#and Joker Out some earlier songs

[icypiece]

While it sucks when songs we love don’t win/do poorly and we’re allowed to be upset about it, remember that Eurovision isn’t “The Winner, and everyone else”. An artist can get a big boost in their career without winning. A song can do really poorly in the competition and still do well outside of it. Especially in modern internet/streaming times, but even back in the 50′s Nel blu dipinto di blu did not win and still went on to be huge. And people who do not win can still become Eurovision royalty. Verka did not win and she is still an Eurovision icon who we  see pop up in the competition more than a decade later. And we can still enjoy the songs even if they didn’t even make it into the final, and we can support the artists we like outside of the competition.

[jasmines-library]

Hey, I love your Batfam work! Is there any chance you could do a whump/angst one of batsis being kidnapped by a villian(you can choose whoever you want) and she’s tortured for days with it being broadcasted to the Batfam while they try to track the footage. I feel kinda bad but can you do maybe some head trauma md severe burns? Maybe she has to be put in a medically included coma or smth because of the damage? Also is there any way you could include Barb and Duke along w/ the four robins? If not that’s totally cool! Sorry for the long request but I hope you have a great day!!

Anonymous Requested: batfam x batsib reader whos the youngest and newest robin and is just really goofy and doesn’t take anything seriously (ex: them blaring “who’s the (bat)man” on the comms during patrol [that songs stuck in my head i had to mention it]) and something happens, maybe their first close encounter to death or a run in with the joker and they just become a shell of who they were and stuff

Jokes On Me

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Note: My god im so sorry this literally took me forever to write, thank you so much for being patient. I've been trying to write this all week but just couldn't sit down for long enough to finish it.

Warnings: Torture, blood, burns.

Word Count: 2.5k

⛧ BATFAM MASTERLIST ⛧

⛤⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽⛧☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⛤

“Y/N, turn that shit off.”

Jason grumbled at you over the coms. You had been blasting some wretched song that you’d found on the internet over and over again and it was beginning to drive him mad. 

“Nope.” You said, popping the ‘p’ loudly. 

“Seriously.” Dick deadpanned. He had found it amusing at first, but it was now beginning to test his patience. 

Agitated, you sighed and turned off the music. “Fine.”

“Thank you.” Jason expressed gratefully, turning his eyes back to the road he was patrolling. The night was cool and quiet besides the odd dog walker or couple returning from an evening out. It was one of those nights where patrol would end early and he could return home to take a warm bath and read a book before turning in for the night. Or so he thought. 

You were rounding the corner, humming that tune that was still stuck in your head when his laughter ricocheted across the walls. You stiffened, eyes widening and hands fumbling for your weapon as your breath hitched. No amount of turning and craning your head allowed you to catch a glimpse of the dreaded figure, and you thought for a moment that perhaps it had just been a trick of your mind, or one of your brothers playing a cruel joke on you as payback for winding them up earlier. But then you heard it again, only this time to your left. You clutched your weapon tighter, eyes scanning the area with a new found sense of urgency. 

“Wing…” You whispered into the coms so quietly that you were surprised he heard it.

“What now?” He somewhat snapped. 

“We have a problem.”

Dick’s heart sank through the floor, his ears pricking up and his demeanour changing completely. “Where are you? What’s the matter? He was trying to let his panic show, but you hadn’t been patrolling as a vigilante for very long, and while you were well trained, you lacked the experience to deal with something big on your own. And from your tone of voice, he could tell that you were in some deep shit. 

Jason worked his legs harder to push himself to reach the direction he had seen you head off in. Albeit it seemed even his hardest wasn’t enough.

When he stepped out of the darkness, the first thing you noticed were his eyes. Wide and bright, easily mistakable for a cat’s as they flashed in the darkness; wild. Rabid. As he emerged fully with that infamous twisted grin splayed out on his face, you felt like a cornered animal; a deer in headlights. You froze, unable to move despite how your heart screamed at you to run as it pounded, trying to break free from your ribcage. 

“He’s here…” A mere whisper sliding over your tongue, so fragile that you weren’t even sure if you had actually said it aloud. Jason had heard it. 

“Who?” 

The Joker was circling you now, dragging out his strides in lazy circles. You should have fought but in that moment all of your training had drained out of you, along with the colour in your face. He smirked, leering down upon you as you tried to keep your trembling hand still. He pouted in mockery and at your silence, Jason repeated his question to you, but you never got the chance to respond. 

“Oh…Just an old friend, Jay-bird.”

“Joker.” Urging his body to move faster, Jason grit his teeth. 

Dick paled. “You leave them alone.” Dick spat. It tried to be a command, but the effect was lost somewhere in transmission.

The joker pursed his lips, tilting his head as he analysed. One of his hands had found his way to your jawline and he trailed it with a cold, gloved hand. You wanted to lean away, to run and find your brother but you knew that now he had you in his grasp there was no point in even trying. “And why would I do that? They’re right in front of me. I could just…snatch them up.”

“Don’t you dare!” Dick was frightened now. “Y/N, you stay there as long as you can, okay? You fight. We’re coming, you hear?”

The Joker frowned at you. “D’you hear that? Big brother birdy coming to the rescue. How sweet.”

His grip on you tightened. “Too bad you’ll be long gone by the time they get here.”

With one swift motion, he had thrown you harshly to the side, your head colliding with the wall with a sickening crack. 

The two boys skidded to a halt just a second too late. You were already gone. 

~

Your head hurt when you woke up. Your eyes squinted against the sterile light. They did no favours to your pounding headache. With a groan, you tried to twist, to roll over and soothe the crook in your neck but instead all that happened was the jinging of a metal chain. You craned your head and spotted the thick chain that had been wrapped around your wrist, confining you to the chair. Struggling, you tugged on them, trying to free yourself only for them to rattle and scrape against your skin. 

“Yeah, that’s not going anywhere, birdy.” The joker chided.

You glared at him through narrowed eyes, trying to mask the thumping of your heart. The joker grinned wildly at your frightened complexion. 

“It was such a shame that Grayson and Todd didn’t get to you in time, but it was far too easy to catch you, little bird: you completely froze.” He snapped his fingers to emphasise his point. “Didn’t batsy teach you better?”

“Don’t talk about them.” You snapped. 

The joker raised his hands, palms facing toward you in surrender: taunting you as if you were the one with the power in the situation. “Touchy subject I see. Too bad.” 

He gestured above you to an incessantly blinking light. “Smile for the camera, you’re live.”

~

Babs had been monitoring the street cameras when the computer beside her flickered to life. She had been searching for any sign of you ever since Dick and Jason came flying through the grandfather clock. Everyone was on edge. 

The moment the screen flashed on, her eyes perked up to watch it, alarmed. She hadn’t turned it on. And there were very few people who could bypass the caves system. So when she saw a small frame curled up in a chair she knew immediately what was up. 

“Duke…” she called to the dark haired boy who was trying to help decipher your whereabouts. “Go and get B.” 

It did not take long at all for everyone to gather around in the cave. Duke was fast, and everyone dropped what they were doing to race down: even Alfred had taken his leave from his duties to see. 

It was almost like some sick irony because as soon as they were all there, you began to scream. A guttering, perfect scream that cut that through them like a knife: unclean and pinging into them messily again and again. 

The joker had taken a knife to your left thigh, his smile dripping with malice as he watched the camera, somehow knowing that at least one of them would be watching. 

Your face was contorted in pain, twisting in agony as tears rolled flatly down your cheeks from fearful eyes. Damian felt sick, his stomach churning. Jason wanted to leave. But all of them were stuck watching. Barbra was tapping away, trying to locate the signal from the video to no avail. 

“I hope you’re watching this Batsy…” He moved round to trail your face with the edge of the knife. You whimpered. “I’ve got your little bird here and I must say, you need to work on their training. They were far too easy to catch.”

Bruce felt his jaw tightening and Tim had to place a hand on his arm to remind him of his place. 

“Anyway I thought we would play a little game… how long can little y/n survive for. I wonder if it’ll be any longer than our very own Jason Todd.”

Jason twitched. 

“I’m testing you here, Bat. Tick Tock.”

The transmission cut to black. 

~

It seemed hopeless. Even though they had been searching for days, they were no closer to finding you. And to make matters worse, they could see you. Not long after the first transition ended did it start up again. It had been lifestreaming since then, and although they had tried to block it from their minds, it was hard to ignore. Especially when your agonised screams ricocheted throughout the halls. 

You looked like hell. Dark bags occluded under your eyes and there wasn’t an inch of your skin that wasn’t marred or stained with drying blood. The burns were worse. Damian could still hear the scream you let out when the joker first brought the hot poker to your skin. It had bubbled and blistered as the skin peeled away; you had thrashed against your restraints violently. Tim was certain that they were going to get infected if they didn’t reach you soon. 

It felt as if they had searched everywhere. Dick and Jason had even asked around to see if anyone had heard anything, going as far to talk to the Jokers closest associates in Arkham, but even if they did know, nobody said anything. Duke had even gone as far to go back to the area to use his powers to see if he could trace anything, but nothing seemed out of place; they had hit a brick wall. That was…until a small light appeared on the monitor. Babs had managed to trace the signal to a small building on the outskirts of the city. 

They were suited up in minutes, making a beeline for the building. They stormed it, recklessly taking down the Joker's goons before Batman chased wildly after the Joker, his face stony and his fists burning with anger. The other four boys chased down the winding corridors, flinging open the doors until they found one that was locked. Tim wasted no time, picking the lock with ease he peeled it open. His breath hitched when he saw you. 

Your face was gaunt, hanging low by your chest. Your suit was torn and there was less of it on your body than there was ripped away. You looked so fragile as your chest heaved sporadically. 

Jason nearly had to take a step back. This place reminded himself too much of his own encounter with the Joker not too long ago. But he pressed forward, fighting his instincts. He had to be strong. Instead of turning back, he kneeled in front of you, whispering your name. His hand came up to cup your face. You flinched away. 

“It’s okay kid. It’s us.” He tried to reassure you, but you shrank back into yourself. 

“We’re so, so sorry kiddo.” Dick tried placing a gentle hand on your arm before moving to work on the cuffs around your wrists. “We’re going to get you out.”

You said nothing, just continued to stare at the black space before you, and Dami wasn’t sure if you even knew they were in front of you. But when Jason moved away from you to help remove your restraints, your fingers latched onto him and you squeaked in protest. 

He sighed shakily. “Don’t worry kid. I’m not going anywhere.”

Damian twisted from where he was guarding the door. “We need to leave.”

Dick nodded bluntly, finishing with the last of the locks. “I’m going to have to pick you up, okay sweetheart?”

You barely registered what he had said. Everything had grown numb, you nodded anyhow. Moving his arms underneath your legs and slipping one arm behind your back, Jason began to lift you. He nearly recoiled when you cried and whimpered with the way your wounds jostled as he sprinted out of the building to get you back to safety. 

~

You were yet to say anything since you came home. You had been back a few days and your wounds were healing up nicely thanks to Alfred’s handywork, but the air was eerily silent around you. It wasn’t as if you hadn’t been communicating with them; you spoke to them with gestures or writing but no one was used to not hearing your voice. The stark contrast between your loud and bustling personality and you now was unsettling. No one wanted to push you too far but the manor was beginning to grow lonely. 

It was one particularly rainy night when you finally spoke.  You were curled up in a large armchair by the window in the library, sinking back into the plush leather as you watched the raindrops race down the glass. Jason had been watching you from afar, contemplating whether to talk to you or not when he walked over. 

“What are you up to?” He asked you, making sure you knew that he was there before he spoke. 

You gestured toward the window,then to the half opened book at your feet and shrugged. 

“I see.” He nodded, taking a seat on the armchair opposite you. A comfortable silence settled between the two of you. Jason wasn’t much of a talker. He knew more than anyone what you were going through, which was why it was nice just to know that he was willing to sit with you, just so you knew that he was there if you needed him. It made you feel safe. But you also couldn’t help but feel guilty, and frustrated with yourself for being in a place that made him feel as though he had to do that. 

“I’m sorry.” You whispered. 

Jason had to do a second take. His heart swelled. “What for?”

You sighed. “This. When I saw him…i-i froze. If I had run then this would never have happened.”

“Shh. This isn’t your fault.”

“But-”

“I promise, Kid. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

You nodded, looking away from him. But then you furrowed your brows and turned back to him. “How did you do it? How did you deal with this, Jay? Every time I close my eyes he’s there.”

“I guess I don’t, really. Or sometimes it feels like I don’t. I still get scared sometimes. I still see him in my dreams. But over time it gets easier. I had people around me to help me. And so do you, kid. We’re here. We’ll always be here.”

Jason shifted to brush away a rogue tear and you leaned into his touch and then wrapped your arms tightly around his middle. 

“I’m here. Always. We’ll get through this together.”

⛤⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽⛧☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⛤

BATFAM TAGS

@aestheticdaisies @hearts4robs @xxrougefangxx @mamapucket @hell-o-kittys @harleycao @batfamsstuff @alicedawitchbish

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[randombush3]

the end of the world

alexia putellas x reader

summary: just another one of those toxic relationships (based on 'i want you' by mitski, except i don't know the song very well and went a bit off topic)

notes: me? posting incoherent rambling that i refuse to read again? never.

i couldn't be bothered to fish out my journal or whatever

OH ALSO pls ignore the car. i'm not sure how i feel about the fucking toyota yet.

[...]

You want her. 

Alexia is in between your tensing thighs, strong and steady where you tremble and shake. Hands slide up your canting hips; her tongue through your slick folds. The pressure she bears down on you is almost to take, but you take it anyway. You’d take anything for her. 

You want her, and you know you were never supposed to, but that was a risk you took. You’ll be whipped for it, if not lashed by her tongue then by the agonising cane of her absence. She has been clear about what she herself desires, wants. Unashamed to crave your body, her silence has always met your probe for something more. 

You want to tell her about it, too, as she works so relentlessly, so diligently; as blonde hair suffocates your fingers, winding around them like pythons (dead pythons that you force to constrict, mind).

“I think I’m falling in love with you,” you’d say, and the sole card pressed against your bare chest would flutter to the floor. Its patterned back would mercilessly disappear, revealing the worth of your hand. 

It would be a joker. 

Jokers aren’t allowed in this game – whatever it is you’ve got going with Alexia. The rules are fuzzy, a deliberate haze in your mind that acts as some suicidal fog, but this one is obvious. She couldn’t make it more obvious. 

