#definitely spent a long time on that music section

[grapejuicestyless]

I Just Want To Be Loved.

Harry Styles x Fem!Reader

Summery: It’s been the long haul for you and Harry. You spent everyday together for years. Recently, all you’ve been doing is spending your time apart. Is it so much to ask for him to come home?

Love on tour was there full definition of love. The atmosphere was filled with warmth and a kindness that seemed unique purely for the shows within it. Friendships blossomed in every section and fans showed their appreciation with projects projecting rainbows and meaningful messages to prove it. It was everything you’d think love could be.

So it made sense as to why Harry kept adding more shows, prolonging the inevitable end of the years he’d spent away from home. He, just as much as anyone else, loved to be loved. I couldn’t blame him. If I was him, I would’ve done the same.

Yet still, even though the tour was pure fluff and happiness, it drew a bubbling sadness from deep within every time he frolicked onto that stage. A sparkly, blinding reminder that once again, he was out making a name and I was at home, holding onto the ounces of love he shared over the phone each night.

The excitement coursing through me when he announced the final shows was extreme. Though I pretended to be bummed for the sad ending, and the tough parting from the band and the fans, I couldn’t be more happy to get my Harry back.

I longed for those peaceful moments in the mornings, my hands tracing his nose and his fingers playing with my hair until our touches became lazy and we dozed back off into a light slumber. I missed those loving times that were stolen from me with every new date added.

It felt selfish, to want to take such a core memory from the fans, people who Harry adored like his friends. People I’d grown to love throughout the years of our friendship and eventually our relationship. I’d had Harry at my fingertips for years, they only had him for a night. Yet it was so hard to share him.

Thinking deeply, I fought with my inner thoughts about the delicate line that was selfish and justified until my phone buzzed in a heartbeat pattern on the kitchen counter.

Turning it over, I watched Harry’s name pop up, hearts decorated around his name, “H,” as I had set it as on my phone.

I leaned forward, forearms resting against the cold countertops and the ripped collar of Harry’s shirt twisted between my fingers while I waited happily for the image of Harry to load up on my screen.

“Hi, Baby!” He called excitedly in all his post show sweaty glory. He had curls stuck to his forehead and his cheeks were shiny and sparkling under the yellow lighting of his hotel room.

“Hi, H. How was your show?” I laughed at his exasperation. He made it obvious that he had rushed into his room to call me, the heavy breathing he tried to muffle and the quickness of his chest giving him away.

“Amazing, baby. It’s just so crazy that it’s real, you know? They all came for me and my band! It’s always so surreal seeing sold out stadiums with people who came for my music.” He rambled, the same speech every single time. How he felt so lucky that something so grand could have happened to someone so average like him, even if he was far from average in my eyes.

Still, my cheeks hurt from smiling. Seeing him happy was the greatest happiness of all, to me.

“You know you deserve it. Worked so hard these past few years and now you get to celebrate it with the people who love you. I’m so proud of you.” Our eyes met, a comfortable silence forming while our smiles turned into shy giggles and eyes averting from each other like school children in love.

“I love playing for these people. I cant believe how lucky I am to be with them almost everyday of the week.” I nodded, not feeling the need to respond.

“So, that’s why my team and I were thinking…” He led me into it with false hope. Hope that he was going to say something about coming home to throw a party where I could remain attached to his hip and love on him as he did to me.

“We’re going to add a few more shows before we finish off the tour.” I nodded, still smiling.

“Like in between? Don’t you think that will be too many shows in a week?” I asked, blinded by my excitement to see him. Silence fell over the phone call, this one heavier and more tense.

“Well, not exactly.” He tried to start explaining. The smile hurting my cheeks slowly faded into a confused gaze, proudness and glee turning into hurt and a heart breaking realization.

“We were thinking of adding a few more shows in Asia and Italy around September time. Maybe even have another Harryween in the states!” He explained, looking at the ceiling. His hands eventuated his explanation dramatically, like always.

All I could do was stay silent, heart pounding into my ears and a lump in my throat expanding into a dull ache that only seemed to rise.

“Y/n, isn’t that great?” My face was frozen, eyes widened and looking straight into the blurry green ones on the glitchy FaceTime call.

“Y/n?” He called again, his voice sounding more concerned.

Maybe it was my lack of response, or the tears welling in my eyes. Maybe it was that he thought I was frozen and couldn’t hear him, or maybe all three. But I was stuck. Stuck between wanting to support all of his decisions, trying to do what was best for him and wanting to just be selfish for just a moment.

I wanted to scream at him not to add anymore shows. I wanted to yell at him for making me wait for him for so long. I wanted to be overly emotional until I turned into putty in my own hands. Yet, even in my own conflict, I couldn’t find it in me to say no to him.

“Yeah, that…that sounds great, Harry. Really, I’m excited for you.” He nodded, not fully convinced.

“O…okay. Y/n, are you okay, you look a little pale. Have I said something?” What haven’t you said? You’ve just told me your leaving me yet again.

Stay? Just stay? Please, I want to be loved. I just want to be loved. I want to be loved by you and only you. I want you to forget about everything and just let it be us again.

“No, no. I’m just getting tired. It’s getting late over here. I’d better get to bed. Goodnight, H.” My tone was monotone, lacking any emotional depth behind it. It was obvious everything I said was a lie, but he let himself accept it halfway.

“Okay, sleep well. Call me when you wake up, okay? I love you. Goodnight, baby.” I hung up the phone, throwing it as soon as it beeped to a silence. The rage I felt was ungodly. It was pent up, having been stuffed down like a gross mass of phlegm bubbling up, waiting to be spat out.

Suddenly, the lump in my throat expanded to a broken cry, a painful rip rippling down my body. An ache that had been dull for the past few months coming full surge at me in one painful swoop.

I just wanted to be loved, was that too much to ask for?

———————————————————————-

Part 2 will be coming 🫶

[fitzrove]

The insane story of how Pia was cast as Elisabeth

"Still completely overwhelmed by the offer to play this role - not just any role, but the main role in a world premiere - I began to study not only the book of the play, but also the story of Elisabeth of Austria. [...] What is the historical truth, which real figures are behind the roles in the musical? All of these questions suddenly became relevant to me, and I found all of the answers to them in Hamann's books. [...] While studying the countless photos of Elisabeth in the picture section of the book, one particular image suddenly took my breath away. When I looked at the photo of the empress's death mask, I thought I recognized the delicate facial features of my colleague Pia Douwes.

What happened next is something Pia still likes to tell as an anecdote. After a performance of Les Misérables, I showed up in a coffee house with that book in my hand, put it on the table in front of Pia, turned to the page with the picture of the death mask and said: "Pia, look, that's definitely you!" She replied, somewhat piqued: "Hello, Uwe, that's a death mask and I'm sitting here and I'm still alive. Thank God!" Despite my uncharming comparison, she couldn't deny a certain resemblance. Apparently, that evening I spent a long time chatting to her about all the details I already knew - the musical and the historical details about the empress. A plan had been maturing in my mind for a long time: I wanted to stand on stage alongside Pia in the role of the empress, or at least I could imagine it very well. In Vienna, the castings for the title role had long been underway and were almost complete, but Pia nevertheless began to put out feelers through contacts in the scene. Names like Dagmar Hellberg and Daniela Ziegler had already been mentioned, and the division of the role within the play between a young and an old empress was also being considered. [...]

As chance or fate would have it, director Kupfer had to go to the Amsterdam Opera for work, and so he and his production team, including Viktor Gernot, who had flown in especially for the role of the already-cast Emperor Franz Joseph, took the opportunity to conduct a casting for the title role on site. After Pia had sung "Wie du" and "Ich gehör nur mir", everything was clear for Sylvester Levay, who was also present at this important decision. The subsequent duet with Gernot was just a formality."

From Uwe Kröger's autobiography "Ich bin, was ich bin. Mein Leben". Amalthea Verlag 2014.

[major-comet]

The Best Red vs Blue Watch Order Guide Ever. Of All Time.

So. You want to watch Red vs Blue, huh? Maybe you read my long post about how it's so weirdly incredible yet impossible to recommend and now you want to give it a shot. Or maybe you have seen the show before, but it's been a long time and/or you didn't watch any of the mini-series or anything and want to give it another go. Either way, looking at a show with a 21 year history is kind of daunting, and you have no idea where to start.

Well luckily for you, I've done the work for you.

This watch guide will cover all 19 seasons of the main show, most of the mini-series, and some of the PSA's and other such bonus content. There will be links provided for where you can watch everything I talk about. This Google Drive (from reddit u/Exitity, unsure if they also have a tumblr) has all of the individual episode uploads, and most of the stuff I'm going to be talking about, although I'm trying to use YouTube links wherever I can. Any links will be colored in light blue for additional visibility.

Couple of quick things before we begin.

When possible, watch the individual episode uploads rather than the "complete" editions. The "Completes", while they may provide a more streamlined viewing experience by cutting out all of the bumpers and outros and such, accomplish this by cutting out a lot of jokes. RvB has a lot of jokes that happen during the fade to black at the end of an episode, and a lot of those get lost in the edits. There's also some things that just straight up get cut for seemingly no reason. Side note, the DvD/Blu-Ray versions seem perfectly fine, and honestly are even better to watch than the individual episodes if you have them. They're like a best of both worlds - adding some extra music and such (ESPECIALLY in the first 5 seasons) that really helps make a nice presentation of the show. If that's an option available to you, I recommend it. Otherwise, stick with the individual episodes.

At the end of each entry in the list, I may present a Side Quest section. This will include anything I feel you should watch that isn't necessarily canon, but helps add some extra life to the series. This may include some behind the scenes stuff or a selection of the PSA's and the non-canon mini-series. This stuff can be really great for building out the characters in a way that doesn't necessarily affect the greater story, and can especially be good for interactions between characters that maybe don't interact much in the main show. Anything I put in a Side Quest is strictly optional, but will add to your viewing experience. Obviously, there's a lot more bonus material than what I'm putting here. I'm just putting down some of the highlights. And if you end up liking the PSAs and such then just know: there's so much more for you to explore.

Early RvB is very much a product of it's time, and sometimes you'll get hit with a line that stops you dead in your tracks. Adult-oriented comedies can always be a minefield, and RVB's roots as a show made for Halo fans in 2003 definitely don't help. However, while this is the most common in the first five seasons, it never really stops being an issue. The purpose of this guide is simply for watch order, but if you have any specific trigger-related questions about any season of rvb please feel free to shoot me an ask or even a DM - i'm more than happy to help.

Okay, let's begin, breaking it down by arc.

The Blood Gulch Chronicles

You may hear people telling you to skip the first five seasons of the show and just pick up with Season 6. Those people are lying to you and do not have your best interests at heart. The first five seasons are pretty much strictly comedy, and from Season 6 onward the show starts to explore deeper themes and stories while still falling back on that comedic foundation. Skipping straight to the deeper stuff doesn't work very well IMO, because those five seasons are spent getting to know the characters we're going to be following for the rest of the show. The stuff that happens in Blood Gulch never stops being important - whether it's side characters showing back up again later on, or laying the foundation for a lot of the moments and story lines that make some of the later seasons so special.

Anyways, the watch order.

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Out of Mind - Mini-series

Season 5

Blood Gulch Side Quests

Tattoo Point/Counterpoint - Season 1 PSA

A Message to the Science Community - Season 2 PSA

Real Life VS. The Internet - Season 2 PSA

All of the deleted scenes, honestly, but This One in particular because asphodel and I quote it all the time.

The Outtakes/Bloopers - I'm not gonna put the link for these and the deleted scenes for every arc, but just know that you should watch them after every season/arc. There's some great stuff in there.

The Season 5 Alternate Endings

Either watch it Now, or after you watch the finale, but I highly recommend the 2003 Season 1 DVD Commentary. It's just Burnie (Church/Lopez/Vic) and Geoff (Grif), and it's really nice.

If you've ever watched any behind the scenes stuff for RvB or even rooster teeth as a whole, you have almost certainly seen This Clip, which is a behind the scenes of the voice recording for Grif and Simmons' lines in episode 1.

