjun says, a teasing smirk on his face. “It’s a good song!” you defend, and he doesn’t reply, causing you to jab him softly with your elbow.

“Say it’s a good song, or I won’t stop playing it in the car,” you threaten, leaning towards him until your faces are close. Renjun leans back playfully, away from you, and you only lean closer, eyes questioning.

Until your headphone wire gets caught, causing you to stumble forward into his chair. Renjun’s quick to catch you, and you turn to look at him, only realising your faces are a hair’s breadth away from each other when it’s too late.

You’re quite sure you’ve stopped breathing as you look into Renjun’s wide eyes. It seems like forever before he quickly regains his senses and puts some distance between the both of you, standing up from his chair and letting out a nervous cough.

You’re still in a daze, cheeks already reddening with their familiar flush.

”Guys, good job on the broadcast today- are you two alright?” Seulgi glances confusedly at the both of you as she steps in, and Renjun is the first to respond.

“Yeah…we’re fine. What did you say?” He asks, and Seulgi looks rather doubtful, even as she grins at the both of you.

“We broke our viewer record today. And you guys should see the comments,” she adds, handing the both of you her laptop. You scroll absentmindedly, taking a while to focus. There are thousands of them, coming in at a mile a minute even though the broadcast’s over.

Wow….the both of them look exactly how they sound. And I love their voices, so that speaks for itself.

Y/N looks like she could be a celebrity! And Renjun too.

It’s hard to conceal your happy smile at the positive comments, even if it’s shallow to care about your appearance. Renjun catches your eyes, and the previous tension seems to be dispelled. You continue scrolling down, not entirely ready for the next barrage of comments.

The more I think about it, Renjun and Y/N look so good together.

These two are so compatible…I wonder if they’re dating?

Wouldn’t it be so cute if they were a couple? They even run Love.fm together…it’s like something out of a fiction book.

You cough abruptly, cheeks flushing as Seulgi looks at you, concerned. Renjun seems to have noticed them too, handing the laptop back and averting his gaze from where you’re standing. You hear the door open, and realise the midnight news broadcast must be starting soon.

“Right, you guys must be tired. Go home and rest,” she nags, almost pushing the both of you out of the recording studio. You don’t even bother to resist her, thoughts hung up on the comments from the listeners.

There’s an awkward silence that hangs over you and Renjun as the both of you leave the company building, and you fiddle with your fingers, unsure of what to say. It continues even as you enter the car, and Renjun seems to feel it too, for he immediately plays music the moment the both of you get in.

You lean your head against the headrest, occasionally taking quick glances at Renjun when you think he isn’t looking. It makes you feel nervous somehow, as if you’re doing something you shouldn’t.

His profile is soft under the streetlights, silver hair shining brightly even in the darkness. You remember when he had first walked in with it, and you stared at him open-mouthed in shock. It was such a stark contrast from his previous raven black hair, and yet seemed to make his features glow even brighter. The thought makes your heart flutter against your own will. You’re bewildered at the strange feeling, and yet can’t seem to tear your eyes away from the boy.

“You’re staring. Is something wrong?” Renjun’s direct question causes you to sit up immediately, heart rate stumbling. “Nope, nothing,” you stutter out, stubbornly turning your gaze out the car window, just in time for you to miss the amused smile on Renjun’s face.

“Y/N, wait.” Your hand is on the car handle when Renjun halts you outside your apartment building. You turn back to look at him, tote bag already in your grasp. “What is it?” The silver-haired boy falls silent at that, seeming to hesitate over something. You’re patient, however, leaning back into the seat just as you recognise the next song that has started playing through his car speakers.

I'm gettin' really tired of this back and forth Why don't we just give in to this driving force? I mean, there's somethin' between us

The lyrics make your brain short-circuit, and you can’t help but interpret them in the context of the situation, filling your heart with a heady sort of hope as you look at Renjun. It feels like you’re wading into unfamiliar waters, but something tells you to keep going.

“You did well today.”

“Huh?” You’re brought back down to reality, Renjun’s words grounding you.

”You were nervous, but you got through it. I’m proud of you. That’s what I wanted to say, I guess,” he mumbles, and the words are sweet, warming your heart.

“That wasn’t what I was expecting,” you say reflexively, and he turns to you. “Were you expecting something else?” His gaze is strangely searching as he turns to you, almost as if he’s silently beseeching you to say something else as well. However, you’re seized by nerves, and quickly shake your head.

“No, nothing. Thank you, Renjun. You did well today too. I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

Even then, you feel a sense of disappointment, but you can’t possibly blame him for your own overactive imagination. It must be the comments getting to your head, you think, as you step out of the car and Renjun waves to you.

Still, you can’t shake the thought of Renjun being more to you, of the both of you being more than just colleagues and friends. It’s never been something that’s come to mind, and yet made glaringly obvious by the events of today. The way you are starting to find it harder to let your eyes stray from his features, the drives home with him becoming the most treasured moments of your day.

The answer’s simple, really. Stupidly simple that you should have figured it out a long time ago, considering the fact that the both of you run a romance advisory programme. You have feelings for Renjun. Not-so-platonic feelings, if the speeding up of your heartbeat in the past few days are any indication.

You only remember the second half of the lyrics when you’re on your sofa, the lyrics of the song that was playing in Renjun’s car.

If I'm on your mind You know that you're on my mind I don't want to fall in love alone

“I don’t want to fall in love alone either,” you say to no one in particular, the only accompaniment being the four walls of your studio apartment. You’re at a loss on what to do with Renjun, haunted by both the endless possibilities and the fear of rejection.

Love is hard when it comes to Renjun, and you’re not sure if all your experience with hosting will have any use.

It’s two days before Renjun sees you in the studio again. On Tuesday, he had been waiting for you outside, before Seulgi had fired a quick text saying you had called in sick.

When you were absent from your seat beside him on Wednesday, there had been a foreign feeling of emptiness in the studio, compounded by the fact that you had yet to reply Renjun’s messages. Even then, he tries to make the program as engaging as possible, assuming that you’re home resting.

It’s not the same, no matter how hard he tries. It’s not the same without you.

By the time you step into the recording booth, Renjun’s positively overcome with worry, ready to jump out of his seat and hug you at the sight of you well and alive. However, he’s not sure if it will overwhelm you. He decides to force himself to stay where he is, fiddling anxiously with his fingers as his eyes follow you around the room. You smile pensively at him when you catch his gaze. In truth, you hadn’t been sick. You were just scared of seeing Renjun, especially immediately after being confronted with the weight of your new feelings.

The introduction passes as usual, and you put in extra effort to make your voice bright and cheery after your absence, knowing that the listeners must have missed you. Even then, Renjun can detect a note of artificiality in your voice, almost as if you’re deliberately trying to present yourself that way. Maybe you’re still feeling sick, he thinks, and feels a pang of guilt for hounding you with his messages. However, he already has medicine in his bag, and a heat pack for you later, just to make sure you recover as quickly as possible.

You’re less talkative than usual today, giving short replies outside of the programme itself. Renjun tries not to let it unnerve him, but he’s not sure how to reach out to you.

“Renjun, can you read the next letter, please?” You ask cheerfully, the way your emotions switch up from lethargic to energetic becoming rather disarming to him. “Oh yes, of course,” he says, panicking slightly as he fumbles with his script, lost in thought.

Dear Ren-D and Y/N-D,

Hello! I’m not sure if you can call me a regular listener, but I’m very familiar with this program. I wrote this letter because of a very big dilemma I have. I think I have feelings for a good friend of mine, who also happens to be a colleague. But confessing might make our relationship awkward, and I don’t want to ruin it for us. At the same time, my feelings are so strong that I don’t know what to do with them.

“This is from user caramelmacchiato,” Renjun adds at the end, and you’re awfully silent as he looks at you, waiting to see if you’ll reply first. When you don’t speak after a while, he decides to go first.

“I think you should go for it,” he encourages, and the only thing he hears from you is a sharp inhale, causing Renjun to furrow his brows in concern.

“Often, we don’t have control over what we feel, or the people we like. I think it’s better to confess first. If he’s really someone you like that much, I’m sure he’s a good person who will understand your emotions, and the friendship won’t break apart that easily,” he continues, and you’re staring at Renjun now, a stricken expression on your face.

“And…for all you know, user caramelmacchiato, your friend just might like you back too.” Renjun’s mouth tilts up in a grin as he says it, his heart fluttering strangely for some reason. It definitely doesn’t help that your gaze is riveted on him, and Renjun runs a hand through his hair self-consciously. You’ve always made him nervous, even if you’ve known him for more than a year.

He quickly remembers that the both of you are on live broadcast, however, Seulgi and Jeno still watching. “Y/N?” he asks, and you shake your head as if clearing your mind from a fog.

“Oh, yes. Good luck, um…user caramelmacchiato.” Your voice is slightly high-pitched and squeaky, and it’s obvious you’re nervous, though Renjun can’t think of a reason why.

“As the night comes to a close, we have one last song for you. This is Fall in Love Alone by Stacey Ryan. Goodnight everyone!” You successfully bring the programme to a finale, and Jeno ends the broadcast.

Renjun’s quick to grab his things and make his way over to you, but you’re two steps ahead of him, almost jumping out of your chair once the microphone is off. He stares at you from where he is, and sees the same confused expression on Seulgi’s face. It’s unlike you to simply just up and leave, especially when Renjun is the one sending you home. And he doubts you have plans after midnight.

When he enters the hallway, there’s no sign of you, and Renjun worries his lip in frustration. He’s not stupid. There must be something wrong, somewhere. He thinks back to each of his interactions with you over the past week, picking each of them apart moment by moment in his brain.

The both of you had called to discuss the live broadcast four days ago, and ended up watching a movie together. And then it was the broadcast itself, where he sent you home afterwards. Where he had been so close to saying something that was on the tip of his tongue, but didn’t.

The next two days, you had disappeared without contact while you were sick.

There had to be something he was missing.

Maybe Saturday? But nothing happened other than the morning meeting. When the both of you had gotten breakfast after you bought him a matcha latte and got yourself a…

“Oh God,” he mutters to himself, the puzzle pieces falling into place. It’s not an entirely plausible idea, and Renjun’s pretty sure he’s making connections based on pure gut feeling. Still, it’s too much of a coincidence. Or maybe it isn’t. The way you’re acting, the song that you chose today to finish the broadcast, they fill Renjun’s heart with just the tiniest bit of hope.

He really has to find you now.

Renjun’s grateful he wore his better pair of sneakers today as he rushes out of the building, eyes scanning the place for your familiar figure.

It’s almost a solid five minutes of his heartbeat thundering in his ears until he spots you, walking in the direction of the intersection, and then he’s running.

Renjun reaches you right as the light turns green, grabbing your hand and causing you to spin around in shock. You’ve got your headphones on, and the sudden disturbance leaves your eyes wide in shock. You don’t even resist as Renjun drags you to a bench, motioning for you to sit next to him.

You guessed he would ask about your odd behaviour eventually. You just didn’t expect it to be so soon. The area is deserted except for the both of you, and Renjun’s still slightly out of breath as he sits next to you.

You don’t dare to look at him. It’s a cloudless day today, and you can see clearly even though there’s barely any lighting, thanks to the moon.

“Well, I’m sure you have something to say-” you start, but you’re quickly cut off by Renjun.

“User caramelmacchiato. That’s you, isn’t it?” His question causes your heart to stutter to a stop, and you’re hoping you heard him wrong. Still, the resounding silence tells you that you heard him exactly.

Honestly, you should probably have picked a better username. You’re kicking yourself for it now, realising you overlooked Renjun’s natural knack for observation. Your silence makes it obvious that he’s right, and the boy next to you lets out a soft sigh, causing your heart to fall slightly.

Your posture is tense, already prepared for the sting of inevitable rejection. “It’s okay if you don’t like me, Renjun, really, I’ll be fine-” you’re cut off by his palm over your mouth, and you stare at him incredulously. Renjun, for his part, looks frustrated, forehead scrunched as he turns to face you.

“Will you let me speak for one second?” He says exasperatedly, and you nod.

“I was right about the friend. He likes you back too,” Renjun mutters, and you stare at him for a few seconds too long before the words sink in. You push his hand away roughly, your lips falling open into an expression of shock.

“What?” Renjun shrugs at the disbelief on your face. “Is it that hard to believe?”

“No, it’s just that the both of us-” You’re quickly silenced again, but this time, instead of his hand, Renjun’s lips are on yours. He’s kissing you, and you’re frozen, eyes wide.

Renjun fills with alarm when you’re unresponsive, and he’s wondering if he’s made a terrible, terrible mistake. He’s just about to pull away, when there’s a tug on his hoodie. You’re kissing him back, and he can hear nothing but his heartbeat.

Renju’s not one for physical affection, but he thinks he might be dreaming. You’re definitely topping the list of people he doesn’t mind being touchy with, and he might just seek it out himself.

It seems like too soon when you finally pull away, but Renjun doesn’t mind. After all, he’s hoping that the both of you have plenty of time, to do….whatever this is. There’s still a tiny part of him, however, that fears the thought of you realising this was a mistake and running away.