Jokers are also foolish idiots. The dealer was sick and twisted, but the dealer was Alexia and Alexia is between your legs, and Alexia makes you feel both good and bad. Alexia, with a mouth that rivals her other talents, and her fingers that slide into you with such smug entitlement that you can’t help but whimper. 

You beg her for more – what an addict you are – but she decides it is impossible to give you it, and then she is gone. 

But she’s never really gone. 

You crawl into the shower, sobbing. You’re not sure why you are sobbing, nor how you got here, but the only difference between your tears and the droplets of water falling from the shiny head is that one was asked for. Wanted back. And Alexia’s fucked you up properly this time, because you are comparing yourself to a fucking showerhead. 

Is that how worthless she has made you feel? Is this her punishment for you? 

“We’re starting over.” It sounds out from your doorway. You fall to your knees before she crosses the threshold into your apartment. You’re begging her, but, eyes narrowed and unimpressed, she ignores what you mean, nudging you backwards so that the door can close behind her and you can press her against it. Eagerly, she keens into your mouth, holding your head in place. 

You move your lips with your question but there is no answer in her whine of pleasure. You spell it out and she is unaware, and you could scream it at her, you realise, if you’d like. She’d meet your burning throat with her mouth placed on your skin wrapping around the tunnel into the soul you are trying to bear to her. Your voice would go hoarse but she would be deaf to the words you would repeat. 

And it is your apartment she is in, but you are driving away. There is a car parked outside; a nice, shiny Toyota with decent mileage and a full tank of diesel. The seats are unused and they criticise you for it; why didn’t you make an escape earlier? Alexia is in the house and you are in the car, and the roads are wet like your face as though the sky’s copious amount of weeping is mocking you for being so fucking pathetic. The tyres screech and scratch and the bends grow windier as you drive far away. 

Someplace quiet, you think. A field, empty and far from the constraint of Alexia’s city. You scream, out in the open, “how I love you!” But ‘you’ is only the birds that fly away in terror, ‘you’ is the wind that carries your curse into other lands. 

“I want you,” Alexia gasps. 

You’re not actually in the field – don’t be stupid. Why would you get to be anywhere other than where Alexia has put you? 

“I want you too,” you could reply, turning her words against her because it is her power that will shatter the house of glass she has built around herself. The flip would be unexpected; it would shock her. She’d maybe… run? 

From herself. From you. From many other things that she hides in her glass house – plainly in sight but unreachable and untouchable. If the door were to open, your steps would lead to your death: there is no floor here.

You’d keep falling and falling and falling and tumbling and falling. You’d never reach the bottom of the bottomless pit, because no one is supposed to even try. 

Alexia is in the house and you are in the car. 

Alexia, crystal glass, has value. Yours diminishes the further you go from her. 

But you want her. Oh, how you want her. 

[lostidiot24]

💣Dog Days Are Over💥

BatFamily x Gender Neutral!Sibling!Reader

Song: Dog Days Are Over by Florence + the Machine

Summary: You were never supposed to go on this mission. It was so obvious it was a trap but the urgency to solve this case overshadowed your concern. It was too late to pay attention now…

TW: Explosion, Canon-Typical Violence, Angst/little to no comfort

/——/——/——/——/——/——/——/——/——/

Pain shot through your left leg as rubble and dust contaminated the air around you. Your hands tried to push your body off of the ground but the pressure on your leg created enough pain to render you weak. Adrenaline kept you from screaming at the injury. Ringing was the only thing your eyes could pick up as a droplet landed on your hand. Looking down, red liquid was dripping onto your hand. You brought your hand up to your ear and flinched when you felt warm blood seep from your eardrum.

What could even lead up to this…?

/——/——/——/——/——/——/——/——/——/

Not even an hour earlier were you sitting on a cot in the med bay. Dropping your legs and standing up from the cot, you walked out after getting your stitches removed from an injury last mission. You were grateful to have an important job on the team, even if it mean getting fatally injured almost every time you left the confines of the cave in your suit.

Tim was sitting at the bat computer looking at some type of security footage.

“What’s tha-“ Before you could finish your sentence, Tim jumped and quickly turned to face you.

“Oh my god [Name]! How were you so quiet?!”

“I wasn’t trying to be. How long have you been awake?” He just sent you a glare and turned back around in his chair. “This is the footage of the cameras we set up near the explosion site. You are gonna go there and check if anything was left behind that could pin point us where the Joker is.”

“Now?”

“Yes, now.” With slight hesitation, you turned around, walked to your bike, and got your helmet on. Footsteps and laughter could be heard down the hall way as the rest of the family, including Alfred, walked into the cave. Jason was laughing at something on his phone with Dick and Steph, Damian was holding Alfred the cat while Cass pet them, and Bruce was discussing something with Alfred. Not even a glance was sent your way as they crowded around the computer. With a sigh, you sped up out of the cave and turned in the direction of the site.

/——/——/——/——/——/——/——/——/——/

Metal doors screeched as your gloves hands pushed them open. You checked all around the site out couldn’t find anything. The comms were slightly bugging out so you tried to tell Tim put it seemed like it didn’t go through. Instead of going inside the small building, you took a step back and walked towards your bike.

“Check that building. I’m getting traces of electrical damage there.” You tried to say that it seemed like a trap but your voice didn’t go through. Instead of trying to protest again, you stepped into the building and turned on the flashlight in your side bag.

A loud slam echoed through the room before a beeping sound was faintly heard. Your whole body turned in surprise to see the metal doors shut. You ran towards doors and shook the door but it wouldn’t budge. The beeping got higher and faster while you took and lock pick out if your bag. With shaky hands, you picked the lock and swung open the door. Unfortunately, it was too late. The beeping stopped and your eyes widened in fear. A blast of heat and force pushed on your back, sending you tumbling forward. The sound of an explosion was loud but far enough back that you could tell it was far into the building.

Another explosion was on your right side while you picked your self up off the damaged ground. Without much thought, you ran. You ran away from the crumbling building and towards your bike. Another explosion propelled you forward with enough force to push you off your feet. Collecting yourself, you kept running and tried to ignore the ringing in your ears while explosion after explosion was felt at your sides. The site you were at was an old construction site that was take over by the Joker. It was a trap. He planted bombs along the sides of the dirt path that lead to the building. As your feet crossed the pavement that signed the start of construction, one last explosion projected you and your bike to the ground.

/——/——/——/——/——/——/——/——/——/

So that’s why I’m here…

Your eyes adjusted to your surroundings before settling on your leg that was caught under your bike. This wouldn’t be much of a problem to get out of if the bomb didn’t wreak your bike. Metal tore into your leg as you pulled you leg away from it. A scream ripped from your throat before someone’s frantic voice was heard in your ear. Not paying attention to the comms, you pushed the bike off your leg and assessed the damage.

Your eyes widened as a figure was even walking towards you from the dust. It was holding something that looked like a crowbar as it was dragged across the ground. Your body moved without thought and tried to crawl further away from the person before hands grabbed you from behind and pulled you into a car. You screamed and pushed them away before a familiar voice calmed you down. Without restraint, you closed your eyes and let the darkness take you. Your breath stayed frantic but your family could only hope that Dick got there in time.

/——/——/——/——/——/——/——/——/——/

[puuta-heinaa]

Joker Out, Paris (Café de la danse) 22.3.2024

I arrived at the venue around 14ish, and was third to last in the EE queue. However queueing is part of the party! I exchanged sooo many bracelets and met amazing people, some of which I just met that day, some I knew from Discord or tumblr or earlier gigs, couldn't have been happier. Got selfies with Bojan and Jan?? Hug from Bojan??? HELLO. That would never happen in Finland. I described his hug as jämäkkä and turvallinen, which roughly translates to sturdy and safe.

Some of the bracelets I made for the concert!

Met someone in the queue who had hawk's eyes and who encouraged me to go and ask for a selfie with Jan, and later on she spotted Bojan on the street 100 m before everyone else did. I had a chance to give Bojan 3 2 ananaslonkero -bracelet that I'd made, with a tiny drink charm. If the main joke in fandoms is that a hug from your blorbo would cure you? well it's true. Getting a hug from Bojan removed some stiffness between my shoulder blades that I didn't even know was there. It was literally easier to breathe after the encounter. I also kept vigorously shaking for 3-5 minutes afterwards, so much that some people asked if I'm ok. Just released years worth of trauma ig. Also LOTS of happy hand stims throughout the day, my autism was showing lol.

Jan was outdoors SMOKING!!! And Bojan had charmingly dirty hair! He was taller than I had thought.

ANYways the gig !! I ended up on Jance side, which was nice as I was on Kris' side in Helsinki. Whole stage was about as wide as K-18 section at Kultsa, and I think they suit better on smaller stages.

We got Vem da Gres and Gola in soundcheck! I was wearing Vem da gres -bracelet that I got in Helsinki a few weeks ago and thought about that person for a few seconds!

Gola was ok. Bojan got disney mickey ears, and he was wearing my 3 2 ananaslonkero bracelet. Bojan also got a maca plushie that he was NOT scared of, he even made it fly.

Kris left the stage as soon as the last notes of Gola were over, other boys stayed jamming in accelerating speed for couple of more minutes. I showed them my UM sign that only read "I want to sing UMAZAN" at that point. :')

20h02 was ok, didn't connect with their music at all though. JC Stewart seemed a bit sick, but sounded good nevertheless. Finished my sign.

They started with Katrina and Bele Sanje, and people were singing even guitar riffs along. Dopamin hit like dopamine followed by Ne bi smel, Nace was staring at me several times during those songs.

Liinu's superb edit of staring sc Nace and struggling Kris and Arcti's edit about Jan's forgotten library books made my day

People were already singing along to Sta bih ja, and Bojan was sooo happy (and sweaty. We were all very sweaty, the concert hall was ridiculously warm.). Kris disappeared for a moment in the beginning of Sta bih ja, and Bojan looked like a lost puppy (wait, where is kris?? about 5-10 seconds into sta bih ja). Bojan said Kris didn't like how Jan played the riff and that's why he left the stage :P. Jan flipped a bird to him.

Decibels raised by about 20 when they played Ona and Demoni. Turns out they might be the easiest to sing along for absolutely everyone, not just for people who speak Finnish. Bojan looked me directly into eyes during second verse of Demoni for several seconds, and I felt so seen (in a good way). EE was definitely worth its price.

In Helsinki I felt like the setlist was over before it even started, but in Paris it felt more like we were really dancing and playing until the stars fade. I think it had something to do with how much they interacted with each other and with the public during each song. In Helsinki they seemed like they had forgotten how to be on stage, and there was just TOO MUCH SPACE, whereas Paris had Nordic Tour energy.

They all moved a LOT on stage!! Kris was on jance side several times! Nace had a mating dance thingy going on with Kris at least twice, Jan once. Jan interacted with the public on Kris's side a few times. Bojan almost run into Kris at one point - no wonder he caressed Kris's arm to let him know he's there before grapping his hips?? and dancing behind him??? during Behind those eyes. It's cafe de la danse after all.

Def thinking "THIS is how we'll trend on tumblr tonight" right after the famous dance

Everybody's waiting and soooooo many people raised hands when Bojan asked in his spiel before the song if anyone here suffers from panic or anxiety attacks, and I think it made everyone feel less alone. He sang I'm the problem it's me -line to make things a bit lighter before proceeding to the song.

We got Omamljeno Telo and I felt SOOOO HAPPY (but also sad for Moonu) but also SOOOO HAPPY it was on the setlist, I think I screamed VITTU JES on top of my lungs (manifesting it for Ruisrock huh). Famous water spray on Jan during OT, and it shows I've grown old, because instead of "yeeeess I want Bojan's spit on me" I went "rat disease, why am I not wearing a mask".

Everyone sang along during CD, not in French though even if there was a fanproject French translation published a whole 28 hours before(....). Plastika hit like a hammer once again, but I think I was already waiting and stressing for UM, so I didn't mosh for example. Which, good idea, because my neck was soooo sore after Helsinki.

Bojan announced the karaoke song, and asked which versions we have today. He saw my sign, asked "Slovenian version?", to which I "said" (from 4th row on Jan+Nace side) Finnish version, and he heard it and corrected himself and said perfect. I was not afraid at all even if I knew I'm probs going to sing in front of about 500 people in 5ish minutes???? How??? I'm usually a ball of anxiety but here I was just proud and excited to sing my version of it.

I loved the Bretogne/French version (I've still no idea what were the words, but it rhymed super well and she sang well, but that was def NOT paris region French), cringed at some of the "translations" because they did not fit the lines and did not rhyme, sang along to Slovenian versions in Finnish, felt bad for one of them as the karaoke singer started at the wrong moment and Bojan spent most of their special moment trying to orchestrate the band.

When Bojan approached with "I think we still have a Slovenian version, OH NO, A FINNISH VERSION" I chortled, and felt the last bits of nervousness disappear. (Cue "some boat, titanic, oh no".) I had my ACTUALLY finger pointing moment, which, on point with my personality, telling him it's a hybrid version. I don't know what he meant with SUOMI SAA, but it was NOT full-on Suomi SAATANA, that much is certain. I quite like the idea/interpretation he was making a pun with SAA(tan)Are you ready? But who knows. Sad about missed chance to answer "ArE YoU???" now that I think about it, but at least I wasn't the only one who failed the moment :') . Speaking of cursewords though, a histronic youngster next to me did shout vittu though! I loved my spot but she was super annoying throughout the evening.

The Finnish version is in the beginning of this one, and the Arabic version right after Finnish version is AMAZING. The French version is on the first part, as well as Bojan going "uuu Finnish version? perfect".

Started in Slovene, which made him have a Ok?? face, but when I switched to my own Finnish version that rhymes with the Slovene version, he raised his brows and seemed so impressed that I just nodded to him, sending telepath(et)ic messages that yes, our languages match and rhyme, about time you collaborate with Jere. I think he remembered I asked for a hug in the afternoon, because he did not hug everyone during karaoke. Afternoon hug was better btw.

I love his little surprised smile right when I finish the first Finnish line on this one

I usually think quite a lot about how other people perceive me, but now I didn't give a single fuck, just enjoyed being the main character for 20 seconds, having this interaction with my blorbo. Forever grateful for the 4 different angles I received from friends I made in the queue, and 1 from a random guy who asked me after the concert if I'd like to receive a video he took of me singing. Even Vita was filming the whole thing with her big light + camera + phone ensemble. I often sing in my car, and even IMAGINING i'm singing karaoke makes my voice suddenly tiny and weak and compressed, so I'm overflowingly glad it went this well, you have no idea even if I've just bragged about it for 4 paragraphs.

