#and the entire revenge crew in the bts

[archerdork]

the implications of these two 0.5 second shots from the bts has had me in a chokehold since I first saw em. I’m going insane. just??? look at them. standing on the porch of a abandoned house. romantic sunset. talking about their future, mayhaps? finally having A Conversation, perchance?

[iamadequate1717]

OFMD S3 (Manifesting!)

I think we've all seen Casey Bloys' comments on an OFMD S3:

“What’s a little bit different in a linear world than here is… how a show performs over a longer period of time than three weeks or something,” Bloys stated. “So we’re figuring out how it’s doing, what it’s looking like.”

My reaction:

Really, HBO? HBO, after running one of the worst, most spoilery, most front loaded marketing campaigns I have ever seen, wants to talk about the long term?

The question that was driving everyone feral for an S2 was, will Stede and Ed find each other again? HBO/MAX put their first face-to-face meeting in the trailer. Why watch the show when the marketing will just toss a greatest hits reel out to the public before the episode even releases?

The showstopping set piece of 2x3 (MerStede rescuing Ed) was spoiled in their "marketing" since they released the concept art for MerStede days before the episode aired in a BTS video.

Let's look at the finale:

The beach kisses and the inn were spoiled in BTS videos released days before the episode was released after putting a week between 2x7 and 2x8 releases. Yeah, yeah, they didn't show the kisses exactly, but what else would that pose be for? It really enforced that 2x7 and 2x8 should have been released together, but HBO/MAX choose to create a cliffhanger while immediately posting the resolution in their marketing

Ed thinking Stede was dead was spoiled by the episode promo

Ed and Stede running toward one another on the beach was spoiled by the trailer. (It didn't show them in frame together, but it was obviously the same location and the direction they were going in matched.)

Ed reading one of Stede's letters was spoiled by marketing a few days before the finale release for no discernable reason

Izzy's climatic speech to Ricky (and that he was saying it to Ricky!) was spoiled in the trailer. It could have been a good hype VO, and they didn't need to spoil whom Izzy was talking to

The crew in the British garb and taking out soldiers was in the trailer. This plot begins nine minutes before the credits start.

The Revenge Crew working with Spanish Jackie and Zheng at some point was well spoiled beforehand in their BTS promo material. Zheng saying they should team up is three minutes before the credits start.

(Has anyone seen this amount of BTS material of episodes, including the season climax, released before an episode releases instead of after? Just holding this BTS material until after seems like a no-brainer to extending a show's interest after the finale is released.)

The reason the pacing felt super "off" on your first watch is because HBO/MAX already released a bulleted run through of the episode beforehand, and you were mentally ticking it off as you went instead of watching it organically. Watching it a second time really improves the flow of the episode.

This is a show whose popularity was raised created entirely through word-of-mouth excitement. The greediness of these streaming companies is why we couldn't have the actors doing promo, but then they took away the show's next most powerful tool, the word-of-mouth discussion, by releasing large swathes of the climax of the season before it aired, and the social media hype and discussion was front loaded to before release instead of after.

S3 was set up to show Ed and Stede as a solid couple and to show the pirate community against the British, and the season climax of these two points was released by HBO/MAX before the episode, and it was excitedly discussed then. Now, a week after release, we're stuck in some horrible gravy basket of discussing the part of the last five-ten minutes that HBO/MAX didn't outright spoil (though they tried their hardest with the grave promo stills and Ed's bloody hand in the promo!): Izzy's death. No one is having fun!

There is a lot of story setup for an S3 but DJenks and company had to set up a season that could double as a series finale in a pinch, so we also lost the "What happens next??" fervor because HBO/MAX wouldn't greenlight two seasons at once of their biggest new IP of 2022. The bizarre marketing strategy didn't lend itself to a long term success, and it's up to the fans once again to do HBO/MAX's job for them.

[yeahthatswhatimtolkienabout]

There are some fantastic arguments as to why Izzy won't be the one dying in episode 8, ranging from the fandom backlash, all the way up to some fantastic character and scene analysis. There are some fantastic posts about it happening too – don’t want to diminish that, despite how it makes my heart hurt and my brain very sad.

The key thing to remember is that we still don't really know much about episode 8, other than from a few of the shots we’ve seen from BTS and from the teaser (which I wager, only really shows the first 15 mins or so, if that). I've tried to piece the scenes together into a somewhat cohesive storyline, trying to work out how the crew escapes and why they go back, and how they end up with Ricky (in naval costume), where they're going with him etc and when the funeral scene we’ve seen slots into the episode. It’s so hard, and there may be a multitude of reasons as to why Izzy isn’t in that shot, from a) he is captured still b) he is unable to make it due to the state he's in c) he's lying on a beach somewhere drinking mimosas (which is the headcannon I have)

DJ has said that the season will end on a satisfying note, well enough to be satisfied with if HBO don’t give a 3rd season, which also suggests that maybe Izzy won’t die, or it won’t be left on a 'is he dead?' cliffhanger as that would be as unsatisfying as it comes. He has also said that the opening scene will be incredibly satisfying as well, which may counterargue the above point, but I'm not sure Izzy dying would make that any more satisfying?

Now we've all seen the review that came out, saying that the crew suffers a devastating loss and this gives the 'dying' corner a potential point, but people have also made some real good points about it being the Revenge or someone else entirely.

From my perspective (which has nothing to do with anything really) is that this entire Izzy-dying situation just seems a bit too forced/heavy handed for me - its foreshadowed heavily in the first three episodes (Christ, we think he's dead like 3 times?) and I find it so very hard to believe that they would let a KEY spoiler scene be leaked in their promo footage? I honestly think that all the info we have gotten so far has been fed to us in this way on purpose, so we build it up in our heads, DJ and co know we would analyse everything and by god we have so far, so much - maybe it is all a giant red herring? Maybe someone does die, but it’s a complete 180 from who we think it is?

I dunno, but if he does die I'll be disappointed, not just because I like him, and what that means for him as a character, but because we were able to figure it out mostly from promotional shots and one would think that something as heavy and as big as Izzy’s death would be, would be the furthest thing they'd want to put in there.

I dunno, as we get closer to Thursday, I just have to keep remembering that it will all actually be okay and DJ and co know what they are doing.

[madcatacres]

I've seen a number of posts about ofmd's Ed Teach changing his careful avoidance being a personal killer after his dad (and no, shooting someone who's already shish kebabed does not count *by his rules* which are what we're talking about here - "technically the fire killed those people") and then mowing through a bunch of British navy guys when he thinks Stede may be dead after that massive attack on the Republic of Pirates. The immediate trigger is concern for Stede but also, Ed's first kills are a couple of armed uniformed bullies harassing who they think is a harmless fisherman, an old man, an easy target, over the mere fact that he might be fishing.

Ed killing the two naval guys in the rowboat pulling alongside his is a proportionate response there even without a panic or fugue state triggered by grief/concern for Stede. If soldiers or pigs decide they're going to fuck with you while and because you're a solitary, isolated helpless target and you can respond with lethal force, that is both proportionate and morally justified (fuck the law) as self-defense. You are in fear for your life in that situation if you have half a brain.

The pirates on and around RoP are also, I have to say, at war. This is a show that balances humor with issues about trauma and slapstick violence with occasional actual real world consequences, yeah, but remember historically this is an era when you could be a sort of franchised pirate called a privateer, the justification for the British Navy attacking Republic of Pirates is definitely that these are people attacking ships not under the control of a crown, not that they are just out there doing pirate shit, killing and maiming and robbing and worse (the worse gets mostly kept out of ofmd's slightly more light hearted and allegorical piracy-is-queerness universe, I feel like I need to specifically and briefly address that).

