#i'm. tagging him because. he's there in spirit in the pic--- and he's under the read more-

[twisting-in-wonderland]

let! him! have! his! octopus! plush! >:[

(messy extra stuff----)

meanwhile,back at NRC:

(+ here’s a WIP >:] )

[jmdbjk]

#FOR FREE

I see Joon's feet trending under the #FOR FREE tag but excuse me? We got THIS FOR FREE for thirty plus minutes?

I'm still very speechless.

Jimin playing hard to get.

Jimin telling JK needed to go to sleep because he had schedules later that day, basically making sure JK stayed on-task.

Jimin saying he STILL gets scolded by JK.

Jimin shutting down any ideas of a live with JK.

DAMMIT JIMIN YOU WERE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO DO A LIVE WITH A FEW MONTHS AGO COME ONNNNNNN!?!?!?!

Yes, JK literally has tried to lure Jimin with food, beer, working out, beefcake (flexed his bicep), he's asked coyly, assertively and begged unabashedly. Even Armys tried to convince Jimin.

The comparisons of this to Seven's MV are hilarious... yup, next thing we'll see is JK faking his own death serenading Jimin from his casket.

"Come on Jimin, let me come over, I'll bring my shower stuff and we can do it in the shower... I mean from the shower... or just whatever, pleeeeeeez...."

Knowing Jimin's default is naked while at home and him texting JK a pic? Please can y'all stop sending dick pics to each other while we are watching?

K-Army is saying the tone of voice JK was using, the context, the polite/casual speech they both used was off the charts couply. A lot of us are international Army and all we see are straight up dry translations and can't really understand how important all those things are in communicating in Korean society. It is easy for I-Armys to interpret the dry translations differently than how Koreans interpret them. I depend a lot on what K-Army says and defer to them as to how to interpret Jimin and Jungkook's relationship.

But seriously, even I could tell JK was speaking in satoori when he was chiding Jimin about saying he wasn't in condition to do a live... "we don't worry about that Jimin, we just do it when we feel like it."

Jimin: "you've forgotten what my personality is like"

I can hear Jimin now... "I don't have any makeup on..." Jimin-ssi. Please. Slip off your chelsea boots, leave your hair alone and relax a little. It's not like you've NEVER done a live before with no makeup and bed head.

We have JK on one side being the free-spirit/in-the-moment-go-with-the-mood vibe and Jimin on the other side being rigid and in total control of everything.

I'm still salty because Jimin censored himself during his Face album live when he realized there were young people watching as he was about to explain his concept of looking in the bathroom mirror in the Like Crazy MV.

I see a collision happening with these two mindsets and I think Jimin sees it too hahahahaha! "I'M SCARED OF YOU!" he doesn't know what kind of shenanigans will happen when they are together on a live because we also know Jimin LOVES HIS JK and can't resist climbing all over him when they are together!

Who could resist that:

Jungkook swapped the stud in his newest lip piercing for another lip ring and he re-pierced his right ear and the jewelry is very pretty. The earrings have a very fine chain hanging from the first to the last hoop. Edgy and delicate at the same time.

We have expectations now for his next live. Keep moving those chains JK! Maybe joking about a live while showering is not such a joke after all.... I'm kinda scared too, Jimin.

JK's July 27 live:

I had started a blog post about the July 27 two and a half hour live but NOOOOoooOOOOOooo, JK has moved the line again with the naked-in-the-bed live, so it's almost pointless to blog about the one from the previous day now.

Except I was thrilled when he responded to my ask if he had seen Jimin's Barbie guitar. What a thrill to interact with him in real time... I'm still just... wow ...

But a few things I took away from that two and a half hour live:

JK getting so emotional when he watched and listened to the Army Love Letter song. I broke down in tears as soon as I saw him being overcome.

And the live translating is not automated, its done by real people:

About 15 minutes into this purple 2.5 hour live, someone must have asked about Tae's album because JK says yes, he's heard a few songs and they're good. I am very excited to hear what Tae has created, especially after seeing the music critic say it is something unexpected. Of course, Tae's love for Bing Crosby-ish vibes could be what he's talking about and that wouldn't surprise me if that's the direction Tae goes. Later, someone in the comments asked if Tae would do a Seven dance challenge with him and he said Tae wouldn't do it. Why not Tae? Hmmphf. Fine.

Anyway...

Right before logging out, JK sang Jimin's Dear.Army (Letter) swaying back and forth so sweetly!!!! It was so beautiful. Might be the closest we come to hearing them singing it together. He loves that song.

Tomorrow we get to watch JK's episode of Suchwita and the day after that we will see him on Inkagayo.

All of that and I still think about Jimin and Jungkook had a camera crew with them on that dang boat in Connecticut a few weeks ago... if it was for a Seven TikTok, shouldn't it have been out by now?... so where will we eventually see that? Hmmmmmm???

[vibratingskull]

Imperial secrets

Part1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

Tags : mention of cheating, reconciliation

FemaleReader x Thrawn

You decide to take matters in your own hands and discuss your fiance with someone who might know him for longer times

You wait at the dinner, hiding under your hoodie and some sunglasses. You twirl your straw in your drink, awaiting. You side eye the dinner, you know some of your friends come and work here, you’d rather not be seen. But that’s where she chose to see you. You sigh and slouch in your seat, is it reasonable? You wonder. You don’t know what Arzel said to them, but all your friends stopped talking and texting you for some day now. You didn’t realize you would lose so much by getting on his bad side…

"Lieutenant commander (y/l/n)?" A woman appears at your side, in a black trench coat complimenting her black hair and green eyes. 

You rise up in a jump. 

"Yes! It's me, Captain Hugtan." 

She sat down in front of you, without removing her coat. She looks at you with piercing inquisitive eyes. You always thought she was beautiful, she is even more that close. She could still model for the Empire posters, like before. Your cheeks fluster as your old crush comes acting up again.

