#anyway everyone should listen to summer comes its one of 5 good summer songs that were released this year which is...sad

[aridavid]

very few omgirl tracks on here and none from their ot6 era i guess this is a lovelyz website.

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 26/08/2023 (Nothing)

We get a #1 switch-up once again this week as Dua Lipa takes the crown with “Dance the Night”, becoming her fourth #1 on the UK charts as a credited artist, dethroning the fellow Barbie soundtrack single “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish. That’s pretty much all that happened, so skip this episode if you want. If you didn’t, welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

Rundown

As always, we start this week - where nothing out of the ordinary occurred, I promise - with the notable dropouts, songs exiting the UK top 75 - which is what I cover - after spending five weeks there or peaking in the top 40, of which there were very few. We say farewell to “Barbie Girl” by Aqua, “What it Is” by Doechii, or the “Block Boy” version with Kodak Black, “DIal Drunk” by Noah Kahan, of course assited by its remix with Post Malone, and “Wish You the Best” by Lewis Capaldi.

We then welcome back “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears at #74, “Super Shy” by NewJeans at #72, “Riptide” by Vance Joy at #71, “Escapism.” by RAYE featuring 070 Shake at #65 and “Boy’s a liar” by PinkPantheress at #64, and as for our notable gains, we see boosts for “Bad Habits” by Ed Sheeran at #70, “Baby Don’t Hurt Me” by David Guetta, Anne-Marie and Coi Leray at #68, “I’m Good (Blue)” by David Guetta and Bebe Rexha at #67, “Kill Bill” by SZA at #63, “Die for You” by The Weeknd at #62, “UNAVAILABLE” by Davido featuring Musa Keys at #54, “Highs & Lows” by Prinz featuring Gabriela Bee at #47, “Feel It” by Jazzy getting a big surge at #45, “Popular” by The Weeknd, Playboi Carti and Madonna at #43, “Daylight” by David Kushner at #42, “Fast Car” by Luke Combs at #34, “Bittersweet Goodbye” by Issey Cross at #31, “The Weekend” by Stormzy and RAYE at #29, “Rush” by Troye Sivan at #28, “Dog Days are Over” by Florence + the Machine at #27, “Rich Men North of Richmond” by Oliver Anthony Music at #23 - I’m probably the only person happy about this - “Asking” by Sonny Fodera and MK featuring Clementine Douglas at #21, “Prada” by casso, RAYE and D-Block Europe at #20 and finally, “Baddadan” by Chase & Status, Bou and everyone else at #14. Sheesh, a lot of gains this week, some I’m excited about, some I’m not particularly, and given Drake probably isn’t coming next week, I can’t confirm that this stuff won’t stick around for at least a little while.

The top five of the UK Singles Chart consists of “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift at #5, a big surge for Doja Cat at #4 with “Paint the Town Red” - not complaining about that, though I honestly didn’t expect it to be a little come back for her - then “vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo at #3, and of course, “What Was I Made For?” at #2 and “Dance the Night” at the very top. Now, uh, for whatever is happening below, which isn’t much of interest… oh, wait. There are no new songs to review. I cover the UK Top 75, and have done since October 2020 when I expanded from the top 40, and this is kind of unprecedented. We’ve had a week or two where there are only one or two songs, and maybe there has been a similar week to this during the holiday season, so I knew it was coming eventually but this is still a first. I’ve had several plans for this over the years - do I take suggestions? Do I just review the new entries to the top 100? I can’t really do that since they might end up gaining into the top 75, and there’s only two new entries in the full region anyway. Hell, same thing could happen if I take suggestions, but I have done it before to fill in the gaps for Christmas episodes. Maybe I should review Donald Trump’s mugshot, that’s topical, right? I could bring back Off the Charts but I’m not really listening to new album releases as religiously anymore. Hmm… okay, I think I got something.

Genre Charts

So, one thing I don’t often talk about on this show is the wealth of charts based on genre that the Official Charts Company… provides, I can’t really call them a gift given the lack of a functioning website and some… questionable genre categorisation, as well as rules that aren’t consistent with the main chart, which means older songs stick around. For example, let me give you the idea for this episode: I’m going to pick the highest-charting song from four - or three, you’ll see - of the genre-specific singles charts that has not made the top 75 as of yet. Let’s start with the genre I’m probably most fond of out of the selection OCC gives us: rock. What’s the highest-charting song currently on the rock charts that has never made the main chart’s top 75, so even if I started this series in 1947, I would have never reviewed it?

Rock & Metal - “Break Stuff” by Limp Bizkit

Currently at #27, peaked at #17

Yes, I’m serious. The rock & metal chart is - kind of unexpectedly - full of old songs, and also, I’m serious that “Break Stuff” never made its way onto the UK Singles Chart, which surprised me. The newest song on there is the new entry of “Perhaps” by Guns n’ Roses, their first new song in a while that debuted at #36. Anyway, whilst I’m surprised by this never making the top 75, I’m kind of happy because it means I can talk about it here and for all the crap that Florida nu metal outfit Limp Bizkit have gotten over the years, a lot of it deserved, “Break Stuff” was an early shining moment for them. From their 1999 album Significant Other - which peaked at #10 over here - “Break Stuff” strips a lot of the overly ambitious, whiny, not-as-funny-as-he-thinks-he-is melodrama and self-indulgence that taints Fred Durst’s worst work away, as the song is raw and instinctual. Wes Borland’s gruelling riff is about as simple as it can get, yet it’s looming with menace, and the drums from John Otto find that great pocket between crushing and slightly distant, especially in the verses, wherein the staggered fills have always stood out to me. Of course, we do have to get to Fred Durst, who has always tried too hard to sound hard, and many will point to this song as an example. Personally, I think if you can’t give up your issues with Durst and sing along, or yell along, to the ever-relatable need to just let out that boiled-up anger. I always think that this song will lose its lustre when I’m not angry, or when I’m a bit older, but it just never happens. It will continue to go hard as all Hell, and a lot of that is due to that kind of hypnotic bridge, where Durst reassures you that he does indeed pack a chainsaw, before it crashes down into one of the hardest breakdowns in popular music possibly ever. Say what you will about the Limp Bizkit catalogue, and trust me, I’ll agree with most of it; this is a 10/10 song. It peaked at #23 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 in the US, similarly not quite making it to the top 100, and charted highest in Portugal at #9. I guess the Portuguese were just really pissed off… or they liked seeing Jonathan Davis of Korn and Eminem mouth the lyrics in that now-iconic video, I don’t know. Now for the chart that the readers of this series probably care for the most, and the one that makes up much of the current chart…

Dance - uh…

OCC hates me this week, I swear to God. There is currently no song on the Dance Singles Chart top 40 that hasn’t been in the UK Top 75. Surely, the R&B and hip-hop charts will deliver.

Hip Hop and R&B - “Pink + White” by Frank Ocean

Currently at #23, peaked at #18

Okay, we’re getting pretty good luck with the songs we ARE getting. From his critically-acclaimed Blonde, which hit #1 in the UK back in 2016 and is now appreciated as a modern classic, we have “Pink + White”. I’ve never been as big a fan of Frank as many music nerds, and that includes this album… but man, I can’t deny this one. Frank reminisces on a sunset drive with his old friend, detailing a close friend of his - possibly someone who he was intimate with - who has most likely passed away. This seems to be somewhat contentious - I think the “glory from above” line makes it pretty clear - but either way, the relationship ends, yet he still latches onto the lessons he was taught, doing things “the same way [they] showed [him]”. Sonically, I mean, it’s Pharrell in his slick soul bag, with laid-back drums and an honestly kind of tense piano line that keeps the song from feeling too lethargic, alongside that acoustic guitar breakdown that is both very Pharrell and gorgeous. By the end of the song, Frank’s singing in a bed of gorgeous Beyoncé vocal riffs, produced with enough reverb to make them genuinely sound like they’re coming down from Heaven. The angelic choir by-product of their harmonies and backing vocal takes is one of the highlights off of the album and once again, with these genre charts, I have to say it’s a 10/10 song. “Pink + White” charted highest in the US, where it reached #84 on the Hot 100.

Afrobeats - “Lonely at the Top” by Asake

Currently at #6, peaked at #5

The Afrobeats singles chart seems to use a different charting and/or tracking week, but it doesn’t really matter. This is the first song - and artist - I’m covering in this episode that I don’t think I’ve come across before, on this show or otherwise. Asake is a Nigerian singer from Lagos, with this Blaise Beats-produced song coming from his second and latest album, Work of Art, which peaked at #20 on the albums chart over here earlier this year… and God damn it, this one’s excellent too. Sure, it’s a bit short, but that muffled rhythm is uniquely intimate and beeping for Afrobeats, and that flute just washes you away with the bittersweet vibes of the song, as a choir backs Asake up on his lyrics about the rise to the top and its ups and downs. Whilst a lot of sheer joy and surprise effortlessly emits from Asake and his choir, especially in his higher Auto-Tuned register, the song is grounded by those quieter strings pulling down on the carefree liveliness in the rest of the chorus. He gets closer to rapping in the second verse, as there are a lot of cute details from each backing vocal riff, a recurring percussion glitch and an awesome little horn blast that acts as a real pop-champagne moment. This may not be a 10/10 song - at least not yet - and it really is competing with classics in this episode, but it’s damn near close, and I was partly convinced it was when I heard that outro where the strings combat with the livelier tropical guitar for full attention for the first time, that was brilliant.

Conclusion

Maybe OCC should do this more often, I got to talk about three songs I love from a diverse array of genres and eras, revisiting passions of old and getting introduced to a new artist I need to check out more from. How’s that for a week where nothing happened, huh? Screw the UK Top 75, I’m just gonna review the Afrobeats songs from now on. See you next week!

[aspoonfuloffiction]

what are some grucy songs?

Hi nonny please come off of anon so I can hug you for asking the important questions. I love this question!!!!!

Buckle in I have a few—

First Love/Late Spring-Mitski. She’s scared of the hold the person she loves has on her. She’s begging them not to tell her they love her because she can’t give in to her feelings. Because they’d lead her to reckless abandon. She’s not used to being vulnerable after being alone for so long. Also "I was so young when i behaved 25, and now I find I've grown into a tall child" is so Lucy.

Stubborn Love-The Lumineers. A song about a man that consistently will pick love. Even when everyone around him is like its not worth it. That she doesn’t deserve his love. He digs his heels in tells her he’ll love her anyway and not let her push him away. It’s very much giving Gregory Bridgerton running twice through London, even when his family tells him she’s not worth it.

Better-Khalid. (Listen there’s a violin remix/cover on YT that if they ever did S8 I would need in the show) A song about being friends (or fwb)…but something about the being with the other person feels unlike anything else. It feels very early Greg/Lucy but especially post kiss but pre ILY. Where they’re both thinking that they’re just friends but both kinda reeling with how right the kiss felt?

God Only Knows-Beach Boys (also the John Legend/Cynthia Erivo cover). I think its applicable for them a lot think “Not as long as Lucy walked the same earth there could be no one else” but ESPECIALLY second epilogue Gregory and Lucy. The song is about loving someone so much that they’re so much a part of you that if they weren’t there. You could survive but you don’t want to. “The world could show nothing to me. So what good would living do me”

Back to December-Taylor Swift. I picked a Speak Now song that isn’t Speak Now lol. But I think Back to December is the better Gregory/Lucy song. Its about the right person but the wrong time and loving someone even when you should move on. BTD is asking the person you love for forgiveness for not being able to love them they way you think they deserved before and I think this applies to both Gregory and Lucy.

Rapid fire picks because vibes with no explanation mostly:

Everything Has Changed-Taylor Swift & Ed Sheeran

Young Love and Old Money -Elizabeth Gerardi (This is Lucy’s personal anthem. “You know my appetite is quite expensive. And his summer home is quite impressive. You and I were made for a season” for when Lucy halfheartedly tries to convince Gregory she wants to be a countess.😭)

She Will Be Loved-Maroon 5

Eleanor Rigby-The Beatles

Do I Wanna Know-Arctic Monkeys (There is a VSQ cover and I think it should play over their dance at Daphne’s party…seriously listen to it)

Dancing Queen-ABBA

Haven’t Met You Yet-Michael Bublé

Strawberry Blond-Mitski (“You tell me you love her, I give you a grin” come onnnnnn)

Lovebug-Jonas Brothers

[ladyc0312]

A Jikook Guide to RunBTS: 81-90

Jikook really seem to be feeling some kind of way in a lot of these episodes. Meanwhile, the Run editors (or whoever writes the on-screen text) are getting increasingly sassy and I am here for it! 

As usual, let me know if I’ve missed anything or should take another look at something. :)

Ep 81 “BTS VR Part 1" (Ep: 2 / KM: 3)

The ones where we are again reminded that watching people play arcade games doesn't make for the best TV (but at least the guys are having fun!)

2:49 - JM puts his arm around JK as teams are announced.

4:20 - When JM is joking around about being on a VR train, he directs his silliness at JK and they are the only two laughing.

4:54 - JK puts his hands on JM's back to guide him to the next room.

5:00 - JK says that Jimin loves things like this.

6:37 - JM directs his comment that he feels motion sick to JK. JK laughs and says it'll be fun.

7:50 - Jimin laughs delightedly as he watches JK act like he's controlling the skateboard in the VR.

16:23,17:07 - Some teleporting happens where JK and JM go from being on either side of RM to being right next to each other. 

17:55 - JM playfully shoves JK as he does a celebratory dance in the background.

19:56 - JM compliments JK's stable driving.

21:55 - After JM brags that he'll win everything, JK shoves his chest and they have a brief exchange with each other that is unsubtitled. 

28:51 - JM has his arm around JK again.

BEHIND

0:29 - JK puts his arm around JM (over V's arm).

3:08 - Jimin watches and jokes with JK as JK pretends he's controlling the VR experience that he's doing.

8:39 - JK and JM are joking around with each other until Hobi interrupts them to tell Jimin to get out of Suga's gamespace. 

Ep 82 "BTS VR Part 2" (Ep: 3 / KM: 3)

4:35 - Suga tries to get Jimin in on a plan to shove JK while he's doing the VR tower game, but JM declines, saying it wouldn't scare JK, anyway. He seems to be correct, as JK immediately starts playing around and JM ends up on the floor laughing at his antics.

7:59 - When Jimin is playing around with his height in the game, JK informs us that JM wants to be taller. 

13:53 - JM compliments how well JK is doing in the game 

19:44 - JK comes and leans over JM's shoulder to look at his controller.

20:59 - JK had moved away after V joined them, but returns to JM's shoulder once it's free again.

26:11 - JK has his arms around both V and JM when it's announced that they won.

BEHIND 

2:37 -  After JK says he's not good at the type of game coming up, JM briefly touches his back (in what I read as a comforting gesture, but I'm trying to to go overboard on editorializing...)

Ep 83 "Summer Outing Part 1" (Ep: 3, KM: 2)

The water park one where everyone is terrible at pool volleyball 

01:34 - Jimin directs his unheard query about the game they're playing to JK and then keeps looking in his direction despite JK not giving any answers.

2:12 - It's kind of adorable how funny JK finds Jimin's crow imitation.

2:33 - JM keeps his eye on JK when they're doing a hand flip game to decide teams and seems to be poised to change his answer depending on JK's.

12:04 - After hitting a good shot over the net, JK asks someone "did you see that?" Next time the camera returns to them, JM seems to have swum over to JK to congratulate him (to be fair to Jimin, JK did look really hot doing it with wet hair).

16:12 - JK and JM high five after working together to get the ball back over the net.