That fear quickly disappears when you break out into the most radiant smile Renjun has ever seen, causing him to let out an exhale of relief, and you burst out in giggles at his expression. “What?”

“Nothing. I’m just happy,” you confess, and Renjun’s heart feels so full, so light, as you lean against him.

“I think I liked you the first day you walked into our office. I was just too much of a coward to consider even dating a colleague,” you continue, and Renjun lets a fond smile make its way onto his face.

“If you’re a coward, then I’m an idiot for not realising sooner. Will you let me send you home now?” At your soft nod, Renjun extends a hand out to you, relishing the feeling of your smaller palm in his.

It may have taken a year of waiting, confusion, and a whole lot of running, but Renjun finally has you, and he’s never going to let you go, not if you’ll have him.

“Ren-D, some of our readers are asking about your first love. Do you have any fun stories to share?”

There’s a teasing lilt to your voice, and the only thing preventing Renjun from rolling his eyes is the fact that the camera is currently panned to him.

“No fun stories, unfortunately, but I do have a reader’s letter to share.”

“Oh?”

Renjun clears his throat, feeling strangely nervous.

Dear Y/N-D and Ren-D,

Yesterday, I finally found the courage to chase after someone that I liked, and looking back, I think they might be my first love. I didn’t realise it until they confessed to me first, but I found myself missing their presence unconsciously when they were gone. I think many of us don’t realize how precious someone is until they’re no longer there. Hence, to all the fellow listeners here, I hope that you’ll live without regrets, and bravely chase your first love no matter what!

“Oh,” you exhale softly, eyes wide. The letter was strangely sentimental, heavy for a program such as yours. You can see the comments flowing in, and you’re sure many of them feel the same as you now.

“This person is really good with words,” you comment, and Renjun huffs a laugh, almost like he’s hiding a secret.

“This is from user matchalatte,” he says, and you nod absentmindedly in response, before you freeze, head whipping to look at him. The corners of his mouth are tilted up in a smirk, and you’re staring at him, before realising that the cameras are now panned to the both of you.

There’s heat rushing to your cheeks now, realising that you know who exactly user matchalatte is. Of course it’s him. Only Renjun would think of returning the gesture, just to see your reaction on broadcast.

“Um.” You’re not yet able to formulate words to respond, even though you know that Seulgi and Jeno are likely in the other room watching you both, along with tens of thousands of listeners. Renjun lets out a soft laugh at your starstruck expression, and it causes your heart to skip a beat at his happy expression.

“The next song we have for everyone is Je T’aime by Joy. We’ll be back after the break!” Renjun smoothly takes over your line while you’re still distracted, and embarrassingly enough, it makes you melt even more.

The gentle notes of the starting piano play are audible throughout the studio, and you jolt with familiarity, eyes meeting Renjun’s. You had added this to his playlist while the both of you were drafting the program schedule, and even though he had been ambivalent to the song at first, you found the album sitting on your desk a week later.

Honestly, you should have realised it sooner. That he was the one you wanted to have morning coffee runs and midnight drives with. The person whose playlists you would listen to and whose favourite songs you would save.

Je t’aime. It’s an expression of love, but you don’t think all the languages in the world are enough to describe the way you feel with Renjun. He makes you feel like you’re floating, but at the same time the one who’s grounding you, a tethering force that makes you feel safe.

There’s a consistency to the way Renjun cares for you, the way he makes a space for himself so easily in your life that he feels like home. Having his love has already become a force of habit, one that you never want to break.

The beeping of the timer reminds you that the advertisement break is up, and you’ve managed to regain some semblance of composure externally, even though there’s still a light pink dusting your cheeks.

“Welcome back to Love.fm with Ren-D and Y/N! Today’s a chilly Friday evening, so let us accompany you into the weekend. Send in any romantic worries you have, and we’ll answer each and every one of them,” you start, and narrowly avoid stuttering when a hand encapsulates yours under the desk. You flash a warning glance at Renjun despite your previous nervousness, but the boy simply has a smug grin on his face.

Still, despite his teasing, you’ll gladly give anything to live in these moments forever, him next to you with his headphones on and script in hand.

Stay by my side like a delicate scent I guess I love you, I'm in love I hope this pleasant feeling will never change

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raptorladylover6969 · 4 months

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I just finished JWCT and holyyyyy….my poor family had to endure my screaming and crying. The amount of laps I had to take is unreal. The amount of pausing to take in the heavy amounts of information being bestowed upon me 😭😭.

It was a horrifying yet amazing ride. I am still so confused on many aspects, but maybe I’ll do a rewatch someday to have better understanding cuz there was SO MUCH going on. All I know is I’m pretty sure the raptor lady was the one doing the hunting, and her raptors were the ones that killed Brooklyn instead of the allosaurus??? Idk correct me if im wrong pls.

Also speaking of raptor lady, is she a robot??? I honestly cant tell. But oh my godddd she was so creepy, but I weirdly LOVED it and her. I love unnerving characters that are human, but dont act/sorta look like one at the same time. I wanna know more about her. I HAVE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HER. I love her microbangs cuz they actually fit rlly well with her character and her sort of personality of “I am robotic and creepy and will appear in your nightmares” THAT LOOK SHE GAVE THE BOSS GUY (I ALREADY FORGOT HIS NAME) ATE UP. SHE HAD HIM GAGGED. I think u can tell who my new fav character is. I luv raptor lady. Shes so cool.

Anyways live laugh love Chaos Theory. Best show to ever come out in 2024 I will be crawling back into the hole from which I’ve came and wait for a season 2.

#jurassic world #jurassic world chaos theory #jurassic world camp cretaceous #isla nublar #darius bowman #kenji kon #ben pincus #sammy gutierrez #yasmina fadoula #brooklyn whatever her last name was #raptor lady #raptor lady might be my worst hear me out…but hear me out…

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rosypenguins · 10 days

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would you like to dump all your thoughts, headcanons, rambles, and yaps about dom? (i luv letting people yap and i love dom)

Y-yeah I’d like that.

Most of my headcanons and rambles have already been drafted into future posts, so I’m just gonna yap about them for a lil bit lol.

I genuinely did not expect to get as attached to these twins as I did. Hell, I remember when their beta designs dropped, I thought they looked lame. But then the spin-off came out and I was like ‘oh, they’re alright actually’ and then I kept rewatching the episode because I’m cripplingly addicted to this show and slowly I just grew more and more fond of them. Dom specifically. (Faye’s amazing too but Dom hits different.)

And then the second episode came out, and I started thinking more and more about them, which spiraled into a million headcanons and a whole damn backstory and my gallery looking like this-

And I basically did to them what I did to Drew: I took all the pieces canon gave me and filled in the rest with my imagination to make two little scrimblos I can more easily write about and analyze. (Normal things hot girls do.✨)

And I find it funny how Dom has managed to capture my attention just as much as Drew has, when he’s probably a character Drew would bully like RELENTLESSLY. (I have two scenarios of this: one being Drew calling Dom’s sweater stupid and childish while Dom’s like “At least mines not all plain and basic!” and then they argue for like two minutes OR Drew actually gets to something Dom’s insecure about or says something like “Oh my God, could you shut up for once in your life? No one fucking cares what you have to say. You’re annoying and if you spent the rest of life with your mouth glued shut I doubt anyone would care. It’d be better off for everyone.” And Dom actually goes silent and then he’s like REALLY hesitant about saying anything for two weeks- wait I made myself sad writing that FUCK.)

ANYWAYS I genuinely don’t really know WHY I’m so attached to Dom right now. He’s literally just a carrot, with about 5 minutes of screen time. Half of his lines are about squirrels and birds, and yet I’d trade my DAMN SOUL for him. HE’S SO FUCKING CUTE. (Maybe it’s because of the lack of backstory and relative mystery. I love me a character I gotta piece together like a puzzle. Or maybe it’s his voice Ireallylikehisvoice-)

But yeah, I’m obsessed with him and it makes me really sad how I’ve barely been able to find any content of him. Like there’s literally no fanfiction, and barely any art. Which I guess makes sense, they’re supporting characters with not much to them, but still, it makes me sad. (BUT IM WORKING TO CHANGE THAT WITH MY FANFIC WIPS AND DRAWING DRAFTS!)

And it sucks too, because I doubt they’re gonna play much of a role in S2. They’re probably gonna fade into obscurity, and I’ll never be able to learn about their backstories or potential mental issues. (Which I ALSO HAVE A POST ABOUT-)

I think going forward, I’m gonna try and post a little more about Dom and Faye, at least for now. I’m still Drew blog obviously, Drew’s still my personality unfortunately, but I really want to try and use my blog to sort of promote them, I guess? I want to share what I see in them, and I want to feed the Dom and Faye fans that are just as starved as me.

Anyways TLDR: I just like Dom a lot. He deserves the world. (I say as I discreetly shove him into the blender of suffering turn it onto high.)

#tmf #the music freaks #freakblr #tmf dominic #tmf dom #thank you thank you thank you for asking this omg #im glad u like dom too I have like five drafts of him I need to post

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noel-fielding-web-page · 1 year

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Is your top of the favourites still the same?

No. It will never be the same. As I told before, I was extremely disappointed in James Acaster, coz his jokes about Noel were awful, so he’s not in the top of my favourites anymore. I know that it was just for the show, but he gone too far this time. I’m not going to remove my posts with him, even with Noel behind, but I’m still offended for him. That’s why my top looks like that now (he’s not even in top 20!)

Noel is upper than all this tops!

Top 20 after Noel Fielding

1. Dave Brown

Played Bollo the gorilla in The Mighty Boosh. I love his photo works. And I think he’s a great guy, no worse than Noel. Yeah, he probably doesn’t look so extraordinary, but still awesome :) x

2. Joe Lycett

I have told already that I luved him after Taskmaster. He's actually lovely, smiling boy. I'm really enjoying watching the shows with him. Yes, he looks silly sometimes. But it makes him adorable. And he looks pretty :)

3. Sean Hughes

This man was the first reason why I started watching Never Mind The Buzzcocks, before I found out about Noel. I'm genuinly cried when he passed away, was depressed quite a long time. Now I calmed already. I still luv him and rewatching old shows where he took a part with a light nostalgy. I think he was a nice person.

4. Alan Davies

Looking at Alan on QI, I always thought that he is a big kid. Always laughing, joking around and laughs contagiously, being dummy :) Then I watched his show As Yet Untitled. Quite comfortable and soft dude. This show made me to change opinion about Alan in better way, so now he's my favourite.

5. Simon Le Bon

True legend! Strong voice, looking gorgeous and having a great sence of humour! It's a frontman of my favourite band Duran Duran. I was Duranie before Noel. Being Duranie I found out about Never Mind The Buzzcocks where Simon took a part. Then it become my favourite show! And I still in love with this band <3

6. Rhod Gilbert

When I seen him in NMTB first time, he seemed too rough and angry. Then he took a role as permanent host of the final BBC series. I was wrong, he is a nice guy, just brutal ;) Although he couldn't rise the show, he's still great!

7. Phill Jupitus

I've never been his fan. But I still respect him for a long time being on Never Mind The Buzzcocks. This show could be cancelled much shorter if he would leave it behind.

8. Brian Cox (Professor)

I'm not a fan of the scient, but this guy is not just a Professor! He also a great actor! Entire The Universe musical explains everything! All you need is just to watch it to realize how wonderful is it! <;3

9. Ed Gamble

I found out about this pretty guy from Mock The Week. He is so positive and funny, always laughing :D Sometimes being rough a bit, but still very nice. My interest to him become stronger after Taskmaster and then after The Great British Bake Off and also I like his podcasts :)

10. Ed Byrne

Another Ed that I started interest in after Mock The Week. It's an Irish crazy comedian. He can be mad as hell then say anything unusual and laughing hard. They are obviously good friends with Dara O'Brain :) Their tandem was a classic. I'm not a fan of the show, but I will miss it (BBC axed it), still very nice <3

11. Lliana Bird

I respect this woman first of all for Noel! She gave him a big support that helped him to be alive now. It's a big love! Who knows full story, will guess what I mean! It's not just a beautiful lady!

12. Aisling Bea

Irish female comedian with original voice. She is beautiful and interesting person. Started like her after QI and Big Fat Quiz :)

13. Chris Ramsey

One of the fewest celebrities that I like firstly for the laugh and beauty :D Started to love him after Never Mind The Buzzcocks

14. Eddie Izzard

Interesting drag comedian. He likes dressing as a female, but still staying a man. Started interest after his tandem with Noel in Big Fat Quiz.

15. Kevin Scott Richardson

It’s the oldest member of Backstreet Boys. When I was younger, he was my favourite. And I still like him. He still looks beautiful and young :)

16. Greg Davies

I always respected him, from the first season of Taskmaster. But after that reviving of NMTB, there were some rumours that he helped the Sky team with that! And now he’s on my top!

