#The answer to this is obviously to just start bashing people's heads in

[yki-dolls]

Raphael when met with a slight inconvenience.

[I can't manipulate, mansplain, manwhore my way out of this one, boys.

MANSLAUGHTER IT IS!]

(In case you can't read my writing)

[astrophileous]

ANYTHING with jealous Reid <33333

HI ANON ty for the request! I hope you'll like this one 🥰❤️

Warning(s): gn!reader, profanities, jealous spencer, that's it rlly this is mainly just fluff 💞

This blurb has a part two.

This blurb was written as a part of the "Zara's Birthday Bash and Road to 1K" celebration.

Zara's Birthday Bash and Road to 1K Masterlist / Criminal Minds Masterlist

Supernovae had always been known for their extremely high temperature. Nearing the end of its life, a mature star would go through an explosion so stupendous, it would eject almost the entirety of its mass. During this stage of a star's life cycle, the core temperature of a star could potentially rise to be in the billions of degrees Fahrenheit, making it appropriate for a supernova to be credited as the hottest object ever known in the vast universe.

But as Spencer sat on the chair behind his desk, his fingers tapping impatiently on the surface, he was certain that not even the temperature of a supernova could rival the heat rising steadily inside his chest.

The flame raged unlike anything he had ever known. It flourished with every second Spencer spent staring at you from across the room. You were laughing at something your present company had said, and Spencer instinctively gripped the arm rest of his chair as the fire in his ribcage roared even wilder.

Spencer was on the edge of his seat, ready to prowl at any second, when a presence unexpectedly slid right next to him.

"What are you doing?" Emily Prentiss asked, perching herself on the edge of Spencer's desk without a care in the world.

"Nothing," the young man answered distractedly. "Can I help you?"

"I was wondering if you still had those ginger candies you shared with me last week?" Emily wondered as she began to rummage through his drawers. "Where do you keep it?"

Silently, Spencer opened his bottom drawer, pulling out a tin box where he stored the sweets Emily was looking for.

"You're an angel on earth, Dr. Reid." Emily grinned, popping a candy into her mouth. "Are you okay, by the way?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you've been throwing daggers at (Y/N) and Anderson for the past three minutes."

"I have not."

"Yes, you have."

"You're mistaken. Maybe you were just seeing things."

"Reid, you're literally glaring at them right now as we speak." At Emily's observation, Spencer begrudgingly tore his gaze away from the two people across the room. "Wanna tell me what's going on?"

"Nothing's going on. I told you," Spencer insisted, his eyes once again returning towards the pair on the other side of the bullpen. "Hey, do you know how (Y/N) and Anderson became close like that?"

"Haven't they always been friendly?"

"Friendly? Yes. But not like... that." Spencer pressed his lips, trying to contain the scowl when he saw you grip Anderson's forearm as you beamed at the other agent. "Since when does (Y/N) laugh like that with him?"

Emily flicked her eyes repeatedly between yours and Spencer's face. A smirk emerged on her lips when understanding finally dawned on her. "Oh my God, you're jealous."

Spencer didn't think he ever whipped his head so fast in his entire life.

"You're jealous of Anderson. Holy shit, that makes so much sense! You're actually jealous."

"What are you talking about? I'm not—I'm not jealous!"

"Of course you are. Why else would you get so hostile at the mere sight of those two talking?"

"I was just... asking a question. I wanted to know why they suddenly seemed so close, that's all."

"Of course you did."

"I'm telling the truth!"

"Right. Of course you are." Emily snickered. She got up from his desk and started walking away, all the while belting out a ridiculously jesty song she obviously just made up, "Spencer is jealous. J-E-A-L-O-U-S! Spencer is jealous. J-E-A-L-O-U-S!"

The young Doctor frowned at Emily's teasing. He glanced towards where you had been standing only to see you sauntering towards his direction. Spencer automatically busied himself with the random papers on his desk, acting as if he had only noticed your presence as you sat down on your desk right across from his.

"Working hard, Doctor?" you quipped jubilantly, rearranging the case files on your desk as you hummed an unfamiliar tune under your breath.

"Something like that," Spencer replied, closing the documents he wasn't even reading as his full attention landed on you. "What did Anderson want?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing. He was just asking if I was free this weekend, that's all."

Spencer unwittingly clenched his jaw at your reply. "What's this weekend?"

"A cricket game. Apparently, Grant has always been a big fan, so he was very excited when I told him I used to play back in college. Too bad I can't come to the game, though. I promised my mom I would visit her this weekend."

Spencer could merely nod at your explanation, pretending like his brain hadn't short-circuited when you referred to Agent Anderson with his first name. The fog in his head only started to dissipate when Derek called for the two of you from the bullpen doors, asking if any of you would like to join him for lunch.

"You coming, Doctor Reid?" you asked as you stood up from the chair, pocketing your phone and wallet in the process.

"Yeah, yeah, of course. I'll be right there. You guys just go ahead."

You flashed him one last bright smile before skipping all the way towards where Derek was waiting. A sense of calm washed over him when he saw you glancing back, offering a small wave in his direction. Spencer could feel the smile blooming on his face before it was soon chased away by the sight of Anderson standing by the door, holding it open as you laughed gratefully at him.

Fuck it.

It looked like Emily was right after all.

[slut4thebroken]

Assorted characters x stalker!reader hcs

For some reason I’ve been obsessed with stalker!reader ideas. Like for any of my current hyperfixation crushes lol. So here are some unofficial head canons I guess

(Jason Todd, Jonathan Crane, Jackson Rippner, Spencer Reid, Stiles Stilinski, Bucky Barnes)

Jason Todd - You met him one day on the street. Some guy was being a dick and not taking no for an answer. When he started yelling, Jason intervened. And you’ve been in love with him ever since. You know that he obviously loves you too, that’s why he was so kind to you that day— that’s why he leaves his blinds open and let’s you watch him change after taking a shower. That’s why he was “careless” enough to let you find out his alter ego. Why else would he have trusted you so much to share that secret with you if he wasn’t in love with you too?

Jonathan Crane - Along the same lines as Jason. But you’re a student in his class. Everyday you sit in the front, your chin resting on your hand as you stare at him, mesmerized by his smooth voice and pretty face. You like the reaction you get when he makes eye contact and you don’t look away— he stumbles over his words and forces his gaze somewhere else while clearing his throat. His day to day life wasn’t particularly exciting, he spent most of his time on campus or at Arkham. But the one night he deviated from his usual schedule, you got all giddy and followed him eagerly. That’s how you found out your professor was the infamous Scarecrow. After learning that, you wondered if he’d ever want to test his fear toxin on you, leaving you a writhing mess for him.

Jackson Rippner - (I actually started a one shot with this plot lmao) You don’t know how a professional terrorist who stalks people for a living didn’t realize you were following him. It’s not like you’re very good at it. But you watched him watch other people, swooning when he became particularly violent on an assignment. You wondered how he’d react when he found out. Would he be flattered— impressed? Would he try to kill you? Or maybe— and this was your preferred option— he’d fuck you instead, making fun of you for being so desperate that you resorted to stalking him. He seemed like the kind of man who would enjoy degrading and humiliating you and you couldn’t wait for when that would finally happen.

Spencer Reid - Your genius professor with an IQ of 187 and three phds was entirely fascinating to you. You read anything and everything about him, including all of the cases he’s worked and any interviews he’s done. Once that wasn’t enough, you started following him around. He was so intriguing and captivating— the way he just ordered a coffee and handed the barista the money had you swooning. The first time you followed him, he had noticed you— made eye contact with you— so you made sure to be more careful. On days where he wasn’t teaching because he was away helping the BAU, you were incredibly bored and almost depressed. You missed seeing him every single day.

Stiles Stilinski - Stalking him was how you found out literally all of his friends secrets. You liked watching him talk animatedly to Scott from across the library, getting scolded by the librarian several times before being asked to leave. You liked watching him by himself, the way he fidgets with anything he can get his hands on and struggles to focus on whatever task he’s trying to complete, it’s endearing. What you didn’t like, however, was how he looks at Lydia. Every single time, you have to physical restrain yourself from walking over and bashing her head in, telling her to back the fuck off and leave him alone. Especially because she usually ends up making him sad. If he were with you, you’d always make him feel loved and appreciated. You wouldn’t act like some spoiled, airheaded tease (not the internalized misogyny lol).

Bucky Barnes - Stalking Bucky was one of the hardest things you’ve ever done. He’s so in tune with his surroundings, knows when there’s a threat before anyone else does. He also knows when he’s being followed. So you resorted to casual stalking— going to the gym when he’s there, sitting in the living room when he’s there, arguing with Sam about what to watch. You also liked watching him through the security cameras in the tower. It wasn’t as good as the real thing, but you could see the true, genuine Bucky. Not the Bucky he pretends to be around everyone else. This was the Bucky who likes romcoms, listens to music, does his best to cook, walks around in just sweatpants, not worrying about having to hide the gruesome scarring on his shoulder at the base of his metal arm— or any other scars for that matter. He has a lot of them and you ached to kiss every single one and tell him that you still think he’s incredibly handsome and pretty.

Part 2 with their reactions when they find out lol?

[peachirambles]

I'm doing these two together because of their similarities and figured it would just be best to answer both of them at once.

As a preface: Qiu and the MC do have a crush on each other but neither of them have acted on it. So right now they are Very close friends but Tamarack and the MC are best friends. I went with a more fem leaning MC but they are still using they/them pronouns and are still nonbinary. Just because of who will be showing up in this drabble 😭

With that out of the way, here's the drabble! Hope yall enjoy Qiu being a certified #asshole

Qiu wasn't a jealous person. In fact, they were quite the opposite, growing up as the residental young boyish heart-throb of the young population had other people jealous of them for many reasons. Popularity, good looks, funny, and with a perchant for being kind to everyone they meet; they had heard the rumors of how some of the "friends" Qiu had were secretly trying to push others away from them just to horde their affection. Of course, Ren and Baxter always snuffed out those particular people's issues. Though that didn't stop Qiu from finding out that they unknowingly made people jealous of them. For a while, they had grown accustomed to it.