Besides that, while we're only shown adult pirates lying around the republic dead, we don't see any live children either. Whereas we've been very clearly (while the crew is shopping for stuff for Calypso's birthday) shown children running around the Republic earlier (two of them being the waifs played by Taika's kids). The level of atrocity beyond which the British were unwilling to go to is not tidily defined. Incidentally kids historically got pressed into service (one of the OFMD BTS photos I have seen shows a flyer posted with others in RoP referring to impressment so I think it's safe to consider it something alluded to by the actual show's plot) - quick rip from wikipedia article on impressment, "In 1703, an act [of the Parliament in England] passed limiting the impressment of boys under 18 years of age to those who were not apprenticed."

So yeah Ed absolutely gets blood on his hands personally for the first time in roughly thirty-five years, and that is a huge step for him but it's not only things falling into place with his integrating his identity, and killing for the crew and for love in the metaphoric landscape of piracy being queer love and family, it's also probably (in context of the show) more moral/responsible than the killing by proxy he's been doing as a pirate (although this is a show about pirates. Sort of.) So. Jackie's poisoning the occupying force and the guerrilla warfare in the stolen uniforms in context of the plot pass as reasonable measures (if desperate). I haven't seen those characterized anywhere as personal murdery actions. (Slightly off topic, I did see a post complain that Jackie passing out the poisoned booze wasn't FAST enough or, overlooking the incident entirely, that there wasn't an explicit enough example of racism/colonialist violence being punished in S2. Beg to differ. Jackie being less hotheaded than S1, pre-unbearding Jim is also entirely in character.) The staff of Spanish Jackie's, citizens (?) of the Republic of Pirates, and crew of the Revenge (and QAR) have been invaded and are at war. Ed's also at war, but no longer at war with himself.

I'm just gonna post this phrased awkwardly because every time the thought comes to mind and I want to compose something worded well I don't get around to it.

I'm leaving out any mention of a character death which I do not consider controversial and which had no immediate influence on Ed's (combat) actions. Also have some S3 speculative thoughts I'm keeping out of this rambly mess of a post.

[violetsiren90]

🌤☔️!!

Thank you for the ask, Yoon! I just love these 😊💕

I'm going to add a cut, because whenever I share my stuff, brevity escapes me ENTIRELY...😅🤷‍♀️

⛅: Favorite piece of dialogue in an WIP

I love this exchange between Hobi and Yoongi in one of my WTMS drabbles that I'm working on. (This drabble visits where Yoongi and MC are at in the same moment during their years apart, and Yoongi is meeting Hoseok for drinks):

Below the cut

"Alright, old buddy, what's got you down?" 

The slim, dark-haired young man slid into the booth across from Yoongi. The older man's eyes softened slightly, and his mouth quirked up into a small smile as he regarded his companion over a swig of Pacifico.

"Who says I'm down?" he asked in a mildly affronted tone, drawing a hand over his beer-slicked lips.

The other man's mouth broke into a toothy smile, his lips pulling into a heart-shaped grin as he let out a boisterous peal of laughter.

"You never call these days unless you are," he rejoined, grabbing a foggy acrylic standee from the center of the table and squinting at its small list of beverages. "Geez, they really don't have much of a selection here, do they?" 

Yoongi snorted.

"Since when are you an alcohol connoisseur? You don't even drink, Hoba."

"I do too!"

A waitress slid a food menu in front of Hoseok, who trailed wide eyes up her tattooed arm to her bright blue pixie cut with a thick swallow.

"Our mango ahi tacos are on special tonight," she hummed with a wink.

The young man's ears flushed a bright shade of crimson as he stammered something about passing on the food but wondering if they had any ciders. She pocketed her tongue in her cheek as she flicked her eyes to Yoongi.

"You hungry?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow and tilting a hip clad in low-slung cargo pants and a studded belt in his direction. Yoongi looked up at her and shook his head, taking another sip of beer.

"Hm, damn shame," she hummed, flicking her eyes over him a last time before sauntering back to the bar.

Hoseok tracked her every move with a slack jaw, craning his neck to watch her slip through the kitchen door before turning his face - features, still frozen in lascivious astonishment - back to his friend.

"Holy shit, hyung," he murmured, covering his mouth with both hands, "You could see her nipple piercings right through her shirt!"

Yoongi grunted in assent, trailing a cloudy gaze over the table's waxy surface as he picked at the bottle's damp label.

"You gonna get her number?"

"What?" Yoongi shifted in his seat, eyes refocusing on his friend.

Hoseok sighed.

"No, you're not. This is about her, isn't it?"

Yoongi glanced down at his beer again, then raised it to his lips and drained the bottle.

☔: Is there a fic concept you have that you'd like to just explain and share because you're not sure you'll ever write it? If so, what is it?

I have one that I will probably never get around to, but that I like to daydream about from time to time: Pirates of the Caribbean via BTS.

Basically a reader-insert OT7 pirate AU that centers around a Namgi rivalry where Namjoon is the notorious captain of the bloodthirsty Bangtan crew, and Yoongi is his erstwhile first-mate (banished from the crew and now on a mission of revenge).

For the members in Namjoon's crew I always think of Jin as the cook a la Long John Silver (with the parrot, without the peg-leg), Hobi as Namjoon's new first-mate, and VMIN as crew members who are lovers AND are actually sirens Namjoon freed from human enslavement and who now crew Namjoon's ship out of loyalty and gratitude (wouldn't they be scary and sexy though???).

MC and Jungkook would fit in as strangers who end up on Yoongi's ship seeking your own ends (stowaways? captives?). There would definitely be romance involved, lol.

I'll probably never write it, but if anyone sees this and gets inspired, please feel free to steal the idea!

Thanks again for these asks, Yoon!! Love you!! 😘😘😘

If you want to send me an emoji or two, I'll answer about my WIP's!

[prince-spence]

How does a short film about Sapphic love and rage sound? How about we add magic and witches?

Seeking stars is a short film being produced by a crew of (almost entirely queer!) students at Missouri State University in 2022! I have the pleasure of having written the script and I’m directing us as we move into production:)

It follows Agnes and Cordelia, two young witches with a ~complicated~ relationship. Cordelia is struggling with the need to get revenge on the witch hunters that killed her mother, and Agnes is trying to protect her from herself. Of course, the danger is going to find a way to the pair on its own...

As of right now, we are just beginning production! Here are some BTS photos :

If this sounds fun to you, you can check out our website: https://seekingstars2022.wixsite.com/seekingstars

Our criminally underrated tik tok is @seekingsstars and my instagram is @spence3.1415 where I have a featured story following the whole journey! We plan to have it finished by the end of this school year, so sometime this summer it will be made available to the general public.

If you are able to, please support our journey! We have an indiegogo for fundraising( https://igg.me/at/seeking-stars-film/x/28545419# ) it isn’t open indefinitely, so please jump on over ASAP!

Every little amount really helps and we have fun perks too! As of right now, we are paying for this out of our own (extremely shallow) pockets and the entire cast and crew is working for free.

If you want to see more fun stories exploring different aspects of the queer experience in some kick-ass settings, please support these small creators as we begin our journey into real-world filmmaking!