17. Ricky Wilson

During the period when I was Duranie, I found out about Kaiser Chiefs. I didn't knew anything about them at all, but their lead singer Ricky Wilson interested me. He was a little chubby then and his voice was similar with young Simon Le Bon. It was the song I Predict Riot. Then I found information about him and realized that there is nothing in common between these two singers. Years later, Ricky lost weight and became a handsome man. But for me, he's always been cool. I like him :)

18. Lee Mack

True legend of Would I Lie To You! But I stareted respect him much earlier! Whe he hosted NMTB! I'm surprising, how the hell he didn't become a permanent host??? He would be amazing! His legendary "BAATMAAN!" explains all :D

19. Paul Foot

Not quite fan, but he’s so damn hilarious! I’d be happy to see him in NMTB again, obviously in Noel’s team. They’re both worth each other :)

20. Martin Kemp

I can’t say that I’m a fan of Spandau Ballet, but after the last Never Mind The Buzzcocks without Noel there, Martin Kemp was the one adequate guest. He didn’t make dirty jokes about Noel or anyone else and was unbelievably polite. So I liked him and started to respect. Quite deserved!

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1800titz · 4 months

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HELLO MY LITTLE LUV!! what’s your comfort movie? what’s the best way to cheer you up on a crappy day? and lastly what are you most excited for rn???

HI CUPID BESTIE :D

I’m going to sound a little unstable when I say this, but all of my comfort movies are kind of uncomfort movies? HDJSJ Like I will rewatch the same movies over and over, so I find comfort in that, and I’ve watched a lot of horror/thrillers over the years? So I’ll keep going back to the same ones, even when I’m not in the mood for horror/thriller. But I’ll probably have to go with Paranormal Activity or Creep djjdkd

The best way to cheer me up when I’m having a crappy day is to drop me into a pool somewhere LOL and pray that it’s sunny because that’ll get my good feelings feeling good

And idk!! I’m excited to get a haircut :D I don’t have an appointment yet but I’ve been planning a big chop

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boysplanetrecaps · 8 months

Text

The Great Produce 48 Rewatch: Ep 3, The Girls Practice for the Challenge Mission

My dear friends who anxiously await my Produce 48 Recap Things! I forgot to post this -- sorry! This is the post that is supposed to go after this post but before this post. Sigh. I'll fix it sooner or later. So yeah, this post describes most of the second half of episode 3, where the girls begin practicing for their challenge mission.

So, this is the part of the episode where we see each group as it begins to assign parts and stuff like that.

Because MNET is *the worst* the girls clearly don’t have any translators working with them, so they can barely talk to each other if they don’t have a bilingual girl on their team. Great. Thanks, MNET Producers. Thmrucers.

PEEKABOO TEAMS

The song:

Peekaboo came out in November of 2017, so it was the most recently released song among the eight at the time of filming. It peeked at #2 in the Kpop Hot 100 and was a critical darling. It’s also, in my opinion, just a great fucking song. I still remember being at Cafe Bene in K-town having some coffee when I first heard this song. I had to shazam it to find out what it was, and was surprised that it was Red Velvet. I had heard of Red Velvet, but as a fan of f(x), I had felt weird about getting into them. Seems dumb now! Anyway, this song was too good to deny and after that I was full on Reve-luv. The song is little bit trop house, a little bit pop, and 100% melodic, and the lyrics -- which compare love to a game played by children -- are fun and intriguing. The concept, too, was a lot of fun -- kind of mysterious, almost horror, but playful at the same time. Not totally sexy, but a little sexy; not totally cute, but a little cute; not girl crush, but the kind of girls you get a crush on. And catchy as all get out. It’s a great song to choose in the sense that it’s a great song, but it would be tricky to perform well, because the concept is so nebulous and mature. I mean, who else but Irene can make the word “Peekaboo” sound so elegant and cryptic?

Team 2:

At 57:07, we have a super quick visit with Peekaboo 2.

Left to right: Yujeong, Yeji, Yubin, Yuuka, Miu, and Dahye

Hong Yeji, 16, one of the CNC girls, the one who fell down in her video evaluation and then fell from B to F, is ranked 76thth.

Kato Yuuka, 20, who auditioned with Funny People and rose from C to B, is ranked 73rd.

Kim Da Hye, who auditioned with I Don't Like Your Girlfriend and fell from A to C, is ranked 89th.

Kim Yu Bin, 16, one of the CNC girls, fell from B to D and is currently ranked a very low 93rd. OUCH.

Lee Yu Jeong, 14, future Lightsum member and C-class mainstay, is ranked 48th.

Shitao Miu, 17, who wore the hat on her waistband in her Mister audition, stayed in D and is ranked 45

Kim Yubin was the chooser, so it makes sense she would have chosen Yeji, her labelmate. Yubin has somehow been made both leader and center, and the team seems focused on what their team name should be. You guys, I never remember the names that they come up with for these teams. I don’t remember the names of most performance teams I’ve actually been on! I’m not sure they matter. They begin to rehearse, and we find out that Kim Da Hye is actually half Korean and half Japanese and speaks both languages fluently. What a VIP! The whole team is grateful to her.

It’s weird, but this is all we see of this team! Slightly less than a minute. I’m sure the fact that this group has the lowest average ranking of all 16 groups (70.6, when the other groups range from 16.8 to 63.6) has no connection to their lack of screen time, right? It’s just a coincidence.

Left to right: Jurina, Gyuri, AleXa, Gaeun, Yiren, Eunyeong

Peekaboo 1 (58:00):

Then we hop over to Peekaboo 1. Jurina was the captain/chooser for the group, and they got their choice of song. The group was formed fifth, which means that Jurina had a decent talent pool to choose from.

The members:

Bae Eunyeong, the mint Chewing Gum girl, who landed in B and was most recently ranked 30th

Jang Gyuri, the pink Chewing Gum girl and Fromis9 member, who landed in F and was most recently ranked 14th

Lee Gaeun, our Pledis queen, who was always an A+ girl and was most recently ranked 1st place

Matsui Jurina, queen Jurina, who stayed in B and was most recently ranked 12th

Wang Yiren, future Everglow visual, who landed in C and was most recently ranked 7th

AleXa, who landed in C and was most recently ranked 86th place (ouch!)

Fun side note: Peekaboo was written by Swedish DJ/songwriter Cazzi Opeia, who later on wrote a bunch of songs for AleXa, including Back in Vogue!

The group dynamic:

This group has a bit more language challenge than some, because AleXa is American, Yiren is Chinese, Jurina is Japanese, and the other three are Korean. Yiren speaks some Korean, and a few girls speak Japanese, but there are certainly layers of difficulty.

It’s kind of interesting that Jurina chose AleXa -- they probably met when they were both in group B -- and also kind of interesting that she didn’t choose any Japanese trainees. I’m not sure what to make of that. Jurina also would have met Jang Gyuri and Wang Yiren in B group, so maybe she just mostly picked friends. Well, some Very Pretty friends!

Eunyeong and Gyuri are labelmates and went through Idol School together before they came on this show. But there is definitely some tension between them, which might have something to do with the fact that Gyuri won Idol School and still came on this show.

The storyline:

First, Eunyeong volunteers to be leader since she already knows the choreo to Peekaboo. It doesn’t hurt that she also speaks Japanese. Then they start talking about who should be center -- The Inevitable Center Discussion, henceforth known as the ICD -- and Gaeun says that although all of the girls are suitable, she thinks that the center should be either Yiren or Gyuri. To me that seems like a good idea, as they are both “the prettiest ones” (per Korean standards). After a quick conversation, the group is starting to settle on the very highly ranked and popular Gyuri, but Eunyeoung interrupts and says that they should have both Yiren and Gyuri “audition” to be center.

LTR: Jurina, Gyuri, AleXa, Gaeun, Yiren, Eunyeoung

They both do well, but Gyuri giggles a little at the end and I think that loses it. After seeing each of them try the ending pose, the team votes for Yiren. Yiren is overjoyed, and Gyuri does her best to accept it, but man, that had to hurt, having a labelmate do that. You really have to wonder what is going on between Gyuri and Eunyoung. Was there actual animosity, or were they such good friends that Eunyoung went overboard in being “fair”?

Look, if I ran things, I’d have put Gauen in the center, because I think she might be the only one on the team who can do the Irene-esque mysterious gravitas. But failing that, I'd choose Gyuri, because (a) the popularity issue and (b) Yiren doesn’t sparkle in more girl-crush concepts. I know that’s what she does now in Everglow, and um, yeah. I said what I said.

Lingering question: Did the team make the right choice putting Yiren in the center instead of Gyuri? Will getting 4x the screen time give these girls an advantage in the at-home vote, rendering the issue of the performance win kind of moot either way?

LIKE OOH AHH

The song:

Ok, I can’t help but love this song. It’s among my favorite Twice songs, actually. The lyrics should bother me -- bragging about how pretty they are and all that -- but am I bovvered? I also love the choreo -- it’s not particularly difficult, but it’s cute and varied, with fun little details like the air flute and the little choo-choo-train. No surprise this song is great -- it was written and produced by Black Eyed Pilseung, a production duo that is also behind a ton of huge Kpop hits, including Twice songs "TT", "Likey", and "Fancy"; Apink's "I'm So Sick" and "Eung Eung (%)"; Got7’s “If You Do,” ; Chung-ha’s “Roller Coaster” and “Gotta Go,”; StayC’s “ASAP” “Run 2 U” and “Beautiful Monster,” and Itzy’s “Cake,” which I really like so fight me I guess. Also “Beep Beep” by Ruann, which if you don’t know, you should check out.

Like Ooh Ah was Twice’s debut, and it had a bit of a slow burn, entering the charts at 22 and hanging out for a while before eventually hitting 10th place. It has since, of course, grown into an enduring and well loved hit, with almost 500 million views on Youtube.

This group will be performing the song in Japanese, but I still think that this was a smart choice for a song. The choreo is cute but not outrageously difficult. The tune isn’t too hard either. It would be completely familiar to the audience, and given Twice’s popularity, it’s hard to imagine many viewers who actually dislike it. And since the concept of the song was that the individual members were all dressed a little bit differently from one another, group coherence would be a lot less important here than it would be in other songs.

Like Ooh Ahh 1 (1:02:00)

LTR: Moe, Soyeon, Doah, Chaewon, Riina, and Haeyoon

The next group we visit is Like Ooh Ah 1. The captain was Soyeon, and my best guess based on the evidence is that, as improbable as it sounds, this group was formed 9th or 10th. It’s a pretty stacked team, though. They got their choice of song -- in fact, from what we could see in the editing, this was their first choice.

The members:

Goto Moe, the laryngitis girl, who moved from F to C and was most recently ranked 8th.

Hwang Soyeon, the flat tummied “little Sunmi” who stayed in A and was ranked 46th.

Kim Chaewon, future Le Sserafim, who stayed in B class and was ranked 21st.

Kim Doah, future member of Fanatics and visitor to GP999, who moved from A to C and was ranked 25th.

Lee Seunghyeon, aka H1-Key’s Riina, who moved from B to C and was ranked 60th.

Park Haeyoon, my new Cherry Bullet bias, who moved from A down to D and was ranked 35th.

The group dynamic:

Soyeon was the captain and group chooser, and she chose two former A-group members, whose skills she would have been familiar with. It’s possible that she’d been talking to her labelmate Damin, who was in group B, and would have met Chaewon and Riina and known what they were capable of. And Moe has a compelling story that would make her stand out among the Japanese trainees. So really, I think Soyeon did a great job choosing this team.

Looks like they have chosen Haeyoon, the oldest in the group and a Japanese speaker, to be the leader.

The storyline:

Of course, they dive immediately into the ICD. Riina and Moe are the only two who raise their hands as wanting to be in the center, and they each audition. Riina’s energy wins her the part.

They dive into choreo, and Moe hits a bit of a wall with the classic “ooh-ah, ooh-ah” butt wiggle. Haeyoon kindly talks Moe through it. It's a cute scene -- I just don't have much to say about it.

Lingering questions: Is Riina the correct center? Will Moe be able to wiggle her butt?

Like Ooh Ahh 2 (1:05:03)

LTR: Park Seo Young, Naiki Kokoro, Park Jinny, Cho Kahyeon, Choi Yeon Soo

Next, we visit Like Ooh Ahh 2. The captain and chooser was Naiki Kokoro, and was probably formed 10th, 11th, or 12th, something in there.

The members:

Park Seo Young, age 19, the blonde who sat in Chair 1, fell from C to D and was ranked 26th at this point.

Naiki Kokoro, age 20, auditioned with Funny People, rose from D to C, and was ranked 82nd.

Park Jinny, age 20, is the other “individual trainee” who auditioned with Seoyoung. She fell from C to F and was ranked 49th.

Cho Kahyeon, age 14, is the Starship girl who isn’t Wonyoung or Yujin. She held steady in B and was ranked 36th.

Lee Ha Eun, age 13, is the “mini Chung-ha” girl who held steady in A, and was ranked 58th.

Choi Yeonsoo, age 19, is one of the YGK+ models, the one who fell from D to F, and was ranked 52nd.