But then they moved in.

With their sincerity, kindness, and love; they ruined Qiu so thoroughly, down to their very being. Yet, Qiu couldn’t even complain. They would absolutely let the MC do it again and again to them. They were everything to them, and all they had to do was look pretty and bat their eyelashes at them to get them to do anything. They were completely head over heels screwed for them.

And it's what led them here now, sitting at the lunch table, silently fuming on the uncomfortable bench.

Fuming because they were the reason they were completely and madly green with envy at the sight of the MC being so close with Tamarack.

"Tamarack, your hair is so silky and has such gorgeous curls!" The MC preened as they started to make a small braid with some strands of Tamarack's hair.

"Ah, are they really?" Was Tamarack's reply, soft and questioning. For a second, it would have sounded truly genuine, and it might have been, but Qiu knew better.

Tamarack had lost all of her boisterous energy and know-it-all attitude that she wielded back in 2010, replaced with insecurities about everything and anything about herself. It was like watching a turtle shrink back into its shell, and a part of Qiu understood why.

But as they watched the MC comb and weave their beautiful fingers through Tamarack's sparkling hair; a much louder, nastier part of them yelled and screeched.

She's obviously fishing for compliments, she knows her hair is her best quality!

Her hair isn't even that pretty to begin with!

Why is the MC braiding her hair? She doesn't deserve it.

Is my hair not good enough to be braided?

Why her and not me!

"Anddd done!" The MC squeaked, snapping Qiu out of their momentary spiral as the group cooed and awed at the small braid, dangling next to Tamarack's ear. Much to Qiu's utter displeasure, Tamarack had the nerve to be bashful.

"It's so cute!" Serenity, one of Tamarack and the MC's friend, piped up. "Now you have two braids!"

"It does look very nice." Vianca hummed in approval, which made Tamarack fidget in place.

"You did a good job MC." Renee or Ren for short, the only ally Qiu supposedly had at this godforesaken table and the only reason why they were even sitting there, smiled at the both of them.

Why the hell was she on Tamarack's side?Almost everyone here don't even know she's a girl! Why are we even here?!

Qiu couldn’t help but grit their teeth in pure frustration. They couldn't even lie, it was a perfect braid and it suited Tamarack perfectly. But, if they were being honest, they had rather Tamarack have no-

"Qiu."

Qiu, once again, snapped out of their thoughts and turned to the source of the voice. It was Vianca of all people, with a smirk on her face. Usually, they didn’t a single shit about her, but for some reason, that shit eating smirk made Qiu's stomach drop.

"Aren't you going to... you know? Join in on the conversation or compliment the braid? You havs been staring at Tamarack for a hot minute now." She sneered at them, and Qiu's eyes widened as they realized she was completely right.

Tamarack had noticed Qiu's stare on her. Otherwise, she wouldn't be fidgeting with the hem of her sweater, her smile dropping into an uneasy line, and her plucked eyebrows furrowed. God, she made them truly sick sometimes.

"Qiu probably thinks it's fine." Ren chuckled, though it was obvious that there was nervous energy coating each sound. They felt a small jab on their foot, and they looked up to see Ren's hazelnut eyes staring back at them.

"Right, Qiu?"

Qiu knew what was happening. They made Tamarack feel bad, and now they had to sit there and pretend that they thought her and her stupid mini braid that the MC made was cute to save face. Their hands balled up into fists on the table for just a second before they took a simple breath in and exhaled, and their hands relaxed once more.

The MC is in front of them for fuck's sake, they can pretend to be fine.

"Sure. It's cute." Was Qiu's stiff reply.

There was a collective breath of relief from most of the table's patrons, and Tamarack glanced up at them for just a second, her eyes searching for something before-

"I'm so glad!" The MC nearly squealed before pulling Tamarack into a close hug, giddy from all the praise, and all poor Tamarack was able to muster out was a solid squeak.

"I been practicing and practicing with Tamarack's hair the past few days after school. I love messing with hair, and once I get better, I want to do-"

There was a solid slam that reverberated on the table that not only silenced them but silenced most of the chatter in the cafeteria. Qiu's palms stinged and burned from the impact of the force, but they didn't care.

Why should they when all they been hearing was just bragging and idolizing someone that wasn't quite frankly worth the MC's time?

"I am sooo happy that you love to do Tamarack's hair and that you just loveee to do everything with her." Qiu laughed but it wasn't remotely happy or earnest, but instead filled with a deep malice.

"Qiu-" Ren snapped but Qiu pressed on.

"But I quite frankly don't give a fuck enough to be caring about her damn braid to be complimenting it."

There was audible gasps and even some giggles from the other students who were listening in. Vianca, Renee and Serenity's faces were twisted in a state of shock and disgust. The nasty pit in them were reveling in it.

At least that was the case until their eyes wandered on Tamarack's face, flushed hot with embarrassment and shame. Her head was ducked down but they could hear her eyelashes furiously batting away the tears that were starting to form beyond the drumming of Qiu's heart in their ears.

And if that didn't make Qiu falter, then the look on their face certainly did. It wasn't shock, it wasn't anger; it was pure and unfiltered hurt and disappointment. That was easily enough for Qiu to stop, but as if feeling like they were controlled on strings, they spoke again.

"Now if all of you excuse me, I'm going to do something better with my time."

The poison in their words even shocked them, but before they could even process that, they felt their limbs run on auto pilot.

They snatched their bag and stormed out of the cafeteria much to the confused shouts of the group, but Qiu didn't care.

They had to get out of there! They had to!

Qiu felt the blood rush to their face in so many emotions, eyes stinging as tears filled their vision. As they side-stepped both faculty and students as they ran up the stairs, thoughts were running at them a mile an hour.

Why did I do that?!

Why didn't I do it sooner?!

Did you see the look on their faces!?

I made Tamarack cry!

It was so funny!

What is wrong with me?

It was great!

As Qiu barreled past the door and onto the rooftop, stopping to take a breath of fresh air, one single though ruminated in their head.

I hurt them. I hurt my best friend.

Qiu wasn't a jealous person. That's what they thought. But as they sat down on a bench, holding their head in their hands, that thought just wasn't true anymore.

They realized that maybe, just maybe something nasty had taken residence within them underneath their watch. Whatever that nasty thing was, Qiu thought, it had rotten them to their core.

Or worse, that nasty pit was there the entire time and Qiu was too tired to fight back anymore.

[the-dawn-star]

Hellooo! I have had this on my mind for a while now can you perhaps do a volturi kings meet their shy mate who is bi? And the kings are nervous if the reader would become jealous when it was time to introduce her to the queens (athena and sulpica ) She likes gushes how attractive they are and flirts with them. She turns from being shy to a seductress since she has more experience with women than men lol. The kings are just shocked and somewhat jealous and the reader be like "Oh I forgot to mention I kinda like women too" and smiles sheepishly or something along the lines

it's okay if you can't do it i just really needed to let that out lol been stuck in my head for months haha.

A/N: Hey! First just to be stated all queer people perceive being queer differently and this is my interpretation on the scenario. Remember coming out should not be necessary in this day and age, but for now it is, and always be sure if coming out that you are safe!! Secondly hope you like this, I really like this idea.

-S  

+ not proof read, 600ish words  

At first, they thought nothing of it. I mean being a mate to the three most powerful vampires is obviously stressful.  

So, for a long time the kings agree that it would be the best that you wouldn’t meet Athenodora and Sulpicia at first.  

But enough is enough, and after few months of living in the castle they planned a meeting between you and their wives.  

You sat in around a big table playing with your fingers not sure what to expect. You had heard about the wives but only by whispers. 

Marcus was sitting next to you and slowly took your hand to his, stopping the twisting of your fingers.  

Your nervous heart came to a stop as the massive wooden doors were flung open.  

You jumped out of your chair and turned to look at the vampires who were walking in. And Marcus did the same, with a small smile on his face.  

~~~~~~ 

They were just as gorgeous as the whispers you had heard.  

“You should have told me, your wives were this beautiful, so I would have requested a meeting sooner.” You whispered but sure everyone could hear you. 

No matter what plans you had for the meeting were swept away when you saw them and you started to talk. 

~~~~~~ 

It had been a while when you had last flirted with women but you forgot how easily you could talk to them. And how much better you were at that than talking to men, even if they were your mates.  

And they were truly nice and easy to talk to. 

~~~~~~ 

Your mates had no other choice than to look at the scene in front of them. Their shy and barely talking mate talking to Athenodora and Sulpicia like you were their mate. 

And the wives laughing to your jokes and getting bashful when you complimented them.  

Don't get me wrong your mates will be proud that you talk to anyone in the castle but they did not expect this. You flirting with the women when you barely can handle the words of your actual mates. 

~~~~~~ 

You laid on a massive bed ready go to sleep with your mates in the room with you.  

“So, are you going to explain your act when meeting Athenodora and Sulpicia? It was... surprising at least.” Caius asked tightening his hold of your waist.  

“Well yeah, your wives are drop shit gorgeous and I have more experience with flirting with women..., so yeah.” You said like you were talking about the weather.  

You took a look at your mates who all had a small smile on their lips but still I could see a tiniest bit of jealousy in their eyes.  

“You have a problem with it..., me liking women too,” You quiet and going back to your shyer demeanor.  

“Of course not, but just remember that you are mine.” Caius answered and pulled you as close to him as possible.  

“Ours, not mine.” Marcus reminded his brother, not turning his head from the ancient book that he was reading.  

You turned to look at Aro who was sitting in an armchair a smirk on his face and you couldn’t help than to join to it.  

Thanks...,” You whispered to Aro, being sure that he understood what you meant.  

“Of course, my love...,”  

[amemenojaku]

Hisami and Zanmu for 1 on that ask game!

