#but later on the prelude got so popular

[scherzokinn]

Meme by @friedevd4c on Instagram

This is so true... people often think of classical music as some rich ppl stuff, but in fact most composers were broke af lmao (and mentally ill)

[queendomkey]

If you just want the song analysis, skip to the next banner. However, I do think the context added by my rambling is at least interesting.

Hey, so remember how yesterday, I opened my analysis post with a comment about how I try to analyze the songs without analyzing Taylor Swift's life, because I feel it's limiting to my ability to understand the song. It's not a form of analysis I'm very good at either, frankly.

I feel like that comment goes especially so for But Daddy I Love Him. Because I was certainly there for the rat-filled fortnight, as in, he literally played guitar for Phoebe Bridgers at my show. And there's a lot I could say that has already been said, more eloquently and by people far more qualified.

I'm a biology student, not a sociologist. But as an Indigenous woman, there is a level of hurt that comes from the people we admire tolerating racism within their spaces, and how that can often play into revealing a pattern of behavior. On the opposite hand, I can see the annoyance (and indignation) that she was held more accountable for his actions than he was. Indeed, I believe that this is what the line "[My good name] is mine alone to disgrace" refers to. On the other, other hand, the whole situation leaves a powdery, bad taste in my mouth.

And now to never talk about that again, because I don't feel qualified to give you a conclusion on it. I'm still listening to the music, after all. The rest of my analysis will be from the perspective of the song as a story, not as diary, my preferred modus operandi.

I wanted to say all that as set up in: I didn't know what to think about this song. I was unsure what angle I wanted to talk about this song from, because divorcing it from the backlash was hard. She literally says "Scandal does funny things to pride," and we'll talk about that later.

Initially, I thought about covering against the grain readings. Recontextualizing the song completely, giving it a new meaning. I thought about maybe covering the history of forbidden romance as a genre (and its many evolutions, from ironically, interracial love stories to queer romance.) I even thought about talking about the Little Mermaid, tying the song into one of the pieces of iconic fiction, and tying that back into the idea of forbidden romance as a queer reading of straight fiction (Howard Ashman, the lead lyricist for Disney, ostensibly the heart of the Disney Renaissance, was a gay man whose partner accepted his Oscar after he had passed due to AIDs.)

And... none of that worked. There are like, five versions of this post in my google docs that will never see the light of day.

Sitting in standstill traffic trying to leave last night's Hozier concert, I finally came to a conclusion. Well, I didn't. Jean, who's previously helped me on both Little Tortured Poet's Department and My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys, made a comment that "Without the rest of the album, [But Daddy I Love Him] reads like any 2003 emo song about a sleazy bassist. Sure, we know better, but the singer doesn't."

And that got me thinking: TTPD is an album that is very much in conversation with itself, and Taylor's discography as a whole. I said, "How much does not knowing that wider context change the song?" That's an angle to analyze, baby!

alternative title that wouldn't leave my mind: Dark AU!Love Story, don't like don't read

But Daddy I Love Him is, out of the whole album, the song that benefits from context the most. It is petulant, petty, the speaker digging in her heels on the subject of true love. Indeed, Scandal does funny things to pride. I jokingly referred to it as "Dark Love Story," but the songs are foils ( and likely intentionally, since both songs have to the singer begging "Daddy" to let her have her lover. It also makes sense to foil one of her most popular songs, so that general audiences are likely to make the connection. )

We, the audience, know that the Speaker's romantic interest isn't good for her. We don't like him, because likely, we've already listened to the previous songs on the tracklist, and he's already clearly hurt the singer. The prelude (in the CD and Vinyl booklets) refers to the album as one story, which helps set up this framework in the listener's mind.

However, even in the context of the song, there are scant hints of this. The Speaker, with her rose colored glasses firmly on, still refers to her lover as "crazy."

There's also an interesting tie to her older works, known affectionately on Reddit as Car Lore in the use of cars as metaphor for romance. To quote the seminal essay by u/Alex_Demote, "But for Taylor, being in a car is often the same thing as being in a relationship."

Here, the speaker's lover "[floors] it through the fences" at her request and they only hear "screeching tires and true love" His actions are incredibly dangerous. Even if she's told him to slam through the fence, anyone who actually loves her would say no. A joy ride isn't worth risking your life.

By literal laws of physics, screeching tires are tires that aren't moving. Whether the speaker knows it or not, this romance won't go anywhere, or if it does... well.

I'm an Aston Martin that you steered straight into the ditch (imgonnagetyouback) / Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead-end street (Red) / You were driving the getaway car, we were flying but we’d never get far (Getaway Car)

Though, do we know it's a car? Obviously, this is Car Lore I'm applying here, but our only other references to a land vehicle (aside from the Aston Martin, which is The Speaker) are in So High School, which has it's own parallels to But Daddy I Love Him, see below, and in imgonnagetyouback:

Whether I'm gonna be your wife or / Gonna smash up your bike, I haven't decided yet

And here comes my main point: Driving a car through a fence is reckless, yes, but not likely to be fatal. A bike? A bike? It's only with the context of the rest of the album that the danger our speaker was in comes into clear view. In the song itself, the Speaker only knows he's a bit of a troublemaker, but doesn't mind. She is either blind to the truth of the matter, or looking past it. After all, my boy only breaks his favorite toys. She'd rather burn her whole life down.

But, at the end of the song, her parents "came around" and while the "wine moms are still holding out," the Speaker seems quite happy to be "his lady." Time does give some perspective, but this song doesn't: though the final chorus could be reframed as about a new lover (as she says "Fuck 'em, it's over,") it still reads like everything worked out with her "wild boy."

Like I said on Down Bad, the songs on TTPD are slices of time. This song is the Speaker in a state of blind love, a poisoned honeymoon phase, and without the rest of the album of hindsight, the song just reads... Mean. The teenage prank of "I'm having his baby," refusing to "come to [her] senses," and even referring to herself as "not growing up at all," slamming through fences that someone else will have to fix. It's the exact kind of pettiness that a sixteen year old might pull.

Hey, speaking of sixteen: So High School. If But Daddy I Love Him is a dark take on forbidden love, So High School is its antidote, is that quintessential Boy Meets Girl, and plays deeply into high school cliches. It's also the only other mention of a land vehicle, to my knowledge. The speaker's infatuated with how her lover, "Got [her] car door, isn't that sweet?"

The other, very teenager-y love song on the record is so opposite. It's cheerful, and most importantly, the singer realizes it too. So High School serves to further contextualize But Daddy I Love Him as the speaker's attempt at a rebellious stage, and the rest of the album is her showing how it all crashed and burned.

Conclusion? Her daddy might love him, but he does NOT have land vehicle proficiency. And context can give far more perspective than time ever could.

also hey WDYM GET BACK HERE—

[regarding-stories]

Reading the books: "My Youth Romantic Comedy is wrong, as I expected."

What takes 15 days? Correct! Reading the 14 main line novels of "My Youth Romantic Comedy is wrong, as I expected." and the Volume 14.5 short story collection. What a ride...

What I definitely can say: The anime series was extremely faithful to the books. When you stick to the mainline and omit the short stories, you would mostly miss out on one thing. The best thing!

Hachiman Hikigaya's endless inner monologue!!

Good lord, this boy has issues. He's overly in his own head, makes lots of assumptions, is too smart for his own good, and too clueless. I just love it.

Gazing into the abyss with rotten eyes

Writing a series completely or almost completely from the point of view of its protagonist, basically mostly from his stream of consciousness, has of course its own set of challenges. Luckily it's not plain stream of consciousness but also scene setting and descriptions of the other people's actions, and a lot of the fun of the series derives from contrasting Hikki's assumptions and interpretations with your own.

It's also frustrating... (Also, spoilers, I guess.)

And late in the series I was asking myself, if the boy had any connection to his feelings at all. Author Wataru Watari has a habit of hiding the obvious, and so our main characters beat around the bush to the very last. I did get a tad annoying. But I'm getting ahead of myself...

What actually works quite well is the evolutionary change we see in Hachiman over the series. The way he thinks about people changes subtly and continuously. In the beginning he even calls the ever-lovely Yui Yuigahama a "ho" and a "slut" to her face. Hardly charming!! This is one of the moments one has to endure, proof of Hachiman's resentment towards the world after having been ostracized for so long, his hate for "normies." And on the surface, Yui is the uber-normie, the adaptable, the one willing to change for the sake of popularity - something Hachiman cannot abide with. Initially.

It paves the ground, however, for enjoying all the deeper the kindness Hikki displays in his thoughts later on towards Yui, or how highly he thinks of her in the end. (Though not of her lack of book smarts which he confuses for intelligence.)

While we're at it, Hikkitani's eyes gaze upon a few other things. I was remarking in my original post about the anime series how refreshingly low on male gaze it was. Well, our protagonist is male, and he occasionally compares bust sizes... not in the most charming way, either. However, it's neither permanently so nor done unconvincingly. We did enter the mind of a male teen, after all. In reality, we would have been bound to find much worse things there, after all... Of which we get one hint, really. (I will not tell.)