BEHIND 0:26 - Hobi tells JK that he has an extra earring - pointing to a large hoop earring JK has hanging off one of his hoops - and tells him to remove it because he doesn't like it. JK says, "but I like it."  Pointing this out because I've seen some jikookers speculate that JK is wearing one of JM's (as we see him do in Festa 2020). I think that's really cute, but I'm not sure it's accurate, as in Part 3 we see that JM has put all his earrings back in after all the water activities and JK still has the "extra" one.  But don’t worry... there’s some undeniable jewelry-sharing coming up later!

03:15 - JM and JK paddle around adorably together. The caption labels them "Puppykitty and Kookbunny" <3

34:44 - JM and JK, the only two who appear to be truly invested in the outcome of this game, strategize together.

5:15 - JK and JM cutely exchange the ball while paddling.

10:10 - JM and JK joke with each other about how fast the boat was. When JK says, "he didn't listen to me" (which is already a very BF statement), he uses banmal. 

11:42 - JK offers JM some food and then watches as JM lenas his head all the way back to eat the (phallic) food.

Ep. 84 "Summer Outing Part 2" (Ep: 3, KM: 2)

The water park one where JK is so much better than the others that they have to change the game so it’s JK vs everyone else

2:29 - JM seems to being trying to hold up JK on his back? No clue what they're aiming for, but both seem to be enjoying it. 

10:09 - When JK returns from his turn on the water slide, JM puts his towel around his neck.

BEHIND 0:28 - JM supports JK as he tries to fish a shoe out of the water

0:44 - JM watches JK do pushups and makes a joke about how the whole dock is going to sink because he's so heavy (meaning muscular, not fat). JM moves closer to him and the camera cuts off. 

5:41 - JK and JM lean in close to watch a replay of JM's jump and JK lightly makes fun of him. 

Ep 85 "Summer Outing Part 3" (Ep: 4 / KM: 2)

The water park one where everyone except JM and JH are terrible at giving gifts 

1:35 - JM proposes that, if JK wins the game, they call him "hyung" the rest of the day. JK looks surprised, but into it. 

16:52 - JM asks JK for one bite of ramyeon. JK gives him a bunch in his bowl and says "this is how much I care about you."

32:40 - This is the true jewelry sharing moment of these episodes! We see that, through dinner, JK had on two silver chain bracelets. After dinner (where they all drank and goofed around), one is missing. Jimin has on long sleeves, but here you can see up them as he's opening his present and, sure enough, JM is wearing JK's missing bracelet! I think it's made even more interesting by the fact that it seems like he was trying to not make it obvious he was wearing it - he had it pushed pretty high up his arm and covered by his sleeve - you really wouldn't notice it unless you were looking for it...

Ep 86 "Hangul Day Special Part 1" (Ep: 2 / KM: 0.5)

The ones where you have no hope of playing along, so just enjoy that the guys are incapable of not saying the word "okay" despite promising not to use any English all episode...

^^^ Not jikook-related, could I couldn't not include this screenshot of the drawing JK left behind on his whiteboard 

No moments in the episode itself. 

BEHIND 0:31 - JM writes something on his whiteboard that I can't make out and then he and JK exchange funny faces  

Ep 87 "Hangul Day Special Part 2" (Ep: 3 / KM: 1)

1:47 - JK puts his arm around JM's shoulders as he leans over him to see the map

BEHIND 0:42 - JK starts to hold JM's hand before doing the slate and then they joke around with each other

1:03 - Closer and longer shot of the above moment

Ep 88 "Hangul Day Special Part 3" (Ep: 3 / KM: 0.5)

No moments within the episode. 

Ep 89 "BTS Gayo Returns Part 1" (Ep: 5 / KM: 4)

The ones where BTS has fun playing games that have to do with their music. It may not sound like much, but this is the show at its best.    6:28 - Jimin makes up a rule that JK has to draw an extra card because he forgot the choreo. It doesn't sound like much from the description, but Jimin's tone and smile make it feel rather flirty.

7:00 - It takes JK until here to realize that Jimin doing the above skipped his turn. When he expresses this, JM gives him a finger heart.

9:20 - Jimin tries to convince JK not to switch the card color using the look and low voice he did back in the New Years episode. No luck.

26:54 - When Jimin is supposed to be acting out song lyrics, he barely starts acting before JK guess the lyrics correctly, causing the others to ask if it's telepathy. They're both super excited and hug adorably until JHope starts pulling on JM's arm to get them to cool it. Then, Jimin heads back to his chair and is laughing so hard he falls out of it. A concerned JK comes over to check on him and ends up falling on top of him. They're both still laughing as JK helps JM up.

BEHIND 6:04 - Jimin finds JK's shouting so funny he is on the floor laughing, which makes JK crack up too as the rest of the group looks on confused. JHope eventually cuts it off by seating Jimin next to JK.

7:03 - Another angle on the falling over moment.

8:08 - Between-set-ups moment where JK and JM discuss the "telepathy" moment and JM tells JK "you're awesome."

Ep 90 "BTS Gayo Returns Part 2" (Ep: 5 / KM: 3)

3:54 - When JK misses hearing what the right answer is, he looks right to Jimin to tell him.

7:20 - After JK gets super excited after what turns out to be a wrong answer from RM, Jimin teases him and does the flirty chest tap thing.

18:07 - JM and JK jokingly dance part of the Fake Love choreo around each other, with Jimin adding in tapping JK's chest.

25:33 - When they all rearrange their chairs, JK moves his close to JM. 

31:40 - When they're talking about memorable moments from this two-parter, JM brings up JK guessing the answer just from looking in his eyes 

BEHIND 5:04 - JK keeps watching JM dancing after the others have all stopped.

[crystalstar8]

Knights of the Night (Epilogue)

Epilogue

Ch 1, ch 2, ch 3, ch 4, ch 5, ch 6, ch 7, ch 8, ch 9, ch 10, ch 11, ch 12, ch 13, ch 14, ch 15, ch 16, ch 17, ch 18, ch 19, ch 20, ch 21, ch 22, ch 23, epilogue 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29139240/chapters/71536491

pairing: Jungkook x oc

genre: vampire au, college au, twilight, romance

word count: 1,587

warnings: blood (obviously), kidnapping, child kidnapping, needles, France, human trafficking

notes: vampires, vampire au, college, college au, so many twilight references, blood, needles, kidnapping, children, homelessness, dance, ballet, flashbacks, romance, slow burn, probably no smut, idk yet tho, France, French things, attempted genocide, inaccurate French history, bisexual main character, @strawberriewithchocolate-blog @mozy-j  @daechwitad-2​ @zobadak​ @fallenstar-7​​​

summary: Catalina starts college in a small town all the way across the country. She doesn’t know anyone and isn’t exactly looking for friends. She just wants to focus on dance. But when she meets fellow dance major, Jimin, and adventurous, fellow freshman, Jungkook, Catalina ends up discovering a whole new side to the small college town; one that is dangerous but oh so enticing...

                 Catalina took one last glance around her room before heading downstairs. She heard Jimin’s voice, which put a wide smile on her face. Him and Taehyung were back on time, which meant they’d be able to come with everyone that afternoon.

               She ran down the stairs, taking them two at a time, before landing in the foyer. Taehyung and Jimin were taking their shoes off and setting their bags down, chatting with Hoseok and Namjoon. Catalina threw her arms around Jimin and asked him, “How was your trip?”

               He pulled away and smiled wide, his eyes disappearing. “It was incredible. I’ll tell you all about it later.”

               “I can’t wait,” Catalina said, smiling just as wide.

               “We were gonna go to the beach later,” said Hoseok. “Do you want to go with us?”

               “Sure! I think we’ll mostly just relax, though,” said Taehyung.

               “Here, I’ll help you unpack so you can get yourselves settled before we go,” Hoseok said, following them back out the car. Catalina left the foyer and went into the kitchen. The kitchen was beautiful, so different from when she first came into this house. They had it remodeled, actually, they had a lot of the house remodeled. Everything was a bit more modern, but their antiques were mostly still around. Even Yoongi redid his bedroom, saying he didn’t want to sleep in a rat’s nest anymore. He made an incredible amount of money on the antiques in that room, the museums practically begging him to part with them.

               The light was on in the kitchen when Catalina entered, which meant Jungkook was in there. Sure enough, he was standing in front of the fridge, staring into its contents with bleary eyes. His hair was a floof on top of his head and his pajamas were rumpled. Catalina came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him. She laid her head on his back and listened to the steady rhythm of his heart, something she’s become so very familiar with.

               “What will you have for breakfast?” she asked. He grunted in response, shifting some containers around on the shelf. He finally chose a container of leftovers and cracked the lid to sniff it. He sniffed it three times before deciding it was edible and dumping it on a plate. While it was heating up, he turned and opened his arms, letting Catalina settle into him.

               “Are you gonna surf today?” he asked.

               “You asked me that yesterday,” Catalina said with a giggle.

               “And you said no yesterday!” he said. She could feel his laughter in his chest where her head was resting.

               “Maybe,” she said. “I heard the teaching process is very hands on.”

               He chuckled and said, “Where did you hear that?”

               “Hm, I don’t remember,” she said. The microwave beeped and Jungkook let Catalina go so he could grab his food. She pulled a blood bag out of the fridge and sat down with him at the dining table, sipping at her drink while he ate.

               “What are you guys doing up so early?”

               Yoongi wandered into the kitchen with messy hair and tired eyes.

               “It’s beach day!” Jungkook said, much more awake now that he was eating. “You’re coming, right?”

               “No.”

               “Yoongi, you don’t have to swim or surf or anything,” said Catalina. “You can just sleep on the beach. Or drink wine on the beach. You need the fresh air, you’ve been at your piano for days. Plus, I think everyone would really like to spend some time with you.”

               “When are you going?” he asked.

               “We’re heading out around eleven,” said Catalina.

               “Oh. I’ll think about it,” Yoongi said. “Are Taehyung and Jimin back yet?”

               “Yes, they just walked in a little while ago,” said Catalina.

               “Good,” he said. “I’m glad their flight wasn’t delayed.”

               With that, he left the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

               During the drive to the beach, Catalina made sure to sit in the back of the Jeep with Jimin.

               “So, tell me about the trip,” she said, a giddy smile on her face.

               “Ah, it was perfect!” said Jimin. “I’ve never been to Arizona before so I didn’t really know what to expect about the weather or anything. It really is very dry there. The heat is like heat from an oven. And the places we saw were so beautiful. We camped in the Grand Canyon and… it was insane. The Grand Canyon is insane. Everything was so incredible. And at night, you could see the stars perfectly. When we camped in Death Valley, there was absolutely no light pollution for miles so the sky was amazing. We saw the Milky Way.”

               “Oh wow,” Catalina sighed.

               “You and Jungkook should go next summer,” said Jimin. “You’d love it.”

               “Yeah, I would do that,” said Catalina. “That sounds like a lot of fun. We need to make up for our last trip.”

               They sat in silence for a while before Jimin said, “I can’t believe we’re going to France in two weeks.”

               “I know!” said Catalina. “I can’t believe it! This is something I’ve been waiting for my entire life and I’ll finally be able to do it!”

               “Is your solo ready?” Jimin asked.

               “I mean, as ready as it’ll ever be,” said Catalina. “You know how it is.”

Her and Jimin had both taken the winter semester off to recover from their transformations and to get used to their new bodies. Catalina used that time to choreograph a solo worthy of an audition in France. By now, the beginning of summer, she had perfected it as much as she could.

“I’m going to the studio to practice it tomorrow,” said Catalina. “You should come with me. You can help, or just watch. You haven’t seen it finished yet.”

“What time? I’m babysitting tomorrow,” said Jimin.

“Oh right! You’re doing that every Tuesday now, aren’t you?” said Catalina.

Jimin nodded and said, “Yep, Caleb’s sister has dance on Tuesdays, so I’ll just be there for a few hours.”

“Are you still gonna do that when classes start? You’re signing up for classes in the fall, right?” she asked.

“Yeah, I don’t want to fall behind any more than I am,” said Jimin.

“Me too,” said Catalina. Then she smiled and grabbed Hoseok’s shoulder over the driver’s seat. “And you’re starting classes with us too, aren’t you?”

He laughed and said, “I sure am!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The weather was perfect, and according to Jungkook, the water was ideal for beginner’s surfing. They got set up on a relatively empty patch of the beach. The family closest to them had a few kids, who were building a sandcastle near the water. It was Monday, so thankfully there weren’t too many other people there. Yoongi laid out a beach blanket and immediately laid down, covering his face with his sun hat. He was almost completely covered, with long sleeves and long pants. Catalina figured he was trying to protect his pasty white skin.

               Jimmy K settled down beside Yoongi with a thick book. Catalina had assumed he would be surfing with them that day; he seemed like the type to surf. Jimin and Taehyung lathered themselves in sunscreen and took their spots near the cooler, relaxing and watching the fun just like they promised. After shedding her shorts and tank top to reveal her new white bikini, Catalina lathered herself in sunscreen, since she could already feel herself burning. Then she grabbed her board and met the others down by the water.

At some point, the family next to them left and they were left to themselves on their private stretch of beach.

Catalina, Namjoon, and Hoseok kept their eyes on Jungkook and Jin, who were teaching them the basics of how to surf. They all had boards, rented ones for the newbies, and Catalina was excited to get out on the water. With every glance at the ocean behind her, she felt nervousness twist in her stomach. She had to keep reminding herself that she wouldn’t drown and she wouldn’t get hurt. Her body was stronger than it used to be, which was something she still hadn’t completely gotten used to.

                They were standing on their boards, Jin showing them how to position their feet. Jungkook went to each of them, giving them pointers or fixing their positions. He stepped onto Catalina’s board behind her and nudged her right foot forward a bit, hands on her bare waist.

               “Just keep your knees bent and your legs spread a bit more,” he said. His bare chest was pressed up against her back.

               “…And if you guys fall off, just let the current roll you until it’s settled, then come up,” Jin was saying. “But you guys won’t drown anyway, so no harm.”

               “Right, no harm,” Jungkook said, his hand sliding down to her butt.

She giggled and turned around to face him.

“Did Hoseok get this treatment when you helped him?” she asked with a wide smile on her face.

“He would probably like that,” Jungkook said with a laugh. “But this is only reserved for my favorite students.”

“Ooh, so Namjoon got this too,” Catalina said, winding her arms over his bare shoulders. He threw his head back and laughed. This was her favorite song. The sounds of his laughter, the waves hitting the beach, The seagulls calling overhead, his heart beating in his chest.

Catalina leaned up to press her lips against his, the board wobbling in the sand beneath their feet.

She never wanted this song to end.

[redmaneroster]

Our Home Away From Home, Away From Home

[1] [2] [x] [4-5] [6] [7] [8-9] [10]

PART 3 – Inhibitions

The Kirin Festival is older than Vale itself. No one knows why they wear fish-scale costumes or set fire to carefully carved wooden statues as they drift into the sea. Why they sing songs of a dead tongue, or why they make the drunk climb a soaked pyramid for honor and – with a touch of modernity – some prizes.

Its mysterious allure is what draws most people. It's the reason why Jaune decides to climb the pyramid himself. He fails miserably. Yang has to carry him off.

Jaune didn't get the memo that participants have to have spare clothes because of course they do, so he's sat drenched in the changing room by the beach, Yang outside with his drying clothes by a heater lamp set up for just this kind of occasion.

They're alone again and it's quiet outside of the distant hum of the festival.

"I called Dad this morning," she says suddenly, leaned beside the tent. "I could hear her in the background." And she goes on, laying out her fears, but during a long pause to process her thoughts a little more, she briefly worries if he's listening.

"Yang. I'm here. I'm listening," he says, clear in that way like a droplet in a cave. Echoing in her mind. Present in all the ways that do not judge.

Then she talks. Talks about her mother coming home. Dancing around her while she reconnects with her dad. Or maybe she's just sleeping with him, and her family isn't going to be whole again. At least, these are her more negative thoughts. She's only willing to forgive her mother from running away if her dad gives her a chance.