[taeilm]

potc!au | nct

drink up, me ‘earties (never shall we die)

3 ships, 3 crews, 18 boys sailing the vast atlantic

warning lowkey dark bc potc

TAEYONG: Captain of La Vipère

loves the sea more than anything

has probably sailed more waters than any other pirate (he does own the fastest ship out there)

fears neither death nor life

but has a gentle heart so therefore...too many weaknesses

cares about his crew a lot, especially jaehyun

brilliant swordsman; one of world’s best

it’s mesmerizing to watch him amidst battle bc he fights like he’s dancing

confident & courageous & will face anything head-on

charismatic; ppl are naturally drawn to him

ten’s nemesis; their vendetta against each other is never-ending (though neither is sure how it started)

romantically unavailable bc he’ll only ever be in love with that distant horizon and boundless sea

SICHENG: Quartermaster of La Vipère

taeyong’s most trusted right-hand man

aloof, mysterious; no one rly knows why he’s here or what he wants

ex-british royal navy commander but he left all that behind for the uncharted sea, bc taeyong somehow convinced him

pretty boy

his beauty is literally deadly bc ppl let their guard down around him then lose their lives for it

terrific fighter

doesn’t talk much

can be very cruel if needed (to enemies & crew alike)

extremely disciplined but slowly trying to unravel the navy orderliness that has defined most of his life

TAEIL: Boatswain of La Vipère

loves the ship more than his crew

carefully maintains her so she’s always running at 100%

will probably go down with the ship if she ever sinks

looks harmless but is actually p good with a sword

doesn’t like fighting though

taeyong consults him a lot

experienced & versatile bc he’s worked on many pirate ships before

but for some reason everyone trusts his loyalty to la vipère

has a lot of good stories to tell

loves singing haunting tunes about dying sailors; it sets the crew on edge but his voice is too beautiful to make stop

JAEHYUN: Sailing Master of La Vipère

inexplicably attuned to taeyong’s feelings and desires

prob bc they’ve known e/o since they were little pirate boys

shares his captain’s love for the sea

taeyong trusts him with his life

doesn’t like making empty promises

soft-spoken & gentle

has the face of a heartthrob but doesn’t use it to his advantage

very precise with navigations

seems to always know where taeyong wants to sail before he even tells him

JOHNNY: Master Gunner of La Vipère

chill and laidback; nothing ever fazes him

joined the crew bc he was bored & wasting his life away on land

master gunner for no reason other than that he gets a sick thrill out of bombing other ships to oblivion

he only feels alive during battles; the more chaotic the better

so unsympathetic that ppl think he’s missing a nerve but rly, he’s just perpetually disinterested in everything

can be very charming from time to time depending on his mood

loves thunderstorms & hurricanes

JAEMIN: Surgeon of La Vipère

childhood friends with jeno; they were both orphans living off of scraps in paris

doesn’t talk about it bc they’re kinda enemies now but he worries over him a lot (taeyong knows this but can’t do much about it)

initially joined la vipère to find jeno

adapted well to life as a pirate; anything is better than the starving hell he grew up in

a surprisingly capable doctor even though the only experience he’s had was from treating his and jeno’s cuts & bruises from larceny punishments

very stealthy & nimble

good at stealing

loves his crew members

+++

+++

TEN: Captain of The Black Pearl

taeyong’s nemesis; would kill him but would highkey also fuck him (their relationship is rly twisted & intense idk)

a playful trickster

nothing but snide remarks tucked under his tongue

devil-may-care attitude; little thoughts given for the future

so unbelievably selfish and narcissistic it’s amazing he has a crew at all

but he’s fun!! and clever and charming as hell

can wiggle his way out of any trouble

very good at lying & acting

speaks a lot of languages

legendary swordsman; on par with taeyong

only shows genuine affection when talking about the black pearl

sleeps with countless ppl every time they dock at a port

DOYOUNG: Quartermaster of The Black Pearl

basically in command of the ship bc ten rarely does anything for the crew

smart, organized, well-rounded

revered and somewhat feared by the crew

hides his emotions v well

ppl think he’s heartless but tbh he’s not rly; he’s just good at separating task from feeling

has a soft spot for jeno; thinks the boy is wholly unsuited for this barbaric life

doesn’t seem very invested in piracy (he wants something more but he’s not sure what)

loves the sea at night when everything is calm & quiet

prefers peaceful sailing to battle frenzy but that doesn’t mean he can’t fight well (he’s actually the second-best swordsman onboard after ten)

KUN: Boatswain of The Black Pearl

similar to taeil, the ship is his pride & joy

does a good job overseeing everything on a daily basis

greedy; loves gold more than anything

always the first to locate the treasure hoard on a conquered ship

dreams of being the wealthiest man in the world and thinks piracy is the quickest way to achieving that

everything he does is for his own gain; the crew to him is just another means of aiding him in the bigger scheme

takes care of yukhei the most bc he thinks that kid is their best asset in battles; ppl mistake it for affection but kun would drop him in a heartbeat for even the tiniest materialistic gain

loves rum

JENO: Sailing Master of The Black Pearl

the kindest & most thoughtful boy

very good-looking (his beauty is famous across all the seas; even mermaids fall for his allure)

childhood friends with jaemin; misses him but doesn’t dare to say anything bc if ten ever finds out, jaemin will likely die just so ten can see jeno’s reaction for his own entertainment

not very fond of his captain

only joined the crew bc ten saved him years ago from nearly getting his hand chopped off for stealing (“now, boy, i need me a crew, so what do you say? join me and i’ll consider your debts paid”)

separated from jaemin due to that but fate has her own way and now they’re enemies on sea (he’s not sure if he’s thankful or angry)

has a natural affinity for directions at sea despite having been a parisian street rat his whole life

YUKHEI: Master Gunner of The Black Pearl

epitome of the ruggedly handsome pirate™

crazy fucking bastard

doesn’t know what holding back means

blasts cannons like there’s no tomorrow every time the black pearl engages in battle

loves joking around with the crew

says he adores & would die for everyone but no one knows if he rly ever means it

so reckless w everything he does that it’s a feat he’s still alive

drinks a lot but rarely gets drunk

honestly just wants to live life to the fullest

that’s why he loves being a pirate!! nothing else can give him the same dizzying rush of being alive, knowing he’s always on the verge of death

huge womanizer... always gone the moment they dock, just like ten

JUNGWOO: Surgeon of The Black Pearl

shy & quiet & seemingly innocent

but no one knows of all the shit he’s done in secret to get to where he is today

obviously he’s darker than he comes off as if he’s survived for this long on the sea

ppl always want to protect him and he goes along with it bc false impression is his favorite weapon

so tbh he’s as good of a liar as ten is

pretends to act like an airhead but is acutely perceptive to everyone and everything around him at all times

a highly skilled surgeon; was trained as a pirate doctor’s apprentice since v young

+++

+++

MARK: Captain of The Flying Dutchman

cut his own heart out and locked it away; no one knows where it is or dare to ask

cursed with the ship; can never make port and is doomed to sail the seas for eternity

acts cruel and merciless but is deep down very sensitive

ppl say no one knows love like he has known love

self-destructive, moody

lone wolf; pushes everyone away but somehow his crew is unshakably devoted to him

superior swordsman; second only to ten and taeyong

controls the kraken; the entire sea is envious of him for that

RENJUN: Quartermaster of The Flying Dutchman

ex-british commodore

was so so devoted to great britain like literally exemplar pawn of the empire; would’ve died for his queen with zero hesitation

drawn to ppl who are better than him

which is why he was enthralled by mark during one great battle bt the british navy & the flying dutchman 

and then promptly abandoned everything he ever stood for just to follow this boy

has a pride complex where he simultaneously pines after & wants to kill those who’ve bested him

very good with guns & pistols

YUTA: Boatswain of The Flying Dutchman

loves being a ghost-pirate; he was made for the undead life

had an intense affair with sicheng from years ago but was betrayed and nearly hanged for piracy 

so now he’s bent on revenge (but some fucked-up part of him is still in love with sicheng) (he’ll never admit it though)

tongue sharper than ten’s bc he always speaks with the intention to hurt

very manipulative

holds grudges

joined the flying dutchman bc it’s the most feared ship on the seven seas & he thinks it’s his best chance at finding & killing those he’s been wronged by (rn primarily sicheng)

despite everything he’s p loyal to mark bc there’s something about cutting one’s own heart out that intrigues him to no end