When I started shipping it if I did: Since day 1 when I read Hisami's dialogues, like most people I believe lol. I mean, how can you see her and not start cheering for her to get what she wants... Since it's still pretty recent I can add that two lines in particular made me seriously consider it and think about it beyond 'this is nice/funny': when Hisami tells Zanmu that she doesn't have to hold back around her, and when Zanmu tells Hisami that she knew Hisami would mess up on purpose, and that she'll give her a reward anyway - both are about danmaku obviously, but it got my brain gears turning >:]

My thoughts: They've slowly but steadily been going up my favorite ships, especially for the past 2-3 months... They work well together. Obviously I'd love the ship in touhou where one of them has a big fat actual canon crush on the other one, I've been in this hole since 2010 or something so Hisami's kind of a gift... but also in general I think it's a good spin on the boss/henchman trope when the boss is some mega charismatic chessmaster who could probably get anyone they want on their knees and yet their subordinate is one of the only people they can't fully predict/control. The wild card aspect is really funny to me and I love seeing fanworks where Zanmu's like... fondly sighing at Hisami's antics.

Things done in fanworks that annoy me: I think there's too many fanworks where Zanmu looks generally uncomfortable around Hisami despite never doing so even once ingame, and also too many fanworks where Hisami harasses Zanmu, sometimes to make very early 2000s jokes in very poor taste... I won't name anyone but there's a few big yuri artists on twitter who do that and it makes me want to bash my head against the wall when they get praised for it just because their artstyle looks good..... On a more positive note there's a few people who've been creating constantly good content of this pair and I think given a year or two nature will be healing!!

Also I'm of the opinion that Zanmu's fairly tall herself, just a bit shorter than Hisami, so I'm not big on the crazy size difference stuff (funny coming from a seishin fan, I know......)

Things I look for in fanworks: MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING!!! Getting to know each other past the infatuation (in Hisami's case)/the curiosity (in Zanmu's case) in deeper ways. I promise this isn't about sex lol (I do think about that too but not here rn) I really want to see how their relationship can grow and I especially want to see Zanmu enjoying it (as a petty reaction to the stuff listed above...). In their case I think physical intimacy would be a good setting for that kind of scene where their emotional bond grows, so that's what I'd go with if I were to create something like it, but anything can work if it's done in good taste imo. And in general I want to see Zanmu answering Hisami's affections with a positive emotion... whatever it is... I'm desperate.......

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: It's difficult for me to imagine Hisami with anyone else, although I do think she'd have physical relationships with a bunch of women while her feelings for her boss are still unrequited. Zanmu on the other hand I can picture being interested in a few other characters like Reimu or other onis or even the sages, but ultimately not as something she'd commit to and take seriously. The only real endgame is still zanhisa haha

My prefered future/ending for them: Whenever Zanmu considers them close enough to tell Hisami to drop the honorifics and overly reverent language when they're alone, and whenever Hisami feels comfortable doing that would be the ideal "endpoint" for me because of all the things it implies :) I don't care if at that point they actually consider themselves in a relationship or if they just aknowledge there's something going on. Though if they do get in a relationship proper I imagine they'd be very discreet about it. Also I think Hisami should get a promotion so she can directly work as Zanmu's prefered right hand arm man. woman. her everything. her confidant. her silly rabbi

What is their favorite activity together: Probably drinking. I imagine with how old she is and hanging out with onis Hisami's built up a decent hold on alcohol, and Zanmu appreciates it. They reminisce about their respective pasts and talk about the inner workings of hell and Zanmu gets a huge ego boost from showing off her 4D chess plans and Hisami praising her for it

[ofmanycol0rs]

↶*ೃ✧˚. Hello everyone! Welcome back to another video with LuckieDuckie. Today we will be discussing Rainbow Entertainment’s Best Eras!

As a disclaimer so people don’t come for me in the comments: this is in no particular order. I’m not ranking these eras, just factually stating that they are the best. Also, if you don’t agree with me, I don’t care. Keep it to yourself, I don’t want to see a million comments like “Duckie! Where’s blah blah? Where’s… Chu?” It’s up your [redacted]. Don’t try and tell me I’m wrong either because respectfully… I’m not. Anyway.

Starting off strong, we have LOVE DIVE!

LOVE DIVE! Is That Girl for a reason. Not only was she literally SOTY (4 times btw), but she had the vibes to back it up. I was a big fan of the ethereal cupid aesthetics they had going on and the styling just always looked so expensive. I’m a Chaehee stan, but Blue’s Hime Cut look was literally unmatched. Even the b-sides went crazy this era, with the iconic Sour Grapes taking over everyone’s For You pages. This song was actually inescapable for months, so of course this era had some iconic moments too. My personal favorite moment was Summer’s solo live ban being instated after she called Angelico’s Jinhwa a “fucking weirdo” in front of 45 million Dream. Free her tbh, she did nothing wrong!

Next up… Neverland’s Sugar Rush!

This song was so addicting honestly, the concept, the vocals, the dance, the silly little whistle chorus, it all ate down. We all know where we were when those shirtless concept pics dropped. The whole Peter Pan vibe obviously went with their concept as a whole, but how do I get to that woodland raver’s paradise? Where do I buy tickets? One thing about Neverland is they’re throwing a party and I need an invite. Speaking of parties, the iconic MakoDae club pics dropped this era. All I’m saying is that you can’t prove the girl throwing ass on Mako isn’t me.

Next, we have my favorite Eunji era, Forgive Me.

Honestly, I don’t really stan Eunji like that. I won’t deny that she is the superior Golden Goose producer, of course. But I don’t know all that much about her. What I do know is that whoever this song is about is going straight to hell. She ate them up, your honor! The rock instrumentals had me so shaken when I first listened to this song that I couldn’t stop listening to this song. Ginger Eunji in her rockstar era was peak cunt, The Revenge Era was so serious for her. Not to mention, this song had the most iconic performance of all time. If you haven’t seen it yet, immediately look up Eunji Halloween Bash Forgive Me Carrie. It will change your life. Miss girl is a performer.

Next up is one of Lucky’s most iconic eras, which is difficult to say because they’re all so iconic, I know… but I mean Ping-Pong! 

This era could get the title solely from the styling. So many people love to hate it, but they just do not see the camp of it all! The bright pink and blue hair duo lives in my head constantly. I fear Kpop may never see styling so creative and unique again… Someone please rescue Hidae from 4Luvs because they are literally the most hated duo even though they make the cuntiest comebacks! I need them back together asap. Not to mention, these two have the best chemistry. And who could forget the iconic Twister video dropped this era. This video was so divisive among fans but I personally think they looked like they were having a lot of fun answering all the questions while playing Twister. We all know how those two treat competitions and they were undeniably getting flirty up in there, liiiike…

The Song of the Summer is up next… La Vie’s Fruit Salad!

This song is It. One of Rainbow’s most iconic songs by far. I don’t think there’s a single kpop stan out there that doesn’t know this song or even this dance. Honestly, they were the queens of summer before, but this song just solidified their title and made them simply unbeatable. No one else can ever wear the crown when this song exists. The concept and styling is also so perfect, one of my favorites out of La Vie, with the bright colors and quintessential summer vibes. Red-haired Tomi still rules my heart, honestly, and Sohee’s baby bangs were so quirky and cute. One of my favorite variety shows from RBE also comes from this era, I find myself rewatching Lovie’s Fruit Stand all the time. I think it’s so nice to see them getting time to rest and doing fun summer activities together, and its just so nostalgic to me.

Next we have Roly Poly by XOX!

Listen… I know they were flops. But they served with this one, I can't lie! They had no budget, no fans, and no future. All they had was a dance floor and a dream, and yet they still had fun with it. This was the age of camp and techno and XOX ran with it. And in doing so, they created every single RBE idol’s go-to karaoke song. It almost seems like an inside joke at the company because there is at least 2 videos of every single group covering or dancing to this song. And now she’s made her way on to TikTok and the legacy lives on. Everyone say RIP XOX, you will always be famous. Kind of.

Up next is Thee Lucid! Era… TOMBOY!

This is their most iconic era by far and if you think I’m wrong then argue with the wall or something. The song, the styling, the lyrics, the message, the music video, the performances, the moments… need I go on? I fear they ate the whole industry up with this comeback and the industry knew it too! I guarantee you that every single one of yall’s favs was caught doing this dance. Just the sheer amount of people, specifically men, that this song pissed off already puts her high up on my cuntiest songs roster and that was before they went on national television and said fuck! Speaking of fuck, Lucid! did not give a single one this era. My personal favorite Blue moment happened this era when sasaengs leaked pictures of her and Youngho leaving practice for together before their collab stage dropped and sparked dating rumors, and the Next Day she posted “ew wtf? him of all men?” on her public Instagram story on accident… which then started a nuclear fan war on Twitter. Dare I say; iconic. The Tomboy vibes had possessed the whole group I fear, because even Chaehee got man-hating rumors after she ignored Haruki’s hand to help her down the steps at a music show. Not to mention, Minji’s rap verse got so much shit and yet every single time she took her cutesy ass to center stage and ate down. I could literally go on and on about how much I love this era for hours, so if you want to hear more, click the link in the description for my full explanation on why it was the best era kpop has seen from the fourth generation.

Anyway. Next up is La Vie’s Fancy You!

This era was directly after Fruit Salad which means they had a tough act to follow… yet they absolutely came through. They were giving galactic space princesses, rulers of the cosmos, sparkling amongst the stars. Basically… they served. Tomi and Mari’s pink and purple hair duo is still one of my favs and don’t even get me started on the styling. Gogo boots and sequins and hot shorts, god. It was so cunty. And this era isn’t one of their best just because of the concept (even though that is one of their best too) but the vibes. The song and instrumental produced by the iconic ROZE Mari duo that gags to this day. It seems like every 6 months the song is back on TikTok for its cunty instrumentals or choreography. The Anya Kai dating rumors first started this era and you really just had to be there. The entire kpop world imploded on itself. Speaking of Anya Kai dating rumors, my favorite Sol video of all time is from this era in her cute blue highlights making a face in the back of an interview when Kai is brought up… EXO-Ls came for her for weeks until she finally took to Twitter to tell them she doesn’t give a shit about boy groups and their stans with internalized misogyny complexes! If that’s not mother I don’t know who is.

Next, we have DAZED, a Neverland classic.