"So?" She ask impatiently 

"Yes. I wanted to ask you about Nather Satlove."

She looks ultimately uninterested. 

"And what do you want to know about him ?" 

"You frequent him for longer than me, has he ever appeared… strange to you?" 

"When was he never strange? He's a whole circus by himself." she snarls. Maybe their relationship is not as good as you first thought. "He always has been a self centered prick and if I'm judging by the latest news I heard about him, he didn't change."

You lower your head a little, that sounds like your man. 

"Well" You start. "I'm sure he has some qualities…" 

"Oh, he does! I have an immense respect for his work methods, that doesn't help the fact that he's insufferable."

You pout.

"Okay, has there been a period where he has been especially… Insufferable ?" 

She takes a ciggie out of her pocket, lights it up and takes a deep puff of it. You cough because of the smoke but she doesn't stop. 

"Well, you realize I can't disclose information about a respected Governor of the Empire to you like that."

"I'm his fiance" You retorted. 

She looks at you dubious. You decide to show her some pics of Arzel and you together. You're a bit annoyed having to display your private life like that, but you swallow your pride. She looks at them with a raised eyebrow, and gives you back your community with a grin.

“I see every taste is in nature…”

“We’ll talk about my taste another time.” You respond, losing patience “What can you tell me about him?”

She stares into space for a moment, surely gathering her memories. 

“We did our study together at the Academy, even though I was two years ahead of him. As far as I can remember he has always as been a free spirit, with a talent to gather people around him. He regularly spoke about the treatment of the aliens, which had the effect of enraging the teachers and some students. But what can I say? A solar personality and an influential family can melt any ice, and he was popular, except for one other thing…” She takes another puff of her cig. “He was a fucking classist.”

You look at her in surprise. You already knew he had a military education and he used to go to the Academy, but you didn’t suspect this aspect of him. You let her continue.

“Despite being his elder I was a victim of his scorn and disdain because I came from the working class, with other students. He finally showed some respect when some of us graduated.” She pouts.

You don’t feel rancor in her speech, only a profound lassitude. You sip on your drink, all ears.

“For him we didn’t have our place in this elite space and only the ones overcoming the odds deserved his respect.”

Now that you think of it, he never lingered too much in your former neighborhood and speaks to a restricted number of people in church.

“We lost sight of each other when his family “introduced“ him officially to this weird church…” She continues.

“His family?” You're surprised, a bit disappointed even “He never speaks to me of his family…”

She tuts, clearly unsympathetic.

“Well they're all in this weird cult. It’s a family thing apparently, if I remember correctly it’s one of his grandmas that started it with some other illuminated priests.”

“Belegs.” You correct her with anger lingering in the tone.

She squints at you and sneers.

“Of course, you’re part of it.”

“You have a problem with that maybe?”

“No, absolutely not. It’s just another proof that birds of a feather flock together.”

You breathe deeply through your nose. Keep calm, you think, she’s a superior…

“Either way, it appears he selectively chooses his friends after that, and would you look at that : they all come from his circle, except for those who overcame the odds, with whom he looks like he has a weird adoration thing.” She takes a puff.

You keep silent, digesting what you just heard. She looks at you with what you think is pity melt with amusement.

“Oh don’t be sour, if he didn’t tell you about all that it’s because he thought you weren’t ready.”

You snarl at that comment, you hope it’s not that.

“That, or he doesn’t actually trust you…”

Your eyes widen, Eli’s kiss flashing in your mind. You quickly chase this thought, don’t think about it…

“Say, it’s not that I’m bored but I hope you didn’t bother me just for heart reasons.” She throws.

“In fact not.” You respond, straightening your back and with a hard gaze. “Tell me everything you know about the Rear Admiral Marttilf…”

________________________________________________________________

You're curled up over yourself, completely entranced by your screen. It's the only light in your chamber, reflecting on your face and walls. You corroborate all the data you have with the new ones recently obtained, and more importantly the ones about Martlif.

The Empire is losing slaves, or assets as Thrawn would have said. Either way, the Empire is losing precious resources and you’re sure Martlifs is part of that problem, accomplice of those pirates that you chased after for so long and the underworld of Tyrahnn. 

You compile everything on a data card and decide to head toward the ISB. You take your airspeeder and fly at full speed on the streets of Coruscant, your mind wandering just as quick. The recent events shined a light on some truths about your situation and yourself. Losing Azrel is losing his love, your friend group, your home, your moral support, stability… And it is too much at once. Your whole life would be in ruins, so you had to take the next logical step : presenting excuses.

You stop in front of his office, looking at the window pensively, ready to forgive him all of his slips for a better life. You take a big breath and get in, you have to act like a proper adult from now on you decide, being the bigger person…

As you walk in the hallway you see someone leaving Azrel’s office, someone you didn’t expect.

“Eli…” You say in a breath.

He sees you and his whole face brightens, he embraces you with joy.

“(y/n)! What an unexpected pleasure to meet you!” He laughs “What are you doing here?”

You gulp, all your defenses going down in front of that smile. How can you be mad at that face? You feel yourself melt in front of him, and your heart drops in your stomach. You don’t want to hate him.

“I came to see Azrel.”

“Who?”

“Nather.”

He nods comprehensively. After all that time, anger led to acceptance and confusion. You’re not even sure of what you saw anymore, there was so much steam and they were away from you. After replaying this scene in your mind so many times, the memory got corrupted. Beside you have no proof of what you saw, all you have is some foggy memories of a moment of vulnerability. 

"I thought you were on duty." You manage to say. 

"We'll depart in one month, the Chimaera is in repairs. I just wanted to chat a bit with Nather."

Your heart pinches, you want to believe him, you want to believe Azrel. You want to believe a future is possible for all of you. 

Eli looks at you with tenderness. 