CHENLE: Sailing Master of The Flying Dutchman

navigates the ship to various locations to collect sailors who died at sea & ferry their souls to the next world

good judgements when it comes to sailing

often climbs onto the crow’s nest to stargaze or watching the rising sun bc they’re the only things that calm him

absolutely devoted to mark bc mark plucked him out of an abusive shanghai orphanage & basically saved his life

has a dark side but is generally a sweet boy

confides in renjun a lot bc he trusts him the most

DONGHYUCK: Master Gunner of The Flying Dutchman

would die for mark in a heartbeat

he’s in love with his captain? maybe?

rude/sarcastic little shit

jack of all trades; very smart but puts 20% effort into everything

disobedient as fuck bc he wants to get a rise out of mark but has never succeeded

sunshine boy on the surface but won’t bat an eyelash when spilling blood

gets a sadistic kick out of firing cannons and pistols

likes playing games with their captives/hostages

good at telling jokes & stories but everyone finds him annoying

JISUNG: Powder Monkey of The Flying Dutchman

suspicious of everything & doesn’t trust anyone

bad at managing emotions & relationships (his captain can relate)

a quick learner; can honestly take over any position on the ship if he wants to

gets along well with chenle but isn’t super close w anyone

his mother tossed him overboard at birth w the intention to drown him but mark saved him by chance

yuta jokes that mark only picked him out of the water bc he didn’t want to ferry another dead soul

he considers his life to be mark’s; 100% at his captain’s disposal

excellent fighter despite being so young

[thechasefiles]

The Chase Files Daily Newscap 1/28/2019

Good MORNING #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Monday 28th January 2019. Remember you can read full articles for FREE via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS) OR by purchasing by purchasing a Daily Nation Newspaper (DN).

MIA ON A HIGH – Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley says she feels validated by Government’s decision to support the Barbados Cricket Association’s (BCA) bid to host international cricket matches between West Indies and England at Kensington Oval. Given projections that Barbados stood to gain $80 million in foreign exchange, and following West Indies’ massive victory in the first Test that featured outstanding performances from four local boys, Mottley also pledged Government’s commitment to any sporting activity that would redound to the benefit of the country. In an interview with THE NATION after West Indies crushed England by 381 runs on Saturday on the back of sterling contributions from captain Jason Holder and fellow Barbadians Shane Dowrich, Kemar Roach and Roston Chase, Mottley expressed delight at the turn of events. “I am on top of the world. This is even more special for me. One of the first decisions I made after being sworn in as Prime Minister was to agree to host this match and the One-Day Internationals. To have this kind of validation with this kind of victory, it doesn’t get better than this – a  Bajan double century, a Bajan century, a ‘barriffle’ of Bajan wickets in the first and second innings, and then to have a Bajan sub as wicketkeeper when the chips were down,” she said. (DN)

PM MOTTLEY TO ATTEND CARICOM-UN TALKS ON VENEZUELA – Prime Minister Mia Mottley will join two Caribbean Community (CARICOM) colleagues in New York on Monday for talks with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to discuss the crisis in Venezuela. According to a statement from the CARICOM Secretariat, issued on Sunday evening, the regional delegation will be led by CARICOM Chairman, Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris of St Kitts and Nevis, and will also include Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley. Grenada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Peter David, and CARICOM Secretary General Irwin LaRocque will also attend the talks at UN Headquarters. The meeting is a follow up to the decision of CARICOM Heads of Government at their Special Emergency Meeting on Thursday which discussed the ongoing conflict in Venezuela. The CARICOM Leaders agreed to request a meeting with the UN Secretary-General which he accepted. (BT)

CRIME QUERY – Months before the spike in crime at the start of the year, Barbadians had expressed concern, fearing for their lives and the safety of communities in the wake of an increase in gun and gang-related activities. They made their feelings known in a study on the public perceptions of crime and violence conducted by Dr Dwayne Devonish, a senior lecturer in management studies at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus late last year. In his survey, which polled about 1 000 people, more than 70 per cent described the crime situation as “bad” or “very bad” and all agreed crime had worsened compared to 2017. They laid the root cause of this increase squarely on unemployment, especially among high-risk youth, drugs and the state of the economy. Respondents believed that some of the crime was being perpetrated by “outsiders” of a given community, who were seeking revenge, or by rival gangs who were looking for “justice” or “possessions”. The police also came under fire in the survey. Some respondents stated their reluctance to report crimes they witnessed to police because of their lack of trust in the Force and perceived tardiness in responding to a report. They also feared being labelled or targeted as informants. (DN)

WOMEN’S TEARS – Amidst complaints that clerks at the maintenance courts were driving some women to tears, the Registrar of the Supreme Court has said staff will continue undergoing customer service training. Registrar Barbara Cooke-Alleyne made the comment as a guest on Starcom Network’s Brass Tacks Sunday. Cooke-Alleyne, along with Chief Magistrate Christopher Birch, were fielding questions from mainly female callers about the service and treatment they received when they journeyed to court offices to collect child maintenance. The Registrar apologised to several women who related their experiences on air. Two of the women spoke of being reduced to tears and of feeling humiliated after their interaction with the clerks who, they said, made them feel as if they were begging for money.  (DN)

CONSTABLES NOT FEELING SO SPECIAL – An old police mobile unit parked along St Lawrence Gap, Christ Church, for many years is the “home” for Special Constables (S. C.) attached to the Southern Division’s  Tourism Patrol Unit. It has no running water; no bathroom facilities and no air conditioning. Instead, Special Constables have to use an old fan borrowed from a business in the area over a year ago. The only furniture the mobile unit contains is an old desk, a bench whose leather bottom is torn and tattered and an old chair.  When the Special Constables want to use the bathroom, they either have to telephone the nearby Worthing Police Station and wait for a vehicle to arrive to take them there or go to a hotel or other business place in the area.  “This is another example of how we are not special to the Royal Barbados Police Force,” said a disgruntled Special Constable who has long complained about their conditions of service. The Special Constables who are deployed to patrol the tourist belt pointed out that given the high level of gun crimes they are now required to work shifts around the clock to ensure that the visitors are safe; but noted their working  conditions are both unsanitary and unacceptable. (DN)

BADNESS MOVIE CLIP SPARKS PROBE – The Royal Barbados Police Force has launched an investigation to find out how a local film crew was able to drive into Central Police Station and film a scene for a movie. The NATION was reliably informed that police hierarchy was caught off-guard when Episode 10 of the popular movie series Badness aired in December showing a scene filmed on the compound of the station. In that scene, two men acting as police officers casually drive into the station located at Coleridge Street, The City, and proceed to drive around the entire compound as they discuss killing some men on the block. In the film, no real police officers are seen at the station and no sentry appeared to be at the gate. When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Erwin Boyce said there was a protocol to be followed. “You can’t do that. You can’t just come in and do what you want to do. There is a certain protocol involved. You [have] to report to the station officer or an officer at the gate. “Obviously, it is something that we would investigate. I would assume that there is some effort to find out what happened.”  (DN)