Remember when I said that one thing Neverland is gonna do is throw a party? Well this is That Party. Out of all 130 million views of this mv, I’m probably 26 million of them. It’s so addicting with the concept and the cinematography… like what are you doing if you show up to this hot guy’s rager birthday party and find out that him and his friends are faeries after you drink their wine and dance for eternity? The ACoTaR girlies (me) went wild for this one, let me tell you. I loved the way they took their whole Neverland Lost Boys concept and twisted it to give us faeries which totally works but it’s also something new? They gave the girls what they want! Howie absolutely owned this era, especially after an edit of him as Rhysand went viral and he had to google the series on live when people asked him about it. I still think about that clip of him saying “What do you mean fairy porn?” every single day.

Finally, last but certainly not least, is the best Rainbow era of all time. NEW WAVE.

I know I said I wasn’t ranking them and all that and that is still true, but… this era is inarguably the best out of all of them so I had to put it last. And of course I'm not biased just because I ult Lucky. I’m convinced that Jung Jisoo tried acid for the first time and then came up with this concept based off of that. And I support it. She was Euphoria before her time, a true masterpiece of neon glitter and debauchery. If I could pick one place anywhere on the space time continuum to live out the rest of my days, it would be the set of this mv. They were literally taking shots in the making video. This song was nearly banned from broadcasts and I’m still surprised that Lucky hasn’t had one of their songs banned yet. Queens Eunbi and Jisoo just know the exact line between cunt and can’t, I guess. This era gave the vibes of the early 2000s club craze tabloid era in the best way both in the concept and for the members. The rumor mill was working over time going after them! Angel was accused of sleeping with fans and cheating on Jennie even though the dating rumors didn’t exist until after the cheating rumors? Sunnie’s gay rumors started this era, although she has since been pretty clear that they weren’t just rumors, LOL. Even baby Han got into one of his first scandals after he got caught with a pack of cigs in his back pocket. The most groundbreaking scandal this era though, one of the only times Lucky has had to issue an apology over the years despite being notorious for saying fuck it, Hiro’s infamous AKB video. Iconic or not, it had impact! But it wasn’t just bad things that came out of this era, of course. It was their most successful ot4 comeback, winning 8 music show wins and PAK as a full group. Plus, they still make room for it on every set list, so they clearly feel the same way about it as 4luvs do. You cannot deny that this era is the most iconic eras of both Lucky and RBE as a whole.

Thank you for tuning in to this video everyone! Feel free to comment below which of these you think is best, or even another one I didn't mention, I guess. But I don't want to see any fighting about it!

Til next time! Mwah!!

find more mentions of jinhwa in the myahverse @venusvity and haruki at @intoloopin !!

[pinkpruneclodwolf]

For the Malleus thing: it's overexposure on my answer. Malleus is a main staple character that has a lot of fans compared to say: Cater or Kalim. Of course, Octavinelle matches in turn for numbers with Malleus but Malleus also has a dedicated shipping fandom that are so attached to him that they cause... problems.

Shipping is fine in moderation but when I see enough people start fighting that this fictional character is "their" man and not someone else's OC, I know Malleus has had too much time in their head or something warped him. I like shopping and run a sort famous /Reader blog for all genders, and that gives me insight into who people kinda want on that side and Malleus is very famous. Shipping aside, Malleus also has such diehard fans that... they forget his CHARACTER!

Malleus' fandom is the same as Octavinelle (woobifying/creeps flooding in) and now bleeding in Savanaclaw (creeps flooding in/racism against dark skinned OC's): the story is revealing that Malleus isn't gap moe and is an actual character that can do wrong, and hurt people... and they HATE that. I've seen four people drop Malleus like a hat because he was didn't understand what he was doing wrong in the Dorm Uniform. Malleus has had a rigid set of understanding of creatures and it's very straightforward instead of nuanced, and even Malleus admits that he wants to try and projects that his advancement on human understanding will only take 100 years. That's fair considering he's been in the human world for 3 FREAKING YEARS, guys. I believe if we were given how long it took Lilia to understand a human customs outside of Silver experience, it'd not do anything to people's opinions. Because to them, it's not about him learning. He doesn't know so he's obviously a BAD CHARACTER, that must be it! "He's a jerk and now I'm going to do a 180° on my own Malleus opinion that is all over my blog and gave my followers whiplash, starting a bashing war by actually not doing a proper review of his character!" No. That's unfair. Why?

Malleus is an interesting character and I'm so sad that he's gone so far into the fandom that he's been woobified and there is no self warn anything: no disclaimer that this is a more romantic Malleus compared to the canon one, or people admitting that Malleus might be OOC as his character reads so incomplete because they write him so... wrong? I think my real problem is the tail end of fandoms that radicalize and throw Malleus around as something he isn't, and that's okay to a certain degree (my /Reader blog acknowledged that Malleus is a canon as I can do without just being Readers buddy, which he's more likely to be in canon). It's just... people are too radical, I think.

I fear the wars this man will create when Chapter 7, Part 3 shows he's got more flaws then he does. I can see a Rook Chapter 5 happening. :(

But I'm not all pessimistic, I know the right fandom should be encouraged and the minority should be ignored, so I know whatever Yana/Aniplex gives us: I support. I know common artists, writer's, editors are all doing fine and I interact normally, but I hate the "drop him" culture these games have in the EN side.

Oh no I get you.

Malleus by himself is an interesting character in his own right, without needing to be steeped in fanon.

I do think that because he was left to stew on his own with pieces of content to hold Mallelikers over, people ended up turning him into their own character to fit their own needs.

And in some ways it's kinda meta because that was something he was trying to escape his whole life so that he could be welcomed by those around him.

I'm usually not as steeped in the fandom as I used to be what w college and stuff creeping up but I'm genuinely sorry that everyone has experienced some form of harassment from both sides of the fence bc one hc didn't fit the other's or the argument of whether his character is good enough or not.

It's disheartening to see others get jumped because of how strongly they feel towards a character and its horrible that you have to endure that on your page anon.

I'm honestly praying Malleus doesn't go through what Rook went thru because that moment is still be felt to this day due to how decisive it was 😭😭😭.

And it's funny bc Rook not choosing Vil was supposed to give Vil growth, who was so hard pressed on winning to the point that he'd contemplated killing his opponent and subsequently Overblotted. The point was that Vil wasn't supposed to win because it'd feed into him. It was a lesson.

With Malleus' Dorm Vignette, I'd argue that him summoning the other dorm leaders was a long time coming considering they weren't doing any affirmative actions to ensure that Malleus could attend. He brought them to him because it was the only thing he could think of; he's not good with technology, time is a construct to him, and no student is willing to approach him for the fun of it unless it's to get smth out of it. It was mostly an act of burning the village to feel its warmth tho it wasn't out of malicious intent.

In the end I can reason he was still partially wrong, he only considered brainstorming with Lilia [and Lilia, a jokester that he is, encouraged him.] Instead of talking to Crowley.

But I do think that Malleus being the poster boy has led to him being so oversaturated in the fandom that a lot of his personality is lost in translation once more.

I liken it to Ace Trappola. Fanon!Ace played up his worst traits to the max without allowing the nuance of his character growth to shine thru. Luckily, Ace is in the recovery period but the same cannot be said for Floyd 😭😭😭.

My most basic observation is that popularity takes the nuance out of characters and I'm hoping against hope that Chapter 7 shows a new side of Malleus that sets the record straight bc as someone who loves character studies watching Malleus get chopped and screwed is 🥶🥶🥶.

[chaos-grimlin]

Me againnnn! Heres another chapter to why me!

Intro:In 1974 a tragedy which befell on a group of six youths, in particular Y/n L/n and he dear friend Sally Hardesty. It's all the more tragic that all of them where young. But they had lived very long lives, thry could not have expected nor would they have wished to see as much of the mad and macabre as they were to see that day. For them an idyllic summer afternoon drive became a nightmare. The events of thst day were to lead to the discovery of one of the most bizarre crimes in the annals of American history. The kidnapping of Y/n L/n and the Texas chainsaw massacre..

Why me? (Nubbins Sawyer x Y/n)