The Recollection

Recovery One - Mini-series

Season 6 - Reconstruction

Relocated - Mini-series

Season 7 - Recreation

Season 8 - Revelation

Recollection Side Quests

First! - Season 6 PSA

Small Rewards - Season 6 PSA

Rock the Vote and Rock the Veto - PSAs made to encourage RvB viewers to register to vote. Which at the time you could do on your xbox 360. These are here mostly as a "wtf" historical piece.

Halo-Ween - Season 7 PSA

Valentine's Day - Season 7 PSA

Fire Safety: Where There's Smoke... - Season 7 PSA. genuinely one of the best.

Holiday Plans - Mini-series

The Reach PSA series - Three parts total, only part one is linked.

Project Freelancer Saga

Season 9

Technically there's two mini-series that take place during Season 9 - being M.I.A. and Where There's a Will, There's a Wall. I really love them, and would recommend watching them after S9, but if you really want to roll into S10 you won't miss much. Weirdly there's a place later on that would be a great spot to circle back to these, but I'll save that for later.

Season 10

Project Freelancer Side Quests

This is a great spot to circle back to older side quests you may have skipped, btw.

The Season 10 Table Read BTS - Season 10 was the first time they ever did a full cast table read for the show, and it's cool to see a few snippets from it and hear the crew talk about it.

Matt Hullum Talks to Himself - watch this after M.I.A. it's a live table read of part of the script, with a focus on a conversation between Sarge and Doc (who have the same voice actor)

This 10 Year Retrospective that was put out around Season 10. Watching it now, knowing that they were about halfway through the lifespan of the show / company gives it a whole new perspective.

RT Oz - PSA

Remember Not to Forget and Voting Fever - PSAs made to promote the launch of Halo 4. Voting Fever is one of the Best Ever (and listen to the full version of That's How Voting Works afterwards!)

This Interview between Burnie and Trocadero talking about the music the band has done for the show. This playlist also has a bunch of other behind the scenes and other such bonus stuff from the DVDs and Blu-Rays, it's great to keep around.

The Chorus Trilogy

Season 11

The Chorus Journal Entries - Only three have fully machinimated versions, the last one is just the log entry. Bridges the gap between 11 and 12

Season 12

Season 13

Chorus Trilogy Side Quests

#1 Movie in the Galaxy - PSA

Getting Away From it All - PSA

#1 Movie in the Galaxy: 2 - PSA

Uh. I think the RvB Holiday Special goes here

Matt Hullum (Sarge) reading an excerpt from 50 Shades of Gray at a book signing.

Season 14 - Anthology

I get it: not everyone loves the Anthology format. I truly do recommend watching all of it at least once - or if you haven't in a long time. My only Side Quests are to say that this is the perfect time to go back to M.I.A. and WTAWTAW if you skipped them after season 9, and that if you skipped the #1 Movie In the Galaxy PSAs during Chorus, watch them now before the third one, which is in this season.

The Shisno Trilogy (seasons 15, 16, and 17)

Season 15

Season 16 - The Shisno Paradox

Season 17 - Singularity

Shisno Side Quests (this is taken from our survey data because it's been so long since I've watched much of any shisno-related stuff)

Hard Truths - PSA

Diversity - PSA

Cultural Appreciation - PSA

Lopez's Technical Guide to Empathy - PSA

Unreal Estate - PSA

Caboose's Guide to Finding Your Home - sequel to the Guide to Making Friends from season 14

RvB: Zero + Family Shatters

okay so here's the deal. If by this point, you're really just interested in the characters you've been watching for the past 17 seasons and not so much the story or anything - you may not get much from watching Zero. I do think it's interesting to watch, if only because I think it's got a lot of missed potential. Zero is not served well by being a season of RvB, I think I would have liked it a lot more if it were stand-alone, though that doesn't fix all of my issues with it. If you wanna jump straight to the series finale, you absolutely can. It's a pretty short watch, though, and I've heard that Family Shatters was better. I'll watch that one at some point.

Zero

Family Shatters - spinoff

Restoration

This is it! The series finale.

I'm not doing this with an other season (though I do recommend going back and watching all the teasers and trailers at some point), but before you watch the finale you should watch The First Trailer For It. I think it sets up the season really well, and helps make some of the rushed set-up exposition in Restoration make a little bit more sense. honestly this should just be considered the first scene of the finale. Then watch the finale, and then you are done with all of the main show of Red VS Blue. Go forth, and be free.

Final Side Quest

I'm putting anything that came out in the nebulous time between Zero and the finale in here. I'll come back and edit this once we find out what on earth is going to be on the Blu-Ray.

Offensive Driving

First Person Tutor

Moving Out

The Video RT Made to Announce Master Chief and Blood Gulch Were Coming To Fortnite. This played at the game awards and my soul almost left my body

This is also where I'll put QvsA, which is the Grimmons mini-series, though I haven't actually watched it myself yet. They're all on youtube.

My all-time favorite RvB fan edit - doesn't actually have any clips post-anthology, but I think the end is a great time to watch it.

If none of this makes sense, or you just have any questions at all - I am More than happy to help answer your queries. I hope this helps :) Also if any of the links are broken please let me know.

[glass--beach]

hi j!

my highschool band and I played for the first time at a small music fest. we only sang covers and we're not very good lol, but we kinda want to start making some songs ourselves!!

do you have any tips for songwriting? how do you choose themes and melodies, and what's your process with glass beach?

doing covers is a good place to start! i like to learn songs i like and then try to take them apart and try to understand what parts i like the most and why they work. i do most of my songwriting by playing some chords and humming or singing until i find stuff that works. you can even take chords from an existing song to start with, lots of songs reuse chord progressions. lyrics usually come way way later. once you find two sections that feel connected but contrast each other a bit you're golden (verse and chorus is enough, you can figure out bridges later)

i like to structure melodies as a "question" and "answer", so every first phrase ends in an uncertain place (any note other than the 1st note of the scale, the 3rd and 5th note of the scale are usually good options) and every second phrase ends on a resolved note (the 1st note of the scale, OR the 3rd or 5th if the first phrase ended on a note besides those two). this is more of a guideline than a rule though, plenty of great melodies don’t do that but i find that method to be reliable. i hope that makes sense

next bit of advice i have is to just try to write as many songs as possible, and don’t take it too seriously, especially if songwriting is new to you. spending a really long time trying to get one song perfect can be a trap. lots of people will just idly sing little made up songs to themselves, or to their pets or whatever, that’s the kind of stuff i’m talking about, goofy and frivolous. it should be fun! that’ll give you a lot of practice and make writing more “serious” songs a lot more comfortable. lots of my oldest songs were conceived as jokes.

if you’re trying to write with your band i say take a really simple chord progression (like 2 chords even, definitely no more than 4) and just loop it over and over and jam on it and try our different ideas. you really can write a song with just two chords, I - IV is a good progression for that (ie D - G, C - F, E - A).

this was kinda disorganized and stream of consciousness but i hope it helps! i have spent so long honing my songwriting craft but it is very difficult for me to explain how i actually think about it. keep in mind there’s pretty much no rules and the best thing you can do for yourself is make songwriting fun! good luck writing some songs!!

[semisgroupie]

oct 24th: kuroo tetsurou

kuroo tetsurou x fem. reader

wc: 3.1k

warnings: praise, degradation, cnc, unprotected sex, creampie, fear play (kinda), choking, biting, marking (bites), oral sex (f!receiving), reader is called whore and slut, public sex, exhibitionism, kuroo acts pretty creepy, mention of getting caught

synopsis: a handsome stranger approaches you in the library, his kind words and raspy voice distract you from his true intentions

The worst time of the semester finally approached, midterms.

The days where you spent hours and hours at the library, staring at your books until your eyes were crossed, writing down important notes until your hand was sore, sitting hunched over in an uncomfortable seat until you took a breather. You hated it but you had to do it, just for the hope of receiving an A.

You have been sitting in the library for about 3 ½ hours, it was getting later and later but luckily for you, your university had the policy of keeping the library open for 24 hours during midterms and finals. You sat near the archives section of the library, it’s on the top floor of the library and towards the back, somewhere where you would be completely isolated. You were seated in a comfy chair that you stole from one of the private study rooms that weren’t occupied yet and your study materials were scattered messily in front of you..

It was only you on this floor, or so you thought.

You didn’t see anyone walk by, well you weren’t paying too much attention to your surroundings. Music blared through your headphones and the papers in front of you hindered your senses and distracted you from anything going on around you. The only thing that pulled you away was when you felt a few taps on your shoulder, you jumped at the feeling and glanced over at who it was. You started hoping that it wasn’t a librarian coming to ask you to return your chair to the room it belonged to but when you actually saw who it was your heart skipped a beat.

You were met with the most piercing golden eyes you’ve ever seen. It felt like they were piercing through your soul with just a single glance and your body started to heat up immediately with slight embarrassment, how long was he standing there? You quickly took in his other features, a messy tuft of raven hair sat on his head, besides the color of his eyes the shape was feline-like, a mix of a smirk and a smile graced his lips.

“Hi, sorry to bother you. I thought I would be the only one here but I wanted to ask if you’d mind it if I sat here. I like sitting in an isolated area when I study as well. My name is Kuroo by the way.” He stuck his hand out to you and you took it, the difference between your hands was stark. His fingers were slim, long and slender and his hands were slightly calloused and dwarfed yours.

“That’s fine, it would be nice to have some company. I’m Y/N.” You moved over to make some space for him and tried to push your papers to a neater pile. He sat down and took some of his things out while you went back to your studying. His eyes drifted along your figure, looking at the way the skirt you wore rode up with the slightest movement, how your chest rose and fell slowly due to your even breaths and the slight pout on your lips as you focused on the work in front of you.

He moved a little closer to you and leaned in close enough to let you smell the spice of his cologne. “I took this class last semester, if you need help I definitely wouldn’t mind helping a beautiful girl like you.”

Your cheeks heated up more and you offered him a small smile as you shook your head. “Thank you but I think I have a pretty good hang on this, I wouldn’t want to distract you from your studying anyways.” He chuckled and wrapped an arm around the back of your chair.

“Beautiful and intelligent, I’m looking forward to seeing what else you have in store for me.” You felt your cheeks heat up even more as you turned back to your work, trying your best to focus on what was in front of you. But it was proving to be more and more difficult as you felt him move closer, his hand that was on the back of your chair moved down near your leg. You crossed them to try to create some distance from his hand and to try to be inconspicuous with it, you didn’t know what he would be like when he was upset and you didn’t want to deal with that.

You just wanted to finish studying and go home without a problem.

Kuroo kept moving closer until his fingers gently grazed the soft, supple skin of your thigh. A breath hitched in your throat but you tried to remain focused. Now wasn’t the time for flirting or anything more, you had your studies to focus on. “You’re so soft too and smell delicious, I could just eat you right up.” You offered him a small smile out of false gratitude and turned back to your papers.

You continued going through everything and let out a small sigh of relief when you noticed that you would need to retrieve a book. You moved your chair so you could get up and glanced over at him, “I need to go grab a book.” You don’t know why you had to explain yourself to him but you did it anyway. He nodded and offered you a smile. “Okay, don’t take too long. I’ll miss having you here with me.” He winked at you and you quickly moved away from the table to find the section where the book was at.

Your heart was pounding in your chest, what the fuck was up with that guy? Was he even there to study or was he just only there to try to find a girl to hit on? You sighed and looked through the sections to find where the book would be. You looked through the stacks and finally found where the book was located.

It was in an even more isolated section of the library, a light flickered above you and it creeped you out even more than Kuroo’s advances did. You turned on the flashlight on your phone to navigate the titles better and to your luck, the book was on the highest shelf. You scanned around to try to find a ladder or a stool but there was nothing there to help. “Fuck, now I have to climb this.” You set your phone on the stack behind you so you could see where you needed to go and made your ascent.