"I'm gonna be honest, at first I didn't like him all that much. But talking to him and his political views, I came to appreciate him." He ruffles his hair with a chuckle, like he didn't want to vex you. 

You nod with a faint smile. 

"Yes, he really feels strongly about some subjects…”

He put his hand on your shoulder.

“He’s a good man. Strange, but fine.” He hits your shoulder lightly and bids you farewell.

Hand on the door handle you look at Eli walking away in the hallway. You shake your head, take a deep breath and enter.

“Azrel?” You ask, passing just your head through the door.

You see him raising his head from his screen at the mention of his name. He recognizes you and raises an eyebrow.

“(Y/n)...” 

You pout. (Y/n) not Roween. He opens his fan in a clac that resonates and hides his face behind it, letting only his eyes visible. You approach with little steps, trying to put a front.

“I came to see how you are since the last two weeks…” You start.

“Good.” He retorts shortly, his eyes following you walking inside his office.

“Good, good.” You pout, licking your teeth trying to continue the conversation.

He slouches on his chair, crossing his legs on his desk, waiting for you to state your true intention.

“I…” You stop and look at the beautiful sunny day through the transparisteel wall behind him, taking inspiration from nature.``I also wanted to present my excuses for what happened last time, I shouldn’t have sold short our principles for a simple date night with a friend, a friend you judge improper for our cause. I just wanted to reassure you that I still firmly believe in it and that I will do what you all judge necessary for it to advance.”

He stares at you in silence. You release a deep breath trying to stay calm in this agonizing moment. Finally he stands up, lowering his fan and shakes his head.

“No. It’s me who should present to you my excuses. I judged harshly someone who thinks differently than me, someone you hold in high regard. I shouldn’t have done that, and I wanna say I am sorry.” He looks at you with a small, pained smile.

You didn’t expect him to say that. You’re pleasantly surprised and taken aback at the same time, you don’t know what to say at first.

“Oh, well… I forgive you.” you whisper.

“So I took the liberty to speak to him.” He continues in a joyful tone that takes you off guard.”Him and his aid. Fascinating duo, those two! They will surely go far!”

“Huh… Yes?” Your eyes open wide at his speechify cheerfulness.

“Besides, that’s not because they aren’t part of the church that they can’t help. Take the Admiral, only by succeeding as he does in his career he contradicts all those pesky cliches about aliens, and therefore helps us in a way!” He walks beside you, with grand theatrical gestures “Really a fascinating man, I understand now why you hold him in such high regard. His aid too, really intelligent. He just told me ten minutes ago that he envisioned himself as a supply officer at first. Can you imagine? What a waste of his talents!”

Hearing him complimenting Eli makes your heart pinches once again and the kiss flashes in your mind. You hug yourself.

“You seem like you appreciate him really much…”

“I do. He’s even interested in the church and what we believe! It would be marvelous if we three could all go to the temple together at some point!”

“Surely…”

“But like you, his career takes all his time. It’s a good thing that this Thrawn is your superior after all, his aura and his victories could shine upon you and propel your career!”

You grimace at that and the word of Hugtan comes to your mind.

“Say, it’s not the first time you speak about propelling my career. You already talked about it at the Opera back then. Are you…” You gulp, is it why he looks interested in Eli? “Are you ashamed of me, in some way?”

He stops in his movement and considers you like you just spit in his face.

“What kind of idea is that?” he asks, horrified.

“Nothing. It’s just that it looks like you're dissatisfied with the speed of my career. I know it slowed down tremendously. That I would look bad at your arms just being a low lieutenant commander…”

He almost runs to you and caresses your cheek, forcing you to look at him. You only see a bit of pain and sympathy in his eyes.

“Do I need a reason to use my influence to positively push the career of the woman who shares my life? Especially if she deserves it?”

You pout, feeling a bit bad now.

“Probably not.”

He looks at you with a light smile and strokes your cheeks with his thumb.

“All is forgiven?” he inquires full of hope.

“All is forgiven.” You nod.

You embrace each other and you sigh of contempt that everything is back in place. But deep down, buried deep in your mind a light flickers in bright red. You snuggle against him, debating if you should ask…

You throw yourself in waters

“Azrel?”

“Hmmmm?” He hums, caressing your hair.

“Do you consider our relationship seriously?”

His hand stops caressing you, remaining at the top of your head.

“Why?” He’s rigid under your touch.

“Did you..” You part with him to look him in the eyes

Did you kiss Eli, is what you want to ask, but you’re at a loss for words. Maybe if you don’t know you could cover it and pretend nothing happened? You try to sound his gaze but you only see confidence.

“Why did you never present your parents to me?”

His shoulders lower. 

“You never even told me one of your family members is part of the founders of the church.”

He pouts.

“Who told you that?”

“It’s not important.”

He sighs.

“Well, I wanted it to be a surprise.” He admits. “I wanted them to see you at the feast I told you about, since it will be a gathering of all the upper crust of the church of all planets.”

“But why not before?”

“They are really busy people that rarely leave Tyrahnn. But I promise you I planned this for a long time.” He kisses your forehead.

This will have to do. 

“Can I steal you for dinner at the restaurant?” He asks, all cheerful.

“I’m sorry but I have to go to the ISB quarter. I have something to give them.”

“Oh!” He raises an eyebrow “What that might be?” He demands with a conspiratory tone.

“If I’m not mistaken, the solution to your pirate problem, around Tyrahn.”  You show him the datacard “But I need an in-depth investigation to gather real proof.”

A smirk slices his face and a light shines in his gaze.

“Would you look at that? Everything works out in my favor today, I secure a deal with an important import company back home, I get you back, and you bring me the solution to my  problem.” He open his hand for you to give him the card. “Give it to me, I will give it after my shift.”

You hand it to him at first, then decide otherwise.