She might have earned it then. Might, she emphasizes for Jaune. Raven might well and truly never fit back into her life. Summer – bless her soul – reshaped the gap she left behind. So Yang doesn't know if Tai forgiving Raven might even be enough, but she's willing to hope.

-0-

Everyone gets into a few rides and eats their weight in sugar until they all end up at Junior's club again. Most of them are dancing, except for Ruby and Ren.

When Jaune and Yang dance a little too close to each other, they take a step away. When Sun and Pyrrha dance a little too close beside them, Yang decides to save them both the embarrassment by taking a break.

She doesn't see Jaune taking a swig of his flask. And he doesn't notice that the blush of his cheeks wasn't from the alcohol.

Yang comes back to the table just as Ren – under the influence of alcohol – confesses that Joan has been trying to court him.

Ren and Nora's relationship isn't official. It's tumultuous since she came back to Kuroyuri alone over the Summer to mourn her long lost brother. Ren couldn't bear to go with her. When she came back, they've been… uncertain. Awkward, even.

Joan adds to his confusion because she doesn't criticize his choices or cowardice, she just listens. (It's so eerily familiar that Yang shuts her eyes tight just to give herself time to swallow it). So Joan, in a stroke of luck, is there for him precisely when he needs someone who isn't Nora.

Yang doesn't believe he'll choose her over Nora. It's just a rough patch. As long as neither of them do anything stupid in the meantime, she tells them, then it'll turn up alright once they get their rhythm again.

Ren says nothing.

Ruby's concern in that lack of confidence is burning.

Ren, placating her, says that he's certain things will work out between them again but knows he can't trust his own emotions just yet. Nora mentioned the nuckleavee limping around in the woods (JNPR went there towards the end of freshmen year to kill it but only managed to cripple it as it retreated). He was so blindingly furious at the idea that the beast was still alive that his nails started crackling against his aura.

Calm as he was, Ren wasn't completely put together just yet. "Maybe we're too young to be in love anyway," he says.

"I don't think it's love's fault that it happens too early or too late," Yang says, eyes away. "I think it's our fault for acting when we shouldn't or not acting at all. Or Going too far or…" – she glances at the dance floor – "…not far enough."

Ren is smug when she looks back at them. Nothing is left of Ruby but a cascade of rose petals. Then she zips back to her with the same smug look and a neck of her strawberry sunshine. Little umbrella and all.

Yang admits that she was looking at Jaune, but not for the reasons they think.

Jaune wishes he did more with Pyrrha. Even if he's not hurting over it anymore, he's afraid of making any more mistakes like that.

"He was actually," Ren says. He explains that Jaune spent the Summer alone and he spent some time calling him at the bottom of a whiskey bottle. He confessed about his feelings going haywire and how he wishes he could be happy for the new couple but dangerous parts of his mind told him that he shouldn't have been so passive. Strangely, he was being cryptic and even mentioned a marriage, but that he mumbled that last bit and Ren just shrugged it off.

"That wasn't about Pyrrha, though," Yang says.

"…What?"

"Oh. Oh, shit. I shouldn't have said that." Despite hinting at Jaune's big secret, Yang is a little happy that there was something he was only willing to tell her and not anyone else.

Then the rest of them come back to the booth and Yang pulls Jaune aside before Ren and Ruby can say anything.

She asks him about Joan going after Ren.

He tells her that he knows, but that all his efforts to curb her have failed. She's adamant about pursuing him.

Yang decides to try it herself.

-0-

Everyone's on their way back to the festival when Yang realizes that it's going to be too loud to call. She tells them she'll catch up and sits by a bench in the park. The musty smell of the pond battles against the fresh scent of her still lingering strawberry sunrise.

Joan picks up rather quickly, the sound of her team's movie vanishing in the background. She mouths out apologies to them first before she shuts a window behind her (her dorm is on the ground floor and she slips out through the window as frequently as the door) then sound of crickets chirps through the speaker.

Yang cuts to the chase and mentions Ren.

Joan asks her if she was talking to Jaune. Joan sighs, but she's not dejected, just… amused.

"Jaune likes to forget that we're the same age. That I had a boyfriend before, too. He likes to protect me cause I'm his sister. But I'm as wise as he is… and just as naïve."

Joan lists off Jaune's advice to her.

It's just a phase.

It wouldn't work out.

You're aren't thinking this through.

He's already practically married.

Joan rejects them all.

"I can't help what I feel. I can't dance around love like I'm waiting for an opportunity to strike. We aren't struck by falling stars when the perfect partner comes along. We just find the best we can and make it work out. Maybe Ren isn't for me. Maybe what I have is fleeting and foolish and naïve and stupid. I don't care. I am done waiting for the world to give me the good news. This time around, I'm taking initiative."

They end the call soon after. Yang can't argue with her earnest pursuit if she isn't muscling into it and pushing Nora out of the picture. There was also that chip in her tone that sounded like she knew she was fighting a losing battle.

When Yang exits the park, she finds Jaune waiting by the gate. He stayed back for her.

Fireworks flash over the sky, color splashing over a dark canvas.

Yang only looks at Jaune. Maybe it's Joan being proactive that might have pushed her to stand a little closer. Her fingers twitch. She doesn't know what she wants, but thinks that maybe a little indulgence isn't so bad.

Then he looks at her. But not at her eyes. They're locked at her lips. Without thinking, he pulls out his flask. He takes a swig and tries to go ahead but she grabs him by the wrist.

Perhaps remembering what she did last time she grabbed his arm as he walked away, he covers his mouth with his arm.

She laughs at him. "I'm tired. The party's over. Let's just drop them a line and go home."

"Home…" he whispers before nodding.

-0-

They're sat at the couch because they're waiting on their scrolls. Ruby went missing but they were tasked with staying behind just in case Ruby stumbles into their apartment. Yang isn't too worried. Ruby probably saw Penny and was dragged off during the fireworks.

In the silence, Yang tells Jaune that they spent a lot of time today listening to her problems. Maybe they should talk about his again.

The offer is tempting but he isn't quite ready. He wants to take his mind off it but lately his usual substitutes have been less effective. (Spending time with Yang has been dangerously enticing, and he's starting to wonder if he watered down his whiskey a little too much tonight).

"How about a different substitute?"

She pushes off the couch and tells him to wait right there. He does get up to change his shirt but it's taking so long for Yang to come out that he's starting to worry.

He approaches her door.

She bursts out of it. "Sorry," she says. "It's the only white dress I have." She's wearing the same dress she had at the dance. "It's no wedding gown, but with this on, maybe you'll stop thinking about her."

The idea that he'll think about her instead eludes her for a second before they're both thinking about it and her smiles gets awkward. Worse when he won't say a thing and his eyes have been wide this entire time.

She powers through and plays a song on her scroll. "You said they played something by Ivy Garden at the reception. I'm guessing this is it?"

He nods along as guitar strings rattle off into the room, filling the gaps till the wallpaper turns marble, a band plays on the stage, lavender drapes fall over the frosted glass where moonlight shimmers faintly in the gaps. And she is there, skin a rich chocolate brown, eyes like polished hickory.

Then she takes a step in his direction and her hair is a rich blonde, and her skin is pale and… "Yang? You… You don't have to do this…"

"Hush. You won't talk, so let's not talk. Let's try something else here and see if this works for you."

It works. It works too well.

So they join hands and dance. It's slow and circular, around the center of the living room. She can't bring herself to look him in the eyes. Her head rests against his chest and that somehow makes it worse for him. Especially when she loops her hands around his neck.

He wants so much to ask for more, but can't. His hands are shaking when they're squeezing her hips gently. She notices and pulls her head against his Adam's apple. Her warmth pools over him like a scarf, curling him inwards till his eyes go hazy and his lips hover dangerously over her scalp.

The music stops. The world comes back together, to the present, to their apartment.

Yang hesitates to ask if it worked. When she pulls her head out of his chest, she's surprised to find him breathless. He slowly comes back to his senses.

He takes a step back and immediately reaches for his flask. He downs it but the buzz is missing still, even when he empties it down his throat.

His cheeks don't flare. His thoughts don't cloud. All he has is clarity and it gnaws at the desires within reach. At her.

He almost kisses her, lips quivering, fists balled as his flask clatters to the floor. He clearly isn't sure where to put himself, even if a deep part of him already knows.

Yang decides that she isn't the kind of girl that lets something like this slip by.

She is so warm that her lips feel like she's branding him when they kiss; clamping on the delicate flesh of his lower lip with a desperation he should have seen coming. She'd been holding back, and when he bit back, he knew he was too.

White noise filtered into her ears as she became painfully aware of her own heartbeat. It was erratic, beating off-rhythm and she knows she's afraid. He said he was against this before, and the fear that she might be making a mistake again makes her shudder.

But then she moans when he pulls her in and dips a few degrees till she's curling against him. And she realizes that he isn't pulling away. It beckons him like a siren song, plunging him through the haze of his mind – not knowing that he's already found her – to be captivated, taken completely as if drowning in her.

When he leaves her lips, he presses his forehead to hers. His breath tickles her nose. She edges into him again.

Her kiss, then, is featherlight. Brief and affectionate. She wills herself to pull away; lets him breathe and take it in.

"I don't think this is love," he says.

"I don't think either of us are wise enough to tell the difference," she replies.

The idea that she might be right, that maybe this is okay, snaps something inside of him. She's willing to let him indulge just as long she's doing the same. Maybe he won't hurt her by not falling in love. Maybe this is okay. Maybe… Maybe…

He lets go, leaning back against the couch. He's thinking to himself. Wrestling with rationale.

She wants to comfort him, to tell him it's alright. That won't have to change if they don't need to. So she places a hand on his chest to get his attention, but he's so shocked by the sudden contact that he falls back and grabs onto her dress strap as they collapse onto the couch.

He's lying on the couch now with her bodily over his stomach.

She laughs and so does he, both falling away again into natural diffusion.

He thinks himself safe. The burning tension has withered, but just like before, Yang is unwilling to let things end so anticlimactically.

She gets up and sits on his waist. For a moment he's confused until she falls on him like timberwood. His body – the massive traitor that it is – welcomes her embrace with familiarity.

She laughs between breaths.

There's less heat and more comfort. Less passion and more affection. Indulgence in a way that is almost innocent. For a moment he needs to breathe but she clamps over his mouth. His annoyance spurs her on like it's a game. She's still laughing.

Then he opens his mouth. She slips in a tongue by accident.

They shudder.

They're boiling again, eyes shut to whatever is rumbling between them. His hands travel up her legs. A heat crawls over her skin. Then his fingers tease at the edge of her skirt.

She yelps, pulling away.

Yang realizes, rather succinctly, that she wasn't completely ready.

"Yang?"

"I… Okay, I'm not… I don't know about that yet."

His fingers are still on her legs. They're not even very far up but the places he touches tickle in a way that is electrifying.

He slips out from under her as she sits back against the arm rest of the couch. Her body curled up. Guarded.

An ache settles in his chest. "Yang, I'm so – "

She unfurls. "Don't!" She reaches over and grabs his hands. "Don't… Don't apologize. We wanted this, didn't we? I'm just not mentally prepared to do anything but make out right now."

"You make it sound like there's going to be a second time."

"You forget," she says with a grin, "this is the second time."

"Oh."

"Look, Jaune. I think we've got a good thing going on right now. We're not taking anything from each other, we have fun, and we both know that we needed this."

"You're a little more optimistic about this than I am."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"I just hope it means things won't end poorly."

She squeezes his hand. "I don't know what it is that we've got going on right now, so I can't tell you that things won't end well or… not." She scooches closer. "But I'll try my best. Trust me?"

She's so earnest that he banishes doubts long enough to answer. He kisses her instead with the same featherlight comfort she'd given him earlier.

She hums appreciatively. "I think I like it when you say 'yes' this way."

"That a rule now?"

"Maybe. Prepare lip balm. You'll have room now that you won't need that flask anymore."

"I'm not attaching myself to you 24/7. I'm keeping the whiskey."

"I mean, you could attach yourself to me 24/7."

"You can't be serious…"

She slaps his arm, laughing. "I'm not! I'm joking! Lighten up a little."

"Sorry. This is… new to me. It feels like I've skipped a few steps and broken a ton of rules somehow."

"No, I get you, but try not to dissolve into a wet blanket." He pouts. She beams and powers on. "We're two consenting almost-adults here. There's nothing wrong with what we're doing."

"Some people would disagree."

"And some people are wrong and can stuff it." Now that she's calm, she finds that she can still smell the saltwater in his socks. He's probably uncomfortable right now. She stands up. "Now we should both take a bath. This makeup is starting to feel like I'm wearing a mask pressed around my eyes."

"Shouldn't we talk this out a bit more? Lay down some ground rules?"

"In the morning. I'd like to enjoy the prospect of what I can do without having to think about what I can't."

He sighs but warmth bubbles into his chest. "Fine. In the morning."

"Good." She walks up to her door. She stops before she opens it. "Oh, and… don't lock your door."

-0-

It's past midnight when Jaune hears his door open. He tries to squeeze his eyes shut to try to ignore what's coming, but once Yang slips into his sheets and hums happily against his chest, he finds himself painfully aware of the body pressed to his.

"What are you doing?" he asks.

"Being too close but not close enough."

He chooses not to question it.

She slips up further, breath on his neck. She bites. His aura flares up on instinct and she barely gets to his skin, tasting air instead.

"Uh…" he drones awkwardly.

She buries her face into his chest. "Shut up. I was trying to be hot."

"I think we've had enough excitement for one night."

"Lower your aura."

"Yang, c'mon…"

"Jaune…"

He sighs. "Fine…"

-0-

"So this morning, she sneaks up to me while I'm coming into the hallway and she bites me," Jaune says, pointing at his neck. "Then she hands me this bandage before she runs off."

"That sounds dangerously risqué," Joan comments.

Ruby is burying herself in her hood meanwhile, trying to contain her embarrassment.

"That's cause I bit her lip last night for revenge from last time."

Ruby crawls out of her hood and slaps her cheeks. They're still red but she doesn't care at this point. "Okay, so you aren't together?"

"Nora described it as together but not together-together."

"You and I both know that makes zero sense."

"Exactly. That's what makes it perfect. It makes about as much sense as our relationship."

Joan groans. "I can tell Yang came up with that one. It's one of those rules you two talked about, isn't it?"

He nods. "Hundred-percent."

Yang enters the cafeteria and spots them immediately. "Hey, you," she says with a purr. When she sits down, he kisses her cheek.

Ruby retreats back into her hood, gets up, and walks away. Joan rolls her eyes and follows after her.

"You were right," Jaune says, "this is fun."

"Glad you think so. Cause I'm about to sprinkle a bit of madness your way."

Dread hitches itself like prickled grass on his skin. "Okay… Hit me."

"My uncle's coming to Beacon."

"Uh… That's not so bad. Qrow and I are friends."

"No, you don't understand. He saw us at the park and followed us to the apartment to make sure we got home safe."

"Oh… oh, fuck. How much… how much did he hear?"

"Enough to want to meet with your privately. He told me not to tell you. He'll message you later tonight."

"He's going to kill me, isn't he?"

She winces. "Worse."

"What?"

"Qrow wasn't mad on the phone. He was… embarrassed."

Simultaneously he felt relief and yet more dread. "Oh… oh no…"

[grifalinas]

Batter Up (working title) (Chapter 5)

-/-

Flint took Radley with him to help bring back lunch, and while they waited for their orders, he finally calmed down enough to actually talk.

“You knew about Deacon, didn’t you,” he asked.

“I knew he was lying about his age,” Radley said. “He was at school with me, he graduated last summer. He used to give me a hard time.”

“That why you were fighting?”

Radley nodded, a little embarrassed. “It felt like a chance to finally get my own back, so I thought I’d try needling him a bit. I wasn’t expecting him to swing on me.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I wasn’t kidding, you know, I take responsibility for us fighting.”