There’s a problem with focusing on a task. Whenever you focus on a task all other senses are numb, especially when you’ve been using all your energy to review notes for the past few hours. All your senses are focused on the task and you had no awareness of what was going on around you. If you had half a mind to think about anything else then you would’ve noticed the light taps of footsteps approaching where you were. You would’ve noticed that there was another presence behind you, watching the way your panties clung to your cunt while you climbed higher, hearing the little grunts when you tried to reach the book before losing your balance and slipping down. Right into the person you were trying to part yourself from.

Your eyes widened when you felt arms wrap around your center. “You need to be careful darling, you could’ve gotten seriously hurt if I didn’t come by.” You didn’t need to turn around to hear the voice, just from the short conversation from earlier you already knew who it was. You turned a bit in his hold and the reflection from your phone confirmed your thoughts.

“Thanks for catching me, I’ll just ask the librarian for a ladder.” You tried to move from his grip but it only tightened, like a snake wrapping around its prey, you felt like you were suffocating. “No, you can stay here and I’ll help you. I’ll do my good deed for the day but I’ll need you to do something for me.” One of his hands moved down to play with the hem of your skirt, instantly finding the zipper and began toying with it.

Your heart pounded in your chest, fear and adrenaline coursing through your veins. “What do you need me to do? Do you need help with studying? Do you want my notes for something?”

A soft chuckle hit your ears along with his warm breath, “how can you be so smart yet so naive? Can’t you already gauge what I want from you?” He pressed himself against you more so you could feel his hard on against your ass. A soft whimper left your lips as you anticipated his next words, his next move. “I thought you were going to do me a favor.” Your voice was barely above a whisper but it hit his ears just the same, he chuckled and pulled the zipper down, once it was down to his liking he traced the soft fabric of your panties.

“Seems like I must have misspoke, I should rather say an exchange than a favor. Since I am going out of my way here to help you get this book, I think you should repay me a little. I get the book for you and you let me do what I please to you, I’m not a selfish man, I’ll make sure you enjoy this too. Scout’s honor.” He licked along the shell of your ear and took a step forward, the grip he had on you made you move with him and you were pressed against the bookshelf. He moved his hand from your panties and reached up to grab the book, your eyebrows furrowed and without thinking twice you spoke about your confusion. “I didn’t tell you which book I needed.” He brought the book down and set it on the closest shelf, “you didn’t have to, I watched your unsuccessful attempt to try to reach it. You should be more aware of your surroundings, if I had a more malicious intent then you could’ve gotten seriously hurt.”

The hand that reached for the book pressed between your shoulder blades and pushed you against the bookshelf even more, “stay still for me”. Your breath caught in your throat, “what are you doing?” Your breathing labored and he leaned back to your ear, “it’s time to get my payment, don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten. So, stay still and let me do what I please.”

You remained frozen in place despite every siren ringing in your head, he moved down to his knees and pushed your skirt up so it bundled up at your hips. “I’ll keep you decent just in case we have a visitor, I can pull your skirt back into place and we can act like nothing happened.” He leaned in and bit down on the back of your thigh, sucking the flesh into his mouth before releasing it to let it snap back into place. He did the same to your other thigh and moved up higher until he was face to face with your ass. “Push your ass out, it’ll make this easier.” For some unknown reason you did as he said, he bit down on one cheek making you whimper and he pulled your panties to the side.

The sheen of your cunt glistened as the light above flickered. He let out a low groan and wrapped his arms around your legs to hold you in place as he licked along your slit, from your sensitive clit to your twitching hole. “Oh fuck.” It was a low moan that left you before he dove back in, dipping his tongue inside you while he moved his hand so he could press his thumb against your clit. You didn’t know where to put your hands, should you stabilize yourself against the shelf or should you cover your mouth? His actions made the decision for you as he switched the places of his mouth and hand, latching onto your clit and sucking harshly while his fingers dipped inside you, pumping at a fast and rough pace. Your hands instantly moved to grip the shelf in front of you, to try to hold yourself up while your legs trembled and shook. Moans of his name left your lips, a mixture of words to encourage him and words to try to get him to stop left you in gasps and moans, “Kuroo, we need to stop. We can’t do this here, we could get caught.”. “I’m not stopping and you don’t want me to stop. You’re so close and no matter how much you try to say the opposite, I can feel how your cunt clenches around my fingers. Deny me all you want with your words but your body knows better, your body is screaming for more and I’m not one to let those cries go unheard.” He dove back into your cunt, sucking your clit harder while his fingers massaged your g spot. As much as you’d hate to admit it, he was right. You were painfully on the edge of your orgasm, it danced on the tip of your tongue along with his name, it burned through your body like the pleasure that filled you. You needed to cum, you needed him to make you cum, needed the man who forced you into this predicament to give you sweet release.

“I’m cumming!” It was a high pitched moan, one that would bring attention to you if anyone was on the floor. Your body shook and trembled as your orgasm ruptured through you, his greedy mouth swallowed everything you had to offer him. Your sweet nectar, the fruit of his labor, filled his senses as he continued his ministrations. He only pulled off when you stopped clenching around his fingers, when your moans of pleasure turned into moans of sensitivity and overstimulation. He brought his fingers to his mouth and sucked them clean before he stood up. You were caught up in trying to catch your breath and trying to regain some sense of stability to hear the zipper of his pants. “I’m not done yet.” His words should have been paired with a more menacing tone, it should have struck fear in you but it excited you, his words made you ache in anticipation.

One of his hands wrapped around the base of his hard cock and his other hand was placed on your hip, holding you in place as he dropped his head to spit on his cock. He stroked his cock to use his spit to lube up his cock and he pushed the bulbous head inside you. Your mouth fell open in a silent gasp and remained open as he continued pushing the rest of his cock inside you until he bottomed out. “You’re so fucking tight. Remember, we’re in a library so you need to be quiet.” He starts thrusting at a rough pace, his hips snap against yours hard and fast, you could barely process anything as pleasure floods your body. Your body trembles and your hands go back to the shelf, keeping a tight grip — well as tight as you could keep it. He drops his head on your shoulder and the hand that guided his cock inside you lifts to grip and grope your breasts through your top. Your moans and whimpers grow louder, “please don’t stop, feels so good. Your cock feels so good inside me.”

He chuckled and moved his hand up from your breasts to your throat, loosely wrapping around it and gently squeezing at the sides as he continued thrusting into you. “What happened? I thought that this wasn’t the right place to be doing this? Now you’re just begging me to keep going. Sluts like you can’t deny good cock and you can’t even be quiet. You must want to get caught, must want everyone in this fucking library to hear you get fucked.” His words did nothing but spur you on and he reveled in every delicious reaction you gave him. “Is that why you decided to go up here? Wanted someone like me to come and fuck you senseless? Who would’ve thought such a pretty and studious girl was an undercover whore?” You clenched around him even tighter, his words and the way his cock hit your g spot repeatedly had your mind spinning. “I’m gonna cum again. Please keep going, please don’t stop. I need it so badly.”

“I never planned on stopping, doll.” His thrusts grew faster and he moved his hand from your throat to push two fingers into your mouth. “You sound beautiful when you moan but you’re too loud.” You sucked on them as best as you could and he pushed them further in your mouth until you gagged. Tears pricked your eyes and his other hand moved from your hip to rub your clit rapidly. You cried out around his fingers and your pussy clenched his cock in a vice grip as your second orgasm washed over you. Your legs shook and if it wasn’t for him pressing you against the shelf then you’re sure you would have fallen. His hips continued to move on their own as he chased his orgasm. It took a few rough thrusts and he bit down on your shoulder as he filled you with cum. He pulled his fingers from your mouth and his hips stilled inside you, both of your heavy pants filled the air.

You broke the silence and turned your head to look at him, a wide, fucked out smile graced your lips. “That was amazing, fuck. I didn’t know you had that in you.” He chuckled and leaned in to press his lips softly against yours. “I didn’t know I had it in me either. You bring out the best and worst in me baby and that’s why I love you so much.” You pressed your lips against his once more while he pulled out of you and fixed you up before breaking the kiss to fix himself up.

“I love you too. I love you so much.” This little game of yours to spice up your sex life has been going on for the past few months, sometimes you were the instigator and sometimes it was him. You always enjoyed it when he was the instigator though, those were always the best times. You turned to face him completely and wrapped your arms around his neck. “Do you think we’ll be able to top that?”

He wrapped his arms around your waist and shrugged, “I’m not sure but I do have some other ideas in mind. Let’s go grab our things and I could tell you about them on the way home.” You nodded and pressed your thighs together, already growing excited at the thought of what might come next.

All you knew was that you couldn’t wait for what he had in store for you.

@xiao-tings @rubikenss @blueparadis @dangerouspursepeachbear @bubblepopneurotic-blog @brivetaroundtown @erenluvsrini @senjuasuna @caramelcandescence @dmwednesday @minxsane @akiella @pcwer @thefutureastronaut @asherheed @vharunabi

[timeforaciggy]

Jerma x reader request

Reader and jerma go to the record store together and he is too embarrassed to buy his favorite gorillas record infront of reader

Feel free to change it up to make it more cutsy if needed

💿📀💿

A/N:

okay. so first jerma fic. not a great writer to begin with, but I had some (a lot) absolut vodka and just started hitting my keyboard with ideas and made this.

Anon, thank you for requesting this and also please let me know if you end up liking this or not. Your feedback is really helpful and appreciated. Never wrote about him before and want to make sure I’m doing this idea and him justice. (be as honest as you can, I promise my feelings won’t be hurt. As you can MAYBE TELL, I’m a new(er) viewer and don’t want to fuck it up, and if I did, I’d be happy to rewrite it)

Also I’m sorry it’s long, I hope that’s okay!

-abs

!Songs to listen to while reading (and were played while writing)! :

The Blonde - TV Girl ((highly recommend, background vibe created by this song))

On Melancholy Hill - Gorillaz

It was your idea to go to a local record store after you were surprised by a beyond thoughtful Christmas gift from him earlier that holiday. He’d gotten you a new record player- not only new but a good one.

Your heart melted when you opened the wrapping paper to see that he’d gone so out of his way to get you something special and significant to you. You had an extensive collection of records from your favorite bands, even limited editions and pressings with incredible designs and colors. He thought it was so precious that you would show them to him. He’d sit there listening to you and looking at each one with a smile on his face. Whenever he’d stop in your office and both of you would fall into a rabbit hole of music, he’d always had remembered that when you would take them out, you wished you could play them, but you never did- you were too worried your old record player would scratch them and ruin them.

The mental note he took from that months ago leading up to the gift was so thoughtful. He hadn’t asked you about it or hinted at anything regarding it. He wanted it to be a good surprise. And it most definitely was. He spent a lengthy amount of time looking into ‘what the best record player was’, and especially the most reliable one, not wanting your records to get ruined. Just wanting you to finally be able to play them without worry; finally being able to just simply enjoy the music you loved so much.

After your excitement opening his gift and him setting it up with a good speaker, (and telling you “babe, let me do it I’m an expert, I promise.” sarcastically.) You’d started playing them all.

Over the days and months that would pass, he loved hearing your music echo throughout the house. No matter what he was doing, even while just on his computer and catching up on work, any small inconvenience would disappear as he listened to the sound of your favorite songs start playing. It made him smile ear to ear. Every single time.

And although he wasn’t much into music himself,

he was very much into yours.

After a while you’d asked while out on a random excursion in Vegas if you could stop by a record store and pick up some new stylus’ for the record player. He was more than happy to go with you and also explore the store with you as you both looked around. The amount of records was overwhelming to him as he browsed, so he went looking for what he really only knew well. Meanwhile, you went up to the store owner and asked for the specific part you were looking for.

After finding the replacement needed, you turn to see him flicking through the records absentmindedly. That was until he made it to the ‘G’ section and after moving a couple records you can see his hand stop. Pulling his other hand out of his pocket to reach out to pull the record out of the box.

You can see he’s holding a Gorrilaz album and you watch as he looks at it, flipping it over and reading the tracklist. His face in practical awe of his favorite albums of all time.

“Hey, whatchya find?” You ask him curiously

“Oh it’s- they have a Gorillaz album or two” he turns and replies but almost immediately stopping himself from trying to sound too excited.