17 DOGS TAKEN FROM HOME – Seventeen dogs, including 13 puppies, were removed from a house in Vauxhall, Christ Church, last week after concerns were raised about their welfare. The severely malnourished adult dogs, and flea- and worm-riddled puppies, which were kept chained to cement blocks, are now being treated at the RSPCA’s Cheltenham Lodge vet clinic on Spring Garden, St Michael. Chief Inspector Wayne Norville responded to the house after calls for assistance were made to the RSPCA. He told THE NATION the dogs appeared to be caught in the middle of a family dispute. (DN)

TREVOR BAYLISS WANTS ENGLAND TO SHOW MORE GUTS – Trevor Bayliss has questioned the “guts and determination” of his England side after their chastening defeat in the first Test in Barbados. Bayliss, the England coach, described himself as “speechless” after the team’s second batting collapse of the game and suggested some frank words would be exchanged within the squad after a performance that lacked “mental discipline”. While he defended England’s preparations and selection, arguing that several players had simply not performed and that the batting errors gave the spinners little chance to bowl on a worn surface, he did acknowledge that Sam Curran had endured the “first bad game” of his career and that Keaton Jennings’ struggles had him worried. “I think it gets down to a bit of guts and determination to get through those tough periods,” Bayliss said. “It’s not the first time that we’ve succumbed in a short space of time. The boys are in the dressing room hurting and I’d be worried if they weren’t. “Do they lack mental discipline? Personally I think so. You don’t have to have perfect technique to be able to score runs or take wickets: it’s how you go about using it. On this occasion we’ve certainly been lacking in that department. I’m not sure I can repeat what has been said [in the dressing room].” Bayliss did acknowledge West Indies’ fine bowling – especially in the first innings when Kemar Roach claimed a five-wicket haul – but felt England should have coped better throughout, especially when Roston Chase was on his way to an eight-wicket haul in the second innings. “They did bowl well, but every time a team does that we shouldn’t be expecting to get knocked over for 77,” he said. “In the second innings, the guys looked like they were trying, we made good starts but at this level you have to be able to bat longer than that. “Chase bowled a good line and a good length. He didn’t give us any easy runs to get off strike. He built that pressure up, broke down our techniques on a couple of occasions and there were some poor shots on some occasions. That adds up to eight wickets. “It’s not the first time this has happened. Every time we lose a wicket it’s the beginning of a collapse. And to be honest, I don’t know how to explain it. There’s nothing that stands out in your preparation or the lead up to the game that is any different to when we win. We have to work out what’s the difference between when we put on a partnership after losing a wicket and losing eight or nine quick ones.” The decision to omit Stuart Broad and play two spinners has been widely criticised in recent days, but Bayliss believes it was not so much the decisions that were wrong as the performances. He did suggest, however, that Broad had been missed and that his inclusion would be considered ahead of the second Test. “We made a decision in the belief that the five guys we picked would go out and bowl as well as they can do,” he said. “Unfortunately, on this occasion, they didn’t. “When we saw the wicket we were going to go with two spinners. Unfortunately, we didn’t bat well enough in the first innings to get through to the fourth or fifth day, where the two spinners could take advantage. And I think they would be disappointed [with their performance]. Chase bowled very few short balls, but we let them off with easy singles so you can’t put pressure on the batsmen. “It was down to Curran and Broad [for the final seamer]. Our gut feel was Curran as he has done well for us over the last six or seven games. It didn’t work out like that, the young bloke has had his first bad Test in his career. It won’t be his last but he’s a good young player who will learn from it. “One of his advantages of playing someone like Stuart is that he doesn’t go for too many runs, hopefully picks up some wickets, but gives us control. That stood out in this match, with only [James] Anderson and [Ben] Stokes being able to provide that line-and-length bowling and a bit of pressure on the opposition. We’ll have to revisit that in the next match.” While Bayliss celebrated the performance of Rory Burns, who made a career-best 84 in the second innings, he accepted Jennings’ struggles against seam bowling were a worry and also suggested that, in a perfect world, he would prefer to see at least one four-day, first-class games ahead of a Test series. “Burns has shown enough,” he said. “He looks like he’s been here for 20 or 30 Tests, not four. He’s still learning and will still get better. “Keaton is struggling a little bit. I’d be lying if I said we’re not worried about it and I’d be lying if I said he hadn’t been thinking about it. He’s one of the hardest workers we’ve got and he’s going to leave no stone unturned in making it better. “We prepared the same way as we did in Sri Lanka. Two two-day games. But we knew what we were going to get in Sri Lanka. Here we were a bit unsure. We were expecting it to be not as dry and go in with four seamers and one spinner. “Personally I would like to play some first-class games before the series, but you’ve only got four days scheduled, and if you want to give everyone a go, it is difficult. It’s the way of the world these days.” England fly to Antigua on Monday with the second Test starting there on Thursday. (BT)

GRAVE CALLS FOR MORE RESPECT TO BE SHOWN TO WINDIES – Chief executive officer of Cricket West Indies Johnny Grave wants more respect to be given to West Indies players. His comments have come in the wake of the regional team’s commanding win over England on Saturday, which saw them take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The Windies, the eighth ranked Test nation destroyed the number three rated English outfit by 381 runs inside four days at Kensington Oval on Saturday. Before the start of the opening Test match, former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott described the West Indies as “very ordinary, average cricketers”, while another former player in Andrew Flintoff said the “world’s gone mad” after West Indies captain Jason Holder made 202 not out in the second innings. However, Grave described those comments as being “borderline disrespectful” and “completely unwarranted”. “Criticism of our players and suggestions that they’re not world class is unfair. They are so dedicated. We’ve got 11 cricketers here and many more in the region who want to play Test cricket,” the CEO said. “I saw Andrew Flintoff say he can’t believe Jason Holder got a double hundred, yet I think Jason Holder is a fantastic cricketer and has been performing so fantastically over the last 18 months – a brilliant captain.” The 41-year-old Flintoff averaged 31.77 with the bat and 32.78 with the ball in his 79-Test career, while Holder is currently averaging 33.86 with the bat and 28.29 with the ball in 36 matches. (DN)

CHASE WANTED SOME GLORY – Roston Chase didn’t have to look too far for inspiration to produce a career-best eight-wicket haul that helped West Indies complete a crushing victory by 381 runs over England in the first Test yesterday at Kensington Oval. The stimulus was the outstanding performances of his teammates on the previous two days.  “Yesterday, after watching those guys perform like that, I was happy for them but I was a bit jealous that it wasn’t me. So I guess that I really took my opportunity to get the spotlight on me as well in the second innings,” Chase cheekily told the media as he flashed a smile. “It was a great feeling to get career-best figures and I will just look to keep on pushing from here,” he said. “The pitch didn’t really assist me that much. I was really focusing on putting the ball where I want to put it in my area, despite what the batsmen were doing and that really paid off for me, with a little bit of variation in my speed.” (DN)

NSC OPENING LATE ON MONDAY – The National Sports Council (NSC) and all of its facilities, including the National and Netball stadia, will open at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, January 28. An official at the NSC explained that the late opening is to facilitate a staff meeting. Persons are therefore asked to conduct their business accordingly. The National Sports Council apologizes for any inconvenience this late opening may cause. (BGIS)