Word count:1177

Chapter 3- The Hitchhiker

Previously on why me in chapter 2- the graveyard: "Hitchhiker" Sally said and as she did I leaned up slightly and looked out the window....

~~~Y/n P.O.V~~~

"Hitchhiker" Sally said and I leaned up to look out the window, and sure enough, there was a Hitchhiker.

"Should we pick him up?" Jerry asked.

"Oh, yeah, man, pick him up, hell asphyxiate (meaning:kill by depriving someone of air) out there" I said. In this heat no one and i mean no one should walk! Its far too hot to do so.

"What does he look like?" Pam said, sitting up straight and trying to look out the window.

"The son of a bitch is going to smell just like the slaughterhouse!" Franklin whined, obviously not thinking about how hot it was.

"Oh, give the guy a break! He can sit by Y/n" Sally said as she looked back at me.

"What do you wanna do?" Jerry asked again.

"Oh he's weird lookin" Pam said as she stood on her knees, blocking my view of the Hitchhiker.

"Pick him up man" Kirk said and Pam looked at him and whined out a no, but Jerry didn't listen.

Jerry slowled the van to a stop and the Hitchhiker yanked the sliding door open and hopped in, closing the door behind him.

"Well I thinl we just picked up Dracula" Franklin said as the Hitchhiker got in the back with me.

I looked over at him, my eyes scanned him. He had sweat slicked hair, his skin was a pasty yet colored white tone, he had a very large noticeable red birthmark on the left side of his cheek. He wore a baggy green shirt with a fur bag around his neck along with a camera. He didnt look weird at all to me.

"Where you headed man?" Kirk asked as he eyed the Hitchhiker.

"South" the Hitchhiker said rather quickly.

"You work at that place?" Franklin asked as he pointed to the slaughterhouse.

"oh, no" he said, answering in quick spirts.

"How did you get stuck way our here?" Pam asked as she moved away from him.

"I... I was at the slaughterhouse!" The hitchhiker said.

"I got an uncle that works at a slaughterhouse" Franklin said, once again, bringing up the slaughterhouse.

"H..hey! My..my brother worked there my..my grandfather, too" The hitchhiker said with a small giggle as struggling to speak a bit.

"My familys always been in meat" the Hitchhiker said. It was odd.. His whole family im gussing worked with meat..but he didn't.

"A whole family of Draculas" Franklin whispered as he looked at Sally. He clearly didn't want the Hitchhiker here. I dont know why he didn't, he seemes like a friendly guy to me.

"Hey,man, did you go in that slaughter room or what ever they call it? The place where they shoot the cattle in the head with that big air gun thing?" Franklin asked, looking back at the Hitchhiker.

The hitchhiker frowned "Oh, that..that guns no good" he stammered out.

"I was in there once with my uncle-" Franklin started, but was cut off.

"The old way..with a sledge! Heh" the Hitchhiker said, bashing his fist against his hand with a giggle.

"See, that was better! They died better that way." The hitchhiker added.

"How come? I thought the gun was better?" Franklin asked as his slightly bushy brows knitted togeather in confusion.

"Oh, no, no. With the new way, people are put...put out of jobs!" The hitchhiker said with a frown.

"You do that?" I asked, chiming into the conversation between the two boys.

The hitchhiker looked at me and smiled, his eyes scanning my face before he grabbed at the fur pouch around his neck and rumaged through it. "Look!" He said erratically as he pulled out a handful of photographs that have clearly seen better days.

The hitchhiker handed me the photos with shaky hands.

I gently took the photos from him, being careful with the paper as I unfolded them.

"I was the killer!" He said with proudness laced in his voice amd a giggle at the end.

I looked at the photos seeing bloody, pigs and cows, organs and blood covered tables. Photos like these would normally gross someone out, but..i didn't find them gross or odd at all. I hummed slightly as I looked through them

"Let me see" Franklin said. I slowly handed the photos to Franklin who instantly looked disgusted with the photos. "Damn" he choked out.

"They don't send the heads away." The hitchhiker started.

" Did you take those photos?" I asked as I tilted my head to the side.

"Yeah!" He said with a wide smile as he looked at me, clearly proud of his work.

"Franklin!" Sally said loudly as she roughly took some of the photos from Franklins hands. Her roughness with the photographs made the hitchhiker frown.

"See, they make headcheese!" The hitchhiker started, adding onto what he said before about the heads.

"They......" There was a pause as he struggled to get his words out.

"They...take the head a-annd they boil it, ex...except for the tongue, and they scrape all the flesh away from the bo...bone..they They uae everything theu dint throw nothing away! They use the jowls and the muscles and the eues and the ligaments and everything!" He said with a large smile.

"Oh" I said as I kept my eyes on him, engaging in what he was saying.

"The nose and the gums and all th..the flesh! And they boil it down a big...big jelly of fat!" He said as he fiddled with his fingers slightly. My eyes traveled down to his hands, and thats when my eyes landed on a bracelet, one that seemed to be made from fake teeth or something of the sorts.

"Wow, i didn't know thats what was in that stuff" Franklin said, I could guess that je was oddly shocked.

"It...its really good! You like it?" The Hitchhiker side as he tilted his head, looking at Franklin then at me.

"Oh, yeah, sure, i like it its good" Franklin said with a small nod, then the Hitchhiker looked over to me. "What..what about you?" He stammered out.

"I've never tried it..but im down to try it" i said with a light smile, this seemed to make the Hitchhiker smile more with excitement.

"Oh it sounds horrible.. It is possible wr could talk about something else?" Pam whined out as she side eyed me, Franklin, and the Hitchhiker.

"Youll probaly like it if you didnt know what was in it" Franklin muttered as he looked over at Pam.

I shuffled back on the floor, still sitting by the Hitchhiker.

"What..whats your name? I...im Nubbins!" The hitchhiker said as he looked at me.

"Oh im Y/n" I said as I locked eyes with him. His eyes were a misty blue color. (Edwin neal the actor of Nubbins has blue/ grey eyes so go with it)

"Wow....pre..pretty name for..for...a..pretty girl" He said before turning back to Franklin and Pam...

[siffrin-enthusiast]

hello designated isat mutual. i have decided that ten thousand (exaggerating) interests is not enough and i need to know everything about all of my mutuals' brainrots so i can share with them this joy. and also probably make more intentionally bad ms paint art

anyways the subject of this post: ultrakill. i know nothing about it and do not know where to start but i know... two people who like it (one being you and the other not being on tumblr to my knowledge). how would you recommend a silly such as myself to begin interacting with the game(? i assume it's a game. all i know is there's a dude, a certified guy even, named gabriel. and lore. i do not know the lore)

ofc please render this entire ask moot if you do not feel up to answering, i will feel no offense if you would rather not for whatever reason. pinky promise. thumbs up emoji

EXPLODES /POS FINALLY AN EXCUSE TO RAMBLE ABOUT ULTRAKILL,,,,

so. if you want to go in blind? go to the steam page and download the free demo. it lets you play the first layer for free to see if it's something you'd enjoy. while ultrakill hasn't triggered any seizures for me, it has been known to trigger people's motion sickness. it also features a...LOT of death (you killing hellspawn), blood (can be turned off though!!), and LORE!!!! i would recommend at least being a little bit familiar with dante's inferno to appreciate everything the game does with it (following it normally, following it too literally, completely subverting its meaning at times, just playing around with it!!)

ultrakill is designed to be a very hard, skill-based, bash your head into the wall for a few hours kind of game. there are assist settings to make it more accessible but you need to know if you play this game that you are SUPPOSED to suck ass at it for the first several hours until you learn how everything interacts (pro tip: learn how to use the coin gun properly. that thing has CARRIED me).

looking at letsplays (markiplier's is a personal favorite but also the VA of gabriel playing ultrakill in-character is incredible) and staring at all the art of these very queercoded robots and watching the insanity of ultrakill speedruns is also very funny, but obviously, spoilers.

go!! get into ultrakill!!! spread the gay robot and angel propaganda!!!!!!!

[igniferrus]

I can't believe the BBC's The Adventures of Merlin peaked at S01E04 "The Poisoned Chalice."

OBVIOUSLY I love the absolute absurdity of Merlin and Arthur trying to die for each other after knowing each other for like a week. Just for the vibes and for the Merthur implications, however; this episode is the one that does the characters and their interpersonal relationships the most justice, in my opinion.

Now with a read more, because this got out of hand, fast.

We start with the Gauis and Merlin father-son relationship, with them bantering in the hallways about work. Gwen and Merlin get to giggle together at the feast, and then we see their bond as Gwen worries over Merlin (and her blaming herself when he 'dies').

Merlin is also a wonderful sunshine boy in this episode. The weight of his destiny hasn't worn him down yet, he's still riding the high of finally understanding the reason he was born as he was. He perks up when Arthur tells him he's going to the feast, he treats the guests as guests (no immediate suspicion, trying to impress Kara/Nimueh), and we get to see some of his best cheeky moments - like calling Gaius out for making up a proverb, telling Kara he runs the castle, pestering Arthur about his smelly clothes and the food fights, and, of course, when he wakes up mock scolding Gaius for hugging Gwen, and then claiming not to be alive but his own ghost. He's still a silly boy, especially when he wakes up and says he doesn't remember what happened after drinking the wine.

But what I think this episode does particularly well is the Pendragons, especially Arthur.

We get Morgana ready to cut a bitch immediately when things go wrong at the feast, but also see her compassionate side when she allows Gwen to go tend to Merlin. Her relationships with Uther and Arthur are phenomenally well done. Uther scolds her (off-screen) for wanting to bash people about the head with ladles at the feast. But she also gets to stand up to him and show her displeasure at his choices.

When Uther rants at her after Arthur leaves, she agrees with his every point, sarcastically. His ordering Arthur to stay "worked like a charm" and "[her] lips are sealed" when he tells her to knock it off. She calls him out for oppressing Arthur and not letting him make his own choice, telling Uther "[He] can't chain [Arthur] up every time he disagrees with [Uther]" and "Arthur's old enough to make decisions for himself"

But Uther wins this argument (or is at least conceded to), because he asks Morgana if he should allow Arthur to make his own choices, if that means Arthur will die. And Morgana has no answer for him. Which is especially interesting as Morgana was the one to push for Arthur to go.

There is a lot to be said for Morgana and Arthur's relationship in the show as a whole, and this episode too. I could probably write a whole post about them just using The Poisoned Chalice. But I'll keep it to two main points here.

The first, and most important one, which I think is overlooked in a lot of people's take on their relationship, comes from a short line in a transition scene. There is a total of six pieces of dialogues, split between Morgana and Gwen, as Gwen fills Morgana in on the Merlin situation, which includes this bit:

MORGANA: Don't worry, I'm alright. How's Merlin? GUINEVERE: If Arthur comes back with the antidote in time, he'll be fine. MORGANA: Then he'll be fine.