“No, sorry. I will give them now. The sooner, the merrier.” You put back the card in your pocket, his hand keeps open an oddly long second before getting back to his side, his smile disapearing.

You decide to leave but before that, you have a vengeance to execute. A vengeance for those two weeks of solitude and isolation.

“Say, what do you think about giving the church fundraising initiative to the lower neighborhood where the poor need it the most?” You ask innocently.

“Sure, we will give the check to a brother or sister that will lend them it.” He smiles.

“No, I meant giving the check ourselves.” 

His smile remains, but you see his eye twitch. Touche!

“You want us… To go… there?” He demands, incredulous.

You play with his collar with puppy eyes.

“Please. It would be a good action to celebrate us making up.” You coo.

He throws his head back with a sigh.

“Okay, Roween… But that’s because you asked for it.” He reluctantly gave in.

You kiss him on the cheek, smiling and wave him goodbye. You exit the building relieved, but with an unknown bitter taste in your mouth. It’s at this moment that your comlink vibrates, it’s Thrawn. 

“Hello, sir.” You salute gleefully

“Hello, lieutenant commander (y/l/n). I hope I do not bother you.”

“Not at all. What can I do for you?”

“I need you for a service. I would like you to observe Admiral Konstantine and report to me your discoveries.”

You enter your airspeeder and put your hand on the wheel, disturbed.

“You want me to spy him?” You inquire dubious.

“It would prove most useful to me.” 

“I… Can I know why?”

He remains silent for a second.

“I need intel on my different colleagues. I can only ask that to my most trustworthy comrades.”

Those words resonate in the airspeeder. My most trustworthy comrade…

“Alright.” You sigh. “I accept.” A lightning flash in your mind. “Wait, should we really speak about that on our comlinks?”

“I am scrambling the signals, do not worry.”

“Ah.” You lean in your seat. “Do you need anything else?”

Once again he remains silent for a moment.

“I appreciated our evening at the gallery the other night. We should do that more often.”

It feels like your heart beats faster at the mention of the date. He liked it, he wants to see me again, your mind whispers. A chance Azrel gave you his blessing.

“Sure! Whenever you want.”

“Why not next week? There is something I need help with, I could use the presence of a friend. Let us meet at the Chimaera at dockyard seven.” 

You note it 

“Dockyard seven, noted.”

“If I can do something in compensation, let me know.”

“Well… Do you know anyone at the ISB? I need an investigation pronto.”

@bluechiss @justanothersadperson93 @al-astakbar @thrawnspetgoose @readinglistfics @twilekchiss

[cescalr]

New tag game: list ten of your childhood ships!

tagged by @babybeale <3... forever ago. Uh. Whoops!

[I will also state my current feelings regarding the ship, and I'll go into as little or as much detail as I feel like <3 I'm also. I have a sieve brain. I'm trying to remember what the fuck it was I shipped as a kid lmao. Anything I shipped, say, pre 2016, I think should count? ftr that means I was 14 or under when I shipped it.]

Nina/Fabian, from House of Anubis;

They're still cute. Better than what they pulled in the last season ;-; fabian and mara...... why...........

2. Sam and Freddie, from iCarly;

This show was just. Not good at writing romance. At all. It was bad at it. But I am very smart and know better than them (/joke) so I could do seddie justice. Er. Maybe trying to do that right now, actually. Shh.

[also, friend; jade and beck is so complicated, you're right. A fun mess, but still a mess lmao. Me and my rarepairs was always a fan of stuff that never ended up being canon though. Might as well put it next, I guess? Looking at your 3.... when it comes to icarly; we could not possibly have had more different opinions on the matter <3 lmao]

3. Tori Vega / André Harris;

I haven't watched it in years so I do not remember why! But I do remember that I did. I think. Don't - don't quote me on anything ever.

4. Willoz - from buffy the vampire slayer;

No gifs for them :( :( :( love them still so very much <3

5. Honestly, I'd steal your number 5 bestie, 6Teen was great. In the spirit of obscure animated TV shows, though - and It's been so damn long I forgot the names of some characters, had to look up the guy's name, lol - Zero and Vin from The Invisible Network of Kids. It left a profound impact on my psyche because they did something really fucked up in the last episode, plus left us on a cliffhanger, and then the show got cancelled </3 rip. Haven't watched it in a decade or so. No idea if it holds up, but I was super invested in these kids doing spy work and experiencing insane levels of trauma that would be ignored come each new episode </3. I was literally 8 years old <3. It has a TV tropes page and the entire show is availible on the Internet Archive, of all places, sooooooo I may browse. For nostalgia's sake. There are literally zero gifs available for this one, because. I mean. No shit.

7. Didn't watch any of that continuity - only got so far as Tracey Beaker Returns... alas. Anyway, my pic for 7..... hm. Sigh.

Stiles/Lydia, Teen Wolf.

This ^ is NOT romantic! she slams her mouth onto his in the middle of a panic attack. Babe. No. No. Regardless; I don't like it </3. They really. Oh god they really fucked up this one. Like a lot. Plus, they both just ended up with much better canon ships (stalia, marrish) that then got shafted for this mess to be the endgame and then the movie breaks them up anyway!!! OFFSCREEN!!!! they didn't even last 2 weeks!!!! fuck!!!!!!!! I don't like them. But I used to. Playlist, for proof. I feel like this counts, because I shipped them when I first watched the show as it aired (I was 10 when the show started), but I did still ship the pairing until well into my teens (16 or so) before I wised up (the show made them very bad in a really boring way. Not that they weren't bad before. Love how they both do things that are otherwise reprehensible but the show frames them as romantic for some fucking reason </3 I was like 13 when I saw this kiss on screen. They're lucky I did research and didn't just take it at face value or I could've gotten some really bad ideas about what's healthy in a situation like this!).