“Yeah, well.” Flint gave him a sour look. “I don’t like him lying about being able to bake. That’s what I need him for.”

“Not really.” Radley gestured vaguely at himself. “You taught me all your recipes since I was a toddler, I could make them blindfolded, and by the time school lets back in you’ll be able to hire someone else. Demand probably won’t be super high after the first week we’re open, and if it is, you’ll be able to afford more employees anyway.”

“All the more reason to fire him, then.” He huffed a stray lock of hair out of his eyes, then huffed again and slipped a sequined scrunchy from his wrist to pull it all back with a grumble. “What do I need him for when I’ve got you?”

“He can run the front and be an extra set of hands, since Mr. Bassington can’t do any heavy lifting and won’t let Eddie. Actually I feel like Deacon will really thrive if you put him doing heavy lifting.”

“I have you to do my heavy lifting.”

“I’m still a minor. I’m pretty sure those liabilities apply to me, too, and Mr. Bassington just looked the other way. But he’s not going to for very long.”

Flint leaned back in his chair with a groan. “What in the world has Raphael gotten me into? That man is way too controlling.”

“He’s doing his job.”

Flint let out a frustrated little growl. “Changed your tune, have you?”

“He makes a better second impression. Things have gone way smoother with him organizing everything. And he puts his money where his mouth is when it comes to protecting his employees. He isn’t just worried about legal issues, he really does try to protect the people under him.”

There was a long silence, and Radley added, a little hesitantly, “You looked like you were about to start swinging on Deacon earlier.”

“I wanted to,” Flint admitted. “I like to think I wouldn’t have…” He shook his head. “But there’s no way for Sam to have known one way or another.”

There was another long silence, Flint mulling over the Deacon situation while Radley scrolled social media in an idle sort of way. Finally Flint sighed and slumped, a little defeated.

“Guess I owe the kid an apology,” he said. “And Sammy, too…”

-/-

Samuel felt it might help cool Flint’s temper a little if the kitchen was cleaned up by the time he got back, so he set Deacon and Eddie to do that while he went back to supervising the work crew and getting everything else done.

While Radley and Deacon appeared to have declared each other public enemy number one, Deacon seemed to have no such animosity for Eddie, though the two had interacted little thus far. Eddie seemed intent on making up for this discrepancy now that they were working on a task together, though.

“-and Mr. Bassington says he’s going to introduce me to Rosie and we’re going to be best friends so I’m trying to decide what things I like that he didn’t mention her liking that I should try to introduce her to and I’m thinking of seeing if she listens to Angel DJ on the radio because that’s my favorite radio show and if she gets into music through Angel DJ then we can get into music on the same path instead of both of us discovering stuff, not that that isn’t fun but it’s really fun to find stuff together, me and Radley used to get into stuff through Angel DJ together all the time but then he stopped really caring much about getting into music except as something fun to play while you do other stuff and I like music as something that exists in its own right and should be experienced by itself too and Radley doesn’t like looking up stuff about the artists like how what I do so he’s not fun but I bet maybe I hope that Rosie will be into music like how what I’m into music so we can be into music together.”

Deacon gave her a second to make sure that was actually the end of the sentence and poked his head out of the oven he was cleaning to ask, “What’s Angel DJ?”

“It’s a radio show! Angel is just some guy, he broadcasts from his apartment and he isn’t tied to any specific radio station so he can just play whatever he likes, so he just plays stuff he’s into. He’s been on a bit of an eighties rock kick lately, and he’s playing a lot of Queen stuff so I’ve been really getting into them, I was watching videos of their performances on the internet and they’re SO cool.”

Deacon laughed. “No arguments there. I learned to play on Queen songs.”

“You play?” She lit up. “What do you play?! I don’t play anything, I kinda wouldn’t mind learning but I can’t even pick anything because I hear a song and I think ‘boy it’d be fun to play that I bet’ but there’s so many different parts that go into it that I just end up getting bogged down. What do you play? Guitar? Drums? Keys?”

“Uh… well I main bass, but I can do electric…” He rocked back on his heels to tick off on his fingers. “...Mother made me learn piano and violin so I can do keys and violin, and I was percussion ensemble in high school so most basic percussion, though I’m not great at drums, and I sing.”

Eddie stared at him with stars in her eyes and squeaked out, “That’s so cool~”

He opened his mouth to say he wouldn’t mind playing for her sometime, if she was into that, and was interrupted by the return of Flint and Radley. He clammed up, returning to the oven without a word, leaving Eddie to go help get the food unpacked and call the crew in. He listened to her chattering about how Deacon could play and liked Queen and wasn’t that SO cool?, and stilled to listen to their response.

“You don’t think it’s cool that I like Queen,” Radley said.

“That’s because you just like listening to them. Deacon learned to play on Queen songs.”

“You play?” Flint asked, when Deacon finally emerged from the oven to join them for lunch.

“He mains bass!” Eddie chirped before Deacon could answer.

“I like music,” he said. “It’s a good distraction.” There was a beat, and, seeing the opening, he added, “Sometimes I play with the house band next door, when one of their permanent musicians can’t make it. You should come hear me play sometime.”

Eddie lit up again. “Oh, can we? Can we, Uncle Flint? Please? Can’t we? Please can we?”

“We’ll… see,” he said, a little uncomfortable. “I think taking you kids into a bar is one of those things your old man would kick my ass for.”

Eddie deflated like a three month old birthday balloon. “I’m never going to be old enough to do anything fun.”

“And once you are you’re going to be carded for years,” Flint agreed, reaching over to ruffle her hair. “Sorry, kiddo, that’s just how it is.”

This got a huff, and she batted his hands away before turning to pout at her lunch.

“Sorry,” Deacon said, shuffling a little. “I wasn’t thinking about the age thing, I guess…”

-/-

After lunch, once everyone had gotten back to work, Flint decided to talk to Samuel first. His partner was guiding two of their contractors through putting up the menu boards; Flint took hold of his arm to get his attention, and startled back when Samuel jerked his arm back as if Flint’s touch had burned him.

“Sorry-” they both attempted at the same time, and Flint shook his head before jerking his head toward the office. “Can we talk?”

Samuel paused, and looked to the contractors, but they seemed to have the menu boards under control so he nodded and the two headed back to the office.

“I’m sorry,” Samuel began, before Flint could say anything. “I’m- sensitive to touch sometimes.”

Flint waved that away as unimportant. “I wanted to talk to you about earlier. I owe you an apology, and a thank you.”

“I don’t think I’m the one you owe an apology to.”

“I know. The kid’ll get one in a little while, I just want to get my thoughts in order before I talk to him.”

He sat down in his chair, and Samuel followed suit with a nod of approval. “Smart call.”

“Yeah, turns out I got a couple of braincells kicking around in here.” He cracked a lopsided smirk and then shook his head. “Anyway. I also wanted to thank you. I can’t say for sure that I wasn’t going to swing on the kid, even if I’d like to think I wouldn’t, but I can say for sure if I had you would have stopped me. I appreciate that.”

Samuel opened his mouth to say something, then shut it and shrugged. “We have a responsibility to protect the people we employ, and that includes from each other. I take that seriously.”

“Not a lot of people do.” He leaned his chair back with a sigh. “I wonder if that’s why Raphael sent you to me? She knows I got a temper. I’m a little impulsive, too. And I don’t always think things through…”

“To protect your employees from you? I doubt that. She seemed very invested in your success, and I don’t think she would be if she thought you were the sort to abuse your employees.”

“Not so much that, just someone to curb my impulses when they might have collateral damage.”

“Ah, right. That makes more sense.”

Flint watched him for another quiet moment, taking a few seconds to enjoy his rigid, perfectly controlled posture that did nothing to diminish the amount of him there was- here was a man who had never been taught to take up less space, though paradoxically his presence seemed to invite others into the space he was already occupying. Flint was struck with a bizarre desire to press into his side, enjoy his warmth while they shared… something, anything, it didn’t matter.

He shook the thought away.

“So if she sent you to keep me in line, what did she mean for you to get out of it? Think maybe she wants me to loosen you up?”

“Given she’s applied the words ‘tightly wound’ to me more than a few times in our friendship, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“You ever think Raph secretly wants to produce a sitcom? That’d explain all the odd couple situations she’s always setting up.”

Samuel chuckled softly at that, and Flint suddenly felt as if he’d been shot through the throat.

He must be staring, because Samuel was giving him a confused look. “Everything okay?”

“Wh-? Oh, yeah. Fine. Just didn’t know you were capable of laughing, that’s all.”

“Maybe if you didn’t run off every time your niece starts talking…”

Flint let out a startled bark of laughter at that. “Yeah? Try living with her, pal. I need a break sometimes, you know. Your girl a chatterbox too?”

“No, she’s very quiet. You’d hardly know she was there half the time.”

“When are you bringing her around? Eddie’s not going to stop pestering yout about it until you do.”

Another of those laughs that made Flint feel like curling his toes up. “To be honest, I’m hoping I can get some of the anticipation to wear off. Rosie is so wonderful but Eddie’s hopes are so high.”

“You’ll never do that. Eddie doesn’t curb her enthusiasm, she just gets more tightly wound up until she finally experiences the thing she’s excited about. We took her to an amusement park to see this singer she was into once and she got so excited she threw up. Keep putting it off and you’re just perpetuating the problem.”

“Hmm.” Samuel seemed a little put out by that, and stroked his beard thoughtfully. “I suppose I could have Theresa drop her off tomorrow? I’m sure she’ll be interested in seeing what we’ve got going on here anyway. She’s very nosy, though she’ll never admit that.”

Flint grinned. “Sounds like a plan!”

-/-

Unfortunately, after his chat with Samuel, Flint had to bite the bullet and talk to Deacon. He didn’t want to. He was still furious with the kid, still wouldn’t really mind just tossing him out and letting him be someone else’s problem.

But whatever he felt about Deacon’s choices, he had behaved far worse, and if he wanted to be the sort of man his kids could look up to, he had to be the sort of man that owned up when he misstepped. So he told Samuel to send the kid in, and took a seat behind his desk and tried not to look like he was sulking too hard over having to apologize.

Deacon slouched in like a spooked animal, like he fully expected Flint to start yelling at him again and, oof, that was fair. Suddenly apologizing felt a lot more doable and a lot more important.

“Siddown, kid, I’m not gonna bite you,” Flint said, waving vaguely at the second desk chair that Samuel usually occupied. “I just wanna talk. And I owe you an apology. I shouldn’t have blown up like that.”

Deacon shrugged, like that didn’t factor to him, and said, in a rushed sort of way, “I’m not sorry about lying. Everyone lies on their resume and they even advise that.”

“They also advise learning how to fake the thing you’re saying you can do,” Flint said. “But that wasn’t really the issue, and you and I both know it.”

An uncomfortable silence descended. Deacon shifted a little in his seat, and said, “It’s cause of the help comment, isn’t it?”

Flint nodded. “I got my recipes from my ma,” he said. “She was an amazing cook, and an even better baker. She taught me and my si- brother coming up, but I was the one who really took to it.” He was silent for a long moment, thinking back to those days with his mother, explaining how every aspect of the recipe worked with every other aspect of the recipe, how to know if the process was working and how to figure out what was missing when it was.

Then he shook his head, dispelling the memory, and went on.

“Ma was a personal chef, she cooked for a lot of wealthy families. Made sure they always had a hot meal waiting without any effort on their part. You know how much thanks she got for it?”

Deacon was shrinking in his chair now, the full realization of what he’d implied hitting him. “‘M sorry,” he mumbled. “I didn’t mean…”

Flint gave him a few more seconds of discomfort before saying, “You should be. That’s the kinda toxic shit you gotta start unlearning now you’re on your own. There’s people out there without a tenth of what you’ve been handed that are worth ten times that, and you’re gonna be surrounded by them now. But. That don’t mean I gotta treat you like that. You’ll never learn like that.”

He leaned back in his chair, waiting in case Deacon had anything to put in, but the kid just stayed staring at the floor. Flint wondered what was going through his head, what he was thinking. If he was taking in what Flint was getting at, or just writing him off as some angry chef’s boy.

“As for your future here… I’ve handed you over to Sammy. Not just because you pissed me off, but also that. I don’t trust my temper enough to be directly in charge of you. But you still answer to both of us. I’m still your boss; Sam is just your direct supervisor.”

Deacon nodded, still staring down at the floor. Flint squinted at him, wondering where all of his fight had gone.

Hmm.

“Hey, kid. Why’d your old man cut you off? What was the decision you made that offended him?”

And, oh, there it was. Deacon bristled up like a rooster with a temper and said, “I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

“There it is. Knew you were in there somewhere. All right, go on, get back to work. Go on.”

He shooed him away; Deacon slouched out in a hurry, before Flint could start Talking To Him again.

-/-

[residentraccoon]

Fave 2021 national finals songs

Since I don't have anything better to do with my life at the moment I decided to ramble about stuff. Okay, here are my thoughts about my fave songs from the national finals of 2021, in no particular order!

Norsk Melodi Grand Prix

• Monument was my absolute favourite and I still can't believe to this day that it didn't win :( Keiino are fking fantastic and they killed the stage (though I kind of preffered the black outfits from the 1st heat over the final ones, they suited the song's athmosphere better). I cried real tears when I saw they lost, for real. Heartbreak 💔

• Hero was such a nice throwback to 80s music style, the staging was also really neat. Would love to see Raylee come back next year in the selection, she has a cool stage presence

• Okay but Vi er Norge was a banger and I'm still listening to this one, a real shame it didn't even qualify nor win the 2nd chance round. As you already knew before, I have a weakness for violins because yes. The performance was so energetic and fun, should have def qualified. Underrated.

• Ut av mørket/Fallen angel was really good too. I wanted it to be kept in norwegian for esc but oh well. The stage show was just a tad messy but memorable.

• I can't escape was something I'd hear from Roxen ngl, the style matches her perfectly, even her cursive singing, everything. Either way I loved this one too, this song feels like a hug.

• Pages was so magical, I'm glad we got another joik song, sadly this didn't qualify 😥

• World on fire was kind of generic but puts me in a good mood everytime I listen to it, it's really catchy.

• Let loose is so g r o o v y and cool, it was my fave from the 1st heat when I got to listen to the songs. I'm lowkey happy it advanced to the final instead of Elevate, I'm sorry but I saw everyone praising that one in youtube comments, I never saw the hype, it was too regular and plain for me.

• Own yourself was so cute and funky, loved how it showed her ethnic background a lil with that disco sound.

• Witch woods...ehhh...While it's funny and unique, I think it's suited more for a witch Disney musical than Eurovision. But I like it anyway.

• Faith Bloody Faith oh yes I needed a rock song in this nf. Relieved it won the 2nd chance. Oh and I just realized, the superfinalists in mgp were literally the ones from the 1st heat. Crazy huh?

• Nordlyset is something I'd listen to near a fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate in hands watching the snow fall in my cottage located in a forest far away from civillization. So soothing and beautiful <3

• Eyes wide open was epic just like his 2020 viking schlager song (i prefer his 2020 song over this one but that's another story)

Melodifestivalen

• Little tot was amazing but def not as good as Bulletproof. It's still catchy asf and one of my favs from this selection.

• Dandi Dansa aka a banger, again another catchy song.

• Every minute sounds like a summer hit, it's awesome. It's also the spawner of all those haha eric on a kitchen tile memes I've seen around during that time.

• The world and especially Sweden wasn't ready for the masterpiece called Rena Rama Ding Dong. They should tone down their preference for safe pop songs and choose meme worthy songs like this one in the future tbh. They didn't even qualify, Sweden = coward.

• One Touch is a fun club track, I can see this as a summer hit as well. But her stage show...go girl give us nothing

• In the middle, once again The Mamas delivered.