Just like that. If Merlin's health relies on Arthur succeeding it is a forgone conclusion for Morgana. Arthur will not fail. She has enough faith in him that she is no longer worried about Merlin's fate. I don't think enough people consider this angle of their relationship. She knows who Arthur is. He is a good, capable man of honour. He will do what needs to be done. She never says this to his face, and actually implies the opposite when she thinks he won't go and rescue Gwen in a later episode, but that's sibling banter and desperation, baby! She's his older sister, she can't be seen hyping him up. Even when she gives him the chance to talk about his success at the end of the episode, she frames it as "bragging." C'mon. He just traveled to a place where few people come back from, defied his king, and still managed to save a man whose life was already deemed "worth less" that the cost of saving him. It's not bragging, it's a true achievement.

There has also been plenty said for Morgana being a guiding figure at first. When Arthur is stuck with indecision about going, when Uther has gotten into his head about this quest being an abandonment of his people, it is Morgana who encourages him to go, saying his people want and deserve a king who will do what is right. Which is all Arthur ever wants to do, despite the way Uther raised him.

Which brings us to the Uther and Arthur relationship. Uther prohibits Arthur from doing what is right. Calls into question his judgement ("jeopardise the future of this kingdom"? Realty, Uther?). Arrests his son. Locks him in the dungeon. Does his best to throw away all that Arthur sacrificed for to teach him a lesson about not doing things the "right" (Uther's) way. Continued to lie about Arthur's birth and magic, when given the perfect opportunity to come clean.

And yet.

Uther loves his boy. He wants to kill Bayard with his own hands, if it was true that he was going to harm Uther's son. Rants and raves to Morgana and Arthur leaving (and disobeying), putting himself in danger (could never say he's worried to his son's face, though). And in that moment, uses the exact justification he told Gaius wasn't good enough. When Merlin accuses Bayard of poison, Gaius claims "he's just a boy" and should be given leniency, which Uther refutes, saying Gaius should have taught him better. But when it's Uther's own (older) son, "he's just a boy" Morgana, not old enough to make his own decisions.

And at the end? When Uther does tell Arthur he's proud of him, despite it all? Arthur pulls this face, almost a kind of grimace. Like he doesn't know what to do with this information. How often does Uther say this? Not enough, obviously. Uther is a tyrant, a hypocrite, a terrible parent, and a father who cares so very deeply about his child(ren). The love is there, but it is not enough to redeem him. This, along with Beauty and the Beast (especially part two) are some of my top Uther episodes. Because they show how much he loves his boy, and it doesn't change anything. It cannot help either of them now.

Finally. Arthur Pendragon. My main man, in all forms, across all media.

He is at his best in this episode. In every conceivable way.

Aside from the excellent insight into his relationships with his family, in a way with more depth and nuance than most episodes, we get to see the Best Arthur, both physically and mentally.

As a man, he excels. He shows up for the diplomatic aspects of the position as Prince. His teases and needles Merlin, but it is less mean spirited than some episodes portray him. The silly hat is hilarious, but I also think putting Merlin in Pendragon red, with the family's crest emblazoned on his chest was a smart move. This is a new, incredibly untrained servant, with no idea of the decorum of the court. It wasn't Merlin's fault, but he really put himself in a bad light during the tournament by accusing Valiant and not being able to back up his claims, and he did recently confess to sorcery to the entire court...... Arthur all but putting his name on Merlin definitely would have afforded some protection if Merlin's trouble had been a little less dire. Calling Merlin an alcoholic may have been a bit harsh, but impugning Merlin's intelligence had already worked once in getting Uther to let him go, so I see why Arthur would stick with what works. Especially if defying Uther regularly gets him clapped in irons himself.

People routinely call Arthur honourable, and he really shows it in this episode. He tries to drink the poison himself to protect Merlin, after all his other attempts fail. He refuses to allow Merlin's sacrifice to go unrepaid. Even when he hears about how dangerous the quest will be, and that few who try it make it back alive, he says "Sounds like fun." There's no reality where Arthur doesn't want to go. Not even Uther pressing on Arthur's sore spots makes him want to abandon the quest, it just makes him wonder if he should. Also. On a time-sensitive quest that is more likely to kill him than not, he still stops to offer help to an apparently battered servant. It was the wrong choice, but the honourable one none the less.

He's so incredibly clever, too. I talked about my interpretation of his choice of Merlin's outfit already, but the scene with Gwen in the dungeon is so well-written. He's already in trouble. Uther has all but sentenced Merlin to die, twice. Once by forbidding Arthur from leaving the castle, and again when he crushes the flower to teach Arthur a lesson. The guards have to know this, along with the fact that the prince is out of favour enough to be in the dungeon for a week. And yet Arthur uses their perception of him, as a spoiled arrogant prince, to help Gwen smuggle the flower out. It is an exceptionally well-laid and executed plan. He has been studying to be a king (and kill) from birth. By necessity, Arthur is a skilled tactician. He wouldn't lead the army if he wasn't - Uther punishes failure harshly.

Arthur also gets to show off his physical skills in this episode. My man is STRONG and SKILLED. He carries Merlin from the hall to the physician's chambers. I don't know how long of a walk that it, but we've seen there are plenty of stairs up to Gaius' tower, and Arthur gets there without being out of breath. Incredible. Plus, in the cave, Arthur supports his entire body weight with one hand while hanging off a ledge AND waving a sword around to fight off a big spider. In chainmail. This man is Strong As Fuck. I don't think I could hang for very long, even using both hands, much less fight a monster.

We also get to see Arthur's skills with a sword. I've mentioned somewhere before that I understand Merlin was the protagonist and therefore got to be the hero most of the time, at the expense of Arthur. But damn. The cockatrice is the main reason why people don't return from this quest, a single drop of its venom is deadly. And Arthur takes care of it without a single thought. It lunges, he rolls under it, and then he THROWS HIS SWORD and spears it. How much did he have to practice to be able to throw a sword with accuracy, and enough power to be lethal? Absolute unit of a man. He fights off the spider mentioned above, and then climbs the cave wall to freedom. His arms must be so jacked. The only thing he can't carry is the weight of his father's disapproval.

This is also the only episode where we get to see Merlin and Arthur working perfectly together as they were meant to. In other episodes, Arthur is unconscious or unaware of Merlin's magic; or at the end, he is simply an audience to Merlin as the reveal at Camlann doesn't give them enough time to have a healthy Arthur and Merlin team up. Arthur only watches Merlin-as-Dragoon at the battle proper, or is too weak to do anything after.

But in this episode, Merlin, fever-ridden, dying, miles away in Camelot, is still able to provide Arthur magical aid in the cave. He lights the way, showing Arthur the spiders and the route to the exit. It is one of the few times Arthur is exposed to "good" magic. Could you imagine a world where the best swordsman in Albion and the most powerful warlock to walk the earth get to fight side-by-side? With Merlin providing magical support and Arthur the physical aspect? it would have been amazing, but this is the closest we come to it.

It also adds an interesting dimension to the idea of Merlin and Arthur being two sides of the same coin. Merlin's connection to Arthur despite the distance, knowing what Arthur is facing, should have been explored more. We only see it again when they are separated at Camlann, and Arthur wakes, seemingly knowing something isn't right with Merlin. Absolutely underused concept.

This has ended up criminally long, and didn't even cover everything I thought about during my rewatch of the episode. Thank you if you took the time to read all this.

[sounds-of-some-day]

Turn Into Something Beautiful

Turn Into Something Beautiful by sounds-of-someday

Rating: G

Pairing: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark

Summary: Tony always thought his favorite color was red. But he was wrong.

AN: Inspired by this post by @docdracula (which is inspired by another post that I don't have the link for.) Title is from "Yellow" by Coldplay because why not. Warning for abuse of the word beautiful.

~.~.~

“I bet I can guess your favorite color,” Steve says, leaning over the back of the couch, and there’s a slight bashfulness to his smile.

“Oh yeah? What is it?”

Steve tilts his head, studying Tony carefully. “I think it’s yellow.”

Natasha snorts. “What? It’s obviously red.”

It is red, but there’s no way Tony’s going to admit to that now, not with Steve looking at him with that smile that’s so soft, so pure, that honestly, it makes Tony’s heart ache just a bit. 

“Actually, it is yellow,” Tony says.

“I knew it,” Steve says softly, and he looks absolutely delighted..

It makes Tony’s stomach flutter, and he can feel a slight flush creep down the back of his neck. Natasha gives him an amused smirk that tells him she doesn’t believe him for a second, and he shoots her a warning glance, because right now Steve's smile looks absolutely beautiful, and Tony never wants to see that smile fade from his face.

~.~.~

It starts out small. A clear plastic bag of yellow m&ms, tied with a curled yellow ribbon appears on the desk in his workshop one day. At first he thinks they’re from Natasha as a way of teasing him for lying about his favorite color just because Steve looked at him with those piercing blue eyes and smiled.

“Actually, they’re from Mr. Rogers, sir,” JARVIS informs him, and his heart skips a beat.

“I was at the candy store, and I thought of you,” Steve explains later, and a warmth fills Tony’s body, from his head to his toes, and he’s not quite sure what to make of that.

~.~.~

Two weeks later Steve makes deviled eggs and they’re….

“Why are they yellow?” Clint asks.

“Food dye,” Steve answers simply, but his eyes flash to Tony’s and there’s a pink tinge to his cheeks.

“But why?” Clint asks again, scrunching his nose in distaste.

“I think they look delicious,” Tony says, reaching for one.

And they are. They’re the best deviled eggs Tony’s ever eaten, and he never wants to eat deviled eggs that aren’t yellow ever again. 

~.~.~

It’s spring, and Natasha’s managed to find the only field in New York that isn’t crowded with people. Steve packs a picnic lunch and Bruce spreads a red and white checkered blanket in the grass and they laugh and they drink and they forget about being The Avengers for a few hours. 

Tony can’t help but notice that there’s a wide assortment of yellow foods: bananas, mangoes, pineapple, little yellow cupcakes. Natasha gives him a knowing smirk, but he ignores her, popping one of the little cupcakes into his mouth. She’s just jealous because Steve didn’t pack a bunch of black foods. 

Later, Thor, Natasha, Clint and Bruce go off to play something that looks like a slightly more rough version of rugby, and honestly, it looks like Natasha is wiping the floor with the rest of them. 

Steve stays on the red and white checkered blanket with Tony, and Tony can feel the blood rushing through his veins everytime Steve looks at him with that big bashful grin. He averts his eyes, feeling self-conscious, but as he gazes out at the field, which is filled with yellow buttercups and daisies, Tony realizes it wasn’t Natasha that found this field, it was Steve. 

It’s beautiful, really, in a simplistic kind of way, and he isn’t sure how he didn’t see it before.

He plucks a handful of buttercups, twirling the stems between his fingers as he studies the glossy yellow petals. Yes, they really are pretty.

“We used to put these under our chins as kids,” he says. “It was this silly little thing, but if you put a buttercup under your chin and it lit up yellow, it meant you loved butter.”