8. Zikki (Zane/Rikki), H20: Just Add Water;

Season 3 does not exist <3 [also, the way they wrote the 'cheating' plotline was fucked up. That woman planted one on him!!! he did not consent!!! Why are we supposed to be blaming him for being sexually harassed in the workplace!!! No!!!]. Still ship them fr fr.

8. maf;lkasjd;f yeahhh. Think if you watched friends as a kid, it was inevitable you'd ship rosschel, the damn thing was pushed so hard. Stand in regretful solidarity;

For really obvious reasons (being that it is rosschel); hot damn no I do not!

9. Harry and Ginny, Harry Potter.

Ignoring the horrendous movie adaptation, when I read the hp books I basically just defaulted to shipping whatever was canon. Luckily for me, the canon hp ships are actually pretty good ones! If you ignore the canaries in the room. (I. Do not. Famously. Well. Infamously.) As for Hinny, whilst its a garbage ship name, the pairing itself is pretty great <3

10. kaljdflkasdt thank god I don't remember jack shit about watching glee for the first time! the sieve brain is a blessing in this one occasion. I've already mentioned in another (tagged <3) post my vaguely-relevant hsm ships, though, so..... hmm. What should I pick.... let's think.... I'm kidding. I don't need to think.

Shoker is a major missed opportunity in ME, and I've been mad about the choices for my fem!shep for YEARS because. Look. Kaiden she did not cheat on you. You left!! You accused her of being evil and fucked off after she was resurrected!! what else was she supposed to think other than 'guess he doesn't want to date me anymore. Rude.' And. You could have sex with Jack but not romance her, that was locked to male characters >:| biphobia [Jack can have sexual relations with women, but her only real connections are to men. Rude!]. And, Liara in my games always turned herself down for romance because she assumed my shep wanted to date Kaiden because she's not a total dick to him and there's no way for me to clarify otherwise, also people making assumptions :/ not great. Plus Li becomes the shadow broker and it's a whole thing, so that doesn't really work out narratively for me anyway. Can't romance Miranda. Can't romance Tali (wouldn't anyway - Tali/Garrus <3). Refuse to romance Garrus that is just so platonic a dynamic it's not even funny. Jacob cheats and dips, so fuck him. Like... all of the fem!shep romances are terrible (or Trainor, I guess, but she's... kind of. Nobody. She's Just There. Sorry. It's not narratively interesting enough for me.) and Joker was right there and augh. Augh! Still ship. Still mad about it. Hatboy Project is doing the lord's work! I salute thee soldier in thine endeavours. Waiting to replay LE until it's been finished <3.

<3

If anyone wants to pick this up, go for it!

[freshdotdaily]

A lot of y'all know I been obsessed with Rammellzee for a hot second now. I don't have the crazy obsession y'all have w/ Basqiuat, or Andy Warhol. But of that downtown scene, I reaaaally loved Haring as a yute dem and I really fucked with A. Charles just off seeing their work publicly all around me.

But once I found Ramm, it was another revelation. A convergence of a lot of shit I like wrapped in one enigmatic weirdo artist's ideas to pick apart and break down. Bruh, this nigga straddles genius and mental illness in a wild way. There's a touch of Rammellzee in MF DOOM.

One of the reasons I liked the young rapper Wiki when I found him in 2012, (outside of this video) is because him/his crew "Ratking" refers to "Letter Racers". I instantly thought, "yo, this kid is tapped in!".

Also, I'm guilty for really obsessing over late 80's and 90's era NYC culture. Y'all wasn't outside, but there's just something super ill about that downtown time/space that incubated so much of our culture from my hometown. Alex Corporan (of Supreme's OG crew) summed it thusly: "The ‘90s in NYC lands as the last of the epic, raw, untouchable, unstoppable, fearless times for life. You're unable to replicate the experience of what was happening in New York during this time. Skateboarding, music, nightlife, art, fashion... you name it! 2000-2004 held onto that energy for a bit, but from 1990-1999 you grew up real fast and experienced shit in light speed."

Anyways, NY Times did a piece I wanna hit y'all with. I sprinkled in some video/links/pics for razzle-dazzle. Long live Rammellzee! In the late nineteen-seventies, the sociologist Nathan Glazer had grown weary of riding New York’s graffiti-covered subways. The names of young vandals, who identified themselves as “writers” rather than as artists, were everywhere—inside, outside, sometimes stretching across multiple train cars. Glazer didn’t know who these writers were, or whether their transgressive spirit ever manifested itself in violent crimes, but that didn’t matter. The daily confrontation with graffiti suggested a city under siege. “The signs of official failure are everywhere,” he wrote in an influential 1979 essay. Graffiti, with its casual anarchy and cryptic syntax, offered glimpses into a “world of uncontrollable predators.” In the nineties, Glazer’s essay would help inspire the concept of “broken windows” policing—a theory that preserving the appearance of calm, orderly neighborhoods can foster peace and civility.

Graffiti has always had this kind of metaphorical power. It is somehow more than art or destruction (even though it is both), and it prompts awe or dread, depending on your tolerance for disorder. For every Glazer, there were romantics like Norman Mailer, who had written the text for a book of photographs elevating graffiti to the status of “faith.” From his perspective, graffiti forced the upper crust to reckon with the names and the fugitive dreams of a forgotten underclass: “You hit your name and maybe something in the whole scheme of the system gives a death rattle.”

Few people understood and internalized this power as deeply as the artist, rapper, and theoretician Rammellzee (which he styled as The ramm:ell:zee). He believed that his time in the train yards and the tunnels of New York gave him a vision for how to destroy and rebuild our world. He was born in 1960 and grew up in Far Rockaway, Queens. His birth name is a closely guarded secret; he legally changed it to his artistic tag in 1979. (He also insisted that The ramm:ell:zee was an “equation,” not a name.) Little is known about his youth, aside from passing aspirations to study dentistry (he was good with his hands) and to be a model (in a 1980 catalogue, he is identified as Mcrammellzee).