I later realised I was the only one who didn't hold the mic themself, this is a clear example how I objectify the boys, seeing Bojan just as a mic stand.🫣😵‍💫

I got fluent Kiitos from Bojan, that guy needs to move to Finland he speaks Finnish so well. Also LMAO I forgot to sniff him in the afternoon, now I'm praying the snifff I took after karaoke wasn't too evident and doesn't show on Vita's video……….. Jere is wrong, Bojan does not smell like shit, but there were no parfume smell either? He just smells like nothing in a pleasant, pheromone rich way lol.

my translation: Sanje so tvojega okusa Aamuihin taas tuoksusi Neula ei haarukassa Sieluni on hukassa Etsimässä tietään luoksesi

I haven't figured how to translate the first line. I've been playing with "Makus' on tarrannut uniini", but it does not rhyme with the og well enough. Otherwise super proud of my version. Neula and haarukka are parts of compass, basically saying the compass is layed on the map the wrong way. 🧭

This is how small the place was??? I was in 3/4th row, and the hat guy in the right corner was right behind me during the concert so the club truly was tiny.

Apparently bubbles were not allowed on stage in Cafe de la danse? But some people had brought their own so we had bubbles anyway.

Jure exchanged his drumstick to a breadstick. I laughed because a) it was a clever pun and b) such a stereotypically French thing to bring a BAGUETTE wrapped in a napkin to a concert. Also no wonder boys are always sick, I don't even want to know how many people touched that bread before it was on stage.

Life is pain (in mouths)

We waited for the boys after the concert outside the venue in the rain, and they walked past quite quickly. Bojan stayed for 30 seconds to take a group selfie. <3

Honestly so happy I traveled there and met amazing people and surpassed myself on so many levels.

I feel like 2004 again, because that's when I last made a post this long on livejournal and also when I last was this hyped about a group.

I loved band's AMAZING OUTFITS in Café de la danse, everyone had some idrija lace on them, and I'm afraid my next special interest will be bobbin lace.

[sevenboarproductions]

[IDOLiSH7] [Part 6] Chapter 10: Inherited Melody

6.10.1. - So it reaches you

Nanase Riku: What are we gonna do about the setlist!?

Yotsuba Tamaki: It’s made of four songs, right!? Do we go with the ones we like best?

Izumi Iori:  It won’t become a good live if we just randomly choose four songs. Isn’t that right, manager?

Takanashi Tsumugi: That’s true. I think we should consider how we want to excite the audience and also keep a theme in mind!

Izumi Mitsuki: A theme, huh…. What kind of thing would be good? I’d like a bright, festive theme!

Nikaidou Yamato: Avoiding overlap with other groups is important, too.

Nikaidou Yamato: Overlapping is fine, but we need to make sure to not bore the audience.

Izumi Iori:  To narrow down the theme, wouldn’t it be fine to mainly structure it around the new song?

Ousaka Sougo: Uhm, actually, I’d like some advice from everyone about the new song…

Nanase Riku: The new IDOLiSH7 song Sougo-san is making, right!  What kind of advice do you need?

Ousaka Sougo: If possible… I’d like Nagi to help me.

Rokuya Nagi:: Me?

Ousaka Sougo: Yes…. With MEZZO’’, I can do what I want the way I want to do it, but… 

Ousaka Sougo: IDOLiSH7’s songs should be the way IDOLiSH7 does things… I was thinking I want to make a melody that still preserves Sakura-san’s spirit.

Ousaka Sougo: Nagi-kun, you know Sakura-san the best and have a positive attitude just like IDOLiSH7’s songs… 

Ousaka Sougo: I would be happy to have you help me. ….Would that be alright?

Rokuya Nagi: Wow! Welcome! You’re very welcome!

Ousaka Sougo: Really!?

Rokuya Nagi: From the time I was born up until now, I’ve never gotten a proposal that is such an honor to accept!

Rokuya Nagi: Being able to become a composer just like Haruki, that is!

Izumi Mitsuki: I’m glad for you, Nagi! I’m sure Sakura-san will be happy as well!

Rokuya Nagi: Do you think so…?

Nanase Riku: He’ll definitely be happy. When the song you two write is done, let’s sing it as loud as possible so it reaches Sakura-san.

Nikaidou Yamato: And Sou’s uncle, too.

Ousaka Sougo: …Yes.

Rokuya Nagi: Thanks! I’ll do my best!

Yotsuba Tamaki: Everyone’s doing their own way! Iorin started being a producer, too.

Izumi Iori: I’ve been doing that since before you started doing choreography, though.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Ya~y!

Izumi Iori:  Don’t fool around distracting us with high-fives. …So, what would we do? Do we decide by theme? Or by the songs?

Nanase Riku: Uhm, can I ask something just out of curiosity?

Nikaidou Yamato: What? Onii-san’s underwear color?

Nanase Riku: If you’ll tell me, I’ll listen!

Yotsuba Tamaki: Green.

Nikaidou Yamato: How do you know?!

Yotsuba Tamaki: I saw it earlier.

Ousaka Sougo: I saw it, too.

Rokuya Nagi:: I also saw it.

Izumi Mitsuki: It’s because you keep wandering around after taking a bath.

Nikaidou Yamato: Because it’s hot! I end up wanting to open the fridge door right away.

Nanase Riku: I get that! Recently, I also had ice cream and…

Izumi Iori:  Nanase-san, get back on topic. What were you going to ask out of curiosity?

Nanase Riku: I want to know which song everyone would want to include in the four song setlist!

Izumi Mitsuki: MonGen.

Rokuya Nagi: “MONSTER GENERATiON”! It’s our debut song, we should honor it!

Yotsuba Tamaki: I’d also like that. I also like “Sakura Message”. It’s so pretty.

Nikaidou Yamato: I get that. It moves you to tears.

Izumi Mitsuki: What about you, Riku?

Nanase Riku: I also wanna include MonGen! I want to put in “Perfection Gimmick”, too, though.

Izumi Mitsuki: I get that~. I always get pumped up when we sing it.

Nanase Riku: And you, Mitsuki?

Izumi Mitsuki: Maybe “RESTART POiNTER”. I really like “Nanatsuiro REALiZE”, too, though.

Ousaka Sougo: Seems like the venue will have a nice atmosphere. What about you, Iori-kun?

Izumi Iori:  “RESTART POiNTER”, “Mr. AFFECTiON”, “Mallow Blue”…

Nikaidou Yamato: Solid choices... What about you, Nagi? Other than MonGen.

Rokuya Nagi:: Hm… “Joker Flag”.

Izumi Mitsuki: Ah, that one.

Rokuya Nagi:: Rap is cool. And you can feel like a pirate. What would you like, Sougo?

Ousaka Sougo: Something other than MonGen… Maybe “MEMORiES MELODiES”.

Nanase Riku: It’s the song that won Black or White, after all!

Nikaidou Yamato: Aah! That might be nice. It’s like a piece of IDOLiSH7 history. 

Yotsuba Tamaki: The order is important with things like this, too, right? Like whether we’re putting MonGen first or last, for example.

Izumi Iori: That’s true. After raising the mood of the venue, we should think about where we take the audience, and where we want to land.

Izumi Iori:  Since, depending on the setlist, the excitement of the venue, as well as the feeling people leave with will change, too. 

Yotsuba Tamaki: ŹOOḼ seems like they’d want to go all in with a bang.

Rokuya Nagi:: Hm… TRIGGER probably has the best balance. 

Nanase Riku: What about Re:vale?

Nikaidou Yamato: Re:vale is the hardest to read… They can be really graceful with all their songs, and I think they’re going to try making the crowd laugh, too.

Izumi Mitsuki: They could also take the classic royal road, after all~. Re:vale-nii-san are pretty strong, eh.

Izumi Iori:  I want them to take the comedic route and mess up… 

Yotsuba Tamaki: It’s impressive how Iorin wants our enemies to screw up every time.

Izumi Iori:  It is because I respect our enemies and acknowledge their strength. It’s exactly because of that respect I have.

Nanase Riku: So, are we putting in MonGen?

Nikaidou Yamato: Yes….

Izumi Mitsuki: Yeah!

Ousaka Sougo: I think we should…

Rokuya Nagi: Where are the people who want to sing “MONSTER GENERATiON”!

IDOLiSH7: Here!

Izumi Iori:  Well, then… MonGen is decided.

Rokuya Nagi & Izumi Mitsuki & Nanase Riku & Nikaidou Yamato & Ousaka Sougo & Yotsuba Tamaki: Yay!!

Takanashi Tsumugi: Congratulations on deciding! I think this is definitely a song the fans want to listen to, too!

Nanase Riku: Thank you!

Takanashi Tsumugi: I’d like to keep listening to the meeting, but it’s almost time to get moving…

Izumi Iori:  Let’s decide the other contenders later. Everyone, let’s go.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Sure!

Rokuya Nagi:: We’re working fast! We already got one out of four songs on the setlist!

Nikaidou Yamato: No, I’m sure we’ll keep adding and removing things from now on.

Izumi Mitsuki: It's fun no matter how many times you do it! Thinking about the set list is super fun!

Nanase Riku: Then let’s make it a battle of who comes up with the set list I find the best!

Izumi Iori:  MonGen, ResPo, Affection, the new song.

Nikaidou Yamato: How about MemoMelo, Affection, Sakura, new song?

Ousaka Sougo: The new song will be the last, huh…

Nanase Riku: I’m looking forward to the new song! I want to end on a high note with a super good song!

Ousaka Sougo: That… that’s right…

Yotsuba Tamaki: You can do it, you can do it! It’ll be fine, it’ll be fine!

--

Kujou Tenn: What do we do about the setlist?

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: It’s four songs, right? I’m indecisive… But it’s really fun to think about it by ourselves!

Yaotome Gaku: Yeah! If possible, I’d like to think of them as a full set.

Anesagi Kaoru: My, you should put that to use in the next live. 

Yaotome Gaku: The next live? Is it okay if we decide the entire setlist of a TRIGGER live by ourselves?

Anesagi Kaoru: I think it’s good if you try it out. I don’t think you guys will do a bad job.

Anesagi Kaoru: Before that, do your best with the “New Black or White”. 

Yaotome Gaku: …Thank you! One more fun job on our hands again! 

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: I’m glad, it’s all fun things! I hope that our guests and our fans will be happy, too. 

Kujou Tenn: Thinking about it from that angle might be good. “What do we want the fans to feel?” 

Kujou Tenn: Do we want them to spend their time immersed in our refined performance? Do we want their hearts to beat so much they can’t breathe? Or do we want them to laugh happily like children?

Yaotome Gaku: I want to give them all of that. I want them to jump into the extraordinary space we create.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Like a movie, right? I want them to enjoy action, but also a crime thriller and a romance. 

Kujou Tenn: Extraordinary… movie… That might be a good concept.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: You think so?

Kujou Tenn: I think it’s close to what we want to express, too.

Kujou Tenn: We want our meeting with the fans to not be a continuation of their ordinary lives, but to be an extraordinary, special experience for them.

Yaotome Gaku: Aah, that's right. We want to take their hands and take them with us. To a once in a lifetime, unforgettable time.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: It might be a thing only TRIGGER can do. 

Kujou Tenn: I want them to see this gorgeous, luxurious dream as they fall in love with us.

Yaotome Gaku: That’s a fitting image, yeah… 

Yaotome Gaku: We'll carefully escort the people who followed our invitation to that place, climbing the staircase to the extraordinary together.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Like to a mansion, or a theater… Maybe an atmosphere like an old movie theater could work as well.

Anesagi Kaoru: Isn't that nice. Seems like something we could use for the set.

Yaotome Gaku: If we went with that, would ”DIAMOND FUSION” be a song?

Kujou Tenn: Maybe for the opening. It has passion and could grab the venue's attention. 

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: What about Daybreak? 

Yaotome Gaku: I don't know. It does feel “extraordinary”, but maybe not escort-like…?

Kujou Tenn: Conceptually, LastDim might be better.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: It might not be the fancy kind of escorting someone, but it does feel like you’re running towards the extraordinary together. 

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: The feeling of not letting go of the hand you've grasped… That’s why I’d like to put Daybreak in.

Yaotome Gaku: You’re making some nice points, Ryuu…

Kujou Tenn: Pulling them close and taking them to the extraordinary, not letting go of their hand throughout the storm and finally escorting them; that might be an option as well.

Kujou Tenn: Because having an element of storytelling draws them into the setting.

Yaotome Gaku: That sounds great! A live with a story fits the theme of movies and the extraordinary as well.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: That's fun! We still haven't decided anything, but I'm excited!

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: I mean, it'll definitely be a good live and Gaku and Tenn will look the coolest! 

Yaotome Gaku: That's my line! If we were doing a phantom theme, Ryuu would be the best fit. 

Kujou Tenn: The Phantom of the Opera, huh? There's romance in that, and I’d also want to include sexy songs. 

Yaotome Gaku: I want to include them, too. Maybe Secret Night.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: What about “Leopard Eyes”?

Kujou Tenn: That's right… Ah, wait… That song…

Yaotome Gaku: Eh?

Kujou Tenn: That song by Magechon-san… Doesn't it fit the concept perfectly?

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: That's true… The image of carefully escorting someone into a luxurious extraordinary world… 

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: It might be perfect.

Yaotome Gaku: Have you still not been able to contact Magechon-san? 

Anesagi Kaoru: It seems that way. Next time on the radio show, we're planning to make you ask them to message you once more. 

Kujou Tenn: I see…

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: I hope we can get in contact with them.

Yaotome Gaku: Right…

Anesagi Kaoru: It certainly was really good. I can already imagine TRIGGER singing it at the “New Black or White”.

Kujou Tenn: When I heard that song… I had the feeling I was meeting our past selves. 

Yaotome Gaku: But at the same time, it felt like meeting our future selves, too.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Maybe it’s because they did say they liked TRIGGER… I don't know how to put it… 

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: It made me feel that we were in a spot where our fan’s like us to be. 

Yaotome Gaku: That's right, that’s right! I got a feeling of mutual love.

Yaotome Gaku: Both the TRIGGER we are building and the TRIGGER within that song’s soul were…

Anesagi Kaoru: Like, “let's start dating already”?

Yaotome Gaku: Well, yeah… 

Kujou Tenn: If Magechon-san is fine with it, that is, but… 

Yaotome Gaku: They said they wanted us to sing it, right? Though they did add a “(lol)”…

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: If it starts becoming reality, it might be difficult, though. I was kind of scared of the entertainment world at first, too… 

Yaotome Gaku: But isn’t it an opportunity for them? 