Steve laughs, and it was the most charming sound Tony has ever heard. “Well?” he says, and he juts out his chin. Tony smiles, leaning in to hold the buttercup under his chin. The flower’s petals reflect against Steve’s skin, causing it to glow bright yellow, and it takes Tony’s breath away.

“Well, there you have it,” he says, his voice slightly strained. “Empirical scientific proof that you love butter.” Steve smiles, his eyes crinkling softly around the edge, and Tony has to look away again. “It’s actually because the outer layer of the petals reflect yellow light with an intensity that’s comparable to glass,” he explains, feeling suddenly nervous. He glances at Steve shyly. “I hope that didn’t ruin any of the mystery for you.”

“Not at all. I would listen to you explain how the whole world works if I could.” Steve says, and Tony’s heart soars just a little bit, because he suspects that Steve just might be telling the truth. 

~.~.~

The painting arrives a month later. He doesn’t need to ask who the gift is from this time. Even if it wasn’t for the artist’s initials, SGR, scrawled neatly in the corner, he would know. Because it’s a painting of the field, their field, lush green grass filled with scattered dots of yellow buttercups and daisies. 

He loves it. More than any painting he’s ever owned or ever seen, though he isn’t quite sure whether that’s because of who the artist is, because of the warm memories associated with it, or because the bright yellow splashes of paint against the deep green of the grass and the bright blue of the sky really is quite stunning.

~.~.~

It’s summer and there’s a flower vendor on every corner of New York. He crosses from Lexington Avenue to 49th Street, and one of them catches his eye. The flowers are grouped by color and he immediately seeks out the section of yellow bouquets. There are so many: roses, sunflowers, begonias, carnations, marigolds, and more. 

They’re lovely, and Tony’s starting to wonder how he never noticed the beauty of yellow before. He thinks that maybe he had never really truly seen yellow before Steve, had never seen yellow the way Steve sees yellow, in all its warmth and vibrance, but now that he has, he is absolutely blown away by the magnificence of it. 

He purchases a single yellow tulip, and he puts it in a vase on the table in his workshop, and every time he sees it he thinks of Steve.

~.~.~

It’s fall, and Tony finally works up the courage to ask Steve out on a date. Steve smiles, and it’s sweet, though there’s something in his eyes, something like what took you so long?

He’s purchased tickets for a new art show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They cost twenty-five dollars each, and it might just be the cheapest first date Tony’s ever planned, but he knows he’s completely nailed it by the way Steve’s eyes light up when they first walk through the door. 

Steve’s been here before, of course, it’s one of his favorite places in the city to visit, but he’s never been here with Tony before. He grasps Tony’s hand, tentative at first, but Tony gives Steve’s hand a little squeeze, and Steve intertwines their fingers together.

They spend approximately twenty minutes looking at the new exhibit before Steve is pulling him through the halls towards his favorite painting. Tony isn’t even surprised when they stop in front of a large contemporary piece made up of vibrant splashes of different shades of yellow. 

“It reminds me of you,” Steve says.

Tony steps back, examining the piece, and he’s completely at a loss for what to say. It’s warm, like sitting in front of a fire on a cold day, or like a patch of sunlight streaming through the window. It exudes happiness and joy, excitement without being loud, and it fills him with a sense of optimism. It’s beautiful. 

If that’s what Steve sees when Steve looks at Tony, then Tony is a very lucky man indeed.

~.~.~

It's winter, and it's cold outside, but it's warm in their bed. Tony leans over, kissing the top of Steve’s head. Steve is stretched out in the bed next to him, sheets tangled around sun-kissed skin, eyelids fluttering. He hopes whatever dream Steve is having, that it's a pleasant dream.

The sunlight streams in through the window, casting the blond strands of Steve’s hair in a soft yellow glow and Tony’s heart swells in his chest.

Because Steve was right all along. 

Yellow really is his favorite color. 

[belethlegwen]

What's a detail about Melanie & Henry's relationship that you've ALWAYS wanted to share, but haven't been able to yet? (obviously no pressure to answer if that's a spoiler 💖)

Oooooh, I love this question ;-; Thank you!

I think it's pretty obvious from where they're currently at the in The Rescue (Chp 41) and how they've been getting along so far throughout The Stranding, that they become-- and are-- very tender with each other. It takes them a while to get there, but fully mutual respect despite differences is what I really strive for in their growth.

A detail we've been building to, but haven't gotten to yet, though:

Slipping this beneath a Read More to avoid spoiling too much for people, but: throughout The Rescue especially, Henry's seen grappling with this idea of control and trying to achieve it and cling to it however he can, and that comes down to finding ways in which he can control Melanie.

While it is, particularly in the earlier parts, relatively harmless in terms of what he wants and what he's trying to do, it does eventually get worse and come to a head. It's really what sets in motion her strength in The Stranding that she exerts, where what control people have over her, she is actively consenting to in some way or another, and there needs to be acknowledgement that respect has to go two ways. Control, to the degree that some people want it, is not respect.

Henry learns a rough lesson in that moment, but they both benefit greatly after the fact and start to understand how they can fit together better in their respective ways. I just think that's incredibly special.

...My second favourite (and spicy) detail is that while these beautiful idiots I care so much about aren't the best at being honest with themselves (and therefore, each other) about their feelings towards one another as much as they should be, they're very open and honest with their feelings about themselves, particularly as it pertains to sexuality and other adult-flavoured things of that nature. This winds up being almost... show-boating or grandstanding in a way that leaves the two of them at times a bit more embarrassed and bashful than they had let on they would be, however, which I think is a cute dynamic when we eventually roll around to that.

Thanks so much for the ask, lovely!! <3 I hope the answer is good for you!

[who-is-this-weirdo]

He always hated that man's eyes. They where, objectively, totally fine, nothing out of the ordinary. They weren't bloodshot, they didn't have obviously concerning red irises, no, nothing that most would find concerning.

To be fair, most would consider his eyes more concerning then Jack's, with their icy color and slit pupils where light could reflect even by day. But, still, it was the first thing he hated when he met that young researcher.

He shuddered with slight fear and disguss when he had to look in his eyes and shake his hand for the first time. Those eyes where nearly identical to his father's, outside, obviously, the lack of slit pupils. And worst of all, they glinted or felt the same way as his father's did.

Just the eyes, never the rest of his expressions. But oh it was just the beginning. Eyes where one thing, the attitude, another. He hoped maybe that after a while he could even just, tolerate him.

He was wrong. Plain and simple. Jack Bright was an absolute insufferable little bitch. Rarely listen to anyone, arrogant, self-sufficient, prone to bullying behavior, disregard safety rules, can't even keep his office somewhat clean or organized, whiny and oh gosh why did most of his voices, even when changing bodies, sounded so annoying !?

Each minute just standing near the man annoyed him deeply. And those fucking eyes. And those sarcastic comments. And despite everything he did there was little to no consequences. He couldn't be fired, or killed definitely. All because that bastard was the son or someone and little brother of another. Well, it was that before the accident. After that, being officially anomalous in nature, he wouldn't go away because technically he was also an scp.

Though ... he did not act like it, and for the most part was not treated like it. He still treated most other sentient entity like trash, including him.

He was moslty treated well. But some of his question where way too personal. And he started giving nicknames, mostly sexual ones. And oh by star dust he was so clingy and way to much into physical contact. Everyday was a new way to blur the line between flirt and disrespect for that idiot.

Getting extremely graphic remarks from someone's with his dad's eyes was not something he wanted. The only thing he dreamed of was to grab him by the hair and bash his head repeatedly against a kitchen counter until enought blood was spilled that the room was painted in crimson hues.

So it was a surpise, when one day, that bastard barged in his cell, wet eyes and sniffling.

" Your old huh ...? "

He remembered raising an eyebrow, commenting on the blunt nature of his words.

" How ... how am I suppose to do it ? They will grow old ... and die and there will be no way to stop it ! I feel like I can't grow anymore ... people will move on from me ... "

He couldn't answer Jack's question, having no answer himself, having lived a long nomadic live, with short relationships, and he knew why, because he too, even after all this time, still felt was the researcher was feeling. He just took him in his arms, in silence, maybe he understood what was implied, maybe he tired himself out, maybe he just needed comfort.

He told him to go see someone to talk too about that, and after a while, it started to get slightly better. He was still very similar, kept the pranks, the attidude and ... those kind of comments, was this a way to flirt ? Did he thought it was an acceptable way to do it ...?

They started making small talks if they had to do something together, as a way to pass time.

One day, a first of January, he woke up with two problems. A hangover, migraines, dry mouth and throat accompanied by strange pains in his chests.

" I shouldn't have took theses things "

That's when he felt warm breating against his chest, calming the pain growing in it, it couldn't be his, slowly, he looked down to see that bastard sleeping peacefully, huddled against him. Slowly, he woke up and moved, groaning and moaning in pain and discomfort, without even acknowledging his environment.

" Oww ... fuck fuck ... fuck ... never ... again ... oww my back ... "

Was what we growled, before trying to look around.

" Why the fuck is it so dark in here goddammit ... "

He could see just fine, perk to not being human. He calmly asked, keeping anger away from his voice.

" What are you doing here ...?

A hight pitched, short scream was the first thing Bright managed.

" What the fuck are you doing ... here !? "

He frowned.

" That's my cell, and my bed. I'm supposed to be here. "

They both were silent for a moment, staying there, in the dark.

" I think ... I drunk and crawled here ... last thing I remember is you were laying on your bed, laughing, high as a kite ... hey hum ... my back hurts ... "

Great usage of word Bright. Just great. He growled.

" Even dead drunk with you as the last alive thing in this world I wouldn't touch you ! "

Bright looked honestly hurt for a second, before frowning, then smiling with amusement.

" Yeah, apparently you would directly pound me into the matress, no apocalypse needed ! "

He hated that dude, he wasn't so sure of it but it felt like it, something about his eyes, or about his attitude, would always annoys him. It was something visceral that he couldn't and wouldn't control.

He thought it must be hate, but he still hold him in his arms, not letting go. Some time after, when Jack would joke about it, he would just say that he needed warmth this morning, that it was winter after all. Both saw past the lie thought. Thoses eyes looked pretty all thing considered.

[coolnightmarerunaway]

June 7, 2023

January 1 to February 22 =52 days? Okay, 50. He was being a baby and got Daryl to get me to go over to talk to him.

April 24 - 37+7=44

Day #44

Last two days mind wonders on him. I'm not sure why. So now I look up how long it takes to no longer care. 30-60-90 days