An almost unbroken stream...

What we also get is a lot of Hachiman's thoughts about his boy crush Saika Totsuka. Which is endlessly hilarious in all its bi-confusion. The scenarios unfolding in his mind without filter - I can't tire of them.

However, for the first 11 volumes we are home alone inside the head of our anti-hero. The last three, however, mix things up a bit. Labeled as "Interludes" there are scenes that take place without Hachiman, written from the view of another character. With Volume 14 we also get a multi-installment "Prelude" that features the scene between Yui and Yukino we didn't get a detailed glimpse of at the end of Volume 13.

What's annoying here is the tendency of omitting part of the dialogue and only describing it vaguely. We can infer that Yukino admits her love for Hachiman to Yui - whispered in her ear. Because that's what Yui knew all along but didn't want to hear. And we get Yui admitting the same to Yukino - that she's in love with Hachiman - but again it's not spelled out. We all know. But for some silly reason it's not spelled out.

Another central interlude is earlier when Yui discovers Yukinon's hidden treasure. Behind the stuffed Grue bear Hachiman got her, her hidden image of holding on to him on Splash Mountain. (Which hasn't been quite accurately transcribed into pictures.)

These scenes are necessary to understand everybody's actions for the complex ending. To understand why Yukinoshita seems to reject Hachiman and send him towards Yuigahama. To understand why Yui will in the end ask if it really feels alright and prompts her Hikki's final bid... towards the other girl. And why they all can remain together after. It also reveals Yui's mature side, her high degree of emotional intelligence, and her deep understanding fo and love for others.

We also get a bit into the head of Iroha Isshiki, Yukino and Haruno Yukinoshita, Hayato Hayama, and even Komachi Hikigaya. And a bit more of that if you read the final volume, 14.5. But the star of these scenes will always be Yui, the glue that holds them all together at the end - at great pain.

But in Volume 14 we get maybe the most convincing thing of all, something that I needed after seeing Hikki's indecisiveness for so long. He sums it up like this:

"I wish it had been a simpler kind of feeling. If it had been ordinary love or yearning, then I'm sure I wouldn't have felt so intensely. I wouldn't feel like this only happened once in a lifetime."

This is during Hachiman's confession. He says he wasn't struggling so much with being in love or a crush. What took him so long was figuring out a very complex feeling. (The passage is longer.) He's apparently able to discern between teenager hormones and the fact how well suited he is to be with this particular person, and how important that is to the other - to be seen, understood, and be loved at a deeper level. But the complexity is also discerning it from the love he already feels - like he would for Yui.

Other things you get from the books

One of the best things about the books besides Totsuka fantasies is the ability to read Iroha's terribly revealing rejections to Hachiman, each of them escalating over the previous one, getting ever more like invitations to ask her out just not right now. And her increasing complaints that he doesn't listen at all when she says them.

Also Irohasu's merciless teasing is best paced in the books. And Hachiman's opinion of her. These two would have chemistry for sure. It's just that this particular protagonist was made from the beginning for a particular heroine, and that's what I find so convincing about this series' narrative.

Sadly volume 14.5 only treats us to only one date between Yukino and Hachiman. I was hoping for more, but I take what I get. Even on their one month anniversary they're still all blushing smiles and red ears, but at the same time Yukino is already setting out a common future. Very cute.

If you want a real treat, however, search the internet. There are several anthology volumes filled with content mostly by other authors borrowing the characters - but also the short story "Thus A New Enemy Appears Before Him" from the anthology called "Yukino's Side" written by Wataru Watari himself. It has been translated by fans - I couldn't find a way to buy an actual English translation for any of this. The short story, however, is told from the vantage of Yukino's dad - his perceptions of the three highly intelligent women in his life and how they establish facts for him. The eternal struggle of the future father-in-law is real! The way he finds out that his youngest has a boyfriend had me in stitches. Also, Yukino's mom is on her game the whole time. Basically him mostly watching as his wife, Haruno, and Yukino interact is ... priceless.

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

Ok.......so this is what I've finished so far (for Ju-On), in rough viewing order:

Katasumi

4444444444

Ju-On: The Curse

Ju-On: The Curse 2

Ju-On: The Grudge

Ju-On: The Grudge 2

Ju-On: Black Ghost

Ju-On White Ghost

So basically got the whole original series outta the way (I do recommend Black Ghost and then White Ghost last, since that's the more chorono accurate way). I like them all! JOTG2 was kinda......well I'd rank it lower than the other's (yes even Cursed 2 and BG/WG). I recommend watching a cut that makes The Curse 1/2 into "one movie" so you avoid the repeat scenes in TC2. BG/WG wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be, WG was a bit funny cause of the basketball but it was heartbreaking. The drama/story was stronger in WG imo, but BG had slightly better horror and a decent story too.

What's left for Ju-On (in rough viewing order):

Reboot: Ju-On: The Beginning of the End and Ju-On: The Final Curse

American series: The Grudge, The Grudge 1.5, The Grudge 2, Tales of the Grudge, The Grudge 3, The Grudge (2020)

TV: Ju-On: Origins

Crossover: Sadako vs Kayako (saving till after I do all of Ringu)

I don't think it matters if I watch Tales of the Grudge before or after The Grudge 2 tbh....

Ringu that I have to do:

Ringu/Ringu Kanzenban (1995): 1st adaptation, Based off of novel, most accurate adaptation.

Ringu (1998): Most popular I believe, not sure how loosely based it is on the novel.

Spiral (1998): Original sequel of Ringu (1998) but takes the sequel novels name? Seems to adapt parts of the novel at least.

Ringu 2: Second sequel to Ringu (1998), replaces Spiral (1998). Original story that ignores Spiral.

Ring 0: Birthday: Prequel to Ringu (1998), based off of short story in anthology novel titled birthday.

Sadako 3D: Loosely based on S novel

Sadako 3D2: Direct sequel to Sadako 3D, last installment of "Rasen" story line?

Sadako vs Kayako: Skip till later

Sadako: Sequel to Ringu 2 (1999)??? Loosely based off the Tide Novel. Seems to have a tie-in manga of "Sadako-san and Sadako-chan"

Sadako DX: Sequel to Spiral (1998)???????!!! Oh this is gonna be so confusing TT0TT Also not sure if I'll be able to watch this juuuust yet cause my luck there's no translation yet.

Ring: The Final Chapter: TV Show, seems to be a slight reboot

Rasen (TV series): Sequel to Ring: The Final Chapter, doesn't related much to source material

The Ring Virus: Korean adaptation of Ringu (1998)

The Ring: American adaptation of Ringu (199*)

Rings: Short film that serves as a sequel to The Ring and prelude to The Ring 2.

The Ring 2: Sequel to the American Ring, I think this plot is original.

Rings (2017): Sequel to The Ring 2, apparently based off of Spiral's premise.

Phew I think that's it- wait, what the fuck is a Hikiko-san VS Sadako???? Bunshinsaba vs Sadako???? 1, 2, AND 3????? Oh I'll cross that bridge when we get there. TT0TT

Honey, baby, sweetie. Why the fuck are you fighting everybody and their mother???? TT0TT

(anyway, gonna ignore reading novels/manga or watching the games for now)

[kursed-arcana]

Fruits Basket Prelude Review

Fruits basket prelude. The values of modern times may change, but past media doesn’t.

The relationship of Kyoko and Katsuya is controversial amongst fans of the series, especially the anime onlies who flooded the fandom as result of the reboot. What is important to remember is that fruits basket is both a series from another culture, and another time. The 90s and early 2000s was a different time. Teens dating slightly older adults wasn't viewed the same way and the further back you go, the more common it was. From The Sound of Music, to Sabrina the Teenage Witch, you see it. Add in the fact japan is a different culture which changes at a different rate and you should get the picture. And for the record, the story is self aware enough where starting drama accomplishes nothing. Kyoko literally makes a Lolita complex joke at Katsuya's expense.

Let's all remember this is a work of fiction as well and enjoy the show. While we may relate to these characters and love them, they aren't real. And fiction is where we explore fantasy. A student teacher romance itself, being a popular romance story trope.

Before we tackle the prelude, let's address the recap and epilogue.

The recap, while unnecessary does provide some nice insight into kyo's point of view. For those of you who were dissatisfied with some creative liberties the final season took regarding kyo "forgetting" his connection to Tohru and Kyoko, despite it being clear through out the earlier seasons and even during the final itself, that he didn't, this clarifies that he simply tried to put it in a box and not think about it. Is it a lazy retcon because TMS got called our for their bs and realized they created plot discrepancies that weren't there? Probably but we'll never know for sure. At best this recap serves the purpose of emotionally prepping the viewer to cry during the movie and reintroduce the context regarding kyo's bond to Kyoko. Something that wouldn't have been necessary if they final season was given the full season order it needed.