Kujou Tenn: It might not be a person who wants an opportunity. There's people who don't want to stand out too much, too. 

Kujou Tenn: If we sing it, there will be quite a few people who say they like or hate it. 

Kujou Tenn: No matter how much we want to sing it, we need to make Magechon-san’s feelings, as an ordinary person, a priority. 

Yaotome Gaku: That's true… I hope they feel the same, though.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: There's still time. Let's wait and see if we can get in touch!

Kujou Tenn: Yes

Yaotome Gaku: Yeah!

~ to be continued ~

--

6.10.2. - Taking our own shape

Yuki: So, what do we do about the setlist? 

Momo: Four songs, huh… I definitely want to win.

Yuki: Right. 

Momo: Can I put in an MC corner?

Yuki: Isn’t that as if we entered the competition as MCs? 

Okazaki Rinto: If you put in a big MC segment, it’ll be too long.

Yuki: There won’t be a turn like, “everyone, sit down~”? 

Okazaki Rinto: This time, it should be like, “attack, attack, attack, finish”. 

Yuki: It won’t, huh…

Momo: Let’s think of a setlist that will lead us to certain victory!! With the godlike setlist I came up with as a Re:vale fan we’ll overwhelm the others!

Yuki: Oh, what will it be like?

Momo: First, our debut song! Ah, but, isn’t that because of my own attachment to it…!?

Yuki: Wouldn’t it be nice? We haven’t sung it a lot lately.

Momo: I wanna put this one in, too. The one where we collaborated with a travel agency for a snowboard commercial…

Yuki: Ah, that one. But isn’t it a little too well-behaved to put in a live? 

Yuki: What about the song we sang at the charity live with TRIGGER? 

Momo: I considered that, too, but I thought it could be unfair since the song is so king-like… 

Yuki: It also doesn’t feel that exciting.  

Okazaki Rinto: Then what do you think about something like this? The one that became a song for an energy drink commercial…

Momo: I like that one, but the hook of the chorus is long, so. 

Yuki: Whenever that song ends, both me and the fans end up exhausted. 

Momo: If it’s just me who’s energetic, you might as well call it a battle royal. 

Okazaki Rintarou: Wouldn’t this one be good? You know, the one you wrote before, the wedding song. 

Yuki: That one isn’t finished.

Okazaki Rintarou: Finish it. Won’t you sing it at my wedding?

Yuki: Definitely not.

Momo: President, you’re holding a wedding ceremony!?

Okazaki Rintarou: Well, if Re:vale is going to make a wedding song, someone has to get married. 

Okazaki Rinto: President, please stop abusing your power. 

Yuki: Ah, but isn’t Momo’s older sister, Ruri-san, about to marry soon?

Momo: Right, right.

Yuki: If it’s for Ruri-san’s wedding, it might be fine to make the song.

Momo: Really!? Nee-chan will be super happy! 

Yuki: You think so? No, I mean, I did think I’d get invited, but what if I’m not?

Momo: I… I don’t think that would happen. 

Okazaki Rintarou: If that happens, you can come sing at my wedding.

Yuki: No, I can’t.

Momo: Even though I promised it earlier, making a godlike setlist is hard… What do you want to sing, Yuki? 

Yuki: Hm, right… 

Yuki: “Re-raise”.

Momo: That one!? Why!?

Yuki: Because it seems happy. 

Yuki: We had it rough at that time, but when we sang that song so carelessly, we were happy. 

Momo: …That sounds so cool…

Yuki: You think so?

Momo: It’s really cool…

Yuki: What are you saying? Isn’t it all thanks to you, Momo? 

Momo: That’s not true! Ah… My oshi is always cool… Did you two know already, too? 

Okazaki Rintarou: I knew it.

Okazaki Rinto: I knew it, too.

Momo: It was cool, wasn’t it!

Yuki: What songs do you want, Momo? I wanted to hear your godlike setlist. 

Momo: Noo, I can’t narrow it down to four songs. I have around 50 songs in my head. 

Yuki: If we sing that many in a live, I’ll die.

Okazaki Rinto: How about deciding the theme first and then narrowing down the number of songs? 

Momo: A theme, huh…

Okazaki Rinto: Yes. Imagining the stage set will become easier, too.

Yuki: How about returning to the start with new freshness? 

Momo: That’s nice!

Momo: And we want to show our current fans a fresh, hardworking Re:vale, too, right! 

Yuki: Right.

Momo: But I also want to take the time we’ve spent together and the things we’ve built over the years, too…

Momo: I’m not talking about Re-raise from earlier, but I also want to put in the kind of carefreeness that comes from maturity… 

Momo: Fresh, carefree, without being too reckless, smart, witty… 

Yuki: Like going on a journey?

Momo: Yeah, that might be it! I wouldn’t go far enough to call it an adventure. More like… feeling at ease because you know what you’re in for…

Yuki: The feeling of being at ease and knowing what you’re in for… And also witty and fresh….

Yuki: Like the moment when you unlock a door with a click? 

Momo: That! As if the moments of unlocking just keep going!

Yuki: Opening the lock, freely stepping towards the next door… opening another lock and continuing onwards.

Momo: And as you keep unlocking those doors with a click, you keep becoming freer! You start to feel excited and refreshed like an adult! 

Yuki: That’s nice, it’s like us. 

Momo: Let’s keep going like this and think about the rest of the setlist! And the new song, too! 

Yuki: Alright.

--

Natsume Minami: What would you like the setlist for “New Black or White” to be?

Inumaru Touma: Well, Mina, you’re the one making the songs, so you can decide.

Midou Torao: That’s probably the best.

Isumi Haruka: It should be balanced with the new song, too, right.

Natsume Minami: You think so? Well then, with that: Are there any requests?

Inumaru Touma: Not really, but it'd be nice if it had an exciting feeling to it.

Isumi Haruka: I want the new song to get you hyped-up. It's about time we one-upped the others. 

Midou Torao: I'd like a post-apocalyptic, super flashy set.

Natsume Minami: That’s a lot of requests, isn’t it…? I don't like having the role of the organizer. 

Utsugi Shirou: Then I'll do it. 

Isumi Haruka: You can do that…？

Utsugi Shirou: I ‘ll use a whiteboard to create a mindmap. It’s easy to understand visually.

Inumaru Touma: Sounds like you dropped some business lingo there. 

Utsugi Shirou: The main topic is “Black or White Live Showdown”, right?

Isumi Haruka: Seems right.

Utsugi Shirou: With that as the center, I'll put down the ideas from before while gradually branching out and adding onto it. Uhm, it was… 

Utsugi Shirou: “An exciting feeling”, “Getting hyped-up”, “One-upping the others”, “Post -apocalypse”, “Flashy”.

Natsume Minami: Hearing it again, this starts to sound like the executive meeting of some kind of evil organization, doesn't it? 

Inumaru Touma: When you hear things like “one-upping the others”, yeah.

Isumi Haruka: Isn't that good? I mean, I also like songs about doing your best even when things are hard, but this time I wanna get lost in a feeling of boundless power already. 

Natsume Minami: That's puberty for you.

Inumaru Touma: Post-apos… Post-apscalyp… Post-apocapolyse?

Midou Torao: Post-apocalypse. 

Inumaru Touma: What does post-apocalypse mean?

Midou Torao: Like, the end of the world? A destroyed world where civilization has collapsed?

Natsume Minami: Looks like it will become an interesting set. I’d like to not overlap with the futuristic feeling of “BLAST” though… 

Midou Torao: No, we’re going for something that’s more nasty than that. For example… It could be like an antlion pit¹...

Inumaru Touma: An antlion pit…?

Isumi Haruka: Ah, stuff like that. Like when there’s turned over cars lying around. 

Natsume Minami: I see. We could have a huge cage hung up and things like that. 

Utsugi Shirou: That sounds good. It fits ŹOOḼ’s image perfectly. 

Inumaru Touma: Just what’s your idea of ŹOOḼ, Utsugi-san…?

Utsugi Shirou: It gives you the feeling of a world of outlaws, doesn’t it. Like something coming crawling at your feet. 

Midou Torao: Aah, nice. That’s cool.

Isumi Haruka: Crawling around is cool…? Isn't that scary…?

Midou Torao: It’s cool! You know, crawling around like a giant desert creature. 

Utsugi Shirou: Like a giant centipede.

Isumi Haruka: Centipedes are a no-go! If I was singing and there was a giant centipede wriggling around, there's no way I could focus.

Midou Torao: I would be like “Oh, it's doing that, so we gotta do it, too”. 

Isumi Haruka: No way. What's up with you saying that like it’s a pet.

Natsume Minami: I’m fine with the idea but our main fan base is women. I don’t think that would be popular with them.

Midou Torao: That might be true… I also don’t like centipedes, even if they aren’t giant. 

Inumaru Touma: Well, huge things are cool. Lizards don’t really work for that, but I like dinosaurs. 

Isumi Haruka: Huge animals are nice. Mh, which one do we go with? 

Natsume Minami: Maybe a fish moving around in the cool water, or a snake…

Inumaru Touma: Aren't there a lot of girls who hate snakes, as well?

Natsume Minami: I'm popular.

Inumaru Touma: I'm not talking about you though, Mina… You really think of snakes as your kind, don't you?

Natsume Minami: You see, that's because my true identity is a snake. I'm just disguised as a human to repay my debt to you, Inumaru-san. 

Inumaru Touma: Eh?

Natsume Minami: Do you not remember that time you saved me when we were kids?

Inumaru Touma: … Uhm…

Natsume Minami: Don't take it seriously.

Inumaru Touma: You scared me! I thought you might be the one I met in a field in the countryside when I was a kid!

Utsugi Shirou: Centipede, snake… For now, let's go with “long creatures”?

Isumi Haruka: I like that. This set is cool, like a movie. Especially the turned-over car.

Midou Torao: No, especially the antlion pit.

Natsume Minami: I think the hung-up cage does it.

Inumaru Touma: All of them are good! The other groups aren't going to go for a vibe this dusty, so it seems like a good way to set ourselves apart.

Natsume Minami: If the set is going to be a destroyed world at its end, I want the new song to match that. What were the requests again…?

Inumaru Touma: “Exciting”, “one-upping the others”.

Natsume Minami: Then instead of a theme as severe as “how are we going to survive?”, going for a feeling like “searching for paradise” might be better. 

Isumi Haruka: Like living in a dystopia while searching for a utopia. 

Inumaru Touma: Aah! That sounds nice!

Midou Torao: I'm starting to look forward to the new song.

Natsume Minami: Fufu, I'm looking forward to making it as well. I got a lot of inspiration now.

Isumi Haruka: I wish we could give them the feeling that we’re taking the whole audience along to the utopia! 

Inumaru Touma: Right! I wanna stir up the crowd！Utsugi-san. 

Utsugi Shirou: What is it？

Inumaru Touma: We might surpass RedFes at the “New Black or White”.

Utsugi Shirou: That sounds terrific. I'm really looking forward to it. 

Isumi Haruka: Yeah! You should be! 

Inumaru Touma: Alright! Let’s keep up this mood and decide the setlist!

Midou Torao: Yeah!

~to be continued~

--

6.10.3. - Seven colors

Izumi Iori: But as an impression, that’s… 

Cameraman: Good morning.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Ah, it’s a person from BackMagic. 

Nanase Riku: Hello~ We were given a lot of sweets, so here you go. Eat them, please. 

Cameraman: Ah, thanks…

Nanase Riku: Another one!

Cameraman: Ah, uhm…

Nikaidou Yamato: He doesn’t have his hands free. He’s holding a camera, you know. 

Nanase Riku: Ah, is that so.

Izumi Mitsuki: Pocket, pocket.

Rokuya Nagi: OK! I’ll put it in here.

Cameraman: Ahaha, sorry. Is this really fine…?

Ousaka Sougo: Take it, take it.

Cameraman: Thank you very much. Please, continue talking… 

Yotsuba Tamaki: No, no, you can’t record that! It’s a secret! It’s super secret! 

Rokuya Nagi: It’s top secret!

Nikaidou Yamato: We were having ideas. About the stage set for “New Black or White”. 

Cameraman: I think this program will be broadcast after “Black or White”, so if you don’t mind, can I film it? 

Yotsuba Tamaki: Then it’s fine, but… don’t tell on us, Mister.

Cameraman: Roger.

Rokuya Nagi: Are spoilers OK? You’ll enjoy it more if you don’t know.

Cameraman: Yes…! I’m a bit conflicted, but I’m at work, so I will be filming.

Rokuya Nagi: Alright! Let’s get back to the meeting then!

Cameraman: That… That whiteboard…

Cameraman: The thing that’s depicted there, is that an impression of the set…? 

Nanase Riku: I hope it works. 

Izumi Iori: I wonder if we can do it… But if nobody is on stage, that would be lonely, right? 

Izumi Mitsuki: Then, what if we have the people on the stage and people riding this thing part? 

Rokuya Nagi: Like departing and being sent off? 

Yotsuba Tamaki: Eeh? Isn’t that lonely?

Ousaka Sougo: It’s not lonely. It seems like the new song will be a cheerful one. Probably…

Nikaidou Yamato: Besides, if there is a difference in height, the idea of the sky is easier to feel. 

Izumi Mitsuki: There’s people in a high place and people in a low place looking up, but they’re connected through the same sky. 

Nanase Riku: That’s great! No matter where we are, everyone is together!

Nanase Riku: Summer’s over already, but the cumulonimbus clouds² were really huge. 

Izumi Iori: What are you saying all of a sudden?

Nanase Riku: Hearing all the fans’ voices and singing below the bright lights makes me feel like I’ll become a cumulonimbus cloud. 

Izumi Mitsuki: Aah, I get that! Even when I look up at everyone, I end up feeling like I got a super huge body!

Izumi Mitsuki: Like that, I could reach out to the audience seats and get the feeling of hugging everyone! 

Yotsuba Tamaki: Nice! A kind, huge monster.

Rokuya Nagi: Becoming a big monster and hugging my friends!

Ousaka Sougo: If it’s about a cumulonimbus cloud… then after all, this vehicle might be good. It has a soft form. 

Izumi Iori: I think that’s good. Because a rocket would be too fast, but it also doesn’t  give the feeling of a bird flapping its wings. 

Yotsuba Tamaki: Takin’ our time enjoying lightly flying with us, that’s a lot like us.

Rokuya Nagi: Then what do we do with this song? To the blue sky, the starry sky. Aurora, sunrise… 

Nanase Riku: Isn’t that just a galaxy!?