STATUE FOR SIR WES - Sir Garry Sobers is about to get some company outside Kensington Oval. Windies fast bowling great Sir Wes Hall seems set to be honoured yet again, as plans are in place to erect a statue bearing his likeness near to Sir Garry’s iconic monument outside the Oval by November. Former chairman of World Cup Barbados, Chris de Caires, confirmed the news yesterday as part of his initiative with Cricket Legends of Barbados to pay tribute to all of the country’s great cricketers. “If you travel the world you would see that statues are used to promote images of nation-building, and someone like Sir Wes definitely fits that profile as not just a great cricketer, but a former West Indies manager, West Indies board president, Cabinet minister and priest,” said de Caires. (DN)

BALANCING MOTHERHOOD AND BUSINESS 101 – If you told Zoë Allamby six years ago that today she would be a mum to a bouncing, adventurous and beautiful baby girl while managing a booming make-up line, she wouldn’t have believed you.  But today she’s doing it and she’s doing it well.  Zoë is mother to Nala, a bubbly nine-month-old baby girl. She has also now started her make-up line CaribBeauty. Known to many as a model and as YouTuber, Zoe, who now lives in Delaware, said her life as it is now came as a quite a shock, especially becoming a mum. “Nala was one big surprise to us all. My husband Alan and I had plans for a child maybe around 30 or so or when we were more settled because we just moved up to Delaware for one of his jobs. Life happened; it was very unexpected but we just rolled with it and embraced it as it went on,” the 26-year-old said. The make-up line started just before Nala came into the picture but began booming when it was time to raise her new daughter. “CaribBeauty started out as a single highlighter ZoGlow, and when I was developing that Nala wasn’t in the picture. After the highlighter launched and did well, the lipsticks came, then I had Nala so I had to take a break. But I’m now back full force and distributing in the United States as well as Barbados,” she said. Zoë said since getting back into the game, her line has been doing well. (DN)

CHEERS FOR NEW BISHOP - A fanfare and loud cheers heralded the ordination and consecration yesterday of the new Anglican Bishop of Barbados. But the man of the moment, Reverend Michael Maxwell, shook his head in what appeared to be disbelief as hundreds of Anglicans rejoiced and welcomed their new leader after a lengthy and acrimonious election process that threatened to divide the church. It was just after 5:30 p.m. that visiting regional bishops removed the raiments of Maxwell’s former position and garbed him in the robes of the office as the 14th Bishop of Barbados. In a ceremony in the Gymnasium of the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex, attended by Governor-General Dame Sandra Mason, Chief Justice Sir Marston Gibson, members of the Cabinet, former Prime Minister Freundel Stuart and current senators, including the Barbados Workers’ Union general secretary Senator Toni Moore, the visiting bishops anointed his head; gave him the staff with which to lead the flock; slid the ring on his finger and placed the mitre on his head. (DN)

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 337 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles# dailynewscapsbythechasefiles

[insugarush]

Prelude Part II: Wings Tour in Seoul 18th & 19th February 2017---The Process

Masterlist

Prelude Part I

Prelude Part II: Wings Tour in Seoul 18th & 19th February 2017

Part 2: The Process: Bias, Accommodation, Permission, Tickets, Visa, Letters—In that order!

Now that I was an established and a very public Army (my family couldn't fathom my obsession—they still don't—but it was no secret) like everybody else, I was devouring the endless content BTS and BigHit keep us happy with, constantly. 24/7. They would make my day brighter. Bring a smile to my face. Make me laugh out loud. Make me tear up. All in front of my laptop. YouTube was my new best friend and I carried around electronics wherever I went because come on—it becomes an addiction and you start getting withdrawal symptoms when you go even a day without them! I am not the fan-girling type, but boy oh boy, did BTS convert me and convert me hard! They have this special gift of making each and every one feel so up close and personal with them. I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking this..they brought out this protectiveness in me that I only reserve for my closest and bestest friends. I wished the best for them, wished to protect them, wished to do things to help them.

I was so upset when I came across that video of RapMon and Yoongi being dissed by Bfree or whoever the hell he was.

Lets not even talk about Flower Boy Crew or whatever, one look at Kookie’s face on an article that spoke about his mistreatment and I refused to watch it.

It still makes my blood boil. Sometimes, I stay up thinking of ways to exact revenge on those assholes, excuse my French. Ugh. Anyway. Moving on.

What I’m trying to say is, the connection was real and intense and unbreakable right from the get go.

Lets take a moment to talk about biases because it's a rite of passage isn’t it? One has a bias. One loves all 7 babies equally, but one always, always, always has a bias that makes one’s knees weak. It may come as a surprise to you (my name is insugarush after all), but my chosen bias within the first few weeks of being a newborn Army was Jungkook.

He was cute and his moves mesmerized me and there were endless videos about how adorable he is and also contradictingly manly and oh-so-talented and he likes Noonas (yayy small victory there) The Golden Maknae had caught my attention and I was pretty sure that would be it. I remember being annoyed at Suga while watched Summer Package thinking “Why is he so lazy” “why is he so sleepy and grumpy” “Jungkook is so cool” “He hardly even has footage”

This was before, of course, I knew about how hard he worked and all his issues. All older Armys will remember Suga used to get little footage earlier even in variety shows as compared to the rest of the boys, probably because in the pre AgustD era he used to be more reserved and just generally more quiet and not this funny, spontaneous, carefree, fun person we see today (touch wood) (may God always keep him this happy and give him more and more reasons to be with every passing day)

But this is what I tell people. I didn't choose Yoongi, Yoongi chose me. Much like life and fate and other small, inexplicable things that ultimately come together to form the bigger picture. I don't know how it happened, during which show or concert or bomb, but way before the BST comeback, suddenly, my radar picked up on Yoongi. I couldn't look past Yoongi. Everyone else faded into the background and it was just Yoongi Yoongi Yoongi for me. All his charms came to the forefront and suddenly the same videos I watched and got annoyed at earlier now became super-duper cute and I just entered this black hole and just…you get the point. He destroyed me. Ruined me for life. It was 2 weeks of Jungkook and then Yoongi was like “bitch look at me” and I was a goner. He STOLE my heart people. STOLE it. And now its his forever. <sigh>

Sliding into my bias list like.

Anyway. I had made up my mind. BTS was true love. I had to see it till the end. The moment even just the rumours started circulating about their world tour, I promised myself I would attend one of their concerts. I promised myself I would make it work somehow! Do what it takes. Go wherever it’s easiest to get permission. I think that was still around their comeback sometime in October, because there was no official announcement yet.

Once it was announced the easiest target for me was LA. I had family there and visa, and also a fellow Army cousin sister, so it was literally just about booking the flight and getting the concert tickets, everything else would be taken care of, and my parents would be satisfied. This happened on 19th November. As expected it was easy to get permission from my family, and I got super-duper excited because I really thought this is gonna happen! What I didn’t expect was issues cropping from my family there..it seemed they wouldn't be around at that time etc etc…my heart was broken people. Into a million tiny pieces. Its one thing knowing you can never go, but another getting so close to going, seeing literally everything work out, and then having to cut out that dream and throw it away again. My family tried to make me feel better saying there would be a next time and there are so many concerts to come but I was sad. For exactly 2 days. Lol.