• And finally Voices, which its nf staging was superior to the esc one. We are so sorry Tusse 😔

Festivali i Këngës

• Zjarri Im a total banger, it wasn't even in the top 5 ffs Era Rusi queen.

• Njësoj has such a nice party vibe, should have qualified.

• Haven't paid any attention to Karma until it won, then I said hey this isn't so bad, it's traditional and ethnic, I can actually see Albania in the final with this.

Dora

• Rijeka was the only one I thought it will win by a landslide and I was surprised it didn't. The staging was a bit too over the top, though

• Tick Tock grew on me after it won and quickly became one of my faves of this year's esc. I'm still sad it didn't qualify 😔

• She's like a dream is super uplifting and also sounds like an 80s song.

• Colors is something I heard a million times before but for some reason I'm jamming to this? Also I heard she's blind, is it true?

Eesti Laul

• Took me a while to have a fave from this nf but after some listens Magus Melanhoolia stole my heart 🧡 it's so different from the others and the staging looked so proffesional.

• Lost in a dance had me d a n c i n, I noticed we had a lot of 80s throwbacks in this nf season, this included. The live was so dissapointing though 😔

• Not so keen on 6 at first but now I absolutely love it, she has such a nice style and the song's athmosphere is so magical.

• Time was amazing, surprised it came 2nd!

• I actually liked The lucky one lmao, I found it much better than his previous entry.

• Heaven's not that far tonight was the party 80s bop we didn't knew we needed

Dansk Melodi Grand Prix

• Probably my biggest letdown of this nf season but I actually managed to like Står lige her, digging the electro 80s (again) sound

• I also liked Øve os på hinanden as well, this one really feels like a legit 80s track rather than a throwback.

• Silver Bullet was interesting as well, it was the early frontrunner when the songs first came out from what I remember.

Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu

• I love you is so wacky and catchy, and in finnish! I'd hear this as a soundtrack in an old video game.

• Dark Side was the definite winner ever since I heard it, and they even got a top 10 finish for Finland for the first time in years! Couldn't be more proud 😭

• Hurt was also one of my favs, Aksel needs to come back to esc, maybe in 2022 methinks 🤔

• Wait what is Laura Põldvere, an estonian singer tm doing in finnish nf? While I liked Play, I knew it wasn't strong enough to win, and she even came last. Do you get any flashbacks from another estonian entry with the same name that came last? 👀

C'est vous qui decidez

• Voila was the clear winner and that's about it, she deserved the win, it's just too beautiful for this world 😭

• Alleluia was an interesting sound of afrobeat, too bad their chances were killed because of messy staging :(

• Amour fou was so catchy and I loved the horse head thing lmao

Pabandom iš naujo

• Discoteque all day any day. The Roop world domination 💛

• Where'd you wanna go is so calming. I listen to this when I'm stressed and it works wonders, this was really beautiful.

• Open is so unique and soothing, a total contrast from her 2014 entry.

• Never fall for you again is a total earworm, even now as I'm writing this...even if I haven't listened to it since February.

Sanremo

• Zitti e Buoni was my instant fave, it simply stood out from the others by a lot.

Festival da Canção

• Por um triz is a beautiful ballad, was my fave.

• Saudade was the early favourite, reminds me of Telemoveis with its weird but artsy style.

Israel NF

• ...I really only liked Set me free tbh.

• La la love had a good potential but I can't not cringe at the corona reference like...ugh. Such a fun party song killed by one lyric, such a shame.

Russia's NF

• Just Russian Woman was the only one who deserved to win.

Spain's NF

• Yeah, they were both good but I liked Voy a Quedarme more.

[shebpaw]

Books I Haven’t Read/Finished Yet But I Want To

Hello again! 

From my last post about animal book recs, I noticed a LOT of people mentioning other books I missed. In that post, I included books/series I’ve already read, and the suggestions you guys have given sound awesome and I can’t wait to read/finish them!

In the same vein, I wanted to share some books/series that I’m either currently reading or want to read and why I’m excited.

1. Guardians of GaHoole/Wolves of The Beyond/Bears of the Ice - Kathryn Lasky

A lot of you suggested Guardians and TRUST ME, I’m right on the same page! I actually own the entire series and a few one-shots I have yet to read. The thing is, I am an INSANELY SLOW reader. I have a bit of dyslexia and ADHD so reading is actually pretty hard at times, even for books so short. I usually listen to audiobooks because it gives me the freedom to occupy my hands while “reading” (also helps pass the time while I work/drive). GoG only has the first 3 or 4 books on audio, so it’s been a while working through all 15. I’m on “Exile” right now so I’m aaaaaalmost there! 

There are, however, audiobooks for Wolves of the Beyond and Bears of The Ice, so I’m mostly caught up there. I recently cancelled my Audible subscription for money reasons so I’ve had to drop WotB until I can get it from my library. 

I really REALLY encourage you guys to read the two spin-offs of GoG if you haven’t. I feel like those two series get forgotten because GoG is “over”, but these series actually continue the series in a way, albeit peripherally. And they’re just as good! I love all three series a lot and I’ll definitely come back here after I’ve FINALLY finished GoG.

 2. Swordbird - Nancy Yi Fan 

I don’t see a lot of hype for this series and honestly there should be! Nancy Yi Fan was the youngest published author, 14, at the time of Swordbird’s publishing. So far, it’s Redwall with birds, and I’m loving it! I love birds very much, and I’m excited to see where this goes!

This book is important to me because I remember reading about Nancy Yi Fan and her accomplishments when I was about 11 and wanting to be just like her. Not to get too dramatic, but I’ve struggled with writing/grammar for a long time (again, Dyslexia and ADHD) and was told by a particularly awful teacher that I’d never write anything of value. Nancy Y Fan’s accomplishments made me feel otherwise and I really think she was the start of me working past my disabilities to write stories. I still write as an adult and I’m hoping to be published someday, and I’ll always think back to Swordbird. 

It’s a shame I haven’t read it yet. It was never in any libraries and I only just recently learned it was on Kindle and I was really excited! Life gets in the way, but I really am trying to read it. I hope Yi Fan is still writing and it would be really cool to meet her one day and thank her. 

3. The Wild Road - Gabriel King

Oh, look! More cats! After Tailchaser’s Song I was itching for more Warriors-esque books, and I’ve been told The Wild Road fits the bill! Also, Richard Adams liked it, so I have high hopes. 

I had to buy this book also because no libraries had it again. It’s really a shame, but what can you do. I get kind of hesitant to buy books I haven’t read at all because I’ve been duped before by what I thought was a good book. Also, Im poor. 

Anyway, so far I like this one! It’s a series so I hope it holds up as it goes. 

4. Catamount - Micheal Peak

Another unusual animal protag book! Sadly, I don’t own this one or seen it in a library. It’s been sitting in my Goodreads list for sometime, but I’m excited to find it! It gives me The Rescuers: Down Under vibe for some reason, its probably the eagle. 

5. Dragon of the Lost Sea - Laurence Yep 

Oh boy, I’m gonna get passionate again. 

Lemme preface this by saying I have read this book, but only NOW did I learn that it’s part of a series.

Look, EVERYONE knows Laurence Yep. He’s a prolific author. You probably had to read a work of his in school. Which is why its breaks my heart to know that this book series not ONLY has no audiobook or even e-book exists, but physical copies are REALLY hard to find. I recently tracked down one on Amazon and they were out of stock. 

I wasn’t even sure that I didn’t dream this book up for YEARS. When I was in middle school, I remember picking this book up in my school’s media center. That is the ONLY place I’ve EVER seen this book in person. I fucking loved this book. After a while, though, I forgot the title and for a bit I thought I had just made it up. This series is almost NEVER mentioned when looking up Laurence Yep, and this book is awesome! 

So, wish me luck tracking down the rest of this series, its kind of become my life’s work, ngl. I’ve considered calling up my old middle school to see if I can buy their copy off them. 

6. The Named - Clare Bell

Shout out to @climbdraws​ for reminding me that this series existed! If you haven’t seen their fan art for the series, go check it out! 

I swear I saw this in a Borders years ago, forgot the name, and had a mindblowing epiphany when Climb mentioned it some 6-ish years later. 

If you guys don’t know, I like prehistoric creatures A LOT. The Named, I think, is about prehistoric Cheetahs or some similar cat. I recently bought the first book and I’m really looking forward to it! 

7. Silverhair - Stephen Baxter

More prehistoric animals! Also another book that I haven’t found yet. It’s always out of stock when I check Amazon (as of writing I just learned that this is at my local library but I’m moving to another state in less than a week so SHIT). 

8. Song of The Summer King - Jess E. Owen

Y’know what I love more than prehistoric animals? GRIFFINS! Oooooh, do I love griffins! I literally cannot tell you how much I WISH there were more griffin books. Dragons are great, but they need to take a rest and let Griffins have the spotlight for a bit (I’m also writing a book about Griffins hint hint hint). 

I have this one on Kindle and I’m working through it. It’s a series too, so hooray! 

That’s all I got so far. I’m always open to suggestions, it’ll just take me a long ass time to read them.  

[leotssukinaga]

It’s Nice to Have a Friend

Kozume Kenma x Reader

Summary: Based on It’s Nice to Have a Friend by Taylor Swift. You and Kenma are childhood friends, but something else has been blooming for a long time. Word Count: 2113 A/N: I was gonna put this song on the songfic list, but I already knew I wanted to write it for Kenma so I didn’t. Finally got round to that. Also can y’all tell he’s my favourite character to write dksdg Warnings: Alcohol and drinking.

It's been like this for as long as you can remember, even after he started playing volleyball Kenma always walks you home. In middle school you'd sit in on practice, walking home with him afterwards, and he'd often stay for dinner at your parents behest. Now you're in high school there's no need since you only live 5 minutes from Nekoma's campus. He walks you home anyway. There are many things Kenma will never admit to you, the first being that he doesn't actually have an extra ten minutes before practice, he just doesn't mind rushing if it means he knows you're safe. You'd spent the first year of high school insisting that you'd get home fine on your own, or that you didn't mind waiting, but he never listened to you. He had time, he said, and nothing about his tone suggested that it was a lie. It was, but Kuroo never teased him too much for his sacrifice (or at least if he did, Kenma just tuned him out.) Tonight though, there's no practice, and the setter waits at his desk for you to pack up once class ends. He knows you always take a moment, the array of coloured pens you use (because notes should be colour coded to make studying easier, you’d insisted in your second year of middle school) take time to put away. You tuck the note he'd passed you earlier into your pocket. You always keep them. He doesn't know that. The smile he gives you as he holds a hand out to carry your bag is barely visible, but it's certainly there, and warmth spreads through your chest at the sight. 

Snow swirls around you, settling in your hair and on your lashes as your rummage through your bag for your hat and gloves. Kenma can't stop himself from staring at you, the light reflecting off the half melted flakes giving you an ethereal glow. If you weren't half freezing to death, he'd want to stay like this forever. Your cheeks are rosy from the cold as you triumphantly wave your hat around, but your grin soon fades as you realise your gloves are nowhere to be found. Kenma doesn't say a word as he removes one of his, placing it in your hand. He's refusing to make eye contact, and given the weather it's hard to tell whether the red on his cheeks is a blush or not. You know better than to argue, slipping the glove onto your right hand and thanking him quietly. 

As the two of you reach your street, you notice a pair of colourful cat ears on a patch of ground untouched by snow. Your neighbours 6 year old had been drawing on the sidewalk this morning when you left for school, the weather having changed unexpectedly, and you pouted a little knowing her lovely drawing would be ruined. Kenma's features turned puzzled as you ran to the spot, kicking the snow away and grinning when you realised the drawing hadn't been too affected by the snow. He watched in confused amusement as you snapped a few pictures of it and emailed them to your printer. "Why?" "I thought it would be a nice thing to give to her. She's only little, she must've been devastated when she realised it would be washed away." There are many things Kenma will never admit to you, and the second is that moments like this- where you do things just for the sake of being kind, where you smile at him and explain your kindness like it's the most obvious thing in the world- are the moments he lives for. He'd give up video games to see you like this one more time. The snow is coming down heavier as you reach your front door, and you pull him under the portico to protect him. "Wanna hang out?" "Yeah, sounds like fun." Your smile is as radiant as ever as you insert the key into the lock, calling out for your parents once the door is shut behind the two of you. One day he hopes he'll walk through the front door of your own shared house, or that it will be your kids calling for you as you prepare dinner together, but at the moment it seems like nothing more than a pipe dream. For now, he's content with what you have, building things in Minecraft, kicking his ass at Mariokart, logging into Elder Scrolls Online together after practice. In the summer you could occasionally coax him outdoors, although the closest you'd gotten him to indulging in your love of camping was a tent in your back garden. (He hadn't liked it, but you were so happy he couldn't complain, and waking up in that close proximity to you had made his heart swell.) He stays the night, the snow far too heavy for him to make it home, and around 3am you roll over to face him. "Hey Kenma?" "Yeah?" "Its nice to have a friend." "Yeah, it is." The glow of your alarm clock illuminates your faces enough to make the smile you share visible. It’s the last thing you see before you fall asleep. 

When college rolls around, it surprises nobody that you'd picked the same one. Even if you hadn't made a conscious decision to go together, you've always been synchronised. Two sides of the same coin, your parents had commented more than once. Your smile had been contagious when you announced that you got in, and he'd seemed genuinely energetic for once as he announced that he had too. 

Neither of you are much for parties, too many people and definitely too much noise, but that doesn’t mean you can't have your own fun. He'd been confused and a little apprehensive when you'd pulled him up the stairs and onto the roof, but it soon became clear what you'd planned out. Several bottles of alcohol sit in the centre of the large picnic blanket that's stretched over the concrete surface of the rooftop, both of your Switches, a few board games and, of course, Uno neatly arranged next to them. A bluetooth speaker softly plays a mix of both your favourite songs, and a grin spreads across his oft emotionless face as he takes it all in. It's his idea of the ideal party- one with nobody but you- and the look on your face tells him you knew that. "What d'you want to drink?" "Whatever you're having..." You hand him a bottle of something blue, and he's surprised at the sweetness when he takes a sip. "So, 20 questions or Uno?" "Why not both?" "I knew you were secretly a genius." 

He admits, once the alcohol has made its way into his system a little more, that the stress has been piling up recently, that he really needed this to unwind, that you always seem to know exactly how to fix things even just for a moment. He attempts to retracts the statement once you kick his ass at Uno, but the way you giggle makes his heart beat and the way your lips glisten with the stray drop of vodka that lingers after you take a sip brings back the years of daydreams he's had about kissing you. The sky is turning pink, but the late hour doesn't matter anymore, not when you're in your twenties and you don't have class tomorrow. "Its pretty like this." "Yeah, you are." "Hm?" "Uh- nothing. The sky is nice." You decide to let it slide.  "Yeah, it's a really good colour. I think it might be one of my favourites..." There are many things Kenma will never admit- the third being what he’s thinking right now- that his favourite colour is the blush on your cheeks, the way your eyes shine in the light, the colour of your lips between your teeth when you're nervous. That if he had to pick a favourite colour it would simply be you. He doesn't know when he got the courage to put his hand on yours, but you haven't moved it away, and the smile on your face as you take in the sunset tells him you don't have an issue.  "Hey, Y/N?" "Yeah?" "Its nice to have a friend." He mirrors your words from a few years ago, the meaning behind it deeper than before. You grin, pink and purple illuminating your beauty, and after 15 years of knowing you he's found no evidence that you aren't an angel. He doubts there is any. "Yeah, it is."