“Did you, uh find the stylus?” He asks changing the subject.

“Yeah, I did I bought a couple replacements just in case.” You say smiling

“Awesome, where to next?” He asks smiling at you

“Well hold on. What about the Gorillaz album? Don’t you want it?” Asking him sincerely

“Oh uh- nah” he says casually. “Just checking out the artwork.” He adds while looking away.

His face is burning. And he’s praying you don’t notice.

But of course you do. You just don’t let him know it.

You don’t completely understand his reluctance to share something like an album with you. But knowing he isn’t that into music- you chalk it up to being maybe something he just didn’t want to open up to you about yet. It is sort of the ‘one thing’ he doesn’t have in common with you: that being an extensive love for music.

You choose not to push it… But keep a mental note of it. It’s honestly just so cute to you. The thought of him being too embarrassed to admit he wanted the album? You can’t. It didn’t need to make sense for it to absolutely melt your heart. Something you seem to find he makes new ways of doing every second you’re with him.

As the both of you leave to head out of the store, him being a gentleman, wordlessly shows an open palm to you, gesturing towards the bag you’re holding and motions a ‘gimme gimme’ to you with a sweet little smirk. You hand it over to him with a laugh, looking up at him with a big smile and a “thank you”.

As you continue walking, his other arm follows around the back of your waist and pulls you into him as he presses his lips onto your head.

“You’re welcome, love.”

———————————————————————————

Days went by as he’d stay clueless to during that day you’d have a surprise in store for him that upcoming Valentine’s Day. You had bought him the albums while checking out of the store, asking the store owner to charge you for them then and to put them aside for you to come and pick up the following day. The owner was more than happy to do just that.

That Valentine’s Day you’d surprised him with some red wine and both took a moment to laugh realizing he did the same thing. You both gave each other a glass of the wine from the bottle you’d bought for one another and gave a sounding clink and a ‘cheers’ to each other. You had made his favorite pasta for dinner that night for the two of you. You lit some candles on the coffee table, enjoyed your pasta together, and cuddled up with him watching a movie. Both of you loving a chill romantic evening together on the couch, just watching a movie and enjoying being in one another’s arms.

As the movie finished, you decide to play blackjack together. Watching his fingers shuffle the cards you couldn’t not stop smiling at him biting his lip like he always did while he’s focusing. Resting your face against your hand you told him that you’d ‘be right back’, and ‘that this deserved some good music.’ He smiled and chuckled at you as you got up to go upstairs to your record player. He agreed and went to fill up your wine glasses.

As he’s pouring the wine he asks you ‘what’s on the track list tonight, dj?’ You had to throw your hand over your mouth to stop from laughing, trying so hard to sound serious when you replied: “Well, I was gonna play some TV Girl, but shit! I think the record player’s broken- can you help me, babe?”

As he quickly thumped up the stairs he was mentally devastated by the idea that your new record player had broken- unbeknownst to him however, you quickly put the Plastic Beach record onto the turntable, turned the player on and waited till the perfect moment for him to come in the room.

You were holding the needle ready to place it onto the already spinning record as he turned the corner into your office with two wine glasses in his hands and a concerned yet sad look on his face.

Dropping the needle onto the right track (thank god, tipsy enough that you hoped it wouldn’t land on a different track, although funny, you wanted it to be a good surprise), the record player began playing ‘On Melancholy Hill’.

He stopped dead in his tracks and looked at you, then around the room. Looking at the candles you had lit, his brain finally realizing what you had been up to and what he was hearing.

He couldn’t help the smile and giggle he let out.

“Really?” He asked stuck in a hilarious disbelief you went through to this sweet extent to surprise him.

“Yeah, really” you chimed back to him while chuckling.

You walked up to him and gently took the glasses out of his hands while taking a sip out of one and then placing them on your desk.

Still stuck in surprise, his eyes following you and then down to your hand that was now reached out towards him. He chuckled at you as you motioned the same ‘gimme gimme’ to him with your hand.

He slowly walked over to you reaching for your hand and paused. Looking at you as sincerely as you’ve ever seen him do. He rubs his thumb slowly across your knuckles pressing his lips to them softly. Gently pulling the same hand to move you close to him while placing it onto his shoulder in a smooth motion. Winding another arm around your waist to hold you and begin to sway you slowly, not even to the beat of the song, but to the rhythm of his absolute joy in the moment. A beat you more than happily moved to along with him as your head rests against his chest.

The two of you slow dance in each other’s arms in the dimly lit room.

The only pause was Jeremy. Stopping to look you in the eyes, dead serious, to ask: “There’s nothing actually wrong with your record player though, right?”

You can’t stop laughing at his clueless but sweet question, struggling to answer “No, there was nothing wrong with it to begin with.”

But he gets the jist as he starts laughing himself.

He continues moving with you through the laughter to dip you to your surprise, taking the moment to laugh at your surprise. Then as he brings you back up, he places a soft hand under your chin tilting your head up and slowly leaning in to kiss you softly.

Maybe it was the wine, maybe it was being suddenly tipped over, but it was the sweetest, most butterfly-in-the stomach kiss you’d ever shared and it made your head swim in the best way possible.

As the night ended, you both went to bed late, you both had been too busy having fun listening to the albums you’d surprised him with, and the time spent together to care. Now in bed you both cuddled up together and before you fell asleep he pulled you closer to his chest, as he thanked you for the surprise all you could do was look up at him and tell him the same. Engulfed in his arms he rested his head on top of yours.

“I love you, y/n” he hummed into your hair

“I love you too, j” you replied wholeheartedly

Last thing you remember is him carefully adjusting himself to place a kiss on your forehead and then your lips before sighing contently and falling asleep together in his arms.

[justkeeponsimming]

The converted farm house is beautiful. In the time that Hex hasn’t seen her potential partner, he’s decorated the home with light coloured, modern furniture. It’s a hint of eco-living in the countryside!

Hex and Vaughn walk through the formal living room to the family room. A huge, l-shaped sectional sits snug in one corner, with a huge television on the back wall. This room is as big as the small apartment Vaughn and Bronwyn once lived in!

Vaughn: “Want to watch a romantic movie?”

Hex: “Any excuse to snuggle up with you, definitely!”

Finally, a genuine smile crosses Vaughn’s face. He drops onto the plush couch and gently tugs Hex down beside him. They cuddle up together, tangling their limbs so it’s impossible to separate them. Vaughn clumsily turns on the tv, ready to watch a romantic movie. Something else pops on the screen, blaring loud, upbeat music around the room! Hex jumps, knocking the remote out of Vaughn’s hand.

They both crack up laughing, locking gazes. The air shifts as Hex feels her heart flutter at their closeness. She’s spent so long pining after her ex, Weatherly, that she hasn’t fully appreciated the wonderful sim in front of her. Is she ready to take things to the next level?

[bts-hyperfixation]

Outside of the fox

Chapter 14

Y/N longs for a new life when the one she'd been living comes to an abrupt stop. Without much thought to those she is leaving behind, the little fox packs a backpack and disappears. She stumbles across the shelter and makes an interim home for herself while she works out exactly what she wants from her second chance.

Last

"Good Evening Kim family." Dr Jin says as he looks up at you all over the chart in his hand.

"Hello, Jin." Jungkook practically giggles before Namjoon even has a chance to extend a greeting himself.

You all glance at the rabbit, bewildered by his sudden confidence.

"You seem to have some new additions with you today." The doctor comments, gesturing to Hobi and Tae in the corner.

"Friends joining us for the holiday." Namjoon fills in.

"Ah, of course, a wonderful time to spend with friends, although it's a shame you seem to have ended up here..."

Jin places the chart on the end of the bed and shoos Jungkook and Namjoon from Jimin's side to get a better look at Jimin's arm. The red panda is clutching it to his side with his good arm. The nurse gave him a painkiller, but it didn't do much for the odd angle it was stuck at.

"Do you not have plans for the holidays Doctor?" Jungkook asks peering over the man's shoulder.

"Me? No, I have the day off which is a blessing, but my plans are limited to dinner alone and a movie marathon." He shrugs. "Anyway, Jimin, I think you have definitely dislocated your shoulder, and there is potential for a fracture, I would like to get a better look with some x-rays. I'll have the nurse set up radiology for you and I'll be back."

He nods his head firmly and exits the room. Namjoon and Jungkook immediately take up positions next to the bed again. Jungkook nuzzles into Jimin's uninjured side while Namjoon pets Jimin's hair, careful to avoid all contact with the shoulder.

You sit across the room with Taehyung, Hoseok, and Yoongi. Yoongi uses his nervous energy by playing with Hoseok's hair, musing it up beyond easy repair. Taehyung looks far more upset than you would've thought possible for a near stranger. His leg jitters, knocking in to you in the cramped space.

"How are you doing Chim?" Namjoon asks.

"It hurts Joonie." Jimin pouts.

"Why would you hide so high up in a tree baby?" Namjoon pets him softly, trying not to sound accusatory.

"It worked didn't it?" Jimin laughs, the motion causing him to squeak in pain. "Someone distract me."

"How?" Yoongi asks, desperate to be helpful.

"Tell me a story, in fact, tell me my favourite story."

"That story? You've heard it a million times." Yoongi sighs, but a smile pulls at the edges of his lips.

"And I want to hear it at least a million more."

"What story?" You ask.

"The story of how I met Yoongi." Namjoon supplies.

"Okay, if that's what you really want, settle in." Yoongi begins

_______________

It was almost ten years ago now. On a dreary day, on a run-down campus, in a little town, not far from where they now called home. Yoongi had come to the music studios inside the university library to work on his latest composition for his final assessment. He already spent hours on the track and it seemed like he might still have hours more ahead of him.

He'd gone through countless coffees and instant noodles trying to keep himself isolated in the little room. He was practically pulling his hair out trying to understand why his bridge section wouldn't flow how he wanted it to into the chorus. Both sections were exactly what he wanted them to be and yet neither one fitted together in the way that he wanted them to. It was infuriating.

Eventually, he decided if he didn't remove himself from the room he was going to drive himself insane. He wandered through the stacks on one of the lesser-used floors, something about obscure medical studies. He was always alone when he walked this floor, but today it seemed someone else was around. He couldn't see them, but he could hear them, humming along to something. The sound was offkey and unfamiliar but the melody stuck with him.

He never found the source that day but it did give him the inspiration he needed to work out exactly what he was missing to connect his piece.

______

Namjoon had been studying hard in his first year of medical studies. No matter how hard he tried though the information just wouldn't stick. It wasn't that he wasn't smart enough, it was just that it was dull. He had tried many different ways to get himself to focus. He studied completely alone in the depths of medical journals at the library but his mind always wandered and he would end up writing stories or making up pointless songs. He tried working in groups with other students on his course, but they somehow made the content even less interesting. He even tried working amongst the other first years in the more populated areas but they were all too chatty, not really there to work.

He found his solace by accident. He was stumbling through the library looking for another place he could study when he stumbled into the music studios. Each one was locked but he could hear a song coming from one that left him mesmerised, he sat down outside of the door and finally managed to get some studying done. The repetition might have annoyed some people but he enjoyed the slight changes each time to track was replayed.

He returned to that studio for the next couple of days, sitting cross-legged outside the door with his notes splayed around him. A perfect setup, until one day when the composer came tumbling through the door tripping over his work.

"Wah, the fuck..." The stranger said as he stumbled.

"I'm so sorry," Namjoon said.

He rushed up to help the man balance and found himself getting lost in his eyes.

"You realise there is a whole library full of workbenches outside right?" The man asks annoyance evident in his features.

"I... I struggle to work out there." Namjoon rubs the back of his neck sheepishly.

"So you are just perched outside of my studio?" Yoongi raises an eyebrow.

"The music sounded pretty..."

"You're a fresher, aren't you? I haven't seen you before" The annoyance slowly fades from the older man's face as he takes in Namjoon.

"Yeah, first-year medical." Namjoon confirms "I'm Namjoon."

The bear extends his hand and the musician takes it.

"Yoongi, senior in music production."