The group dynamic:

There’s only one Japanese speaker here, the captain Kokoro. Looks like she picked Park Jinny first, then Cho Kahyeon, then Haeun, then Yeonsoo, and Seoyoung last. I really can’t figure out her plan. She may have gotten friendly with Yeonsoo when they were in D together, but her reasons for picking the others aren’t obvious to me.

The storyline:

Turns out that this group thought that Seoyoung should be both leader and center, so they sidestepped the ICD. They’re trying to start to learn the choreography, but they’re in a huge room with a ton of other other people, no dedicated soundsystem, and no mirror, so it’s hard. It’s just the first few minutes of their rehearsal -- you can see that in the background, the other Like Ooh Ah team is still distributing the parts -- so it really doesn’t matter if they can’t get it on the first try. But even so, the scary background music lets us know that THEY ARE HAVING A PROBLEM.

Model Choi Yeon Soo interviews, “Haeun was in Class A. And nobody else in the group is in A. She was put in that group because she’s talented. So it almost felt like Haeun was the real leader…. Both of them were subconsciously competing. They gave different commands. Meanwhile, I just stood off from the side. It’s stressing me out, to be honest.”

It’s awkward because Haeun is the youngest and the tiniest, but she’s also obviously the best. And Seoyoung seems to be losing more and more confidence by the minute. It’s not usually a great thing when someone is topping from the bottom. I get it, though. I am one of those people who can’t take it when the person who is supposed to be leading just isn’t doing it right. I try so hard to bite my tongue and hang back but… sooner or later, if the shit has to get done, then… I do it.

Lingering question: Will they ever be able to have a smooth practice without stressing out Yeonsoo?

BOOMBAYAH

The song: I’m going to go ahead and assume you know this song, so I don’t need to tell you that it was one of Blackpink’s two debut songs and all that. It’s not my favorite Blackpink song of all time -- that’s Whistle, if you’re wondering-- but of course I like this one too. It’s hard to imagine a world where I had never heard of Blackpink at this point, but that time once existed. I remember hearing Boombayah playing in another room (I had left a playlist of new songs playing) and hearing it and wondering, who is that? Weird, right? Anyway, despite this song not really being about anything, it’s a pretty great song, with really hard choreo and a lot of fast rapping, and it’s going to be difficult for whatever team tries to do it. It’s got super low notes in the chorus (it’s hard to sing lower notes when you’re dancing), it requires a ton of swag, a lot of it is intentionally not synchronized, I mean, this is hard.

Hell, it’s too hard for Blackpink these days. Yep, I said what I said.

Boombayah 1 (1:06:51)

Left to right: Won Soyeon, Ko Yujin, Lee Chaejeong, Park Changju, Kim Sohee

We visit first with Boombayah team 1. Lee Chaejeong was the chooser, and the group was formed 9th or later.

Won Seoyeon, age 18, who auditioned to Heroine by Sunmi, fell from C to F and was ranked 77th at this point.

Ko Yujin, age 17, the “Hyuna lookalike” who auditioned with Lip and Hip and rose from C to A. She was ranked 34th.

Lee Chaejeong, age 18, future member of Alice, stayed in C and was ranked 94th at this point. Ouch!!

Park Chanju, age 19, label mate of Chaejeong’s, fell from C to D and was ranked 69th. Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Kim Sohee, age 14, future member of Rocket Punch, rose from C to B and was ranked 44th.

The group dynamic: Chaejeong probably picked Chanju because they’re label mates, and also, all five of them were together in C class initially, and they probably became friendly then. I think it’s smart to pick people who all get along with each other, since often the team that gets along better is the one that ends up winning.

You may have noticed that there were only five of them, not six -- that’s due to the Japanese girls who dropped out. I scoured the footage and couldn’t find any shots in which there were six of them at any point. I can’t figure out why a team would volunteer to have only five members, but I can’t find any info to shed any light on this, so we’ll have to just sort of accept that something happened behind the scenes here.

The storyline:

To the strains of the Knight Rider theme song (possibly the best tv theme song of all time), we find out that Chaejeong picked the group with Boombayah in mind. Guess it’s a good thing that they got it! She thought Yujin would suit the song, that Chanju would learn it quickly, and that she needed Soyeon to sing. She added Sohee on purpose to provide cuteness. Naturally, given that she had a whole plan in mind, the team elects her leader immediately.

Lingering question:

Everything’s going so perfectly... Is it maybe too perfect?

Boombayah 2 (1:08:47)

LTR: Asai Nanami, Asai Yuka ?, Kang Hyewon, Han Chowon, Sato Manami, and Chiba Erii

Then we visit with the miserable leftovers team, forced to do Boombayah as well. Weirdly enough, despite being the leftovers team, they have a higher average ranking than Boombayah 1 -- 57.3 compared to 63.6. They’re also more popular than Love Whisper 2 or Mamma Mia 2. And everyone is more popular than Peekaboo 2. So yeah, while the leftovers team might lack skills, they don't lack popularity, exactly.

The members:

Asai Nanami, age 18, aka Sailor Venus, who rose from F to D and was ranked 41st.

Asai Yuuka, age 14, who auditioned with Knock Knock, rose from F to D and was ranked 80th.

Kang Hyewon, age 18, Miss Purity herself, consistent F class girl ranked 40th.

Han Chowon, age 15, future Lightsum member who rose from D to B, ranked 79th.

Chiba Erii, age 14, aka Sailor Mercury, consistent F class girl ranked 38th.

Sato Minami, age 14, aka Sailor Mars, fell from D to F and was ranked 66th.

The group dynamic:

Poor leftovers group. It’s interesting that all three members of the Blow Him a Kiss group ended up here -- all three sailor scouts. It seems clear how most of these girls ended up in the leftovers team; they were all F or D class, and most of them were on the younger side. I can only guess that Chowon was left behind primarily because she doesn’t fit Korean beauty standards, with her darker skin, stronger features, and larger body. She’s beautiful, of course, but the standards are so narrow and so specific… sigh. Lookism is such a thing in Kpop but it's still gross and I hate it.

The storyline:

The girls are mostly pretty hopeless. This was the song that they had most wanted to avoid. Yuuka interviews, “I knew that there was no use in crying, but the tears just wouldn’t stop.”

But luckily for them, and for all posterity, they had Chowon.

This 15 year old girl steps up to be both leader and center (and ultimately, main vocal) of this group, this group comprising one (1) perpetually bewildered Korean girl and four (4) terrified Japanese girls who she has trouble communicating with. The girls are scared to even sing for each other, and when Chowon brings up rapping, they say, “we’re even worse at rapping.” WHY ARE YOU ON THIS SHOW, THEN? Hyewon mumbles in a voice over, “I, um, was, um, gra..ateful or something? But, also um, sorry also? Too?” After all, she wants to embody purity and innocence, which clashes with this song.

Chowon is like, “SOMEONE HAS TO RAP, YOU GUYS, BECAUSE THIS SONG CONTAINS RAP PARTS, HOW MUCH MORE SIMPLE CAN I MAKE THIS, THERE IS NO ONE ELSE WHO WILL STEP UP, SO IT HAS TO BE ONE OF US, HOLY SHIT” and Hyewon, bless her heart, volunteers to be main rapper. I’ll hand it to the girl -- at least she isn’t just sort of “avoid the teacher’s gaze”-ing her way through all this. She's doing the damn thing. Good for you, Hyewon.

She interviews that her parents had teased her that she might end up having to rap, adding, “that’s why you shouldn’t make jokes like that -- they might come true.”

Lingering question: What will become of Boombayah team 2? Truly, what will become of us all?

MAMMA MIA

The song:

I don’t remember a lot about my first watch through of Produce 48, as I’ve said, but I do remember that I discovered the song Mamma Mia through it, and I’ve liked it ever since. It’s just one of those classic kpop songs where it sounds sort of retro but from no specific time, so it could kind of be from any time. If you don’t really know it, definitely give it a shot. It’s catchy AF. Hit the lights let’s GO!

The song was produced by Duble Sidekick, who also produced Mr. Chu by A*pink, Pepe by CLC (underrated bop), You’re the Best by Mamamoo, Give It To Me by Sistar, and Thumbs Up by Momoland. Kara had debuted in 2007, so they were a well known senior group by 2014, when Mamma Mia was released. At the time of filming, the song would have been almost four years old, making it the oldest of the eight songs selected, but it was a pretty huge hit in 2014 and would probably have still been familiar to most of the audience at the time.

Mamma Mia isn’t known for it’s extremely difficult choreography -- it’s more about being confident and sexy. But the vocals might be a bit challenging, with a lot of high notes. Also, I should mention that for Produce48, they’ll be performing the song in Japanese.

Mamma Mia Group 1 (1:12:04)

LTR: Park Minji, Kim Hyunah, Chiyori, Park Ji Eun, Murase Sae

We first visit with Mamma Mia, group 1. This one was formed 9th or later.

The members:

Kim Hyunah, age 23, who I call husky voiced Hyunah, from B class, ranked a sad 72. 😣

Murase Sae, 21, who auditioned with Funny People, rose from D to C and is currently ranked 43.

Nakanishi Chiyori, 23, who auditioned with What's Your Name?, rose from D to C, and is ranked 37.

Park Jieun, 20, future ex-Purple Kiss, who fell from C to F and was ranked 70th.

Park Minji, age 19, PD101 trainee and future Secret Number member, from B class, ranked 56.

The storyline:

We learn that Chiyori is apparently a master of hilarious facial expressions and that at the auditions she even did quick impressions of several of the judges. It’s nice to get a peek into her funny personality. From now on I’ll call her “wacky Chiyori.” That’s about all we get, but it’s actually a fun segment. We also learn that Hyunah is chosen as center.

Lingering questions: Will Kim Hyunah make a good center?

Mamma Mia 2 (1:14:23)

LTR: Ayana, Miho, Bibian, Suhyun, Soeun, Sarang

Then we visit with the other Mamma Mia team.

The members:

Cho Sarang, 14, who sang Tomorrow at the audition, fell from B to F (ouch!) and is currently ranked 90th (ouch again!). She has an eyepatch on, and I did some digging but didn’t find out why.

Choi Soeun, 16, who did Question Mark at the audition, fell from B to C and is currently ranked 92 (oh no!)

Miyazaki Miho, 24, our multilingual queen, who has stayed in D and is currently ranked 16th place

Murakawa Bibian, 18 but looks like a baby doll, firmly stationed in F class and ranked 31st

Shin Suhyun, 22, the show’s favorite punching bag, who fell from D to F and is ranked 57th

Shinozaki Ayana, 22, one of the What's Your Name? group, with the beauty mark under her lip, firmly stationed in F class and ranked 87th

The group dynamic:

Bibian was the chooser for this group, and it was formed 9th or later. My best guess is that she picked people she knew or was friendly with, which at some point is just as good a reason to pick someone as any.

The storyline:

We find out that Mamma Mia was on their “black list” -- a song they didn’t want to do since they didn’t know it. Sarang especially doesn’t know it -- well, sure, she would have been 9 or 10 when it came out. So they weren’t thrilled to get chosen to face off against Chiyori’s team and do this song.

At the song chosing ceremony, as Miho's team walks over to stand next to Chiyori's team, Chiyori apologizes to her senpai/sunbae Miho, and host Lee Seungki asks, “Any words of warning to her as her sunbae?”

And Miho replies, with (mock?) seriousness: “All I have is confidence! I definitely don’t want to lose against them!”

Miho and Chiyori are both on AKB48, and they are 24 and 23 years old respectively, so they have probably known each other for a really long time. It makes sense that they would have a friendly rivalry.

The team makes Miho the leader -- she’s the oldest in the group and apparently bilingual, so she’s ideal. I don’t know, gang, I just really like Miho! She just seems cool as shit.

We don’t see the choosing or any of the ICD, but Choi Soeun has been made center.

We hear Sarang singing a little bit of the song, and she sounds great. She’s an obvious choice for main vocal.

We glance back over at Mamma Mia team 1, where Park Minji is listening to Sarang’s singing a bit nervously. “Sarang-chingu is their main vocal,” Minji interviews, “and she hits the high notes well. I’m a bit conscious of her. In season 1, I got sent home when I was the main vocalist.”

We get a flashback to PD101 Season 1, when Minji performed a different song by Kara -- Break It, another bop -- and fucking smashed it. Here’s a link -- she’s the one in the gray shirt that says “Babe”. Like, no question, she was amazing. Proof that these shows are dumb. Sigh.

Lingering question: Which main vocalist will reign supreme?

LOVE WHISPER

The song:

This is one of those songs that if I’m not actually listening to it, I can’t remember how it goes. And when I am actually listening to it, I don’t know which Gfriend song it is in specific -- I just know it’s one of their earlier songs that all blend together. Is this Rough? Glass Bead? Me Gustas Tu? I don’t know. I don’t hate cute songs -- I love Secret Garden by OMG, for example -- but most classic Gfriend songs do nothing for me. (Exception: Navillera, which is a Never-skip for me. What can I say? It’s a bop.)

Even if it's not my personal favorite, Love Whisper was a big hit, and came out in August of 2017, making it pretty recent at time of filming. Like all Gfriend songs, the actual vocals required are quite challenging, and the dancing is tough too. Gfriend songs are no joke, no matter how cutesy they are. It’s not a bad choice for a team that can do it, but not everyone can.