Yotsuba Tamaki: It’s space!

Nikaidou Yamato: Don't do something so big! If we’re too flashy, we’ll end up looking like our equally flashy senpai! 

Izumi Mitsuki: We won’t lose! What if during the live, we started flying, broke through the ceiling and kept flying?

Izumi Iori: Destroying the venue is a bit… 

Rokuya Nagi: OH! If we hold back, we’ll get surpassed by Re:vale! 

Izumi Iori: Seems like it’ll work… If we build a pool on the stage and appear on the boat.

Izumi Mitsuki: Seems like it’ll work~! It’s like dancing in a marine colored costume! 

Nanase Riku: The kind that splashes waves into the front row! 

Yotsuba Tamaki: The kind that makes people wear a raincoat! We’ll definitely sell it in Re:vale colors!

Ousaka Sougo: As expected, you’re great at business…

Nanase Riku: Aah! I’m really looking forward to the other groups’ lives, but I won’t lose! 

Nanase Riku: Iori！

Izumi Iori: Yes.

Nanase Riku: Make us win! 

Izumi Iori: …

Izumi Iori: We will win. Us, IDOLiSH7, will reach the top.

Yotsuba Tamaki ＆ Nikaidou Yamato ＆Izumi Mitsuki ＆ Nanase Riku ＆ Rokuya Nagi  & Ousaka Sougo: Yeah…!!

Izumi Iori: We’ll even fly the stage set to the moon.

Yotsuba Tamaki ＆ Nikaidou Yamato ＆Izumi Mitsuki ＆ Nanase Riku ＆ Rokuya Nagi ＆Ousaka Sougo: Yeaaah…!!

Izumi Mitsuki: It’s fine to destroy the venue after all.

Izumi Iori: We’ll obtain the rainbow, the stars, even the sun; without leaving a single thing behind. 

Nikaidou Yamato: You’re confident.

Izumi Iori: Don’t make fun of me. This isn’t like writing on a tanzaku on tanabata; it’s not an innocent, fleeting wish.

Izumi Iori: We who sang in front of an audience of nine people…

Izumi Iori: If we reach out with our hands right now, our wish is within reach. 

Izumi Iori: Nikaidou-san.

Nikaidou Yamato: …

Izumi Iori: Nii-san.

Izumi Mitsuki: …

Izumi Iori: Yotsuba-san.

Yotsuba Tamaki: …

Izumi Iori: Ousaka-san.

Ousaka Sougo: …

Izumi Iori: Rokuya-san.

Rokuya Nagi: …

Izumi Iori: And finally, Nanase-san.

Nanase Riku: …

Izumi Iori: Do you have the resolve to change the world? 

Nikaidou Yamato: Yeah!

Izumi Mitsuki: Let’s do it!

Yotsuba Tamaki: Let’s win together!

Ousaka Sougo: Yeah!

Rokuya Nagi: Yes! We are top idols! 

Nanase Riku: Even if we extended our hands, our selves back then wouldn’t have been able to grasp it, but… 

Nanase Riku: Let’s grasp it!

IDOLiSH7: Yeah…!!

Izumi Iori: Let’s surpass both our rivals and the kings and leap over it.

Izumi Iori: After all, we are the seven-colored rainbow starting the new era. 

~ to be continued ~

--

6.10.4. - The world moves on 

Phone: ♪～

Yotsuba Tamaki: Ah… it’s from Tenten. I wonder if it’s about Aya.

(beep)

Yotsuba Tamaki: Hello.

Kujou Tenn on the phone: Kujou speaking. Is right now fine?

Yotsuba Tamaki: It’s fine. Is this about Aya?

Kujou Tenn on the phone: Yes.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Is Aya debuting? 

Kujou Tenn on the phone: I didn’t hear anything about that. If it was Aya’s wish, I’d want to grant it though.

Kujou Tenn on the phone: Instead of doing it for herself, Aya wants to be an idol for Kujou-san’s sake. 

Yotsuba Tamaki: …Both our manager and Rikkun cooperated with him on “Zero”, so I don’t think he’s all bad.  

Yotsuba Tamaki: But why does Aya support him that much?

Kujou Tenn on the phone: Will you listen to me calmly? 

Yotsuba Tamaki: Eh~? I don’t like that start… You’re gonna say something that makes my head spin, aren’t you? 

Kujou Tenn on the phone: …If I was in your place and Riku was my sister, I think my head would spin a little. 

Yotsuba Tamaki: I don’t want that… I don’t wanna hear it… But there’s no use, I’ll listen. Since I’m her older brother… 

Kujou Tenn on the phone: How admirable. 

Yotsuba Tamaki: Alright… Tell me. 

Kujou Tenn on the phone: If I said “probably”, it would be rude to Aya. From my point of view, it’s that she admires him.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Hm? Yeah.

Kujou Tenn on the phone: Aya likes Kujou-san. In the romantic sense… it seems. She proposed to Kujou-san. 

Yotsuba Tamaki: …

Kujou Tenn on the phone: …Are you okay?

Yotsuba Tamaki: Tenten, you’re an idol, right?

Kujou Tenn on the phone: Yeah.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Then what are you doing? Normally, wouldn’t she fall for you, Tenten? Why Kujou?

Kujou Tenn on the phone: …Well… People have different tastes…

Yotsuba Tamaki: Normally I go to Tenten, but Tenten, you’re disqualified from being an idol! You lost to an old man who can’t dance! 

Kujou Tenn on the phone: That’s a bit of a shock… But, look. Kujou-san is kind. Especially to Aya. 

Yotsuba Tamaki: Tenten, are you cold towards Aya? 

Kujou Tenn on the phone: I think I’m being nice to her normally like an older brother, though… 

Yotsuba Tamaki: Look! While TRIGGER’s Tenn is sitting by, that old man Kujou…!

Kujou Tenn on the phone: Wait. Don’t just make it my responsibility. Isn’t Isumi Haruka from ŹOOḼ in the same position? 

Yotsuba Tamaki: That’s exactly it! Tenten and Isumin are there, so why Kujou? 

Kujou Tenn on the phone: Isn’t it just her admiring an older person? Love-like feelings for someone who’s like a father to her… 

Yotsuba Tamaki: …If you put it like that…

Kujou Tenn on the phone: Getting back to the topic, Kujou-san told Aya they can’t be together after hearing her feelings.

Yotsuba Tamaki: What!? Isn’t that irresponsible!?

Kujou Tenn on the phone: I get how you feel. I got upset when he said that, too, but I understand that Kujou-san is cautious as well. 

Kujou Tenn on the phone: Because he cherishes Aya. Because he doesn’t want anything to happen to her. 

Yotsuba Tamaki: …

Kujou Tenn on the phone: Even though Kujou-san says he wants to annul the adoption relationship with Aya at all costs, I intend to look after Aya.

Kujou Tenn on the phone: Since we cannot live together at Ryuu’s house, I might end up moving out to live together with Aya.

Kujou Tenn on the phone: But before I just decide that by myself, I thought I’d listen to your opinion. 

Yotsuba Tamaki: …I don’t think I can live with Aya at the dorm, either. If that’s the case, having Aya alone in a facility is… 

Yotsuba Tamaki: …Aya herself doesn’t want that, either. Well, she does say she wants to be with Kujou.

Kujou Tenn on the phone: Yotsuba Tamaki. You are a student, too. You don’t have to carry this burden alone. That’s why, don’t feel too responsible. 

Kujou Tenn on the phone: I want to respect your will. I want to respect Aya’s will as well. That’s all it is. 

Yotsuba Tamaki: …You say that, Tenten, but you’re younger than Sou-chan. 

Yotsuba Tamaki: What about your will? I’ll respect it in your place. 

Kujou Tenn on the phone: A happy ending. I like you, Kujou-san, Aya; Isumi Haruka, too. 

Yotsuba Tamaki: Isn’t that just about other people? Will you be fine? 

Kujou Tenn on the phone: That’s not the case. Thank you. 

Yotsuba Tamaki: …Just think about it a bit. It’s possible the dormitory itself might disappear… 

Kujou Tenn on the phone: Is that so?

Yotsuba Tamaki: Yeah… It’ll be lonely, though.

Kujou Tenn on the phone: That’s true… I think you guys having a place where you can have an exciting life together is a good thing.  

Yotsuba Tamaki: I think so, too. But if you put Aya into that, I would feel sorry for her.

Kujou Tenn on the phone: That’s true... I’ll also try talking to Aya a little.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Yeah, good luck, Tenten. 

Kujou Tenn on the phone: You, too. Well then, see you.

(beep)

Yotsuba Tamaki: …Haa…

Yotsuba Tamaki: I wonder what place we will be in next year… 

--

Woman: …Aah… Today is when I’ll find out whether I won or lost… 

Woman: Idol fans are too amazing. They managed to stand this feeling up until now…

Woman: Haa… I definitely don’t want to lose… God, please… 

Woman: I already bought new clothes since I thought I can go, and I pre-ordered the goods already, so… 

Woman: Since I really plan to go, I ended up watching all the footage from the lives up until now. 

Woman: IDOLiSH7 was amazing… It was totally different from TV. Everyone, everyone was the best stars… 

Woman: Their gazes as they looked over the venue were kind, they made me really happy. 

Woman: It made me think I want to be in that place with them and cheer them on. It made me want to be one of the lights they see. 

Woman: Because I am going to go to the live, I did my best with overtime and took on business trips. I must’ve accumulated some good deeds by now! 

Woman: Please, let me win! If I lost right now, it’d be frustrating~! 

Woman: Ah…! The person I befriended online won! Waaah~, congratulations!!

Woman: There’s people who didn’t win, either… It must be true that they’re crying… I feel like I’ll cry, too… 

Woman: Haa… My heart’s pounding… 

Woman: I can’t believe I’m trying to go to a place that will make my heart pound even more, even though my heart is already pounding…

Woman: What is it gonna be like? A really fun, sparkling and happy time… 

Woman: …Is what I think it will be, but what if I go there and it’s different? …Everything’s just according to my convenient fantasy…

Woman: …I’m so excited, I’m anxious…  I’m really looking forward to it, but I am also a bit nervous… This might be what it feels like to have a wish. 

Woman: So that’s it, I… When I saw IDOLiSH7, I had a wish for the first time in a long time. 

Woman: It’s not a wish like, “No way~”. “I wanna have fun~”.... It’s a sparkling, childlike wish. 

Woman: That’s why my heart is beating and my chest hurts; everything’s so fun, I can’t bear it. 

Woman: …I want to go to the live… 

Woman: …A mail came! There was a notice about the lottery results! 

Woman: What should I…? I’m scared to look at it… 

Woman: It’ll be fine, it’ll be fine… If it doesn’t work this time, I’ll just have to apply again. 

Woman: Since I joined the fanclub as well, it’ll work for sure. I might even win this time… 

Woman: Let’s count down. One, two… 

Clerk: Excuse me. 

Woman: …!

Order: Would you like to have some more coffee? 

Woman: Ah… I’ll dig right in… Ah, never mind, I’m good.

Clerk: I understand. Please take your time enjoying your stay. 

Woman: Thank you very much…

Woman: …

Woman: …Oh, I won…！

~ to be continued ~

--

TL note:

¹ - An explanation on the antlion pit, lit. anthell: click

² - Yes, the same cumulonimbus clouds Kujou was talking about. Different word in JP, though.

I assume most people know about tanzaku and tanabata by now, but if not, click! As for the whole "royal road" talk, it's a kind of wordplay on doing it the classic way and also Re:vale being kings...

...mod riku here!! this is the first time i bothered to translate some of the chapter headlines myself instead of leaving it to mod haruka, and you can tell from the awkward wording, ehehe... that being said, it's done now!

[kmgkmg]

I’VE ALWAYS BEEN - KIM MINGYU

word count: 1.1k... (mix of sm au and written!)

pairing: mingyu x gn!reader 

synopsis: a snapshot into daily life with your bf mingyu

genre/s: fluff, non-idol!au, barista!mingyu, bf!mingyu, established relationship

warnings: none!

rating: pg

a/n: my first post for mingyu and it’s my first sm au!! titled after the song i’ve always been by mac ayres, since gyu likes lany i feel like he would like this song since it has a similar vibe.

Mingyu turns off his phone, eagerly waiting for you to finish heading up the stairs so he could bombard you with kisses. Why is a barista so unprofessional at their workplace you ask? Having his boss be his friend Jihoon was always a plus, especially when days were slower. 

You take your final step up the stairs and see Mingyu sitting next to Wonwoo with the biggest grin adorn on his face. You could spot his shiny canines anywhere. Proud of the food you brought, you quickly wave the bag in the air, to which he gives you a thumbs up. 

“What would I do without you Y/N?” He exaggerates, being loud enough for Wonwoo to finally notice your presence. 

Wonwoo’s face becomes more relaxed as he recognizes you and laughs, “That’s why you were suddenly smiling like the Joker.” 

“My smile is charismatic and sexy, nothing like the Joker.” Mingyu huffs, making room for you to sit next to him. He smoothly slides your drink to the spot in front of you, producing more anticipation of how delicious the drink will taste. 

“How do you date someone so conceited Y/N?” Wonwoo asks, entertained by how his friend instantly changed when you were around.

“I mean, he isn’t lying. His smile is charismatic and sexy.” You shrug, finally taking a sip of your boyfriend’s new creation. 

Mingyu loved whenever you backed him up around other people. Sure, when you were alone you typically had more sarcastic banter, but you made certain to express your love for him to others. He was happy you told him to take the love language test when you first started dating because it allowed him to learn more about himself. He could always recall his results being words of affirmation and acts of service whenever he felt giddy at your ability in expressing your feelings towards him. The way you looked out for each other by helping and no words exchanged either, just with simple ways to lift each other’s moods was another way that proved acts of service was his other love language. He waited for your feedback on the drink, but your expression said all that was needed. 

Your eyes widened as you continued to sip on the drink, tapping your feet against the floor in excitement. Letting yourself swallow the sips, you turned to your boyfriend who was clearly on the edge of his seat. “Mingyu, you’ve outdone yourself again! This is my favorite drink now!” 

His elated energy could be felt a mile away and you admired your boyfriend’s radiant self. Returning his question from earlier, you link your arm with his before asking, “What would I do without you?”

Wonwoo rolls his eyes at the lovesick couple beside him while wordlessly picking up the speed to finish his drink. It was always a mystery to him how you could still be so in love with each other after nearly six years of dating. Glancing at the two of you in your own world, he decided to break up the mood. 