Ramm—as he became known—believed that language enforced discipline, and that whoever controlled it could steer people’s thoughts and imaginations. His hope wasn’t to replace English; he wanted to annihilate it from the inside out. His generation grew up after urban flight had devastated New York’s finances and infrastructure. Ramm channelled the chaos into a spectacular personal mythology, drawn from philology, astrophysics, and medieval history. He was obsessed with a story of Gothic monks whose lettering grew so ornate that the bishops found it unreadable and banned the technique. The monks’ work wasn’t so different from the increasingly abstract styles of graffiti writing, which turned a name into something mysterious and unrecognizable. Ramm developed a philosophy, Gothic Futurism, and an artistic approach that he called Ikonoklast Panzerism: “Ikonoklast” because he was a “symbol destroyer,” abolishing age-old standards of language and meaning; “Panzer” because this symbolic warfare involved arming all the letters of the alphabet, so that they might liberate themselves. He lived these ideas through his art and his music, and by being part of the hip-hop scene during its infancy.

In 1983, Rammellzee and a rapper named K-Rob went to visit the painter Jean-Michel Basquiat. Though Ramm and Basquiat were friends, they were also rivals. Ramm would later say that Basquiat wasn’t a “dream artist”—he didn’t so much radiate visions outward as take things in like a “sponge,” learning about genius from books. He and Ramm once bet on who could most convincingly parody the other’s work. (Ramm claimed not only that he won but that Basquiat’s art dealer, who wasn’t in on their ruse, told Basquiat that “his” work was the best he had ever done.)

That night, Basquiat invited Ramm and K-Rob to record a song he’d written. Ramm, who had rapped in the movie “Wild Style,” was already known for his unique nasal sneer. (He called it his “gangster duck” style.) The two men looked at Basquiat’s elementary rhymes, laughed, and tossed them in the trash. Instead, they made up their own lyrics—a brilliant, surreal tale of a kid (the earnest, bemused K-Rob) who’s on his way home and a hectoring pimp (Ramm) who tries to tempt him toward the dark side. Basquiat called the song “Beat Bop,” and paid for it to be produced; he painted the vinyl single’s cover art himself. The song was murky and strange, like a spiky funk jam slowed to a sinister crawl. In the background, someone tunes a violin. There’s so much echo and reverb on the track that it sounds like an attempt at time travel.

In the eighties, graffiti gained acceptance in the art world. Despite Ramm’s charisma, the intensity of his work and his stubborn, erratic personality kept him on the movement’s fringes. Where Basquiat and Keith Haring seemed shy showmen, Ramm came across as a nutty professor. His early paintings took inspiration from the psychedelia of comic books and science fantasy, with mazy train tracks running across cosmic reliefs. His palette was attuned to the era’s anxieties about nuclear war and nuclear waste. The colors were bright and garish, suggesting a box of neon highlighters run amok.

Rammellzee created and wore full-body suits of armor that he called “Garbage Gods.”

Photograph by Mari Horiuchi / courtesy Red Bull Arts New York and the Rammellzee Estate

In the mid-eighties, he began rendering these ideas in 3-D. He made sculptures that evoked the fossilized remains of twentieth-century life: newspaper clippings, key rings, chain links, and other junk, floating in an epoxy ooze. The most remarkable works were his “Garbage Gods,” full-body suits of armor, some of which weighed more than a hundred pounds. They look like junk-yard Transformers doing samurai cosplay. His most famous character, the Gasholeer, was outfitted with a small flamethrower.

Ramm’s art, thought, and music are the subject of the exhibition “ramm∑llz∑∑: Racing for Thunder,” at Red Bull Arts New York.

Befitting the popular drink’s own sense of iconoclasm, “Racing” bathes in Ramm’s frenzied, free-associative, and occasionally overwhelming energy. There are his early canvases and sculptures, along with flyers, business cards, manifestos, and patent applications. A small theatre screens previously unseen videos of Ramm rapping at nightclubs. The most impressive part of the survey is a floor devoted to his “Garbage Gods” and “Letter Racers”—skateboards representing each letter of the alphabet, armed with makeshift rockets, screwdrivers, and blades.

Throughout the exhibition, you can hear moments from Ramm’s lectures on Gothic Futurism—a thrilling jumble of street-corner hustling and technical language, all “parsecs,” “integers,” “aerodynamics.” As I was examining a collection of hand-painted watches, I kept hearing Ramm pause as he reached the end of a long disquisition on ecological catastrophe and graffiti-as-warfare, and then bark, “Next slide!”

In early May, the Red Bull Music Festival staged a Ramm-inspired concert to mark the opening of the art show. Ramm had continued to make music after “Beat Bop,” never wavering from his philosophies, just declaring them against increasingly turbulent, industrial-sounding backdrops. The eclecticism of the bill spoke to his wandering ear, and ranged from the terse hardcore of Show Me the Body to the wise-ass raps of Wiki. K-Rob, wearing a T-shirt featuring a mushroom and the words “I’m a Fun Guy,” reprised his verse from “Beat Bop,” grinning the whole way through. Gio Escobar, the leader of the deft punk-jazz band Standing on the Corner, dedicated a song to a late friend. The departed are everywhere around us, he said, as a groove emerged from the band’s dubbed-out chaos. “And they’re waiting.”

As hip-hop and art changed, as graffiti vanished from New York’s trains and walls, Ramm delved further into his own private cosmos—namely, the enormous loft in Tribeca where he lived, which he called the Battle Station. His obscurity wasn’t a choice. In the early eighties, he offered to send the U.S. military some of the intelligence he had gathered for national defense. (It declined.) In 1985, he wrote an opera, “The Requiem of Gothic Futurism.” In the nineties, he tried to promote his ideas by producing a comic book and a board game. He thought that toy manufacturers might want to mass-produce his “Garbage Gods” models.