At worst, it's just a cheap and pointless time killer eat up runtime while barely spending any money. It's also a minimalistic approach to trying to restore the emotional impact this background story had during the manga and how the later content would play off this tension, both during Kyo and Tohru's character arcs. Not that tms / production committee saw much value in those, despite them being the protagonist and love interest.

Now Takaya sensei hear our pain about the final season rushing though content and not properly delivering the resolution to character arcs and the story. And she took this opportunity to provide a nugget of joy to anime and manga fans alike. That's right, a new brief epilogue from therapist. I mean mangaka.

While the epilogue is brief, it hits all the right notes. It builds on Tohru and Kyo’s graveside conversation and shows a glimpse at their married life. The happy couple is living their best lives, working hard, panning a trip back to the family and being all lovey dovey. Its everything tms cut out of the main series. It's thrilling to see some of the sweet kyoru content we deserved. Thank you sensei.  You never fail to deliver when you're needed. Now please pick up that pen and get back to Liselotte. If you're truly done with furuba and furuba another your fans need you elsewhere.

So let's dive in to prelude now. Katsuya Honda is an interning student teacher and the fantastic woman we all know and love, Kyoko, is a middle school senior. Their paths cross at a time where Kyoko is young, rebellious and emotionally volatile. She is the crimson butterfly, the girl gang member feared by her peers, and underneath her tough as nails facade, is just a broken girl from an unhappy home.

This is the story about how this girl became the emotional pillar that helped save Arisa, Kyo and of course Tohru. And the person who saved her? That's right, Katsuya Honda. He saw in Kyoko, the same emotions he hid beneath a mask of his own and when she broke down and cried, he fell in love. It was her raw honesty that reached him. And while their situations may have been different, they were still quite similar.

While she had chosen to put on a tuff girl act and gall in with a bad crows in order to hide her pain, he had chosen to give into the demands of his controlling and judgmental family and put on the act of the dutiful and obedient son. Even his decision to pursue teaching was in order to please those around him, be they family or the expectations of the other teachers. You can see the moments he drops his mask. He removes his glasses (which are fake and part of his facade) and swiftly flips the switch into a dark prince type character. He takes Kyoko pointing out his bad behavior as a compliment every time. Because she sees the real him along with the fake him and enjoys it. Just like how he sees value in both versions of her.

 The two of them spent many lunch breaks chatting and growing closer. She never once attended his class. Even after he revealed he would be leaving the school and not pursuing education, she couldn't bring herself to face her peers judgement by entering a classroom. But luckily for her this twisted teacher wanted to keep meeting her.

His belief in her, reach her. It helped guide her to a better path. And helped teach her that she is worthy of love. But this better path and desire to change was held back by her past. Her decision to leave her gang, stole her opportunity to attend high school and got her disowned by her family. But luckily for her, Katsuya provided the home she needed and with the blessing of her father who just wanted her gone, married her.

We spend just enough time witnessing and enjoying their life together to become attached to their bond, their marriage and their parenting before tragedy strikes and Katsuya abruptly passess away. It leaves you wanting more, a feeling painfully shared by Kyoko as she is reduced to an empty shell of the woman she was before. She falls into so much darkness that she essentially forgets about Tohru entirely.

This story is as much a commentary on societal expectations as it is a romance. Both Katsuya and Kyoko were forced to hide behind masks as they came from two very different, but very troubled homes. They were judged by their family, each others families, their peers, but with the support of Katsuya's father who had lightened up after the death of his wife, they were able to move forward, determined to prove everyone who judged their relationship wrong.

"Show them you are happy because you are together"

That’s right people, even within the story their relationship is judged as wrong. And anyone who is looking at furuba as some black and white morality story seriously needs to rewatch it again. After katsuya's death,  insults at hurled at Kyoko by both his family and her own father. And while the movie didn't show it, the anime did reveal that they even insulted tohru, choosing to say hurtful things like she probably isn't even Katsuya's son. We spent 40 minutes on a recap but couldn't even have crucial content like that put in cause reasons.

Now I want to take the time to discuss something very important. The poor planning of the series that tore the final season to pieces is not solved through this movie alone. And the poor planning continues here. The time spent on the 40 minute recap, could of easily been spent animating content that directly ties into Kyoko's death. Kakeru's arc and connection to Tohru were repeatedly foreshadowed throughout the second season. Manga spoilers follow, so please only continue if you're OK with that. This would of been the perfect opportunity to fix one of the biggest mistakes of the final season, which was not adapting the content revealing what this connection was. Kakeru's girlfriend, Komaki, who was also mentioned several times, is the daughter of the man who killed Kyoko with his car. He attended Kyoko's funeral and went off on tohru for acting like she was the only person who lost someone in that accident (all before Komaki could nock some sense into him). An act that would play a part in Tohru beginning to hide her grief behind her happy go lucky attitude for most of the series. The final season did Tohru's background and character arc a disservice in many ways, and while this movie at least restores some of it, it does not fully deliver or resolve the issues with the final season.

I'll see you guys when tms and the production committee come back for more ovas, movies or whatever else they decide to do to bleed more money out of us. There's still entire chapters that were left unadapted and plenty of half chapters and skipped scenes, so here's hoping for a director's cut. Otherwise, be sure to check out the manga. You won't regret it. The story deserves the be told infull and that's the only way to experience it as of now.

And for anyone wondering if they'll adapt furuba another, the sequel series, kakeru and komaki's child is a player, so it shouldn't be adapted without a proper adaptation of their story arc.

Please make sure to like my review on mal

And if some of you'd be interested in hearing more of my thoughts, please let me know. I had a lot more I wanted to say but thought it was already pretty long for a review. I'm more then happy to write a bit more analysis though if asked.

And please excuse typos. I'm still doing everything from my phone. I held onto this review for over a week to make corrections but got lazier the more time went by.

[saikourobyn]

Japan 2020 - Day 1

◀ Previous | Next ▶

Arriving in Tokyo and running away to Hakone, hot springs really help with jet lag.

If you haven't seen the previous post check out the Prelude.

Monday 24th February 2020

Tokyo

Our flight arrived at 6:50 AM, our first sign of coronavirus prevention was a man standing behind an infrared camera to check people's temperature as they went through to get their passports checked.

Oli’s friend Hiroshi met with us at the airport to give us a lift to his place where we would be staying that week, again to save a bit of cash, but it was a brief stop after a catch up we would be off travelling immediately.

We had originally planned to go to Hakone with Hiroshi but he had to get ready for his upcoming wedding so instead he took us to lunch at Tokyo Station our first proper meal in Japan was Ramen! Which it turns out is good for any meal, breakfast/lunch/dinner/after drinks before stumbling home.

Hiroshi pointed us in the right direction and we caught a train to Hakone where we would spend our first night.

Hakone

A running theme in this trip is not doing much in the way of research before going to places, partly due to not wanting to plan too much in advance and experience things as they come and also being free to do things that looked interesting when we found them.

It was this that brought our first surprise of Hakone, there’s a famous anime set here, Evangelion. The only trouble was neither I nor Oli have seen it so the map of the local area with screenshots from the show were lost on us, but all that means is we get to see the real life version before watching the show and say “I recognise that, I’ve been there.”

As if that wasn’t bad enough we committed our next sin of not having change for the coin lockers to store our luggage, fresh off the plane with our currency we had nothing but notes and no easy way to change them we found a nearby vending machine which refused to take our money, we struggled for a minute before a helpful Japanese lady came and pointed out that the machine wasn’t able to give change, presumably because everyone else had been doing the same thing.

We got our drinks, stashed our luggage and proceeded to explore the local town as we couldn’t check in to our ryokan (traditional Japanese hotel) yet. It appears to be a popular destination for tourists, I was worried that as it wasn’t a major city the folks there wouldn’t understand our lacklustre Japanese and the inevitable reverting to English and pointing at things but we had no issues.

We spent about 40 minutes walking around Hakone then when we were ready to check in we retrieved our luggage and trundled up the hill. We discovered a spoopy tunnel, which may have been our first encounter with the spectre thief, is it a ghost who steals things or someone who steals ghosts or it could be someone who steals ghosts who steal things like some sort of ghost police.

The area is known for its onsen (natural hot springs) and the ryokan we are staying in has its own onsen but not only that some of the rooms have private onsen… for couples, we have booked just such a room. This allows us to practise before embarrassing ourselves in front of any Japanese folk that may be using the public onsen.

The ryokan has tatami (Mats made of straw although modern mats have woodchip or polystyrene at their core) on the floor and futons to sleep on, so your living room doubles as a bedroom, there’s no kotatsu sadly but it has air conditioning which was greatly appreciated as it was still quite chilly outside, the weather in the UK had been getting milder but in Japan were thrown back in to winter somewhat.

After trying out our private onsen we decided to also try out the futons and had a nap, this seemed to work out well as we woke up in time for a late dinner and were still tired enough to get to sleep later.