“Our break is ending in three minutes.” He takes the final slurp from his cup, leaving nothing but ice. 

Your eyes both throw daggers at Wonwoo for his unwelcome reminder, but nevertheless soon get over it. “Well, be sure to eat your lunch when you have time!” You order Mingyu, to which he nodded in compliance. 

“I will! Are you going back to our place right away?” He asks, turning his classic puppy dog eyes on. 

“No, don’t worry! I have to get some work done anyway so I thought I would be productive here and we can go home together.” You state, making your boyfriend’s puppy dog eyes disappear as he starts to attack you with kisses.

“That sounds perfect!” He manages to say in between kisses. 

You were beyond flustered at his PDA but still adored him. A timer on his phone goes off, alerting that his break was over and he pulls away from you with a sad expression. 

“Work hard, and try proposing your flan drink for next month’s special!” You encouraged him as he solemnly started walking back to behind the counter.

“No, that drink’s reserved just for you. I’ve always been in love with you and only you get the best.” Mingyu defends, shooting one last smile at you before putting his apron back on and attending to the customers waiting.

[zadig-fate]

So, guys, my first time at the barricade was like going from the first colour TVs in the 1960s to a modern IMAX theatre. The show is so much more intense than being even a few rows back.

My queue bestie and I got to sing Umazane Misli with Bojan, like we wanted.

Despite that, this is the first time I've ever had a bad time at a Joker Out concert, and honestly I feel like shit right now, when usually after one of their shows I feel euphoric.

I was so fucking ashamed of the demanding behaviour of the crowd tonight (at least the first few rows) that I seriously thought about just sitting down and hiding behind the barrier for the rest of the show.

The constant screeching of their names during Novi Val by people who wanted one of the guys to draw them a fucking tattoo, or take their phone, or wanted to give them some useless crap, was my breaking point. It was so embarrassing. After that point I just couldn't feel happy anymore and was desperate for it to be over.

People were shouting at other people to stop throwing so much shit at them, or to stop screeching their names for attention during literally every break between songs (and through the entire length of Novi Val), and the whole situation stressed me out SO much, I just shut down completely.

This kind of situation would be stressful for me in any case, but I think I was feeling especially anxious about it today because my friend and I actually ran into the JO guys this afternoon (after getting our wristbands) at the Museum of the Warsaw Uprising, which deals with Nazi war crimes in Poland. We said hi, but they were clearly not feeling up to chatting with fans at that moment, so we just left it at that and moved on. (To be clear, they weren't rude and did talk with us briefly and thank us for coming to their shows, but sent polite signals that they preferred to be left alone, and we respected that.)

Idk, maybe I'm just overly sensitive. They're pros and surely used to managing all these demands on their attention by now. Maybe I'm reading too much into their mood earlier in the day. But I just feel really shitty at the moment for being part of such a rude and entitled audience and almost want to write them an apology letter for how poorly my fellow fans behaved tonight.

[eteisvalssi]

ruisrock report 7.7.2024

i'm now back home from turku and what a weekend it was! here are some of my thoughts:

i was a volunteer at ruisrock. i did two 7,5 hour shifts checking other volunteers in and out of their shifts and it was so much fun! an easy job, i got to enjoy one full day and two partial days of the festival, i got free food on the two days i had a shift and would've gotten free accommodation too if i hadn't had one already. all worth it :)

i did go see artists other than joker out. my favorites were definitely fröbelin palikat and robin! fröbelin palikat is something the main target audience of ruisrock grew up listening to so it was very nostalgic and there were so many people and literally everyone dancing and singing along to children's music. and robin is just robin, an amazing performer and literally everyone knows his songs

even on our day off we could use the volunteer bus and the crew entrance, so we did, and went to teltta straight away to check the situation. my friend wanted to stay there to secure barricade, but i gave my spot to a girl who wanted to only see the first two acts there

we had the joblr meetup! i loved meeting you all, it was so much fun, and i hope to see you all soon <3 next meetup in slovenia during the balkan tour? 👀

the others went to see käärijä but i felt bad for my friend for disappearing for three hours so i went to the tent after pehmoaino and the girl who i mentioned earlier gave me the spot back!

we could hear käärijä a bit from the tent and it was nice to hear how loud the audience was when erika vikman and joost came on stage

next up in the tent was ege zulu, i only knew like two songs but oh my god his performance was so good! he's a rapper and he had like a show with a proper band and dancers. at one point he just started improvising and singing/talking directly to the audience members and giving compliments and he truly knew what part of the audience he had to win over bc yours truly got complimented on 😂

after ege zulu the first rows started filling up from joker out fans

next up was alok and speaking as a person who does study event management i feel like there might have been some misjudgement from ruisrock's part on the timetables, because the two front rows were really not feeling it and it was very awkward. it would've worked better with joker out having performed before, but of course i know nothing about what their reasoning was

the 1,5 hour wait for joker out went by so fast. we were listening to pmmp from the niitty stage and during their most-well-known songs everyone who knew them was singing along. because of that the vibe in the audience was so good even before the gig started

katri norrlin and this other guy from ylex came to introduce them and even at that people were screaming so fucking loud. i read from jodel that one security person went to get second earmuffs bc it was so loud

after they came on stage nace looked me straight in the eyes and waved at me even though i didn't wave at him like ok??

i don't feel like i've ever been at a more high-energy joker out concert than this. the audience was so loud through the whole concert, the tent was full of people and you could see they got so excited by it and went completely crazy themselves

this one was truly for the shippers of the fandom with just everything that happened on that day

i didn't even realize jere and the others were on the side watching the gig before vse kar vem and i only heard about joost also being there after the concert

seagulls had somehow found their way into the tent and one of them got really scared during šta bih ja and flew around for a while before flying backstage

didn't expect sunny side of london or bele sanje to be on the setlist, but i'm definitely not complaining. ssol was just perfect for this gig

i've taken a video of novi val from every single gig and i was kinda sad that they didn't do it this time, but i do also get why they ended with carpe diem

after the gig we went back to the centre of turku and had an afterparty with some mutuals at a grill kiosk <3

i feel like i've forgotten something but idk i'll add some stuff if i do remember what i had in mind. thanks for reading <3

[angrypedestrian]

It's halfway through the year! Got any favorite albums/books/tv shows/whatever to recommend?

I'm gonna be honest, I feel like I have been VERY behind on reading/watching/listening to ANYTHING this year. I've only gotten through 3 books, and have big to listen to/to watch/to play piles, but! I shall try to find something to rec.

Books/Comics I have only read 3 books this year and I hattteeee it, but at least one of them was Hanif Abdurraqib's A Little Devil In America, which I finally got around to after buying it almost 3 years ago. 1000% must read imo. I'm sitting on his new one that came out a couple months ago, and I AM going to read this year. I AM. Also, I went to go see him speak a few weeks ago and he complimented my Fireworks shirt because he is one of the few people who loves them as much as I do.

I have read a lot of comics this year though! James Tynion's The Deviant is probably the one I would recommend to you most specifically, it is VERY dark, but VERY good. It's still in progress though, but I think should be wrapped up by the end of the year. Also Jeff Lemire's Phantom Road. It's real weird, I dunno what the hell is going on with it, but I'm enjoying the ride so far. Jeff has another book running right now called Fishflies, which is more traditional Lemire, weird and sad and Canadian. Also very good, but Phantom Road is the one I'm currently enjoying more of the two if I had to pick.

TV/Movies I finally got around to watching the first season of The Terror, which I was a FOOL for missing out on when it was first released. What a fucking television program!!! But other than that, I think anything else you might be interested in that I've seen you've already watched lol. I don't know if Julio Torres' work is up your alley, but his new show Fantasmas is fucking great so far. Very in the weirdo vein of Los Espookys, or like, literally anything he has ever created.

In a weird twist I've watched a lot more movies this year than TV, which hasn't happened in perhaps ever? My biggest recommendation will be for The People's Joker, which unfortunately is not available to stream anywhere yet, I don't think, but hopefully should be soon. I also, to very much my own surprise, really enjoyed the Glenn Powell vehicle Hit Man. Richard Linklater I think can be very hit or miss, but this one was fun if bizarre.

Music I've been trying very hard not to get caught up in the FOMO of roughly 40 albums being released a week that I want to listen to. I think I've finally hit a wall of how much new music I can actually sit down and listen to and appreciate in a given week, so this year has been an exercise in letting go of the need to be on top of everything the second that it drops.

There's this band called Super American that I love, and I can't really figure out why? They're a scrappy little pop-rock-ish duo thing, and they can write hooks for days, but it's often mixed with some of the corniest shit I've ever heard. There's one track on their new record (called Gangster of Love, I fucking hate it) that has a part that sounds like a fucking LFO song. It should suck! I don't know why I don't think it sucks! So your mileage may really vary with that one, but I think baseline it's a fun and silly little summer record.

Also, I can't believe I'm saying this, but the new Story So Far album...rules? Truly did not expect it at all. Parker I am so sorry your dad died, but my god you guys wrote some of your best songs out of it. And for a left-er field rec, the new Hurray for the Riff Raff that came out earlier this year is fantastic, a kind of meandering back to some of their original sound, but in such a more realized way than those earlier records. Just a very gentle and beautiful album.

[dialovers-translations]

DIABOLIK LOVERS MORE CHARACTER SONG Vol.1 Arcadia by Sakamaki Ayato Mini Drama “Tide of Battle”

Original title: 勝敗の行方

Source: Diabolik Lovers CHARACTER SONG Vol. 1 Mini Drama

Audio: Here

Seiyuu: Midorikawa Hikaru

Translator’s note: These CDs take me back because I used to translate a lot of these generic ‘Diaboy sucks your blood in a random situation’ CDs which define the earlier era of the franchise. :p There isn’t anything special about the script, but I suppose it’s still enjoyable for those who stan the character. 

*Flip flip flip*

“...I lost. ーー Ugh.”

You tilt your head to the side.

“...Didn’t you hear me when I said I lost!? That should be pretty obvious since you have no cards left in your hand! ...Damnit. Why couldn’t you pull the joker? (1) You sure have some nerve to win from me, Chichinashi!”

Ayato gets up and starts walking away.

“And to think I was so kind as to play with you to kill some time...”

You tell him that there’s nothing to be so upset about.

 “Haah...? I’m not mad! You really think I’d lose my temper over some stupid card game with someone like you!? Idiot! Don’t think so highly of yourself! ーー Hmph!”

You note that he looks upset.

“...Aah? Oh shut up already.”

You tell him to stop sulking.

“Haah!? Me, sulking? Don’t be spoutin’ bullcrap!”

*Rustle* 

“Whatcha grabbin’ the hem of my shirt for? You’ll stretch out the fabric, let go.”

You insist that he’s being a grump.

“Yeah, I’m in a bad mood. I absolutely loathe the thought of losin’ after all.”

You promise to make it up to him.

“Hm? You want to cheer me up that badly?”

You seem determined.

“...Idiot. Don’t make such a serious face.”

He leans in close.

“There’s only one thing for you to do to accomplish said goal, no?”

*Rustle*

“Let me suck my blood. ...That’ll fix my mood. So, what do you say?”

You nod and pull down your collar.

*Rustle* 

“Hehe...If only you were this obedient all the time. ...I guess you want me to suck from your neck since you pulled down your collar? You’ve really upped your begging game, huh? ...Sure, I’ll suck from here as you wish.”

*Rustle rustle*

Ayato bites you.

“Hahn...Nn...”

*Sluuuurp*

“Mmh...”

*Sluuuurp*

“...Hah.”

*Rustle*

“...Ah? No, not yet. So gimme more...Mmh...”

*Sluuuurp*

“Nn...”

*Sluuuurp*

“Hah...”

*Rustle*

“What’s with that face, huh? Why are you the one feelin’ good when this is supposed to be a way of liftin’ my spirit? Well, I guess you could say that seein’ you pull that sorta expression puts me in a good mood too.”

Ayato continues sucking your blood.

“Hahn...Mmh...”

*Sluuuurp*

“...Hah. I already feel a lot better. But I guess I haven’t quite had enough just yet.”

*Sluuuurp*

“Hahn...Nn...”

*Sluuuurp*

“...Hah.”

*Rustle*

“Hey. Don’t think you’re the shit just ‘cause you beat me at cards once. That was a dumb luck just now. You’re no match for me. I’m sure this situation should make that very clear. You have no other choice but to let me have my way with you. ...For the rest of your life. ーー Right! Next time I’m bored, I’ll toy with you instead. No way I’m ever touchin’ that stupid card game again.

You chuckle.

“...What’s so funny, huh!? I’m not frustrated or anythin’...! I just don’t like how you made such a cocky face after winnin’ against me!”

You deny his statement.

“Hell yeah you did! You were grinnin’ from one ear to another! It hella pissed me off!”

You apologize again.

“Idiot. Stop sayin’ sorry already. ...Besides, now I know that card games are a horrible way to kill time. Those sorta games are for lil’ kids. If I want to have fun...”

*Rustle*

“You’re the ultimate toy. ...Right, Chichinashi? Hehe...”

*Rustle*

“Come on. Lift your face. I’ll kiss you next. ...Didn’t you hear me earlier when I said I wasn’t satisfied yet?”

You hesitate.

“Come on, part your lips already. Mmh...”

Ayato kisses you passionately.

“...Hah. ...Hehehe. You really make the best faces. I’m in a great mood again thanks to that. Haha...Aren’t you glad? You didn’t like seeing me upset, correct? You were grabbin’ onto my shirt and actin’ all meek...I guess you were worried ‘bout putting me in a bad mood, huh? Haha...Are you really that crazy ‘bout me?”

You stubbornly shake your head.

“...Ah? You wanna claim that you don’t like me at all?”

He leans in close again.

“Like you could ever say those words. ...If anything, I wouldn’t let you spout nonsense like that. Mmh...”

*Smooch*

“Nn...”

*Smooch*

“...Hahn...Nn...”

*Smooch*

“...What’s the matter? Reached your limit already?”

he continues making out with you.

“...Hahaha. Seems like you’re no match for me after all. ...Still. Right. If there was one category in which you could beat me, it would be with how much you love me. I guess...? I wouldn’t mind admittin’ defeat in that regard. ...I mean, just look at how esctatic you are just from some kisses...Mmh...”

*Smooch*

“I know damn well...Whenever I suck your blood or kiss you, you’ve got ‘I want more’ written all over your face...I bet you’re actually aware of this as well, right? ...Hahaha. You really are somethin’ else, givin’ your feelings away so easily.”

You grow embarrassed.