Like I said, I don’t give up. For a moment, I considered trying for Newark. Same country, different coast, but I had friends so it might work. Worth a shot! I was desperate. I just didn’t want to give up. The next day I got talking to another cousin whose in Dubai and we decided amongst ourselves that it was now or never. Forget anywhere else, we MUST go to Seoul for this. There would be more concerts, true, but this in particular was a special one! This one had all the boys’ solos and it was a next step, the end of one era and the beginning of a new one and the first concert was in Seoul. We must go. And it HAS to be Seoul because we have noticed the level of interaction the boys have with KArmys (obviously because of no language barrier—though int Armys get their own perks in their concerts)

21st November I booked accommodation online on my credit card. I didn't tell a soul, just me and my cousin, without permission, without tickets, flight OR concert—just pure faith that I need to make this work. The only thing on my mind was---people will flood the city and even if we get permission and tickets and visa, maybe there would be no room for us in Seoul because everything would be sold out! Lol. The mind is funny when it panics. Of course the whole city wouldn't have been sold out! It was a BTS Concert, not Olympics! But in my mind it was just as big, if not bigger.

I made sure I booked rooms that can be paid at a later date, took a wild guess at the dates (we had the tour dates I just booked 2 days before to 2 after) and it came down to $1000 for 2 rooms, max 5 people. Not a bad deal if you do the math!

Permission. Now this was a whole other ordeal. If most of you reading this are from India, like me, then you know this is not normal yet. Letting your daughter travel all the way to another part of the world just for a concert, to watch 7 boys you don’t know of, just doesn’t happen! All I can say is, I worked hard people. I concentrated on not making my parents angry. Doing whatever they wanted. Missed out on things I wanted to do so that I do what they want of me. When I was in sufficiently good books, broke the news to them that this was the goal I was working towards. I’m not the type to ask my parents for things, they could see how badly I wanted this. “No way” my dad had said. “I am not sending you to another country alone just with another cousin sister.” He did get convinced finally when I added desperately that my cousin’s mom might be joining us too (she had no plans but it sort of became a conditional permission) I promised him I would pay for my accommodation, concert tickets and any expenses on my own. All I need from him is permission and air tickets. Lol. This is how we compromise people! I didn’t dare breathe a word about how I had gone ahead and booked accommodation without his knowledge. What he doesn't know won’t hurt him! :P  

Concert Tickets. This made me cry. I am not kidding. This was the most stressful part of this entire ordeal. I kept reminding myself how much I love BTS and how this will all be worth it in the end. I give 100% credit to my cousin sister, who btw, hadn't even taken permission from her own folks yet, but worked with everything she’s got to secure tickets.

First we tried the normal way. The date and time were out, the website was in Korean, but still accessible. I got one of my best friends who also happens to be a Korean to help me out. She lives in New York but she agreed to wake up at 4am to book our tickets for us..I filled her in (“BTS? Now who are they? Are you over Kim Hyun Joong? Park Bo Gum too? Good Lord you are not faithful”) We did a trial run before the actual day of booking. We navigated the page, downloaded the app, etc etc. We decided the 3 of us would try and book together from India, Dubai and New York, and whoever gets through, great! I had heard horror stories about tickets being sold out in minutes and didn’t want to risk it. I was fully aware that I would cancel all my plans if I didn’t get tickets.

On the day of the tickets opening up for sale to the general public, I was traveling. In the middle of nowhere. Somewhere around Mysore Palace to be exact. Everyone reading this from India knows we are not that lucky with internet, specially on the highways atop mountains, but I was carrying my stuff. We were out with another family and everyone was very hyped about this. One of the boys had asked me, “Who ARE these people that you’re going all the way to Korea to see?” I am proud to say I made an Army fanboy right there once I made him listen to Fire and then Dope. I prefer making people listen to the songs first so they don’t judge on the basis of appearances.

My throat was dry and my heart was pounding, I had everything ready—laptop, net, credit card. My friend from NY on the other phone with me, we’re all waiting for the sale to open. The minute it happened, all 3 of us on 3 laptops in 3 different corners of the world started frantically trying to buy tickets. We wanted the stands, BTS only. We all made it as far as seat selection page, but after that it just. wont. budge. For all of us! We tried and tried. I thought maybe it's the internet. I did everything I could! But the seats just wouldn't get selected. I saw the seats dwindle IN FRONT OF MY EYES. It went from 300 seats available to 150 available to 50 available to 10 available to finally---sold out. I called up New York and Dubai hoping and praying they have something—nope. Same story everywhere. I wanted to cry. I was just broken. I mean..I had done everything possible, but it just didn't happen. It dint work for all of us! At the same time! What does this even mean?!

I was so sad. Like so sad. I remember everyone trying to cheer me up, and me just reigning in my tears because we were traveling with another family. I couldn't even grieve properly. I just left that to it but refused to cancel my hotel yet. I could cancel in Feb without being charged so I just..left it. Mostly because it would break my heart to do it.

Unable to make the selection after coming this far--^

The next day we got information that some tickets are going on re-sale on the same website at midnight. AGAIN we sat. Again we got stuck at the same place. Again we saw the numbers dwindle and dwindle till they got sold out. Again. Now I was beyond frustrated. How can this happen 2 times in a row?! How have the others got their tickets?! What are we doing wrong?!

I realised too late it was probably a website thing, we should have tried the app the second day. Just didn't strike me till the tickets got sold out again right in front of my eyes! That helplessness and frustration is something I can never forget. And I felt worse when I realized the solution, just 5 minutes too late. Should have used the bloody App.

This time instead of being sad, I was filled with anger and determination. I’m gonna do this somehow, I vowed to myself. This was mid December already. My cousin sister and I started working on finding re-sellers on Twitter and on the Korean re-sale sites. We tried KoreanBuddy, koreanshoppingservice..dude I don’t even remember! I just remember a lot of Korean websites, Google Translate and Stress, that's all. We did our research, checked up blogs on how buy re-sale tickets, what to look for to find out if it's a fraud etc etc. We found a legit site called TicketBay and a bunch of people selling at insane prices ($400 for a $100 ticket) and finally decided on one seller and bought 2 tickets. This is January 10th already..the concert is a month away, and we’re still buying tickets. No one at home knows about this yet. My cousin did all the leg work..many people backed out, many people asked for payments in advance. We got lucky that the only girl we paid in advance turned out to be true, we were desperate at that point and only wanted to score tickets. I had decided even if it's a loss, it would be a secret I would take to my grave. Once we secured that, we became more relaxed. The girl was to meet us 1 day before the concert and hand over tickets, she seemed honest and sent loads and loads of proof before we took that leap of faith! I would strongly advise better decision making abilities people. We got lucky. We sent her money on PayPal, she could have turned out to be a fraud and run away with it and couldn't have been able to do jack..but again, we got lucky.

Just so you guys get a modicum of an idea about how messy this thing was:

Kind of proof to expect:

Trying our luck everywhere:

Being suspicious little bitches because come on--money!

Just an idea of how frustrating it all was:

Then we started actively working on Air Tickets and packing. Now my cousin decided to START getting permission, lol. It was much more stressful for her, she’s younger and it was a long and drawn out process, but she managed finally. Her mom and sister wanted to come along too, so that worked out for all of us! I’m glad I hadn’t cancelled my 5 seater accommodation in December! But Air ticket prices had shot up, and I ended up paying $1200 for my tickets instead of $600, which I could have if I had booked earlier. But I was waiting for at least concert tickets and my cousin to sort out her permission issues!