◀ Previous | Next ▶

[achangeinpriorities]

I’ve been tagged by frequent partner in headcanons @sophiainspace for the Last Huzzah To This Hyperfixation fic meme, which is appropriate as I am also likely giving a last huzzah to the Arrowverse! (Incredibly reluctantly, kicking and screaming against my brain all the way, but what can you do)

My first fic for this fandom was Your Move, on 30 November 2019, an incredibly creepy prelude-to-Eowells/Hartley that set the stage for many of my later works

My favorite fic I’ve written is…oh so many choices. The one I go back and reread most often is If You Wanna Fight (We Can Go All Night), which is playful smutty Coldwave—with an honorable mention to With Benefits, in which aro Len and ace Mick end up doing affection at cross purposes

My fluffiest fic is probably Day In, which is a Flashpiper domestic fluff interlude in the middle of a fairly angsty series—I can throw in rest-point fluff sometimes!

My funniest fic is, hands down, Floordrobe Malfunction, which is exactly what it sounds like: Lisa/Cisco/Hartley get caught in the middle of V-polyam shenanigans and end up switching clothes

My saddest fic is Worse When It’s Late, one of only two fics I went into the knowing they couldn’t have a happy ending. (The other is At All Costs, which is just about as bad)

A fic I almost didn’t post was Worse When It’s Late, just because it was so much darker than my usual fare. I’m proud of how it turned out but I was terrified of how people might react to it

The fic I most enjoyed writing is probably still Tam Len, because I loved the worldbuilding and the characters ended up taking on a life of their own, to the point that several plotty things just…resolved themselves in the end, entirely driven by the characters!

My favorite ship is…oh boy. I have loved so many ships in my time in this fandom. Coldwave maybe? What’s not to love about Coldwave—they’re queerplatonic partners in crime who would rather die than admit a Feeling. I adore them

My favorite femslash ship is probably something with Nora West-Allen? Nora/Spencer maybe…or Nora/Spencer/Joss—all of whom I wish I’d written more of (and had more plans for, before the muse forsook me!)

My favorite OT3 is Coldwestallen, because no matter which way you slice it somebody is getting ganged up on by two people who are too similar for anyone’s good, and the resulting dynamics are impeccable

My favorite non-romantic pairing is…well. If I wanted to rules-lawyer this, I’d say Coldwave, because the aro Len headcanon remains strong. However in the spirit of the question I’m gonna say Barry and his dads, both as they interact with each other and as they interact with Barry’s partners about him. There were a lot of meaty, messy dynamics there that I wish I had explored more (and that I had plans to, before the muse evaporated)

My favorite character to write is Leonard Snart, by a long shot. I vibe with his strange strange brain. He taught me so much in my time writing him. I still want to study him under a microscope. I’m going to hold onto him for a long time even if the hyperfixation is fading

My favorite neurodiversity fic (I love that this is a category, Soph) is Pride In The Little Things, with post-diagnosis feels. It’s rueful, because I think there’s often an element of that following a diagnosis, but it’s hopeful too

The fic I most clearly remember writing is Complication, a Coldflash-to-Coldwestallen fic that was meant to have more to it and got cut down for the sake of making a deadline. I’m pleased with how it turned out, but there’s another universe where it was a much messier slow burn

My favorite written-out-of-spite fic is Unplanned, in which I took out my frustrations with the ‘Mick’s head pregnancy’ plotline of Legends s6 (feat. supportive Gideon who understands what dysphoria is)

My most read fic is No Hero (No Less Loved), one of my older Coldflash fics—one I’m not overly attached to, in truth, but benefitted from being a popular pairing and having a lot of chapters to add to the hit count

My least read fic is Pride In The Little Things, my newest fic with a very rare pair indeed (Lita/Jerrie Rathaway, my and @blueelvewithwings lil ship). I didn’t expect it to get many hits at all, so seeing it with even this much interaction is surprising

The WIP I most regret not finishing is an unpublished sequel to Complication that would have built off the ideas I cut from the original fic, including appearances by Joe and Henry, and also explained why Len was so weird all throughout Complication. I hope to force myself through finishing it eventually!

My favorite gen fic is Found, a Rogues-as-family fic that was meant to set the stage for more in-depth stories that never happened. It still stands on its own pretty well though

My crackiest fic is Critical Fail, a ‘Team Flash plays D&D’ fic written at the behest of an IRL friend (who, to my knowledge, never ended up reading it—ah well, it was still fun!)

And a bonus holiday fic is By Candlelight, with Coldwestallen celebrating both a contemplative Hanukkah and a rowdy West family Christmas

I believe my co-conspirator @blueelvewithwings has already been tagged, but I’m also going to tag @a-redharlequin who has been my instigator, cheerleader, and also partner, who I wouldn’t have found without this fandom. I love y’all and I’m so happy to have spent three years plotting together!

[agallimaufryofoddments]

Checking the Fate/strange fake TV special again, and that PV from 2019 again, and wow, yep, two hours later and it’s still surreal that these are characters written by Narita who are speaking audible words against mainstream J-Pop music for a megafranchise with more fans and money that any original Narita IP could ever conceive of.

Narita characters...who are speaking and will in two months be speaking dialogue Narita has written for light novels he has published. Narita’s name in huge typeface for a TV special which may or may not be a prelude for a summer anime that mainstream audiences are going to care about.

The TV special teaser is frankly underwhelming only because the first two thirds of it is just a build-up list of Fate anime until now (2004...F/sn! 2010...title! 2012...title etc.!), except of course it’s building up to, this, “the next Fate,” Fate/strange fake, and that, I concede, is hyping F/sf up. It is treating F/sf like a big deal, or at least worthy enough to be included in the line-up of all those other notable Fate entries. 

I can see why people think it’s portending a summer TV anime. Sawano as composer, teaser as self-important for a self-important franchise...what I’m getting at is... The teaser is treating F/sf like such a big deal in a way that Baccano! never quite got (and, hell, Durarara!! was popular enough, but just...not this popular), so it leaves me with slight bittersweet wistfulness over what could have been with Baccano!

“Wow...  Imagine a 2023 twentieth anniversary Baccano! anime treating the source material with this much magnitude. wheeze”

(No, hype and magnitude never guarantee the actual product will be well-executed, but c’mon, it’s not worth being spitefully pessimistic when what the hell, that’s Narita being treated like a big deal right there.)

[twistedtummies2]

The Price is Right - Number 27

Welcome to “The Price May Be Right!” I’m counting down My Top 31 Favorite Vincent Price Performances & Appearances! The countdown will cover movies, TV productions, and many more forms of media. Today, we focus on my pick for Number 27…or rather, my picks: Alice Cooper’s “Black Widow,” and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”

In many ways, these musical achievements – along with Phantom Manor – are arguably some of the oddest and yet best ways Vincent’s legacy has been immortalized. In both cases, Price did not perform the songs themselves, but the combination of the music, the artists, and Price’s involvement have helped to make these immortal. The first of these was “Black Widow,” made by Alice Cooper. The song is a classic in Cooper’s long line of macabre, morbid, and darkly vicious songs that have made him a legend; in its original release, the song itself was preluded by Price – presumably in the role of a scientist – delivering a monologue on the black widow spider, and what one could gleam from its behaviors and how they could compare it to the world of man itself. This monologue was actually essential to the song, as the first lyric of the tune – “These words he speaks are true…” – are intended to be a direct response to the monologue in question. Price not only recorded this monologue vocally, but also appeared onscreen in the 1975 TV special “The Nightmare,” which strung together a number of Cooper’s songs and music videos to create a loose sort of story. In the special, Price appears as a mysterious figure known as “The Spirit of the Nightmare,” who guides Cooper’s character – Steven – through his mad dreams and many fears. Almost ten years later, Vincent would make an arguably even bigger splash in the world of popular music, in a collaboration with Michael Jackson. That collaboration, of course, was arguably Jackson’s masterpiece, “Thriller.” Price delivered a “rap” (really a rhyming monologue) that acted as the closing section of the song, and ended with perhaps the single greatest evil laugh in the history of evil laughs. Funny thing about that infamous cackle: Price actually recorded the dialogue for the rap in just two takes, and if you find and listen to the audio taken at the sessions, after Vincent lets out that absolutely MORTIFYING laugh, there’s actually a few seconds of dead, stunned silence…before Price just giggles and says, “This is great fun!” The moment he does, you can hear the nervousness in the studio people’s voices as they get things shut down. Even with something as simple as the Thriller Rap, Price could truly give a shocking performance. In an interview, Vincent revealed that while he actually never got any great residuals from his contributions to either of these music masterworks, he didn’t mind especially. He found it amusing when projects like this came up, because he knew the reason they happened: “All the pop groups, when they get through their concerts, they go back to their motels, you know…and they turn on their late night television, and there I am! So they want me in their shows, and it’s very nice! No money in it, but it’s a lot of fun!” Considering I would have considered heresy not to include both of these appearances on the countdown somewhere, I think “a lot of fun” is the least of what they offered dear Mr. Price in the long run. The only reason I don’t put them higher is simply because, in the grand scheme of things, there are much more interesting performances to discuss.