This is a different situation seeing how we are in the same social circle. He sent three people to talk to me. He has tried to talk three times. He once invaded my space to pet a guy's dog.

I have run into him for about 9 days in a row. He tried to speak with me on the first day.

He apparently told others he made a mistake but hasn't said anything of the kind to me.

One guy he sent to me started inquiring. I told him Ray and I have been having conflict for a long time. In my opinion, it needs to end.

Before Ray tried to kill me with my head injury, he was trying to start arguments. He would send female bashing videos. I asked why he continuously sent derogatory material. He didn't get the argument he was looking for.

He and I have been in so many spats, I would literally have to look at our conversation to know what he was doing and when.

I came across something that said to "get over" relationship you have to allow a week for every month 🤨 I'm not sure how to calculate this, as we have had numerous separations due to him trying to argue with me on a monthly basis. I'm not even sure when we started hanging around. I think it was 2021 sometime in the summer 🤔 came across something else that said 11 weeks. Ray pulled his stunt on April 24th. A few days later, after somebody made contact with me on his behalf, I sent a message to show my appreciation 😃 Obviously I didn't get a response.

So June (?) 2021 to April 2023. 22 months = 22 weeks? Seems excessive. If I subtract January 1st to February 22nd (20.5 months) we didn't speak for the month of June (19.5 months) Argument in the month of July, another argument in August, and I'm not quite sure where it went from there 😆

Even after 52 days of separation, we ended up right back at square one. In fact I can't remember if it was the end of February or sometime in March he weaseld his way into my house. That was this year.. by April 11 2023 I addressed his degrading material. April 24th with my head injury, he saw an opportunity to inflict chaos, and he took it. He couldn't get an argument out of me, so he went to different route.

I guess I'm looking at something like 20 months. We are on week 7 of 20🤨🤔 No freaking way.

Every time he and I start communicating, it gets harder and harder to speak with him. We keep going back 🤨

The man definitely has narcissistic qualities. He is reminiscent of my ex-boyfriend. He never does anything wrong. Even if you catch the man red-handed, it wasn't him. He is toxic as fuck and he tells people lies about me.

I was just searching the conversation, it seems in October 2022 I told him I missed a party because I wasn't an ignorant cunt. He attends parties of people he criticizes. He seemingly likes to look down on the people he hangs out with.

I don't understand how he and I continue to mingle again. It's absolutely not logical. There should be a kill switch for feelings in such situations.

We started communicating primarily because of covid and covid restrictions. He was completely against the vaccines. Oddly enough when the vaccine passports came out this man was still getting into bars and restaurants. I asked him how he was doing that without a covid passport. I never did get an answer. He also happened to mention that his brother was lying about his vaccinated status. Several bikers were lying about their vaccine status. Because "not getting vaccinated was cooler" than telling everybody you got vaccinated. Imagine claiming to be anti-authority, while getting down on your knees 😆

A while back he was sending me QAnon videos. That used to tick me off. I kept telling him Qanon is not reliable. Only recently did I discover he really believes these QAnon theories. I knew he was running with the nanobots, only one person ever said they spotted nanobots in the vaccine. I pointed out on multiple occasions if it were true other people would have found them by now. Much like the blood clots. Tons of people have reported massive blood clots in the Dead. While having a disease where "no symptom is a symptom" is a massive joke. This man believed covid was not real. If it is real or not, I don't have a dog in that fight. Although I do consider it strange

June of last year while I was dealing with family situation, brother had a heart attack and such. This man thought it was highly appropriate to engage in sexual conversation with two whores that walked across the parking lot and jumped in his rig like they were his best friend.

First year I met him, he complained I didn't take pictures of people. This man constantly wanted to pose for pictures. Less than a year later he is complaining he might be in one of my picture but yet he poses for pictures all over the place, all the time.

He once dragged me to his favorite hangout location. He hopped out of the rig interrupting conversation between two people, stuck his head in the truck like an ignorant fuck disrupting the conversation between the other people. This left me to converse with the other fellow. Ray for 2 or 3 times he continuously brought up the situation incorrectly. I corrected him every single time. Gaslighting fucker.

I addressed the fact that he was attempting to gaslight me in October 2022.

So very many disputes with this man.

June 7, 2023

[overlooked-tracks]

Glen Check: ‘Music Sounds Better Than Words’

An Overlooked Tracks News Finding: Here’s an article you might have overlooked. Having a partnership with NewsAPI, we try to catch music entertainment news for you to view, read and possibly enjoy. We will continue to find what’s available in the world of music entertainment, concert information and music releases. But obviously you – the listener and reader are the biggest source for news in your area, so if you can share with us. For right now, look at what we found for you:

“From The Rolling Stone India Website – Glen Check: ‘Music Sounds Better Than Words’”

The South Korean indie band walk us through their big comeback LP ‘Bleach,’ the creative process behind their music and tour plans

When people ask me to recommend Korean indie music to them, the first name that comes to mind is Glen Check. I discovered them back in 2012, when I heard their single “Racket” from their simmering, unforgettable debut LP, Haute Couture. The synth and electro-pop sound was something I was drawn to immediately because it was refreshing and addictive –  not just within the Korean music space, but globally. I soon dove head-first into their discography and found that Glen Check’s sound was definitely not limited to a single genre – they offered up synthwave, hip-hop, alternative rock, dream-pop, R&B and techno, and there was a thirst for creation and adventure that was clearly unquenchable. They’re one of those artists that embody the phrase ‘they’ve got something for everybody’ and it’s impossible not to fall in love with at least one of their tracks.

For the past 11 years, the duo have constantly been pushing the boundaries of genre and sound, carving their own niche in the Korean indie scene. “It’s actually quite deliberate that we change styles with every album,” says Kang Hyuk Jun, Glen Check’s bassist, synthesizer player and producer. Speaking about their latest album, Bleach, Kang continues, “We started this project knowing that we wanted to experiment with different genres and styles of music, because we’re both fans of different genres and styles. And we wanted that to show in our music.”

“We’re very shy boys. We don’t really talk about our feelings to other people.”- Kim June One

Fresh off the release of Bleach in March 2022, Kang along with vocalist, guitarist, songwriter and producer Kim June One, join me for a chat on Zoom. They’re bang in the middle of preparations for their concert in Seoul at the end of this month, but they’re generous with their time for the conversation. They greet me with warm smiles, and seem laid-back and relaxed. Almost immediately, the meeting feels less like an interview and more like a chilled-out chat with old friends – a sharp contrast to Glen Check’s powerful, commanding sound. “We’re very shy boys,” says Kim, with a bashful grin. “We don’t really talk about our feelings to other people.” It’s like looking into a mirror, honestly, and the pockets of contemplative silences as the self-proclaimed shy boys think about each answer carefully, are comfortable.

The duo burst into the Korean indie music scene in 2011 with their debut EP, Disco Elevator, and immediately made a splash. Their sound was innovative and energetic, blending eighties synth and electro-pop to create something new, a sound wholly theirs – this was much before the rest of the Korean music industry had delved into these genres and was still in the late phases of EDM. Their second release and first full album, Haute Couture, catapulted the band to fame, earning rave reviews from critics as well as winning them the award for Best Dance and Electronic Album at the Korean Music Awards in 2013. Although this was a tough act to follow, Glen Check bagged the award again the following year with their second album, Youth!.

Anyone who has been following the band since the beginning would know that Glen Check have never restricted themselves to a certain kind of sound. Sure, among casual fans they’re known for their electronica and synth-pop, but if you dive deeper, you’ll find high-tempo techno, gritty grunge rock and languid, pensive R&B. Now in 2022, Bleach is a new victory that blends all these styles together. Each of the 13 tracks on this album is unique in its style and approach. Their appreciation for punk rock shines through tracks like “Dive Baby, Dive” and “Dazed & Confused.” “Sins” and “4ever” evoke nostalgia for the familiar youthful Glen Check synth-pop sound from their earlier releases like Disco Elevator. Techno-pop track “Raving” takes us to the act’s roots in the underground club subculture of Seoul. Bleach is a celebration of all that Glen Check is. “We tried to have little bits of what we’ve done in the past in this album,” Kang says. “It’s kind of like a ‘best of’ album… but with new songs!” he laughs.

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The release of Bleach marks the return of Glen Check after five years, their last release being their 2018 single, Velvet Goldmine. It’s the band’s third studio album, a follow-up to Youth!, and the duo describe it as having been in the works for years. “‘Bleach’ wasn’t an album name in the beginning, it was just a folder name,” Kim says. “We had this folder called ‘Bleach’ where we put all our scraps and ideas that we were collecting through the years. And that ended up becoming the album name.” They began teasing the album at the end of 2021 with “Dive Baby, Dive,” “Raving” and “4ever,” all pre-release singles.

While Glen Check’s previous releases have all been concept-based, indicative of different moods, themes and moments in time (take a look at the youthful vibrance of records like Disco Elevator, Cliche and Haute Couture, the rebellious energy of Youth!, and the slow introspection and melancholy of their last EP, The Glen Check Experience, and Velvet Goldmine) this album is more personal. The logline of the LP, ‘Bleach your mind,’ acts as something of a call to action for the band. Kang explains, “Before making this album, there was a lot of effort [from us] to come up with a new concept for the album. ‘Bleach your mind’ was a reference to the idea that we wanted to get rid of this feeling that we needed to come up with something entirely new. It became like a compilation of all the different ideas that we had visited before.”

“It took us three albums to allow us to become a band that can do any genre. Because we’ve done so many styles and genres in the past, it makes sense for us to release an album like Bleach. The timing was right.”- Kang Hyuk Jun

For Kim, ‘Bleach your mind’ also refers to letting go of inhibitions. “When you live your life, you have these moments where you feel shame or you feel shy to speak about yourself,” he says. He goes on to explain that this album became a turning point for them to be able to express themselves through music, despite the shyness and the fears, “Music sounds better than words.” As for why it’s taken Glen Check nine years to release a studio album, Kang explains that it has been an organic process. “All our albums have added to the identity of Glen Check,” he says. “It took us three albums to allow us to become a band that can do any genre. Because we’ve done so many styles and genres in the past, it makes sense for us to release an album like Bleach. The timing was right.”

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