It's always been like this, you smiling at Kenma and him smiling back- a smile that nobody else gets to see. Today, everyone sees it, though it's meant only for you. He leans in to whisper to you as you reach him, tears in both your eyes, and though the wedding is small the love and joy you feel from everyone in the room is overwhelming. When you were 10 and he invited you over for the first time to play Zelda on his gamecube, neither of you could imagine a future where you got married at all, let alone to each other. In high school, when you showed up to his games with a red number five on a sign and his spare jacket tied round your waist (when did you steal that?) he could only dream of a day like this. There are many things Kenma had thought he’d never admit, and now he wanted to tell you all of them. Starting with the fact that your first kiss, the first time he told you he loved you, the night you fell asleep with your head in his lap- none of them could compare to how he felt right now, looking at you on your wedding day.

Bells ring behind you as white confetti gathers on the ground, and from a distance it would almost look like it was snowing. You pose for photos for what feels like hours, every possible combination and location exhausted. The reception is as beautiful as the ceremony, though far less refined, and you've just sat down next to Kenma to take a break when Kuroo pulls you to your feet, insisting it's tradition to dance with the best man. You both know it's a lie, but you've been putting up with his antics for long enough to know that your better off just rolling with it. "I've never seen Kenma smile this much, you know." "Me neither, actually." "Its because of you." "I'm glad I make him happy." "Does he make you happy?" "D'you think I'd have married him if he didn't?" "Thats the right answer."

Kenma insists on carrying you into your apartment, despite the exhaustion visible on his face, and you kiss his cheek gently as he closes the door. You make your way to the kitchen to make tea, and you don't notice him behind you until he's tickling your sides, grinning at your giggles. "You're sleeping on the couch if you don't stop!" "You don't mean that." "I do!" "Prove it." He keeps going, and you eventually concede. You'd never kick him out of bed, even if he was being a little shit right now. This playful side of Kenma didn't come out too often- but you adored when it did. You reach up to tuck a strand of hair behind his ear. It's mostly black now, and tied back as usual. It suits him, you think, as you cup his cheek and kiss him with all the tenderness in the world. 

The next morning starts with light flooding through your curtains and your husbands arms around you. You can feel him gently kissing your shoulder as you reach down to take his hand in your own. "Morning babe..." "Morning love." You turn around to face him, eerily reminiscent of a night all those years ago. The smile on his face is the same as it had been then. Being this close to him feels like home. "Let's stay in bed today." "I like the sound of that." You know that when it comes down to it, you'll always have him. You wouldn't want it any other way. There are many things Kenma thought he would never admit, many secrets he now wants to spill to you and nobody else, but the one thing he wants to tell anybody who’ll listen- is just how much he loves you. "Hey Kenma?" "Yeah?" "Its nice to have a friend." "Yeah." He brings your hand up to his mouth, placing a gentle kiss on each of your fingers, pausing with his lips on your wedding ring. "Yeah, it is." 

taglist: @tremendousglitterthing​ @svtbitch​ @the-fandom-ness​ @atsumumu​ (I ACTUALLY REMEMBERED THIS TIME)

[diteach]

2020 in review

I was tagged by @apeironaxiomaton to look back at 2020 and pretty much to try and not hate it so much! Thank you!!

Also I’m stealing the idea of putting everything under a cut, which I have never done in my life (and probably should start doing) bc it makes things neat as heck. Almost none of these are in a particular order.

Top 5 movies I saw this year:

Volevo Nascondermi by Giorgio Diritti - this movie is REALLY good AND I have good memories tied to the protagonist for Reasons I’m gonna cry bye (a shame that I’ve only watched this other excellent movie starring Elio Germano tonight bc it should be on this list)

Emma (2020)

The King’s Speech

Spirited Away or Porco Rosso - I had watched the first before and never the second so I think the fairer choice would be Porco Rosso but I’m not entirely convinced of it

The Wolf of Wall Street - look, I simply have a weak spot for stories that are so absurd they can be nothing but real (see “the other Elio Germano movie”)

Top 5 TV shows I watched this year:

Murdoch Mysteries - it will stay engraved in the first place of EVERY chart in saecula saeculorum and NO nothing can take its place I don’t care

Peaky Blinders

Alias Grace - which I was sure was a movie? I was so shocked to discover it isn’t like was it really six hours long what the

The Queen’s Gambit

Suburra: Blood on Rome - “The series was developed by Daniele Cesarano and Barbara Petronio for Netflix, making it its first Italian-language original television series.” I’ll be honest, some bits were a little bit hmm-inducing. Not the best tv series I’ve ever seen, but it managed to be fun and easy to watch. Suspenseful even!

Top 5 Songs:

So there’s a reason why Spotify said I’m an octogenarian this year and for as much as I complain about it... it’s right... Spotify’s right. And it will only get worse, I’m afraid. All the songs are from the same playlist which was my most listened to (and is the most interesting to share imo). I swear I have listened to other, newer things as well.

Shake That Thing by The Abe Lyman’s California Orchestra

Night Hawk Blues by The Coon-Sander’s Nighthawk Original Orchestra

Where the Sweet Forget-Me-Nots Remember by Merle Johnston and His Ceco Couriers (I’ve loved these flowers since I was a kid it was so nice to find a song with them in the title!!)

Dew Dew Dewey Day by Nat Shilkret

The Panic is On by Mezz Mezzrow And His Swing Band

Top 5 Books I Read This Year:

so this is embarrassing,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I “bought” an insane amount of books and read a grand total of...like...t w o. It was actually like four and some short stories (which I hated and are therefore banished from the good boy list) so I’m gonna list my silly little titles and make my silly little comments about them all. From “””””best””””” to “worst” we have:

The Adventures of a Modest Man by Robert W. Chambers - I literally cannot shut up about this book and, yes, it is the one tied to this illustration, about which I equally cannot shut up about. It’s so horrible that it makes a 360 and comes back as good, but not before hitting you with a cardboard tube for a laugh and subsequently stabbing you in the kidneys just because it can. I think we can confidently state that we are in the “I didn’t say it was good, I said I liked it” realm. I have so many questions about this book. Why was it written? Was it taking itself seriously? Was it commissioned by someone? Why is it so gay but only if you know that the author is a man? Maybe it’s a parody? Was it an experiment made by the author to test his own skill? I know jack about literature, unfortunately, so grain of salt here but it made me feel strong feels. Not that I could identify any of them if you asked, but they’re definitely there.

Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot - I’m counting this in bc what is a book if not a patchwork of silly little paragraphs anyway so yes, we have a collection of poems. Not only do I know jack about literature; as a matter of fact, I know jack about poetry as well! All I’m gonna say is: I like cute things, I like cats, the poems were cute AND about cats. I really liked it! I often find myself going back and reading again specific parts just for the delight it is to read them out loud! I also may or may not have named the cats you can adopt in Stardew Valley after some of Eliot’s cats. The movie Cats (2019) did one good thing: making me read this.

How You Can Keep Fit by Rudolph Valentino - Yes, that is correct. A book on fitness written (in English!) by silent movie superstar Rodolfo Valentino. It is less than 100 pages on real, actual exercises that the reader can replicate in the comfort of their own house with little to no equipment. With a sprinkle of old timey manly manner of speaking, a few anecdotes from the author’s childhood in ye merry Italian countryside, a dusting of precious advice against ice-cream, and a dash of genuine intrigue for these newly discovered “vitamins” everyone is talking about. Overall a fascinating read that I treasure dearly! Valentino also wrote a book of poems, which I am absolutely thrilled to read this year.

For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway - Hmm.. I have mixed feelings about this one. Whenever the original language of a book is English, I instinctively want to read it in that language. Because I can! And because that way I get to read exactly what the author wrote. If it was another language, I’d get a translation, make peace with the fact that selling my soul to acquire perfect knowledge of all things is morally questionable, and call it a day. Problem: I’m a sucker for old books. And old books I did find indeed. There were three books by Hemingway for sale, very pretty, and for an almost symbolic price too so I bought them. They are Italian translations from the late 50s and my plan was to go through one in Italian, one in English, and after that, decide in which language to read the last one. I believe it was a mistake for me to start with Italian in Hemingway’s case. He’s known for having a very, VERY peculiar style that is integral to how the novels are perceived and I feel like I've robbed myself of literal peace of mind. For as much as I found the story interesting, I could not ignore the voice in the back of my head that kept wondering “was it necessary to render it like this?”. It did make me feel feels and think thoughts, but honestly? It was partially for the wrong reasons imo. It’s one of those books you should read at least once in your life, I guess, so I’m definitely glad I did it! Surprisingly, it captured me more than I expected and trapped me into its little world. I could clearly imagine the scenes in my head, which hadn’t happened in years! I’m really excited to move on to the next two books and finally be able to say if I appreciate his style or not.

Top 5 positive things that happened to me in 2020:

Visited Rome and took a stroll around on my own (sort of) for the first time in my life. I had never seen it at night :) Right after that I celebrated my birthday and got some cute gifts, including sweets that were sent all the way from Australia!!

Managed to buy my mom a gift, which is possibly the only real Accomplishment of 2020.

Took a bizarre trip this summer (I know, guilty) and fell in love with Slovenia

Discovering I like textile arts kinda gave me hope for myself and for the future. I say kinda for I dare not think concretely of anything too positive lest it should be prematurely taken from me. I shan’t elaborate. It is what it is.

Therapy!!!

The last few months of 2020 really hit me hard whereas in the beginning nothing was too bad so it was nice to see the list growing and growing! So many tiny good things happened and it’s worth to cling onto them. I’m tagging @sonicysuchillydog, @nurmilintunen, @alfonzone and anyone else who’d like to participate!! “Tell them I sent you” lol. Guys.............if you don’t feel like going thru your 2020 feel free to ignore bc......I get it............................

[hwajin]

Okay, I will sort after Pokémon Generations and not Stray Kids age in this one because it feels weird to start with gen 6 for example and then change to Gen 4 xD

Also I’ll insert pictures of the starter Pokémon and their evolutions, since they are a big part of every game, but that’s it. But I'll do that in the next ask fjdjdj it won't let me add pictures here. Sometimes I might add a picture of something else as well. It’s not based on anything, it’s just the vibes I get. And I’ll sort from both, Generation and Region. Sometimes they remake an older Game in a Generation, so if this is something that influences my choice, I’ll talk about that too, but it’s mostly about the Region itself.

4 of those were pretty easy to choose while the other 4 weren’t that difficult to choose, but kinda hard to explain. I hope it’s still understandable. Also I’ll talk about the starters with their name. The fire starter will have a red name, water blue and grass green. Most of the time that’s also the color of the Pokémon as well, but if not, they have something else to them that makes it obvious if they are fire, water or grass type.

Anyways, here I go:

Chan as Kanto//Gen 1

Now obviously Chan gets the OG. The one game everything started with. The region the company adores the most.

Okay well, I didn’t choose Chan as Kanto for being the first Region, but rather because of the vibes. Just like any other Anime, Pokémon has a new Intro for every new season and the one Chan sang/listened to was the first one both times! Sure, this doesn’t say much since it’s also the most well known and probably best intro (Just saying, I like Johto, Unbeatable, I want to be a hero and the XYZ remake as well lol), but still. My other reason are the starters!

There are several pictures of Chan with anything Squirtle related. One of them even used to be my wallpaper. But Charmander as well. I’ve seen many people compare him to Charmander. Charmander who is that one Pokémon (besides Pikachu ofc) that everyone knows. Or at least his evolution Charizard. Charizard is also the Pokémon the company loves the most and in the Anime, Charizard often did his own thing, ignoring what his “Boss” told him to do. He would just casually fight back. Besides that, remember the Pokémon I showed you yesterday? Dragonite? Well, Dragonite and Charizard have the same color scheme, so that fits as well.

But now we’ll come to the rather bad things about it. So trigger warning; the hate Chan gets. Kanto being the start of everything makes Pokémon fans love and respect the region, even though it’s not their favourite. At least that’s what you’d think. Kanto is one of the most controversial regions. There are people saying everything but Kanto is shit and there are others, saying Kanto is shit for not being as balanced as newer games and for having many glitches. With Chan it’s kinda similar. Chan gets lots of hate, despite him being a great person and the one who basically created Stray Kids. But still, he gets hate simply for not being perfect, which he can’t be. I could definitely go deep here, but this is not what this is about, so I’ll move on to the next Generation now.

Seungmin as Johto//Gen 2

This one is a bit harder to explain, but it’s just the vibes I get. Seungmin reminds me a lot of end of spring/start of summer and I get the same vibes from Johto! Chikorita and its evolution line alone remind me of Seungmin. Its without a doubt thee weakest starter, not just in Johto, but overall. I chose it anyways, because it looks freaking adorable. And I was surprised. This Chikorita was the MVP of many fights, even though it should have been way weaker since it had a type disadvantage.

Johto has always been a kinda relaxing place for me. I don’t really know why, but just the whole vibe I get from Johto is relaxing. I didn’t play the original games and only half of the remakes, but I watched the anime and I remember falling in love with it. Especially with the theme song. It helped me through some rough times in my childhood, just like my brother did and Seungmin reminds me a lot of my brother.

Also, the box art legends of the game (Lugia and Ho-Oh) remind me of Seungmin because of their lore. Lugia lives underwater since it doesn’t want to disturb anyone by flapping its wings since it’s said that even if it only flaps with them one time, there will be a storm for 40 days. Ho-Oh on the other hand is a Phoenix that will only appear in front of people with a pure heart and show them its wings which will make them lucky. I honestly don’t know why, but both of these stories remind me of Seungmin. But as I said, this one was a bit harder to explain since it’s just the vibes I got.

Felix as Hoenn//Gen 3

Before I start, I love the Hoenn Games xD

Well, anyways. This one was pretty easy to choose and this is where remakes get important. Because in Generation 3, the Kanto Games were remade, which gives us a connection between Chan and Felix. But Hoenn Games were remade as well, in Generation 6, which was the Gen that REALLY got me into Pokémon. Just like Felix alongside with another member got me into Stray Kids. But of course that’s not the only reason.

Felix is that one member that gets so many people into Stray Kids with his deep voice and his visuals and just everything. And just like Felix is many peoples entrance to Stray Kids, Hoenn was the first game of many Pokémon fans. Also, Hoenn is well-known for its iconic music, just like Felix is well-known for his iconic voice. And this might be a bit of a stretch, but Hoenn games are the only games where you can dive. And first of all, being deep under the sea looks so good. But also, deep under the water? Deep voice? You get it.

I also like to think that Felix doesn’t get as much Hate. I know he still gets Hate, but luckily from what I’ve seen not as much. The same is true for Hoenn Games. There’s only one thing people don’t like, which is the amount of water in the games. But other than that, Hoenn Games are loved in the Pokémon Community, which means a lot, because the Pokémon Community is never satisfied.

I used to play the Hoenn Remakes a lot with my friends. Just like I talk a lot about Felix with my friends.

Also I might be wrong but I think Gen 3 was when people really started playing Pokémon competitively and I mean, Felix is a competitive gamer.

Hyunjin as Sinnoh//Gen 4

Ever since 2014/2015, people wanted Sinnoh back in forms of Remakes. Just like we want Hyunjin back right now. And we’ll get them. They were announced a bit earlier this year and not just once, but twice! We’ll get one of them at the end of this year and the second one in the beginning of next year.

But before I say anything else, Furret.

While it isn’t a Gen 4 Pokémon, it’s treated like one. There is a meme about the Furret walking animation until we get the remakes xD

And I don’t think I’ll have to say that a Pokémon called Furret is based on a Ferret? And that it’s fluffy and everyone wants to hug it? Okay, sorry. But despite being a Ferret, it’s also a surprisingly big Pokémon. Whenever people talk about unexpected Pokémon sizes, Furret comes up. It’s not amongst the biggest Pokémon, but it’s still hella big and I want a life-sized plush of it. Aaand I just checked, it’s roughly the size of Hyunjin lmao.