Tomorrow, the countdown continues with my pick for Number 26!

[blightowl]

If you want to read Asimov’s Foundation series, here is some info on the series plus my recommendations!

(The whole shebang is under the cut :3)

There are seven books overall, with The Foundation Trilogy, two Sequels, and two Prequels.

The Foundation Trilogy

Foundation (1951)

Foundation and Empire (1952)

Second Foundation (1953)

Summary: The Galatic Empire has existed for over ten thousand years, and for its Emperor and citizens, there's every confidence it will continue forever. Only mathematician Hari Seldon and his associates know the dire reality: the Empire is dying. Using the advanced mathematics called “psychohistory,” Seldon predicts the Empire's fall and the era of devastating barbarism that will follow. In order to reduce that inevitable dark age from 30,000 years to just 1,000, Seldon establishes two Foundations, guided by psychohistory, at opposite ends of the galaxy.

Sequels

Foundation’s Edge (1982)

Foundation and Earth (1986)

Summary: Former Naval officer and Terminus Council member Golan Trevize, along with his companions, search for the origins of humanity - the planet where humans evolved.

Prequels

Prelude to Foundation (1988)

Forward the Foundation (1993)

Summary: This is the history of Hari Seldon - leading up to the events of Foundation (1951). With unlikely and unlooked for help, Seldon develops psychohistory to the level needed to enact the Seldon Plan (as it would later be known) and establish the two Foundations.

As with many early SF works, Asimov wrote the content of Foundation as short stories that were published in SF magazines. In 1951, those short stories were compiled and published as the first book in the series, Foundation.

First, Asimov wrote The Foundation Trilogy, and it was hugely popular. About 30 years after the trilogy was published, Asimov’s publishers persuaded him to answer the call from fans for more Foundation content. Asimov got to work and produced the two Sequels and then the two Prequels.

Okay so here’s what I recommend:

(Remember, these are only my opinions! Take from them only what you will, and definitely don't take take them as rules for how to read the Foundation series, please!)

Read The Foundation Trilogy first. DO NOT start with the Prequels.

If you want to read all seven books, I recommend you read them in the order they were published, which is the order I’ve listed above. (Foundation Trilogy, then Sequels, then Prequels.)

Treat The Foundation Trilogy, the Sequels, and the Prequels as different series.

Technically, all seven books take place in the same universe, however, Asimov wrote the Sequels and Prequels decades after he wrote The Foundation Trilogy. He did a lot of ret-conning. A lot of it was to tie the Foundation series into his Robot and Empire universes and connect them all into one.

Personally, I found a lot of that ret-conning unsatisfying in a way that detracted from the spirit of the original three books.

That being said, I did enjoy them, especially the Sequels, but as separate stories from The Foundation Trilogy.

This is my view of things, others may have found the Sequels and Prequels to be great additions to the original stories, so take this advice with a grain of salt.

The Prequels are optional.

The Prequels describe Hari Seldon’s life and how he developed psychohistory and planned the two Foundations. To me, going into all that detail “ruins the magic.” I really appreciated not knowing too much about Seldon in the original trilogy. Not knowing fit in with some of the major tenets of psychohistory.

Knowing less about Seldon makes his character more impressive and mysterious, and I liked it that way.

Revealing so much about him was like revealing too many details about the origins of the Xenomorph in the Alien movies - when we get to know too much about the alien, she becomes less scary.

This is a continuation of my recommendation above. Again, other readers have enjoyed the Prequels and maybe you will too! My advice is merely a reflection of my own experience with the books, and it’s up to you to weigh the opinions and info to make your own decision.

Overall, the Foundation series is wonderful. If you decide to read all or part of of the series, I really hope you enjoy it!!!

[co-reborn]

Spark

Nayeon x Male Reader

view in AFF

1,140 Words

A/N: Happy Nayeon Day!!! This story is based on @writerpeach​’s Glitter and is meant to be part of that universe. I did get his permission to use his story. Hope you enjoy this subpar fic to celebrate her birthday 🐰

The strip club you frequented was getting really popular, the classy atmosphere on top of the best of the best strippers you have witnessed being good reasons for such. Yet the increased crowd didn’t deter you from visiting your favourite stripper.

Im Nayeon, also known as Violet to the public, was stripping her silver two piece, just like when you first laid eyes on her. You were no stranger to her naked body, but what got you going was the erotic teasing—the swaying of her hips, or her hands roaming her body, or her bent body shaking her ass. She was great at her job, something you learnt from the first time she stripped in front of the crowd, gave you a private lapdance, and took your shaft deep into her pussy.

You both knew where today was heading, just like any other time you visited her. This time was different, however, as you had all day to enjoy each other’s body in the comfort of your bedroom.

Her top was the first to fall and her chest was exposed. The cool air on her skin made her nipples nice and hard, and Nayeon reached up to give them light pinches. Her gasp rang across the large room. You wished you could touch them, be the one to fondle her tits, but it was her birthday, her time to be fucked.

Next to go was her shorts, although this time, she wasn’t wearing her signature purple thong underneath. Despite the dim room light, you could make out the outline of her pussy and that she was wet. She remained by the foot of the bed, letting you watch as she touched herself, pleasured herself. You wished you could be doing that to her, but it was her birthday, and her sole request was for you to fuck her all day however she pleased.

That explained your current state where your hands were tied behind your back by your belt.  You were already naked, your shaft definitely erect from the sexy stripper, and you were ready to fuck or be fucked by Nayeon.

She didn’t want to wait any long either. She might have the whole day with you, but she wasn’t going to wait. She could enjoy teasing you later in the day. Briefly dropping onto her knees, Nayeon licked your shaft, giving you a prelude to the pleasure to come for the next few hours. With a smirk upon seeing your reaction, she knew she could make you feel even better with her pussy.

You lamented the loss of her tongue for a moment, although you couldn’t say anything with Nayeon’s tits shoved into your face. They were of perfect size for her smaller frame and she knew how to use what she has. You nibbled on her perky breasts, all while she leaked her juices across your thighs. Her tits were warm, and soft, and bouncy, and many more. You could spend forever praising them, but you would rather spend forever describing her snatch.

She was so so wet, now dripping her essence onto your swollen tip, and you experienced her tightness one more as she lowered herself onto your dick.

“Fuck I miss your big cock in me.”

Wrapped around your neck, Nayeon dug her fingers into your back. She immediately began riding you, chasing her first orgasm of the day. She spent most of her time with you for your pleasure, and now it was the inverse. It didn’t matter that you were still paying for her to spend the day with you, you bought her time just for her to celebrate her birthday comfortably.

“Fuck I’m cumming already. Your cock, ugh, it’s so good.” She melted into your chest, panting after the intense orgasm, the first of many.

~~~~~~

“Pull my hair! Oh fuck yes just like that!”

You were now taking Nayeon from behind, hips slamming into her bubble butt. Your hands found their freedom and you did as she ordered and grabbed her pigtails. It had an immediate effect on her, her loud gasp and clenching pussy indicated so.

A few orgasms into the day and the sex bunny was still keeping you hard, painfully so, and draining you of whatever you had left. The bedsheets were a mess, just as she was right now. Nayeon’s tight body trashed hard and your energy slowly depleted with each thrust into her.

You needed to cum in her, unwilling and unable to resist the urge. She sensed you were close and she coaxed you to release your cum inside her once more.

One weak groan later, you were burying small spurts of cum into her already filled cunt. You collapsed onto her sweaty back, desperate to recharge. Yet the unmerciful queen decided against it, pushing you off her small body and onto your back.

Slap. “You bastard, don’t fall asleep yet. You are here to fuck me, not to sleep. Now get your dick hard again, I want to swallow your cum.”

~~~~~~

Many hours had passed at this point, you didn’t know how much except for it being pass sunset.

You did get the break you so desired. It seems like Nayeon didn’t have infinite energy after all. A few hours of sleep was enough for her and she’s probably stained every inch of your bedroom, maybe even your living room.

Per her request, you were taking Nayeon missionary now. Neither you nor her had the energy for anything else, all she needed was your cock to be in her.

Lazily thrusting into her, her body writhed under you. You were glad that she accepted your invite to an all day sex marathon as her birthday gift to you and the hundreds of “Fuck!” and more vulgarities she moaned was enough to make you happy (and slightly proud) that she was satisfied.

She wrapped her arms around you and pulled you in for a kiss, a rare sign of intimacy from the stripper. Her tits pressed against your chest as you gathered all your energy into giving her your final thrusts. She pulled you into her neck, whispering directly into your ear, “Cum in me one last time.”