He isn't sure he would call it a friendship. More of a partnership from there on. Namjoon was invited inside the studio to sit in the corner so he could work and occasionally Yoongi would talk to him so he wouldn't go days without talking to another person again.

He told Namjoon how he had stolen part of the melody from someone humming on the upper level, Namjoon decided it best not to tell him that it was most likely his off-key attempt that Yoongi had heard (although he did find out shortly after his graduation).

They spent months together in that little box of a room, sharing parts of their days with one another as they worked on different assignments. They really didn't realise how close they'd become until it was a week before Yoongi's final submission and their time together was coming to an end.

Namjoon's heart grew heavy as Yoongi concluded that his work was complete, there was not another note that he could add that would make the slightest bit of difference to his grade. The senior ordered pizza and beer for them both to enjoy that night and instead of studying with minimal conversation, the two of them talked all night.

Yoongi shared his dream of wanting to produce music for the biggest stars, but he also wanted to produce an album just for himself, one where he would rap and sing, and maybe dance if he were brave enough.

Namjoon shared that he wasn't really sure medicine was for him. In fact, he was only going through the motions because his parents had thought it would be a good idea, he was so smart after all. He wanted to be a writer.

Yoongi had looked Namjoon right in his eyes, grabbed his shoulders, and told him that he should go after what he wanted, others be damned. He went on a monologue about others always putting people like them in a box and telling them what they could do and how they should act. He was so passionate in his delivery, so fired up that the passion was all that Namjoon could see on his face.

Yoongi was mere inches away from Namjoon's face when he finished, making one last comment about taking the things that were meant for you before anyone else tried to take them away. The younger man couldn't resist closing the gap and taking Yoongi's lips in his.

It was evident that the older man was startled, pulling back confused.

"What was that for?" He asked, blinking owlishly.

"Taking what was mine before it went away I guess?" Namjoon shrugged, although inside he felt like he was about to explode if this didn't go how he thought it would.

"I just meant you should change your major..."

"Oh, okay, yeah maybe I should..."

Yoongi fiddled with his hands, thinking through what to say next. Namjoon stuffed more pizza into his mouth. The silence grew quickly as they both awkwardly thought of how to pass by what just happened. Eventually, Yoongi swallowed his pride and spoke first.

"Namjoon?.."

"Uh-huh?"

"Do you really want me to be yours?" Yoongi doesn't look up from his hands.

"Yes, yes I do."

"Okay."

Namjoon studies the older man's face as he finally looks up to face him again. He looked unsure and insecure but resolute in his words. So Namjoon leant over and kissed him again, this time receiving a kiss in return and from that moment onwards they truly did belong to each other. And Namjoon changed his major the very next day.

________

"That might be the sweetest story I've ever heard." Doctor Jin says as he comes through the door breaking the silence in the room. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop but I didn't want to interrupt either, Jimin we are ready for you in radiology."

Next

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[piglii]

Just finished Misericorde volume 1! Putting this all under a read more but I'll drop a quick spoiler-free review, followed by a spoiler-full review followed by just some of my theories regarding the mystery elements.

Everything below the cut!

Spoiler-Free Stuff:

I really enjoyed it. The mystery still needs more pieces before I'll feel like I can confidently say anything for sure but I have some ideas brewing. I'll be pretty psyched to move into the heavier mystery elements, this first volume definitely feels more focused on getting to know all the characters (which I like! I like pretty much everybody in their own way but I do want to give a special shoutout to Hedwig for being a main character that I actually really enjoy, which is pretty rare for me. She is insanely relatable on a personal level I wasn't expecting.)

And the art style's nice! I really like how the nuns are all basically wearing the same thing but have such distinct faces and tones that you can usually tell them apart. I definitely have my favorites (Aside from Hedwig herself... probably Darcy, Katherine, Moira, Eustace in that order but I really do like all of them a lot.) Also the music is pretty good. It's very fun and dynamic. I've re-listened to only a couple of the songs from the soundtrack outside of reading the VN itself but I particularly like the song that plays in the intro and Glass Chapel, which plays very early on and is probably the moment I really got interested in the story.

It's hard to give too much more away in this section without spoiling stuff but suffice to say I really enjoyed it so far. I'm hoping I can get more people to read it cause I really wanna talk about the characters and mystery and such. But I recommend. Here's the steam page if you want to check it out for yourself.

The only real criticism I have so far is technicaly, and it's that there's an audio cue for people knocking on doors that sounds extremely realistic with my headphones on that almost made me jump out of my seat several times, which I don't think was necessarily intentional? A less realistic knocking sound effect would... definitely be appreciated, that shit freaked me out like every time.

As for story criticisms, I prefer to wait until something is actually over to say anything. There could be something early on where I'm like "man that seems like bad!" and then 2 volumes later it could turn out to be a purposeful plot element or an interesting subversion of expectations. And then I would look very silly. Not that I really do have a lot to say plot criticism wise because it's early on, but I'd definitely like to see how it all shakes out first.

Anyways, more stuff below. SFW Sasukes to save your virgin eyes from spoilers.

SPOILERY STUFF

I really do like Catherine II. Love a good "character who is not physically there but had such tremendous gravity on the setting that their departure is still being felt as everything gets bounced back around from the lack of weight." In particular, her intro talking to Hedwig (which I revisited just a couple nights ago, streaming it for a friend) really grabbed me.

I would say Hedwig's whole lifelong predicament of being an Anchoress will definitely strike home with people like me who are kinda uuuhhhhhhhh extreme homebodies. I definitely feel like Catherine II's brief relationship with Hedwig is pretty analogous to people who've made many of their friends online - never actually getting to see or touch them but still having them impact your life all the same. In particular, when you've spent most of your life alone. Not to be too personal or anything but I've only really recently had long-time internet friends move close enough to me to be in regular driving distance in the past few months and it's led to more social interaction in the span of a few months than I usually get in years, and I can definitely relate to Hedwig's confusion about everything. But I do find her really charming as a main character. Her constant feeling of not feeling like she belongs even as most of the sisters are trying to be kind to her in their own way make me wish I could pop open an ice cold ginger ale for her. Maybe hand her a GBA SP and watch her go crazy on Pokemon Emerald, I don't know. I just find her very moe.

I definitely have a lot more to say about this topic but I'd feel like it's kind of personal to just drop in the middle of this all so I'm gonna keep it to a minimum with just that previous paragraph. Suffice to say, Hedwig has been one of the most enjoyable protagonists for me personally in a long while. I usually prefer lesser known side characters but she just really grabbed me.

Anyways.

It had a lot of little moments I love. Everyone's characterized in a way that really makes them stand out - in particular, I do feel like literally everyone at this the abbey in some way either Have Problems or have been rejected by society for some other reason. Pretty much everybody here is a reject or an outcast and despite their bickering, the nuns do generally make an effort to show they care for eachother. Which, you know, if you're a tumblr user reading this I'm sure you will find something there. You will probably see a particular character and go, "Oh yeah, I know someone exactly like this personally." I do love a good story about people who are generally outcast by society getting to know people that care about them and understand them in a way the rest of the world wouldn't exactly. It's gud. Nothing terribly novel but I think it's executed well, which is the important bit.

I do have some smaller thoughts on stuff but nothing terribly important enough to write out here, so instead I'm just putting a compilation of some of my favorite little moments, followed by theories.

(I promise this game isn't an eroge or anything, it just has one single hot tub scene. It's tasteful. Prommy.)

Anyways.

THEORIES:

Theory #1: Regarding Catherine II

I haven't actually seen that many people talking about the prologue which is surprising to me because it obviously seems to be setting up a really big plot element, which is that I presume one of the women at the abbey are the character only labelled as "The Handsome Man" in disguise. Having gotten caught up in the War of the Roses and all that fun stuff, I assume he flees to the abbey to lay low for a while. Now I assume part of the story will unfold such that you'll be led to assume that it's one of the cast we've already gotten to know... but my money is that this is Catherine II. Now, I can't say for certain if this is going to lead into any kind of trans-ish territory because it is the 15th century, but I could definitely very much see a path where this story presents a person living in this time in an era where it wouldn't be accepted to be trans, and have that essentially be part of the plot without saying it directly. I think this would go a long way towards explaining her absolute fervor for living life and finding something that brings you joy that she tried to inspire in all of the other nuns. I can imagine a scenario in which the Handsome Man has to go into hiding cause of political reasons, shows up at this abbey disguised as a nun and finds that they actually enjoy it incredibly, and essentially does the 15th century version of transitioning. If that is the direction the story is going, I think that'd be sweet, though it would be kind of sucky in the respect that the whole story kind of revolves around her murder.

That being said, I don't think she was murdered. I straight up think Eustace is lying in the near final scene we get at the end of Volume one. My current theory is that Catherine II is, and I'm not sure how to say this well, doing some Scooby-Doo villain ass-shit in regards to the monstrous apparition we keep seeing. My only guess as to why she would do this is out of fear of being recognized in the midst of this war, and deciding to go even deeper cover as the boogeyman of this creepy old abbey. Theoretically, if Catherine II in her Scooby-Doo ass disguise could frighten everyone out of the abbey, then she'd have free reign of the place until the war was over. It'd be a much safer position to be in than trying to actively disguise yourself as a nun. In this theory, I would also have reason to believe that she's the one who carved that evil looking sigil near Hedwig's cell, to discourage her even more from looking into the mystery. It would be a great parallel to Hedwig's dilemma vis a vis being alone and in peace versus having to be around others and living with a sort of constant discord. Like, if Catherine II makes the choice to ultimately go into permanent solitude, hiding by herself for the rest of her life while Hedwig chooses to do the opposite (I'm holding out hope that the finale will have her choosing to leave her cell again. Committing some double-dipping on that particular sin, hell yeah), I think that would make for some interesting, opposite-bound character arcs. You know, some criss cross. With the character arcs.

ALSO: Side note, I think the person that Hedwig is talking to at the very beginning post one year timeskip (who, you know, is kind of a stand-in for the reader but whom I assume is an actual character we know of) is, I think, Catherine II herself. I can't think of anyone more fitting to be filled in on all of the details, given that the majority of the other characters would already know most of what's happened. Also, it would mean getting a fun little scene to parallel the first scene we got of them getting to know eachother, which is still probably my favorite scene in this whole VN so far.

Anyways, I think the best evidence I have to support this is how touch and go Catherine II was with her friendships (and maybe more than friendships...?)

She'd get close to people by taking an interest in their hobbies... get to know them pretty intimately... and then maybe privately grow fearful that they'd discover her secret and move on to someone else. That's my best guess, anyways. Perhaps she just has severely undiagnosed ADHD. But it would track considering that she seems to be knowledgeable about several areas that I don't feel like you're average commoner would know - how to play music, playing chess, etc etc. She had all these crazy talents and a very sharp mind, and it wouldn't be strange to know a commoner that could do one or two of these things, but it really does seem like Catherine II had a working knowledge of many things, which would make sense to me if she were raised to be a person of higher status.

I think maybe the only character that was in the know was probably Eustace herself given that she mentions they were the two that were closest. I can definitely imagine a world in which Eustace is still actively collaborating with Catherine II, thus her very lurid story about carrying Catherine II's severed head. This would, naturally, implicate Moira as well since Eustace mentions that they both personally handled Catherine II's body, a story that I think might just be a total fabrication. I'm not 100% sure that Moira is in on it but it's a little more likely, I think. It would also parallel the scene in which they stop by the village, with Moira and Eustace stopping to have a quick whisper that upsets Hedwig, when in fact they're just trying to cover for her little surprise party. The concept of them having secrets that upset Hedwig, but ultimately exist for a good reason would be really fitting. This little exchange would be kind of a microcosm of that, in this theory.

At the very least, if this specific theory isn't correct at all, I do still strongly believe that there are multiple conspirators.

THEORY #2: Regarding the Sword

So this one's a little more vague and I haven't quite figured out a way to slot it into everything yet, but I feel like it's worth mentioning. I do think there are two swords at play, which would be a really good way to liven up the mystery. I think the investigation of the mystery will reach such a point that it simply doesn't make sense for there to have been only one sword as the murder weapon - my only real reasoning is based entirely on this biblical quote spoken by Eustace:

"And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough."