Why am I still talking about Furret? Well, the other reason why I think it fits Hyunjin is the lore! Gen 4 might be the Generation with the most lore we ever got. We were introduced into the God of Pokémon, Arceus (and before someone says he’s a bad God for being able to be caught by a 10 year old, you can’t catch him if you don’t cheat.) and the creation trio. We got to know how the Pokémon world was created, how every life was created and so on. And Hyunjin is life. Okay, I’m sorry, I’ll try to be more serious again. We also got 3 mythical Pokémon, with great myths behind them. We have the nightmare Pokémon Darkrai, which isn’t a bad guy at all. He looks like one in the spin off games, but he isn’t. He stays away from people since he can’t control his power and doesn’t want to cause people to be trapped in nightmares (some pokémon lore is really dark), which reminds me of Hyunjin who stays away a bit to not hurt anyone. Then we have Cresselia, who is the opposite of Darkrai. She makes people dream great things and is the only one to be able to save others from Darkrais Nightmares. And my best dreams feature Hyunjin. And last but not least we have Shaymin, a big Cutie and the thankful Pokémon. I’m Hyunjin very thankful and he’s thankful for Stays as well.

Also, the whole generation just feels very cozy and it’s another fan favorite.

Changbin as Unova//Gen 5

Easy choice. First of all, the games are called “Black and White” and I mean, Changbin and black? Perfect mix. Next is the fire Starter, Tepig! It’s a pig and it evolves into an even bigger wrestler pig and is therefore bulky. Also funfact, Black was my first game ever! Or more like, the game of my brother. But he let me play it and my first Pokémon ever was a Tepig I gave the name of my old cat!

Now, while it was my first Pokémon game ever, I never really played it. I mean, I played about half of it maybe? When I was a kid, but I didn’t pay attention to the story. And afterwards I only tried once playing it again, but I didn’t know where I have to go, so I stopped again quickly. And right now I just don’t feel like playing it.

However, when people now talk about the game now, they talk about it in a kinda dark way, just like people see Changbin as an intimidating person. But I remember some of the most soft and cute parts ever. Just dressing up my team and have them dance for me. Great.

And while Changbin wasn’t the one to introduce me into Stray Kids, he was the one that I felt connected to while I took a break from them. So just like I never really played Pokémon Black but always felt a close connection to it, Changbin never was my Bias nor Bias Wrecker, but I felt that connection.

Besides, the game is about ideals. We have those who follow their dreams and would do anything to pursue them and we have those who cling to the reality and give their best to make it even better. Kinda reminds me of Changbin.

Jeongin as Kalos//Gen 6

Before I say anything else, look at Fennekin who is based on a Fennec Fox. Very underrated. People hate it for the design of its evolution, but I think it’s pretty well-made. Also, competitively seen is Fennekin the best starter to choose from.

Now, Kalos is my baby. I always loved the region. It’s the game that got me into Pokémon, just like Jeongin got me into Stray Kids.

The problem people have with Gen 6 is the story, which I agree, is an important part. They scrapped a lot and left us with a big amount of unsolved mysteries. Maybe the most mysteries out of all games. However, I can excuse that. The lore we got is quite interesting and most people agree that it could have been the best story ever, based on the lore we got. Kalos was their first step into something brand new and the little things were done well. Just that one big part didn’t go well at all. It’s a small region, with not much to it and when I was new in the skz fandom, Jeongin didn’t have much either.

Also, Kalos is a beauty and cuteness based region and let’s be real here, Jeongin is a big cutie. And (it gets corny, be prepared) in Kalos they introduced Mega Evolution, which is an Evolution you can only use if you have a strong bond with your Pokémon.

Minho as Alola//Gen 7

Honestly, this was a harder one again. But I chose him for 1. Litten, the fire cat starter and 2. Because it’s a tropical region and I can see Minho laying on the beach with his sunglasses xD

The concept of this game is different. Something they haven’t done before. And while everyone in Stray Kids is different, I dare to say that Minho has something extra extra to himself.

And yea, that’s it tbh. I’m not the biggest Alola fan. It was fun and I would like to play the game again some time, but I prefer the other games by a lot.

Jisung as Galar//Gen 8

So first of all, we have 2 Pokémon lines that are based on music. Grookey being a drummer and Galarian Zigzagoon being based on the band Kiss. And Jisung is one of the Members who is a bit more connected to music in my opinion. Then, every Region had their own regional Rodent and Galar has a Squirrel! Not a Quokka sadly but look at its cheeks. Very cute.

Galar is based on the UK, where a friend of mine lives. I wanted to go there since I was like 7, but I never got to, which is why walking through the Pokémon version of the UK hit pretty close. Also, said friend reminds me a lot about Jisung. I can’t really describe why, I just think their personalities match.

That’s not much, but I honestly don’t know what else to say. These are my reasons xD

Oh wait, of course. Galar is the game that features some more of the memes in the fandom than the other games. It sometimes seems like the company doesn’t really look into the fandom since we don’t get much beta content and stuff, but them bringing the insiders in some of their games like they did in Galar shows us that they still listen! And I mean, Jisung is pretty funny, yk?

Okay yea, that’s about it. I hope that was understandable and made sense for you. Also I still wanna show you my Pokémon Plushies, but I can’t find some of them right now;-;

- 🐈

mhmm it made sense for me even tho i don't fully understand everything... you know what i mean? it's like- quite complicated but the way you describe everything is really logical!

[schaefferisqueen]

AVPSY Song Ranking

Ok so this is avpsy... so .... confession time. erm, I have never watched avpsy the whole way thru..... oops. Ive watched parts of it and I know the plot. but. too long for me to sit thru oops. ANYWAYS sry this took a while erm I had to go and find each song and listen to them to make sure I knew wtf they were. so. took a while once again.... pretty controversial but not as much as my other ones lmao so HERE U GO

13. This is the End (ok so I love evanna Lynch and Richard ,,,,, but this was not a good opener song oops I rlly dont like. it just,,,, not good I dont like the lyrics and um,, harmonies not so good oops and yes I know they had like 2 days of rehearsal in shitty conditions but um,,,, oh well)

12. Senior Year (ok so I kinda like this when it performed at cons see leaky con 2018 but um,,, I rlly dont. the harmonies feel Kinda off to me and ya it doesn't sit right,,,, also u cant rlly see Meredith or jaime the way the set up the staging oops)

11. Tonight This School is Mine (ok so,,, this is ok song I just never rlly vibed with it. like Darren and Lauren do great and I get the whole situation but I just,,,,, dont like it???? idk dont ask me my mind does not make sense)

10. Days of Summer (ok so this is good I love this song normally I just,,,, ya it was sad cuz then harry say bye to everyone and I cry so ya no oops. but it also fun to see everyone together for it so ya that was cool)

9. Everything Ends (I know I know this is ridiculously low like its everyones favorite but I just dont vibe that hard. like it a good song and and hilarious scene especially when Tyler and Joe m show up but its not my fave but HEY top 10)

8. Get in My Mouth (ya I know a lot of ppl hate this song but I think its hilarious Jeff is so chaotic and kills it and the innuendos are amazing also backup dancers slay like go alle-faye sango elona and arielle!!!!!! they kill it I love them also the harmonies are on point also side note Jeffs costume started breaking half way thru the song and its rlly funny lmao)

7. Going Back to Hogwarts Finale (THE FEEEEELLLLLSSSS also fun fact Darren added the ‘I hope you find that swimming pool’ line like 5 min or less b4 going on stage its amazing lmaoooo Albus scarfie potterrrrrrr and Darren and alle-faye r so sweeeeetttt I love themmmmmm and Darren slays)

6. Going Back to Hogwarts (ok so this one was rlly cool cuz they changed the lyrics to match wtf was happening and that is so iconic also joey and Darren legit messing up the lines in the song while looking at the fucking script kills me they so funny I love)

5. Always Dance (aaaahhh this is so good we live for Dylan/Joe duets its great we Stan them also Dylan wearing scarfie is great tooooooo Dylan and Joe sound so good and it such uplifting songgggggggg I love hearing it and it makes me happy and dannceeeee also Joe little boy voice is so funny and the leaping around the stage dance of w/ Joe and Tyler is iconic tooooo also the fact that this whole song was a flashback for ginny and jaime is fucking hilarious as possessed ginny I die)

4. I Was (omfg this song I canttttt its iconic and omg I love Darren and Joe and clark and pierce writing this masterpiece I love themmmmmmmm also if u haven't already find the leaky con 2013 in London of Joe and clark singing this its amazing and they slay and this song is so good and harmonies are so on point and the FEELSSSSS)

3. Wizard of the Year (omfg this songgggggg aj is hilarious and amazing and I can't believe he was only in MAMD b4 this like he wrote songs and shit but this was only the second starkid show he had a role in also aj singing and playing piano and his voice and ugh I love ajjjjjjjjjj he kills it and the song is hilarious cuz its basically a way to diss harry and its great)

2. Sidekick (WOOOOOOO GO JOEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY king kills this song and I love it and I wish it was in apocalyptour but oops oh well also the homecoming version of this is great tooo and the song is hilarious to listen to/watch for the first time cuz joey is so funny and ur not rlly expecting it at first and omfg joey go OFF its a great song and I am also very impressed that Meredith is able to stay still and petrified that whole time like goddam give her a Tony just for that lmao)

1. When You Have to Go Home (WHOOOOO GO OFFFF BRITTANYYYYYYYYYYYYYY I fucking love this song just cuz of Brittany riffs and its so good and she kills it also fun fact she never knew the words and had to ask Tyler every time right b4 she sang also the two of them have the cutest friendship ever also yes this is my fave song purely cuz Brittany but also Joe on his fake bike is so funny its great I loveeeee)

again, sry this took so long BUT HMB is already done w/comments and every thing and starship is ranked, I just need to write in my comments/reasoning lmao. so the next 2 should come fairly fast! ill update y'all on my starship post, but I need to figure out all the avps songs, listen to them, and rank them still and I haven't started BUT it will happen I SWEAR

anyways love u all!

<3, alimay

[palettes-and-prompts]

hi! first of all i want to tell you i appreciate you and your prompts are wonderful!! second, i hope this isn’t too much of a bother, do you have prompts for childhood-friends turned enemies turned friends turned lovers? i hope its not too specific!

Nah, I got you.

Dialogue Prompts

1) “Just say that you hate me!” “I don’t hate you.” “Well, you don’t like me!” “I never said I didn’t like you.”

2) “We can’t keep meeting up like this, being together like this. We’re...you’re seeing someone.” “They don’t make me feel like you do.” “We’re supposed to hate each other.”

3) “Why did you hurt me that day? Why did you just stop being my friend.”

4) “I never understood why you hated me. That day by the beach. You kissed me and it was good. It was nice. And then the next day you just hated me.”

5) “I hope that if I ever get amnesia I forget you.” “You could never forget me.”

6) “You love me.” “I wish I didn’t.”

7) “You were in my dream last night. We were back on those swings where we kissed for the first time. Do you remember?” “No, so stop smiling.” “You’re still a bad liar.”

8) “We used to be best friends. What happened to us?” “You ditched me for Person A.” “I didn’t ditch you.” “Then why’d you leave me alone at the party? You said you’d stay with me so why didn’t you?”

9) “I’m glad we’re friends again.” “We’re not friends.” “You brought me my favorite candy.” “Shut up, everyone loves that candy. I didn’t remember shit.” “You did. You still care about me.”

10) “I’m tired of fighting with you.” “I’m tired of fighting with you too.” “So why are we still fighting? It’s been years.”

11) “I know I said I can do this without you but the truth is I can’t. I can’t do this case without you.”

12) “We were friends once, I mean, can’t we try to be like that again?”

13) “You’ve always been loud.” “Thought you liked that about me.” “I did...I do.”

14) “Just because we’re having sex doesn’t mean we’re friends. It doesn’t even mean we like each other again.” “Agreed. So should I take off my shirt?” “Absolutely.”

15) “You think I can just forget what you said? What you did?!”

16) “You’re fucking crazy if you think we can just go back to normal after what you did.”

17) “We’re not friends anymore.” “Wh--Seriously? Over that?” “You humiliated me in front of everyone and for what? To get those people to like you? Good, great, they like you, but now I don’t.”

18) “Just stay the fuck away from me.” “Person A…” “No! I don’t wanna hear it. You and me aren’t friends anymore.”

19) “Why aren’t you two friends anymore?” “Ask them.”

20) “Are you really still complaining about what happened during summer? It was one stupid mistake. I said I was sorry!” “You act like what it was was an accident, but it wasn’t. You said what you said to hurt me. Right in front of Person A! So as far as I’m concerned you don’t exist to me anymore. We are not friends.”

Regular Prompts

1) A and B play a sport that they normally only did for fun. But when school starts and A makes the team and B doesn’t their friendship crumbles and A gets a big head and thinks they’re hot shit. B continues to play alone and their interactions become more and more aggressive and quickly turn to arguments. But once A challenges them to a match in front of others B kicks their ass, proving quickly that they’re a better player. A confronts them, telling them they should join the team and apologizes for how they’ve been over the years. B apologizes too and they play together again, winning a big game against another team. They get so happy about it they end up kissing which of course leads to more. 

2) A and B are childhood friends but when they’re forced to compete against each other at a company they both work for. They grow to hate each other and always try to outdo the other. But once they’re paired as partners again they find it difficult to work together. But during one case they both find it difficult to do their parts and eventually come together to figure it out like they used to. They bond and eventually remember how good of friends they were. Once the case is over they head back up to their offices and when they’re having a celebratory drink they end up having celebratory sex on one of their desks. (Bonus if it’s their boss’ desk.)

3) A and B are close but when A confesses their feelings for B at a party people overhear them and say some rude shit like “Gross, you don’t like Person A, do you?” and, not wanting to be humiliated in front of their new friends they say something rude and harshly reject A, crushing them. From that point on A hates B.  When something happens and the two are stuck together they remember what great friends they were and B tells A that they didn’t mean anything they said that day. That they were just too scared to say they liked them back in front of everyone. A and B begin hanging out more in secret at first but then decide to go public. 

4) Once A and B hit a certain age they drift apart and end up on two different sides of either work or school. They become incredibly competitive and end up hating each other. When they end up at the same place for a field trip or for business they end up getting along due to other annoying things there. They wind up getting closer and when they’re out by the pool at night they share a kiss, remembering how everything used to be when it was just them.

5) A and B are the first born children of two different groups at war with each other. Despite this they talk to each other through the wall dividing the two groups and eventually climb it to meet at the top where no one can see them. When they’re caught they’re taught to hate each other and realize how much pain both sides have caused to each other. They end up in a fight that makes them end up in the very spot where they first saw each other on the top of the wall. When they’re there they realize how close they once were and put down their weapons. While talking they end up sharing a kiss which causes them to panic but they keep meeting in the same spot over and over growing closer. (Bonus if their marriage ends the war.)

6) A and B make a pact not to stop being friends or try to be popular so they can just fly under the radar of everyone and have a fun year. B breaks this pact almost immediately by doing something at a party. When the popular crowd asks to hang out with B, B impulsively says yes. They spend less time with A, eventually not talking to them anymore until the next year when they’re paired up for a project and A refuses to work with them. B confronts them about everything and A explains why they’re mad. In a fit of rage they end up shoving and pushing each other until they end up one of the beds. After intense staring they make out and immediately stop. Things get weird but they end up doing it again and again until they just end up together. B’s friends turn out to be nothing like A expects and are nice and accepting of them into the group since B talked about them all the time.

7) A and B are both incredible singers who try out together for a singing competition. When they win they expect to be a duo but are instead split up and their rival record companies expect them to compete to be the number one artist of the year. They try to be friends but end up stopping due to A mentioning something they thought was off the record but is shown to the world anyway about B. B is pissed and embarrasses them back twice as bad. The two begin feuding and competing like crazy until people want them to do a duet together. Since it would make a lot of money they do it and as they write the song they both begin to fall for each other and when they finish recording the song and celebrate they end up having sex. They end up liking each other more and bonding and when they make the music video they have CHEMISTRY. And after the interview with the two of them they’re blushing like crazy and basically give away that they’re seeing each other, much to their fans’ delight.