Each orgasm today felt better than the next. She wrapped her legs around your hips, pulling you deeper into her while whatever cum you had left in your body was released into her. You nibbled on her neck all this while, tasting her sweat-coated flesh and trying to ignore the pain from multiple orgasms.

Once you were done, you laid down next to her and she moved onto your chest. She had work the next day, but she didn’t care, she really needed the sleep after the long fucking you gave her. Sweeping her hair back, you gently kissed her before she went to dreamland.

“Happy birthday Nayeon.”

[noa-ciharu]

oh wait i have more! ranpoe,

Who's the cuddler: Ranpo definitely, Poe likes it too but is way way more shy about his wants and longings. Not to mention even after a whole year of relationship his brain still short circuits for a second or two when embraced or hugged. RIP Poe but Ranpo is just built differently.

Who makes the bed: Ranpo is a person who won't get up from chair to get sweets and bullies Atsushi or Tanuzaki to do it instead. Not even in a parallel universe he makes bed. So yea, it has to be Poe otherwise bed would never in lifetime be in proper state (both from sleeping and ya know...)

Who wakes up first: Poe, because there's no explosion loud enough to wake Ranpo up when he falls into deep slumber. At those moments he takes the only chance to sneaks a peek at Ranpo (especially when he's relaxed and not on implicit guard as when awake) free of self-consciousness and unsurety as his stare would remain undetected. Poe cherishes those moments. He always let's Ranpo sleep for way longer than what's deemed proper.

Who has weird taste in music: neither, but for different reasons: Poe genuinely has no interest in any music other than classic one or one's that suit his writing style (mystery + crime + detective tropes). Ranpo on other hand, he simply refuses to listen to "anything below his standard", but deep down is tempted to. Once Dazai came into agency with radio on arm, blasting on pure trash, Kunikida was out at that time but when returned 30 mins later chased Dazai into oblivion. Still music wormed itself into Ranpo's brain but he'd rather die than admit it.

Who is more protective: hm tought one: Poe sure would be protective but 1) if there's an active threat to Ranpo's wellbeing he'll challenge it and be more upfront 2) if there's no active threat and situation is safe he'd turn into mother hen but would be really awkward and at lost what to do. Ranpo on other hand, he'd become much more serious and quiet as he keeps on planning how to eliminate that person from existence. Quiet terrifying of him I'd say.

Who sings in the shower: Ranpo does sometimes, not too often. Also nothing fancy or opera-alike, just humming lyrics without any firm intonation or rhythm. Nevertheless Poe likes to hear it.

Who cries during movies: if either if them cries it's due to frustration of how many plotholes the movie has. Neither of them can be normal about films, be it popular ones, cliched ones or crime detective ones they find a first plothole in movie's intro. God forbid they ever go on movie double date with some other couple they'll drive them insane. Also they got kicked out of the cinema ones for exact same reason, plus Ranpo couldn't understand why he had to shut up, wasn't it better to let people know how bad the movie is?

Who spends the most while out shopping: Ranpo definitely, mostly on sweets. You only the saying "same content just different package"? Well Ranpo doesn't because he keeps on buys 10 same chocolates just the wrapping looks different. Poe himself doesn't spend much but sometimes some fancy equipment for writing catches his eye, but he decided he objectively looking, isn't in dire need of it. Ranpo is quiet shapr and ofc pays attention and each time a week later said item appears at Poe's door.

Who kisses more roughly: I don't think they're a couple that has roughness high on their intimacy types list, but that's not to say they can't be from times to times a bit forceful and over the top passionate with each other. Since both are competitive, I'd say that's where roughness can kick in (especially if they have some mind battle as prelude, oh the sapiosexuals) but they'd be equal on that part.

Who is more dominant: hm, I'd say Ranpo, in terms of personality, demeanor, affection and sexual activity. However on mental chesgame and solving mysteries I'd say they're equal. However Poe too has competitive and bolder side that's rarely seen, but always as a response to something Ranpo said or did, so it's possible for him to take more active role as well, just under special circumstances.

My rating of ship from 1-10: 7/10 for fellas is it gay to write a fanfic of both of us novel for 6 years to impress my future bf rival. In bsd rival is a queer code for your honour they're not only idiots but also in love: not only did they choose home of sexual but dumb of ass as well. Also fellas is it gay to be detective, whose privates are you investigating? Other men? And both of them said yes, God bless.

Send me a ship and I'll tell you:

[gorogues]

These questions are almost wholly unrelated to each other, but they both popped into my head at the same time. First, is Heat Wave still on the Suicide Squad? Did he die? Or is he in weird comic book limbo? Second, where did the idea of the Rogues as being "lame" come from? Obviously, the opinion of the Rogues as joke villains was mostly brought to an end after Geoff Johns, but when did people start thinking of them as jokes in the first place?

Spoilers for recentish comics in this post!

Mick didn't die at the end of Swamp Thing, but he hasn't been mentioned afterwards as far as I know, so I think he's either in comic book limbo or possibly still undergoing medical treatment (probably both). The Suicide Squad book quickly lurched into the prelude to the War For Earth-3, so maybe he just got forgotten by the writers or isn't a priority. Even though I don't want him to die, I hope that the cancer plot is at least addressed so it doesn't become a ridiculous footnote like 'Mick had terminal cancer but then it was never mentioned again'.

The second question is an interesting one. The Rogues started getting marginalized in the early Bronze Age and readers definitely noticed and complained, but I don't know if that happened because DC editorial/creatives thought they sucked or if it was due to the shift to comics being more 'serious' and 'realistic'. There's no question that comics wanted to be seen as more grown-up at the time, partly due to their Silver Age-reading audience growing older and creators getting frustrated about their medium being considered fluff for little kids. That's why you saw more social issues being explicitly dealt with, rather than ignored or at most discreetly referenced. But not all of DC's rogues' galleries were sidelined at that time, so there clearly wasn't a line-wide directive to replace classic villains with more realism. And, at some point later in the Bronze Age, the Flash book did bring back the Rogues and other classic Flash villains. It may have been for sales reasons or due to readers' complaints, I don't know.

However, once Crisis hit and Wally became the Flash, the book was understandably retooled, and at that point DC editorial began explicitly stating that they thought the Rogues were "outdated" (see this letter and the editorial response). And some readers definitely felt that way too; it's expressed in the letter, and I actually found a Usenet post from shortly before Crisis where a guy said he'd be happy if he never saw the Rogues again. That's why they mostly retired, reformed, or got sidelined in the early days of Flash volume 2, and I don't think most readers felt nostalgic for them until about the `90s -- Waid was quite dismissive of the Rogues except for the few he liked, and he started to get fan pushback for it in the mid-`90s. But even so, they still didn't get much respect from creators/editorial until Johns revamped them and was apparently quite protective of them. I think that finally proved to DC that the Rogues could be awesome and readers actually wanted to see them and even buy stuff with them. It's likely not a coincidence that the first Rogues action figures were made a little while after Johns' run began, and we even got a Captain Cold vs Flash statue. There had been a small amount of Rogues-related memorabilia before that, but it was scattered stuff like RPG books (niche items which included a lot of less-popular characters) and the occasional colouring/activity book and 7-11 cups. Plus the famous bedsheet :>

So, I hope that answers the question. To some extent, I'm sure Johns' own enthusiastic fanboyism helped win over his colleagues and bosses at DC, because we know he's quite open about his love for Len and apparently decorated his office with memorabilia which included Len stuff. But at the same time, he also managed to prove that the Rogues could be popular with readers and could sell and that was undoubtedly the primary factor in DC's thaw towards them. Dan DiDio was a huge Rogues fan too, so that probably helped as well. But as for what most current DC creators think of them at the moment, I've got no idea. It's possible the Rogues are still a polarizing love-em-or-hate-em subject, or maybe everyone at the company has accepted that they can at least be compelling characters and the matter is settled. Obviously I hope it's the latter, and the upcoming Black Label series could be indicative of that...I just hope it sells well.

[shadowron]

Shadows Across the Big Easy, for Shadowrun (1st Edition), from White Wolf Magazine. Prelude.

Some periodical history.

White Wolf Magazine was a gaming magazine (TTRPGs, CRPGs, CCGs, PbMs, etc.) that was published from 1986 until 1995, started by brothers Stewart and Stephan Wieck. White Wolf Publishing, their company, would merge with another company, Lion Rampant (founders Jonathan Tweet & Mark Rein·Hagen, editor Lisa Stevens), in 1991.

If those names are familiar, it is because they are Major Fragging Players in RPG publishing.

Jonathan Tweet was one of the primary designers of D&D 3rd Edition, Lisa Stevens would go on to form Paizo (of Pathfinder fame), and Rein·Hagen & the Wiecks are behind the immensely popular World of Darkness setting, with Vampire: The Masquerade being published in 1991.