Which makes sense for the context of the situation in that they are literally splitting up to find Flora. But also, if it were a direct reference to the fact that there are two swords that could be the murder weapon at play, that would be a really funny to put such a direct hint in plain Latin so early on, just right in front of the reader's face.

If this theory is correct, I do think it'll be more relevant once we get into the nitty gritty of investigating the murder itself. The real nuts to butts of who was doing what, where and when. I think things will present themselves in such a way that it will have been impossible for the murder to have been committed with the sword... unless there were secretly a second sword, for some reason.

Wait also it just occurred to me that Angela keeps a dagger (the eponymous Misericorde, right? I think?) and that definitely could've been the weapon used to inflict the smaller wounds on Catherine II before the decapitation. Hmmmmm. Much to think about.

THEORY #3: Regarding Romance

This is very vague and probably not a surprise but I'm quite sure that at least two of the nuns are in a relationship. I'd imagine this will play into the actual mystery somehow, but I could not tell you specifically how. I'm not sure I could even really name you who specifically (Besides Katherine and James' thing, obviously but that's already been revealed.) But, like, come on. Look at these.

I'm not particularly good at eke-ing out romantic subtext but I feel reasonably confident about this based on vibes alone. Also based on the Soup's very uuuhh heated rant near the end. I have nothing more to say on this theory because I assume it's direct relevance will be more apparent later (if this is correct.)

THEORY#4: If Catherine II WAS Actually Murdered

So pretend for a moment that my first theory is completely bunk and I am way off course. In that case, I don't think I have enough evidence to put together a reason that someone would want to murder Catherine II - given how she kind of flitted about from person to person, I can definitely see jealousy being the primary motivator. But I would be surprised if the motive were as simple as just that. I think I might actually just need more textual stuff to look at whenever the second volume comes out to really put out any kind of further guesses. There are a lot of angles and a lot of people who would technically have reason to want to murder Catherine II. It could end up being a "everyone is in on it" or a "no one is in on it" type of deal.

That being said, my top guesses as to the culprit are:

#1 - Mother Superior - Basing this entirely on vibes, brother.

#2 - Moira - She's simply way too sweet. As much as I personally like her, Moira's been very present in Hedwig's journey towards personhood and I wouldn't be super surprised if part of her motivation for doing this was to keep tabs on her murder mystery investigation while presenting a kind face.

#3 - Flora - Given Flora's consistently been the one most often to fly off the handle, I could potentially see this but don't consider it terribly likely.

#4 - Catherine II herself - It would not be totally inconceivable for the story to go this kinda dark route, though how exactly she would both injure herself, followed up by a self-decapitation in such a way as to hide herself as the perpetrator, I don't know. Then again, she was a talented woman, who knows.

#5 - The Devilish Apparition - If this is in fact not one of the other nuns playing at something, then sure, why not. I'm not of the opinion that this story is going to have actual supernatural elements but like, why not. Just throwing it out there.

And that's mostly all I have to say!

Heads up, I'm not very good at solving mysteries! I miss a lot of details and sometimes don't think of things through all angles! Sometimes I just do a vibe based reading and let the story surprise me, but having read Umineko recently (which very directly does kind of ask the reader to try solving the mystery for themselves) I am taking a more serious attempt at figuring out the key to this story before it actually happens. Sorry if I'm totally off base on some of these, but with my shotgun scattershot method, I usually hit at least one or two small things of note. Thanks if you read all the way to the bottom for this, I don't typically write out long ass posts like this but I had a lot of fun trying to figure this one out and can't wait for more people to read it, as well as for Volume 2 to come out.

If you haven't bought Misericorde but for some reason felt compelled to read through this whole post anyways, here's another link for you to go check it out! It's like 9 bucks on steam! If you were interested enough to read this spoiler-review, it'll probably be worth your time!

And if you do finish it... be sure to check out that gallery afterwards! ;)

[sunderingstars]

Lyra, Sagittarius, Fornax, and Puppis for the ask game!! ⋆˙⟡♡

hello beloved mootie !! (づ๑•ᴗ•๑)づ♡

(based on this ask game)

lyra ⟡ when do you feel most at ease?

⟢ daydreaming or reading in bed. i’ve spent a lot of time making my room somewhere i want to be, so getting to lay down at the end of a long day and relax with my mood lighting is so nice (plus, my bed is comfy as hell (⸝⸝ᵕᴗᵕ⸝⸝)♡). finding a good book makes the experience ten times better, especially if my cat decides to visit and cuddle. on the go, listening to music always makes me feel better, even if i’m somewhere that stresses me out.

sagittarius ⟡ what is something random that most people don’t know about you?

⟢ i have an incredibly extensive daydream universe — i’ve had a daydream narrative for pretty much every part of my life, and can categorize them by year. my favorite has probably been sophomore through senior year of high school, where my daydreams focused on a somewhat canon-compliant, sci-fi au for rei todoroki & nana shimura from my hero academia! right now, i have a sideblog focused on my current narrative, which includes a half-original, half-self insert based plot.

fornax ⟡ what quality does a person need to have for you to instantly like or click with them?

⟢ kindness & empathy. if someone is aware of the horrors of the world but continues to make an effort to be kind to others, i have a lot of respect for them. this can translate into many different situations (i.e. being nice to animals, thanking customer service workers, taking care of family, etc.) but the common thread is having empathy for others. i tend to gravitate towards introverted and low-drama people as well!

puppis ⟡ what's the most stupid / disappointing / bad movie or tv show you have ever seen?

⟢ my mom and i sometimes watch corny b-movies together, so if we’re talking “so bad it’s good” territory, i’d have to say the sharknado series or anything in that “b-movie monster takeover genre” — they’re definitely a guilty pleasure!

⟢ however, if we’re talking about the stuff that grinds my gears, my hero academia fell out of favor with me years ago due to some writing issues (especially the endeavor redemption arc and general direction) and i stand by the fact quirkless deku would’ve been a more impactful narrative.

⟢ also, as a tolkien fan rings of power is very disappointing. there’s a lot of inconsistencies and lackluster creative directions that i think could’ve been avoided by sticking closer to the source material. i’m aware that the creative team may have run into copyright or licensing issues with the silmarillion and i’m all for bringing new ideas to the table, but i still think better plot & character decisions could’ve been made.

bonus ⟡ good movies and tv shows i like

⟢ at my core i’m really not built to be a hater, so i figured i’d share some movies & shows i like after ranting in the last section!

⟢ movies: the lord of the rings trilogy (2001-2003) and annihilation (2018). these are some of my favorite movies of all time, and are a masterclass in adaptive plot, characters, and music — they’ve heavily shaped my interests and growth as a person, and i highly recommend them to any fans of genre fiction.

⟢ shows: hunter x hunter (2011), arcane (2021), and andor (2022). these are my top three shows at the moment. hunter x hunter is hands-down my favorite anime of all time, and the rewatchability of arcane & andor is insane. like lotr, these shows are also masterclasses of their mediums and genres, combining some of the most beautiful character development i’ve seen with the screenwriting i wish rings of power had.

thank you for indulging my yap session! 🪐

[dailyweezer]

Not a request, but!! Thoughts on Pinkerton?

pinkerton is their best album easily. or at least my personal favourite (i could see arguments for blue and ewbaite).

pinkerton is definitely the most exciting and interesting album musically, it has a feel to it that i don’t think any of the other albums truly capture. the louder, rougher sound is unique for them and an incredible listening experience and the lyrics are truly something special. rivers writes so well on this album and it’s really interesting to hear the brutally honest wording.

pinkerton was my 2nd most listened to album last year (just after black parade) with like a full 25 hours spent listening to it it’s incredible, 10/10 album

you know what screw it, track by track opinions:

Tired of Sex - really good opening to the album, it introduces the tone of the whole project perfectly. i’m amazed at how well it translates onto pinkerton from SFTBLH, they managed to change it just enough to provide a fantastic opening. the kind of drone on the vocals emphasises rivers exhaustion with his current lifestyle very neatly and the sudden bursts of noise starting up as the lyrics become angrier is gnarly as hell i love the loud guitar

Getchoo - this one hits like crazy i love the sound of the chorus, the little ah-hAH right at the end of it when it goes slightly higher scratches the brain itch just right. the actual characters of the song feel so real, the whole album feels real, and it’s actually mint.

No Other One - same deal with the characters, this is gonna mostly just be me reiterating that Rivers killed it with the songwriting here. absolutely love this song, the long, winding intro kicking in suddenly with the bM-bm-Bm-bm-BM is heavenly, it’s a truly lovely melody (i have no clue how music actually works) and makes for a fantastic song, one of the best on the album

Why Bother? - this one makes me go bananas it’s so quick and fast and speedy and other synonyms and it just mmmmm good track good song everything explodes and i love it. also you guys know Rob Cantor from Tally Hall did a cover of this song for a Pinkerton tribute album and it’s really sick

Across the Sea - oh boy this is it this is the track where my opinion gets the account shut down. it’s good man it’s really good this song really hits. like obviously the lyrics are- they’re fucked they’re fucked up, but they’re honest and the fact that this song even exists at all and weezer put it on the album means a lot and made huge strides in musical lyricism as a whole. i honestly really enjoy it. and like it sounds good instrumentally as well the little piano noodles are so funny and chimey and cool and the repeating of the actual “i got your letter, you got my song” tune by the guitar immediately after it is nice it makes me happy

The Good Life - fucking insane track blam blam blam i love it i love it i love it. it’s time he got back. the actual historical elements of Rivers life that tie into this track is very interesting in regards to the weezer lore. this is a loud song and it’s a crazy song and everything about it is good and everyone should go listen to the good life

El Scorcho - now this is the song of all time. the lyrics are so silly goofy i adore them, he’ll bring home the turkey if you bring home the bacon man (the sudden slam i tot he chorus from that line is so good as well). Matt Sharps back in vocals are really nice to listen to, it isn’t his best vocal performance in the songs he was on but it’s very nice, and Brian Bells first ever vocal performance on a studio album (pretty sure he sang on the longtime sunshine recording earlier) is slaying honestly. that whole section of the song slams me violently back into the wall with some invisible force everytime i listen to it i mean how stupid is it i can’t talk about it i’ve gotta sing about it and make a record of my heart. anyway el scorcho good song ay carumba

Pink Triangle - funny funny gay song. unironically though this one is pretty perfect the instrumentals throughout the entire song is completely solid and i mean the lyrics are- they put my kind in the weezer lyrics. (actual history element of this is one of my favourite pasty’s of weezer lore, girl it’s about heard the song and it turns out she isn’t even a lesbian)

Falling For You - this one is my favourite weezer song. in my top 3 songs of all time alongside MCR - Mama and Komm Sußer Todd. it is, and it doesn’t feel like it the first time, but it is genuinely one of the greatest songs ever made. just listen to it. listen to the album. every little detail from the japanese voicelines in static at the beginning to the perfect melody and loudness of the chorus to the way all of the verses flow like that to the way he says little old three chord me (such a good line such a good line i am so normal) to the screaming the title in the final chorus. it’s immaculate. i love weezer pinkerton

Butterfly - this track is divisive. most people either think it’s the only good part of the album or it isn’t worth listening to after the rest of it. these people are incorrect. it’s a perfect closer for the album, after all the bangers, this is the mash to make, the full- bangers and mash. i actually do love the concept of winding it down at the end of the album like this and butterfly is really exactly how to do that. it’s beautiful and a really profound and perfect way to call back to the rest of the album and reflect on all the beautiful themes and concepts touched on. and hey, if butterfly doesn’t do it for you, you always have…

THE BONUS TRACKS ON PINKERTON DELUXE

oh baby those bonus tracks

i won’t talk about all of these specifically but Devotion, I Just Threw Out The Love Of My Dreams, Longtime Sunshine and Tragic Girl are all favourites of mine. blast off! too even though that’s not actually on pinkerton deluxe. Songs From The Black Hole was an incredibly interesting concept and a lot of the unused tracks from it or parts that were worked on to pinkerton also stand as incredible pieces of art

so in conclusion:

what have we learned today

pinkerton is one of the greatest albums of the 90s, one of the greatest albums of all time, and everyone should listen to and love pinkerton

i am so normal about weezer

[fxreflyes]