He was the first artist to collaborate with the streetwear brand Supreme.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Supreme (@supremenewyork)

There was a series of infomercial-like videos to seed interest in “Alpha’s Bet,” an epic movie that he hoped would finally resolve the narrative arc of his extended universe.

By the time Rammellzee died, in 2010, after a long illness, New York City had been completely remade by mayoral administrations that took broken-windows policing as gospel. The Battle Station became condos.

The Internet has made it easy to take what the culture provides you and rearrange it in some novel, cheeky way. It’s much more difficult to build an entirely new world—to abide by an ethical vision with a ferocity that requires you to break all the rules. I was surprised by how moved I felt standing underneath Ramm’s “Letter Racers” and studying the textures of the “Garbage Gods.” To see their meticulous handiwork up close was to believe that Ramm’s far-flung theories, his mashup of quantum physics and “slanguage,” made sense as an outsider’s survival strategy. I noticed all the discarded fragments of city life—bulbs and screws, a billiard ball, a doll’s head, old fan blades and turn-signal signs, visors stacked to look like pill bugs. His commitment was total. These are works of devotion.

This is where Ramm wanted to live—at the edge of comprehensibility, but in a way that invited others to wonder. Cities are filled with strangers who possess an unnerving energy, who hail us with stories, songs, and poems. Ramm was one of these. In an interview filmed in the aughts, Ramm sheds light on his everyday life. Sometimes, he says, he’ll be walking down the street or sitting at a bar, and people will just look at him. And sometimes they’ll come up to him and ask, “Who are you?” He’s explaining all this while wearing one of his “Garbage God” masks. You notice his paunch, the warm crackle of his voice at rest. “I’m just an average Joe,” he says, and he sounds like he believes it. 

♦Published in the print edition of the May 28, 2018, issue, with the headline “Graffiti Prophet.”

[animeperanima]

I went to sleep in the meantime but for the send me a character thing: Caesar and/or Gyro? I love my Zeppeli boys and I'm Very interested in your Italian Takes

Caesarino tesorino

Fav thing about them:

the fact that he goes from a highly skilled and controlled individual to Italy's greatest fool as soon as Joseph is thrown into the mix. he looks fancy and graceful but he has a mirror specifically to teach at card games! it's the duality of man *insert italian pinched fingers emoji*

Least fav thing about them:

probably the fact that he doesn't get to do shit in part 2 until he goes to fight Whamuu. because of how the genre was structured poor Caesar got completely overshadowed by the protagonist

Favourite line:

"I can't let my life sputter out. This is the Zeppeli family spirit, from the past to the future! It's the human spirit!"

I love the idea that leaving something behind for someone else to bring into the future is what it means to be human. I've seen a couple stories with this concept and it's close to my heart.

brOTP:

maybe not really a bro relationship but I do love him and Lisa Lisa. he became very close to her and changed deeply due to her teachings. he admires her and she respects him, despite both of them putting up walls for the sake of propriety and self preservation it's clear to me that they cherish each other.

OTP:

Caejose, man. it was my first Jojo ship and it's still in my top 3, they were just too much for me to handle. I feel like they balance each other out: Joseph would have been an inconsiderate brat all his life without Caesar and he in turn would have been a stuck up dipshit.

nOTP:

I haven't really seen him shipped with anyone beside Jojo (as it should be, the boy was smitten) but maybe Caesar x Suzie Q? it comes up sometimes with the OT3 but I just don't see them working as anything more than friends.

Random headcanon:

Caesar lives with the biggest catholic guilt you could ever imagine. he feels like he lost his chance at Heaven because of all the crimes he committed and the vengeful intent that fuelled his youth. he spends a lot of time thinking about his actions and the impact they have on those around him, the balance of good and evil that he has brought in the world.unrelated but on top of being religious he is also supersticious. he will gladly pet a black cat but then he'd turn around and change path to make sure the cat doesn't cross the street in front of him. just in case.

Unpopular opinion:

the boy ain't from Naples, he feels like a Florence boy to me. just please, imagine the many instances of Caesar's "maremma maiala, Jojo" it would be way too funny. also Joseph would pick up on the fact that Caesar's accent is different from those around him and he'd have a field day with the weird C sounds.

Song I associate with them:

You Will Never Know by Imany

I've said this in the tags a bunch of times but I don't think Caesar ever confessed to Joseph or even really told him how much Jojo meant to him. Caesar's arc really is all about a road being cut short and this song works perfectly with that.

Favourite pic of them:

stupid sexy motherfucker, I hate him

Gyro/Jennifer Lopez kin

Fav thing about them:

he is just so competent??????? he knows what he's doing and he does it well. I love how creatively he solves problems, the whole first stage of the race had me screaming, it was just too good. steel balls ain't a functional weapon but somehow he always pulls through with them and them alone?????????? I.... I may have a thing for people who are the best at what they do.

Least fav thing about them:

the fact that he just kinda.... forgot about the kid who was on death's door. like.... you'd think it would be a higher priority on his list of things to worry about. (to be fair, i flew through Steel Ball Run, I wanna re-read it properly once I've read Stone Ocean too; so maybe I'm wrong and Gyro did indeed give a rat's ass about the poor kid)

Favourite line:

"Eat shit, asshole! Fall off your horse!"

"I've got no choice. We're cornered, so I have to teach you. First off, Johnny, let me tell you one thing. Starting now, you can only say the words, 'There is no way I can do this!' four times, and four times only. Alright? Four times."

modern!au Gyro but he's not a doctor, he's a motivational speaker/life coach

brOTP:

I feel like he and Hot Pants could have been wonderful as friends. thankfully there are a few fanfics that have just that. Hot Pants would just be so done with Gyro, entirely done.