Other TTRPGs have always stood in the shadow of D&D, and the same holds true for periodicals. TSR launched the monthly Dragon magazine in 1976, focused on all things D&D, with Dungeon starting 10 years later, printing shorter adventures. Later, I came to value the latter way more than the former. But both were, at their core, house organs. They primarily supported TSR publications (primarily D&D, but also with some Top Secret: SI and Marvel RPG content), and maybe gave the occasional shout out to some other game system.

Like Shadowrun!

Issue #203, March 1994, with cover art by Timothy Bradstreet.

Five years after Shadowrun was first published.

There were other magazines out there. Eventually.

White Dwarf was a UK magazine published by Games Workshop that started by covering wargames and TTPRGs but eventually focused solely on Warhammer.

Shadis, started by Knights of the Dinner Table author Jolly Blackburn, was another independent RPG magazine that always kept its independence, which meant it never got the wide readership it deserved. Shadis fragging rocked.

Then, back to the topic at hand, we have White Wolf, which started off like Shadis in covering all TTRPGs that weren’t D&D, but as the 90s bloomed and the World of Darkness exploded, gradually became their version of Dragon.

In 1994, it rebranded as Inphobia, in which yours truly has a published letter to the editor, but folded in less than a year (so I’m sorry for killing the magazine). With the emergence of the WWW, print media took a hit. Dragon, due to the continued popularity of D&D, lasted through 3rd edition and eventually went online only in 2007.

Shadows Across the Big Easy, by C.R. Shaver & Jason Rush, a five-part 1st Edition Shadowrun series premiered in White Wolf Magazine #31 (May/June 1992). The series includes:

City information about New Orleans in 2050

Magic rules for Voodoo

New Archetypes

A pair of adventures set in the Big Easy

Get your gumbo ready.

[digital-corruption]

By popular(?) demand, the missing, uncensored section of Haunted Part 9. This was exhausting to write. 😴 I might not do any later scenes.

Look, this is my fantasy, not yours. If you don’t like it, you are not obliged to read. This does not impact the rest of the Haunted series. You can skip it.

To the rest of you, I cannot reiterate how NSFW this is. Also the first Jake smut that I could find? Not sure how I feel about that. Please don’t make me regret confiding in you.

⚠️ Warning: This is 100% smut. Nothing else to see here.

Haunted by the Past Part 9 [Uncensored]

“I’m right here, Jake,” I caressed his cheek with my hand.

He pulled himself up to kiss my lips tenderly at first, but with an increasing hunger. He pulled away suddenly leaving me breathless. “I need you. All of you.” His eyes looked deep into my own.

A shiver went down my spine. “I’m yours. Please, I don’t want to think anymore.”

Jake planted kisses along my jawline to my ear, where he whispered, “I won’t let you.” His hand grabbed the hair at the back of my head and forced my head to tilt back giving greater exposure to my neck. He lightly sucked down my neck, listening to my moans, looking for the spot that elicited the loudest. That spot on the nape of my neck became his focal point as he sucked so aggressively on it, I could feel his teeth pressing against my skin. I thought for sure I would be consumed by him.

Jake grew bored of my neck and returned to my mouth where he forced his tongue in. It twisted aggressively against my own forcing it into submission. Without breaking his assault on my mouth, he pushed me back to give him easier access to my pants. While he manaed to undo the button and pull them down with the panties, I had to kick them off the rest of the way. Jake released my mouth leaving me panting.

“I haven’t even started yet,” Jake grinned slyly as he pushed me completely on my back

His fingers travelled down my stomach to my groin. They lightly rubbed the vulva while Jake moved his other hand to cover my mouth. Without warning two fingers slipped in and quickly found my g-spot. I moaned against his hand as his fingers pumped into it, then alternating to pulling the flesh down and releasing, and back to pumping. He was very experienced for someone who spent most of his time avoiding romantic encounters. He knew how to make me drip. All the while his eyes watched my reactions intensely. Occasionally my eyes would roll back a bit, which fueled him further. The hand on my mouth slipped aside and Jake leant down. His tongue rimmed my parted lips before snaking back inside. I moaned loudly against him, which encouraged his fingers to quicken the pace. Jake pulled away just an inch away from my mouth to allow me space to gasp as the first orgasm hit me. His fingers slowed to keep the wave going as long as possible. He smiled devilishly over he first victory.

His hand pulled away and he leant back. He sucked his wet finger tips to taste me. I could tell by his expression it was only a prelude.

Jake got back to his feet pulled me off the ground. He leant in and lightly dragged his lips against mine. He gave my shirt a tug, indicating it was time for it to go. I obliged and removed my bra. I was down to only socks and he was still fully dressed, albeit it looked uncomfortable with the tent in his pants.

“This doesn’t seem fair,” I muttered, feeling embarrassed in front of his piercing eyes.

“This is still all about you,” Jake leaned in to tenderly kiss me, while pushing me backwards. “You want to be free from thought. I will take it all away from you.”

I don’t know if Jake intended me for me to go through the doorway, but I missed it by a yard. Jake pressed me up against the wall still kissing me, while his hands wandered up and down my torso. His mouth went to work on the otherside of my neck while his foot kicked my feet further apart. He pressed his knee against my groin as he had gotten too hot and needed to remove his hoodie and shirt.

Jake left sensual kisses down my middle as he slowly knelt down in front of me. Now eyeline with my groin, he glanced up at me as he lifted a leg over his shoulder. His other hand kept me pinned against the wall so I would not fall. His free hand exposed my sensitive clit to him. He blew on it gently before circling it with his tongue a few times. I wiggled trying to get away from the intense stimulation, but I was trapped. His tongue pressed flat against the area and slowly dragged against me back its his mouth. My moan was so loud, it bordered on screaming. My hands searched for something to hold onto. One clung to the wall while the other grabbed the back of Jake’s head. He kissed my clit gently, then outlined my entrance with his tongue before thrusting it inside. My eyes rolled back as I was melting in front of him. This encouraged him to be more aggressive with my clit, alternating between flicking his tongue over it and sucking it softly. The multiple orgasm that followed was inevitable. I could feel him lapping it up.

By this point standing on my own two feet was nigh impossible as my knees had turned to jelly. I leaned against the wall convulsing while Jake paid tribute to my body. As my heartrate started to settle he whispered in my ear, “I’m still not done with you.”

He helped me to the next room where he pushed me down on the mattress. Finally his pants came off revealing his throbbing penis. He knelt down and moved in between my legs, but before he would enter, his fingers aggressively primed me to be dripping again. He then rubbed my wetness over the head of his penis. He lowered himself down to me, teasing my entrance with his penis. Suddenly he thrusted it in causing me to yelp. Then he slowly thrusted in and out to give me a chance to adapt to his size. As he went he increased the speed and strength of his trusts until he was drilling me into the mattress. What was left of my mind was now gone. All of me was Jake’s now. He knew it, I knew it and most importantly, he knew I knew it. He didn’t even flinch as the next orgasm hit, he pounded straight through it leading immediately into the next.

Jake still wasn’t done. He pulled out and flipped me over onto my knees, then thrusted back in. The new position allowed to pound faster and even harder. I cried out, arching my back. Jake took the opportunity to grab my hair by the roots and held me in that position. His other hand grabbed my arm as he finally released himself deep into me. He rode his own orgasmic wave, slowly thrusting in and out while my body sucked him dry.

When he finally let me go I collapsed on the spot with no strength left to move. Jake came down and pushed my hair off the back of my neck. I could feel his mouth making contact with the skin there and then his mouth aggressively sucking. He was marking me, branding me property of Jake. When he was done, he kissed sensually down my spine. All I wanted was for this euphoric feeling to last forever.

Jake pulled me around so that my back was against his chest and held me close to him. I heard a “Thank you" and an “I love you”, but I couldn’t decide if he said it out loud or if it was in my head. I tried to reciprocate, but I’m pretty sure it came out as a moan. I was so wiped that I drifted off.

[jikookuntold]

Jungkook and His Cover Songs: Is “10000 Hours” about Jimin?

Disclaimer: The following post includes theories, lyric and numeric analysis, plus my personal opinions, so please don’t take anything seriously. I’m too lazy to upload photos and videos for the moments I mentioned here, but I’m sure you know about them all. Any Jikooker must know. And I’m not Korean or a Korean culture expert, I just know as much as any Stan Twitter ARMY knows about their culture.

Anyone?

Maybe one of the biggest Jikook moments of 2021 so far, is where Jimin jumped into Jungkook’s hug, in Lee Hyun’s Vlog. But the other moment on that Vlog was even more significant; Jungkook was singing “Anyone” from Justin Bieber’s new album, and Jimin was harmonizing with him while holding on his shirt. I don’t want to mention their interview moment singing “Peaches” because I know this song is super popular in South Korea right now and somehow it doesn’t count as a moment. But it’s safe to say that Jikook has something special with his songs, and JK in particular always was invested in him. 