LTR: Nako, Nayoung, Damin, Sae, Misaki, and Eunbin.

At 1:16:07, we visit with both Love Whispers, starting with Team 2, a team chosen by Nako.

The members:

Aramaki Misaki, 17, who auditioned with the blighted Never Ending Ferris Wheel group, has been stationed in F class, and is ranked 61st.

Kang Damin, 14, the cute future member of Queenzeye, went from B to A, and is ranked 74th.

Kim Nayoung, 15, future member of Lightsum who auditioned with I Don’t Like Your Girlfriend, went from C to A, and is now in 63rd place.

Kurihara Sae, 21, who had the great bangs in Never Ending Ferris Wheel, who went from D to F and is now ranked 84th.

Yabuki Nako, 16, who moved up from F to A, is currently ranked 27th.

Yoon Eunbin, 14, one of the CNC girls, stayed in B, and is ranked 68th.

The group dynamic:

They were actually the third team formed, and Nako had a plan -- to choose kawaii girls. MNET brings out the good ol’ “cutey pie” music to celebrate -- you know, the “la la la” music they play. Nako must have known Sae and Misaki from being in HKT48 together. I don’t think she would have known the other girls, but Damin and Eunbin were in class B together, and they’re about the same age, so they probably got friendly with each other. Not sure if anyone knew Nayoung specifically, but they all live together in big dorms and probably meet each other around. Regardless of exactly how Nako picked them, I must say, if there’s a group that can knock Love Whisper out of the park, it’s this one.

Almost immediately after we meet the Kawaii Avengers, we go over to visit with Love Whisper Team 1, so let’s get the roster up:

Left to right: Motu Tomu, Serika, Manami, Wang Ke, Noe, and Eun Chae

Ichikawa Manami, 18, with the shorter hair, from What's Your Name?, rose from F to C, currently ranked 83

Muto Tomu, 23, who we are about to get to know better, a D class mainstay and ranked 28th.

Nagano Serika, 17, who auditioned with Mister by Kara, has lived in F class and is ranked 81st.

Son Eun Chae, 18, future member of Bugaboo, who moved up from C to B and is ranked 85th.

Wang Ke, 17, a Chinese girl who had the red polka dots in Celeb Five, moved down from B to D and is ranked 33rd.

Yamada Noe, 18, with her gravelly voice, moved from C down to F and is ranked quite high in 9th place.

We learn that our friend the palindrome, Muto Tomu, was the chooser for this team. This is kind of an interesting team in that it’s the only team with only 1 Korean trainee, and it’s one of two teams with four Japanese members. (All the other teams have 3 Japanese trainees or fewer.) Three of the Japanese members -- Manami, Tomu, and Serika -- are from AKB48, so Tomu may have chosen friends, but most of them haven’t really worked together much on the show. Tomu also chose a team without a decent vocalist.

Having formed such a team, they decided that the only song that they absolutely could not do was Love Whisper. However, Tomu wasn’t the fastest runner, and by the time she got to the far wall during the race, the only song left was Love Whisper. She tried to just not win by not putting the sign in the sign holder, but somehow she was forced to “win” the race anyway. (Maybe both girls who grabbed Love Whisper refused to put the sign in the holder, so production had to intervene? It’s not clear.) Then because she came in second to last in the race, she had second to last choice of groups to face up against, and had a choice between the Cute Avengers or Sakura’s team, and chose the Cute Avengers. It was just not a good day for Tomu.

The storyline:

Tomu’s team all try to sing, but many of them cannot make sounds come out of their mouth. Of the group, it seems that Manami is actually the best singer -- she physically can hit the high notes. She doesn’t really want to be stuck with main vocal, but she’s the best option the team has.

Meanwhile, over in the Cute Avengers, they’re choosing their main vocal, but they’re having the opposite problem -- they have a a few too many decent vocalists and have to choose the best one. Nayoung can sing -- well, she has “stable” vocals -- but so can Nako, who manages to sing while holding her mouth in a full, unmoving smile.

This girl is currently singing.

She’s not making an “eee” sound, more like an “uhh” sound. It’s wild. It’s like some kind of ventriloquist trick the way she can sing while keeping her mouth firmly in a smile. She ends up winning main vocal. I’d give it to her, too. What other spells can she cast if she can do this kind of witchcraft?

Lingering question: Is Nako the right choice of main vocal? Will Tomu’s team be able to pull it off?

HIGH TENSION

The song:

Ok, I have to admit it -- this song is charming AF. It’s not super complex, and I think it would get old pretty fast, but it’s so cute and peppy that I can fully imagine playing it at my cousin’s wedding next May and having everyone get up and start dancing even though they’ve never heard it before.

For the record, the title is an example of what my Japanese prof in college would have called “Japanese English” -- when they use an English phrase in a way that English speakers don’t use. You’re already familiar with this idea if you know the way that Koreans say “fighting!” In "Japanese English," “Tension” is supposed to mean something more like “excitement”, not stress.

[My favorite example of “Japanese English” is the word “viking” (pronounced more like “biking”) which is the Japanese word for “all you can eat buffet.” Isn’t that great? I think we should just all start calling all you can eat buffets “Viking buffets” instead.]

Team 1 (1:19:55)

Top row, team 1, LTR: Nakano Ikumi, Mogi Shinobu, Iwate Saho, Cho Yeoungin, Kim Dayeon, Yoon Haesol

Bottom row, team 2: Takeuchi Miyu, Cho Ahyoung, Huh Yunjin, Kim Suyun, Oda Erina

Team 1:

Cho Yeongin, 16, who auditioned alongside Lee Chaeyeong, moved from B to C and is ranked 62.

Iwatate Saho, 23, who auditioned with Miyu to Dancing Hero, moved from B to D and is ranked 24th.

Kim Dayeon, 15, future Kep1er, B class mainstay and ranked 65

Mogi Shinobu, 21, the living meme, who moved up from F to D and is ranked 59

Nakano Ikumi, 17, “known for her dancing”, who moved up from D to B and is ranked 53rd.

Yoon Haesol, 20, who auditioned with Question Mark, moved down from B to D, and is ranked 50th.

Group dynamic: Saho was the chooser for this team, and picked some girls that she would have known from B class (Yeongin, Dayeon, Haesol) and a few girls she knew from AKB48 (Shinobu, Ikumi). I think this group was formed 9th or later. They’ve chosen Youngin as the leader, which is kind of interesting since she’s definitely not the oldest, nor is she the highest ranked, but I *think* she might speak a bit of Japanese so that might explain it.

We see a flashback of the trainees all watching a live performance of the song, which of course means that many AKB-48 girls who are on the show would be visible in the performance. Sakura, Juri, and Jurina are all clearly visible, and everyone squeals when they see them. But Iwate Saho is like, “I was there too for that performance -- where was I?” She’s barely visible in the crowd.

What if she were center this time??? Would something be different????????

Saho trying to charm the other girls into letting her be center.

She auditions and, to her delight, gets chosen as the center kind of quickly, ending the ICD, and they begin practicing. She sighs happily, pats her “center” sticker, and says “Ganbarimasu!” (That’s the Japanese version of “fighting!”)

Meanwhile, over in team 2, they’re deep in the middle of the ICD….

Team 2 (1:21:56)

Takeuchi Miyu, 22, the one who auditioned in the awesome orange bulls eye dress, fell from A to B but is still ranked pretty high at 11th place.

Cho Ahyeong, 16, who auditioned with future Cherry Bullet Haeyoon, rose from C to B and is ranked 78th.

Huh Yunjin, 16, future Le Sserafim, who somehow fell from C to F, was ranked 15th

Kim Suyun, 17, future Rocket Punch badass, has lived in class C and is ranked 51.

Oda Erina, 21, who was supposedly known for her singing, fell from C to F and was ranked 67th.

This group was formed 6th, and the chooser was Oda Erina. She picked a few Korean girls she knew from class C and a talented Japanese trainee she probably knew personally.

Miyu wants the center, but meets opposition from Erina, who says that “having a Japanese person as the center would be too predictable.” Miyu and Erina talk about it in Japanese, and then Miyu says, “New High Tension hago shipayo-- hangul chingu wa jowayo ” -- a mixture of English, Korean, and Japanese used to indicate they want to make a new style of High Tension, and a Korean chingu would be good center. The other trainees all say “ahhh!” in understanding -- and the editors play that over and over in case you miss it. So the Korean trainees leave it up to Erina and Miyu to pick the center. Miyu eventually says, in Korean so basic and slow that even I understand: “We think… giraffe-chan.” Meaning, of course, our very own Huh Yunjin! These are girls who know quality when they see it. They like her “giraffe” image. Yunjin gives a cute, happy smile that was the image at the beginning of this post.

Meanwhile, Team 1 center, Saho, looks over and notices that Team 2 has chosen a Korean trainee to be the center. She wonders if that was a smart choice, given that the Japanese trainees know this song so well.

Lingering question: Who will make the better center -- an AKB girl, or Huh Yunjin? My money is on Yunjin because, um, she’s Yunjin. But I don’t remember who wins! This will be interesting!

SHORT HAIR

The song: I wouldn’t call myself an AOA stan exactly, but I do like them a lot. I love Jimin’s “hey hey”s, I love Choa’s vocals -- check out her song with Primary, Don’t Be Shy, an enduring top-100-of-all-time song for me -- and I love Chanmi/Dohwa’s swag. They always have this laid back, casual confidence that is weirdly charming -- very like “you can look but will never touch!” -- and their song Like a Cat is a Never Skip for me.

That said, Short Hair isn’t my absolute favorite song of theirs, and was probably one of the least well known songs in the mix. It came out in June of 2014, so even though it was a pretty big hit, by 2018, it would have been old hat. Also, by 2018, AOA was sort of on the way out; Choa quit for mental health reasons (good for her!!!) in 2017, and the group hadn’t had an actual hit since 2016.

1:23:45 Team 2

We start off visiting Short Hair Team 2.

Group Dynamics: I’m not sure who chose this group, but I assume it was formed 9th or later. They’ve chosen Sian to be their leader, and it seems like Mina is using a bit of pigeon Korean to be the group’s interpreter.

clockwise/left to right: Rena (in gray), Miku, Mina, Natsumi, Sian, and Yewon

Ahn Yewon, 17, model , stuck in F, ranked 88

Hasegawa Rena, 17, who auditioned alongside Noe, fell from D to F, ranked 54th.

Imada Mina, 21, the tall one with no bangs in Never Ending Ferris Wheel, who rose from D to C and is ranked 64th.

Lee Sian, 19, one of the Idol School girls who fell from C to D, is ranked 18th.

Matsuoka Natsumi, 21, with the sort of distinctive face from Never Ending Ferris Wheel, rose from F to C and is ranked 55th.

Takana Miku, currently ranked C, was initially in this group -- she was one of the girls who auditioned with the Banana song. More on her later.

They are, of course, mired in the ICD.

Mina, Natusumi, and Sian all want to be center. They aren’t sure how to decide who the center should be, since none of them really know the song yet.

Sian suggests using facial expressions at a key point as the audition piece. Natsumi says, in Japanese, “I don’t think I can win if that’s how we choose,” and then, half-seriously, suggests rock paper scissors to decide (!!). Sian’s reaction is priceless.

Like, seriously, guys, did you seriously just suggest that we choose the center for this with Rock Paper Scissors? Do you want to win the challenge? What the fuck? Is this a game for you? Are you out of your minds? OMG. OMG. What. The. Fuck.

Sian politely points out that this is way too serious to decide that way. Since the decision is to be made based on merits, Natsumi bows out. All of this is making me not really like Natsumi that much, so I have to kind of take a breath and remind myself that they’re all pretty stressed out and exhausted.

That leaves just Mina and Sian running for center. Sian’s audition is charming and lively, with just the right tone for the song. Mina’s is more muted, though still decent. It seems obvious to my eyes that Sian’s look and style are better suited to the Korean palette, and that they should choose her, but the girls vote on country lines, giving Mina the center. Natsumi says in an interview, “we thought that if we made Sian the center, we’d be Sian and the Girls.” Which… is almost like admitting that you know she’s better than you at this particular thing. It means you should make her the center and step up your own game. You know?

Sian is frustrated. She says she realized that there’s a difference of opinion among countries. The editors play the trouble music to let us know that it isn’t just opinion at stake.

Lingering question: Will Mina make a good center?

Short Hair 1 (1:25:33)

LTR: Mako, Juri, Minyoung, Minseo, Sihyeon, Yuri

Kojima Mako, 21, auditioned with Playing With Fire, rose from C to B and currently ranked 23rd.

Takahashi Juri, 20, future member of Rocket Punch who auditioned with Mako, rose from B to A and is ranked 29th.

Yu Minyoung, 18, the always squinting mint polka dots wearer in Celeb Five who moved from A to B, is ranked 32

Kim Minseo, 15, yellow polka dots in Celeb Five, stayed in C, ranked 39th

Kim Sihyeon, 18, future member of Everglow who rose from B to A and is ranked 13th.