“...Fine. If you admit it, I wouldn’t mind givin’ you exactly what you want.”

*Rustle*

“To your heart’s content, that is. ...Mmh.”

*Rustle*

“Aah...? What’s the problem? Would you rather have me bite you instead? Hahaha...No need to look so disappointed. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to suck your blood afterwards. I happen to like the face you make...”

*Smooch*

“...in either scenario, you see. Mmh...”

*Smooch*

“Nn...”

ーー THE END ーー

Translation notes

(1) They are playing ババ抜き or ‘baba-nuki’, which is the Japanese name for ‘Old Maid’. Both players take cards from each other’s hand in search of pairs. However, there is one card replaced by the Joker and whoever is left with it at the end, loses.

[frogtossing]

i had such an amazing time in Cologne yesterday… i feel extremely hungover but it’s was so worth it.

it was so so nice to hang out with @echoes-of-mia again, you’re literally the chillest person ever irl and it was so fun to experience the concert with you :D 🫶

i met so many cool people while queueing (like the lovely @mogoce-nocoj who i got to talk with some more after the concert :D (even if i might have been a bit quiet, i was still processing the concert :P)), literally the best queue experience i’ve had compared to the other concerts i’ve been to (which were also nice!!! but i was a bit too shy to engage with people so i missed out a bit on the community aspect of queueing :<). i got so many cute bracelets and in turn got to give out a couple of mine :3. and i got some fucking beautiful stickers!!! the insanely pretty Kris sticker by the talented @autoantonyms and the stunning ASTP + Joker Out Köln stickers by @/vem.da.kris on Instagram!!!! so sad that the Dopamin fan project didn’t work out :( i really hoped they’d played it!!!

the concert itself was so so fun. before the show started, someone handed me those slay pose glasses and they’re so fucking cool??? and i also hastily traded some more bracelets inbetween the openers :D

also, wow, the stage design by @as-artrat-racik was so fucking beautiful in real life. i was genuinely floored by it!!!! and once the concert started, he first thing i noticed was everybody’s hair???? a bit random but Bojan’s hair looked super nice (like the length it’s at atm???) and omg, Nace mullet real????? + it’s impressive how long Kris’ hair has gotten again, compared to the last time i saw him on stage :0.

and i’m so glad i decided to abstain from listening to any recordings of any of the new songs because let me tell you, experiencing Šta Bih Ja live for the first time was a fucking religious experience. that song fucks so hard i need it injected into my veins IMMEDIATELY. and i love how they were peer pressured by the crowd to play Schlager even if it wasn’t planned LMAO. and it was such a pleasant surprise too! such a fun song which really reminded me a lot of some of Arctic Monkey’s calmer songs (like Mad Sounds). showed my recording of it to my mom earlier today and she said it might be her new favorite of theirs and that i should tell her once it’s out haha.

i love the incorporation of a keyboard in their shows now!!! Metulji with Jan on the keyboard was so nice, as was Everybody’s Waiting!! and i gotta say, i’m not a fan of EW but hearing it live was so so nice. i loved the staging of it all so much??? with it starting off by Bojan being all alone on stage, playing the keyboard and then slowly the others join him.. it was so awesome!!! never thought it would hit so differently live :0

the UM karaoke was so much fun and i heard so many lovely voices but i lost complete track of Bojan at some point 😭 he just vanished lmao.. also Sector 5 walked right past me??? i didn’t realize who they were at first and i just went ‘wait a sec those people look familiar’, so that was fun HAHA.

i got some merch after the concert and whew, that was maybe the most stressful part of the concert. poor Vita was the only one working at the merch stand and it was obvious that she was a bit stressed by the masses of people flocking to it :(. i love the shirt i got, even if i wanted to by the black tour shirt at first :D

i wish i could have given Nace the bracelet i made for him all the way back in June/July of last year (when i wasn’t even sure if id ever get to see JO live :’3) but it’s okay, ill be taking it as in excuse to see them live once again if i get the chance to 💪 (ill be earning my own money soon so that means i might be able to attend international gigs as well :D!) who knows what the future holds!

TLDR; I had an extremely fun time, Joker Out are so worth it to see live and there are so many amazing and talented fans out there, it blows me away every time. i’m really happy to be a part of this fandom <3

[sparkles-oflight]

All love letters are ridiculous

Hi, I had a test today, as compensation you get a small BoKris fanfic. This is pre-relationship, pre-joker out. Kris is still a confused bisexual teen, give the guy a break.

Set in 2016's valentine's.

Synopsis:

"Love letters, if there’s love, Must be Ridiculous. But in fact Only those who’ve never written Love letters Are Ridiculous." - Fernando Pessoa

Kris is tired of Bojan being all over his girlfriend in front of him all the time, and decides to pulls a prank on him.

Disclaimer: Please think of these as characters and not the actual people. I don’t encourage anyone to send this to any of the actual JO members nor do I encourage people to force any type of relationship between anyone.

Ema and Ivana are fictional names

Bojan had a new girlfriend. Her name was Ivana, he was all over her. Kris thought it was sickening how frequently they’d exchange saliva in front of him. They knew his girlfriend was from another town and he rarely got to see her - way to eat in front of the poor.

He was so tired, and Valentine’s was around the corner... So, Kris came up with a plan. It was simple: Give Bojan a love letter, as a secret admirer, and see him have a small fight with Ivana. Then Kris would jump in, admit it was him all along, and then lecture them both on how unfair it was for them to act like this next to him.

- That’s stupid. – Jan said after Kris explained his plan.

- Why?

- Why don’t you write a love letter to Ema and leave those two alone? Isn’t Valetine’s on Sunday? Can’t she come here?

- She’ll be out of the country this weekend.

- Well, then act like a normal person and just worry about the next time you two are together and make it special.

- Jan, I can do both. It’s called multitasking. – Kris raised his eyebrows.

- I thought that was called Bisexuality. – Jan retaliated.

- Jan, I’m not gay.

Jan sighed and after a moment of silence, he proceeded to talk again.

- There’s no way that’s going to turn out well.

- You don’t trust your best friend?

Jan was lying on Kris’ bed and fidgeting with a basketball he brought earlier for them to play. He wondered if he should stop Kris from going further, but at the same time, it sounded fun...

- Well. What are you going to write? – he asked.

- I’m not sure yet. – Kris caught the ball Jan threw at him - That’s why I wanted your help.

- Nope, dude. I’m not getting my hands dirty for some dude I don’t even know, but you have a crush on.

- I don’t have a crush on Bojan of all people. – he threw back the ball at Jan who caught it – Ridiculous.

- You bad mouth that boy so much people might actually think he’s actually your boyfriend.

Kris sighed.

- What are you doing this year for Valentine’s? – Kris turned the tables.

- Nothing much. I’d need a partner for that.

- I don’t know how you have no girls after you. If I were a girl, I would.

- Again Kris. – he tossed the ball at him – That’s bisexuality.

- Oh, shut up. Let’s just play.

They spent the whole afternoon playing basketball and games. At night, Jan spent the night at Kris’ house and before they both fell asleep, he said:

- Talk about how you feel next to each other. Talk about what you want to do when you are near each other.

Kris was surprised by those words and shook Jan’s shoulder, demanding more.

- Hey, what do you mean? Jan. Jan. Jan don’t just drift off into sleep. Help me out!

Kris poked Jan until he was too tired to keep it going. “Ridiculous”, he muttered.

On Monday, he saw Bojan in the corridors and asked him what he was doing that afternoon. “Band practice”, the smaller replied to which Kris asked if he could watch. Bojan agreed.

It’s not the first time Kris has gone to an Apokalipsa rehearsal, but he never did to observe Bojan. It was ridiculous.

- We are actually working on a new song. – Bojan quietly said to Kris, almost as if he whispered when both of them were walking to the rehearsal space (Martin’s garage).

- Really? – Kris frowned – What is it about?

- Well, it’s about Ivana.

Kris bit his lip. Of course it is.

- It’s called Kot Srce, Ki Kri Poganja.

- Too long. Shitty name.

- Oh, shut up!

When they both arrived, Kris sat down and observed the guys, especially the nerve-wracking Bojan. He wanted everything to go well because he was planning on “gifting the song” to Ivana on Valentine’s.

Kris was suddenly reminded of how they met, and the first time he ever went to an Apokalipsa concert. It felt... magical. It altered his perception of music so much that he wished he could be a part of that world.

And what if... No, that’s ridiculous. He would never be in a band with Bojan. Why would Bojan want to be with a guitar newbie like him?

- That was a great practice session, guys. – Kris smiled – I have to head home now.

- Sure, just tell me you didn’t write down the lyrics. – Bojan pointed to the paper Kris was holding.

- Oh this? Don’t worry, it has nothing to do with your lyrics. It’s just... my ramblings. That’s all.

When Kris got home, he wrote the best love letter a 16-year-old like him could. Cheesy, but the point was to annoy Ivana, right? So, this would do the trick.

“Hey, I might have seen you walk around, I might have seen you shine on stage. Every time our eyes met, the world froze, like a Polaroid photo my eyes took. Every time we feel lonely, we look for comfort in each other’s touch. And I want to tangle my fingers around yours, And I want to make these feelings ours Because “Like a heart that pumps blood, I give you dreams” Lines you wrote, I know Because, every day, they make these feelings grow Signed, Krisko”

- Was it not supposed to be anonymous? – Jan asked after reading the awfully cringe letter.

- Eh, that’s just the draft.

- I was expecting you’d write a “Mister Kris Cvjetićanin”.

- Okay, you are uninvited from my house.

- You and I both know that’s not true. Your mom loves me more than she loves you.

Kris shrugged. Jan started reading the letter out loud.

- “And I want to tangle my fingers around yours,” – he declared – “And I want to make these feelings ours”-

Kris threw a pillow at him.

- I hate you.

The day before Valentine’s, Bojan asked Kris if he could drop by. Kris accepted it and Bojan showed up to his house with a guitar in hand.

- Kris, let me serenate you.

- What the fuck, dude. No.

Bojan didn’t care. He entered his house, made his way to Kris’ bedroom, and sat next to him on his bed.

- I need everything to be perfect, Kris. And I’m sorry I’m using you as my lab rat. With Martin is awkward to do this, and you... I don’t know why, but right now I trust you for this. – he sighed – Can I?

Kris didn’t say anything, instead, he gestured for Bojan to begin.

Bojan sang with the same passion as usual, and Kris couldn’t help but hear his heart going fast as he got to hear Bojan singing to him and only him. It felt like the first time he heard Bojan play at a concert and all the songs sounded dedicated to him. Bojan sure knew how to make anyone feel special when he sang.

- I... You got this, Bojan.

- Thank you, Krisko. – the singer sighed with relief.

Bojan spent the night at the Guštin’s household – even though Miha wondered why every friend of Kris was spending one night there that week; Chantal replied with something about Valentine’s, Miha can’t remember it fully though, but he liked having Bojan around.

And while everyone was asleep, Kris hid the letter he had written inside his old guitar.

“Ridiculous”, he thought.

But even more ridiculous were those who never wrote love letters.

♫♩♫♩♫♩♫♩♫♩♫♩♫♩♫♩♫♩♫♩♫♩♫♩♫♩♫♩♫♩♫♩♫♩

Afternote: I have one more short story planned and a three-chapter story planned that ties in all loose ends of the overall story (I already have chapter one ready).

Then... SAILOR MOON AU. Which will be a very short and fast-paced story because my life is too busy atm and I'm already making up so much lore for the story to work 💀

Anyways...

Polaroid Photos Universe | Recommended next: Maybe like a heart that pumps blood (AO3 only) | Romeo and Juliet

[evilwickedme]

1-5 about Jason/Red Hood

1. Why do you like or dislike this character?

It's 4:58 am as I start answering this ask and I might descend into delirium as I write this but. Firstly we have to get this out of the way yes I have a crush on him okay moving on. I've said this before but like. He was reintroduced as a batman villain. Maybe the most tragic batman villain? Maybe one of the most tragic comic book villains ever? Cause even as he manages to outsmart batman - I meant to say this earlier, actually, I think it's so cool that he outsmarted batman this is never brought up again but like HE WON if it weren't for the human element of actually getting Bruce to let him kill the joker. But okay back to the sentence - he still refers to Bruce as his family. Again and again it's made clear that that was his dad, goddammit, and the tragedy of it is so heartbreaking. One of the only moments I truly loved in RHATO 2011 is when Jason gives up his happiest memory - Bruce staying home from patrol with him when he was sick during his robin days. For one what a sweet fucking moment. Secondly it further shows the tragedy of it all - he was happy, and that happiness itself is part of the reason it all hurts so much. And yeah I get it in a lot of ways. And again I also just think he's cool and kicks ass but like the themes. THE THEMES

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

That he's a book nerd who loved going to school

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

Mmmmm most of the writing is bad yeah. Makes it hard to choose. Also the fact that like so much is dubiously canon? Idk I'm just gonna say the fact that they gave him to Scott Lobdell for so long

Edit: OBVIOUSLY I should've written here the idea that he was the violent robin

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

Well he's already in comics, animated movies, and live action tv shows so. I guess a book is all I have left? Or a really good live action movie which seems unlikely

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

OH MY GOD I LOVE THIS QUESTION it's my tears ricochet by Taylor Swift herself like. Okay oh my God prepare yourselves

We gather here, we line up Weepin' in a sunlit room, and If I'm on fire, you'll be made of ashes too Even on my worst day, did I deserve, babe All the hell you gave me? 'Cause I loved you, I swear I loved you 'Til my dying day

So this first verse describes a funeral (the song is from the pov of a ghost) and like. Jason dies in an explosion so the fire thing makes complete sense. And I read the song as Jason talking NOW so he's like, even though I disappointed you and died needlessly, did I deserve the treatment I've received since? A batarang to the throat, being beaten half to death, the distrust and cruelty? Cause you were my dad till the moment I died (and I still want you to be I still want you to be I still want you to be)

I didn't have it in myself to go with grace And you're the hero flying around, saving face And if I'm dead to you, why are you at the wake? Cursing my name, wishing I stayed Look at how my tears ricochet

So the prechorus and chorus really hammer home the point of the song which is I'm right here, why can't you see me? But then this first prechorus has the bonus of also referring to the person the pov character is talking to as a hero flying around, evoking the classic image of a superhero. Bruce if you love me, why won't you look at me and see I'm here. Bruce if you loved me, how could you build that shrine to a kid that never was.