JK & JB

The reason behind Jungkook’s devotion to Justin Bieber was always a big question for me, and I got my answer not long time ago. Jungkook’s playlist for Melon Radio Station included a song from JB’s new album named “Lonely”. This is one of the most personal songs any artist can ever make, and JK recommended it to his audience. Here are the lyrics of “Lonely” by Justin Bieber:

Everybody knows my name now

But somethin' 'bout it still feels strange

Like lookin' in a mirror, tryna steady yourself

And seein' somebody else

And everything is not the same now

It feels like all our lives have changed

Maybe when I'm older, it'll all calm down

But it's killin' me now

What if you had it all, but nobody to call?

Maybe then you'd know me

'Cause I've had everything

But no one's listening

And that's just lonely

I'm so lonely, lonely

Everybody knows my past now

Like my house was always made of glass

And maybe that's the price you pay

For the money and fame at an early age

And everybody saw me sick

And it felt like no one gave

They criticized the things I did as an idiot kid

What if you had it all, but nobody to call?

Maybe then you'd know me

'Cause I've had everything

But no one's listening

And that's just lonely

These lyrics made me think of one specific thing, the thing that JK and JB have in common: They started their careers at a very young age, and their lives have been under the scrutiny of so many people. These people judged and criticized them but never tried to understand them. The lyrics are straightforward and leave no place for interpretation. By recommending this song, JK showed that he had (and probably still has) the same experiences in his life, and I think the reason he recommends or covers JB’s songs more than any other artist is that he has many things in common with him, and feels connected to his songs. 

This can lead us to another theory: By covering a Justin Bieber song, Jungkook shares something about himself with us, something that he can’t express directly.

Jungkook is interested in JB’s songs, but he is not the only one. As I said earlier in this post, Jimin shares the same taste with Jungkook, and my receipt is not just that “Anyone” or “Peaches” harmonizing moments, but also Jimin’s Spotify playlists. Since 2017 (or earlier, I’m not sure about this part) he has added some JB songs to his official playlist, and even his current playlist (July 2021) has two JB songs. And also let’s not forget the fact that Jikook as a subunit started in 2014 with a JB cover. Yes, I’m talking about “Mistletoe” and as you may know, Jimin translated the lyrics of this song to Korean. 

10000 Hours

Nearly 700 words and I haven’t started yet! The subject of this post was supposed to be the connections between “10000 hours” cover and Jikook but this prelude was necessary to clarify all the aspects of the topic and we find out how JB is special for JK and Jimin and how they (especially Jungkook) feel connected to him. Anyways, back to 10000 hours:

Dan + Shay and Justin Bieber released this Grammy winner song in October 2019. Here are the lyrics: 

Do you love the rain, does it make you dance

When you're drunk with your friends at a party

What's your favorite song, does it make you smile

Do you think of me?

When you close your eyes, tell me, what are you dreamin'?

Everything, I wanna know it all

I'd spend ten thousand hours and ten thousand more

Oh, if that's what it takes to learn that sweet heart of yours

And I might never get there, but I'm gonna try

If it's ten thousand hours or the rest of my life

I'm gonna love you

Do you miss the road that you grew up on?

Did you get your middle name from your grandma?

When you think about your forever now, do you think of me?

When you close your eyes, tell me, what are you dreamin'?

Everything, I wanna know it all

I'd spend ten thousand hours and ten thousand more

Oh, if that's what it takes to learn that sweet heart of yours

And I might never get there, but I'm gonna try

If it's ten thousand hours or the rest of my life

I'm gonna love you

Ooh, want the good and the bad and everything in between

Ooh, gotta cure my curiosity

Ooh, yeah

I'd spend ten thousand hours and ten thousand more

Oh, if that's what it takes to learn that

Sweet heart of yours

And I might never get there, but I'm gonna try

If it's ten thousand hours or the rest of my life

I'm gonna love you

And I'm gonna love you

As you can see, the lyrics are 100% romantic, and the singers including JB, have dedicated this song to their lovers. Also, their girlfriends/wives have a cameo in the MV, which leaves no place for speculation for the context of the song: Even though the uncertainties always exist and no one knows about the future, our love is strong and will stay strong regardless of time. 

The Cover and the Theories

Nearly one year later, on July 28th, 2020, Jungkook surprised ARMYs with a short video he tweeted at 11:56 AM. That video was a 49 seconds cover of 10000 hours. A few minutes later, he deleted the tweet (apparently with the advertisement excuses, because it was tweeted from an iPhone and they have a contract with Samsung). Later that night, Jungkook released the full version on Sound Cloud and tweeted the link at 11:47 PM. 

Jikookers discovered numerous theories that day about the times of both tweets; if you add the digits of the time, the result is “13” for both tweets 1+1+4+7=13, 1+1+5+6=13, and as you already know “13” is Jikook’s magic number. Also, the first video he tweeted was 49 seconds and 4+9=13. But in my opinion, this theory is not strong. I know that numerology is very popular in Korean culture but still, all of this can be coincidences, but the other things I’m going to bring up are most likely not. 

28th July 2020 was the 7th anniversary of the first Jikook selca posted after debut. This also might be a coincidence and to be honest, it cannot be a strong link to make a connection with Jikook, but worths sharing. 

The next thing that many Jikookers also pointed out, was related to the title of the song. The lyrics say “10000 hours and 10000 more” and 20000 hours after the 28th of July is 8th November 2022. As you may know. Jikookers believe November 8th is a significant date for Jikook. I believe this can be a coincidence either, and it’s very unlikely of Jungkook to do such calculations (Koreans are interested in numbers when it comes to days and dates, but counting hours is not usual in any culture. Other than that, I’m still doubtful about the origins of the November 8th theory because we have nothing other than two tweets and G.C.F Tokyo release date and their hotel room in Tokyo which still can be coincidental). But I don’t deny these theories because even as a coincidence, it’s still very interesting. 

And the next theory is connected to the “Red Moon”. On 27th July 2018, a total lunar eclipse happened all over the world, which became known as the red moon. At that time, BTS were in Malta, and on the same night, Jikook were watching the red moon on a boat. They shared plenty of photos and videos of that moment and I’m sure as a Jikooker you have seen them all and you know that night had a very romantic mood (BigHit words, not mine) for Jikook. So, a second anniversary for that night and the day after that night can be a significant date to release a very romantic cover. Is this a coincidence too? I think we had many of them already.

And last but not least is something connected to Korean culture. You probably know that 1000 days anniversaries are very important for Koreans and they celebrate them along with real anniversaries of the important dates in their lives. And guess what? 27th July 2020 is 1000 days after 31 October 2017. This day is the day Jikook’s travel to Tokyo ended and they posted their couply mirror selca on Twitter with flower bouquet emoji. Despite the one-day difference (the same case for the red moon anniversary), this is not a minor event or small coincidence. I believe Jungkook posted “10000 hour” cover for this reason and based on this, the other theories I mentioned earlier can be true either. 

The lyrics hit different if you read them again, after knowing this fact. Right? I don’t want to make this post much longer but before wrapping up, I want to talk about the lyrics of “Anyone” by JB (the song Jikook were harmonizing in Lee Hyun’s Vlog):

Dance with me under the diamonds

See me like breath in the cold

Sleep with me here in the silence

Come kiss me, silver and gold

You say that I won't lose you

But you can't predict the future

So, just hold on like you will never let go

Yeah, if you ever move on without me

I need to make sure you know that

You are the only one I'll ever love

(I gotta tell ya, gotta tell ya)

Yeah, you, if it's not you, it's not anyone

(I gotta tell ya, gotta tell ya)

Looking back on my life

You're the only good I've ever done (ever done)

Yeah, you, if it's not you, it's not anyone (anyone)

Not anyone

Forever's not enough time to (oh)

Love you the way that I want (love you the way that I want)

'Cause every morning I find you (oh)

I fear the day that I don't

You say that I won't lose you

But you can't predict the future

'Cause certain things are out of our control

Yeah, if you ever move on without me

I need to make sure you know that

You are the only one I'll ever love

Only one (I gotta tell ya, gotta tell ya)

Yeah, you, if it's not you it's not anyone

(I gotta tell ya, gotta tell ya)

Looking back on my life

You're the only good I've ever done (I've ever done)

Yeah, you, if it's not you, it's not anyone

It's not anyone, not anyone

Oh, oh, oh, oh

If it's not you, it's not anyone

Oh, oh, oh, yeah, whoa

Yeah, you are the only one I'll ever love

(I gotta tell ya, gotta tell ya)

Yeah, you, if it's not you, it's not anyone

(I gotta tell ya, gotta tell ya) gotta tell ya

Looking back on my life

You're the only good I've ever done (ever done, oh, yeah)

Yeah, you, if it's not you, it's not anyone

If you read the lyrics, you will notice that the context is very similar to “10000 hours”. It talks about the uncertainties of a beautiful love or in other words: No matter what the future brings to us, this love will last forever. 

This context of uncertainty and unknown future for a romance is a common concept in many of the songs Jungkook has covered and it’s not limited to the Justin Bieber covers he has done and maybe this concept can be the topic for my next analysis.