Jo Yuri, 16, future soloist, the one who fell from A to F, ranked 19th.

Group Dynamic: Mako was the chooser of this group, and it was the fifth group formed, so Mako had a decent pool to pick from. She would have met Minseo in group C, and would have known Juri from the AKB franchise. I’m not sure how she picked the others, though I assume she picked Yuri and Sihyeon based on their reputations. Looks like they made Sihyeon the leader -- she’s certainly the most experienced, having been on the show in season 1.

Storyline: They, of course, are in their ICD. But the contrast between this group and Short Hair 2 couldn’t be more stark. Sihyeon thinks the center should be either Juri or Yuri, and they both sing to audition. It’s hard for us to hear their voices since they’re singing over the track, but the girls can hear and decide that Juri should be the center. Juri tries to explain, in a mixture of Korean and Japanese, that since it’s a group battle, she wouldn’t want to cause any harm for the group, so maybe Yuri should do it. But the whole team tells her that she’ll be great. They all like her and want her to be the center -- it seems like even Yuri is on board. Both Sihyeon and Yuri offer to help her, using a hilarious and random mixture of Japanese and Korean.

Sihyeon: If there’s anything wakarimasen[Japanese for “don’t understand”], please ask.

Yuri: Watashi-wa (“I” in Japanese)…. towajesoyo (“will help” in Korean).

We end on this split frame…

…Group 1 already beginning to work together, while Group 2’s Japanese contingent sitting down while Sian is up and practicing. I mean, this shot was cherry picked and who knows the context, but it’s hard not to be swayed a little by it. MNET editors!!! Why are you so evil?

VERY VERY VERY

The song:

Aww, who doesn’t love nomu nomu nomu? Nomu nomu nomu nomu? Nomunomumnomunomnomnomo nomnonomnonomomnomono mnomnomunomunomunom..

It’s catchy and iconic and all the good things. I mean, JYP might be creepy and weird but he can write a hit. Bad Girl Good Girl by Miss A, Nobody by Wonder Girls, ADTOY by 2pm, A by Got7, Icy by Itzy, Feel Special and More & More by Twice, the guy’s a genius. And at least he’s not as overtly gross as YG.

So yeah, Very Very Very was a monster hit and in a way it was responsible for the success of IOI. Their first few singles didn’t exactly set the world on fire, and they needed a hit to cement their status as a hit group. If IOI had never done Very Very Very, there might not have been a season 2 of PD101. Imagine a world without Wanna One or IZ*one! Wild, right? So yeah. We all have to be grateful to JYP for giving this song to IOI, because otherwise you might not be reading these words right now.

In terms of difficulty, I’d say that this song isn’t super hard to perform. It may have originally been intended for Twice -- can’t you imagine it as a Twice song? -- and it has that kind of upbeat, cute-but-confident vibe that Twice has. I don’t think it’s an outrageously difficult concept to rock. The tune is easy to sing -- even the adlibs are easy -- and the choreography is more about cuteness than anything else. Any team would be smart to want to perform this one.

So, let’s check in with the teams who will be performing this iconic hit.

At 1:27:10 we peek in with Sakura and friends. Sakura is learning the Korean word for water -- mul (pronounced more like bul) -- and sharing the Japanese word -- mizu. The other trainees think that Sakura’s team is the team to beat.

An Yujin laments her situation. Everything else was great! She was chosen to pick the first team after Sakura! She got great teammates! But then she had to go up against Sakura’s team. “I thought we were absolutely doomed,” Yujin says. Park Minji speaks for everyone as she interviews: “Sakura’s teem is more popular, but Yujin’s team fits the song better. It’s like Captain America versus Iron Man.”

It’s Spiderman versus Ant Man. It’s Cake versus Ice Cream. It’s Shark versus Tornado. It’s IVE versus Le Sserafim. Winner? All of us!

Let’s take a look at the two rosters. This is a juggernaut lineup. More than half the future lineup of IZ*one is represented between these two teams!

Yujin’s team, which was formed second:

An Yujin, 14, future member of IVE who rose from B to A and is currently ranked 2nd overall. Wow! And she’s 14, you guys. I always forget how young she is here.

Choi Yena, 18, friendly Yena from Yuehua who kept us company for a lot of episode 1, fell from A to B, and is currently ranked 6th.

Honda Hitomi, 16, the super cutey who worked her way up from C to A and is currently ranked 47th.

Jang Wonyoung, future Wonyoung, known for being Wonyoung, who has stayed in B and is ranked 4th.

Na Goeun, 18, future Purplekiss, A class and ranked 20th.

Shiroma Miru, 20, future visitor to Queendom Puzzle, who fell from B to D but is ranked 22nd.

Sakura’s team, which was formed first:

Kim Choyeon, 16, fire-eyes girl and future Bugaboo, fell from A to C, ranked 75

Kim Minju, 17, a Very Pretty Girl, rose from D to C, ranked 17

Kwon Eunbi, 22, future soloist, fell from A to C, is currently ranked 3rd

Lee Chaeyeon, 18, future soloist, famous older sister and dancing machine, who stayed in A and is ranked 10th.

Miyawaki Sakura, 20, THE SAKURA, future member of Le Sserafim who stayed in A and is ranked 5th.

Motomura Aoi, 21, sweet faced Aoi from Never Ending Ferris Wheel, who rose from D to B and is ranked 42nd.

(Because “Choyeon” and “Chaeyeon” are such similar names, I’ll call them Kim Choyeon and Lee Chaeyeon throughout this discussion to help you keep track of who is who.)

Fun fact: Though it was implied that Sakura’s team is more popular, Yujin’s team actually has a higher average ranking -- 16.8 versus 25.3. Sakura’s team is dragged way down by Kim Choyeon, though; without her, their average ranking would be 15!

LTR: Yujin, Hitomi, Miyu, Gaeun, Yena, Wonyoung

We hang out with Yujin’s team for a bit. They’ve elected Na Gaeun leader, which seems smart; she’s one of the older members and is the only one who has been rated A the whole time.

Naturally, they dive right into the ICD. It’s Yujin versus Wonyoung, and Wonyoung obviously suits being a center more for this particular song. (If it had been Boombayah or Peekaboo, I would have said Yujin.)

Meanwhile, on Sakura’s team, they’re in their own ICD.

Kim Choyeon has the AUDACITY to say she wants to be center.

Sakura CANNOT BELIEVE IT.

After all she is THE SAKURA whose smile is completely natural and beautiful and not at all strained or weird. And she can be the ONLY CENTER. She raises her hand to say she also wants to be center, and you can almost hear Kim Choyeon's hopes shattering.

Look, if I were on this team, obviously I’d be ok with making Sakura center, but given that she’s already THE CENTER of the whole show, it might be smart to let someone else be center here, like maybe Minju or Eunbi. However, as much as I feel for Kim Choyeon, I just don’t see a reason to make her center. The judges would yell at the team if they did. Honestly, the judges will probably yell if they make anyone but Sakura center. And they'll probably yell at you even if you do, to make more TV content starring Sakura. I think it’s just part of being within Sakura’s gravity well. You’re blessed, but you’re fucked, too.

Lee Chaeyeon, who is a smartie-pants, recommends Minju. I see why -- she’s super pretty, she’s fairly popular, she makes a great center, and she help offset Sakura’s power a little. I know that for Lee Sian’s team, I said that they should just make Sian the center and step up their game, but in this case, Sakura’s overpowering popularity is not actually matched by her charisma, and it would just be smart to balance things out a bit with another girl who will do just as good a job in center and has the ability to be just as popular.

Sweet-faced Aoi unexpectedly backs Minju -- maybe she’s a little sick of the Sakura train? -- and so does Kwon Eunbi. And thus, both Sakura and Kim Choyeon are shut out; Minju is chosen.

Minju is super flattered, but says, “I don’t think I deserve to be center.”

And Sakura and Choyeon are like, What’s that, you say? You want one of US to be center? Well, if you absolutely insist….

So, each of the two candidates auditions, and Choyeon wins.

With the centers both chosen, we take a peek at each team as they start to try to learn the choreo.

Over on Yujin's team, Yujin is already a bit confused, but many members of Sakura’s team already know the choreo (notably Eunbi and Lee Chaeyeon, who are known for their dancing skills). Then Hitomi reveals herself as choreo learning machine, and the team starts following her.

And that’s the end of this segment!

So yeah I made this scatterplot to show you the rough correlation between average rank of a team and the screentime they get. You're welcome.

It’s slightly thrown off by the fact that some teams were sort of approached together, like the two Love Whispers and the two Avengers teams, and other editing decisions like that, but the trend is pretty clear -- the higher the average rank of the team, the more screentime they get.

The two biggest outliers are Short Hair 1 -- Juri and Yuri’s team -- which didn’t get a ton of screentime despite their high rank because they were getting along so well, and Boombayah 2, the leftovers team, which got a lot of screentime relative to their kind of low rank because their situation is so pathetic.

Ok, thanks for reading (or skimming) this! I hope you enjoyed it. Things are heating up! Next we’ll actually be seeing some performances!! Wild.

#bpr recaps p48 #produce 48 #le sserafim #ive #akb48 #rocket punch #sakura #jang wonyoung #ahn yujin #lightsum

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mediumtires · 2 years

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hello I have to ask

(1) have u seen the dilf/milf/think polls for f1

(2) have you seen the one for bb Toto and Christian

(3) is this about when they meet bc good lord I forgot how baby chris was in the beginning

luv u

i think you are referring to this post:

yes i have seen it and yes i think it’s absolutely hilarious.

my main issue with the whole “how did they meet” scenario is the amount of fucking RESEARCH i will have to do to get this right. which i am in the process of but it takes a lot of fucking time and patience :))))))) but i love it :))) and i’m doing this to myself :))) and it’s fine :)))

young christian horner was unbearable. if you go back and rewatch old interviews from back when he was racing - he’s literally the same person. that man was the oldest 20 something year old back then and he’s the oldest almost 50 year old now.

also did you know niki lauda was toto wolff’s ex wife’s cousin??? not that it’s in any way relevant but that’s the shit i find when i dig deep enough

#rambles etc

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just-some-random-blogger · 2 years

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Hey bestie I love your cover photo but also the Partner and I are rewatching HOTD (he just read the book) and we’re on eps 2/3 meaning DAEMON I mean BAE-MON getting his spotlight and I’m just 🤩🤩🥵🥵

AW HELLO MY LOVE <3 glad to see you today <3 thank you, i too also really love my cover photo im luv dreamy boy so much.

im going to give you a free pass for the fact you fundamentally came here flexing the fact you have a PARTNER ):< to rewatch hotd with. its fine. single lives dont matter. why would they T_T its MY fault im not with any of my 1000+ favs. totally not wishing you any ill or anything like that HAHHAHHAHAHA nah fr good for you. brb casually manifesting my loves into my life so i can counter flex [incoherent manifesting noises]

i wonder what your partner thinks of the series after reading the book also? does he hate it now? AHAHHA

I too have also rewatched an ep of hotd fairly recently with my sis, the one in dragonstone where Daemon is just like 'pls let me kill Otto PLEASE )))):' and my sis is like 'omg matt smith is evil' and i was like '???? ig yeah? but its ok we love him anyway' HAHAHAH

#aralezinspace cutie #aralezinspace loml #ask #house of the dragon #justice for single people everywhere

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cherrymoonxx · 4 months

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hi dear. how r uu ? 😽 hope this new years been going according 2 ur plans so far.

id luv 2 particip8 in ur muse game ! 🫶🏻

☆ capricorn sun, cancer moon and leo rising. 🦁 im ajsu / aj/ a.s, i think there r plenty of emojis that i feel r alike me lol, heres a few : 🤔🤨👍🏻⭐️😼✌🏻😽🤝😧🫶🏻😜🤗☺️

smt ilike2 do in my free time is reading and listening 2 music or writing smt. i also try 2 learn more n more ab astrology. ilike researching ab stuff 2 like if i like smt it remains my hyperfixation 4 a while and i need2 know evry single detail ab it lol iluv watching / rewatching films / series too, and g8 absorbed in all the thoughts, feelings and emotions itll trigger in me. if i end up strongly feeling it, ill write about it somewhere. ilike metaphors and capturing moments. o were these too random ? i apologise 4 yapping 😭 o and i also luv talking lol n mimicking, making ppl laugh ! i tend 2 use my hands a lot while speaking.

ps can i request u 2 reply 2 this, if u do, in priv8 pls ? hope its fine :’) anyw, TYSM in adv 4 ur time and effort ! stay welll. ⭐️🫶🏻

Hey there! I’m good, hope you are too! Don’t apologize! I appreciate you telling me about yourself! Not random at all so don’t worry 💖

*unfortunately, I won’t be answering any asks privately. Hope this is okay!

Alrighty, on to your reading!

So right away, when I connected to your energy I got a very giddy feeling. Very excited, like when you’re waiting for your package to be delivered. I felt very smiley too.