OTP:

Gyjo, clearly. which is funny because it has such a horrible ship name but it just works. seriously, you just have to look at how many times Johnny ended the race in a better position than Gyro despite not really caring about the win and the fact that Gyro hasn't slapped him yet to know that fool is head over heels. (yes, I am salty about Johnny; I love him but I am salty anyway)

nOTP:

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh, boh

Random headcanon:

at first he started doing his gags to annoy Johnny; he was used to none of his jokes ever really landing so he started enjoying getting a rise out of people when he kept them coming until they just couldn't take it anymore. turns out that Johnny is a really weird guy with very few friends or people who, y'know, treat him normally so he absolutely loves Gyro's shitty jokes. Gyro was surprised to say the least but having someone actually enjoy his gags is much better than anything else.

Unpopular opinion:

translations that spell his name J.Lo are extremely valid and my faves. I know that Gyro keeps to the part 5 tradition  of naming Italian characters after food but J.Lo makes more sense with his real name (Julius could also be Giulio, so it's pretty close) and it's a fricking Jennifer Lopez reference. have you seen how luscious his hair is? his poses????? that's a J.Lo if I've ever seen one

Song I associate with them:

Blitzkrieg Bop by The Ramones - purely for the sound, it fits his shenanigans

and Brother Under The Sun by Hans Zimmer and Bryan Adams - YES IT IS THE SOUDTRACK OF SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE CIMARRON, NO I WILL NOT BACK DOWN ON THIS. this just.... the music and the lyirics and the setting all scream "Gyro to Johnny"

Fav pic of them:

[destinywillowleaf]

Part 3 of 3 for @greentrickster 's Lifeswap AU doodles! Featuring approximately 13 designs an explanations for most of them! This is gonna get long, so I hope this read more works.

1) Simple suit

You gotta start somewhere simple, and where better tht just a suit? I honestly don't know that much about suit design but I still tries based on a few references and some notes from vvvvvvyeah on the suit design throughout he series. Also how does one draw an attorney's badge because I have _no_ idea.

2) Closer to home

This is much closer to one of Nahyuta's concept designs (as in, it's nearly the same to he far left one on the third page of concepts on the wiki) because hey, it's easy to pull from what already exists to make something new. The main difference is the coat being longer and a lack of earrings (which I'm keeping consistent, IDK if he should have pierced ears)

3) Vest Boy

From that one weird design whee Nahyuta had an orange vest and and suit. He reminds me of Apollo. Also, hair's down! The pic between 1 and 2 is a rough reference for the length(ending like right around his hips). Also an excuse for posing because I know I need the practice.

4) Jacket and Clasp Under

Honestly my favorite design? Like I could probably change the shirt around some more to be more in line with American/Japanifornian fashion but stilllll

Maybe this is what he wears post-SoJ or something. I don't want to completely toss this design aside.

5) Casual Clothing

This is a two for one deal and the only reference was from a piece of clothing that I own that's like a hoodie sweater but extra dramatic in the back (more material). Still messing with hair styles. Let is basically just putting him u to stuff I own, right is a simple t-shirt over turtleneck. Maybe he's gonna import Plumed Punisher shirts.

6) Peak Lapel

Hey look, something I know the name of! It's very similar to design 1, with peak lapels and more braided hair. There's a few little pieces that still get out, but there's nothing deliberately in front. Probably a case of "I'm having a lot of feelings and anything loose will reveal that".

7) Concept Again

Again taken near directly from concept art. Probably gonna be used with Apollo more than Nahyuta, but I figured I could still doodle it real quick.

8) Apollo style

NOW he really looks like Apollo. Just in a vest and the undershirt with a tie o tie it all together. Probably not gonna go with it but at least now I kinda know how he'd look i his bro's clothes.

9) Causal, mk 2

Well, and some beads too. I don't know what the name of the type of shirt he's wearing(some sort of long sleeve sweater polo) but dang it he looks good in it. And the first appearance of the beads in this sheet, too. I think they might just be wrapped around his right arm under his sleeve most of the time so they're out of sight, but also it was another "pose practice" thing.

10) 6 Again?!

Yeah yeah, it's basically 6 again, but that's cause I figured that'd make sense for him to go around wearing in court. Also I made it bigger. Might just use hem as separate color testing spots to see what looks nice. Also he's not as stressed cause his hair's down.

11) Short Edition

Shortened up the coat a bit and went shoulder braid. Nothing super ridiculous here, honestly it looks pretty casual even though it's not.

12) Dhurke's Coat

Feels time.

He's got Dhurke's jacket a it feels weird to him, wearing it after all his time, but he's got it nonetheless. It's the right size for him, too, since he's the same height as his dad. Maybe this is another post-SoJ look.

13) I don't even know

He looks ten but he's not. He's completely off model but it's like a larger custom version of Dhurke's jacket. Also beads in the neck for once because that's an important part of his design.

And then off to the left we have some quality Trucy ad Nahyuta bonding time. Since Nahyuta doesn't have the perceive powers, he and Trucy and much more of an investgative tag team. She's his assistant that states as you and will sometimes speak up out of nowhere to call you out on lying to he court. They're such a cute tram though, especially because Nahyuta is like a foot taller than her, so sometimes it's easier to just carry her around.

Oh, and the badass boast pose cause I want him to have a moment where Ga'rab wants to know who this person thinks he is so she asks and he just [insert epic reveal here] at her ya feel

Uh... Last thing for now, I feel like tht even if Nahyuta can't channel spirits, he can sort of feel when they're around or (more relevantly) when someone's being channeled. It's a back if the mind sort of thing unless he's right on top of them which makes investigations... interesting, to say the least. How long it is before he picks up on the fact that Dhurke is being channeled, I dunno.

Don't expect anything new for a bit, I have lots of Apollos to make. I have no idea how they're gonna turn out.

And thank you to Greentrickster for continuing to give me information to work with for this lovely AU!