8) Person A and B are singers who can only do duets because A has terrible stage fright. After an argument happens between them they hate each other and avoid each other. Maybe A tries to get the friendship back but when they go to do so B is on stage singing without them. People like B more without A so they don’t become friends again. But when A is forced on stage in front of B they’re trembling in front of everyone until B comes to their rescue. They sing together and afterwards slowly become friends again because they missed being on stage as a duo. They make up and do more songs together and after one performance they have so much energy they end up kissing.

9) A and B are neighbors and used to be best friends until C moved in across the street and C convinces B to hate A. When B listens to them this breaks apart their friendship and they end up acting like jerks to each other and C stops being friends with B and instead hangs out with A more often because they like A and just didn’t want B to have them. They end up dating C anyway to piss B off, it actually works. They fight until their parents decide to go on a trip with each other and they’re forced to hang out. This reminds them of how great things were when they were kids and B apologizes for ruining their friendship. A explains that C did that so they would date them. B is pissed and ends up kissing A. This surprises A but they end up going with it until they get back home and have to face C, who apologizes for breaking up their friendship in the first place. (Bonus if C tells B they really do wanna be their friend.)

10) A and B are childhood friends and go on a treasure hunt in another country but end up lost. They end up arguing a lot and they decide they’re better off on their own. They face challenges and B comes to save A when they see an animal about to attack them. B is about to shoot it when A’s trap for them saves A. It breaks and B ends up shooting the animal anyway to save them. They immediately make sure the other is okay and B checks out A’s set up seeing that A does know what they’re doing while A’s impressed they’re that good of an archer. They decide to stay together and become friends again. (Bonus if when they find the treasure and make it out alive they get married.)

I hope these are what you’re looking for but if not just tell me and I’ll try to make some more!

[icharchivist]

🔪🔪🔪 me towards 1) the people who were trying to beat up juza & banri and 2) the person who ripped up yuki’s lovely costumes.... (it’s taichi, isn’t it? I’m like 99% convinced but I’ll just have to wait until I unlock the next set of chapters I guess!) anyways this shit is personal lol since juza & yuki are... probably my favs haha. I think the portrait mechanic is a super nice thing for autumn troupe bc everyone’s got like. a pretty long backstory! rly gives everyone a lot of depth I think. cant wait for when “portrait: taichi nanao” pops up haha. I’m super excited for how things are gonna go down!! side note is the theater useful for anything except for like watching the plays? i haven’t gone thru them yet and was wondering if it’d be worth it. and side side note ur right let juza crossdress 2k21!!

DKLFJD TOTALLY VALID.  🔪🔪 🔪🔪 

I’m not saying anything of course, but i hope you’ll enjoy the remaining of Autumn ;O

Juza and Yuki are amazing favs to have!! i love them so much both of them!! they’re so good 😭😭😭😭

yeah!! i really love the portrait mechanism for them! i think in a way it gives also a very autumn-y feeling. I feel like the troupes, at least in their intro chapter, kinda embody some ideas we can have from seasons, like the summer fun of hanging out with your friends in energic moments of summer if that makes sense? Autumn gives me this moody feeling of when the fun is over and you look back with regret on what you could have done, this sort of things, and i feel like the portraits work beautifully with showing that, especially since all of them are pretty reserved when it comes to that.  (tho ofc, and i don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that, the Troupe can find its own brand of fun as they bloom together so o7 saved) (and i just really love how it makes each seasons really different from one another)

As for the theaters, you unlock rewards upon first watching them (i think it’s 5 diamonds?), and if you watch it once and clear the full Main Story Practice at 100% Crown/Flair, you get to unlock a badge and the duet associated with each play (a very very very short version of each duet play when you play through “Show”). When you play the Theater with the original cast*, you can unlock an instrumental of each song, with a different arrangement. The songs are accessible in Menu > Jukebox, in which you can listen to the duets (tho they’re about 2mins long, compared to the 4mins long they all last in the albums/spotify), and set 3 of them as your favs that will end up playing in the background of the game instead of the iddle music.

(*the first play have an all R cast that you can get easily in gacha so this is easy for there, but every other plays can only be completed with a limited R gacha that is live when the events associated with the banner is live. As a result it’s nearly impossible to unlock the “all cast” Theater for any others plays unless you participated to the gacha banner when it was live/when it re-runs.)

During play events (NORMALLY the next one should be in 3/4 events so no need to worry too hard about it now), you get specific theater tickets only available during the runtime of the events, and playing the theater gives you supplementary rankup points (and even more so if you play with the whole cast). So only in event it’s worth playing a lot of theater.

In general though? yeah you kinda neglect the Theaters, you just clear them once generally when you’re done with practice (or at least when you’ve seen the play in game) to unlock the song.

I also think it’s supposed to be helpful for the event plays, since most people cannot read the event stories, and can mayyybe piece together some stuff from reading the N backstages of the characters from the play, the flairs, and at least they can see what is the play they pulled with those characters without knowing of the story happening in the event story. so it works for people who haven’t been able to read the events to get at least a vaaague idea of what play they were doing in those events. (but anyway i’ll still send you the events recording)

So yeah it’s mostly for the rewards and completionist, and if you cannot unlock the stories associated with those plays it fills you in a bit on what was going on from an audience perspective. They’re worth playing at least once in general but nothing to worry too much about, except if you intend to rank up on play events when they’ll come around.

Hope it clears things up :3c

And yes please let Juza crossdress he wants to :( com’on Tsuzuru be nice!!

take care and have fun with the rest of autumn ;O

[mykpopconfession]

It's long but hey, thank you so much for allowing me to share my thoughts as kpop is something I do enjoy but I like to look at it from other points of view, how it looks to me from various perspectives, not just as face value kpop fans have tantrums every time something isn't right or whenever idol does something so small and irrelevant it becomes a scandal… shocking but idols are humans and won't always perform to the fans standard.

Fans bitch and whine about how the standard of kpop industry is too harsh yet it's not the industry that is encouraging it, it's the fans themselves, they cant accept minor mistakes and everything gets taken out of context while fans claim they know the idols… ie: Jennie's “lazy” scandal.

Yet they don’t scrutinize the idols whenever they are sexist, colorist, ageist, misogynist, racist, because they can “do no wrong” or their fans, will come to save their asses… even the flipping companies encourage it because they want them to be younger. After all, it's more appealing??? but what 25+-year-old fans are going to be drawn to teens in a group? I don't even find itzy, txt appealing and their whole group’s image is directly for those of teenagers and below, the music/dances, the image, it’s all catered that specifically of a younger audience, shame, I would’ve liked them otherwise.

The younger the idols = the better publicity and the higher chances of gaining popularity by getting into “scandals” for the lack of maturity and social awareness nor are they likely to take accountability and just do whatever they please anyway because they’re idols and their fans will still claim that their age isn’t a problem or because they’re a child/teenager/minor then its okay kpop idols are so out of touch with reality that when they have some form of criticism they start banning and suing left right & center… because they live as though everyone is going to fall head over heels for them and blindly accept everything they do because most kpop fans are already blinded by their idols and cant accept when an idol says or does something disgustingly wrong nor can they accept mild criticism without getting their pitchforks out.. its a cult, no denying it. 

As lovely as the choreography might be I don't want to watch the idols if they are doing any of the above: dancing overly provocatively (especially when they may be on the minor age scale), twerking or grinding the stage or anything overly sexual at that. 

Kpop fans lap it up because its socially acceptable to objectify the idols and make them appealing because of their “dancing/performance” when it is turning them into some trend because they “danced” overly sexy/cute, that's all they amount to is the dancing side of it

TBH I found it intriguing at first but now every kpop group tries to have this “sexy” look and it just doesn't work. it’s like asking a foreigner to be interested in kpop when they act cute except its not normal to appear cute over here, it's only going to appeal to those who maybe find it intriguing or different from their own culture. 

Yet cute/sexy is all kpop idols can amount to even if it looks so uncomfortable and unpleasing to watch. alas they are idols, they’re not humans, they can twerk, dance provocatively and act cute all because the fans will enjoy it no matter what it is or who it is… age isn’t even considered but the younger the better they stand a greater chance. 

Which is like bighit canceling everyone of the older generations who maybe possess the same talent but with a maturer image and behavior… its both ageist and sexist, why is it some huge fetish that just boys in or around 1999 only for their new survival show thing i-land? I find it… odd more than exciting or interesting cause I know its just typical for the members to be more younger but less appealing to older generation cause I have nothing that I’d relate too I don't even relate to the TikTok trend because that's all it is, another trend or bandwagon. yet everyone treats it as being this incredible new thing that suddenly acceptable for young folk even though it brings so much disgusting behavior/drama along with it, its a recycled version of the vine but worse, in the same sense this is what kpop does, recycle groups once they’re less appealing to make way for the same groups but look slightly different. 2ne1/blackpink, BTS/txt yet the fans don't say nothing about how it is encouraging the sexual appeal and almost asking for fans to thirst over them because this is what “dance” supposedly should be. sexy/cute nothing in between, it's saying that idols should portray this image cause it’s more appealing than the music itself. if the male idols show their abs/skin even better, females? wear the most uncomfortable looking clothing and ur good to go. 

The kpop sounds now have become about the group's image, level of popularity, as opposed to actual talent, creative freedom and ability to give off a genuine performance that doesn’t include anything generic or robotic image. its got to be loud, bright, vivid because its all for the dance/sexual appeal of both the male and female gender is almost aligned with the concept for it.

The lyrics can be as disgusting as they please because its okay, its only kpop. any lyrics are acceptable, bts got called out for their lyrics in one song yet not in any of the others? same for other groups, so few call out the lyrics because lyrics mean nothing. it's about the visual appeal of the groups and the kind of fame they gather from it alone so you can have the visuals but do the bare minimum and not have much stage presence but be classed as a main singer or dancer, its okay fans will lap it up no matter what it is. also, I’ve noticed the same sound being used across several groups depending on the concept of the song… repetitive much? why does kpop fear change or standing out? why get idols to become something they are not ie: whitening their naturally beautiful dark skin, have idols who don’t need to, lose weight. it's not the company its the idols encouraging it because it's acceptable and normalized to be anything other than thick, natural and healthy. 

Ppl act like trying to shove kpop into the western music genre will make it appeal any better, the fans act like they couldn’t see the racism coming, but that's what happened bts were forced into a culture that had nothing to do with them because in western we generally hop from one bandwagon to the next and just roll with it since it's popular it must be good.

ie: one direction, psy, 5 seconds of summer and now bts… how do so many don't see the pattern nor did they see bts coming? you expect Asian artists to become greatly admired over here too but when you shove it in ppl’s faces and try to get it to become the next big thing, not everyone is gonna see the appeal I honestly feel like it's been forced… not by the companies but by the international fans. now instead of trying to gain popularity in their home country kpop groups try too hard to appeal to the western market… you can’t even deny how vastly generic bts’ music has become SINCE they hit the American music awards or whatever it was. note: they didn’t even win awards for their music, but simply their popularity is what got them there

I loved boyz with fun, despised boy with Luv yet because they’ve been in the American industry’s eyes they put it out what has become popular just using their language… well sometimes, even idol, what could’ve been a great song with a nice meaning missed some marks, as in the overuse of auto-tune has become almost normal for them? vs using natural vocal abilities, I'm no coach but straining one's voice to hit a high note in a slow song doesn’t sound healthy. when all bts have done in the past is upbeat music is why they struggle to maintain high notes in slow songs because they’ve followed the same music style for so long then suddenly changed it so their voices don't match softer songs… which I’d appreciate more of instead of just dark lyrics and over-hyped upbeat poppy music.

ie: I loved the sound for serendipity, but the lyrics weren’t as good and Jimin kinda struggled to sing it well enough both in-studio and live, however its one of my more favorite songs. I’d also appreciate a slower gentle song that isn’t about a relationship too thanks looking @ you euphoria. 

You think it's about the music, lyrical side of it but I disagree, it's merely the concept of yet another boy group that's sadly taken over in the most overbearingly forced way possible and you all act like the racism wasn’t going to occur. nct had an incredibly shit time in America during their tour its because it's not meant for America, its trying force kpop to become something it's not just to fit in with western music taste. I miss when they did full songs in Korean now they do English full versions with hella cringe-worthy lyrics and expect them to blow up or become the next big thing. 

I’ve been walking with the cheese and the queso????? if ur happy and u know it clap ur hands???? theses ones make me laugh more than wanting to listen repeatedly, they throw them in there simply to appeal to western music, no matter if its a bad lyric, doesn't make sense or is cringe-worthy. 

Kpop is built for Korean consumption it's great to see it's expanded however, its in the wrong directions for the wrong appeal. bts did not pave the way when psy also existed the same year they debuted. bts tried to get a following in America but failed because naturally psy was almost made fun of for just being an Asian doing what he does best yet the hype quickly dyed down & everyone moved on until bts came into the scene… so far behind than when they should’ve gone viral years before. not the companies fault but merely the appeal of the image/music wasn’t suited to the western music genre so when they become familiar more with America they switched the songs to sound pop-like… nothing wrong but less appealing than their original image/music, which I prefer, I’d say it started to change with not today era. 

The only reason being bts have stuck around now is because of the boy group concept even if the lyrics aren’t that great when translated into English, they’ve already tried and IMO, failed to push their music into the western music industry and they’ve won awards solely based on the fandom/popularity alone kpop has become less and less about the music, energy of the performances, now it's about if they look right together as a group. how the group as a whole appeal to the fans and what makes the fans blinded by them… which is essentially their sex appeal, whether the idols are grown women or men or even teenagers, who might be uncomfortable with fans lusting after them. whether they’re dancing sexy or acting somewhat cute doesn’t matter because it's become acceptable and a must if you want to be an idol so fans can thirst over them. 

Sorry not sorry but kpop has become much less about the music itself and see what is trendy puts it to music and calls it the next big thing. which is a shame I love the language I love how it sounds in the songs & I also love that it encourages me to learn the language that's more appealing than the group image/songs itself but they’re letting looks matter to the point where groups are mistreated abroad by both media and fans alike all because of this group image concept. nct getting mixed up with bts was pure racist but how can they fail to tell how different they are? wait, no, any Asian boys in a group must be considered to be bts… see its just one hype train after the other, even Astro got mixed and when parasite become popular and rightly won the awards some were racist. Trump's comment was appalling but at least he got the country right, yes, everything that's become popularised in America is from South Korea, gold star for that. 

Its the concept of boy groups. not the music itself. if it were music then day6 would have a similar appeal, gain the same momentum as bts/nct have done, yet because they differ from the typical dance style boy group they won't gain the same effect as their counterparts, bts / nct & whoever else. 

Yet they’re still appealing to the wider international audience and did very well with their tours, same for the rose, they don’t trend in the same way boy groups do but have some form of appeal because it’s a different concept/image style altogether than the way bts / nct, etc are put together but still they don’t have the same effect as some of the more dance-based groups have because its a different genre but still from the same industry…

Different genre means less appealing or less popular but I’d say day6 are doing better, producing a greater amount of pleasing music, with reasonable lyrics but don't receive the same amount of popularity. compare to bts / nct who follow similar styles mixed up of what is trendy and call it a day. whereas kpop dance groups throw anything out there and its okay cause fans will lap it up too.

It's not the song that got blackpink to Coachella, its purely the appeal of yet another young women based group, again solely so they can push the feminism, girl power movement through their “songs” but it's their image of youthful cutely acting girls that gains the attention of western men/women… little mix tried it so why not blackpink, heck even fifth harmony failed to maintain the popularity because the appeal wasn’t there in the songs, but they were females in a group, therefore, they must have some form of appeal to the public / recent trends, bandwagons