I got your muse scenario right away too! So I’m seeing that your artist will be someone that is not well known at all. In fact, they are an artist on the low so no one really knows that they like art. I’m seeing that they would be this introverted, almost shy kind of person. For your scenario, this is someone you work with. I’m seeing like an office setting that involves weekly meetings and all that. This person has worked at this office for years and is someone that tends to be overlooked. They are hardworking but no one really pays too much attention to them. So for them, this job has become a place where they dread being in. It has really lowered their self esteem but they haven’t been able to find a better job so they end up staying. Everything is dull and repetitive for them, that is, until you came along. I’m seeing you’d be the new hire at the job. Maybe you’ve actually only been there for a few months but they ended up transferring you to this office where your artist currently works at.

I’m seeing that your artist hears you before actually seeing you lol. Like they hear your laughter while talking to some of the others and they find it funny because the office isn’t usually so lively. And at first they’re kinda annoyed, like “who is this person making so much noise,” but then you’d walk over to them and introduce yourself. And oh, they’d be so taken aback because no one ever really acknowledges them. But you did. And boy did you talk their ear off. But you were so kind and initially you started off with something simple but ended up going on a complete tangent, which definitely surprised them. They weren’t used to having so much attention from someone at the office. After a few minutes, you start to realize you’ve taken too much of their time so you apologize and say “it was nice meeting you!” You’ve definitely made an impression on them.

One thing that really stands out, is the fact that every time you came in the office, you’d always say hello to them and strike up a little conversation with them. And you’d notice little details like if they’d changed their hairstyle or if they had a new pair of glasses something like that. And your artist really doesn’t say much during your interactions but they do appreciate being acknowledged, more than they care to admit. You notice how they blush a little when you talk to them and you’d find it adorable. But I think you’re just really friendly so it wasn’t initially that you liked them. It was more so you wanted to treat everyone kindly and with respect.

Your artist will notice your presence a lot. They’d find themselves stealing glances at you across the office or get up to grab some coffee when they notice that you’re in the break room. They’d find themselves loving your voice and wanting to hear what you have to say. Even if you’re just talking about a movie or something with a coworker. And what’s nice is that you’d always spot them and find a way to include them in the conversation, which they actually secretly love. And maybe your coworkers would be like “ugh, why are you talking to them?” And you’d be like “why not?” Like you’d be so confused as to why everyone ignores them. You quite like your artist’s presence and find them refreshing. You find it annoying that people are so blatantly disrespectful that you actually start to distance yourself a bit from them and talk more with your artist.

As you guys talk more often, your artist finds themselves thinking about you a lot. They’d also find themselves doodling little pictures of you in their papers. I’m seeing that they like to draw in a cartoonish/chibi style so the doodles will be really cute little characters. Little by little they start to open up to you and you really get to learn more about them. I think you guys actually fall for each other mutually. It’s a mutual pining situation. You’d both look forward to seeing each other every day. They’d love your sunny disposition and how you make an effort to treat everyone fairly. They love hearing you talk. They love how you also stand up for yourself and others when you feel someone has been wronged. You liven up their life so much that they can’t seem to remember a time when you weren’t in their life. They look forward to seeing you everyday and talking to you, even if it’s just for a minute. Ohhh I’m seeing they’d draw you as a little superhero because you’re kind of a hero to them. You’ve managed to brighten up their life and for that they are truly grateful. They just think you’re so cool and funny and sweet but also thoughtful. they admire how you’re able to capture people’s attention and make them feel seen. You have such a way with people that you’re able to make them feel comfortable even if you just met them. That’s truly such a gift to have!

For the sake of the scenario, imma say you actually confess first. lol you just get so impatient with all the yearning and longing gazes and you can’t take it anymore. So you bluntly tell them that you really like them and ask them out. And the way they get so red in the face makes your heart soar. You just find them so cute and you kinda feel bad for springing this on them but then they shyly confess that they like you too. Awww way too cute!

Alrighty, we shall leave it at that lol. I hope you enjoyed this reading!

Thank you for participating! Please let me know if it resonates!

Take care💞

#loonaticpoe #muse pt 2

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pxgeturner · 6 months

Note

THAT SOUNDS SO FUN WHAT i'm glad you had so much fun!! and nooo omg i'm wishing you all the best and for the speediest recovery <3

i'm so glad you understand the hw stuff i actually hate it it's going to be my 13th reason, and ugh now you're making me so excited to watch gossip girl omg!!

and ooh ore mongatari looks interesting and adventure time has my heart i love that you're rewatching them i haven't seen adventure time for so long </3 NO BUT i love shows like those idk why as we get older we stopped watching those kinds of shows that are SO GOOD and omg yellowjackets is also on my 'to watch' as well i need to get into those <33

i just finished one day and i need some new things to add to my list so oh my goodness definitely feel free to send in any recommendations!! - 🪷

aw angel thank uuu !!

im excited ur excited!! don’t let the evil homework win u have to beat them n graduate!!

the cuties have similar tastes look at us ! i personally never stopped i need the comfort. 🫶🏽😔

mmmm a movie i’d recommend is the vow ! ok it’s not a series but it’s so cute i watched it recently n i luv. it has channing tatum n rachel mcadams. so bittersweet n adorable 🥰

oh n before i forget may i ask ur age? i’m just tryna check bcz i’ve been considering for along ass time making my blog 18+ instead of 16+ so in case i do later on. <3

#incoming! ~*💌#🪷 nonnie!

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gatual · 1 year

Note

HIIII BOM ✧˖°. bro just this morning i had a small talk with some guy at the gym without hearing a single word he said lmao but ig it went well bc he gave me a fist bump ?? actually you’re right, i think we could figure something out and watch a movie together online 👀 i really should dive into the conjuring, i always forget about it when i’m craving a horror movie marathon 😔😔 i’ve been thinking about rewatching saw movies but i’d really like something i haven’t seen instead 🤔 ALSO dw you can take as much time to reply as you need, i’m always excited to hear from you 🥰✨ i hope you have a lovely week and a nice weather, LUV UUUU ฅ/ᐠ. ̫ .ᐟ\ฅ ✧˖°.♡

omg hiiii☺️☺️☺️🩷LMAO well still small talk w guy at the gym sounds hard anyway so fist bump is a great sign (also I might go to the gym after winter break w a frend👉🏻👈🏻) speaking of which today is day two of winter break!! and ive done nothing else than sleep until 2pm and watch anime djdbdjd but I feel like I deserve it 🩷😔🩷 now that I have time we should def arrange online movie meeting👀we could watch the conjuring ones if u want, Ive actually been feeling like watching those! it's been a long while since the last time I did;; also omg :0 I've never watched the saw ones bc i thought they'd be too raw but I always kinda wanted👁️👁️ but HHH how have u been ? ^-^ any new life updates 🩷🩷 for me tomorrow my friend will come to where i am atm to enjoy a few days tgt before going back to our hometown I'm v excited (⁠｡⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠｡⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠♡🩷💘🩵🤍💗💕 but hhh love u and wish u a nice weekend ☺️☺️🩷

#ask #tashaෆ⁠╹⁠ ⁠.̮⁠ ⁠╹⁠ෆ #sweetmutuals💘#btw i must mention weather bc bro. a couple of days ago we had 30°C!!!!! THIRTY IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER....the whole week was like. summer #insanity . i think since tomorrow itll start getting colder but still INSANE

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sassy-ahsoka-tano · 2 years

Text

You're Trouble

Character/Fandom: Elvis - Elvis (2022)

Requested: Yes - anon (i luv u, truly)

Prompt: You’re the girl during the Trouble performance who gets her face smushed by Elivs. When you run into each other at the police station after the fight breaks out, you give him your info. He shows up later looking worse for wear, and it’s your job to fix him up. [ Fem!Reader ]

TW: Blood (just a little, nothing too graphic), cops, I don't think anything else but lmk if you see something!

Rating: Pg-13 || Word Count: 3941

A/N: oh man...i love this i have to say. getting to rewatch this scene in slow motion??? yes pls. also the second gif @ the bottom is from the shannara chronicles (thanks efc for the link lol) + that's is how you should imagine him during the one scene. you'll see what i mean ;)

🦋 mila

─────•~❉᯽❉~•─────

“Turn that racket down!” your mom yells from downstairs. “And you’d better hurry up or you’ll be late!”

“We’re comin, ma!” you yell back, reaching to turn the volume down on your record player.

“I can’t believe we’re actually doin this!” says your best friend, Jocelyn. She’s pulling a sweater down over the top of her dress while trying not to ruin her freshly applied makeup.

“I know! I’m so excited I could scream!” you say back, and grab the album cover for the record. You hold it up in the light and sigh. “Oh look at ‘im, Jocelyn. He’s just perfect.”

Jocelyn folds her hands on your shoulder, resting her chin on it and sighing.

“Oh Elvis…”

“Girls! If I have to-”

“We’re comin, ma!” you yell back, slightly more angry this time around. “I can’t take her screamin at us one more time. You go on down. I’m just gonna tidy up a bit.”

Jocelyn nods and leaves to go downstairs while you stop the record player and place the vinyl carefully back into the cover. You hold it out one more time and press a small peck to the image. When you pull back, you see that you’ve left a big red kiss mark on his cheek and you chuckle. As you put it back, your eyes track a small piece of paper resting on your dresser. On it you’d written your full name, address, and phone number. It’s a stupid idea, but you think maybe…just maybe if you could somehow slip it into his pocket…

You shake your head and put the note down, glancing in the mirror one last time before leaving, just to make sure that your parents won’t be able to see what you’ve got on underneath. Your eyes flick down to the piece of paper one last time and you snatch it up, stuffing it in your pocket and wincing with embarrassment. Then, you hop down the stairs two at a time.

After a few minutes of yelling from your mother and backtalking from you, your older brother, Johnny, finally gets you out the door and into the car. You ride mostly in silence, other than the sounds of you and Jocelyn squealing with excitement every few minutes. You can hear the crowd before you can even see it. As Johnny pulls up to Russwood Park, you and Jocelyn press your faces agains the glass of the windows. Jocelyn is practically bouncing out of her seat, and you aren’t far behind her. Johnny pulls to a stop.

“Be careful tonight, girls. I’ve heard bout some pretty crazy things happenin at these Elvin concerts,” he said.

“Elvis, James,” you say dryly.

“Well he’s a troublemaker, whatever his name is. Be careful, and be ready to go home by ten o’clock. Deal?”

You both nod, your smiles ready to burst off your faces.

“Aright, have fun.”

You lean over the seat to hug him.

“Thanks, Johnny. Love ya!”

As soon as you and Jocelyn have hopped out of the car, you both jump up and down, squealing and shrieking. The crowd gathered is already much larger than you expected, and they’re loud, too. Once you’re sure Johnny is out of sight, you both rip your sweaters off to reveal tops that your parents were never approve of. Your skirt is a deep red which perfectly compliments the black sweetheart neck top you’d bought. The whole top half is sheer and puts your shoulders and neck proudly on display. Your parents would probably combust if they could see you.

“Oh no,” Jocelyn whines. “Look at the size of that crowd! We’ll never see him from way back here.”

You grab hold of her hand, interlocking your fingers, and look at her determined.

“Oh yes we will,” you respond. “Cause we’re gonna make it to the front of that crowd.”

You start dragging Jocelyn behind you, elbowing and sneaking your way through the crowd and around all the standing bodies. As you near the front of the group it gets hard to navigate through the people, who really don’t want to give up their places.

“Move over, ya prude!” you shout to a young girl in a red and white striped dress.

You barely hear her protest as you weave through the crowd. Finally, you slap your hand on top of the makeshift stage with a satisfied smile. You yank Jocelyn up next to you and shrug.

“Told ya!” you have to shout now, with the crowd screaming and a line of American-themed women dancing.

As you peer over some of the fans’ heads, you notice a merchandise table with Elvis’ name and face on everything you could think of. You also see tons of police officers lining the sides of the crowd. You point and laugh with Jocelyn. Suddenly, screams erupt from behind you. You jump to try and see above the heads, but it’s no use.

“What’s happenin??” you ask, and Jocelyn shrugs.

“He’s here!!” someone shouts. You turn and grab Jocelyn’s hands, smiling so hard your face aches.

They must be right because the female dancers scurry off the stage and a man in a white suit jacket takes hold of the microphone. He starts yelling, trying to get the crowd hyped up, but you can’t hear what he’s saying. You’re far too busy trying to get one glance of the King himself. The heads in the crowd bob up and down and shift like a thousand fish in the sea, but you just need to catch one tiny fish. You are peering through a small hole in the group when someone shifts. Your mouth drops open. There he is.

“Elvis Presley!!” the announcer yells, and screams erupt all around you.

You clamp a hand over your mouth as he walks onto the stage. He makes his way toward the center, and you bite onto your fingers. He is so much more handsome in person. And the way he walks. It’s like he owns the world. His black hair lays floppy in his eyes, and he peers out into the crowd with dark eyes. Suddenly, he’s looking right at you, and your hand falls from your face, leaving you gawking with an open mouth. He smirks and winks. You grab onto Jocelyn’s hand, but neither of you can move.

“Did you see that?” you shout, and Jocelyn clenches her teeth together with a vigorous nod.