Prithee tell us about your favorite visits to museums, firefly. It’s a long and silent January night and your stories will keep madness from us. (To be read in the voice of a Dickensian child of 6 years old, sitting before the hearth.) ☕️

hey hey!! :) my favorite seafaring vessel, a joy as always to meet u here. fret not, i will not let madness consume you! <3

(the context for the voice definitely helped, i most certainly did read it in the voice of a dickensian child. i can hear the crackle of the hearth as i pen these words!)

oh where to start! this is a bit of a brain dump, but is semi-chronological and images included in the order of discussion

first, summer of 2016, going to the hermitage and making puns about all of the art! they were not good puns. i believe my brother called the statue below a "boar"ing statue. it was quite hot since we went in summer and we were very surprised that the musuem had no ac since there is generally some to protect the art from the elements. so twas a very sticky and humor filled walk thru some art that has seen quite a lot (pic 1)

fall of 2018, went to the met's heavenly body's fashion exhibit with 2 friends from high school. i love & still go to musuem's w one of them, she's v sweet. the exhibit took place in the part of the museum that is older and looks like a church, so it was v prescient!! (pics 2-4, the leather jacket was so cool)

spring 2019, went to the met again (can u tell i went to college in nyc) and to the frick for my art history class to do a scavenger hunt for the class. quite honestly the most fun assignment ever. it was going through the museums and finding the art and writing about it. there were 50 or so things to find out. we went 3 times total for 3 sessions of the hunt. went w my dad for one, he has said he wants to do more even now

fall of 2019 i went to the met's instruments of rock n roll and saw instruments from a lot of famous musicians! i have a bunch of pics of them, but was v fun i went w my dad and got a bunch of music taste from him so that was cool. i was v amused by this many headed guitar hahaha (pic 5)

winter 2020 i went to a black tie gala in an art musuem so that was v fun & festive!!!

ok covid took a hit to this list so fall 2021! natural history musuem in london! went w my brother bc he was doing his masters same time as i was studying abroad there. i mean it's gorgeous. my brother is v interested in rocks so spent a while in the geology section! lots of cool rocks.

feb 2022, went to the met around my bday! my bf flew to visit me. saw very cool swords. pictured below!

summer 2022, went to the Louvre and the musee d'Orsay! saw the painting of dante and virgil in hell which was v cool, i have always loved that one.

for the sake of brevity, lets go to feb 2023, went to the whitney to see my fav artist edward hopper and an exhibit on him! went w the same friend as i went to the met in 2018 w. went w my brother too. fav exhibit ever probably, just bc i love hopper and i have included my fav painting by him, new york movie! my mom had a book on hopper growing up on our coffee table so always read it

oh my this is not brief. the fire is dwindling! ill stoke it.

this summer! the prado in madrid! i love goya so seeing his work was just so cool. they v sadly didnt allow photography in the museum but saw his black paintings the ones w saturn eating his children.

i hope my little tales help stave off the madness <33

[jimmyaquino]

Seeing IU at the Prudential Center in Newar, NJ on Monday night was an incredible experience. I started my K-pop journey back in 2019 but quickly discovered her in 2020. I have really been getting into her the last year or 2 and have become a giant fan. She's 31 and has been active in music/acting since she was 15. Amazingly talented w/ a gifted voice. So many hits! 

I was so excited to see her & was hoping to go w/ a friend. But understandably, none wanted to pay what I was willing to so I went solo. It's her 1st North American tour ever. And Newark was the 1st stop so I felt I was part of her history. I justified my ticket price since I cancelled a trip I was going to take in June that would have cost me twice as much. I was very pleased w/ my seat as I was the closest I've ever been to the stage at a big arena like that. Speaking of the crowd, def very diverse in race, gender and age. And also very much populated by Asian Americans (mostly Korean). I'd say maybe half the crowd. I pretty immediately made friends to the people next to me and throughout the show we laughed, screamed, teared up, cheered, etc. Such a shared experience. I know most concerts might be like that but K-pop is such a positive community. When I was waiting in line outside til doors opened, people walked around giving little homemade gifts. So sweet! 

The concert was 3 hours long! She split it up into about 4 or 5 parts w/ each part having a theme like "Energetic" & "Heroic". Between parts (while she was doing a quick change), there would be text both in Korean and English on screen with beautiful messages. Or sometimes videos even of the crowd outside before the concert. One interval was quite theatrical w/ a young girl coming out acting a story to music/lighting until IU appeared. 

She did 2 encores. Both expected as she is known to do long shows. 1st encore was definitely planned songs. The 2nd, she actually asked the audience & thousands of us yelled out. I'm not sure if she pretended to pick ones but it did seem like she genuinely picked random songs that will change every show. Alas, my favorite & one of her biggest hits "Hold My Hand" wasn't done. But, she's had a long career so I understood. 

She spent a lot of time talking to us as well both in English & Korean (w/ help of an off-stage mic'd interpreter). Her English is pretty good but she spoke a lot of Korean if she couldnt remember the phrasing or words. She was so damn cute! She kept saying how she couldn't believe what an energetic audience we were for a Monday. She seem genuinely surprised that the crowd was so into it w/ high energy (she said my section was the loudest!), singing along in Korean (and of course the English bits), dancing along, screaming, etc. She clearly got moved at one point. As did I for a couple of songs. Genuinely thought I was going to burst into tears when she sang "Eight", a song she had collaborated on with BTS's Suga. A fave song, I had seen/read interpretations of it being about 3 of her close friends (also K-pop idols) whom had tragically taken their own lives. Whether that's true or not, it still gets me every time. 

IU isn't known for dance skills but she is pretty good. She always claims she's a bad dancer which isn't true. There isn't a ton of choreography as you'd see w/ K-pop groups. I really liked how casual she was with it. She'd dance the choreography almost marking it but not really. It's def a secondary thing as the showcase is her voice. She has a great belt and her head voice is so controlled and beautiful. She switches from both effortlessly. 

She did a cute thing where she did the normal "take a pic w/ the audience". Where as most people just sit in the middle of the stage w/ back to audience and photographer takes the shot w/ the audience in background...she took 3. One for center, one for left side and one for right side. Not sure if other artists have done this but I thought it was cool. Also I am very much in one of those pics and can see myself! Sure I'm blurry because I'm further away but I'm def in it! So I can say I got a pic w/ IU now and was part of her history making 1st American concert!

I'm still reeling from it and haven't come down. It's the concert of a lifetime and I highly recommend grabbing some resell tickets in any of the other cities she's playing in. I know I would have been happy if I sat further up as she really plays the whole arena. You can thank me after. 

Thank you, IU for treating us to a fantastic experience. One I'll never forget. Have a great rest of the tour! #IU

[yourkimjaejin]

A Closer Look At: Mark and Moxy (#MSquared)

Students of Degrassi Community School

Once Moxy and Mark became friends, they started spending more time together 

And when Moxy found out Mark, as a Canadian teen, had never seen Degrassi. She made it her mission to rectify this wrongdoing 

As soon as the two had time off. Moxy marched from her floor to the 10th and dragged Mark, in the middle of breakfast, from his dorm to hers.

Moxy pushed Mark onto the top of her bed “We are not moving until we reach season eight of TNG. We will begin season nine tomorrow.” 

“There’s more than eight!” “Oh you have so much to learn, young degrassian.”

They spent a whole seven days locked in Moxy’s dorm room to finish the series. 

(Degrassi spoilers ahead! You’ve been warned!!!)

While Mark shed some tears at Jimmy getting shot. Both rappers were sobbing when JT got stabbed. 

“But he just admitted he still loved Liberty. They can’t do this to them!!”

While Mark liked Emma's class, He ADORED Claire and Drew’s class. Mark found their issues easier to relate to and connect with.

Now whenever Moxy quotes lines in contents, Mark is the only one laughing at them

Moxy’s ghostwriter

Over the course of her career, Moxy has made it clear she Does. Not. write her own lyrics

While Moxy has one of the most interesting flows kpop she wholeheartedly admits to her shortcomings when it comes to lyric writing 

“For me the very definition of a rapper is writing your own lyrics. I don’t do that so I barely consider myself a rapper when many others try to convince me otherwise.”

Moxy is always quick to give credit where credit is due. Most of her best lines in 127 and AG songs goes to Mark

Yes Mark has credits ALL OVER AG’s discography. Especially on the first album and their third mini album

Moxy had gone so far to name mark as in her phone as 대필작가 or ghost writer in Korean

Mark is also credited with writing Headphones for Moxy. While Mark will say Moxy helped him. Moxy disagrees

“I didn’t help with ANYTHING! Mark asked me to describe what I wanted to say. He worked his Canadian magic and I got an awesome song. I wanted to help produce it as well but he refused like the annoyance he is!”

Casually matching

These two somehow constantly match clothes and why does this happen?

Cause Moxy is the college girlfriend who steals her college boyfriend's clothes. With Mark being the college boyfriend who lets his girlfriend do whatever she wants 

M squared shippers always have a field day when they accidentally wear the same clothes. One time a photo of the two arriving at Music Bank in the same flannel went viral

#MSquared was trending for six hours. The tag was full of people tweeting and retweeting the exact same photo. 

Even before they officially became friends, there were Twitter accounts that documented how many similar articles of clothing Mark and Moxy had

One day Mark wore a black hoodie. The next day Moxy was posted a bubble pic in the same hoodie that she cropped herself

People began to speculate that Moxy was just raiding Mark's closet on a regular basis. Some went as far to say the two made up not being friends for so long

During 127’s first relay vlog, Moxy gave a good look at her closet. Fan with a degree in sleuthing confirmed that Moxy just owned a ton of clothes Mark also owned. Myth ≠ Debunked 

CUDDLE BUDDIES!?!?!

This is a fun section

Did you know that Moxy and Mark sometimes cuddle together???

Of course you don’t cause nobody knows

This is all fan speculation off of one moment 

During Jungwoo’s hour of the 24 hour relay, after Hannah had left, Jungwoo picks up a shirt

He looks at it off camera before saying, “Did Hannah leave this hoodie?” 

“Nah that’s Thea’s.”

And with three words the fandom went into a frenzy. Some even went as far to speculate that the two we’re together behind the backs of the fans

Contrary to popular belief, this wasn’t as big of a deal as people made it out to be

Moxy and Mark were doing some late night bedroom busking and they went late. They both ended up crashing around the seventh straight hour of singing 

The boys on the seventh floor have gotten used to Moxy eating breakfast on their floor after Mark and Moxy have passed out from exhaustion

Frienemies 

Fans have always speculated that Mark and Moxy don’t like each other and they’re both right and wrong.

Moxy and Mark didn’t spend any time together before she joined 127. They saw each other in passing but had no reason to interact

They both were in separate classes at SOPA so classmate interactions went out the window. They truly had no reason to talk until Moxy, Johnny and Doyoung joined 127

Even then, it took Mark some time to warm up to her, giving fans time to speculate and form opinions on a relationship they only see about 20% of

Alot of fan opinions are drawn from a couple of moments during Cherry Bomb era. Music show attendees frequently saw Moxy and Mark avoiding each other until the camera came on

Mark always sat far away from her during interviews. Moxy would look unhappy when placed on Marks team for games

Things changed after mark came back from the SuperM tour. Suddenly fans saw M squared smiling…….AT EACH OTHER 

Talking, laughing, playing games, taking selfies together, you name it. Fan were hit with blows left and right

Czennies never knew what changed until a brave fan asked on Vlive while Moxy was logged on. Moxy was telling the fans about Mark inviting her to dinner.

“We we’re out for hours. Taeyong had to call and make sure we were coming back cause we had a schedule in the morning.” Moxy scrolls thru the comments when one catches her eye

“When did you and Mark become friends?? We’ve always been friends!!” Moxy laughs at her own sarcasm. “Naw, Mark and I started talking while he was on tour with SuperM. He kinda texted out of nowhere. It was awkward at first but the more we talked and opened up, the less awkward we became. I know some of you guys were wondering what up but yeah! Mark and I are friends now!”