An idea of my packing list:

All of January was very, very stressful. Trying to find re-sellers is a pain, and trying to figure out if they are legit is even worse. Everyone had their own demands. Some we could and some we couldn't meet. Someway down the line we decided that now that we’re going all the way to Seoul to actually watch the boys, it would be a shame to just go one day. And hence the whole process of looking for more tickets re-started! Ugh. Ugly! But now that at least 1 pair was secured, we were okay with people wanting upfront payments on the day of the concerts and meeting us outside etc etc…worse comes to worst, they would ditch, but at least we would still have our money with us! One girl did ditch us btw. She suddenly stopped replying on 19th morning, on the DAY of the second concert, but thankfully my cousin had another back up contact lined up. Seriously, kudos to her! She managed the tickets on her own.

In total I ended up paying $600 for 2 tickets for both days as late as late as January 16th, that was just me. My cousin paid additional for her 2 tickets! The first pair of tickets we got delivered to my cousin’s friend in Korea, even that BigHit sent out the physical tickets so damn late (10th or 11th February I think?) that our hearts found no rest till the tickets were in our friend’s hands! We picked those for 18th up on 17th night, and additional 2 tickets with upfront payment  for the 19th also the same night. Another extra ticket 19th morning, just before we entered the arena for the second day.

A picture of the delivered ticket that finally put us at ease!

It was sticky and messy and oh-so-stressful, I just remember being constantly stressed right from December to February when I actually left. Of course worth it in the end when we got to see the boys, but I strongly recommend downloading the app and using it every damn day if you have to, just get familiar with it (Interpark) so when the time comes you are prepared about how to buy your own BTS tickets at stock price!

I’m glad I got to see the boys but I could have easily saved $1000---which would have meant that much more merchandise or maybe even an additional concert in the nearer countries if I was feeling a little too ambitious with my parents and permission! :P

We hardly had a week to go before leaving for Seoul now, and that was mostly spent in trying out outfits to pack, making itineraries (I have done extensive research guys, please ask me what you want to know, I can probably become a guide in Seoul if I want by now). I listed down things I wanted to do/places I wanted to visit/food I wanted to try, area wise in my diary. Which mode of transportation to take, which card to buy that would work on Subways---etc etc. I sort of tried taking responsibility for this because my cousin had managed all the ticketing mess more or less on her own.

So my last week was spent in that, and the fan project I randomly decided to start. Things actually fell into place so late, that by the time I initiated the fan project there was already too less time to spread the word or go about it in a more organized manner. But thanks to all the lovely, lovely Indian Armys who helped me out so much by spreading the word, sending in their letters and artwork, and even cover page for me, it worked out! I spent the last 2 days in India editing and compiling the book to BTS, I wanted it to look nice and I really, really wanted to take all your lovely words to them. Some of those letters were so touching that I remember feeling like I was intruding by even reading them. Even after I reached Seoul airport, I was working on the book, marking up the letters etc. The final result turned out really nice, actually! I will write a whole other update for that, because the sort of drama that happened there deserves a post lol.

For now, just glimpses you’ve already seen on my Twitter @insugarush:

The pages on which I printed the letters:

An array of things while compiling <omg you guys are SO talented>

The actual book..!

Soo for anyone who wants to know..this entire thing took me about 3 months of insane stress and planning and about $3000 in total, which included escalated Air Fare and Concert Tickets, Hotel Tariff, Visa and even expenses in Seoul. It's an inflated figure and I’m sure you can manage with waaay less if you are smart about your bookings!

A lot of people emailed me when they heard about me going to Seoul for the concert saying how lucky I was. Yes, maybe 1% of it was luck but trust me guys---I worked freakin hard to make this happen. Against all sorts of odds. I could have given up long ago, at the first sign of it not working out, but I kept pushing. What I want to say is…please don't feel its something that will never happen for you. Its just about charting out a way and trying your best. At least give it your best shot! Don’t give up in your head, before you even try, just because it seems impossible. If it really doesn't happen after that, no worries…at least you tried! Even I couldn't have imagined all this would work out. I think about how I was so close to going to LA or Newark---but I’m so glad I pushed for Seoul. It was the culmination of a whole lot of efforts, not just luck..

Me, finally on my way to see my boys!^

Sorry for the long post, and once again, thank you so much for your patience. I know I’m taking my own time, but I want to update properly and in detail! Sorry if this post was too long or boring, send me feedback on Twitter @insugarush and I would be happy to inculcate it in my next posts ^_^

Stay tuned!

[somecallmecaptain-blog]

Chapter 15- Cyborg Assault! Ray goes All Out!

Ray just saved my lift from the captain, but the fights not over. “Who are you?”, askes the navy captain. “You mean you don’t recognize me? Gee that hurts a little, its me, Ray”.

“Ah, so you are the thief, just give us the stolen tech and we won’t kill you, just take you alive”.

“You see I can’t do that, one of our crewmates fixed me up and told him to make me a weapon, so I am the tech, it’s apart of me, plus some of his stuff”.

“I see then we will just have to kill all of you, shoot him”. The marine officers fire all of their guns at Ray and nothing they are bouncing off all over him amd no wounds, not even scratches, and wait did he say his crewmates? I guess he just joined the crew, that was easy, but I want to see how he fights first.

“HA! My body is made of—“ TING!!! some of the marines tried to stab him in the back but hes made out of metal there too! He reminds me of franky, but doesn’t have a weak pointat his back. “As i was saying, my entire body is made out of metal, more specifically titanium. Try all you want, you cant hurt me!” He points his hand at the navy captain in a form of a gun and says, “FINGER PISTOL!” The Captain braced himself for what he thought was one of the six powers, but he was wrong. BANG!! A bullet comes flying from his finger and hits the captain in the shoulder. “Damn, I need to work on my aim.”

“What the hell was that?” Screamed the navy captain

“Like I said, I am the weapon and tech. Now, PALM CANNON!” He puts his han up flat and his palm opens up and fires a cannon ball, puts a giant hole in the ship. “Man I really need to work on my aim..”

“ I think we all need to train ourselves.” I said

“You got that right!” We turn around and see the rest of the crew coming towards us. Joe has a giabt grin on his face, I’m curious at wgat he has.

“So it’s time to kick some navy ass I see.” Lizard says as she puts on her guantlents.

“Good! I need to test my titanium swords! They say they are as strong as blacksteal and I have six!” Joes says.

“Alright! I got the perfect move for this moment! SMOKESCREEN!!” Ray opens his mouth and shoots smoke out and covers us so the marines can’t see us, and it covers their area. “ how’d he do that? Whats going on?? Where are they? Keep your guard up!!” Yell the marines. Ray states he wants the captain for revenge, i try to fight but lizard gets me out of the field and tells me to watch or she will kill me herself. I believe her so I sit there watch, pissed off. I watch as they personally kick each one of the marines ass easily. I want to help but i have no idea how to, all of a sudden I hear “to the cannons! That will get them!” And i see marines heading that way and i get an idea. “Ready?! AIM! Fi—“, “Heavy lighting!! CRASH!!!! I created a cloud above the ship and completely destroyed the ship. I kept it there to strick down marines in the battlefield. “RAY!!!” Screamed the captain. Ray chuckles and says, “hey Captain! Check this out, ROCKET FEET!” Ray jumps im the air and fire comes out of his feet and flys striaght up! “Shave!” The navy captain flys up to attack Ray, but he chuckles again, “you can’t move in the air, you don’t knowoonwalk yet.” The captain winces and goes in for the attack bt then Ray says, ”Ultimate attack! Lazer eyes!” All of a sudden lazers shoot from Rays eyes and goes straight through the navy captains chest and he falls straight to the ground. The rest of the marines stare in shock and they all surrender. Ray is slowly getting closer to the ground with a big grin on his face laughing, “How was that Captain!”