“He looked right at ya!” she says.

As he centers himself to the mic, the crowd starts to grow quiet.

“There’s been a lotta talk bout the new Elvis,” he starts, and the crowd erupts into a chorus of boos. “Course, there’s that other guy.”

He lifts his hand into the air and wiggles his pinky finger. You aren’t sure what it means, but the way he flaunts it makes you think maybe he isn’t supposed to be doing it.

“You ain’t nothin but a hound dog, cryin all the time,” he sings, and you feel your heart skip about a million beats. The crowd cheers around you. You can’t tear your eyes away as he grips onto the microphone and glances around, as if he’s thinking about something important. You and Jocelyn clutch each others fingers hard.

“There’s a lotta people sayin a lotta things,” he continues. “Course you gotta listen to the people that ya love. But in the end you gotta listen to yourself.”

The crowd erupts into cheers again, and you squeeze Jocelyn’s hand.

“And I want you to know those New York people ain’t gonna change me none,” he shouts.

You bite your lip, practically buzzing from excitement. He rips the guitar off and hands it to a bandmate. When he returns to center stage, it’s like someone’s lit a fire in his eyes.

“I’m gonna show you what the real Elvis is like tonight!” he shouts, holding up his arm.

The band starts to play, and he belts out his song. Your favorite of his songs.

“If you’re lookin for trouble, you came to the right place. If you’re looking for trouble, then look right in my face,” he sang in that deep southern voice that you’d learned every variation of. “I was born standin up, and talkin back. My daddy was a green-eyed mountain jack.”

Your heart literally thumps against your chest as he sings raspily. It sounds so much more intense in person than it does on your radio at home. Jocelyn starts to scream, bouncing up and down. You throw your hand over your mouth again, trying to breathe in and out slowly as he tosses his head around like a ragdoll. You can’t help but shriek when he seductively twists the microphone stand with one hand.

He wanders over to where you and Jocelyn are standing and gazes into the crowd. You’re gripping each other so tightly you aren’t sure you’ll ever use your fingers again. One of the girls near you is literally crawling onto the stage, and Elvis is standing so close that she probably could touch him if she tries. The way he holds the microphone as if it’s a dance partner makes your chest heave. Your eyes hungrily trail down his body and latch onto his fingers on the top of the microphone. He starts to wiggle his body like you’ve watched him do so many times on television, and you join Jocelyn in jumping.

Suddenly, he throws his body up and crashes down onto his knees. Right in front of your face. Jocelyn rips her hand free from yours to cup it around her mouth and scream. Your fingernails latch onto your hair and pull at it, as he pushes his pelvis up directly toward you. His eyes turn upward, dark and dangerous, and he looks right at you. Smirking a little, he leans down and curls his fingers around your jaw, forcing you to face him and only him. His fingers dig into your skin, and your hands grasp at his sleeves. He sings right to you, and you can feel all the blood being drained from your body. You don’t even have the self control to scream. He winks before dragging his fingers along your jawline and releasing your face. He smiles smugly and walks backward to center stage. Your chest is heaving, and you can barely move enough to blink.

He drops the mic stand from one hand and smoothly catches it with the other, leaning over it to sing as if it he was dipping a dancing partner. You are still heaving with deep breaths as Jocelyn grabs hold of your shoulders.

“OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!” she shouts over and over and over again.

You can’t take your eyes off of him as he dances and moves around on stage. He falls onto the ground, bent over and screaming into the mic. When he rolls onto his back, the feeling in your body starts to come back to you, and you laugh loudly. He is wild, out of control, illegal. And you can’t get enough. Everything starts to move too quickly. At some point you think you see him laying in the middle of the crowd and then crawling back onto the stage, screaming.

The next think you know, Elvis is being hauled offstage by some police officers and people are screaming and running. As they drag him away, the crowd starts pushing and everyone sprints frantically in different directions, not knowing what to do. You grab for Jocelyn’s hand but she slips from your sweaty grasp. As you stumble around, someone grabs hold of your arm. You wriggle free of his grasp, turn, and slug him square in the face.

“You don’t touch me!” you shout. You turn and push people away as they try to run around or straight into you. “Jocelyn!!! Jocelyn!!”

Someone else grabs your hand, and you turn to punch them. This time, it’s a police officer and he snags your wrist with a handcuff.

“What the hell’s your problem?!” you scream, trying to wiggle out of his grasp. “Let me go! I didn’t do nothin!”

“Y/N!” you hear Jocelyn’s voice, but you can’t move around to find her. The officer lifts you up and practically drags you into the police car, even though you kick and beat on his back the whole way there.

Once you’re in the cop car, you run your fingers through your hair and try to bring your breathing down to normal. As soon as you come to terms with the fact that you’ve been arrested, you start panicking about what your parents will think. And how you’ll get out of jail without them finding out. Then, you worry about Jocelyn and whether she’s alright. By the time you get to the police station, you’re hands are shaking ever so slightly and you’re exhausted.

The officers guide you out of the car and into the police station, sitting you down in a room while they process your papers. You pick at your nails but hold your head high. You hadn’t done anything wrong, and you’d swear to it in court. You sit for what feels like hours before someone comes into the room. It’s your brother, Johnny, who enters with a solemn face.

“Johnny!”

You try to stand up, but the handcuffs prevent you from moving. You crash back down into the seat and stare at your brother.

“What in the Sam Hill is goin on here?”

You shake your head.

“Johnny, I didn’t do nothin wrong! A fight broke out and some man grabbed me! I mean, I guess I punched him in the face pretty good, but he deserved it! He was tryin to hurt me! I-”

Johnny holds up a hand and just shakes his head.

“Get in the car,” he says.

“Well wait, where’s Jocelyn?” you ask, feeling guilty for forgetting about your friend.

“She’s already home. She said she ran as soon as it got violent. She’s the one who called me. Get in the car. We’re going home. And Mom is not to hear about this, you understand?”

You are speechless, so all you do is nod and stand still for the officer to unlock your handcuffs. You feel so reassured to know that Jocelyn is safe. You rub your wrists as you follow your brother out into the waiting room, a tiny smile of relief plastered on your face.

When you enter the lobby, you happen to glance over at the waiting area to see none other than Elvis Presley himself sitting there. He’s slouched back in the chair, his legs spread wide and his head tilted all the way back. He looks very inviting. While Johnny deals with some paperwork at the front desk, you nervously pad in Elvis’ direction.

“Y’alright?” you ask quietly, trying not to draw attention to yourself. His eyes open and head tilts down ever so slightly. A small smile graces his lips.

“Yeah, baby, I’m just fine,” he responds, his voice hoarse.

You can hear Johnny wrapping up and suddenly remember the piece of paper in your pocket. You shove your hand down to see if it’s still there and feel it crumpled up. You finger it for a few seconds trying to decide whether to mortify yourself or not. Realizing that you may never get the chance again, you clutch onto it and frantically step forward to hand it to him. He slowly reaches up and takes it from you.

“In case y’ever need anything,” you whisper. Just as he’s about to respond, Johnny harshly yells your name.

You turn immediately and follow him outside and into the car. Your car ride home is silent, and you can tell that your brother is disappointed. Not upset or angry, thank god, just disappointed. Disappointment you can deal with. You’ve dealt with it before, thanks to your rebellious streak.

When you get home, it’s very late. Definitely later than your curfew of ten o’clock. You quietly go upstairs and immediately climb into bed, pulling the covers over your face. Tossing and turning, you swear you’ll never go to bed. You can’t stop smiling. Now that you are safe and sound, images of the wild night start to resurface in your mind. You see Elvis, a smirk on that beautiful face of his. You feel his fingers around your jaw. You hear the roar of the crowd and his raspy voice echoing all around you…

You jolt awake. Something is tapping on your window. You sit up, rubbing your eyes and trying to see better, as if seeing would help you hear better. The tapping continues. It sounds like someone is trying to unlock the door to your tiny balcony. With wide eyes, you carefully swing your toes out of bed and frantically look around for something to protect yourself with. You sigh, frustrated, and grab a pair of scissors.

Your feet move slower than death as you approach the door. You gently grab ahold of the curtains and take a deep breath before flinging them open and holding the scissors out defensively. Once you realize who it is, you quickly put the scissors down and unlock the door.

“...Elvis?” you ask in a whisper. He stumbles into your room with a breathless smile.

“Hey baby doll,” he says, and your heart thuds.

“What are you doin here?”

“You said if I ever needed help,” he replies, holding out the scrap of paper.

You take it from him to ensure it’s the paper you’d given him at the police station. Your eyes widen when you realize it is the very same.

You’re about to respond when you notice a little bit of blood dripping from his side. Your breath falls flat and you reach out to put your arms underneath him and support him.

“Oh my god!” you hiss. “What the hell happened to you?”

“Police roughed me up real good,” he responds with a chuckle that quickly turns into a groan.

He leans on you and groans as you drag him to your bed. You pull the blanket taut and lay him on top of it. Yanking the curtains open for more light, you run to the bathroom for some water and a towel. When you return, he’s holding a photo from the bedside table. You examine his wound in the moonlight. It looks like a small cut on his stomach. You thank the stars for the darkness to hide your embarrassment as you speak.

“You’re gonna hafta take your shirt off,” you say.

“Yes, ma’am,” he responds, sitting up. He tries to lift it off himself but winces at the pain. You quickly move to help, grasping the fabric to gently lift it off his frame. You avoid staring at his naked torso as you pour water from a cup onto the towel. You gently press the towel to his wound.

“Ouch, fuck,” he says, and your hand imemdiately covers his mouth.

Your eyes nervously fly to the door, but you don’t see any light shining underneath. You could feel him chuckling underneath your fingers. You remove your hand.

“Be quiet!”

“Why? Am I not supposed to be here or somethin?”

“Well I ain’t supposed to have no boys up here in my bedroom. Plus, it’s the middle of the night, and we’re we’re up here…alone…”

He says nothing, smirking and glancing down at his crotch. You once again thank the stars that it’s too dark for him to notice your embarrassment.

You shake your head and press the towel deeper into the cut. He hisses and grabs onto your arm with his hand. Your eyes immediately move to his fingers digging into your bare skin. You release a shaky breath and carefully pour more water on the towel.

“I like what you’re wearin,” he says, breathless. You ignore him even though your entire body is screaming.

“Thanks, I wore it just for you,” you respond without skipping a beat. You aren’t looking at him but still catch his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. You lean to get a better angle on his wound, not realizing how close to him you are.

“I don’t think I have anything to co-”

You stop in your tracks when you look up and make direct eye contact with his lips, pink and swollen. He has a small cut on the bottom one with a little dried blood. But they still look like the most kissable things in the world. You steady yourself and gently raise the towel to his lips. He catches your wrist.

“What are ya doin?”

“You have some blood there,” you respond, unable to tear your eyes away from his lips. He releases your hand, and you gently dab the towel against his mouth. You reach up to hold his face still, placing your hand on the side of his jaw. You slowly pull back the towel and look at the cut, all cleaned up. For a few seconds, you just stare at each other, both of your eyes travleing everywhere. You start to drop your head but he catches your face with his hand. His fingers curl around your jaw like they had at the concert, and you audibly gasp. He smirks.

“I knew I recognized you,” he mumbles. “You were at my concert tonight, weren’t ya?”

You nod, frozen in his grasp.

“Yeah…,” his eyes trace around your face and body. “I saw you punch the shit outta some asshole, too. Is that why you were in jail?”

You nod sheepishly. He smirks.

“I picked you on purpose, you know. Outta all those girls,” he says, his eyes tracing around your face again. “You wanna know why?”

“Why?” you breathe out.

He strokes your cheek with his thumb and then drags it across your bottom lip.

“I could see the fire in your eyes,” he replies, his eyes glancing between your eyes and lips. “I could tell you were trouble.”

You smirk and lean over, closing your eyes. He pulls your face to him and just barely ghosts his lips over yours. You shudder, clutching onto the towel in your fingers. He brushes his lips against yours again, and you gasp. You feel his mouth curl up into a sinister smile.

“What are you waitin for?” you whisper against his lips.

“For you to tell me what you want.”

“Kiss me.”

He obeys immediately, capturing your upper lip between his. He kisses you hard, gripping your jawbone. Your hand meanders up to his chest, resting on the smooth skin near his heart. He pulls back slowly, painfully slowly. You flutter your eyes open and gaze up into his blue ones. He’s still holding onto your jaw, but more gently now. You lean forward again, pressing your lips to his. You gently push him down onto the bed with the hand you laid on his chest. His fingers leave your jaw to wind around the back of your neck and thread themselves through your hair. His other hand sneaks onto your waist, gripping you and pulling you on top of him. As soon as you start to put pressure on his body, he groans and accidentally bites your bottom lip. You pull back with a finger flying up to the skin.

“Ah,” he winces. “Sorry, lil mama. I didn’t mean to bite ya. Not yet, anyway.”

“It’s okay. I don’t mind,” you reply, giggling. You touch your lip and seductively drag your fingers across your lips and down your neck. His grin spreads into a smile, and he strokes your cheek.

“You are trouble.”

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