We gather stones, never knowing what they'll mean Some to throw, some to make a diamond ring You know I didn't want to have to haunt you But what a ghostly scene You wear the same jewels that I gave you As you bury me

I don't have as much to say about this verse but I do think the imagery of throwing stones sort of inherently invokes glass houses, and I do think that matches Jason's pov. Also: as you bury me - literally and figuratively. You left me in the past and moved on. Never mind that he didn't actually, that's how it feels.

I didn't have it in myself to go with grace 'Cause when I'd fight, you used to tell me I was brave And if I'm dead to you, why are you at the wake? Cursing my name, wishing I stayed Look at how my tears ricochet

CAUSE WHEN I'D FIGHT YOU USED TO TELL ME I WAS BRAVE!!!!!!!

And I can go anywhere I want Anywhere I want, just not home And you can aim for my heart, go for blood But you would still miss me in your bones And I still talk to you (when I'm screaming at the sky) And when you can't sleep at night (you hear my stolen lullabies)

I literally named one of my fics, one that's about the days after Jason's death, stolen lullabies, because. Ffs. He was just a kid. HE WAS JUST A KID. And you can aim for my heart go for blood hurts so much more if you're thinking about the batarang not just physically (also physically) but also symbolically what it meant. I choose the joker over you, Jason. Maybe that isn't what it meant to Bruce, but it is definitely what it meant to Jason. Anywhere I want just not home... "Cause he took me away from you".........

I didn't have it in myself to go with grace And so the battleships will sink beneath the waves You had to kill me, but it killed you just the same Cursing my name, wishing I stayed You turned into your worst fears And you're tossing out blame, drunk on this pain Crossing out the good years And you're cursing my name, wishing I stayed Look at how my tears ricochet

The battleships..... All they do is argue and clash and mourn the relationship they used to have. "You had to kill me but it killed you just the same" are we talking about the way Bruce buried his son and it killed him? Are we talking about the betrayal of his morals at the end of UTRH? and then also YOU TURNED INTO YOUR WORST FEARS!!!! Bruce sunk into his grief and will NEVER be the same. Crossing out the good years..... A little meta but this is where I think about how DC has been trying to rewrite Jason's robin run as him being "the violent one" when in fact he was the biggest goddamn nerd. Like the tragedy of it all ...

Look at how my tears ricochet. Look at how my grief turns to violence. Look at what's left of us

I am so normal about this. Okay it's 5:23 I think it's time for me to go to bed

[mtreebeardiles]

Afterparty

@cronusamporaofficial i believe you mentioned a little afterparty so I wrote a little extra scene haha, hope you enjoy!

Takes place immediately after Ceremony and can be found on AO3 as well.

~~

"Damn, Sunshine, that's gotta be some kind of record." 

James grinned as he slid into the booth next to Everett, earning a mock-glare from his former commander. The N7 ceremony had ended a scant ten minutes ago and already Shepard was dressed down into casual, comfortable clothing. "How long did it take you to ditch the uniform for sweats?"

"Excuse you, I am wearing jeans!"

"And a hoodie--"

"--which he stole from me," Kaidan interjected from where he sat across from them, smirking at his husband.

"And a hat --"

"--which he stole from me," came Joker's voice from the next booth over. "As if it'd make him more inconspicuous. Un-fucking-believable." 

"So honestly the jeans are a bit of a surprise, if I'm honest."

"I had sweatpants, but Kaidan hid them."

"That makes more sense." 

Everett bit his lip, trying and failing not to smile. He gently bumped his shoulder against James's. "So," he began after a moment, sliding the milkshake he was sharing with Kaidan closer to his husband. "How's it feel?" He nodded to the emblem he'd pinned to James's uniform earlier in the evening. 

"Surreal, if I'm honest," James admitted, fiddling with the label on his beer bottle. "The whole evening hasn't really sunk in yet, you know?" 

"I do," Evvy agreed quietly, smile sofening. "I uh… I hope it was okay, by the way. My showing up like that. We wanted it to be a surprise, but…"

James found himself grinning again, and he bumped Evvy's shoulder right back. "It was a surprise -- a good one. It means a lot, you being there with me, Sunshine." He paused a moment, considering. "Especially since I know it probably wasn't easy on you." 

Everett's smile went wry and he offered a slight shrug. "Honestly? Not as difficult as you might think. I wasn't showing up for the Alliance -- I was showing up for you. And that's always an easy thing to do."

James felt himself go warm all over and he grinned into his beer. "Well, I appreciate it all the same." He glanced out beyond the booth, taking in the sight of so many friends gathered around. Foster's Bar had become something of a familiar haunt for those still active in the Alliance, and was a particular favorite of the current Normandy crew. A more intimate space than the ceremony hall, and he wondered if they'd requested the place to themselves for the evening when he realized the only patrons were all Normandy affiliated -- past and present. It was pretty likely -- Piper and the owner were good friends -- and lord knew his people were good customers. 

He watched as Jack, Tali, and Traynor gathered around the bar, intent on the colorful concoction being crafted by the bartender. Spied Miranda and Gianna catching up with Jacob Taylor and Dr. Cole a few booths down, Taylor and Cole's young son nodding off against his father's chest. Heard the murmur of conversation behind him between Joker and Steve and, when the music pouring out of the speakers shifted to something distinctly jazzy was not surprised to spot Shawn and Leigh over by the jukebox. 

"I love this song," Ashley declared as she appeared at his side. "C'mon, Vega; dance with us." Beyond her Piper was already moving over to where Shawn and Leigh were now dancing. 

"Go on," Evvy encouraged, giving him a little nudge. 

"Only if you come with, Sunshine."

Everett wrinkled his nose, but before he could protest Kaidan reached for his hand across the table. "C'mon, Nerd," he said. "You've been improving!" 

"It's hard to look bad with Kaidan leading," Ash added with a grin. 

"Yeah, yeah," Everett retorted, shaking his head, but he was still smiling. "Make Shawn put on something slower and I'll think about it." 

"Deal." 

He took Ash's offered hand and leveraged himself out of the booth, abandoning his beer and following her over to Piper. It didn't take long before others had joined them, some dancing alone, some dancing in a group, and it reminded him of another time, another party, better, now, without that persistent sense of dread hanging over them. 

Better, now, to be together again under the best of circumstances. 

[keldjinfae]

Tagged again by @oldefashioned, this time for my URL in movie titles. This one was just as painful as the one with song titles. Turns out I love a lot of movies that start with I, T, and H.

Kill Bill, vol. 1 and 2 Evil Dead (2023) Let Me In The Dark Knight John Wick (the whole series) Interview With the Vampire A Nightmare On Elm Street Friends With Benefits An American Tail Erin Brockovich North to Alaska

It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

X-Men and X2: X-Men United

Elf

Love Actually

Easy A

Tombstone

Howl's Moving Castle

Kill Bill: My sister and I are both major Tarantino fans, and fortunately for this list, both Kill Bill volumes happen to top our list. For all of the executive producers who were "shy" about putting out a movie that was led by a female protagonist, Tarantino told them to go fuck themselves and made movies like Kill Bill and Death Proof (which also would have made this list if I'd had more than one 'D' in my URL). Sis's favorite is Vol. 1 because of the focus on O-Ren as the main antagonist, whereas mine is Vol. 2 because of Elle Driver, as well as the actual confrontation between Beatrix (*beeeeeeep*) and Bill.

Evil Dead (2023): So my sister and I are the type of people who find comfort in horror movies. While the OG Evil Dead series is iconic, the remake was refreshingly not terrible. Also, earlier today, Sis was watching it and it got to the scene with the eggs, and I wasn't wearing my glasses as I passed through the room so I asked, "Is that Final Destination?" "No." "...The Bear?" notices the weird way she's cracking the eggs "Oh, Evil Dead. Bitchin'."

Let Me In: It still breaks my brain not just how this movie was good on its own merits, let alone as an adaptation, but also how good its main actors were, considering Chloe was believably portraying a child vampire. Yes, I am obviously aware that it had been done before, but Chloe just brought this different kind of menace and weight to her role. Additionally, I love just about anything Richard Jenkins is in (also obviously), so...

The Dark Knight: I saw this fucker so many times in theaters that I could just about quote it from start to finish for a while. Heath Ledger was perfection as the Joker, yes, but I was equally enthralled by Aaron Eckhart as Two-Face. He was menacing and tragic in equal measure, and it made him just as mesmerizing as the Joker's "do you want to know how I got these scars?" Also, I'm so damn glad they replaced Katie Holmes's Rachel Dawes with Maggie Gyllenhaal.

John Wick (the whole series): The most fascinating aspects of this franchise are the detailed world-building, and all of the characters surrounding the protagonist. Everyone is so unique and developed, I want to see them all in each movie. And Keanu is actually brilliant in a very understated way in this series--his character's personality shines through more in his actions. But while he says very little, the way he says things showcases his sense of humor, his emotions, all in the span of maybe a handful of words. Besides all of this, the soundtrack is fucking gorgeous, and there's a reference to The Warriors in the fourth film that had Sis and I shrieking and flailing at the cinema.

Interview With the Vampire: Another one of our comfort movies, but it was also one that Sis and I watched with our dad, frequently. Dad was our biggest influence when it came to horror and gothic films, particularly since our mom can't even get through Alien ('A' was another one I struggled like hell with, btw). Tom Cruise is... uh... many things, but one of those things is a damn good actor. He threw himself into proving he could play Lestat, and it showed. Also, again, bitchin' soundtrack. I still have some of the songs on my phone that I would circulate as ringtones for Sis and Dad.

A Nightmare On Elm Street: See above. Though, with how "formulaic" so many slasher/horror films have become over time, this one still remains one of my favorites because each character was someone you felt for, even if they had a short amount of screen time. Additionally, the characters had chemistry with each other, so it genuinely felt like friends were trying to help each other through some scary shit, but the scary shit got to them anyway.

Friends With Benefits: I'm not typically into romcoms (many of them push a little too hard into "cringe" territory when it comes to the comedy side), but the 'F' slot actually led to me debating whether to fill it with this one or Forgetting Sarah Marshall. The latter may have gotten more laughs out of me, and it's one I watch frequently with my sister, but the former had more of an emotional impact on me, and was one I used to watch with my father. There are elements that keep it from being yet another "we're best friends and oh no now we're also in love" film, like Jamie's relationship with her mother being very similar to the one I have with my own, or Dylan's father suffering from worsening dementia (and, again, being played by Robert Jenkins, who in this particular role reminded me so much of my late grandpa that it's almost painful to watch his deadpan delivery sometimes).

An American Tail: This was one of the first movies I remember seeing, period. The song is seared into my brain for all time, Fieval is so adorable and heartbreaking I almost can't stand it sometimes, and throughout all of it I love that his sister is the one who never loses hope that he's still alive.

Erin Brockovich: I loved the chemistry between Julia Robert and Albert Finney in this one. Overall, it's just a good story, but their chemistry not only sold it but elevated it to new heights. Plus, baby T.J. Thyne is in it, before he became one Jack Hodgins in Bones.

North to Alaska: My second favorite John Wayne film (my first being McClintock!, but damnit, no 'M's in my URLs). If you've never seen it before, it is fucking hilarious. There's this epic fight scene towards the end that is epic because it is an absolute catastrophe--there's no impressive choreography (though there is a moment when George and Sam coordinate exactly the right time to duck, which is actually very impressive if you've ever been in a free-for-all brawl), just pandemonium. And a goat. My favorite scene involves Sam (Wayne) seething into the middle distance because George is deliberately trying to bait him into a jealous rage, and when someone else points out that Sam needs to turn the stove on first in order to cook the bacon he has in the pan, he storms off after saying that if he doesn't like how he cooks it then he can do it himself.

It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World: No movie has ever made me laugh as much as this one from start to finish. It was made with the intention of throwing together as many comedians as it could, but actually giving them something to do. Making it even better for Sis and I personally, Buddy Hackett's character looks, talks, and acts so much like our dad, it's insane. When we try to describe what living with Dad was like towards "the end," we refer to the scenes between Hackett and Mickey Rooney, wherein Dad is Hackett, and Sis and I are both Rooney.

X-Men and X2: The series may have ended with a whimper, but up until that first X-Men movie, comic book films were not really considered "bankable." I grew up watching The Animated Series (cue theme song), so my 13-year-old body was ready for this movie. And look, there's a reason that Hugh Jackman has been the definitive Wolverine for over 20 years, but Sis and I both believe that Rebecca Romijn deserves just as much credit as Mystique, and Famke Janssen was the perfect Jean Grey. But that very first reveal of Mystique in the helicopter was just as iconic as Wolverine's in the cage fight. And that Wolverine vs Mystique fight scene, though. Holy shit. Also, again, great musical score--Mystique's theme song 10/10.

Elf: So, back when Will Ferrell was first starting out in movies, I couldn't stand most of them. It was when Stranger Than Fiction and Elf came along that the tones gelled better with my sense of humor--like in SNL, Ferrell seems to be more on his game when he's sharing the jokes with someone else, which doesn't mean I'm saying he sucks on his own; it means he's a collaborative spirit, and I can relate. I'm at my most creative/energetic/hilarious when I'm not working alone.

Love Actually: Okay, but the cast of this thing is ridiculous. I love (fittingly) all of the different kinds of love portrayed, from romantic love to familial love to the love between friends, and even the love between long-time coworkers.

Easy A: This movie "had me" from the moment Thomas Hayden Church was deadpanning about mismatched tires. The whole thing is about taking a look at The Scarlet Letter and questioning if we've actually made any progress since then, in regards to women and sexuality. Those who are familiar with what I reblog and tag and write have enough of an idea of my thoughts on the subject.

Tombstone: One of the "go-to" movies for my dad and me. For about the first half of my life, most of our discussions would lead to arguments... unless the topic was history, music, or movies. And one of the movies we would watch routinely (particularly when something in real life had emotionally impacted us and we needed a medium to process everything) was Tombstone. Additionally, this was also the first movie I remember seeing with Stephen Lang in it, who's been an almost lifelong crush of mine (though in this movie, he's a cowardly piece of shit who I still scream "JUST DIE ALREADY" at to this day; it wasn't until I saw Tall Tale that the "ohhhhhhhh okay, yeah" began).

Howl's Moving Castle: This movie's score has the same impact on me as An American Tail's does. I also actually like the way the movie adaptation rearranges/outright changes some things from the book. It's a wartime fairytale about curses and lifting them, and found family.

Sending out no-pressure tags to @dear-massacre (not, like, because she has an S in her name for a franchise I couldn't reference in my own or anything), @renmackree, @ice-mage, @greyhavenisback, and @nerdherderette