[seoul-bros]

Imagine Your Korea - Yoonmin Retro Chic

Jimin and Yoongi have spent the last month wrecking us with their stunning visuals in a series of videos for the Korean Tourist Organization. Ostensibly designed to introduce us to three cities and the island of Jeju they also gave us an insight into the history of popular music in South Korea.

The whole atmosphere of these ads is retro chic, and I can't imagine any other BTS member pulling it off quite like these two perhaps with the exception of Tae.

The teaser (released 14/10) sets the scene. When was the last time you saw a Walkman? Many people probably never even owned one. A whole section of Tumblr oblivious to the joy of painstakingly crafting a mix tape for your crush or the devastating disappointment of a well-loved cassette being lost forever in a knotted mess of tape.

We have two dudes listening to some rad tunes in an apartment that is floating in time somewhere between the early seventies and middle nineties.

An on a side note, one thing is certain, nobody's parting Jimin from that necklace this year. Work or play it's become a permanent fixture.

Busan Blues

On 20/10 the Busan Blues ad came out and made a big impression. How many times did you watch Yoongi and Jimin stroll nonchalantly into the bar that day. Me? Well let's say a few more times than was strictly necessary.

The loose open shirt and white vest, the cravat like tie and the waistcoat. That right there is a great look for Jimin.

Who wouldn't want to share a whisky with these guys?

The classic tune “Come Back to Busan Harbor” by Cho Yong Pil was released in 1972. It was Cho Yong Pil's first solo hit after working in bands. Today his career spans more than fifty years and he is said to be one of the most influential figures in South Korean pop music.

Daejeon Rock n Roll

The Daejeon Rock n Roll video was released on 20/10. A classic 1980s rock theme was used, and big glasses and cool jackets were the order of the day.

The song used is “A Chance Encounter” by Songolmae who were active from the late seventies to the beginning of the nineties. This particular rock classic was released in 1981.

Nothing like seeing Yoonmin grooving to 1980s vinyl.

Pohang Hip Hop

The Pohang ad came out on 27/10 and to celebrate the Iron City of Korea producers delved into the back catalogue of SK Hip Hop.

The background track is "Do you know Hip Hop?" by Drunken Tiger which was released in 1999. These guys rejected many of the traditional kpop rules e.g. they didn't do choreography. They had their share of controversies but are credited with helping bring hip hop into the mainstream in South Korea.

RM has collaborated with Drunken Tiger in the past including a very powerful performance in Buckubucku in 2015 (see RM solo from 2.36 m onwards) and Timeless in 2018. Look out for the Bangtan Bomb of him performing with them live at the Seoul Music Awards in January 2016. There is also a video of the rest of BTS getting in on his camera action which is hilarious. They were boisterous and happy. BTS was really riding a wave back in 2016.

Jeju Jazz

Finally on 8/11 we got the Jeju Jazz ad. The island features in so many kdramas and reality shows that by now I have started to think I know my way around.

They are both breathtaking in this ad. There has been a lot of talk recently on Yoongi's long hair and to be honest I am not usually a fan. I have realised that to me he looks better with glasses and in full professor mode like the recent photofolio behind and reaction videos.

But in this case I can definitely make an exception.

The song is "The Wind is Blowing" by Park Sung Yeon. She is known as the 'Godmother of Jazz' in Korea and dedicated more than 40 years of her life promoting Jazz music in the country. She died in 2020 a year after recording the song with Park Hyo Shin.

This is Tae's mate who has posted with him a number of times in the past year including in January on Tae's Instagram and July on his own Instagram when V went to see his show, The Man who Laughs.

Wow what started as a summary post for the Yoonmin ad series has turned into a wide-ranging voyage through the South Korean music scene. If you have made it to here, thanks for reading.

All I have left to do now is get to Picadilly Circus to see Jimin and Yoongi on the big screen before the ad rotation ends.

Source: @KTOLondon

Post Date: 18/11/2022

[smilingslacker]

The death of an artist || @apocalypta-secundus

The sun was slowly setting, painting the sky with vibrant colors of red, gold and various shades of purple. A slightly chilly breeze was telling everyone just how close they were to the seasons changing, yet the last rays of the sunny day were still warm enough to allow people to walk around in light clothing and no jackets. Amongst those people was a blond guy zipping up a guitar shaped gigbag that he would soon fling over his shoulder and start wondering back towards the familiar apartment building. What had first started as a casual walk to the park, quickly escalated into long hours of playing music and socializing for Noburu, which definitely wasn’t unusual in any way. Taking the old acoustic instrument out for a stroll in public places was one of the best ways to spend free time if you asked him; sometimes it even resulted in good tips that could later be spent on pizza and beer; now that he finally was able to buy his own. Not that long time ago the guy had turned 20, which obviously meant he was finally of age to drink legally... even though it was pretty clear that set age limitation hadn’t stopped him from experimenting before – he did have some odd shifts as a bartender under his belt from earlier years, after all. Thinking about it made the guy smile to himself in amusement. Laws were weird.

After counting the coins that had been tipped to him while he had been playing, Noburu stuffed them back into his jeans’ pocket and looked up. Judging from the amount of fading light, it was really getting quite late already, wasn’t it? Maybe if he took a shortcut down the alleys between buildings, he could manage to order food from the restaurant a few blocks from his apartment before the place closed. With that thought in mind, a new direction was picked, hazel eyes scanning a road before quickened steps were taken, guiding the body towards an alleyway that was familiar enough to be skipped through even with the deepening shadows creeping up it. Not many people were around by this point, but there was an opening after the alley with a small playground placed on it and a young boy could be spotted carelessly swinging in the swing set. That kid’s home was most likely in one of the surrounding buildings which were known to house many families in them so it wasn’t that much of an oddity to see him there, enjoying the last few moments of outside playtime of the day. With a content smile on his lips, the young man with his guitar on his shoulder exited the alley and was in the process of getting around the section of the playground surrounded by hedges when something suddenly felt wrong. There was this odd sensation crawling up on his arms and legs, leaving all of the fine body hair standing in it’s wake.

”What the…” was all that was muttered out before the squeaking of the swing set came to an obviously sudden halt. Instinctively, a worried gaze turned to face the situation at the playground and was met with a sight of the child frozen, legs pushed against the ground yet his hands gripping tightly at the chain of the swing he was still sitting on and that whole tiny body of his seemingly shaking. What had gotten such a reaction out of the small dude was this massive, towering creature appearing from behind one of the nearby shops and locking his wide, yellow eyes with his. It had some sort of bone mask covering it’s whole face with unusually big human-like teeth and a weird hole right in the middle of it’s muscular chest. Nothing about this creature appeared natural to a human, not even it’s screech it let out just before starting it’s approach towards the play area. It wasn’t a beast of any known kind nor was it a ghostly apparition the part-time bartender saw wandering about every now and then – no, this seemed like something terribly dangerous and seriously lethal. And it was headed straight towards the kid. Shit.

Without putting too much thought to it, the blond spurred into action, making a straight line towards the obvious target of the monster, jumping over a small fence and a wooden seesaw while at it. If nothing else, those few parkour lessons he took as a teen sure paid off in this very situation as he managed to outrun the creature to the kid still frozen in place, wide-eyed and shaking like a leaf.

”Dude! Snap out of it, we gotta run!” were the panicked words sounding out as the youngster’s shoulders were grabbed and shaken to really drive in the message and hopefully break the obvious fear response happening. As soon as the grip of the kid let loose of the chain and the crying started, he got picked up by the older male who was fearing his heart would give out any minute now, seeing as it had started racing faster than ever before, pumping adrenaline like crazy. That said adrenaline was the driving force behind the sneaker-glad feet as they took off in a sprint towards the nearest alleyway that would take them out of the open and in the relative safety of a closed space smaller than what the creature could fit in. The hope was that whatever this thing was would simply give up when it realized following them was impossible and go find something else to prey upon. Not that there was any knowledge here about if they would be able to get away by simply hiding away like that, but it was their best bet for now. The kid crying wasn’t helping on nerves nor was his weight awkwardly resting against that very slim, average height body doing any favors for the maximum speed that could be reached. Still, by some miracle that same style fence from before was jumped and successfully gotten past. One step closer to safety. Hopefully.

Meanwhile the hollow had spotted it’s prey suddenly sprinting, instantly waking up the predatory instincts residing within and causing the oversized body to shift into hunting mode. Getting down to all fours, it picked up speed, going from a casual walk into a jog and finally into the full-on running speed. For what it understood, chasing a meal was something thrilling, much more so than just devouring a still victim and definitely it’s favored way of enjoying food. All that was left of the residing soul’s humanity had disappeared by now, alongside that chain that got ripped out and caused that hole to appear in the first place. Everything left was this endless hunger and a need for fulfillment, which it registered as a need to devour any and all delicious soul energies it could find. That small human in the swings had been it’s original target of the day, but now that another second was taken to appraise, a second big set of energy was now attached itself to the first one. That itself was enough to put the monstrous being into a frenzy, the exited screech emanating from it’s throat bouncing off the nearby buildings while it continued the chase, closing in more and more with every big leap it took.

Chills of fear were quick to make their way through Noburu’s body, his breath already uneven from running and now hitching just for a moment when that terrifying sound reached his eardrums. The thumps of monstrous feet running and closing in were enough to make his blood run cold, but stopping and chilling out really wasn’t an option right now. Not when the child relied on him. Not when stopping would most likely result in both of their deaths. Yeah, there was no other option than keeping up the pace, even when lungs started burning and cold sweat was running down into the neckline of an old band t-shirt. The worrying thing was the legs of the creature being so blatantly stronger and longer than his, resulting in speeds that no human would be able to physically reach. Not even if they actually ran professionally, unlike this freelance musician here did. Willing oneself to not look behind was one of the hardest things right then and there, as it was against human nature to not peek at the sound that was so clearly heading towards your way, yet somehow the gaze of those brown eyes managed to stay focused on the entrance of the alley they were approaching. There was no certainty if there was enough time for them to reach it before either one would get seriously hurt and that was the scariest thought ever. Just what would happen if safety wasn’t an option?

No, wait.

It wasn’t a case of if, but when.

The footsteps were way too fast.

Suddenly feeling tension in his shoulders when the realization hit, the young man knew there was only two ways this situation could go from now on. He wasn’t stupid by all means. There was no future where both of them would get out of this safely and simply continue on with their lives as if nothing had happened at all. A quick look towards the snotty brat still crying and clinging to the worn down fabric of the band shirt suddenly made it pretty clear how this all would end up. Kindhearted, cool heroes weren’t the ones to throw a weak crybaby to the wolves just to save their own ass, right? That shit was for villains to do and Noburu wasn’t ready to make himself out to be the bad guy of the story just yet. Not that he would really have much chance to do so later on though, if things were going to go as badly as they seemed to be going right about now. What a truly bittersweet thought it was.

”I’m gonna toss you! Run and hide!”

There was just enough time for the kid to register those words being shouted out loudly, the kind stranger grabbing him by the armpits, tearing off the small hands from the shirt in the process and sending the small human flying towards the shadows. What registered next was the scene of the huge creature reaching the backside of this unknown man, who didn’t have any time to react before a long, sharp claw pierced through the unsuspecting instrument in the gigbag with a very audible crunch, continuing all the way into the flesh and through bones. It didn’t stop before the tip of that claw exited from the blond guy’s chest, ruining the band logo that the small human had been crying against just seconds ago. The strength and speed of the attack didn’t tone down much from the resistance of such a fragile thing as a human body so the claw only picked up the mess it had made along the way and continued on, eventually making contact with the side of a building, creating a large hole at the concrete and collapsing parts of it to the ground. With wide eyes, the child stared at the spot where a friendly face had been just before the moment of the attack. What the kid would never forget from this day on was the last facial expression of that guy.

He was smiling just now, wasn’t he?